Bits & Pieces

Image Gallery

Clean Means Money

Thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in profits are generated each year by the pollution abatement and control industry (known in economic circles as PABCO). Expenditures for PABCO reached $70 billion in 1985, according to a study by Management Information Services, Inc. Though most of the money was spent by public agencies, says the study, private investments totaled $8.5 billion—which alone generated over 167,000 jobs and produced $2.6 billion in corporate profits. The report observed that PABCO has injected new life into "mature industries presently suffering from stagnant sales and foreign competition." PABCO-related activities, for instance, have created over 3,000 jobs in iron and steel manufacturing.

Hazel Hybrids

Folks in the upper U.S. and Canada can take part in an ongoing project to help develop high-yield hazel trees and bushes suited for North America. The Northern Nut Growers Association is offering packets of special hybrid hazel seed nuts (eight per packet, $4) to anyone interested in participating in the program. The hardy hybrids are fast-growing bushes that reach a maximum size of about 20 feet high by 10 feet wide, and start producing edible kernels in four to five years. If you're interested also in joining the Northern Nut Growers Association, a one-year membership is $15, and entitles you to purchase the hazel seed packets for $3 each. Write to the Northern Nut Growers AssociSation, Hybrid Hazel Seed, Attn: S. MacKay, Rt. 2, P.O. Box 249, Delphi, IN 46923.

Beats BHT

Researchers at Rutgers University have formulated a natural preservative from the spice rosemary that is "equal to or better than BHT." Spices, of course, have been used as food preservatives for centuries, but the distinctive flavors of the spices involved have always limited their applications. The Rutgers scientists, however, have extracted the food-keeping antioxidants present in rosemary and distilled away the smell and taste. Within the food industry, BHT is considered the best synthetic preservative, but it is possible that the new rosemary derivative may someday replace it.

Eat Hearty

The American Heart Association's latest dietary guidelines for maintaining a healthy heart are designed to promote optimum well-being without imposing unrealistic mealtime restrictions. The guidelines: 1) Limit alcohol consumption to 15°70 of total caloric intake, and to no more than 1.7 ounces ethanol per day; 2) restrict protein (particularly meat protein) to 15°70 of total calories; 3) limit total fat intake to 30°70 of total calories, with no more than 10°70 saturated fat; 4) keep cholesterol consumption down to 100 milligrams per 1,000 calories, with a maximum 300 mg per day; and 5) limit sodium intake to one gram per 1,000 calories, not to exceed three grams a day.