Reusable Bags NewsReuse & Recycle Eco Community

What is the big deal when it comes to disposable shopping bags?  You may have heard in the news over the last several years that we need to think twice about using plastic and paper grocery bags.  But why?  Why should you go out of your way to avoid using disposables, and start using eco friendly reusable or recycled grocery bags?  Before buying into any movement or cause, it is important to know exactly how your actions will make a positive impact on the environment and our world.  Today, we will go over some key environmental issues and problems associated with disposable shopping bag usage.

The Environmental Literacy Council does a great job of explaining the negative effects of both plastic and paper disposable bags at EnviroLiteracy.Org.  Let’s start with the environmental impact of manufacturing plastic and paper bags in the first place.  Plastic bags are produced using oil, and so the environmental consequences of production includes everything from extracting the oil, to the separation of products in the refining process, to the plastic manufacturing process, and the energy used and emissions created to distribute the bags to retailers.  So in reality, the production of plastic bags (caused by our demand as consumers) is a contributing factor to our dependence on oil.  Paper bags, are of course made from trees and contribute to worldwide deforestation and reduction of habitats all over the earth.  Also, the amount of energy used to manufacture and distribute paper bags and the carbon emissions created even exceeds that of plastic bags.  The truth is that neither paper nor plastic bags are a healthy product for our environment, especially compared to eco friendly reusable shopping bags.

Of course, as you likely know, another major issue with disposable bags is the widespread pollution and litter problem, especially associated with plastic bags.  Plastic bags have evolved to become the “modern tumbleweed”.  They show up everywhere and often end up in ponds, streams, rivers, lakes and in the ocean.  While researching this article I came across some startling information at 5gyres.Org, which educates people regarding the 5 gyres in our world’s oceans.  Here’s an excerpt:  “At sea floating plastics are swept up into slow moving currents.  These currents are called ‘gyres’.  Our Oceans are dynamic systems…. made up of complex networks of currents… Large systems of these currents, coupled with wind and the earth’s rotation, create ‘gyres’, massive, slow rotating whirlpools in which plastic trash can accumulate.”  The most famous of these is the North Pacific Gyre, which has also been called the “great pacific garbage patch”, has been researched the most and is an accumulation of trash and plastic estimated by many to be twice the size of Texas.  What most people don’t know is that there are actually 5 gyres spread throughout our world’s oceans where trash, and especially plastic is accumulating at a fast rate.  One of the scariest parts about all this is that marine animals often ingest this waste floating in the sea and suffocate or starve to death as a result or then WE humans turn around and eat these fish (and the plastic).  By using biodegradable bags, as opposed to disposable paper or plastic bags, our individual actions contribute to the solution rather than the problem.

The environmental crisis our world finds itself in today demands that we take action.  As you can plainly see, the widespread use of disposable shopping bags contributes to major environmental problems that are not going away.  We must change our individual habits by remembering to use eco shopping bags and/or reusable green bags every chance we get.  When we take a stand against the widespread pollution problem caused by disposable shopping bags, we are creating a healthier world one decision at a time.

Care about our world’s oceans, plants and animals?  Of course you do, and you’re not alone. Concerned people everywhere agree we have an environmental disaster of historic proportions on our hands in the Gulf of Mexico. You may have heard that the oil spill appears to be larger than previously thought.  Purdue University engineering professor Steve Wereley, after analyzing BP’s congressionally mandated live video feed of the spill, estimates that up to 100,000 barrels of oil are leaking from the bottom of the ocean every day.  This news adds to a laundry list of bad news on the worldwide environmental and economic front in recent years and it can be overwhelming and flat out depressing to think about.

But what can we do to help?  Most of us have jobs and families we must attend to. It’s not like we can just drop everything and head down the gulf to help with cleanup.  Furthermore, many of us wouldn’t have the slightest idea of how to help with an oil spill clean up or have the resources to make a significant difference.   So how can we be a part of the solution?

We have to stop thinking so big, and begin small.  It is little decisions like riding our bike to work and recycling our aluminum cans that is what we must do to help.   For far too long our culture has treated issues such as recycling as “optional” and with complete ignorance.  We have an extremely short memory as a society.  As an example, check out Anne Casselman’s article about the Top 10 Biggest Oil Spills in History at PopularMechanics.com. The shocker is that the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 doesn’t even make the list.  Oil spills keep happening throughout the world repeatedly and we all act like this is a once in a decade thing or something.

