Bookmark
More on BPA or Bisphenol-A.
Here is more information on eliminating what appears to be the worst plastic in your drawer: BPA or Bisphenol-A.
BPA is a chemical compound used to make polycarbonate plastic. BPA has been linked to cancer, infertility, obesity, and diabetes. In animal studies, BPA has been found to cause the early onset of puberty and stimulate mammary gland development in females (Richter et al., (2007) Reprod. Tox, Vol 24(2) p. 199).
Common items containing BPA are plastic food containers, reusable water bottles, baby bottles, and the linings of canned foods. These are usually marked with plastic number “7″. The “7″ identifies “other” plastics including all BPA-based items.
How can you reduce exposure to BPA without overly inconveniencing your family life?
1) Avoid microwaving plastic containers, which may cause BPA to break down and leach out more.
2) Avoid washing plastic containers in the dishwasher or with harsh detergents, which can also cause BPA to break down and leach out more. Hand wash them instead with a mild detergent.
3) Switch to BPA-free plastic baby bottles, sippy cups, and water bottles. Look for plastics marked “1″ containing Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) which is considered safe.
4) Use wax paper instead of plastic wrap, especially when microwaving. If you must use plastic wrap,look for brands that are BPA-free such as Ziploc, Glad and Saran.
To learn more about BPA and plastics:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/300/11/1353
http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/03/bpa-questions-answered.htm
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/hiddendangers/a/0108_env_chmcls.htm
Thanks to the French American International School in San Francisco for this information and links.
We’ve been working on trying to throw out as much plastic as we can. We just got this set of Pyrex storage bowls - $29.95 at Amazon to replace all those old tupperware style plastic containers since microwaving and heating plastics appears to be the worst thing you can do. We still have not figured out how to send food to school with our four-year-old since glass will break and everything else will likely get lost within a week. Plastic is disposable and low cost, difficult benefits to give up.
Popularity: 1%
Cloth diapers – the green choice by Alison Manes
Something stinks – let’s look at the environmental impact of diapers by Alison Manes
According to disposablediaper.net, 96,090,000 disposable diapers are used every year in the US alone. The third largest single consumer item in landfills, they represent about 4% of solid waste.4 In a household with a child in disposable diapers, disposables comprise of at least 50% of the household waste. The instructions on disposable diaper packages advise depositing all fecal matter in the toilet before discarding the diapers, yet less than one-half of one percent of all waste from single-use diapers goes into an average sewage system.
*The amount of water used to launder cloth diapers at home averages 50 – 70 gallons every two to three days –the same as an adult or child flushing the toilet five/six times daily.
*It is estimated that disposable diapers take 250-500 years to decompose. 1
*Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum & 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby each year. 1
*Once they are used, roughly 92-98% of the 18 billion feces and urine-filled disposable diapers end up in landfills. 2
As parents are more informed about the true cost of so-called “convenient” disposable diapers, they realize there’s much more than money at stake. While cloth diapers add an extra few loads of laundry to households every week, the benefits to your baby’s health, our environment and your wallet are well worth it. Be part of the solution, right from the very beginning.
For more information on cloth diapering visit the Real Diaper Association at http://www.realdiaperassociation.org.
1 Diapers in the Waste Stream: a review of waste management and public policy issues. Lehrburger, Carl. 1988. Sheffield, MA: self published.
2 Consumer Choice-Diaper Dilemma. Stone, Janis and Sternweis, Laura. Iowa State University-University Extension. ID# 1401. 1994
Alison Manes is the mother of six, and the co-founder of Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC. Alison won Tucson’s Business Woman of the Year award from the American Business Women’s Association in 2003 for her marketing work. Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC, manufacturers a new sustainable diapering system using organic and recycled fabrics. Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC, is committed to manufacturing sustainable products made in the USA. You can view LolliDoo® Diapers at www.lollidoo.com. You can also view Alison’s blog at http://earthymommaodyssey.blogspot.com/.
