Welcome to the July edition of ECCO Magazine’s monthly e-Newsletter, In this issue we continue our 2010 Green Challenge by asking you to Donate, the benefits are astounding. We also examine the dilemma many have faced throughout the ages: Cloth or Disposable Diapers.

This year’s FIFA World Cup has been the most disappointing and thrilling all at the same time. The ‘vuvuzela’ debate will soon come to an end and we will still be left with the BP devastation in the Gulf of Mexico.

The BP Oil spill has been leaking since April 20th, killed 11 persons and has become the world’s worst oil spill disaster in U.S. history. Over 75 days, 140 million gallons of oil and billions of dollars later still no resolution. The damage caused by this disaster will last for many years.

Let’s learn from the experiences of others and help to sustain our environment in all that we do. Ke Nako!!

Happy reading!

Shelly-Ann Dunkley

E.C.C.O. Magazine

Cel: (876) 378-1257

Fax: (876) 926-8152

MAGAZINE

Shelly-Ann

CONTENT• The Diaper Dilema• Green Challenge: Donating• ECCO Green Army Calendar

OUR PRINT PARTNER

GREEN TIPPlug out electronics and appliances when not in use. A TV can use over 12 watts of electricity when not in use.

hoosing which type of diaper is best for you (and your baby) is not going to be an easy task. Cloth diapers have become a lot more high-tech, giving today’s parents the convenience of disposable diapers. From an environmental standpoint, there has been much debate over the impact of disposable diapers versus that of cloth diapers. In the USA, it is estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, faeces, plastic and paper are added to landfills annually through the disposal of disposable diapers. While Jamaica’s population is a mere fraction of that of the USA, we have become almost as much of a “throw-away” nation as our neighbours to the north. In addition, with the inability to collect solid waste in some areas of Jamaica, disposable diapers are being discarded inappropriately – such as being flushed and therefore, affecting sewage treatment plants and/or “soak-aways”, being thrown into gullies, or being buried or burnt outside homes. The untreated human waste placed in landfills by dirty disposable diapers may pose a danger by contaminating ground water and spreading disease and bacteria. While the quantity of human faeces being placed in the landfill from disposable diapers may be small in comparison to the total waste being deposited every day, we must remember that our major waste disposal sites are populated by ‘scavengers’ who search the waste

disposal site for materials from which to make a living.

The traditional cloth diaper is reusable, will last for 75 - 100 washings (at a minimum), and can be saved for the next child. In addition, cloth diapers can be recycled at the end of their useful life to make cotton rags.

On the other hand, pro-disposable advocates say that cleaning cloth diapers uses more energy, contributes to the load on sanitary sewer systems and adds to the potential water pollution. In addition to which, manufacturers need water to grow the cotton to make cloth diapers, diapers need to be laundered, and parents need to do additional loads of laundry if cloth diapers leak. Disposable diapers, it is said, are getting better at not leaking, thereby reducing the additional laundry loads required for clothing and bed linens.

Although some disposables are said to be biodegradable, in order for these diapers to decompose, they must be exposed to air (oxygen) and sunlight. Since that will be highly unlikely at a landfill, decomposition, can therefore take several hundred years.

Moreover, while cloth diapers are a good alternative to disposable diapers, they aren’t necessarily environmentally pristine as some of them have bleached cottons, so the environmental by-product dioxin is still generated.

The Diaper Dilema (Cloth vs. disposable)

Cby Luciana Gordon-Smith

The bottom lineThere really is no one best type of diaper that is good for every family. Parents should make their decisions based on their lifestyle, finances, personal preferences and concern for the environment. This may lead you to using one type or the other, or a combination of the two. When considering your environmental impact, one should also assess the local conditions, such as the water supply, potential for water and air pollution and solid waste disposal options.

At first glance, it appears that cloth diapers are the best way to reduce the load on our waste disposal sites; however the laundering of these also appears to use a lot of water, which could present a problem in periods of drought, or drought-prone areas. The choice that is right for you and your baby may be different from the one that’s right for your friend and her baby. The best thing to do is know the advantages and disadvantages between cloth and disposable diapers and choose the one that best suits your sensibilities.

Referenceshttp://www.momlogic.com/2008/10/are_diapers_bad_for_the_enviro.php#ixzz0dwWwvjFthttp://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htmhttp://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2004/04/63182#ixzz0sRnzJaGOhttp://eartheasy.com/wear_cloth_diapers.htmlhttp://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=127835http://www.ec.gc.ca/envirozine/english/issues/45/any_questions_e.cfm

2010

July Newsletter

Green Challenge

As part of our 2010 Green Challenge we ask that you consider donating items to charitable organizations, nearby schools and other organizations. The benefits are amazing: there is the potential tax benefit, providing others with an income, feeding others in need, assisting persons with drug addiction, preserving space in the landfills, and good karma.

The Salvation Army with its many locations worldwide has been providing assistance to persons in need for hundreds of years. With your donations they are able to feed, clothe and assist thousands. Through their Thrift stores, families who have lost their homes due to fire, hurricane and other disasters are able to start over with items YOU have donated. They then refurbish them, and sell them at a modest price or donate once again.

Captain Derick Miller from the Salvation Army stated “our NEEDS grow continuously and the more donations we receive the better able we are to make life a little more comfortable for our fellow human beings”.

John Williamson the Territorial Development Director of the Salvation Army wanted to make it clear that the monies collected from their Thrift stores operations are used to provide over 500 meals per day as well as provide drug rehabilitation services. He states that support from Corporate Jamaica and individuals is overwhelming. However the more they receive the more they can assist.

In this consumer driven economy and world we now live in, there are a lot of products on the shelves made for one time use or with limited shelf lives. In the United States approximately 80% of all goods purchased are disposed of after one use. Keeping these items out of our landfills not only helps someone in need, but also reduces the amount of reusable waste collecting in our landfills making space for items better suited. >> continued...

Donating

Our landfills are filing up with items that can be repurposed, reused, refurbished or donated: clothing, appliances and other items. These items could possibly be used by someone else.

a. Why Donate? • Possibletaxbenefitsforindividuals

and corporations* • Helping others in need: children

and families • Keepingthegarbageoffthestreets • Possibilityofnewjobs:repurposing

and repairing broken products

b. What to donate? •Monetarydonationsareaccepted • Clothing • Books • Furniture • Computers,electronicsand

appliancesAnything you no longer consider necessary, think before you throw it in the garbage.

c. Environmental benefits of Donating: Clothes, food, time, electronics?

• Makesspaceforotheritemsinlandfills

• Preventsleachingofharmfulchemicals and pollutants

• Reducespollution:airandwater • Provides(‘green’)jobsby

repurposing old and used furniture

d. How to donate? Contact your local: • SalvationArmyandRedCross • YMCAorYWCA • Churchorcitizensorganization • School

* Contact the Tax Department for details on tax benefits for your donations. Click the link below for a listing of approved Charities, Schools and Organizations http://www.jamaicatax.gov.jm/home_template.php?page=charitableOrganisations

ECCO’s GREEN ARMYcalendar

5th – 16th Shakti Kids “Save the Earth” Summer Camp (Call 906-8403 for details)

5th Summer Theatre for Kidz (Ongoing event: Mondays – Thursday 9am-2pm Call 318-6970)

10th Artopia @ Grosvenor Gallery (1 Grosvenor Terrace)

27th Voices for Climate Change - Sectoral workshop 4 - Climate Change and Tourism and Health

JULY