Assembly

I promise the last Joy Division single is coming. To be quite honest, both myself and Mr. Analog Loyalist are suffering a little burnout. While the work we're doing is both rewarding and necessary, spending so much time on one project/band has dampened my enthusiasm. I haven't even assembled my own CDs of the New Order singles yet, which brings me to today's entry.

My OCD doesn't like interrupting the sequence of singles, but I had to share these. A couple of readers have sent photos of their finished singles sets:

Fedge is storing his in mini poly sleeves just like LPs.








Chris took this several steps further and I'm just really impressed. The fluorescent green and orange of the box are the colors of the inner sleeves for Round & Round/Round & Remix. Alongside the artwork for each single the book uses stock photos similar to the artwork used for Republic and it's singles. Bizarre Love Triangle and Touched By The Hand Of God have been tweaked to be gatefold sleeves like the their 7" and CD singles respectively, and he used a unifying titling/color scheme across the CDs instead of the labels I made, which are kinda haphazard since they're based on the labels from the vinyl singles.

What I'd always envisioned in my head was using a prefab plastic CD flip file to store the singles (plastic=recycle). I was going to print and mount Saville's original Recycle "waste painting" to the top, and craft a booklet to go inside, but I'd like to open this up to all of you. Have you put together your own set yet? Do you have any ideas for housing the package? Please share your ideas and photos with us.

The Kitchen Composter

The Kitchen Composter allows 100% home composting to be achieved by tackling the elements of organic waste that cannot be put into a traditional composter.

All food waste can now be turned into nutrient rich compost. This includes meat, fish and dairy products as well as cooked foods. The process does not produce smells or attract flies.

The Kitchen Composter is an air-tight container which the food waste is placed in. Bokashi is added as a compost activator. This is a bran-based material that has been prepared with EM, a mixed culture of naturally occurring friendly microorganisms. After a few days the contents can be placed in a traditional home composter or dug into the ground. Liquid feed can be drained off during the fermentation process. This is alive with beneficial microbes and can be diluted as a plant feed or poured down drains to prevent algae build up and odours

Organic Biowaste Resource Recovery

Waste Solutions offers innovative "zero discharge" process technology that adds value to solid organic waste, food residuals and industrial waste. We have extensive experience and expertise in development and application of customised waste treatment processes including fermentation technology to add value to waste materials

Examples of processes for industrial scale recovery of valuable products from waste are:

• High nitrogen content certified organic fertiliser from fish processing residue
• High value fish oil from fish processing off cuts
• Potable water from processed food residuals
• Microbial metabolites (antibiotics) from liquid waste fermentation
• Environmentally friendly road salt (Calcium magnesium acetate)
• Slow release Nitrogen/Phosphorus fertiliser (Magnesium-ammonium-phosphate)
• Water recovery solutions

The Zero Waste Closet

 

Last week was April 15th! For most it meant tax day. For me: Biannual clothes shopping day. The day I refresh my worn out basics and add some zing to my wardrobe. I wait and prepare for it for months at a time. I love fashion and I only shop twice a year: April 15th for spring-summer, and October 15th for fall-winter.


Before each spree, I visit the library and go through magazines to get inspired and educate my eye. This is a system that I have lived by for the past eight years.
But, please... don't blame me for being tempted by fashion, symbol of a disposable and ephemeral closet: I graduated from the London School of Fashion, and still enjoy expressing myself through dressing. And as long as my shopping habits follow my sustainable ethics, isn't it alright to be fashionable? What can I say: I do care about my looks, regardless of the Zero Waste lifestyle, sadly associated with careless / carefree clothing. Did I mention that one does not need to conform to a certain fashion style to be a Zero Waste advocate?…My personal fashion sense is rather about wearing exciting, one of a kind, USED pieces to make my everyday more exciting.

