Camping Fun and Survival: Weather Prediction

!±8± Camping Fun and Survival: Weather Prediction

When camping you are vulnerable to the elements, but don't let that scare you off. You have all the tools in nature to predict upcoming bad weather, allowing you to be prepared at anything that mother nature throws in your direction. These survival tips are great for everyone, of all ages, and fun to learn. Predicting upcoming weather is not only a great skill when out living it up in the great outdoors, but it could save your life someday. Don't worry if you don't get it right the first time. Great weather predicting comes with experience. With time the subtle cues of your environment will be picked up by your subconscious awareness and you will be predicting without even knowing how. Camping is the perfect environment to sharpen your survival skills of weather prediction. You could even make a game out of it for the whole family. First one to accurately predict the weather is free from dish duty for the day and gets served first every meal.

Methods of Operation

There are several great indicators that help you to predict weather change.

Wind:

The wind can be a very accurate predictor of changing weather. If the wind increases or changes direction, the conditions around you are changing. Be very aware. If the wind changes dramatically than there is usually a great change of weather on the way.

Sun & Moon:

"If a circle forms 'round the moon, It will rain soon" This circle or ring around the sun or moon is called a halo. A ring around the sun or moon means that precipitation, usually rain is on the way. The ring is created when tiny ice particles in fine cirrus clouds scatter the light of the moon and the sun in different directions. "Red skies at night, sailor's delight; red skies at morning, sailors take warning." This old saying that you have probably heard a time or two has great validity. When the morning sun turns the sky a crimson red, it is often an indication that low pressure is bringing precipitation and a storm is on the way. A red sky at dusk indicates that the next day will most likely be just fine. The sun is just happily shining through the dust particles. Delight in it, as the sailors do.

Animals:

The animals themselves are known to be great meteorologists. Animal behavior can be remarkably accurate in predicting weather, from temperature, precipitation and storms to the severity of the upcoming winter. The American Indians have observed animals for centuries and predicted weather with accuracy based on these observations. Animals are more likely to react to changes in the environment. They pick up on subtleties that we often do not and they sense the movements in air pressure. Movements in air pressure precede all weather changes. Birds flying high in the sky usually indicate a nice, clear day. Most birds tend to fly lower to the ground just before a rain, especially insect-eating birds. This is true especially with the insect-eating birds called swallows. They fly lower because the insects are also flying lower. Insects can only fly as high as the air pressure (barometric pressure) allows them to and the swallows go where ever the food is. Some water birds also fly low across the water when precipitation is on the way. Seagulls are very sensitive to barometric pressure changes. Often seagulls return to land when the air pressure (barometric pressure) drops, signaling stormy weather approaching. Bees and butterflies disappear just before it is going to rain. They sense the drop in barometric (air) pressure and will instinctively seek the cover of their nests and homes. Most animals become very quiet just before it rains. Some Native American tribes say that the snowfall in the upcoming winter is predicted by the snowshoe hare, otherwise known as the varying hare. If the hares leave very wide footprints in the fall, these extra-furry hind feet are a sign of heavy winter snowfalls that are on the way. Another belief of some Native American tribes is that black bears predict severe winter weather by sleeping farther away from the den opening than usual. During fall, prior to a mild winter, the black bear will sleep close to the den opening. I would not go looking for any black bears while camping though, to predict the upcoming winter. It is best to avoid bears if possible, although they rarely attack, at times they do. When pressed, they usually retreat, even with cubs. Remember to keep your food in a safe place back at camp, such as the trunk of your car, to avoid them from visiting your den. The bees come out and get busier when fair to good weather approaches. It is scientifically proven that you can find the temperature by measuring the mating calls of the cricket. To find the temperature:you must first count the number of chirps per minute the cricket makes. Subtract 40 from this number. Divide the result by 4. Add 50. The result of this calculation is very close to the temperature of the environment the cricket is in.

Trees & Flowers:

"When leaves turn their back 'tis a sign it's going to rain." Many trees, such as maple and oak, have leaves that will curl when the wind is blowing and the humidity is very high. Humidity and high winds precede stormy weather. Flowers do indeed smell best just before a rain. Stormy weather will most likely follow when the flowers seem to be the most fragrant. The scent in the air is a great indicator of approaching precipitation. Plants release their waste in a low pressure atmosphere. This waste has a scent of compost and predicts rain.

Fire Smoke:

When smoke rises from a fire and then sinks low to the ground this is usually an indication of a storm front approaching. On a clear day, the smoke from the campfire rises steadily. Campfire smoke that starts swirling and descending is a sign of low pressure. Low pressure (barometric pressure) usually means that a storm or bad weather is usually on the way.

Clouds:

One of the easiest and best indicator of a change of weather are the clouds. Clouds give a great deal of information about approaching weather. If there are no clouds in the sky, then the weather is usually fair.

Cloud Classification: Understanding the different kinds of clouds will help you predict weather patterns. Identifying different clouds allows you to read the clouds. They have what you could call a language of their own. It is also a fun camping activity to involve the entire family in cloud identification. Clouds are classified by three things.

#1 Shape

#2 Distance from the earth

#3 Rain-producing

#1 Shape

Cirrus (Latin for "curl of hair") - These are stringy, fibrous clouds.

"Trace in the sky the painter's brush, The winds around you soon will rush." Cirrus clouds are what this rhyme is referring to. The clouds are the painter's brush. Often these high-level ice clouds precede the approach of precipitation.

Cumulus (Latin for "heap") - These are puffy clouds. Often they look like a fluffy piece of cotton floating in the sky separate from one another. Sometimes these clouds look like a person or an animal.

Cumulus clouds show fair weather but keep an eye on them. Any vertical growth in these clouds can indicate a sudden change of weather and the beginning of a storm.

Stratus (Latin for "layer") - These clouds form long bands and layers that can cover great distances. These clouds are flat and wispy.

#2 Distance from the earth

Cirro - Clouds whose base begins at or above 20,000.

Alto - Clouds whose base begins somewhere between 6,000 and 20,000.

#3 Rain-producing

Nimbo (as a prefix) or nimbus (as a suffix) - Clouds that produce rain.

NImbostratus clouds are your standard rain cloud. These clouds look like a large, flat sheet of grey cloud. If you see these clouds there is a good chance that it will rain.

