◎彰化人

近日美國牛肉、戴奧辛毒鴨、鉻米、汞污泥、RCA事件、六輕毒氣外洩、毒鮑魚、毒茶、工業鹽…。人心惶惶，驚覺立身之處，已不是「美麗之島」，已成為「科技毒島」。RCA電子遺毒、污泥、重金屬污染、毒氣等，高污染高耗水產業，在台灣現有一光鮮的避難名稱，名喚「科技」。

一、毒害「台灣米倉」及「兩大果菜市場」； 無毒農業 成空談

中科四期位於「稻米產銷專區」，供應全國稻米、蔬果、牛奶、雞蛋、雞肉、豬、羊…等最多的產區，素有「台灣米倉」之稱。新竹香山綠牡蠣、霄裡溪受面板廢水污染飲用水、中科台中基地砷污染、中科后里園區導致河川毫無生態及污染農田。中科四期有誰能保證不會發生污染事件嗎？

彰化是農漁牧大縣，將來數10萬的農漁民何去何從？彰化(中部)沿海還會有漁業資源嗎？VOC日夜薰陶稻米、蔬果、牛奶、漁產，其將影響全國第一大果菜市場（西螺）及第二大果菜市場（溪湖）的蔬果來源，毒害國人食物安全之虞。

二、全國最大 年下陷速率8.4公分 地點在「二林」；中科用地下水「二林」變「林邊」

96年水利署資料顯示，全國地層下陷最嚴重的地區是「二林鎮」。彰化自來水98%抽取地下水，二林區更是100%抽取地下水。83年起政府明令禁止抽取地下水，卻讓中科四期每日使用16 ~ 20萬噸的地下水；八輕國光石化更高達每日40萬噸，其超抽量為本地民生用水的百倍以上。

三、大量有毒廢棄物如何處理？

中科四期環說書提到揮發性有機化合物（VOC）的排放量為：約1593公噸/年；

其他空污量：約332.25公噸/年；事業廢棄物：一般約1714公噸/日、有害約336公噸/日；污水更不用提了（人人避之唯恐不及）；污泥約400公噸/日，重金屬污泥約21公噸/日，要如何棄置呢？健康成本不重要嗎？連呼吸都會增加罹癌率。

四、政治介入環評行政命令凌駕一切

無數次的環評及專家會議，都無法決議的廢水排放問題，吳揆一道命令凌駕一切，中科在地方說明會上，竟採用未經環評的吳揆決議，不知環評委員有何感想？

五、廢水排放要10萬漁民斷生計

吳揆的「奇想」，卻是100%的傷害到彰化沿海的養殖業，因為八輕的預定地就在二林溪南岸，北岸起是永興、王功及漢寶等三大養殖區，其外圍從芳苑到鹿港綿延數十公里的蚵園。潮水由南往北，將有毒廢水送到魚蝦、貝類的棲息地，將來沿海還有漁業資源嗎？

六、浮濫徵收民地 使人無家可歸；陽光彰化雙月刊卻說 人民一廂情願

區委會中，相思寮的阿公阿嬤哭喊：政府強徵民地，害其無家可歸。三年後又失去農保，政府有如土匪般，我們平靜的生活，要縣府這樣照顧嗎？

但彰化縣府主編『陽光彰化雙月刊』No.10，提到「人和：地主為了繁榮地方，更為下一代的將來著想，願意將他們畢生心血灌溉的土地納入科學園區範圍」；對照相思寮居民的眼淚，覺得對政治人物睜眼說瞎話的能力感到火冒三丈…。

七、「八輕」來了!  是否步上「六輕」周圍5鄉鎮癌症暴增呢？

八輕預定地在大城、芳苑二鄉，設立4000公頃的石化工業，與六輕隔濁水溪南北兩岸，恐將成為世界最大的石化區。六輕設廠尚未10年，由學者研究報告得知「六輕與癌症顯著相關」。六輕在『麥寮』，但罹癌暴增最嚴重的地方在『台西』。因風向、煙囪高度會影響落塵的方向及遠近，通常最污染的地方，不是當地，而是周圍鄉鎮。

20多年前宜蘭縣長陳定南：「六輕是超級污染若建在宜蘭，我將成宜蘭千古罪人」。

王永慶：「沒有污染，可以做得非常好」，事實證明…。彰化縣長您呢？彰化發展的契機嗎？請問麥寮週遭的5鄉鎮，有找到縣長說的「發展契機」嗎？

八、工業污染 照顧農漁牧大縣 荒謬之論

中科四期、八輕、加上彰濱擬設「火力發電廠」（因應電力不足），彰化的農漁民及居民有福了？報載中科四期，將照顧農漁民生計，令人不解的是「空污、有毒廢水」可以促進農漁牧業增產嗎？縣府聲稱中科四期及八輕為其政績，促使彰化西南角成為鑽石角，或許回顧麥寮六輕、台西等地，就可獲得答案。

九、區委會的投票制度有重大瑕疵

委員中，官方代表有10人，學者專家有7人。大家應猜得出結論吧！關起門來，可想而知必然會過。但問題是，高污染高耗水的產業，建在台灣農漁牧最精華的地區，可以嗎？要在全國下陷最嚴重的地區超抽地下水，可以嗎？廢水流入沿海三大專業養殖區及大片蚵園，可以嗎？重大爭議皆未釐清，且攸關數10萬人生計。

這些問題，不是多數決的問題，而是「飛機鬆脫最重要的螺絲下，可以飛嗎？」。

中科四期環評，明顯違法，且不顧環委建議進入二階環評或撤案（詳見會議記錄98.10.13），對人民的聲音，更是不屑傾聽，竟不顧一切強行通過，毫無正當性可言。台灣最精華的農漁牧區，供應最大果菜市場（西螺）及第二大果菜市場（溪湖）的稻米、蔬果、牛奶及漁產之台灣米倉，將受中科及八輕的VOC日夜薰陶及廢水毒害，國人健康，將在政治豪賭下宣告死亡，成為政客的短暫政績，卻成為數十萬農漁民及居民，乃至於國人健康永遠的痛。「成就一人，毒害萬民」，難道這就是台灣的「國土規劃」嗎？能永續經營嗎？肯定的說：「美麗之島」又增加一片「科技之毒」。

De specerijenhandel

Kruidnagelen, foelie en nootmuskaat zijn tot omstreeks 1800 alleen te vinden in de Molukken, een eilandengroep in de Indonesische archipel. Specerijen kunnen op vele manieren worden gebruikt als medicijn, smaakmaker in eten en drinken, en als parfum. Kruidnagel zou helpen tegen geheugenverlies en kiespijn; foelie tegen zeeziekte en huiduitslag. Toch is in aanvankelijk het volume van de specerijenhandel klein, omdat alleen de elite zich deze luxe kan permitteren. Vanwege die beperkte afzetmogelijkheden kunnen kooplieden alleen veel geld verdienen als zij de aanvoer naar Europa weten te beheersen. Vanaf 1500 controleren de Portugezen de specerijenhandel. Omstreeks 1660 komt het monopolie in handen van de VOC. De Engelsen klagen dat geen kruidnagel meer verplaatst kan worden zonder Nederlandse toestemming.