I can see some of you cringing at the idea of thrifting already. "I can't find anything in that mess", or "Oh! I can't take the smell in thrift shops", people tell me... It's true that the items in the shop have lost their smell of off-gassing plastics and that these shops don't have perfume in the air (department stores) to cover it up. Isn't it sad that most people prefer to shop in a store that reeks of plastic because the smell is associated with new things, the high of shopping and consumerism? You know what I am talking about if you have practiced department/new store abstinence before. It is like discovering the true smell of your house after a long absence... Well the true smell (or is it the phtalates?) of those new stores actually makes me nauseous. And if the term "used" bothers you, call it "vintage". Somehow vintage stores, although they also only carry used items, have a better reputation.

But what I love most about thrift and vintage shopping is the hunt for the unusual clothing, the minimal price tag (where I shop they use a piece of paper stapled to the garment as a price tag), and the carbon footprint redemption, of course… This is where you choose a garment for its fit, not its tag or brand.

Here is my system:

I stick to minimal closets: My boys, for example, have a set of 4 pants, 8 shirts, and a dressy outfit for each season. I'll spare you my wardrobe list.

I keep a minimal shoe closet: I have paired it down to just 6 pairs of shoes: slippers, boots, ballet, medium heel, high heel sandal, and sandals. For the kids, I buy athletic shoes second hand, and when worn out I take them to Nike "Reuse a Shoe" program. (At the rate that my little one goes through sneakers, we wait to fill a bin before taking them in). They also own a pair of dress shoes, flip-flops and slippers.

I own only a small selection (3) of purses: 1 everyday/evening wrist wallet, 1 small foraging messenger bag and 1 work bag (to fit my computer).

I keep an updated inventory of my closet, made up of neutral colors and exciting season-less essentials. On that same excel file, I highlight the items that I wore out (holes, tears or stubborn stains) and need to replace on the next shopping trip.

I shop twice a year: it avoids compulsive buys, keeps us out of the mall. (We actually only shop once a year for my husband).

I shop at second hand stores mostly: I believe in reusing before buying new organic clothes. This season, the new items I purchased were a pair of sandals (could not find a basic secondhand pair) and a bra. The rest I bought at the thrift shop for $40 (I can proudly say, it is a record low)

If I do get a new piece, I make sure that it is good quality, and only carries minimal tags (I leave the shoe box at the store). Patagonia, I hear, recycles some of their garments to make new ones.

I am ruthless on fit, it is as simple as: "If it doesn't fit, I must acquit!"

I bring a basket: Too often we think about the reusable bag at the grocery store, but don't apply it to other stores.
I put it back on the market before it goes out of style: If, for some reason, I do not wear a specific piece of clothing for a month, I give it to a friend or Goodwill. Otherwise I end up with a closet full of nothing-to-wear. Keep it on the market and share it while it's hot!
I keep some of my worn out clothes for rags (duh), but I label the rest as "rags" and take it to Goodwill for recycling. Call your local Goodwill to confirm their participation in the program.
With sewing, I have been able to save many outfits, with only a few stitches (shorten a hem, add an elastic or change buttons...)
I take it to the tailor, if something is out of my technical expertise (I recently had to take a coat in, the fabric is too thick for my machine)
I keep handkerchiefs handy in my closet and purses.
TMI: I keep vitamin E balm next to my sandals to add shine to my polish-free toes.And you know what the bonus was on this last thrifting spree? Finding a two liter Le Parfait jar for only $2. Yoohoo!

Pacific Ocean Toilet! When will it stop?

Pacific Ocean. Plastic garbage so thick, so large an area. A dead zone, deadly, ominous, growing. Plastic makes up a huge percentage of the cess pool searing our precious oceans. This state size patch is located off Hawaii between North/South America and the beautiful tradewind Islands.

Out of site - Out of mind.

Electronics waste container

The Poly-Trux 54P-20R eWaste cart features a rugged, 20-bushel capacity container with a wide-mouth safety rim set on top of premium, industrial-strength casters. These units are designed to accommodate heavy, unwieldy computers, televisions, microwave ovens, fax machines and other electronics waste collected at municipal events and other collection points. When filled, the rigid eWaste cart rolls easily onto a truck or trailer for transport, while an optional canvas cover stretches around the container rim to keep waste inside the cart and deter theft. The rigid Poly-Trux 54P-20R eWaste cart is rotationally molded in a single piece of 100 percent waterproof polyethylene for high-strength, durability and resistance to bumps, scratches and scrapes. A choice of 16 standard colours plus optional custom colours and permanent, molded-in lettering, tracking numbers and graphics are available.

