Filed under: Global Warming
Once the family reaches the ice, they’ll feast on seals. The mother will teach whatever number of cubs survive how to hunt for themselves. If the cubs get through their first months outdoors, they’ll spend the next two years by their mother’s side, migrating to and from the Arctic ice packs and learning to hunt the seals. Polar bears gorge themselves during the seven to eight months of the year when the ringed seal is available. During that time they can triple their body weight. Males may grow to 1,000 pounds or more during their feeding period while females may reach 600 pounds. They’ll need the extra weight to get them through the summer when the ice breaks up a=on the Hudson Bay and the polar bears move inland onto the summer tundra.
Polar bears are the world’s largest land-based predator. They have only one enemy, traditional Inuit natives who hunt the bear for their meat and fur. But now they have another enemy – human-caused global warming. Today, ice melts in the Hudson three weeks earlier in the spring than it did just 25 years ago.
The increasing sun and early ice melt means there is less time for the polar bears to fatten up for the summer months when they won’t have access to the seals. Polar bears amass most of their body fat during their spring feast of ringed seals. When the ice disappears earlier, they aren’t able to put on as much fat. That fat is critical for the males, but even more critical for the females who must fast an additional period while they nurse their cubs. Females lose an enormous amount of weight giving birth and caring for their cubs, but gain it back if they have enough time on the ice. One female weighed only 250 pounds after her pup’s birth, but ballooned to 880 the next year.
But scientists have noted a 10 percent drop in the number of cubs born in the last 20 years. Adult bears are also 10 percent thinner. At a lower body weight, females have a tougher time nursing, which is part of the reason there are fewer cubs. Female polar bears use snow dens to give birth to their cubs. But rising temperatures can affect these dens themselves. If the dens melt early, the cubs are exposed to the outside world too soon. The same is also true for the ringed seals, which are the prey of the polar bears. They use snow dens to shelter their young. Without the snow dens the health of both predator and prey are affected.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Animals
Filed under: Business Practices | Tags: environment, planet earth, trade show displays, trade show exhibits
There are plenty of reasons to consider environmental factors when planning for your next exhibit. If your industry is not traditionally linked with environmental movements, having a “green exhibit” is a great way to stand out from the crowd. Add to that the fact that you’re doing your part to make the world a better place, and you’ll feel less guilty for blowing your competition out of the water. Here are ten tips for going green at your next exhibit.
Building a booth? Use eco-friendly materials. If you’re building a custom booth this year, you have several options for greener materials. First, try to avoid wood. The earth’s forests are nearly 80% depleted, and that’s bad news for our atmosphere. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen-so they may be our first line of defense against global warming. Leave a few trees standing by choosing another material to build your booth.
One more eco-friendly choice is recycled metal. While this may not seem like the most biodegradable choice, it’s much better than using non-recycled metals. For example, the process of recycling aluminum takes about 95% less energy than it does to create new aluminum from ore. Recycling steel uses about 60% less energy than making it from scratch.
Another option is wood/plastic composite. This building material is made up of sawdust from lumber and furniture companies mixed with fragments of plastic trash, such as soda bottles and garbage bags. There are many different brands, and the wood comes in colors ranging from deep ambers to espresso browns-as beautiful as natural wood, without the environmental price tag.
Consider your paints. Oil and latex-based paints are toxic to the environment-they contain poisonous chemicals that can’t be removed at a treatment plant. Leftover paint is often poured down the drain, and it gets into oceans and waterways. It also leaches from painted items in landfills, further damaging the environment. Even worse, VOC’s-volatile organic chemicals, such as cyanide-in paint evaporate at room temperature, contributing to global warming while coating your booth.
Instead of traditional paints, look for non-VOC paints made by big-name paint manufacturers such as Sherman Williams and Behr. Other eco-friendly paints are made from talcum powder, clay, and chalk.
Get green giveaways. When looking for a good giveaway item, choose with an eye toward minimizing trash. Avoid items that come in plastic packaging. Avoid plastic altogether, in fact, unless it’s recycled. Good ideas include cotton or hemp tote bags, food in recycled-paper wrapping instead of plastic, recycled plastic Frisbees, pens and other items, and ceramic mugs. Stay away from plastic bags, wood, and non-recycled materials.
Use energy-efficient lighting. Incandescent light bulbs are notoriously inefficient. They emit only 10% of the energy they use as light. The rest is given off as heat-which is why these bulbs can catch your lampshade on fire if you’re not careful. Instead, use fluorescent bulbs. These are much more energy efficient.
