AskWoollyM.

THE 12 DAYS OF COMPOST
(Photos of 12 sequential days of our filled compost crock)

Day 1



Day 2

Day 3

 

Day 4

Day 5

 

Day 6

 

Day 7

 

Day 8

 

Day 9

 

Day 10

 

Day 11

 

Day 12

Larger water containers to store drinks in...

Question

I have a water filter that fits under my faucet, and i've just been reusing the plastic gallon water/milk containers from the grocery store and refilling them with the filtered water.  I'm wondering how safe this is since everyone is always saying not to reuse plastic containers.  And if not, are there any alternatives for water pitchers, like a Klean Kanteen is to a plastic water bottle? Thank you! Szu-Hua

WoollyM.

Hi Szu-Hua. To stay on the safe side, I would try to find reusable drink bottles that are made from non-leaching materials. Reusing old plastic drink containers can cause problems as they can break down and leach chemicals into your drink. They can also harbor bacteria if not cleaned thoroughly. If you need a drink container with a lid I would try glass milk bottles. I don't know if you drink milk or not but the Strauss family milk containers are great for adults. You can reuse the bigger ones or smaller ones forever and if u don't want them anymore you can take them back to the store to get the deposit back. Also, Guyot brand makes an extra large stainless steel bottle, bigger than Kleen Kanteen that is also great for larger quantities of liquid.   www.reusablebags.com

You could also try the Think Sport stainless containers which are also a good size. The top is a little funky on mine and doesn't always screw back on very easily, but they might have fixed that issue. I really think the best solution is to check out the larger drinks sold in big glass containers the next time you are in the store and and find one that you like the shape of for reuse. Pom Wonderful drinks used to put their products in awesome glass containers, not anymore sadly enough. I would by their drinks sometimes just to have the great container stocked up for reuse (even though their drinks have high fructose in them...not my favorite thing).

Depending on  how you use them you could also get some glass, stainless steel or ceramic pitchers for cooling in the fridge. I am assuming you want something for take away.  

Hope that helps! Woolly

Www.thegoodenvelopeparty.com

Grey Water at My House

Question

I'd love to use the grey water from the house i'm renting to irrigate the garden.What a waste not to water our plants with it!! I'm wondering what I can do or ask the landlord to do to transfer water from the kitchen,laundry and wash basin/shower into the garden?

 

Woolly

I spoke with LADWP and also Buildings & Safety about the requirements for installing a grey water system in L.A. LADWP sent me to Buildings & Safety and B & S plumbing dept. wanted me to talk with a place called L.A. Test Labs to make sure I got accurate grey water system requirement info. from them. B & S mentioned that the main thing with installing these grey water systems is that in order to install one that the city legally approves, the company has to have an" L.A.Test Lab research report."  So I guess when you go buy the grey water system of your choice in L.A. you would ask them if they have this. Another important thing to know about installing a legal grey water system with the city is that you need to be a single family home, maybe you rent a home? At the moment they do not permit apartments to do grey water systems. Probably cause problems that might arise could affect then more that one tenant at once. It is also might be harder to control many tenants and their consistant use of biodegradble detergents and soaps etc...
Another way you could do water catchment until you find out more from your landlord is to collect and harvest rainwater by using a storage system whether it is a bucket, barrel, tank or cistern. Even though it doesn't rain often here you can still collect tons of rainwater when it does, enough to water your garden for long time if not all summer or year depending on how much you catch. You might invest in a barrel or tank (or cistern) that gets fed from the gutters on the roof when it rains. You would measure the roof to get an idea of how large the space is that would catch the water from the downspout with a bucket, barrel, cistern or tank that would be big enough to hold that water until you use it. You could then distribute the water as needed with a watering can if you use a bucket or a pump/hose like thing that is attached to a prefabricated barrel or tank. Let me know if you want more info. on this... This is a quote from Care2 to give you an idea of how much water one could collect...Just so you know L.A. can rain around 14-15 inches a year (but has done much more as well), that is a rough estimate.

"...If you have a collecting (or "catchment", like a rooftop) area of 1,000 square feet and an average annual rainfall of 20 inches, you have the potential to collect 24,000 gallons of water annually—the equivalent to the water 13 African families use in a year."