Other indication of changing weather:

"When the dew is on the grass, Rain will never come to pass. When grass is dry at morning light, Look for rain before the night." There is some validity in this old rhyme. If the grass is dry and free from morning dew, it is likely that there are strong winds and rain is very likely on the way. If there is dew on the grass in the morning it is thought that there will be no rain, unless of course the grass is wet from rain the prior night. "When sounds are clear, rain is near." This is true because sound travels farther before a storm.

Closing Notes: Camping is a joy in life that creates memories for a lifetime. Whether you are camping with your spouse, your family, your best buds or even solo with the trees, understanding signs and clues to weather changes is both fun and valuable.

Camping Fun and Survival: Weather Prediction

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Jem - It's Amazing

!±8± Jem - It's Amazing

click here for more: tinyurl.com Sex And The City Movie :07 Stereo version: tinyurl.com click here for the entire soundtrack to appear below www.youtube.com poster: image.bayimg.com Do it, now You know who you are You feel it in your heart And you're burning with ambition But first, wait Won't get it on a plate You gonna have to work for it Harder and harder And I know Cause I've been there before Knocking on the doors With rejection (rejection) And you'll see Cause if it's meant to be Nothing can compare To deserving your dreams CHORUS: It's amazing It's amazing All that you can do It's amazing Makes my heart sing Now it's up to you Patience, now Frustration is in the air And people who don't care Well it's gonna get you down And you'll fall Cause you will hit a wall But get back on your feet And you'll be stronger And smarter And I know Cause I've been there before Knocking down the doors Won't take no for an answer And you'll see Cause if it's meant to be Nothing can compare To deserving your dreams CHORUS 1x (synthesized) Don't be embarrassed, don't be afraid, don't let your dreams slip away. Don't be scared of using your gift -- everybody has a gift. Never give up, never let it die, Trust your instincts, and most importantly... You've got nothing to lose, so just go for it! CHORUS 2x realted: : Wish I UK Welsh Finally Woken Maybe I'm Amazed jemma griffiths Just a ride they SAVE ME Flying High Life 24 Once in Every Lifetime

Jem - It's Amazing

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A Utopian Vision of the World

!±8± A Utopian Vision of the World

WHY BOTHER?

"Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it."

Indeed, throughout human history, we've learned about the fall of mighty empires like the Romans, Mongols, Aztecs, etc. We've also learned about the Bubonic Plague and how it wiped out 1/3 of Europe's population. More recently, we've witnessed the Great Depression which plunged America into a world of high unemployment and desperation, Hitler's regime nearly conquering Europe and consequently then the world, and the Vietnam War which put a heavy toll on American lives as well as its economics.

I'm sure these are events that most of us would like to never see again.

But with today's issues like Global Warming and Climate Change, the Credit Bubble Bursting and the Global Financial meltdown, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and the oil shock, you get the feeling we haven't learned from our past mistakes and have been condemned to repeat them over and over again.

We can see that Global Warming and Climate Change is a more insidious consequence of human-based activities not unlike how the Bubonic Plague wiped out Europe due to poor disposal of waste or how the deforestation of Italy might have led to the downfall of the Roman Empire. We can see how the combination of greed and the corporate-government collusion resulted in the Global Financial meltdown that is putting America and the world on a path similar to that of the Great Depression (which itself was caused by similar acts of greed and government-big business greed). We can also see how the Iraq War strained America's resources and reputation while its motivation for oil by a few are highly questionable; much the same way the Vietnam War divided America and was based on some dubious anti-communist ideologies perpetuated by a vocal minority.

Indeed, the world would be a much better place if the resources we depended on were better shared and managed. And the only way that's going to happen is if we have a world that's more sustainable from the way we live to the way we procure the planet's resources to the way we support governments that uphold these principles.

But how do we go about doing this?

Clearly, people have different ideas on what their ideal world would be. And not all of these ideas are mutually agreed upon because there's bound to be winners and losers no matter which scheme you pick.

But that's where we have to dig deep and identify what it is that all of us value in life and try to work from there as the foundation that drives our actions and policies.

So what makes us qualified to offer up an opinion of what a utopian world we ought to achieve should look like?

Well we've spent several years getting out in the field for the pleasure of getting back into nature and using waterfalls as the motivation to go to different places. This has allowed us to observe many things firsthand that television, radio, newspapers, books, websites, and world-of-mouth simply can't provide. More importantly, learning about the world firsthand is far more persuasive than getting your information exclusively from the media (in addition to being less prone to propaganda and brainwashing). And with these observations, we wondered how and why things became the way they are and always kept a healthy curiosity (and skepticism) about everything.

So with our years of experiences, our searching for answers whenever we wondered about something, and processing all this information, we're in a position to propose a world that's more sustainable, fair, allows us to pursue the very things we value most, and reasonable to achieve with a modest amount of sacrifice from the unsustainable status quo of today.

While we know such ideas require an open mind and it's easy to lose someone on a nuance or detail, we ask you to try to get the big picture (even if you disagree with some or all of what's contained here). The purpose here is to try to spur more discussion and thought about how we can go from abstract ideologies to real world actions that will make this greater vision of a better world happen. For without that vision, as stated earlier, we can't see the forest for the trees.

So we've stated earlier that we need to identify core values that most of us can agree on before implementing the steps to leverage these values and improve our world. But just what exactly are these core values anyway?

THE PURSUIT OF VALUES

What is it that we want to get out of life? What makes life "fulfilling"?

I'm sure you'll get varying responses to this question depending on who you talk to, and it's easy to get off on a tangent and discuss ethereal and abstract ideologies that are nothing more than pipe dreams.

If you're a biologist (or of a truly scientific mind), you'll probably say we're here to reproduce, period.

But, really. What is it that drives us to want to earn more money, go traveling, collect more possessions (whether it's the latest and greatest cars, TVs, real estate, furnishings, clothing, jewelry, electronics, etc.), learn more about the world, make friends, reproduce, raise a family, grow old, etc.?

I think you can pin that answer down to two basic principles (or values).

A life of variety (i.e. "Variety is the spice of life") Leaving a legacy that lives on (e.g. passing on our DNA, sharing our experiences with others, teaching others or our young ones, ensuring our children live better lives than we do, etc.)

Why discuss these values?

Because I think at their very heart, these principles are what all of us strive for to some degree or another. And if these are values that the majority of us can agree on, then these principles ought to be the guidelines (or tests) in which our grand vision of the better world ought to fulfill, right?