The truth is that oil will continue to be drilled as long as there is demand for it.  Our culture’s attitude about clean energy and the green movement needs an immediate shift.  But like I said, we must start small and simple!  For example, another huge environmental issue is the amount of plastic that is being used in this world, and this plastic is ending up in our oceans just like the oil.   You’ll be shocked if this is your first time hearing about The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and as Oprah Winfrey reported last year “ is estimated to be twice the size of Texas”.   Although this giant garbage dump is composed of all kinds of floating trash and debris, plastic is the biggest problem because it never really decays completely.  So not only do we have oil spills in to our oceans, we also have plastic and trash spills.  According to the Container Recycling Institute, 51.9 billion beverage containers have been consumed so far this year, as of late May.  Reusable water bottles are a perfect example of the kind of simple changes we can make in our individual habits and lifestyles. Imagine the difference that can be made if the average person chooses to use stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic bottles.  In the same way, we can prevent environmental catastrophes by not driving gas guzzling inefficient cars and walking or using public transportation instead.

We all care deeply about the health of our planet, and now we need to turn our disgust for the disaster in the Gulf into simple action and minor adjustments in our lifestyle.  Don’t let the latest news get you down, develop a vision for a healthy planet and do the right thing: Go Green.

I’d like to welcome Eric Jensen to our eco community he’s the founder of Sunmotor International and is a leading innovator on bringing solar energy to desolate areas and also implementation of new drilling technologies. Here’s a Q and A and more information about his approach to solar energy and the new Solar Shack…

Sunmotor is a startup company in central Alberta. Its mission is to develop and commercialize new solar products. We started with a line of DC [direct current] solar pumps developed to water livestock in remote pastures. This has grown into a nice market. Then we discovered that the same pumps can handle contaminated liquids, so they also fit well in environmental cleanup projects, for example the many brine-spill remediation projects underway in the oilpatch. These direct-powered systems are very simple: the solar panels automatically run the pump whenever there is enough sunlight and there’s liquid in the sump.

What is the Sunmotor Solar Shack 120?

This was developed for a remediation project east of Ponoka. Devon Canada wanted a system that continues to pump during cloudy weather. That way, effluent doesn’t accumulate in the sump when there isn’t enough sunlight to power the pump. Stantec Associates, Devon’s consultant, commissioned me to design a system that would supply power on demand. The first unit, which we’ve just finished, will be installed this spring.

What are the advantages of this model?

The Sunmotor Solar Shack 120 delivers 120 volts of alternating current [vac] power, enough to run a higher capacity pump if desired. The solar panels charge a bank of batteries. These large, sealed batteries supply DC power to an inverter, which converts it into AC. We added a thermostat control to shut off the pump when the temperature drops below freezing. If the pump continues to operate when the discharge line is frozen, the batteries could be discharged unnecessarily. The Solar Shack concept can be customized to meet each client’s power requirements, whether for 12 vac, 120 vac, or 240 vac.

As a custom designer, how does Sunmotor handle manufacturing?

It’s been a challenge. I used to subcontract out each component to separate suppliers – quite inefficient, but I had no other option. When I found Strad Structures in Stettler, Alta., I was like a kid in a candy store because it provides a one-location solution for structural, mechanical, and electrical services. Plus their manager, Don Petersen, responds with enthusiasm to whatever wild scheme I dream up, often pointing out how he could build it more efficiently with some minor changes.

Where do you see this technology heading in future?

Our products are well-suited for thousands of remote sites that only require a small amount of power. Sunmotor is now building a unit that integrates solar power with a generator backup. When the batteries need a boost in addition to what the sun delivers, the propane-powered genset will start automatically and run until the batteries are again fully charged. For example, this model could provide power for a camp where the noise of a continually running generator is a real annoyance. I also see interesting possibilities in countries with unreliable electricity supplies, a very widespread problem. A Solar Shack unit could provide a backup power supply that automatically kicks in whenever the power grid goes down.

Visit his website, Sunmotor International, to  learn all about his new technologies and his brilliant aid in bringing solar power to people across the world.

I’m honored to add Solar Richard to our eco community. He is an innovator in the field of solar energy whom is running many projects across the world to implement energies from the sun for building efficient houses to helping third world countries sustain electricity. He has actually stood on the North Pacific Gyre and witnessed first hand the extent of the repercussions on the waste society is creating.

SolarRichard is Tacoma Washington, USA’s own answer to how to make solar energy work in homes and offices, even in the Pacific Northwet, where, “We don’t Tan, we Rust.”  As the name implies, SolaRichard has devoted a good chunk of his adult life (over 30 years) to solar energy.  He has been speaking and teaching on the subject for some time. He was honored at the 50th Annual Solar World Conference in Orlando, Florida, USA at “2005 Solar World Congress” as a Solar Pioneer with more than 25+ years in the solar industry. See his Summer Solstice party.

