A Breath of Fresh(er) Air

When we think of sunny Southern California, clean air does not immediately come to mind. But I have to tell you, I just visited, and one thing I noticed in several cities was how smoke-free they were. Cities like Burbank, Glendale and Calabasas, to name a few, have bans in place to prohibit public smoking. The cities just seem so CLEAN. No cigarette butts on the sidewalks. No walking out of a building only to be engulfed in a cloud of toxic secondhand smoke.

In fact, this is an especially hot topic in California right now – next week voters will weigh in on Proposition 29 – which is about imposing an additional $1.00 per pack tax on cigarettes and an equivalent tax increase on other tobacco products, with the revenues funding research for cancer and tobacco-related diseases.

There are no easy answers here. All I know is that, even in a smoggy city like Los Angeles, it was wonderful to breathe deeply and not gag on second-hand smoke…

Being a Good Steward to our Virtual World

In this blog, I often write about being a good steward to the planet. Well, this week, I learned about being a good steward to our virtual world as well. My last post was gleaned from a repost from Facebook, which I attributed incorrectly to someone who apparently had “borrowed” a post, in its entirety from an amazing blog, Delicious Obsessions. Oops!

You see, the original to my post was this: 52 Uses for Coconut Oil written by Jessica, who owns Delicious Obsessions. When Jessica graciously reached out to me, she educated me into the importance of sharing information correctly, so that nobody gets penalized by the search engines.

Back to coconut oil, and the many uses it has Hint: more than double the original 52. While I was browsing around Jessica’s site, what did I discover but another fabulous post, 122 Uses for Coconut Oil!! Will the fun never end?

I’m not going to share even one more tip because I want you to go and pay Jessica a visit. Heck, she’s even got me thinking about making my own cream cheese now! But, that is a story for another day.

Jessica, thank you!!!

52 Things to do with Coconut Oil (REVISED POST)

REVISED POST:

Thank you Jessica of Delicious Obsessions for this great info:

52 Uses for Coconut Oil

(1) Eat a spoonful when you need an energy boost.
(2) Use it as the base for a homemade body scrub.
(3) Use to condition your wooden cutting boards.
(4) Use as a super conditioner on your hair (apply to dry hair, leave in as long as possible and then shampoo as normal).
(5) Use as a styling agent if you have really dry hair. Just rub a tiny bit on your palms and apply to your hair and style as normal.

For the other 47, head on over to Jessica’s original post:

52 Uses for Coconut Oil

Thanks!

No More Leaky Pipes!

Sooner or later, most of us will experience some kind of water damage in our homes. Think leaky, ruptured, frozen or burst pipes, for a start. Not to mention mildew, dry rot and more. In fact, according to the folks at FloLogic, water damage insurance claims are around $10 billion every year in the United States. (Yes, you read that correctly!) And the EPA claims that 13.8% of home water use is wasted water. The average home wastes 10,000 gallons of water unnecessarily. Wow! Think of the environmental impact!

A few weeks ago, after I wrote about clogged drains in my post …and Away Go Troubles Down the Drain!! Charles DeSmet, of FloLogic commented on it. I was intrigued by the company name, and when I wrote him asking for more information, he kindly shared some interesting information about the problem and how his company is making a big difference, while saving money and resources. Not only that, it also helps prevent mold, which as we know, ia a big health hazard.

I don’t normally advocate a product I haven’t tried personally, but if FloLogic can help stem the – ahem! – flood of wasted and damaging water, I thought I needed to pass it along. What first caught my attention was their description: FloLogic is “the circuit breaker for your home plumbing system”® providing “intelligent leak detection.”™ Basically, this works from a single installation point on the main water line, the FloLogic System continuously monitors all water flows, detects leaks, shuts off the water, and sounds an alarm.

I just wish I knew about this when I was a homeowner – it would have made a big difference!

…and Away Go Troubles Down the Drain!!

OK – this is NOT the most glamorous post I am ever going to write. But, it may be one of the most helpful, because sooner or later most of us will face this common household challenge. On this blog, I have talked about fixing your drips, conserving water, taking shorter showers and even cleaning the bath and kitchen with environmentally friendly products. But what about that other green challenge? The dreaded CLOG. Of course, it would be easy to grab that liquid drain cleaner. You know, the one filled with lye, and other harsh chemicals? And, there go all of your best green intentions, right down the drain. I have been tempted to take this quick fix recently, when my bathtub drained verrrry slowly. It was really gross to be taking a shower and standing in, well, old water. But, I resisted, and I am glad I did, because my grandmother-in-law’s tried and true solution worked like a charm.

