Summer Sun Protection

Now that summer is upon us (well, some days it feels like it is, and some days it feels miles away here in the NW) it is time to think about sunscreen and sun protection. The American Cancer Society recommends this motto for sun protection: Slip! Slop! Slap! Wrap! Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, and wrap on sunglasses.

For sunscreen, choose a broad spectrum that offeres both UVA and UVB protection. Chemical sunscreens work by being absorbed in to the skin, and physical or mineral ones protect by forming a barrier on the skin. Zinc oxide or titanium dioxide offer the best UV-spectrum coverage and are well tolerated by children. It is also the safest ingredient for the environment. You want to stay away from ingredients such as PABA, Padimate-O, or Parsol 1789 (avobenzone) because they can cause stinging or redness. Make sure to apply the sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside, and reapply every 2 hours if you are not in the water, every 30-40 minutes if you are. Also, don't be stingy with the amount of sunscreen you are slathering on. It is recommended to use one full ounce every time you apply. *Do not apply sunscreen to infants under the age of 6 months*

Here is a short list of sunscreens that have zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as the main active ingredients, are broad spectrum, and have SPF 30 or higher:

• All Terrain Kisdport SPF 30+


• Badger Sunblock SPF 30+


• Blue Lizard Australian SPF 30+


• California Baby SPF 30+


• Dr. Hauschka Sunscreen for Children and Sensitive Skin SPF 30


• Earth's Best Sun Block SPF 30+


• Jason Sunbrellas Mineral-Based Sun Block SPF 30+


• Mustela High Protection Sun Lotion SPF 50


• UV Natural Baby SPF 30+

In addition to sunscreen, you want to be careful about you amount of sun exposure and the timing. Dermatologists recommend staying out of the sun between 10 and 4 - I don't know about you, but for us that is not realistic. For us it is usually 12 0r 1 - 3 or so, as we need lunch and naps still. When we are out in the sun, both my kids wear wide brimmed hats that cover their neck and ears and sunglasses with UV protection. When we are in the pool or at the beach, which is a lot of the time, both kids also wear UV protective swim shirts and shorts. Lands End carries a great selection of UV and rash guard protection swimwear.

Here's wishing you a safe, happy summer, full of fun and sun!

Reduce, Reuse, Freecycle!

Part of reducing your footprint, or being "green" as we call it, is really taking to heart the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra. I want to talk a little about the reuse part of that. We all need to buy things, but there are ways to get great used stuff for cheap or free! Craigslist.org is a resource in cities all over the world. Almost anything you could want, you can get on Craigslist. I myself have bought and sold many things (including a car!) on Craigslist and have had great experiences. Furniture, baby stuff, automobiles, yard and garden, hobbies, real estate, etc. - you name it, you can find it. I even used Craisglist when I moved to Portland to network and find out about preschools for my son. Another great online resource is Freecycle.org. Everything, as the name suggests, is free. People post things they want or things they have to give away. You can sign up for the daily digest, and I find that I get sometimes 3 or 4 digests from them per day, and that is just Portland Freecycle! You have to be quick to respond though, because things go FAST.

If you want to be more extreme in your reducing/reusing goals, check out the Compact groups. Here is an excerpt from the yahoo Compact group :
We are a group of individuals committed to a 12-month flight from the consumer grid (calendar year 2007).
The Compact has several aims (more or less prioritized below):
To go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of disposable consumer culture and to support local businesses, farms, etc. -- a step that, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact.
To reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er).
To simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)
We've agreed to follow two principles (see exceptions etc. on our blog).
#1 Don't buy new products of any kind (from stores, web sites, etc.)
#2 Borrow, barter, or buy used.
The COMPACT PLEDGE is an agreement to not buy anything NEW for one year. Exceptions are made for toiletries, food, undergarments, medical supplies and safety equipment. This pledge should be customized according your needs. We encourage you to be honest with yourself & make this your own personal challenge with attainable goals. You choose how extreme to take it.

