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[GreenYes] Green Darkroom Parties (was [P2] Green cleaning parties)


Title: [GreenYes] Green Darkroom Parties (was [P2] Green cleaning parties)

Thanks for asking, Nancy.

Removing silver from processing waste solutions has been a
common practice, especially among large scale commercial labs,
because of many factors: (1) silver is somewhat precious, (2)
free silver ion in waste water is tightly regulated, (3) all
silver is removed from color films and prints during
processing (but not b&w films). However, when you look around
in darkroom, there are some other things that can be done to
help the environment and user safety.

I think the first thing consumer may want to realize is that a
digital camera uses about twice as much resource and energy
compared to a film camera of the same grade or price
point. This came from Japanese camera industry's
statistics. Plus, there are a lot of film equipment in good
conditions in used market, requiring no additional resource to
get one of those. So, unless you shoot a lot of images, film
is easier to the environment, although digital is perhaps more
convenient.

I do R&D for making the latest generation darkroom chemicals,
which are used by fine art photographers, professional
photographers, and photographic educators. In my products,
I've removed non-biodegradable compounds and known carcinogen,
mutagen, and compounds that have relatively high risk of
causing allergic reactions, without impairing the photographic
performance compared to the old harmful counterparts.

Perhaps the most interesting experience I can share with this
group is about the bottles we use.

Photographic developers are very sensitive to air and they
must be packaged in very air-impermeable containers in order
to maximize the shelf life and also to minimize wastage. In
terms of air impermeability,

PET (PETE) > PVC >> HDPE > LDPE

However, in terms of availability of pre-made stock bottles
(bottles I can buy without having the bottle manufacturers
custom make them for us), the availability is like this:

LDPE = HDPE > PVC >>> PET (PETE)

This is very surprising, because if you go to supermarkets,
you see a lot of products packaged in PET bottles in all sorts
of sizes and shapes. PET may be available to huge users
through custom manufacturing, but very few stock bottles are
available.

As you all know, PVC has poor recyclability and I would want
to avoid it at all costs. At the price of many weeks of
researching, with headache and growing gray hairs, we managed
to avoid PVC and use PET and HDPE for our packaging, but I can
also see why some people use PVC. PVC is cheap and many
bottles are available pre-made. If I didn't care, I could buy
PVC bottles in all the sizes I wanted on day one and save time
and money. I would love to see more stock PET bottles in a
wider range of sizes.

--
Ryuji Suzuki




From: "Nancy Poh" <greenbeingnancy@no.address>
Subject: Re: [GreenYes] Re: Fwd: [P2] Green cleaning parties
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:19:48 +0800

