A Toxic-free Legacy for our Children

There is another House than my own where I now can effect change to provide my kids with a less toxic future…it is our 2 Houses of Congress – the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.  Can you imagine a time when there won’t be a news story each week about how the bisphenol A in our children’s sippy cups is leaching into their milk, putting them at higher risk for cancer or reproductive problems, or how pregnant women have a veritable soup of chemicals in their body that they are exposing their unborn children to? 

Well, word on the street is that a bill will be introduced into the U.S. Senate by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in December to update the badly outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which regulates (or not, as is now the case) chemicals in the U.S. What does this mean for us?  Chemicals will be tested before they go to market, what a concept!  I know, you already thought that was the case. Sadly, it is not. Asbestos is banned in many countries around the world, but not the U.S. Oh, we tried. But the current failure of a law didn’t allow us to ban it. It’s time for change!

Not only are there a number of women’s groups, health groups, nurses groups, autism groups, and about 100 others coming together to give this a good grassroots push through the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition, but there are also businesses who have demonstrated that there is a hungry market in the U.S. for safer products.

On Wednesday I brought my 3 year old to the Million Baby Crawl event at the Seattle Center. He is no longer crawling, but he had a ball rocking out to the Caspar Babypants band while I learned about what the company Seventh Generation is doing to help update the Toxic Substances Control Act. Don’t be cynical, this company is saying, bring it on, we’d welcome more competition from companies selling toxic chemical-free products, the world would be a better place. They are willing to petition Congress, so we should, too. We certainly will have more and better choices if we do, and so will our children.

In the meantime, you can go to their super fun animated website for the Million Baby Crawl and create your own crawler (animated baby) who will symbolically crawl with, hopefully, 999,999 other crawlers to DC in January. You don’t need a real baby to do this and it took me just a few minutes to do this!

Green Halloween

Last weekend I dragged my whole family plus my hubby’s cousins and kid to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo annual Pumpkin Prowl. I had heard about it and finally decided to check it out. I now know to avoid going on the busiest night, which is Saturday, because there were so many people we could hardly see the carved, glowing pumpkins lining the paths throughout the zoo…which is kind of the main point of this event.  The kids quickly figured out that there were treat stations lining the route. My ravenous child aimed for each of these stations like a man with a mission, sometimes trying to hit the same station twice.  Fortunately, my more contemplative child was old enough to appreciate some of the more creatively carved pumpkins. 

What prompts me to do this blog entry is that there was one standout treat station staffed by someone handing out Lara Bars and cards advertising GreenHalloween.org.  Awesome!  Check it out for this year and next…recycle those costumes (we found some great costumes at garage sales this summer), get ideas for making your own and, best of all, find alternatives to the gigantic amount of candy bars kids get when they trick or treat. Give out granola bars that parents will actually want to pack in kids’ lunchboxes on Monday morning!

Happy Halloween from our Batman and General Grievous!

Thoughts on camping and getting kids out into nature

With the first day of fall looking me in the eye (Monday!), I think it’s time to reflect on whether I succeeded with my goal of getting my urban kids out into nature as much as possible during the summer. My eldest son is a Lego boy. He’s six, which might explain a lot. And Legos for six year olds…well, these are tiny pieces we are talking about…best not to be building with those parts outside. So, he prefers to be inside…building legos, of course.

Having read several essays on how kids who spend a lot of time in the woods and out in nature are creative, have long attention spans, do well in math, and are generally calm, perfect children (ha!), I thought this would be a win-win for the family. Mom and Dad get to recharge from their hectic work life in the city and the kids get to romp freely, not surrounded by primary colored plastic parts.

We did indeed get out a bunch this summer to the point that by August I was hoping against hope that it would rain, so we could finally have a weekend at home to just veg out! And, we have opinions on how to have even better camping experiences next year. It pays to research sites ahead of time. You see, when it comes to campsites, not all campsites are created equally. Several times we have ended up at campsites where we can smell the stinky armpits of the man camping next to us, to exaggerate just a little to make our point. At other times we can’t even see the tent in the site next to ours. If you are going with a group, the side by side camping experience might be just right for you. If not, definitely ask around with your friends and study the campground map before picking your site…or go midweek.

We went to Mt. Rainier National Park one weekend this summer and were thrilled with the diversity of park users. None of this wilderness is for wealthy white urban elitists garbage! Even our 6 year old was old enough to appreciate the beauty of the scenery. It is my hope that by giving him experiences like this, he will continue the long family tradition of hiking, backpacking, camping and working to protect America’s INCREDIBLE wilderness.