Om het monopolie op de specerijenhandel in de Molukken te bemachtigen en zich van de Engelse concurrentie te ontdoen werd grof geweld ingezet, onder meer door gouverneur-generaal Jan Pietersz. Coen (1587-1629). De bevolking van Banda werd meedogenloos geknecht en zelfs gedeporteerd. Tijdens jaarlijkse hongi-tochten werden nagelbomen van tegenstanders omgehakt, plantages vernield en dorpen platgebrand. Hongi-tochten waren militaire inspectietochten met een vloot van gewapende prauwen – het woord komt van het Ternataanse ‘hongi’, dat ‘armada’ betekent. Nieuwe bomen hebben minstens tien jaar nodig voordat ze geoogst kunnen worden. De bewoners verliezen dus hun bron van inkomsten en verhongeren of trekken weg uit het gebied.

Dus dit bedoelt premier Balkenende met VOC mentaliteit?

Publicatie: Koninklijke bibliotheek.

We’re moving forward on our cottage so I’ll jump ahead for today’s post.

Today Walter is priming the interior of the cottage with a 100% ZERO VOC paint. He’s always been a painter as part of his construction business, and worked with his father’s painting business before that, so he has a lifetime of painting experience.  He just came in to say it is working really well and there is absolutely NO smell. And no known hazards. That’s fantastic.

I’m very relieved because trying this zero voc paint was my idea. The last zero VOC that I suggested had an eggshell finish that looked so bad on the ceiling, he had to repaint the entire ceiling. If you are looking for healthy products that will not off-gas hazards into your home, lungs, and the planet you need to know about VOCs.

VOC stands for volatile organic compound. VOCs have the capacity to wreak havoc on our health and on the environment by causing smog and air pollution and threatening the ozone layer. The Federal government mandated a reduction of VOC in paints because they were directly damaging to the atmosphere, and California enacted even stricter environmental regulations for VOCs, known as the South Coast Rule. Almost all paints have now been reformulated, and the process continues. Many claim low voc as a marketing tool but may be greenwashing and just barely meeting the minimum new regulations.

There are two more things that you should know about VOCs.

First:      How low is low, and how to choose your paints? You need to know just how low, and what level to look for. To further complicate matters, the voc level in paints changes for various colors; generally speaking the more color pigment, the more voc. Look for paints that comply with the Green Seal standards – an independent 3^rd party certification that rates paints and other coatings. Even better if they exceed these standards or have zero voc. Reading the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the product will give you the most information, sometimes they are found on company web sites.

Second:      VOCs are not limited to paints. VOCs are also found in adhesives and sealants -ubiquitous materials in homes used in construction, flooring and tile adhesives, caulking, duct sealants, plumbing adhesive, as well as carpets, and composite wood and agrifiber products (plywood and particle boards). Look for products that comply with the California codes, and green seal. see link below

Additionally – Look for composites that do not contain urea formaldehyde.

Which paints are the best? As I mentioned, formulations are currently being adjusted industry wide, so I don’t have a simple answer. And it depends on variables such as finish and color.  Paints are getting better all time. Keep an open mind on trying new more environmentally friendly products, and remember those old products that you used to like are no longer the same.

Link to the California Air Quality site         http://www.aqmd.gov/

Link to Green Seal           http://www.greenseal.org

Green Paint: What to know before going Green
by Jonathan Lynch

While Spring cleaning season is not yet upon us, there are many things to consider while planning ahead for your large projects. One such task people are more prone to tackle is household painting. There is a lot to consider when picking out paints for your interiors and exteriors; colors, sheen, finish, texture, etc., but there are other factors that are just as important such as coverage, chemical makeup, and preparation. The most common types of interior paints are latex based Low VOC. A lot of people know that Low VOC paints are healthier and easier to use than the old lead based paints, but there are other things to know about paints as well before choosing your product. VOC’s are volatile organic compounds, found in multiple household products like cleaning products, sealants, and protective finishes. Two of these include chemicals such as Formaldehyde and Benzene which are known carcinogens.

Yolo Zero VOC Paint

Some people may think that low VOC paints are the golden ticket to better household painting, but this may or may not be the case depending on your situation. Low VOC paints are the latex based paints you commonly see in the stores. They have a large coverage area, dry quickly, and are easy to maintain, which makes them the most used paint type today for both interior and exterior projects.

You may be asking if low VOC paints are less toxic than lead based paints, why are people still concerned about their use? As everyone should know, proper ventilation is needed when painting any room. That “new paint smell” you have learned to admire is actually the VOC’s in the paint products being released to speed up the dry time. VOC’s can cause irritation to the eyes and respiratory system, and even more serious health problems when overly exposed. A study by the EPA said that higher volume VOC latex based paints release less than 50% of the VOC’s within the first year, which is another reason why low VOC products are better for both you and the environment. For people who have very sensitive respiratory systems, there is even another option, all natural paints. These have been around for a long time, and are milk and egg based. Since they are all natural and contain 0 VOC’s, they come in a much more liquid form. This increases both the application time, and the drying time, and also requires pre sanding and finishing.

Benjamin Moore Zerio VOC Paint

The one part about painting people always forget about is storage and disposal. Paints with VOC’s still continue to release their toxins over time and proper storage and disposal is very important.  If keeping partially used paint cans, seal the lid and store them upside down to prevent air from getting into the paint. VOC’s also cause landfill corrosion at toxic levels contaminating ground water and air quality when released into the environment. Check your local area to see if there is a paint disposal and/or recycling center. If you don’t have one of these facilities close by and would like to dispose of your latex based paint know this; Adding saw dust, cat litter, and non toxic hardeners to your paint dries out latex based VOC paint, bringing them to non hazardous levels for disposal.

