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20 Sep 02 - Ikea; cups; Sip Sacs; pesticides; home composting ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- The first two postings are in response to the 9/19/02 posting of the New York Times article describing the new ad campaign by Ikea. The $40-million-plus ad campaign celebrates disposability and "encourages consumers to junk their household furnishings more frequently." -------------------- From Jamie Cahillane, Center for Ecological Technology, Pittsfield, MA: I don't like Ikea's decision to market their products this way, however, it reminds me of the Exxon Valdez. After it ran aground, Greenpeace declared that we shouldn't blame the captain of the ship, blame ourselves for over-consumption of oil. How ironic, the only SUVs back then were Jeep and one model each at the Big 3 and Japanese automakers. If Americans feel that they are worthless without new furniture, then Ikea will do well. E-mail: jamiec (A T) cetonline (D O T) org -------------------- From Carl Woestwin, Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle, WA: The Ikea story is awful to read, especially since we have taken them as an ally in the past. It's like McDonald's - do some little waste prevention prettying up of a very ugly picture and, voila, you are an environmental hero. I live on the north end of Seattle, but I traveled well past the city's southern limits to visit Ikea. Swedes, you know, exemplars of good design and cars that last. Yuck. Ikea sells crap - furniture with (sometimes) pretty facades, but built incredibly poorly. Well, now they are really showing what they stand for, profits and larger market share at any cost. I guess I show my age by actually being shocked by this stuff. E-mail: Carl [ DOT ] Woestwin [ AT ] ci [ DOT ] seattle [ DOT ] wa [ DOT ] us --------------------- From Barbara Frierson, City of Fremont, Fremont, CA: I'm looking for info on "environmentally preferable disposable coffee cups." (I know, I know...) Our new City Hall is going to have a coffee machine available to the public. The vendor has offered the City polystyrene cups, and we are looking into alternatives. Does anyone know of any vendors of dioxin-free and/or recycled-content cups in an 8 - 10 ounce size? I need the info as soon as possible; we meet with the vendor Tuesday afternoon, Sept 24. Thanks for any assistance! E-mail: BFrierson (AT) ci (DOT) fremont (DOT) ca (DOT) us Phone: (510) 494-4672 --------------------- From Renee Kimball, "Enuf! The Planet's Favorite Band," Portland, OR, responding to the 9/19/02 posting objecting to a product called the "Sip Sac" (a bag, partly made from recycled paper and printed with an organization's logo, that goes around people's beverage cans at an event or gathering): In defense of the producer of this particular product (Stan Miller & Associates), while I'm not thrilled with the idea myself, the company does produce one of the largest ranges of recycled and waste reductive promotional products I've seen out there. We particularly like their biodegradable "made from corn" bags. We can use them as percussion in a song and then give them out to the audience - it gets the message across faster and better than an hour of ear-bending with a lecture. I also like the biodegradable golf tees. So, do check them out before you write them off. By the way, I've already alerted them to the reaction to their product. E-mail: rrrrenee ( A T ) aracnet ( D O T ) com ------------------- Link to a 9/18/02 column by Francesca Lyman on the MSNBC website, about the health risks from lawn and garden chemicals (forwarded by Sharon Aller): http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_email.asp?/news/809243.asp ------------------- Link to "How Composting Works," a detailed look at composting, which is a new addition to the "How Stuff Works" website: http://www.howstuffworks.com/composting.htm/printable The How Stuff Works website is maintained by How Stuff Works, a private media company based in North Carolina that produces various information resources. (Note from Tom: We're running this article on the Forum because it deals primarily with home composting, which is often considered a form of waste prevention.) - end -