Homemade Yogurt – Easy as can be! July 14, 2011

A friend of mine shared this link for making homemade yogurt in a slow cooker. It couldn’t be easier and the yogurt is fantastic! Just keep in mind that the yogurt you’ll get from it won’t be like the store bought kind. It’ll actually be like a yogurt drink – just add your own fruit, a little honey, and you’re all set! I’ve just made my second batch. The first was with 2% milk and the second was with fat free. Both had the same consistency.

If you have a slow cooker, I urge you to give it a try!

National Healthy Schools Day April 22, 2009

Today, I’m pleased to have Janelle Sorensen, the the Senior Writer and Health Consultant from Healthy Child Healthy World, guest post at Trying To Be Greener. Healthy Child Healthy World works to broaden awareness of environmental hazards and its impact on children’s health, advocates for governmental legislation that will protect children from environmental hazards, and so much more.

National Healthy Schools Day
What you can do to make sure no child’s health is left behind

Janelle Sorensen

When my husband and I first toured schools to find the one we wanted to enroll our daughter in, I’m sure I was silently voted one of the strangest parents ever. Why do I feel I was secretly endowed with this title? Because every room and hallway we were taken through, I sniffed. A lot. And, according to my husband, I wasn’t terribly discreet.

I didn’t have a cold or postnasal drip. And, I’m not part bloodhound. I was simply concerned about the indoor air quality. My daughter was (and still is) prone to respiratory illnesses and I wanted to be sure the school she would be attending would support and protect her growing lungs (in addition to her brain). For many air quality issues, your nose knows, so I was using the easiest tool I had to gauge how healthy the environment was.

While air quality is a significant issue in schools (the EPA estimates that at least half of our nation’s 120,000 schools have problems), parents are also increasingly concerned about other school health issues like nutrition and the use of toxic pesticides. Many schools are making the switch to healthier and more sustainable practices like green cleaning, least toxic pest management, and even school gardening. What they’re finding is that greening their school improves the health and performance of students and personnel, saves money (from using less energy, buying fewer products, and having fewer worker injuries among other things), and also helps protect the planet. It’s truly win, win, win.

To highlight the issue, the Healthy Schools Network coordinates National Healthy Schools Day. This year, over three dozen events will be held across the country (and more in Canada) on April 27th to promote and celebrate healthy school environments.

What can you do? Healthy Schools Network recommends simple activities such as:

• Adopting Guiding Principles of School Environmental Quality as a policy for your School;
• Distributing information related to Green Cleaning or Indoor Air Quality (IAQ);
• Writing a letter or visiting your Principal or Facility Director to ask about cleaning products or pest control products;
• Walking around your school: looking for water stains, cracks in outside walls, broken windows or steps, and overflowing dumpsters that are health & safety problems that need attention. Use this checklist.
• Writing a Letter to the Editor of your local paper on the importance of a healthy school to all children and personnel.

You can also help support the efforts of states trying to pass policies requiring schools to use safer cleaners. (Or, initiate your own effort!) There are good bills pending in Connecticut, Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, and Oregon. According to Claire Barnett, Executive Director of the Healthy Schools Network, the key pieces to promote on green cleaning in schools are:

• Not being fooled by ‘green washing’ claims—commercial products must be third-party certified as green (to verify claims);
• Understanding that green products are cost-neutral and they work; and,
• Learning that “Clean doesn’t have an odor.”

She encourages parents and personnel to tune into one of the archived webinars on green cleaning (like the first module for general audiences) at www.cleaningforhealthyschools.org.

The fact of the matter is that whether you’re concerned about the quality of food, cleaning chemicals, recycling, or energy use – schools need our help and support.  Instead of complaining about what’s wrong, it’s time to help do what’s right – for our children, our schools, and our planet.

What are you going to do? There are so many ideas and resources. Find your passion and get active on April 27th – National Healthy Schools Day.

Additional Resources:

• Creating Healthy Environments for Children (DVD): A short video with easy tips for schools and a variety of handouts to download and print.
• Getting Your Child’s School to Clean Green: A blog I wrote last year with advice based on my experience working with schools.
• Healthy Community Toolkit: Healthy Child Healthy World’s tips and tools for being a successful community advocate and some of our favorite organizations working on improving child care and school environments and beyond.
• The Everything Green Classroom Book: The ultimate guide to teaching and living green and healthy.

Janelle Sorensen is the Senior Writer and Health Consultant for Healthy Child Healthy World . You can also find her on Twitter as @greenandhealthy.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

“Healthy Child, Healthy World” December 19, 2008

A few months ago, I read the book “Healthy Child, Healthy World: Creating a cleaner, greener, safer home” by Christopher Gavigan. It’s a very helpful resource for information on making your home non-toxic and healthy by looking at plastics, toys, personal care products, cleaning supplies, and home furnishings. Many specific websites to help you with safer examples in these categories are listed throughout the book.

In addition to the book, take a look at the Healthy Child, Healthy World website where you can find similar information, along with checklists, pocket guides, articles, and videos.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Hooray for Target! September 26, 2008

Have you heard the news? Some Target locations are now carrying Green By Nature products. What’s the big deal, you ask? Green By Nature products are “over 95% natural, and free of parabens, sulfates, DEA, petroleum, propylene glycol, sacchrine, dioxin, and phthalate.” That’s a whole lot of toxic stuff you don’t have to worry about! Their products also contain 6 bio-renewable ingredients consisting of beeswax, aloe leaf extract, shea butter, rosehip oil, pistachio oil, and grapefurit seed extract.

Green By Nature makes products for lips, body, hands and feet. I’d love to get my hands on some but I’m not near a Target that carries them, unfortunately. Maybe you’ll have better luck. Go to their site to see if they’re carried new you. If you’ve tried these products, let us know what you think of them.

