Traditional cotton production continues to be tied to danger- increasingly aware of the environmental impacts. Some are
ous levels of toxic pesticides and insecticides. rethinking lawns altogether, switching to native ground cover
Eco fashion offers an eclectic mix from emerging design- and other plants as an alternative.
ers. They may use surplus designer fabric, T-shirts made from Lawn maintenance equipment is a major environmental
bamboo, or fleece made from recycled soda bottles. Vintage problem with grass. A traditional gas-powered mower, notes
and consignment clothes work well, while “refashion”—like the Environmental Protection Agency, produces as much
dresses made from T-shirts—are widely available on sites like air pollution as 43 new cars, each driven 12,000 miles; 54
Etsy.com. million Americans mow their lawns each weekend. One al-
Sheets, pillows and mattresses all come in organic ternative is the electric mower, which produces no exhaust,
varieties, too. More, they are often superior in quality and requires little maintenance and is much quieter and lighter
durability to their cheaper conventional counterparts. than its gas-guzzling cousin. Models from Black & Decker,
Neuton, Sunlawn and other companies come in corded and
Contact: Environmental Justice Foundation, EJFoundation. cordless varieties, with charges that can last up to an hour.
org; Etsy.com; Patagonia,
Patagonia.com. Even more problematic, a study by Purdue University
confirms that 30 to 60 percent of all urban freshwater is used
Cleaner Lawns and Gardens for watering lawns, which also entails 67 million pounds of
According to a fact sheet from the Scotts Miracle-Gro Com-
pesticides that end up contaminating water systems as runoff.
pany, sales of organic lawn and garden products increased
Native plants, on the other hand, require nothing but rainfall
by 64 percent between 2002 and 2006 and continue to
to thrive.
grow. It’s no secret that Americans are enthusiastic about
Also, more people are turning to rain barrels. Placed
their perfectly manicured, green lawns, but they’re also
under a home’s downspout, these can hold up to 100 gallons
and have a spigot for attaching a hose. An added benefit of
using rainwater is that plants prefer it.
Latest U.S. Energy Innovations
Contact: Clean Air Gardening,
CleanAirGardening.com.
Atomic Solar Cells: The latest innovation in solar technology
has taken photovoltaic cells to the atomic level. A California Natural Products
company called Innovalight (Innovalight.com) has invented
The market research firm Packaged Facts reported in July
nano silicon powder that can be added to ink and printed onto
2009 that the natural health and beauty care market, which
various surfaces, turning a whole range of materials into solar
power generators for a fraction of the cost of traditional panels.
grew 8 percent in 2008 and is approaching $7 billion, is
likely to reach sales of $12 billion by 2014. “Many Ameri-
Portable Fuel Cells: Portable fuel cells, which use a process
cans fear the health consequences of using chemical-laden
by which methanol reacts with oxygen to create energy, have deodorant, shampoo, foundation and other personal care
already found application in the U.S. military. They are more
products,” says Tatjana Meerman, the research publisher.
lightweight than the battery packs soldiers typically carry to
It’s easy to search for the content—and safety—of preferred
power their field equipment. The next frontier is consumer elec-
brand-name products at the Skin Deep online database,
tronic devices. MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc. (MTIMicroFuelCells.
com) unveiled the Mobion charger last year, a power pack
maintained by the Environmental Working Group. All of this
prototype that can deliver 25 hours of power per cartridge for
is good news for the environment, because the chemicals in
cell phones, computers, digital cameras and handheld devices,
personal care products find their way through bathing and
without the need to rely on batteries. disposal into the soil and water supplies, where they can
negatively impact aquatic life and potentially, human health.
Geothermal: A July 2009 study from New York University’s
The same holds true for common household cleaners
Stern School of Business found that geothermal energy—power
and chemical air fresheners, which contribute to indoor air
plants pumping super-hot (above 300 degrees Fahrenheit)
water to the surface to be captured as steam—is the most ef-
pollution and can aggravate respiratory illnesses like asthma.
ficient form of renewable energy. The future lies in Enhanced
One 2008 study published in the American Journal of Re-
Geothermal Systems (EGS), which involves drilling even deep-
spiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that households
er, fracturing rocks that lie kilometers below the surface. To get that regularly used cleaning sprays had a 30 to 50 percent
there, researchers at Stanford University are using nanotechnol-
increased risk of experiencing asthma.
ogy that passes nanoparticles into the fractures to determine the
People are demanding healthier alternatives and the
feasibility for energy production. For information on the U.S.
market is responding. While neither beauty products nor
Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Program,
visit
eere.energy.gov/geothermal.
cleaners generally disclose their harmful ingredients, natural
Collier / Lee Counties
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