I am up for trying to buy clothes at consignment shops such as Buffalo Exchange, or sports equipment at Play It Again Sports, and buying toys and clothes for the kids at various sites (Craigslist, local children's consignment etc), but I don't know how diligent I could be about absolutely not buying new for one year. It would save me a lot of money for sure and help with my ecological footprint - but part of this blog is chronicling our path to greenness. In other words, it is a journey - to me, it means that I am not there yet BUT learning and trying everyday. I will, of course, continue to be a Craigslist frequenter and maybe one day I will act fast and get something FREE from Freecycle. I also think twice, or three times, about the purchases that I do make. I just bought a new puzzle for my son, but bought it at a locally owned toy store and the puzzle brand is a very small company that makes it's pieces out of recycled materials. I think if you are a mindful shopper, you can support your local economy and small businesses AND do the right thing for the environment all at the same time!

Earth Day 2007

Founded 37 years ago, Earth Day was the start of the modern environmental movement. Spurred by deteriorating environmental conditions, Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, proposed the first nationwide environmental protest "to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda. " "It was a gamble," he recalls, "but it worked." (Read more on the history of Earth Day HERE from Earth Day Network)

Today, with the threat of Global Warming, celebrating our earth is even more important. I have been watching the Planet Earth series on the Discovery Channel and if I didn't already think the beauty and diversity of our planet was worth fighting for and saving, I certainly do now. I highly recommend this show. The photography and video is absolutely stunning, and offers us a glimpse into worlds rarely seen.

Earth Day gives us a chance to celebrate this wondrous place we live and there are many different things we can do. Many cities have Earth Day celebrations, HERE is a link to a calendar containing events in different cities across the US. Defenders of Wildlife challenges you to "take the pledge" to take a young person out in nature. Check them out HERE. The Green Guide is a great resource for Earth Day ideas, you can find Ten Tips for Earth Day: Preserving Biodiversity HERE. They are also a great resource for all things green - you can get a subscription for as low as $12 per year (if you choose the online version), or $15 per year if you choose the paper version (made of recycled paper and printed with soy ink). Click The Green Guide if you are interested. Other simple things you can do are plant some seeds. Get some cute pots and have your kids help you. Also, be conscious of your footprint on the earth. If you haven't already done so, replace a lightbulb, make sure your tires are properly inflated (or better yet take public transportation!), visit your local farmers market and buy some scrumptious locally-grown produce. Have an Earth Day potluck - invite friends over and make it a local theme. Whatever you do, enjoy the day and really remember what Earth Day stands for and celebrate the bounty of nature.

Happy Earth Day my green friends! I will be thinking of you as I celebrate my Earth Day on the beautiful Oregon Coast.

Prius vs. Hummer?

There have been a lot of articles recently about the "dust to dust" cost to society over the full lifetime of a car or truck with particular emphasis on the Prius, a hybrid which gets excellent gas mileage vs. the Hummer, a large to medium size SUV which gets horrible gas mileage. Most of these articles claim that the Prius actually costs our society more than the Hummer: $3.25 per mile driven over 100k miles vs. $1.95 per mile driven over 300k miles. Yesterday I read an article in the Oregonian titled "Smug Alert" where the author also talked about the nickel in the Prius' battery. Apparently the nickel is mined in Sudbury, Ontario, which is an environmental wasteland - NASA even chose that site to test drive lunar buggies because it is the one spot on earth that is most like the moon. He also talks about the distance the nickel has to travel (start to finish more than 10k miles) and tries to factor the "global emissions" caused by this travel.

I will say first of all, that while I do not own a hybrid vehicle, I love them and am a big fan. This smearing (in my opinion) prompted me to do a little research of my own. First I looked into the mining in Sudbury. Apparently the place was an evironmental wasteland LONG before Toyota started buying 1,000 tons a year. They have actually done a bit of clean up and planted some trees in the area to try and revitalize the landscape. While I don't blame Toyota for the devastation, I do think it would be a great move on Toyota's part to help with the clean-up and environmental restoration of the area. It would say a lot about Toyota's true commitment to the environment.

Second, the mileage numbers that the author used: 100k for a Prius and 300k for a Hummer? I just don't believe it. For one thing, Toyota consistently makes cars that are reliable and long lasting. For another thing, since the Pruis is a hybrid, some of the time the engine is not actually running. So while the mileage might say 100k, the engine will actually have far less usage. So far there have been Prius' that have hit the 250k mark, which is not surprising for a Toyota vehicle or a hybrid, in my opinion. However 300k miles on a Hummer would greatly surprise me. I have a hard time believing the mileage discrepancy between the two vehicles would be that large.

