Preventing a Recipe for Disaster

Ingredients in antiseptic, house hold and personal care products end up in sewage treatment plants when washed off. Furthermore, such harmful ingredients may affect the soil, air and potentially end up in aquatic environments. Europe has implemented the EC cosmetics directive to reduce environmental risks harmful chemicals may pose. The EC cosmetics directive has taken the initiative to regulate the types of ingredients being used in antiseptic, household and personal care products. The EC has placed special concern on preservatives, colorants, and UV filters. They determine the environmental safety of ingredients based on their ability to biologically degrade via the microorganisms present in the sewage system. It was determined surfactants, lipophilics, emulsifiers, fruit acids, solvent alcohols, preservatives, and perfume oils are readily biodegradable. In contrast, polymers, hair dyes, dyestuffs, and, ultraviolet filters are not readily biodegradable, but do manage to get degraded. The EC cosmetics directive has also implemented strict labeling of products warning consumers about shelf life, ingredients, and proper use of the product. Regulating the types of chemicals being used in antiseptic, household, and personal care product, increases environmental sustainability because it reduces environmental risks. Moreover, the products being used are tested to make sure they are biodegradable. Which reduces the risk of the chemicals making their way into drinking water, the soil, air, and aquatic environments. 

 

Source: http://www.joyoushealth.com/blog/2011/04/23/12-dirty-chemicals-in-your-personal-care-products/

Citation 

Tolls, Johannes, Harald Berger, Adolf Klenk, Michael Meyberg, AG Beiersdorf, Rainer Müller, Klaus Rettinger, and Josef Steber. "Environmental Safety Aspects of Personal Care Products—a European Perspective." Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 28.12 (2009): 2485-2489. Print.

Trawling Marine Life

Figure 1. Bottom Trawling 

Steve Healy. 29 September 2019. https://blogs.ubc.ca/stevehealy/2014/09/29/reefs-of-glass-protecting-british-columbias-prehistoric-glass-sponge-reefs/

            Coral reefs are biologically diverse marine ecosystems of shallow water. Worldwide, bottom trawling is the major cause of coral reef degradation. A large net with weights is used to sink to the ocean floor and is dragged through the water behind one or more boats taking and destroying everything in its path such as targeted fish and bycatch.

            Coral reef fishery management is endorsed to conserve the biodiversity and habitats of the seabed. Approaches used include total and/or limited prohibition of towed bottom fishing gears as well as seasonal and rotational closure techniques. Nevertheless, there is a cost when using closed areas improperly; fishing activities may be relocated into habitats that may be more susceptible to disruption than those presently trawled. Although fishing activities are restricted and confine the degree of impact, the management regimens may force them to reallocate them and be more destructive in the long run. (Kaiser, et al. 2002)

Reference:

Kaiser, Michel J., Collie, Jeremy S., Hall, Stephen J., etc., Modification of marine habitats by trawling activities: prognosis and solutions. Wiley Online Library, 03 Jul 2002. Web. 28 Nov 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1467-2979.2002.00079.x/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false

Green school

"Green School"

How green is your school? This is the main question presented in the article "How Green is your campus?" (2009) found in Nature Magazine, by Amanda Leigh Mascarelli. Universities are working on bringing sustainability to their schools and can serve as a model for many other affiliations.  

Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia, is the "heart of the conservative deep south." This university starts each school year with teaching their students about sustainability by serving them food locally sustained, and handing out reusable water bottles and toting around reusable shopping bags. Emory University makes it known to their students from day-one that sustainability is key on their campus. Emory University is a part of a Go Green enactment and 650 U.S educational instiutions have claimed to make the pledge to become "climate neutral."

Such schools that are claiming the go green pledge is a great example for other business, schools, and even cities in hopes of decreasing environmental impacts. Some of the early starters that have implemented the go green pledge has helped decrease its carbon footprint and improve efficeny.

Northern Arizona University, one of the 600 plus Universities to pledge Go Green.

Reference

Mascarelli, A. (2009, September 9). How green is your campus? Nature, 154-155. Retreiveed 2014,  Novemeber from http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090909/full/461154a.html. doi:10.1038/461154.

Smoking ban brings positive Benefits

"Smoking ban brings positive benefits"

In the article "Smoking Bans Yield Long-term Benefits" (2009) by Adrian Burton, found in Environmental Health Perspective, a smoking ban in the city of Pueblo, Colorado helps reduce the adult hospitalizations of myocardial infarction (AMI). 

In November of 2005, researchers found that the smoke ban in the city of Pueblo, CO reduced the hospitalizations for adults significantly and within 18 months after the ban was implemented, there was a 27% drop in hospitalizations. The city of Pueblo has seen a 41% reduction of hospital admissions since the smoke ban was made and over United States as well as some parts of Europe has reported between 8%-40% reduction of hospitalizations due to the increased regulations of smoking and stricter smoking bans.

Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report (MMWR), 2009

The article reported that this study was done in a small population size and some hospitalization reports could not of been determined whether the hospital stay was due to secondhand smoke or as a smoker who had quit. Although the city of Pueblo showed significant drops in hospital admissions, a bigger field of study and more population size would need to be done to see how the smoke ban can truly help out the citizens of that city. One small step with a smoke ban may lead to bigger and better change for a particular city and then may influence other cities to also implement a smoke ban for better positive benefits all across the world. 

Reference

Adrian, B. (2009). Smoke Ban Yields long-term Benefits. Environmental Health Perspective, 117(3). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from Environ Health Perspect; DOI:10.1289/ehp.117-a100

Keep Going and Going for Greener, Sustainable Batteries

            Our need for fossil-fuel resources are in high demand and greatly depleting our environment. The search for sustainable energy alternatives in the form of renewable energy and sustainable technologies is growing as well. Scientists are trying to come up with ways to address issues concerning lack of eco-efficient, sustainable technologies. Battery technology is one way in which science wants to cope with high energy demands. Lithium-ion batteries are becoming a hot topic for state of the art energy storage mechanisms with research concentrating on sulfur, carbon and nitrogen as an alternative source for designing eco-efficient batteries in the future. For now, the best we can do is recycle battery materials until alternatives can be found. 

Source: http://som-corp.com/green_products.html

Source: Larcher, D. & Tarascon, J-M. doi:10.1038/nchem.2085

 

References

Larcher, D., & Tarascon, J. M. (2014). Towards greener and more sustainable batteries for electrical energy storage. Nature Chemistry. doi:10.1038/nchem.2085