Another way to catch water is to use smaller buckets inside your home to save the excess water when you are warming up your shower, faucets or bath. You simply stick a bucket under the faucet til you are ready to use it and then transfer that water after to a useful place like some indoor potted plants or to the garden. I bet you could figure out how to add this to your laundry machine as well if it was convenient to do. There are so many ways to reuse water such as pouring old pasta water on your garden or reusing it to cook something else...the list goes on....Also by applying water saving techniques to your lifestyle you can save gallons and gallons of water. Check out the resources below. As soon as I find out more about the legal requirements for installing a grey water system for a residence in the city of L.A. I will post it.

Here are a few sites that sell Rainwater harvesting storage systems:

http://www.heytanksla.com/
http://www.composters.com/rain-barrels.php
http://www.aquabarrel.com/index.php
http://www.therainsaver.com/
http://waterritesys.com/
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/rainbarrels.html
http://www.rainbarrelsource.com/
http://www.rainsaverusa.com/
http://rainwaterhog.com/products/rainwaterhog/
http://www.ne-design.net/

Great Rain Barrel Guide:

http://rainbarrelguide.com/index.html


Water Harvesting Resources:

http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/rainwater-harvesting-inforesources/suppliers/water-tankscisterns/
http://www.cityfarmer.org/rainbarrel72.html


Here are some great water saving tip sites:

http://www.bewaterwise.com/
http://www.wateraware.org/

EDUN Pop-Up Shop in Los Angeles, CA

If you aren't already familiar with EDUN it is a clothing line that specializes in organic and eco fashion. It was established in 2005 by Ali Hewson and husband Bono with the mission to create beautiful clothing, while developing sustainable employments in developing areas of the world, and in particular sub-Saharan Africa. 

Starting tomorrow November 4th through the 16th there will be an EDUN Pop-Up Shop that can be found inside a new fashion and accessories store called TENOVERSIX on Beverly Blvd (at Vista).

The store will carry a full selection of the EDUN Fall/Winter 2008 collection for guys and girls.  The collection combines rock'n'roll style with a romantic air, T-shirts and jeans sit with whimsical dresses and printed tops.
Go check it out if you get the chance!

www.edun.ie

7427 Beverly Boulevard

LA

CA

90036

323 330 9355

www.tenover6.com

Join the LADWP Green Power Program

Question

Hi, I am confused about LADWP's Green Power Program. Is the extra money they ask for to be a part of this program spent on actual green power generated by the LADWP or does the money go towards future green power not currently provided?

Woolly

Hi. This is a great question many of us have been wondering about. Just to define green power very basically for those who do not know what it is...it is clean electricity produced by a renewable energy technology that doesn't pollute. Sources of green power can come from the sun, wind, geothermal and water, to name a few.
So, the LADWP is currently providing, as of 10-23.08 apparently, 10.5% Green Power to the city of Los Angeles. Sourced from out of state and some local areas to L.A. Some of this energy is generated through hydroelectricity/water from the Pacific Northwest, some through wind from Utah and Wyoming, some geothermal and some sun as well. The Green Power program provides power throughout the city of Los Angeles evenly. It is not allocated to specific areas in the city. Businesses and residents that already use solar panels on their buildings are being credited with the energy they are producing (which is about 13 Megawatts currently). This renewable energy that goes back to the city grid is also considered a part of the 10.5% of the Green Power that the city is providing. There are currently 20,000 subscribers to the Green Power program in the city of Los Angeles. By paying the extra 3 cents per kilowatt hour for the residential program you are receiving a little bit of green energy but also creating demand for it in the city. Obviously, the more green power demand we create for the city, the more clean power LADWP will source and distribute. Our support is vital for this program's success. Hopefully they will eventually create more renewable energy of their own locally in the future. The city of L.A. will provide 20% Green power to the city by 2010 an have a goal of 35% for 2020. Something to look forward to!!! Look for other wasy to offset your energy use through LADWP's Green Energy Consumer Rebate Program. -Woolly

The Eco-Friendlier Bake Sale

Question

Hi. My daughter's school is having a rummage sale/bake sale fundraiser. Do have any good ideas about sustainable packaging for bake sale items? You know, you sell three cookies at a time, they need to be packaged in advance, and they need to be visible.  It just sends me into thoughts of plastic baggies, which I try to not have in my life. There will also be sticky buns and cakes and the like.

WoollyM.

