ECO Friendly Living USA

Innovation November 1, 2023
(Original issue date: October 25, 2023)
The name of “Tokyo Motor Show” was changed to the “JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW” this year. With the theme of “Honda Dream Loop,” Honda is welcoming visitors to the booth designed to convey the dreams Honda wants to realize and Honda’s vision for the future.
One of the featured items on display is the SUSTAINA-C Concept, a concept model of an electric vehicle which will enable people to “transcend the constraints of limited resources.” The development project leader, Takeki Tanaka, shares the thoughts and passion put into this concept model and the future society he envisions.
Joined Honda in 1993. After he worked on the North American Accord (sixth generation), Insight (first generation), Fit (third generation) as body design leader, then as an acting development leader, Tanaka served as the development leader for the Fit (fourth generation).
In 2023, as the development leader for the next-generation electric vehicle research team, he led the development of the SUSTAINA-C Concept.
– What kind of car is the SUSTAINA-C?
More and more customers are opting for electric vehicles; however, to achieve full-fledged popularization, we want to develop electric vehicles that are easy for customers to obtain in all aspects, including price. That was the starting point of our development, and we incorporated a number of unique technologies that will help society address the environmental challenges.

Toward the realization of a circular/recycling-oriented society with zero environmental impact, we want to pursue the closed-loop recycling of resources (resource circulation), which will enable people to enjoy freedom of mobility without being constrained by the availability of resources. With this concept car we propose our vision for the future society where what we want to do or what’s fun for us will be compatible with our environmental efforts.
We named this model “SUSTAINA-C” with “SUSTAINA” for sustainability and “C” for compact. We want SUSTAINA-C to be a sustainable, compact and everyday vehicle for more people. That is the passion we put into this model.
– What environmental issues are you trying to address with this model and what kinds of original Honda technologies did you put into this model?
With this model, we are trying to facilitate resource recycling and reduce CO₂ emissions. For the body panels of the SUSTAINA-C, we are using recycled acrylic resin recovered from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in the market in order to reduce automotive waste. Since acrylic does not lose its characteristics when recycled, it can be used repeatedly. The use of recycled acrylic will enable us to facilitate the recycling of resources.
Moreover, because of its high weather resistance and, thus, minimal sun damage and its smooth surface and great coloration, acrylic can be used for body panels without painting. As a matter of fact, the painting process is the most CO₂-emitting process in automobile production, accounting for about 80% of the total CO₂ emissions from an auto factory. By using acrylic body panels, we can eliminate the painting process, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions significantly.

Electric vehicles are expected to be environmentally-responsible vehicles because they do not emit CO₂ in use. However, unless CO₂ emissions are also eliminated in the production process, they cannot truly be called environmentally-responsible vehicles. With this in mind, we decided to use recycled acrylic.

However, acrylic panel is more prone to breaking upon impact, and therefore, until now it could not be used for auto body panels. To address this issue, we decided to use a new acrylic which is more flexible and less prone to breakage, which Honda had been developing in collaboration with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation. As a result, we were able to create an automobile nobody has ever seen before.

We also incorporated Honda’s playful spirit. Until now, the conventional wisdom has been that beautifully painted cars are the best, and unpainted cars are inexpensive alternative. However, we developed this model with the premise that we wouldn’t paint it. So, we took on a challenge to create a design expression that could not be achieved through painting.

For example, in the marble-patterned design, we intentionally show flow marks of acrylic resin that occurs during the molding process of the panels, presenting unprecedented design patterns for auto body panels. Also, because acrylic resin is recyclable, it would be easy to replace them with panels with different colors. It may be an interesting experience to change the color of your car body according to the mood you are in.

Many smartphones and other devices these days are not painted and are considered rather cool that way. I hope this “no paint is cool” trend will become the norm for cars as well.
Furthermore, taking advantage of another feature of acrylic, transparency, we came up with the technique of molding the tailgate as a single allylic panel, just like a smartphone screen, and letting the taillights shine through from the backside of the panel. Utilizing mini-LED panels, the taillights not only function as regular taillights, but can be used to display various images and/or messages.

I ride a motorcycle, and there is a motorcycle community culture where riders raise their hands to communicate with other riders when they pass each other, even if they are complete strangers. I thought it would be fun if we could do that with cars. For example, people who are heading to the same event can share some data of participating artists on display, or we can use our car to display ads while parked. There are many ideas, and I would like to add new ways of using our cars.
– The SUSTAINA-C is full of unconventional ideas and elements of surprise. How was this vehicle created?
Usually, new model development begins with a clear goal, and then the team is put together with the members necessary to achieve that goal. However, the development of SUSTAINA-C started differently. The idea was born through discussions at our regular weekly meetings.