There are some great, environmentally friendly ways to handle a clog, promise. To get started, try using a good old-fashioned plunger. Many clogs will dislodge this way, and you get a great upper-body workout in the process (in other words, this method requires some muscle power.)

My favorite way to get rid of clogs comes from an old recipe my grandmother-in-law swore by. It uses 3 very common household items; baking soda, vinegar and boiling water. If these sound familiar, you may have made a volcano with these things as a science experiment when you were in school. Pour approximately 1 part baking soda to 4 parts vinegar over the clog. Then, pour a pot of boiling water over that. Let stand 15 minutes, and then run the water to see if the drain is clear. If it isn’t, use the plunger again – the vinegar solution may have loosened the clog. You can repeat this a couple of times.

Still stuck? You can always take off the elbow joint below the sink, check the trap, or use a router. If the clog is still stuck, call a green plumber. Yes, these eco-angels DO exist. While they are at it, they can suggest ways for you to have a more sustainable home, water-wise.

Good luck…patience and perseverance will do the trick. And, best of all? You didn’t have to use any of those horrible chemicals.

The Humble Houseplant

Think about how many hours a day we spend indoors. And, while we are inside, we are breathing air that has been found to be up to ten times a polluted as outdoor air. Amazing, right? While spring is right around the corner and we will be opening windows, consider the many buildings that do not have windows that open, such as offices, and high-rise apartments, hotels, to name just a few. In fact, the likelihood of bringing outdoor air inside is not realistic for many of us, much of the time. According to NaturalNews.com, “Indoor air pollution is associated with allergies and other chronic illnesses. The EPA currently ranks indoor air pollution as one of the top five threats to public health. People today spend as much as 90% of their lives indoors where they are bombarded with chemical emissions from building materials, glues and dyes used in furniture, carpets, household products, and personal care products. If you have a relatively new house or one that has been recently renovated, your pollution index is probably quite high.”

Enter the humble houseplant. Indoor plants can do many things for the inside environment. Plants can help reduce noise pollution indoors, especially high sound frequencies, which are the most irritating to humans. On hot days, plants cool the air by a process known as transpiration, which transfers water from plants into the atmosphere (think nature’s air conditioners.) Plants bring a living energy that can increase creativity, reduce stress, eyestrain, headaches and we can work with less eye irritation and not feel sleepy. How?

NASA has discovered the following: “common houseplants could improve air quality by removing pollutants. In fact, the study reported that houseplants were able to remove up to 87 percent of airborne toxins in 24 hours. The Plants for Clean Air Council recommends one potted plant for each 100 square feet of living space. For a 2000 square foot house, it would take about 18 to 20 average size plants such as those requiring 6 to 8 inch diameter pots. If plants are larger, requiring a 12 inch container or more, about 12 to 15 plants would be needed.

Plants can remove a variety if toxic air emissions, including ammonia, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene, xylele and trichloroethylene. Some plants that do a particularly good job of cleaning the air are:

* Ficus benjamina, weeping fig
* Philodendron, sweetheart plant
*Green spider plant or variegated spider plant
*Dracaena marginata, dragon tree
* Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’, corn plant
*Golden pathos
*Chinese evergreen *Philodendron selloum *Sansevieria, snake plant * Spathiphyllum, peace lilly”

Not so humble, after all. Bring in the green!

Raise a Glass to Organic Wines

This week I drove from Sacramento to Los Angeles through California’s Central Valley, which is gaining popularity as a wine-growing region. Along the highway, miles and miles of land is devoted to growing grapes. All that land, all those vines (this is not the growing season yet) and soon, all those grapes. Which had me wonder about pesticides, organic farming, and organic wines in particular.

We all know that when crops are grown with pesticides, they can get into groundwater, the soil, and the air – as well as the crop that is being grown. So, organic farming is big win for everybody. When an organic crop is made into something else, say wine, the grapes are organic, and the process itself can also be organic.

Just what is organic wine? According to the folks at LoveToKnow Organic, here is the scoop:

“During the growing process, grapes are subjected to chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. These are usually not washed off before processing, which means that the chemicals still present on the skins of the grapes will now be present in the wine itself. During the winemaking process, a variety of chemicals and sulfites are added to the fermenting wine to adjust and preserve the flavor.

