January's Stupid Plastic Crap

This month’s nominee for Stupid Plastic Crap is the nylon scrubber and its partner, the plastic bottle of body wash.  The scrubber or bath sponge is made of nylon or polyethylene.   Nylon is one of the first successful plastics, originating in 1938.  It was a substitute for silk, as in parachutes, and was used to make the bristles in toothbrushes, then to make women’s stockings (hose).  Depending on its form (thin fiber or thick solid) and the decomposition conditions, nylon can take many decades to decompose.  

The plastic bottles that hold body wash is made of various plastics. I found bottles made of #1 which is PET and others were #3 which is PVC.  PET or PETE is very common and usually recyclable.  PVC is one of the nastier plastics to manufacture and releases toxins in its final form.  It’s a plastic to avoid.

The Green Choice

These two plastic products are really common now.  They are almost considered THE way to shower.  The problem is that when the bottle of body wash is used up, there are 2 items of plastic waste leftover.  It is very easy to take your shower, get really clean and leave no plastic waste.  Simply use a cotton wash cloth and a bar of soap.  There are many healthy homemade soaps available that have no perfumes, no detergents, and no  sodium laurel sulfates. I usually buy mine at the farmers' market, but you can find them for sale in many places.

Book Review: The Non-Toxic Avenger by Deanna Duke

The author, Deanna Duke, was already interested in living an eco-friendly life when, in the same year, her kindergarten aged son was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and her 38 year old husband was diagnosed with a type of leukemia.  This shocked her into realizing that her world was not as toxin free as she thought and made her wonder if the toxins in the environment contributed to her family’s health issues.  She began researching the possibility of having herself tested for many common toxins.  She planned on being tested, then eliminating all these toxins from her life, then being retested.

The most difficult part of her project was arranging the various tests for her body burden evaluation.  The problem was that labs don’t usually do testing for individuals, so this part took much research and planning.  Some of the common toxins for she was tested were pesticides, PCB’s, phthlates, parabens, volatile solvents, and toxic metals.  She was careful to keep using her “normal” products until after the testing, then she began to eliminate as many sources of common toxins as possible.  

She filtered her water, changed deodorant, eliminated nail polish, bought a new vacuum with a HEPA filter, bought additional house plants, ate organic foods, eliminated flame retardants, gave away non-stick cookware, along with many other actions.  After a couple of months lab results began to come in. Deanna had some good results and some that were not as good.  When she had eliminated as many toxins from her environment as possible, she began a detox program.  This involved exercise, diet restrictions, a weekly massage, meditation, and some vitamin supplements.   She eliminated all processed flours, wheat, and coffee.  She continued the detox program for a month and then had her body burden tests done again.

The Non-Toxic Avenger was a great read.  Deanna writes in an easy and humorous way, even when explaining scientific results.  Her family is not so different from mine or yours. I expected the book to be full of long chemical names and data which could make it hard to follow.  Of course all those name were there - they had to be, but I couldn’t put the book down.  I had to find out what happened to her family.  Was the second round of tests better?  How was her husband doing with his fight against cancer?  Did her son improve?  Was this worth while for Deanna and her daughter?  

The sub-title of the book is “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You”.  We tend to trust manufacturers to make products that have no health damaging toxins, but this is not reality.  As Deanna has demonstrated, we all must take the initiative to educate ourselves and clean up our own lives.  All the precautions she uses can be done by most of us.  Buy “The Non-Toxic Avenger” and see for yourself.

Deanna Duke is also a very successful eco-blogger at the Crunchy Chicken.

Goodbye Fluffy Fleece Robe

Goodbye Fluffy Fleece Robe (and other
polyester products).

Recently (on Black Friday) Patagonia took out a full page ad in the New York Times that said  “Do not buy this jacket.”  and it was their own fleece jacket, the R2® Jacket.  Patagonia is taking this  amazing action for two reasons. One is because the manufacture and transport of this jacket  uses enough water to furnish 45 people their daily water.  It also produces 24 times its weight in carbon dioxide.  The second is because of new data about fleece items releasing microparticles  of polyester into the environment.  Patagonia's philosophy is that this product is not sustainable.

