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When it comes to fermentation, are you willing to go beyond your evening cocktail?

Other than vodka, pickles and saurkraut, I didn't think I had much experience with fermented foods. But the book "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Katz is enough to make you want to ferment everything in sight.

"Fermentation is everywhere, always. It is an everyday miracle, the path of least resistance...[It] gives us many of our most basic staples, such as berad and cheese, and our most pleasurable treats, including chocolate, coffee, wine and beer....Fermentation not only preserves nutrients, it breaks them down into more easily digestible forms," writes Katz.

Fermentaiton is on my mind, because I'm fresh from a pickling experiment. We've been inundated with cucumbers this year...a welcome inundation, to be sure, but when your entire vegetable bin is filled with them, one's mind does tend to wander predictably toward pickles. Fermentation preserves food, somsething that's been known and used by humans for centuries. So that cucumber that seems a bit much right now, can be put to good use in the future.

I now have jar upon jar of concoctions on a kitchen shelf. Lacking dill, I have jars of pickles stuffed with tarragon and thyme and honey and maple syrup and garlic and possibly, since my daughters were helping me, there might well be a Polly Pocket doll or two in there for all I know. We'll find out when we open the first jar in a couple of months.

Nancy Klehm, an LGP podcast guest, helped me create this Festival of Fermentation. When my friend Pam asked her, "When can we eat these pickles? How long will they stay good?" Nance answered, "Anywhere from one week to forty years."

Posted on Sept. 7, 2008 at 10:25 a.m. by Jill. Discuss (0 comments)

How safe is your kid's school lunch?

It’s back to school time again and do you know what your kid is eating? Chances are if she is eating the school lunch, you don’t. Behind the heading of “hamburger with fries,” “pizza with vegetables,” is a dirty little secret that might be harming your child.

IF NO ONE WANTS TO BUY IT, WE’LL DUMP IT IN THE KIDS’ SCHOOL LUNCHES
Meat and dairy are the staples of the school lunch program. The USDA, which is on record as saying that rGBH milk is safe and cloned meats are fine, is responsible for the school lunch program. They in effect buy up foods that consumer don’t want and serve it to school kids in their lunches. The farm bill that was passed last May directs the USDA to buy irradiated beef for the federal school lunch program. Almost 1/3 of the recently recalled meat went to schools and public nutrition programs.

OUR KIDS ARE OVERWEIGHT
Reports on french fries and ketchup counting as the only vegetable to go along with burgers or pizza are now old news. Also old, but still sadly relevant news, are the frightening statistics on childhood obesity. (According to the CDC's 2006 figures, 30.7% of white American kids are overweight or obese, 34.9% of black children and 38% of Mexican American children. Although, slightly more hopeful for urban parents: 16.5% of rural kids are obese compared with 14.4% of urban kids.)

ALLERGIES, ASTHMA, AND SPECIAL NEEDS
Most schools provide few options for kids that might be sensitive to, say, cow’s milk. (According to the American Academy of Family Physicians’ 2002 report on lactose intolerance, up to 80% of blacks and Hispanics are lactose intolerant). Similarly, there are few options for parents that want kids to avoid the poor quality meat for either ethical or health reasons. The way that school lunches works is that the USDA subsidizes certain foods and those are what are available to schools. Though vegetarian options are available by request, they usually have to be specially ordered ahead of time and sometimes are a very poor option nutritionally.

ORGANIC FOODS AND CHILDREN
“Children are developing organs to last a lifetime. Due to their smaller size, fast-growing speedy metabolisms, and less varied diets, infants and children are more vulnerable to health and developmental damage,” says Dr. Greene. Some of the most important foods to get organic for your children are: meat, poultry, dairy, eggs, rice, corn, apples, apricots, bell peppers, bananas, celery, cherries, cucumbers, grapes, green beans, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, raisins, red raspberries, spinach, strawberries, soybeans.

CHICAGO PROVIDES OPTIONS!
The typical student in the Chicago Public Schools is just being served the standard questionably healthy school lunch, there are many better options available in Chicago.

At Louisa May Alcott Elementary, Lowell Elementary, Drummond Elementary Magnet, and Inter-American Elementary Magnet healthy, organic options are readily available thanks to the incredible work of the Organic School Project. At many of these schools, nutrition education is being worked into the classroom and school gardens have formed all through the same project.

If your child goes to a school other than those mentioned above, don’t worry, there are still healthy options available. Thanks to a growing number of organizations that provide healthy, usually organic, foods that can be delivered directly to you or the school.

The Green Monkey Catering does seasonally appropriate produce, free-range meats, and has a commitment to being a zero waste facility using composting, recycling, and environmentally-responsible vehicles. They provide meals both on a whole-sale basis (the whole school signs up) or on a retail basis (deliver an organic meal just to your child). There prices start at less than $3.00 per kid if a whole school signs up. The caveat is there needs to be a minimum number of other kids ordering in the same school to do the retail option.

