Tuesday, January 29, 2013

From Tree to Paper | How paper is made





Watch this video on how paper is made. Is it better than thin film plastic bags which you later use for trash and pick up after your dog?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ3HQ9lBHuA

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Contact info: Supervisors, US Senators, CA Governor, CA Senators and Assembly Members



Here are the links to our mayor, supervisors, governor, CA and US senators and assembly members:

1.  SF Board of Supervisors  - https://sfbos.org/
     For folks outside of San Francisco, google "board of supervisors and + your county" or "city of + your city", look for city council, city government or council members under "contact us" page where you will find mayor, vice mayor / mayor pro tem, and your council members.

2. SF Mayor London Breed: https://sfmayor.org/

3. Governor Gavin Newsom: https://www.gov.ca.gov/

4. Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis: https://ltg.ca.gov/

This link will help you find your California Senators / Representatives:
http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

5. California State Senates:  http://senate.ca.gov/senators

6. California State Assembly Members:  http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers

www.govtrack.us  -- This page help you find your US Senators and US Representatives:  http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/CA

7. California US Senators: Dianne Feinstein & Kamala Harris
 http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=CA

8. California US House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/representatives/


The Marching of The Bans & Fees. No One is Safe Anymore

http://www.cawrecycles.org/recycling-news/2127?rq=plastic%20bag

The marching of the bans and fees is sweeping across California, and has headed to Sacramento. Thank god AB298 was defeated in 8/2012. But sadly, it is finding its way back in early 2013 as AB158 sponsored by Representative Marc Levine, D-San Rafael and SB405 sponsored by Senator Alex Padilla. Your cities are not safe. In this witch-hunt that single-use plastic bags are the greatest evil on earth -- though they cost less to produce (reflected in prices; 1000 plastic bags can be bought for $19.99. Whereas 10c is not enough to cover the cost for 1 paper bag), hence curiously making them the most "environmentally friendly" compared to paper or cotton bags, and 40+ percent of plastic bags were reused as trash bags or for doggie waste, or brought back to stores to be recycled, almost every city in the bay area is pushing to enact some bans and fees before Earth Day 4/22/13. Read Costra Costa Times article "it is Menlo Park's Turn now" that lists all the cities in line. Menlo Park approved the ban and fee on ALL stores on 1/22/13 to take effect in 4/2013. On 1/15/13 Cupertino approved the ban and fee on ALL stores to take effect in 10/2013. Capitola, Carmel, Daly City, Pacifica, South San Francisco will all impose bag fee on ALL stores effective Feb or April 2013.The link on top of this page shows you where each city stands. 

San Mateo County, Marin County, Santa Clara County and Alameda County have all approved the ban. So all the cities in the counties must come up with some forms of bans and fees, some will be more severe than the other. Share this blog with all of your friends and families. We, the people, must speak up now!

This article by Washington Policy Center; an independent, non-profit, non-partisan think tank
Should Cities Ban Plastic Bags? states that even a noted environment organization stated that it can not support the claim that huge number of sea-birds and marine mammals was killed by ingestion of plastics. The argument that plastic bags kill is "false and misleading". The plastic came from hard plastic such as milk jug, juice jug, tub, cap, and water bottle. They were not from our plastic bags! Paper bags, canvas bags take more resources to produce and increase carbon emission hence global warming. The net environmental effect is negative! The claim that the "Pacific Garbage Patch" is twice the size of Texas is not only false, but "the exaggeration undermines the credibility of scientists."

Bags and bottled water don't pollute. People pollute. Human are the biggest polluters. So, do we ban procreation?

Tell your supervisors, mayor, council members how it has affected you, people you know, and how you and they cope. For example, a girlfriend of mine lives in Vallejo, and seldom come to San Francisco to visit her families. Her sister ran out of paper bags that she used for recycle, and asked her to bring over some. So she brought them whenever she took the ferry to SF.