These weekly meetings are open to anybody, participants have diverse areas of expertise, and they are of diverse ages. The topics we discuss are also diverse, including not only things related to automobiles, but any topics of high interest to society, such as generative AI.

Everyone comes to these meeting with a spirit of wanting to do something new, so the atmosphere is very positive. These meetings truly embody Honda’s Waigaya culture. In such an environment, what the participants bring to the meeting induces a “chemical reaction.” That is how we created this concept model, as an output of our meetings.
– As the leader who compiled various ideas generated at such meetings into a concept car, what did you keep in mind in terms of building this development team?
Stating the obvious, no one can build a car alone. As an engineer, I like to work diligently and quietly, but there is a limit to what one person can do, and it is necessary to share the work among team members. To me, an ideal team is the one where each member can work spontaneously based on our own initiative and thoughts, and not just follow instructions given by somebody else. I believe that such a team will lead to great achievements.

As for being a team leader, there are various opinions on the leader’s roles and management styles. But since I myself do not like to be constrained by too many rules or instructions, I think it is important to clearly indicate the direction the team should be taking, but not to give detailed work instructions.

When I joined Honda in 1993, then CEO Nobuhiko Kawamoto was an engineer with a strong passion for sports cars, who had been involved in F1 for a long time. Partly because of his background, I heard Mr. Kawamoto initially took a position against the development of the minivan. However, when he realized that it is necessary based on the market trends and other factors, he quickly switched his position with no hesitation and steered the company toward the development of Honda’s first minivan. Although I was just a young and inexperienced new associate at that time, I witnessed an awe-inspiring decision that the leader made, and I felt as if I had learned a little about how leaders should be.

Compared to that decision of Mr. Kawamoto, the leader roles and jobs I serve for the development of SUSTAINA-C were very different, because the direction we are taking was already clear and many ideas had already been gathered. The use of acrylic body panels was the first in the world, and we had no reference points anywhere, but I don’t think we struggled so much, rather I feel that all of the members were excited and enjoying working on this concept model.
– Please tell us why you chose this career path in automotive engineering.
I have always loved cars and all other vehicles since I was a little kid. I was attracted to the first-generation City when I was in junior high school, which made me want to work for Honda. My image of Honda cars was compact, user-friendly and nimble, and to me, Honda cars were cool in a unique way that set them apart from other brands.
There are brochures or booklets for some cars that are titled like “all about” that model, you know? I was a kind of kid who loves those “all about” books and reads from cover to cover. Among all those people featured in the development stories, I felt strong admiration for the development leaders. I remember that when I was asked what I wanted to do at Honda in the recruitment interview, I answered, “I want to be the development leader,” and they laughed at me.

After my wish came true and I joined Honda, I have been involved in product development, mainly in the area of body design, as an engineer for more than 30 years now. I love motorcycles as well as cars, and on my days off I team up with my friends to participate in various activities including endurance races.
– What is the value that SUSTAINA-C can offer to our customers, as a car developed by the team led by the leader who fulfilled his childhood dreams?
What we strived to achieve with the SUSTAINA-C was to make EGO and ECO compatible. With the SUSTAINA-C, the customers can enjoy going wherever they want, as much as they want, driving a car in their favorite color, without worrying about the environmental impact.

If people continue to seek the freedom of mobility in the future, it will conflict with environmental conservation efforts. However, I believe that addressing environmental issues and being more environmentally-responsible, including reduction of CO₂ emissions, are what Honda should do as a mobility manufacturer. It should be Honda promising to the customers that no matter where customers go in their Honda vehicles, it will not lead to environmental destruction.

I want our customers to be able to pick their favorite colors for their car and enjoy mobility more freely and happily. If such a car becomes a part of their daily lives, their life would be more colorful and enjoyable. Because this is what I want for our customers, to be honest, I don’t mind if customers don’t even know that SUSTAINA-C is made of environmentally-responsible materials.

That said, Honda is working on the area of “resource circulation” as a whole, with an eye toward mass production and commercialization in this area, based on the technology and concept we developed with this concept model. We believe that this will lead the value proposition of Honda we can promise to our customers.
– Beyond the development of SUSTAINA-C, what kind of future are you striving for?
Automobiles are a means to realize people’s freedom of mobility. So, all people who desire to have freedom of mobility should be able to use automobiles. However, currently, automobiles can only support the mobility of a limited number of people. For example, people who are not old enough to get a driver’s license (18 in Japan) or those elderly people who made a decision to voluntarily surrender their driver’s license cannot drive a car to go places. Moreover, as to driving for people with special needs, although the industry has made progress in offering more and better technological support, I think it is still not enough.

