Recently, the Coca-Cola company decided to stop selling food products (read breakfast cereals, snacks and drinks) in the UK that contained artificial dyes. Bravo Coca-Cola and to all the other companies that decided to do this! Bravo for listening to the hoards of consumers in the UK who decided to fight back and won! Here is the glitch though, despite knowing that consumers do not want these dyes in their food and the harm they can do these companies, like Kraft and McDonald’s, still continue to produce these items for us folks here in the US.

Mad now?

I am.

Why should you fight back?

Read the rest of this entry »

Now more than ever it seems like a good time to initiate Meatless Mondays.  I only call it that because it is catchy and an easy way to remember this handy little economy/environment helping tip:  For one day, eat no meat.  For one meal, eat no meat. See it’s zipadeedoo easy.  And yet?  It helps in so many ways. 

It is not just that the production of meat is terribly energy inefficient, sucking up vast amounts of resources, with it typically taking up to five to seven pounds of grain to produce just one pound of pork. It is about double that for one pound of beef.  Grain production is in decline due to the rise in ethenol production now too.  This in turn is making our world’s food supply diminish.  John Robbins, author of The Food Revolution,  estimates that  “you’d save more water by not eating a pound of California beef than you would by not showering for an entire year.”  

Think of this as well.  Eat less meat for just one day or one meal (no need to go vegan or vegetarian if that is not your thing) and you…

1.  You could lose a few pounds and lower your cholesterol when you eliminate some meat from your diet. Particularly red meat.

2.  Save money in your precious and ever escalating weekly food budget.

3.  You help save valuable energy and water.

4.  Produce less waste and lessen your carbon footprint.

5.  Reduce your risk for cancer.  By taking away some of the carcinogens that meat adds to your diet you reduce the cancer factor in your life. 

For ideas, recipes and more general eat less meat/help the earth knowledge visit here. If anything, your colon will thank you.

On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m. many cities throughtout the world will participate in Earth Hour, the global movement that will have millions of people across the globe turning off the lights in their homes, offices and communities. 

What started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 has now become a global movement.  For one hour on March 31, 2007 Sydney powered down and lived by candlelight.  The effect of this effort reduced the city of Sydney’s energy consumption by 10.2% in just one hour.  This has the same effect as taking 48,000 cars off the roads for one year.  During that one hour families, friends and individuals gathered together by candlelight and not only fostered a better sense of community but realized the many ways they can further reduce their carbon footprint from the Earth.

Now in 2008 cities and towns all over the world have decided to take part in this major environmental effort.  In the US, Chicago leads the way and is joined by corporations and organizations like McDonald’s and the Chicago Cubs who join the World Wildlife Federation in sponsoring this first US Earth Hour. 

I for one will be joining this effort and not just because they used Jeremy Piven’s voice in the US version of the Earth Hour piece. I think this is a great way to introduce the idea of conservation to my child and create a community or neighborhood effort at the same time.  The website has many great ideas to get your effort started.  I hope that many more people throughout the world and in our country (the US is behind the curve on this one) will log on to this site, participate and learn more about how they too can easily reduce their carbon footprint.   

Today, as I sat in traffic I happened to notice something.  The plastic bag full o’ stuff from Target, that I was returning had a little message on it.  ‘10 Ways to Reuse Your Target Bag’.  Below the title was in fact, ten ways to reuse this bag if you decided not to put it in the plastic bag recycling bin after all.  

I was touched.  Really, I was.  I had not noticed this little list before and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy that Target was at least putting forth some effort to educate the public about reusing the multitudes of plastic bags we all acquire.  While I already use my bags for lining tiny trash cans, picking up dog “stuff” and as a lunch bag, I would not have thought to use it as a water balloon, kitty litter liner, or ice pack like Target suggests.  A toiletry tote bag? Who knew.  Aww, Target and here I thought you would rather me go inside your smartly decorated store and pick out one of your own spiffy designer travel totes.