After all, failure to minimize the amount of losers in any scheme will result in a growing class of disenfranchised and desperate people willing to follow any strong leader promising to pull them out of their rut regardless of whether that leader's means are agreeable or not. In other words, this becomes the fodder for organizations like:

Hitler's Third Reich - to pull people out of the post WWI mess that Germany was in Al Qaeda - for those disenfranchised people in the Middle East who won't stand for the Western exploitation of their land and people for the corrupt few The Taliban - who are offering up a militaristic as well as a thriving poppie-growing means of pulling the poor out of their desperate situations The Khmer Rouge - who offered a radical means of eradicating the more influential Chinese who themselves were becoming more influential in government at the expense of the rest of the people ...and the list goes on and on...

Indeed, any successful world order must strive to uphold the values that the majority of the world can agree upon or at least tolerate.

So let's elaborate a little more about these principles.

First, the variety principle.

I've learned that a fulfilling life can be defined as a life where the individual has experienced as many different things as possible over the sum of that finite lifetime. Now what those different things are will differ from one individual to the next. For example, one might acquire a life of variety through travel while another might find the experiences involved in raising a family (and its associated ups and downs) a different yet no-less-fulfilling form of variety. Maybe someone might think having a large collection of possessions or friends can provide the variety in life that is desired.

Regardless of what manifestations a desirable variety of experiences entails, I think we can agree that living a life filled with different experiences from traveling the world is more fulfilling than a life devoted to a monotonous routine of working a dead-end job all day long, watching TV or being on the computer in the evenings, and then sleeping at night only to repeat the cycle the next day. I admit the latter sounds like my rat-race existence, which is why I strive to go traveling to get away from it all whenever I can.

So the big picture vision of the world ought to support these values. It can't have you stuck in a mundane existence unless you choose to do it that way. More importantly, all infrastructure, commerce, and laws need to support this principle of variety since it's something I think most of us can agree on.

Second, the legacy principle.

I think we're pre-programmed (and by "we" I mean every organism on earth) to want to reproduce and pass on our DNA to future generations. If you think about it, this is why we're more energetic in our youth, more attractive, more durable, and more physically capable. This tends to last until we're no longer reproductively capable anymore.

By that time, we can see that we age, become more fragile, become more prone to cancers and diseases, etc. (though we are more experienced and wiser).

Indeed, it seems Mother Nature has started its own rat race by letting the various organisms compete with each other for limited resources to see who can adapt, pass on their genes, survive, and keep the species going.

But if this process is left unchecked, it's conceivable that the majority of species (if not all) experiences boom and bust cycles where the overall population reduces (maybe by overpopulation-related problems like starvation, disease, or some other depletion of resources) or even declines completely (in which case they become extinct). Clearly, the bust cycle is a frightening prospect for the human race, and this is the very reason why it's desirable to find a happy medium between population growth and sustainability. That way, down at the individual level, we can raise a family, teach our kids, and watch them grow up into individuals without worrying as much about competing for scarce resources to survive. Meanwhile on the macro scale, we are less concerned about living beyond our means and worrying about our own future as well as that of our kids.

And even if you're not into raising a family, I think there's a deep desire for us to leave a legacy behind that somehow makes a positive contribution to the world (something to be remembered by rather than be that someone everyone has forgotten about). For example, it could be solving a difficult problem that ends up being a breakthrough in science, or it could be being remembered for actively trying to help people by improving their living conditions, or it could even be setting a good example for others (whether in the family and friends circle or complete strangers) to follow.

Regardless of how we leave our legacy, I'd argue it's desirable to leave a future in which our children can enjoy a similar type of variety of experiences that we ourselves have enjoyed (if not better) while leaving our mark on the world.

But in order to ensure that noble goal is achieved, we have to keep our individualistic desires for variety needs to be checked. For failure to uphold the value of legacy yields the problems you read about in the headlines like Global Warming and Climate Change, Overpopulation, Unsustainable Status Quo, Politics, Wars, etc.

And it's with this in mind that the big picture vision of the world ought to support both of the variety and legacy principles simultaneously.

And it turns out that the vision I'm talking about manifests itself in what I'm calling the sustainable paradigm.

THE SUSTAINABLE PARADIGM

A sustainable paradigm is a world system in which all goods and services, laws, desires, infrastructure, habits, etc. all support the values that most of us can agree on (which I argued were the principles of variety and legacy).

It's basically a system where all energy, transport, reproductive tendencies, and food procurement are done sustainably by minimizing resource depletion, pollution, overdevelopment, etc. while maximizing biodiversity, our own survivability, and the sharing of resources amongst not only different peoples but other organisms as well. Such a system supports the legacy principle as it assures the world is sustainable for the enjoyment of future generations. Moreover, by focusing on the sustainability challenges, we put our energies into working on meaningful problems to drive our economics while learning more about the world.

Meanwhile, we'd still like to experience a variety of things so the sustainable paradigm must also support the consumption of goods and services that allows us to travel, develop hobbies, meet people, raise a family, etc. But we must do so without trashing the planet.

When you add these things together, you can see the principles come full circle in that energy is required to make these desires happen, but that energy generation and consumption must be sustainable in order to fulfill the legacy principle.

That's why I think harnessing the "free" energies available to us while minimizing their detrimental effects is paramount to supporting the sustainable paradigm. Thus, solar energy, wind energy, wave energy, and geothermal (and maybe nuclear fusion if they ever get there) energy needs to be the exclusive means of procurement of energy since they minimize pollution, deterioration of natural resources, and loss of biodiversity while meeting the needs of our energy consumption. These are things that fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, and natural gas), hydroelectricity, nuclear, and the vast majority of biofuels will never be able to fulfill.

Thus, you need homes that can generate their own electricity through solar and wind with an energy storage device (like a battery) to smooth out nature's intermittences. You also need an energy grid whose energy is exclusively procured from the aforementioned clean renewable energies. And leverage that grid to drive electrically powered machines, vehicles, computers, etc.

Now we know nothing's perfect and the manufacture of goods and technologies to allow such a paradigm to occur must also minimize the degradation of our natural resources and not be subject to resource scarcity. This, by the way, is the crux of why such a paradigm is difficult to achieve (but clearly not impossible and certainly far better than anything fossil-fuel-based for even a compromised solution!).

