Eco-Labeling on Consumer Products

I was reading an article online, that was written by Alex Salkever. It is about Wal-Marts mandate to have all product suppliers eco-label all of their products. This means that suppliers would have to calculate the environmental costs of their products. These costs will then be tabulated into an easy-to-understand green rating. A green rating label would be posted next to the price tag on each product. Some retailers claim that this new policy would cause the supplier more work and would cause them to change packaging styles to accommodate such a label. Some feel that supplier would have to pass the cost of the extra work and packaging changes onto the consumer, which could raise the cost of a product anywhere from 1% - 3%. By applying this mandate, Wal-Mart has forced transparency and accountability on the entire consumer products market. This mandate would have drastic and long-ranging effects not only on what we buy but also on what chemicals go into our homes, our bodies, and ultimately into our ecosystem. Currently there is a vast weakness of labeling and transparency laws in the U.S. Large areas of the consumer products sector are not required to reveal the chemical content of their products. This includes products like household cleaning agents and cosmetics. Some think that if a company is not providing a complete ingredient disclosure, that this lack of disclosure would imply the presence of harmful ingredients in their products. Other companies would claim that if they disclosed all ingredients, they would be giving away secret formulas. Some consumer products companies do list ingredients on their products, but tend to use very small print, making it difficult to read the label -- let alone understand what the chemical names really mean. Suppliers who fail to comply with Wal-Mart's eco ratings mandate, would get no shelf space. In order to receive the green-ratings label, suppliers will likely have to disclose the absence or presence of potentially harmful substances. This information will be factored into the label rating, and also appear somewhere on the eco-label itself, perhaps in the form of a warning or an explanatory note. This means that over the next 4 years companies will have to reformulate products and production processes to get rid of any 'bad" ingredients. Products might cost more initially. Over time companies will learn how to produce better products for the consumer and for the environment. In the end, companies would be able to get those prices lower. And if a company is not willing to comply....there is always an eager competitor offering a lower-priced but still eco-friendly product will be more than willing to take their place.
This all sounds great but not being a scientist myself, I sure hope that the label explains what a chemical is and what impact it has on me and the environment. I really wish that I had paid more attention in my high school science classes. I also wonder if this same eco labeling mandate will be applied to those companies that make cigarettes and other tobacco related items...now THAT would be interesting to see.

Suicide Clinic - Death With Dignity

Here is an article that I found yesterday. I am glad that this option was available to this couple. I hope that this option is available to me should I ever decide to go this route. I feel that it is my decision and my right.
It was written by By Jill Lawless , AP. The story is called:

Maestro, Wife Die in Suicide Clinic

LONDON (July 14) -- British maestro Edward Downes, who conducted the BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Opera but struggled in recent years as his hearing and sight failed, has died with his wife at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland. He was 85 and she was 74.The couple's children said Tuesday that the couple died "peacefully and under circumstances of their own choosing" on Friday at a Zurich clinic run by the group Dignitas. "After 54 happy years together, they decided to end their own lives rather than continue to struggle with serious health problems," said a statement from the couple's son and daughter, Caractacus and Boudicca.The statement said Downes, who became Sir Edward when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991, had become almost blind and increasingly deaf. His wife, a former dancer, choreographer and television producer, had devoted years to working as his assistant. British newspapers reported that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Dignitas founder Ludwig A. Minelli said he could not confirm the deaths due to confidentiality rules.Downes' manager, Jonathan Groves, said he was shocked by the couple's deaths, but called their decision "typically brave and courageous."The deaths are the latest in a series of high-profile cases that have spurred calls for a legal change in Britain, where assisted suicide and euthanasia are banned.Despite the law, British courts have been reluctant in recent years to convict people who help loved ones travel to clinics abroad to end their lives.London's Metropolitan Police force said it had been notified of the deaths, and was investigating.Born in 1924 in Birmingham, central England, Edward Downes studied at Birmingham University, the Royal College of Music and under German conductor Hermann Scherchen. In 1952 he joined London's Royal Opera House as a junior staffer — his first job was prompting soprano Maria Callas. He made his debut as a conductor with the company the following year and went on to become associate music director. Throughout his life he retained close ties to the Royal Opera, conducting 49 different operas there over more than 50 years. He also had a decades-long association with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, where he became principal conductor and later conductor emeritus.Downes was known for his support for British composers and his passion for Prokofiev and Verdi, on whom he was considered an expert.In the 1970s he became music director of the Australian Opera, conducting the first performance at the Sydney Opera House in 1973. He also worked with the Netherlands Radio Orchestra and ensembles around the world. The couple is survived by their children, who said their parents "both lived life to the full and considered themselves to be extremely lucky to have lived such rewarding lives, both professionally and personally."The family said there would be no funeral. Associated Press Writer Ernst E. Abegg contributed to this report from Zurich, Switzerland.

My Dads Tribute To His Brother

My Dad has been working on this for a while now and today he gave me a copy of it. I thought that I might share it. I apologize for the small print. You can click on each page and it will enlarge it.