Citizen Green

January's Stupid Plastic Crap

2012-01-27T18:02:00.000-05:00

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.

January's Stupid Plastic Crap

2012-01-27T17:59:00.001-05:00

The Green Choice

Book Review: The Non-Toxic Avenger by Deanna Duke

2012-01-15T15:28:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-10T14:17:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-30T15:33:00.026-05:00

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:

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.
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.
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.
We tend to over estimate how much food we should cook. LoveFoodHateWaste.com has a food portions calculator that is handy.
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.
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

2011-12-12T11:45:00.003-05:00

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.

November Stupid Plastic Crap

2011-11-30T19:30:00.000-05:00

This month’s nominee for stupid plastic crap is the single-serving coffee brewer like

Keurig. This type of coffee brewer offers many types of coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. All are pre measured in individual plastic cups. This convenient beverage is ready in 2 minutes and leaves behind a plastic container that is not recyclable. This type of single-serving food is very popular with consumers.

Bring variety to your countertop and useless plastic to the environment.

I have blogged about the wastefulness of single-serving food products before. They are a luxury and luxury means waste. I also have blogged about convenience and how it does leads to waste. We have to ask ourselves if the convenience of drinking a speciality coffee that is prepared in 2 minutes is worth leaving plastic waste in the environment for several centuries.

Your Slavery Footprint

2011-11-11T11:14:00.001-05:00

If you are into being any kind of green consumer, you are probably familiar with free trade and cruelty-free products. You also know about buying products without toxins. Another serious issue to consider when shopping is “how many slaves are in the supply chain of the products you buy”. Modern slaves include forced laborers and bonded laborers. There are about 27 million slaves worldwide producing many of the everyday products that we love.

Many Pakistani boys are signed away to bonded labor at the age of 13. The contracts last until they are 30.

In 2007, Save the Children reported that 250,000 children live and work in Pakistani brick kilns in complete social isolation.

No one would willingly buy a product that is produced by a slave, but more than likely there are slaves in the supply chain of most of our modern products. The corporations that make the products may not even be aware of this.

To bring shoppers’ attention to this issue, Made in a Free World, the slavery footprint website asks you to take a survey that calculates your slavery footprint (sort of like a carbon footprint). In the survey, you will answer questions about your house, your electronics, which sports you play, the size of your wardrobe. When you finish the survey, it will tell you how many slaves are working for you to supply the products you buy. The survey results include a breakdown of your score and what products contributed most to your score.

I was shocked that my slavery footprint is higher than the average of others who have taken the survey. Thirty nine slaves support my lifestyle while the average is 25. The areas in my life that contributed most to my high footprint are my home and my food. There are suggested actions that one can take to mitigate their footprint, like sending a letter to manufacturers asking them to self investigate their supply chain looking for slave labor.

Two areas that surprised me were cosmetics and jewelry. Rubies are worse that blood diamonds because rubies are usually mined in Burma with forced labor.

Every day tens of thousands of Indian children mine mica, which is the little sparklies in the makeup.

Cotton, a fabric that I prefer and look for in clothes, can involve slave labor - organic or not. Children (1.4 million) are forced to work in Uzbek cotton fields.

So what can we do? Encourage manufacturers to police their own supply chain by sending the letter from the survey. Talk to your friends and family to raise awareness of this serious issue.

If you have an iphone or an Android, you can download an app called “Made in a Free World”. Using this app, you can share your concerns about slavery on Facebook and Twitter. You can also automatically send notes to your favorite brands asking them to investigate their own supply chain.

The main purpose of this website is to raise awareness with consumers. If enough consumers contact manufacturers about slavery, this problem will be eliminated. This is a big step toward greening your shopping habits. With Black Friday coming soon, consider the other great ideas suggested by Green Moms Carnival which is hosted by Eco-novice this month.

Live Blue - Protect Our Oceans

2011-10-31T19:43:00.001-04:00

photo by Joel Paschal

I have been reading the book, Oceana by Ted Danson. The subtitle is Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them. Mr. Danson (Yes, the same Ted Danson who played a womanizing bar owner in the sitcom, Cheers.) has been working to solve ocean issues for the past 25 years. His passion for protecting the oceans began in 1984 when he was walking on the beach with his two young daughters and they came upon a sign that said “Beach Closed - Water Polluted.” He did not know how to explain this to his girls so he began to look for answers.

In 2001, he helped start a large international group that focuses on ocean issues, Oceana. This year he authored the book, Oceana. The book is full of useful information about ocean pollution, global warming, important people who study the oceans, and fishing practices. My favorite part at the end of each chapter is a summary of what you can do.

The state of our oceans is not good. The oceans are in a state of crisis right now and it is time to do something about it. What we decide to do will determine whether the earth’s marine ecosystems collapse or whether they heal and become productive again. This is vitally important to billions of people around the world who depend on the ocean for food and livelihood. Mr. Danson is optimistic about the fate of the oceans and my hope hangs on this for I am not so optimistic.

To help you readers out there (and myself), I plan to blog about this book once a month for several months. I live in Indiana which is a landlocked state but that does not mean it is not important to me. The health of the entire earth depends on the health of the oceans. I once lived in the Caribbean and feel a deep respect and passion for the ocean. I hope you buy the book and read it for yourself.

The first topic I will cover is seafood. When we say seafood, we are thinking about food for us humans. When you shop for seafood, it can be confusing what to eat and what not to eat. We are warned not to eat some fish because of mercury contamination, we are warned not to eat some farmed fish, and we are told to avoid some types of fish that are overfished. Frankly, it can be really confusing, plus when I go shopping I can’t remember which types to buy or not buy. Keep reading - this book offers help.

There are two main ways to fish the oceans: small scale fishermen who fish from a small boat or a fleet of small boats and industrial fisheries who use factory trawlers. What are the differences? Here are some facts from Oceana that illustrate how each type works:

Small scale fisheries employ 25 times the number of people, use 1/4 the fuel, and discard far less sea life.
Nine of the ten species that are most commonly fished are on the verge of collapse, mostly due to overfishing by trawling in industrial fishing.
The fishing industry’s overall catch has declined by 1/2 million tons per year since 1988.
If we continue like this, seafood populations will be wiped out by the 2nd half of this century.

What seafood will we eat if there are not enough fish to catch? Jellyfish. Overfishing takes away their competition and they are extremely hardy. Some cultures already eat jellyfish. In fact once I ate jellyfish (I accidentally ordered them because of a language barrier.). Believe me, they are not a good substitute for shrimp or Mahi mahi. When a fishery is depleted of fish, a jellyfish bloom may occur, where there are so many jellyfish that fishing nets are clogged by them. Jellyfish blooms are not uncommon anymore.

What is trawling? This is the method of fishing that large factory fishing ships use. It involves dragging huge nets across the seafloor, catching or clear cutting everything in its path. Much of what is caught is discarded. This is called bycatch. One estimate is that as many as 16 pounds of marine life is destroyed for every pound of fish that is kept. Up to 10 pounds of marine life is thrown away for every pound of shrimp caught.

What can you do? Eat sustainably caught seafood. When you are at the fish counter, how can you know if a type of fish is caught by trawling or whether or a fish is endangered because of over fishing? Visit www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx and learn about the free app, Seafood Watch, available from the Android Market or the App Store. You can also get a pocket Seafood Watch guide.

I downloaded this app onto my iphone and took it shopping right away. It really was helpful. For example, I picked up some fish called Swai. I had never heard of it so I looked it up. It is River catfish or Striped catfish and is imported and farmed. It was labeled as “Good Alternative”. Chunk light canned tuna was on sale, though I have never known if canned tuna is a good choice. I looked up “tuna” and found that this type of tuna should be avoided unless it is labeled troll- or pole-caught.

You might be shocked to know that two popular fishes are so overfished that you should not eat them at all - orange roughy and red snapper.

Other things you can do (according to Oceana):

Send a letter to President Obama to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles.
Don’t eat shark fin soup. Several states such as California have banned shark finning.
Support marine-protected areas and marine conservations organizations.
Contact your US senators and representatives to support ending overfishing and ensure that the deadlines to rebuild overfished stocks are met.
Organize a screening of The End of the Line.
Do not eat bluefin tuna. Before the popularity of sushi, this fish cost pennies per pound and was made into cat food. Now it is so overfished that you should not eat it.
Do your part to educate your favorite restaurants and fish counters.
Support Oceana’s efforts to curb global fishing subsidies. “You show me a polluter and I’ll show you a subsidy.” Robert Kennedy Jr.

Reading Oceana was overwhelming to me. I had no idea that the oceans were in such bad shape, even though, I read and write about the plastic debris in our oceans. This is an issue that everyone needs to pay attention to. We must reverse the damage we humans have done to the oceans in order to insure that future generations have this vital food source and this beautiful ecosystem to enjoy. Please get a copy of Oceana and begin living blue.

October's Stupid Plastic Crap

2011-10-24T19:51:00.005-04:00

These plastic pumpkins at WalMart are only $1 to
tempt customers to buy them.

This month’s nominee for stupid plastic crap is easy. It’s the beginning of the holiday season when we will see all kinds of plasticky, crappy decorations. One of the most familiar is the plastic trick or treat pumpkin. Factories have been chugging them out for years. It takes energy and resources to make them, gas to transport them (probably oversees), and they are used only once a year. Many end up in land fills and will take many decades, even centuries, to degrade.

I know that Halloween is a fun holiday for kids and adults and you probably think I am being a grouch for complaining about plastic pumpkins. Really it is super easy to use something else that is environmentally friendly. Make a bag out of fun Halloween fabric. Bags are really easy to make but if you are not a seamstress and need instructions, visit this entry to my blog.

Need more ideas about greening your Halloween? Visit this previous entry to my blog.

Reusable Trick or Treat bags
NO plastic - Easy to sew

Can Dog Ownership be Sustainable?

2011-10-11T21:16:00.001-04:00

This month's Green Mom's Carnival topic is about green pets in honor of National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. It is hosted by Lisa at Condo Blues.

After reading many blogs and articles about sustainable pets and I came to the conclusion that pets are not sustainable. Sustainable means that a practice does not use more energy and resources than it puts back into the environment. I can imagine raising chickens in a sustainable way and maybe goats. The chickens scratch a living in the yard and give you eggs. You need to feed them grain and protect them from predators. Cats and dogs (the way we raise them) need food that you either buy or make. They require medicine, kitty litter, beds, toys, leashes, and other accouterments. I read a book that changed my mind about pet sustainablity, at least about dogs.

The book, “A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life” by Steven Kotler, is about the author and his girlfriend, Joy, who moved from the fast paced life of LA to a small town in New Mexico. Their lives bottomed out in LA and theywere looking to change their lives. Joy is a dog rescuer, mainly of almost hopeless cases, mostly chihuahuas. I have heard of dog rescues for various breeds but I really did not understand it until I read this book.

Dog rescue involves a passion and devotion to dogs that most of us do not have. For dog rescuers, a respect of animals and nature is a vital part of their view of the environment, that none of us creatures is better than the others and that no creature deserves to be hurt (we are not talking predator/prey relationships), especially by humans.

Kotler quotes philosophers, environmentalist, biologists, geneticists, among others to discuss dogs, nature, and human behavior. He weaves this information into his own story of becoming a dog rescuer and convinces the reader of the value of the dog’s special relationship with humans.

Dogs came directly from wolves. The split between dogs and wolves occurred because of cohabitation between humans and wolves, perhaps before we became human, in other words, it happened with our primate ancestors. These ancestors may have begun to cooperate with wolves on the steppes of Eurasia 100,000 years ago. The idea is that wolves figured out that human dwellings, whether a cave or a village, always had garbage nearby. This garbage heap had many things that wolves could and would eat. Those wolves that could tolerate being uncomfortably close to humans and that could eat in the presence of humans got more to eat. More food meant healthy parents and bigger litters of pups. This continued for thousands of years while humans favored the cutest and tamest pups. We may have gotten intelligence and self-awareness from our primate ancestors but we got cooperation, patience, devotion to family from the wolf. So we have evolved to cohabit with dogs which makes them pretty important to human life and vice versa.

There are two opposite ways to see animals and humans and their place in nature. One philosophy is from Descartes who believed that animals were machines with no soul, no thoughts and no feelings. During his lectures, he would nail a dog to the wall and tell his audience that the screams were not different from the squeak of a screw being turned in a tight hole. Obviously he thought that animals could not suffer. Another similar philosophy derived from the old testament is that man should have dominion over the beasts. Both of these ways of thinking make valuing the beasts and their habitats unlikely. In fact, most scientists agree that we are in the throes of a mass extinction. One of every two species is in decline and one in four is at risk of extinction. So how are we doing at stewardship and being the thinking/feeling species? It’s not working out so well for the beasts.

The other way to think of animals and humans and their place in nature is called deep ecology which is a philosophy described by Norwegian ecophilosopher, Arne Naess. He says, “The right of all forms to live is a universal right which cannot be quantified. No single species of living being has more of this particular right to live and unfold than any other species.” This means that humans are not special nor do they have dominion over nature. This philosophy means we should care for all aspects of the earth as we would our homes or our families or ourselves. I feel that this way of thinking is vital to environmental health and life on Earth as we know it. It is not the thinking of the general public.

How do we get humans to value animals (as well as all the natural world) as organisms with a right to live on earth with us instead of valuing animals for what they can give us or do for us? We can start with the animal that we are closest to, the dog.

Having a dog for a pet teaches children about many things like how to care for the animal, animal behavior, reproduction, birth, death, love. Dogs improve (Erika Friedmann) survival rate among heart surgery patients, lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, improves sleeping disorders, helps with depression, and they are just plain wonderful companions.

Having a dog (okay cat lovers, cats are included here) teaches us and our children about nature. They are the door to the natural world. If you can’t have a dog or cat, then other pets will do - fish, mice, lizards, snails. Now I feel that if pets help us humans value nature and increases our desire to care for the environment, having them is SUSTAINABLE.

FloydFest X and Kleen Kanteen Partner to Be Sustainable

2011-10-09T13:30:00.000-04:00

Reusable cup from Kleen Kanteen with FloydFest logo

One of the best summer music festivals is Floyd Fest which takes place on the Blue Ridge Parkway It began 10 years ago near Floyd, Virginia and has grown to have more than 10,000 attendees. FloydFest has a green philosophy to be as sustainable and clean as possible. This year FloydFest partnered with Kleen Kanteen to keep thousands of plastic water bottles and beer cups out of the environment.

FloydFest and Kleen Kanteen dug a water well that can be used for years into the future. It provided free drinking water to festival patrons, eliminating 50,000 plastic water bottles. Beer drinking fans bought a reusable stainless steel pint cup by Kleen Kanteen. Using this handsome cup eliminated 64,000 plastic beer cups. What a great idea to eliminate lots of single-use plastic.

Other events and festivals should follow this model. When a patron buys a reusable stainless cup with a logo on it, they have a great souvenir of the event that can be used at home later. Kudos to Kleen Kanteen and FloydFest for thinking of a way to have fun, make money, and be sustainable. We should all try to solve our environmental problems by coming up with creative ideas like this. There are many ways to reduce our use of disposable plastic and this one works.

To see photos of FloydFest and the Kleen Kanteen cup click here.

Use Your Garden Tomatoes in this Tomato Sauce

2011-07-14T21:20:00.001-04:00

This month’s topic on the Green Mom’s Carnival is food preservation. That covers any and all methods of keeping foods for later use. Early in the 20th century, canning was a very common way to preserve food. People grew large gardens and preserved the harvest to eat in the winter. With the advent of freezers, canning became less common.

This recipe for tomato sauce is the main reason I raise tomatoes in my garden (plus I love fresh vine-ripened tomatoes). This sauce can be used for pizza or pasta. It is a great all-around marinara sauce. I grow almost all of the ingredients in my garden. It can be frozen or canned. I can it in small jars and use several if I need a large quantity. I’m almost out of last year’s supply but the 2011 crop is ripening in the garden now. I’ll be canning more tomato sauce soon.

Tomato Sauce

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

2 T oil

1 small carrot grated

2 T green pepper chopped

1 bay leaf

1 t oregano

1/2 t thyme

1/4 t basil

2 T chopped fresh parsley

2 C fresh Roma tomatoes

1 t salt

1/4 t brown sugar

1/8 t pepper

I got the original recipe from Laurel’s Kitchen by Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, and Bronwen Godfrey. I use it almost unchanged except that I do not use canned tomato paste as they do. I don’t want to used a can that is lined with BPA. It’s a great recipe. Try it!

This Green Mom's Carnival is hosted by Farmer's Daughter.

JUNE'S STUPID PLASTIC CRAP

2011-06-12T20:07:00.000-04:00

This month’s Stupid Plastic Crap is so bad it is almost funny - Booger Buddies. It is plastic lid that can be screwed onto a squeezable ketchup bottle. When you squeeze the bottle, ketchup comes out of its mouth. Similar to this is Mustard Monster. Mustard comes out it its nose.

"Add some whimsy and fun to your food with the Booger Buddies Ketchup Bottle Cap by Evriholder Products. This comical bottle cap comes in the shape of a little devil head, which attaches to most ketchup bottles."

