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undignifiend · 11 months ago

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Some Kinda Ogre People Who've Been On My Mind Since Forever (Some Worldbuilding Notes)

(The same general idea of these folks has followed me throughout my life, with a few changes over time, and I still can't settle on a name I like just yet. I want to try and sum them up in a way that is conducive to fine-tuning them in ways I like, and will also keep my portrayal of them consistent when I finally jump back into art and writing for them. Includes vore and safevore notes because of course.)

BIOLOGY

SIZE, SHAPE, and BASIC CHARACTERISTICS

Adults stand at a range of heights, most commonly between 12 and 16 feet tall, but with outliers. Proportionally, they have longer arms and shorter legs than your standard human. They can run on all fours, or bipedally, and climb with ease.

They possess horns, fangs, and talon-like claws. Their skin/hide and flesh are gray to taupe and every shade in between (up to and including black and white), and they often possess darker or paler markings, stripes, or mottled patterns.

Their blood is as black as ink, and has very faint iridescent/violet qualities under certain lighting. Blushing/exertion makes their faces/ears darker instead of redder.

Their feet are partially adapted to help them climb, with longer toes, and the ‘big toe’ acting as more of a thumb. Their foot structure is still robust enough to withstand a flat-out run or charge, especially on all fours, but they’re better sprinters and leapers than marathoners. They find stubbing a toe to be every bit as devastating as we do.

Their grip strength is stupid. They're natural climbers, and can fall asleep clinging to rock walls. God help you if one grabs you in a fight.

SENSES

Their sclera tends to be dark, often black, but ranging through dark blue, red, or violet hues. Their irises can be nearly any color. Their pupils are slitted, and they also possess a tapetum lucidum that reflects a coppery colored light in the dark, improving their night vision. They don’t need a lot of light to see, are comfortable underground, and tend to find cloudless days overpowering. Their color sight is comparable to ours, and varies. Some are more adept at detecting subtle nuances between close colors, and some are colorblind. Regardless, their vision tends to be very sharp, and they’re highly adept at detecting motion, even from great distances (at night or on cloudy days).

Full sun is unpleasant for them - they have to rely on their other senses, or wear eye-shading headgear to be effective. Flash grenades piss them off (and blind them until their retinas regenerate). Some can learn to enjoy fireworks, but most quickly get tired of the after-images overlapping everything else in their vision.

They can operate without sight, but they are far more comfortable doing so underground, or in enclosed spaces, where their hearing can better make sense of their environment. (They can emit a subtle clicking from their throat to enhance this. And also tend to use it out during the day if they have no protective eye-gear.) And while they tend to feel at home in caves and caverns, they typically only rest there during the day, and venture out at night. Generally nocturnal, but like humans, will stay up at odd hours.

It's rare for one to be unable to recover from damage to their eyes. But sometimes it happens. Blind ones rely all the more on that clicking to echolocate.

Their sense of smell is also fucking stupid. They can identify a bunch of shit about you just from getting a whiff: Whether or not you have any sickness or deficiencies, whether or not you're injured, your relative age, your recent diet, hormonal fluctuations, current stress levels - a whole slew of crap. Some of that also counts for plants, too, which can help indirectly tell them about the local weather, stresses on local wildlife, polluting chemicals, and other environmental conditions to look out for.

REGENERATION

They can regenerate lost limbs and organs if given enough time and energy. Their “scars” don’t work the same way ours do. After an injury clots and seals, a translucent skin develops over it, and dark branches appear beneath as their blood vessels and capillaries supply the regenerating flesh.

Regenerating a finger can take about a week. A limb, or an important organ, about a month to fully recover, provided they have enough rest, and enough to eat.

Their lifespans are extensive, and while they do not age in quite the same way that most other lifeforms do, "imperfections" in their regeneration can collect over time. Some of these don't hinder them in any way, and some of them do.

Some of them like to tattoo along a former injury to commemorate it.

DIET / VORE SHENANIGANS

Biologically, they’re omnivorous opportunists, can survive on either plant or animal matter, and have a preference for cooking. While their immune systems are aggressive, and they usually recover from illness and infections without medical assistance if given adequate hydration and rest, their stomach acids are relatively weak. Scavenging a rotting carcass is possible for them, but not often viewed as worth a day or two of sickness.

While their acids are weaker, their stomachs also rely heavily on churning and grinding, and devoting more time for breakdown before everything moves on to the intestines. This is why cooking/fermenting/otherwise treating their food goes a long way toward making their lives easier - it cuts that time down dramatically. Citrus fruits and teas helpful for digestion are also popular among most of their cultures.

Their stomachs are prime, uniquely hospitable real estate for all manner of parasites. This is another reason most of them favor cooking.

Their stomachs are extremely tough to withstand their grinding process (and any sharp edges caused by bone breaks), but grinding tough material frequently aches, and often releases endorphins that counter some of the pain.

In a pinch, they can just swallow their meals quickly, raw or cooked, and digest on the move, but for a couple hours after they eat a big meal, they don't tend to enjoy vigorous activity. Outsiders sometimes get the impression that they are both gluttonous and lazy, for the sheer amount that they can pack away in one sitting, and the stupor they can fall into afterward if they let themselves relax enough.

However, they are highly adaptable. Those who prefer (or perhaps only have access to) uncooked food, over time, can train their stomachs to release higher concentrations of acid. These individuals tend to have more practice fighting through the food coma, too, and tend to recover from it faster.

Their fangs are more for fighting and intimidation displays. Occasionally, for catching prey, but that's mostly regarded as a fancy/immature trick to show off.

Their stomach is a highly complex organ, and fulfills several roles, sometimes simultaneously:

The stomach also regenerates a sophisticated and sensitive innermost lining that recognizes environmental cues, such as excess carbon dioxide, or the movement and rhythms of a living creature, and delivers oxygen from the circulatory system, while absorbing carbon dioxide. Skin contact with the lining exchanges nutrients and cellular information about sickness and injury the “guest” may have. In return, the lining communicates with the "host’s" body to help grant the guest what they need to overcome whatever danger they are in, from a rash to poison to broken bones. (The bones need to be set properly first though. Otherwise, they’ll heal at an accelerated pace, but the healed bone would be shaped wrong.) Through this process, and ‘disguised’ donated cells from the host, the guest can heal as efficiently as the host can, and with sufficient time (often broken up into separate sessions), can even regenerate from wounds they would not have healed from on their own.

Their stomachs make some noise while preparing to stretch. Some secreted chemicals in there (and in their saliva) during this time have a soothing, analgesic effect for the “guest”.

It has a calming effect on the host. Easier to think rationally, harder to get or stay angry. Though, not impossible, especially when protective instincts are involved.

They can digest and host at the same time, but how this goes generally depends on whether eating or hosting happened first.

If they host someone and then eat a big meal that they intend to digest, the stomach will prioritize the safety of the guest, and won’t grind away the lining. The pH will hover at around 5 or 6, comparable to the acidity of tomato juice or milk. The guest then takes over the grinding processes by moving around in all the food. It feels incredible to the host, who is accustomed to digestion usually being a somewhat painful process. With nothing but (relatively) gentle, warm movements inside, it’s an addictively soothing alternative. Comparable to a really good bubble bath, but from inside them.

If they eat a big meal before swallowing a live guest, they will likely hurt the guest. (Especially after the half-hour mark from when they started their meal, when the lining tends to be almost completely gone.) The stomach will recognize live movement and increased carbon dioxide, and stop its grinding processes, but neutralizing the acid already there will take time, and regenerating the lining will take time - possibly too long to save the guest if the guest isn’t coughed up soon.

On that note, swallowing someone when the lining is gone (or mostly gone) will inflict intense nausea on the host - they’d have to fight hard not to throw up. If the captor manages to keep their captive down, the captive will suffocate to death and the digestive processes will start up again once the stomach no longer senses any living contents. Even a partially regenerated lining will help protect the captive by providing some oxygen - possibly enough to save them, but it’s a dangerous gamble. Swallowed air can help in the meantime, or extend the torture.