After all of this information about VOC’s you are probably wondering what the best paint is for you to use in your upcoming project. Here are some of the household paint companies who have made an effort to make a more sustainable and health conscious product:

All natural paint

The Real Milk Paint Company

Zero VOC paint

AFM Safecoat, Benjamin Moore Pristine EcoSpec, Sherwin Williams Harmony, Yolo Colorhouse, American Pride

Low VOC paint

Benjamin Moore Aura, Benjamin Moore Saman

If you are trying to be more sustainable, look for re-blended and reprocessed paints as well. Re-blended paints are 100% recycled paint, and can contain VOC’s.  If you use these, they are recommended for exterior use. Reprocessed paints are made from recycled paint and up to 80% new material. This ensures the VOC levels are low and you have a more consistent color. Of course before buying any paint product, determine what the area of painting is going to be, what type of finish you want, and how much prep work you want to do. Having this information will help your local paint mixer find the right product for you.

Sources:

www.BenjaminMoore.com

www.yolocolorhouse.com

www.afmsafecoat.com

www.consumerreports.org

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html

Companies seem to fall into one of two distinct categories; those that don’t research anything and those that research everything.  I’m a huge believer in understanding your targeted consumer and developing products and services that satisfy needs that they might have.  Having said that, once you have an appreciation for that consumer, I don’t believe you have to research every future idea to gauge acceptance.  Sometimes a good idea is simply… a good idea.

I was talking with a company the other day that has a concept that can combine a couple of existing products at retail.  This would allow them to better utilize the space allocated to their product lines, maybe even for the purpose of showcasing some cool new products they have coming out.  The idea would reduce  inventory, carrying costs and obsolescence in addition to simplifying the purchase process for the consumer.  Where’s the risk in that?

And yet, they want to run this idea past consumers to make sure that is is something that would be desirable.  The reality is, there is minimal benefit to the consumer in the idea itself.  It will be very hard to get the type of “sound bites” they typically desire from VOC research to help them justify the project.  In fact, to run this idea past consumers without having a working prototype is  high risk.  If the consumer can’t mentally “engineer” or envision the product, they might anticipate all types of problems and issues (which won’t in reality exist) and turn negative on the idea.  When a company that traditionally values research has negative input to an idea, it is very hard to move forward.

The key is to understand  the actual risks for a given idea.  Not every idea has to be focused on meeting a specific consumer need.  Many ideas are targeted toward reducing cost and complexity.  If this is the case, the key to success is really in the design and the execution of the concept.  Spend your money on research that can help you truly innovate your future!

Een Amerikaanse econoom deed jaren geleden, in de geweldige serie De Nieuwe Wereld (VPRO), de uitspraak dat ‘ Engeland het land was, wat regeerde in de 19e eeuw en de Verenigde Staten de meest machtige staten van de 20ste eeuw waren. ‘De 21e eeuw,’ zo sprak hij, ‘is de eeuw van China.’

Ik heb dat altijd een zeer sterke uitspraak gevonden, omdat in simpele woorden een belangrijk deel van de manier waarop macht als begrip functioneert, in een klap wordt uitgelegd. Waar ligt het economische zwaartepunt op dat moment in de geschiedenis? In de Gouden Eeuw lag dit bijvoorbeeld in onze kolonien. De Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie en Nederland heeft dit zeker geen windeieren gelegd.

Maar het gaat verder, een zwaartepunt kent ook een tegenhanger en is beweeglijk, nimmer constant. Dit verschuift en daarmee brengt het een verandering teweeg in de manier waar op gekeken wordt naar andere volken, bewoners van landen en culturen.

Soms lijkt het wel of de westerse democratie en de manier van denken die hieruit volgt, het enige juiste standpunt verdedigt. Vanuit deze optiek is China ook altijd beoordeelt. Het westen veroordeelt Mao (en wat een gruwelijke gruweldaden heeft deze man op zijn naam staan), maar in China wordt hij nog steeds door een hoop mensen als een held gezien. Mao is de eerste in jaren geweest die van het immense land China weer een eenheid wist te maken. In de ogen van velen dan. Deze gedachtengang even ter illustratie.

‘ The U.S. needs China and China needs the U.S.’ werd zojuist hier op CCTV, de Chinees-Engelse televisie, door een presentator, uitgesproken.   Deze uitspraak, hoe politiek geladen dit hele bezoek van Obama ook is, dit is wel waar het om gaat. Deze manier van denken onderschrijft exact de visie van Kosmopolis Utrecht. Door te verbinden, is men in staat om -op grond van ieder zijn eigen expertise en invalshoek- tot een meer divers en een meer compleet verhaal te komen. Want een verhaal bestaat nooit uit slechts een verhaal. Bij een verhaal zijn altijd meerdere mensen nodig om het te maken.

Meer gekleurde berichten lezen, zie bijvoorbeeld ook:

http://www.theweeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/017/220troll.asp

Of:

http://www.cctv.com/english/special/Obama_China/homepage/index.shtml

OK, so this actually has some merit.  Not merit like when you just got a burger with pickles and specifically ordered no pickles, and decide to take out a vengeance on some poor kid behind the counter.  The phrase has most effect when abstracted, and used to create the system through which a business drives value.

If a business didn’t listen to the customer in the first place, well then they didn’t get “it” right.

What is “it”?  Loosely, “it” is a target, the VOC.  We have to aim before we shoot, and to be effective, we aim at the Voice of the Customer.

However, before we can even listen to the customer, we have to determine who is our customer.

There is the overarching, end customer.  This is the person that is most obvious to our attempts to engineer a system to meet their demands. For the most part, businesses know who their end customer is.

While some customers are readily apparent in the grand scheme, often some are left out.  The concept of “next operation as customer” seeks to ensure that as a product or service passes down the line, it meets the specifications for the next person to continue to add value.  Customers tend to discern, and inspect if a product has meets their perceived value expectations.

“I bought this, is it worth it for my purpose?”

-Like all things Six Sigma, “Next Operation as Customer” was originally thought of as a means to look at the internal flow of physical processes. This concept does indeed transcribe to processes not centered around manufacturing, and can be used to look at other important areas.

Simple Example:

In a call center, when a complaint get escalated, the supervisor is a customer of the initial customer service agent.  The supervisor may have a couple of criterion for determining the quality of the product being passed down the line:

a)  In terms of the CRM system, did the previous agent correctly outline the case, and fill out the fields?  If not, the supervisor must expend time in making the complainant reiterate their case, growing more irate all the while.

b)  As this complaint came in, did the customer service agent use every tool they possessed to satisfy the customer and keep it from being escalated?

c)  Did the initial service agent pass the call to the right supervisor?  Was it a billing complaint, being handled by a technical department (Thanks, Sprint!)