Holiday shopping – it’s never too early…

Now, this may seem like an odd time of year – mid-February – to write about holiday shopping. Yes, I really mean Christmas shopping. Now,  maybe only my family knows that my Christmas shopping is done by the end of summer. Why? Because that is the end of the garage sale shopping season!

So, it’s logical to follow with a question as to why I’m writing about this topic already in mid-February, which is definitely not high season for garage sales in Seattle. Well, because if you are like me, and like to buy used toys for both environmental and economical reasons, then January and February are high season for shopping!  Simply because this is when consignment stores get loads of unwanted, often unopened gifts from the many disgruntled children from the Christmas of yore. So…start shopping now and get ready for some bargains!

Can I keep my New Year’s resolution this year?

I make a New Year’s resolution each year. Usually, I have not only violated my resolution by February or March, but I have also forgotten entirely what the original resolution was by August.

Not so last year. In 2008 I decided that I would challenge myself to remember to bring Tupperware to restaurants, so that I didn’t need to ask for unrecyclable takeout containers when I inevitably didn’t finish my entree.  I go out to eat rarely and when I do it is often to places with delicious food (Seattle has heaps of good restaurants), so there is no worry that I’ll send the half-full plate to the dishwashers in back – leftovers for the next day are the way to go for me!

But, keeping leftovers from going to waste, while packing them in wasteful containers is not my thing. I’m not Catholic, but I’ve got heaps of guilt when it comes to walking the talk on the green living front!  Well, I didn’t go out to eat all that often, what with working and two kids and a husband who can whip up a fantastic dinner in less time than it takes you to say, “You are so lucky!”  But, when I did, I inevitably forgot to bring that Tupperware.

So, having failed on that resolution last year, what do I do to myself? I make it my resolution for 2009 as well. If you don’t succeeed the first time, try, try again.

And, with one month in to the year, how am I doing so far? Well…sad to say, I have gone out to eat with Brian once and…forgot to pack the Tupperware. And, of course, I had leftovers and insisted on bringing them home in the takeout containers. To paint the picture fully for you all, we went out to a nice Spanish meal, with aromatic sauces and all. Then, we rushed into the movie theatre across the street to see Slumdog Millionaire. Got the last two seats in the theatre.  Under which I stowed my takeout container with aromatic food for all in the theatre to smell. Which my husband duly noted, suggesting that the Tupperware would indeed have been a good thing to remember if one chooses to take one’s takeout food into a movie theatre…

Any advice on how to help me remember next time? Is there a cheering squad out there, so that I can succeed on this one, and get the opportunity to have a new, perhaps less dorky resolution next year? (Because I’m going to keep on with this resolution, no matter how many years it takes until I get it right!). Do I pack Tupperware in my car at the ready like I do with cloth shopping bags? Oh, dear…

Buying a Christmas tree?

It seems that all my friends are out shopping for Christmas trees this weekend. Our family celebrates Christmas, too, and both my husband and I grew up with presents under a Christmas tree. Selecting the perfect tree from the Hunter Tree Farm lot behind our neighborhood post office was absolute fun for my brother and me when we were kids. Too tall? Too small? Too much like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree? No problem, try the next row of Doug fir trees. Nope, we never did the Noble firs.Now, a question about the ecological impact of Christmas trees from one of my co-workers at Resource Media and an article in TIME magazine got me thinking about what exactly is the most eco-friendly way to celebrate Christmas with a decorated tree. No, I’m not going to be a grinch about this. A decorated tree is one tradition I do want to keep for my family in one form or another.After doing a bit of research (but, not a whole lot because I’ve got to tend to getting my Christmas cards out soon and, yes, I send them via email complete with lovely family photo!), I have come to find this so just a wee bit more complicated than simply a choice between buying a tree from a tree farm versus buying an artificial tree that will last you for 20 years. There are choices out there, folks!  And, some surprises, too, if you read on.

With Christmas trees, my personal solution is to decorate an existing tree in our garden for the utter and wonderful enjoyment of our neighbors and those who walk by with their dogs (truth be told, no anecdotal evidence yet as to whether the neighborhood thinks our tree is a nice addition to the ‘hood or whether we’ve taken it down to the pink flamingo on the lawn level). If you don’t have the right tree in your yard, or a hearty indoor plant that can handle at least 5 ornaments dangling from its branches, but you are excited by the idea of adding another tree to your yard, you could go to your local nursery to find a native plant that will look nice inside for a few weeks and even better outside this spring.

But, what to do with the presents that normally get laid out below the tree if you decorate an outdoor tree? Well, we have a fireplace and will nicely arrange them in a semi-circle in front of the hearth. And, there will be some nice decorations inside the house. This morning’s gingerbread house being the first.