Another concern that people have with hybrids is the the battery, and what is going to happen to all those batteries once their life span is over. While I can't speak for other car manufacturers, Toyota's battery has an 8-10 year warranty. Toyota offers a $200 credit to return the battery, when they then dismantle it and recylce all the parts.

All in all, I believe that Pruis and other hybrid vehicles are the way to go. Also a great option are cars with traditional engines that achieve excellent gas mileage. Honda now makes a civic hybrid that runs on natural gas and is the cleanest burning car on the road. (too bad it's only available in CA and NY right now) Diesel engine cars are also a great option with biodiesel becoming more available, unfortunately there are few diesel cars to choose from in the US. Hopefully that will change as the demand for alternative-fuel vehicles grows.

You can check out the full Dust to Dust report by CNW Research HERE.

San Francisco bans plastic bags!

San Francisco's board of supervisors passed the plastic bag ban in a 10-1 vote on Tuesday, March 27th. The ban will take effect in 6 months for grocery stores and 1 year for pharmacies. It will require business to offer paper bags, compostable/biodegradable bags, or reusable bags. This is the first such legislation passed in the US and is generating quite a buzz. Check out the full story HERE. Hopefully other cities will follow suit, and in fact I heard that Madison, WI (home to our Green Girl Laura) may be the next city to follow suit. You can check out that story HERE.

San Francisco to ban plastic bags?

Mayor Gavin Newsom is backing the proposed ban on plastic bags. The city tried to impose a 17-cent per bag tax in 2005, which resulted in a voluntary agreement to use less bags, thereby avoiding the tax. Now the SF environmental council wants to ban bags altogether, charging the grocery stores have not done enough to reduce plastic bag use. The Environmental Council proposes offering recyclable paper, compostable plastic, or reusable cloth bags instead. If the ordinance passes, stores that do $2 million and up in sales would be affected. Grocery store chains are (of course) against the ban. Peter Larkin, president of the grocers association, has this to say: "Compelling more than 50 grocery stores to make the switch would also cause more environmental harm as baffled consumers mix biodegradable bags with regular plastic bags in recycling bins, contaminating recycled plastic, Larkin argued.
"You would end up with a situation where non-grocery stores are using regular plastic bags and the consumers will never be able to tell the difference or segregate the waste stream," he said. "We think it is going to confuse consumers and do damage to our efforts to recycle more." (msnbc.com)

Ok...let me get this straight. They think that people won't be smart enough to tell the difference between a recyclable/compostable bag and a regular plastic bag, thereby jeopardizing the TINY portion of plastic grocery bags that are currently recycled? Oy. Personally, I am all for getting rid of plastic bags. I think that people who take the time to bring their bags back to the store will know the difference AND since SF has a curbside food compost program, consumers could even use the compostable grocery bags to store food until pick-up. Although San Francisco may be the first US city to propose such a (radical) thing, bans on plastic grocery bags are already in effect in other parts of the world.

Go San Francisco! Go Mayor Newsom!

The Hundred-Year Lie

The first time I tried to read this book, I got so depressed I had to put it down. But, the with the library due date looming, I decided to give it another shot. Randall Fitzgerald writes a book detailing the history of the food and drug industry and the rise of health care costs and diseases. His argument, while a bit alarmist (which is why I had to put it down the first time) seems sound, and even though there was a lot of technical information, it was easy for the layperson (me) to read. Here are some excerpts from his book:

"Did you know that there are over 100,000 chemicals in use today? Most of them have not been tested for toxicity in humans, either alone or in combination with other chemicals.
What's even more disturbing is that in order to test all existing chemicals for synergistic effects on human health, it would take nearly 200 million different experiments which, with current technology, would take up to 1,000 years to complete. Safety is a myth...one of many myths exposed in The Hundred-Year Lie."

"Some general and common sense truths emerged in this book:
NOT all synthetics, at least as far as we know, are toxic to us.
NOT all naturally occurring substances from Nature are benign.
However, broadly speaking, the evidence indicates that most naturally occurring foods and medicines are healthy for us, as they have been for our species for thousands of years, while many if not most synthetic chemicals in foods and medicines pose some health risk."

