Category : Top 10 Ways To Green
Happy New Year! I wanted to start the New Year with going back to basics on forms of chemical exposure. I’m starting with BPA because after so many years it still receives so much media attention. Did you know that researching BPA was one of my reasons for starting Mommy Footprint 4 years ago? I had four children under the age of five and our world revolved around sippy cups, lunch containers and cooking utensils. The hype back at this time was water & baby bottles and discovering they contained BPA. Some countries like Canada banned the use of BPA in baby products, but have done little to ban it from other sources, aluminum cans for example. If you want to think about BPA in the most simple of ways and then brain dump the info (my favorite thing to do) so that you can move your focus onto the next class of chemicals to reduce from your life, do two things:
Do not purchase or use plastic to drink or eat from. It’s very simple…there so many great options on the market now: stainless steel and glass are the best in my opinion because they are dishwasher safe and besides from small amounts of nickel that leach from stainless steel, they are stable materials to reuse. With kids think stainless steel because if dropped on the floor it bounces rather than glass that will of course break. Everywhere I go, I still see toddlers drinking from plastic sippy cups. The argument from parents would be that these cups were marketed as BPA-free. I don’t trust it because I’ve read reports that products have been tested that are sold as BPA-free and still contained BPA! You are also never supposed to dishwash plastic because the high temperatures will break down the plastic composite and busy parents love the convenience of dishwashing. At the bottom of this article, I will link to my articles about using melamine dishware, Tupperware products and why I don’t use them. I also don’t use food grade silicone in my kitchen – the research isn’t there for me yet that this material is stable enough to handle freezing and hot temperatures. And yes, I’m making this longer than it needs to be….if you want to avoid BPA – don’t drink or eat from plastic. (Tips on doing this are listed at the bottom of the article)
The 2nd way to avoid BPA – don’t drink or eat from cans. Could it really be this simple? Well it’s really not if you think about all the different purposes we use cans such as pop, tomato sauce, beans, convenience alphagettis, canned soup, aluminum water bottles, etc. Aluminum is toxic to humans so all cans need to be lined with a material to separate the liquid or food from touching the can – this is where BPA enters our food system. All cans are lined with an epoxy liner that contains BPA which is why levels of BPA are high in teenagers. Think about all the coke, convenience food they eat. So before you cook or drink out of that can ask yourself two questions: ” can I make this from scratch rather than using a can?” (tomato sauce, soup, etc.) and “is there an alternative to how this food or drink is packaged?” (tomato sauce packaged in glass bottles, beer in glass, etc.) Science has recently suggested that BPA is linked to diabetes. What if our love for canned beer and coke have helped increase rates of diabetes? So not just the sugary liquid is hurting our health by the way it’s packaged!!
Why do we need to avoid BPA? Even low dose exposure has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, and because of the estrogen-like properties of BPA it’s also linked to breast & prostate cancer, early puberty, behavior problems, and reproduction issues. Exposure to BPA doesn’t seem to just effect you while in the moment, unfortunately it’s a chemical that is found in our fetuses so the real cause for concern is how it effect babies with such small systems to process and flush a chemical such as BPA. So for many people if you have older children this might need be the chemical at the top of the list to focus on for 2012 and how to reduce it. A chemical to be aware of for sure – but when stacked up to lead exposure, flame retardants, and PFC (non-stick)..there are definitely more toxic chemicals that exist with human health. With flame retardants being referred to as the asbestos of our generation…I feel like the education for the general public needs to advance away from BPA. Yes it’s a toxic chemical that effects human health but adults flush this chemical quite quickly from our systems. And this is why I write this article to start 2012. I see BPA mis-quoted all the time in social media when trying to avoid chemical exposure. In writing this article, if you are eliminating the two steps listed above with plastic contact to food/water and canned food you are eliminating much of your contamination from BPA. With the chemical being produced in the billions of tons each year, it’s already in our water system so exposure cannot be totally eliminated. But here at Mommy Footprint we like to control our own destiny, so this is my recommendation for those concerns with this chemical. Ditching water system jugs that are coded a 7, not reading newspapers and switching to receiving your news online (BPA is in newspaper print) and not taking printed receipts (receipt paper contains BPA) will also help you, but there are not as easy to eliminate as step 1 and 2 outlined above.
