EcoFriendOnline.com Blog » green news http://www.ecofriendonline.com/blog Saving Mama Earth One Eco Friendly Blog at a Time Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:54:14 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Aluminum bottle manufacturer admits bottles leach BPA http://www.ecofriendonline.com/blog/2009/10/aluminum-bottle-manufacturer-admits-bottles-leach-bpa/ http://www.ecofriendonline.com/blog/2009/10/aluminum-bottle-manufacturer-admits-bottles-leach-bpa/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:08:31 +0000 EcoFriend Kim http://www.ecofriendonline.com/blog/?p=353 Gaiam admits that bottles previously labeled “BPA-free” leach BPA at nearly 20 times SIGG’s levels.

 

Nothing surprises me anymore. Six weeks ago SIGG announced that their aluminum water bottles — you know, the ones that everyone bought in order to avoid BPA — actually contained BPA. Now that surprised me. Since that time, I still have not figured out how to resolve my own personal water bottle situation. I want to carry a reusable water bottle. Honestly, I do. I’m on the go a lot, and I drink a lot of water. Ditto for my kids. But I really can’t figure out whom to trust.  

 
Case in point … the news this morning that Gaiam’s aluminum water bottles — the ones that were previously labeled “BPA-free,” actually leach BPA at 20 times the levels that SIGG bottles did.  
 
Last week, the website Z recommends published a report that called out Gaiam on the BPA status of their aluminum water bottles — bottles that were very clearly being sold as “BPA-free.” Today, the company has quietly (on its retail website) provided the data from independent lab test results that show BPA leaching levels at 23.8 parts per billion. These findings are more than 10 times the detection limit that SIGG provided in its own water bottle testing and over 18 times more than the leaching levels found in independent studies of SIGG water bottles.
 
Here is the new wording added to the product description for Gaiam’s aluminum water bottles:
  • The internal surface of our aluminum water bottles is coated with a thin, food-grade epoxy resin that meets U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) 175.300 requirements for toxic elements in foodware. (This lining is neither required nor industry standard for stainless steel bottles.)
  • We also asked our water bottle manufacturer to comprehensively test our aluminum bottles for BPA, using industry-standard test methods. No detectable levels of BPA were found in the gasket, the cap or the coating material in testing under normal use and care conditions.
  • While there is no government or industry standard in place for BPA levels acceptable in food and beverage containers, our aluminum and stainless steel water bottles are compliant with all existing federal government rules for food and beverage containers.
  • We also took additional steps to help ensure your safety via independent laboratory tests that go well beyond FDA requirements. An independent lab subjected our aluminum water bottles to continuous extreme heat — nearly 200 degrees Fahrenheit — in an environmental chamber for three days while the bottles were filled with water. Under these extreme conditions, a trace amount of BPA (23.8 parts per billion) was detected in the water inside the bottle. This test was performed under conditions outside the normal use and care conditions we recommend on our product packaging and shopping website. For example, we explain that the bottle should not be washed in a dishwasher or filled with any hot liquids.
 
Even though it may seem that the BPA testing was extreme, the folks at Z recommends point out that testing at 90 degrees Celsius for a three-day window is a standard testing procedure commonly seen in BPA testing, and was likely part of a standard block of tests for the bottles.
 
The news is disconcerting to say the least, especially in light of the study I posted about this morning linking prenatal BPA exposure to aggression in toddler girls. What’s a green mom to do?
Written by Jenn Savedge; reprinted from Mother Nature Network
 
 
]]> http://www.ecofriendonline.com/blog/2009/10/aluminum-bottle-manufacturer-admits-bottles-leach-bpa/feed/ 0 Visionaries who are changing your world – Brahm Ahmadi http://www.ecofriendonline.com/blog/2009/07/ecofriendonlinecom-blogbrahmahmadi/ http://www.ecofriendonline.com/blog/2009/07/ecofriendonlinecom-blogbrahmahmadi/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:25:25 +0000 EcoFriend Kim http://ecofriendonline.com/blog/?p=101 Brahm Ahmadi

Brahm Ahmadi

Brahm Ahmadi, cofounder, People’s Grocery

The mendacious politician who belittles the role of community organizers should hoof it to People’s Grocery in West Oakland, California, where Brahm Ahmadi leads the crusade for food justice.

What started as a few people dissatisfied with their lack of access to fresh produce is now a model for how to integrate a sustainable local food system into an inner-city community. Ahmadi stresses the need to “build a set of choices first, and then enable individuals to make those choices for themselves.” He’ll soon take on a new role as CEO of the first community retail market when it rolls out over the next two years.