Use recycled paper. There are a lot of paper products involved in a typical exhibit: business cards, signs and displays, brochures and promotional materials. Why not use recycled paper? While most people think of rough, textured and off-white paper when it comes to buying recycled, there are many companies that make smooth, bright-white papers that are comparable to virgin papers.
Consider green printing. Some inks can be as toxic as paint. You can go green with your printing by choosing a green printer. Not all are created equally; their commitment to green printing can range from using energy-efficient operating procedures to printing with soy-based inks on recycled papers. Be sure to shop around when looking for eco-friendly printers.
Talk to your vendor. Some booth vendors are more eco-friendly than others. Some may operate under environmentally mindful conditions-using alternative energy and energy-efficient practices, for example-while others may have pre-fabricated booths built from eco-friendly materials. Be sure to ask your vendor for more advice on how you can create a green display for your next exhibit.
Going green doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. While you may have to buy a custom booth to go green, recycled and eco-friendly materials sometimes cost less than their non-recycled alternatives. Talk to your vendor, research your options, and take your time in designing an approach to green exhibiting that works for your company. No matter how far you go with it-from using recycled papers to building an entire booth from eco-friendly materials-you’ll be making a positive contribution.
Filed under: Uncategorized
There are plenty of reasons to consider environmental factors when planning for your next exhibit. If your industry is not traditionally linked with environmental movements, having a “green exhibit” is a great way to stand out from the crowd. Add to that the fact that you’re doing your part to make the world a better place, and you’ll feel less guilty for blowing your competition out of the water. Here are ten tips for going green at your next exhibit.
Building a booth? Use eco-friendly materials. If you’re building a custom booth this year, you have several options for greener materials. First, try to avoid wood. The earth’s forests are nearly 80% depleted, and that’s bad news for our atmosphere. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen-so they may be our first line of defense against global warming. Leave a few trees standing by choosing another material to build your booth.
One more eco-friendly choice is recycled metal. While this may not seem like the most biodegradable choice, it’s much better than using non-recycled metals. For example, the process of recycling aluminum takes about 95% less energy than it does to create new aluminum from ore. Recycling steel uses about 60% less energy than making it from scratch.
Another option is wood/plastic composite. This building material is made up of sawdust from lumber and furniture companies mixed with fragments of plastic trash, such as soda bottles and garbage bags. There are many different brands, and the wood comes in colors ranging from deep ambers to espresso browns-as beautiful as natural wood, without the environmental price tag.
Consider your paints. Oil and latex-based paints are toxic to the environment-they contain poisonous chemicals that can’t be removed at a treatment plant. Leftover paint is often poured down the drain, and it gets into oceans and waterways. It also leaches from painted items in landfills, further damaging the environment. Even worse, VOC’s-volatile organic chemicals, such as cyanide-in paint evaporate at room temperature, contributing to global warming while coating your booth.
Instead of traditional paints, look for non-VOC paints made by big-name paint manufacturers such as Sherman Williams and Behr. Other eco-friendly paints are made from talcum powder, clay, and chalk.
Get green giveaways. When looking for a good giveaway item, choose with an eye toward minimizing trash. Avoid items that come in plastic packaging. Avoid plastic altogether, in fact, unless it’s recycled. Good ideas include cotton or hemp tote bags, food in recycled-paper wrapping instead of plastic, recycled plastic Frisbees, pens and other items, and ceramic mugs. Stay away from plastic bags, wood, and non-recycled materials.
Use energy-efficient lighting. Incandescent light bulbs are notoriously inefficient. They emit only 10% of the energy they use as light. The rest is given off as heat-which is why these bulbs can catch your lampshade on fire if you’re not careful. Instead, use fluorescent bulbs. These are much more energy efficient.
Use recycled paper. There are a lot of paper products involved in a typical exhibit: business cards, signs and displays, brochures and promotional materials. Why not use recycled paper? While most people think of rough, textured and off-white paper when it comes to buying recycled, there are many companies that make smooth, bright-white papers that are comparable to virgin papers.
Consider green printing. Some inks can be as toxic as paint. You can go green with your printing by choosing a green printer. Not all are created equally; their commitment to green printing can range from using energy-efficient operating procedures to printing with soy-based inks on recycled papers. Be sure to shop around when looking for eco-friendly printers.
Talk to your vendor. Some booth vendors are more eco-friendly than others. Some may operate under environmentally mindful conditions-using alternative energy and energy-efficient practices, for example-while others may have pre-fabricated booths built from eco-friendly materials. Be sure to ask your vendor for more advice on how you can create a green display for your next exhibit.
