The Everyday Green: Johnny Depp Takes an Eco Spring Break!
by Katherine Butler
When it comes to vacations, celebrities know exactly how to do it up green. Last year, we reported that Johnny Depp purchased Little Hall’s Pond Cay, a 35 acres island in the Bahamas that has been outfitted with grid-independent solar hydrogen system. Is he taking an eco spring break this year? Much to my utter dismay, I have yet to procure information on Depp’s private whereabouts. However, if he were to ever voluntarily outfit himself with a GPS system, I may or may not be known to step into his frame once and a while.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean other celebs and normal folk aren’t getting their eco-vacations on. Leonardo DiCaprio has invested in an eco-friendly resort in Belize. Richard Branson did the same in the Virgin Islands. But what about those of us, who can’t, oh I don’t know, afford to buy an island? Luckily, there are green vacation options for those who don’t star in blockbuster movies.
Want an island vacation without actually buying an island? Take a trip to Star Island is a 35-acre cay near the Bahamian island of Eleuthera. Its sights are set on being the first carob-neutral island resort with 68-room luxury hotel, vacation homes, and condos for short-term rentals. Each structure a will have aphotovoltaic roof along with a small wind turbine. The island will also have a lagoon for collecting runoff, garbage converts to fertilizer and fuel for extra electrical wattage, a rooftop herb garden, and possibly even electric boats to plug in at the docks.
Not ready to go island on your island vacation? CESiaK is a beach resort south of Tulum, Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula’s Caribbean coast. Completely off the grid, this resort uses wind and sun to power its buildings. Msnbc.com reports that the Mexican resort collects rainwater to be filtered and stored in cisterns for future use.
Low sperm count seen in Chinese workers exposed to high levels of plastics chemical BPA
CHICAGO (AP) -- Chinese factory workers exposed to high levels of the plastics chemical BPA had low sperm counts, according to the first human study to tie it to poor semen quality. The study is the latest to raise health questions about bisphenol-A and comes two weeks after Canada published a final order adding the chemical to its list of toxic substances. Whether the relatively low sperm counts and other signs of poor semen quality translate to reduced fertility is not known. Study author Dr. De-Kun Li, a scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., noted that even men with extremely low sperm counts can father children. But Li said finding that BPA may affect sperm is troubling because it echoes studies in animals and follows his previous research in the same men that linked BPA exposure with sexual problems. If BPA exposure can reduce sperm levels, "that can't be good" and means more study is needed to check for other harmful effects, Li said. The study was published online Thursday in the journal Fertility and Sterility. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health funded the research. Andrea Gore, a pharmacology and toxicology professor at the University of Texas who was not involved in the research, called it an important but preliminary study. The results "are at least suggestive of the possibility that BPA may be one of the compounds that are causing some of these changes" in sperm, she said. But Gore said stronger evidence is needed to prove that BPA is indeed the culprit. BPA is used to make resins and strengthen plastics and is found in many consumer products: hard plastic bottles, metal food container linings, dental sealants and eyeglasses. Most Americans' urine contains measurable levels of BPA. Studies in animals have linked the chemical with reproductive problems and cancer. That's led to millions of dollars in new research in people. Steven Hentges of the American Chemistry Council, an industry group, said the study in China "is of limited relevance" to U.S. consumers, who typically are exposed to very low BPA levels that pose no health threat. The study involved 130 Chinese factory employees who worked directly with materials containing BPA and 88 workers who didn't handle it and whose exposure was similar to that of typical American men. Low sperm counts were found in workers who had detectable levels of bisphenol-A in their urine. Poor sperm quality was two to four times more prevalent among these men than among workers whose urine showed no sign of BPA. The lowest sperm counts were in men with the highest levels of BPA. BPA in urine was linked with lower-quality semen even in men who didn't work with the chemical, although their average BPA levels were much lower than in the other group. Li said the average level in this group was similar to that detected in U.S. men. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been evaluating the chemical's safety but declined to say if it is considering following Canada's lead in declaring the chemical toxic. In an e-mailed statement, the FDA said it is working with the National Institutes of Health and others "to advance scientific understanding of BPA and inform our decisions." AP-->
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When it comes to vacations, celebrities know exactly how to do it up green. Last year, we reported that Johnny Depp purchased Little Hall’s Pond Cay, a 35 acres island in the Bahamas that has been outfitted with grid-independent solar hydrogen system. Is he taking an eco spring break this year? Much to my utter dismay, I have yet to procure information on Depp’s private whereabouts. However, if he were to ever voluntarily outfit himself with a GPS system, I may or may not be known to step into his frame once and a while.
Want an island vacation without actually buying an island? Take a trip to Star Island is a 35-acre cay near the Bahamian island of Eleuthera. Its sights are set on being the first carob-neutral island resort with 68-room luxury hotel, vacation homes, and condos for short-term rentals. Each structure a will have aphotovoltaic roof along with a small wind turbine. The island will also have a lagoon for collecting runoff, garbage converts to fertilizer and fuel for extra electrical wattage, a rooftop herb garden, and possibly even electric boats to plug in at the docks.