This is not a popular torture tactic or execution method. The torture is mutual. That said, some individuals can keep live food down casually, to the point where they don’t feel nauseated anymore. This usually means they’ve had a lot of dedicated practice, and is regarded as either an unthinkable cruelty or a vicious party trick, depending on the individuals and local inter-species politics.

Best to wait at least three hours after the host has had their latest solid meal, when the lining has mostly recovered.

Their bodies can instinctively recognize potential guests that they form close emotional bonds with. They tend to develop a specific craving for them, and the protective response from the lining tends to be all the more intense for bonded guests in particular, with it swelling to more of a cushion-like state as it works toward ensuring that they have what they need to survive in there. Movement inside feels all the more pleasant to the host in this state, as the swelling comes with a different sort of ache, and though it is far milder than the grinding-ache, massaging the lining in this state brings a sense of euphoric comfort and can further intensify their emotional attachment. Smelling sickness or blood from a bonded guest tends to give a potential host intense cravings, instinctively wanting to improve the guest's survival odds. If they can resist putting their bonded in their stomach, they're going to bury them in a nest of supplies. And chase off anyone they perceive as a bother.

Eating food near a bonded guest will cause their instincts to slow the digestive grinding and dilute the acids, to the point of possibly giving them indigestion for the sake of keeping the lining intact, in case hosting is on the table. They'll get a distinct craving for pressure and movement inside, and they will have to either put up with the discomfort until they slowly finish digesting, go someplace where they can't sense their bonded, or just host their bonded.

Those new to the experience might make the mistake of gorging themselves in hopes that a large amount of food will be an adequate substitute. But none of those euphoric chemical exchanges are happening, and the food digests slowly, so they end up bloated and miserable for a while.

For potential hosts who have to eat near a bonded human who doesn't care for the experience of being hosted, more easily digestible liquid diets tend to be preferred. This way, they'll still get bellyaches, but they won't be as intense, and they'll recover quicker. Whenever they can, they tend to eat in private, or just among their own kind, and pass it off as a "cultural thing" if they want to ease tension. It's less of a disaster than "I like you so much I want you for dessert."

COMBAT

Most of their own unarmed combat methods (against each other) rely heavily on grappling, rolling, jumping on an opponent, twisting them, using their combined weight and limbs as leverage to throw/roll/otherwise bring them down and pin them. Also a lot of biting and head-butting with horns at close quarters to stun. (Or fling, in cases of ramming charges. Due to the kind of force those ramming charges pack, their neck and back muscles are dense enough to make neck-breaks very difficult.) It’s usually very loud, with lots of tearing up the ground and smashing into things. They are also not opposed to using weapons of all sorts.

Where ranged combat is concerned, they are very adept at throwing large rocks unaided. But slings, for greater speed and distance, are also favored. As are javelins. Bows of their size are a bit rarer, but send spear-sized arrows great distances, and punch with the force of a ballista.

A human caught up in fighting one of these guys is likely in for a very bad day. Or night, rather. When up against humans, they tend to prefer attacking at night just because we can't see as well in the dark, and to take advantage of how darkness tends to amplify our fears. And to avoid the hassle of being unable to see in so much sunlight.

For a human, fighting this lot means keeping your distance and tactically outwitting them. If they close in, it's almost guaranteed to be over. Use whatever obstacles you can. A human taking one of them down is possible, but rare.

Due to their size, speed, strength, endurance, regenerative abilities, and climbing prowess, they make for highly prized, flexible troops, to whomever can recruit them. They can navigate rocky/mountainous terrain at unrivaled speed on the ground, fortress walls and barricades rarely keep them out for long, and they are highly effective and tenacious combatants. However, they can also be insubordinate and temperamental, and seldom think twice about trusting their own judgment over a commander's (regardless of the commander's species or their respect for them). If they don't like how a campaign or a mission is being handled, they're likely to try and take over their superior's position, for better or worse. Each individual is unique, but as a notable trend, discipline does not come as easily to them as it does to your average human.

INTER-SPECIES RELATIONS

Most of the bigger species will agree on the general opinion that humans are really cute and really tasty, and picking them up, holding, and/or swallowing them is therapeutic. Getting them to respect their human neighbors' boundaries (or to just respect them at all) is a common issue.

Generally, the more time they spend around humans, the more they see them as people. But still very tasty and adorable people.

In cases where there is little to no competition for resources between local, separate groups, these folks tend to regard interacting with humans as entertaining at best and mildly annoying at worst. This scenario runs the greatest risk of these folk adopting humans as pets.

In cases where there is competition between separate groups, humans don't tend to pose much of a threat to them. Interspecies conflicts are generally over swiftly, with humans almost always on the losing side. This tends to leave exclusively human populations wary and mistrustful of the bigger species.

Diverse communities tend to thrive and defend themselves much better, have broader skill sets, and are far more common and lasting.

#worldbuilding notes #safevore notes #and some not so safe vore notes #monster biology

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vickyjoc · 4 years ago

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Importance of engineering in the modern era!!

Engineers don’t sit back and watch – they make things happen. Using innovation, creativity, and a wealth of knowledge, engineering graduates are impacting the world unlike any other. The world is changing, and engineers are the ones behind so much of this development. The majority of today’s services and products had some element of engineering involved in their conception at least, paving the way to long, fulfilling, and healthy lives for the people influenced by them. Engineers must be critical yet creative; curious yet capable; as well as ready to handle the constantly changing world. The wide range of disciplines that fall under the engineering title means that no matter what the prospective student’s interest, there’s bound to be one facet of the sector they’ll find enticing and engaging. Whether it’s civil, electrical, and chemical, or mechanical engineering, if you like tinkering, creating, designing, or building, the engineering sector has a place for you. In an advanced technological world, we need engineers to bring ideas into reality. By applying the principles of mathematics and science, engineers develop solutions to the world’s biggest technical issues. You could find yourself doing anything from building new bridges to developing electrical sockets for refugee camps; working on special effects for blockbuster movies or testing aircraft and aerospace products. With a myriad of positions open to engineers in almost every field, graduates happily welcome the huge choice of careers they have the potential to explore. The engineering portfolio knows no bounds, but these people are all working toward the same common goal: building a sustainable world. Whatever you wish to contribute to society through your engineering dedication, nothing compares to the knowledge that you’ve achieved something that’s impacted people’s lives for the better.

Importance of Engineering

No country or society today would succeed without the adoption of engineering at some level. Engineering and engineers have had an enormous impact on every aspect of our modern lives.

Let's take a closer look at a few of these.

1. Agriculture

2. Education

3. Health sectors

4. Energy

5. Environment

6. Constructions

CONSTRUCTION

Without Civil engineers, the Hoover Dam, the Burj Khalifa, or the Chenab Bridge would have been a different reality. Engineering has contributed immensely towards the development of infrastructure that is crucial to the sustenance of our civilization. Proper knowledge of civil engineering has not only enabled us to build bridges, dams, tunnels, expressways but also figure out a way to effectively handle traffic congestions, accidents, and other unfortunate circumstances.

ENERGY

Have you ever wondered about the technology that powers small household appliances to humongous machines in companies? Of course, it’s the electric current that is carried by high-tension wires from power stations. But, how are the grids designed? Or, how do you assure that a high voltage currently doesn’t hurt your gadgets? Well, you have electric engineers to thank for that. Electrical engineering is helping us create a massive amount of energy by designing and developing power grids, transformers, commentators, etc. Over the last decade, energy generation through sustainable means such as solar and wind power has been made possible due to advancements in electrical and other engineering and technology.

ENVIRONMENT

The development and deployment of systems that produce drinking water, that is safe for human consumption is one of the important contributions of environmental engineering. Moreover, we also need a mechanism that can reduce pollution and clean up contaminated water bodies, land, and sustain our crops and livestock. Thankfully, the pioneers in environmental engineering are tackling these issues by coming up with new and innovative solutions to minimize pollution making our industrial processes environment-friendly.

AGRICULTURE

Put simply, without food, there would be no society. Our development by early peoples, who were engineers in effect, has enabled us to cultivate and harvest crops and rear animals. Given the importance of this sector, agriculture has a strong link with engineering. Agricultural engineering is a major field of engineering today. It would a rare event to find a situation where machinery or other technology is not being used on a modern farm. The development of fertilizers has further increased the efficiency of agriculture, most of which are the fruits of the labors of chemical engineers. Water supplies for irrigation even in very arid locations have been more or less guaranteed by other engineers. As our global population grows with time, the need for more and more food is self-evident.