I started thinking about all the ways I do use my plastic bags and what new ways I could. 

1. Padding in packages.  This is something my other used to do in my college care packages and I still do today.

2. Holding other plastic bags.

3.  Holding dirty laundry when on a trip.

4.  Using as a parachute for tiny toys.

5.  Covering plants in winter to protect them from frostbite.  My father did this as a landscaper in our own yard.

6.  Wrap up the packing materials that your raw meat comes in when you throw it away. It will reduce odor in your trashcan.

7.  To carry books to and from the library.

8.  As a gym bag- nicely totes those sweaty gym towels.

9.  A makeshift rain hat. 

10.  Put other recyclables in the bag to put out by the curb when your neighbor steals your plastic recycling bin. 

Once I began making this list in my head I realized something, big box stores are good for something, while what is on the inside may be mind-numbing and drool inducing, leading you to consume more and more stuff, their little plastic bags sure can make you think. 

John Edwards left the race to the White House yesterday. In his farewell speech he asked that the remaining Democratic candidates pick up the torch that he carried.  While neither Hillary or Obama has publicly stated that they will indeed make the issue of poverty the main message of their campaign I think it would behoove them and the Republican candidates to heed Edwards words and focus on this subject.

Currently, McCain’s coffers are low. In December they were in the red and despite raising a large amount of funds he is not getting the donations  he needs.  Why? Perhaps it is because as a country we don’t have the extra money to give.  We are too busy trying to buy gas, expensively shipped food, sending our kids to school and trying to keep our jobs.  We don’t have the time or money to spend on such things as campaign funds.  We don’t want to either.  We want to see results from our candidates before we pass them a percentage of our paychecks these days. Our money is too hard won not to.

Today the U.S. has a disgraceful level of poverty.  We hear about it all the time but we have turned a blind eye. Our shelters are stretched thin.  We are not donating as much as in years pass because we ourselves are finding we need those donations now too.  In a country such as ours where we sell jeans for the price of $180 we have over 37 million people living in poverty.  We have children growing up with little no healthcare. This is how we raise a nation? We need more than words from a candidate. We need action.  We need togetherness and no more of this my party, your party verb-age.  We as a country need to listen to men like John Edwards and not give up.  We have a voice. We need our candidates on both sides to hear us loud and clear. We are a country in trouble.  We need to work together to find a way out.  We truly need a ”uniter and not a divider” this time around. 

I ask that regardless of your political affiliation you demand, not just ask, your candidate to begin work on the war on poverty. That they begin the work that desperately needs to be done to bring this country together again.  All over blogs, political or otherwise, it is clear, we are a nation that is calling out. We need our leaders to be more than just talking heads.  We need them to do their jobs as public servants.  We need a leader that shuts its own mouth for a bit, that listens and listens and then really listens and then acts on behalf of the people he or she was elected to serve, not on behalf of themselves or their legacy.

My daughter recently came back from a stay at Casa de Nana’s and with her came a pair of pink slippers.  I don’t shun pink all together but I don’t love it.  When I found out I was having a girl I asked for ‘no frills, no pink’, but I still ended up with four loads of pink clothes after a baby shower.  So while I allow some pink to fall into our lives I am iron-fisted about the ‘No Princess’ rule in our house.

There should be a sign on my front door that states, “Divas, princesses, queens and the odd fairy need not apply”.  I just don’t want the influence that the princess toys, clothing and other assorted products seem to cause. I think my daughter is beautiful just not pretty, pretty princess beautiful.  She can play dress-up and have all the whimsy and fun without the princess factor I believe. 

So these slippers, stuffed way down deep in the overnight bag, enter our home and I immediately gasp.  They are ugly.  They are bright pink with silver embroidery on them in the design of a crown. There is a cheap paste gem atop the crown the size of my index fingernail.  Above the gem is the word ‘princess’. I cringed.  How could she?!  How could my mother-in-law break the rule? I know grandparents indulge kids and don’t always listen to the parents but this is something that could not be ignored. The shoes do not even fit.  She has to grow into them! Aye! They will be in our house forever now, I fumed.