Most recently, he spoke on Solar Energy and LED Lighting at “Solar Nigeria 2007″ in Abuja, Nigeria, Africa.  He is now working on a plan to electrify rural Nigerian villages with solar energy and bring them LED lighting. He offered to build a solar production plant using materials from Nigeria and allow Nigeria to become a World player in the photovoltaic market.

He is a font of solar ideas.  You can see his idea for using solar LED light to illuminate the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at www.NarrowsBridgeLights.org .  He has been published in Solar Today, REfocus, the Kiplinger Report, Mother Earth News, and interviewed by several TV stations, radio and newspapers.  Locally, he is working with students at Bellarmine High School on solar projects that have won 1st place at the INTEL Science Competition for Solar Engineering these past four years.

He is a font of solar ideas.  You can see his idea for using solar LED light to illuminate the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at www.NarrowsBridgeLights.org .  He has been published in Solar Today, REfocus, the Kiplinger Report, Mother Earth News, and interviewed by several TV stations, radio and newspapers.  Locally, he is working with students at Bellarmine High School on solar projects that have won 1st place at the INTEL Science Competition for Solar Engineering these past four years.

And, as one might expect, he was the first in Tacoma to have a solar tracking grid-tie that allows his electric meter to go backwards.  He uses a photovoltaic solar tracking system so that his solar array is always facing the Sun at the optimal angle for peak efficiency.  He has number of solar demonstration projects, including a 1.8KW remote solar power system in his Chevy Suburban to solar power Al Gore’s movie, “An Inconvenient Truth” at local libraries and schools. He also has a solar electric scooter, solar massage chair, solar attic fan, solar LED security lights, solar Stereo/CD and more.  He will be using his solar know how to power the PA system for the Daffodil Parade and provide solar power for the Jazz & Blues Music Festival later that afternoon.

This is just a small subset of Richard’s breakthroughs in utilizing solar energy on a mass scale. Keep up the good work, you are setting the table for our sustainable future Richard!

I’d like to welcome Sterling D. Allan to our eco community. He is an innovator, leader and founder of about a dozen organizations dealing with technologies to utilize cleaner energy and efficiency to sustain this planet as demand for resources continues to rise.

PESWiki is guided by the New Energy Congress, a network of 50+ energy professionals who are dedicated to clean energy technology advancement. Both the NEC and Pure Energy Systems (PES) Network were founded by Sterling D. Allan, CEO. Many others knowledgeable in the industry also help make this site what it is — a movement for identifying and promoting the best clean energy technologies. It is an open source wiki website that many contribute to, with very informative news articles on the evolution of clean energy technologies.

I read an interesting article posted on PESWiki on British research to use cow manure to fuel a race car.  There are many more informative articles that are syndicated on Sterling’s website to read up on. Keep up the fine work and your role as an influential ambassador for our Planet’s energy resources!

I’d like to welcome PicoTurbine to our eco friendly community. They are not only pioneers of turbine technology but also ambassadors of the education for our young people to facilitate the future. Here’s what they have to say about their company’s vision…

PicoTurbine provides kits, books, and projects for the purpose of advancing the use of renewable (alternative) energy and inspiring students to look into the future. Our concentration is on Wind Energy; however, we offer a wide range of other renewable energy education items for fifth grade and up.

There is a an old adage which states: “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I might remember some of it. Involve me, and I will master it”, which has been tried and tested. It has become a core concept of PicoTurbine. We provide renewable energy education products that encourage young people to learn hands-on and “see for themselves”.

Our products on their basic levels offer you the ability to produce electricity on a small scale. With further experimentation you can end up producing much higher levels of electricity. We suggest our Enhancer Section as the best starting point in giving you the ability to create more power. Test yourself and see how far your imagination can take you. Feel free to contact us along the way to help guide you on your “future” journey to learning about Renewable Energy.

I would like to welcome Paul from Alternate Power Technologies to our eco friendly community. His company specializes in creating turbines to collect wind energy and provide the hard to find parts for DIY enthusiasts.

Here’s what he has to say about their cause. “Our small company has specialized in building small variable pitch wind turbines, the pinnacle of efficient design. But, unlike many other companies, we have extended ourselves even further by offering a number of useful hard-to-get parts for those who wish to build their own energy producing devices. These are typically motivated individuals who enjoy the challenge of building these devices using their own good ideas. With that in mind, we offer two areas on our website which highlight meaningful videos and ideas along those lines. We are strong supporters of this devoted group of people who do more than lip service to our precious environment.”

So please visit his website if you’ve ever had an inclining to create your own environmentally friendly energy source. Sustainable energy will be one of the major challenges our children and grand children will face. Pioneers like Paul are making it readily available today.