As for the procurement of food and fresh water, they must also be done by sustainable means. Therefore, we need desalinization plants to procure freshwater. Such plants must leverage a combination of solar concentrators and a green grid for places that are currently diverting or blocking a disproportionate amount of water from freshwater river systems. Plus, individual households ought to have rain catchments as well to tend to landscaping, drinking water, and small-scale water usage at the individual level.

Now procuring food might be more difficult since this involves irrigation (thus water diversion) and land clearing. Something has to give here, but there needs to be a cap on the mass production of food that ultimately leads to waste and pollution. That means more organic products, smaller scale production, and the minimization of chemicals and/or preservatives applied to them. Basically, we ought to eat locally and limit the amount of travel the foods must make unless the means of travel of that food is via purely green means.

Speaking of transport, we need to have something to the effect of solar electric vehicles where the car can be charged by being in the sun or being plugged in to a green grid (at home, in an office, in a parking lot, etc.). For more powerful applications, you could leverage biodiesel (generated from photosynthetic sludge cultured from solar energy and not food) or some form of yet-to-be-developed hydrogen fuel cell or carbon sponge technology to power airplanes or even ocean vessels. Meanwhile, every city should rely on public transportation systems powered by a green grid while discouraging urban and suburban sprawl.

As for waste management, there can be some significant improvement here in terms of minimizing the amount of runoff that ends up getting dumped into our oceans. If we keep treating the ocean like our toilet, then the life so vital to all life on land is sure to decline in a type of mass extinction that has been shown to have occurred in the past (and wiped out over 90% of all life). So here, we can minimize the runoff by using our compost as fertilizer, minimizing the amount of bulk waste generated in both industry and our day-to-day lives, and even using some of the methane emissions in landfills to supplement the grid power. Whatever the case, the economic system needs to penalize polluters and use those penalties to subsidize the maintenance and development of the sustainable paradigm.

As for an agreeable means of consumption, there are numerous applications of the sustainable paradigm to a variety of industries. I'll single out sustainable travel since I think it should be one of the most important industries driving economies around the world. Ok ok, sure I'm biased about this particular topic, but can you name another industry that helps the locals' economy, harbors a desire to share rather than take away, encourage conservation and preservation, and meets our individual desires to experience variety?

Here, you could stress natural and historical features where investment must be made to conserve and preserve while the features themselves should attract paying customers. Locals ought to be enthusiastic about their culture and heritage and be willing to share their homeland with the world. Meanwhile, transport is (as mentioned previously) by sustainable means by electric vehicles, or sustainable biofuel, or some other yet-to-be-developed hydrogen-fuel-cell or cabon-sponge storage and energy-conversion system. Moreover, locals should be able to benefit from the injection of money into the economy, running tours, etc.

As for population control, you don't have to be as drastic as China's one-child policy, but there ought to be taxes (as opposed to tax breaks) against each dependent (since they're consuming resources) and to utilize that income to offset the inevitable resource consumption and disorder generated by those individuals. And this tariff should persist until the individual is able to give back to the system. This would provide economic incentive to reproduce responsibly and leave the decision up to the couple who must weigh the cost of raising more children at the expense of their own ability to survive and live comfortably.

Indeed, these are merely just a few things that come to mind that a sustainable paradigm would feature. I'm sure there are other topics I haven't even mentioned (like medical practices, working class support and incentives, etc.) that could be discussed in the context of the big picture. But realize that this is merely my opinion and I'm sure there are other differing ideas on what the sustainable paradigm ought to be.

The bottom line is that you can see that if all of our thoughts, actions, means of making money, and laws supported a sustainable paradigm, we should be able to support the principles of variety and legacy for not just the human race but the vast majority of other surviving species on earth itself!

But is the sustainable paradigm unrealistic?

Personally, I don't think so. All it takes is a willingness to take action in manageable steps now. So what are these steps to transition from the status quo to a better world?

THE TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABILITY

So with all the ideas mentioned above to support a sustainable paradigm, it might seem like an unrealistic dream.

But is it really?

Believe it or not, there are actually things that can be done now or technologies that already exist to allow the sustainable paradigm to occur.

And while it might be expensive and relatively painful for the upfront investment necessary to implement these sustainable measures, governments can provide rebates, tax breaks, jobs, and laws to establish such infrastructure that will pay dividends in the long run.

So let's look at the specifics of what these measures are and how they can be implemented given the current status quo while examining their pros and cons.

First, let's start with energy.

We've established earlier that a decentralized energy procurement infrastructure as well as an exclusively green grid is the most desirable way to meet the energy needs of a modern world. And you do this through heavily leveraging solar and wind energy while supplementing them with energy from wave, geothermal, waste, etc. But in order to make it happen, we need to impose taxes and penalties on all polluting, resource-depleting fossil-fuel based forms and industries. Then, use those taxes and penalties to subsidize clean solar cell photovoltaics or other green technologies. That way, some of the record profits from oil companies can be given back to more meaningful developments rather than buying back their own stocks or looking for new places to drill.

Imagine if every home, street light, traffic light, rail station, office building, etc. had solar panels on them. It's not so far fetched and it would certainly get rid of our oil addiction, wouldn't it?

Really, the only thing holding this back are status quo proponents protecting their profits, jobs, and position of power.

Along those lines, governments need to remove coal and oil subsidies as well as subsidies for biofuels that result in land clearing and competition for food resources. That way, the true cost of these dirty energies are reflected and they won't look so cheap compared to renewables. Thus, you have a more level playing field amongst the various options of energy procurement and consumption. Like I said earlier, these dirty forms of energy ought to be taxed and a carbon cap trading scheme is merely one step in this direction. And once again, the proceeds should subsidize cleaner procurement thereby rewarding companies innovative enough to pull it off while discouraging polluters and resource hogs.

Second, let's look at managing waste and recycling.

Governments can easily increase redemption values (or CRVs) for plastics and aluminum cans to 25% or more of the retail price. Currently, we have examples of CRVs of only a few pennies for a can of soda that costs .00 USD a can. If that CRV value became 25 cents (something I know bottling and soft drink companies will vehemently protest), then you can bet people will be more willing to recycle to get back some of that money. Meanwhile, the upfront proceeds can maintain and build processing facilities (and hire employees) so the recycling system becomes self sufficient. All this has the effect of reducing landfill waste while reusing materials that can easily become scarce if not recycled.