It’s whimsical and gross and silly - a huge waste of resources and $3.99. A greener option, of course, is just squeeze your mustard and ketchup through the lid that comes with the product. An even greener option is buy mustard and ketchup in glass bottles, which is getting harder and harder to do. You could also make your own. Mustard is really easy to make. Try this recipe. I have never tried making my own ketchup. Have any of you? Send a recipe.

Think about the products you buy and ecological the footprint they leave.

Kroger Grocery and BPA

2011-06-07T15:02:00.001-04:00

The nation’s largest supermarket, Kroger, (2nd to Walmart) has decided to stop using the chemical lining BPA in its own brand cans. Also, Kroger is going to stop using register receipts that have BPA on them. Whenever a large corporation like Kroger makes an eco-friendly move like this, I feel optimistic because it affects the health of so many people. On the other hand, Coca Cola shareholders recently voted NOT to removed BPA from its cans.

BPA, or bisphenol A, is used in hard plastics and in the linings of food and beverage cans. It is also found in 40% of all store receipts. It is an estrogen mimic and is suspected in fetal development issues, obesity, hyperactivity, heart disease, and cancer. Even plastics that are labelled BPA free have been found to release BPA-like chemicals.

Kudos to Kroger for providing a healthier option for customers. It is really difficult to avoid all canned products. Almost all canned food, even organic brands, use cans lined with BPA. Eden Foods is one of the only companies that uses a plant based can liner.

Reduce your exposure to BPA by:

Reduce the amount of canned foods that you consume. Acid foods like tomatoes and tomato products leach more BPA from the lining of the can. I have noticed that most salsa is in glass container but plastic bottles are beginning to show up. Fatty and salty foods should also be in glass containers.
Choose glass or cardboard containers. I am always tapping bottles with my fingernails to find the glass ones. Cardboard containers that are a mixture of aluminum and polyethylene (#2) are safer than cans.
Do not microwave in plastic containers. Many microwaveable containers are polycarbonate (#7), which may break down and release BPA at high temperatures.
Do not use old plastic containers that are scratched or bent.
Handle receipts as little as possible. Click here to read my earlier posting about BPA on receipts.
Avoid #7 plastics that might come into contact with food.
Use a stainless steel reusable water bottle that is BPA free.
Download this list of 10 canned foods to avoid.

Inspiring Ideas for Getting Back to Nature with the Kids

2011-05-09T19:16:00.004-04:00

As parents and grandparents we all realize the importance of helping children connect with nature. It seems that the default activity for many modern kids is interacting with a screen of some type. This has become so prevalent that it has a name, nature deficit disorder. This term was first used by Richard Louv in his book, Last Child in the Woods. Louv suggests that kids and adults have become out of touch with nature because they spend so little time outdoors anymore. If they do go outside, it is for an organized event like a sports game. As a result, when it comes to nature,kids are afraid or ambivalent. I fear that kids will not grown up to care for the environment if they are not taught to love nature.

It’s up to us adults to nurture a healthy respect for nature in kids. These can be our own kids or the neighbor’s. They can be friends kids or nieces and nephews. We do not need to make a big deal of it, like a trip to Yellowstone, although that would be great. It’s as easy as going to a park or playing in the back yard. Nature includes plants, fungi, bugs, worms, not only dramatic animals like giraffes and elephants.

Reading nature books is another way to raise kids that love nature and want to take care of it. They are easy to find and are written for a variety of ages. A great one that I recently found is Patti Pelican and The Gulf Oil Spill written by Lynda Wurster Deniger and illustrated by Paulette Ferguson.

This book is an inspiring and informative story of three animal friends, Patti Pelican, Dottie Dolphin, and Sammy Seagull. These friends spend their time hanging around the Salty Seas, a shrimp boat operated by Captain Charlie. The story begins with the explosions on the Deep Water Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Patti and Sammy eventually become coated with crude oil and cannot fly. They end up at a rescue center - and you can read the rest of the story.

The beautiful illustrations in this book will captivate a child who loves picture books. The story will inspire a child to care about the earth and the creatures that share it with us. Most important of all, the story teaches children that the activities of humans can have a terrible impact on nature.

The epilogue tells examples of children who have been touched by this ordeal and who have thought of ways to help the wildlife on the Louisiana coast. There is contact information for the IBRRC (International Bird Rescue Research Center) plus a portion of sales from this book are donated to the IBRRC.

A bonus comes with this book, a CD with a song about Patti and her friends that children with love.

Reading nature books is a great addition to being in the outdoors. If a child is house bound, it can be a good way to get to know nature. This is my contribution to the Green Mom’s Carnival whose topic is “Inspiring Ideas for Getting Back to Nature with the Kids”. It is hosted by the Green Phone Booth.

April's Stupid Plastic Crap

2011-04-20T11:00:00.003-04:00

On my last visit to CVS I passed through the Easter aisle and discovered these camouflaged plastic Easter eggs. What a great example of stupid plastic crap!

Easter is a time of renewal and rebirth after a long winter. New leaves are opening on the trees, flowers are blooming, new baby animals are born. It’s a time of pastel colors and spiritual introspection. Camouflage colored plastic Easter eggs do not fit easily into this picture.

One might think they are camo-colored in order to make them easier to hide and harder to find for an Easter egg hunt, but I do not think so because they come with 6 little plastic soldiers. This indicates war to me - not spring renewal. They seem more like grenades than Easter surprises.

What is a greener way to have an Easter egg hunt? Use real eggs rather than plastic ones. Let your children help decorate them. Check out this website for ideas on decorating eggs with plant and vegetable dyes. Have a peaceful Easter!

March’s Stupid Plastic Crap

2011-03-31T11:17:00.002-04:00

A plastic toy free with a Happy Meal. It came in its own
plastic bag, too.

Awww! Isn’t it precious? A little lamb with huge eyes. What child would not want to play with it? Children can have it “FREE” with the purchase of a McDonald’s Happy Meal. There are many issues involved with giving free toys to young children in order to entice them to buy a Happy Meal. For this blog, the number 1 issue is that the toy is plastic. The food will long be eaten and digested while the toy hangs around in the environment forever. It’s not even a particularly nice toy either, but it is free after all. It will probably have a “play life” of a few minutes at the restaurant and then be forgotten.

These toys often are related to a current movie or fad that kids might like. They come with a meal that is high in calories, fat, and salt. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the U.S. and that trend happens to have begun at the same time as the beginning of the Happy Meal toy.

Some lawmakers think this is bribery at the expense of a young child's health. San Francisco has banned fast food restaurant kid meals with toys as have lawmakers in other parts of California. They have demanded that kids’ meals have certain nutrition requirements before a free toy can be included.

It would not allow the inclusion of a toy in any children’s meal with more than 485 calories, 120 calories for a drink, 200 calories for a single food item, 600 mg of salt or high amounts of sugar or fat.

There are greener ways to entertain and feed your child. Don’t buy plastic toys. Many plastic toys have BPA and phthalates in them. There are toys that are made of wood or metal that are a much greener choice. Feed your child at home or pack a meal to take with you. Practice healthy eating for yourself and your child. It's good for your child and the environment.

These are at least 20 years old, from the days when transformers
were popular. They are plastic and promote McDonald's own
products.

Hope or Despair? Which One Describes You?

2011-03-28T14:11:00.005-04:00

This post is about hope or despair when it comes to the environment. All of the Green Moms are blogging about the emotional issue of whether we think it is hopeless and things are going downhill so fast that there is no return - or are we optimistic about turning things around and making the earth a safe and healthy place to live. I have been thinking about this topic for several weeks and could not think what to write, even though I am an optimist through and through.

I had to ask myself why am I writing this blog if I don’t believe that it is doing some good. I have to admit that lately I have felt down about how much good I am doing and the thought of quitting the blog has crossed my mind. I really do not think things are hopeless, even though the U.S. Congress is acting so anti-environmental lately. So I have been mulling this over, “Is the environmental situation getting better?”. We are facing energy issues, global warming, over population, unscrupulous corporate greed, water issues, pollution of our oceans, rampant consumerism, etc. This is to name only a few problems.

So I got to thinking about how it used to be - both personally and globally. I participated in the first Earth Day in 1970. I was not an activist and did not do much except listen to some speakers, but I felt passionately about taking care of the environment. Grassroots support for the environment was just beginning to grow. There was a ready-made population of young baby boomers who were idealistic about peace and they made a great foundation on which to build the movement. We did not have the disposable plastics that are here today - definitely no disposable shopping bags and no bottled water. Beverages came in returnable bottles. The Clean Air Act was passed that same year. How much progress has been made since then?

Personally, I feel that if progress is being made, then there is hope. Without doing any deep research, I looked around my own community here in mid-north Indiana to see what we do differently from 1970.

The mid-north part of Indiana has one of the biggest wind farms
in the U.S.

This is one of the biggest differences between 1970 and now. In 1970, Texas gas was often less than $.50 per gallon and the US produced a higher percentage of our own gas rather than importing. Cars were gas-guzzlers. I remember that my neighbor's big Cadillac got 5 miles per gallon! Gas prices are higher now but that is the one thing that motivates drivers to conserve. Gas is considered an issue of national security now.

Now we have many miles of
hiking trails and bike
lanes.

Now my community promotes alternative
methods of transportation by providing
bike racks downtown.

We did not recycle anything in the 70s - I mean nothing.
Everything went into the garbage to be taken
to the landfill. Now, my community has a
well developed recycling program.

Disposable plastics were not an issue in the 70s.
Now the plastics' bin is the first to fill up. And plastic
litter on land and in the sea is becoming a health
issue.

Now we have a public bus system
that is constantly improving. It even
has hybrid busses. CityBus gives Purdue
students and faculty free access to the
transit system.

There are hundreds of recycling
bins like this on the Purdue campus. This
one has garbage in it, showing
that there is still a need
for educating.

Personally, I am a more active environmentalist than in the 70s. I write this blog about reducing my use of disposable plastic which has lead me down many other green pathways. Now, because of my blog, I am concerned about the quality of food I eat, the chemicals in personal hygiene products, the amount of stuff I consume, living sustainably, alternative energy, ocean health, to name only a few.

I see progress happening so I would classify myself as hopeful. Each decade brings new challenges that we worry about. In the 60s, it was the threat of communism. My dad bought and installed a bomb shelter when I was in Jr. High and he took us kids to see scary films about communism. In the 70s, it was the Vietnam war (still communism) which was the training ground for grassroots movements. Now it is global warming and other environmental problems. I feel that we will find solutions before it is too late but we cannot do it sitting on our rear ends.

This Green Moms Carnival is hosted by Diane at Big Green Purse. Check out what other Green Moms have to say on this topic.

Nasty BPA

2011-03-24T20:23:00.001-04:00

Bisphenol-A or BPA is a chemical that is used in making plastics, primarily polycarbonate plastics (#7) that are clear and almost unbreakable. Some common things made of BPA are baby bottles, water bottles, sports equipment, eyeglass lenses, and medical and dental products like fillings. It is used to line the inside of food cans and beverage cans. One place that you might be surprised to find it is on store receipts.

Canada recently became the first country to ban BPA as a toxic substance, so that consumer products containing it cannot be made or sold in Canada. Eight U.S. states have banned it from certain children’s products like bottles and sippy cups.

Why is it considered toxic? It is know to be estrogenic or an estrogen mimic. It is suspected in fetal development issues, obesity, hyperactivity, heart disease, and cancer. The ACC or American Chemistry Council claims that BPA is safe, but I would not want to risk exposing a child to BPA.

I was surprised to learn that it is common on store receipts. One survey estimated that 40% of all receipts are coated with BPA. The companies that use this type of receipt include many giants in the retail arena including, McDonald’s, CVS, KFS, Walmart, Whole Foods (!!), and the Post Office. Tests done by the University of Missouri found that the amount of BPA on receipts was 250 to 1,000 times the concentration in food cans or polycarbonate baby bottles. A Swiss study found that BPA can be be absorbed through the skin, especially wet skin, so handling receipts can be a health risk.

Store receipts that are printed on thermal imaging paper are likely to be coated with BPA. I have been checking receipts for several weeks and found only one receipt that was not printed on thermal imaging paper. It was from a local plant nursery and the print was bluish purple like the old mimeograph ink.

So these receipts are everywhere and we handle them all the time. What to do? Don’t get a receipt if possible. Depend on electronic receipts. When I buy gas using a credit card, I say “No” when the pumps asks if I want a receipt. Don’t let children handle receipts. This sounds ridiculous but I think it is prudent since 40% of all receipts have BPA on them.

To add insult to injury, these receipts should not be recycled. They contaminate recycled paper and spread BPA.

Should Being Green Be a Partisan Issue?

2011-03-11T15:07:00.003-05:00

Just how informed and mature are our U.S. representatives? Do they care about anything but getting back at the “other political party"? Do they have any educated thoughts at all? According to NPR, Republicans have re-introduced the plastic foam coffee cup and are doing away with the Green the Capital program that Democrats started four years ago. This program was designed to reduce the footprint of the federal government and required the use of biodegradable utensils and trays plus composting food wastes.

Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, Dan Lundgren, says that the program was too expensive, so he reinstated plastic. The program costs $475,000 more per year but it is not clear what that involved. Did Lundgren consider the cost of hauling plastic to the landfill or the cancer dangers of Styrofoam? I wrote a letter to Dan Lundgren of California and to my own representative Todd Rokita of Indiana to request the data that went into this decision. I have not heard back from either one yet.

“After a thorough review of the House's composting operations, I have concluded that it is neither cost effective nor energy efficient to continue the program. Therefore, I have directed the CAO to suspend the program until further notice.

"While I am suspending this program because it is costly and increases energy consumption, I would like to assure the House community that this Committee will continue to evaluate all components of House operations and will work with the appropriate agencies to incorporate environmentally sustainable practices when feasible." Rep. Dan Lundgren

I find it disheartening that our government representatives’ main objective is to get back at the other political party whenever possible. These people are making decisions for us, the everyday people. They should be an example to us - especially when it involves taking care of the earth.

February’s Stupid Plastic Crap

2011-02-28T18:32:00.000-05:00

OMG! It’s the last day of February! February just flew by and I’m more than ready for March. But first we must have February’s Stupid Plastic Crap. This month’s nominee is some ridululous plastic packaging that I saw in Hawaii (unfortunately you can find it anywhere). Here are photos of my nominees:

These photos show the good way to package two plastic gifts cards (once nominated as Stupid Plastic Crap) and the bad way. I saw these at Costco. I understand why they take a small product and package it so it appears larger. At least I think it is to deter shoplifting. The good one is is on the right and is packaged in cardboard which is biodegradable and will not hang around for centuries. The bad one is on the left and is packaged in plastic, you know the type that takes heavy duty scissors to open. This packaging is not biodegradable and will be with the earth for centuries.

This is a Hawaiian tee shirt sold in a plastic container. Macy’s calls it a bento box, indicating that you can reuse it for lunch. It is the same type of plastic container that take-out salad comes in. It is thin and flimsy and will not be reusable very many times. Of course, it is not biodegradable and has an estimated life of several centuries.

The criteria for Stupid Plastic Crap is as follows: 1. If removed from the face of the earth, there would be no negative effects. In fact the earth would benefit; 2. There is no logical reason for its existence; 3. It can easily be replaced with eco-friendly, simpler means.

I have blogged about gift cards before, and recommend giving actual money or a personal gift instead of a plastic gift card. It is so easy to improve on selling the tee shirt in a plastic box. Just fold the shirt up nicely, stack them up, and sell them with no plastic container.

The Plight of An Albatross Chick

2011-02-21T16:30:00.001-05:00

I have been remiss in blogging lately and am ready to get back into it. I just returned from visiting my son who lives in Hawaii. One of the best things we did was hike to Ka'ena Point State Park on Oahu. A colony of Laysan albatrosses are mating and raising babies there. To get there you have to drive on the north shore until the pavement quits and then hike for about an hour. After passing through a predator fence (that is not finished) you come to the protected natural area where the Laysan albatross and Shearwaters have their rookeries.

Laysan albatrosses are fascinating sea birds that spend most of their life flying over the waters of the North Pacific Ocean. They even sleep in flight. To eat, they sit on the water surface and scoop up delectable things like squid and fish eggs.

Unfortunately adult albatrosses also eat plastic. It may be accidentally. It may be that they don’t recognize plastic as non-food. It may be that fish lay eggs on floating plastic and sea birds find that appetizing. The parent birds may spend several days hunting and collecting food for their babies. While foraging, they pick up plastic and take it back to the nest. They regurgitate food and plastic into the baby’s mouth. When the baby albatross grows large enough, normally it will throw up the undigested material which is in its stomach, then take its first flight. Some undigested material is normal, like squid beaks, or pieces of drift wood. As many as 40% of all Laysan baby albatrosses on Midway Island die before they reach this point because they starve to death. Their stomachs are so full of non-nutritious plastic that they are too weak for the first flight.

There is so much plastic debris in our oceans that is beginning to affect the health of marine organisms and even humans. If plastic is not disposed of properly, it can make its way from land to the oceans where it is carried on ocean currents. In large areas where the currents move in a circular path, the plastic accumulates in the center - rather like a toilet with no outlet. An area like this is called a gyre. There are five major ones on Earth.