Going green doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. While you may have to buy a custom booth to go green, recycled and eco-friendly materials sometimes cost less than their non-recycled alternatives. Talk to your vendor, research your options, and take your time in designing an approach to green exhibiting that works for your company. No matter how far you go with it-from using recycled papers to building an entire booth from eco-friendly materials-you’ll be making a positive contribution.
Filed under: Consumer Products | Tags: eco-friendly laundry, environmentally friendly, planet earth, the environment
Not only are laundry detergents harmful to you and your family, but they can hurt the environment as well. Each time your washing machine spins, water and laundry detergent residue are emptied into our sewer systems. This means that the harsh chemicals and pollutants are being spilled into our oceans each year, causing even more harm to the planet we call home. Luckily, there is a solution to the problems caused by store-bought laundry detergents. Buying organic and eco-friendly detergents can keep your family safe and the environment as well.
Unlike food products and medications, laundry detergent companies are not required by law to list their ingredients or prove that they are in fact environmentally friendly. There are many brands on the market that do in fact list their ingredients, since they are not scared to show consumers what they include in their eco-friendly formula for laundry detergent. They are happy to show their integrity on their packing, so show your eco-friendly support by purchasing products that are proud to list their ingredients. This is important to look for when purchasing laundry detergent, since there’s no way of knowing what those other companies are trying to hide from you.
Labels that show what is not included in the detergents are also equally as important, such as phosphate-free or chlorine-free. Products that state they do not include harsh ingredients in their formulas are usually safe, and you should look for products that are proud to show what they leave out of their products.
Products that should be avoided are any that state they are harmful or toxic, since you really shouldn’t keep anything like that in your home. The laundry room should be a place where everyone in your family can do laundry, without having to worry about someone being burned by bleach or spilling a toxic product that the baby can get in to. Plant based and eco-friendly products will be healthy for your entire family, healthy for our environment, and completely safe in your home.
Next time you wash a load of laundry, consider the damage you could be causing to your home, your family, and our environment. You won’t have to worry about this when using safe products and you can save money when purchasing eco-friendly products as well.
Washing machine wizard provides Laundry detergent information, an online buying guide and the best washing machine reviews.
Filed under: Bloggers Weigh In
New Orelans (PRWEB) September 26, 2007 — We’re all talking…a lot…about the growing crisis in environmental sustainability and what needs to be done. Umbria Inc., a market intelligence company that specializes in blog research and consumer generated media (CGM) for market insight, has just completed its first blogosphere research report outlining changing consumer attitudes and behaviors on environmental topics. The summary results are being presented this week at the Sustainable Brands ‘07 conference.
Umbria’s research shows that consumers are increasingly discussing environmental issues in online social media., with nearly 10,000 mentions per week* over the course of the summer months. Almost seven in 10 mentions were from males, indexing far higher than the generic blogosphere composition. The conversations also skewed to both ends of the age spectrum, with Baby Boomers contributing to almost 40% of the conversations, and Gen Y (teenage to late 20s) besting that percentage with 51%. Gen Xers – those in their 30s and early 40s – were seemingly preoccupied, as they contributed to only 11% of the total conversations about environmental sustainability.
Other compelling insights culled from Umbria’s Environmental Sustainability research include:
- Negative Sentiment: Environmental sustainability is an area generating sizeable concern, with approximately 70% of all discussions registering as negative. High-volume, negative conversations typically point to big need gaps where new products and ideas can thrive.
- Personal Changes: Concerned consumers expressed an immense desire to make changes in their homes or with their transportation, with more than 80% of all conversations dealing with industries or products they can personally control to make an environmental impact.
Personal Changes Mentioned by Topic:
General home: 19.7%
Automobile: 12.9%
Packaging: 9.6%
Products/goods: 7.2%
Lights/lightbulbs: 6.4%
Paper: 5.9%
Travel: 5.3%
Shopping bags: 5.0%
Stores/shops: 4.0%
Electronics/cellular: 3.3%
Clothing/cotton: 2.9%
Appliances: 1.4%
Total 83.6%
- Causes and Solutions: Bloggers cite emissions as a cause of environmental issues more than a quarter of the time, with 11.5% alluding to waste as the secondary cause. SUVs are only referenced in 1.2% of cause-related discussions. Recycling and legislation/tax are the two most prominently discussed solutions to the problem, with both arising approximately 19% of the time.
- Facts Driving Conversations: Although bloggers reference various sources when talking about environmental issues, they overwhelmingly cite information, research, studies, news, case studies or evidence, with more than 50% referencing these factual sources in their environmental discussions.
- The Al Gore Effect: Second to facts and research, Al Gore, his Inconvenient Truth documentary, and his recent LiveEarth events drove many conversations this past summer, with 16% attributable to these sources.