My dream is to realize a world in which no one is excluded and everyone can enjoy mobility more freely at their own will, and I would like to create cars that contributes to such a future. To this end, I will remain committed to the research and realization of next-generation electric vehicles.

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Mint eco car wash expansion plans now in the hands of West Palm Beach commissioners  Palm Beach Post
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Next time you need your succulent re-potted or have to re-stock your laundry detergent, then consider stopping by Boston’s first and only zero waste store that recently returned to the neighborhood where it originated.
After hopping around the Boston area over the past three years, Uvida Shop opened its doors 189 North St. on Feb. 1, thanks to a SPACE Grant from the City of Boston.
This marks a sort of homecoming for the eco-friendly store because it first opened in the North End in December 2020 before relocating to Brookline for the past year and a half.
Uvida Shop adopted the title of Boston’s first and only zero-waste store after receiving multiple awards from the city, CEO and Founder Maria Vasco explained to MassLive. After about about two years, Vasco decided to claim the title.
“There’s a lot of small businesses,” she explained. “I was like, maybe someone else is out there and we just don’t know about them, but it’s been a good amount of time to find it out.”
“Vida” translates to “life” in Spanish, so Vasco named the store Uvida to mean “U life” to encourage consumers to live a little more eco consciously.
The eco-friendly shop sells non-toxic home essentials made without plastics or wrapped in plastic packaging. All products are made with bamboo, glass, cardboard, or recycled/compostable materials.
Popular products include bamboo toothbrushes, reusable wool dryer balls, reusable shopping bags, and silicone wine glasses. The store also has a station where customers can refill their own containers with hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, shampoo and conditioner.
All refills — which are free of parabens, sulfates and dyes — are made from hypoallergenic formulas and good for sensitive skin. The refills are available in unscented and scented options as well.
People are welcome to bring in their own bottles or use the free ones at the store. Vasco added that the Uvida’s soap vendor reuses its bottles when shipping products, creating “a closed loop system.”
On top of this practice being more environmentally friendly, the refill station is more cost-efficient because it eliminates the need for people to buy new bottles of soap and detergent. The products are even more concentrated, so they last longer as well.
“It absolutely is a money-saver. It’s really a win-win situation,” Vasco added. “It’s just great quality product and it’s better for [people] and the planet.”
Did you know that there’s a zero-waste store in Boston that will re-pot your plants and let you refill your soaps? @UVIDA SHOP #masslive #boston #bostontiktok
The shop will even re-pot people’s plants for those who are nervous about giving their succulent a new home. Uvida also sells kitchen, bathroom and personal care products. With all these offerings, Vasco said the store has something for everyone.
“Some people just come for our refills to refill their shampoo, hand soap, dish soap, laundry. And some people just come for the products,” Vasco explained. “They also love that we have a free gift-wrapping service.”
The overall mission of Uvida Shop is to introduce people to more sustainable ways of living. Vasco said this has been challenging given the fact that sustainable living practices are not the most common.
“That is one of our biggest battles because this business is very innovative in the sense that it’s not something that is mainstream,” she said. “So not only do we have to try to get people to come in and refill, we have to also educate people.”
Vasco founded Uvida Shop while majoring in Environmental Studies and Sustainability at UMass Boston.
She learned about zero-waste stores while studying abroad in Spain and visiting California. This combined with her studies inspired Vasco to first open Uvida Shop at 28 Atlantic Ave. in Boston in 2020.
The store stayed there for about three years before moving to 395 Washington St. in Brookline. Vasco said the reason behind the move to Brookline was “to test it out.” But Vasco ultimately “wanted to be in Boston again.”
So she decided to move the business back to the North End. As a result, Vasco said customers new and familiar have been excited about Uvida’s return to the neighborhood where they first opened.
“It’s been really great and positive and then for our customers who we have already had and don’t live in the North End, they’re just being really positive because they’re like this is more accessible to them,” she said.
In honor of Uvida’s return, the store will host a grand opening on Saturday, April 27 to coincide with Earth Day. The theme will be “Planet vs. Plastics” and the event will feature a ribbon-cutting, free food and giveaways.
Customers can visit Uvida’s new storefront or go online to browse products and learn more about the zero-waste business and its other events like its seasonal clothing swaps.
People can also follow the Uvida Shop on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X.
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Features