Plastic debris does not degrade. Instead it breaks up into small bits. These tiny pieces act like sponges, soaking up toxic chemicals like DDT or PCB. At this point it can enter our own food chain when a fish accidentally eats it.

Some of the things found in the remains of baby albatrosses include: lighters. toothbrushes. bottle caps, toy soldiers, straws, fishing paraphernalia, plastic ropes, Zip-loc bags, cigarette filters, plastic packaging and countless plastic pieces smaller than your little fingernail. Anything ever made of plastic can now be found in the ocean.

This is the first albatross chick that I have seen in nature. This one is about 1-2 weeks old. Notice the plastic fork beside it in the nest. Was it already there when the mother chose this spot for a nest or did she pick it up in the ocean?

I sew stuffed albatross chick toys to raise money for Sea of Change. Sea of change is a non-profit organization whose goal is to educate people about the plastic debris issue and to do research in the waters of the Hawaiian Islands where plastic debris has accumulated. If you are interested in buying one, go to www.seaofchange.etsy.com or leave me a comment.

January’s Stupid Crap

2011-01-27T12:03:00.002-05:00

January’s nominee for Stupid Plastic Crap is something that caught my eye the last time I was in the pet store. As I passed the dog aisle, I noticed disposable doggie booties. Come on! Footwear for dogs?

When I looked into this “issue” I learned that some dogs do need protective footwear. Some dogs need boots to protect their feet from salt or other chemicals that melt snow. These would be urban dogs. In another environment, hunting dogs sometimes need protective boots to guard their pads from rough terraine, like rocks or plant stubble. So dog boots or booties (depending on how big your dog is) can be useful. But disposable ones? Not necessary.

Some are natural rubber, some are vinyl or other types of plastic. One website called them fashionable. Really! Dog fashion?? One website warned that prolonged use could interfere with your dogs natural cooling system, since a dog’s paws are one of the places that it sweats.

Convenience is the driving force for the disposable booties. One website said “Simply put the bootie on, take your dog out for the 20-30 minutes and then throw away. Depending on outside conditions, multiple uses are an option.”

The more eco-friendly way to deal with dirty dog paws is to keep a towel near the entry door and clean your dog’s paws before it has a chance to track dirt on the floor. If you dog needs paw protection, buy reusable ones. There are many brands on the market.

Decluttering Should Be Eco-Friendly

2011-01-14T19:46:00.001-05:00

I heard an interesting story on NPR’s “The Story” relating to consumerism. An American family traded homes with a French family for their vacation. Each family had two kids that were pre-teens or early teens. Each family was middle-class. Upon arriving in France, the Americans were amazed by how few things were in the French house. Their own house in New Jersey had stuff stored in every possible place; the garage, the attic, the basement, in closets, under beds, in corners. This family considered themselves NOT to be part of the rampant consumerism in the US, too. The French home had very few kitchen appliances, including only a dorm room sized refrigerator. The daughter’s bedroom had only the basics and only a few outfits hanging in the closet. The Americans were feeling guilty about the differences they saw between their home and the French home (which was small by comparison). They wondered what the French family thought of all the stuff in the American home. They felt guilty and realized that they could do without most of it so they vowed to change their consumer habits.

What did the French family think? As soon as they arrived in New Jersey, they asked for the locations of several box stores and outlet malls. They spent their vacation in the US buying as much stuff as possible! That was not the story outcome I expected, but the American family came back from France with a new attitude about consuming. They cleaned out their house and had a huge garage sale.

This story motivated me to begin cleaning out and decluttering my own home. I started with my own clothes. I found many items that I had not seen in a while, especially in my drawers. I found socks and tee shirts that had not seen the light of day in 10 years. I found 2 old swimsuits that had lost their stretchiness since I last wore them.

I progressed to the kitchen and started with the drawer that holds all my loose recipes. It holds recipes that friends have given me plus many that I saved but never got around to trying. Everytime I opened this drawer, some of them ripped or were sucked behind the drawer, never to be seen again. My New Year’s project is to scan or retype all of these recipes and put them in a notebook. I am going to cook all of them in 2011. No, I will not blog about this.

I found out how destressing it is to declutter. I love being to open my sock drawer without using my foot for leverage. I can see what I have and what I need. I find that I don’t need much. If I do shop, I am not going to duplicate what I already have. So - I consume less - and that is eco-friendly.

Deep cleaning produces a lot of stuff that should not go into the trash. If you decide to declutter, be eco-friendly and dispose of it the right way.

Send clothing to women’s shelters, Goodwill, or similar places that accept donations. You don’t need the item but someone else does.
Donate books and magazines to shelters, your library, or local schools. If this does not work, recycle them.
Dispose of chemicals and potentially hazardous materials at your local solid waste district collection site. In mid-Indiana that is the Wildcate Creek Solid Waste District in Lafayette, IN.
For large items like furniture, check the Yellow Pages to find someone to haul it away. You don’t want a useful item to go to the land fill, so make sure the furniture will be refurbished or resold.
Things that can’t be donated should be recycled if possible.
Consider freecycle.com and Craig’s List to help you get rid of stuff.

Be conscious about where your throw-away stuff ends up. Make sure that it’s new home is not the landfill.

This post was written for the Green Mom’s Carnival hosted by Amber. The January topic is decluttering. Check out what other green bloggers have to say about this topic.

Ban the Bag

2011-01-10T15:54:00.005-05:00

Bag hanging in a tree on the banks of the Wabash River

On Jan. 1, 2011, Italy became the first European country to totally ban the single-use plastic bag. Many Italian cities had already banned them so many customers were accustomed to this. Italy was a big plastic bag user, 1/ 5 of all the bags in Europe. Italian stores can use up the bags they have on hand, then they must give out paper or biodegradable ones. Paper bags are not a good substitute since they are very polluting to produce. At least they degrade in a relatively short time. There will be some adjusting as Italian customers get used to this. I applaud Italy for doing taking this bold action - I think I love you, Italy!.

Around the world, plastic bags are either banned or taxed. Some countries have implemented a ban and then changed it to a tax or recended the ban, but many have had great success. These are some of the places that are trying to deal with the plastic bag plague.

Italy passed a total ban on plastic bags that went into effect Jan. 1,2011.
In Australia, about 90 percent of retailers have signed up with the government's voluntary program to reduce plastic bag use. By 2007, most of Australia was complying with a voluntary reduction of plastic bags that has resulted in 46% fewer bags being used.
Taiwan requires restaurants, supermarkets and convenience stores to charge customers for plastic bags and utensils. It has resulted in a 69 % drop in their use.
South Africa has a tax on bags that began in May, 2003. Because there are so many bags hanging in trees and littering the ground, they call plastic bags their “National Flower”.
In 2006, Kenya and Uganda implemented some restrictions, prohibiting thinner plastic bags and imposing levies on thicker ones.
In March 2002, Bangladesh put a ban on all polyethylene bags in the capital, Dhaka, after they were found to have been the main culprit during the 1988 and 1998 floods that submerged two-thirds of the country. This lead to the revival of the jute bag industry which is sustainable.
In June, 2007, Belgium started a tax on single-use plastic bags.
By 2008, China was prohibiting stores from giving away free plastic bags. They must sell the bags.
In India,plastic bags thinner than 20 microns are banned in the cities of Mumbai and Delhi.
Tanzania banned plastic bags in 2006 starting one of the most successful bans in Africa.
Switzerland requires retailers to charge for disposable plastic bags.
Mexico City banned the plastic bag in 2009.
In the USA: San Francisco and LA County, have banned the single-use bag.

Why is it so difficult to pass a plastic bag ban or tax in the US? In 2007, San Francisco became the first US city to try to ban the bag. Industries related to plastic bag manufacturing got heavily involved: petroleum and chemical companies, food merchants, bag wholesalers and distributors, the American Chemistry Council, and the Progressive Bag Alliance. They lobby and they threaten. They have successfully turned the tables on the environmental issue. Groups like this have the money to fight while state and city governments do not.

They say that plastic bag recycling is the answer. If a ban or a tax is passed, it will interrupt the bag recycling process. Using biodegradable bags would contaminate the recycling stream, so they don't like them. I’m just saying - this is their logic.

Their most potent weapon has been to demand that governments/cities do an environmental impact study in order to ban the bags. In other words, they must prove that plastic bags are detrimental to the environment before a ban/tax can be passed. An EIS can cost around $100,000, so cities and states back down. They tend to back down and, rather than totally quit, they pass ordinances that ask businesses to voluntarily cut back on disposable bags. This has not worked.

What is wrong with this picture? Industry is misusing a law that was intended to protect the environment. We all know that the plastics industry is not interested in the environment, rather they care about the bottom dollar. As I see it, this is a capitalist society and we are the consumers. Most consumers really do not like the disposable bag, (No, I have not done a scientific survey to prove this.) so we should be able to ban them if we want to. We should be like the residents of Fairfax, CA,who have collected signatures to put a bag ban on the local ballot. If passed, an EIS would not be required. And it did pass. This may be the way to ban the bag, one US city at a time.

If you are interested in banning the pesty plastic bag, contact your city government and be ready to help work on the issue. Don’t let big business and the almight dollar determine what is best for the environment in this issue.

Do you need a reminder of why disposable shopping bags are harmful? Americans throw away about 100 billion bags per year. Less than 1% of the bags are actually recycled.

They are made from valuable resources - mostly natural gas.
They strangle animals on land and in the water.
They are so prolific and lightweight, they are a serious litter problem.
They take decades to centuries to degrade, depending on where they end up.
It costs retailers about 4 billion dollars per year to give bags away.
They are dangerous for children, who can be suffocated when playing with them.
They clog plumbing and public waterways.
If recycled, they frequently clog recycling machinery.

Read my previous post about the ills of paper bags.

December’s Stupid Plastic Crap

2010-12-23T15:52:00.001-05:00

This month’s nominee for Stupid Plastic Crap is not only a waste of resources but it is the ugliest nominee yet. Ugly is okay if it is sustainable. Meet the Krazy Straw Football cup, which is undoubtedly not sustainable. It holds 20 ounces of beverage, cold - not hot. It comes with a warning not to use hot beverages in it. Also, it is not dishwasher or microwave safe. So how does one get the straw clean? Not that a dishwasher will clean a straw.

Football season is still in full swing but surely football fans can drink beverages out of a safer container than this. Metal and glass containers are a much greener choice, plus, who needs a straw that is plus or minus 18 inches long? Put your lips directly on the mug/cup/glass and drink - it's that easy.

Green Your Mouth

2010-12-15T20:11:00.000-05:00

This is not what I mean by “green” your mouth. And I'm not saying your should eat broccoli or other dark green veggies which is certainly healthy for your mouth. Green leafy veggies are one of the most concentrated sources of vital nutrients. This post is addressing ways to clean and green your mouth with toothpaste, dental floss, and mouth wash.

When I consider whether or not a product is eco-friendly, I take into account two things - the ingredients that are in it plus the packaging that brings the product to you. There are many ingredients in common personal hygiene products that should be used with caution. Many are unnecessary, like artificial coloring. Others are known to be bad for both our health and the environment’s health. We put these products into our mouth which is lined with mucous membranes that can take substances directly into the cells and blood stream. Also we can easily swallow these substances unintentionally. Three of the more common suspects found in toothpaste are described here, but there are many others.

Sodium fluoride is used to introduce fluoride into your toothpaste. Fluoridation of water or toothpaste is very controversial. One source says it does not matter what type of toothpaste you use, just so it has fluoride because it fights plaque and cavities. Other sources say that flouride is a very dangerous additive, even toxic. Fluoridated toothpastes have a warning on the label saying that if a child under 6 swallows more than the amount recommended, call a poison control center. So you, the consumer, have to be informed and decide if fluoride is for you or not.

Triclosan is a substance that has seen an explosive increase in use. It is a disinfectant that kills bacteria and fungi. It is found in soaps (nearly half of all commercial soaps), dental hygiene products, deodorants, plastic and fabric (Microban), plus other products. The environmental effects are a concern since our rinse water goes down the drain and ends up in local waterways. There is evidence that when triclcosan accumulates in fresh water streams, fish and frogs have developmental problems. Also, widespread use of Triclosan can lead to the evolution of resistant microbes. It kills only the weaker bacteria, leaving the stronger resistant bacteria to grow. Eventually, it will be ineffective and we will have a resistanct microbe.

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate are very common in toothpaste, shampoo,detergents and liquid soaps. They are used as a sudsing agent which many people mistakenly link to cleaning power. Originally it was used to clean greasy garage floors and cars because it is very strong. It irritates the tissues in your mouth making the mucus membranes dry out, which in turn makes them more vulnerable to bacterial infections. It is also linked to developmental and reproduction issues because it is an estrogen mimic.

Other ingredients commonly found in toothpaste that you should be cautious about consuming:

-hydrated silica

-food dyes

-hydrogen peroxide

-isopropyl alcohol

-ethanol

-propylene glycol

-artificial sweeteners and flavors

There are many toothpastes that strive to be as healthy as possible. You may have to go to a health food store to buy them, although Tom’s of Maine is usually found in grocery stores. I bought three brands to test out for this blog. Here is what I found by reading the box and by using them myself:

Burt’s Bees Natural Toothpaste - fluoride free, certified natural, no animal testing, no sulfates or petrochemicals. It does have hydrated silica for whitening. I did not care for the texture which is very gooey and sticky. I could not tell what the tube is made of. It looked like metal lined plastic.

JASON Sea Fresh - no fluoride, certified organic, no animal testing. The box is recyclable but the tube is plastic which might be recyclable, depending on where you live. This one is my favorite because of its texture and taste.

Kiss My Face - no sulfates, no artificial colors or flavors, not tested on animals. It does have hydrated silica for whitening. Some of the ingredients are organic. I liked the taste and texture. The tube is plastic and might be recyclable depending on where you live.

I had been avoiding Tom’s of Maine because it was bought by Colgate-Palmolive, but I found out through my reading that Tom’s has not changed although owned by a “standard” toothpaste company. Tom’s has a great philosphy about being sustainable and natural. Some flavors have sulfates and others do not, so read the package. Tom’s packaging was the greenest that I found. Their tubes are aluminum and can be recycled if you cut off the top.When I use up all this other toothpaste, I may return to Tom’s.

This is certainly not a scientific or thorough test of toothpastes. My point is that consumers should read the ingredients and pay attention to the packaging. Be careful what you put in your mouth and think about the waste when you are done with the product.

What are you going to put your toothpaste on? An eco-friendly toothbrush, of course! The greenest toothbrush I have found is the Preserve toothbrush. The handle is made of 100% recycled plastic, which is recycled Stonyfield yogurt cups. The plastic package is wood-based plastic, the information sheet is recycled paper, and the toothbrush itself (#5) can be recycled through a special program. The company that makes them, Recycline, is dedicated to making as small a footprint as possible.

Use simple floss. There are too many of
these floating in the ocean already.

Eco-friendly floss

Clean in between those teeth with an eco-friendly floss. I like Eco-Dent GentleFloss because it has the least amount of plastic packaging AND I like the floss. GentleFloss comes in a recyclable box and it is vegan waxed (not beeswax nor mineral wax). There is some plastic wrapping on or in the box, plus the floss is on a small plastic spool.

Do you use mouthwash? I do not, maybe I should. My husband uses it everyday. If you do use mouthwash, use one that does not have alcohol. Alcohol is very drying to the membranes inside your mouth. This makes them more vulnerable to damages and infection. I have noticed that almost every “natural” toothpaste has a matching mouthwash to accompany it, alcohol free, of course.

Deck the Halls With No Plastic Waste

2010-12-02T08:34:00.001-05:00

Almost 1/3 of the waste produced in the US is packaging and 1/3 of that is plastic. Each year Americans throw out enough paper and plastic food utensils to circle the earth 300 times. We throw out 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. I could quote more unbelievable factoids about plastic waste but suffice it say that plastic waste has become a big problem.

Plastic can be great. It is light, strong, and hygienic but it has become a big nuisance, even dangerous. Our convenience-at-all-costs society is using so much plastic that it is accumulating as waste faster than we can deal with it. Very little of it is recycled. It generally does not degrade and can hang around in the environment for centuries. It becomes litter. It fills up our landfills. It dangles from our trees, It makes its way to all of our oceans.

There are seven large circulation areas in Earth’s oceans called gyres. Plastic from human use often ends up in our waterways. Since plastic floats, it goes with the flow in waterways until it empties into the ocean and ends up in one of these large circulation areas. The biggest one, the Pacific Garbage Patch is in the North Pacific. Plastic floats around in these gyres with no outlet. It pollutes the ocean and chokes marine animals.

This holiday season, doing your part to reduce your plastic use can have a big effect on the environment.

