Read the original by Adam Werbach at theatlantic.com

Del Monte is marketing plastic-wrapped bananas–to the horror of environmentalists. But what is the right reaction?

A few weeks ago the banana company Del Monte released a packaging innovation: a plastic banana wrapper. The story spread through the Twitterverse as an example of consumer society gone wrong. The wrapper, which appears to be a small, transparent-printed plastic bag, features “Controlled Ripening Technology (CRT)” which allows a banana to stay ripe for six more days on the shelf. Del Monte’s UK managing director, James Harvey, was unrepentent in his response to criticisms, stating in the Fresh Produce Journal that “Del Monte’s new CRT packaging is designed to provide significant carbon footprint savings by reducing the frequency of deliveries and the amount of waste going to landfill.”  Read more...

Read the original at theatlantic.com

The oil price spike of 2008 was quickly forgotten in the haze of economic recession, but Libya’s revolution could put innovation back on track.

In July 2008 oil prices reached $147 a barrel and suddenly energy prices were on everyone’s agenda. Soon, oil prices fell as the economy faltered and people moved on to the more immediate concerns of keeping their jobs and businesses alive. Now, as events in Libya provide a specific scenario for a supply disruption, predictions of oil at $200 a barrel are beginning to proliferate. Investment bank Nomura projects the price of oil could hit $220 a barrel. We’re about to return to 2008 prices.  Read more...

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