• Petroleum distillates (in metal polishes): short-term exposure can cause temporary eye clouding, longer exposure can damage the nervous system, skin, kidneys and eyes;
• Ammonia (in glass cleaners): an eye irritant and can cause headaches and lung irritation;
• Phenol and cresol (in disinfectants): corrosive and can cause diarrhoea, fainting, dizziness and kidney and liver damage;
• Nitrobenzene (in furniture and floor polishes): can cause skin discolouration, shallow breathing, vomiting – associated with cancer and birth defects;
• Solvents (in carpet cleaners and spot removers): suspected carcinogen.

It is not necessary to use all these chemicals.  Up until World War II, householders used a limited number of simple substances to keep the house clean and garden pest-free.  Soap, vinegar, bread soda, washing soda, ammonia, borax, alcohol, cornstarch and certain food ingredients were used to lift out spots and stains, deodorise, polish wood or metal, disinfect, scrub, repel pests, clean pets, wash and starch clothes.

Safe ingredients you should have to hand at home for cleaning are:

Bread Soda: it can neutralise acid, scrub shiny materials without scratching, deodorise and extinguish grease fires.  It can also remove some stains.

Borax:  naturally occurring mineral, soluble in water.  It deodorises, inhibits growth of mildew and mould, boosts the cleaning power of soap or detergent and removes stains.

Lemon Juice: is a deodorant and can be used to clean glass and remove stains from aluminium, clothes and porcelain.  It is a mild lightener or bleach if used with sunlight.

Vinegar:  can dissolve mineral deposits, grease, remove traces of soap, remove mildew or wax build-up, polish some metals and deodorises.  Use vinegar to clean out coffee and tea pots and to shine windows without streaking.  Vinegar is normally used in a solution with water, but it can be used straight.

Some Household Cleaner Recipes:

All-Purpose Household Cleaner

Add 1 teaspoon liquid soap and 1 teaspoon T.S.P. to 1 quart warm water.

This solution can be used for a multitude of cleaning jobs including counter tops and walls. Look for new eco-friendly brands such as Ecover or Lilly’s

Degreaser (kitchen)
Add 2 tablespoons t.s.p. to 1 gallon hot water.

Floor Cleaner
Vinyl floors: Add 1/2 cup vinegar to 1 gallon water.
Wood floors: Damp mop with mild liquid soap.

Furniture Polish
Not essential. Simply wipe clean with a slightly damp cloth. If you do polish, use mineral oil.

Oven Cleaner
Add either 2 tablespoons of bread soda or T.S.P. or washing soda to 1 gallon of water and scrub with very fine steel wool. Wear gloves and rinse well. For very baked-on spots, try scrubbing with pumice (available at hardware stores).

Glass Cleaner
Add to a spray bottle: 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap, 3 tablespoons vinegar and 2 cups water. For very dirty windows, add more soap.

Mildew cleaner
For mild cases, scrub with bread soda. In more severe cases, scrub with T.S.P. and do not rinse off except in food areas.  TeaTree essence mixed in with water is a good disinfectant and prevents mildew.

Scouring powder
Use bread soda as a paste mixed with water or use with vinegar.

Spot removers
All work best when applied to fresh stains. Try one of the following solutions:

All purpose: Make a paste of water and bread soda or washing soda. Soak the stain and let dry prior to washing as usual. Check for colourfastness first.

Blood: Pour 3% hydrogen peroxide solution directly on the stain, before rinsing with water. Then wash as usual.

Ink: Apply a paste of lemon juice and cream of tartar; allow it to dry, then wash as usual.

Toilet bowl cleaner
Scrub with scouring powder (as above) and a stiff brush. For removal of hard water deposits, pour in vinegar.  Allow to sit several hours or overnight, then scrub.

Tub/Tile Cleaners
Use bread soda.

Air Freshening Tips
Leave open boxes of bread soda in refrigerators, closets, and bathrooms.
Use flowers, herbs, and spices to add subtle fragrances to indoor air.

Source:  www.sdearthtimes.com/et0496/et0496s2.html
Photos by: Lenny Montana, AndyRobertsPhotos and Brad Montgomery via www.flickr.com

Help them with the research!

There is a way of challenging mainstream politics from within, guaranteeing that sustainable development and long-term thinking are part of decisions in all areas from the start. Appointing a legal representative, an Ombudsperson for Future Generations that actively speaks up in the name of future generations can help bring the necessary checks and balances to our political systems.