Hi awesome mom! This is such a great idea. Bake sales can be so wasteful and it will be great for your customers to walk away next to trash free as they eat your scrumptious baked goods. You can totally do this without plastic ziploc bags and use alternatives that will be more earth friendly and a bit healthier for you sans the bleach. It will be fantastic! There are a lot of options out there but it just depends on what makes the most sense for your school and what you think will end up being the least wasteful and the most affordable for your budget. I am going to make a list of items and links of serving ideas for your baked goods. Let me know what you end up doing.

Alternatives for serving your baked goods:

1. BRING YOUR OWN CONTAINER- Put forth the idea for people to bring their own containers to the event to eat their items on or for taking home. A little promo signage will make this happen surprisingly easy. You could say "No waste bake sale! Bring your own food and drink containers"  This is definitely the best solution. So not only are you going to be pretty much waste free, but people will actually be thinking about what they are doing which really is a great introduction to being more conscience about food packaging in our everyday lives whether it may be food products at the grocery store or take away containers from a restaurant.

2. ORGANIC/UNTREATED FABRIC SQUARES- that act like cloth napkins. This is a suggestion from someone at a meeting I was at recently that I think is brilliant. They do this in China when serving some baked goods apparently. The squares will lay flat like a napkin and the customer can either eat their baked goods on the spot and deposit the cloth square in a dirty square cloth container that you have designated for washing and reuse at another school function or they could take it home and reuse it. You could buy a large piece of organic fabric and cut them into the same size squares and voila! Any size that you feel is appropriate. Here is an example of a place you could order organic or untreated fabric from or this place or this place or go to a local fabric store and ask for this... Or use a vintage fabric and wash really well before using it and cutting it up. It probably hasn't been treated with the conventional chemicals they are using now on fabrics.

3. RECYCLED CONTENT NAPKINS- I know this is pretty obvious. but if you don't have to wrap your goods, you might be able to just hand them off on a 100% recycled content napkin creating very little waste after eaten. You might even be able to get away putting sticky buns on them. 

4. UNBLEACHED WRAP SHEETS/BAGS- These unbleached deli wax sheets are unfortunately not made from recycled or alternative materials yet but come untreated. They also come in different sizes and are easily composted.  Here is another great company that sells unbleached wax sheets, bags and also recycled foil. Ask if they sell bulk.

5. BIOWRAP- This is a cellulose film/wrap in place of saran wrap that will biodegrade high heat compost facilities. This is a good option if by law you have to wrap the bake sale items in a film to meet sanitation requirements.

6. BIODEGRADABLE DISPOSABLES-If you have the budget you can also look into different types of recyled fiber food holders or other renewable resource food trays that biodegrade in the compost or trash after a longer period of time.  Recycled paper food trays, Biocompostable bagasse boat trays, Biocompostable bagasse 6" plates...

Hello everyone!

The Good Envelope Party's online store is now open!

http://www.thegoodenvelopeparty.com/

Come check out beautiful handmade stationery made with love by the fine ladies of The Good Envelope Party.  The Good Envelope Party is a bi-monthly women's collective in Silver Lake, California. We make handmade recycled stationery from salvaged books and magazines, with love, for the good of others and the earth. These one-of-a-kind envelopes and recycled card inserts are voluntarily made for the purpose of donating their profits. Proceeds are directly donated to non-profit organizations, underfunded schools, and local families struggling to fulfill their basic needs.

Check out our article on Daily Candy!

Woolly M.

Where to Buy Organic Mattresses in Los Angeles...

Question

We are looking for a twin size organic mattress for our 2 year old daughter.
I also think we are going to try to replace our (king) mattress too and would love some info on
stores to visit or to order from. What do you like in Los Angeles area? Any tips would be hugely appreciated... wool/cotton/springs???-Jenny

WoollyM.

It is really a great idea to buy an untreated mattresses if you ready for a new one, organic is especially great if it is something you can spend your money on.

There are a lot of great places to buy mattresses from. I would definitely recommend trying to buy local within Los Angeles first. If that seems too expensive then try buying online within California if possible. You will tons of choices between these two options. I really like organic innerspring mattresses for myself and husband, but my daughter does have a twin organic rubber bed in her room. The main thing of course is to make sure it is firm enough to last a long time and that it is truly organic, if you want to buy organic. Most places I think have to ask for a Doctor's prescription note still to have without flame retardants here. I don't remember if I sent Lifekind a note for my daughter's mattress, but I definitely had to give Royal Pedic one here in L.A. to be able to purchase their organic king mattress. The tricky thing is once you have your organic mattress to try not to use conventional sheets and mattress pads, moisture barriers etc...and try to stay organic...This can get ridiculously pricey, trying to make everything organic. But hopefully this will change over time with more demand for organic now. Target is even carrying organic lines of linens etc... And these organic lines are doing really well!!! So invest in organic stuff for the beds slowly, over time and it will really pay off in the long run not to have all those toxins in your daughter's room and in yours!!!