- Associating Brands with Sustainability: Specific brands bubbled to the top of sustainability conversations, yet not all were referenced positively. The five brands mentioned most frequently were Toyota/Prius (majority leader), Google, General Motors, Exxon Mobil and GE.
- Broadcast Media Still Low on Radar: Of other informational sources, television was cited only 2.4% of the time, radio was not referenced, and music was mentioned just less than 2% of the time.
- Individual and Corporate Responsibility: 43% of bloggers indicate that individuals should be responsible for environmental sustainability, followed by society at 37% and then business at 28%. Government is sixth on the list, mentioned 22% of the time, and non-profit organizations crop up in just 4% of conversations, ranking twelfth.
“Companies take note,” said Umbria CEO Janet Eden-Harris. “Consumers are expecting you to step up to operate as a sustainable business, and asking for your help to enable them to make the right choices to trim their environmental impact. There’s an enormous market opportunity as this consciousness gains momentum.”Averill Doering, Umbria consumer insight analyst spearheading the research, added, “What is striking about these conversations is the level of passion and engagement these consumers expressed. They see the problem. They want to do something about it. And, they want the companies they buy from to help them do it.”
Bloggers are not yet representative of the U.S. population, but they are typically more educated, spend more time online, spend less time watching traditional media, are more affluent, and are passionate about issues they care about, according to Jupiter Research. In short, they are opinion leaders and can be early indicators of mass trends.
Umbria’s Environmental Sustainability research will be presented at this year’s Sustainable Brands conference in New Orleans. It is based on data collected from more than 40 million blogs from mid-June through mid-September, 2007. Visit http://www.umbrialistens.com/insights/market/sustainability.php to obtain a complimentary copy of the report.
About Umbria Inc.
Umbria is unique in its ability to assess both what is being said, and who is doing the speaking in the online world. Umbria’s patent-pending technology enables the company to classify posts and estimate gender and age of the speaker, as well as rapidly identify and eliminate bogus spam posts. Umbria analyzes voices of the online community by using proprietary Natural Language Processing and machine learning algorithms to dissect the who, what and why of online opinion, offering in-depth insights for some of the world’s leading brands. For more information on Umbria, please visit http://www.umbrialistens.com.
*Research pulled from English-language posts from June 17 – September 8, 2007
Filed under: Uncategorized
Bank of America Tower — New York City
It’s phenomenal how fast they build these buildings, and to know that it was done with renewable materials in an effort to score as many LEED points as possible… it makes me want to reconsider those mean things I’ve said about Bank of America hiking their interest rates. You can’t win them all, I suppose, but the Bank of America tower presently stands as the only completed, sky-scraping structure that has scored a Platinum U.S. LEED rating.
Clinton Presidential Library — Little Rock, Arkansas
Just down the avenue bearing the name of former President Bill Clinton, kudos to team Clinton for making drastic renovations to a building that was only recently constructed, dedicated and opened in 2004. By creating a roof-top garden to help absorb carbon and implementing the use of recyclables, the building has received the U.S. LEED Platinum rating.
Confederation of Indian Industry’s Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre — Hyderabad, India
Of course your building is going to be a paradigm for green commercial structures when you’re in the business of creating green structures. Earning a prestigious award from the United States Green Building Council, the Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre was named the most “environmentally advanced building in the world.” Being the “center of excellence” for energy efficiency, renewable resources, water consumption, recycling and all things “green” in India, it is potentially one of the most important buildings in operation in the Eastern world. Completed in 2004, they’ve employed the venturi effect in cooling the structure, helping to drastically lower the amounts of energy needed to create a comfortable work environment.
Queens Botanical Garden Visitor and Administration Center — Flushing, NY
Who would have thought that a building in Queens would have become the greenest building in the city? Mayor Bloomberg asked the same question as they cut the ribbon and dedicated the new visitors and information center. Receiving a platinum rating from the EPA, there couldn’t be a more perfect structure to serve as the foundation of this 39 acres of natural beauty, just east of Manhattan. Implementing photo-voltaic panels, the new visitors center is able to produce 20 percent of its own electrical needs.
Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability — Vancouver, British Columbia
Nearing completion, it is anticipated that the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) will be the most “innovative and high performance” green building in North America. Taking the successes of recent architectural designs, CIRS will be capable of 100 percent rain capture and the ability to harvest daylight through exterior transformation. Construction is scheduled to be completed this year.