Climate Change, Mixed Messaging & Superfreakonomics

 

A really important comment was brought up this week in my environmental epidemiology lecture on climate change. I wanted to speak to this point a bit more after coming across a series of writings about a recently published book called Superfreakonomics by Steve Levitt and Stephen Dubner.





The comment in class was about the difficulty of sorting through the mixed messaging surrounding climate change, and the role that health promoters need to play in order to address this issue at the individual level. This was a really important point to bring up because it is difficult to know what our role as individuals is when we speak about climate change. This point is particularly important not only because lifestyle changes need to be made, but also because political will needs to be generated.




I came across a prime example of this mixed messaging after watching a CBC interview of Steve Levitt. One of the chapters in his new book is about climate change and why he thinks that the current climate change efforts are flawed. This peaked my interest, and so I tried to track down his chapter online. Instead I came across an interesting series of blog posts between the author and a climate change economist. Thankfully, the chapter doesn't refute the current scientific consensus about climate change, but rather argues that the "solution" isn't in changing human contributions to the problem (adaptation strategies). I don't fully understand what aerosol geo-engineering is, but the authors present this as a harmless and cheap quick fix for global warming. Skeptics have highlighted that the authors ignored readily available literature detailing the severe risks associated with aerosol geo-engineering and reasons why emission reduction is the dominant strategy chosen. Even though I have not read the chapter myself, I remain quite uncomfortable with the thought that if this book was even remotely as successful as the first Freakonomics, 4 million people could potentially be mislead by the message in this chapter.

Waste Plastic Burner 2010

Waste Plastic Burner 2010

Zero Waste Dining and Entertaining

By now, you already know that we have chosen a simple life, free of unnecessary objects. I truly believe in the 80-20 rule. In a regular home, only 20% of household items actually get used. In ours, we have evaluated those 20% and have let go of the remaining 80%.

Thru my simplifying business, I have noticed that most kitchens are filled with unused kitchen gadgets that are supposed to make cooking and entertaining easier. But are the sorbet maker, waffle iron, or panini press really being used? What about the specialty cake pans, the cookie cutters, the dozen placemats, the fancy wine stoppers, the wine basket, the wine cooler, the champagne bucket, the 2nd or 3rd set of china, the stem glass charms, the shot glasses, and the tablecloth weights? Oh! And the candle that is too pretty to be lit? Think of the drawer filled with hot pads (aren’t a couple enough?), the drawer filled with matches (can’t the refillable lighter do the job just fine?), not to mention…the junk drawer (what is in there that you can’t live without?). These items take precious space, make it harder to find cooking essentials, create stress, and clutter our lives, not to mention waste time and valuable resources. There is a really good chance that most of the items mentioned here can be forgotten, simply donated, and their use replaced by something else (the grater plane works just fine as a zester). Clearly, the more accessories you have, the more you take out, the more needs cleaning (individual measuring cups are a great example).

Of course, you can zero waste dining and entertaining with a packed kitchen, but honestly, the simpler the kitchen, the simpler it is to get there.

Here is how we dine and entertain with zero waste in mind:

-Zero Waste Grocery Shop: Make sure you bring extra jars to the grocery store when shopping for company (including take-out).

-Make finger foods for larger parties (more than 10 people at our house, because 10 is all we can sit at our dining table): Finger foods are a fantastic waste buster for larger parties (no store-bought party trays here).

-Instead of fizzy water, consider serving tap water with lemon slices in it.

-Forget about disposables (duh): Use ceramic dishes, cloth dinner napkins and cloth appetizer napkins (sooooo much nicer than paper).

-Avoid the use of serving platters/dishes: When serving straight onto dinner plates, it simplifies, saves water from extra cleaning, and it allows for a plate presentation.

-Find creative ways to decorate your table: I personally do not use tablecloths or placemats, I find that both get dirty too fast, are a waste of physical and electrical energy, and detergent. I also have more fun decorating it with a few napkin folding tricks, discarded leaves/branches from the yard, designs drawn in some scattered flour, fuzz of a seeded dandelion flower, or just seasonal fruit… For a recent buffet, I set small fern branches in water glasses and covered them with different size Le Parfait Jars so that these “cloches” could set the serving plates at different levels.