These things are indeed elementary, and yet they have a profound effect on end value the total process – Customer Service. They want to be passed a product that they can actually work efficiently on, not one that needs to be sent to a different department, reworked, or processed in the manner the previous operator should have. Over the long term, what they are actually “buying” from the subordinate call-taker is that agent’s ability to correctly provide them a manageable customer service situation.

Processes have multiple steps, and if the next step is going to scrutinize for quality, we stop passing half-assed attempts through the chain.

By looking at the Next Operation as Customer, the end user gets something that every stage in the process took ownership for, and is we have kept their overarching VOC for them in our minds, quality is engineered.

Sekilas Sejarah Negeri Belanda

Abad Pertengahan.

Daerah yang sekarang ini disebut Belanda terdiri dari sekelompok daerah pemerintahan para hertog yang otonom (Geire, Brabant) dan wilayah yang diperintah oleh para graf (Holland dan Zeeland) serta daerah keuskupan Ultrech. Di bawah pemerintahan Karel V (1500 – 1558) daerah-daerah itu dipersatukan dengan Belgia dan Luksemburg dan disebut “Tanah-tanah Rendah”, yang waktu itu merupakan bagian dari Kerajaan besar Bourgondia Habsburg (= Spanyol).

Negara Belanda Merdeka pertama didirikan tahun 1568, ketika beberapa daerah Belanda Utara memberontak kepada Phillips II, Raja Spanyol (yakni tuan tanah Bourgondia Habsburg). Perjuangan kemerdekaan ini dipimpin oleh Pangeran Willem Van Orange (1533-1584) yang disebut juga Bapak Tanah Air. Itulah permulaan Perang Kemerdekaan 80 tahun.

Willem Van Orange - Pahlawan Kemerdekaan Belanda

Dalam perdamaian Munster tahun 1648 Republik Persatuan Tujuh Wilayah Belanda diakui sebagai Negara Merdeka. Dalam abad itu juga pedagang-pedagang Belanda mendirikan pos-pos perdagangan di seluruh dunia. Perluasan perdagangan dan pelayaran yang pesat ini disebut Zaman Keemasan.

Perusahaan Dagang yang terkenal adalah

1. Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (Kompeni Hindia Timur untuk perdagangan Timur Jauh). Lebih dikenal di Nusantara sebagai VOC, sementara masyarakat Internasional menyebutnya Dutch East India Company.
2. Westindische Compagnie (Kompeni Hinda Barat untuk perdagangan di Afrika dan Amerika dan untuk mengurus Amsterdam Baru yang sekarang menjadi New York).

Hingga terjadinya Revolusi Perancis, Belanda tetaplah sebuah Negara merdeka. Namun tahun 1795 Belanda menjadi satelit negara Perancis Raya. Dan akhirnya, pada tahun 1810 Kaisar Napoleon dari Perancis menjadikan negara Belanda sebagai jajahan Prancis (bertepatan dengan masa Gubernur Jendral Daendels di Hindia Belanda).

Pendudukan Prancis berakhir tahun 1814, Kerajaan Belanda berdiri kembali dengan wilayah meliputi Netherlands sekarang, Belgia dan Luxemburg. Raja yang pertama adalah Willem I – Pangeran Orange dari Nassau – putra Willem V, Walinegeri Belanda yang terakhir. Raja itu akhirnya menjadi hertog besar Luxemburg yang membentuk satu UNI dengan Belanda berdasarkan undang-undang Sali yang berlaku hingga tahun 1890.

Dalam undang-undang dasar Kerajaan tahun 1814 ditentukan bahwa Raja-lah yang memerintah dan bahwa para menteri bertanggungjawab kepada raja. Amandemen undang-undang tahun 1848 – Raja dinyatakan tidak dapat diganggu gugat, para menteri untuk selanjutnya bertanggung-jawab kepada perwakilan rakyat yang dipilih melalui pemilu. Undang-undang dasar baru itu merupakan dasar bagi bentuk pemerintahan kerajaan konstitusional dengan sistem parlementer.

Simbol Kerajaan Belanda

Setelah negeri-negeri Belanda Selatan (atau disebut Belgia) secara definitif merdeka pada tahun 1839, Kerajaan Belanda memperoleh bentuknya yang sekarang.

Sistem pewarisan dengan garis keturunan laki-laki berakhir pada tahun 1890 setelah Raja Willem III mangkat. Penggantinya adalah Ratu Wilhelmina (1880 – 1962) yang diangkat pada usia 10 tahun sebagai Ratu Belanda di bawah perwalian ibunya, Seri Ratu Emma. Tahun 1898 perwalian berakhir.

Selama PD I (1914 – 1918) Negeri Belanda berusaha menjadi tetap netral. Namun pada PD II meski berusaha untuk tetap netral, Jerman tetap merangsek dan menguasai Belanda tahun 1940 – 1945. Pada masa pendudukan Jerman, Ratu Wilhelmina mengungsi ke Inggris dan kembali setelah perang.

Kedudukan Ratu Belanda diserahkan oleh Wihelmina kepada putrinya, Ratu Juliana, pada tahun 1948. Selanjutnya, Sri Ratu Juliana menyerahkan pemerintahan kepada putrinya, Ratu Beatrix pada tanggal 30 April 1980.

Kerajaan Belanda tidak memiliki banyak Negara jajahan. Setelah PD II, Nederlandsch Indie atau Indonesia memerdekakan diri dan diakui oleh Belanda dalam KMB (1949). Suriname dan kepulauan Antillen Belanda di kawasan Karibia tahun 1954 berubah status menjadi Negara Persemakmuran Belanda. Akhirnya, pada 25 Nopember 1975 Suriname menjadi republik yang merdeka. Sementara itu Aruba menadi Negara persemakmuran pada 1 Januari 1986.

***

Sungguh meranalah nasib bangsa Indonesia. Sejak awal abad 17 hingga awal abad  19 negeri ini hanya menjadi sapi perah kumpulan para pengusaha yang disebut VOC.

_____________

Sumber Tulisan : Negeri Belanda Selayang Pandang, Dinas Kementrian Penerangan Luar Negeri’s Gravenhage – 1989 dan beberapa kutipan lain.

***

The aroma of an old book is familiar to every user of a traditional library. This unmistakable smell is the result of the several hundred identified volatile and semi-volatile compounds (VOCs) released from the paper into the air.

The old books ought this particular smell in the degradation of the compounds and products of paper. Scientists now say that they have developed a technique which can describe the condition of an old book and tell why it has degraded, only by its odour.

Image Credit: Astronomy Library, Utrecht

They based their technique on the concept of metabolomics. Metabolism, is a process of living organisms that have the power to adapt and renew, but scientists say that the complexity of heritage objects is to an extent comparable to the complexity of living organisms, thus the “-omics” type methodologies could be effective in the study of heritage objects.

