Don’t Recycle That Pizza Box Until You Read This

Oil/grease is one of the worst contaminates in the paper recycling process because paper recycling undergoes a heat process, gets mixed with water and pulverized to paper pulp to make recycled paper. If there is oil in the paper pulp mixture then the paper ends up having spots and holes.

About three years ago we wrote about the fact that many corrugated cardboard pizza boxes are recyclable if and only if they are clean. You can read about the pizza box recycling debate here.

We hope that by spreading the word about this and providing you with some visuals about the seriousness of ruining entire batches of recycling because you didn’t know that oil soaked cardboard shouldn’t be recycled in any amount, we can make people aware of this simple point: it might be better to throw that oily box away.

If you still want to recycle that pizza then there are great ways to go about this:

1. If the top half of the pizza box has no grease on it then feel free to rip that half away from the bottom and recycle the top half!
2. Share this article with others who could learn a thing or two about how recycled paper is made, trust us, they won’t forget the next time they have an oily pizza box!

Invention allows vegetables to be safe for consumption even if planted in polluted soil

Medical-membrane technology was used by Dr. Yuichi Mori to grow agricultural crops with minimized water and soil consumption which he presented at TEDx. Seeing this “hydromembrane”, a gel plastic wrap looking material interestingly enough supports plant growth so that they are safe for consumption.

A video of Dr. Mori with the Imec membrane and cress that grew from it can be seen here:

Source: http://www.mebiol.co.jp/en/product/

#Smart Table Has a Full Cycle #Design

This short (under 4 minute) film illustrates a full cycle, mixed use table that lets people cultivate, garden, cook, eat, wash dishes and repeat.

If you don’t have the time to watch the whole cycle unfold, then here’s the CliffsNotes, Wiki, or actually StudioGorm version of it:

 

Source: http://www.studiogorm.com/flow2.html

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@WholeFoods, Trader Joe’s and more than 2,000 U.S. stores promise not to sell genetically #engineered #seafood

“Whole Foods Market Inc, Trader Joe’s and other food retailers representing more than 2,000 U.S. stores have vowed not to sell genetically engineered seafood if it is approved in the United States…”

Reuters posted this announcement from the Campaign for Genetically Engineered-Free Seafood in an article by Lisa Baertlein since the U.S. F.D.A seems close to approving genetically engineered salmon from AquaBounty Technologies. A product that they call “AquAdvantage Salmon” would be the first genetically engineered animal for the US’s food supply and it is designed to grow to market size in half of the time that conventional salmon take to grow. This salmon is “essentially Atlantic salmon with a Pacific salmon gene for faster growth and a gene from the eel-like ocean pout that promotes year-round growth.

It’s true that many popular foods in the U.S. such as corn cereal, soy milk, and other veggie products are bioengineered but the debate about engineering animals is a hot one. Let us know what you think @wastetracking on Twitter or in the comments here!

(Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/20/us-usa-fish-gmo-idUSBRE92J04F20130320?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29)

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New @WholeFoods is super #efficient !

A new Whole Foods opened in Brooklyn, NY and it’s called “Third and 3^rd, Brooklyn” which has an awesome green parking lot. The parking lot roof has a lot of solar arrays, the streetlights are solar powered and wind-powered, and there are electric car charging stations as well

In addition to having one of the most efficient parking lots made so far, this Whole Foods offers:

Bike Repair and Parking: Bikes are beloved by Brooklynites and Whole Foods Market, so we want to support people’s ability to maintain and ride them. This form of alternative transportation contributes to a reduced carbon footprint and a healthier lifestyle.

Knife Sharpening: Knife sharpening services from Scott Jennings of X-Calibur Knife & Scissor Sharpening and Christopher Harth ofNYCutlery and products including knives and specially-made Third & 3^rd cutting boards.