Here are some stores that you can buy an organic mattress at in L.A. (Please post if anyone has other resources that I have left out.)

L.A. STORES

H3 Environmental- Mary Cordaro Collection

Royal-Pedic

341 N. Robertson Blvd.
Beverly Hills, Ca. 90211
(800)487-6925
(310)278

Organic Rush

960-962 Mission Street

South Pasadena, CA 91030

1 626 799 8099 (11:30-5:30 PST)

LivingGreen
Culver City, California
10000 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
Phone: (310) 838-8448

At Home Naturally LLC
5152 Sepulveda Blvd., Ste. 126
Sherman Oaks, CA  91403

Cisco Home

440 N. La Brea Blvd. (?)
Los Angeles CA 90036
Phone: (323) 932-1155

ONLINE CALIFORNIA STORES* Always call to find out more specific info.!

LifeKind- Grass Valley, CA

Green For Baby-Thousand Oaks, CA

Earthsake-Berkeley, CA

Eco-terric-San Fransisco, CA

Pure Rest Organics-San Diego, CA

Green Nest -Irvine, CA

A Happy Planet- San Francisco, CA

Green Sage- San Fransisco, CA

Just Living-Sebaspol, CA

WoollyM

Environmental Challenges Affecting Planet, Lives

 Our natural environments faces a myriad of challenges in the 21st century, many of them our own doing. Among these is the depletion of the ozone layer due, in some part, to our own reliance on the continued burning of fossil fuels and destructive energy policies. What we need to see, however, is that these practices are affecting not only the future of our planet, but also the lives of today’s industrial worker, who must toil in this outdated and dangerous industry.

 While some aspects of the fossil fuel industry may seem more destructive to human health than others, we need to focus on underlying effects of these harmful energy practices. More focus, for instance, needs to be given to the health of today’s coal and oil workers, many of whom work among some of the most toxic substances on earth. Among these substances is asbestos. While asbestos was banned in the late 1970’s by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, it still exists in much of the pre-ban infrastructure of today’s oil refineries and coal plants.

 As these materials become abraded by age or other damage, the asbestos fibers with them become more unstable and therefore all the more hazardous. Those in the vicinity of damaged asbestos are at risk of health complications caused by exposure, not the least of which is pleural mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused only by asbestos exposure. And mesothelioma aside, other cancers can be caused by exposure to benzene, another substance commonly found in these industries.

 It is only by moving on from these antiquated energy policies and practices can we save not only the earth for our posterity, but also the lives of our industrial workers.

Article Written by

David Latimer

Public Outreach

Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center

Does Green Necessarily Mean Healthy?

Question

I recently bought a mattress at a store called Keetsa in San Fran.  It seemed very green and I was quite pleased as green mattresses are so expensive and I couldn't have afforded it otherwise. I thought it especially important as I was eight months pregnant. Lo and behold, I actually went into early labor like an hour after ordering the mattress.  My husband brought the body pillow I ordered from Keetsa as well to the place we were staying after I gave birth.  I was so upset to see the label on it....it was made in China.  In addition, the inner part of the pillow is 40% polyurethane foam. I haven't seen the tag on the mattress, because my husband had to set it up while I wasn't home, but I'm so sad about the pillow....it doesn't seem like
a green purchase at all. Do you have any experience with this company?  Is it truly green? I know they use a lot of recycled material, which is great, but is recycled plastic made in China a healthy purchase? I am suspicious.-Kristin

WoollyM.

Congrats on your new baby Kristin! I called Keetsa to find out a bit more about their mattresses. Here is what I found out. Their mattresses could be potentially better for the environment than conventional mattresses. They claim that because of their makeup, natural fabrics and content etc..their products are more recyclable. The springs contain recycled steel in them and they are resourceful and use foam scraps from their mattresses for the support foundation. Their mattresses have a numeric rating called the "Keetsa Quotient™" which is " a composite score of how much each product contains a green-factor ingredient: use of recycled material or recyclable materials, use of sustainable materials such as bamboo or unbleached cotton. Some products have higher scores because they try to optimize the green-factor as much as they can while still delivering high levels of comfort." They also try to make a smaller carbon footprint when producing their mattresses. They send the mattresses as efficiently as possible rolled up in a recyclable cardboard box printed on with soy inks, however the box is still not made from recycled content.