Here are more article and all of the articles I’ve written over the years on BPA can be found in this category: BPA Plastics
Below are some great reads to get your caught up on food and liquid preparation without BPA. Want to get caught up in the world of BPA exposure – these articles should do it!
BPA in Dental Sealant? http://mommyfootprint.com/holistic-dentistry-mercury/
BPA Alternative with Ice Cube Trays: http://mommyfootprint.com/mommy-footprint-chemical-free-ice-cubes/
Finding Food in Glass Jars: http://mommyfootprint.com/finding-food-in-glass-jars/
Plastic & Melamine: http://mommyfootprint.com/pssst-plastic-melamine-can-we-talk/
Tupperware & BPA: http://mommyfootprint.com/tupperware-bpa-2-years-later/
Alternatives To Freezing Food in Plastic: http://mommyfootprint.com/alternatives-to-freezing-food-in-plastic/
I wrote a guest post for Yummy Mummy a few weeks ago and I’m so grateful because the topic was ‘greening your Christmas’ and it helped me set a plan for this Christmas. I think these steps can help anyone, no matter where you are on your greener journey, so please take a look at these suggestions. I’ve added a few more since the Yummy Mummy article as I had an epiphany of sorts thinking about Black Friday shopping this year. If you follow me on Facebook – you’d know this stuff!
How will I get rid of it?
If you are shopping for someone in your home (kids, spouse, etc.) ask yourself this one question “how will I get rid of it?” In this article, we learned that from day 1 after purchasing anything to 6 months later, we are only still using 1% of our purchases. The Story Of Stuff video asks us to look at our consumerism and wonder if it’s possible that 99% of ‘stuff’ we purchase is trashed? If this staggering fact is true, asking ourselves this one question every time we shop is so important. Do you want to know something scary? At the end of the summer, my household was trying to purge old toys that we’ve had for years and took them to the local thrift store. They turned away all of our toys because they simply had too many. Have we junked so many household items that the donation stores are now full? Now what do we do with them? Before you purchase that plastic toy, fake Christmas tree, fake Christmas wreath, inflatable anything, plastic nick-knacks…ask yourself the question. In North American society we need to become responsible for our own crap. You bring it into your home and life – you are responsible for it’s disposal. I think this will be a huge trend for 2012…we see examples of a greener society and supporting local for 2011. I believe responsibility of one’s own garbage will be huge for 2012.
From The Kitchen
Did you know it’s cool to can? Harkening back to how our grandparents thanked the special people in their lives is making a comeback. Christmas baking, canning, layered ingredients & attaching the recipe in a mason jar is a wonderful and healthy way to say I love you this holiday season. It’s really the reason why I sourced these beautiful mason jar inserts. Adding a splash of ‘hip’ to a classic idea is never a bad idea and these inserts are gorgeous! Also a very cool way to make baked goods healthier is not adding synthetic food coloring to frosting, icing, etc. This is now easy with all natural food dye!
Gifts That Give Memories
Do you still remember the first time you saw The Nutcracker or first professional football/hockey game? Are you trying to encourage your child’s love for nature or a local aquarium? Giving gifts that will give a child experiences or a memory is a magical thing. Check your local ticket master and checkout if a play, sports event, Disney On Ice, ballet, symphony, etc. is happening between Dec – Feb. I would have never thought my boys would be interested in a symphony, but it was their favorite field trip of all time from school. I think children just love something different and if they’re getting quality time from a special adult in their life – even better!
Holiday Décor
Holiday décor is a wonderful opportunity to bring the outdoors inside! Go on a pinecone, acorn, and leaf expedition around your neighborhood and see what you find. Line the middle of your table with gifts from the earth that can later be composted. Replace traditions that involve disposable décor; paper holiday crackers can be replaced by reusable felt crackers, cloth napkins & advent calendars, and earth friendly decorations crafted with reusable cotton.
