globalbriefs
News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.
Better Barters Swapping Trash for Fresh Produce
Mexico City’s innovative monthly Mercado del Trueque (barter market) in Chapultepec Park is a winning trifecta for citizens, local vegetable and plant vendors and the city’s secretariat of the environment. There, residents can exchange cardboard, paper, glass, aluminum, plastic bottles, electronic devices and other waste for paper chits that are redeemed at kiosks for vouchers worth points. The traders can then use the vouchers to buy tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, lemons and other produce from participating farmers from surrounding districts. Mexico produces 40 million tons of garbage annually, but only recycles about 15 percent. With this barter system, farmers have gained a new place to sell their produce and earn extra income, while the materials collected are processed for industrial reuse.
Source:
IPSNews.net
Survival Alert Join America’s Start Saving Water Now
Challenge
America, like most of the rest of the world, is running short of fresh water. Our welfare depends on having annual access to 150 trillion gallons of fresh water for drinking, cleaning, growing food, making products and generating electricity. In every region of the country, the conservation and recycling of this vital resource is a key solution to achieving a sustainable future. “We can do better” is the urgent message of the
2013 National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. Last year, people in more than 1,000 cities took simple actions to save water and related energy expenditures, pledging to collectively reduce their water use by 4.7 billion gallons over one year. The Wyland Foundation, supported by the National League of Cities and the
Environmental Protection Agency, are again sponsoring prizes for residents in the most “water-wise” cities, based on pledges to be made in April. Last year, $50,000 in award- ed prizes included a Toyota Prius, Lowe’s gift cards and 1,200 water-saving fixtures.
Sign on at
WylandFoundation.org/mywaterpledge.
Thrifty Threads Levi’s Latest
Sustainable Moves
World record holder and Olym- pic champion sprinter Usain Bolt will soon model Puma boots that are “made for rotting,” and when the next Levi Strauss collection arrives, their new jingle will be, “These jeans are made of garbage.” Crushed brown and green half-liter plastic bottles will be on display at retail store displays, of which the equivalent of eight, or 20 percent, are blended into each pair of Waste<Less jeans. Nike and Gap have their
own sustainability programs, and Patagonia has long supported a small ecosystem of Earth-friendly suppliers. But as the biggest maker of jeans in the world, with sales of $4.8 billion in 2011, Levi’s efforts command the most attention. Levi joined the Better Cotton
Initiative, a group of companies that work with local nongovern- mental organizations in Pakistan, India, Brazil and Mali to teach farmers how to grow cotton with less water. Last year marked the first cotton harvest given this effort and Levi has blended its share into more than 5 million pairs of jeans. With cotton prices on the rise and pressure from activist groups such as BSR, an environmental organization that works with busi- nesses, large clothing manufac- turers are starting to adopt more sustainable practices.
Source: Business Week
24 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
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