Doctors and scientists seem to treat synthetic chemicals as innocent until proven guilty - take the Vioxx example. Vioxx was prescribed for arthritis and was finally taken off the market in 2004 after thousands of people experienced heart attacks and strokes as a result of taking the drug. The FDA had evidence 4 years earlier that the drug caused major problems based on the negative results of twenty-nine clinical trials.

A common theme that Fitzgerald touches on is the synergistic effects of synthetic chemicals in our bodies. Doctors and Scientists have no idea what the chemical load that we all carry around may be doing to our bodies. Scary! The book does end well, as the author tells us that it is up to us to do something about it. That means limit our exposure to chemicals and processed foods. Eat organic, fast often, and eat a raw foods diet that includes wheat grass juice as often as you can. Try alternative medicine (Ayurvedic, Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, etc.) for general wellness, as those tend to focus on prevention of illness rather that just treatment of illness after the fact.

We can take control of our toxicity and we cannot rely on the FDA and drug manufacturers to tell us what is good for us. After all, the FDA relies on the drug companies to test their own products for safety and efficacy. In other words, the drug companies are left to police themselves. Hmmm...

I do recommend this book. It is very enlightening, well researched and well written. Ultimately I feel better after reading this book and knowing what I know, because now I can make informed decisions and take steps to become healthier for myself and my family.

Check out The Hundred-Year Lie blog HERE.

Organic flower delivery

If you are like me, you probably never thought about where your bouquet of flowers came from. I had no idea until I discovered organic flower delievery. It made me think - if these flowers were organic, what about all those other flowers? This is what I learned. The flowers in question were most likely imported from Columbia or Ecuador (over 70% of our imported flowers come from Latin America), where farm workers (many of them children) worked for very low wages in a pesticide ridden environment, and suffered from health issues including pesticide related poisoning. "In Ecuador, nearly 60 percent of floral workers surveyed showed poisoning symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, hand-trembling and blurred vision." (Environmental Health Perspectives 2002). Gerald Prolman, founder of OrganicBouquet.com is addressing this issue by working directly with farmers to protect the workers and the environment. "Organic Bouquet offers the finest floral gifts sourced from growers that are committed to the highest social and environmental standards. Our flowers are grown and harvested using practices that aim to improve the quality of farm working conditions, minimize damage to ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, and enhance environmental quality for future generations." (OrganicBouquet.com website). The standards that OrganicBouquet uses for the farms and flowers are Organic, Veraflora, Biodynamic, Fair Trade, and Transitional. I highly recommend checking them out. They also offer organic chocolates, organic flowering teas, gift baskets, and all their packaging is 100% recyclable or biodegradable. This would make a wonderful gift for anyone, and, by buying from this company you are not only receiving beautiful, pesticide-free flowers and gifts, but you are also showing your support for fair trade and better labor conditions for thousands in Latin America. Happy flower shopping!

Another reason to choose natural and organic bath and body products!

A recent study finds the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in various children's bath products like Hello Kitty Bubble Bath, Huggies Baby Wash, Johnson’s Baby Wash, Scooby-Doo Bubble Bath and Sesame Street Bubble Bath. It has also been found in adult personal care products. Here is what the EPA says about 1,4 Dioxane:

1,4-Dioxane is a petroleum-derived contaminant considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a clear-cut
animal carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program...Because
it is a contaminant produced during manufacturing, the FDA does not require it to be listed as an ingredient on product labels.

Check out the full article HERE

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

I recently read The Hundred-Year Lie (book review coming soon) and it really opened my eyes to the levels of chemicals pervading our everyday lives. Synthetic chemicals are in everything - shampoo, conditioner, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, cosmetics, household cleaners, medicine, food, etc. After running out of my favorite make-up, Bare Escentuals, I decided to do a little research before buying anymore. Bare Escentuals is supposed to be so pure that you can sleep in it, and "Made with pure, crushed minerals from the earth" (taken from the Bare Escentuals website). I checked the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics for the facts on the ingredients listed on my BE Mineral Veil powder foundation: Zea Mays (corn) Starch, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Magnesium Stearate, Zinc Stearate, Methylparaben, Proplyparaben, MAY CONTAIN: Iron Oxides (CI 77499). EWG Skin Deep database gives each ingredient a rating of Green (low concern) Yellow (moderate concern) or Red (higher concern). All of the ingredients EXCEPT Aluminum Starch Ocyenylsuccinate, Methylparaben and Proplyparaben received the green rating. The 3 afore mentioned ingredients received a yellow rating, and this is what I found out about Parabens from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website:

Parabens are a group of compounds widely used as anti-microbial preservatives
in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics products, including underarm
deodorants. Parabens are absorbed through intact skin and from the
gastrointestinal tract and blood. U.K. researchers found measurable
concentrations of six different parabens in 20 human breast tumors. The
study highlights the need for more research on the potential link between
products containing parabens and increased breast cancer risk.