Gifts Wrapped Up
Think outside the box this year with gift-wrap. Imagine the tons of waste after each family opens gifts Christmas morning and the environmental impact. Reuse what you already have or invest in reusable gift-wrap. Start traditions within your family and trade cloth Santa Sacks that can be used every year and passed down as heirloom gift-wrapping solutions. Have an old sheet of fabric not being used? Discover the art of tying knots to wrap gifts called furochic. Start early with Christmas crafts and have your children paint craft paper or use newspapers for greener gift presentation. If you don’t have time to get crafty, source gift wrap or gift bags that have seeds embedded. Kids love the concept of giving items that friends or relatives can plant!
Toy Packaging
The plastic packaging surrounding a gift indicates the quality of the gift inside. Toys that are packaged in plastic, bound with plastic ties is a reflection of what’s inside. Talk to your family and children about how gifts are commercially packaged. Discourage gifts that are surrounded by non-recyclable, wasteful packaging. Encourage gifts that have been gently used. Shopping for gifts 2nd hand is wonderful for helping to reuse what we already have on this planet and great for staying on budget.
Shop Local
Select a few gifts on your list and make sure they are manufactured locally. Seek out companies that not only ‘design’ locally – but also look for items ‘manufactured’ local. Finding a gift that has been hand crafted is a great feeling for both the person purchasing the gift and receiving! Many locally made gifts have a wonderful story – make sure the recipient learns the story of why and how the gift was created.
Tree Debate
It’s the age-old debate: fake or real Christmas trees? Which one is better for the environment? Since learning that all fake Christmas trees are made from PVC – a toxic material that releases dioxin – my view is this: if you are currently enjoying a fake tree, by all means keep reusing! If you need to purchase a new Christmas tree, visit a local tree farm. Or switch things up this year and decorate a tree outside. Here is a full article on why fake trees are toxic.
Make this holiday truly memorable by shopping in a way that feels good. Big box shopping can be cheaper, but does it give you a good feeling like supporting a smaller store or business? Are there areas you can green and the effect will ripple? Think of your child’s classroom – most holiday gift or card exchanges are very environmentally unfriendly. Select plantable cards and organic candy canes so allergies aren’t a problem. Keeping things unique, magical, fun, and green is easy this year!
I recently had Jeanne post a comment about the problem with scent in her everyday life. Do you know there’s a fairy large percentage of the population that suffer from CS or MCS (Chemical Sensitivities or Multiple Chemical Sensitivities)? If this is a new acronym for you – it won’t be for long before you hear it discussed regularly with the number of people removing chemicals and fragrance from their lives. A person with MCS can become physically sick when exposed to synthetic chemicals, normally exposed via artificial fragrances. I think many of us will now wrinkle their nose when walking into a house after air freshener / Febreze has been sprayed or Lysol has been used to clean a small space because it’s becoming the norm to remove these toxins from homes. The amount of information about how to reduce household chemicals is starting to out-weigh the companies still trying to green-wash or convince people that ‘killing germs or odor’ is a good idea. As we all become more sensitive to airborne contaminants, imagine a person that becomes seriously debilitated from exposure to very small amounts of chemicals in the environment? This is what happens when a person with MCS comes in contact with small amounts of these chemicals.
With three years of reducing the amount of chemicals in my own home, I’ve noticed I’m becoming more Chemically Sensitive, all the time. I am not reduced to becoming debilitated, but I’m affected enough that my heart feels for the people severely effected with these more serious symptoms. What can you do to help? Make a decision to limit your level of fragrance. In many schools and work-places this has probably already happened in your community. I feel very strongly about scent-free schools because it’s where our children spend so many hours of their day. Maybe this can be an Earth Day initiative your school can start working towards?! Earth Day is a wonderful time to make suggestions and while you can explain to your employer or school principal this idea is great for the planet; the concept of scent-free will actually improve the health of children and school staff. In my boys school I know there is Lysol that is sprayed on desks for cleaning purposes. My children come from a home that hasn’t sprayed chemical cleaners in over 2 years so I asked them if the scent of those cleaning products effects them in anyway – both answered they get a headache. I don’t think teachers spray on perfume anymore, but products like fabric sheets (heavily chemically scented) can be detected on clothing if you have a chemical sensitivity, as well as shampoo, soap, or deodorant with heavy fragrance (Axe products, etc.). By declaring a school scent-free you are not taking away individual expression – you are improving an environment for learning. I’m currently researching cleaners that have less fragrance, but meet licensing specifications for declaring a school ‘clean’ that can be used by janitorial staff…I will update when I know. For regular desk cleaning for students, I don’t know why a vinegar solution couldn’t be used.