Moreover, plastic bags (the type you get in retail stores, supermarkets, etc.) should be charged. If each plastic bag cost a dollar, then you can bet consumers will remember to bring in their own re-usable bags to hold their goods. Ultimately, that'll keep us from continuing to fill our landfills with these disposable bags that end up trashing our environment.

Third, let's look at transportation and travel.

This is along the lines of energy consumption argued earlier, but let's look much closer at how to improve transportation and travel since we all have somewhere to go, right? So here's where governments can pour more money into building up public transportation where the trains and trams are powered by an exclusively green grid. This should take care of travel expenses necessary to commute to and from work as well as just getting around town.

As for long distance travel, we know it might be a while before a cleaner fuel enjoys widespread use. However, we can limit the use of gas-electric hybrids or SUVs to rental cars for holidays requiring lots of driving. This can be achieved by making anything gas-powered to be prohibitively expensive leaving on those few able to afford it or business in the travel industry renting out such cars. Moreover, if you absolutely must self-drive to work or around town, then they must be electric vehicles. Recall in the early 1990s, General Motors (GM) came out with the EV before destroying them. So we know the technology's already there. We just have to keep the human greed and corrupt politics out of it (something us voters can sway).

As for air travel, biodiesels developed from photosynthetic sludge should be the norm for commercial airplanes unless there's something more powerful and less resource intensive.

And where compromised measures involving some form of fossil-fuels are involved, they should be phased out in the long run while development continues for truly clean, renewable fuels.

Fourth, let's look at food procurement.

Governments can help here by implementing laws that make meats more expensive via taxes or penalties. Why are we singling out meats? Because they involve plenty of resources from maintaining the farm animals, providing feed, transporting the products, clearing land for grazing, etc. On top of that, the methane emissions are serious contributors to the greenhouse gas concentrations in our atmosphere.

Now I know this is painful because I'm a meat eater myself and I'm sure this applies to most other people as well. Besides, many agro-business proponents probably want to kill me for suggesting this.

Nonetheless, by making a financial deterrent for consuming meat, this should lessen the demand for the very things that destroy our environment. Plus, I'd imagine we'd have a healthier population since it becomes very expensive to overeat.

The same goes for processed foods or manufacture of foods that tend to pollute the environment. These should be more taxed and penalized to try to force companies to be more responsible, find a better way to manufacture their goods, and ultimately make it more expensive to eat in an unhealthy way (thereby taxing our medical system).

Again, foods that require lots of transportation, pesticides, etc. should be made more expensive through taxes and penalties. This should spur more local businesses and only export and expand their product lines when it's sustainably responsible to do so.

Fifth, let's look at freshwater procurement.

Currently, we've got lots of hydroelectric dams and water diversion to supply both energy and nurture agro-business. But we can eliminate hydroelectricity (or drastically reduce their usage while destroying the unnecessary ones) by procuring clear, renewable energy via measures mentioned above. As for water diversion, we can eliminate or drastically reduce this by desalinizing ocean water if the cities happen to be near the ocean. While desalinization takes energy, a mass-rollout of a green grid should be able to help fill this need, while solar concentrators can focus the sun's energy on hastening the evaporation of the water to make freshwater for delivery to the rest of the city or for further inland.

While some water diversion from freshwater streams is inevitable, we can certainly reduce this practice so our forests can better thrive and scrub the air of carbon dioxide while keeping moisture in the local microclimate.

So you see, all of the above measures are very achievable - not in the future, but now! And I'm sure there are plenty of other measures I haven't mentioned that could be implemented (e.g. overhauling the medical and pharmaceutical system, books vs. e-books, reducing urban sprawl and prohibiting overdevelopment, etc.). All it takes is a referee (i.e. a government or regulatory body) that ensures people play within these rules while mediating conflicts while upholding the sustainability principle. And the way this is achieved is by voting in people who are serious about implementing these principles.

Meanwhile, at the individual level, we can change or implement habits that allow us to be less wasteful, teach others about the virtues of protecting our resources and living within our means, and not cave in to special interests (even if these interests are our own) when they go against the sustainability paradigm (thereby violating the values of legacy and variety). Actually, if the above measures about transitioning to sustainability are implemented, then the responsible decisions made at the individual level will be automatic because it would hurt us in the wallet if we were being wasteful.

If enough people and eventually nations cooperate in upholding sustainability principles, then they should be more enforceable, result in fewer resource conflicts, and help poorer countries catch up to a more acceptable standard of living.

CONCLUSION: IS THIS UTOPIA?

Well if you're open-minded and patient enough to read this far, I ask this question once again: Is the sustainable paradigm utopia?

Well it might seem like utopia if you see how far we have to go from the status quo. But after seeing that there are indeed realistic small steps we as a society can take to propel the sustainability paradigm, this better world we're striving for doesn't seem so much like an unrealistic pipe dream, doesn't it?

Besides, to cast off the struggle for a sustainable paradigm as a utopian pipe dream and not take any steps in the direction for improvement is really a cop out. It's not only lazy and defeatist, but it'll violate the legacy principle, which is one of the principles I argued we all can agree on trying to achieve and get out of life. And by violating the legacy principle, we end up passing on a trashed planet as our legacy to our children and their children (assuming the human race can survive that long).

So with that, I think the sustainable paradigm might seem like utopia right now, but it's totally achievable if we want it to happen.

Indeed, our survivability depends on our desire to make a change for the better so that alone should motivate us to take action now - whether it's by improving our lifestyles, voting for proponents of sustainability, shunning unsustainable products, etc. Heck, even encouraging discussion about this topic (the whole purpose of this article in the first place) is a step in the right direction.

Are you up for the challenge?

A Utopian Vision of the World

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More Plastic Than Plankton

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I can remember growing up in the sixties in a world which was still relatively "plastic free". Do you remember when foods were actually packaged in glass, paper and cardboard? Do you also remember when the paper and cardboard was thicker back then? I can still remember as a boy looking at one of those "foam" cups made from polystyrene and crumbling it, it was in the late sixties, wondering what the heck it was made of! The one litre soda bottle was made from glass a long time ago, for which I got twenty cents for when I collected them from the side of the road and brought them into the corner store.