The Problems:

• Sustainable development and other issues relevant to the future of the people and of our planet are left until the end of decision-making processes, if taken into account at all. Even in the sustainable development debate, economic issues tend to dominate.
• Many promises are made, yet too often they are put aside because of current economic or employment worries, with the false perception that there are no connections between issues and the unfounded assumption that sustainable politics is having a negative impact on the latter.
• We still know very little about whether or not our politicians are really thinking about all the important areas that affect the decision, and what long term consequences they may have in people’s lives.

Over the last 64 years, since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed in 1948, all human rights, the civil and political as well economic, social and cultural rights have come to be accepted and have evolved into a commonly shared standard to measure the performance of our political institutions. Yet present institutions currently fail to respect and honor the rights of future generations, or even consider the needs of those who are yet to come.

A Solution is the creation of Ombudspersons for Future Generations:

1.    Independent office outside of government

Much like an inspector or auditor that cannot make new rules but can ensure that those making the rules are keeping to their promises, the Ombudsperson monitors government policy to assess the likely impact on future generations. Independence means that the Ombudsperson can take the long-term view and is not influenced by short-term political and economic interests or market driven solutions.

2.    Direct Access

The office is an important tool that provides us as citizens with direct access to the heart of decision making, hugely improving the legitimacy of governments.

3.    Transparent and Informative

The office would keep all reports and functions open to the public.

This June, a United Nations conference will take place in Rio de Janeiro, 20 years after the first 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Rio + 20 will be the biggest world gathering on the topic of sustainability ever, and we are all looking for real decisions to be made there. Rather than more soft promises pushing responsibility another 20 years into the future, we need to see some concrete and immediate institutional decisions to be taken. Ombudspersons for Future Generations is a concrete proposal that has already shown results in Hungary, Wales , New Zealand and other countries where it has been introduced.

Ombudsperson for Future Generations is a fundamental step towards effective, meaningful, and democratic change.

Be part of that change! By signing the petition, tell your country’s leaders we need a future generation defender.

Sign the petition now to demand a planet defender for your country!

Once signed, you will be joining a list of signatories from all over the world, all eager for positive change. Before Heads of State arrive in Rio on the 20 June, we will be sending this petition to them, along with your signature. Please watch this space for an update on the final number of signatories and the complete list of Heads of State we write to.

http://www.righttothefuture.org/RFPeticaoEN

level of extraction of non-renewable natural resources over the decades, our world is facing a future with less available and more expensive virgin materials.  Additionally, as we are in a time of peak oil (where production of oil will continually decline) businesses, including SMEs, will have to adapt to a new business paradigm by using less energy, producing less waste and formulating new business practices to reduce their costs and create a healthier bottom line.

5 ways of reducing your resource footprint

1-            Reduce your electricity and energy bill

After salaries, the biggest cost for most service-based SMEs is their electricity bill.  Computers, printers, overhead lighting and other electricity sapping equipment are the prime users of electricity.  This is an area where a small behavioural change will have a big impact.  Much of our electricity is wasted… computers and other equipment on but not in use and lights on when no one’s about.  Leaving equipment on standby uses up to 40% of electricity it uses when in full use.

An easy way to reduce costs and cut down on spending is by installing motion sensors for lights in less used areas such as the bathrooms, halls or kitchen.  A more manual method is simply ‘SOS’ (switch off something) and turn off all electronics and lights that are not in use.  The EPA estimates that an average business will waste €6,000 annually by not switching off computers/ equipment/ lights over the weekends and bank holidays.  www.greenbusiness.ie

Another way to easily save some money is to turn off the heating system when leaving for the night and during the week-end.  Lowering your thermostat by 1°C saves up to €100 a year.

2-            Waste disposal

The cost of disposing your waste will continue to rise with the landfill levy at €50 and rising.  Small businesses need to investigate methods of reducing their waste stream.  The 3-Rs are incredibly important when reducing your waste bill…reduce (don’t produce waste in the first place), reuse and recycle.

• Reduce by not printing emails and not purchasing disposable products
• Reuse by printing on both sides of the paper and using old envelopes and scrap paper for notepads.
  • Reuse your computers and other equipment by donating them to a computer recycler who will clean the disk and computer and resell at a discount to other SMEs or charities.
• Recycle paper/cardboard, glass, plastic, metal and organics (food) in recycling stations in the office (don’t put bins at desks) and to make it easy, office recycling should resemble home recycling.
  • Recycle old electronics by dropping them off at the place of purchase or your local recycling amenity centre.  You can find your nearest centre that accepts electronics on your local county website.  Please don’t dump them because there are valuable metals locked up in the product as well as dangerous materials such as mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium, CFCs, PCBs, asbestos and arsenic.

