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Kindness of Strangers E_CO Member
Green Your Pets:
Spay and Neuter
Pets are such a source of joy; science has proven that having an animal companion provides many physical and psychological benefits. But America’s more than 160 million owned dogs and cats surely impact the environment.
Get ‘Em Fixed
Animal overpopulation is an issue not only because up to 4 million shelter animals are euthanized in the U.S. each year, but also because of the environmental impact of too many stray and abandoned animals: they can harm local wildlife, deposit waste, and spread trash. You can help curb the problem by having your pet spayed or neutered
source
The environmental impact
of pets
By Christie Keith, Special to SF Gate
Christie Keith is a contributing editor for Universal Press Syndicate's Pet Connection and past director of the Pet Care Forum on America Online. She lives in San Francisco.
So, you got up one morning, looked in the mirror, and vowed to reduce your carbon footprint. That backyard composting project you'd been putting off for years? Definitely time. The stack of newspapers by the kitchen table? Going to the recycling center this week, you swore.
And then your cat rubbed against your ankles, asking for her breakfast. You opened the box of cat food and shook the last of the kibble into her bowl, and tossed the empty box into the trash. The noise brought your dog into the kitchen, looking for a walk and his breakfast, too.
While you were driving the few miles to the dog park, you hit the drive-through espresso place, your engine idling while you waited your turn. You sat on the bench at the park watching your dog play with other dogs, sipping a latte and chatting with other early-morning dog walkers, maybe about your newfound resolution to be a better environmental citizen.
You called your dog, hoping he'd pooped while you were otherwise distracted, threw your empty coffee cup into the trash can, and headed back home. You didn't stop at the bank or post office because it was too warm to leave the dog in the car, so you'd have to make a second trip later that day.
When you got home, you opened a can of dog food and mixed it with some kibble. You threw the can away, and then dumped your cat's litter into a plastic bag, and threw that away, too. Then you got back in your car to do those errands you'd had to put off when you were out earlier with the dog.
This isn't a lesson in spotting hypocrisy, nor even a subtle message that people who let their dogs poop without picking it up are jerks. (Although they are — so much for "subtle.") It's really nothing more than a checklist of a few of the ways humans impact the environment with the decisions we make about caring for our pets.
In this column, I'm going to look at the environmental impacts of pet ownership, some of which are fairly obvious and some of which most of us rarely consider. Then in my next column, I'll examine the solutions to these problems, and even provide a glimpse into ways that sharing our lives with companion animals improves the planet.
What goes in must come out
From that not-so-fragrant pile on the sidewalk to the cat litter box hidden in the laundry room, the biggest piece of the pet pollution puzzle is poop. Whether you dispose of it in the trash, flush it or leave it where it falls, it's a problem.
America's 73 million dogs produce around 10 million tons of dog poop per year — 6,500 tons of that in San Francisco alone, making up around 4 percent of the city's total residential waste. The litter from America's 90 million pet cats results in around 2 millions tons of cat litter being sent to landfills each year. Making the problem worse, clay-based litters aren't biodegradable, as they're already in their final state of decomposition.
While there are regional composting operations that accept dog and cat waste (I'll have more on that in my next column, as well as on an innovative San Francisco solution to the dog poop problem), getting rid of used cat litter and dog feces is one of the most difficult challenges for the green-minded pet owner. Feces left in gardens, parks, empty lots, and on the streets will run off into storm drains and waterways, contaminating them with bacterial waste that can cause human and wildlife diseases.
Compliance rates on canine pooper-scooping vary wildly from community to community. Some areas actually hire commercial poop removal services because local dog owners aren't picking up after their pets, while many dog parks are self-policed to such an extent that before your dog has finished squatting, six people are hollering at you: "Clean up after your dog!" But even the most conscientious poop-scooping dog owners might be picking up their dog's feces with a plastic bag, creating serious problems as the degradable poop is sealed inside a non-degradable bag that will spend something close to eternity in the landfill, along with a couple million tons of similarly-enshrouded cat litter.
