The last two 60 percent installments have been devoted to babies and kids. It’s not over yet. I’ve covered input but not output. I think you know what I’m talking about. Yeah that’s right. I think it’s about time for the great diaper debate!
For those of you not consumed in the land of children, why not scroll down to learn about the exciting escapades of…my week. Ok, you can stop yawning. I had a very illuminating and rather intense seven days. I’ll stick with the illuminating part. I saw some exciting eco-oriented films at the Toronto Hot Doc fest and spent some time at the Green Living Show. Let me tell you all about it…. But it you’re a parent (of a baby), you may want to read this first:
The Great Diaper Debate
What kind of eco-baby talk can I give without touching on the all mighty diaper debate? Cloth or disposable? What should it be?
Way back in the late 1980s when I was a young woman and blog-less (alas), everyone got all hot and bothered about the hole in the ozone layer and the burning Amazon. With our eco-consciousness ignited, it became obvious to just about everyone that disposable diapers were evil and a one way ticket to eco-hell (for more on eco-hell, I recommend that you pick up Vanity Fair’s annual green issue this month).
At the time, Americans threw away 18 billion disposable diapers per year. That translated into 1.2 million metric tons of wood pulp and 75K metric tons of plastic. Faced with these statistics, some parents turned to the old fashioned reusable cloth. The largest disposable producer, Procter & Gamble, shot back, funding a study that showed that with all that washing, the cloth nappies were in fact using up more energy than the disposable alternatives. Other studies followed, demonstrating this and that depending on who was funding the study.
In 1993, Franklin Associates conducted a more thorough investigation that reviewed the entire lifespan of both types of nappies. They found the following:
Commercially laundered diapers used 13 percent more energy than disposables. Home laundering required 27 percent more energy than disposables. The washers and driers were not as efficient as the commercial ones, which explains the jump in expended energy.
Diaper services consumed 2.5 times more water than the throw-aways. Home laundry used more than twice as much.
However, disposables produced twice as much waste as commercial and home laundering.
The Union of Concerned Scientists advise us not to sweat about which one to choose. Happily disposables are becoming thinner and in places like Toronto, you can recycle them in the green bin. Also, commercial and home washers and dryers are becoming more efficient. It all depends on what you have available to you.
The more important choices are to buy organic, reduce the number of toys and clothes, reduce toxicity in your home, and spend more time in nature with your kids.
Speaking of which, thanks Eddie for letting me know about Wholesum, his new cotton and bamboo clothing company for men and women.
What I’ve Learned the Week:
I spent my week at the Hot Docs Festival and Green Living Show in Toronto. I saw some great documentaries on nature and our impact on the planet. At the Green Living show I met folks promoting organic gardens and green products, and attended talks by David Suzuki, Van Jones, Robert Kennedy Jr. and George Monbiot. The latter two spoke via teleconference from Virginia and Wales respectfully.
It was inspiring and sobering. This is what I learned:
The Four Elements. A poetic film by emerging filmmaker, Jiska Rickels. Divided in four parts devoted to the elements, the film is told through the work of Siberian wild land firefighters, Alaskan king crab fishers, German miners and Russian cosmonauts. The human connection to nature that is touched on in beginning of the film transforms into a deeper connection with technology as we follow the fishers and miners and then literally leave the planet with the cosmonauts.
What Would Jesus Buy? The Church of Stop Shopping poses this question to just about anyone who will listen during a month-long trek across the USA leading up to Christmas. Asking a North American to stop shopping during Christmas time is like trying to move a Macy’s store. According to the film, the average American racks up $13 thousand in credit card debt during Christmas alone. If you get a chance to see this hilarious and sobering documentary, please do.
Everything’s Cool. This global warming wake up call spans from 2004 to 2006. We follow long-time climate change profits, Bill McKibben and Ross Gelbspan, exhausted and bitter by their decades-old campaign, and their reaction to the growing media recognition of climate change. We learn about Rick Piltz, the civil servant who blew the whistle on the Whitehouse’s manipulation of scientific reports on climate change. We also follow climatologist Dr. Heidi Cullen from her three-minute spot on a weather channel to landing her own half-hour global warming program. The film captures a fascinating time when Americans and the world were waking up to the problem of global warming.