Mariah moved to the region almost 10 years ago for the subtropical foliage, admiring the greenery’s prominence throughout rural and urban areas, and she’s determined to keep Southwest Florida green. “I might not even realize I’m doing it because it’s second nature to me at this point,” Mariah says. “But, the fact that other people are picking it up and sharing it, that’s the ripple effect we need.”
After Hurricane Ian, Mariah and John were among the first to boat to Sanibel and Captiva Islands. They used John’s drone to capture footage of damaged property for clients. Though the islands may look similar to the tropical destinations of South America and beyond, Southwest Florida’s climate is subtropical—and Mariah seeks to respect that—despite local clients having historically been drawn to showy tropical breeds. She points to the newer-built homes where she installed tropical landscapes that were washed away in the storm while the native plants remained. Mariah is heartened to see more clients eager to embrace the native look for longevity and resiliency. She guides local homeowners to swap nonnatives for similar-looking endemic plants (saw palmettos instead of Chinese fan palm, for instance), and to add storm-smart elements, like inland rain gardens to help retain water in the event of flooding.
Currently, she’s working with Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association on revamping the downtown section of the 5-mile GICGA Bike Path Boca Grande, filling the 2-block segment with native flora. For the eco-conscious DIY enthusiasts, she recently started offering a lower-cost consulting service, where she’ll assess your property and provide guidance on the best plants and placements for your yard.
She walks the talk in her home, too. Mariah is working to incorporate a traditional chickee hut into her backyard’s more-than-50-year-old Cuban laurel to serve as her outdoor office. “I think about growing up and being outside a lot and then recreating that as an adult,” she muses. “What do I enjoy? I enjoy going outside—but we’re grilling now. We’re having a glass of wine, you know? I love just walking the garden and checking on my plants.”
—Jaynie Bartley
 

Casey Streeter

Fisherman and owner of Island Seafood Market
Casey Streeter gestures toward the front of his Island Seafood Market, toward the hole where the double doors used to guard the Key lime-hued fish house where, pre-Hurricane Ian, locals and out-of-towners regularly gathered for picnic fixings and fresh-off-the-water bounty. We are inside a scar; the shell of the building is no longer choked with 2-plus feet of fetid mud deposited from the storm’s churn, and a sturdy roof shields Casey from the day’s drizzle. But exposed rafters and a roar of traffic separating us from the pilings across the street, where more colorful buildings that define Matlacha used to be, remind us there’s still a ways to go in rebuilding the artsy fishing town. Beyond, stand the mangroves. Brown, but not dead. Traces of green tickle the far end of the pass. These are the waterways that the Michigan native has wandered for 12 years. “It’s just pure,” he says.
His son, Kai, and daughter, Sailor, have grown up in this place—one of the few working waterfronts remaining on Florida’s Southwestern shores. Casey and his wife, Katie, built the market as a destination for fresh seafood that’s hauled in on one of Casey or his fellow fisherman’s grouper boats. Island Seafood Market became a staple for food and culture. Passionate about protecting the island’s way of life, Casey founded Florida Commercial Waterman’s Conservation in 2018 in the wake of the devastating red tide bloom. The nonprofit works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to have local captains monitor water quality changes. Casey understands the well-being of our waters is linked to his community’s livelihood and that captains, who are constantly in the field, can help bridge knowledge gaps. 

In less than 24 hours, Hurricane Ian upended Casey’s life, but in the immediate aftermath, he wasn’t focused on his business. While he and his family worked to rebuild their homes, Casey called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, county commissioners and state representatives, dialing every number he could until he was directed on where to help. He formed a new business with fellow fishers, Fisherman’s Disaster Response, and collaborated with a federal emergency management contractor to remove and haul debris. Casey got to work.
The storm surge ripped away Matlacha’s buildings, marooning the shredded structures in gnarls of mangroves. From December 2022 until August 2023, Casey and a team of others scoured every bay and inlet his barges could reach—nearly 700 miles of coastline—and crawled through the mucky undergrowth to clean up debris. “I feel accomplished for what we’ve done,” Casey, who hopes to reopen the market by the end of the year, says. “It’s just like any other infrastructure. [Our work] is the bridge from the water to the land.”
— Andrew Atkins
 