EDUCATION

Education is important for all aspects of life and society. Engineering has, in and of itself, made significant contributions to this aspect of society. From the basic teaching of the principles of engineering, the products of engineering are all around students and teachers alike. In fact, the very building, the seats, and other teaching materials all around them would not exist without engineers and engineering. The physical buildings themselves, air conditioning, lighting, and of course computers are vitally important. As education will likely become even more important in the future, though its format will of course change, engineers will be needed to facilitate the classrooms of the future. It is debatable whether actually physically attending a classroom or lecture hall will become extinct in favor of distance learning, but in either case, an engineer’s skills will be needed. The future of education will make engineers increasingly important.

HEALTH

Every aspect of our lives has the fingerprints of engineers and engineering somewhere. Healthcare is another important area. Of course, the drugs and medicines used are more the realms of medical sciences. However, the equipment used certainly wouldn't exist without engineering. Modern surgical theatres are jam-packed with highly complex pieces of machinery to improve your chances of survival under the surgeon's knife. That includes the knife itself. With a likely increase in the use of more and more advanced equipment in the future, it is inevitable that engineers will become ever more important in this field too. Robotic or automated surgery may not be that far off either. This technologies development will rely more and more on engineers rather than the doctors themselves. Perhaps, in the future, the physical act of surgery will not need the guiding hand of human doctors.

We have handpicked three sectors in our modern world where engineering has had critical input. Engineering, as a profession, is of incredible importance today and has been since the beginnings of our species. The work of countless engineers over the ages has changed our lives forever. So much so it is unlikely most of them could survive "in the wild." Our understandable addiction and reliance on technology will only ever grow and as such, the importance of Engineers will follow suit. So why are Engineers increasingly important? Because pretty much everything around us wouldn't exist without them. This is not going to change anytime soon.

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sanizaka41 · 4 years ago

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Plastic Finance

Blockchain Startups in Plastic Waste Management

Plastic financing A great project, which has a good team and great ideas that will help our world in the future. The Plastic Finance project is one of the best projects. I love everything about them. Everything about them is amazing in one word. A team of professionals achieve their goals and increase their potential. the whole team is very hard working, so it really yields positive results. https://www.linkedin.com/embeds/publishingEmbed.html?articleId=741688096666331320

I recommend this project for investment Interesting to observe its development. The project has the ability to succeed, with a sound idea and an effective team, has a detailed roadmap of action. Everyone should consider, to see the impressive development. Transparency and predictability. Users can easily understand their project. Also, this is a great way to offer customers so I would ask everyone to take part in this wonderful promotion. Come and get the token.

Plastic Finance Project Background:

According to the United Nations, we throw away more than 2 billion tons of waste every year. Global waste could grow to 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050, more than double the population growth over the same period. The average waste generated per person per day is 0.74 kilograms but ranges from 0.11 to 4.54 kilograms. By 2050, these figures could increase by 40% in low- and middle-income countries and 19% in high-income countries. The fastest growing regions are Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, and North Africa.

About 12%, or 242 million tonnes, of total waste each year is plastic. About 91% of plastic waste is not recycled, and about 79% accumulates in landfills or is in the environment as waste. Research shows that about 8 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year. There's some giant plastic soup in the ocean. The largest is in the Pacific, covering 1.6 million square kilometers, or three times the size of France. If the trash growth trend continues, there will be more plastic waste than fish in the oceans.

Plastic Finance Project Mission:

1. We are advancing the round economy by improving the reuse system: Plastic Financing revolves around the reuse of plastics by expanding the effectiveness of scavengers. We do not disrupt the waste value chain; with all in mind, we improve the value chain to benefit all social affairs. In addition, we support efforts to replant trees to remove carbon from CO2 pollution, further establishing our commitment to a round economy.

2. We empower the waste community so that they have a higher social status in society: Plastic Financing means involving waste organizations. We revolve around activities that will garner their self-esteem, which increases their effectiveness and well-being.

3. We democratize access to ESG investments: Our efforts to enrich the recycling system and empower the waste community can be sustained and expanded with the help of the investment community. With DApps and DeFi, we are democratizing access for everyone to take part in a global mission to recycle and empower.

We are happy to announce our personal representative arrangement, starting now. Monetary customers will be selected based on authenticity-based techniques, with a focus on the fundamental value they bring to Plastic Finance, and even more so overall can sharpen Plastic Finance's Vision. We will measure monetary sponsorship depending on; Crypto portfolio experience, basic reasoning management, all the way to crypto exchange, and onboarding stage. In addition, we have managed to allocate 11,800+ wallets for our airdrop program which is recorded in the airdrop statement. You can check the nuances of trading here: https://bscscan.com/token/0xCe34caAEe0b691F8e4098DC31CC8818A1dCcF06A

The main purpose of our personal emblem arrangement is to combine key agents and environments of the DeFi climate and the Circular Economy that can help to critically develop the Plastics Finance network by outlining examples of a healthy representative economy.

How the Platform Works

Plastic Finance works in two ways: empowering the waste community (such as scavengers, scavengers, etc.) and rewarding those involved in the network. Scavengers will be rewarded for their contribution, where they have the option to earn money in tokens or fiat (real) money. If they prefer crypto tokens, they can actually take part in the platform. They can use this platform to gain access to finance, and this is rare because the trash community is usually the unbanked party. Well, with this platform, these unbanked people can finally enjoy financial access

Plastic Finance Vision:

Using blockchain and DApps, Plastic Finance can streamline the recycling business flow and empower scavengers so they get better care for their hard work. Plastic Finance will create an app that scavengers can use to sell their waste to MRF, exchange it for cash or store it as an asset in the form of grind stable coins that can be pledged on our DeFi platform.

PROBLEM:

There are two issues we want to address. The first is about inefficient recycling systems that prevent people from living in a circular economy. The second is about the essential but poor waste community.

Inefficient recycling systems hinder the circular economy:

Recycling waste is a form of wealth creation. It can spur grassroots investment by the poor, create jobs, reduce poverty, save cities money, increase industrial competitiveness, conserve natural resources, and protect the environment.

However, seeing how 91% of plastic waste is left unrecycled, our society still considers recycling activities to be neglected. This behavior is a legacy of the 'take-for-waste' economic development framework. In the context of plastics, encouraging a circular economy can be done by optimizing recycling activities. Due to its chemical structure, one can only recycle most plastics about three times, with each recycling process resulting in lower quality plastics.

After all the recycling processes, plastic is destined to pollute our environment forever. Due to these characteristics, increasing the recyclability is of utmost importance.

Important but poor waste community:

Garbage communities living in landfills are suffering. Landfills, especially in developing countries, are an irony. Due to the city's improper recycling system, landfills rely on informal workers as scavengers, waste sorters, transporters, and all roles in the recycling process. Thus, landfills are a source of livelihood for millions of people.

However, the situation at the landfill was dire. Hazardous working conditions due to sharp and toxic waste and landslides. Living conditions are very poor due to bad smells, pests and polluted groundwater. Socially, the trash community is shunned by others because of low self-esteem. As informal workers, they are largely denied access to health insurance and pensions. The trash community is also denied access to the banking system, even though they need it. Most of the scavengers and waste sorters are informal workers who get marginal monetary rewards.

Denying access to the banking system prevents them from obtaining better tools that can increase their productivity. In addition, they become vulnerable to moneylenders because they are generally illiterate. This creates a downward spiral for their well-being.

SOLUTION:

Blockchain technology and stable coins can play an important role in streamlining the funding of the plastic recycling industry, empowering the waste community, and acting as an ESG investment model. We propose three pillars of the solution:

Encourage transparency of waste prices through tokenization

Economic and social empowerment for the waste community through DeFi

Ensure the sustainability of this movement through security tokens and make this project an ESG investment model

Using smart contracts, we tokenize each type of plastic waste and create an internal exchanger, so that everyone in the waste supply chain can have easy access to monetize plastic waste. Blockchain technology provides more transparency on price formation and can be used as a tracker for better waste management. Next, we create DeFi DApss so that waste can be pledged as an asset. DeFi will enable scavengers and communities to gain access to funding to increase their productivity. Finally, governance tokens that also function as dividend tokens will ensure the sustainability of this circular economy model. By making this model an ESG investment, we can increase its potential for wider adoption worldwide.