The Green Bag Lunch will deliver an organic, healthy, kid-friendly option directly to your child’s school for just $5.00 (that includes the lunch and the delivery). Even better, it’s all waste-free. As above, for the retail option there also needs to be a minimum number of other kids ordering in the same school.

Max’s Organic Planet will deliver a lunch for you to your office or a whole day’s worth of meals to your home. If you get your child’s school to sign up they will provide healthy, organic meals right at your school.

The Organic School Project, mentioned above, has some wholesale options that might benefit you or your school.

There are also many private and charter schools that are restructuring their food offerings to be healthier and prioritize organic. The Betty Shabazz International Charter School/Barbara Sizemore Academy won recognition for their healthier offerings.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GREENING UP YOUR KID’S LUNCH
Healthy Schools Campaign
Kids Organics
Healthy School Lunches

Posted on Sept. 2, 2008 at 2:27 p.m. by Green Mama. Discuss (1 comment)

What I learned at the lawn exhibit

Today I finally got to the museum’s lawn exhibit. I left my child at home so I actually had the opportunity to absorb the exhibit. It is extraordinary. And though I went without my toddler, the exhibit, as with almost everything at the museum, is kid-friendly.

Motivation to do something
The first thing that really struck me was a piece that told the story of Lorrie Otto. It was the 1950s and she was a shy, young housewife and mother in suburban Milwaukee. She prided herself in having a creative and fun-loving family. Over a course of a few years she turned her yard into a beautiful, wonderland for her children. They had a fern garden tucked into one corner and a small plum orchard in another. Otto described it as a magical place. Then one day the city came and mowed the whole thing down saying it didn't conform to the lawn standards of the city and therefore it was all "weeds." It was the beginning of a new identity for Otto who eventually received an apology and financial compensation from the city. She encouraged others to fight weed laws, protect wild spaces, and even fought the use of DDT. Otto is now widely recognized as the godmother of the Natural Landscaping Movement. (Hooray for a mom turned environmental activist!)

Scary statistics
I was also impressed with a humorous movie that is part of the exhibit, called Gimme Green. The movie reveals this National Cancer Institute statistic: kids who live in households that use pesticides have six times greater change of developing leukemia.

There were lots of exhibits that reminded us just how much water goes into our lawns. There were a few statistics that stood out:

• American lawns us 200 gallons of water per person per day.
• A typical lawn uses 10,000 gallons of water each summer.
• A typical lawn sprinkler uses 2500 gallons of water in one hour. (This is modeled in an exhibit call Thirsty by Brian Peters and Daphne Firos that uses 1,600 plastic bottles to demonstrate what 2500 gallons looks like.)

There was also a fantastical exhibit of the “missing link” in lawnmower development: a tricycle that mows as you ride it! That exhibit reminded me of another statistic: one hour using a gas-powered mower is the equivalent of driving 350 miles!

Take home lessons
America’s lawn obsession is harming the planet, our children, and guzzling natural resources. So what can we do? A few hints from the exhibit:

1. Learn from Chicago’s public parks and let a natural mixture of bluegrass, clover, and other plants grow. You can mow it all just like grass.
2. Get rid of your gas-guzzling lawn mower. Try a motorless push mower instead.
3. Use natural fertilizers, e.g. from corn, alfalfa, (grass clippings left on the lawn), or compost.
4. Only use natural pesticides or herbicides. Vinegar kills weeds and garlic concentrate kills grubs.
5. Increase the size of your planting beds and try growing food, flowers, or herbs.
6. Plant more native plants: they require less of tending and help with species diversity
7. Use a rain barrel to harvest rainwater off your roof and use it on your yard.
8. Make peace with dormancy: a brown lawn isn’t necessarily dead, just dormant. If you have to water—focus on the trees, water early in the morning, and water deeply and infrequently.

If you would like or need a lawn service, no worries, Chicago has a very eco option: MowTown Green. They will use that push mower, test that soil, and plant those indigenous plants for you.

Also, Chicago provides deeply discounted rainbarrels and compost bins to its residents. The next opportunity to buy one is September 20th from 9 to 3 at 900 E. 103rd St. Visit the City of Chicago’s website to find out more.

Posted on Aug. 27, 2008 at 3:47 p.m. by Green Mama. Discuss (1 comment)

Is It Worth It to Grow Your Own Food If You Don't Know Much?