Organic wine must be made from certified 100% organic grapes. Organic growers use natural predators, mulching, and other methods to control pests and enrich the soil. During the winemaking process, no chemicals or sulfites can be added to the wine. Instead, winemakers use a combination of grape varieties to achieve the flavor profile they are looking for. In order to increase acidity, they may use grapes in various stages of development. Sulfites cannot be added to preserve the wine, although it is normal for a small amount of sulfites to be in the wine as a normal result of the fermentation process. 100% certified organic wine is not very shelf stable due to the lack of added sulfites and this can mean that the quality will vary from batch to batch.”

Another great thing, especially if you are a red-wine lover, is that you won’t ingest the sulfites, which can lead to headaches, flushed face, allergic reactions, or other allergic reactions.

Let’s toast to that!

Halloween Green Treats

In the United States, Halloween is almost here, and, like it or not, we all celebrate with candy. Lots of candy. The fact is, this holiday tends to bring out the kid in many of us, and so good reason and green sense can fly right out the window. So, how can we navigate all the sugar, bad palm oil and everything else that makes Halloween treats, well, tricky?

First, realize that most kids (and even quite a few grown-up kids) really do not want stickers, nickels, or many of the healthy treats we adults think will be a good trick or treat alternative. Also, anything not safely wrapped, including apples and homemade goodies is a no-go, for safety reasons.

How can we enjoy treating the little ghosts, goblins and gremlins with a minimum negative environmental impact? There are two important areas to look at; the ingredients and how the candy is produced, as well as what to do with all the waste, especially all those wrappers. Here are a couple of quick ideas about the wrappers that may end up blowing down your street. One, collect the wrappers and send in to TerraCycle, who will recycle them into all manner of bags, pouches and other usable goodies with what could have otherwise ended up in the landfill. As a way to collect a few more wrappers, on Halloween evening, you can put a small recycling can on the porch so all the ghosties-on-the-go have a place to put the wrappers from the candy from the candy they couldn’t wait to get home to eat.

Here are a few scary facts:

Each Halloween, an estimated $40 per capita is spent on candy, decorations and greeting cards, all of which produce large amounts of waste
Americans consumed 23.8 pounds of candy per capita in 2008. Most of the wrappers are made of mixed materials, making it difficult to recycle them.
An estimated 80,000,000 Hershey’s Kisses are wrapped each day, using enough aluminum foil to cover more than 50 acres of space, the equivalent of almost 40 football fields.

Now, let’s talk about the candy itself. If you take out the cringe-worthy fact that candy contains a large amount of sugar, you will see that some are made with better sources of natural sweetening. Yummy Earth makes all kinds of lollipops and other sweet treats that are all natural, certified organic, gluten-free and very tasty. There is some excellent, organic chocolate on the market, but most of it is not package in the “fun” or bite sizes we associate with Halloween Candy. What can you do if you decide to offer the more traditional, mainstream candy from your local supermarket or drugstore? More and more candy makers are committed to using Certified Palm Oil in their products, which is good news for the conservation of orangutan habitats in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Crunch Bar, Sweetarts, Laffy Taffy, Nerds, Twizzlers, Jolly Ranchers, Rice Krispie Treats, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and even Lindor Truffles are just a few of the widely-known brands that have made this committment.

With a little planning, it’s easy to be green…on Halloween. Boo!

How Safe is Silicone Cookware?

One of the most popular posts here at My Green Adventure was one I wrote in January, 2011, NOT Stuck on You, about the evils of Teflon, and the safer non-stick cooking pan alternatives, such as Thermolon. It is clear from everyone’s interest, that when we spend time, and energy making a nice, hot, healthy home cooked meal, we want it to be as healthy (and non-toxic, of course) as possible. So, finding out out what is new, healthy and green just makes sense.