According to the November Environmental Science and Technology, every time a fleece product, like a jacket, is washed, up to 2,000 tiny particles of the fleece are released into the water and can make their way to the ocean. Ecologists sampled 18 beaches on 6 continents and found polyester particles on every beach.

The problem is that these tiny plastic particles sink to the bottom of the ocean where they enter the food chain.  They are consumed by filter feeders or tiny creatures who are eaten by the next level and so on until it ends up in the predators at the top of the food chain (could be us humans).  No one is certain what this means but once the microparticles are in the ocean, they are impossible to remove.  They must degrade which can take a really long time and then they may leave chemicals like BPA in the environment. There is evidence that microparticles of plastic attract oily toxins like a magnet and these also can bioaccumulate into the food chain.

You may not think of polyester fleece as being plastic but it is. It is made from crude oil and natural gas and it take decades to decompose.  Even though it can be soft and pliable, it is still plastic.  Some companies have made fleece from recycled plastic bottles which, at one time seemed like the green thing to do.  With this new information, it obviously better to avoid polyester.  Use products made of sustainable natural sources like silk, cotton, wool, linen, bamboo, and hemp.  They are biodegradable.

Hello Cotton Terry Robe

Patagonia is to be admired for their forward thinking.  They want you to buy their products AND they want a clean environment for future generations.  "We ask you to buy less and to reflect before you spend a dime on this jacket or anything else," the company says.  How refreshing to hear a manufacturing company say this.  I really respect Patagonia.  Three cheers to them!

Resolve to Cut Out the Waste in 2012

 With the world populations recently reaching 7 billion, the issue of feeding everyone is very serious.  Currently we humans spend 24% - 40% of the earth’s photosynthetic output for food and nearly 50% of available fresh water usage goes to food production.  According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, industrialized countries waste 222 million tons of food annually. To be sustainable, we need to cut out the waste.

Recently I have been working on this issue in my own kitchen.  My goal is to buy less food and to not waste the food I buy.  I compost all food wastes so that I am not sending any food wastes to the landfill.  Here are some steps that I have found useful:

1. Plan meals before you shop and stick to the menu.  Make a detailed grocery list before you go shopping.  Buy from your list and avoid impulse shopping.
2. Before you shop, look in your fridge to see what is left from last week.  If you are doing a good job planning, your fridge should be rather empty at this point.  If you have leftover food from the week, plan it into the new week’s menus.
3. Buy bulk rather than packaged so that you buy just what you need.  For example, instead of buying a prepackaged bunch of mushrooms, buy them loose in just the amount you need.
4. We tend to over estimate how much food we should cook.  LoveFoodHateWaste.com has a food portions calculator that is handy. 
5. Write down what you are throwing away. This will help you see what and how much you are wasting.  You can keep a handy Food Diary at LoveFoodHateWaste.com.  This is a great website by the way. 
6. Use leftovers.  Plan them into you menus.  Smoothies  and soup are great ways to get rid of small leftovers.  

In the US, we throw out 25% of the food we grow.  I have been really working on my own food waste issues for the past two months. I am following the above advice and find it makes a big difference.  I also feel that it’s a moral issue.  What gives us the right to throw away so much food and resources when there are starving people all over the world?  Our parents always told us to eat our supper because there are starving children out there.  In my young mind, I would think, “What good does it do for me to eat all my beans?  We are not sending the leftovers to some needy child.”  Now I know that it means don’t take what you don’t need.  Don’t waste resources.

There are some other advantages to not wasting food.  You might lose weight especially if you limit your portions.  If you have not bought organic foods because of the higher price, you can afford it using the money you save from cutting out the waste.


This month's Green Moms Carnival topic is "Resolutions that Fight Global Warming" hosted by Amber at Strocel.com.  How does eliminating food waste help fight global warming?  Anything that is thrown into the trash and goes to the landfill will probably not decay aerobically or with oxygen.  Instead, if it decays at all, it will decay anaerobically or without oxygen.  When this happens, greenhouse gases like methane are produced (instead of CO2 which is also a greenhouse gas).  The problem is that methane is  20  times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping atmospheric heat.  