While dog feces can be safely disposed of in the toilet, used cat litter should never be flushed. Modern waste treatment doesn't kill a pesky organism known as
toxoplasma gondii. When water containing this parasite enters the ocean, it sickens and kills sea otter populations. Toxoplasma also causes disease in humans, especially the immune-compromised and pregnant women.
Disposing of used cat litter is only half the problem. The other half is figuring out what to use as litter in the first place. Clay-based cat litters are not a by-product of the manufacture of something else, but produced by strip mining. The clay, known as bentonite, is found under several layers of soil, which are removed in the mining process. The first few inches of clay are discarded, and the final clay is removed and processed into cat litter. When it comes to "green" products, you don't get much less green than that. (Some more planet-friendly options will be discussed in my next column.) [posted below]
Back to 'what goes in'
In addition to the difficult problem of pet waste, there's also the stuff that creates the waste in the first place: pet food. Just as with human food, pet food is the tip of the iceberg on a whole host of environmental challenges.
Even people who spend hours at Whole Foods reading labels and querying the butcher about the life and death of that night's dinner often just grab the nearest brightly-colored sack or box for their pets. I used to argue with the owner of a small health food store in Sonoma County -- who wouldn't even sell organic or grass-fed meat or chicken for people because she believed eating animals was cruelty -- about the really terrible pet food she carried. Not only were they low in quality but their meat sources were far less consistent with her store's supposed humane and ecological values than the free-range and organic meats she wouldn't carry.
If you're a consumer who is concerned about the impact of factory farming on the environment (and if you think cat poop is a problem for the environment, let's talk about high-volume hog farming sometime), the source of the meat products in your pet's food deserves as much scrutiny as the source in your own. If you only buy locally grown, organically raised produce, try to support sustainable methods of agriculture, and seek out meats raised and slaughtered in ways you find humane, you might be surprised to find out how hard it is to apply those same standards to your pets' food.
It can also be harder to "buy local" when using commercial pet foods. Even companies located nearby might manufacture their foods in plants in other states, using ingredients shipped in from all over the world. Nearly every vitamin supplement used in this country is
made in China, and, as this year's pet food recall taught us, so are many of the raw ingredients of pet foods. The environmental cost of packaging, shipping, storing, and distributing those sacks and cans of pet food has to be tallied, along with the convenience of using them.
Speaking of packaging, how do you dispose of the empty containers? While dog poop might make up 4 percent of San Francisco's solid waste, product packaging makes up one-third of the stuff sent to landfills. Boxes, bags, and food containers make up the single largest segment of that sold waste stream, although there are no statistics indicating what percentage of that is from pet food. But every pet food can, box, pouch or sack tossed in the trash ends up in a landfill. While some pet food manufacturers, such as San Diego's Honest Kitchen, are switching to post-consumer recycled packaging, and some packaging, such as cardboard boxes, is easily recycled, pet food product packaging unquestionably makes a bad situation worse.
Cheap plastic imported crapIf the pet poop problem reminds anyone of the disposable diapers problem, then it won't be a surprise to know that pets and kids share another issue: toys.
Imported plastic toys in bright colors fill the aisles of pet supply stores pretty much the same way they fill the aisles of toy stores. Manufactured in countries where environmental regulations are lax or irregularly enforced, shipped into and all over the United States, these cheap goods usually don't last long. The broken toys end up in the landfill and we head back out into the stores in search of yet more cheap plastic crap.
Unlike children, who have their consumer desires fostered by a whole marketing machine aimed right at them, our pets really don't care if they have the same cool stuff as the cat and dog next door. In fact, cats are usually much happier with a paper bag to play with, and our dogs can't see those bright plastic colors in the first place. We're buying that stuff for us, not for them.
Location, location, locationWe drive our pets to the groomer, the vet, the park, doggy day care. Their food, toys, combs, brushes, and other supplies are shipped from locations all over the country, or even all over the world. When you get right down to it, it's all about the gas.
