BLOG IT! http://www.undesigning.org/blog T H E _ U N D E S I G N I N G _ O R G Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:37:20 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Green Chemistry http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=121 http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=121#comments Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:30:50 +0000 admin http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=121 Here is a news story about the history of green chemistry in the US. Paul Anastas, new chief scientist and head of R&D at EPA, coined the term 20 years ago. The idea was to “design chemicals to be non-toxic from the start instead of having to regulate and clean up afterwards.” We need more of this kind of research that looks at the root of the problem rather than trying to fix the consequences…

Via Marketplace: EPA scientist advocates ‘green chemistry’

]]> http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=121 0 Run for the Border http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=114 http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=114#comments Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:03:59 +0000 stefani http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=114 “The policy set for GE alfalfa will most likely guide policies for other GE crops as well. True coexistence is a must.” – Whole Foods Market, Jan. 21, 2011

In the wake of a 12-year battle to keep Monsanto’s Genetically Engineered (GE) crops from contaminating the nation’s 25,000 organic farms and ranches, America’s organic consumers and producers are facing betrayal. A self-appointed cabal of the Organic Elite, spearheaded by Whole Foods Market, Organic Valley, and Stonyfield Farm, has decided it’s time to surrender to Monsanto. Top executives from these companies have publicly admitted that they no longer oppose the mass commercialization of GE crops, such as Monsanto’s controversial Roundup Ready alfalfa, and are prepared to sit down and cut a deal for “coexistence” with Monsanto and USDA biotech cheerleader Tom Vilsack.

Via: The Organic Elite Surrenders to Monsanto: What Now?

]]> http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=114 0 Company Not Joking when Label Candy as Hazardously Sour & Toxic Waste http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=111 http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=111#comments Sat, 15 Jan 2011 16:38:18 +0000 admin http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=111 A candy company that markets its products as “hazardously sour” and uses names like “Toxic Waste” and “Nuclear Sludge,” issued a product recall on January 13 after discovering it was actually toxic.

Via Toxic Candy: Nuclear Sludge Chew Bars Recalled For Lead

]]> http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=111 0 I can’t believe it’s IN butter! http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=107 http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=107#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 02:54:36 +0000 admin http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=107 “As part of an ongoing investigation into chemicals in our food supply, scientists found extremely high concentrations of a flame-retardant compound in a supermarket sample of brand-name butter.

It is the first documented case of serious contamination in food in the United States with a class of chemicals known as PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

Commonly used in furniture and electronics, among other products, PBDEs are known to disrupt hormone function and have been associated with a range of health concerns, including cancer as well as reproductive, developmental, and neurological problems.”

Via Discovery News: Flame Retardants Found in Butter

]]> http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=107 0 Chemical Companies Block BPA Ban in Food Safety Bill http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=96 http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=96#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 02:35:25 +0000 admin http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=96 A compromise agreement that would have banned bisphenol A (BPA) from baby bottles was blocked from being added to the food safety bill being discussed in the Senate. Read more

]]> http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=96 0 FDA does an about face on BPA http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=93 http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=93#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:23:22 +0000 admin http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=93 In a shift of position, the Food and Drug Administration is expressing concerns about possible health risks from bisphenol-A, or BPA, a widely used component of plastic bottles and food packaging that it declared safe in 2008. Bisphenol-a BPA, found in Nalgene brand water bottles, is one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in industry. The agency said Friday that it had “some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children,” and would join other federal health agencies in studying the chemical in both animals and humans.

via In Reversal, U.S. Expresses Concerned Over Additive to Plastics – NYTimes.com.

]]> http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=93 0 Calling Beta Testers for Homebrew Cough Med http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=90 http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=90#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:38:28 +0000 admin http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=90 From Fake Plastic Fish: “Not only do these two products [Nyquil and Prometh cough syrup with Codeine] come in plastic bottles, but they contain nasty ingredients: alcohol (which I am trying to avoid for personal reasons); artificial dyes; high fructose corn syrup; polyethylene glycol and propylene glycol (petroleum derived products also used in anti-freeze); methylparaben and propylparaben (a class of preservatives called parabens which have been linked to various health problems); saccharine sodium (linked to cancer); and sodium benzoate (also linked to cancer). Holy cow! This is not medicine; it’s toxic soup.”

Read Full Article: Homemade Cough Syrup & Other Meds: Looking for Beta Testers | Fake Plastic Fish.

]]> http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=90 0 Millions Drink Tap Water That Is Legal, but Maybe Not Healthy – Series – NYTimes.com http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=88 http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=88#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:11:00 +0000 admin http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=88 The 35-year-old federal law regulating tap water is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks — and still be legal.

via Millions Drink Tap Water That Is Legal, but Maybe Not Healthy – Series – NYTimes.com.

Also, listen to the author, Charles Duhigg, on NPR’s Fresh Air.

]]> http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=88 0 Lining in Canned Food has Measurable Levels of BPA http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=86 http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=86#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:30:39 +0000 admin http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=86 Consumer Reports’ latest tests of canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods tested contain measurable levels of Bisphenol A (BPA). The results are reported in the December 2009 issue and also available online. BPA, which has been used for years in clear plastic bottles and food-can liners, has been restricted in Canada and some U.S. states and municipalities because it has been linked to a wide array of health effects including reproductive abnormalities, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. I’ve reported on BPA here, here, and here.

via Civil Eats » Blog Archive » Tests Find Wide Range of Bisphenol A in Canned Soups, Juice, and More.

]]> http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=86 0 Scott Burnham’s In Praise of Design Hacking http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=84 http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=84#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:08:33 +0000 admin http://www.undesigning.org/blog/?p=84 Design Hacking available for download | SCOTT BURNHAM.

A brief teaser:

  • Hacking creates new engagements between the product and the consumer
  • Hacking mandates relevance and necessity in design
  • Hacking is resourceful
  • Hacking creates abundance from limited resources
  • Hacking finds the truth in systems
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