How Tim and I manage our backyard urban farm is how we manage our lives: imperfectly. Beekeeping manuals direct you to don your protective suit and open the hives once a week to inspect them and make sure the queen is alive. Tim checks our two hives once every two or three weeks, and in the four years we’ve had hives, he has yet to identify the queen.
I manage to feed and water the chickens and move their enclosure to a new patch of grass twice a day. But I haven’t yet painted their roost or covered the exposed sharp edges of chicken wire. I haven’t rearranged the interior of the roost to make it work better now that the hens are larger, nor have I yet clipped their wingtips so they can wander more freely around our yard.
As for the vegetable garden, I do my best with weed pulling, but by most people’s standards, my best is not too gorgeous. About a third of my spinach and lettuce bolts before I get around to harvesting it.
Yet in spite of our imperfection, things thrive. Tomato plants set fruit, the kale crop produces through November, and the radishes don’t care how many weeds are in the way, they just pop their little red tops up through the soil anyway.
Even our inadequate garden is bountiful. I hope others may find inspiration in this lesson. The fact is, even if you do a crummy job of planting vegetables and maintaining them, they make food for you, and the food tastes sublime. And when I go out to harvest, the weed-surrounded tomato is NOT giving me a reproachful glare. The tomato didn’t expect anyone to remove its competition, the weeds. For a plant, competition is par for the course. The tomato is just relieved that it survived to make its version of healthy babies, its seed-laden fruit.
Sometimes it's better not to know too much about what you're getting into. Just plant. The rest will follow.

Posted on July 28, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. by Jill. Discuss (1 comment)

Is your plastic water bottle killing you?

Well, it depends on who you ask. Nalgene, probably the best known maker of the hard, plastic water bottles that adults use, says “Of course not!” but they are still phasing out their polycarbonate lines. (Polycarbonate is that rigid, clear plastic that almost all of their bottles were made of.) Nalgene, along with many other bottle companies, are phasing out polycarbonates due to consumer pressure around Bisphenol A (BPA).

BPA was also found in almost all baby bottles, and is the chemical behind the Toxic Baby Bottle headlines that have littered the news recently. BPA has been linked to endocrine disruption, acting similar to estrogen in the body. One government-funded panel of experts linked the chemical to increased risk of reproductive problems, obesity, and breast and prostate cancer. A second panel wasn’t so sure, but both agreed that there might be behavioral impacts, such as ADHD, caused by BPA that could effect children.

Almost every one in this country has BPA in his or her blood. It comes not only from polycarbonate water bottles and baby bottles, but also from almost every metal can you use (whether for food or drink). At question, is just how much BPA is enough to be dangerous. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has very recently put together an agency-wide task force to further exam the issue. Right now, however, they say “we believe [emhasis is mine] there is a large body of evidence” to suggest that exposure levels “are below those that may cause health effects.”

The National Toxicology Program (an interagency government program established by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services) says they think we should be concerned, especially for our children. “The scientific evidence that supports a conclusion of some concern for exposures in fetuses, infants, and children comes from a number of laboratory animal studies reporting that "low" level exposure to bisphenol A during development can cause changes in behavior and the brain, prostate gland, mammary gland, and the age at which females attain puberty.”

Everyone has called for more study.

In the meantime, The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s senior nutritionist says, “It makes sense for all parents, and especially pregnant and nursing women, to minimize the exposure of their kids’ developing bodies and brains to BPA.” (By the way, they have a great review of the issues at stake with BPA and the science behind it.)

Many companies, under pressure from consumers, have begun to phase-out their polycarbonate bottles. This includes Nalgene and Camelbak as well as many baby bottle manufactures, such as Playtex. Others are just releasing a BPA-free line and keeping their regular, questionably-safe, bottles as well. (Avent is one such company—boo on you, Avent.) Other companies are just continuing on with business as usual. For a complete list of safe bottles, sippy cups, and more, visit: the Z Report on BPA.

What we do in our home
I breastfed ZR and thus we didn’t use bottles all that often. However, I was pretty upset when I discovered that all of the Avent bottles I did have were littered with BPA. I have sense thrown all of them away. (They aren’t recyclable.) I also got rid of every questionable sippy cup and then just recently did the same for my own supply of reusable water bottles. I now have a wonderful selection of bottles both for ZR and for myself that are either made from a light-weight stainless steel or are made with BPA and phthalate-free plastics.

My favorite adult options are the Sigg bottles (which as both an insulated and non-insulated options) and the Think Sport which is insulated (I like the mini).

For toddlers I particularly like the Safe Sippy (it is super-functional and cute). And I also regularly use the insulated sippy cup by Thermos called the Foogo and the Sigg and Think Baby.

For babies it has become increasingly easy to find glass bottles. If you want really cute, seemingly unbreakable options, I recommend the Siliskin Glass bottles which have a cool, silicone outer layer around the glass. Green to Grow and Think Baby make nice BPA-free plastic bottles.

For reviews and links to all these and many more sippy cups, bottles, and adult bottles, visit www.thesoftlanding.com.

Posted on July 22, 2008 at 1:41 p.m. by Green Mama. Discuss (3 comments)

It’s a rotten dilemma: BPA and the Dentist

I’m sitting in the dentist chair for my first checkup since having my baby (and that wasn’t so recent). “Everything looks good,” the dentist says and then he does that thing I hate: he pulls out that super close-up camera and puts my mouth on the iMax screen. “However, one of your fillings has cracked,” he says zooming in for a 3d ride through the mountains and valleys of my teeth.

