Just-style management briefing: Closing the loop on recycled textiles
By MJ Deschamps
With fast fashion and quick turnover key commercial ingredients of today’s garment and apparel industry, excess textile production is prompting the sector to gravitate towards more recycling and re-use of materials, to conserve energy, increase sustainability and lower raw material costs. (more…)
Hospital-Acquired Infections
Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are defined as infections not present and without evidence of incubation at the time of admission to a healthcare setting. As a better reflection of the diverse healthcare settings currently available to patients, the term healthcare-associated infections replaced old ones such as nosocomial, hospital-acquired or hospital-onset infections.[1] Within hours after admission, a patient’s flora begins to acquire characteristics of the surrounding bacterial pool. Most infections that become clinically evident after 48 hours of hospitalization are considered hospital-acquired. Infections that occur after the patient is discharged from the hospital can be considered healthcare-associated if the organisms were acquired during the hospital stay. (more…)
Hospitals Go Green to Save Money and Save Lives
Spalding Hospital sits on Boston Harbor in Charlestown. (Photo: Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
In an effort to stabalize energy costs hospitals nationwide are investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Host Steve Curwood checks out the innovative design of the new Spaulding hospital with John Messervy Director of Capital and Facilities Planning for Partners’ HealthCare. (more…)
Sustainable Textiles Possible from Slime, Study Says
News Release
University of Guelph researcher Atsuko Negishi is investigating a novel and unlikely source of natural fibres that may one day lessen our dependence on petroleum: hagfish slime.
The textile industry needs an affordable, sustainable alternative to oil-based polymers, and a recent study shows that hagfish slime protein threads have the potential to be spun and woven into novel biomaterials.
Hagfishes are an ancient group of eel-like, bottom-dwelling animals that have remained relatively unchanged for more than 300 million years. When threatened, hagfishes secrete a gelatinous slime containing mucous and tens of thousands of protein threads. These threads belong to the “intermediate filament” family of proteins, and they have remarkable mechanical properties that rival those of spider silks. (more…)
Don’t Just Get Better, Get Superbetter
Great article from Organic Authority’s Lacy Boggs Renner
http://www.organicauthority.com/health/superbetter-video-game.html
What happens when Jane McGonigal, one of the world’s preeminent alternate reality game designers and experts in game theory, suffers from a traumatic brain injury? Well, she designs a game to get better, of course. And not just better; Superbetter.
Superbetter is an online, social game designed to help you build up resistance in four categories: mental resistance, emotional resistance, social resistance and physical resistance. And by building yourself up in these areas, McGonigal believes that you can overcome just about anything, from depression to obesity and anxiety to PTSD. In other words, this is few steps beyond playing Angry Birds or Draw Something.
Superbetter is an alternate reality game, which incorporates online and real-world tasks. So, for example, if your quest in the game is to lose weight, you might battle a bad guy after dinner every night—namely, mindless munching in front of the TV. Whenever you defeat your personal bad guys (I’ve nicknamed mine Evil Dr. Chocolate Bar), you can log that on the game website and earn yourself points.
It’s definitely a fun way to think about working towards a goal, but does it actually work? In a word, yes.
In 2009, McGonigal had what seemed at first to be a minor accident, but which quickly morphed into a concussion with serious repercussions. Her brain injury sent her into a bout of deep depression, social isolation and anxiety. When her doctor told her that she might never get better if she didn’t see improvement within a year, she turned her passion for game theory and the psychology of positive emotions into a game for getting better. She became the hero in her own quest, enlisted friends and family members as allies to give her challenges and award her points, identified the bad guys that were her triggers, and made healthy choices that were her power-ups.
Today, she is completely recovered.
The SuperBetter website provides a framework, based in real science, for anyone to follow McGonigal’s strategy to work on their own quests. Although there are some common quests pre-programmed with challenges and bad guys, like losing weight or even working on a positive body image, the program is extremely customizable, making it an amazing free tool for every hero out there looking to slay a few personal demons.
6 Tips to Avoid Food Poisoning this Summer
As August nears, we’re all scraping to hang onto these final weeks of summer. Thinking about taking a picnic to the park, packing a lunch for a hike, or hosting an outdoor bar-b-q? Careful, with the heat wave being experienced all over the US, it doesn’t take long for the warm air to spoil your food. Organic Authority gives us 6 helpful tips to avoid getting food poisoning this summer.
Written by Lacy Boggs Renner
You only need to have food poisoning once to know how incredibly awful it can be—and to become committed to doing everything possible to prevent further foodborne illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that every year, 48 million Americans—nearly one in six—will get sick from a foodborne illness.