Here are some things you can easily do:

- Bring your own shopping bag. This applies to shopping for shoes and clothes as well as groceries.
- Drink tap water. Nearly all the 22 million plastic bottles that Americans use per year end up in a landfill. They are used only once and last for centuries.
- Choose to buy food that is not packaged. If you cannot buy at a store like Whole Foods which sells all types of bulk food, look around at your own grocery store. Often you can buy loose onion, carrots, potatoes, etc.
- Carry a reusable metal water bottle.
- Bring your own coffee mug to work or school. Avoid styrofoam beverage containers.
- Buy fresh foods rather than prepared foods. It’s healthier for you as well as for the environment.
- Do your own baking. Baked goods are often in clear plastic packaging that is used once. Cook at home and forego fast food. We have all seen the wasteful packaging that fast food comes in.
- Kick your soda habit. What food group is soda in anyway? It has no health benefits and accounts for billions of single use plastic bottles every year.

http://seaofchange.etsy.com

- Wrap your holiday gifts in a colorful reusable gift bag instead of the usual wrapping paper and ribbon. As much waste as we Americans produce, the amount goes up 25% every holiday season. Easy directions for making your own bags are here. You can buy handmade bags at Etsy.

Photo from Amazon.com

- Look for products that have less packaging. Frequently you can find better options. If we all do this, it can have a positive impact on our environment. Encourage your favorite stores to stock products that have little packaging. On the internet, Amazon has reduced plastic packaging on many products in their Frustration-Free Packaging program. They have arranged to receive some products with no plastic clam shells or plastic coated wires and they send the product to you in a earth friendly box.
- Give gifts that require no packaging at all like gift certificates, meals, experiences. The gift of your time and effort is a great way to teach kids that they do not have to consume a manufactured item.

Be the type of consumer that looks for ways to reduce plastic consumption. Sometimes it means doing things the old fashioned way rather than the convenient way. You will have to a higher quality life and a cleaner planet.

This post is participating in December's Green Moms Carnival which is hosted by Jenn at The Green Parent. It will be posted on Dec.6 so check it out for ideas on less hassle for the holidays.

November's Stupid Plastic Crap

2010-11-28T17:28:00.001-05:00

November’s Stupid Plastic Crap is the Glow Straw. It is a plastic straw that has an inner glow stick that moves up and down inside the straw as you drink. According to the advertisement, it is a great way to have fun while you are watching the glow stick. You cannot really watch the glow stick while you are sucking on the straw (wrong angle) but maybe I’m being picky just because I think this is a piece of unnecessary plastic crap.

It’s not just this fun straw that should get the Stupid Plastic Crap award, it’s all plastic straws. Generally, we just do not need them. Granted, straws are helpful for aiding people with special drinking needs, but they are absolutely not needed for the rest of us. They are a big part of the plastic debris problem. Many plastic straws end up in the gyres of the ocean and then end up in marine organisms.

How many straws do we use? It is really hard to estimate the number of straws per capita that are used in the US, but you can get an idea of the scope of waste knowing that in 2008, McDonald’s served an average of 52 million meals per day. That number is, no doubt, higher now. Each meal comes with a straw. And that is just McDonald’s and not any of the other fast food franchises. We also get straws at other types of restaurants, too.

Straws are not recycled. They can’t be reused (maybe once) because they can’t be cleaned. They melt in the dishwasher. Many sports events like football or basketball games will not serve straws with beverages because they are so hard to sweep up.

Normally the average person does not need a straw to drink a beverage. Our mouths function very well when our lips come in direct contact with a cup’s edge. We do not need a piece of plastic to transport liquid into our mouth.

A good alternative to a plastic straw is glass. I have heard many good reviews for the Dharma glass straw. It is unbreakable and comes with a thin brush for cleaning. I just ordered one for myself. I plan to keep it in my purse so that I can say, “No straw, please!”

Sustainability in the Galapagos

2010-11-18T14:36:00.000-05:00

When I decided to visit the Galapagos, several people expressed concern saying that tourism is killing the islands. That bothered me but I came to see for myself. This string of islands is definitely unique and still maintains most of its original flora and fauna. In fact 95% of all native and endemic species have been maintained in spite of lots of mistreatment.

A recycing bin in Santa Cruz

The isolation of the islands from the mainland of South American and from each other has caused many species to evolve into new species seen only here (endemic). When new organisms are brought over, accidentally or on purpose, they can wreak havoc. Invasive species are ones that can survive here and spread uncontrollably. Examples would be the blackberry, the black rat, goats, donkeys, cats, dogs, pigeons, and many more. The problem is that invasives take the place of or out compete native and endemic species. Another problem is that they can damage or eat eggs and young.

The Galapagos National Park and the Galapagos Marine Reserve were established by the Ecuadorian government to protect the islands. As a result, visiting here is not like visiting a National Park in the US. Only a limited number boats are allowed here and you must have a naturalist with you when touring the islands. You can walk only on certain trails. You cannot touch any animals or collect any natural items like sea shells.

There are several small towns in the Galapagos. The total population of humans is about 30,000 but they take up only 3% of the land. These inhabitants are the key to protecting the islands so the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation are dedicated to educating and engaging local communities. A good example of the effect a local can have on the environment here is Alberto Granja. He is a simple fisherman who changed the way boats dispose of used oil. He noticed that fishermen disposed of their used oil by dumping it into the ocean. In fact, that was his practice. He realized that dumping oil was not good so he started a recycling program that grew rapidly. Now he has a thriving business collecting and recycling used oil and used oil is no longer dumped in the ocean.

There have been many successful programs to remove invasives. The black rat has been eradicated from Pinzon and from Rabida islands. Goats have been eradicated from several islands. Progress is slow because these programs need more funds.

Young tortoises hatched in 2010

2 Land iguanas

Humans are definitely a destructive force here, too. Programs to educate locals are common. Tourists from around the world come here to see the famous archipelago. They bring money which funds projects like the breeding program for the Galapagos tortoise and for the land iguana. Thousands of each have been returned to their original islands. My impression is that tourists make a positive contribution to protecting the islands. Ecuador is doing its part, too. Compared to the way the Galapagos have been treated in the last 500 years, humans finally are showing respect for this unique and beautiful place.

Days 4 and 5 in Paradise

2010-11-17T23:26:00.001-05:00

Day 4 - Tuesday

Today we visited the islands of Isabela and Fernandina. Isabela is the biggest of all the islands and looks somewhat like a seahorse in shape.The ocean is really deep and cold here causing upwellings along the steep cliffs. That means that the waters are very productive and have a wide variety of organisms.

We crossed the equator 2 times and had a special celebration the second time. You would think that because the islands are on the equator, the weather would be hot. It actually is cool - around 75 degrees. A light jacket feels good most of the time. The water is cool, around 70 degrees.

Marine iguanas

We took a Zodiac (our usual means of transportation) around Punta Vicente Roca (at the mouth of the sea horse).We saw an incredible diversity of animals. The one I had never heard of is the Mola Mola, the earth’s largest bony fish, weighing as much as 5,000 lbs. It eats jellyfish.We also saw some penguins, one of the things on my checklist that I just had to see.

Weird cactus on lava flow

In the afternoon we visited Fernandina, the site of one of the most active volcanoes in the world. We hiked on a lava field near the ocean and saw sea lions, marine iguanas, sea turtles, the Nodding tern. It was an easy hike but one had to be careful not to step on an iguana.

Galapagos is his name.

Day 5 - Wednesday

Doesn't he look like ET?

Today we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station. Scientists here are working on the restoration of the islands' ecosystems, including hatching the Giant Tortoises. They have made great strides in returning several species of tortoise to their original habitat. We met and photographed Lonesome George, the only individual left of his species.

We then took a bus to the highlands, the area where wild tortoises can be seen. There are a lot of them on a private property that is located in the middle of their migratory route. On the way there we saw 3 of them hanging out near people’s homes. One was going up someone’s driveway! These animals are huge (weighing up to 600 pounds) and old (over 100 years old). It is possible that Lonesome George is 170 years old. He may have been around when Charles Darwin visited the islands.

Day 3 in Los Galapagos

2010-11-16T13:25:00.004-05:00

Look at the agenda for today. Busy! The crew keeps us very busy. There are always different levels of adventure and you can choose what you want to participate in.

-Leave and pick up mail at Post Office barrel

-Zodiac trip around Champion Island to see birds

- glass bottom boat off coast of Champion

-kayaking

- Walk on Punta Cormorant

Post Office barrel

We got out of bed at 6:00 this morning to ride a Zodiac to the beach at Floreana. About 50 feet inland is the Post Office barrel an old tradition here in the Galapagos. In the whaling days of the 1700’s one captain decided to leave a barrel for mail. In those days, a sailor could be gone for 2-3 years with no family contact. Darwin’s own trip was 5 years! Anytime someone passes by this mail barrel, they can leave letters for home or loved ones. At the same time they check the mail in the barrel to see if there is a letter for someone close to home and they hand deliver that mail. We all left postcards and checked the mail to see if there was mail close our home that we could deliver. I left a postcard for my granddaughter, Sophi. Hopefully someone who lives near her home will visit the Post Office barrel and taker my postcard to her door - no postage needed.

National Geographic Photographer

There is a photographer, Mark Theissman, from National Geographic with us this week. He and the naturalists are glad to help us tourists use our cameras to take better pictures. I have a nice camera but have not read the instruction booklet. I tried, but it is really dull reading! My method has been to take hundreds of photos and hope that some of them are good. Now I am learning to use the various settings on my camera to take better photos. We are not allowed to use the flash when taking photos of animals and I did not even know how to turn the flash off. Also, it has been cloudy which makes it easy to over expose photos. I have learned how to deal with that. Hopefully I will have better photos when I get home.

We hiked on Floreana Island, the first Galapagos island to be inhabited by humans. It is tall enough to have rain water, which is rare in the Galapagos. Right now is the end of the dry season and the beginning of the wet season. It is very dry and most of the plants are dormant. The trees shed their leaves to survive the lack of rain. There is a brackish lake here that has a pink algae growing along its edge. Small shrimp eat this algae and flamingos eat the shrimp. That is what gives the flamingo its pink color.

Lake on Floreana

The biggest danger for the Galapagos is us humans and the things we bring to the islands. Since humans have landed here, we have brought invasive species like the rat, cat, dog, donkey, goats, insects, seeds of plants. Once an invasive organism gets here, it can flourish taking resources for itself. Then it reproduces and takes the place of a similar Galapagos species or it may eat a Galapagos species. There is a major push to deal with invasives and remove them from the islands.

Day 2 in the Galapagos

2010-11-15T11:32:00.002-05:00

Land iguana

Day 2 is Sunday and we are on Punta Suarez of Espanola Island. We went on a 2 hour hike (which was about 1.5 miles) to a cliff where the Waved Albatross is raising chicks. This point has an amazing amount of diversity.

Waved albatross chick

We saw 2 types of iguanas, the marine iguana and the land iguana. The marine iguana dives into the ocean and eats algae that is growing on the rocks. There are always a lot of them sunning on the lava rocks. Actually they rather look like lava rock.

The land iguana is more colorful than the marine iguana, at least the male is. It is sometimes called the Christmas iguana because it has red and green patches of color. It eats the fruit of the prickly pear and spends it time sunning or hiding in its burrow.

We also saw a a constrictor snake, which did not hang around for us to photograph. Some of the birds that we saw include the Blue-footed booby, the Nasca booby, the Tropic bird, one of Darwin’s finches (probably a ground finch), and a night heron.

Floriana mockingbird

The highlight of the day for me was seeing the chick of the Waved Albatross. It’s is huge! This is their rookery so there are areas where chicks are sitting, evenly spaced about every 20 feet. They are sitting and waiting for the parents to come back from the open ocean with their food. They may have to wait for a couple of days before they get a meal.

I was very excited to see a real albatross chick in person since I have been sewing stuffed baby Laysan Albatrosses for Sea of Change. I was pleased to see that the fabric I use is exactly like the down on the chicks. Most of theses chicks were growing adult feathers but they still had down on the neck and head.

The other highlight for me was walking on a sandy beach on Floriana Island where there were dozens of sea lions basking. One of the females gave birth on the beach and the placenta plus blood were still beside her. The baby and the mother bonded by making sounds to each other. It sort of sounded like a loud nasty belch. The seal lions paid no attention to us.

The animals don’t give us a second thought. We are just part of the landscape like the rocks. That does not mean they are tame, they just do not fear us. The friendliest animal I have seen is the mockingbird. As soon as I put my backpack down on the sand, one of them hopped over to it and thoroughly inspected my stuff with its beak. I assume it was looking for scraps of food.

The water here is cool (cold is a better description) because of cold water currents that flow between the islands. To snorkel, one needs a shortie wet suit which the ship furnishes. We snorkeled next to a cliff wall and saw lots of invertebrates attached to the rock. The snorkeling is not as amazing as the Caribbean but it is interesting. I could not stay in the water more than an hour because it was cold. More adventures tomorrow!

Arriving in the Galapagos

2010-11-14T15:20:00.002-05:00

National Geographic Endeavour

I can’t believe it but I’m actually in the Galapagos. Yesterday, Saturday, was our first day and we went on a 2 hour hike on a little island across from the Baltra airport. It was so cool to see some of the creatures that I have only seen in magazines or on TV. We saw the frigate bird nesting and their white downy chicks. The male has a huge red breast that he inflates to impress females. What female can resist that?

We also saw the colorful land iguana and marine iguanas. Seals are everywhere and the first one we saw was a dead baby being eaten by a Sally Lightfoot crab. Life is very competitive here so death is common. It is actually necessary to weed out the weak (Darwinsm).

Our ship, the Endeavour, is very nice. There are 86 of us paying guests and 71 employees so the ratio is very good. They treat us like kings (we paid for it!) We are on the ship at night (6 pm to 8 am) and doing activities like hiking on land during the day. This morning (Sunday) we went on a great hike and this afternoon we will do deep water snorkeling. My room is comfortable and cozy with a single bed, bathroom and small desk. The food is terrific!

Land Iguana AKA Christmas Iguana

I’ll be writing more details about all of this tonight - that is if I do not get sea sick like last night.

Environmentally Friendly Substitute for Cement

2010-11-11T14:57:00.002-05:00

This month’s Green Moms Carnival is about cement. If you are like me, you never had a thought to cement. One of the Green Moms, Lisa of Retro Housewife Goes Green, lives near a cement plant in Oklahoma. She is hosting this month’s carnival and has had plenty of knowledge and experience with cement plants.

Did you know that cement manufacturing is the number two source of CO2 in the atmosphere? Only vehicles produce more CO2. Most of the CO2 production comes from burning coal to make cement. It is released in several of the chemical reactions that occur in making cement.

Concrete is the most common building material used on earth. Concrete contains cement plus sand or gravel. Personally, I did not even know they were different! The demand for cement is expected to be huge in coming decades.

Cement production is one of the most energy intensive of all industrial manufacturing processes. Cement production takes about six million Btus for every ton of cement

Besides CO2 both cement and concrete production generate huge quantities of dust and other chemical pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide. Water pollution is also a concern during the production of cement. To minimize the environmental impact of cement manufacturing, we need to find alternative materials that are environmentally friendly.

I learned about FilterPave Porous Pavement at an environmental conference recently. It can be used for sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and other similar structures instead of cement. It is porous and allows rain to sink in rather than run off into storm sewers. An average-size parking lot and one inch of rain can produce 27,000 gallons of storm water runoff. With modern rampant development, many parking lots and lots of rain hitting impervious cement equals flooding. With FilterPave, the risk of flooding is much less.

It is made with recycled glass, granite, and recycled plastic. Up to 90 glass bottles are ground to make one square foot of pavement. The glass is processed to have rounded edges plus it is considered safe for plants and marine life. It comes in several colors and it requires almost 100% less de-icing materials. We need more environmentally friendly alternatives to cement. Learn more about cement by reading the other blogs at Green Moms Carnival after November 16. I know I certainly learned at lot about a substance that I took for granted.

Sea of Change

2010-10-31T14:03:00.005-04:00

Sea of Change is an organization dedicated to researching the marine debris issue. What have they been up to lately?

Last summer Sea of Change partnered with Nella Media Group and Save the Sea Turtles International to sail the Hawaiian waters and jump start plastic pollution monitoring in Hawaii.

The summer voyage from Oahu to Kauai was a pilot project to research the consequences of filling our oceans with plastic trash. They are building a long-term database to monitor plastic pollution levels in Hawaiian waters. The database will be used to validate the effectiveness of efforts to reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the ocean throughout the North Pacific. This project aims to build a network of concerned locals around the World to monitor plastic pollution density in the ocean. The ultimate goal is to provide an easy, cost effective method of measuring pollution levels.

Joel working on the trawl

Sea of Change is building a prototype trawl to sample waters for plastic pollution. The goal is to build a small portable trawl that can be purchased and used by citizen scientists all over the world. It is dragged across the surface of the water to collect material that is floating on the surface. You can see the prototype in the photo.

In March 2011, Sea of Change will be chairing a session titled "Citizen Scientists and Marine Debris Monitoring: Standardizing Methods and Establishing a Database" at the 5th International Marine Debris Conference They have a segment of the conference and are organizing speakers and presentations on the topic.