You can also donate your old computer to a local school, charity, or nonprofit organization.  See article on Promise-It in our newsletter.

To avoid lunch time waste, try to bring your own cups, glasses, cutlery and dishes to work to avoid throw-away plastics.  As Ireland’s tap water must meet EU drinking water standards, most of our tap water is of high quality and can be consumed directly…bottled water is not necessary and adds to an already large plastic waste stream.

Shop around for your waste management service…this is a competitive marketplace.  Additionally, avoid the use of open skips.  You pay for the rental and by weight and if they are open, you will also pay for the rainwater lodged in the skip…they also attract vermin.  Using a wheelie bin is a much more cost effective method and encourages waste separation and recycling.

3-            Water Consumption

Water metering is the topic of the moment.  Although most households at present don’t pay for their water, most businesses have had to face water charges for a while now, unless you work from your home.  Nevertheless, businesses can reduce their water usage and hence their costs by a few simple methods:

• Replace your 20 litre flushing toilet with a dual flush system or place a bottle or brick into the cistern to displace water and reduce the amount of drinking quality water flushed down the pipes.
• Fix leaks.  One leaky tap can waste up to 75 litres of water/day.
• Take night-time meter readings.  If you find that your business is using water during the evening hours when no one’s about, you most likely have a leak.  Fixing your leaks will also save you money.
• Does your business have a running urinal with water constantly running through the system?  If so, replacing it with a simple flush system will save you a great amount of money.
• Lastly, if you are a big user of water, you may want to invest in a rainwater harvesting system, which would most likely pay for itself within 4-5 years.

4-            Responsible purchasing

To support resource efficient  suppliers, try purchasing supplies that are made from recycled products including pens, paper or packing material.  Changing your current incandescent light bulbs to CFLs or LEDs is another energy efficient purchase—one bulb lasts around 5 years and saves around €100/bulb in costs. CFLs use 70 percent less electricity than their incandescent counterparts, which, as a result of a bill passed last December, will begin to be phased out in 2012.

If you are in the market to purchase new equipment, try to purchase energy efficient items with ‘AA’ rating.  These items will save you further electricity costs.  Additionally there are grants through the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SAEI) to help finance the purchase of these items.

• The SEAI has developed the Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA), which is a tax incentive which aims to invest in energy saving technologies.  The ACA allows companies to write off 100% of the purchase value of qualifying energy efficient equipment against their profit in the year of purchase.  http://www.seai.ie/Your_Business/Accelerated_Capital_Allowance/

5-            Transport Costs

Most of a business’s carbon footprint comes from its air travel and staff commuting by car.  Not only  does travel increase CO₂ emissions, it can also affect the bottom line.  A business can save money, time and resources by limiting the amount of air travel.  Where possible, a business should attempt to conduct meetings through teleconferencing.  Where travel is necessary, travel by public transport should be the first consideration.  Not only is travel by train/bus more carbon friendly, but with the current cost of petrol, it is more cost efficient and conducive to working en route.

Additionally, when considering staff car commuting, there are several government tax deductions that businesses can avail of to reduce their travel costs.

Tax Benefits and Government Grants:

Bike to Work
Do you know that you can get tax relief of up to €1,000 for buying a bike to cycle to work?
This is a Government initiative that enables your employer to buy a bicycle and bicycle accessories for you, without you being liable for benefit in kind taxation. For a tax payer at the top rate, this equates to a minimum saving of 41% on the cost of a new bike.
Content from http://www.bikescheme.ie/
In Dublin, many individuals are taking advantage of the Dublin bike scheme.   An annual pass can be purchased for €10 and further charges are only imposed when a bike trip is longer than 30 minutes.  This is a great and well-received new development in Dublin.  www.dublinbikes.ie

Public Transportation
With taxsaver.ie, you can cut the cost of your commute.  Employees and directors can receive Annual, Monthly and Part Yearly rail/bus/ferry commuter tickets which are Tax and PRSI free as part of their salary package.
Content from http://taxsaver.ie

A Final note… An environmental audit can save you money and the environment

Small businesses can receive a free resource efficiency audit through a programme initiated by EPA.  For more information about this service, check out www.greenbusiness.ie.