Which led me, finally, to my latest purchase – two wonderful Green Pan non-stick skillets (one large, one small) that were coated with Thermolon. Which, in turn, led me to further exploration. I have the pans, so now what utensils do I use to keep them safe? I have wooden ones, and – Oh no!! – I just realized my favorite spatula is an old metal one coated with…teflon. So, out it goes. But, what to use in it’s place? Interestingly, I found an amazing array of choices that were safe for use on the surfaces of non-stick cookware. There were a few made of nylon, but most were made of silicone. And, they were even green! And yellow, and blue, and red, and purple, and orange and…

Just what is silicone and how safe is it for cooking? I discovered that silicone is a synthetic rubber made of bonded silicon (a natural element abundant in sand and rock) and oxygen. The flexible yet strong material, which has proven popular in muffin pans, cupcake liners, spatulas and other utensils, can go from freezer to oven (up to 428 degrees Fahrenheit), is non-stick and stain-resistant.

Consumer advocate Debra Lynn Dadd, who steers clear of Teflon due to health concerns, likes silicone cookware after investigating it’s potential toxicity. “I tried to find some information on the health effects of silicone rubber, but it was not listed in any of the toxic chemical databases I use,” she reports, adding that she also sampled material safety data on several silicone rubbers manufactured by Dow Corning (which makes some 700 variations). “All descriptions I read of silicone rubber describe it as chemically inert and stable, so it is unlikely to react with or leach into food, nor outgas vapors.” She adds that silicone “is not toxic to aquatic or soil organisms, it is not hazardous waste, and while it is not biodegradable, it can be recycled after a lifetime of use.”

Dr. Andrew Weil also is a believer in silicone “because the advantages include heat resistance, flexibility, the fact that it can go directly from the oven or microwave into the refrigerator or freezer and that it is generally easy to clean. Silicone containers are also environmentally friendly; the snap-on lids can eliminate the need for plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Silicone appears to be safe. It is an inert material – nothing used in its manufacture will leach into foods. So far, no safety problems have been reported, but if you’re concerned, stick to silicone kitchen tools (such as spatulas) and avoid bakeware.”

Finally, The New York Times reported on what food writer Marian Burros believes about the usefulness of silicone cookware. “After testing a variety of products, Ms. Burros reported that the baking pans are not as nonstick as you might think: she found that you do have to grease them if you want your cakes and muffins to slide out unscathed. She had the most trouble with loaf pans, cake tins, brownie pans and Bundt pans. But she gave a rave review to potholders that double as trivets, mitt-type potholders, and a spatter screen that she found actually did prevent grease from speckling the stove top. Some of the products tested by the Times proved impractical, among them silicone garlic peelers, lemon squeezers, and measuring cups.”

The facts seem to indicate that silicone cookware and utensils are safe. So, back to Target for me. What color should I choose for my muffin cups, pot holders, spatulas and spoons, I wonder? GREEN, of course!!

Get Green, Get Clean…Water

Clean water. It’s something that most of us who are reading this take for granted every day. We go to the tap, turn on the faucet, and clean water comes out. Hot or cold. It may not be the filtered or bottled water that many of us drink, but it has passed safety standards that make it safe to drink. We can be a part of the solution for providing clean water to the rest of the planet. It’s up to each of us to pitch in and help. Why? Approximately one in eight people lack access to safe water supplies. And, our bodies need clean drinking water to survive. Kind of puts it in perspective, right?

Conserve water whenever you can. Even the littlest things like turning off the water while you brush your teeth, taking shorter showers, watering the lawn in the early morning or evening, fixing leaky faucets, eating less beef all can help. Get involved. One way is by purchasing some really cool sandals from Freewaters – where the purchase of one pair of sandals will allow them “to provide clean drinking water to one individual for one entire year.” Their story is compelling, clean and makes you want to order a pair or two today, at the very least.

Only last year, on July 28, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a historic resolution recognizing the human right to safe and clean drinking water. So, how many people do not have safe and clean water, you may wonder? According to charity : water , the number is staggering! “Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.” They are working to change that – so far they have raised awareness and funds so almost 1.800.000 people will get clean water.

Another way people like Mat Damon and others are getting involved is to donate to Water.org What is so amazing is that with ingenuity and a few dollars, we can really make a difference. And yet another way to help is at UNICEF- “Since 1990, thanks to the work of UNICEF and its partners, more than 1.6 billion people have gained access to clean drinking water.”

The numbers may be staggering, but we can all make a difference, one person at a time. It is all about taking action. The question is…what is each of us willing to do today to help?

Wondering how safe your own drinking water is? Check out the information on the Environmental Protection Agency site: EPA

One woman's search to find greening in the world today …

Category Archives: healthy lifestyle