Albatross chick

To raise funds for Sea of Change, I make and sell a handmade stuffed toy albatross. For a $50 donation, we will send you this Laysan Albatross chick. The albatross chick has become the canary in the mine of the ocean. Albatross parents often inadvertently feed their chicks plastic debris. As a result, the chicks frequently starve to death because plastic is not digestible.

How can you resist?

Large gift bag

I also sew gift bags that take the place of wrapping paper and ribbon. They are easy to use - just drop the gift in and cinch the ribbon. They come in small, medium and large. Use them and save tons of waste from going to the land fill. For more information and photos go to www.seaofchange.etsy.com. If you live in my neck of the woods, just email me and I will deliver right to your door.

October's Stupid Plastic Crap

2010-10-24T14:54:00.002-04:00

October’s Stupid Plastic Crap is this plastic can topper. It is a plastic thing that clamps onto an aluminum can to convert it into a bottle that has a screw top lid. It sort of looks like the top of a plastic bottle.

“It's a cheap but cheerful plastic gizmo that pops onto a standard drinks can, and turns it into a resealable bottle, with a lid, to stop your refreshments going flat. Simplicity itself, and it's reusable too.”, says the manufacturer.

The criteria for Stupid Plastic Crap is as follows: 1. If removed from the face of the earth, there would be no negative effects. In fact the earth would benefit; 2. There is no logical reason for its existence; 3. It can easily be replaced with eco-friendly, simpler means.

If this product were removed from the face of the earth, that would mean one less disposable plastic gadget to go to the land fill or to litter the environment. It may seem logical to use one of these gadgets because it could keep your canned drink from losing its fizz, but realistically, most canned drinks are consumed immediately after being opened. What is the eco-friendly, simpler alternative to this gadget? The can itself. It is recyclable and does not need a long-lived plastic attachment.

When I went to this site to read product reviews it seemed that most people thought this would be a good idea, but the top leaked after a few uses. Also, it cannot be put into the dishwasher. It is made of polypropylene and deforms in a hot wash. It’s another example of a plastic product that is supposed to make our lives easier but ends up trashing the environment.

Take my advice and avoid disposable plastic products. They are not worth it.

FLOW, The Film

2010-10-15T11:17:00.000-04:00

This is my contribution to Blog Action Day 2010, October 15. The topic this year is "water". My post is about "Flow", an award winning documentary film that discusses the issue of who owns the earth’s water. Does any one company or particular governing body have the right to make a profit from selling water to people? It enlightens us as to the importance of water to life. If you have not seen it, you can’t see it at the theaters but you can rent it.

No life, no culture, no society can exist without water. We are running out of fresh water, yet this is a water planet. Seventy percent of it is water. It is not that there is less water on the planet, the availability of water to each person is becoming a problem. Pollution of water is also a huge danger. In the US, every year 500,000 to 7,000,000 people get sick from tap water.

So is the answer to drink bottled water? Absolutely not. Privatization and commercialization of the water supply is a real threat to affordable and clean water for every world citizen. Three huge multinational companies are powerful enough to convince governments of poor countries to hand over water supplies to them. Then they charge people for clean water. Millions of people cannot afford the prices and must resort to drinking untreated water. This causes death and disease. These companies, Vivendi, Suez, and Thames Water, along with the World Bank and the World Water Council are powerful and out to make money on a natural resource that is absolutely necessary for life. It’s like charging for sunlight or air.

This is not a just a problem in poor countries. In the film, water supply problems were shown in India, South Africa, Bolivia, and Michigan. In Michigan, Nestle who bottles 70 brands of water around the world, set up a bottling plant on a stream in Mecosta County. They do not pay for the water, in fact, they received tax abatements. Their profit from this plant is $1.8 million per day. Some wells near there are running out of water and near by streams have become mudflats. Concerned local citizens organized and sued Nestle. During the trial, Nestle kept pumping even during a drought. Eventually, the courts sided with Nestle, but local citizens are not giving up.

Everyone needs to see this film. We need to increase our water literacy and stop being compliant consumers who never give a thought about the consequences of our consumption. Go to theFlow website and find out how to take action.

Water is for people - Not for profit.

Oceans Affect Our Climate

2010-10-07T18:49:00.002-04:00

This is a recycled post from October, 2009, one year ago. I’m reusing it to participate in 10/10/10 Global Work Party, "A Day To Celebrate Climate Solutions". This month’s Green Moms Carnival hosted by Harriet Sugarman of Climatemama.. She is new to Green Moms Carnival and is passionate about climate change. She has arranged for the Carnival to participate in 10/10/10 Global Work Party.

Greenhouse gases are vital to life on Earth. Life as we know it would not be here without them. These gases in the atmosphere are transparent to sunlight but keep heat in. It is similar to what happens when light passes through your car windshield and is converted to heat. Your windshield keeps the heat in but allows the light to pass in or out. As you know, the temperature in your car goes up quickly. Your car windshield is acting like greenhouse gases. The problem is that human activity is producing so much CO2 and other greenhouse gases that the earth’s atmosphere is heating up too fast. This is global warming. It has many aspects and causes, but I want to concentrate on how plastics contribute to this problem.

Some people have suggested that this time in human history will be called The Age of Plastic. Plastics are a relatively new substance and have been very successful, to say the least. They are light and versatile and have been used in many life-saving ways. They are mostly made from petroleum and natural gas which are non-renewable sources. They do not biodegrade in the environment, meaning there is no microorganism that consumes them. They do photodegrade, meaning they become brittle when exposed to light. They slowly break into smaller and smaller pieces but are still chemically plastic.

The manufacture of plastics uses a lot of energy and resources. More than 90% of the impact of a plastic bottle or plastic bag happens during the manufacturing process and that impact includes burning fossil fuels and releasing pollutants. For what - a short useful life, maybe only minutes, then centuries in a landfill. Landfills are the largest man-made source of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 70 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. If the plastic does not go to a landfill it may be incinerated which produces more greenhouse gases. The rest of the discarded plastic becomes litter or is down cycled into a new type of plastic.

One of the many abuses that we are inflicting on the oceans is the direct or indirect dumping of plastic trash in them. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a huge area of the North Pacific where plastic debris is circulating with the currents, permanently circulating where it interferes with the food chain. As pieces of plastic photodegrade, they become so small that filter feeders consume them. Then these pieces work their way up the food chain into fish that we humans consume. Tiny particles of plastic act like sponges that attract toxins, such as DDT, that also are passed up the food chain. Larger pieces of plastic like rogue fishing nets ensnare animals and destroy coral reefs. Fishing line, plastic bags and six-pack rings also harm ocean creatures. Floating pieces of plastic become encrusted with organisms and act like small mobile ecosystems causing exotic species to move into new areas. Plastic does not belong in our oceans and we are only beginning to understand the detrimental impact it produces.

The oceans play a major role in determining our climate and weather. They store heat much better than air. This heat helps energize storms like typhoons and hurricane and it creates ocean currents. Much of our oxygen comes from marine photosynthetic phytoplankton. In the same process, these organisms take in CO2 and store it. Oceans provide a large part of our food. Even though they cover 71% of the planet, they are fragile and can take only so much abuse.

What can you do? Reduce your use of disposable plastic.

1. Do use reusable shopping bags instead of disposable ones.

2. Do not use bottled water. Use a stainless steel water bottle and look for beverages in glass or aluminum.

3. Buy products that are packaged in no plastic. Buy in bulk when possible.

4. Eat at restaurants that use non-plastic utensils and dishes. Bring your own container for left-overs.

2010-09-30T12:03:00.000-04:00

When shopping at my local grocery store, I was surprised to find a big display of biodegradable plastic storage dishes. I whipped my cart around and bought three different sizes. These dishes are Farberware EcoWare. They are freezer safe, microwaveable, food grade, recyclable, dishwasher safe AND degradable. They sound too good to be true.

I emailed the company to get more information but still have not received a response, but here is what I learned from their website. These food storage containers are still plastic but during the manufacturing process a substance called EcoPure is added to the plastic. It can be added to the manufacture of any plastic and makes the plastic biodegradeable. It may take months to several years to fully degrade and it can degrade anaerobically(with no oxygen as in a landfill) and aerobically. It works on many types of plastic, including PVC. The plastic has normal plastic properties but degrades once it is in the waste stream.

I have not heard about this product before but I will certainly try it. I will use it with the same precautions as other plastics, in other words, I will not microwave food in it. It is priced like other plastic products. I am hoping this product is on the up-and-up and not just green washing. There is very little information about it on the internet. Has anyone out there used it or do you have any information about it?

Plastic Clothes - Good or Bad?

2010-09-16T21:14:00.002-04:00

This month’s Green Mom’s Carnival is hosted by Diane at Big Green Purse. The topic is the eco impact of clothes. Since my blog is all about reducing our use of single-use plastic, I decided to blog about plastic (or polyester) clothes, plus, a friend just sent me a copy of the article, “Message in a Bottle” that was in Time magazine June 21, 2010. This article is about clothes that are made from down cycled plastic bottles.

Remember the double knit polyester that was so popular in the 70’s? Men’s leisure suits, women’s blouses and pants, and lots of other clothes were made of double knit polyester. Keep in mind that polyester is PET plastic. Those clothes felt like plastic too. The fabric did not breath, and although it stretched, it felt a little stiff. My husband and I rebelled and bought only cotton or other natural fabrics. We hated polyester.

Modern polyester has changed. It is much softer and it breathes. but it is still plastic. You can find a lot of athletic clothing that is polyester. Under Armour is all polyester and actually makes fun of cotton in its ads for being heavy and absorbent. According to the Time article by Joel Stein, this summer, nine of the World Cup teams wore uniforms made of old plastic bottles - bottles from landfills in Japan and Taiwan. Coca Cola has a line of t-shirts called Drink2Wear that are 1/2 plastic and 1/2 cotton. These shirts come with a tag saying how many 20 oz bottles are in the shirt. The average is 8.5 bottles. Patagonia has been doing the same thing since 1993 when manufacturing Synchilla fleece.

The good part of this story is that plastic bottles are being used instead of ending up in landfills or in our waterways. Coke has reused around 5 million bottles so far. Also, 30% less energy is needed to down cycle the bottles into shirts than is needed to make them out of virgin plastic.

The bad part of this story is that plastic is plastic and it still takes hundreds of years to degrade no matter what form it is in. If a PET Coke bottle is thrown on the highway, it will take 450 years for it to disappear or degrade. If you make a shirt out of it, how long will the shirt be used? My guess is 1 to 5 years. And then it still takes centuries for the shirt to degrade. That brief time as a plastic shirt hardly makes any difference.

The other negative part of this story is that these huge corporations like Coca Cola or Reebok (Reebok will be using bottles from NFL and NHL games to make shirts this year.) are marketing their greenness and encouraging people to buy shirts and beverages in plastic bottles. This is not green behavior at all. We need to be promoting the idea of using less plastic packaging, not the idea that using this plastic is a painless and fun way to be green. It is not sustainable to encourage people to drink from disposable plastic bottles so that the bottles can be turned into shirts - and then to encourage people to buy the shirts. It is ridiculous to call this eco friendly.

September's Stupid Plastic Crap

2010-09-15T21:41:00.001-04:00

This month’s nominee for Stupid Plastic Crap is Kool Aid Bursts, which could also be called Stupid Non-nutritious Crap. It is a snack drink marketed to kids that is designed to taste like the Kool Aid that is made from a powder. It comes in a six-pack of plastic bottles that are also wrapped in plastic - a double whammy of plastic.

When one looks at the ingredients,there is nothing that sounds like food. Water is the largest component but water is not food. The rest of the ingredients include high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, artificial flavor, red 40 and blue 1 (for grape) natural flavor, and calcium disodium EDTA. Each 6,75 ounce bottle is 100 calories.

So here we have a product that is a snack food that has little nutritive value PLUS it is bottled in disposable plastic. It seems to be a fairly popular snack beverage, probably because kids like the sweet taste. But is it necessary in a child’s diet? Absolutely not. Some of these ingredients are questionable, like the calcium disodium EDTA and you have, no doubt, heard that high fructose corn syrup is arguably partly responsible for the obesity in the USA.

It is so easy to substitute a nutritious and earth friendly snack for this sweet “stuff” that is packaged in plastic. My suggestion is drink fruit juice, or drink water (not bottled in plastic, of course) and eat a piece of fruit.

Remember Them, Use Them, Wash Them

2010-09-06T20:21:00.001-04:00

Recently there have been studies that show that reusable shopping bags are breeding grounds for bacteria and some people may think this is a reason for using disposable plastic bags. Never fear, other studies indicate that the bacterial growth is not a big deal. Bacteria grow on all surfaces. They grow absolutely everywhere. The problem with bacteria living in our shopping bags is that we put our fresh foods in the bags. University of Arizona microbiologist, Charles Gerba, says that even though some of the types of bacteria found are E. coli, it is not the type of E. coli that is harmful. I did not even know there were multiple types of E. coli! The problem is occurring because people are unaware that they should wash their shopping bags from time to time. It’s just common sense!

One study that was funded by the Canadian Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC) found that over 30% of reusable bags studied had high levels of bacteria as well as yeast and mold. Cathy Cirko, VP of EPIC, that reusable bags are “a breeding ground for bacteria and pose public health risks. Keep in mind, a study funded by the plastic industry is not unbiased and should not be considered dependable.

These suggestions from EcoVillageGreen are common sense and easy:

1. Don’t mix food types in the same bag. For example, don’t put your fresh vegetables in with your dairy. At least have a separate bag for meat products. I have a designated bag that is always for chicken and meat. I have to tell the store bagger about it or he/she will use a disposable plastic bag instead.
2. Don’t use grocery bags for other things like books or gym clothes. You may be introducing new types of bacteria.
3. Let bags completely dry out before storing for the next shopping trip. Air drying will inhibit bacterial growth.
4. Wash your bags regularly.

Other green bag behaviors:
- Keep your reusable bags where you can remember them. I put them back into the car as soon as possible. Hanging them on the garage door knob helps also.
- Don’t keep your reusable bags in the trunk which is much hotter that the interior of the car. That promotes bacterial growth.
- Use cotton or hemp bags rather than the cheap polyester type sold in many stores. Polyester is plastic and still takes an unbelievably long time to degrade.
- Use light weight bags for produce instead of disposable plastic bags.
- Carry a small compact bag like a Chico bag with you at all times. It is the type of nylon bag that packs into an attached pouch when not being used. I carry 2 in my purse and use them constantly.

Keep the Poison Plastic Out of Your Child’s School Supplies

2010-08-15T17:19:00.001-04:00

PVC or polyvinyl chloride is the most toxic plastic that we use. The manufacture, the use and the disposal of PVC involves many toxic chemicals like dioxins, phthalates, vinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, lead, cadmium, and organotins. PVC is common at schools and in school supplies. The negative effects are magnified in children because of their small body size and because they are still developing. Children of all ages are prone to putting things in their mouths plus they are likely to sit on the floor which may be vinyl. Respiratory problems are associated with close contact with PVC. The phthalates that are in PVC are suspected to cause reproductive problems, obesity, and autism.

It might be difficult for you to change something like the flooring in your child’s school but you can avoid PVC in school supplies. Some school supplies that commonly are made of PVC are lunch boxes, back packs and notebooks.
- Avoid backpacks that have shiny plastic designs.
- Don’t buy vinyl (which is PVC), purses, rain coats, or umbrellas.
- Buy electronics that are PVC-free. Check this website for more information.
- Don’t buy spiral notebooks that have a plastic covered metal spiral. This plastic often contains PVC. The same goes for colorful plastic covered paper clips. You can be sure that kids put these in their mouths.
- Notebooks dividers, three-ring dividers, and organizers that are made of plastic may also contain PVC.

Look for the chasing arrow symbol around the number 3, which indicates PVC. Look for the letters “PVC” or just “V” , also the product may be labelled vinyl. At Walmart, I saw many folders that are labelled vinyl folders which were dirt cheap. Don't buy them, they are PVC. You may also smell a “plastic” smell, like that new car smell. That is PVC,

Download this handy guide published by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice for great suggestions about PVC-free brands and products. Protect your kids!

This post is part of the August Green Mom's Carnival and is hosted by Micaela at Mindful Momma.

Good News! Bottled Water Use Fell 5% in the USA Last Year

2010-08-06T16:51:00.000-04:00

Good news comes from Corporate Accountability International about water rights and bottled water sales! The United Nations General Assembly voted to affirm the human right to water and sanitation. The resolution states that “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of the right to life.”

This is great news in the struggle to keep public waters clean and available to everyone.

One of the biggest threats to public water is corporations like Nestle, Dasani, and Aquafina who take over water supplies and turn the valuable resource into a commodity.

More good news, according to a Harris poll 2 in 5 Americans are choosing refillable bottles over bottle water.

Bottled water sales in the US peaked in 2008 and then began to fall in 2009. They fell an additional 5% last year.

This is good news for the environment because it takes about 2,000 times more energy to produce bottled water than tap water. It takes 30 million barrels of oil per year to produce and transport bottled water in the US. More than 4 billion pounds of plastic is not recycled. A lot of this ends up in our oceans or litters the landscape.