From Toronto’s Green Living Show
David Suzuki – In response to the fed’s shirking of their Kyoto duties, Suzuki reminded us that John Baird is Canada’s Environment Minister, not it’s Finance Minister. Just as it’s inappropriate for Baird to place the economy before ecology, it is incorrect to assume that protecting the ecology undermines the economy. Any society that treats the two as separate issues is doomed to fail. Remember that ‘ecology’ and ‘economy’ come from the same word: home. If you don’t sustain the ecology, you’re not going to have an economy. It’s as simple as that. Even David Stern, head economist for the British Treasury, understands the critical importance of investing in sustainable activity to stave off economic disaster.
Robert Kennedy Jr. – Kennedy, son of Bobby and one of the State’s lead environmentalists, reminded us that former oil lobbyists have taken top environmental roles in government. You can read more on that in Vanity Fair’s green issue as well. As an indication of the auto industry’s tremendous power, Kennedy told us that Laurie David, producer of An Inconvenient Truth, approached the major US networks about a TV ad that she wanted to air. I can’t remember what he said the ad was for, but it had something to do with a solution to global warming. She was prepared to give the networks $5 million. They said no. They didn’t want to upset their auto clients. Ah…democracy in action.
George Monbiot – The author of Heat: How to stop the planet from burning tells us to stop flying and stop driving. Change is happening faster than we think with dire consequences. Recently, Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Center in Colorado, announced that the Artic summer ice may disappear as early as 2020, thirty years earlier than the conservative estimate made by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climatologists. If this happens, the warming of the planet will accelerate. We must act now. No more dancing around.
During his talk, George fielded a question by Elizabeth May, leader of Canada’s Green Party, regarding the federal government’s recent decision to not meet its Kyoto targets by 2012. Monbiot said that this decision has the moral equivalency of Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of the German invasion of Poland and Czechoslovakia. To Monbiot, both ‘appeasements’ are cop outs with dire consequences. May reiterated Monbiot’s comment in a church sermon in London, Ontario. PM Harper got all mad and said that her comments diminished the Holocaust. Can somebody please explain how the Chamberlain comment diminishes the Holocaust? That’s quite the leap in logic. The fact of the matter is the government is copping out and the consequences will be dire. Global warming is not going away. It’s only going to get worse, just as Hitler wasn’t going to go away when Chamberlain failed to stand up to him: he only got worse.
Van Jones – Thank God for folks like Van Jones. He’s the Executive Director of the Ella Baker Centre in Oakland, California. Van became an environmentalist when he realized that the kids he was getting off the streets and into jobs at polluting factories was hardly a step in the right direction for his community. He quickly saw the connection between greening his city and empowering youth with jobs. But there’s a problem. People employed in green jobs tend to be exclusively white and relatively affluent. He recognized that from the environmental movement an eco-apartheid was emerging.
Through his program Reclaim the Future, low-income and minority youth are starting to find work in eco-friendly jobs. This should serve as a role model for other cities. Indeed, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker the House, is so inspired by Jones, she is making the case for a national Clean Energy Jobs Bill.
In the News
Green Bloggers
Ecoshock Radio
Grist Magazine
Tree Hugger
Zerofootprint Blog
StopGlobalWarming.org
BBC – The Greenroom
New York Times – Environment
Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Little Radiant Green Munchkins
Kids are far too important to devote only one installment to them. So here’s another.
I just picked up Adria Vasil’s very informative book Ecoholic, which is hot off the press. Her ‘guide to the most environmentally friendly information, products’, etc. is based on her column in Toronto’s Now Magazine. The book is Canada-focused, which is refreshing since I haven’t seen a book like it produced in this country.
Some of the findings of which she writes will make your jaw drop.
The question is this, how do we protect our little ones from the toxic soup that is infiltrating everything? And with that said, how do we protect ourselves?