My husband thought I was being irrational.  He did until I told him to look at them again.  He did and uttered this, “Augh. They look cheap.  They look very….WalMart. Toss them.”  And that my friends is why I married him. 

I opened my mailbox the other day and was quickly annoyed.  No, it wasn’t my anger towards the amount of catalogs that clog that tiny metal box no matter what I do. It was the “letter” from the editor of Parents magazine that littered itself over the actual cover of the magazine.

This was not an actual letter. Oh no.  My subscription to the magazine was not about to expire either. It was a giant ad, a promotion if you will, disguised as a letter by the magazine for Arm & Hammer’s new line of laundry products.  Green, all-natural laundry products. Pffttt….

Is it just me or are there others out there who get mad when they see these new Eco-friendly products from large corporate giants stocking our store shelves?  I am incredibly skeptical of anything these giants do these days.  For years they have made chemically dependent products.  These companies have produced waste like nobodies business over so many years and promoted ‘naturally’ scented products that were just more chemicals on top of other chemicals and by-products.  Consumers ate it up despite the bold-faced lies.  I have a hard time swallowing it and thinking they have turned over a new leaf.

They still produce the same toxin chocked products but now they are offering ‘green’ ones as well. Great.  I guess I should be an optimist and see the light in this.  I should be happy that they have jumped on the green bandwagon and are now touting these new lines and making them more readily available to the consumer public.  Somehow though I’m not.  I see it as just another trend.  Not something they believe in.  Just another way to make another dollar. 

I’m offended by the “letter” used to by Arm & Hammer and Parents magazine to get my attention on a matter I see as long overdue.  Perhaps I’m too jaded.  I will stick with my products that are made by companies big or small that produce only earth-friendly products.  To me, those are the only people friendly products. Call me narrow-minded but part of my ‘going green’ lifestyle also includes giving my business to the little man, the local man and saying goodbye to the giant corporations who refuse to get with the times.  Are they finally hearing me?  Does anyone else feel this way or am I just the resident curmudgeon? 

We all know that once you have kids messes are made all the time. Almost every 2.5 seconds it seems. There is more trash than you ever thought possible leaving your home. If you own a diaper genie or some other stink holder then you know that the trash you put out more than doubles once that cute bundle arrives. It is like the diapers are having diapers inside that contraption. Diapers that clog our landfills and linger for years to come.

When Dana Hackley had her son this past year the diaper consumption started ringing bells. There must be something we can do, she thought. There must be a better way that doesn’t involve those cloth diapers. Because really? We aren’t all cut out for the washing of the poo.

Then Dana made a video and entered it on Ziddio. That video, Not So Disposable, made it into the Green Your Routine contest put on by Ziddio. Guess what happened then. Yes, Dana became involved in finding alternatives for all those stinky messes but her other baby? That short video? It won her a 2008 Global Green Academy Award.

I discussed this wonderful turn of events with Dana recently and learned all about how Not So Disposable was created and about her compelling message. The fact that she was my college roommate and a bridesmaid in my wedding only makes me gush and squeal just that much more.

So Dana, what made you do this? How did you find out about the contest?I received an email, probably spam, that I was about to delete. However, I always encourage my students at Robert Morris University to enter video contests, so I figured I should probably lead by example and keep my editing skills sharp. Also, the idea of recycling diapers just kind of popped into my head like a light bulb moment so I began doing research to find out if anyone was currently doing it and if it (recycling diapers) was at all possible.

How did you find out you won?

I received a letter from the marketing company facilitating the contest that I was the potential winner. I had to sign an affidavit that the work was completely original and then I received another letter telling me I had won.

How long did the making of it take you?

