As consumers cut spending, allure products lose 'Green'

Sell that year topped $100 million, and several other important consumer products companies came up with their own "green" cleaning products.

But America's environmental awareness, it turns out, is fickle. How recession taken it faded the consumer's love affair with environmentally-friendly products from recycled toilet paper on organic food to hybrid cars, such as a bad falling in love. While farmers' markets and Prius together now totals are sales, product makers such as Clorox seem mainstream not only budget customers buy green again to convince.

Sales of green works have fallen about $ 60 million a year and those of other similar products from major brands such as arm & hammer, Windex, Palmolive, hefty and scrubbing are bubbles sputtering. "Every consumer says," I would like to help the environment, I am looking for environmentally friendly products,"said David Donnan, a partner in the consumer products practice on the consulting firm A. t. Kearney."But if there is one or two pennies in the price higher, it is not going to buy it. "Is a discrepancy between what people say and what they do."

For example, a 32-ounce Clorox green of bottle of works purpose $3.29 at stop & shop is cleaner. A 32-ounce Fantastik of bottle of cleaner, on the other hand costs $2.89.

In fact, outside one of whole foods market in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, June Shellene, 60, said that they will not buy green products as often as it has a few years ago.

"People so are freaked by in the world happen", she said, before their food in a Toyota Prius loaded. Environmentally-friendly products, she said, "This is something you buy and think about if things go swimmingly."

Sales in most consumer goods categories removed during the recession. But according to an analysis of Sanford C. Bernstein & company, certain pénale worse green products.

"You look around disproportionate negative effects of products such as green works, of the major blue chip companies who have tried, in a level offers a green over their conventional range and relatively better performance out of the niche players, that to remain independent", said Stephen powers, Analyst with Bernstein. Data from the Nielsen Company, Bernstein saw sales for almost 4,300 members in 22 categories, such as cleaning spray, liquid soap, bathroom cleaners, and detergents. He studied monthly sales from March 2006 to March 2011, the most recent data available. (Nielsen data includes mass market, grocery stores and pharmacies but includes Wal-Mart.)

Bernstein found that the market share of more environmentally friendly products were generally down from its peak - especially those of the large consumer products company offered. But the market share, as method and seventh generation is relative to the share of the traditional brands green products in categories increase independent brands where they compete from.

"There is no doubt that they have the brands relative to their early efforts, exchange rate stability at the big players such as Clorox, and this is what you will see, the consumer, reflective", said Mr powers.

Green products are more expensive, because the ingredients are generally more cost than their conventional counterparts, and transport costs higher is because they are sold in smaller quantities than the large brands.

Began green household products in the 1980's with brands like seventh generation and simple green, have won a loyal following. Retailers like whole foods expands in the 1990's, took an interest in the environment increases and rivals the fray.

Predicting the market would continue to increase, mainstream manufacturers such as s.c. Johnson, Clorox and Church & Dwight around 2008 introduced eco friendly versions of their products.

But after a first elevator, sales largely discontinued, and the introduction of products slowed down during the recession.

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Breeder pot not so green

Growing marijuana indoors may be worse assumed for the environment than ever before, according to a researcher.

In a study, Evan mills of the University of California, Berkeley and researcher at the U.S. Department of energy, the production costs and results of these cash crops cultivation inside measured. The project not by either funded organization, he writes.

Although the indoor cultivation in California occurs almost one-third, expand the results to other known producers in the United States with permits for medical marijuana to the licensed hearing professionals deliver.

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The primary culprit? High intensity ultraviolet (UV) Ray lamps, providing light for marijuana plants. These light sources produce required some 500 times more light than to read. In addition, they are often, for 30 or more hours in the average which left according to the study.

Taking into account other factors such as ventilation and irrigation uses a standard room, about 13,000 kilowatt hours per year to grow the plant, with some houses with 10 such rooms for the cultivation of cannabis.

Total includes Mills, the energy used, to marijuana indoor grow accounts for 1 percent of the electricity consumption of the country and 2 per cent of household electricity use Sie--similar to the "issue 7 large electric power plants".

Typically, a kilowatt hour is enough energy, a small fridge for 24 hours or give four evenings of light with a 60-watt light bulb, according to an article TreeHugger.com. This interactive website helps an idea of how much energy that use other household appliances.

As highlighted in a Greenwire / New York Times article on the analysis of indoor cannabis cultivation produces the equivalent of three million cars on the road in the greenhouse emissions each year. These gases are known to help trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere and of global warming.

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"The use of additional electricity with about 30 refrigerators is," writes mills in the paper, referring to the additional costs for indoor cultivation per home. "Processed cannabis results in 3000 times its weight in (carbon dioxide emissions)."