“You really should have that filling replaced,” he says and then something after that along the lines of, “Or you will be a toothless hack gumming your way through your child’s birthday cake and calling out for liquor to ease the agony of your rotten gums.” Actually, that might not have been exactly what he said, but I panicked after “replace your filling or....” and I think ZR was screaming in the next room.

I’m a mother and an environmentalist. I believe in prudence. So, I willingly made the follow-up appointment. With the fantastic view, kind staff, and the chance for an hour without a crying baby, I wasn’t even totally dreading it.

Then today, the day of my appointment, I chickened out. Why? Not because of the pain, nor the expense. I got scared because over the weekend I was doing research on plastics (I know, this is not the normal persons idea of a great weekend) and I found that dental fillings are a major source of BPA (that very same chemical that lead to the scare around Toxic Baby Bottles and Poisonous Waterbottles).

Of course, I should point out, that BPA is considered probably safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The American Dental Association follows the FDA’s lead saying that “concern about potential BPA exposure from dental composites or sealants is unwarranted at this time.” However, the ADA also calls for additional research into “human exposure to BPA and any health effects it may cause.”

The National Toxicology Program, however, is the interagency government program set up the by US Dept of Health and Human Services to review that “additional research” and they say that we should have some concern, at least in regard to exposure for fetuses, infants, and children (and certain adults). They say that the scientific evidence suggests that even low levels of BPA exposure can cause changes in behavior and the brain, prostate gland, mammary gland, and the age at which females attain puberty.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest also suggests that we should be skeptical of claims that BPA is probably harmless. Their senior nutritionist urges all parents, especially pregnant and nurse women, to minimize their children’s exposures.

So, what is a mother to do?

1. Most fillings are still made from silver and contain about 50% mercury. This is obviously not a good choice as mercury is a known neurotoxin that accumulates in the body and can be passed on to your children in pregnancy or through breastfeeding. It is recommended that you and your child avoid silver or other amalgam fillings containing mercury.

2. Composite fillings are the white fillings which are usually made of glass or porcelain in a matrix of acrylic. It is these fillings that are now being linked to BPA exposure. There are some offenders that are worse than others. (apparently Delton Light Cure was found to be particularly bad according to one study). It is recommended that when choosing a composite filling, that you work with your dentist to find a composite substance that has low or minimal BPA. The Oregon Environmental Council recommends working with your dentist to review the Material Safety Data Sheet to ensure BADGE isn’t in the list of ingredients.

3. My dentist recommended that due to my concerns that I consider an indirect porcelain filling. This is done by taking out the old filling, making a mold, and then have a new filling made in a laboratory. Apparently this method allows for a more accurate fitting. My dentist also says it will last longer and the material is basically just porcelain, and thus avoids the plastic substrate, and is inert. The downsides seem to primarily be time and expense. It requires two dental visits and may or may not be covered by insurance and is almost certainly more expensive.

4. Sealants, which are common especially on children’s teeth, can also contain BPA. Avoid getting sealants on children’s baby teeth. Discuss with your dentist the cost-benefits of putting them on a child’s adult teeth. If they are really necessary, work with your dentist to find BPA-free sealants.

For better or worse, the best solution is still prevention. So brush and floss! And teach your children to do it. (I am the first to realize that this is way easier said than done.)

And now, when you see those pictures of Britney Spears’ kids drinking juice out of their baby bottles, you can feel bad for them not only because they are bound to get bottle mouth, but also because they are being exposed to BPA from both the bottle AND the future dental work they will have to have done.

Posted on July 22, 2008 at 1:41 p.m. by Green Mama. Discuss (0 comments)

Canada: Just like us only with better baby bottles

Earlier this summer, my family and I went to British Columbia, Canada, for our annual pilgrimage to this tiny island where we got married. My personal theory on Canada is that it is just like the Midwest, only with fewer people and, in the case of B.C., better views. It turns out, however, that Canada also has one other great difference, they have better baby bottles.

In my un-scientific study of the local population, which included a 6 hour ride on two Greyhound busses, 4 days exploring the streets of the B.C. capital Victoria, and then as many days on above-mentioned remote island; every parent I saw, of every apparent socio-economic group, used “safe” bottles and sippy cups. By safe, I mean that they used a BPA-free bottle or sippy cup.

This could be because, like in the U.S., there has been a lot of news coverage in Canada about the possible toxicity of BPA to children and the very real concern that it might leak from baby bottles and sippy cups and expose them to levels considered high enough to worry about. Or, it could be that unlike in the U.S., the government there is looking after the possible dangers to children. On April 19th, Canada began the process to ban the import, sale, and advertising of baby bottles which contain BPA. It started the process with a 60-day public comment period.

The European Food Safety Authority, which has (like it’s American counterpart, the FDA) called for further study of BPA and its safety, has also calculated that a 6 month formula fed infant using a bottle that wasn’t free of BPA could be exposed up to 13 microgram/kg bw/day. That is an estimated exposure level 10 times greater than for an adult. And, that doesn’t include the possible exposure that could come from water. (BPA can come both from the baby bottle and from formula which comes in cans lined with BPA.)