The toxic landscape that we’ve inherited is a formidable hurdle to overcome, but there are choices that you can make to reduce chemicals in our bodies.
The Nasty Stats or first the bad news:
Are you ready for this…?
A recent study conducted by the Centres of Disease Control in the USA found that children have higher levels of heavy metals and phthalates (used to soften plastic and a known hormone disruptor) in their bodies than adults. Why more? According to Adria, kids “have more absorbent skin surface for their size than adults and can’t eliminate chemicals from their systems as well [as adults].”
Environmental Defense in Canada found an average 23 chemicals in the children they tested. The toxins include carcinogens (which cause cancer), hormone disruptors, respiratory toxins and neurotoxins. The toxins were traced back to chemicals found in furniture, carpets, clothing, fast food wrappers, insecticides and coatings on frying pans.
PCB and DDT are also showing up in kids’ bodies, even though these toxins have been banned for years.
Even umbilical cords have been tested. The Washington-based Environmental Working Group tested ten cords, finding 287 industrial chemicals overall, the majority of which are known carcinogens and neurotoxins, and have caused birth defects in animals.
Since the 1980s, childhood cancer is up 21% and asthma up four times.
Happy Alternatives
While toxins will live in our bodies, perhaps for the rest of our lives (sorry), we can make choices now to reduce this load not only for ourselves and children but for the generations to come.
For baby lotions, avoid the ones that carry petroleum-based substances. That’s about all of the conventional stuff out there. A good rule of thumb is to anything that contains a name that doesn’t sound normal. The exception is talcum powder. Perfectly normal, just don’t use it. Why? It plays havoc on the lungs and can contain asbestos. Try cornstarch, rice starch or arrowroot powder as an alternative.
To find out what products to use and those to avoid, visit:
Skin Deep, by the Environmental Working Group
Guide to Less Toxic Products, by the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia
Baby Bottles
According to Adria, the nipples of standard baby bottles may contain low levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines. I don’t know what this is. I do know that I want it far away from me…and babies.
Replace with clear silicone nipples. Also avoid bottles made of polycarbonate plastic (number #7) as they can leach bisphnol, another hormone disruptor. Adria suggests glass bottles, but please! Unless you want baby bottles transformed into weapons of mass destruction, try #1 or better yet #2 polyethylene, which can be easily recycled.
Baby and Kid Food
As budget dictates, you may not be able to go all organic. The following are priority areas given the high level of pesticides used and toxins found in bodies as a result:
Bottled baby food. Go organic or better yet, puree your own. It’s probably much better for your little tike anyway.
Apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, imported grapes, cherries and berries.
Spinach, potatoes, bell peppers and celery.
Meat, eggs and dairy.
Eco-Friendly Clothes
I have already listed great organic clothing sites through which to spoil kids (but don’t go too crazy, yeah?). Here are some more, all based in BC:
Sage Creek
T.h.e. Store
Hankettes
Ethic Baby
In the News
Critics blast environment plan as 'out of sync' with science
The Cons aren’t getting much love these days…
Canada's largest solar farm to be built in Ontario
But solar gets a boost.
Other News…
Green Bloggers
Ecoshock Radio
Grist Magazine
Tree Hugger
Zerofootprint Blog
StopGlobalWarming.org
BBC – The Greenroom
New York Times – Environment
I just picked up Adria Vasil’s very informative book Ecoholic, which is hot off the press. Her ‘guide to the most environmentally friendly information, products’, etc. is based on her column in Toronto’s Now Magazine. The book is Canada-focused, which is refreshing since I haven’t seen a book like it produced in this country.
Some of the findings of which she writes will make your jaw drop.
The question is this, how do we protect our little ones from the toxic soup that is infiltrating everything? And with that said, how do we protect ourselves?
The toxic landscape that we’ve inherited is a formidable hurdle to overcome, but there are choices that you can make to reduce chemicals in our bodies.
The Nasty Stats or first the bad news:
Are you ready for this…?
