The Power of Recycling and of Words

One woman changed the way we throw out our trash.

First amendment.

Why can't we do this?

Business recycles packaging and rubbish in Denmark (Automatic video start up).

Cork it.

Really:

TerraCycle is saving millions of corks from going into landfills. We are recruiting wine enthusiasts, restaurants, bars, tasting rooms and wineries to keep used corks out of the waste stream. As an eco-friendly innovator, TerraCycle upcycles used corks - both natural and synthetic - into cool products are available nationally at major retailers.

If you normally put corks in the trash, this program gives you a planet friendlier option! Click here for the Cork Brigade FAQ.

Participating in the Cork Brigade is easy! All you have to do is mail corks to TerraCycle! If you have lots of corks, we will pay shipping and provide downloadable shipping labels. Sign up, activate your account, follow the email instructions and voila! You can begin sending corks to TerraCycle and away from landfills.

Looks like they make stuff from the corks, too. Drink more and faster!

Motto for the post Bush era:

Use it up, wear it out,make it do, or do without.

Why would you spend 250 to 10,000 times more than what you need to

When you buy bottled water instead of tap water? Via Eli at Multi Medium, an article on the benefits and disadvantages of the waters:

Market studies show that the reason most Americans drink bottled water is its perceived superiority—most importantly in taste, and then in safety—compared to municipal tap water. But a widely publicized 1999 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council debunked at least some of these perceptions. The study found that the source of about a quarter of bottled water was municipal tap water, usually filtered to remove chlorine—the primary objectionable taste—and other chemicals such as fluoride. So much for the idea of pristine, undisturbed sources.

And instead of the widely held notion that bottled water harbored fewer chemicals and microorganisms, the study found little difference between the two; both are usually of exceptionally high quality in the United States. In fact, water quality standards in this country are more rigorous for tap water than for bottled. (Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration; tap water is overseen by the more stringent Environmental Protection Agency.)

Besides the enormous cost of bottled water compared to tap water (bottled water is between 250 to 10,000 times more expensive), there’s an additional expense: its effect on the environment. First there’s the crude oil necessary to produce the plastic bottles, which the Earth Policy Institute estimates at about 1.5 million barrels of oil a year in the U.S., enough to power 100,000 cars. Then there’s the transportation of this weighty product (though about 75 percent of bottled water is produced and consumed regionally). Finally, there’s the issue of getting rid of the empty bottles, only about 10 percent of which are recycled.

Poetry as a WMD

Via Bryan of Why Now? and Pugnacious Pinoy, a story of a prof recycling a box of old poetry papers.... and getting the police involved.

It illustrates how a society can become saturated in fear and can change into a fascist one in a hurry. Start with fear of others.