Buzz Benefactors More Retailers Ban Bee-Toxic Products
Amidst the growing pollinator crisis and due to public pres- sure, Aldi Süd, the German supermarket chain with stores in the U.S., has become the first major European retailer to ban pesticides toxic to bees, including the neonicotinoids imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, from fruits and vegetables produced for their stores. Starting in January, Aldi produce suppliers have had to ensure their cultivation practices exclude eight pesticides identified as toxic to bees. Other retailers in the U.S. and Europe are also beginning to shun bee-toxic pesticides. Home Depot will no longer use the class of pesticides known as neonics on
80 percent of its flowering plants; completing the phase-out in 2018. Lowe’s is ending the sale of products containing neonicotinoid pesticides within 48 months. Smaller retailers are also working on removing neonics and other toxic pesticides from their shelves. The science has become increasingly clear that pesticides, working individu- ally or synergistically, play a critical role in the ongoing decline of honeybees and other pollinators. Bees in the U.S. and Europe have seen unprecedented losses over the last decade, and bee-toxic pesticides like neonicotinoids have consistent- ly been implicated as a major contributing factor.
Source:
BeyondPesticides.org
Nature’s Metric Rethinking All Aspects of Society
The International Living Future Institute’s Living Future Challenge presents a bold new framework for rethinking how systems, products, buildings and communities are designed. Based on the el- egant and profound architecture of its recent Living
Building Challenge that cites nature as the ultimate metric for success, the Living Future Challenge is now branching out to influence aspects of society. The Living Community Challenge applies Living Building concepts to entire communities or cities; the Living Product Challenge asks designers and manufac- turers to create net positive products; Net Zero Energy Building certification rates successful energy conservation in both new and existing buildings; Just becomes the social justice label for appropriately certified organizations; Declare confirms the merit of nutrition labels; and Reveal affirms a building’s energy efficiency status.
Source:
Living-Future.org
If You Are Reading This, So Are Your Potential Customers.
Swedes’ Solution Six-Hour Workday Reaps
Benefits
Many Americans work 50 hours a week or more because they think they’ll get more done and reap the benefits later. However, according to a metastudy pub- lished in The Lancet, people that clock a 55-hour week have a 33 percent greater risk of stroke and 13 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease than those that maintain a 35- to 40-hour work week. Data from 25 studies that monitored the health of 600,000 people from the U.S., Europe and Australia for up to 8.5 years were analyzed. Paul Kelley, of Oxford University’s
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Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, notes that even a traditional nine-to-five workday is at odds with peoples’ internal body clocks, contribut- ing to sleep deprivation. Now Sweden is moving toward a standard six-hour workday, with some businesses having already implemented the change. Linus Feldt, CEO of Stock- holm app developer Filimundus, reports that the shift has maintained produc- tivity while decreasing staff conflicts, because people are happier and better rested. Several Toyota service cen- ters in Gothenburg that switched to a six-hour day 13 years ago also report happier staff, a lower turnover rate and increased ease in enticing new hires. A Swedish retirement home has embarked on a yearlong experiment to compare the costs and benefits of a shorter work- ing day.
Source:
ScienceAlert.com natural awakenings June 2016 13
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