Keep it up water drinkers everywhere! Use tap water, expect your politicians to protect your water, and work for clean water for everyone on Earth. Of course, bottled water companies will put every effort into new marketing ploys to entice customers to buy their product. One current method is to hire celebrities to endorse their product. Check this website for a list of celebrities who have contracts with bottled water companies.

Join the campaign to encourage and enlighten Ellen Degeneres about this issue at Tell Ellen Degeneres to Dump Bottled Water Advertising!

July's Stupid Plastic Crap

2010-07-31T17:06:00.000-04:00

July is almost over and I’m just now choosing a product for July’s nominee for stupid plastic crap. The point of doing this each month is not to mock a product just for entertainment. It is to illustrate how our society wastes resources on useless items that could easily be eliminated. I hope consumers will become more aware that every product has an impact on the environment. Each product has a footprint and requires energy and resources. Every product leaves behind waste long after the product is not longer useful. Hopefully consumers will think before they buy and, therefore, become mindful consumers.

This month’s nominee is all the plastic produce savers/keepers. This includes the tomato saver, the pepper saver, the lemon/lime saver, the onion saver, and probably several others. Each one is brightly colored and shaped just like the produce it is designed to keep.

“The tomato saver looks great displayed on your counter and is fun for outdoor serving.”

In order to be “Plastic Crap of the Month, an item must meet these criteria” 1. If removed from the face of the earth, there would be no negative effects. In fact the earth would benefit; 2. There is no logical reason for its existence; 3. It can easily be replaced with eco-friendly, simpler means.

Remove these products from the face of the earth and there would be that much less plastic waste in our environment.

These plastic doodads are made to look exactly like the produce they keep. This is the white onion saver. Do NOT put a red onion in it. That would cause too much confusion.

How can you do without these products? I use an unbleached wax paper bag (rather than a plastic bag). Sometimes I also use a small glass refrigerator dish. How do you keep leftover produce?

The Story of Cosmetics

2010-07-26T13:10:00.003-04:00

This month's Green Moms Carnival is about the video The Story of Cosmetics, which explains some of the issues surrounding the ingredients in personal care products. I have written about the questionable ingredients in common personal care products several times and think this video is worth watching. All of us use a lot of these products from toothpaste to hair spray, probably more than you realize. Just think about it and take a quick inventory of some of them - toothpaste, mouth wash. face soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, deodorant, lipstick, mascara, eyeliner.

That is eleven and you can probably easily add more to the list. The average American uses between 9 and 15 personal care products everyday. You might think the ingredients in these products are well regulated. Think again. Only 11 percent of the 10,500 ingredients in personal care products have been assessed for safety by the cosmetics industry. We use a lot of these products everyday and we put on many products in one day. How do the chemicals in multiple products interact? That issue is a big unknown.

There is good news on this issue. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky introduced legislation, July 20, that would toughen safety standards for cosmetics, including requiring regular government testing of products for hazardous ingredients. Senator Dianne Feinstein is working on a similar bill in the Senate. Schakowsky’s bill would require the FDA to determine which ingredients can or cannot be used in a product, not the manufacturer (as it is now). In other words, the company will not be policing itself. The bill also calls for stricter labelling and gives the FDA the ability to require recall of problem products.

The products that we put on every inch of our bodies are the most unregulated products in our lives. Cosmetic manufacturers may use any ingredient without approval from the FDA. Many of the ingredients that are in these products are suspect in contributing to asthma, early onset of puberty in girls, feminization of boys, and cancer, as well as other problems. Cosmetic companies maintain that none of their ingredients are health risks because of the small amount that is used in each product. They may be right – but we just do not know for sure. Keep in mind that we put these products on our skin, in our eyes, in our vaginas, on our lips. This is why we call them personal!

When you buy new cosmetic or personal care products, read the labels and avoid the following very common chemicals:

1. Fifty percent of all personal care products contain fragrances. They are also found in many other products from fabric softeners to scented trash bags. You will see the word “fragrance” on the label but no further details because it is a trade secret. They are much more commonly used now than in the past and their affect on the environment is not known. They are implicated in skin problems, asthma, migraines, and disruption of the endocrine system. and brain.
2. Phthalates are chemicals that soften plastic, and are found in toothpaste, hair spray, nail polish, perfume and many other products. Scientific investigations have shown they are implicated in abnormal development of male genitals, lower semen quality, and premature breast development in girls.
3. Parabens are one of the most common cosmetic preservatives. They have been shown to accumulate in human tissue including breast tumors. Parabens are an estrogen mimic which means they disrupt the endocrine system which causes a multitude of problems such as breast cancer. When present in personal care products, they enter our bodies through the skin and hair follicles.
4. Triclosan is an antibacterial substance found in antibacterial soap. This product is heavily marketed as a necessary product in today’s world. It is now being put into other products such as hand lotion, dish soap, and toothpaste. The problem with using an antibacterial everyday is that we are selecting for resistant bacteria. Triclosan kills the weak bacteria and the strong survive and become more numerous. We are playing the natural selection game and producing dangerous resistant strains of bacteria.
Sodium lauryl sulfate is used as a detergent. It makes suds and is found in bubble bath, shampoo, hair conditioner, and even toothpaste. It reacts easily with other compounds and has a bad reputation.

So what do you do? Read labels! Shop for natural ingredients and buy safer products. Buy products made with fewer ingredients and these ingredients should be familiar sounding. Pay attention to the shelf life of all your personal products. If you use a mascara without preservatives like parabens, remember that mascara (and any product) will degrade and harbor bacteria. Shampoo, mascara and other products come really close to your eyes or briefly end up in your mouth. They should be harmless to our health.

Almost all of these products are packaged in plastic. If you look at the aisles for hair care, skin care, and cosmetics, you see that each is a wall of plastic bottles. I really doubt that the manufacturers are going to replace plastic bottles with metal or glass ones, although that is what they used to be. I am definitely not suggesting that shampoo bottles should be glass either. So if a consumer like myself wants to reduce the use of plastic in her life, what should she do? First reduce the use of these products. When I cleaned out my bathroom cabinet, I threw out 16 pounds of products. At some time and for some reason, I thought I needed each one of them. I used a little of the product and that was it. I am so easily wooed by marketing to buy a product because it does something that sounds great to me – like reducing wrinkles, making hair look healthier, giving skin a smoother look, etc. I am going to work on making myself look healthier from the inside. How? By eating good, healthy foods and avoiding foods that are not healthy.

Besides reading labels and being an educated and discerning consumer, write your US representative and senators. Ask them to support the bills that are being considered. Demand that something be done to protect the consumer from dangerous chemicals.

Watch this video, The Story of Cosmetics, to learn the ugly truth about some of the ingredients in personal care products. It was made by the same people who made The Story of Stuff.

This month's Green Mom's Carnival is hosted by Lynn at Organicmania.

Vacationing in Green Germany

2010-07-18T16:18:00.000-04:00

I just returned from a two week vacation in Germany and want to share my experiences as someone who is interested in being green. I have been planning this visit for a couple of years. The purpose was to visit Rheine, Germany with one of my dearest friends who was born and raised there.

We stayed in a rented house in the village of Elte and did a lot of our own cooking and grocery shopping. Several things were obviously greener than in the USA: biking and public transportation, alternative energy, and recycling.

Germans are really into biking as a means of transportation. The bicycles are more comfortable and less intimidating than the usual road bikes that we use. There is no bar across the body (We would call that a girls’ bike.) which makes dismounting a lot easier. They are usually 3-speed with wide tires and baskets or other attachments for carrying things. They are very comfortable.

Biking is so easy there because there are many bike paths. Bike lanes connect cities and towns plus they are all over every town. You can bike almost anywhere, and you often have the right of way. Bike paths are well labelled. They may be on the sidewalk next to the pedestrian path or in the street. Many intersections have traffic lights that include bike signals for safer crossing.

We made a day trip to Munster which is about 30 miles from Elte. Munster is known as the most bike-friendly city in Germany. Thirty five percent of the traffic is bicycle. More than 100,000 people are on the road by bike every day. Many streets are designated for bikes exclusively. The city is currently building a 3,000 bike parking facility. There is a bike “autobahn” around the inner city that is on the ground where the ancient city wall was built.

Public transportation is readily available and dependable. We took buses and trains almost everywhere we went. One could easily do without a car. I’m not saying that Germans do without cars. They love cars and travel by car but on the whole those cars are smaller and more fuel efficient that in the USA.

Germany is really into developing clean alternative energy. The EU hopes to generate 29% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Governments require electric utilities to buy power produced by alternative producers at a set price. The house we stayed in had solar panels on the South side of the roof. Germany is on the 52nd parallel (somewhat like Minneapolis) and has plenty of non-sunny weather, but still uses solar energy. I saw many wind turbines also.

Germany recycles 60% of domestic waste compared to about 32% here in the USA. There are now only 160 landfill sites in Germany, compared with 50,000 in the early seventies. We had to learn the recycling rules in our house. There was a bin for paper, a bin for glass, and a bin for packaging and plastic. Apparently there are not that many products in metal cans. We were provided with a special bag for compostables. Quite a few products, like yogurt, are packaged in glass and a lot of glass containers require a deposit, a pfand in German, which you get back when you return the container. This is yogurt in a glass jar. Imagine that!

Germany has a Packaging Ordinance that requires industry, not the public waste management system, take back, reuse, and/or recycle one-way packaging on the German market . At the grocery store, there was a recyling center that had separate bins for glass, paper, batteries, and packaging which includes all plastic. When we bought contact lens solution, the store clerk offered to keep the packaging for us.

Grocery stores are required to have a recycling center like this one. If you like, you can leave the packaging there before you leave the store.

The Packaging Ordinance makes a lot of sense to me. A company like Nestle, for example, makes a product such as bottled water. Nestle gets the profit, the consumer gets the product, and a plastic bottle is left over, as waste. I think the company should be responsible for the waste that is generated.

Why is Germany so much greener than the USA? I kept asking myself this question. I think the main reason is that public policy promotes greener living. The government at all levels provides ordinances and guidelines to require the entire country to be more eco-friendly. This is especially evident in recycling. Germany’s Packaging Ordinance has caused manufacturers to redesign how they package products so that the amount of packaging waste has been greatly reduced. American companies that sell in Germany must comply with this ordinance so we know they are able to be greener if required to.

Germany is smaller and older than the USA and, therefore, organized differently. The area I visited is the agricultural area and villages are organized around the central church. Businesses like bakeries, restaurants, and grocery stores are clustered in the center of the villages. Homes are close to the business center so people can walk or bike to almost everything. Here, we travel much longer distances to do our daily business which makes it difficult, but not impossible, to bike or walk rather than drive a car.

We can learn a lot from countries like Germany. Many other countries are taking similar actions to reduce their ecological impact. We need to let our local, state, and federal politicians know that we think this is important. I have a feeling that we face more opposition because of the power that lobbyists have in our government, but that is not insurmountable. We must decide that this is important and let our government hear from us. We can be a more eco-friendly country.

A Review of Minnie Rose Lovgreen’s “Recipe for Raising Chickens”

2010-07-16T15:51:00.001-04:00

I was sent this lovely little book by Minnie Rose Lovegreen and became enamored with it. I have been raising chickens for about ten years so naturally I was interested in reading this book.

Minnie Rose Lovgreen was born in 1888 in England. After she married and moved to Washington, she and her husband started a dairy. She raised chickens for 60 years and wanted to write this book to help others raise chickens for as little cost as possible. Reading this book (It is a quick read.) is like being in the room with her and listening to her grandmotherly instructions.

If you have the space and your hometown allows chickens, I highly recommend raising chickens. Many cities allow hens but not roosters because of their noisy crowing. Chickens are fun to watch and raise, plus they supply you with lovely nutritious eggs.- eggs from happy healthy chickens instead of eggs from caged and crowded chickens.

According to Minnie Rose, all you need for 12 chickens is a 6 foot x 8 foot house. In my experience, a hen lays about 2 eggs every 3 days, so 12 hens would give you a good supply of eggs. The house should have a wooden floor, nesting boxes, and a roosting perch for them to sit on at night. You can let them out into the yard during the day as long as there are no dangerous dogs close by. Just about everything wants to eat chickens- some varieties of dog, raccoons, foxes. Generally they are safe during the day but must be closed inside their house at night.

If you have a rooster, your eggs will be fertilized and you may even have a broody hen that sets on the eggs to raise chicks. Minnie Rose calls the rooster “a sort of supervisor”. He finds food for the hens, he settles disagreements among the hens, and he protects them. I have three roosters and about 20 hens. Three roosters is usually two too many but these particular roosters have agreed on a pecking order. My alpha rooster, Pecker, tolerates the other two as long as they do not mount the hens very often. They are fairly sneaky, though, and manage to fertilize a few eggs anyway.

Minnie Rose gives lots of advice about how to keeps the hens happy and laying many eggs. She advices feeding and watering them at night so that they have food first thing in the morning, She says, “The main thing is to keep them happy.” If you want to know how to keep them happy, read Minnie’s book. It’s not difficult plus you will enjoy the chickens and their eggs. Mine eat kitchen scraps, especially loving green veggies. They will not eat onions, citrus, and mushrooms. You can buy grain for them at a feed store than sells farm supplies.

The whole family will enjoy raising chickens. Try it!

A Day In the Life of ---

2010-06-17T15:41:00.002-04:00

---a Blogger who is trying to develop a greener lifestyle. This month’s Green Mom’s Carnival is hosted by Beth Terry at Fake Plastic Fish. We bloggers are supposed to pick a typical day in our life and tell how we are living green. I picked last Tuesday, a day that I planned not to go anywhere in my car. I live 12 miles out of the city limits and try not to drive everyday. Sometimes that takes advanced planning, but it usually works out

I had a breakfast of homemade yogurt with blueberries and toast. I make my own yogurt and store it in a glass refrigerator dish. I make it from organic milk that I buy in a returnable bottle. My husband makes all of our bread. Instead of butter or margarine from a plastic container, I mix butter with olive oil and store it in a glass container. I buy the butter that is wrapped in a single piece of wax paper, not a box. All of these avoid plastic packaging. I picked the blueberries last year and froze them to avoid plastic packaging.

For exercise, I either ride my bike or walk right out my door instead of driving to a fitness club. Today I biked past a wetland and spotted a family of Sand Hill cranes, a male, a female, and a chick. This is a big thrill for me so I rode home quickly to return by car to take their photo. The car trip was not so green, but promoting nature is very green. I believe that an appreciation of nature is vital to preserving the health of the planet.

My morning chores include feeding the chickens and wild birds. I have 9 hens and 3 roosters, plus 15 new young hens. This provides more than enough eggs for my husband and I. When the new hens begin to lay, I’ll sell the eggs to my friends.

I have an array of wild bird feeders that attract seed eaters, squirrels and racoons. It’s entertaining for us and good for the local birds.

Today’s lunch was lluevos rancheros made from eggs laid by my hens. I love keeping chickens. I feed them and they give me eggs. They eat food scraps also, but they don’t like citrus, onion, and coffee grinds. I try not to throw any food waste into the trash that makes its way to the landfill. What the chickens don’t eat, I compost. This old enamel bucket and lid make a great receptacle for compostable food scraps. I found it at an antique store, which is a great place to find cool stuff that is not new.

I try to work in the garden for at least 1 hour everyday, just to keep up with the fast growing weeds. I have a large vegetable garden and plan to can or freeze produce this year. I am trying to NOT buy food in cans that are lined with BPA. I also have lots of flower beds that are full of native plants. Native plants need less water, plus they are well adapted to local conditions.

In the afternoon I started cutting out 9 albatross chicks. I sew toy stuffed albatross chicks to raise money for Sea of Change. The albatross is like the canary in the mine. It is the warning that there are grave problems involving plastic pollution in the ocean. On Midway Island,where thousands of albatrosses raise their young, 40% of the chicks die from consuming plastic.

Am I green? Sometimes I wonder if it possible to be green and affluent in the U.S. I am very dependent on my car, therefore, dependent on petroleum. I am constantly trying to eliminate disposable plastic from my life. This is easier said than done. The important thing is that by trying to live green, I believe I have reduced my own footprint on the earth - and I will keep trying. It is a constant learning experience.

JUNE'S STUPID PLASTIC CRAP

2010-06-14T15:54:00.001-04:00

If you have been watching the World Cup along with millions and millions of other world soccer fans you have noticed an incessant irritating buzz that sounds like a huge hive of killer bees. It is the plastic horn called the vuvuzela of South Africa. Apparently it is a tradition in South Africa and representative of the sound and color of the country.

If you have not been watching television, then tune in to a world cup soccer game to see what I am talking about. It is incessant, loud, and maddening. I wonder how people at the stadium tolerate it. What if a bunch of fans were blasting away on their vuvuzelas right next to your seat? How do they keep up the constant sound? Do they take turns or blow on them for 90 consecutive minutes? How can one enjoy the game while blowing on a vuvuzela?

Some sports fans have called for FIFA to ban them because the sound is equivalent to 127 decibels, which is enough to permanently damage hearing. FIFA is not likely to ban the horn saying the annoying horn is a cultural icon in South Africa, who is hosting the World Cup.