No foods were stored nor packaged in plastic, and the grocery store bags were a thick brown paper, not those flimsy plastic bags of today which you can just about "spit" through. The only toys I had as a boy which were made from plastic were those little green plastic soldiers from China, my Matchbox cars, my Triang tricycle and later on my Raleigh bicycle were all made from good solid British metal with minimal if any plastic parts. Back then, China was the word used for something you drank a cup of tea out of, not found on a sticker on just about everything you buy from a shop involving any type of plastic. Today, it is hard to find any toy which is not 100% plastic, amazing! And the scientists call it "better living through chemistry". I would like to believe that my great grandchildren will live in a world one day where chemistry will go green, and scientists may one day understand the serious health risks imposed on a population growing up in today's plastic world.

This article will focus on what a lot of people have been talking about - plastics in our foods, and in water - I take it you drink bottled water? There is no "best plastic" to contain food or drink. It is my hope that this article will clarify this viewpoint. By the time you've finished reading, you should be closer to forming your own evaluation of plastics, and hopefully you will try to reduce your exposure and use of plastics in your everyday living.

Unlike the sixties, plastic today is used in contact with nearly every single packaged food. Most cardboard drink and milk containers are now even coated with plastic rather than wax. In many countries, a type of liquid plastic compound is even sprayed on both commercial and organic produce to preserve its freshness. Yes, crazy as it may seem, but in many cases plastic is even used to irrigate, mulch, wrap, and transport organic foods. "Organic" bananas come from overseas South American wholesalers with a fungicide containing sticky plastic wrapping the cut stem to protect the bananas from a black mould. These so called organic bananas themselves are wrapped in a plastic as they grow to prevent fruit bats from getting to them. Did you know that whenever you eat or drink things that are stored in plastic, or if you taste it, smell it, wear it, sit on it, and so on, then that plastic actually becomes a part you?

In fact, when any food gets into plastic - the plastic gets into the food and eventually you. So, quite literally, you are what you eat.. drink... and breathe - plastic!

Is Plastic a Low-Dose Threat?

Plastic is everywhere in our lives because it is convenient and relatively inexpensive. It is widelt regarded and advertised as safe and that it even "saves lives". The problem with plastic is that its safety is based on an outdated science and flimsy regulations. And while it may saves lives in the short run, the record against plastic is looking quite different. Its convenience comes from being lightweight and it comes in an endless range of colors and finishes, is pliable, and is easily formed and molded. Most would say it's a perfect material, right? But - here's where the bad news begins. It is interesting when you consider that there between 87,000 to 100,000 chemicals in commercial production registered with the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry. Of all these chemicals, only about 200 have been tested on humans, and most never on pregnant women or children.

Consider this - If you want to market a new pharmaceutical drug, you will need to convince the authorities like Medsafe or the FDA, in multiple tests over the course of many years of clinical trials that it won't cause serious harm. If you want to sell a new sheep drench or pesticide, you will need to prove the same thing. The manufacturers have to prove the chemicals in these concoctions are "safe" and the government makes the final decision. But what if you want to market a brand new chemical, not a drug or a pesticide, just a chemical? And what if this chemical comes into contact with a young child or pregnant woman? I'm not sure about NZ, but I expect it's much the same as in America; it is up to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prove that it is unsafe, using whatever chemical data is supplied by the chemical manufacture, with little power to ask for more information. Chances are it was never really tested by the government at all. According to Richard Wiles, executive director of the non-profit Environmental Working Group in the USA: "It's completely backwards".

As bio-monitoring has improved, scientists can now detect human exposure levels of chemicals as small as one part per trillion, which is about a twentieth of a drop of water in an Olympic sized swimming pool. Scientists have also discovered that humans are carrying far more chemicals than previously thought. And because of this, for example, scientists have learned that some toxins are extremely toxic even at very low levels. Take a look at lead for example, the "safe" limit for lead (which can directly reduce a person's IQ) has been lowered from 60 micrograms per deciliter (100mls) of blood down to 10 mcg.

And that discovery was only made in 1970! Now imagine for one minute what kind of understanding we will have about heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead, and not to mention all those zillions of chemicals like plastics in our blood forty years from now - in 2050. That's right, we will have a much better understanding and will wonder how chemical manufacturers actually got away with it all those years. Better living through corruption, lies and corporate greed? The next global crisis may not be in terms of dollars, but chemical toxicity as we drown in our own man made chemical concoctions. Why not become aware of your body's burden right now and undergo regular annual detoxification of your liver and kidneys? Try to reduce the amount of exposure you have to plastic and chemicals in your life today, I'll talk more about this later.

Bisphenol-A (BPA)

Do you drink water from those plastic water bottles? Water bottles are be made from various types of plastic - polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl), and others. All these chemicals migrate throughout the body to some degree, let's just for now focus on just one chemical that migrates out of one plastic and that is used to make products with high use and sales profiles - BPA.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical used in the manufacturing of many types plastics. It does its job well, and an incredible 2.7 million kgs are produced every year. The BIG problem with BPA is that it has been found to be a known source of synthetic hormones like oestrogen, and that plastics containing it can break down easily, especially when they are washed, heated or stressed in any way, allowing the chemical to leach into the food or water it is in contact with allowing it to enter the human body. BPA has been found in the urine of 93% of People in America, and I suspect this figure to be the same in Australia and NZ. BPA can mimic hormones like adrenaline and testosterone as well as oestrogen and because minuscule amounts of these powerful hormones can cause major biological changes, imagine for one moment what your body does when it is bombarded with plastics containing BPA every day!

And now think what happens to a young person whose body is still developing. Kids are particularly vulnerable to chemical BPA toxicity because their smaller bodies are developing rapidly, and because they eat and drink more foods containing BPA relative to their bodyweight than adults do. This is exactly what scientists have found, linking fetal BPA in rodents to everything from cancers, genital defects and even many and varied behavioural disorders. Could this be part of the cause of our rising epidemic of ADHD, autism, Asperger's syndrome and similar behavioural disorders? And it does not stop there. In 1998, Dr. Patricia Hunt, a geneticist in America, discovered that female mice dosed with BPA had serious reproductive disorders. According to Dr. Hunt, you disrupt three generations with one exposure to BPA. This is why BPA was consequently taken out of babies drinking bottles and banned in Sweden in 2008. President Obama has just called for a 30 million dollar study into BPA and human health. At last, at least somebody's got the brains to look beyond the plastic corporate greed. Are you still using plastic baby bottles, or heat the baby's plastic bottle in a microwave oven? You'd better not after reading this!

