To achieve its pearly white color, most paper goes through a bleaching process that uses some of the world’s more toxic chemicals. Assuming we can’t live without bright white paper, does it have to be bleached with chlorine, or are there feasible alternatives? Paper is traditionally bleached with chlorine and chemicals derived from it (such […]
Hemp- and kenaf-based paper, often made with imported pulp, is now widely used in environmental circles, but there are a fair number of dissenters.
Beyond agricultural waste, hemp, kenaf and other well-known fibers, there are a host of other raw materials that show considerable promise as non-wood resources. Flax, for example, receives six mentions in the Bible, and is the basis for linen production. Long-fiber linen rags, cuttings and threads have been used as the feedstock for paper making […]
There are several initiatives underway to promote the switch to recycled paper. The Green Press Initiative at www.greenpressinitiative.org has persuaded 20 U.S. book publishers to stop using fiber from ancient forests, and to maximize recycled content in three to five years. Co-op America is working with Conservatree and the Independent Press Association on the Magazine […]
The Paper Industry Moves South Flying over the 500,000-acre Great Smoky Mountains National Park last year in a Cessna 180 operated by the nonprofit group Southwings, writer Chris Camuto could clearly see evidence of the park’s enormous and breathtaking biodiversity, home to an estimated 100,000 species. The scenery changed when the plane crossed the Tennessee […]
Is Thimerosal the Missing Link to Autism and Developmental Problems? No one could accuse Lyn Redwood of being anti-vaccination or suspicious of the medical establishment. After all, the Atlanta, Georgia resident was a nurse practitioner and member of her county’s board of health, which promoted childhood vaccination. But in 1999, when her happy, healthy toddler, […]
The Low-Carb Conundrum: Can Environmentalists “Go Atkins’ and Still Eat Healthfully?
Breaking the Lawn-Care Pesticide Cycle Elise Craig lives in a garden apartment in Portland, Oregon, where children roll in the grass and run barefoot across lawns in the summer light. A year ago, she realized that whenever the landlord spread lawn-care chemicals on the grass, her six-year-old son, Michael, lost bowel and bladder control for […]
Green Credit Unions Do Well by Doing Good While many of us may feel we don’t have the extra money, let alone the spare time, to take the plunge into the vortex of socially responsible investing (SRI), just about everyone has a bank account. A developing trend in banking allows customers" deposits to be used […]
Hike, Bike, Kayak and Birdwatch among Natural Splendor in Sustainable Scotland, an Ecotraveler’s Dream