I asked one of the residents of the island about the seeming savvy nature of the moms on the island in regard to their bottle choices. She said, “We may live on an island, far from seemingly everything, but even we can figure out that water that sits around and heats up in a plastic bottle all day, is bound to have problems.”

Maybe if a country has to pay for the costs of its citizens healthcare, it is more invested in protecting its youngest members. I guess that is the other difference I’ve forgotten between Canada and the Midwest: healthcare for all.

Posted on July 16, 2008 at 1:41 p.m. by Green Mama. Discuss (0 comments)

What you can learn from the plastic recycling codes

So you’ve gotten rid of your plastic water bottles, what about those plastic yoghurt containers, plastic ziplock bags, and plastic Tupperware containers that are crowding our cupboards, are they safe? Here is a guide to help you more easily determine what is what and which one to choose.

RECYCLING CODE GENERAL SAFETY STATUS

#1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)   PROCEED WITH CAUTION
#2 high density polyethylene (HDPE) CONSIDERED SAFE
#3 polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC)   SERIOUS HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT CONCERNS
#4 low density polyethylene (LDPE) CONSIDERED SAFE
#5 polypropylene (PP)   CONSIDERED SAFE
#6 polystyrene (PS) SERIOUS HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT CONCERNS
#7 other (usually polycarbonate) MOST HAVE SERIOUS HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT CONCERNS
PLA (polylactide) A GOOD ALTERNATIVE

PLA plastics are made from renewable resources, e.g., corn, potatoes or sugar cane. The starch is converted into polylactide acid (PLA). These plant-based plastics can’t be recycled but they can be composted either in a municipal composter or in your backyard compost heap.

#7 plastics are often polycarbonate and thus linked to BPA, #3 plastics are made from vinyl or PVC, and #6 polysterene can leach styrene, which is another possible carcinogen and hormone disrupter.

Recent research has called into question #1 plastics too. These bottles are porous and thus absorb flavors and bacteria. Also, The National Geographic greenguide website, says “In one Italian study, the amount of DEHP, an endocrine-disrupting phthalate and a probable human carcinogen, in bottled spring water was found to increase after 9 months of storage in a PET bottle.”

Posted on July 14, 2008 at 1:41 p.m. by Green Mama. Discuss (1 comment)

Reducing, and Alternatives to, Grocery Store Waste

Are you baffled over reducing your waste at the grocery store or trying to find green alternatives to things you can’t live without, like toothpaste?

To tackle your issue for sanitary and beauty products, check out the Toms of Maine line. Yes, they’ve recently entered into a partnership with Colgate-Palmolive, but the original owners still have much to say about their product and its production. Their website very clearly explains the packaging they use , including the specific plastic number and other materials. From that you can determine if you’re able to recycle it using your local facilities. Most of the plastics they use are indeed recyclable. And, their toothpaste is in an aluminum tube that can be recycled as well.
As for other products, try to choose those that have the least packaging. Many companies for cost reasons and to be green are already minimizing packing materials; however, if you love a product but hate its waste call the company and ask them what they’re doing about it. Hearing from their consumers might actually pay off. Perhaps you can organize a letter writing campaign, or email blasts. Maybe move on your idea of saving up all the non-recyclables and mailing it back to them.

Alternatives to those Ziploc containers and others like them are plentiful. And exploring those options are beneficial not only to the planet, but to you as well. Increasingly, there are links to harmful chemicals leaching
into stored food from those plastics. An inexpensive alternative to "Tupperware" is to reuse glass jars. Surely you have a glass jar of some sort of food in your cupboard. When it’s empty, wash it well and reuse it to store your leftovers. Wrap it in a cloth napkin and tuck your kitchen fork into the pouch and ready to go! If you don’t have a supply of repurposed jars on hand, check out options in your favorite department store. There are plenty of glass containers available in many variations. Look for Pyrex quality products; this glass can be heated microwaves and ovens.

Posted on July 7, 2008 at 8:28 a.m. by Stephenie. Discuss (0 comments)

Greening your Pets

Several visitors have asked about greening pets, more specifically about, inside pets or out, green litters, and organic foods?

First, it's best to keep the alley cats inside. The American Bird Conservancy has launched a national campaign to educate and help cat owners keep their feline friends inside. Outdoor cats typically have a life expectancy of fewer than 5 years; indoor cats can live for up to 17 years.

Clay kitty litter is made from Bentonite clay, which is strip-mined. And on potty training, it is entirely possible and some people have had great success. If you dare try, there is a world of resources on the Internet to help you get started or you could check your local library for a book called, How to Toilet-Train Your Cat: 21 Days to a Litter-Free Home by Paul Kunkel.