PLAS Token & Profit sharing to PLAS token holders:

PLAS is the native token of the Plastic Finance ecosystem. PLAS was created to fund the Recycling project and serves as a governance and ownership token for earning student dividends or profit sharing from recycling and DeFi transactions, Internal Exchange spreads.

Plastic Finance will collect a 5% fee from the price of the plastic internal exchanger spread, and a 0.175% fee from a savings withdrawal transaction or loan payment on the DeFi platform. All these fees will be collected in the wallet and using a smart contract, can be distributed regularly.

Plastic Finance collects 60% of its net profit annually from the cooperative's recycling business. In turn, Plastic Finance will distribute costs and profit sharing as dividends to PLAS holders.

Plastic Finance distributes 10% of our dividend profits for reforestation projects per tonne per day and recycling can be channeled to purchase seedlings of 500-1280 teak trees, which is equivalent to 10Kg of CO2 absorption per year per tree.

Plastic financing through its MRF takes the circular economy flow one step further by dedicating a program of planting a certain amount of trees (in collaboration with certified growing organizations such as SINERGI FOUNDATION) for each amount of plastic recycled so that token holders will simultaneously address 3 issues in the world. at the same time, namely recycling plastic waste, scavenging communities & financial inclusion and carbon sequestration through tree planting. One tree can contribute to the absorption of 10Kg of Co2 per year, so the initiative will contribute to the potential for Decarbonization of 21,000-40,000 tons of CO2 during 3 years of operation.

Tokenomics Ticker: PLAS Token Sort: BEP-20 MainNet Token Address: 0xCe34caAEe0b691F8e4098DC31CC8818A1dCcF06A Token Sale Address: 0x1800C25a3Ed60B41766B8EE94f40CE05A84407aB Hard and Fast Token PLACE Supply: 23.900.000

Website: https://plastic.finance/

Whitepaper: https://plastic.finance/whitepaper .pdf

Twitter : https://twitter.com/plastic_finance

Telegram : https://t.me/plasticfinance

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Plastic-Finance-110471187905120

Linkedin : https://linkedin.com /company/plastic-finance

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/official_plasticfinance/

by ; zaka72 link: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=2579374

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cooldididesign · 5 years ago

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The Adorable IKI Natural toothpaste on Promoting Green Lifestyle

going green is not a temporary trend or theme for the year. it is the coolest lifestyle you might have missed all this time! ... and what it means by lifestyle is when you are devoted to a way of living manifested in the physical, psychological, social, economic environments, everything on our day-to-day basis. talk about "going green", we can never move away from the issues of plastic, and the demand to reducing the material. however, the definition of "going green and less plastic waste" which has always—very often associated, is sometimes misinterpreted. if you only think that going green is all about reducing plastic use — totally, then you might mistakenly understand the real problem. because if all these wastes issues only come from plastic, as a single packaging material, then solving the problem would be as easy as simply changing our grocery bags to paper or other reusable packaging..... and voila, zillions of plastic on earth magically disappear and we can live in peace and harmony—happily ever after with all living beings on the planet! but no. hold on there. apparently that's not how it is. the case of the landfill and ocean wastes does not only come from the use of plastic as a transparent material commonly used for shopping bags and other packaging products. bringing your own grocery bag when going to supermarket does a very good start. however, the term going green is a complex matter that embrace more than just reducing the use of a single material: but also about changing our mindset to strive on more biodegradable home products on daily basis needs. towards a green lifestyle, how hard can it be?no, it is never hard to try on shifting to the mindset as to stop being overconsumption and think twice over a product's packaging once its life has ended. perhaps, this would be the homework of designers, to initiate the awareness and boost sensitivity to the public—the best-possible-and attractive new kind of biodegradable home products that can better replace the conventional ones in a way that would touch, inspires, and making an everlasting trend that embedded to people's mindset. as we have covered several sustainable brands and designers that have shifted and pioneering a greener lifestyle, from a very large design scale such as building materials or installations, to daily wears shoes to bags and daily home products. we recently encountered a very lovely product design collaboration from a spanish industrial designer josep pedro, in collaboration with independent graphic and web design tatabi studio on generating green lifestyle from the very basic dental care, iki natural toothpaste. behind the adorable, sweet, and appealing reusable toothpaste, lies a reminiscent of menorca beaches. one of spain's tourist spots in the mediterranean sea alongside balearic islands, where pedro earned his inspiration prior designing the product.you may now wonder how could toothpaste can come to associate with a green lifestyle and reducing plastic as demanded. but the packaging used for oral care products has been manufactured to last forever. also, to take note that toothpaste' tubes are one amongst typical households that will end up in the landfill and the oceans every month. so, why not putting the attempt on reducing it? now the big question is, should i quit toothpaste?it is too early to say no. nobody could ever imagine of quitting toothpaste, as it is extremely crucial for our oral care. but various components comprising in toothpaste tube can include numerous amount of plastics, aluminum, steel, or even nylon. and this is where the root of problem came from.according to recyclinginternational.com, there are over 400 million of toothpaste tubes are sent to landfills every year. not only the packaging, the chemical, parabens that go down the drain can also harm animal hormones and the environment. imagine in every household spitting these chemicals down the drain and have them sent to water systems. how much pollution involved in the environment only from a single tube of toothpaste? by choosing a sustainable toothpaste, even though you are not-yet 100% contribute in reducing the chemical disposal wastes, at least you reduce waste going to landfill. taking deep respect for the environment, iki's toothpaste elegant concept was created to renew our dental-care lifestyle with a more relaxed, fresh packaging made of recycled plastic containers with a baked clay texture. imagine a sunset on a menorca's beach... the sun shining softly on the sand and the sound of the waves breaking against the rocks... these are the cues behind how the products are made of natural ingredients such as mint & rosemary, clay & sage, and sea salt. having iki, both pedro and tatabi studio have come with the solution to avoid over packaging household problems. eventhough the product has not yet being produced, at least the awareness is already there. imagine how many wastes on the landfills and the ocean from having less toothpaste being thrown away? keeping the oral and dental care as healthy as the green planet is always dreamy! using a refillable toothpaste where you can simply turn the bottom of the product to change the pastes can be another great start. read the full story here https://bit.ly/2OTXYRL

#design #product design #sustainable design #natural toothpaste #iki toothpaste #josep pedro #tatabi studio

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hazelwilliamsblog · 6 years ago

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Green Grooming: The Best Eco-Friendly Products For Men

When a 93-year-old broadcaster gets a rock star reception at Glastonbury you know there’s something in the water. That’s exactly what happened when David Attenborough made a surprise appearance on stage at the Eavis’ farm in June 2019. That something in the water? Unfortunately, it’s plastic. Happily, Britain’s favourite activist pensioner was there to celebrate the festival going plastic free. Sadly, it’s a drop in the ocean compared with the estimated truckload of the stuff that gets dumped into the sea every 60 seconds. Yes, we have a plastic problem.

It’s an ultra convenient substance with many uses, so it’s no wonder plastic is heavily used around personal care products. With hindsight, making disposable items out of a material that can take 400 years to degrade is a pretty dumb thing to do, and yet we’re still pumping it out. However, it’s not the only element of our daily ablutions that’s unsustainable. What’s even trickier to avoid than plastic? Palm oil. The rainforest destroyer is literally in everything we eat and dump on our hair and skin. It grows fast and has a very high yield so chemists love it, and it can be listed under a mind-boggling number of ingredients.

It’s easy to get down about the magnitude of the mess humankind is making of the world. But it’s even easier to change our habits.

Why should you use eco-friendly products?