Mills writes that he to study any agenda into practice. Rather, he thinks the cost effectiveness of inside container production has rarely received attention and growers to improve slightly to save money and to alleviate the negative impact on the environment.

Currently, programs, according to the national organization for the reform of marijuana laws have active medical marijuana in 17 States and the District of Columbia.

Photo credit: Corbis

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Green:, Study finds marijuana grow Gobbles power,

Marijuana grow Jim Wilson/the New York Times in a converted rooms in a house in Humboldt County, California.

Don't bogart that megawatts, my friend.

A new study estimates that $5 billion worth of electricity per year, or about 1% of national electricity consumption burn indoor operations growing pot in the United States about. This is enough electricity makes the two million average homes.

The electricity use of the typical grow operation approaches 200 watts per square metre, on par with the energy of a modern computer the data center, Evan Mills, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and author of the study, said in a statement. (The study completed in his spare time, and without federal funds Dr. Mills was added.)

The study estimates that a single joint, the equivalent contains the equivalent of about two pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a 100-watt light bulb running about 30 hours in the California grid.

Marijuana is regarded as the largest source of income of the country, estimated with a production value at about $40 billion per year. Legal restrictions have at all times in the last few years, been relaxed with cultivation for legal medical purposes in 17 States.

Still has a continuing federal ban on virtually all forms of pot growing keep the industry in the shade, to the considerable inefficiencies, said Dr. Mills.

He wrote "If improved practices for commercial agricultural greenhouses any claim that such large amounts of energy for indoor cannabis production are not required". "Low-cost efficiency of 75 percent are possible."

Such energy savings could be significant. In California, where about 400,000 people grow marijuana for personal medical use or for sale in pharmacies are licensed, indoor cultivation is use, responsible for a whopping 8 percent of household electricity costs about $3 billion per year and produce a million cars average annual carbon emissions.

"Current indoor cannabis production and distribution practices enormous energy consumption, costs and greenhouse gas pollution lead," wrote Dr. Mills. "The hidden growth of electricity demand in this sector confused energy forecasts and hidden savings of energy efficiency programs and policies."

Dr. Mills also noted that California's cleaner mix of fuels meant for making generation, that of the State, but despite his position as top marijuana producer of the country, only about 20 per cent of national CO2 emissions from the practice helped.

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Green: Q. and A.: on climate skepticism as a field of study

Andrew has j. Hoffman, Holcim Professor of sustainable enterprise at the University of Michigan, in the last year or so his tools as a social scientist apply to the cultural and social foundations of the backlash against change climate science researches spent.

He wrote the need for such work earlier this year for strategic organization, produces a magazine from Sage, a British academic publisher.

We interviewed him Institute by phone from his Office at the Massachusetts of technology, where as weggezaubert is. The following are excerpts, edited for brevity, we.

The debate on climate research involved very complex physical models and diluted areas of science. What role do you think have social scientists to play, given the complexity of the actual physical science?

Andrew j. Hoffman

We have to something, developed an idea, scientific consensus and think a second process by which social and political consensus is being developed by who. The first part is the domain of data and models, and physics. The second is very much a social and political process. And this brings a whole range of value-based in the foreground, worldview-based, cognitive and cultural dimensions that must be addressed.

Social scientists, beyond economists, have much to say about cognition, perceptions, values, social movements and political processes that are very important for the understanding that the public accepts the conclusions of the scientific body.

So if I say scientists hear "Speak the data for itself," I cringe. Data never speak. And data in General and in most cases are politically and socially inflected.

You have import for people's lives. To ignore, that is, ignore the social and cultural dimensions within which this science will take place.

Do you plan this, seen this dynamic?

(Laughs). I hesitate for a second because I have learned that make analogies can be difficult. But I believe that it is a process which, for example, the link between smoking and cancer for decades a scientific consensus was that this was a problem, then a social process begins, and it is accepted.

The interesting thing about climate change, I find, is that positioning on climate change remarkably predictable based on someone's political leanings. One-third of the Republicans and three-fourths of Democrats think that climate change is real. That is the political, ideological, and cultural dimensions of this debate to me.

It is interesting, because it was not the case. In 1997 the Kyoto Treaty with the development of regulations, which began economic and political interests, pages are drawn. We have reached the stage today that climate change has become part of the culture wars, which is same as health care, abortion, gun control and evolution.

Why is peer-review science rejected?

"The interesting thing about climate change, I find, is that positioning on climate change is remarkably predictable based on someone's political leanings."

-Andrew j. Hoffman

There are many, the peer-reviewed and mistrust scientists suspicion. So, the step can be one. I think many people will accept inconvenient scientific conclusion if it necessarily leads to results that they find offensive. People will hesitate to accept the concept of climate change, if that leads directly to ideas, which are contrary to the values, which hold dear.

What values?

