COLUMBUS, OH—June 29, 2009: Embracing its historic roots as a farm community, the city of Dublin hosts its first-ever community market, formed by members of the Dublin community, local business owners and farmers. The market will officially commence Wednesday, July 1 at 4:30PM at the Dublin Community Church. Markets will continue each succeeding Wednesday until season’s close on October 28th.

The market features a number of the area’s highest quality producers, with wares ranging from fruits and vegetables to baked goods and dairy products. Unusual to most community markets, the producers played a large role in its creation.

Jaime Moore of The Wayward Seed Farm is one of the market’s producers and founders, passionate about bringing a market to downtown Dublin. “It was a welcome opportunity to help create a market from the farmer’s perspective. As a grower starting a market, we were able to influence its quality—not just products, but services, too. We wanted to create a market that embraces both farmers and marketgoers.”

“We also serve a large number of Dublin residents in our community supported agriculture program (CSA). We liked the idea of better serving them through a more convenient location,” Moore continued.

The market is located in the parking lot of the Dublin Community Church.

Continue reading the whole press release here.

Your health is only as good as the air you breathe.  Unfortunately, you’re probably one of the many millions of Americans who live and work in buildings awash with chemical, biological and particulate pollutants linked to chronic illness.   Perhaps you’re blissfully unaware of this fact, after all,  Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) isn’t in the [...]

These days, every skin lotion and dish detergent on store shelves gloats about how green it is. How do shoppers know which are good for them and good for the earth?

It was a similar question that hit Dara O’Rourke, a professor of environmental and labor policy at the University of California, Berkeley, one morning when he was applying sunscreen to his young daughter’s face.

He realized he did not know what was in the lotion. He went to his office and quickly discovered that it contained a carcinogen activated by sunlight. It also contained an endocrine disruptor and two skin irritants. He also discovered that her soap included a kind of dioxane, a carcinogen, and then found that one of her brand-name toys was made with lead.

And in looking for the answer, he hatched the idea for a company that used his esoteric research on supply chain management. “All I do is study this, and I know nothing about the products I’m bringing into our house and putting in, on and around our family,” Mr. O’Rourke said. But when he wanted to find that information, he couldn't. Most consumers would struggle to do so.

Excerpt from The New York Times - Click to read full article

Sara Rampersaud added another resource for finding the ingredients in cosmetic and home products - http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1

Thanks to BuildingGreenTV.com for the epsiode!

Mark Schwerdtfeger, a 2008 SI group member, achieved outstanding waste reductions and cost savings at GOJO Industries in Akron and is now directing sustainability implementation at Heinz Frozen Foods in Massillon. According to Mark, GOJO Industries was able to reduce its overall solid waste generation 50 percent by utilizing innovative approaches such as arranging by-product synergy. For example, GOJO works with The Little Tikes Company, which uses GOJO mixed plastic waste to produce playground equipment.

GOJO also saved $170,000 by donating previously landfilled waste soap to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. The annual cost of waste soap disposal had been $300,000. Toiletries such as soap and shampoo cannot be purchased with food stamps. By collaborating with the Foodbank, the product is repackaged and provided to Ohioans in need.

This post is taken as an excerpt from the Ohio EPA's Quarterly Newsletter [PDF link]