Some people have great success with the wheat and corn based litters, like Swheat Scoop. Although, Swheat Scoop says it’s flushable, the rule of thumb is still do not flush. Waste water treatment is incredibly expensive, nor was it developed to handle this sort of waste. And it’s really not reasonable to flush 1.6 or 6 gallons of water for such a small amount of poo. Your best green bet might be if you can find a product that uses a post-consumer recycled product that’s biodegradable, like newspaper, and compost it.

Kitty litter can be composted, but it is a delicate process. Again, there are great resources online, like this detailed debate here that exemplifies the trial and error of composting pet waste. If you’re not going to compost it, choosing a biodegradable product is still better in the landfill as it will still eventually decompose.

Or try these resources:
Info about composting cat poop
Dog Poop Composter

Natural and organic pet foods are made using animals raised humanely and without added drugs or hormones. This means that there’s less potential for hormone-injected animal waste reaching the aquifer. Here’s a quick overview of natural and organic pet foods. Preservatives and wheat or corn meal found in regular dog foods can cause hair loss, itching, and other allergy symptoms in sensitive dogs.

If you choose to make your own you should find a good resource that explains the nutrient needs of your animal(s). Balancing their diet is essential to their health as is portion control; both of which are already established with premade foods. The benefit of making your own pet food is that you know exactly what is in it and you have the choice to buy local, organic, or both!

Here are some links to recipes and more information about alternative pet food choices. Remember it’s important to consult your veterinarian and fully research alternatives before implementing them.

Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Owners Making Own Pet Food, Switching to Organic/Natural

Home Made Raw food Diet for Animals

How to Green Your Pet

Posted on June 28, 2008 at 8:28 a.m. by Stephenie. Discuss (0 comments)

Green Cleaning, worth it or not?

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about green cleaning options and whether or not it makes sense to, for example, make your own cleaning products.

In general, store bought cleaning products can be dangerous both to you and the environment. Just look at their labels -- Danger, Caution, Keep Out of Reach of Children! Do you really want that sort of stuff on your kitchen counter-tops or in your bathroom near your unmentionables? Making your own cleaners is a pretty good option -- The Nature Museum actually offers a few public programs on this topic, complete with some simple recipes you can use at home. As for buying green cleaning products, be sure you’re not falling victim to green washing before you purchase. Or just use what we use here at the Nature Museum and try a “Green Seal Certified” product called H2Orange2 which works great.

Posted on June 27, 2008 at 9:50 a.m. by Stephenie. Discuss (1 comment)

Why Would an Eco-Chick Not Recycle?

Because she can't.

By the end of this summer, Chicago's only city-wide recycling program will be finished. No more blue bag recycling. You can sort your recyclables all you like into any color of bag you choose, but they're headed for quiet death in the landfill, never to be seen or used again.

My ward is not slated to get the new cart system in place in 2008. No date is promised. The blue carts won't be rolled out across the whole city for THREE MORE YEARS.

In the meantime, that's a lot of aluminum I'm going be sending to be buried in the landfill. Thirty-six months' worth of Diet Coke cans.

Posted on June 24, 2008 at noon by Jill. Discuss (9 comments)

Baby-wearing is baby-loving

Wearing your baby is something that today’s hip mamas have in common with yesterdays mamas from all over the world. And besides being good for the environment to wear your baby (saving resources by avoiding those big, fancy strollers and making it easier to use public transit, walk, and be outside), baby-wearing is also good for the baby. Dr. Sears, the physician behind Attachment Parenting, considers it one of the primary principles behind having a healthy parent-child attachment.

I started wearing my baby because of something I read by a pediatric anthropologist, Meredith Small, in her book Our Babies, Ourselves. She referred to a study where one group of parents were asked to carry their babies (from birth) three hours more than usual and the other group carried their babies the normal amount. After 12 weeks, the two groups had only 1.7 hours a day of carrying difference, but the group of babies that were carried more cried 43% less in duration than the other group.

Dr. Sears routinely recommends that parents wear their babies both as a prophylactic against a fussy baby and as a way of calming a fussy baby. Although, in the book I mentioned above, they cite a study that showed that if you start wearing your baby later once they are already labeled as “colicky” it didn’t have the same effect on reducing crying time as when the babies were worn more from birth.

As a green mama I think baby wearing is an obvious. If you are wearing your baby it is easier to take public transit, to walk, to be outside and to attend to your baby. Wearing my baby also feels natural, it is something mother’s across cultures, economics (and even species) do.

To learn more about baby wearing you can attend the 2nd International Baby Wearing Conference, “Carrying the Future,” which is conveniently in Chicago this year from June 25th to 28th.

If you can’t make the conference though, there are other ways to learn about baby wearing. Be By Baby has an extensive selection and regular classes on how to use different types of baby carriers. As well, just about any baby store worth its salt will have at least a Baby Bjorn or other similar carrier to try out. But, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a new baby carrier or sling, don’t worry, you can make one yourself and it can be as simple as having a piece of cloth that is three yards long (no sewing required).