Popularity: 1%
The cost of cloth diapers- a choice to consider – by Alison Manes
Families are discovering that the new generation of cloth diapers are easy on our babies, our planet, and our wallets. Having evolved considerably from the days of pins and plastic pants, reusable cloth diapers provide a healthy, economical, and environmentally-friendly alternative. A variety of options now include pocket diapers (an attached diaper inner, skin layer, attached to an outer shell that can be customized with “stuffins” of choice) all in ones (which is exactly as the name implies; it has all of the components needed for diapering in one product, including an absorbent inner and waterproof outer); as well as prefolds and fitted diapers (diapering “inners” that need an outer waterproof cover or wrap).
The cost of diapers are more then the retail price.
In our stagnant economy, it makes sense to use cloth diapers. The initial investment may be a deterrent for some families but when you take a look at the overall savings, cloth diapers are highly cost effective.
* Disposable diapers average $1167/year, $3500/ three years
* A diaper service averages $800/year.
* Purchasing and laundering 20 cloth diapers (3 washes per week) averages $634/one year, $1102/three years.
* Cloth diapers can be passed down, saving upwards of $1500 per child.
Compare the cost of diapering options at http://www.diaperpin.com/calculator/calculator.asp
Alison Manes is the mother of six, and the co-founder of Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC. Alison won Tucson’s Business Woman of the Year award from the American Business Women’s Association in 2003 for her marketing work. Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC, manufacturers a new sustainable diapering system using organic and recycled fabrics. Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC, is committed to manufacturing sustainable products made in the USA. You can view LolliDoo® Diapers at www.lollidoo.com. You can also view Alison’s blog at http://earthymommaodyssey.blogspot.com/.
Popularity: 1%
The Penguin Soda Maker – perfect gift for father’s day or any time
We’ve previously reviewed the Soda Club sparkling water maker. For literally $.20 a one liter bottle, versus $1.5 for Pelligrino, you can have sparkling water at home without carting bottles back and forth to the store. If there were any complaints about the Soda Club maker, it would only be that the plastic bottles weren’t elegant enough to bring to the table. Now, Soda Club has the “Penguin,” which carbonates water in glass bottles rather than plastic. The bottles are a fairly nice design with a subtle penguin logo that could be mistaken for a European crest. No one ever has to know that you make your sparkling water at home.
The Soda Club’s big promise is also to allow you to make your Coke and Root Beer at home. We’re not soda drinkers, except for root beer, so we were skeptical about this use. While we didn’t really like the imation Coke, 7-Up, and Root Beer (all of it has imitation sweeteners and ingredients we didn’t understand), we did like the natural lemon and orange flavors that added just the essence of the fruit to our water. No calories but a little added flavor.
You may have read an article in the New York Times on carbonated beverages at home that covers the options out there. Some of these machines cost up to $2600. I can’t say the Club Soda version is the hottest design, and maybe even it’s bubbles aren’t as “delicate” as others (could that even be true?), but it worked well enough for our kids and makes a pretty good Pelligrino/Perrier stand-in. The Penguin is significantly more expensive at $249.99 versus the regular machine at only $79.99. Both are available at SodaClubUSA.com. Either way, both should pay for themselves in a fairly short amount of time, and also cut down massively on throw-away bottles. The starter kits come with two reusable bottles. The machine takes no added batteries or power, but does require a refill of the CO2 cartridge ($19.99) about every 110 bottles.
Popularity: 1%
Sick house? Tips for cleaning the air in your house
There has been a lot of talk about sick houses — houses that actually make you sick because of construction materials, cleaners, paints, solvents and pesticides. It might be hard to change houses, but there are things you can do to to make a house less toxic for you and your kids.
1. Get an air purifier and put new allergy rated filters on your furnace every 6 months. Whole house air filter systems work better than portable units. Ideally, use built-in or window unit air-to-air-heat exchangers in rooms where people spend the most time.
2. Get lots of plants. Experts recommend at least two tropical houseplants for every 12×12 foot area to clean up airborne toxins. Use ferns, spider plants, bamboo, and palms close to breathing zones like next to your bed, or TV chair.
3. Open the windows wide. Turn off heat or A/C and open the windows for 10 minutes each day to help rid the house of indoor pollution. Caveat: your allergist may tell you to keep all windows and doors closed during allergy season.\
4. Keep new pollutants out of the house. Every new TV, appliance, or laminate/particle board-based piece of furniture is a source of new toxins into the house. Environmentalists suggest setting these items in the garage a few days to air them out before bringing them into the house.
Popularity: 1%
