Greenwash explored

Here's a really excellent article by Fred Pearce of the Guardian

He explores the ludicrously shallow 'green' claims of some corporate giants and cites the record number of complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority as evidence of many corporations' increasingly cynical attitude towards improving carbon footprints. Mr Pearce goes on to tell us that the Guardian will have a regular column looking at these very issues called Greenwash.

"Can we shop our way to sustainability? Are some products so green it is better to buy two of them rather than one? Or are our own consumer lifestyles, suffused in greenwash, the problem? Is there really no alternative to putting away our credit cards, pulling on our thickest jumper and heading for the hills?"

Timely, succinct and relevant to y'all!

Paperless paper

It's a technology that's been around for a few years, but until now it hasn't been proven to be a practical alternative to the newspaper. How useful a product this will prove to be in years to come remains to be seen; see here for one of the newer electronic reader products.

However, in this article written by Steven Rosenberg, the author explores the technolgy and concludes that "sitting on a commuter train, I suddenly realise there's another good thing you can do with an ordinary newspaper that you couldn't do with a flashy electronic one. Leave it behind for someone else to read."

There you have it. Confirmation that even a well informed journalist can still act under the misguided impression that he is helping a fellow passenger by abandoning his own reading material. But why? You wouldn't leave your book behind would you? You probably wouldn't leave a magazine behind? Any 'disposable' product that is left behind on the public transport network costs us both environmentally (by landfilling of precious resources) and fiscally (through our local council taxes).

The article goes on to observe that if you lose your newspaper "it's no problem - 50 cents. But if you lose an electronic newspaper it will be expensive for you." And even more so on the environment.

Will people be able to adjust their own reading habits in favour of technologies that require a certain amount of forethought, or will impulsive demand for consumption mean that products like disposable newspapers will be around for a lot longer than some may think?

Insiders view on the paper industry

Written by Mr RC Viner of the Premier Paper Group this article gives a very frank and honest account of where one paper industry executive thinks the industry as a whole needs to go in order to continue to improve the industries' sustainability.

Here are some snippets -

"The United Kingdom should recycle more paper and use more of its waste paper in the domestic production of paper and board - instead of exporting over five million tonnes of waste paper each year."

"Using 70gsm paper instead of 80gsm can use 23% less wood fibre, 20% less water, 28% less energy and produces 13% less waste. And yet, today’s 70gsm papers will perform just as efficiently in the most demanding xerographic applications as an 80gsm equivalent."

"In practice, the vast bulk of paper produced today comes from trees - they are a convenient, flexible and relatively cheap source of pulp. But there are alternatives. One manufacturer already produces a range of coated papers suitable for high quality printing applications that contains a high proportion of a bagasse - a by-product from the refining of sugar."

PLA producer answers criticism

After an article published on the Guardian website questioning the long term prospects of PLA as an alternative to petroleum based plastics, it is good to see that Natureworks have hit back, albeit a bit slowly, with some compelling evidence to back up their much championed technology. They say -

PLA generates less than half the greenhouse gas emissions of making oil-based plastics.
PLA will soon produce 75% lower emissions than petro-chemicals.
PLA is infinitely recyclable

See here for the full article

FSC failing

Mongabay reports that the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is coming under increasingly harsh criticism. Ecological Internet (EI) and many others believe FSC is imploding as claims of environmental and social benefits of certified ancient forest logging and industrial monoculture plantations are exposed as myths. FSC's future (if it is to have one) depends upon changing its guidelines to end support for both business as usual old-growth logging and large-scale monoculture plantations.

If unwilling to end their involvement in ancient forest logging, FSC and supporters must be protested until they are shutdown. Global ecological sustainability depends critically upon strictly protecting all remaining relatively natural ecosystems, particularly primary forests. All ancient forests are of high conservation value. There is no alternative to continued logging of centuries old trees found in primary forests. The era of ancient forest logging must end if global ecological collapse is to be averted.

Recyclables being stolen from curbside collections

Interesting story this one, and a real sign of our times

In a nutshell - people who are putting their recyclable goods out for collection are watching in disbelief as organised gangs with trucks and mobile phones are pilfering all the valuable goods such as glass and aluminum. Even cardboard and newspaper is being stolen to be resold, sometimes for as much as $1000 per full truck.

Pilfering cans, bottles and other recyclables from bins is already illegal in many places, including San Francisco and New York City. In San Francisco, poachers can be fined up to $500 and get six months jail time. In New York, thieves are subject to arrest, vehicle impoundment and fines of up to $5,000.

But in a survey conducted in 2000 by the nonprofit advocacy group Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness, 75 percent of homeless people in Los Angeles said they depended on income from recycling.

