Greenpeace activists protest outside Levi’s headquarters in San Francisco create a ‘river’ out of non-toxic foam, as part of a series of Greenpeace activities held in over 80 cities worldwide, demanding that Levi’s commits to eliminating the use of all hazardous chemicals throughout its supply chain. The foam simulates the toxic water pollution caused by the Mexican textile factories that have been found to have links to brands including Levi’s. Photo: George Nikitin, Greenpeace / SF
According to the Greenpeace release, “Levi’s will begin requiring 15 of its largest suppliers, each with multiple factories in China, Mexico and elsewhere, to disclose pollution data as early as the end of June 2013” — an important development in nations without strict reporting requirements.
…Other substances Greenpeace found included benzotriazoles, tributyl phosphate and trichloroaniline, all toxic to aquatic life. At the Kaltex plant, Greenpeace said it found hexa (methoxymethyl) melamine (HMMM), which is moderately toxic to aquatic life, and two trichlorinated benzenes. The environmental group said that while these two persistent toxic chemicals are used as solvents and dye carriers, they are not exclusive to textile manufacturing and may have come from other sources.
“In studies of the textile industry in Mexico, Greenpeace found that Levi’s suppliers have the worst water pollution,” said Pierre Terras, a Greenpeace toxics campaigner in Mexico quoted in the report. According to Greenpeace, Mexico is the fourth-largest supplier of textiles and apparel to the U.S. market..
sfgate, 30.12.12.
400 PPM: Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere Reaches Prehistoric Levels @ Scientific American via tcktcktck
(via dom72)
It is tempting to think that if we all had to live next to the well that pumped our fossil fuel we might think about it more carefully… Then comes the realization that this situation already exists, and no one give it a second thought.
LA | Iwan Baan
(via urbanresolve)
Great clip on Vertical Farming, Urban Farming, and city Farms.
Really fantastic segment on radical agriculture and how people are looking at the future to ensure that all are fed.
“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life.”
-Wendell Berry, The unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture
Silver Lake Operations Lake Lefroy, Western Australia, 2007
From the work Residual Landscape by Edward Burtynsky
Nature transformed through industry is a predominant theme in Edward Burtynsky’s work. As he describes it: “These images are meant as metaphors to the dilemma of our modern existence; they search for a dialogue between attraction and repulsion, seduction and fear. We are drawn by desire - a chance at good living, yet we are consciously or unconsciously aware that the world is suffering for our success. Our dependence on nature to provide the materials for our consumption and our concern for the health of our planet sets us into an uneasy contradiction. For me, these images function as reflecting pools of our times.”
(via amaiasanchez)

From Clean Technica:
A class of elementary school students in Durham, North Carolina recently set out on a mission to make their classroom 100% solar powered. The fourth grade class started a Kickstarter campaign: Our Solar Powered Classroom for that purpose, and they greatly exceeded their goal. The class has stated that the extra funds will be used to purchase a larger system, which will then sell back electricity to the community.
Check out the rest of the article here.Photo source: Clean Technica
Related:
• ‘Crowdfunding Clean Energy’ (NY Times)
• ‘“Crowdfunding” Gives Boost to Renewables in U.S.’ (IPS News)
There’s a sea of oil in California. California regulators are struggling to balance chops-licking oil developers with appropriately concerned environmental activists who are concerned about long-term effects. More from Bloomberg:
The Monterey Shale formation running through the center…
Tom Toles editorial cartoon
…shame the fossil fools in DC can’t produce some energy for the country…