Another example of how scent can affect a person who is chemically sensitive happens at my daughters’ pre-school. We take turns washing hand towels used by the children to dry their hands to reduce costs and waste with paper. However, many people use fabric sheets or softener and that smell is still attached to the towels when they arrive at my home for wash. The smell gives me an instant headache. I’ve been sensitive to dryer sheets for awhile (can smell them walking outside in a neighborhood with houses that use them) but I’ve noticed my level of tolerance of fragrance has recently heightened. While walking on a busy seawall last weekend with my family I could detect soap, shampoo, and hair conditioner scents as different people quickly walked by me. I didn’t get a head ache but I was curious to understand that my nose can even detect soap people have used…and I was outside! I’ll say again I’m so thankful I don’t become debilitated, but with becoming so sensitive I can really empathize with those who suffer. What about people that live in shared space like apartments? With people smoking and spraying room deodorizers, cologne, etc. and that going through shared vents, windows, etc. I cannot imagine how that would affect a person with CS. That must be why people with extreme cases are often homeless or rendered incapable of sharing space.
Jeanne forwarded me the website Think Before You Stink and it contains lots of helpful information for ways we can help. Here are four of the most important changes you can make recommended by the Think Before You Stink site:
1) Stop using perfume, cologne, body spray, and scented aftershave.
2) Use only fragrance-free laundry products, including detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets. Even better, don’t use fabric softener or dryer sheets at all.
3) Stop using commercial air fresheners in your home or car.
4) Quit smoking.
I thank Jeanne for sharing her story with me and I was happy to research this article because reducing fragrances will simply improve your health. Instantly. If you find many of the articles out there confusing about reducing toxic exposure with beauty products, household cleaners, personal care products, etc. – just do one thing and it will help you. Use your nose when you shop. Eliminating fragrance will instantly improve your health and the health of your family.
Have you thought about switching over your traditional cleaning products but find it overwhelming thinking about cost and confused by the number of ‘eco cleaning products’ on the market? If you are still using Windex spray and traditional chemical cleaning agents for your bathroom, kitchen, floors, etc., put them away in a big box, high up where little hands can’t reach them and replace with very few products. The total cost can be under $20…in addition to pantry items that help like baking soda, olive oil, and vinegar. You will notice immediate improvements with your health from removing products that off-gas with ‘cleaning’ chemicals and fragrances.
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Pure Castile Soap
I can’t say it enough how much I love this brand. They’ve been around forever, USDA certified organic, making fair trade and wonderful organic products for 60 years. I’ve used their classic liquid soap for a few years now – my favorite is the Peppermint Liquid Soap because the scent is like you’ve cleaned with candy canes. <smile> There are so many uses for Dr. Bronner’s soaps but it’s been a life saver for me with replacing all of my store bought traditional cleaning supplies. I use it in the bathroom, kitchen, floors (even hard wood), and to dust with (diluted in water). The price tag for this product is on the higher end in the greener stores but if you’re eliminating all other products…it’s so worth it.
The combination of ingredients from Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap are organic extra virgin coconut, organic olive, jojoba and hemp oils, with pure essential oils. Doesn’t that sound lovely to inhale and ingest while you’re cleaning rather than toxic fumes? The essential oils added to the liquid soaps are for those that still enjoy scent associated with cleaning – without the headaches that a chemical fragrance will give. You will also notice that their isn’t the action of foaming or bubbles because it doesn’t contain synthetic foaming agents. From an environmental standpoint, Dr. Bronner’s is fantastic because they are completely biodegradable and vegetable-based. So not only will you enjoy better health for your family, but the environment will also be improved from you making this switch.