Matija Strlič and his team used this new technique called “material degradomics” to “sniff” 72 historical books and documents from the 19^th and 20^th centuries without altering the documents themselves. The results of gases analysis show that most paper produced between 1850 and 1990 is likely not to survive more than a century or two due to the inherent acidity autocatalyzing its degradation.

The scientists identified in total 15 VOCs; cellulose which is the most important structure element of paper and its degradation depends on its macromolecular and general environment. They also found rosin (a solid form of resin, obtained maily from pines) which is used to make paper fibres hydrophobic, and lignin, a complex aromatic cross-linked 3D polymer that has a pronounced effect on the stability of paper-based materials. Other VOCs found were gelatine – mainly in rag papers (usually linen, hemp, and cotton rags)-, aluminium and ash.

Heritage institutions, such as libraries, and museums would be very interested in this technique. A quantitative VOC analysis can be very useful as a diagnostic tool for the degradations and condition of their collectives as well as the preservation and conservation treatments.

Source:

Matija Strlič, Jacob Thomas, Tanja Trafela, Linda Csfalvayov, Irena Kralj Cigič, Jana Kolar and May Cassar^. Anal. Chem., 2009, 81 (20), pp 8617–8622, DOI: 10.1021/ac9016049.  ACS Publications

Here’s a link to a short article about how common houseplants can be very effective at filtering the air indoors: roughly the same quality filtration as human-built devices costing ten times as much. (Their source wasn’t the University of Georgia study directly, but Science Daily.)

Of the 28 species tested, Hemigraphis alternata (purple waffle plant), Hedera helix (English ivy), Hoya carnosa (variegated wax plant), and Asparagus densiflorus (Asparagus fern) had the highest removal rates for all of the VOCs introduced.

Also these plants were suggested for their capacity to remove the chemicals in parenthesis:

green spider plant (formaldehyde)
peace lily (benzene)
gerbera daisy (trichloroethylene)
areca palm (capacity to be a humidifier)

Katy sifts through customer survey responses. “I like my cookies to be large, with lots of chocolate chips.” “Cookies must be chewy and soft.” “I need cookies that have the least amount of fat and calories as possible.” She is seeking to understand the Voice of the Customer (VOC). Understanding customer needs is foundational in Six Sigma. Customers may be both internal and external; and their needs may be both stated and unstated. There are many ways to learn what customers need, such as: individual or group interviews, surveys, focus groups, active or passive observations, and complaint logs. Reviewing data should lead to a better understanding of customer segmentation and customer needs. This is not something that can safely be performed once since customers change as do their needs. Customers of Katy’s Cookie Factory may prefer rich, buttery cookies today, but there could be a trend in the future towards concern about consuming butter and a preference for lower-fat foods. The key is to listen to what the VOC is saying and meet their changing needs.

So… we’re ten years into the Experience Economy and, over that time, there’s been an explosion of attention and investment in creating and improving customer experiences.  Even in this midst of very challenging economic environment, it’s hard to find a company that isn’t either actively involved in or planning customer experience investments.   As the economy now starts to show signs of turning around, we’ve observed an increasing level of interest in getting closer to customers.

Despite the attention paid to customer experience, with a few exceptions, people are no happier with their experiences as customers today then they were 10 years ago.  It’s as if the majority of customer experience efforts have produced little more than “better sameness.”   Better sameness is doing what you’ve always done… and what pretty much all your competitors do… a little bit better and faster; providing friendlier customer service, incrementally faster response times,  a more appealing retail environment, a more streamlined web catalog and ordering processes, etc…

The problem is, customers don’t perceive these incremental differences.  If you’re looking for a competitively relevant improvement, you need to do something that actually grabs the customer’s attention and positively influences how they feel and what they do.  These are the only things that actually improve your competitive differentiation.  Moving beyond better sameness demands doing something that isn’t just a difference in degree; it demands doing something that’s a difference in kind.

For examples:

Southwest and JetBlue represent a difference in kind experience compared to the other major US-based airlines;

Umpqua Bank represents a difference in kind financial experience is a sea of highly undifferentiated consumer banks;

Wegmans, and Nugget Market is a difference in kind experience compared to most other major grocery retailers.

Unless what you’re after is better sameness…

…the most common tools for improving customers’ experiences are insufficient ! !

This includes:

Customer Satisfaction Measurement: Most companies ask customers for subjective evaluations of the company’s or product’s performance on the assumption that these expressed attitudes drive behavior, such as repeat purchases or positive word of mouth.  Unfortunately, decades of research into the correlation between evaluations and subsequent behavior show, although the link exists, it tends to be relatively weak.  Most customers who switch said they were satisfied.  Satisfaction is not an emotional state that powerfully drives behavior.  In order to get beyond better sameness, companies need to surface how the the experience influences customers’ perceptions and feelings about themselves not the company.

Voice of the Customer Insight: Listening to customers is critical for gaining insight into their lives, their goals, their needs, as well as, their frustrations, feelings, and behaviors.  However, as Henry Ford said, “If I asked customers what they wanted, we’d just have ended up with faster horses.”  In addition, what customers say they want is not often well-correlated with the deeper goals and subconscious factors that influence their behavior.  In many cases, what customers say they want is inconsistent with what ultimately drives their behavior… leading companies to invest in the wrong things.   Getting beyond better sameness involves engaging customers in fundamentally different kinds of conversations and getting beneath the surface of what they say to understand their deeper goals and the experiences they’re having.

Touchpoint Mapping and Service Level Improvements:  Touch point mapping is a highly company-centric activity.  Customers’ experiences do not just happen at your company’s touch points.  Customers follow an end-to-end set of activities that make sense to them given the goals and needs they’re trying to address.  You can’t understand and meaningfully improve the customers’ experience by just looking at and incrementally improving service levels at your touch points.  As customers go about their busy lives, they rarely pay attention to or act on any of the incremental service improvements at the existing touch points.  Getting beyond better sameness involves creating high contrast, signature experiences that get customers’ attention, influence how they feel, and shape the story about what you stand for.

Training and Motivating Front-line Service Employees:  Having engaged, well-trained, and motivated service employees is important.  However, a lack of training and motivation is rarely the real issue behind a poor experience.  The experience customers’ have with any organization is the product of behavior that emerges from a complex organizational system. The root of that behavior is a leadership, management, measurement, and cultural environment that reinforce “unwritten rules” inconsistent with employees doing the right thing for customers.  Focusing on training and motivating employees without surfacing and addressing the unwritten rules is like hacking at the leaves rather than striking at the root of the problem.  Getting beyond better sameness involves surfacing the unwritten rules and leadership and management beliefs and behavior that constrain the experience.