I'm reading a fascinating book a the moment called Wikinomics written by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams.

This really is a must read for anyone who is interested in learning how the internet will be creating new models for business and how proprietary thinking within the business community will become increasingly harmful to those that seek success.

For those of you not familiar with the terminology, Wikinomics is essentially the economics of mass collaboration, and the book explores all those working at the cutting edge of 21st century business. This technology could well see an end to the vast majority of intellectual property being harbored by businesses.

One of the bolder statements written by the authors claims that internet based mass collaboration has "the potential to improve human health rapidly, turn the tide on environmental damage, advance human culture, develop break through technologies, and explore outer space"

Wheat Straw gets major new role in North America

We've known for some time now that by-products of the agricultural wheat industry have been well suited to paper production. And certainly the idea of making a newspaper out of chaff does not seem to far fetched to me. But now it seems that the technology being used in North America is advanced enough to make a magazine.

This new report is very exciting for those in the recycling business. As a by-product wheat chaff in the UK is being landfilled.
What a massive opportunity this is for the publishing industries of the Western world to embrace.

I say in the West, because in China they have been doing this for years. Farmers from all over China have been able to supply their local paper mill with rice farming by-products and thereby creating a much needed income stream from their own waste; though this agreement is now under threat because of an influx of large European style paper mills from Finland that have no use for agricultural by-products.

Walkabout II is falling together

Nice to see the next Walkabout is getting some coverage in the Telegraph. Shane Richmond takes time to point out that Project Freesheet has managed to make an "interesting point". Not ours I'm afraid but Mr Hughes' from The Ecologist does make quite a few other interesting points in his article.

So, for those that are interested I thought I'd post here a rough idea of how things are going to pan out on the 27th for The Big 10,000....(with thanks to Ebullient Cohort Fewins)

We are set to have at least 70 volunteers out there on the streets picking up papers across London. There are at least 12 groups starting from the 'burbs and ending up at various central locations around town.

All the newspapers will be dumped at City Hall at 8pm for a photo opportunity in order to illustrate to those in power the scale of the problem, before being taken to the newspaper house project in Hackney. This is a jolly impressive project - see here for more info. You’re welcome to go along the following evening and make your own ‘brick’ (I have - it’s great fun).

Project Freesheet have a van for the night, which will be going around the various groups picking up the papers collected so don’t worry about carrying a heavy load.

The best places to find newspapers are by tube station entrances and bus stops – you can’t just take them out of the hands of the vendors. We need to play by the rules here. Remember we are collecting litter – so bins also count.

Finally – we thought that we could do with a suitable uniform for the walkabout but sadly Vivienne Westwood was busy that night, so instead we’ve come up with some very funky hat designs to make out of the freesheets you collect. Or a chap with a ‘tasche has this.

Don’t forget to bring along a map / sundial / GPS equipment but more especially your camera so that you can take pics and upload them to the site. We will have bags in which to carry the papers you collect. That’s all you need. Oh and perhaps a big fat marker pen with which to decorate your hat.

Happy Pickings!

Increasing demand boosts Asian recovered paper prices

This summary of a recent increase in the price was reclaimed paper was taken from Risiinfo.com

Prices for recovered paper have climbed in China and Southeast Asia.
US old newspapers (ONP) have climbed $15/tonne, European ONP by $10/tonne and Japanese ONP by $5-10/tonne.
US old corrugated containers (OCC) have risen $20/tonne and European OCC has climbed $20-25/tonne and Japanese OCC by $15/tonne.

These value hikes have pulled up prices for mixed paper, which has climbed $10/tonne. Chinese mills are buying more mixed paper than usual and sorting out what they need. Prices for US pulp substitutes climbed by $5/tonne in late December, reflecting increasing global pulp prices.

Meanwhile the Japanese government has been pushing renewable energy policies that have resulted in the installation of more than 100,000 residential solar power systems since 2004, as well as a projection of 5 GW of solar generation capacity by 2010. Japan even plans to launch a solar satellite by 2040, which will deliver energy to the earth via low-intensity microwaves. The satellite will absorb the sun’s energy 24 hours a day, unobstructed by clouds, and generate one million kilowatts per second – equal to the output of a nuclear power plant.

Japan leads the world in solar power technology and not only produces half the total solar cells made in the world, but it also exports 30% of these cells, with expected demand for 20% increases per year.

Both of these examples highlight positive and successful implementation of new and existing technologies from the renewable sector. It is claimed that the renewable sector alone cannot meet the energy requirements of the 21st Century. But you have to wonder about that don't you?

Whilst Gordon Brown umms and arrs over the nuclear decision for the next 5 years, the renewable sector will continue to go from strength to strength. But how much quicker could this growth be though with the full support of the UK goverment?