If you compost your kitchen waste (and there is bound to be some no matter how careful you are) decomposition will happen aerobically and produce CO2.  Even though CO2 has received a lot of negative press as a greenhouse gas, it is absolutely necessary for life on earth.  We need the greenhouse effect to keep the earth warm.  The problem is that we are producing too much CO2 with our lifestyle.  So don't waste food and compost what waste you have.  It's the kind thing to do for the earth.

Green Moms December Carnival

Happy Holidays everyone!  If you are like me you still have some shopping to do and need some suggestions.  This month’s Green Moms Carnival is about enjoying the holidays and yet giving in an eco-friendly way.  Our bloggers’ topics range from reducing stress to special gift suggestions for kids and adults.  Read through the list and let us help complete your holidays needs.

My own suggestion is to give baskets made by women artisans with the Rwanda Partners Basket Company.  These women are survivors of the genocide in Rwanda and have organized to revive their craft and to support themselves.  I have bought baskets several times and found the baskets to be beautiful and well made.

Lisa NW at Condo Blues makes Christmas her favorite holiday by finding ways to combat stress and to make the holidays joyful. Two ways that she suggests are: Shop all year long especially if you have a large extended family and do not try to make your Christmas “magazine” perfect.  

Michelle at The Green Phone Booth suggests that you swap things for experiences this year.  She suggests that kids value play time with loved ones and memories more than the latest fad toy. Give the kids in your life the gift of your time.

Micaela at Mindful Momma recommends the gift guide from Womens Voices for the Earth.  It includes suggestions for toys, clothes, electronics, baby products, cosmetics and more!  She also recommends Conscious Box which is a goody box filled with sample sized eco-friendly gifts. The goal is to help consumers experience ethical earth-friendly products. Each month, a new box of products is available.

If you want to make your holiday decorating more eco-friendly, Mindful Momma has some great ideas. for handmade gifts.  She also recommends giving the gift of Punjammies which are made by women formerly in the prostitution trade.  This is part of the International Princess Project which is dedicated to helping these women restore their lives and learn to live free. Punjammies are made from beautiful Indian Sari fabric.

Lori at Groovy Green Livin has 5 great green toy suggestions that you might not think of.  She also has instructions for 2 holiday craft projects that kids can make for fun or to give as gifts.

Katie at Non-Toxic Kids recommends a line of books called Barefoot Books.  Her all time favorite is Mrs.Moon: Lullabies for Bedtime.

Karen at Best of Mother Earth writes a thoughtful blog entry suggesting that less holiday bling can be  green while still being magical and fun.

Tiffany at Nature Moms Blog finds her Christmas gifts at eBay, Craigslist, and the thrift store.  She sees no reason to break the budget during the holidays but still finds great gifts.

Harriet at Climate Momma has some great rules to help combat the pervasive pressure of quantity over quality at this time of the year.  She also recommends three climate change books for kids and she shares her family tradition of giving a gift from nature.  Each family member makes a gift from nature to give one other person.

Betsy at Eco-novice: Going Green Gradually suggests several cookbooks for adults.  All of them sound great and are a fabulous way for friends/family to improve their eating habits.  She also suggest several reusable items that make eco-friendly gifts for the person trying to use fewer disposables.

Jennae at Green Your Decor recommends 100% organic pajamas for kids by New Jammies.  They look very cozy.  She also has detailed instructions for making a puppet theatre which would be a great kid gift or kid project.  Finally, for more ideas check out Jennae’s Green Gift Guide. 

Anna at Green Talk has a list of 18 ways to get rid of that unwanted gift (that we all get sooner or later).  Check it out; there are some you may not have considered.

Lynn at Organic Mania has some great ways to find a green gift for a green friend (We can be kind of picky, right?).

Hopefully some of these suggestions will help you find that special eco-friendly gift or appreciate the holidays without stress.  If you have additional great ideas for greening the holidays, leave a comment.