A recent study conducted by the Centres of Disease Control in the USA found that children have higher levels of heavy metals and phthalates (used to soften plastic and a known hormone disruptor) in their bodies than adults. Why more? According to Adria, kids “have more absorbent skin surface for their size than adults and can’t eliminate chemicals from their systems as well [as adults].”
Environmental Defense in Canada found an average 23 chemicals in the children they tested. The toxins include carcinogens (which cause cancer), hormone disruptors, respiratory toxins and neurotoxins. The toxins were traced back to chemicals found in furniture, carpets, clothing, fast food wrappers, insecticides and coatings on frying pans.
PCB and DDT are also showing up in kids’ bodies, even though these toxins have been banned for years.
Even umbilical cords have been tested. The Washington-based Environmental Working Group tested ten cords, finding 287 industrial chemicals overall, the majority of which are known carcinogens and neurotoxins, and have caused birth defects in animals.
Since the 1980s, childhood cancer is up 21% and asthma up four times.
Happy Alternatives
While toxins will live in our bodies, perhaps for the rest of our lives (sorry), we can make choices now to reduce this load not only for ourselves and children but for the generations to come.
For baby lotions, avoid the ones that carry petroleum-based substances. That’s about all of the conventional stuff out there. A good rule of thumb is to anything that contains a name that doesn’t sound normal. The exception is talcum powder. Perfectly normal, just don’t use it. Why? It plays havoc on the lungs and can contain asbestos. Try cornstarch, rice starch or arrowroot powder as an alternative.
To find out what products to use and those to avoid, visit:
Skin Deep, by the Environmental Working Group
Guide to Less Toxic Products, by the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia
Baby Bottles
According to Adria, the nipples of standard baby bottles may contain low levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines. I don’t know what this is. I do know that I want it far away from me…and babies.
Replace with clear silicone nipples. Also avoid bottles made of polycarbonate plastic (number #7) as they can leach bisphnol, another hormone disruptor. Adria suggests glass bottles, but please! Unless you want baby bottles transformed into weapons of mass destruction, try #1 or better yet #2 polyethylene, which can be easily recycled.
Baby and Kid Food
As budget dictates, you may not be able to go all organic. The following are priority areas given the high level of pesticides used and toxins found in bodies as a result:
Bottled baby food. Go organic or better yet, puree your own. It’s probably much better for your little tike anyway.
Apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, imported grapes, cherries and berries.
Spinach, potatoes, bell peppers and celery.
Meat, eggs and dairy.
Eco-Friendly Clothes
I have already listed great organic clothing sites through which to spoil kids (but don’t go too crazy, yeah?). Here are some more, all based in BC:
Sage Creek
T.h.e. Store
Hankettes
Ethic Baby
In the News
Critics blast environment plan as 'out of sync' with science
The Cons aren’t getting much love these days…
Canada's largest solar farm to be built in Ontario
But solar gets a boost.
Other News…
Green Bloggers
Ecoshock Radio
Grist Magazine
Tree Hugger
Zerofootprint Blog
StopGlobalWarming.org
BBC – The Greenroom
New York Times – Environment
Friday, April 20, 2007
Little Green Munchkins
I’m not a mom, but I’m one heck of an aunt. And as an aunt it’s my duty to shower all the little munchkins in my life with gifts…of the green variety.
The following green tips are for parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and anyone else who has little people in their lives.
The Three Rs.
Are you a parent? Do you feel overwhelmed by the number of toys in your home? How about the pressure to buy them? And what do you do with the dolls, plastic contraptions, gadgets and whatnots once they lose their appeal?
Reduce: Now I know this is a toughie but can you reduce the number of toys in your home? Rather than buy new, why not check out a toy and clothing swap? My brother and sister-in-law attend one in Fort Langley , BC and it saves them a bundle. It’s also a great opportunity to recycle the toys and clothes that their kids no longer play with or have outgrown. It’s also a great opportunity to teach kids green values. They are the ones who are inheriting the planet after all.
Reuse & Recycle: Find out about a toy and clothing swap in your community. Don’t have one? If you have the energy, start your own – even if just among friends. For those with less time on your hands (such as all of you), visit the Kids Swap, Freecycle and Buy & Sell websites for all things child-related.