Microfiber Cloths
Norwex isn’t the only company that sells microfiber cloths, but with the number of Nowex representatives in most communities, it’s easy to find someone selling these products. I was introduced to Norwex over 2 years ago by my friend Michelle and I was the mom at the meeting asking “But HOW does it clean?” I didn’t get it. The idea that a microfiber cloth + water will clean your house is hard to wrap your mind around at first. But once you try the cloths – there’s not going back. The silver agent in the cloths traps the bacteria and dirt and these cloths will last literally years. I clean my walls, kitchen, bathroom, countertops with a dab of Dr. Bronner’s and my microfiber cloth. For my windows I use water and the microfiber window cloth (Norwex brand too). I can’t imagine using Windex to clean glass or my windows – the thought literally makes me sick.
Norwex and Nanoparticles
I have written about Norwex products a few times, but recently did some investigation about Norwex and their rumoured link to nanoparticles after being asked by a friend about the products. I always want to write in full disclosure when recommending a company or product. I could not find anything linking Norwex to Nanoparticles. I saw a few articles from respected sites questioning if the two are related because of the antibacterial properties within the cloths. Here is the article from the Treehugger forum and an interview with Adria Vasil author of Ecoholic. Norwex has publicly stated that their products use micro-silver technology rather than nano-silver and that cloths do not leach silver while being used.
I also agree with the mind-set that while the technology is still widely untested (the world of nano-particles and micro) – I appreciate the fact I’ve been using a reusable product that has saved me money and my health with eliminating traditional cleaning products containing chemicals.
Baking Soda
I can’t believe how much baking soda I use on a daily basis. In additional to freshening up my laundry with a sprinkle, I use on tough-to-clean stains, sprinkle on my carpet before vacuuming, make paste to clean my oven, and over the last few month…I’ve been using it to wash my hair. Baking soda is such an effective odor removing product – it’s a great arsenal with household cleaning products.
Vinegar
Vinegar is great for everyday cleaning. Household cleaning recipes that contain vinegar have been around forever and the list of vinegar solutions continues to grow every year. My favorite uses for white vinegar is to kill weeds along my driveway (fill up a spray bottle and let the kids have fun), fixing CDs or DVDs when they’ve started to skip (wet a rag with vinegar and wipe the CD and dry), along with baking soda to unclog drains, and a natural fabric softener.
Olive Oil
The only way to clean stainless steel, pour olive oil on a paper towel or rag and wipe along the grain of your stainless steel appliances. This is the most effective way I’ve found to clean stainless steel. It’s not cheap, since olive oil is rather expensive, but the results are fabulous and you are polishing without chemicals.
Related Articles:
Home Made & Eco Friendly Cleaning Solutions
Self Cleaning Oven – Toxic for Humans or Only Birds?
Home-Made & Natural Home Air Fresheners
No Poo Anyone?