So from an environmental standpoint this seems pretty positive, but are the mattresses better for our health than conventional ones? Are they safe like an organic one?

Their mattresses do contain a petroleum based memory foam inside of them. They feel that the memory foam is a necessity and dissipates pressure of one's body to some degree, making it better for your back. That is one of the reasons they use it at all. As you know, petroleum based products aren't the most environmental as petroleum products don't recycle well and they might not be the best for our health due to possible toxic VOC (volatile organic compounds) that petroleum can let off for one to breathe in. To reduce this typical toxic offgassing due to chemicals in petroleum, they have reduced the amount of petroleum oils in their based foams by 50%. They cut down on the formaldehyde and petroleum oils in the foam by putting it through a special process and replacing some of these oils with different derived ones from food ingredients such as one from green tea called "catechin" (also known as EGCG). When the this extract is added to the memory foam, it is supposed to be good for you and at the same time create odor control." They use non-toxic food preservatives to reduce flammabilty and to lower the amount of harmful offgassing of chemicals and still are able to adhere to the stringent flame retardant laws in our country. They claim their mattresses etc... are still 70-80% organic in a sense because of Keetsa's use of non pesticide ridden cottons and other natural fabrics. However, they cannot get an organic certification because of the petroleum foam inside the mattresses.

After Life Recyclability?

Keetsa does provide you resources of where to recycle your old mattress on their site before you buy their brand. They will not take their own old Keetsa mattresses back at the end of their lifecycle which is apparently 20 years, a 20 year warranty. You must dispose of them at the appropriate waste sites as well.

Fair? and Made in...?

They claim they are fair labor even thought they are manufacturing their mattresses in China. The CEO who started the company went to UC Berkeley and used to work for Seelies. The mattresses are made by machines in a lab in the Northern Provinces of China. They import all their materials from Korea and Europe.

My Feelings.

So those are some of the facts. Now my feelings. Their goal is to be as healthy and natural as possible. I totally appreciate that, but I'm not sure I feel that any use of petroleum is particularly healthy or natural, but as it stands I wouldn't send it back unless you absolutely can't live with these facts I talked about above. I guess if you feel more anxiety sleeping on this mattress then if you would if you forked out the extra money to spend on an organic one, then you should definitely send it back for sure. Seeing as you have had such a big year this year as well, maybe you could try to accept it's small amount of petroleumness and keep it. Maybe buy an encasing for the mattress that zips around it when the funds for this are available and eventually a topper. It is frustrating that in your time of dire mattress need they weren't completely upfront with you about the petroleum aspect of the mattress. But maybe they aren't that informed on the health aspects of their productsin the first place. But these are the lessons we are all learning in this day and age, a bit of "greenwashing" could be rearing it's head here as polyurethane of any kind isn't green. It is hard to know all the facts about every product on every shelf in our lives, this is one of our biggest challenges. Finding honesty in a world of just trying to make a quick buck. Green product certifications maybe could help protect us a bit better. But are they thorough enough? There is Greenseal and Co-op America and several others. Can we identify a safer green product by it's price? Organic is usually identified by a heftier price. Does this make it safer? Don't know. One would hope that eventually truly organic, green and healthier product's prices could compete fairly with conventional ones and create massive demand for them eliminating unhealthy conventional products.

So really, I would say keep your stuff and try not to worry, but definitely be skeptical next time you buy a product that calls itself green. Stick to your intuition, try to inform yourself, look for certifications that you agree with and ask as many questions as possible. Or email me! I would love to help you if you don't have the time! Good luck with your new babe! Woolly M.

The September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

Question

Hi Woolly. I just realized I have plastic cutting boards in my kitchen.  What's healthier for my family, bamboo, cork or the recycled plastic (Preserve)?  I'm leaning to the first two but not sure which is safer for us. -Beth

WoollyM.

Hi Beth. I like the Bambu brand cutting boards made from bamboo. They are sustainably harvested and are organic. They use non-toxic glues to bind them together. Here is their claim about their products...