It was only a 30-second PSA type video but because I used my own equipment and I have a job plus a child it took a few weeks. I worked on it whenever I had a free moment.

Since making the video have, you researched alternatives for using something other than disposable diapers.

Yes, I was interested in the diapers with a throw away lining, but it seems to me my child would outgrow the outer portion quickly, which would be costly. Plus, what is the chance that the waste stays in the throw away liner long enough to get it to the toilet to flush? Also, I would be interested in looking into grant opportunities to persuade the county to recycle diapers like the pilot program that took place in Santa Clarita, CA a few years back. I just do not know if I would have the backing but I am seriously making an attempt.

Can you offer any advice on a good alternative or what else parents can do to eliminate such waste?

Well, if they have the tolerance they can try the diapers with the flushable lining. Otherwise, I would say write your state and local legislators, there is no good reason why we are not already recycling diapers alongside plastic bottles.

What are some of the things you do to ‘green your routine’?I am probably not the best representation, but I do try to do small things like turn lights out and not let the water run. Pittsburgh (where she lives) requires households to recycle plastic. If I had the money, I would buy a hybrid vehicle in a heartbeat. It just seems to me cities would greatly benefit by offering a program where diapers are put curbside with the plastic bottles. We have the technology to recycle it, so why don’t we? A company called Knowaste has recycled diapers into plastic wood, roof shingles and vinyl wood siding. It is not a stretch of the imagination.

Do you think having a child has made you more conscious of your impact/footprint on the world?

I have always felt we were abusing the earth but never really took a proactive role. Now, that I do have a child I feel like I would do anything to make the world a better place. It sounds cliché, but I want my child to have the best of both worlds. I want him to experience the luxury of new technology but tempered with the natural beauty of the earth. I would be sad if there comes a day when children do not climb trees and play in the mud because they are too busy playing video games or the environment is not safe for them.

Have you had any additional press on this win?

Robert Morris University’s student newspaper has written an article that will come out tomorrow. I am sure the company hosting the contest will send out press releases, but since I just found out, I won and had to mail back the paperwork I am sure they have not had a chance.

For more facts about the waste that disposable diapers really produce you can visit this site and get solutions here.

And now… drumroll please…. the winning video- Not So Disposable by Dana Hackley.

Why should we be concerned with Atrazine? It’s only a cheap but popular weed killer used largely by corn and sorghum farmers in the Midwest. Farmers love it because it’s well, cheap and works well. It destroys those little pests right quick. It also runs off the fields and into streams and rivers like nobodies business causing behavioral problems in fish and frogs as well as sexual abnormalities.

Atrazine levels have spiked since 2004 and analysis done by the group Syngenta Corp Protection has deemed these levels to be harmful to the ecosystems in the area. This article from the Washington Post states, “The federal government first approved atrazine in the 1950s, but it came under increased scrutiny in the late 1990s after Tyrone B. Hayes, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California at Berkeley, did a series of studies — first for chemical companies and then on his own — that indicated that tiny amounts of the pesticide de-masculinized tadpoles of African clawed frogs. The European Union declared it a harmful “endocrine disrupter” and banned it as of 2005, but the EPA decided to allow its continued use after determining that the agency lacked a standard test for measuring the hormone-disrupting effects of chemicals. ”

Readings on these areas are being done by Sygenta every four days per each individual site. Despite these findings and this discovery by The Washington Post is anything being done? If a tiny amount of these chemicals is considered this harmful to the frogs and fish in these watersheds why is that not enough? Does it have to reach levels where a cancer outbreak in humans occurs? Do children need to be born with abnormalities and a family sues the weedkiller company for something to be done? In 2004 the levels were 100 times over the limit of what is considered safe and when the problems began in the ecosystems. 100 times! Yet, it’s still going on. We are still just checking up on the situation, maintaining the status quo.

