Asides is an occasional feature in which I post interesting tools and links I've recently discovered. I've started grouping them in categories. You can find them all by clicking on the category archive for Blogs, links, and the like.
This edition is the second collection of green links.
- A blurb in Frontiers in Ecology summarized a paper that found 75% of the antiseptic agent triclocarban that goes down the drain when we use those useless antibacterial soaps ends up in municipal sludge. That might seem benign, except this sludge typically ends up on agricultural land as fertilizer. One municipal wastewater treatment plant doles out a metric ton of triclocarban a year (not sludge, just the chemical!)...times thousands of plants across the country. It is not known at what rate crops take up triclocarban or how it may produce bacteria resistance in organisms via this route. Antibacterial soap is not necessary. For really wholesome soap, may I recommend good ole Dr. Bronner's or the fantastic Natural Impulse?
- A new (for me) web site I enjoy is Greenthinkers. Recently, they posted a list of the most contaminated and least contaminated fruits and veggies. Handy guide for what to buy organic to expose yourself to fewer chemicals.
- A post on Gristmill describes some really innovative upcoming initiatives by retailer Whole Foods: buying more local food, setting up a loan program for small farmers, opening their parking lots for local farmers to sell directly to consumers, and increasing consumer education on the subject of local food.
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