3 Matching Annotations
  1. Oct 2020
  2. Oct 2019
    1. WHEN it comes to the state of the environment, it’s easy to get swept up in the doom and gloom of it all. Global warming, high pollution levels, climate change and waste disposal all dominate the headlines, painting a bleak picture of what’s to come. But just because it seems hopeless doesn’t mean it is.T roubled times call for ingenious solutions, and Australia is home to some of the brightest ecovators in the world, like Robert Pascoe, Managing Director of environmental solutions company Closed Loop.Through its Simply Cups initiative, Closed Loop is tackling Australia’s overwhelming waste problem by teaming up with 7-Eleven to save 70 million coffee cups from landfill this year — equivalent to the number they sell each year. While the most sustainable option is forgoing a disposable cup for a reusable one, some circumstances are beyond your control. Like your inability to remember anything before you’ve had your morning coffee. Which is a bit of a catch 22, isn’t it? That’s why 7-Eleven are installing dedicated coffee cup recycling bins in over 200 of their stores nationally, as well as funding 50 other large-scale locations including offices, universities and construction sites as part of the initiative. Coffee cups are one of the largest contributors to litter waste in Australia, with an estimated one billion ending up in landfill each year because they are not recycled.Yep, unfortunately you read that right: one billion cups.Coffee cups are one of the largest contributors to litter waste in Australia, with an estimated one billion ending up in landfill each year because they are not recycled.“T here’s a lot of misinformation out there,” Mr Pascoe said. “The consumers aren’t at fault because ultimately they don’t know what can be recycled and what can’t. I think if we can get that information out there, then people will demand products that are made from recycled materials.”For the majority of us, learning that our disposable coffee cups fall into the category of what can’t be recycled is both confusing and devastating. But, as Mr Pascoe says: “You can’t unknow something once you know it.”“Part of the problem is they didn’t know they weren’t being recycled. A lot of people said, ‘oh no, I put my coffee cup into the recycling to be recycled’, but of course, they’re not,” he continued.A nd why is that, exactly? It’s because most paper coffee cups are lined with a waterproof plastic that makes them hard to recycle — but not impossible. And that’s where Simply Cups comes in. “We’ve come up with a system that can actually recycle these cups if we keep them separate. We’ve got technology available now to do it, but we have to have coffee cups kept as a separate stream. Or anything that has the plastic lining of milk cartons or juice boxes,” Mr Pascoe said. The technology he’s referring to is “kind of like an organic solvent” that works to separate compound materials. Invented by Dennis Collins in Ballarat, the technology was initially designed to separate the PVC material from the hessian used in truck liners and advertising banners.“Dennis called us and said, ‘I’ve got a solution for your coffee cups’,” Mr Pascoe said. “So now we’re building a plant that can process around 150 million coffee cups per year, which is about 1.5 thousand tonnes. That will only be about 10 per cent of disposable coffee cups alone, so we’re going to need quite a few of these plants eventually. We have the solution, but we really need the coffee cups. “That’s why we started the Simply Cups program.”And that’s where coffee addicts come in. Once they drop their coffee cups into a designated recycling bin, they will then be taken to a processing plant using this new technology. The inner plastic lining of the cups will be removed and then recycled into things like plastic outdoor furniture, safety equipment and food trays.A nother eco-minded initiative helping solve Australia’s waste problem is the anti food-waste website, Yume. The website fights food waste — which is a huge problem in Australia — by allowing consumers to buy surplus and unsold food from restaurants and cafes at half the price. The ‘wholesale marketplace for surplus food that saves you money while saving the planet’ shares the same idea as ‘YWaste’, an app allowing retailers to sell food that would otherwise be thrown away.Over its 40-year history, Patagonia has donated about $114 million to grassroots environmental organisations. Over its 40-year history, Patagonia has donated about $114 million to grassroots environmental organisations. Their advertising has begged consumers not to buy things they don’t need (even their own products) and they’ve implemented a program that repairs their products for free rather than replace them. Their commitment to the environment is reflected in the materials of their products too; wetsuits are made of natural rubber and raincoats are made from recycled plastic bottles. This year, the company launched Patagonia Action Works, a digital platform that aims that aims to connect people with environmental nonprofits, helping them get involved through