Of course, not every pet owner lives walking distance from a park, veterinarian, groomer, or doggy day care any more than they live near their children's schools, their hairdresser or their own workplaces. Sometimes that twice-daily drive to the dog park is a necessity rather than a choice. And because it's not a good idea to leave dogs in the car while we do other errands, particularly on warm days, it's hard to bunch trips to the dog park with grocery shopping and returning the DVDs. Because dogs suffer more from heat than humans do and driving with the windows open isn't always safe when there are pets in the car, sometimes we have to use our air conditioners more when transporting the dog.
But whether a matter of choice or necessity, all those miles of driving have a cost, one we pay for once at the gas station and again in environmental harm.
Drugs, shampoos, and chemicals
People rarely dispose properly of their own unused medications and garden pesticides, and this is no less a problem when it comes to drugs and chemicals used for our pets. Unfortunately, knowledge about proper disposal of chemicals or the waste of animals who are on certain medications is not widespread, and many people have simply never thought about the issue at all. But from the shampoo you cheerfully rinse off your dog in the backyard to the medications you flush down the toilet (or into the storm drain in your pet's urine or feces) or the flea and tick control product containers you toss into the trash can, the contamination of the country's water supply with antibiotics, pesticides, and industrial chemicals is a problem that, while not limited to pets, certainly includes them.
These unwanted residues are known as "emerging pollutants of concern" or "microconstituents." When they enter the environment, even at very low levels, they can help contribute to the development of drug-resistant bacteria, affect the central nervous systems of animals exposed to them, contaminate ground and surface water, and harm aquatic life such as fish and frogs.
The great outdoor cat debate Because the indoor-outdoor cat debate is such a vast and contentious issue, it definitely deserves its own column. I promise it's coming in the future, but for now, let's just say that whichever side in this unending battle is right, there's no argument that free-roaming pet cats urinate and defecate in other people's backyards, vegetable gardens, and planter boxes, and cats can have at least strong localized impacts on wildlife. Cats who are kept indoors have a much smaller carbon paw print than cats who are free to roam, but, depending on location and who you ask, half or fewer of all cats live indoors all the time.
What you can doI'm a pet writer, a lifelong dog and cat owner (although currently catless), and a passionate believer in the bond between humans and animals. All our decisions, including those we make about our pets, impact the planet in some way. In my next column, I'll cover the many ways that pet owners can reduce the carbon paw print of their dogs and cats, and one way in which pets actually reduce environmental damage and help make the planet a healthier and better place for all species.
Part 2:
what you can do The environmental impact of pets, Part 2: what you can doEasy Changes: StuffWant to lighten the load just a little? America's pet product manufacturers are ready to help. Welcome to the wonderful world of recycled and recyclable pet products!
The outside story. Pet food, pet toys, pet supplies, pet cleaning and grooming aids, pet medications -- pretty much all of it has one serious environmental problem, and that's packaging. Just as with products intended for humans, those seeking to be more eco-friendly should try alternatives such as bulk buying and using products that come in recycled and recyclable packaging.
Even cardboard boxes used for dry pet foods are not always recyclable, as some of them are lined with metal or plastic to prevent food spoilage. Check the bottom of the packaging for recycling information.
Always dispose of drugs, pesticides, shampoos, chemicals and the containers they come in safely. Federal guidelines for the safe disposal of
human medications apply to veterinary drugs as well. Flea control products, as well as many pet shampoos and dips, need to be disposed of carefully as well, according to
EPA, state, and local guidelines.
The inside story. Then there's the stuff itself. Fortunately, there's no shortage of pet toys and supplies made with recycled, degradable, and recyclable materials -- in fact, annual sales of "green" pet products are estimated to reach over $1 billion this year. So for your own pets, or the eco-friendly pet owners on your holiday shopping list, consider some of these toys and supplies:
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SmartyKat A complete line of cat toys, treats, and beds using recycled and recyclable materials. Some favorites include the SuperScratcher, as well as several play-encouraging and interactive toys.
