Solar Lights Up the Rainforest

PURE Energies designs and installs residential solar systems in Ontario, Canada and in 35 states across the U.S. They don’t actually build any particular technology. Rather, they have developed a comprehensive online marketplace in residential solar. Through their proprietary platform, PURE Energies delivers a time-saving, complete analysis of the benefits solar energy offers homeowners, free of charge. In doing so, PURE energies has become a highly trusted advisor in the North American solar energy market.

The company’s CEO, Zbigniew Barwicz, is all about sustainable living, so much so that one day he decided to take some of his employees to the Amazon to see how the Kayapo, an indigenous people who have existed in the rainforest for eons, live sustainably. What could the techie Californians learn from the Kayapo – and vice versa?

As it turns out, the answer is: lots. The techie team, led by the International Conservation Fund of Canada, spent two weeks living alongside the indigenous Kayapo. They participated in their traditions, explored the Amazon basin, and learned how the Kayapo live in harmony with the world around them. (You can read more about their journey here.)

Why the Amazon? Because It’s Amazing!

• For one, the Amazon Rainforest helps stabilize the world’s climate by storing carbon and reducing the impacts of climate change.

• Even more amazing, more than 20% of all oxygen in out atmosphere is produced in the Amazon Rainforest.

• A single hectare in the Amazon Rainforest contains up to 450 species of trees. Compare that to the entire country of Canada, which has only a total of 180 species of trees.

• Twenty-five percent of Western medicines come from tropical forest ingredients, yet only 1% of tropical trees and plants in the rainforest have been tested by scientists.

• There are more species of fish in the Amazon River – one river – than are found in the entire Atlantic Ocean.

It’s Also Threatened…

• The destruction of the Amazon rainforest has increased by almost one-third in the past year, the Guardian reported last year, reversing a decade-long trend of better protection for the world’s greatest rainforest.

• In fact, a high-resolution satellite analysis of global deforestation revealed that since 2000 an area equal to 50 football fields has been destroyed every minute.

• The total loss is 10 times the area of the United Kingdom. Only a third of that is being replaced by natural and planted reforestation.

Enter PURE Energies

PURE Energies’ CEO Barwicz wanted to see what was going on for himself, and help if he could.

The adventure was pretty eye opening. The Kayapo people effectively protect an area of rainforest that is bigger than more than half of the countries in the world and equal to the size of Virginia. Every day, their land is threatened by loggers, ranchers and miners. They respond by living in the sustainable way that has sustained them for eons. But they’ve also become savvy about tapping into media channels to help raise awareness about they threats they face, and that the globe faces, if their forests are destroyed. They’ve formed non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to obtain national and international conservation and development support for protecting their lands. And they’re developing non-timber forest products to generate modest income they use to purchase some modern-day supplies.

To help, PURE Energies distributed Goal Zero solar powered lanterns to the Kayapo Tribe in Kendjam, Brazil. The lanterns will be used to build their social enterprises, to help deliver babies at night, and for nighttime social gatherings.

Kayapo Light up PURE Energies

The PURE Energies expedition team, meanwhile, was amazed at what they learned about living simply and without fire in the Amazonian basin. They were so inspired, they have released a 5-part video series that touches on the topics of independence, courage, and leadership – all traits they observed among the Kayapo.

“For PURE, independence means giving homeowners the decision to take control of their energy bill and to make their own choices. Gone are the days where energy is without options,” said CEO Barwicz. “We are entering a new era, where homeowners have the potential to generate and directly use their own power. Through this trip, we will learn the truest form of independence and convey those learnings to the homeowners of America.”

You can catch more of this great adventure on the series airing this week and continuing until January. I encourage you to follow their journey here.

The post Solar Lights Up Rainforest; Rainforest People Light Up Solar Company appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Rainforest Action Network (RAN), along with Dr. Andrew Weil, an expert in integrative medicine, says we should look at what they call “Conflict Palm Oil” as well. RAN’s Ashley Schaeffer Yidliz tells us why in this guest post sponsored by RAN.

According to Dr. Weil, “Fresh palm fruit oil, sometimes called ‘red palm oil,’ is a nutritious and beneficial oil. However, it’s important not to confuse this raw oil with palm kernel oil, or the highly processed versions of crude palm oil that are commonly used as ingredients in the industrially produced packaged foods found in most Americans’ diets. These types of palm oil are unhealthy for the human body. And their irresponsible cultivation in tropical areas is unhealthy for the planet.”

 Dr. Weil joins a chorus of voices expressing concern that, when it comes to replacing trans fats, we may be jumping out of the frying pan and into the deep fryer. The World Health Organization, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service all recommend against consuming palm oil and other tropical oils because their saturated fat content is so high.

Beyond the health issue, environmentalists and human rights activists are concerned that the FDA ban on trans fats will lead to a repeat of the mistakes companies made ten years ago when the FDA mandated trans fat labeling. That mandate led to a 500% increase in demand for Conflict Palm Oil, which is produced in ways that cause large scale rainforest destruction and human rights abuses.

In fact, palm oil can now be found in roughly half the packaged food products sold in grocery stores. It is added to teething biscuits, baby formula, granola bars, peanut butter, crackers, and more. When we feed our kids food that comes out of a bag, a box, or a package of any kind, chances are they’re eating palm oil.