To me---it is a piece of plastic crap that will be in the trash or littering the African landscape for centuries. It is made in China so it not really South African. There must be some cool African percussion instrument that represents the sounds of Africa better than a cheap ($7.99) plastic noise maker.

Down in Louisiana

2010-06-04T21:05:00.002-04:00

I just returned from a trip to Louisiana to visit relatives. I visited Lafayette, which is a 3-4 hour drive from the southern tip of Louisiana, so I was not close to the oil that has been tragically spilled by British Petroleum. The people of Lafayette are watching this debacle in the same way the rest of the nation is. They are very connected to the petroleum industry though. The petroleum industry employs a huge percentage of the people of Lafayette - drilling pipe, mud, chemicals, welding and so on.

While I was there I visited a wetland that is preserved by the Nature Conservancy near Lake Martin. It is a swamp with a boardwalk for easy access to the interior. What good is a swamp? They are very productive. The term “productive” means there is a lot photosynthesis going on, which produces plants, which support animals. They take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. They provide habitat for many organisms. Luckily, not many people live in swamps, so the organisms have it almost to themselves. They hold water which keeps other areas from flooding. They slow water down so that it does not erode land or flood cities. They provide breeding grounds or rookeries for birds. There are many areas like this all through Louisiana and the other southern states that border the Gulf of Mexico. They extend all the way down to the coast. Most people would not want to visit one (mosquitoes, snakes, mud, humidity) but I find them to be beautiful. They are vital to the health of the ecosystems that surround them and must be preserved.

I was surprised how many organisms I could see from the boardwalk - snakes, turtles, birds, alligators, amazing plants.

Of course the plastic beverage bottle is in every habitat, which makes me want to cuss and bang my head on a hard surface.

Plants are the best part of the swamp - to me.

A spoonbill with her baby in the nest.

Wetlands like this swamp provide nesting areas for countless birds.

Cypress trees dominate the southern swamp.

It's a "snakey" place.

This turtle was sunning to warm up.

We saw several alligators. This one was about 10 feet long.

While I was there I kept thinking about what is going on a few miles south in the wetlands on the coast. A petroleum company is absolutely decimating the natural areas near the coast. The petroleum industry uses Louisiana - its land, its ocean, its people, its resources. To me, morality mandates that companies like BP take care of the area from which they are withdrawing resources. The petroleum companies get their product and get their profit. They should do everything possible to protect the areas and the people that they use. If BP had spent $500,000 on an acoustic shut off valve, this would not be happening. It’s immoral.

The world is watching in dismay. There is not much we can do to help except watch. One thing we can do is reduce our use of petroleum. It’s a product and we consumers have the power to affect the market. Please use this horrible accident to motivate yourself to become more informed about alternative energy sources. Become politically active and demand that your local and state politicians take this issue seriously. We consumers are partly to blame because of our appetite for oil.

MAY’S STUPID PLASTIC CRAP

2010-05-17T22:26:00.000-04:00

Have you noticed all of the plastic gift cards that are displayed in grocery and drug stores? You can’t miss them. When I stand in the checkout line, there they are - thousands of them. You can buy a gift card to restaurants, discount stores, department stores and more. They are like a new type of currency. Gift cards and all the other plastic cards that are invading our lives are this month’s nominee for Stupid Plastic Crap.

Many credit cards, membership cards, key cards are made of PVC. Seventy five million pounds of PVC from plastic cards are thrown away every year. Target now uses cards made of a biodegradable plastic-like material, Mirel. REI, Borders and Walmart, use biodegradable, corn-based gift cards made by Nature Works.

The main reason for the existence of these plastic cards is convenience. I have to admit that it is an easy way to give a gift. There has to be an earth friendly way to replace them. What did we do before the advent of these convenient cards? We simply put on our thinking caps and figured out a good gift to buy for our friend or relative. This involves thinking about that person and about what kind of gift they would like. It's a much more personal way to give gifts. Not as convenient as a gift card but definitely more earth friendly.

A lot of plastic cards are unsolicited. This stack was cleaned out of my file cabinet. How do you get rid of them? Put them in an envelope and mail to Earthworks where they will be recycled into PVC sheets.

Earthworks System, LLC
33200 Bainbridge Road, Suite E
Solon, OH 44139

Ask the stores where you shop to start recycling their gift cards at Earthworks.

Share the Blame for the BP Oil Mess

2010-05-07T17:45:00.000-04:00

This posting is for the May Green Moms Carnival which is about transportation. It is hosted by Diane at Big Green Purse. I'm proud to announce that the Green Moms Carnival was voted one of the most influential groups in the moms blogosphere.

The oil leak from the British Petroleum oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico is in the news everyday now. The situation is bad and only thrusts our awareness onto the issue of getting off imported oil and reducing the amount of petroleum we use. BP has the reputation as the greenest of the big oil companies, so it’s too bad that the best of the giant corporation baddies had this happen - or is it??

Time after time, BP insisted that the chance of a leak is very remote, very unlikely to happen even though they were drilling 5,000 feet from the ocean surface. Yet, it happened. I think this happening to BP, the more eco-friendly oil company, is better than it happening to other less environmentally friendly companies. For example, if it had happened to Exxon, people would think that it happened because Exxon is not very careful and we might consider continuing offshore drilling. Since it happened to even to BP, I feel we should stop offshore drilling. Too much is at risk.

I have heard that the blame goes to the federal government because they do not enforce the regulations. The rumor is that the feds even party with the oil big wigs. I have also heard the blame goes to us, the oil consumers, because we demand so much energy and we are unwilling to really cut back. Both played a part in this tragedy but BP should share the greater part of the blame. If they had installed an acoustic valve shutoff, about $500,000, this mess may have been averted. BP uses this type of safety equipment in Norway and Brazil. Why not here? Five hundred thousand is a drop in the bucket to BP.

There is plenty of blame to go around. Clean energy advocate Mike Tidwell says the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is directly related to America's addiction to oil. The US is not converting to clean energy sources fast enough, like wind energy.

Indiana has the fastest growth rate in the nation for wind energy. The northwest corner has winds that will take the door off your car (Not pleasant for biking, let me tell you!). Each month more wind turbines are going up. It gives me hope and makes makes me feel optimistic. The folks in Indiana, aka, Hoosiers, support wind turbines, unlike the people who live on Cape cod. Every wind tower means less coal or petroleum usage. Maybe this will help move Indiana up from number 49 in environmental friendliness rating.

Most of us must drive private cars for transportation. If you practice eco-driving, you can reduce your use of gasoline by 25%. Here are some tips:

-Do not use the drive in window at restaurants or banks. Turn off the motor, get out and go inside.
-Calm down. Fast braking and quick starts uses excess fuel. Use cruise control to help maintain a constant speed. You are less likely to a a speeding ticket, too.
-Pay attention to car maintainance and service your vehicle regularly. Keep you tires properly inflated and buy a clean air filter.
-Reduce the extra weight in your car. If you carry a load of recycling around for a week, you are using extra fuel.
-Think about where you are driving and plan your route ahead of time. Combine trips and do all your running around in one trip. Have days where you stay home with no driving.
-Keep track of your mileage and try to keep your monthly driving to a minimum. Use a trip odometer to see what your driving patterns are, then strive to reduce.
-Let your state and federal politicians know how important this issue is to you.

Make Your Own Detergent - At Least Use Less

2010-04-25T21:08:00.001-04:00

I recently was sent two different links about laundry detergent: one about how Americans use too much laundry detergent and one that suggested using no detergent and/or making one’s own detergent. How does this fit into my ultimate goal of reducing my use of single-use plastic? Just look down the laundry soap aisle at the grocery store and check out the wall of plastic bottles. The odd thing is that they are all exactly alike except for the color. The labels on the back of the bottles are exactly alike, too, but this is off the subject.

The Wall Street Journal article, “The Great American Soap Overdose” suggests that Americans use way too much laundry detergent and tend to think that more detergent equals cleaner clothes. The modern trend in detergents is concentrated products. In other words, you need to use less volume of detergent per wash load. The manufacturers like Proctor & Gamble call this good for the environment because they put it in a smaller bottle - therefore less plastic. I don’t get this. If it is a more concentrated product and in the same large bottle, it would use less plastic. One big bottle equals more loads of laundry, but they put it in a smaller bottle which means they are still using a lot of plastic. See my blog “Size Does Matter” describing why it is mathematically better to buy larger sizes.

The more concentrated product means that accurate measurement is more crucial. With the new front loading washers that use less water, less energy, and less detergent, it is important to be precise in measuring. Too much detergent (and the wrong kind) can ruin your new expensive washer. You must make sure that your detergent is safe for those machines and err on the side of too little rather than too much. Seventh Generation's co-founder, Jeffery Hollender, says "You don't even need soap to wash most loads," he says. Water is a good solvent and the agitation of the machine will clean most clothers. Wow! I never considered using NO detergent.

Realistically, most of us are going to continue using laundry detergent. Water does not clean heavy dirt or oily grime, so we need some additional help. The Green Guide recommends detergents that contain: 1. plant-based enzymes or ethanol rather than solvents, 2. compounds like sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate rather than phosphates, and 3. plant essential oils for scents rather than synthetic fragrances. According to the EPA nonylphenol ethoxylates or NPEs have been proven to be harmful to marine life and should not be in your detergent. The Green Baby Guide recommends Biokleen detergent because it is cheap (about $.139 per load), it cleans well, and it is eco-friendly. Of course, the price of a detergent varies with the size, if it is on sale, and where it is purchased. Generally, Green Baby found Biokleen to be cheaper than Trader Joe’s, Ecover, and 7th Generation.

Usually the greener detergents require that you use less than normal. If you have a front loading washer, you must use less. Try using even less than they recommend or try making your own. That is the cheapest way to go. I have several friends who make their own, but I have not tried it. I plan on doing just that now that I know that they are fine for front loading washers.

Here is a recipe for homemade detergent that is the cheapest laundry soap of all:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap
4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar or other cheap bar soap 
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

The average household dose around 600 loads of laundry per year. It’s a chore you can’t get away from unless you don’t wear clothes at all. Choose a green detergent and use less of it, You will help the environment by reducing the amount of toxic chemicals released into the water and you will use less plastic.

Newspaper Seedling Pots Instead of Plastic Pots

2010-04-18T19:53:00.000-04:00

This is a recycled posting from spring 2009. It is instructions for making newspaper seedling pots instead of plastic ones. To get plants ready for the garden, I plant seeds in flats. After the seeds germinate, I put the seedlings in small pots where they grow until time to transplant them into the garden. You can also plant the seeds directly in the pots. I searched the internet for ideas on how to make newspaper pots. There is a lot of information available. The seedling pots I made last year no longer exist. They degraded into the soil where I planted them with the small plant. If I had used plastic pots, they would be around for another few centuries.

It is easy. Just follow these instructions:

First cut 3 or 4 sheets of newspaper lengthwise (about 5 inches wide). Roll these layers of paper onto a tomato paste can (can size depends on how large you want your pots). There should be about 2 inches of paper extending beyond the bottom of the can. Fold this paper edge in and press firmly on a surface like a table. This is the bottom of your pot.

Gently pull the can out of the roll of paper. I stapled the top edge of the roll so that it would stay in place. You can also tear and twist the top edge of the pot to keep it from unrolling. After experimenting, I found that a long-neck beer bottle works well. It gives you a handle to grab when pulling the bottle out of the paper roll. You do not need to buy a special form to roll the newspaper onto.

The pots support each other when they are placed in a flat. They should not be handled much until the plant is ready to be transplanted into the garden, but they will hold together when you water the plant. When the plant is ready to transplant, plant the pot and seedling together. Plant it deep enough to cover the edge of the paper. You do not want the paper to stick out of the ground because it will wick moisture from the plant. The newspaper will degrade and the plant roots do not get disturbed. No plastic pots and inexpensive!!

I Hate Dusting

2010-04-11T20:58:00.000-04:00

The month’s Green Mom’s Carnival is about spring and the activities we normally associate with the advent of spring, like gardening and spring cleaning. It is hosted by Anna Hackman at Green Talk.

I have been spring cleaning a couple of days per week for the last 3 weeks. A lot of spring cleaning involves removing dust and I had mouse-sized dust bunnies (dust mice?) under the bedroom dresser! I feel like I have accomplished something when I move furniture and clean, but everyday dusting is not my strong point. I hate dusting and I don’t know why. I can let that thin (sometimes thick) layer of dust collect and coat the furniture for weeks. I readily clean the floors, wash the linens, and scrub the toilets, but I avoid dusting. Now I have learned, after doing a little research, that dust is harmful. If you want a healthy home environment, you must dust!

The only reason I was interested in learning more about dust was to learn about dusting without plastic stuff like polyester dust cloths and Swiffer Dusters. I found out that dust has toxic materials in it and should be removed on a regular basis.

What is dust? According to SixWise dust is a collection of organic and inorganic particles that accumulate in our home. Most of it is our own skin cells, up to 90% of it. The rest of it is dust mites that eat the skin cells, dust mite fecal material, pet dander, soil particles, rodent waste, pollen, mold spores, cigarette smoke. Mixed into this unsavory blend are toxics like pesticides, flame retardants, heavy metals, PCBs, paint particles, etc. A lot of these ingredients are allergens, as you probably realize because you sneeze when dusting. Other ingredients are toxic to us, especially toddlers who are crawling around on a dusty rugs or floor. Their small undeveloped bodies may be more strongly affected than our adult bodies.

According to WebMD one of the best ways to make your home safe from toxic materials is to get house dust under control. How to do this?
- Replace wall-to-wall carpeting (full of dust and allergens) with wood, cork, tile, or non-vinyl linoleum. This is expensive and something to shoot for. I am slowly replacing the carpets in our house, two rooms to go.
- Vacuum frequently, like twice weekly.
- Your vacuum should have a HEPA filter so that dust and dirt go into the bag, not into the air. Clean that filter with each use.
- You don’t need sprays and special clothes to dust furniture. Use a lambswool dusting mitt instead. It picks up the dust easily and can be washed when it gets too dusty. Planet Green says this is the best way to remove dust and, at the same time be kind to the environment. According to them you can find lambswool dusters in any home store, but I could not find one. They were all polyester. I finally looked on the internet and found a wool mitt that is for car care. It’s huge but works well.
I don’t think I’ll enjoy dusting now but I’m more likely to do it. Now I realize that it’s necessary to keep your home environment healthy.

April’s Stupid Plastic Crap

2010-04-07T16:44:00.000-04:00

This month’s nominee for Stupid Plastic Crap is one of many single serving products that are manufactured and marketed for the consumer’s convenience. I nominated single serving soups and pasta meals in February. There is a jaw-dropping amount of this stuff at the grocery store and most of it is packaged in lots of plastic. For example, you can find oodles of yogurt single servings even though yogurt is super easy to make at home. Too many single serving yogurt products are made just for kids like Dannon Danimals, Yoplait Kids, Yoplait Go-Gurt, and Stonyfield Farms YoBaby, and YoKids.

Yogurt aside, my nominee for this month is Sunsweet prunes that are individually wrapped in plastic. Why do we need this product? For convenience, so we can have them out on our office desk without the “prune stigma”. With the advent of this convenient snack, apparently prunes are not just for grandparents anymore. According to Packaging World, Sunsweet Ones have reinvented prunes as a convenient on-the-go healthy snack: individually wrapped and packed in attractive 7-oz printed polyvinyl chloride canisters. Never mind the fact that PVC is one of the plastics to avoid both for the environment and personal health. It is sometimes referred to as the poison plastic.

I have nothing against eating prunes, in fact, I really like them - not just because I am a grandmother. I do have a problem with this over packaged product and I do think it is a wasteful use of plastic.

It is cheaper to buy the old fashioned prunes that are crammed into a container - all stuck together. Don’t like getting your fingers sticky? Just wash them, it’s not a big deal. You can buy individually wrapped prunes for $2.35 per 7 oz. Unwrapped Sunsweet prunes are $3.29 for 18 oz. That’s $.33 per ounce versus $.18 per ounce. So, save money when you eat your prunes and reduce your use of single-use plastic.

Inspired By a Nestle Pure Life Water Bottle

2010-03-22T10:56:00.001-04:00

Each time I go for a walk I see this plastic bottle nested in its bed of leaves. It seems to be waiting for a big rain to wash it down to the drainage ditch and from there to the creek. Maybe it can make it to the Gulf of Mexico in a few years. That is the equivalent of heaven for plastic trash. There it can float around and around on an ocean current, slowly breaking up into smaller and smaller pieces until it is plastic sand. Of course, I picked it up and recycled it. But a funny thing happened - it inspired me to write my first limerick. Here it is:

A bottle was tossed by a drinker
Who clearly is not a deep thinker.
The rest of us know
If plastic you throw
Our planet will become a big stinker.

On the same subject, here is a funny video about a serious topic. I first saw this on Enviroblog.

Buy Gnomeclothes and Use Fewer Plastic Bags

2010-03-13T14:06:00.001-05:00

A local health food store, Sun Spot Natural Market, sells locally made handmade items like cloth napkins and sandwich wraps. I was so impressed with them that I went to meet and interview the business owner/awesome seamstress, Michelle McKeon.