We’ve rounded up our six best tips to keep your summer picnics and barbeques safe and healthy. Read about them here: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/tips-to-avoid-food-poisoning.html
Sustainable or Gross? 7 Tips to Re-wear Clothes Before Washing
In this article, Organic Authority brings you 7 deciding factors for what to wash and how often. A twist on sustainable clothing! Enjoy
View full article here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1xK9Sj/www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/7-tips-to-rewear-clothes-before-washing.html
Image: Magic Madzik
Someone had to ask, right? Is it sustainable or just plain gross to re-wear outfits before washing clothes?
The average American household does some 400 loads of laundry per year, using as much as 40 gallons of water per load, according to the Consumer Energy Center. With fresh water becoming a seriously scarce resource, that’s a huge number to take into consideration, especially when clothes are frequently and unnecessarily washed. In the not-so-olden days just a century ago, it was a given that clothes were going to be worn several times, if not dozens before washing. And even then, they were low-impact hand-washed and air-dried.
The home washing machine drastically changed all that in the 1950s. Suddenly, we could have clean clothes with little effort—a necessity that became a luxury—but in our modern efforts to decrease our consumption of resources and our impact on the environment, it’s important that we choose to develop new habits. We didn’t always look at the bottom of containers to determine whether or not they were recyclable, now it’s a habit for many of us. So is shopping at local farmers markets to support our regional economy and decrease the distance between where our food is grown and our mouths. But what about what we wear? Is just using an environmentally friendly detergent enough? Check this list of tips on re-wearing clothes to decrease your impact on the environment and make your clothes last longer:
View the 7 tips here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1xK9Sj/www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/7-tips-to-rewear-clothes-before-washing.html
4 Foods that Prevent Sunburn—from the Inside Out
4 Foods that Prevent Sunburn—from the Inside Out
| Written by Lacy Boggs Renner Organic Authority.com |
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We all know that it’s important to do our best to avoid sunburn altogether, but it seems inevitable: at least once a summer you end up forgetting your sunscreen and… ouch. But, if you bulk up on these foods even before you set foot outside, your body could be better equipped to prevent sunburn (and heal when you do get burned). Green teaStudies have shown that drinking two cups of green tea per day could provide your body with (a little bit of) sunburn-fighting abilities! The catechin compounds in green tea are thought to help protect the body from the sun’s radiation. Bonus: the tannic acid in tea can help fight sunburn pain, so put cool teabags on a sunburn to feel better after the fact. (Click here for more natural sunburn remedies.) PomegranatesThis wonder fruit is packed with ellagic acid, and a study from Texas A&M University found it can help protect skin from cell damage caused by UVA- and UVB-rays. GuavasNothing says summer better than tropical fruit, and this one has up to five times the amount of vitamin C—a skin-healing antioxidant—than your average orange. In fact, working any vitamin C-rich foods into your diet could help add an extra layer of protection. TomatoesThese summer gems are jam-packed with lycopene, which can help protect you from sun damage. In one study, volunteers who ate five tablespoons of tomato paste showed 25 percent more sun resistance! Image by chrisjohnbeckett You can follow Lacy on Twitter @lacylu42 |
Organic Beer and Beyond: 10 Eco-Friendly Breweries
Why not escape this record-setting July heat by taking a tour of your local brewery!? The Daily Green brings us this great slideshow highlighting the top ten eco-friendly breweries!
Go to the following link or click on the image below to “develop (yet another) iron-clad excuse to drink a cool beer… ‘I’m not just drinking, I’m saving the Earth!’” http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/latest/organic-brewery-0625?click=main_sr
Green power: The fine folks of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. allow anyone visiting their Website to see their on-site power consumption whenever they like. Over 10,000 solar panels and four co-generation fuel cells allow Sierra Nevada to power nearly their entire facility in an eco-friendly way. So feel no guilt, Mr. Thoughtful Drinker—your beverage of choice was made with the awesome power of the sun.
MantraMeds Insider Goes to Panama for Medical Mission
One of our MantraMeds Insiders took our sustainable medical scrubs to Panama on a medical mission. His team performed routine dentistry for people in need while there. He wrote us:
The scrubs were great thanks so much. I was in Penonome, Panama for 2 weeks doing dental work in poor communities. I appreciate you getting me the scrubs so quickly and exchanging sizes, ya’ll made it really easy. They were the best looking scrubs in Panama.