 As a mom, I’m pleased to see the FDA taking steps to eliminate an ingredient from our food supply that is unhealthy for my family. But as a Palm Oil Campaigner for Rainforest Action Network, I know that replacing trans fats with Conflict Palm Oil won’t do much for people’s health and will cause dire consequences for the planet. In fact, not one of the nation’s top 20 snack food manufacturers can verifiably ensure that their products do not contain Conflict Palm Oil. I know that my baby boy would never forgive me if I told him that the hidden ingredient in his teething biscuits was the reason he’d never be able to see an orangutan in the wild.

That’s why I’m so passionate about our Conflict Palm Oil campaign to pressure the Snack Food 20* group of companies to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil from their products. And I’m pleased to report that it is working. A few months ago, palm oil mega-giant Wilmar International – which controls 45% of the global trade in palm oil – adopted a conflict-free palm oil policy. On Valentine’s Day, Kellogg released a strengthened palm oil purchasing commitment, joining industry peers Nestle, Unilever and Ferrero. But we’re still waiting for several other kids’ snack makers to step up to the plate, including Kraft, PepsiCo, Heinz, Campbell Soup, ConAgra Food and Cargill.

What can moms do to make a difference?

1) Keep reading labels. Palm Oil goes by many names, including Palm Kernel Oil, Palmitate and Glyceryl Stearate. You’ll be amazed how ubiquitous it is, once you learn to recognize its many names.

2) Read RAN’s Conflict Palm Oil report, which outlines the health, human and environmental impacts of this destructive product and lays out exactly what we are asking shoppers and companies to do to eliminate it.

3) Take action online to tell the Snack Food 20: Don’t replace trans fats with Conflict Palm Oil.

Thanks to the support of RAN activists and allies, we are making progress and gaining traction. But we’ll need to keep pushing to reach the tipping point. I am convinced that moms have the power to provide the added momentum we’ll need to remove Conflict Palm Oil from our food supply.

*  “Snack Food 20” group of companies are Campbell Soup Company; ConAgra Foods, Inc.; Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc.; General Mills, Inc.; Grupo Bimbo; Hillshire Brands Company; H.J. Heinz Company; Hormel Foods Corporation; Kellogg Company; Kraft Food Group, Inc.; Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Corp.; Mars Inc.; Mondelez International, Inc.; Nestle. S.A.; Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Ltd.; PepsiCo, Inc.; The Hershey Company; The J.M. Smucker Company; Toyo Suisan Kaisha, Ltd.; and Unilever.

NOTE: Thanks to RAN for sponsoring this post. Sponsors allow us to provide expert content at no cost to you. Our editorial opinions remain our own.

The post Don’t Replace Trans Fats with Conflict Palm Oil. Neither are Healthy For Your Family. appeared first on Big Green Purse.

1.  Save the rainforest. World Wildlife Fund estimates that, every year, an area of the world’s rain forests larger than the state of New York is destroyed to create grazing land. In latin America, says the United Nations, some 70% of forests in the Amazon basin have been cut down to raise cows.

2.  Refresh the air. If you’ve ever driven by a feed lot, you’ve probably had to hold your nose. No wonder. About 1.4 billion metric tons of solid manure are produced by U.S. farm animals each year – 130 times the quantity produced by people.This figure includes pigs and chickens as well as cattle, but cattle are the single largest source.

3. Keep water clean. Two-thirds of the beef cattle raised in the U.S. are fattened up using hormones like steroids, testosterone and progesterone. When the cows pee, they can pollute surface and ground water with all these chemicals, affecting the ability of frogs and fish to reproduce, too.

4. Save water. It takes 600 gallons of water to produce one hamburger patty. Just one.

5. Feed more people. It takes about 2 pounds of grain to produce a quarter-pound of burger meat. Why not convert that grain (and the resources used to grow it) into food more people can eat?

  6. Stop climate change. “Hamburgers are the Hummers of food” when it comes to climate change, say scientists. Switching from steak to salad could cut as much carbon as leaving the car home a couple of days a week. Food is the third largest contributor to the average household’s carbon footprint after driving and utilities. If people simply cut their meat intake from the average 90 kg/year to 53 kg/yr, meat-associated carbon emissions would drop by 44 percent.

7. Be nice. Many livestock and dairy cattle are raised in cruel and inhumane conditions where they must be injected with antibiotics so they’ll fatten up and seem healthy.  The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that about 70% of all antibiotics made in the U.S. are used to fatten up livestock.

8. Avoid drugs. In addition to hormones and antibiotics, conventional meat producers routinely process their products using chemical additives and preservatives like phosphates and sodium nitrites. That makes them pinker, but not necessarily healtheir. Sodium nitrites may react with amino acides to form carvinogenic nitrosamines; various studies have found a link between high processed-meat consumption and colon cancer, possibly attributable to prservatives like sodium nitrite.

9. Live longer. Speaking of health, eating a lot of meat can increase the likelihood of heart attacks and high blood pressure.

10. Save money. Meat is usually the most expensive item you put in your shopping cart. Buy less meat, and shift the savings to organic fruits and vegetables.

Here’s a good rundown on what it costs in water, energy and resources, to eat a hamburger (and fries) at a fast food restaurant.

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