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PoochPlanet From the same folks who brought us SmartyKat, dog toys, treats, and beds made with recycled materials -- including a line of
dog beds filled with recycled plastic bottles. According to the company, their customers kept 30 million recycled bottles out of the waste stream last year alone.
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West Paw Design This Montana-based company makes dog and cat toys and beds using recycled and organic materials, including the popular Organic Bumper Bed and the Eco Nap Mat.
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Planet Dog This company makes two toys out of pre-consumer recycled materials, and the toys themselves are recyclable. They also make collars, leashes, and harnesses using hemp, a sustainable, degradable, and recyclable fiber.
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Everyday Studio Cat Trees Designed by San Francisco artist Susan Kralovec, these cat trees are made of corrugated cardboard, with 35 percent minimum recycled content. Materials are non-toxic and low VOC.
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Earthbath Grooming Products They're free of phosphates and enzymes, and are biodegradable. They also sell in bulk for professional use, or for those who want to minimize packaging waste.
Where's it from? The pet food and toy recalls of products made in China have made most of us aware that many things we buy for ourselves and our pets are made all over the globe, and that not all countries have similar manufacturing standards. Even products made locally might contain ingredients and materials that came from all over the world, with the attendant ecological fuel cost.
Some companies, such as
PlanetDog.com, have made a commitment to re-locating their manufacturing plants closer to their market. Others like West Paw started out with that commitment, and still make their line of dog and cat toys and beds in Bozeman, Montana. Always investigate where the products you buy for your pets are made, as well as how far the ingredients and materials used to make them had to travel to get there.
Pet service businesses. Businesses use stuff, too. If you're looking for an eco-friendly place to board your dogs and cats, San Francisco's
Pet Camp was founded by two former EPA staffers, and is certified as a
Green Business by the City and County of San Francisco. While they're the only pet-related business to receive such certification, eco-aware pet owners might want to check with other pet service businesses they use. Does your dogwalker use biodegradable poop bags? What kind of shampoo does your groomer use?
Bigger Changes: The Ins and OutsFirst, the "out." Pet poop is polluting storm water and, when it is enshrouded in non-degradable plastic bags, taking up landfill space. High levels of canine-origin fecal bacteria have been found in bodies of water into which surface water drains, and sea otters have been sickened and killed by a parasite found in the feces of some cats. Many common brands of cat litter are non-degradable and are produced by strip mining. So what do you do with all that pet waste?
When it comes to pet poop, there are a few options.
Flush it. The best place to dispose of dog poop is the toilet, and yes, there are
flushable pooper scooper bags.
For used cat litter, the situation is less clear. Some litters are produced specifically to be flushable, and for cats who don't carry the parasite
Toxoplasma gondii, that's a good solution. But around half of all cats do, and their feces should not be flushed. Even those indoor cats who were infected in the distant past can, under some circumstances, still shed cysts in their feces, so before you decide your cat is one of those who don't, have your veterinarian run a T. gondii titer test on your cat. If the test is negative, and your cat has no opportunity to eat soil, prey or any form of raw meat, then you're probably safe to put flushable cat litter down the toilet.
Toss it. Big dogs mean big poop, and lugging dog waste back home and flushing it isn't always the most practical solution. The next-best course is to use a degradable scooper and toss the poop in the trash.
If your plumbing system can't handle flushable cat litter, or your cat is
T. gondii positive, goes outdoors, eats raw meat, or doesn't like flushable cat litter, the next-best option is to use a degradable recycled litter and dispose of it in the trash in a degradable container such as a paper bag. Litters are available made from post-consumer newspaper, as well as degradable plant materials such as wheat, corn, and cellulose. Clay litters are produced by strip mining and do not degrade, so unless your cat is one of the ones who doesn't care about the environment but does care about his special litter not being replaced, they're not the best ecological choice.
Products that can make tossing pet waste more eco-friendly include:
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Biobags' Doggie Waste Bag, probably the most common choice.