> I love what you have shared here, Ryuji.  I am also interested in what you
> are doing in your photography interest.  Do you extract silver from your
> solutions and films.  I would love to hear about it.
>
> I received this email today.  Sounds like the old fashion way of getting
> things done with vinegar.
>
> *Uses for Vinegar*
> *64 Uses for the ALL-PURPOSE HOUSEHOLD WONDER!!!*
>
> 1. Kill grass on walks and driveways. Pour full strength on unwanted grass.
>
> 2. Kill weeds. Spray full strength on tops of weeds. Reapply on any new
> growth until plants have starved.
>
> 3. Increase soil acidity. In hard water areas, add a cup of vinegar to a
> gallon of tap water for watering acid loving plants like
> rhododendrums,gardenias, or azaleas. The vinegar will release iron in the
> soil for the plants to use.
>
> 4. Neutralize garden lime. Rinse your hands liberally with vinegar after
> working with garden lime to avoid rough and flaking skin. Clean pots before
> repotting, rinse with vinegar to remove excess lime.
>
> 5. Deter ants. Spray vinegar around door and window frames, under
> appliances, and along other known ant trails.
>
> 6. Keep car windows frost free. Coat the windows the night before with a
> solution of three parts vinegar to one part water.
>
> 7. Polish car chrome. Apply full strength with a soft cloth.
>
> 8. Soak new propane latern wicks in vinegar for several hours. Let dry
> before using. Will burn longer and brighter.
>
> 9. Clean milking equipment. Rinse with vinegar to leave system clean,
> odorless, and bacteria free without harmful chemical residue.
>
> 10. Remove skunk odor from a dog. Rub fur with vinegar.
>
> 11. Keep cats away. Sprinkle vinegar on an area to discourage cats from
> walking,sleeping,or scratching on it.
>
> 12. Keep dogs from scratching ears. Clean the inside of the ears with a soft
> cloth dipped in diluted vinegar.
>
> 13. Keep away fleas and mange. Add a little vinegar to your pet's drinking
> water.
>
> 14. Keep chickens from pecking each other. Add cider vinegar to their
> drinking water.
>
> 15. Make buttermilk. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of milk and let it
> stand 5 minutes to thicken.
>
> 16. Tenderize meat. Soak in vinegar overnight.
>
> 17. Freshen vegetables. Soak wilted vegetables in a quart of cold water and
> a tablespoon of vinegar.
>
> 18. Replace a lemon. Substitute 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar for 1 teaspoon of
> lemon juice.
>
> 19. Firm up gelatin. Add a teaspoon of vinegar for every box of gelatin used
> to keep those molded desserts from sagging in the summer heat.
>
> 20. Boil better eggs. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to each quart of water
> before boiling eggs, keeps them from cracking.
>
> 21. Prepare fluffier rice. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water when it
> boils.
>
> 22. Make wine vinegar. Mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar with 1 teaspoon of dry
> red wine.
>
> 23. Debug fresh vegetables. Wash leafy greens in water with vinegar and
> salt. Bugs float off.
>
> 24. Scale fish more easily. Rub with vinegar 5 minutes before scaling.
>
> 25. Dampen your appetite. Sprinkle a little vinegar on prepared food to take
> the edge off your appetite.
>
> 26. Soothe a bee or jellyfish sting. Douse with vinegar. Will soothe
> irritation and relieve itching.
>
> 27. Relieve sunburn. Lightly rub white or cider vinegar on skin. Reapply as
> needed.
>
> 28. Conditions hair. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to your rinse to dissolve
> sticky residue left by shampoo.
>
> 29. Relieve dry and itchy skin. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to your bath
> water.
>
> 30. Fight dandruff. After shampooing, rinse with a solution of 1/2 cup
> vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.
>
> 31. Soothe a soar throat. Put a teaspoon of vinegar in a glass of water.
> Gargle, then swallow. For another great gargle: 1 c. hot water, 2 tbsp.
> honey, 1 tbsp. vinegar, gargle then drink.
>
> 32. Clear up warts. Apply a lotion of half cider vinegar and half glycerin.
>
> 33. Treat sinus infections and chest colds. Add 1/4 cup or more vinegar to
> the vaporizer.
>
> 34. Feel good. A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, with a
> bit of honey added for flavor, will take the edge off your appetite and give
> you an overall healthy feeling.
>
> 35. Deodorize the kitchen drain. Pour a cup down the drain once a week. Let
> stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water.
>
> 36. Eliminate onion odor. Rub on your fingers before and after slicing.
>
> 37. Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards. Wipe with full strength
> vinegar.
>
> 38. Remove fruit stains from hands. Rub with vinegar.
>
> 39. Cut grease and odor on dishes. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to hot soapy
> water.
>
> 40. Clean a teapot. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in the teapot. Wipe
> away the grime.
>
> 41. Freshen a lunchbox. Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and let it sit in
> the unchbox over night.
>
> 42. Clean the refrigerator. Wash with a solution of equal parts water and
> vinegar.
>
> 43. Unclog a drain. Pour a handful of baking soda down the drain and add 1/2
> cup of vinegar. Rinse with hot water.
>
> 44. Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and
> feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through a
> minute.
>
> 45. Clean and deodorize jars. Rinse mayonnaise, peanut butter, and mustard
> jars with vinegar when empty.
>
> 46. Clean the dishwasher. Run a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once
> a month to reduce soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on glassware.
>
> 47. Clean stainless steel. Wipe with a vinegar dampened cloth.
>
> 48. Clean china and fine glassware. Add acup of vinegar to a sink of warm
> water. Gently dip the glass or china in the solution and let dry.
>
> 49. Get stains out of pots. Fill pot with a solution of 3 tablespoons of
> vinegar to a pint of water. Boil until stain loosens and can be washed away.
>
> 50. Clean the microwave. Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of
> water in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.
>
> 51. Dissolve rust from bolts and other metals. Soak in full strength
> vinegar.
>
> 52. Get rid of cooking smells. Let simmer a small pot of vinegar and water
> solution.
>
>
> 53. Unclog steam iron. Pour equal amounts of vinegar and water into the
> iron's water chamber. Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes in
> an upright postion. Then uplug and allow to cool. Any loose particles should
> come out when you empty the water.
>
> 54. Clean a scorched iron plate. Heat equal parts vinegar and salt in a
> small pan. Rub solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned
> stains.
>
> 55. Get rid of lint in clothes. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
>
> 56. Keep colors from running. Immerse clothes in full strength vinegar
> before washing.
>
> 57. Freshen up the washing machine. Periodically, pour a cup of vinegar in
> the machine and let in run through a regular cycle (no clothes added). Will
> dissolve soap residue.
>
> 58. Brighten fabric colors. Add a 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
>
> 59. Take grease off suede. Dip a toothbrush in vinegar and gently brush over
> grease spot.
>
> 60. Remove tough stains. Gently rub on fruit, jam, mustard, coffee, tea.
> Then wash as usual.
>
> 61. Get smoke smell out of clothes. Add a cup of vinegar to a bath tub of
> hot water. Hang clothes above the steam.
>
> 62. Remove decals. Brush with a couple coats of vinegar. Allow to soak in.
> Wash off.
>
> 63. Clean eyeglasses. Wipe each lens with a drop of vinegar.
>
> 64. Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar for
> each quart of water.
>
>
> "No trees were killed in the making of this email... however, a large number
> of electrons were horribly inconvenienced."
>
> Nancy
> http*://greenbeingnancy.*blogspot.com/


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