Healthy Toys
The media of late has turned its attention to toxicity in our bodies. Where do these toxins come from? When it comes to your kids, are they a little too close to home? You may wonder what exactly makes up the toys and clothing that your children chew on, drool over and wear.
A great deal of attention has centered on polyvinyl chloride (PVC), found in most plastic, and phthalates, which are added to plastic to make them soft – think baby soothers. Industry claims they are perfectly safe. According to the Healthy Spaces website, studies have shown that phthalates can lead to liver, kidney and reproductive system damage. Many European countries have banned these chemicals from toys. Canada has taken their lead, putting a stop to the additives from vinyl teethers, teething rings and rattles.
Alternatives – check out your local eco-friendly store for toys sans harmful chemicals. The Grassroots store in Toronto does well by me. I go there for fun and practical baby gifts.
Other links:
Worldwide Child
Pristine Planet
Wee to Three
Healthy Spaces - The Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH) and Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF).
Eco-Friendly Toys - Now Magazine (Toronto)
Eco-Friendly Clothes
If you are going to go with green-wear, the first order of business is to wear recycled clothes – from an older sib or a clothing swap. For those of us whose duty it is to buy gifts for the kids in our lives, I recommend organic cotton or bamboo. It’s a great gift! Not only will you give your little friend cool eco-friendly wear, you will give them a pesticide free outfit.
Fig by Twice Shy – Vancouver-based.
Rawganique – BC-based
Kate Quinn Organics – Seattle-based.
Green Babies – New York-based
Joli Bebe Boutique – Arizona-based
Shirts of Bamboo – Florida-based
All-Organic Links – For more listings.
Healthy Food
When I was a youngster my parents tended a garden in our backyard. I remember helping my mother plot out the lettuce, potatoes and carrots. Every summer we enjoyed fresh vegetables and in the late summer and early fall my brother and I would pick delicious pruning plums that grew on two of our fruit trees.
I learned at an early age that food comes from the ground, not the grocery store.
If you have a back yard - even a front yard- why not plant an organic vegetable garden. It’s an invaluable lesson for kids – even if they’re at an age when they can’t be bothered to help.
Active Living
Obesity rates in North America have skyrocketed over the past 30 years. In the late 1970s, 3% of children and youth in Canada were obese. By 2004, that number jumped to 7%.
It’s not news that kids have been spending more and more time at the computer and in front of the TV, and less time outdoors. What are the implications to this behaviour, aside from what can be measured on a weigh scale? Does it affect how we connect with one another, how we regard our environment, our mood and brain chemistry?
Taking children out for nature hikes, boating outings, camping trips, picnics and daily trips to a park will help keep them active and appreciate the outdoors. It will also provide you with a great opportunity to bond with your kids.
For more reading on this:
Kids are living under house arrest by Dennis Cauchon from USA Today.
Saving Our Kids from Nature Deficit Disorder – by Linda Sechrist from Natural Awakings
Nature Quest – by Karen Olson from Life Time Fitness
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv.
In the News
Kyoto will cost plenty, Baird warns – The Toronto Star
I’m all for being cautionary and realistic and all that, but this is a bit much.
Why are Niagara's bees dying? – The Toronto Star
It’s not just the Niagara region… 24 states and parts of Canada are losing their bees.
Future is dim for light bulb – The Toronto Star
Ontario plans to phase out the incandescent bulb.
Other News…
Green Bloggers
Ecoshock Radio
Grist Magazine
Tree Hugger
Zerofootprint Blog
StopGlobalWarming.org
BBC – The Greenroom
New York Times – Environment
The following green tips are for parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and anyone else who has little people in their lives.
The Three Rs.
Are you a parent? Do you feel overwhelmed by the number of toys in your home? How about the pressure to buy them? And what do you do with the dolls, plastic contraptions, gadgets and whatnots once they lose their appeal?