Michelle is a Californian who has moved to West Lafayette so that her husband can go to graduate school. When she is not taking care of her two lovely daughters, she is sewing great products that can help people be greener. She has two companies, Gnomeclothes and The Standing Tree.

She has always loved to sew but got into making things for her daughters, like fun gnome hats and make believe clothes. That eventually became Gnomeclothes. She also sews a separate line of clothes for little girls called, The Standing Tree.

Silly gnome hat started it all!

I was attracted to Gnomeclothes because they can substitute for so many plastic and/or disposable items. Sandwich wraps, sandwich bag and snack bags can take the place of many Ziploc plastic bags.

Stretchy mesh produce bags take the place of those awful thin plastic bags. Really useful!

Colorful, washable cloth napkins take the place of disposable napkins.

Kids think fun handmade things like tooth pillows and fairy skirts are really cool.

Michelle is in a mothers support group that keeps her sewing diaper inserts, burp cloths, baby slings, and reusable sanitary pads.

Find Gnomeclothes at www.gnomeclothes.etsy.com or www.gnomeclothes.com. Support a local business, reduce your plastic bag use, and be greener.

Skin Cancer and Sunscreens

2010-03-07T14:27:00.001-05:00

This month’s Green Mom’s Carnival is about cancer. My mother died of breast cancer, my 17 year old daughter died of a brain tumor, my husband survived prostate cancer and skin cancer, and two of our dogs died of cancer. It’s not a fun subject. We are constantly warned of everyday chemicals in our lives that are carcinogenic, so often that we have become calloused to the warnings. There are certain cancers that we can avoid by altering our behavior, like stop smoking. We can lessen our chance of getting skin cancer by wearing sunscreens but some of those contain chemicals that may cause cancer.

Since it is getting to the sunny side of the year, I thought I would write about sunscreens. My husband, who has blue eyes, blond hair, and fair skin, had his first skin cancer at age 29 and has had one or two every year since then. We grew up in Texas at a time when no one had heard of sunscreen. In fact, we rubbed ourselves with baby oil in an attempt to get tanner. We also lived in the tropics for about five years where the sun is very direct all year long. He has been told that all the skin cancers he experiences now are due to damage done years ago. So needless to say, he is really into using sunscreen.

Most sun screens protect against UVB, the type of radiation that causes sunburn. More and more also protect against UVA, which causes wrinkles and age spots, encourages skin cancer, and suppresses the immune system. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an effective sunscreen must protect against both UVB and UVA. The SPF rating on sunscreen relates only to the UVB protection. So far, there is no rating of UVA protection on products and many do not protect against UVA at all.

The Environmental Working Group has tested 1,755 sun screens. According to their 2009 Sun Screen Investigation some of the ingredients in sun screens are a health hazard and should be avoided. Oxybenzone or benzophenone-3, which is absorbed through the skin, is a hormone disruptor. It may actually contribute to cancer because of its free radical generating properties according to Skin Biology. Free radicals can damage cells and cause cancer.

The EWG also recommends avoiding spray and powder sunscreen because they can be inhaled and end up in the lungs. Further recommendations include avoiding fragrances which can cause allergies and reproductive problems, plus avoiding sunscreen with insect repellant. Sunscreen needs to be reapplied during the day and insect repellant may not need to be reapplied. You could inadvertently get too much pesticide in your body.

The EWG has also found that 40% of the sunscreens contain active ingredients that break down in the presence of the sun, sometimes within a few minutes. The active ingredient in sunscreen works by absorbing the energy of the sun and releasing that energy in a chemical reaction to form a different chemical or free radicals. Then the active ingredient no longer is present.

Buy sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. The higher the SPF the less effective the additional ingredients. It is better to use SPF 30 and reapply often. Look for a 7% concentration of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These ingredients act as a block (different from a screen) which keeps sun from reaching the skin.

The EWG found that ONLY 8% of the 1,755 products they analyzed met their criteria for safety and effectiveness. Those criteria include blocking both UVA and UVB radiation, remaining stable in sunlight, and containing few ingredients with known or suspected health hazards. They recommend some sunscreens that can be found in familiar drugstores which are listed below:

California Baby
Mustela - Sun Cream or Sun Lotion, Bebe
Mission Skincare - Face Stick
Neutrogena - Pure & Free or Sensitive Skin
Blue Lizard - Face, Baby or Sensitive
Jason Natural or Earth’s Best - Mineral Based
Solar Sense - Clear Zinc Sport Stick
CVS - Sport Sunstick
Coppertone Water BABIES - Pure & Simple

Avoiding the dangers of too much sun makes sense, but sunlight is the natural way to get your vitamin D. When sunlight comes into contact with your skin for just 5-10 minutes you make 10,000-20,000 IU. Vitamin D is needed for your body to absorb calcium. According to the Mayo Clinic website , some research suggests vitamin D may provide protection from osteoporosis, high blood pressure, cancer, and several autoimmune diseases.

Obviously, you don’t want to be 100% sunlight free. Sunlight is a natural and healthy part of our environment. You must decide how much sunscreen to use based on your skin type and tendencies and consider where you live. Personally, I use it between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm, from April to October. Instead of applying sunscreen and waiting 15-20 minutes for it to absorb, I go into the sun as soon as I put it on figuring that I’m getting some of the benefits of sunlight before the sunscreen kicks in.

This month's Green Mom's Carnival is hosted by Tiffany at Naturemoms.

March’s Stupid Plastic Crap

2010-02-28T13:35:00.003-05:00

This month’s nominee for Stupid Plastic Crap is Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. This product is a plastic device that hangs in your shower and sprays a cleaner all around your shower walls when you push a button. The commercial that I have seen indicates that it works like a team of hard scrubbing maids right in your shower. The literature says that for best results, start with a thoroughly clean shower and allow this device to maintain that level of cleanliness. You can also allow it to clean your scummy shower little by little over a 2 week time period. It operates with batteries and the liquid cleaner can be replaced with a new plastic bottle of cleaner when needed.

Who wouldn’t want something or someone else to clean their shower for them? Cleaning the shower is really low on my cleaning list so this is tempting. I like clean but I don’t like cleaning. Common sense tells me that this device is not going to be as good as elbow grease and a good cleaner (like vinegar or baking soda).

One issue (other than the plastic) I have is that the ingredients are not listed on the package. According to AllExperts the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) says that the ingredients include 1-5% surfactant and 75-100% water. Surfactants reduce the surface tension of water allowing things like the shower wall to get wetter. Detergents are surfactants. Product precautions say do not use on brass, marble or wood. The cleaner may lighten natural fabrics. Avoid contact with bath linens. The precautions also warn to not combine with household cleaners as fumes may be produced. These precautions are the same ones found on bleach or other strong cleaners. Apparently we who buy products don’t need to worry our heads about ingredients.

Does this product work? According to the internet, sometimes it does and sometimes it does not - depending on the size and shape of your shower. It costs between $20 and $25 dollars which is a little pricey. Each refill is about $4.

This product is typical stupid plastic crap. Its selling point is convenience. Who wouldn't like to push the blue button, shut the shower door, and abracadabra! The shower is clean. The trade off for this convenience is the plastic device, plastic bottles, and 4 AA batteries that become waste that is destined to go to the landfill or to become litter in our environment.

Make your own bathroom cleaners and add a little elbow grease. A mixture of 1/2 cider vinegar and 1/2 water is a great disinfectant to get rid of mold. Lemon juice will get rid of soap scum and mineral deposits. If you need to scrub with something gritty, use Bon Ami or baking soda. These suggestions are better for your health and the environment. They are not magically convenient, so for your effort, I suggest you reward yourself for a job well done with a piece of chocolate.

photo from alessonlearned.com

The Albatross Chick and Plastic Debris

2010-02-16T09:44:00.000-05:00

The Laysan albatross has come to represent the harmful effects of plastic trash in our oceans. They are fascinating sea birds that spend almost their entire life flying over the waters of the North Pacific Ocean. They even sleep in flight. To eat, they sit on the water surface and scoop up delectable things like squid and fish eggs.

Unfortunately adult albatrosses also eat plastic. It may be accidentally. It may be that they don’t recognize it as non-food. It may be that fish lay their eggs on floating plastic and sea birds find that appetizing. The parent birds may spend several days hunting and collecting food for their babies. While foraging, they pick up plastic and take it back to the nest. They regurgitate food and plastic into the baby’s mouth. When the baby albatross grows large enough, it will normally throw up the undigested material in its stomach, then take its first flight. Some undigested material is normal, like squid beaks or pieces of drift wood. As many as 30% to 40% of all Laysan albatross chicks on Midway Island die before they fledge because they starve to death. Their stomachs are so full of non-nutritious plastic that they are too weak for the first flight.

There is so much plastic debris in our oceans that it is beginning to affect the health of marine organisms and even humans. If plastic is not disposed of properly, it can make its way from land to the oceans where it is carried on ocean currents. In large areas where the currents move in a circular path, the plastic accumulates in the center - rather like a toilet with no outlet. An area like this is called a gyre and there are five major ones on Earth.

Plastic does not degrade. Instead it breaks up into small bits as the sun and waves wear it down. These tiny pieces act like sponges, soaking up toxic chemicals like DDT or PCB. At this point it can enter our own food chain when a fish accidentally eats it.

Some of the things found in the remains of albatross chicks include: cigarette lighters, toothbrushes, bottle caps, toy soldiers, straws, fishing paraphernalia, plastic ropes, Zip-loc bags, plastic bottles, cigarette filters, plastic packaging and countless plastic pieces smaller than your fingernail. Anything ever made of plastic can now be found in the ocean. All of this material is familiar to us.

You can help fund education and research about this issue by donating to Sea of Change.

Sea of Change is a non-profit organization dedicated to education and research about the plastic debris issue. It was founded by Joel Paschal, who has been on many research voyages with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation and NOAA. Sea of Change, based in Hawaii, makes presentations to school children, takes research trips to sample the ocean for plastic, organizes beach cleanup events, and teaches young people about ocean issues.

Please help support Sea of Change by making a tax exempt donation. For a donation of $50 or more, Sea of Change will send you this stuffed albatross chick. It is handmade and comes with its own name and numbered leg band.

How Can You Help Keep Our Oceans Healthy?

1. This toy albatross chick is a sign that you are already helping. Continue to support Sea of Change.
2. Stop using disposable plastics, like plastic razors or disposable lighters.
3. Carry your own reusable shopping bag and/or water bottle. Do not buy bottled water.
4. Look for products made from recycled materials that have little packaging, or packaging that is recyclable.
5. Try to avoid polystyrene products—bring your own mug to the coffee shop and a container for leftovers when you eat out.
6. Recycle!
7. Make sure all trash, especially plastics are disposed of properly.
8. Pick up litter on the street and put it in a trash can.
9. Teach the young people in your life about this issue.

Make your check payable to Sea of Change. and mail to:
Sea of Change
3828 N 800 W
West Lafayette, IN 47906

Your Name_______________________________________________________

Mailing Address___________________________________________________

   ___________________________________________________

   ___________________________________________________

For more information:

joel.paschal@gmail.com

lcander120@gmail.com

Wrap'n, Freeze'n, Store'n Food Without Plastic

2010-02-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

Plastic wraps or cling wraps are very convenient but not that great for the environment or your health. Many brands contain PVC (polyvinyl chloride) which is toxic in its manufacture, its use, and its disposal. It is a problem even if there is a small amount in the plastic. Many brands contain plasticizers which are also known as phthalates. They are added to stiff plastics to make them soft and pliable. It is best to avoid these chemicals since scientific investigations have shown they are related to abnormal development of male genitals, lower semen quality, and premature breast development in girls. Phthalates are know to leech into the food they contact.

What does one use instead of cling wrap? It depends on how you use it but here are a few suggestions:
- To store leftovers use a lid (preferably a glass or metal one) instead of covering the top of a bowl with cling wrap. You may need to make an effort to stock your kitchen with non-plastic options. Antique and second hand stores have many choices from years past. There are new options, too, like this one from Anchor Hocking.

- Instead of wrapping something like a sandwich in cling wrap, use a waxed paper bag or a piece of waxed paper from a roll. I like Natural Value waxed paper bags. They are unbleached paper products that degrade. You could also wrap food in a cloth napkin, tying it with a ribbon to keep it shut. Being reusable and washable is a plus.
- Another great product is a sandwich wrap which is cloth, reusable, and washable - made specifically for wrapping sandwiches.
If you must use cling wrap, try one of these:
- Natural Value plastic wrap contains no plasticizers or PVC’s.
- Diamant Food Wrap is plasticizer-free and recyclable. It is PVC-free polystyrene.
- Glad Cling Wrap is plasticizer free.  
The problem with the above products is that they are plastic. Unless the plastic wrap is labelled biodegradable, it will be in the environment for a long, long time. Is it worth it to use a piece of plastic once and then throw it away only to have it around for eons in the environment?

Freezing food without plastic is another problem. I have used the Food Saver vacuum bags before, but this plastic is not recyclable or reusable. I wrote to Food Saver to find out what type of plastic they use but have not received a reply yet. My gut tells me to find an alternative. I often use foil to wrap food tightly for freezing. My favorite is Reynolds 100% recycled aluminum foil. I also freeze liquids in glass jars but you have to be careful not to overfill the jar. Liquid food is mostly water and water needs room to expand (at least 1 inch) when it freezes. I have been trying to avoid tomato products in metal cans because they are lined with BPA. Glass jars have worked well for my homemade tomato sauce. I save almost every glass jar that has a good lid.   Pyrex containers are highly recommended by Suzanne at MommyFootprint because they can go from the freezer to the microwave or oven without breaking. The lids are BPA-free plastic. The Tickle Trunk has some great stainless steel food storage containers that close with a tight seal.

It is a good idea to start accumulating sturdy jars like these freezing/canning jars by Ball or these European glass canning jars so that you are ready for leftovers or freezing food. They are nice because they have wide mouths.

Do any of you green readers have other ideas for plastic-free freezing or food storage?

February's Stupid Plastic Crap

2010-02-04T14:33:00.001-05:00

For this month's Stupid Plastic Crap, I could have chosen a Valentine gift made of plastic. In case you have not noticed, there is a lot of it out there. Fake Plastic Fish already wrote a great blog about stupid plastic Valentine gifts, complete with photos. I decided to choose some plastic crap that has been bothering me for a long time. This month's nominee is any one of the single-serving, cook-in-seconds, convenience-at-all-cost meals. I even bought a couple so I could see and taste.

There are lots of these types of meals being offered for those feel that they don't have time to cook their own food. These products come packaged in foil, cardboard boxes, and plastic. The selling point is convenience. This Campbell's chicken soup says "Just heat & enjoy". The quest for convenience is a big part of the waste in our environment. Just microwave this soup for 1 min. and 30 secs. Then eat. How long will it take you to eat it? 10 minutes? That's the useful life of the plastic container, which is HDPE (#2). Resources went into making it. Use it for 10 minutes, then recycle or throw away. The instructions specifically say to put leftovers in a separate container and to NOT reuse the container.

The other meal is Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers. I could not find the type of plastic on the container so I wrote the company. The reply letter is below. "The impact the package has on our environment is another important consideration in selecting packaging. Any additional information is not available as it would be considered proprietary." There is that word "proprietary" that companies use as a cop-out when they don't want to tell consumers information that the consumer has a right to know.

I bought and cooked the pasta with marinara sauce. When I was done, there were 6, that's SIX, pieces of plastic leftover: the bowl, the strainer, the sauce container, 3 plastic seals.

Is there a greener way to have a quick convenient lunch? Of course there is. Cook your own food. I cook a large kettle of soup once a week. Soup can be really easy to cook. Set some of the soup aside for lunches and carry it in a microwaveable container. You can do the same with other meals, like pasta. Make extra and set it aside for lunch. It's takes more than a few seconds but there is no waste. I bet it is more nutritious also.

Remember that plastic does not degrade. It will be in the environment for centuries. It may be a problem that you children or grandchildren have to deal with - just because you needed a convenient meal.

This is the response I received from Healthy Choice:
Dear Ms. Anderson,

Your communication concerning our Healthy Choice® Fresh Mixers was most welcome. We appreciate comments and questions from our consumers.

The packaging for our products is designed to make sure a high quality product reaches you. To do this, it must protect the product during distribution. The impact the package has on our environment is another important consideration in selecting packaging. Any additional information is not available as it would be considered proprietary.

We are taking several steps to help protect the environment:

-We are using materials that we believe will be recycled on a nationwide basis in the near future. For example, the plastic trays used in our products are made of polyester which is a plastic that can be recycled (CPET-recycle #1). We also use glass, metal and cardboard. Several communities are recycling these materials.
-There are materials used in our packaging that are not easily recycled at the current time. Our packaging scientists are working with our suppliers to develop technologies to make these materials recyclable in the future.
-We are working to reduce the amount of materials used in our packaging. For example, we have reduced the amount of material used in our packaging by over 4 million pounds per year.

Thank you so much for taking the time to contact us and for your interest in our fine products.

Sincerely,

Jennifer
Consumer Affairs
Ref: 052629787A