We used to think “green” products were a bit of a flop compared with their chemically-infused counterparts, but now standards are so high we wonder what we ever saw in some of the polluting mega brands. Eco-friendly products tend to limit their impact on the environment in the following ways: the packaging can be fully recyclable, compostable or non-existent; the natural raw ingredients are sustainably sourced (meaning they are organically/bio-dynamically farmed and fairly traded); or they can be vegan (free from beeswax or other animal by-products), because animal agriculture is a major contributor to climate change.

Green products also won’t mess with your hormones or poison the wider environment with harmful chemicals (like parabens, PEGs, BHA, BHT, phthalates and reef killing oxybenzone) and they are certified (by the Soil Association, Natrue, Ecocert, RSPO, Rainforest Alliance or other recognised body).

Your New Eco-Friendly Grooming Regime

The most eco-friendly grooming regime is the one where you use up what you’ve got. Then, the next time you’re on the hunt for an item, make a better, informed choice: something that’s made closer to home, uses no plastic or is fully recyclable with ingredients that are responsibly sourced. Here’s a guide to some our favourites, including easy plastic-free swaps. Go on, Sir Dave would be proud.

Get a more natural dental routine

Floss? Silly single use tooth picks? Changeable brush heads? Dental hygiene is a plastic-filled minefield. Time to go back to basics on your dental brush. Bamboo is a fast-growing resource and will rot in your compost or council green waste (pull the bristles out with pliers when you’re done). Most dentists agree that technique is more important than the tool you use, so as long as you’re brushing adequately your gnashers won’t miss all the extraneous features that come with an electric one.

The Humble Co make regular and interdental brushes out of bamboo (so those D sticks can get the heave-ho too) and bamboo cotton buds – so your ear gunge won’t end up as an albatross’ lunch.

Swap paste for tabs

Mouthwash and paste in a tablet? Georganics and Lush both make dental tabs so you can move on from plastic tubes. The other benefit is carrying all you need for a trip away. Georganics paste comes in a jar with a bamboo spatula – and has plenty of five star reviews for the sceptical – and even make natural dental floss. Pure coconut oil is used for “pulling” (AKA teeth cleaning) and it’s 100% natural and anti-bacterial. Modern commercial toothpaste can also contain dodgy chemicals such as triclosan (increases antibiotic resistance in the environment) and BHT, so there’s another reason to make the switch.

Take the bar

We’re talking solid shampoo and cleansing bars. D R Harris’ Arlington shampoo bar holds the equivalent of a 300ml bottle of shampoo. All of the bars come in a thin plastic wrapping and are easy to store in the tin case they come with (which can be reused time and time again). They’re also made without palm oil, which frequently pops up in major shampoo brands. Elsewhere, Lush do a wide range of solid bars for all types of ablutions (including shampoos, cleansers, shower oil and even perfume) – and some of these can be cut to size like a block of cheese.

Don’t sweat it

Aerosol cans with plastic lids and twist-up roll-ons add to the ever growing plastic mountain. Sweat-proof yourself with Procoal’s vegan, charcoal based deodorant or Ben & Anna’s natural deo sticks that come in a push-up made entirely from cardboard. Somebody, please, tell the big brands it can be done.

Shave off waste

Try to buy better electrical devices for shaving, hair styling and body grooming and avoid cheap, badly made ones that won’t last. Along with toothbrushes, cotton buds and dental picks, single-use razors are a common sight on beach clean ups around the UK.

Metal safety razors and open razors can last forever with the right care and create barely any waste at all. Both can be a bit intimidating to use, however, so a metal or wooden handle with a changeable head will still limit the amount of plastic heading for the bin. Bulldog make a bamboo handle and even a bamboo razor stand – for anyone who actually uses one.

Using a hard shaving soap in a refillable wooden or ceramic bowl will also cut out the plastic container (these soaps tend to be chock full of palm oil, so it’s a trade-off – Murdock London’s contains organic, sustainable palm oil).

Bulk Up

The next time you’re getting your hair cut, ask if you can refill your shampoo bottle using the bulk supply. Davines, the Italian haircare brand, make it policy that their stockists should welcome and encourage clients to top up empty bottles at the barbers or salon.

Buying larger size products is also more economical. Online purchases account for a growing portion of CO2 emissions, and tend to be overpackaged, so maximise your order. And it’s usually cheaper per ml for a larger size. Bramley make shower gel in a one-litre size, which should take even the biggest clean freak a long time to get through.

Elsewhere, there are more refill options popping up where you can top up shampoo – independent health food stores and bigger chains like Whole Foods, Planet Organic and The Source Bulk Foods usually have a refill section for liquid shampoos and body cleansers.

Refills aren’t just for hair care, either: Le Labo offer refills at all its fragrance counters – with a 20% discount incentive to bring your bottle back.

Go organic and think local

The skin is the body’s largest organ and absorbs whatever you put on it. Overloading your skin with chemicals isn’t good for you long term and it’s even worse for the environment. Whatever goes down the bathroom plughole ends up in the ecosystem and eventually comes back to us through the tap or food chain.

Brands such as Weleda, Dr Hauschka, and Neal’s Yard have always been aware of this and use as much organic, traceable and fair trade raw ingredients as possible, some sourced directly from their own farms. Brands like ilā apothecary, Guy Morgan and Susanne Kaufmann generally have less of an impact due to a smaller scale, responsible operation. Independent brands can also be much more savvy about waste: east London-based MONTAMONTA repurpose used coffee grounds from local cafés for its Sage + Coffee body scrub.

The post Green Grooming: The Best Eco-Friendly Products For Men appeared first on Ape to Gentleman.

Green Grooming: The Best Eco-Friendly Products For Men syndicated from https://manscapedshop.wordpress.com/

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paullassiterca · 6 years ago

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Raging Against Plastic: New Investigation Exposes Supermarket’s Role in Plastic Pollution

youtube

The looming threat of plastic pollution is one of mankind’s greatest challenges. With more than 381 million tons of plastic produced worldwide each year,1 it’s no surprise the waste ends up in our soil, lakes, rivers and oceans, as well as in the bodies of humans and wildlife.

The durability of plastic is what makes it popular for use in so many products. But its strength and durability also mean that it doesn’t break down in the environment. It’s estimated that a plastic bottle can take 450 years to break down in a marine environment,2 while fishing line can take 600 years.3 But even then, it never goes away. It simply breaks down into smaller pieces that may persist in the environment forever.

These tiny pieces of plastic, commonly known as microplastics, may be eaten by fish and other marine life. This can cause a lot of suffering if the plastic builds up in their bodies over time. When a whale found malnourished and dying off the coast of Norway had to be put down, an autopsy revealed 30 plastic bags and a large amount of plastic packaging waste in its stomach and intestines, which was causing blockages and pain.4

Microplastics that bioaccumulate in the food chain and are eventually consumed by humans (the average person ingests about 100 plastic particles each year from shell fish alone) can cause a lot of health problems in people, too. As in the environment, plastic does not break down in the human body, either.

Many of the chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics are also known to disrupt embryonic development, dysregulate hormones and gene expression, cause organ damage, and have been linked to obesity, heart disease and cancer.

One of the greatest sources of plastic pollution is single-use plastic found in food packaging. An investigation by CBC News Marketplace explores the role supermarkets play in fueling plastic pollution, as the majority of food products are continually wrapped in toxic, nonbiodegradable plastic packaging.5

Why Buying Plastic-Free Is so Difficult

The featured film highlights two families and their attitude toward plastic (one family tries to avoid it, one doesn’t) when it comes to buying food. The two families agree to participate in a social experiment where they switch places to see how the other side lives when it comes to addressing plastic pollution.

About 95 percent of what we buy contains some form of plastic packaging, says Jessica and Jonathan, who have an infant child name JJ. The couple live in the north end of Toronto, Canada, where they shop at No Frills, a discount grocery chain owned by Loblaw Inc., a Canadian supermarket chain with stores located in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

The film follows the family up and down the aisles of their local No Frills grocery store as they shop for food, paying particular attention to how much of it comes packaged in plastic. The couple, who grocery shop about twice a week, say they used to use reusable bags, but don’t anymore. “We never bring reusable bags,” says Jessica. “We did before. But then we just stopped” says Jonathan. “We got lazy,” says Jessica.