-Reuse empty votive tins (and the wick base) to make new votive candles for company: Super fast and super easy. Locally, I can find beeswax in bulk at Rainbow Grocery, and lead-free wick by the yard at Ben Franklin. I have about 20 rotating votive tins.

-Transfer your music onto your iPod: Donate your CD player and CD’s for others to enjoy, use your iPod connected to your home sound system instead. (THIS is my birthday wish, Scott!)

-Use rechargeable batteries for those remote controls!

-Try no TV/gaming for a while: We cancelled ours about 1½ yr ago and I love it. We finally have time to read the books that we wanted to read, and watch movies, commercial free. We rent and watch one PG movie with the kids on Friday nights, Scott and I watch another more mature movie during the week. Sunday night is game night!

-Lucky to be invited somewhere? Need a hostess gift? Bring a jar of a homemade consumable, or your favorite bulk item (we love the Whole Foods chocolate malt balls).

-Need wrapping? Consider Furoshiki (the Japanese art of cloth gift wrapping).I think it’s so cool, I have become an addicted “furoshikier” I have wrapped presents in 24x24” piece of curtain, or French antique kitchen towels (I had a stacks of them in my previous kitchen). A zero waste present is a great opportunity to let your friends know about your waste reduction efforts and inspire them to follow lead.

-Educate your friends about your zero waste efforts: so that they don’t show up at your door step with a large pastry box (full of pastries wrapped in throwaways… speaking from experience, here). Remember that Zero Waste Home starts outside the home.

-Lastly, please don’t forget to bring your own container for leftovers, when dining out!

What are we doing for Easter? This year, we’re invited to a brunch. I will bring bulk wine wrapped in a French antique towel. But before we go, the kids will enjoy their Easter “egg” hunt of bulk candy: Chocolate malt balls, organic jelly beans, and chocolate covered peanuts. I just have to decide before tomorrow whether to wrap them in paper or get refillable plastic eggs (stainless yet to be found) from the thrift store… It all depends on the weather and where the Easter Bunny will decide to hide them… Inside or out?

Zero Waste Holidays: this time for sure ;)

No, no. I am not crazy: I do not support holiday decorations being displayed at my local hardware store since September...

Nonetheless, the holidays are around the corner and my hardware store did remind me that last December, I vouched to be pro-active for this year's gift exchange. And that included letting those who will be exchanging with us know that we prefer experiences vs. more stuff. It seems early, but letting them know before they even had a chance to gather/buy objects for us, is key and all part of the “master plan” ;).

Here are some ideas, worth considering this holiday season:

GIFTS

-Offering "Experiences" in the form of a gift certificate or actual ticket, such as:

Classes at the local community college to develop a new interest

Movie ticket

Theme park season pass

Museum pass

Bowling night

Hotel night

Meal at a new restaurant

Treat to an ice cream parlor

My favorite for our kids: A year long subscription to a monthly surprise family activity (activities that I have in mind for the year, depending on our finances, include: kayaking, overnight at hotel with pool, ice skating, hiking to an overnight refuge, trampoline or indoor climbing center, science museum, gold panning in the mountains, crabbing, fishing, overnight on a houseboat, backpacking and overnight in the wilderness, fruit picking, sledding, overnight in a fire lookout, etc...)

-Offering Services (your time) in the form of coupons, such as:

Professional expertise (I can offer simplifying and decluttering services for example)

Hand labor (planting a tree, painting a room for a new baby, fixing a deck, lawn mowing)

Babysitting

Services are great for kids to give (one sibling could take another sibling's chore for a period of time)

-Offering consumables in a reusable jar (to simplify, pick one project and make a large quantity):

Homemade cookies, cake mix, herbal tea, jam, pickles, sugar/salt scrub, balm, lemoncello, toothpowder (with recipe attached)

Or a bulk item (cornichons, olives, maple syrup, toffee pecans, chocolate malt balls).