And for myself, I used plastic shopping bag to line my small trash bins. I am running real low. And instead of buying the much thicker trash bags from stores which will be even harder if impossible for the environment to disintegrate, I bought 1000 plastic bags from Amazon for $19.99. That will last me for years. And I used to use the small paper bags from Walgreens to recycle food waste. Now I totally ran out. And the food waste wound up in trash. Upset with this 10c per bag fee imposed on discretionary shopping, I have been boycotting shopping since Oct'12. Thus far, I have opened my wallet -- or more correctly my heart to only 2 stores; Vera Bradley and a small boutique in my neighborhood. I recently was told that a lady would have bought $2000 worth of merchandise in Nordstrom cancelled her order when asked to pay 10c for the bag. She probably wouldn't come back for a long, long time.

We also need to write to our Governor, Senators, and Representatives to do a comprehensive review of the pros and cons on this bill. Todd Myers, the Director of Environment of Washington Policy Center authored this 2011 landmark book Eco-Fads: How The Rise of Trendy Environmentalism is Harming The Environment. He has testified in DC many times.

The non-profits with their simple sound bites refused to acknowledge many responsible citizens have reused and recycled plastic bags. Toilet paper, paper towels, pasta, bread are wrapped in plastic bags! We need more stores that provide plastic recycle containers. The non-profits and law makers are determined that more rules and regulations to shape / modify consumer behavior are their best policies! They only provoke bad feeling and revolt!

A law that affects its residents' daily lives need to be embraced by the residents and voted by themselves. Our country is founded on the very fundamental principle of democracy that is:

of the people, by the people and for the people.

We will not accept a law that is forced upon us. That will make us victims of robberies who could not complain to the authorities, for it is the authorities that has robbed us of our basic rights.


Talk to Your Supervisors or Council Members

https://www.sfbos.org/

This is the link to your San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The supervisors are who we elected to represent us. They are occupying the offices that are borrowed from us. Do not be a silent majority. We are powerful (!) as Michael Pollen said. We vote with how we shop, how we spend our money. Write to them! The non-profits have full-time, part-time staff and an army of volunteers who are totally sold to their simple sound bites. They spend all their time talking and talking to our leaders. If all they hear is from a vocal minority, that is what they will follow.

Remember that in a democratic country, the governance is: of the people, by the people, for the people. And we re the greatest democratic country in the world.

Obama said "Yes. We can."
Yes,  we can  - if we stay steadfast and don't give up or resigned to our "fate".

And I say A decent man can be pro-business, pro-consumer, pro-environment. A decent man has the balanced view between growth and conservation.

For folks in other cities, google "board of supervisors + your county" or "City of + your city". Look for "City Council / city government / council members" under "contact us" page.


Paper? Plastic? Or Neither?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/business/energy-environment/communities-curb-use-of-paper-and-plastic-shopping-bags.html?pagewanted=all

I totally share the hurt and indignance of Mr. Hoffman of Aptos Jeweler. This is precisely why I am so adamant about SF Bag Fee that was forced on ALL retailers. Aptos, Millbrae, San Jose, Berkeley, Washington DC, and now Cupertino all has this law. Stay away from these cities!

Folks, go shop and vacation at cities or towns that do not have these silly bans and fees. Support the cities and towns and tell the city councils that they are on the right track. They have to stay steadfast and do not waver.

The Trendy Drive to Ban Plastic Grocery Bags

http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/should-cities-ban-plastic-bags-no-the-harm-is-overblown

http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/library/docLib/plastic-bag-ban-lm.pdf

http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/bag-ban-is-unscientific-and-unsustainable-2

I am glad to have found Washington Policy Center, an independent, non-profit, non-partisan think tank that supports market-based solutions, that does not blindly worships simple minded eco-fads.
Todd Myers wrote the above, and has testified in DC more than ten times. 

Many green consultants are promoting eco-fads. With their flimsy resume, they are there for their consulting fees. I can name names in Southern California and its related tie now in NYC.