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Scooperbox , a fully degradable cardboard scooper made from 100 percent recycled materials.
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Dispoz-a-scoop combines the best of both methods, and is a degradable plastic bag with a rigid cardboard frame.
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Feline Pine Made of reclaimed pine dust from lumber yards. Degradable. The company says the product is flushable but labels the product with a warning about T. gondii transmission.
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World's Best Cat Litter Degradable and flushable. Made from corn.
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Yesterday's News Made from recycled newspaper -- the company says a "significant portion" of that is post-consumer, and also says that "most" publishers today use safe inks, and their manufacturing process neutralizes all ink residues. Degradable but not flushable.
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SWheat Scoop Made from wheat. Degradable, and claims to be "the only litter on the market that's certified flushable in sewer or septic systems by the SGS U.S. Testing Company."
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Green Tea Leaves Litter Made of pre-consumer manufacturing waste, this litter contains just wood dust and green tea. It clumps, it controls odor, and it's degradable and flushable.
Let it rot. Can you compost pet waste? It depends on who you ask. Pretty much everyone recommends against using compost made with any fecal material on food crops, but s
tudies done in Alaska found that properly handled compost made using dog poop got hot enough to break down into clean, usable compost.
If you want to try composting dog poop and used degradable (non-clay) cat litter in your own garden,
CityFarmer.org has step-by-step instructions and even a video demonstration. You can also try one of a number of in-ground mini-septic systems such as the
Doggie Dooley Pet Waste Disposal System.
Many cities around the world are trying different approaches to dog waste disposal. San Francisco is testing a method that doesn't just reduce the dog poop carbon pawprint, but creates energy instead of waste.
Sunset Scavenger processes dog poop in a methane digester, where bacteria turn the waste into methane gas. Methane can be used just like natural gas, and can also be used to produce electricity.
Now, the in: Food. If supporting humane and sustainable agriculture with your shopping dollars is important to you, consider
making your pets' food yourself, out of fresh, locally produced ingredients. That way, you can control the quality of the ingredients just as you do in your own diet, and also eliminate all the wasteful shipping, storing, packaging, and advertising that goes along with the multi-billion dollar pet food industry.
I've been making my pets' food for almost 23 years now, and it's easier than most people think, but if it's not for you, some commercial foods are more eco-friendly than others. It's not enough just to buy foods that claim to be "natural" or "healthy," but meats, grains, and vegetables that are produced in accordance with the regulations of the California Certified Organic Farmers and other independent third-party certifiers such as Oregon Tilth must meet certain standards of sustainability in their production. There are also small, local companies that may be producing pet foods using locally grown, sustainably produced ingredients. A few companies that offer sustainably raised and/or certified organic meats in their pet foods:
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By Nature Organics Organic products are certified by Oregon Tilth. They make both dry and canned cat and dog foods. Not all foods are organic, so read labels.
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Castor & Pollux Organics A complete line of both canned and dry cat and dog foods, plus treats. Products vary in how much of their content is organic. USDA Organic certification.
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Primal Pet Foods Their produce is certified organic, and they claim "All of our meats, poultry and game are purchased through farms and ranches that take pride in producing wholesome sources of protein through natural, sustainable agriculture." Their foods are sold frozen and are intended to be fed raw. They are located in the San Francisco area.
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Karma Organics Dry food and treats for dogs using 95 percent certified organic ingredients, including meat. USDA Organic certification.
Dogs and cats are both members of the order carnivora, and evolved eating the flesh of prey animals. Some people worried about the environmental impact of meat diets want to make their carnivorous pets into vegetarians or even vegans. Although a vegetarian diet is possible for both species, a vegan diet is at best controversial and at worst, dangerous for an obligate carnivore such as the cat.
For those who want what's best both for their pets and the planet, there's a middle road. Most of meat's bad rap belongs not to livestock raising per se, but to industrialized, high-volume farming practices. Locally, groups such as
SF Raw seek out small, local farmers and ranchers who raise their livestock using sustainable methods such as pasturing and grass feeding, and practice environmentally careful agriculture, and buy their meat, eggs, and other products in bulk. This saves money as well as minimizing shipping. Groups like this one exist nationwide and are listed at
DogAware.com.