Creating positively and profitably influential experiences, that go beyond better sameness, requires a more fundamental shift in perspective.  You have to focus first on how customers HAVE experiences… not on how your organization or product DELIVERS experiences.  This includes being very clear on:   What are customers really trying to accomplish?  What influences the pathway they follow in pursuing those goals?  How do they actually construct preferences and make choices along that pathway?  How does the process make them feel about themselves?  How does the experience influence the relationships they care about?  In most cases, understanding how customers HAVE experiences, leads to a completely different set of strategies for creating experiences that really make a difference for customers and the business.

Customer Innovations follows a unique Cognitive-Affective-Behavioral Engineering approach that enables companies to design products, services, and experiences from the mental model of the experiencer… not just the mental model of the company.  Over the course of 25 years track we’ve helped leading organizations realize bottom line results of 10-25% in the form of increased retention, incremental sales, reduced acquisition costs, positive word of mouth, higher price realization, and improved productivity of customer-facing operations.

The Customer Innovations approach is driven by three toolsets deliberately structured to push companies beyond better sameness:

• Experience Miner^TM – surfaces, analyzes, and measures the ways customers think about, feel about, and act on their experiences, including tools for mapping customers goals, mining deep insight from customer stories, identifying how constructs learned from past experiences shape expectations, measuring customers’ emotional states and triggers, and understanding and influencing how customers make choices.
• Experience Designer^TM – guides every step of the experience ideation, concept development, and blueprinting processes focusing on not only prioritizing incremental improvements but also creating high contrast Signature Experiences that get the customers attention and influence the choices they make.
• Experience Economics^TM – It’s exceptionally easy to deliver an uneconomic experience.  Most organizations simultaneously over-invest in elements of the experience that don’t matter to customers and under-invest in elements that have significant influence on customer behavior.  The Experience Economics^TM toolset helps companies find the optimal investment point to drive the financial performance of the business.

「六輕之鑑」「八輕國光石化」來了

由學者研究報告得知 六輕在『麥寮』，但罹癌暴增 最嚴重的地方在『台西』。因風向、煙囪高度會影響落塵的方向及遠近，通常最污染的地方，不是當地，而是周圍鄉鎮。20 多年前宜蘭縣長 陳定南：「六輕是超級污染，若建在宜蘭，我將成宜蘭千古罪人」。
王永慶：「沒有污染，可以做得非常好」。事實證明…

莫把「污染」當「好康」

一直很疑惑，為何會有許多彰化縣的公僕，以「中科四期」及「八輕國光石化」為其政績呢？
中科四期二林基地 環說書提到：
揮發性有機化合物（VOC）的排放量為：約1593 公噸/年；約1093 公噸/年，其他空污量：約332.25 公噸/年，事業廢棄物 一般：約1714 公噸/日，有害：約336 公噸/日，污水 更不用提了（人人避之唯恐不及）！
健康成本 不重要嗎？連呼吸都會增加罹癌率。彰化是農漁牧大縣，將來數十萬的農漁民何去何從？彰化(中部)沿海 還會有漁業資源嗎？污染 稻米、蔬果、牛奶、漁產 且影響全國，第一大果菜市場「西螺果菜市場」及第二大果菜市場「溪湖果菜市場」的蔬果來源，毒害國人食物安全之虞。

只管制「百姓」，不管制「財團」的「地下水管制區」?

中科四期二林基地 中科將使用竹塘、二林、芳苑 三處淨水場的自來水，問題是 這些自來水100%為地下水，且位在「地下水管制區」及「嚴重地層下陷區」。

六輕 運轉後 附近5鄉鎮罹癌暴增

六輕 對周遭六鄉鎮之健康影響

二林 芳苑 大城 竹塘 的居民能活的健康嗎?
會成為 世界最污染的地方嗎?

資料來源：反毒害彰化聯盟

Simbol VOC Pada Sebuah Meriam Tua

VOC sebagai perusahaan multinasional ternama memiliki kekuatan maritim yang luar biasa. Perjalanan jauhnya ke Timur dan koloninya yang selalu penuh gejolak pada awalnya membuat VOC efisien. Namun sejalan dengan perkembangan waktu, besarnya keuntungan dagang serta kebusukan hati para pengurus perusahaan, VOC berkembang menjadi perusahaan monopoli yang penuh kelicikan serta seringkali bertindak kejam. Korupsi di dalam dan pemborosan luar biasa telah menghancurkan sendi-sendi keuangaan VOC, membuatnya hancur di penghujung abad 19.

Banyak catatan berharga yang ditinggalkan tentang masa-masa tersebut yang sangat menggelitik untuk disimak kembali. Saya membuka kembali buku-buku sejarah lama. Ada keyakinan bahwa data sejarah kita – terutama di era kolonialisme – tentu lebih lengkap dari sumber Belanda. Tetapi apa daya karena saya tidak mampu berbahasa Belanda. Jadilah saya hanya mengais karya-karya terjemahan.

Akhirnya saya menemukan apa yang saya cari dalam tumpukan buku lama dari “peti pusaka” di kamar. Sekelumit catatan tentang dunia perdagangan di seputar VOC dan para raja di Hinda Belanda.

“TERNATE DAN TIDORE” Masa Lalu Penuh Gejolak, ditulis oleh Willard A. Hanna dan Des Alwi (Sinar Harapan, 2006).

Fakta-fakta sejarah yang menarik akan saya kutip berikut ini.

