globalbriefs


News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.


Genuinely Greenwashed Six Ploys to Avoid in Eco-Purchases


A report by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing exposes these six “greenwashing” marketing ploys to watch out for when shopping:


1. Hidden Trade Off: A refurbished plasma TV might reduce the need of buying new at first, but new or not, such TVs are energy hogs.


2. No Proof: Can a third party verify claims such as “organic” or “all-natural”?


3. Vagueness: Beware of products claiming to be “chemical-free” or “no hormones added”.


4. Irrelevance: Claims that have no relationship to the product or might be made


with any other product in the same category, such as [chlorofluorocarbon] CFC-free shaving gel.


5. Fibbing: A falsehood that can’t be backed up, such as “certified organic” for products for which no such certification exists.


6. Lesser of Two Evils: An attempt to put a green twist on a product that’s inherently harmful to humans and the environment, such as organic cigarettes.


Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got.


~Art Buchwald


Escalating Thirst Endangered Western Tree Habitats


Green Drinks Meets 2nd Wednesdays 5:30-7:30pm


TWIN CITIES Info: facebook.com/ TwinCitiesGreenDrinks.org


What is Green Drinks? Green Drinks is an informal, volunteer- managed social networking group built around a common interest in the natural environment. It occurs on the second Wednesday of every month starting around 5:30pm.


MEDIA SPONSOR 10 NA Twin Cities Edition


A team of scientists at the University of Grenoble, in France, have isolated ultrasonic pops 100 times faster than what a human can hear in slivers of dead pine wood bathed in a hydrogel to simulate the conditions of a living tree. They exposed the gel to an artificially dry environment and listened for the noises that occurred as air bubbles built up, block- ing water uptake, similar to what occurs to trees during drought. As leaves on a tree col- lect carbon dioxide, they open their pores, a process that leaves them particularly vulner- able to water loss.


Douglas firs and pine trees can repair this damage as frequently as every


hour, says Katherine McCulloh, a plant ecophysiologist at Oregon State Uni- versity. However, the bubbles are deadly for other species. Today, the typical forest in the often thirsty American West contains an


unnaturally high density of 112 to 172 trees per acre. Besides intercepting rain and snow that would otherwise enter the groundwater supply, such an over- abundance threatens native species. “Deprived of [the effect of] low-intensity, naturally occurring fires, aspen, lupine, sequoia and fireweed can’t reproduce,” notes Jamie Workman, of the Environmental Defense Fund. “Deer lose edge habitat. Threatened owls and raptors can’t navigate through increasingly dense thickets.” Workman argues that thinning out small trees is the answer.


Contributing source: Utne.com natwincities.com


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