Western Nations Are Dumping Their Plastic Problem on to Poorer Countries

Plastic is cheaper and more convenient, say the couple. And they’re right. Supermarkets and their suppliers have come to rely on plastic because it’s cheap and durable. But “cheap” is relative. The true cost of single-use plastic on human and environmental health is astronomical, and the burden of that cost is unevenly distributed.

Some of the world’s largest plastic producers often ship their waste to other countries to be recycled. Both the U.S. and Canada, as well as several other countries, were shipping large portions of plastic waste to China, which would buy it, recycle it and make new products. But last year China announced that it would no longer accept plastic waste imports in an effort to protect the environment and human health.

Since 1991, nearly half the world’s plastic waste has been sent to China.6 Since China decided it no longer wanted to be the “world’s garbage dump,”7 experts say there may be an estimated 111 million tons of plastic with nowhere to go by 2030. The U.S., Britain, Germany, Japan and Mexico were among some of the largest exporters of plastic waste to China.8

Instead of dealing with their own waste, many Western nations have been dumping (literally) their plastic problem on to other countries with little to no environmental regulations on how that waste is processed and disposed of. In the first six months of China banning plastic waste imports, nearly half of plastic waste exported from the U.S. for recycling was shipped to Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. John Hocevar, Oceans campaign director for Greenpeace USA, says:

“Instead of taking responsibility for their own waste, U.S. companies are exploiting developing countries that lack the regulation to protect themselves. The average person when they put a piece of plastic in a [recycling] bin, they assume it is being recycled, not being shipped to China or now to Southeast Asia, where it will possibly be incinerated or landfilled.”

The film shows exclusive footage provided to CBS News Marketplace by Greenpeace of heaping piles of plastic waste in Malaysia. The footage is recent and was taken about an hour outside of Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. Hidden within the mounds of plastic waste is plastic trash from some of Canada’s popular stores and grocers, including a bag from Sobeys, a milk bag from Nova Scotia dairy Scotsburn, a burger bun bag from Ben’s Bakery and a birdseed bag from a company in Ontario.

The most ironic part about Canadian companies dumping their trash abroad in places like Malaysia, is that nothing about their marketing suggests they are participating in such an environmentally destructive practice.

One of Sobeys’ most popular commercials drives home the slogan, “Delivering you the future.” One of Scotsburn’s advertisements says, “Our products meet our family.” These feel-good (and misleading) slogans convince consumers they care about people and their health. But that isn’t exactly the case.

Consumers Need More Plastic-Free Choices in Supermarkets

The film goes back to showing the two families that agreed to switch places to see how the other side lives when it comes to addressing plastic pollution. Sofia, Nick and their daughter, Lyla, also from Toronto, do their best to live a zero-waste lifestyle. They try to be mindful about the waste they generate on a daily basis.

Sofia shops for food once a week and in local grocers that support zero waste and offer food in bulk. She consciously tries to reduce their waste by using cloth bags for produce and reusable bags and other containers to store food. The lifestyle swap is difficult on Sofia as she finds herself extremely anxious over having to buy food packaged in plastic.

Jessica and Jonathan, tasked with buying food that’s not wrapped in plastic, have an even more difficult time. When it comes to purchasing milk for their infant child, the couple notices they have to buy more milk because it comes in smaller packaging, yet it’s also more expensive. Both families agree they need more plastic-free options. So why aren’t grocers providing it?

Major retailers like Loblaws are part of the problem, which means they are part of the solution, too. Rather than criticize them for what they are doing, CBC News Marketplace reached out to Loblaws and Sobeys and asked what they plan to do to reduce plastic packaging.

Neither retailer was very forthcoming. Sobeys never issued a comment, and Loblaws directed them to its corporate social responsibility report, which made no mention of any plans to reduce plastic packaging. CBC News Marketplace contacted both retailers several more times, but both refused to meet and discuss plastic waste. However, they did find a grocer who would talk, one who could be an example for supermarkets everywhere.

The film arrives in London, England, at a local grocery chain called Thornton’s Budgens. Similar to Canada, not a lot of plastic waste gets recycled in the U.K., according to the film. But consumers are growing increasingly more concerned about environmentally friendly packaging than the price — and stores are starting to listen.

Budgens, one of the first in the world to introduce plastic-free zones, has more than 2,000 products without plastic packaging. Even more impressive is that the store made the change in just 10 short weeks.

Local UK Grocer Goes Plastic-Free in 10 Weeks

The owner of Thornton’s Budgens, Andrew Thornton, said they decided to act against plastic pollution simply because they could.

“If we as one store operator, with very little resources, can do this in 10 weeks, what could a Loblaws do if they put all their resources behind it? We are trashing the planet, and to me, plastic has become a symbol of one of the things that’s wrong with society today. So we took action because we could. We felt we could make a difference.”

The products affected by the store’s plastic ban include everything from fresh produce to eggs, fish, bread, cheese and packaged foods. The store even sells plastic-free bacon that’s packaged in paper and uses a plant-based cellulose film as an alternative to plastic. It looks and acts like plastic, but it’s not and it’s biodegradable, meaning you can put it with your food or garden waste and it will go back into the Earth and fertilize the soil.

Not only is Budgens helping curb plastic waste, but it’s making more money, too. “We didn’t set out to do it for commercial reasons, but there is a commercial benefit,” said Thornton. To achieve its goal, the store worked with Frankie Gillard of the environmental group A Plastic Planet. She says that big supermarkets have the power to get major brands to switch to more sustainable packaging methods.

“You basically say, ‘We’re going to delist your product otherwise.’ They have the power to make or break a brand. So, of course, they have the power to say how it should be packaged.”

Loblaws and Sobeys Refuse to Talk Plastic Waste

Since neither Loblaws or Sobeys were very forthcoming about their position on plastic waste. CBC News Marketplace set up shop outside one of the retailers’ locations in Toronto to launch a different kind of swap. They approached shoppers as they were leaving the store and asked them to do an audit of their purchases.

They find a lot of plastic packaging. Most of the items in all of the shopper’s bags were packaged in plastic: bread, cheese, sushi, meat and fruit. The film crew swaps out all of the plastic for more environmentally friendly packaging, putting cookies in glass jars, produce in cloth bags and fruit and meat in glass containers.

The film crew was able to fill two large garbage bags full of plastic by intercepting the purchases of just seven Loblaws shoppers. The result was similar at Sobeys. Customers at both Loblaws and Sobeys told CBC News Marketplace that they want more options for buying plastic-free, and they want major retailers to take action to make it possible.

Loblaws did eventually issue a statement listing “incremental changes” it has made so far, including selling single-serve, compostable coffee pods, removing microbeads from their own brand personal care products and making customers pay for plastic bags. But clearly, there is a lot more they could be doing.

The more awareness raised about plastic pollution, the more companies are moving to change. A string of companies, including Unilever, Nestlé and PepsiCo, recently announced they are introducing reusable packaging for certain products in an effort to phase out single-use plastic. Vox.com reports:9

“Starting in May, Unilever’s Axe and Dove deodorants will come in refillable steel containers that are expected to last eight years.

PepsiCo will start selling Tropicana orange juice in glass bottles and certain flavors of Quaker cereal in steel containers. Häagen-Dazs, owned by Nestlé, will come in refillable stainless steel tins. Procter & Gamble’s Pantene shampoo will come in aluminum bottles, and its Tide brand detergent will come in stainless steel containers.”

The move is important because if we really want to curb plastic pollution, we need to stop using it — and not just keep hoping that it gets recycled.

Only a Small Portion of Plastic Gets Recycled

Plastics can, and should, be recycled, but a 2017 analysis10 reveals a staggering 91 percent aren’t. As reported by National Geographic:11

“Mass production of plastics, which began just six decades ago, has accelerated so rapidly that it has created 8.3 billion metric tons — most of it in disposable products that end up as trash. If that seems like an incomprehensible quantity, it is. Even the scientists who set out to conduct the world’s first tally of how much plastic has been produced, discarded, burned or put in landfills, were horrified by the sheer size of the numbers …

Of the 8.3 billion metric tons that has been produced, 6.3 billion metric tons has become plastic waste. Of that, only 9 percent has been recycled. The vast majority — 79 percent — is accumulating in landfills or sloughing off in the natural environment as litter. Meaning: At some point, much of it ends up in the oceans, the final sink.”