" Our products are made only from bamboo that is sustainably harvested and free of fertilizers or pesticides. We’re proud to offer the only bamboo products made from Certified Organic bamboo sources. And naturally, we use only water-based formaldehyde-free adhesives."- Bambu

You can get Bambu cutting boards at Whole Foods. You can also get them at  All Shades of Green and several online stores like Greenfeet.  I will warn you however, they are made in China..."responsibily". You will have to decide how comfortable you are with that. Another good bamboo cutting board brand is Greenlite. You can get them online or get them at Sur La Table.
I would stay away from plastic altogether when dealing with food, recycled or not. Recycled plastic is better for the earth but not necessarily best for human ingestion or our health. Use recycled plastics for sure when buying other products though. I think Preserve claims to use only #1 plastic which is considered a better plastic, but if you are cutting into it with a knife it still seems like you don't want to release it into your food.  You also might look into stainless steel ones. I bet they would hold up forever. Here is an example of one at Kitchen Source. I am sure you could find many to pick from on the internet.
I like the idea of cork, but would want to make sure that there hasn't been any finish or coating used on it or bad glues to bind it together. This one from Crate and Barrel is made in USA but I would want to find out more about the materials it is made from by contacting the manufacturer. Woolly.

Some Green and Some Not So Green Images from my trip to London.

Permanent fixture flower bouquet art made from old newspapers on Portobello Road.

Nobody's perfect.

Green waste bags provided by the town of Islington, London for pick up...

The English answer to disposable utensils. These are made from a wood by product and are biodegradable...  

Yes the English don't want their Yellow Pages either apparently. This book sat outside this apartment for weeks. The same with many other apartments around us at the time.

The plastic bag as an accessory...

Biodegradable baby wipes

Vintage children's clothing store...

London under construction...

A flower bed living wall in Holland Park...

Marks & Spencer in store plastic bag recycle bin.

No paper towels here in restaurant or business bathrooms only hand dryers...

Food product come in smaller porportions...maybe creating less waste. People eat smaller porportioned meals here as well...

In the most common supermarkets, fruit and veggies are individually packaged, ie. four peaches packaged in a carton like the one shown below...This could contribute to more waste rather then choosing fruit and veggies from a loose pile. US supermarkets still have to get rid of the plastic produce bags though and get in the habit of BYOB.

One of many organic grocery stores.

Great ad on recycling truck with an intelligent message to the english consumer. "Reduce Your Waste. Choose products with less packaging"

Orange recycling bags for curbside drop off given for free by the government to everyone.

 

Curbside food waste pick up.

Biodegradable drink containers at the Tate Museum.

 Dual flush toilets are not unique here...they are the norm for homes and businesses...

Typical sandwich packaging. For take away or sitting down to eat... Recyclable??? Biodegradable???

Vegan Cafe in Stoke Newington, London

Biodegradable take away cup at a cafe.

A special curbside pickup day for C & D (Construction and Debris) materials and cardboard...

Abandoned plastic shopping bag on lamp post.

Mixed curbside recycling.

 

Curbside bins made from recycled plastic.

 

Woolly M. continues to check out London's earth friendliness...

Belu, Britain's First Biodegradable Water Bottle...Good News?

I saw this bottled water Belu, in a local natural food store in London the other day. It is apparently the first biodegradable water bottle in Britain. The US version (not affiliated) of this is a company called Biota Spring Water. I am not into bottled water use in general, but out of curiosity wanted to find out why this company suggests using their product over tap water. I also wanted to find out more about the corn based biodegradable bottle and what the consumer is supposed to do with it once drank, like if it can be mixed into the recycling or not. They are definitely trying to do something helpful here, but is it really about substituting bio-products for plastic products or is it about changing bottle water habits altogether? Shouldn't we be trying harder to support our tap water. In any case here are the opinions of Belu.

Belu recommends tap water first as the most eco-friendly choice over their bottled water surprisingly...

"Tap water is unquestionably the most eco-friendly source of water (unless you live next to a pristine stream). It is for this reason that Belu recommends tap water as the most environmental choice if you want a drink. This might sound odd coming from an organization selling bottled water, but if we are to save the planet, we must face reality.

But this issue is not as simple as it sounds. There are times when a bottle of water is very convenient. There are also many people who have reservations about the quality of tap water. For both these reasons, not everyone is always going to choose tap water.