Join us

More About VOICE

Let the count-down begin and what better way to celebrate Mother Earth than to take some personal actions…

- DAY 1 : Use public transport – leave the car at home.
- DAY 2 : Walk/bike to school/work – good exercise for all.
- DAY 3 : Install water barrel at home . See “Survive a dry summer”.
- DAY 4 : Install water saving devices in toilet and shower. See water footprint.

- DAY 5 : Recycle/compost your waste. See food matters.
- DAY 6 : Install 10 CFLs to replace your old incandescent ones – uses 80% less electricity, last up to 10 times longer than ordinary light-bulbs, reduces CO₂ emissions.
- DAY 7 : Turn off electronics currently on standby (Electronics use ~ 40% of energy in standby), recycle old electronics. See “Send your Electronics Waste to a better place”.
- DAY 8 : Turn down heat 1°C/wear jumpers – saves ~ €100 per year.
- DAY 9 : Eat locally/seasonally.
- DAY 10 : Eat what you buy/use leftovers – we throw away about 1/3 of the food we buy. See food matters.

More actions on the Earth Day website.
You can also sign the Global Energy petition.

Other actions you can do.

Join VOICE.

On average, we in Ireland are throwing away 1/3 of the food we buy.  See Food Matters.  Some of this is because of wastage on the plate and some of this is because the food has gone off.  However, some of this is because we are throwing out perfectly good produce based on the expiry date printed on the lid.  Our parents and grandparents never did this.  They would use ‘the smell/taste’ test before throwing anything out.  This wasn’t a perfect science and I’m sure that some people got sick.  Nevertheless, this ‘smell/sniff’ test can supplement the current expiry date system.

How Long Are Foods OK to Eat?

Here are Some General Rules:

• Milk. Usually fine until a week after the “Sell By” date.
• Eggs. OK for 3-5 weeks after you bring them home (assuming you bought them before the “sell by” date).
• Poultry and seafood. Cook or freeze this within a day or two.
• Beef and pork. Cook or freeze within three to five days.
• Canned goods. Highly acidic foods like tomato sauce can keep 18 months or more. Low-acid foods like canned green beans are probably risk-free for up to five years. Obviously, cans bulging with bacteria growth should be discarded, no matter what the expiration date!

Food Safety Tips

Since product dates don’t give you a true guide to safe use of a product, here are some other tips from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Services:

• Purchase the product before the date expires.
• If perishable, take the food home immediately after purchase and refrigerate it promptly. Freeze it if you can’t use it within times recommended on the chart.
• Once a perishable product is frozen, it doesn’t matter if the date expires because foods kept frozen continuously are safe for around 6 months.  After this time, the quality of the item decreases and there is higher possibility of freezer burn.
• Follow handling recommendations on product.[1]

Many manufacturers are conservative when putting on their expiry dates to reduce potential liability.  So, when determining when you can eat something, look at the dates, but also look, sniff and taste before throwing anything out.  If it does smell or taste questionable, do throw it out!

Lastly, try to remember all the energy and water that has been used to grow, manufacture, package, transport and refrigerate that product before you toss it.

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliejohnson/

As participants, we receive and send letters on An Post’s behalf throughout the country and for each sender or receiver we put forward, we receive €125/year.  If you’re both a receiver and sender, we receive €250/year.  So far, in the last year, we have received around €2,000 from PcW.

There are two types of panellist within the study

A dropper will receive 1 package from PricewaterhouseCoopers each week containing 2 bundles of test mail pieces to post within the week.

A receiver can expect to receive up to 3 pieces of test mail per week.

Both will be required to record a small amount of information and return it to PwC in a freepost envelope.

The time spent as a panellist is minimal and you can stop mailings when you are away.  Additionally, you can be a panellist both at work and at home.

They are looking for people in many areas.

Please let us know if you will participate to help raise needed funds for VOICE.  If you have any questions or wish to participate, please contact Mindy in the Office, (01) 642 5741.

Measure your water footprint by using this water footprint calculator.

If finding a new role is one of your new year resolutions, you may be interested in a vacancy with the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN).

SWAN is an umbrella network of twenty five of Ireland’s leading environmental groups working together on water policy issues. The role of the Network, Administration & Policy Support Officer is to assist the SWAN Coordinator in ensuring the smooth running of the SWAN office; to provide support to our member organisations; to facilitate smooth and effective communication amongst member organisations and between member organisations and other bodies and to assist with the delivery of advocacy plans and policy research projects.

For more details, visit SWAN’s website.