The film ends with a powerful message to the supermarkets. Sofia, a member of the family that’s conscious about plastic waste, said companies should listen to what their customers want. “I’m supporting your business. Support my values,” she said. To learn more on how to reduce plastic waste, check out trashisfortossers.com for a beginner’s guide to zero waste living.12

from Articles http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/02/16/supermarkets-role-in-plastic-pollution.aspx source https://niapurenaturecom.tumblr.com/post/182840456021

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jerrytackettca · 6 years ago

Text

Raging Against Plastic: New Investigation Exposes Supermarkets Role in Plastic Pollution

The looming threat of plastic pollution is one of mankind's greatest challenges. With more than 381 million tons of plastic produced worldwide each year,1 it's no surprise the waste ends up in our soil, lakes, rivers and oceans, as well as in the bodies of humans and wildlife.

The durability of plastic is what makes it popular for use in so many products. But its strength and durability also mean that it doesn't break down in the environment. It's estimated that a plastic bottle can take 450 years to break down in a marine environment,2 while fishing line can take 600 years.3 But even then, it never goes away. It simply breaks down into smaller pieces that may persist in the environment forever.

Why Buying Plastic-Free Is so Difficult

The featured film highlights two families and their attitude toward plastic (one family tries to avoid it, one doesn't) when it comes to buying food. The two families agree to participate in a social experiment where they switch places to see how the other side lives when it comes to addressing plastic pollution.

The film follows the family up and down the aisles of their local No Frills grocery store as they shop for food, paying particular attention to how much of it comes packaged in plastic. The couple, who grocery shop about twice a week, say they used to use reusable bags, but don't anymore. "We never bring reusable bags," says Jessica. "We did before. But then we just stopped" says Jonathan. "We got lazy," says Jessica.

Western Nations Are Dumping Their Plastic Problem on to Poorer Countries

Plastic is cheaper and more convenient, say the couple. And they're right. Supermarkets and their suppliers have come to rely on plastic because it's cheap and durable. But "cheap" is relative. The true cost of single-use plastic on human and environmental health is astronomical, and the burden of that cost is unevenly distributed.

Some of the world's largest plastic producers often ship their waste to other countries to be recycled. Both the U.S. and Canada, as well as several other countries, were shipping large portions of plastic waste to China, which would buy it, recycle it and make new products. But last year China announced that it would no longer accept plastic waste imports in an effort to protect the environment and human health.

Since 1991, nearly half the world's plastic waste has been sent to China.6 Since China decided it no longer wanted to be the "world's garbage dump,"7 experts say there may be an estimated 111 million tons of plastic with nowhere to go by 2030. The U.S., Britain, Germany, Japan and Mexico were among some of the largest exporters of plastic waste to China.8

"Instead of taking responsibility for their own waste, U.S. companies are exploiting developing countries that lack the regulation to protect themselves. The average person when they put a piece of plastic in a [recycling] bin, they assume it is being recycled, not being shipped to China or now to Southeast Asia, where it will possibly be incinerated or landfilled."

The film shows exclusive footage provided to CBS News Marketplace by Greenpeace of heaping piles of plastic waste in Malaysia. The footage is recent and was taken about an hour outside of Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Hidden within the mounds of plastic waste is plastic trash from some of Canada's popular stores and grocers, including a bag from Sobeys, a milk bag from Nova Scotia dairy Scotsburn, a burger bun bag from Ben's Bakery and a birdseed bag from a company in Ontario.

One of Sobeys' most popular commercials drives home the slogan, "Delivering you the future." One of Scotsburn's advertisements says, "Our products meet our family." These feel-good (and misleading) slogans convince consumers they care about people and their health. But that isn't exactly the case.

Consumers Need More Plastic-Free Choices in Supermarkets

Jessica and Jonathan, tasked with buying food that's not wrapped in plastic, have an even more difficult time. When it comes to purchasing milk for their infant child, the couple notices they have to buy more milk because it comes in smaller packaging, yet it's also more expensive. Both families agree they need more plastic-free options. So why aren't grocers providing it?

The film arrives in London, England, at a local grocery chain called Thornton's Budgens. Similar to Canada, not a lot of plastic waste gets recycled in the U.K., according to the film. But consumers are growing increasingly more concerned about environmentally friendly packaging than the price — and stores are starting to listen.

Local UK Grocer Goes Plastic-Free in 10 Weeks

The owner of Thornton's Budgens, Andrew Thornton, said they decided to act against plastic pollution simply because they could.

"If we as one store operator, with very little resources, can do this in 10 weeks, what could a Loblaws do if they put all their resources behind it? We are trashing the planet, and to me, plastic has become a symbol of one of the things that's wrong with society today. So we took action because we could. We felt we could make a difference."

The products affected by the store's plastic ban include everything from fresh produce to eggs, fish, bread, cheese and packaged foods. The store even sells plastic-free bacon that's packaged in paper and uses a plant-based cellulose film as an alternative to plastic. It looks and acts like plastic, but it's not and it's biodegradable, meaning you can put it with your food or garden waste and it will go back into the Earth and fertilize the soil.

Not only is Budgens helping curb plastic waste, but it's making more money, too. "We didn't set out to do it for commercial reasons, but there is a commercial benefit," said Thornton. To achieve its goal, the store worked with Frankie Gillard of the environmental group A Plastic Planet. She says that big supermarkets have the power to get major brands to switch to more sustainable packaging methods.

"You basically say, 'We're going to delist your product otherwise.' They have the power to make or break a brand. So, of course, they have the power to say how it should be packaged."

Loblaws and Sobeys Refuse to Talk Plastic Waste

Since neither Loblaws or Sobeys were very forthcoming about their position on plastic waste. CBC News Marketplace set up shop outside one of the retailers' locations in Toronto to launch a different kind of swap. They approached shoppers as they were leaving the store and asked them to do an audit of their purchases.

They find a lot of plastic packaging. Most of the items in all of the shopper's bags were packaged in plastic: bread, cheese, sushi, meat and fruit. The film crew swaps out all of the plastic for more environmentally friendly packaging, putting cookies in glass jars, produce in cloth bags and fruit and meat in glass containers.

Loblaws did eventually issue a statement listing "incremental changes" it has made so far, including selling single-serve, compostable coffee pods, removing microbeads from their own brand personal care products and making customers pay for plastic bags. But clearly, there is a lot more they could be doing.

"Starting in May, Unilever's Axe and Dove deodorants will come in refillable steel containers that are expected to last eight years.

PepsiCo will start selling Tropicana orange juice in glass bottles and certain flavors of Quaker cereal in steel containers. Häagen-Dazs, owned by Nestlé, will come in refillable stainless steel tins. Procter & Gamble's Pantene shampoo will come in aluminum bottles, and its Tide brand detergent will come in stainless steel containers."

The move is important because if we really want to curb plastic pollution, we need to stop using it — and not just keep hoping that it gets recycled.

Only a Small Portion of Plastic Gets Recycled

Plastics can, and should, be recycled, but a 2017 analysis10 reveals a staggering 91 percent aren't. As reported by National Geographic:11

"Mass production of plastics, which began just six decades ago, has accelerated so rapidly that it has created 8.3 billion metric tons — most of it in disposable products that end up as trash. If that seems like an incomprehensible quantity, it is. Even the scientists who set out to conduct the world's first tally of how much plastic has been produced, discarded, burned or put in landfills, were horrified by the sheer size of the numbers …

The film ends with a powerful message to the supermarkets. Sofia, a member of the family that's conscious about plastic waste, said companies should listen to what their customers want. "I'm supporting your business. Support my values," she said. To learn more on how to reduce plastic waste, check out trashisfortossers.com for a beginner's guide to zero waste living.12

from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/02/16/supermarkets-role-in-plastic-pollution.aspx

source http://niapurenaturecom.weebly.com/blog/raging-against-plastic-new-investigation-exposes-supermarkets-role-in-plastic-pollution

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jakehglover · 6 years ago

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Raging Against Plastic: New Investigation Exposes Supermarket’s Role in Plastic Pollution

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Why Buying Plastic-Free Is so Difficult

The film follows the family up and down the aisles of their local No Frills grocery store as they shop for food, paying particular attention to how much of it comes packaged in plastic. The couple, who grocery shop about twice a week, say they used to use reusable bags, but don't anymore. "We never bring reusable bags," says Jessica. "We did before. But then we just stopped" says Jonathan. "We got lazy," says Jessica.