Homemade candles, soap, and paper are also great “out of the jar” alternatives.

-Shopping your home: Regifting (and there is nothing wrong with that!) or giving something you already own when you know for a fact that the recipient will appreciate it. I have a dedicated drawer for that purpose, it gets filled and used all year long.

-Buying used at a thrift store or on Ebay. For the latter, make sure that the item is used by checking the “pre-owned” option in your Ebay search.

-Using the smallest gifts and bulk treats to fill stockings instead of stuff-ers.

-Selecting gifts that tighten family bonds (family “experiences” or used board games for example).

-Greening Santa: Santa brings only one gift per family member. It comes unwrapped because Santa cares about the environment and his gift is easily spotted among the other (family) wrapped presents. The benefits of the “one special present” go beyond the obvious...equality among children of different financial background, modesty, smaller wish lists, less stress on Santa!

-Avoiding the mall until January: Not only better for your carbon footprint (driving, new stuff purchased), but also your sanity, stress level, creativity and wallet. Challenge yourself to do without!

GIFT WRAPPING:

-Purchasing or making reusable gift bags from fabric scraps (or redesigned lone socks and pillowcases) sends out a green message to your recipient. The attached tie also eliminates the need for a loose ribbon.

-Purchasing or making Furoshiki squares (28x28) and learning some easy-to-follow tricks on how to artfully wrap in fabric. The elaborate knots and tucks also eliminates the need for a loose ribbon

-Using a gift to wrap another. A t-shirt, a sweater, a kitchen towel can wrapped just about anything and serve a double duty (a gift and wrapper in one).

-Reusing what you already have, if lacking the previous wrapping alternatives: papers from your recycling bin (your kids can quickly paint some designs on them), children's artwork, a washed meat wrapper, newspaper or paper bag if you are still allowing these into your home ;).

-Using leaves as gift tags or anything in your recycling bin that can be cut into a small rectangle.

DECORATION:

-Reusing a potted plant that you already have or purchasing one that can become your yearly alternative to the Christmas tree. I use a tall topiary. The first year, it seemed odd (an adjustment), now we can't imagine going back to regular trees.

-Vouching to not buy yet another ornament. We rediscover our holiday decorations every year when we unpack our dedicated crate, and we always have enough!

-Making consumable decorations such as a homemade gingerbread house (with treats available in bulk) or a string of popcorn as garland (feeding it to the birds after the holidays, thanks to Dori and Val for the suggestion) for as long as the kids enjoy participating in the making.

-Using seasonal whole fruit, whole vegetables, yard clippings or leaves to adorn the table.

CARDS:

-Emailing your holiday wishes. Last year, I made plantable cards (it took me a week of work and lots of stamps), this year I will email our wishes. It's the thought and the content of the message that counts.

-Sending the cards that you do receive for reuse (as mentioned last year) to St. Jude's Ranch Card Recycling, 100 St. Jude Street, Boulder City, NV 89005. It supports a good cause too!

-Choosing recycled and recyclable materials, if you do choose to send out a card. Keep in mind that photo paper is not recyclable.

TRADITIONS:

-Supporting your Zero Waste efforts with meaningful traditions vs. the wasteful, stressful and complicated activities of the season (Zero Waste not being just about stuff management).

-Being kind to yourself by simplifying your traditions: consider less cooking, using your everyday china and glasses if your fancy set requires handwashing, eating out, going for a hike if weather allows.

-Being kind to others by


1- being kind to yourself,
2- freeing a parking spot by avoiding the mall ;)
3- applying “Acts of Kindness” to your holiday season: participate in a homeless soup kitchen, sing carols in your neighborhood, write a Thank You card to someone whose services you appreciate (your friendly baker for ex.?)...


To hear more about Zero Waste Holidays thru a thick french accent (I hope Santa will think of getting me an accent reduction class), you can check out my recent podcast on More Hip than Hippie.

I dream of having more than an "almost Zero Waste" Christmas. With simplifying and adequate preparation, I truly believe that my dream can come true. Last year, I dreaded the season, this year I feel ready and excited to face it! Bring it on!
Any more ideas to reduce waste during this coming holiday season?