Kealy McNeal

Coastal Watch director at Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation
On a smudged January afternoon, Kealy McNeal cuts the wheel of her truck on a narrow stretch of Woodring Road along Tarpon Bay’s northeastern lip. She peers through branches of weathered mangroves to the eroding shoreline a few feet from the road, a glaring reminder of the island’s dependence on its coastal protectors. “It looks like there’s a few more up here that are alive,” she says, pointing out some small, green stems creeping out of the gnarl of slimy brown roots and sand. It’s her first time back to this mangrove restoration site in about a month; she’s been juggling an endless list of recovery efforts in Hurricane Ian’s wake. Though there are signs of lost seedlings—broken stems and barren patches where volunteers previously planted the trees—there’s promising evidence of little ones surviving.
For three years, Kealy has served as director of Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Coastal Watch crew, which implements volunteer-based solutions for local conservation. After landing at Sanibel Sea School in 2018 as an outdoor education coordinator, she ran camps and kayak tours to share the importance of Southwest Florida’s natural ecosystems. She loves talking about how mangroves, with their sediment-trapping root systems, act as natural seawalls against intense storms and help prevent erosion—an ever-present concern for the island, where sections are slowly disappearing.
When Kealy transitioned to her current role with SCCF, she revamped the programming to incorporate more community-driven conservation strategies. Her adopt-a-mangrove project, introduced in 2020, revolutionized the city’s approach to coastal restoration via natural solutions, calling on locals to be ‘Mangrove Mamas’ and care for propagules from their own backyards—picture kiddie pools and lanais hosting seedlings for five to six months. Between individuals, schools and organizations, the group cared for more than 1,000 mangroves this season. When it comes time to replant, she takes eager volunteers, ranging from teenagers to octogenarians, out on boat trips to nearby sites to rehome hundreds of the vital plants.

Seeing how the community rallied to help SCCF collect thousands of pounds of debris on Sanibel after the hurricane pushed Kealy to create more restoration opportunities for residents. Her next step is to invite Sanibel tourists to join the fight. This year, she’s implementing a voluntourism initiative so vacationers can help preserve the place they return to, year after year, via beach cleanups and invasive species removals.
In the meantime, she continues to urge all of us to act now and commends locals for heeding the call. “Sanibel and Captiva residents, they move down here for a reason and see its natural beauty,” Kealy says. “They’ve seen the changes. And they want to be a part of the solution.”
—Addison Pezoldt
 

Nick Batty

Farmer, Inyoni Organic Farm
Nick Batty was majoring in horticulture at the University of Florida, trying to decide what to do with his degree after graduation, when he stumbled upon the writings of poet Wendell Berry. The writer and farmer often wrote about seeking refuge in nature and the importance of conservation. “He inspired me to look at farming on a sustainable level,” Nick says. As a student, Nick had the chance to work on some organic farms, and Wendell Berry’s words gave him a sense of direction for what path to take next.
Nick, who was born and raised in Southern Africa’s Swaziland, now Eswatini, moved to Naples when he was 10. The son of a farmer,  he learned from his father, drawn to the physical part of the work. “I have a hard time at desks, staying focused,” he says with a laugh. Soon after graduating, Nick started Inyoni Organic Farm, a 6-acre, USDA-certified organic farm in Golden Gate Estates, where he now produces about 50 varieties of vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruit—including a small batch of pineapple trees left over from his father’s former farm nearby.
In January, rows upon rows of fresh crops, like plump radishes, budding turnips and abundant baby greens, line his fields, all of it grown in ways that prioritize a healthy environment. That means using a natural neem oil instead of harsh insecticides and planting cover crops in the summer to improve the soil. Nick also works to help with the region’s water quality issues by ensuring the farm’s drip-irrigation system delivers water directly to the plants with minimal runoff into the Gulf. 
Nick is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and bounty with the community. He sells his crops directly to consumers at farmers markets throughout the week and through his online shop. He’s also a go-to for local fine-dining chefs, who turn to Nick for specially cultivated gems. The farmer might work with a chef to review seed catalogs before planting for the season, grow hard-to-find, coveted ingredients (so long as they grow in harmony with the land), and create special blends of greens so restaurants can offer distinctive dishes. Throughout the year, he hosts events on the farm for visitors, including luncheons with agricultural guest speakers, to keep the conversation about the future of local food at the forefront.

Looking ahead, Nick’s eyeing purchasing additional land with Victory Farms owner Thomas Webb. He knows more organic farming translates to less impact on the larger ecosystem.
While Nick’s approach contributes to myriad facets of protecting the Gulf, he says his role is one of many in a cast of players working at the national and local level. In his poem, A Standing Ground, Wendell Berry wrote, “Better than any argument is to rise at dawn/ and pick dew-wet berries in a cup.” Nick is happy to get his hands dirty for the cause. “I’m just a very, very small part,” he says.
—Kristine Gill
 