Not convinced? Although dogs and cats are the most popular pets in America, there are many herbivorous animals who make wonderful companions. By no means should anyone give up their current pets, but if the consumption of meat is an important issue for you, consider a pet such as a rabbit in the future. Rabbits make wonderful companions, and there are many of them in need of homes. And, as pet columnist
Gina Spadafori writes, ecologically, it doesn't get much better than a bunny:
A rabbit is better than a garbage disposal. It's true: You can give a rabbit all your green kitchen trimmings and he'll eat them with enthusiasm, no electricity required. Then he'll produce lovely waste that will super-charge your compost pile, providing you eventually with the most luscious rich compost for your garden. So you can grow more lovely vegetables, giving him the trimmings, and on it goes. The circle of life, without the petro-chemicals!
Indoor vs. outdoor cats. While this doesn't exactly match the "in and out" I was talking about, cats who roam freely do have a greater impact on the environment than cats who are kept indoors or only allowed into safe outdoor areas. Because it's a big topic, the indoor/outdoor cat debate and ideas for enriching the lives of indoor cats will be the subject of a future column. Nevertheless, it's a fact that keeping cats indoors with access to safe outdoor enclosures will protect wildlife from their predation, keep cat feces and urine from contaminating soil and water, and prevent your cats from contracting T. gondii. If your cats do roam, consider using a collar with a bell on it to alert birds to their presence. And while I've never tried it, there's also a
cat bib that supposedly prevents cats from harming birds.
The Biggest Step of All: Thinking about it another wayIt may seem that humans keeping and caring for companion animals puts a strain on the planet. But the balance isn't as unequal as it might seem at first glance. Sharing our lives and homes with animals has the potential to make us better environmental citizens -- and better people, too. I know, because that's what happened to me.
Back in the 80s, I was the typical over-achieving workaholic. I lived in San Francisco, stopped every morning for my triple-shot latte at the CafŽ Flore, and spent the whole day indoors working, and most of my evenings in clubs, theaters, and restaurants. My main form of recreation was shopping.
And then in 1991 I adopted my dog Colleen from the Peninsula Humane Society, and all of that changed. Every morning I went to the dog park or the beach, and every evening I walked her all around our quiet neighborhood. I started seeing things I'd never paid any attention to before: The stars. Flowers growing on the side of the road. Birds in the trees and the skies. On our trips to the Bay Area's state and county parks, we saw bobcats, coyotes, snakes, and jackrabbits. Once I even saw a mountain lion off in the distance. I began not just to see but to care about the natural world in a way I never had before.
Even if it can be challenging to reduce our pets' carbon pawprint, I'd argue that their net ecological impact is positive. That's because in seeing the world through the eyes of our animals we come to both know and care about the natural world. The saying "God invented the cat so that man might caress the tiger" doesn't only mean that we get to have a tiny bit of the wild in our laps at night; it also means that a little piece of our heart goes out into the wild.
Perhaps most importantly, the human-animal bond fosters compassion not just for our pets, but for all living creatures -- other humans included. An open heart is never a bad thing, for us, for the planet, and for the other people and animals with whom we share the earth.
One last word about recycling. My dog Colleen was one of the millions of second-hand animals who are waiting for a home in America's shelters, pounds, and rescue groups. They say love is better the second time around, so if you're ready to bring another pet into your home, perhaps you can practice some of what I've preached on an animal who needs a second chance.
_________________________________
Posted by Kindness of Strangers E_CO Member
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Thank you for veggie starter kit info!
VEGAN FUTURE

Starter Kit (PCRM)
Starter Kit for Teens (Animal Place)
Starter Kit (Mercy for Animals)
Guide to vegetarian eating (Humane Society of the US)
Guide to dairy- and egg-free shopping, cooking and eating (Animal Aid)

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