Wednesday, 18 Jun 2003

A Fly in the Ointment

Ah, summer, that delightful season of ... sunburn and bug bites. But before you reach for the sun block or the mosquito repellent, do yourself and the environment a favor and check out the ingredient list on the back of the bottle. Many sunscreens contain carcinogens and endocrine disrupters, which can end up in the water supply and interfere with the reproductive cycles of aquatic organisms. And many bug repellents contain nasty chemicals as well, including DEET, a persistent organic pollutant that is one of the most common contaminants found in U.S. waterways. To enjoy your summer in comfort AND safety, check out the latest advice on eco-friendly ways to handle bugs and sun, in this month's Earthly Possessions column -- only on the Grist Magazine website.

Camarooned

By the end of this year, hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil will flow through pipelines in Chad and Cameroon, bringing about $2.5 billion and $500 million to the two countries, respectively. But critics say those profits won't help the region's poorest and neediest, even though the project's major players -- an ExxonMobil-led oil consortium, the World Bank, and the U.S. government -- originally pledged to set a new standard for socially responsible energy projects in developing nations. The reality, though, is that the jobs created by the pipeline project are largely temporary, the promised social programs have failed to materialize, and the profits are likely to be pocketed by government officials. (Chad and Cameroon rank as two of the most corrupt African states.) Moreover, the project could bring disastrous environmental consequences, especially in Cameroon's lush tropical rainforests. Meanwhile, hundreds of Africans hoping for work have congregated in shantytowns along the length of the pipeline, creating conditions that could lead to the rapid spread of HIV. Health officials anticipated the problem and the oil consortium promised to take steps to prevent it, but thus far has failed to do so.

Yes-kia

The World Wildlife Fund plans to teach the 50,000 employees of telecommunications giant Nokia how to be good environmentalists, the conservation organization announced yesterday. In a groundbreaking partnership, WWF will provide seminars and workshops on environmental issues and create environmental interest-group areas on the company's internal computer network. Nokia Vice President Veli Sundback said the three-year deal was part of a plan to improve the company's environmental performance and bring environmental awareness "into every aspect of company life." WWF plans to reach all levels of employees through the training, and hopes to implement it at other corporations as well. "We aim to mobilize the largest possible number of companies and industries to work with us to protect biodiversity," said Claude Martin, director-general of WWF.

Country House, City House

Once upon a time, the Russian dacha, or country house, was the domain of the wealthy few, those who could afford to escape the grime and grit of Moscow and St. Petersburg for wooded lawns and rural vistas. But since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia's mushrooming business class has poured millions into building lavish second homes, making the highway from Moscow to the surrounding countryside look like the route between New York City and the Hamptons on summery Friday afternoons. Environmentalists fear that the popularity of dachas is endangering the region's wildlife, as well as its air and water quality: "The last decade and a half have been catastrophic for unspoiled land in Russia," said Greenpeace's Guslana Kartyushova. In the last 10 years, some 24,710 acres of forested land surrounding Moscow have been sold, and much of that has been cleared to make room for property. And many of the new homes springing up lack adequate waste systems, so Moscow's water sources are being contaminated with sewage.

Containment Strategy

If you live in the Pacific Northwest and shop at one of the 11 Wild Oats grocery stores in the region, you may be buying your food in corntainers. No, that's not a typo: This month, Wild Oats Markets became the first food store chain in the country to use environmentally friendly packaging made of corn. Most traditional food packaging is made from petroleum products; the corntainer is fossil-fuel-free (except for shipping and production processes, of course) and can be thrown in the compost right along with the leftovers of your portabello-and-sundried-tomato sandwich. Alternatively, consumers can return the packaging to Wild Oats stores, where they are subsequently recycled into organic soil by an Oregon company. The company says people love the corntainer, and it plans to begin using them at 77 stores nationwide by the fall.