Diana Giraldo

Sustainability Architect & Consultant, Community Development Reimagined
A city is like a body; it’s a system, Fort Myers architect and urban designer Diana Giraldo says. If one part of the system is failing, then the whole body struggles. As Southwest Florida’s population balloons, Diana says it’s essential to approach development with a sustainable mindset. She launched her Community Development Reimagined (CDR) consulting firm in 2020 to help build human- and earth-friendly projects that enhance communities. She pushes for green building certifications—metrics that recognize stellar environmental and energy standards—on all her projects. That may mean offering interventions for water-saving and energy-efficient techniques, filling a neighborhood with drought-tolerant native plants or  ensuring new builds have access points for locals to connect.
For her, designing a building extends far beyond the structure itself. She thinks about how a space can transcend its footprint and positively impact the community as a whole. “It’s never just about the building,” Diana says. “It’s about the context of the building and the environment together.”
The Colombian-born architect, who served as the City of Fort Myers’ first sustainability manager for seven years, grew up in an affordable housing community with a propensity for being outside and limited access to greenspace. As sustainability manager (a role created for her), she implemented the green building program used in all of the city’s affordable housing projects.
Through CDR, Diana works with clients to address transportation concerns (an issue she worked on in her native Bogotá), amplify greenspaces (she consults on the City of Fort Myers’ Parks Master Plan), and create more pedestrian- and bike-friendly paths (the bike crash survivor also founded Streets Alive SWFL in 2012 to promote road safety locally).

She’ll weigh in on development plans that may encroach on sensitive environmental lands when there’s an opportunity, and outside firms consult Diana to understand the local culture and context for their plans. Currently, she’s working on The Greater Dunbar Initiative, which is set to transform the historically underserved neighborhood’s Southward Village into a vibrant, mixed-income community. Beyond adding 375 new units, the project will invest in nearby schools, add amenities, and introduce essentials, like a local grocery store. A major proponent of responsible landscape solutions, Diana has proposed turning a stormwater drainage pond into a feature with Florida-friendly landscaping, shade trees, benches, a walking path and exercise equipment. “That way, it’s integrated into the community,” she says.
In January, Diana announced her candidature for the Fort Myers City Council Ward 2 seat. At the top of her list of core issues is addressing affordable housing and changing regulations to allow for more sustainable development. Diana’s superpower lies in her ability to have a bold vision and the capacity to bring those ideas to life, creating spaces that foster vibrant, healthy communities. “Architects think a lot about what we’re leaving for the next generation,” she says. “It’s our job to set a path forward that has both balance and equilibrium.”
—Artis Henderson
 

Denise Wauters

Founder, Everglades Threads and Publisher of The Mullet Rapper
A decade ago, ready for new opportunities for her family, Denise Wauters embarked on a road trip through Florida, seeking a new home. The founder and creative director of the Paradise Web advertising agency fell in love with Naples for its serene beaches and connection to nature. Since then, she has directed her ever-churning mind to preserve what makes her adopted community distinct: the art, history and ecological wonders.
Soon after landing on the Gulf, the artistic Denise, who has long been fascinated with the natural world, ventured into the Everglades to explore the cypress swamps and sun-drenched prairies, capturing her experiences through her lens and sketch pad. “I felt like I was living in a postcard,” she says.
As she became aware of community needs, she unleashed her creativity to address them. About three years ago, watching artist friends struggle to gain exposure, she launched a sales platform, Everglades Threads, where she retails shirts, mugs, tote bags and related items with original art that celebrates iconic elements of Florida—see Denise’s Spoonbill, Hannah Ineson’s serene Wings over Water landscape, and Tara O’Neill’s Women who Fish scene. “It’s a passion project,” she says. “Everything I do is a passion project.”
Denise insists on carrying products that are locally designed, ethically made, eco-friendly and responsibly manufactured in the United States. She has also found other ways to leverage the site, expanding Everglades Threads to include “Threads with a Cause,” specially branded merchandise that raises money for environmental protection and saving the 1927 Bank of Everglades Building in Everglades City, a citizen-led initiative to recover the historical icon. In 2022, Denise purchased the Visit Everglades City website and The Mullet Rapper, a long-standing community newspaper focused on the town and surrounding areas, like Chokoloskee and the Ten Thousand Islands. Denise, who visits Big Cypress often, had a relationship with the paper and website’s prior owner. When the owner was ready to retire, Denise jumped at the chance to take over. “So many tourists pick up that paper,” Denise says. “It gives us a chance to educate the world, not just the community.”

Denise has expanded The Mullet Rapper’s footprint to include coverage of other nearby environmentally and culturally distinct communities, like Goodland and Port of the Islands, and to cover environmental initiatives like the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and its regional impact.
One thing she won’t change: The quote from the great Florida conservationist Marjory Stoneman Douglas that has long appeared on the back page of every issue: “The Everglades is a test. If we pass it, we may get to keep the planet.”
—Jennifer Reed   

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LONGi Awarded Silver Sustainability Rating by EcoVadis for its Outstanding ESG Performance  SolarQuarter
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Germany reopened car dealerships today, but it could be a struggle to convince consumers to buy a new car. So the country’s top auto executives and politicians are calling for an eco-scrappage plan to spur sales of EVs and other efficient vehicles. Auto executives, government officials, labor, and environmentalists all agree on the need for the program.