events, petitions, and volunteering.H &M, too, are doing their bit to close the loop on fashion waste with their global campaign encouraging customers to recycle their clothes. They launched their garment collecting initiative in 2013, asking customers to drop off any unwanted items from their closets. Depending on the condition of the clothing, the items are either distributed to second-hand stores for resale, or recycled into other items like yarn, rags, and insulation materials.And just look at Elon Musk. He’s raking in bajillions of dollars every minute almost exclusively thanks to Tesla and SolarCity, which have disrupted an entire industry. While some snigger at his grand ideas — let’s colonise Mars! — the accomplishments of how he has changed the way we shop for cars are hard to deny.A fter a complicated relationship with French beauty giant L’Oreal, The Body Shop is now in the hands of ethical Brazilian beauty brand Natura, promising to return to its pioneering ethical business.“All of us share the aim of doing business as a transformational force for good and a force for change for society and for the environment. We couldn’t think of a better union to nurture our brand’s commitment to naturality and sustainability,” said the Body Shop’s Communications Manager, Jessica Styles. “In 2016, The Body Shop launched its new sustainability plan, Enrich Not Exploit, supporting the brand’s vision to be the most ethical and sustainable global business in the world.”“All of us share the aim of doing business as a transformational force for good and a force for change for society and for the environment. We couldn’t think of a better union to nurture our brand’s commitment to naturality and sustainability,”Jessica Styles, Body Shop’s Communications Manager The plan set fourteen targets to help The Body Shop become a "truly sustainable business", including powering all its stores with 100 per cent renewable energy, overhauling product packaging by slashing the use of fossil fuel-based wrapping and designing new sustainable innovations. This year there’s a special focus on protecting Red Pandas in Nepal, a species currently on the endangered list.“Now more than ever, companies have the platforms and frameworks to not only voice doing good for the planet and people but to also act on it. The more we see big brands doing their bit, the more it becomes entrenched as something that not only employees but customers should be thinking about,” Styles said. “It’s the big corporations of the world that can help foster and influence this through their own businesses.” Skin care brand Youth to The People has made a conscience decision to use 100 per cent recyclable packaging. Co-founder Joe Cloyes says the decision reflects the brand’s philosophies.“We believe in creating as little waste as possible, we believe in cruelty-free products, and we believe in sourcing the best ingredients for your health and your skin. It's just that simple,” he said. “Modern consumers care about their environment just as much as they care about their healthy skin, and they're very much connected. We have found it's very important to people.”FIND OUT how many cups of coffee you could be recycling EVEry yearHow many cups of coffee do you drink every day?How many days per week do you drink coffee?How many weeks per year do you drink coffee?Calculatecups of coffeecould be recycled These are but a few eco-minded initiatives that offer Australians the chance to do their part in securing a cleaner future for generations to come. For every company that spills millions of gallons of oil into our oceans, there are plenty more companies operating under a socially responsible ethos. They recognise enterprise and environmental responsibility can in fact go hand-in-hand.“I think every organisation should have a sustainability policy,” Mr Pascoe said. “There are plenty of organisations around that can have a positive impact on the environment. We’re talking about the effect they have on the environment, the way they consume energy, and the way they manage their waste. In my world, there’s no such thing as waste.” Over one billion cups end up in landfill each year because they are not recycled. That’s why 7-Eleven has joined forces with Simply Cups to establish cup recycling in Australia. Save your cups by placing them in a Simply Cups bin at any participating 7-Eleven #cuprescue. Story by Erin Bromhead | news.com.au
  3. Mar 2017
    1. Who am I? I am "doing" French history.

      This is fascinating! What an excellent articulation of the self. I'm willing to bet that I'm going to be using the "embodiment" tag a fair number of times in this text, and this is a great place to start.

      Here, Cixous is already recognizing that her "self" is at least partly a racially, historically, and politically situated body. Simply by being the rhetor she is, she is actively "doing" French history by participating in the public sphere. It may not have been as dangerous for her as it was for Douglass or Palmer or Stewart, but much of what she had to say was still revolutionary, and her body is an important part of that revolutionary performance.