For those occasions when bottled water is going to be chosen anyway, Belu has created the most eco-friendly bottled water on the market. We do not import or export our water to reduce the carbon footprint of shipping. We are converting to clean energy and offsetting all remaining CO2 emissions to become the world’s first Carbon Neutral bottled water. Belu has also introduced the UK’s first compostable bottle. Made from corn, these bottles can first be recycled and then at the end of their life, composted back to soil in only 8 weeks (a zillion times faster than petrol-chemical plastic bottles). Last but not least, Belu donates 100% of its profits to fund clean water projects in the UK and around the world.

As mentioned, one primary reason people choose bottled water is their concern about tap water quality. The easiest way to increase consumer confidence would be to raise the UK’s tap water standards to the highest in the world. Why settle for anything else?

To encourage the further adoption of tap water in the meantime, Belu is launching a world-class tap water filtration system for use in hotels, restaurants, businesses and at home. For anyone preferring tap water but seeking for a guarantee of purity, please email puretap@belu.org for an information pack.

Thanks for your interest in this issue. We should not have to choose between the environment and our own well being simply to have a drink of water.

Reed Paget

Founder Belu-Belu Water"

Compost or recycle Belu's bio-bottles?

They mention that you can 'try" to home compost the bottles but that it is not easy. They don't mention to the consumer that the bottles will need to end up at a commercial composter. Maybe it is better not to get the consumer worried about this in the first place? They say that the bio-bottles can be mixed into the normal recycling stream as long as they make up less than 1% of the plastic recycling stream. This seems confusing to me. So what happens if they become more popular? Maybe then recycling facilities will buy machines that will be able to separate them better?

Their FAQ page on their site explains this a little better...

"Q: Will they contaminate the existing recycling streams?

A: As long as bio-bottles make up less than 1% of all plastics they won’t affect the quality of recycled products. In addition, roughly 10% of recycling centres in the UK have machines that can sort bio-bottles from PET and HDPE bottles. With landfill taxes rising, we expect the rest to be installing them soon too.
What will further hasten waste companies to sort bio-bottles is if it makes them money. Belu is helping make this happen by buying back bio-bottles to make into cool stuff. But we still need to get enough bio-bottles into circulation to make it worth their time. Here we could use your help. The more people that choose compostable bottles, the more businesses that will use them and the sooner recycling companies will sort them in earnest. On this point, Innocent Smoothies is on the verge of launching compostable bottles, so why not buy Innocent if you are buying a Smoothie.
As with any innovation, the bio-bottle represents the first step on a journey. Just as there was no recycling system in place for PET when it was introduced 30 years ago, bio-bottles are slightly ahead of our time. But there is no question that this journey is worth it. We have endured over 75 years of toxic plastic pollution and the end is nearly in sight." - Belu Water

Belu puts their profits to good use...

Belu donates their main profits to Wateraid, a non-profit that works in 17 countries providing water, sanitation and hygiene education to some of the world's poorest people.

If bottled water is needed, especially in countries that can't provide their people with clean water, this definitely a better solution than offering plastic bottled water as an alternate to water filters. It would be great if this massive water bottle industry came to a stop with the exception of just a few companies like this making this type of bottle and working on helping poorer countries have cleaner water to drink. - Woolly

Earth Friendly London...

Hi. For the next few weeks I am going to post some inspiring images from our travels in London...London has a lot of exciting earth friendly stuff going on, check it out...

Local people of Stoke Newington (East London) campaign in storefront windows against plastic bag use once and for all. BYOB-Bring Your Own Bag N16 campaign is inspired by the town of Modbury, Devon who banned plastic bag use in May of 2007.

"On Saturday 17th November 2007 we took to Church Street to do a quick survey to find out shoppers’ views and to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags. People were so keen for a plastic bag free Stoke Newington that, in a brief hour, 193 people put down their names in support.

On Saturday 17th May 2008, we took to church street again. This time we held a Plastic Bag Amnesty event to raise awareness of our campaign.

Local shoppers crowded round our stall to swap their plastic shopping bags for a free reusable cloth one, provided by Hackney Council.

The whole stock of 500 cloth bags were given out and people were queuing for more. Diane Abbott MP and Mischa Borris (Hackney Green party councillor) both turned up to help.

We are supporting the work that Hackney Council is doing on minimizing waste and are now looking to the businesses of Stoke to hear their say."  -BYOB N16

Be back in 2 weeks. See you soon! WoollyM.