Bavarian premier Markus Soeder earlier this month called for a program like the cash-for-clunkers program implemented by the US and Europe a decade ago. In 2009, sales soared after European consumers were given up to about $2,500 to trade up to a fuel-efficient vehicle. Soeder said:
We need to have another very specific discussion about how we can strengthen the automotive sector. And I think it is necessary to develop a model similar to the scrappage scheme to give a massive boost to domestic demand.
Soeder said the measure was especially needed to boost demand for low- emission vehicles.
Now is the chance to start a project in which we can promote cars in Germany with an innovation premium.
A decade ago, few electric vehicles were available for sale. So an eco-scrappage program in 2020 would need to be redefined for the electric age.
Regardless, BMW’s chief executive Oliver Zipse immediately endorsed the eco-scrappage idea. He said that the German industry “needs to be at least as strong after the crisis as before the crisis.”
Ralf Brandstatter, Volkswagen’s chief operating officer, wrote: 
A sales support can be a sensible contribution to climate protection.
Stephan Weil, the premier of Lower Saxony, the German state which owns a 20% stake in Volkswagen, voiced his support for an “eco scrappage scheme” that would specifically boost demand for electric and hybrid cars. He said:
Above all, the switch to environmentally friendly drives can be accelerated significantly, and the automotive industry can be supported.

Former VW CEO Matthias Müller, left, and Stephan Weil, premier of Lower Saxony, tour a VW factory in 2017
Eric-Mark Huitema, director of ACEA, European automakers’ lobby group, added his voice to the chorus:
It is in Europe’s interest that this key strategic sector not only recovers but also is revitalized to make a strong contribution to the EU’s industrial strategy, the European Green Deal as well as the continent’s global innovation leadership.
Tobias Austrup, a transport specialist at Greenpeace, said:
It is good that Weil and Soeder link any state aid for the car industry to ecological progress this time. If all taxpayers make this money available, then everyone must benefit from it — for example, through better air, less climate damage, and secure jobs.
A spokesperson for Germany’s Economic Ministry said that demands and proposals from the auto industry are being considered. But no decision has yet been made. Top car industry officials and labor unions are scheduled to discuss ways to overcome the economic crisis on May 5 with German government officials in Berlin.
Earlier this month, Ford became the first US automaker to propose a government stimulus program along the lines of the 2009 “Cash For Clunkers” program.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
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Bradley writes about electric cars, autonomous vehicles, smart homes, and other tech that’s transforming society. He contributes to The New York Times, SAE International, Via magazine, Popular Mechanics, MIT Technology Review, and others. 

