How many planets does it take to support your lifestyle?

Your impact on this planet

Go to this HERE to get a better understanding of how YOU are making an impact. 

You will choose from your diet, transportation, services, to utilities. This website will also help you take measures to decrease your impact. 

You still have time to take measures.

Blessings,

Nafiinu

http://footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/

Global Warming : Social Effects

Social Effects of Global Warming 

The sensitivity of human society to climate change varies. Sectors sensitive to climate change include water resources, coastal zones, human settlements, and human health. 

"We can observe this happening in real time in many places. Ice is melting in both polar ice caps and mountain glaciers. Lakes around the world, including Lake Superior, are warming rapidly – in some cases faster than the surrounding environment. Animals are changing migration patterns and plants are changing the dates of activity(Livescience).
One of the most immediate and obvious effects of global warming is the increase in temperatures around the world. 

Global sea levels have risen about 8 inches since 1870, according to the EPA, and the rate of increase is expected to accelerate in the coming years. If current trends continue, many coastal areas, where roughly half of the Earth's human population lives, will be inundated.

Since the Industrial Revolution began in the early 1700s, the acidity of the oceans has increased about 25 percent, according to the EPA. "This is a problem in the oceans in large part because many marine organisms make shells out of calcium carbonate (think corals, oysters), and their shells dissolve in acid solution." 

As dramatic as the effects of climate change are expected to be on the natural world, the projected changes to human society may be even more devastating.

Agricultural systems will likely be dealt a crippling blow. Though growing seasons in some areas will expand, the combined impacts of drought, severe weather, lack of snowmelt, greater number and diversity of pests, lower groundwater tables and a loss of arable land could cause severe crop failures and livestock shortages worldwide.

North Carolina State University also notes that carbon dioxide is affecting plant growth. Though CO₂ can increase the growth of plants, the plants may become less nutritious.

In addition to less nutritious food, the effect of global warming on human health is also expected to be serious. The American Medical Association has reported an increase in mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever, as well as a rise in cases of chronic conditions like asthma, are already occurring, most likely as a direct result of global warming.

This loss of food security may, in turn, create havoc in international food markets and could spark famines, food riots, political instability and civil unrest worldwide, according to a number of analyses from sources as diverse as the U.S Department of Defense, the Center for American Progress and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Many of these expected effects are the result of exhaustive scientific research and climate models, and the fact that most of them are already being observed gives additional credibility to the projected effects of global warming and climate change.

We cannot be waiting for other people to start taking action. It is in our hands to take the first step, we are the people. There is power in the people. 

May God help you to be motivated.

-Nafiinu

To read more of this information go to:

http://www.livescience.com/37057-global-warming-effects.html

Ethical fashion

Ethical fashion WHAT?

Ethical fashion can be defined as the production of textile items with a conscience. With the concept of social responsibility gaining ground, corporates all over the world are recognizing the importance of environment protection and ethical business. Fashion houses are no exception. More and more fashion designers and textile producers are striving to produce goods that do not harm the environment and are cruelty-free. Ethical issues in fashion are emerging.

Ethical fashion WHEN?

The concept of ethical fashion is old; however, it is gaining more and more popularity in the modern times. As awareness about environment conservation, cruelty to animals and ethical issues in business is rising, fashion brands are also increasingly adopting ethical means. Customers are also becoming more and more aware of ethical fashion and the demand for ethically produced fashion products is on the rise.

Ethical fashion WHY?

Why should textile producers and customers adopt ethical fashion? Animal and human rights activists as well as environment protection activists have brought up ethical issues related to the fashion industry time and time again. Some of the major ethical issues that have come up are:

The production of cotton entails the use of a large amount of pesticides, which is harmful to the environment and to people. Figures indicate that nearly 2 billion USD worth of pesticides are used annually, of which pesticides worth about 819 million USD have been declared toxic as per the guidelines of the WHO. The health of the workers spraying pesticides in cotton fields and the people living around these fields are adversely affected. Pesticide poisoning can lead to symptoms such as headaches, tremors, nausea, depression, seizures, loss of consciousness, and, in some extreme cases, death. Empty pesticide containers are sometimes reused, which again leads to serious ill effects on the health of the people using such containers. The use of toxic pesticides leads to air, water and soil pollution. Apart from the pests, pesticides also cause the death of other small animals and birds consuming them inadvertently.

The chemical dyes that are used in the production of garments also lead to skin problems. Problems such as eczema, rashes and skin irritation have been noted among people on account of dangerous toxins in the clothes worn by them.

Human rights activists have also pointed out the various ethical issues behind the preparation of a fashion product. Extremely low wages and long hours, unhealthy and unsafe working conditions, exhaustion, sexual harassment and mental stress are some of these issues. 

I believe that by thrifting and vintage shopping you are engaging in decreasing negative impacts on communities and environment. You are also able to support small businesses instead of corporations. 

-Nafiinu 

5 Ways to Make Packaging More Eco Friendly

Happy love day to everyone. I was looking to buy shipping bags, but I couldn't find anything that was colorful. It seems that the most popular in Amazon is the white poly mailers envelope. I am trying to find ways to be more eco-friendly, so here are some of the tips I found. Let me know if you have any more suggestions.

1. Corrugated Cardboard: As the most recycled and versatile material on the planet, using corrugated cardboard is an obvious choice for eco-friendly shipping boxes. The material can be designed into countless shapes, sizes, thicknesses and durability, allowing for customization that helps cut down on fuel costs and wasted material. Corrugated shipping boxes are widely reused for moving, shipment and storage.

2. Recycled Plastics: Many types of plastic do not break down easily after disposal, adding to landfills and causing harm to the future of the environment. Recycled plastics, such as recycled PET (RPET), are made from recycled plastic water bottles. Minimizing plastic use in packaging materials and using only RPET can help make packaging more eco-friendly.

3. Cushioning Materials: The right cushioning materials can improve eco-friendly shipping boxes. Traditional filler materials made of polystyrene foam, or Styrofoam, are harmful to the environment. Recyclable loose fill peanuts are most sustainable solutions, or less bulky cushioning material that reduces size and weight of boxes.

4. Sustainability Audits: Evaluating the packaging process from production to disposal provides a clear, detailed assessment of what works and what doesn't. Identifying the flaws within the process can improve packaging solutions in the future.

5. Packaging Design Reviews: Examine the benefits, cost factors and efficiency of a package's design, determining where and how the design fails and how to improve sustainable solutions.

Off Topic.  I am thinking about changing the name Nafiinu. If you have any sugestions please send them my way. If I use your choice. You will get $25 credit to use at Nafiinu.

Nafiinu is a modest, vintage, eco-friendly, [artsy] shop

-Nafiinu

Information derived from:

 http://www.hpcorporategroup.com/5-ways-to-make-packaging-more-eco-friendly.html