Some green folks are militant, yes militant (!), especially the younger ones. These who are brought up by parents who told them "they are SPECIAL."
Well. They are one of 8 billion people on earth, to be real.

The green people are self-righteous, so are the liberals. They are not shy of silencing the opposing sides and forcing their ideology down the throats of ordinary folks. It happens in politic, in media, AND in -- UNIVERSITIES! SHOCKING!

We need to call them out for their phoniness.
Share these books:
1. The Silencing: how the left is killing free speech by Kirsten Powers
2. The Intimidation Game: how the left is silencing free speech by Kimberley Strassel
3. Muzzled by Juan Williams, former NPR contributor. A black man who dare to work with Fox.


Boycott Shopping Bag Fee

I am dismayed that effective 10/1/12, San Francisco imposed a mandatory bag fee of 10c per bag on all stores, which include your favorite such as Macy's, Banana Republic, Gap, Ann Taylor, etc. This 10c will go up to 25c in 7/2014. And effective 10/1/2013, all restaurants will have to do the same with take-out food.

The law was voted 10-to-0 by the board of supervisors, except Supervisor David Campos who did not vote. Am I the only one who was sane here?

I don't begrudge this law if it applies to grocery shopping only, which we do regularly. This is chore we do regularly and need not be fancy. I have plenty of recycled bags and have been doing it before the "law" was imposed. Now I resent having to carry them. I am angry for -- who is going to carry a "recycled bag" to shop at Macy's, Bloomingdale? Give me a break here. Why do we shop? We shop for fun! Don't we want our purchases be wrapped and bagged nicely? Isn't that part of customer service? Now we are to bring a recycle bag in to bag our "stuff" away? I might as well shut my wallet! No sales tax for you, San Francisco!

I went to Vera Bradley in SF Mall -- my favorite shop and chatted with the lady there. She said recently for her son's special occasion, she bought a dress from Bloomingdale next door for $400. The sales clerk asked "bag or no bag?" She said "I want bag! Of course!" And has to pay 10c to have her "stuff" bagged away. What an insult! Is that how we want our shopping experience be like from now on?

San Francisco gets 1.5% (County 0.25% + District 1.25%) of the 8.5% sales tax we paid.
To boycott this SF bag fee and to get our lives back, we need to do:

1) Tell our friends and families to not shop in SF.
2) Tell the supervisors they have gone too far.
3) Tell the merchants we do not like it. We want our purchases be nicely wrapped and bagged, no question asked -- just the way it was before.
3) Tell the merchants to tell the supervisors that this "law" will not fly and is turning customers away.
5) Shut our wallets -- so that SF does not get to collect its share of the sales tax.
6) Take our shopping elsewhere, such as North Bay; Petaluma, Corte Madera, Sonoma and inland gold counties, such as Murphy. Corte Madera has 2 big and brand new shopping malls with all your favorites such as Macys, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Restoration Hardware. They are -- nice! And the city council hate the ban. Make a day trip out of it. Tweet, facebook your good finds.
7) Stay away from these cities that are black-listed: Aptos, Berkeley, Capitola, Carmel, Cupertino, Menlo Park, Millbrae, San Jose, South San Francisco. They can keep their bags. No sales tax for them either.
8) Shop online, so that you don't have to deal with this "bag or no bag?" insult.
9) Do no donate to environmental / wildlife non-profits. We don't know which organizations they in turn support that might come back to bite us. If you were so inclined to donate, donate to social causes such as  Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, Wounded Warriors, Disabled Veterans. 
10) Write to supervisors / council members of other cities, counties, and states legislators that this "expanded" ban and the fee are killing businesses and local economy
11) Ask your local and state legislators to reduce budgets for the environmental non-profits. The Federal Stimulus money has been a feast for them. It is time to cut back and bring back some senses of sensibilities. 


Join me in buying 1000 plastic bags from Amazon.com for $19.99. Never run out of trash bags. If we have to help ourselves with plastic bags, we will!