Western Nations Are Dumping Their Plastic Problem on to Poorer Countries

The film shows exclusive footage provided to CBS News Marketplace by Greenpeace of heaping piles of plastic waste in Malaysia. The footage is recent and was taken about an hour outside of Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Hidden within the mounds of plastic waste is plastic trash from some of Canada's popular stores and grocers, including a bag from Sobeys, a milk bag from Nova Scotia dairy Scotsburn, a burger bun bag from Ben's Bakery and a birdseed bag from a company in Ontario.

Consumers Need More Plastic-Free Choices in Supermarkets

Local UK Grocer Goes Plastic-Free in 10 Weeks

The owner of Thornton's Budgens, Andrew Thornton, said they decided to act against plastic pollution simply because they could.

"You basically say, 'We're going to delist your product otherwise.' They have the power to make or break a brand. So, of course, they have the power to say how it should be packaged."

Loblaws and Sobeys Refuse to Talk Plastic Waste

"Starting in May, Unilever's Axe and Dove deodorants will come in refillable steel containers that are expected to last eight years.

PepsiCo will start selling Tropicana orange juice in glass bottles and certain flavors of Quaker cereal in steel containers. Häagen-Dazs, owned by Nestlé, will come in refillable stainless steel tins. Procter & Gamble's Pantene shampoo will come in aluminum bottles, and its Tide brand detergent will come in stainless steel containers."

The move is important because if we really want to curb plastic pollution, we need to stop using it — and not just keep hoping that it gets recycled.

Only a Small Portion of Plastic Gets Recycled

Plastics can, and should, be recycled, but a 2017 analysis10 reveals a staggering 91 percent aren't. As reported by National Geographic:11

from HealthyLife via Jake Glover on Inoreader http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/02/16/supermarkets-role-in-plastic-pollution.aspx

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goarticletec-blog · 7 years ago

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The Future of Fashion: Turning Recycled Plastic Into Clothes

New Post has been published on https://www.articletec.com/the-future-of-fashion-turning-recycled-plastic-into-clothes-2/

The Future of Fashion: Turning Recycled Plastic Into Clothes

For a man who works in fashion, Michael Preysman thinks an awful lot about the world’s oceans. He thinks about the stuff that runs off and pollutes the coastlines, the plastics that slide down the drains and choke fish. When he founded Everlane, the minimalist clothing brand that promises “radical transparency,” Preysman didn’t just want to make cashmere sweaters and wide-leg pants that would constitute a certain kind of Silicon Valley uniform. He wanted, in some small part, to make clothes that wouldn’t destroy the ocean.

Preysman, now 33, brings this philosophy to everything at Everlane. When it introduced its first denim collection last year, the company focused on making jeans that lessened water pollution from the dye and chemicals. When it started selling silk shirts, Everlane branded its material as “clean silk,” made without toxic dyes; someday soon, Preysman says, that silk will be made with 100 percent recycled water.

Head to Everlane’s flagship store in San Francisco, push past the cocoon coats, and you’ll find the brand’s next initiative: clothes made from recycled plastic. It comes in the form of a new outwear collection called ReNew which has rescued some three million plastic water bottles (so far) from landfills and beaches, repurposing them as synthetic fabrics.

Everlane

The line of plastic parkas and puffer jackets follows a trend from companies big (Adidas), small (Rothy’s), niche (Girlfriend Collective), and mainstream (H&M), all of which have recently incorporated recycled plastic into their wares. Some, like Kelly Slater’s Outerknown line, repurpose all kinds of shoreline waste as clothing. Others, like Timberland, focus just on water bottles.

“Plastics live forever,” says Preysman “Once you create them, they never go away.”

But water bottles—collected, chipped, melted, and spun into yarn—can have a second life as yoga pants, a puffy jacket, or a pair of sneakers. Brands like Patagonia have been doing it for years. Lately, though, more companies are turning to recycled materials as a way to reduce their environmental impact, or maybe just to earn kudos from their customers. In October, following a United Nations initiative, 250 major brands pledged to cut single-use plastics from their supply chains and replace them with natural or recycled ones.

For Everlane, the ReNew collection represents more than just a hop onto the bandwagon. The company has also made a commitment to remove virgin plastic from its supply chain completely within the next three years, replacing all of the plastic packaging, zipper pulls, and synthetic fabric in its clothes. Preysman sees it as a chance to take recycled plastic clothing mainstream—not just in workout clothes or outdoors gear, but in the kind of fashion basics people wear everyday. That starts with sewing the sustainability message into the product itself.

Fabricated Future

Polyester, lycra, and nylon—the materials that afford stretch in activewear and durability in outerwear—are derived from plastic, meaning they won’t biodegrade. When these synthetic fibers are washed, tiny amounts of “microplastics” break off and wash down the drain, spilling plastic particles into oceans.

“Our goal is not to add synthetics to the line, but as we add more categories, that naturally happens,” says Kimberly Smith, Everlane’s head of apparel. When the brand launched its first collection of outerwear three years ago, it used some synthetic fleece and polyester. “When we found out there was [demand for outerwear], then we were like, now we’ve gotta do this the right way.”

The ReNew material has been in development ever since. Everlane partners with groups in Taiwan and Japan that collect recycled plastic water bottles. The bottles are sorted by color (only clear ones can be used), stripped of their caps, sanitized, and then sent to a giant grinder, where they’re pulverized into chips, melted, and spun into a fine yarn, which is stuffed and sewn into clothes.

Lauren Yarmuth, a portfolio director at IDEO who focuses on circular economies, says brands like Everlane have sensed “a shift in the expectations of customers.” There’s value in buying from companies with a clear set of values, and the story around recycled plastic makes for an easy sell: This was once a water bottle, now it’s a parka. Last year, Adidas sold one million pairs of shoes with recycled plastic in them. Other outfitters, like Reformation and Rothy’s, have also won over huge audiences by only using recycled materials in their products.

Sustainability marketing obviously earns brands street cred. What’s harder to understand is exactly what impact these measures have on the planet. When they go through the washing machine, clothes made from recycled plastics may still shed microplastics that end up in the ocean. Plus, Yarmuth says, sustainability initiatives should think not just about how to recycle bottles into clothes, but how to recycle those clothes into something else, allowing the plastic to live many lives before it ends up in a landfill.

Good On You, a shopping app that gives ethical ratings to brands (based on labor, animals rights, and sustainability), rated Everlane “not good enough” last year. The review pointed out “big gaps in the information Everlane provides to the public,” and that its eco-friendly materials have yet to stretch across its full range of products. Even Everlane’s many biodegradable materials—leather, wool, cashmere, and cotton—have high energy and water costs, which can strain the environment.

Gordon Renouf, the co-founder of Good On You, says he’s in the process of updating Everlane’s rating to reflect the introduction of ReNew. “The several initiatives they have announced in the last year or so are all commendable but fairly limited,” Renouf says. So far, the ReNew outerwear collection includes eight styles for women and five for men. “They could do a lot more to use eco-friendly materials more generally.”

Preysman says the company has plans to expand the ReNew material beyond cold-weather outerwear to items that can be worn year-round. “There are so many pieces left,” he says, noting that ReNew marks the brand’s “first major sustainability commitment.”

It’s also a learning experience, both for Everlane and for its consumers. Right now, Smith says it costs 10 to 15 percent more to make clothes with recycled water bottles than to use synthetic fabrics. The company is banking on the fact that people will pay more to buy sustainably, and that as more brands incorporate recycled plastic into their designs, it will eventually cost less to turn that plastic into usable thread.

“Companies are responsible, in our opinion, for doing the right thing,” says Preysman. “If they’re not making changes to their supply chain, then they’re actively choosing to put profit over the planet.”