| Global wool industry reliant on Australia
The International Wool Conference has highlighted how the entire world's wool industry is almost solely dependent on Australian wool growers. The tension surrounding mulesing is bringing that clearly into sharp focus. The few hundred high powered businessmen, technical boffins, beaurocrats and journalists at the Beijing conference owe their livelihoods to Australian woolgrowers. Many here represent multi-billion dollar businesses, employing thousands of staff from across the globe. The plush marbled environment of the enormous Kunlun Hotel in Beijing and the busy ants' nest of noisy taxis and the pollution from a city the size of Belgium, is a world away from the dusty yards, battered utes and familiar woolsheds that surround those that drive this global industry. Without Aussie farmers there is no wool industry, there are no pure wool suits or fashionable catwalk garments.
Polygamist Clothing Has Roots in 19th Century and 1950s
For a society accustomed to the likes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, the images of the women from the polygamist compound in Texas are almost shocking in their understatement: Ankle-length dresses, makeup-less faces, hauntingly uniform hair. (Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press) .
It's eco-chic as fashion goes green
To disagree with Kermit the Frog, it is easy being green. By now, if you're not sleeping on bamboo sheets, drying off after your shower with organic cotton towels, slipping into a soy sheath and flashing conflict-free diamonds, you're just not eco-chic. The greening of the fashion industry, building for the past couple of years, is moving from class to mass. Indeed, what started with a handful of designers on environmental missions selling their wares at indie boutiques has become a full-fledged fashion phenomenon, with major players like JC Penney joining in. Concern about climate changes, energy costs and product safety are among the factors driving consumers to want clothes and other products that are made from environmentally sustainable materials like bamboo. More than one- third of American adults say they "regularly" buy green products, up from just 12 percent last year, according to Mintel, a market research company.
Greener cleaners can be a step in the right direction
Customers can bring in a toxic cleaner to Whole Foods from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on April 22 and trade it for a free enzyme-based cleaner to replace it. Enzyme cleaners work by utilizing natural proteins that eat whatever it is you're looking to clean. Sounds great, right? Well, the Green Guide says it is ... sort of. Some powdered enzymes can also cause asthma, notes Senior Editor Emily Main. There are other ingredients in the enzyme-based cleaners that aren't so good, either. "Because ready-to-use enzyme cleaners are diluted with water, they require the use of preservatives," Main notes, "and many companies use harsh chemicals like propylene glycol, a skin and eye irritant, and other neurotoxic glycol ethers such as butyl cellosolve." But, she says, if you buy concentrated versions, which have less water, you can avoid some of those preservatives.
FEMA Offers Advice On Mold After Flooding
If your home was affected by the recent flooding it may be harboring mold. Mold can be a significant problem after flooding and proper cleanup is critical to ensure that it does not affect you or your family's health. People sensitive to mold may experience a stuffy nose, irritated eyes, skin irritation, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. People with asthma, pregnant women, infants, the elderly and individuals with compromised immune systems are at higher risk for health problems from mold. If you or your family members have health problems after exposure to mold, contact your doctor or other health care provider. To prevent or stop the growth of mold after a flood, all areas of a home that were wet in the floodwaters must be cleaned and completely dried. Mold can start to grow within 48 hours.
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