It makes me sick. The chemicals and toxins that we just dump into our water supply, the run-off of these pesticides and the way we pollute our world is maddening and it makes my head spin. We wonder why there is so much cancer in this world and yet we allow these types of things to continue all because it makes life in the short run a little easier. It is only in the long run and with hindsight that we see the error of our ways. Well, this isn’t hindsight. This is NOW. We have to step up and say enough is enough! There is a whole new generation to think of and teach. Just like that last three generations that should have gotten the message. We teach our children that Mr. Yuck means poison. Does that mean we start labeling our farms with Mr. Yuck stickers? Probably not. Perhaps this says it best, “What’s most disturbing about the information you’re talking about is all that EPA requires Syngenta to do is monitor Atrazine in a few key sites,” Hayes said. I guess that makes it all OK then. “Industry’s been allowed to have such a huge hand in the regulation of Atrazine.” Give Industry a hand folks. They are doing a kick-ass job.

In the past year I have really ramped up our efforts to ‘green’ our lives.  I am loathe to say it is because greening has become trendy because mainly it is due in fact to my job change.  My ability to work from home and construct a writing career has freed up some of my time.  No longer chugging to work each day doing the long commute I have been able to sit and think a bit. To ruminate on the waste our house puts out and how to conserve, eat and live better.  I have been able to think more about my choices and what we use and put into our bodies. 

Since I no longer order my groceries online while conducting a phone conference at work, I can plan our meals and buy less processed food.  I have switched to the Farmer’s Market when possible. Bought cloth bags to tote to the store. I recycle a whole lot more, waste less, and have eliminated harmful chemicals from our home just to name a few. It’s taken a lot of thought and research but I believe in the end we are better for it. We are making a tiny bit of a difference.  I’m proud of the changes I’ve made in our lives and hope I’m instilling some it it in my child.  I want her to be a good steward for this planet as she grows.  I’m always on the lookout for more ways to green our lives and I try not to be too preachy about the whole thing.

So why was I so irritated when my husband started calling me Ms. Green in the last few weeks? Mainly because he would do it to point out a fault.  “Oh Ms. Green left the TV on.” “Hey, Ms. Green you forgot to shut off the computer.”  Right.  You get the idea.  Every time he would find the TV or computer on he would blame me.  I’m not going to nit-pick here (OK maybe a little) but the family computer is ALWAYS left on because I rarely use that one and neither does our two year old.  I simply turn it off when I find it on.  I don’t chide.  I do the same with the lights and pull out the plugs from the outlets of the countless items my husband keeps continuously plugged in daily (cell phones, chargers, Ipods galore!) around the home.  If my daughter is watching Elmo while I cook dinner and I forget to shut off the TV two rooms away when she gets bored and decides to stir up trouble with the dog, I’m sorry.  I don’t even notice that it’s on. I’m busy trying not to burn the house down with dinner or have our kid come to blows with our hyped up terrier. 

It’s as if with each ‘Ms. Green’ what he is really doing is making fun and being condescending.  He isn’t not taking part in our lifestyle change but he isn’t helping it either.  Each time he calls me by that moniker I feel as if I don’t have him on my side or in my court. I feel that each ‘Ms. Green’ is the equivalent to being told that I’m forcing all this on him when he’s done nothing more than use the new household cleaners and take out the recycling.   If the shoe were on the other foot and he was instituting these changes that have not disrupted our lives in any major way, I would support him, not condescend.  I would stand by him and not make fun. 

Trying to be more environmentally conscious does not make me feel like I’m a better person over anyone else. That isn’t the reason I do it.  I do it for our planet. I do it to teach my child a different way to live that is less wasteful and more thoughtful and concious of those around her.  I expect her to carry these lessons with her into her life just as I have.  What I do not expect or need is to feel that I’m doing battle in my own home.  I, like the earth, need all the support I can get.  So call me crunchy or a tree huggin’ granola head but just don’t call me Ms. Green.