Vinyl Records and Wrecords by Monkey: A vinyl venue featuring music as well as reclaimed vinyl jewelry and accessories fromWrecords by Monkey, a Brooklyn-based design and lifestyle brand

THE ROOF: Serving a variety of local and seasonal menu items from snacks to salads to entrees, including vegan and vegetarian offerings, as well as 16 beers on tap, The Roof, offers indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the Gowanus Canal, surrounding neighborhoods, and the Manhattan skyline. Hours 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

YUJI RAMEN: Chef Yuji Haraguchi will serve his praised Japanese mazemen dishes with a twist; including Bacon & Egg, Salmon & Cheese, Miso Roasted Vegetables and Spicy Tuna. The takeout venue will be open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

JUICE Etc.: a made-to-order juice bar, offering fresh-pressed fruit and veggie juices and smoothies.

Shopping at Whole Foods is a pleasure, if you can make it out to Brooklyn to see this one let us know what it’s like! You can tag this store with #thirdand3rd and don’t forget, we are @wastetracking on Twitter!

(Source: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/gowanus-whole-foods-opens-with-super-green-parking-lot-powered-by-urban-green-energy/

And

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/brooklyn )

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Time.com talks to #NASA about #FIFA , life away from earth and more in this video

This video shows astronauts playing soccer from the International Space Station (ISS) and astronauts answering fan submitted questions.

You can watch the whole video downlink here:

http://ti.me/1jqSvzf

 

( Source: http://time.com/2970293/time-space-station-video/ )

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#Troubleshooting worm bins for composting

Earlier this week, we posted about a how you can vermicompost and create, rich, anti-fungal earth for your gardening! Well, the info graphic that we posted is Sustainable America’s most popular infographic this year, so they made a trouble shooting worm bin guide and sent is to us!

For those of you who struggle to keep your worms happy or have questions about gardening with this compost or worm casings, please see this article.

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#CNNbusinessreview on Myerscough’s Green Your Cup

I find this video to be inspiring and genius, I think that recyclable paper cups will be widely adopted soon but I’m curious about if Myerscough’s Green Your Cup has patented “technology” that makes it clear that they are “the only game in town”. Best wishes to them as anyone who can help our environment like this we hope succeeds. 50 billion cups in landfills each year is atrocious but I can imagine that’s how much the world produces. Thanks a million for sharing CNN.

Tibetan lama- Ogyen Trinley Dorje speaks up about Tibetan Buddhists’ #environmental #cause

Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the Tibetan lama who, it has been said might assume the mantle of Tibetan spiritual leadership after the life of the Dalai Lama told the Telegraph in this fascinating video about how important glaciers are to the Tibetan cause. This is major environmental news as Ogyen Trinley Dorje is helping more people understand the Tibetan cause.

The Himalayas are sacred in Buddhism and they are of religious significance as well. A number of Tibetan Buddhist sites are located in the Himalayas including the residence of the Dalai Lama.

The World Wildlife Fund’s Sacred Earth program and a network of 50 Buddhist monasteries held the 5th Khoryug Conference on Environmental Protection in the Himalayas last year. This even taught Buddhist monks and nuns how to protect local water sources and how to recharge groundwater by using techniques such as rainwater harvesting.

 

To see this awesome video, click here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/tibet/10901124/The-Tibetan-cause-is-an-environmental-issue.html

 

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Why do I use #castiron ? #gogreen

Did you know that cast iron pans are a good way to get the iron that you need from your food naturally?

If you’ve never cooked with a cast iron pan before you might not know how durable they are or the fact that they result in the best crust on your food. Some say the flavor that comes from a cast iron pan that has been “seasoned” is the best as well.

Some people love cast iron pans, and some don’t but the non-toxic nature of cast iron is compelling.

Teflon coating, and other nonstick pans can be toxic at high temperatures and when pieces get scrapped off the pan the possibility of it going into food and being consumed is high.

This site has compelling reasons as to why cast iron pans are a prime choice when cooking:

http://www.lahealthyliving.com/1/post/2014/03/10-reasons-to-use-cast-iron-cookware.html

 

 

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