Find out more about the MantraMeds Insider Program here: http://mantrameds.wordpress.com/insider-program/
Sign up to become an Insider here: http://www.mantrameds.com/insider-signup
The organic farming debate is about more than just yields
The organic farming debate is about more than just yields
Yields from organic farming may not match those produced by farmers who use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, but there are other good reasons to buy and support organic — its health benefits, the good that it does for farm workers, even its animal-welfare rules.
So, at least, say executives of the Organic Trade Association, a Washington-based group that represents about 6,500 organic farmers, producers, retailers and suppliers.
“Yield is only one window into organic farming,” says Laura Batcha, executive vice president of the trade group. Organic farming is “good for the environment. It’s good for local economies. It’s good for the farmer incomes.” A 2008 USDA survey of organic production found that organic farms had average annual sales of $217,675, compared to the $134,807 average for U.S. farms overall. Overall, the U.S. organic industry, including fiber as well as food, generated about $31 billion in 2011, up from just $1 billion in 1990. Despite the U.S.’s sluggish economy, organic food and farming remain growth businesses.
I went to see Laura and Christine Bushway, who is CEO of the organic trade group, at their offices on Capitol Hill to talk about several issues, including the push to require labels on food containing genetically modified organisms, the Farm Bill and food safety, including a recent incident of mad cow disease in California. But we talked a lot about yields because it’s in the news: A recent survey of 66 research studies published in Nature, which found that organic yields lag those of conventional farming, has stirred up a bit of a brouhaha. [See my blog post Organic food is not as green as you think, and the comments.]
MantraMeds Site has NEW FEATURES! Part 2: Videos
THE JADE BECKY TOP & SHAY PANT ALONG WITH ALL OTHER JADE MANTRAMEDS SCRUBS ARE ON SALE THE MONTH OF MARCH AT http://www.mantramedsmarket.com/st-patricksday/
The MantraMeds website has some exciting new features to make shopping online that much easier. With additions like a new fit guide and videos of our model sporting each scrub, you’ll feel like you’re in a store trying our scrubs on!
Every top and bottom on the MantraMeds shop site now has a video of our models turning around in the scrubs. Now you can see how these garments move! Go to www.mantramedsmarket.com to see our sustainable scrubs in motion!
Valentine’s Day Gifts That Give Back
by Mary Mazzoni02/08/12
Show your Valentine (and the planet) a little love by choosing a gift that gives back. Photo: Flickr/Valdiney Pimenta
As you’re browsing the Web for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift this week, why not choose a gift that gives back? Here are three fun ways to help the environment and your community while showing your honey you care.
Read full article here: http://earth911.com/news/2012/02/08/valentines-day-gifts-for-charity/
❤ ❤ ❤ Share the Scrub Love! ❤ ❤ ❤ Valentine’s Day Sale! ❤ ❤ ❤
All pink and purple MantraMeds scrubs are on sale now through Feb 14! Go to http://www.mantramedsmarket.com/valentines-day-sale/
Feminist Websites to Women’s Magazines: A Smart Woman’s Reading Guide
Abbie Stutzer
OK, ladies. Are you bored with the reading selection in your doctor’s office? Tired of clicking on apparent women’s interest news stories only to get an eye-full of some young starlet who’s fallen off the wagon again? Fume no more. We (Organic Authority) have compiled a “smart woman’s reading list” just for you covering everything from blogs to magazines, to smart websites and a podcast.
Go to this link to view Organic Authority’s “smart woman’s reading list” - http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2CXEFZ/www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/a-smart-womans-reading-guide-from-feminist-websites-to-womens-news-magazines.html
My Energy-Saving Resolution Contest
Speaking of sustainable New Years Resolutions, here’s a fun way to announce yours to the world!
Tell us how you resolve to save energy in 2012.
Go to the contest on the Better World Energy Facebook Page and submit a sentence (or sentences) that begins with “I resolve to” and follows with what you will do to save energy and shrink your carbon footprint.
For example: I resolve to change ten light bulbs to CFLs and always turn off the lights when I leave the room!
Then, share your resolution and vote for your favorite entry. The entry that receives the most votes by February 7, 2012 wins! Two additional winners will be selected by Better World Energy judges based on innovation, effectiveness, and usefulness to others. The creator of each winning entry will receive a carbon offset for the annual emissions of an average vehicle, a $75 value. You do your part, and we’ll do ours!
New customer survey
Help us become a better scrub company in 2012 by filling out this survey on polldaddy.com! If you’ve ever tried on a pair of MantraMeds scrubs, please go to this link and answer our short survey.
http://agreenpouch.polldaddy.com/s/insider-survey
The Key to Cold Prevention: Food, Wine & Merriment?