3 Ways Cities Go Green

By now you’ve probably seen at least one study ranking America’s “greenest cities.” It could be based on recycling rates, the number of green buildings or even engagement from local residents.
From San Francisco to Charlotte, these cities typically have one thing in common: a strong emphasis on environmental investment and communicating these programs to the public. Here are the key attributes that make up the nation’s most eco-friendly cities.

1. Acing waste management

When it comes to handling waste, recycling is just the tip of the iceberg. Many cities now have separate staff and programs for curbside recycling, compost/yard waste recycling and the collection of hazardous products like paint and batteries. But some will go the extra step.
Did you know in San Francisco, you can recycle food scraps and other organic waste at the curb? In fact, participation is required by city law. Other cities like Chicago and Seattle are beginning to follow suit, and since the EPA estimates organic and yard waste makes up 25 percent of our total solid waste, there’s definitely a demand for other disposal methods.
For other cities, the way to reduce waste is to simply make it illegal to throw things away. Take the case of Charlotte for example. The largest city in North Carolina enforces 15 different state landfill bans.
This includes everything from beverage containers to motor oil and filters to electronics, and did we mention oyster shells? If something is banned from landfills, you can bet that the city and county will do everything they can to make sure that material is recyclable.
An additional option is to change the way that recyclables are prepared for better collection practices. Earlier this year, Minnesota passed a law that all yard waste must be contained in compostable bags.
This means the bags themselves can be added to the compost process and break down. While Minneapolis has until 2013 to comply with the law, its Twin Cities-neighbor St. Paul already enforces it for any yard waste collection.

2. Efficient public transportation
In case you didn’t already know, cars have a high environmental footprint. We’re talking carbon emissions, air pollution and non-renewable energy being pumped at the gas station.

Honolulu's TheBus system has also been awarded America's Best Transit System twice by the American Public Transportation Association. Photo: Flickr/duluoz cats

Meanwhile, public transportation helps keep cars off the road, and many times these buses and trains are powered by renewable energy. Some are so recognized that we know them by name (e.g. BART and the L train), but other cities are doing their part to promote riding the rails.

In Orlando, the Lymmo bus line offers transportation all over downtown…for free. It runs every day from City Hall to the Centroplex with 11 spots in between, serving both commuters and those who want to enjoy downtown nightlife.

Another way to measure public transportation effectiveness is how often it is utilized. According to 2005 figures from the Federal Transit Administration, New York is by far the leader with 9.6 percent public use.
As for the city came in at No. 3?
That would be Honolulu, which despite still relying on only a bus system has 3.7 percent public use. Its TheBus system has also been awarded America’s Best Transit System twice by the American Public Transportation Association.
According to the most recent State of the Union, public transportation is no longer just an inner-city phenomenon. The U.S. is spending $8 billion to improve high-speed trains in 31 states and three Canadian cities, and more than 25 percent of that money will go to California.
So, those looking to travel between the three largest metro areas of the Golden State (San Francisco Bay, Los Angeles and San Diego) can do so at up to 220 miles per hour. It should also reduce airline and highway travel, and trains have the lowest carbon footprint of all transportation for long trips.

3. Green-collar job availability
One indirect way to green up a city is to increase the availability of green-collar jobs, with many focusing on energy efficiency that can be applied locally. Plus, an eco-minded company is more likely to enforce eco-friendly policies, such as promoting conservation.
So, where are the green jobs located? In Mother Nature Network’s recently released top 10, three were in California, but a handful of those listed may come as a surprise.
This includes Detroit, where the electric car is transforming the auto industry and clean energy jobs are abundant. Another listed city was Houston, which may have one of the lowest national recycling rates but it’s the third highest green job market, according to Forbes.

MediBurn - diesel fired medical waste incinerator

MediBurn is the safe and simple solution for the disposal of up to 8 cubic feet / 0.22 cubic meters per load, of infectious and pathological waste for the small medical facility. Portable and easy to operate, MediBurn incinerates everything from laboratory waste to animal remains. The MediBurn runs on diesel fuel and therefore only needs minimal setup. Now available in two sizes.

