Action Center. Shed Light on Corporate Political Spending - Union of Concerned Scientists. Union of Concerned Scientists Skip to main content Shine a Light on Corporate Political Spending Recent UCS research found that many companies obstruct climate action through their trade and business associations with no disclosure and accountability to policy makers, the public, or even their own shareholders.
Given the enormous influence trade groups can have over policy decisions, this lack of disclosure is dangerous. It allows corporations to delay or block policies to address climate change—and even allows them to publicly misrepresent climate science—with little to no scrutiny. The public deserves to know who is influencing policies that affect our health and safety. The SEC rule would require publicly traded companies to disclose more about their political spending, including their support for trade and business associations. Help amplify the demand for transparency in policy making and urge the SEC to prioritize passage of this disclosure rule. Plastic Trash Challenge » Challenge: Show Us Your (Plastic) Trash! As you know, I’ve been collecting and tallying my own plastic trash since 2007.
The experience has been educational for me, and I hope, for readers of My Plastic-free Life. I’ll keep doing it. But now it’s your turn. 1.) Collect all of your own plastic waste, both recyclable and non, for a minimum of one week. 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) 6.) 7.) 8.) 9.) 10.) After you have completed the exercise, please complete the following form. What You Can Do. Action Center - Organic Consumers Association. Miswak is Nature’s Twiggy Toothbrush. Ever brush your teeth with a stick from a tree?
This brother shows how it’s done Twigs for oral hygiene may seem like a curious idea, better suited for the holistic type than today’s modern lifestyle. However, before the advent of the ubiquitous plastic toothbrush, miswak, a natural alternative made from the Salvadora persica tree was the traditional way for cleansing teeth. Although still popular in many areas of the Middle East, those from Western cultures have little or no knowledge of miswak, relying mostly on the conventional methodology recommended by Dental Associations. For centuries miswak was known to be affective against tooth caries yet scientific research has only recently validated this age-old tradition. Miswak has been found to inhibit bacterial growth and retard the buildup of plaque, helping to improve oral health and freshen the breath.
To make a miswak, the bark around one end of a twig is chewed off, breaking down the fibers to form bristles. Organic Consumers Association. How Humans Helped the Earth in 2010: Slide Show. Ridding the Earth of Plastic From boom to bust, the reputation of plastics since World War II has gone from revolutionary dream invention to environmental nightmare.
Degradable plastics break down into smaller pieces, leaching chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) into the water. Pieces of plastic are often mistaken for food among marine and desert animals alike -- with lethal consequences. Cutting back on the pervasive use of plastics in society is practically impossible, but helping to improve biodegradability, identifying new alternative materials, researching the ocean’s plastic-laden gyres, recycling plastic in new ways, and banning the use of plastic bags shows that in 2010 humans took the problem of plastic to the bank.
In Agra, India, home of the Taj Mahal, plastic bags and bottles blocked drains during the monsoon season. Environmental Voices.