If you decide to splurge and buy a couple of baby carriers, my recommendations are for the following three carrier types:

1) A wrap. This is basically a long, long piece of fabric that you tie around you that holds the baby close. A wrap allows a small baby to stay safe and cuddly against you while you do other things, like type this blog on the computer. Many people use their wraps for toddler’s and older children too. Pros: They allow you maximum flexibility and can hold a baby on the front, back or side. Cons: The wrap can take a few tries to learn how to use and many are happy to give them up for a soft structured carrier once the baby gets heavy.

2.) A soft structured carrier. Once the baby starts to get heavier, a soft-structured carrier is really quite nice. Popular choices include the Baby Bjorn, the Snuggli, and the Ergo. I’ve tried all of these and more. Hands-down, my favorite is the Ergo. It is the only one that is still comfortable for me now that baby is close to 30 pounds. The Ergo allows the baby to be worn on your front, back, or side and can even be used for a newborn with a special insert. Pros: These give you more support, are easy to use, and a good carrier, like the Ergo, can be used in all positions and for every phase of the child’s young life. Cons: These tend to be more expensive and slightly more weight than either a wrap or a sling.

3) A sling. Slings are one of the easiest carriers and are usually composed of a tubular piece of fabric. You can put a little baby in this in more of a lying position or hold your toddler on your hip hands-free with a sling. Pros: The sling can easily fit into your purse, you can make them yourself, and you can use it in some way for all your baby’s life. Cons: The sling isn’t as comfortable as a structured carrier as all of the weight is on one shoulder.

Give baby-wearing a try! Grandmas, Dads, Uncles, Aunts, babysitters, everyone can wear a baby. Tell us your favorite baby-wearing story or about your favorite carrier.

Posted on June 20, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. by Green Mama. Discuss (3 comments)

Just say “No” to strollers? Maybe.

A few other moms and I were walking in the park the other day and the subject of our strollers came up. “Ugh, I hate this stroller,” my friend complained as she kicked at its sleek, $800 dollar frame while trying to maneuver the tire out of the sand trap. The other moms sighed in agreement and cast disparaging looks at their own expensive strollers. I started to jump into my usual enthusiastic cheer for my Phil and Teds e3 (which converts to a double stroller and a jogger without taking up any additional footprint), but then I stopped. My fancy stroller had a flat tire and I was pushing Zella Rose in the cheap umbrella-style stroller our neighbors gave us. ZR, being a typical low-brow toddler, much preferred the simple, light, inexpensive stroller to the fancy alternative.

If I had it to do over, I would have waited to get a stroller at all. Sure, I made use of the click ‘n go stroller that my friend gave me with the infant car seat, and I love my carseat-stroller combination, and I’ve enjoyed jogging with my Phil and Teds, and having a compact double has been great when watching other kids, but when it comes down to it my child has always been happier to be worn in a sling. And now that she is getting so heavy wearing her is hard, she loves nothing more than the cheapie, umbrella stroller (except, of course, being free to run!).

My advice to other moms would be to wait on the stroller. It’s a big ticket item that someone always wants to get you, but it ends up being between $300 and $1000 of stuff to try and park in your building’s entranceway. From an environmental perspective the world doesn’t need an additional 30 pounds of plastic. And, guaranteed, some neighbor (or a kind person on Craigslist) will be happy to unload their favorite cheapie stroller on you for next to nothing.

So, when your in-laws offer to buy you that Bugaboo or that Quinny say you will take the cash. (And if you need ideas with what to do with the money, see my blog on baby wearing or simply save it and buy that perfect stroller when you really need it.)

Posted on June 19, 2008 at 2:18 p.m. by Green Mama. Discuss (4 comments)

Cloth diapering 101 (these aren’t your mama’s cloth diapers)

Cloth diapers. It might be the thing that the parents in my Green Parenting 101 class are most curious about and have the most MIS-information about. As one student asked looking at my display table, "That cute thing is a CLOTH diaper?" Indeed, cloth diapers aren't the ugly, bulky things held together by safety pins that many of us grew up with.

Your baby is likely to use over 7,000 diapers before he or she is (cross your fingers) potty trained. Diapering (though in part about fashion) does also have a major impact on the health of the planet and on the health of your child.

Most of the friends I know that are using cloth diapers did not, actually, choose to use them to be green. Of course, they liked this aspect of it, but they chose to use them in most cases because they wanted to 1) save money or 2) protect the health of their baby.

Indeed, over the course of a few years, cloth diapering will save you about $2,000 versus using disposables. (And, if you use your cloth diapers again for another child you will be saving an additional $2,000 to $3,000 with each child). Babies who wear cloth diapers versus disposables also get fewer diaper rashes without having to use barrier creams, thus you can save even more than that by not buying diaper creams and using reusable, cloth diaper wipes.

CLOTH IS BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
I will summarize the research this way: cloth is better for the environment. This doesn't mean that cloth diapering doesn't have an impact on the environment. There are ways, however, to make the impact FAR less for cloth that just don’t exist for disposable.