Rest assured, my very limited research shows that no matter what your choice, it’s all kind of a wash. Christmas tree farms are a form of sustainable forestry. Out here in the Pacific Northwest, where Douglas fir trees grow fairly quickly, buying one typically means you are supporting a rural business and your tree did not travel far from farm to hearth. But, be sure to recycle/compost your tree after Christmas!

Now, a friend at Thanksgiving asked whether your average tree farm fir may be sprayed with flame retardant. Yikes!  I went on the Internet to do a little sleuthing to see if these are applied before the tree comes into your home. Nothing definitive here as to whether your tree comes with fire retardant, best to ask your tree seller. But, I could see that there is a market for selling people fire retardant that you can spray on the tree AFTER you buy it. My advice is to save your money and your health and instead keep the tree in water. It’ll keep those pesky needles off your carpet, too, for at least a few weeks.

An artificial tree will very likely come from quite far afield – China, perhaps. So, the carbon footprint will be significantly larger. Plus, there may be some nasty chemicals in the plastic. PVC’s – yuck. And, those puppies aren’t biodegradable, either.

I told another friend at a holiday party about our choice of decorating our tree outside. She said that’s all well and good, but what if you were her and had no desire to have a fir tree or any other native tree in the yard? To that, I say, gee, I wish we all lived in Portland, Oregon, where you can rent potted trees and then they get picked up after Christmas and planted on school property, parks and other public places (as detailed in the TIME magazine article).

So, if you want to do something good this Christmas, how about calling your municipality to make sure they have a tree-recycling program or, better yet, that a project like the Original Living Christmas Tree Co. of Portland also gets started in your community.

Oh, Christmas tree, oh, Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches…

Guests are coming, time for some green cleaning!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner — time to dress the turkey, bake some pumpkin pie and clean the house for the guests!  Maybe you bought yourself a free-range, hormone and antibiotic free turkey and are serving organic veggies.  But, did you go the nontoxic route on your housecleaning? 

 

I have been using conventional cleaning products for years, but just switched over to nontoxic alternatives after connecting with the awesome Women’s Voices for the Earth (I’m on their advisory board, and work on their behalf at Resource Media, which shows you just how much of a fan I am of them!).  WVE gave me plenty of reasons to “out with the old, in with the new” on my cleaning products. First and foremost, my kids’ health. Then, mine, of course. 

 

There are several chemicals in conventional cleaning products that are linked to asthma, birth defects and reproductive problems. Even if you know what these chemicals are, you will find that cleaning product manufacturers make it very, very hard for you to figure out if these bad boys are in their products. Unlike food product companies, they are not required to disclose their ingredients. That’s wrong!

 

WVE has launched a “make your own cleaning products” campaign as part of their Safe Cleaning Products Initiative.  WVE’s Green Cleaning Party Kit provides women with a real solution to toxic chemicals in household cleaners. They have lots of easy recipes for you to use.

 

Now, I’m not suggesting you turn Thanksgiving into a Green Cleaning Party, but…Green Cleaning Party Kits give people the tools they need to hold their own house parties with friends and family.  Party guests learn how to use basic household supplies, like vinegar and baking soda, to make their own safe cleaners that they can trust are truly non-toxic. The kits include recipes, non-toxic cleaning tips, an educational DVD, and actions for guests to take to ensure that cleaning product companies make their products safer for the environment and for public health.  I’ve hosted a party and they are lots of fun!

 

WVE is working to require manufacturers to disclose all ingredients on the product label, but until they do, it’s safer to make your own with a little help from the Green Cleaning Party Kit.  Trust me, the first time is the hardest, but once you’ve got some bulk vinegar, baking soda, etc. from Costco, you are good to go for at least a year, if not 5!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enough reading blogs, now I’m going to write my own!

Another blog?  You may think the world doesn’t need another blogger, and I tend to agree…for the most part.  But, I’m inspired by Barack Obama’s historic campaign and am still singing the mantra of “change we can believe in.” I’m committing to help change the world for the better, one baby step at a time. With this blog, I hope to share with friends and other interested folks, some ways that I am making change in my life to leave the world (or at least the cozy confines of our house and neighborhood) a wee bit better for my two young children.

I am very interested in all things environmental. With this blog, I hope to share green living tips – ideas that are as easy to incorporate in your life as I will do in mine – that I come across in my work at Resource Media, a communications firm specializing in environmental and public health issues, and my travels across that great land called the Internet.

I’d love to hear your ideas, too. And, I’ll blog on whatever new ideas I pick up and apply to my own life. Stay tuned to hear the results, especially how my children and husband react!

Liz