Mengenai keuntungan dagang VOC “…Perseroan itu membeli cengkeh di Maluku dengan harga 5 stuivers atau 25 sen gulden per pon-nya. Di Amsterdam, di mana pedagang-pedagang dari seluruh Eropa berkumpul, mereka berharap untuk dapat menjualnya dengan harga 100 stuivers atau lebih untuk memastikan keuntungan kotor paling sedikit sekitar 2000 % (duaribu persen). Penjualan hanya 400.000 pon per tahun … akan menghasilkan keuntungan kotor sebesar 1.900.000 gulden…” (hal. 176)

Bahwa terjadi defisit (atau korupsi??) dalam tubuh VOC, sebuah perusahaan multinasional yang utama di Eropa abad 17-18, buku di atas memberikan catatan berikut : “Biaya langsung VOC di Maluku Utara pada abad ke-17 adalah sekitar 150.000 gulden per tahun dan pendapatannya dari perdagangan sekitar 100.000 gulden, sehingga setiap tahun terjadi defisit sekitar 50.000 gulden.” (hal.175)

Mengenai kehidupan sehari-hari dan sebagainya, tertulis dengan jelas pada hal.177, “Seorang pedagang senior menerima 85 gulden tiap bulan dan pedagang yunior 75 gulden dan tiap orang menikmati gaji, honor dan penghasilan imbalan sesuai dengan pangkat dan tanggung jawabnya. Orang bagian keuangan menerima 75 gulden, para predikant (pastor atau pendeta) 42 gulden, kepala sekolah 36 gulden (ia mengajar anak-anak pegawai dan anak-anak para pejabat VOC), penterjemah 28 gulden, dokter 26 gulden, tukang kayu 22 gulden, tukang besi 16 gulden, tukang reparasi 15 gulden, serdadu garnisun 9,50 gulden, pelaut yang bertugas di salah satu kapal kecil milik benteng 12,50 gulden. Seluruh pegawai perseroan dari yang pangkat tinggi hingga pangkat rendah diberi tempat tinggal di benteng dan makan bersama. ..”

“… Mereka yang memilih tinggal di luar kota atau tanpa istri atau gundik pribumi hidup dengan standar orang kebanyakan dengan upah 5 gulden setiap bulan sebagai seorang serdadu cadangan, penjaga gudang, juru tulis, atau pekerja trampil.” (hal.178)

“…Gubenur hidup dengan gaya mewah di sebuah bangunan indah… Ia berlaku lebih raja dari sang sultan. Ia memperoleh gaji pokok sebesar 140 gulden setiap bulan, … termasuk hak khusus untuk jatah daging, beras, bir, minyak, anggur, keju, lilin, … termasuk bahan tekstil dengan mutu dan jumlah menurut selera, untuk pakaian pribadi… berhak mendapat bagian dari penjualan barang dagangan (sebesar 8 %) dan dari pembelian rempah-rempah (sebesar 2%)…” (hal.177)

**

Jangan silau membaca deskripsi di atas. Jika Anda penasaran, silakan membuat kalkulasi sendiri. Catatan yang perlu diperhatikan adalah bahwa 1 gulden pada tahun 1750 sama nilainya dengan 15 gulden pada tahun 1980… (halaman 175). Jika hendak dikonversi ke dalam dollar pada tahun 1980 adalah US$ 0.9. Dan karena nilai dollar adalah standard maka kita bisa mengkonversinya ke dalam rupiah kapanpun. Tidak ada bedanya di tahun 1980 atau di tahun 2009, karena sistem perdagangan Indonesia terikat dengan US$, sehingga nilai dollar di tahun 1980 atau 2009 tetap sama saja.

Berapakah penghasilan Gubernur VOC dinilai saat ini?

Hitung saja : 140 gulden/bulan ==> US$1890 / bulan
jika saat ini 1 US$ = Rp 9.600 maka gaji pokok Gubernur VOC berkisar Rp 18.144.000 / bulan.

Nilai itu demikian besar, karena biaya hidup di masa itu demikian rendah. Seorang prajurit dengan penghasilan 5 hingga 10 gulden per bulan bisa hidup berkecukupan, “…bahkan minum tuak sepuas-puasnya sebagaimana biasa dilakukannya… (hal.178)” Artinya, dengan 5 gulden saat itu (yang setara dengan Rp.650.000,00 -an) seorang prajurit bisa menghidupi diri dan keluarganya dengan baik.

Tetapi angka-angka tersebut belumlah luar biasa!! Simaklah yang satu ini :

“… Sultan Ternate menerima 16.000 gulden sebagai tunjangan tahunan, Sultan Tidore menerima 6.000 gulden, Sultan Bacan 1.750 gulden, Sultan Makian 5.000 gulden …” (hal.178)

Sedangkan Gubernur VOC menerima “hanya” (140 X 12) 1.680 gulden/th, seorang Sultan / Raja Pribumi diberi gaji dan tunjangan hingga 16.000 gulden/th. Hitunglah sendiri nilainya di jaman sekarang.

Politik menyogok dan memberi tunjangan dari para “saudagar Eropa” terhadap penguasa wilayah (Sultan atau Raja, dan para pembesar kerajaan lainnya) telah ditanamkan sebagai sebuah TRADISI.

Dengan tunjangan sebesar itu, siapa yang mau berhenti menjadi Sultan??

Dengan iming-iming penghasilan seperti itu, siapa yang tak mau menjadi pengganti Sultan??

Jadilah benih sikap politik devide et impera menemukan tempat yang paling subur di negeri ini.

**

Jangan-jangan, kebiasaan para pejabat daerah saat ini menerima upeti dari para pengusaha adalah sikap mental warisan VOC yang dipupuk sejak lama sehingga sudah mendarah daging. Wallahu alam.

高翠路豪宅,竹科就在你家後院,享受24小時高科技VOC薰陶

竹科泡沫奶茶廢污水流入客雅溪



資料提供:林聖崇

(ARA) – When you think of the colors associated with fall, green doesn’t necessarily come to mind. Environmentally speaking, however, it should. There’s no better time than now to lessen your home’s impact on the environment and change the way you decorate and live. So, why not go green this fall? It’s not nearly as difficult to become earth-friendly as you might think.

“From products that contribute to good indoor air quality to ones that truly reflect the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra, the number of affordable green interior decorating products has literally exploded within the past five years,” says Donna Schroeder, Dutch Boy color marketing and design manager.

These days, you can find stylish, eco-friendly design elements for every room in the house. And, contrary to popular belief, going green doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style for sustainability. The two can coexist quite effortlessly.

You can start simple by dressing your bed in luxurious sheets, throws and comforters made from fabrics such as rich, renewable bamboo or soft, organic cotton. Cover your floors with formaldehyde-free carpets constructed of recycled fibers or select a natural material, like stone, slate or even concrete. Then, hang energy-efficient window treatments with high insulation and shading properties.

Don’t stop there. Spice up your tired sofa with a design-forward slipcover and throw pillows crafted from 100 percent recycled materials. Add bright recycled glass plates and serving pieces to your china cabinet. Buy furniture made from sustainably harvested wood or, better yet, visit local secondhand shops and repurpose. Or, look around your own home and see what you already have that can be adapted for a new use. You’d be surprised what a little creativity and some good old-fashioned elbow grease can do.

If you’re looking to add bold, fun color, paint fits perfectly into this overall green scheme. It’s an inexpensive, effective and, most importantly, environmentally-minded way to change the look and feel of an entire room. Many paint manufacturers now offer coatings that contain few, if any, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), or vapors that are released from paint as it dries.