Many companies, including Compact signers, have begun phasing out parabens
from their lines by marking their products as “paraben-free.” Parabens are
commonly listed on product ingredient labels as methylparaben,
propylparaben, ethylparaben and butylparaben.

In a nutshell, recent research links Parabens to cancer as they are a hormone disruptor and mimic estrogen. Personally, that is enough reason for me to seek out Paraben-free products, and unfortunately that means that my Bare Escentuals has to go! The Skin Deep database lists many companies who get a completely green rating, and I chose two cosmetics companies - Afterglow and The Alchemist's Apprentice. Both make a powder mineral foundation like BE, and both are paraben-free. I was able to order samples of both, so now am awaiting (eagerly, as I don't have any more BE to use even if I was desperate!) their arrival. I will give you all an update as soon as I can.

Thankfully, there are many brands of safe cosmetics out there. I encourage people to do the research and make informed decisions about product choices. This post is not meant to be alarmist, or meant to discourage. Personally I am choosing to take this information and make better decisions about the products that I bring into my home, products that I can feel good about, products that I can actually read and understand the labels. My next search is for a great body lotion/cream made without the use of any synthetic chemicals or compounds, and I will keep you updated on all my product testing!

5 States come together to combat global warming

Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, and New Mexico came together when the Governors from those states signed a compact designed to target and limit the major sources of human caused greenhouse gasses (GHG's): vehicle exhaust and industrial sources including methane. The states want to send a message to the federal government saying that if the FD isn't prepared to act, then the states will act to protect their precious natural resources. The pact has the potential to expand to include other states, and possibly even British Columbia.
Check out the 5 state pact at http://www.governor.oregon.gov/Gov/pdf/letters/mouclimate.pdf . Since the western states that joined together collectively produce only 11% of all carbon dioxide nationwide, experts say that there must be a bigger effort from more states to have any impact. There are already 9 eastern states that have joined together to limit emissions from power plants, so hopefully the two pacts will inspire other states to get involved, and ultimately cause the Federal Government to act and pass laws to control GHG's and help slow or stop global warming.

Reusable bags

Part of my new year's resolutions this year included (finally) using reusable bags. It is something that I have been thinking about for a really long time. I had vague ideas that I should remember to bring my paper bags back to New Seasons or Trader Joes on my next shopping trip, however it wasn't until I actually returned home, new bags full of groceries, that I remembered that I was going to try to re-use my old ones. Oops. So, as I said above, part of my resolution included using reusable bags FOR SURE! So, I went to New Seasons and forgot my paper bags (of course), but saw that they sold reusable nylon bags for $1.50. I bought one, and also bought a smaller nylon bag that fits in it's own little carrying bag. The little one is great because I can carry it in my purse so I will always have it. I think that is going to be key for me - to always have one on me. Because, a week later, I went to Trader Joes, and FORGOT MY BAG! Arrgh! But, TJ's sells reusable bags for .$99, so I bought two. As they were bagging my groceries, they filled up the two bags and were reaching for a new paper bag when I remembered! The bag in my purse! I whipped it out, and they filled that one, and I walked out of TJ's with my 3 reusable bags. Yippee! Sometimes I still forget though. I watch as they put my one item in a plastic bag, and as I am reaching for it, I remember. Oh, I say, you can keep that bag. I don't need it. Yesterday I walked out of the pet food store with an armload of stuff because I remembered to not take the plastic bag, but didn't remember that I had one in my purse. Oh well - baby steps, right? I figure I have saved dozens of plastic bags already, and I must admit, I feel very good about that. Eventually it will become second nature, but until then, if you see someone walking to her car with an armload of groceries and no bag, just please remind me about the one in my purse...