The Weird and the Wonderful
This year the Chinese New Year falls on January the 26th and will be the Year of the Ox. The Ox is a water animal, a patient and determined leader. The Ox picks a goal and works steadily towards achieving it. The Year of the Ox is a good year for making resolutions.
Let’s look at three simple green resolutions worth making this year.
Today Continental Airlines demonstrated the first ever biofuel flight for a commercial aircraft in North America.
The plane in question was a 737-800 with CFM International CFM56-7B engines. The goal of the flight was not just to demonstrate that such a flight was possible but to record and analyse important data the unique flight generated.
“This demonstration flight represents another step in Continental’s ongoing commitment to fuel efficiency and environmental responsibility,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Larry Kellner. “The technical knowledge we gain today will contribute to a wider understanding of the future for transportation fuels.”
Did you know that Teflon contains chemicals which kill birds?
This is not new news but rather like its namesake it has the ability to slip off the radar. The problem with Teflon is that it contains chemicals known as PTFE and PFOAs. The Environmental Working Group has published a study which clearly charts just how dangerous this still very common material is.
Equally as compelling are comments from people like Jojo Milano who LA Green Girl Siel Siel’s blog that;
As a long time bird owner, we knew years ago how dangerous and toxic Teflon, no stick is. As Birds were dropping dead from frying up some thing in the kitchen or using the brand new stove, coffee pot, microwave and so on. The Teflon is not just in these NO stick pans. Its everywhere. And bird owners across the world were coming together in groups wondering what killed their parrots?
There’s a reason why visitors bring fruit to hospital wards when they visit sick friends – fruit is very good for you. Fresh fruit doesn’t stay fresh for long and if someone’s ill then they can’t always visit the local shops.
It is currently legal for licensed individuals in Scotland to shoot the common seal. This is unusual for the United Kingdom, which has strict gun laws and where fox hunting was banned despite hundreds of years of tradition.
Scotland has had a large population of common seals. Shooting licenses are granted to cull the seals and help prevent damage to fish farm cages.
Recent research by the Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews University suggests that the seal population has dropped by 56% in the last 7 years. This figure is much larger than expected.
Burnt Sugar is the company behind “the world’s best judge” (as awarded by the Observer).
There is such a thing as “Happiness Tea” and it comes from a little company with a great name – Today Was Fun. Today Was Fun’s products are ethical and green. The company mission’s statement will appeal to In Pure Spirit’s readers. It is; To put something nice out into the world.To have fun doing […]
A Dutch company, SPRANQ, has designed a font to try and reduce the amount of ink used with each printing. The approach is simple; drill holes in the letters so that less ink is needed for each one.
This time of year is very busy for anyone. It can also be very stressful. Sometimes it is hard to get all the shopping done while also keeping the welfare of those not as well off as you in mind. Candles can make fantastic gifts. They’re about the person, not expensive and something your friends […]
The Moon has an elliptical orbit around the Earth and this means it sometimes passes close to the planet and sometimes further away than normal. In astronomy, these two phases are known as apogee (furthest) and perigee (closest). The Moon’s orbit isn’t simply elliptical; it’s also eccentric – to put it another way, it is […]