Get the lead out of your vitamins September 22, 2008

This past August, the FDA presented its study of the levels of lead in many vitamins for children and women. Out of 324 vitamins tested, only 4 did not contain lead. The Smart Mama explains things best when it comes to the levels detected, what the FDA says is acceptable, and how their numbers compare to what California’s Proposition 64 says is acceptable. It’s very disheartening.

A site that I have been visiting for years is Consumer Lab. Consumer Lab is an independent lab that tests vitamins and supplements to see if they contain what their packaging says they contain, if they properly disintegrate and if they contain lead. Consumer Lab requires a yearly paid membership but if you’re someone who uses different vitamins and gives them to your family, the price of membership seems small when you want find the best quality.

Photo from Flickr by House of Sims

New report out on flame retardants September 9, 2008

Non-toxic Kids has posted about a new study by the Environmental Working Group that reports toddlers have three times the amount of flame retardant chemicals in their blood compared to their mothers. These chemicals have been linked to neurological development problems, hyperactivity, and effects on the thyroid and reproductive system. A video clip from The Today Show, who also reported on this issue, is there as well.

Go to Non-Toxic Kids to see what you can do to reduce your child’s exposure to flame retardants and read an earlier post of mine about Friends of the Earth. They conducted a study of many popular strollers, car seats and baby carriers and reported if flame retardants have been found in them at a high, medium or low levels.

Stay away from dryer sheets! August 21, 2008

Doing laundry is a real pain in the neck, and I mean that literally. I live in an apartment building and use a laundry room in the basement. Because I have to haul a big bag of clothes to do this, I only do this chore once a week (which makes the bag even heavier I guess). I go up and down to change the clothes from washer to dryer and then haul them up when they’re done. When the job is done, I get a great sense of satisfaction knowing everything is clean and I don’t have to do it again until next week.

Well, I didn’t get that feeling of satisfaction yesterday because after I dumped out my clean clothes on the bed to put them away, an artificial perfume smell began to permeate from the bag. It hit me right away – I must have missed a dryer sheet that someone else left in one of the dryers! 

You may think I’m over-reacting but I was so angry and still am. It’s all I smell now in my apartment. I started using Seventh Generation Baby Detergent right before my daughter was born. There’s no fragrance in it at all and I’ve really gotten used to my clothes smelling like nothing. Now all I smell is artificial fragrance which many companies use to hide the chemical smell in dryer sheets.

Here’s some of what can be typically found in dryer sheets and what these chemicals have been linked to:

• Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer
• Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
• Ethanol: On the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
• Limonene: Suspected Gastrointestinal or Liver Toxicant, Immunotoxicant,
  Kidney Toxicant, Neurotoxicant, Respiratory Toxicant, and Skin or Sense Organ Toxicant
• A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
• Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list
• Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
• Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
• Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
• Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled

Health effects from being exposed to the chemicals in fabric softeners include: 

• Central nervous system disorders 
• Headaches 
• Nausea 
• Vomiting 
• Dizziness 
• Blood pressure reduction 
• Irritation to skin, mucus membranes and respiratory tract 
• Pancreatic cancer 

If you’d like to make your clothes softer, choose instead the wonder products – vinegar or baking soda. Just add a quarter cup of either of them to the wash cycle the next time you do laundry. Then you can enjoy the sweet smell of nothing.

 

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The FDA says BPA in plastic is safe – but you be the judge August 16, 2008

CNN reported yesterday that the FDA is saying BPA, or Bisphenol A, found in some reusable water bottles, baby bottles and most canned food is not dangerous. Environmental groups are not happy about the report because they say the FDA’s conclusion relied on industry-funded studies.

CNN reported that the FDA “previously declared the chemical safe but agreed to revisit that opinion after a report by the federal National Toxicology Program said there was “some concern” about its risks in infants.” This group said animal studies showed that BPA “can cause changes in behavior and the brain, and that it may reduce survival and birth weight in fetuses.”

In September, outside advisers will debate the chemical’s safety. Many states, though, are choosing not to wait for the final report and are acting on their own by banning the chemical in baby bottles. Legislation has even been introduced to ban BPA in children’s products. Canada will be banning the use of BPA in baby bottles and California, New Jersey and at least 10 other states also are evaluating bills to restrict use of BPA.

So who are you to believe? Do we know enough about the chemical to make final decisions? I’m not going to tell you what to do but as long as there seems to be questions, I’m going to play it safe and continue to avoid it.

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Visit your local Farmer’s Market & decrease your carbon footprint August 13, 2008

Every Sunday morning, at 9:30am, I put my daughter in her stroller and head on over to a local Farmer’s Market. It’s not very big – only about 8 farmers or so but what’s important is what’s offered there. Seasonal, often just picked, fruits and vegetables that seem like they were just pulled from the Earth.

There are so many reasons to visit a Farmer’s Market if you have one near you:

• You decrease your carbon footprint by purchasing local food.
• You’re supporting local farms.
• The fruits and vegetables haven’t been stored for long periods therefore they’re fresher.
• The food hasn’t traveled far, therefore less energy has been used for it to get to you.
• It can be a learning experience for both you and your children – you can learn more about unusual heirloom items that the farmer will be more than pleased to tell you about and your children get the reinforcement that food comes from farms, not from supermarkets.

Discovery Health has an excellent page that lets you choose your state so you can view all of the Farmer’s Markets located in it. Use it to find one near you or take a look to see where one is where you’ll be vacationing so you can learn what’s seasonal in other parts of your state or the country.

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The BPA Debate August 11, 2008

Green and Clean Mom just did a great post on the BPA debate – some say it’s harmful and some say it isn’t. Take and look and while you’re there, go to her forum where you can get help from others about “green” concerns or questions.

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