Confidence now, you the scientific process? Trust scientists? For centuries the think and reason debate. I have just read, a book that I thought was forward-looking, anti "Intellectualism in American life," of this people have suspicion of intellectuals working on issues, which are opaque, which we change conclusions, which structure the way our society inaccessible,, the way we live our lives.

There is a certain helpless frustration people have: who are these cultural elites, this intellectual elites who can make these conclusions in the ivory tower of academia or other scientific institutions and tell me how my life to life?

And we can not omit, makes. There are certain are powerful interests that take the conclusions, that this will give those therefore will not accept the definition of the problem they, if they are not going to accept the solutions that follow it. I speak of certain industry sectors that lose carbon constrained world in one.

Also, if you're not on climate change solutions define and ask me to him to accept, you ask me, in fact accept a pretty dismal reality that I refuse to accept me. And many climate advocates fall into them, if they give this terrible, apocalyptic predictions of cities under water and ice ages and things like that. The people to their heels more difficult digging tends to be.

Some people regard this as just a movement for more Government more government bureaucracy. And I think particularly fear or the idea of World Government resist. Carbon dioxide is part of the economy of every country on Earth. This is a global cooperation challenge, as we have never before seen.

And so, if you think global cooperation a dangerous term, it makes you see the science as unacceptable?

It can partly to come down: trust the message and trust the Messenger? If I'm inclined to resist the notion of global cooperation - that is a nice way, what others can see as a world Government - and when the scientific, came the body, that conclusion is this entity, I'll be inclined less to believe. A message from someone, that they think shares their values and beliefs accepted people.

And environmentalists are not the kind of person to many people. It is part of the population who tried environmentalists as Socialists, control the lives of the people is.

There are many organizations that I don't think as elites: municipal water authorities, a Department of the army, which examines future risks. Are they potential messengers?

In our society today, I think people have more confidence in economic institutions as in scientific institutions. Scientists can talk until they are blue in the face of climate change.

Companies pay money to resolve this issue, then people will say: it must be true, because they throw their money way would not.

And so what I arrange that this a value - and culture-based debate is very much. And to ignore-never resolved, that what until I described have it and in which, a logic Division, where both sides about completely different things, different problems talk, demonization of others, only looking at things, which confirm their opinion. And we get nowhere.

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Spraying yards green make... But not with color, water

Now, though, the grass green next door simply from a fresh coast of color be.

Homeowners associations in this arid region have typically rules require residents keep, desert landscaping or green grass, with brown grass not an option.

This is the time of the year, with approaching of summer and winter grass extinction, if letters typically go to homeowner reminds her of the rules and making it clear that violate fines could face or even legal action should take their lawn on an unsatisfactory tint.

The pressure, grass green led to keep some residents to money save links, try the grass is the most innovative green color.

The grass spraying drew business here escalated as the housing crisis and real estate brokers were looking to increase appeal of abandoned properties the curb quickly on the cheap. A lawn painting, with a plant-based dye, costs about $ 200. strong home owners associations, which can fine owners thousands of dollars when a dispute drags on, also Klaus Lehmann of turf painters enterprise said good for business.

Doug McGraw, who dream of Summit subdivision in Western Phoenix lives, was cited for neglect of his lawn. How many homeowners here Mr. McGraw saw back his finances into turmoil by a couple of years and had to spend any extra money on the lawn. "I let go a year it just, and it was Brown," he said.

A citation letter came from the homeowners association.

When his wife, tongue in cheek, noticed that, if food could be coloured, why not lawn? Mr. ?McGraw began research into the issue and discovered that those who are athletic fields and golf courses in fact use lawn dye their grass green all year round to keep.

Unsure whether this would be approved by his Association, and something set to take the simple solution, he be lawn one night in the spring of 2009 colored without to tell a soul in the neighborhood.

Until end of 2009, when the grass needed a Touchup, he held during the day and even the same do it for its neighbors, offered for a fee. Only one person took him to the offer, but no one against his quick-fix either.

Michael Hague, a neighbor, has another solution, artificial turf, which was a compromise choice in some areas of Arizona for a while now. He says it helps him save the time, money and confrontations with the homeowners association.

"It is easier to fake grass, have", said Mr Hague, about his deep green, look perfectly trimmed yard. "You don't have to worry about." "It won't fade."

So realistic its is turf proud, he said that a neighbor on the street even mention how green lawn was unaware of the Hague, someone was there in a factory.

But "plastic grass," as Ed Cunningham, a fire-fighter, in which close to lives, calls the artificial stuff, Arizona Sun is too hot on bare feet in the. He is a landscape gardener, the painstaking process of planting rights Bermuda grass, handle the finally is inactive in the winter and is supplemented with rye grass, which dies out in the spring. The lawn irrigated means his water bill the appearance is higher than some of its neighbors, but and behavior of the real thing is worth the effort, he said.