Using paints formulated without VOCs, such as Dutch Boy’s new Refresh interior paint with exclusive odor-eliminating Arm & Hammer technology, takes your home one step closer to reducing your environmental impact while leaving your interior looking fresh, modern and filled with personality.

Many home improvement products, including Refresh, are also Indoor Air Quality certified by The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute, a nonprofit, industry-independent organization that certifies indoor products that meet satisfactory indoor air emissions standards.

Keep in mind that greening your home, inside or out, doesn’t happen in a matter of minutes or even overnight. It’s an ongoing process. The limit to how green your home can be is up to how willing you are to adjust your lifestyle. The choice is yours. “It doesn’t take any grand gestures to start going green,” Schroeder says. “Tiny changes add up to make a big overall impact on the environment.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Unlike the name suggests, UBC Varsity Outdoor Club Longhike has nothing to do with a long hike. I think back in the days it used to be a trip involving some sort of hike. In the modern day it’s THE club kickoff event that involves a day of rock climbing school and an evening of wicked partying.

In the past few years I’ve always taught complete beginners how to rock climb by showing them how to put on their harnesses and how to belay. This year though, I ended up teaching Rock 2, a more advanced course which involved teaching people how to set up top rope anchor system, how to rappel, and how to clean the route after you finish. Colin and I finished up our “mandatory” teaching materials early so we taught the students how to lead climb as well. Surprisingly all of the students learned a lot from the two dummy instructors and had a really good time.

The real fun of longhike comes in at the party aspect. We had 2 DJ’s with full on record turn-table and lots booze. Of course VOC longhike wouldn’t be longhike without all the stupid games.

Couple of my students enjoying Squamish slabby granite.

I thought this is called human horse but apparently it’s called Buck Buck

Candy necklace eating, you can’t eat your own, someone has to eat them off your necklace, without hands of course.

Table bouldering, basically climb underneath the table and come backup using different variations

Me tabling and pulling a Verizon Wireless “Can You Hear Me” imitation

Reaching/Penny placing game

I swear to gold I don’t know these guys lol

The party lasted over 7 hours. At the end of the night a large number of people even went for some skinny dipping and then danced around the fire naked. Some of the new members, especially female members, were completely shocked about the amount of nakedness in the club. Well that’s the VOC for you!

Needless to say the next morning I was quite sore. Bunch of us did go climbing but not on anything hard.

More pictures can be found on my Flickr stream

Believe it or not, your unfinished basement and your crawlspace are all part of ONE house; your house.

See what this Atlanta resident was told by FEMA by clicking the link. (http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/21200149/detail.html).

Contrary to others beliefs, you need to treat your crawlspace and basement as part of your house. Why? Because the humidity, the particulates, the VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) will find their way into your home. They will come from cracks in the subfloor, leaks in your ventilation and other ways.

So, what should you do? You should either finish the basement or have a professional properly seal your crawlspace.

Learn more about your basement & crawlspace and the proper way to treat them by visiting our website: www.rx4cleanairllc.com/crawlspaces.html

Cleaning is an essential part of having a healthy, happy home, but many of the popular conventional cleaners can actually create a more toxic home, since they are often petroleum-based and/or contain harsh chemicals like ammonia or bleach.

Thankfully, there are many effective healthier and greener cleaning products available that will not only get your house clean, but they will not leave toxic residues behind.

Following are some tips for cleaning your house without using traditional, and potentially harmful, cleaning products.

The Kitchen:

Use one microfiber towel for dusting and another for use with liquid cleaner. For cleaning surfaces try Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Countertop spray, Caldrea Countertop Cleaner or Begley’s Best Glass/Surface Cleaner spray, or Kis Clean’s All Purpose Cleaner or DeGreaser (Seventh Generation and Method make products that work, too).  All use natural ingredients, which are safe and non-toxic.  AFM Safecoat makes a safe synthetic for the chemically sensitive called SuperClean.

If you prefer to make your own, here’s a recipe for a homemade all purpose cleaner:  Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water.  You can store and keep this with your cleaning supplies.

For tough-to-clean grease on the stove/oven or other surfaces, try Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Kitchen scrub or Kis Clean’s DeGreaser.

Another option is to cover the dirty surface liberally with baking soda, then spray with water until the powder becomes paste-like.  Wait 12-24 hours and then wipe clean.

The Bathroom:

For bathroom countertops, you can use the same products recommended for cleaning kitchen countertops.  For cleaning toilets try Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Toilet Bowl Cleaner or Seventh Generation Emerald Cypress and Fir Toilet Bowl Cleaner.

If you prefer to make your own, here’s a recipe for a homemade toilet bowl cleaner:  Mix 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar, pour into basin and let it set for a few minutes. Scrub with brush and rinse.

For mirrors and glass use Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Window Spray, Kis Clean’s Glass Cleaner, Caldrea Window Spray or Begley’s Best Glass/Surface Cleaner and a microfiber towel.

If you prefer to make your own, here’s a recipe for homemade glass cleaner: 1/4-1/2 tsp liquid detergent, 3 tbs vinegar, 2 cups water.  Put all ingredients into a spray bottle, shake and start cleaning.

For the shower/bath tub Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Shower Cleaner or Begley’s Best All Purpose Cleaner will both work well.

If you want to make a homemade daily shower spray that works well, try this:  Mix 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol, 6 drops liquid detergent, 2 tsp liquid spot-free dishwashing rinse and 24 oz. of water in a spray bottle.  Keep bottle near your shower/bathtub and spray surfaces after you bathe.

Floors

To freshen carpets, sprinkle some baking soda on all carpeting, let it sit for about 15 minutes and then vacuum.  It will remove odors naturally.  Many other carpet fresheners use harsh chemicals and unnatural fragrance to give a false, “clean, fresh scent”. Remember, clean does not have a smell.  For synthetic fiber carpets try AFM Safecoat’s 3-step Carpet Cleaning Solutions.

For hardwood floors, contrary to popular belief, you should not clean with any oil based cleaner or use a lot of water.  The best way to do an all purpose general clean is with a simple mixture of 1/4 cup white vinegar mixed with 30 oz. of water in a spray bottle.  Spray a microber cloth or towel with the solution and gently mop your floor.   Mild non-abrasive green cleaners are also available for light cleaning (as we mention above).

While the cleaning products mentioned above are effective, there are many other effective green cleaning products on the market.   But beware.  There are some product manufacturer’s that package their products in a way that makes them appear green, when in fact they are not.  It’s always best to check the label on any product, before you purchase it.  For a decent list on ingredients to avoid, go here.