The list of products containing BPA is really long. In the medical industry, it is used for syringes, containers, lenses, and various dental products. The mind blowing thing about plastic is that it is regulated only if it is in contact with foods and not any of the other exposures a person might commonly experience every day at home, school, or the office. Because the government approves plastics for specific uses rather than for individual chemicals, BPA is therefore not regulated. I think that it is important to note that all exposures, no matter what origin, are cumulative. The body's natural defenses try to breakdown toxins such as BPA as they enter. These chemicals are what we call "metabolites" and can be significantly more toxic than the original chemical itself. Have they been tested? Yawn, not really.

In 2009, two German scientists looked at whether the migration of substances from plastic packaging material into foodstuffs contributes to human exposure to man-made hormones. They analysed 20 brands of water- including nine bottled in glass and nine bottled in plastic. The researchers took water samples from the bottles and carefully tested them for the presence of any estrogenic chemicals. They then carried out a reproduction test using New Zealand mud snails to determine the source and potency of the xeno-oestrogens (substances which resemble and act like estrogen in the body). They detected estrogen contamination in 60% of the samples (12 of the 20 brands) analysed. Specifically, 78% of the plastic bottled water showed significant hormonal activity.

By breeding the New Zealand mud snail in both plastic and glass water bottles, these researchers found more than double the number of embryos in plastic bottles compared with glass bottles. Taken together, these results demonstrate widespread contamination of water with potent man-made estrogens that partly originate from compounds leaching out of the plastic packaging material. The German authors conclude: "We have identified just the tip of the iceberg in that plastic packaging may be a major source of xeno-hormone (foreign hormone) contamination of many other edible foods. Our findings provide an insight into the potential exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals due to unexpected sources of contamination." Are you still thirsty for a "plastic" drink? Try drinking out of a glass or stainless steel container. It may save you from a nasty condition one day, particularly if you drink lots of bottled water.

In April 2003, a study was published about BPA accidentally killing mice that had been held in polycarbonate cages at a lab. It was found accidentally when it ruined a lab experiment that heated yeast in plastic flasks to find out if the yeast produced any estrogen-like compounds. It was discovered that BPA from the plastic flasks was the material that was estrogenic, and that it competed with the natural estrogen in a rat's body. When a well known researcher was asked why labs still use plastics considering what it has been known since 1993 that BPA migrates and is hormonally active. The response was, "What are we supposed to do, go back to glass?" This is the state of what is still amazingly called "science", and as is usual with all too many research scientists, the truth maybe sought, but the obvious is pretty well trampled over in the stampede to secure that all too familiar pot of gold - the lucrative funding.

The list of negative health effects associated in some way with exposure to BPA is disturbingly long. The most visible effect may be a chromosome abnormality called "aneuploid", found in more than 5% of pregnancies. Most aneuploid fetuses die in utero. About one-third of all miscarriages are aneuploid, making it the leading known cause of pregnancy loss. Exposure to BPA has been found in addition to increase risk of breast tumors. Being one of many known hormone disruptors, BPA affects development, intelligence, memory, learning, and behavior, skeleton, body size and shape, significant increase in prostate size, prostate cancer, reduced sperm count, and both physical and mental aspects of sexuality. It may have something to do with obesity, and so many more that a separate article is required to list them all. In other words, if the fetus lives, any one or many parts of its body can be permanently affected. The problems with BPA may become evident at any age, and to reiterate, there is no shortage of research published on the negative health effects of BPA. Do you still trust that plastic bottle?

Did you Know there is a Plastic Rating System?

All plastics are rated using a number system. Understanding what those numbers mean can help you do more than recycle, it can help them avoid dangerous chemicals involved with these plastics. Patients tell me often that they are concerned about plastic in their lives, particularly the plastics containing Bisphenol A. Fortunately there are codes on the bottom of all plastics which can help the health conscientious consumer stay informed. Here is what the codes mean and a guide to which plastics should be avoided due to potential toxicity. Make sure you look underneath your plastic drink bottle, that is if you are still game to drink from one after reading this article!

Plastic # 1- Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE) Found in many single-use plastic containers like as soft drinks bottles, mouthwashes (you don't buy this stuff, do you?), salad dressing containers and other similar items. It is lightweight, inexpensive and easy to recycle. Number one plastics are considered safe and are not known to leach chemicals, but they are not safe for reuse so never refill any container made from this plastic. Also, never heat foods in number one plastic containers either, never. By the way, NEVER leave a plastic drink bottle in the sun, this is a sure fire way to leach chemicals into your water.

Plastic # 2 - High density polyethylene (HDPE) This plastic is used for items like those flimsy plastic milk containers, rubbish bags, margarine tubs (yuk, buy butter) and general packaging products. It is cheap, versatile and durable. It is also easily recyclable. Number two plastic is considered safe and isn't known to leach chemicals. But, like most plastics, it's wise to never heat food or liquid products in them. And in addition, don't place foods in them and then freeze them, especially hot foods.

Plastic # 3 - Polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC) This plastic is used to make bottles for cleaning products, shower curtains, the heavier industry grade plastics and the cling wraps used to wrap your delicatessen meats and cheeses. It isn't generally recycled. Number three plastic is not safe due to a chemical used to keep it so flexible which can leach out into your food products. This plastic has di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate in it, which is a potential carcinogen. It also contains chlorine and will release dangerous toxins if burned. Do you still want to wrap meat and cheeses and fatty meats like chicken in cling-film? You may like to look at: http://www.envirocancer.cornell.edu/research/endocrine/videos/plastics.cfm By the way - NEVER buy those cooked chickens at the supermarket wrapped in cling film. You are guaranteed to be eating chicken laced with potential xeno-oestrogens (foreign chemicals mimicking oestrogen) or carcinogens. I know they taste nice and are what you like to grab after a busy day at the office, but the chicken skin is very fatty and will gladly soak up the poisons contained in the cling film. Your choice.

Plastic # 4 - Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) This plastic can be found in things like frozen food bags, squeezable bottles like those mayonnaise or tomato sauce containers, supermarket plastic bags and even in some clothing, carpeting and furniture upholstery. It is flexible, durable and has many applications in industry. Number four plastic isn't known to be dangerous or leach any chemicals into consumer products. These types of plastic are not widely recycled but are recyclable.