Written by Jessica Reeder
A miserable winter cold can prevent you from doing all the things you love: going out with friends, enjoying the outdoors, getting intimate with that certain someone… Lucky for you, those same activities can actually keep a cold from surfacing in the first place. In fact, there are plenty of ways to ward off sickness that might seem more like plain old fun. Here are a few: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/how-to-prevent-a-cold-with-fun.html
Green Tips: Green Bedding For an Unusual Holiday Gift
Need an unusual and green holiday gift idea? Consider giving organic or natural fiber sheets and blankets.
Introduce your family and friends to a healthier, cozier night’s sleep with natural fiber sheets and blankets. While you are at it, get some for yourself – you won’t believe the difference!
Read full article here: http://wellesley.patch.com/articles/green-tips-green-bedding-for-an-unusual-holiday-gift
Click here for more information about “Greening your Bedroom”.
Information compiled from green.life@sierraclub.org, treehugger.com and Green Living by the editors of The Environmental Magazine.
For more green tips, visit greenwithbetsy.com
MantraMeds Site Has a New Look!
If you go to www.mantrameds.com and click the “Shop” tab, you’ll see our page has taken on a new look! We have taken on a new shop portal so you can find your way around our site and so we can make quick changes if there are ever any glitches. Go to our site and take a look around! If you have any feedback for us, send us an email at info@mantrameds.com
Victoria’s Secret Responds to Bloomberg Allegation
Victoria’s Secret responds to the Bloomberg allegation released earlier this week about this high-end undergarment line using organic fair-trade cotton in their garments that come from a farm in Burkina Faso
Their response was published by USA Today. Read full article at: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/12/child-labor-allegedly-used-in-some-victorias-secret-cotton/1
“If this allegation is true, it describes behavior that is contrary to our company’s values and the code of labor and sourcing standards that we require all of our suppliers to meet. These standards expressly prohibit child labor,” Limited Brands said in a statement. “… Depending on the findings, we are prepared to take swift action to prevent the illegal use of child labor in the fields where we source Fairtrade-certified organic cotton in Burkina Faso.”
Clarisse Kambire’s labor “exposes flaws in the system for certifying fair-trade commodities and finished goods in a global market that grew 27% in just one year to more than $5.8 billion in 2010. That market is built on the notion that purchases by companies and consumers aren’t supposed to make them accomplices to exploitation, especially of children,” the Bloomberg report says.
MantraMeds sustainable medical apparel uses Texas Organic Cotton in our eco-friendly 50/50 poly-cotton blend. To learn more about Texas Organic Cotton, go to: http://www.texasorganic.com/ (more…)
School Turns Abandoned Field into Organic Farm, Growing Ton of Produce for Cafeteria
Just eight months ago, a one-acre plot at the Denver Green School was an unused athletic field, but now that land has come to life with food-bearing vegetation.
“We have harvested over 3,000 pounds of produce from this ground,” said Megan Caley, a coordinator for Sprout City Farms, which partnered to create the garden.
“Kids are eating healthier,” said Frank Coyne, of the public school. “They are excited to eat the tomatoes on the salad bar, they are excited to eat the cucumbers.”
(WATCH the program’s video below, or READ the story in News-7 Denver)
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/most-popular/denver-green-school-grows-ton-of-produce.html
Not-so fair trade – Victoria’s Secret Revealed in African Child Labor
As Victoria’s Secret’s partner, Guebre’s organization, the National Federation of Burkina Cotton Producers, is responsible for running all aspects of the organic and fair-trade program across Burkina Faso. Known by its French initials, the UNPCB in 2008 co-sponsored a study suggesting hundreds, if not thousands, of children like Clarisse could be vulnerable to exploitation on organic and fair-trade farms. The study was commissioned by the growers and Helvetas. Victoria’s Secret says it never saw the report.
Clarisse’s labor exposes flaws in the system for certifying fair-trade commodities and finished goods in a global market that grew 27 percent in just one year to more than $5.8 billion in 2010. That market is built on the notion that purchases by companies and consumers aren’t supposed to make them accomplices to exploitation, especially of children.
Read full article here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-15/victoria-s-secret-revealed-in-child-picking-burkina-faso-cotton.html
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Clarisse Kambire, 13, a child laborer, begins her daily task of picking the crop from her farmer’s field of fair trade organic cotton near Benvar, Burkina Faso, on Nov. 10, 2011.