Disposable diapers are dumped in landfills where they virtually never break down and where the fecal matter (which is supposed to be dumped in the toilet before disposable but almost never is) can release bacteria and live viruses into the surrounding environment. Also, trees, plastic, chlorine bleach, and absorbent gels— usually sodium polyarcylate (SAP)—are used when making disposable diapers and there is a major environmental impact associated with each of these elements, from old- growth forest depletion to the production of dioxin, a pervasive toxin, which ends up in the environment and next to your baby's sensitive skin.

CLOTH IS BETTER FOR BABY
Cloth is also better for baby. They get fewer rashes when not exposed to the dyes and perfumes of disposable diapers, you don’t have to use barrier creams, and they tend to potty train earlier. There have been studies that suggest disposable diapers release VOCs including toluene, ethylbenzen, xylene and dipentene, all of which have been linked to toxic health effects with long-term or high level exposure. As well, SAP used in disposable diapers absorbs all of the natural oils and moisture in a baby’s developing skin (and has been linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome) and studies have found dioxin, a toxic byproduct of bleaching, in trace amounts in disposable diapers.

CLOTH DIAPERING AND BEYOND
The green parent will primarily use cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers, but it doesn’t have to be like the cloth diapering of old. Today’s cloth diapers are cute, soft, easy to use, and absorbent.

For those parents that traditional cloth diapering just won't work for (like one woman I met who was having triplets and didn't have a washer or dryer!) there are also systems like the flushable-cloth combo, the gDiaper. And for occasional use there are disposable diapers that don’t use chlorine bleach, plastic, or virgin wood. (These disposable diapers still won't break down in a landfill and they still have a larger environmental footprint in most cases than cloth, but they don't have as many ill health effects and don't, for instance, use old-growth trees, so they are definitely better than mainstream disposable diapers.)

And, for the adventurous green parent, there is elimination communication—a.k.a. baby potty training—that will drastically reduce, or eliminate, your need for diapers.

HOW CAN YOU REDUCE THE IMPACT OF YOUR CLOTH DIAPERS EVEN MORE?
Conservation washing! The key elements are: only do full loads of laundry (either getting the diapers clean enough to wash with other clothes or doing full loads of just diapers), avoiding harsh cleaners (e.g. no chlorine bleach and no phosphates), and minimizing energy by using cold water and line drying as often as possible. (Most home washing-machines do not get hot enough to kill off infectious bacterial and viral illnesses—160 degrees. If you need to sterilize your diapers try drying them on high heat for at least 10 minutes, washing them with 10 to 12 drops of tea tree oil, or boiling the diapers.)

If you have a front-loading washer that will greatly reduce water and energy use also.

CREATE A SYSTEM THAT WILL WORK FOR YOU!
Here are a few tips:

1. Buy a sprayer that attaches to your toilet. This allows you to spray the cloth diaper over the toilet and flush down anything icky. (You can get these at many hardware stores or at Be By Baby!).
2. Get a couple of pails for putting the cloth diapers into. You can do a dry pail (just pile the diapers in, maybe with a little baking soda to help keep down odors) or use a wet pail which is full of water (and, once again, maybe some baking soda).
3. Have a supply of cotton or felt wipes that are reusable. Use an insulated coffee carafe or some other device to keep warm water in (you can put a couple of drops of Dr. Bronners, gentle cleanser, or essential oil in with the water). Then you can clean your baby right at the changing table and never have to use disposable wipes. Just wash the wipes along with your diapers.
4. Buy enough cloth diapers for YOUR lifestyle. If you do laundry all the time anyway, you will only need about 12 diapers (two days worth). If you only do laundry once a week, you will need more.
5. Try out a variety of cloth diaper styles. Some are bulky but really easy to use. Some are contoured but involve an extra step when putting on. Some are more absorbent, but harder to maintain. Some have organic cotton, some use polyester blends. Some wick almost as well as disposables, some breath well but don't wick. There is one out there that will work for your baby and your lifestyle.
6. When you find a diaper you like, make your biggest investment in size medium. Many diapers are just newborn or one-size fits all. Others have small, medium, or large sizes. For most babies, mediums will fit for almost their entire diaper-wearing life.
7. Find a non-soap detergent. that works. Buy lots. (For most cloth diapers, you are better-off using a laundry detergent that isn't soap-based and thus doesn't leave residue).
8. Find cloth diapering friends. Ask them questions! Share stories! Learn tricks!

Like most parenting choices, cloth diapering doesn’t have to be an all or nothing scenario. Even using cloth part-time will help ease the burden on the health of your child and on the health of the planet.

Let's start by sharing stories and asking questions. Tell me what you do at your house and which are your favorite cloth diapers. Let’s here your issues, your successes, and your questions.

Posted on June 17, 2008 at 4:07 p.m. by Green Mama. Discuss (7 comments)

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