La Maison du Developpement Durable — Montreal, Quebec
There’s a wall of mystery that is still surrounding this building with its hopeful completion date some time off in 2010. The French name translating to “sustainable development house,” the architects have laid claim to this structure being the greenest building in Canada upon completion. Using both geothermal and thermal accumulators for heating and cooling, recyclables in construction materials, a wall garden for oxygen and air filtration… yeah, there’s a good chance it could become Canada’s most self-sustaining structure.
Alberici Corporate Headquarters — Overland, Missouri
Give it up for the Show Me State! Having been incorporated for nearly 100 years, the Alberici Corporation constructed their new green headquarters in the early 21st century, seeing completion in 2004. They were the 9th newly constructed building to receive a platinum rating from the United States Green Building Council. Not only did Alberici choose to go green, but they formed Vertegy in the same year, a new company branch focusing on the consultation of building and renovating to green standards.
The Greenest Buildings of the Not-Too-Distant Future
Now for a look into what we all thought the 21st century would consist of — concepts that are not just under consideration, but are actually in the number crunching phase of development. Not only would buildings like the following help to generate more attention for the green movement, but they would simultaneously up the world’s architectural ante.
Residence Antilla — Mumbai, India
I saw a few rooftop gardens during my days in NYC, and that was just as the green surface was beginning to be scratched. Not only was it great to see for the sake of the environment, but it was just awesome to admire in regard to aesthetics. The Residence Antilla will take the whole concept of urban farming and gardening to the next level! This residence will actually serve as a home for Indian property mogul Mukesh Ambani. Could we see “the Donald” follow in these footsteps? This will definitely be a building that will create a big green stir upon completion.
Crystal Island — Moscow, Russia
Will this idea and concept ever come to fruition? Who knows. Bottom line, it looks like something from “The Never-Ending Story,” and the type of building you cartoon-draw as a child, only to be told that such a thing could never be built. Bent on housing a million Moscow residents, this “city within a city” will be built to incredibly high green technology standards.
Filed under: Business Practices | Tags: eco-friendly practices, environment, responsible business practice, wind energy
Harrisonburg, VA (PRWEB) January 19, 2008 — MODdisplays is proud to announce the release of the Exhibit One display system, which is the most environmentally friendly system available on the market today. Businesses who want to market their company at trade shows are quickly discovering that eco-friendly trade show displays produce higher returns and more good will. We believe that a recent change in the way people think about the environment has spurred the success of the Exhibit One display system. MODDisplays can be found online at: http://www.moddisplays.com .
The health of our environment and the onset of global climate change are issues which have become increasingly important to businesses over the past few years. Business owners are realizing that the vast majority of consumption occurs in the business settings, not personal settings. A single business owner that decides to clean up his/her practices can make an enormous impact, while individuals are only capable of limited results.
The Exhibit One Display System is manufactured in a state-of-the-art facility that was engineered for efficient and clean production. The entire facility is powered using only wind energy, which is one of the most renewable and clean forms of energy available. Despite the massive scale on which these displays are produced, the facility produces a comparably tiny amount of waste. Instead, the components that were unused from the production of one product are immediately recycled to produce other products.
The Exhibit One Trade Show Display System is made entirely of recyclable materials. The structure of the display is made from aluminum extrusions, which can be recycled just as easily as aluminum cans. The main structure is accented by wooden counter tops and canopies, which are produced using the most renewable and recyclable plywood on the planet. The canopy comes with energy efficient recessed lighting, and the entire display packs into a recycled and recyclable roto-molded case.
In addition to its entirely recyclable construction, the Exhibit One components can be reconfigured repeatedly as the needs of exhibitors change. This not only serves to save exhibitors precious time and money, but also eliminates any excuses for disposing of your trade show display system. With only a few simple modifications that can be done without the aid of tools, the exhibitor can transform the system to work in a number of different booth spaces.
“The release of the Exhibit One display marks a systemic change in the culture and policies at MODdisplays. In an effort to reduce our impact on the world we all live in, we have converted to a completely paperless office, and we have taken a number of steps to initiate environmentally responsible policies,” Andy Keeler, President of MODDisplays said. “By offering the Exhibit One display system, we have helped to create a trade show display option that is eco-friendly, yet still offers a professional and modern feel.”
According to recent studies done by Exhibitor Magazine, over 90% of exhibitors would choose an environmentally friendly trade show display if the price and quality were equal. The Exhibit One display system meets that need.
About MODDisplays
MODdisplays is a brand new company founded on the premise that bringing trade show display sales to the internet can create the best buying experience for exhibitors. Keeping this premise in mind our goal is simple: we want to create the easiest way for our customers to buy quality displays, Banner Stands, and Trade Show Flooring. that meet their individual needs.
Contact
Andy Keeler
http://www.moddisplays.com
1-877-663-3976