Plastic # 5 - Polypropylene (PP) This plastic can be found in items like tomato sauce bottles, plastic straws, pharmaceutical drug containers, some carpet and most plastic bottle caps. It has a high melting point so it is also used for containers that will hold hot liquid. Number five plastic is hazardous during production but once made, it isn't known to leach chemicals. It is typically used in items that aren't reused and has a high melting point, which might contribute to its sturdiness and reduced risk of leaching. Not every community can recycle number five plastic. Don't burn # 5 - cancer potential, yuk.

Plastic # 6 - Polystyrene (PS) This plastic is used for items that must be hard and retain their shape, like those coffee cups, opaque plastic utensils as found on your next airplane flight, some toys, take-away containers and compact disc cases. It is also used for foam insulation. Number six plastic isn't generally recycled and is not considered safe by most experts. Benzene, a known carcinogen, is used during its production and the final product contains stuff called butadiene and styrene, both suspected carcinogens. It takes a lot of energy to produce and should be avoided, so watch out for those take-away food containers made from it. Say no to styrene, use REAL plates and cups and avoid a potential cancer risk, better safe than sorry.

Plastic # 7 - Other Plastics Number seven is an open category for any number of plastics but often contains polycarbonate. It is often found in baby bottles, those large clear water jugs, microwave containers, and those plastic eating utensils. Very few recycling programs exist for this type of plastic. Number seven plastic is widely regarded as unsafe since it has bisphenol A, a hormone disruptor which mimics estrogen and is linked to breast cancer. This plastic is known to readily leach this chemical out into food. Infant formula and canned food has tested positive for biphenyl-A after being placed in metal cans lined with number seven plastic. It's a good idea try to always avoid number seven plastic.

Tips on Avoiding Plastic in your Life

While it's impossible to avoid all plastics in your life entirely, it is absolutely possible to rid your diet and life of this toxic material as much as possible.

· Do you really need all those flimsy plastic bags when you go shopping? There are so many reusable bag options today. Rather than reaching for several small plastic bags in the produce section, bring your own bags or a box. Reusable grocery bags are easier to carry and you can pack more into them than in regular plastic bags. I like a few study cardboard boxes, less to carry and easier to pack and unpack.

· Do you use cling film every day? Get real; your grandmother never had such an artificial "luxury".

· Do you use plastic throw away plates and cutlery, why not use "real" cutlery instead of plastic?

· Do you need to use plastic tablecloths and plastic aprons?

· Plastic shoes like cheap Crocs? Try real shoes, they'll last longer and you will look better!

· Plastic toys for your kids or the grandkids? - There are plenty of wooden options available.

· Plastic drink bottles? Try stainless steel or glass, easy. Avoid buying disposable plastic water bottles. Instead, use your own water bottle and refill it with filtered water or tap water. If you're concerned about using plastic bottles, opt for stainless steel or glass.

· Pack your sandwiches in wax paper or use Tupperware, which is a very safe food grade plastic, they make containers of many different sizes. These guys make the safest plastics around.

· Bring your lunch container with you when you go out next time to get your Thai take-away. This way you'll avoid using those unnecessary plastic Chinese containers, Styrofoam or plastic boxes. I do and the guy at the Thai restaurant does not mind at all.

· Plastic baby's drink bottle? - try glass.

· Use biodegradable alternatives to plastic. There are biodegradable dog poop bags for example, and some coffee shops and cafes use biodegradable cups, utensils and containers. Products made from corn and sugar cane are easy to compost and break down over time.

· Think about the other plastic items you use daily. Pens, toothbrushes, combs and other implements can come in earth-friendly forms. Next time you're ready to toss a plastic item and buy a similar item, ask yourself if there is a better, more durable and less plastic option.

There is a huge amount of data confirming the migration of plastics and additives in all steps of food manufacturing and processing. And in my opinion and that of many scientists, it is only a matter of time and money spent on new studies before the much more serious harm and more solid evidence is found. Because of the way of the corporate world, regulations resulting from studies may take many more decades yet to actually become law. Look how long it took the government to act with cigarette smoking; it took many decades and millions of avoidable deaths. One day smoking will be entirely banned in any public place, you will see, and I expect it to happen in our lifetime. Don't you think it important to protect the health of yourself and loved ones right now from these plastics of which we know little about, before the solid rock hard "evidence" is there?

There is no doubt, ample evidence of the negative health effects of plastics already exists in sufficient quantity to halt the use of it in contact with all foods. More importantly, I feel that the manufacture of plastic itself must be halted for a multitude of reasons. Besides causing an endless number of human deaths, disabilities, and diseases, plastic is clogging all habitats of the world and destroying the ecosystem. Apparently, there is now 6 times more plastic than plankton floating around in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The researcher who found this, Captain Charles Moore, Director of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, mentioned that the ratio of plastic to zooplankton is even higher in two so-called floating plastic "garbage patches" that are each bigger than the State of Texas in the ocean. Even more startling is seeing plastic bits incorporated into the flesh of the sea animals! So what are you going to do when you go shopping from now on? That's right, take your carry bags and say no to plastic.

Conclusion

You really don't need to be an Einstein to know that plastic shouldn't contact food. Plastics containers, bags and wraps, along with those "let's kill all those nasty germs" advertisements have become quite popular on TV. But just because they advertise these items on the TV, it does not justify their use or make them appear less harmful to the consumer.

People often ask me what the safest plastic is to microwave food in - sorry folks, plastic should never contact food, and especially the "soft" plastics with plasticizers like cling film. And in addition, you should never microwave food in general- it's worse than putting food in plastic because it creates free radicals in the food that damage cells in your body. Microwaves also heat the plastic and not just the food, thus increasing the rate of migration of the poisons into the food. However, glass, wood, metal, and ceramics are the real things, although not all suitable for microwave ovens. If saving trees is your aim, stop using so much paper, wooden and cardboard stuff. But in the mean time, don't further degrade the environment with more plastic and microwave radiation. Use a stove, like your grandma once did. Your use of plastic in terms of food and drinks will amaze you if you focus on how much plastic you really handle over the course of say a week. By being aware and making other choices you may well be avoiding many different potentially serious health related disorders in the future.

More Plastic Than Plankton

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