• Ready to use upon delivery.
• Minimal training.
• Easy to operate with state-of-the-art controls.
• Automatic, pre-set cycle control for startup and shutdown.
• Dual chamber combustion and high exhaust temperatures in excess of 1000ºC (1832ºF).
• Thermostatic temperature control for efficient fuel consumption.
• Quick setup - only needs connection to power supply and fuel for onboard tank.

MediBurn 30
The MediBurn 30 is the latest model with new modulating burners and under-air technology to provide up to 50% fuel savings over the original MediBurn. It also has 1/3 more capacity per batch load. The electronic controls are easy to use and have been updated to provide greater safety and control of the system plus multi-language support.

Twitter and Facebook is waste of Time : Seth Godin

Seth Godin, one of the Most successful personal bloggers and the writer of great marketing book “Permission Marketing” and “Marketers are liers”, says Social Networking is a big waste of time. He feels the relationships that remains in Facebook and Twitter are fake, and they don’t turn into business.

At the time when companies are built on Social Networking and new trends in people behavior are arising, this old thought of Mr Godin is a clear indication that his time is up. He could not succeed much with Squidoo, and he could not understand the power of Social Networking.

Few questions and instances to prove why he is wrong:

1. Dell has done business of more than 1 M Dollars through Twitter.

2. Mashable becomes the World’s No. 1 Technology Blogs by Marketing actively on Twitter, and writing hugely about Social Media.

3. Zappos.com become a big online seller and sold itself to Amazon for close to Billion Dollars.

4. Facebook becomes Top 5 Site by number of unique visitors, and Twitter becomes 42nd this year.

5. Google owns Youtube and Orkut, and it has started connecting all Google Account users. Yahoo starts connecting friends thro Msgr and Mail. Google Wave coming to make Web more Social Friendly.

6. Microsoft invested in Facebook for ultra high valuation of $15 B and took 1.6% stake. All done to stop Google’s takeover of web through Orkut.

7. Barack Obama wins elections by efficient use of Web 2.0 and Social Media. He is believed to bring out 1800 videos in Youtube; Obama had one of the largest Twitter followers and active using it for election campaign.

8. Aston Kutcher, Britney Spears and many other US Celebs joins Twitter; market their movies and albums. BollyWood joins the race with Priyanka Chopra, Karan Johar and Gul Panag taking the lead.

Can all these people be wrong? Is there no real motivation in Social Media? I would better take side of these facts than accept the thought of Mr Godin. He got wrong today.

UN Warns Developing Countries of Growing Elecronic Waste

In a study released by the UN this Monday, it has been reported that developing countries need to prepare themselves for a deluge of electronic waste in the coming decade. The waste is supposed to be generated by personal computers, electronic equipments and appliances.

Electronic waste, or e-waste as it is commonly called- is on the top of the list of UN Environment Program’s most pressing issues right now. The study forecasts that by 2020, e-waste levels from old computers will jump by 500 percent in India and by 200 percent to 400 percent in countries like South Africa and China from the 2007 levels. Also, E-waste from mobile phones will rise to seven times higher than 2007 levels in China and about 18 times higher in India.

United States currently tops the chart of electronic waste with 3.3 million tons per year, with China hanging in there with 2.6 million tons a year. The total electronic waste produced in the world at present is around 40 million tons annually. The problem is far more serious than it looks since developing countries currently have no proper e-waste recycling infrastructure.Unorganized recycling and random e-waste disposal methods could seriously affect human health and environment.

UNEP (a materials testing laboratory in Switzerland) Executive Director Achim Steiner said: “The world is now confronted with a massive wave of electronic waste that is going to come back and hit us, particularly for least-developed countries, that may become a dumping ground. China is not alone in facing a serious challenge. India, Brazil, Mexico and others may also face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.”

Many consumer electronics companies have taken an initiative to reduce hazardous substances used in PCs and electronic devices. Apple and other PC makers have made commitments to completely cut off the use of chemicals like brominated fire retardants and polyvinyl chloride in components and circuit boards. U.S. is planning to promote responsible recycling of consumer electronics, with recyclers, nonprofits and companies like Waste Management creating a certification program to promote safe and ethical e-waste disposal.