But don't get followers of Xeriscaped yards, desert landscaping is known about the harmful effects of all, the grass planted around the desert, wasted complicates water, a precious and scarce commodity here started.

One of the ways, water reached, the Phoenix is the central Arizona project, bringing it from the Colorado River through the system of water pipes, tunnels, pumping stations and pipelines, from which. Candidates for the Board of Directors of the project are ausgefragt on their personal use of water habits of the Arizona Republic election time.

Salvador Rodriguez contributed reporting.

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Green with grass growing Antarctic

Be the next market for lawn mower to Antarctica?

The rapid warming of the Antarctic was a blessing for two local plants. As the temperature warms old peat in a nitrogen buffet for the Antarctica (Antarctic quitensis) nodosa and Antarctic decomposed this article of Hairgrass (Deschampsia Antarctica).

A study by British and Australian scientists suggests that one of these facilities, this article of Hairgrass, the nitrogen buffet up to 160 times faster than their mossy competitors can absorb.

"We think as a land of snow and ice of Antarctica." But in the summer on the Antarctic Peninsula and the islands surrounded, which melts the frozen Center of the continent, the snow and in many areas are green with moose and two species of native flowering plant, ", said one of the authors of the study scientist Paul Hill Bangor University in a press release from the school."

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"Like a raised recently and Antarctic summers become one who has this flowering plants, Antarctica this article of Hairgrass (Deschampsia Antarctica), are longer and warmer, which are increasingly common," Hill said.

Two percent of Antarctica that can support plant life was earlier dominated by moose.

But very much faster than the rest of the planet warms the polar regions, including Antarctica, have in the past 50 years. Now, the vascular plants are taking over.

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"Plants need successfully growing nitrogen." In the coastal town of Antarctica is most of the nitrogen in organic materials in the ground, which was only slowly decompose in the cold conditions revoked. This now increasingly available, the temperatures are rising, "Davey Jones said the Bangor University, another author of the study before recently nature climate published change."

The researchers found that nitrogen produced acquires this article of Hairgrass by his roots as a short chains of molecules or peptides, early in protein decomposition. Can the plants nitrogen acquires more than three times faster than if they bacteria for proteins to amino a break acids, nitrates or ammonia had to wait.

Moose can absorb not only with nitrogen speed like the match.

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Figure 1: Antarctic hair grass, Deschampsia Antarctica, at Petermann Island (Wikimedia Commons)

Figure 2: Antarctic hair grass, Deschampsia Antarctica on the Collins Glacier, Antarctica (Wikimedia Commons)

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Petroleum common in some "Green" products

What is, if you had said that "all natural" or "vegetable" you buy eco-friendly cleaning products are not what they claim to be?

Would you still buy them?

Seventh generation, a company to thrive in the eco market, reported that some "green" cleaning products are still strongly derived from petroleum. The project, presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, stressed the lack of standards in commercial markets for "green" products.

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At this time, no authority say eco claims regulates, two representatives of the company. Seventh generation wants to change this by creating a system-similar to carbon dating-can produce by the company to measure carbon isotopes in their products and standards more what ad support departments.

Based on tests of the company, washing powder, liquids and hand washing SOAP include hand court entitled to environmentally friendly between 3 and 57 percent of petroleum-based carbon.

But this range to company wasn't what as much as the lack of carbon-14, an isotope as a signature for natural, renewable resources is concerned scientists. Other forms of carbon derived from crude oil can be identified in the form of petrochemicals.

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Tested some products contain less than 50 percent of the carbon-14, indicating the lack of natural, renewable materials for their creation.

In a press conference, representatives of the company gave no evidence on which brands studied and concentrated rather were bashing on the promotion of their technology as a brand video.

Discovery News in efforts investigated to find out which products have been, but contacted not the company has received an answer.

Aside, it is important to remember results, this study has not been peer-review and was carried out by a company with an interest in the market.

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Seventh generation representatives say she hope that technologies in the small study independent labs and other companies to standardize, ways to measure plant and oil will delight-derived carbon in products.

How Cara Bondi, which results in the video presented, says: "We believe this is really an opportunity to set up and cause a forward movement in a way, approach that that for the consumer and the industry adds value."

UPDATE: Seventh generation does not plan to let the names of the products in the study included. The 22 items (instead of search in its own labs) figures the company, but to consider a third-party laboratory. Bondi, a senior research chemist with the company, says because there are no legal definitions or restrictions for labelling certain products as "green" or "sustainable," it is difficult to assess whether products made from renewable raw materials are derived.

"We really need to move towards a common understanding of what these terms mean, and how we talk about it," Bondi told Discovery News.

Photo: woodleywonderworks/Flickr.com

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