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Are Americans’ sustainability efforts making a difference? | National | caledonianrecord.com  The Caledonian-Record
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16 December 2023. With the toy shopping spree well underway as Christmas nears, a toxics watchdog group calls on businesses to strictly comply with a 12-year-old law to make sure that toys containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) called phthalates are not produced, imported, and offered for sale.
EcoWaste Coalition made the clarion call as the 12th anniversary of the issuance of the Department of Health Administrative Order 2009-0005-A is observed.
Issued on December 14, 2011, the said order makes it unlawful for any person to manufacture for sale, offer for sale, distribute in commerce, or import into the country any children’s toy that contains concentrations of more than 0.1 percent of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) or benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP).
It further disallows toys that can be placed in a child’s mouth that contain more than 0.1 percent of diisononyl phthalate (DINP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP) or di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP).
Found in a wide range of toys and other children’s products, especially those made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, phthalates can leach out from the materials containing them and get ingested, inhaled, or absorbed by the skin.
The group noted that despite the directive restricting phthalates in toys, PVC toys laden with phthalates are still found in the market.  For example, the group last October monitored the online sale of a flying spinner toy, which the Swedish government banned for containing excessive amounts of DBP and DEHP, as well as toxic lead and short-chain chlorinated paraffin.
Last year, seven baby care and toy products with PVC components, including a doll, boxing gloves and mini basketball, submitted by the EcoWaste Coalition to a global testing company for phthalate analysis were found contaminated with DBP, DEHP, and DINP.
The FDA in August last year issued an advisory warning consumers against the purchase and use of a bathtub dog playset that was tested and found adulterated with high levels of phthalates, particularly DBP and DEHP.
Despite being banned by the FDA in 2015 and again in 2021, the group’s vigilant monitoring has confirmed the continuing sale of cheap artificial nails marketed for children’s use that come with an adhesive containing DBP.  This product is often sold in stores outside public schools.
“It is very likely that more soft plastic toys containing restricted phthalates are sold in the market as current regulations do not prohibit the use of PVC in toys,” said Manny Calonzo, Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.  “As the PVC ban on toys is not yet in place, we urge business establishments to refrain from selling soft toys that are not authorized, certified, and labeled PVC- and phthalate-free,” he added, stressing “unauthorized toys which have not gone through the FDA’s notification process may pose health risks to children.”
Studies in animals and humans have linked phthalate exposure to a wide range of health problems, including asthma and allergic illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficits, learning difficulties and intellectual disability, and reproductive health disorders such as genital abnormalities. Exposure to phthalates even in tiny amounts can affect the essential functions of the endocrine system.
To prevent children’s exposure to phthalates in toys and related products, the EcoWaste Coalition advises consumers to:
Steer clear of products made of PVC, vinyl, or plastic marked #3.
Refrain from buying soft and squeaky plastic toys unless certified phthalate-free.
Avoid plastic products with a strong chemical smell.
Purchase duly authorized and labeled products from licensed distributors, wholesalers and retailers.
Look for reliable phthalate-free marks on the product label.
It is important that toy safety laws and standards, including the mandatory labeling requirements as specified in Republic Act No. 10620, are fully enforced and that manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers, including online sellers, only offer toys that are safe and toxic-free, the EcoWaste Coalition emphasized. It is also imperative that consumers actively assert and exercise their rights to product information and to be protected against hazardous chemicals in products, the group added.
Overall, the Ecowaste Coalition is also campaigning for a “Zero Waste Pasko” to encourage everyone to conserve resources and lessen the traditional holitrash (holiday + trash) during the festive celebrations. The group reiterates that the best gift this Christmas season is a healthy mind and body, away from EDCs and other hazardous substances that pose a real threat to the public’s health and well-being.
EcoWaste Coalition
The EcoWaste Coalition is a non-profit environmental health and justice organization based in Quezon City, Philippines that is working toward a zero-waste and toxics-free society where communities enjoy a safe and healthy environment.
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February 13, 2024
This article has been reviewed according to Science X’s editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content’s credibility:
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by University of Limerick
A new study by researchers at University of Limerick in Ireland has revealed a sustainable method of efficiently converting waste heat into electricity using Irish wood products, while minimizing costs and environmental impact.
The study, led by researchers at UL in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Valencia, has demonstrated a method of generating electricity using low-grade heat recovered from lignin-derived membranes.
Lignin, typically overlooked, is a sustainable byproduct derived from wood in paper and pulp production. The study shows that these membranes can convert waste heat into electricity by utilizing the movement of charged atoms (ions) within the material.
This is a significant advancement as previous studies had only demonstrated this technology using cellulose from natural wood, and the new UL research has successfully applied it to lignin from waste wood—contributing to a more circular and sustainable economy as a result.
Low-grade heat refers to waste heat generated at temperatures below 200 degrees Celsius. In industrial processes, 66% of the waste heat falls into this category, highlighting the potential of this breakthrough for developing sustainable heat-to-electricity applications.
The study is published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
Professor Maurice N Collins, Professor of Materials Science at UL’s School of Engineering and Principal Investigator at the Bernal Institute who supervised the study, explained, “Low-grade heat comes from various sources like waste heat in industries, heat losses in insulating systems, ocean thermal gradients, biomass fermentation, and solar heat.”
“Despite its potential, utilizing low-grade thermal energy in energy harvesting applications has been challenging due to the lack of cost-effective technologies.”
“Our research explores the use of ionic thermoelectric membranes made from lignin, an underutilized by-product in the paper and pulp industry, offering a sustainable solution.”
Lead author Muhammad Muddasar, a NXTGENWOOD Ph.D. student based at the Bernal Institute, explained, “We have developed the first lignin-based membrane for ionic thermoelectric energy harvesting.
“Our membrane is lightweight, easy to synthesize, and biocompatible, making it suitable for various applications, including thermal energy harvesting, temperature sensing, and biomedical sensors for health monitoring.”
The UL researcher’s work on the NXTGENWOOD project comes under the umbrella of the Science Federation Ireland’s Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research (AMBER). The project is dedicated to developing new value-added applications from Irish wood.
Professor Collins said, “While there is still room for further development in heat-to-electricity conversion applications, the study demonstrates that abundantly available lignin can successfully contribute to low-grade thermal energy harvesting, especially in scenarios where sustainability and cost-effectiveness are crucial.”
More information: Muhammad Muddasar et al, Lignin‐Derived Ionic Conducting Membranes for Low‐Grade Thermal Energy Harvesting, Advanced Functional Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202306427
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