Watch videos of People’s Grocery projects

Reprinted from Utne.com

]]> http://www.ecofriendonline.com/blog/2009/07/ecofriendonlinecom-blogbrahmahmadi/feed/ 0 Ant Invasions, Urban Sharks, and a 100 MPG Hummer: GreenDig http://greendig.net/ant-invasions-urban-sharks-and-a-100-mpg-hummer-greendig/ http://greendig.net/ant-invasions-urban-sharks-and-a-100-mpg-hummer-greendig/#comments Thu, 07 May 2009 20:11:17 +0000 Karl Burkart http://greendig.net/?p=502 This is the very first GreenDig green news video blog by Karl Burkart — a countdown of the top 4 environmental news stories of the day.

The Top 4 Countdown is…
4. The GreenDig video blog, the Daily Dig is Live!

3. Ant Invasion in Argentina: http://tinyurl.com/antinvasion

2. 100 MPG Hummer: http://tinyurl.com/100hummer

1. White Mike Shark Campaign: http://tinyurl.com/whitemike

GreenDig music by my buddy Nicolas Despo & Polar bear animation by artist Iain Gardiner.

Fan my Facebook Page!
Follow me on Twitter @Greendig
Subscribe on Youtube Greendignews
Check out my MNN tech blog

]]> http://greendig.net/ant-invasions-urban-sharks-and-a-100-mpg-hummer-greendig/feed/ 0 Why I started the GreenDig Video Blog http://greendig.net/why-greendig-video-blog/ http://greendig.net/why-greendig-video-blog/#comments Thu, 07 May 2009 19:37:38 +0000 Karl Burkart http://greendig.net/?p=497 As we speak, our entire civilization is being re-engineered in order to make possible a continued, sustainable existence for the human species on earth. And for many reasons, there are forces out there (some uneducated, some smart as hell) trying to stop it.

As a result, there are hundreds of important environmental news stories breaking every day and literally thousands of fantastic green bloggers writing on an array of important issues — climate policy, conservation, green business and clean technology.

Though this material would make for great video, there seems to be a lack of green video blogs which focus specifically on real news. The video bogging community seems to be falling short in the “green” department.

Not to dis the many green lifestyle video blogs out there (read my top 9 list on MNN.com). But it’s an exciting time, and there is a lot of great (and important) news that needs to get out there.

Spread the word to friends who you think would dig it and feel free to follow/subscribe to me…

So the goal of the Daily Dig, the GreenDig video blog, is to do just that by counting down the top 4 most intriguing and important environmental news stories of the day. I hope you enjoy!

Spread the word to friends who you think would dig it and feel free to follow/subscribe to me…

]]> http://greendig.net/why-greendig-video-blog/feed/ 0 A Tour of the GreenDig Blog http://greendig.net/a-tour-of-the-greendig-blog/ http://greendig.net/a-tour-of-the-greendig-blog/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 15:58:10 +0000 Karl Burkart http://greendig.net/?p=500 Here I do a fairly brief walk through of my revamped GreenDig blog website including the Daily Dig green news video blog…

The site has 6 main pages:

Daily Dig: a countdown of the top 4 most intriguing and important environmental news stories of the day.

EcoTechno: a blog column on green technology including not only cleantech, but also green building, automotive, and media technology.

Planet Rx: a blog column on conservation, activism and the preservation of our most priceless ecosystems.

Ars Natura: artists, designers and cultural creatives who are reshaping the way we think about our relationship with the natural world.

Do the Math: a place for calculations and stories on our myriad environmental impacts.

The Dirty Dozen: not yet live… if you want to blog about the biggest environmental bad guys, including products and companies to boycott let me know.

There are also many people to thank, people who have helped inspire the GreenDig emergence:

  • Ken Rutkowski, the alpha of alpha influencers, who was talking about the coming wave of video blogging way back in ‘06.
  • Rob Ganger of Eco Nouveau who sent me the clip of Bill Maher and told me my voice should be out there.
  • Joseph Cizek of Blogging Outfitters who pimped out this crazy Wordpress theme.
  • Nicolas Despo, famed folk singer who wrote and recorded the “GreenDig ditty” that opens the video.
  • Iaian Gardiner, unbelievably talented artist who let me feature his great polar bear animation.
  • Jenn Breckenridge, social media guruess and environmental activist for her many great ideas and moral support!

And the host of great bloggers and tweeters helping to get the word out about the most important news on Planet Earth!

Spread the word to friends who you think would dig it and feel free to follow/subscribe to me…

* Twitter: @greendig
* Facebook: GreenDig
* Youtube: Greendignews
* MNN.com: Green Tech blog

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