Tips to Improve Carpet Health
It’s Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and many parents are busy shopping for tasty dinner ideas. Lucky for me I’m attending, rather than hosting this year but listening to friends talk about shopping and prep work got me thinking about local neighbourhood grocery stores. Most communities are littered with small grocers that serve an invaluable purpose as they offer specialized items and provide high end alternatives, including organic, but these stores could also use some improvements. I’ve often said the change for any retail store will not come the first time you ask for change. It won’t happen the 2nd, or 3rd time either. But imagine a Produce Manage or butcher that receives the same suggestions multiple times per day? How could it not ignite change? Here’s a challenge and I’ll be approaching my own local store as well and will publish the results. What sorts of things can you request that would improve human health and the environment? Read these suggestions:
Sell Re-usable Produce Bags
I think most grocery stores sell cloth shopping bags at check-out in case customers forget to bring our own – but what about produce bags? I often forget to bring my reusable produce bags shopping because I make unscheduled grocery stops. The solution is a grocer that sells Carebags. I have tested these bags and think they are amazing! The key with producing a great reusable produce bag is they need to be thick enough to protect produce from touching the scale or turnbelt at the store, but thin enough so they don’t add extra weight when you’re checking out your product..so you’re not paying extra for your food. Carebags are affordable, easy to clean, and offer a great size 9″x11″. You can purchase these bags directly at the Carebags site or ask your local grocery store to sell them. Then when you forget your produce bags – you can pick up more bags rather than using cheap, non-recyclable, PVC and phthalate leaching plastic bags. Picture below from the Carebags site:
PVC-free Plastic
While we’re on the topic of PVC-free, the topic of PVC-free plastic wrap would be a great suggestion for your grocer. Small stores are always wrapping cut fruit (1/2 watermelons, packaged corn on the cob, etc.) with cling wrap. Not only produce, but all salmon and meat packed at the in-store butcher is covered in plastic wrap. Like most little ‘extras’ I would bet the plastic wrap is made from the cheapest bulk plastic wrap the store could find because they use large amounts of it. Ask your local produce manager and butcher to start using PVC-free plastic wrap and to replace the styrofoam clam shells that the meat is sold and wrapped on.
Locally Sourced Food
Have you seen the documentary Food Inc.? Watch the trailer and you’ll be hooked. Just hearing a farmer admit “If you can grow a chicken in 49 days, why would you want one you have to grow in 3 months?” It is a must-see documentary, life changing and it will change how you shop for and view your food. A bonus for me personally was it didn’t totally gross me out. I was expecting to see animals being tortured and it wouldn’t take much for me to stop eating meat all together. Well, I highly recommend watching Food Inc. and you will come away feeling empowered to make better choices with your food. The biggest thing I learned was to start sourcing my meat locally. I am trying to purchase chicken and beef at a local farm that meets a healthy criteria for meat production. What does this mean for my local grocer? I’m not buying meat from them. But that point is worth mentioning to them because if I can source my meat through a local distributor – why can’t they?
Produce Stickers
Everyone curses the dreaded little stickers that come on produce. I’ve found up to three stickers on 1 organic apple before..it’s not only annoying, but the glue attaching these stickers is rubbing off on your food. Unless the grocer is making a concentrated effort to purchase labels that are biodegradable – can they not just skip putting these labels directly onto our food? I would think the checkout person knows the difference between the types of produce available. Ask that these stickers not be put directly on our food (touching the skin) to save on ingesting glue. I was researching this topic because I remember reading a blog article about the glue used on these stickers being toxic (can’t find the article to reference this fact) but I came across gardening blogs that talked about the only recognized thing in their composter after everything else dissipated was the stickers from apples. Makes you wonder exactly what they are made from, printed with (ink), and attached with (glue).
Locally Sourced Trinkets
It seems weird to make gift type purchases at a grocery store…but when you’re heading out to a friend’s house and want to grab a quick hostess gift, it would be great for the store to not carry imported crap. A local grocer should support local artisans and locally made cards and gifts. It just feels good to source and purchase locally made gifts.
Ask Parents What They Want
I would think a local, small grocer would sell items that are used daily – stuff families are always running out of. Examples of this? Laundry soap, milk, bread. My husband is constantly getting the phone call on his way home to pickup the same items because we go through so much with our 4 children. A local grocery should be aware of this and stock healthy alternatives in these items. Don’t just carry regular laundry soap or dryer sheets. Why? Because every family I know has someone sensitive to fragrance and the phthalates traditional companies contain. Why not stock soap nuts, wool dryer balls, or more organic solutions that are convenient and eco-friendly. Don’t know what parents want? Ask them! Hold a contest or simply ask people by walking around your store and find out what items a parent would like a healthier alternative. Parents are great for helping source great products because we have become advocates for our children’s wellness.
Helpful Links
For all you readers that participate in social media, here are some related links and companies to follow:
Carebags Twitter ID @Carebags
Carebags Facebook Fan Page
Soapnuts Twitter ID @buysoapnuts
BaaLLS Twitter ID Get BaLLS
Mommy Footprint: PVC Plastic ~ The poison Plastic In Your Home
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