Reduce: Now I know this is a toughie but can you reduce the number of toys in your home? Rather than buy new, why not check out a toy and clothing swap? My brother and sister-in-law attend one in Fort Langley , BC and it saves them a bundle. It’s also a great opportunity to recycle the toys and clothes that their kids no longer play with or have outgrown. It’s also a great opportunity to teach kids green values. They are the ones who are inheriting the planet after all.
Reuse & Recycle: Find out about a toy and clothing swap in your community. Don’t have one? If you have the energy, start your own – even if just among friends. For those with less time on your hands (such as all of you), visit the Kids Swap, Freecycle and Buy & Sell websites for all things child-related.
Healthy Toys
The media of late has turned its attention to toxicity in our bodies. Where do these toxins come from? When it comes to your kids, are they a little too close to home? You may wonder what exactly makes up the toys and clothing that your children chew on, drool over and wear.
A great deal of attention has centered on polyvinyl chloride (PVC), found in most plastic, and phthalates, which are added to plastic to make them soft – think baby soothers. Industry claims they are perfectly safe. According to the Healthy Spaces website, studies have shown that phthalates can lead to liver, kidney and reproductive system damage. Many European countries have banned these chemicals from toys. Canada has taken their lead, putting a stop to the additives from vinyl teethers, teething rings and rattles.
Alternatives – check out your local eco-friendly store for toys sans harmful chemicals. The Grassroots store in Toronto does well by me. I go there for fun and practical baby gifts.
Other links:
Worldwide Child
Pristine Planet
Wee to Three
Healthy Spaces - The Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH) and Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF).
Eco-Friendly Toys - Now Magazine (Toronto)
Eco-Friendly Clothes
If you are going to go with green-wear, the first order of business is to wear recycled clothes – from an older sib or a clothing swap. For those of us whose duty it is to buy gifts for the kids in our lives, I recommend organic cotton or bamboo. It’s a great gift! Not only will you give your little friend cool eco-friendly wear, you will give them a pesticide free outfit.
Fig by Twice Shy – Vancouver-based.
Rawganique – BC-based
Kate Quinn Organics – Seattle-based.
Green Babies – New York-based
Joli Bebe Boutique – Arizona-based
Shirts of Bamboo – Florida-based
All-Organic Links – For more listings.
Healthy Food
When I was a youngster my parents tended a garden in our backyard. I remember helping my mother plot out the lettuce, potatoes and carrots. Every summer we enjoyed fresh vegetables and in the late summer and early fall my brother and I would pick delicious pruning plums that grew on two of our fruit trees.
I learned at an early age that food comes from the ground, not the grocery store.
If you have a back yard - even a front yard- why not plant an organic vegetable garden. It’s an invaluable lesson for kids – even if they’re at an age when they can’t be bothered to help.
Active Living
Obesity rates in North America have skyrocketed over the past 30 years. In the late 1970s, 3% of children and youth in Canada were obese. By 2004, that number jumped to 7%.
It’s not news that kids have been spending more and more time at the computer and in front of the TV, and less time outdoors. What are the implications to this behaviour, aside from what can be measured on a weigh scale? Does it affect how we connect with one another, how we regard our environment, our mood and brain chemistry?
Taking children out for nature hikes, boating outings, camping trips, picnics and daily trips to a park will help keep them active and appreciate the outdoors. It will also provide you with a great opportunity to bond with your kids.
For more reading on this:
Kids are living under house arrest by Dennis Cauchon from USA Today.
Saving Our Kids from Nature Deficit Disorder – by Linda Sechrist from Natural Awakings
Nature Quest – by Karen Olson from Life Time Fitness
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv.
In the News
Kyoto will cost plenty, Baird warns – The Toronto Star
I’m all for being cautionary and realistic and all that, but this is a bit much.
Why are Niagara's bees dying? – The Toronto Star
It’s not just the Niagara region… 24 states and parts of Canada are losing their bees.
Future is dim for light bulb – The Toronto Star
Ontario plans to phase out the incandescent bulb.
Other News…
Green Bloggers
Ecoshock Radio
Grist Magazine
Tree Hugger
Zerofootprint Blog
StopGlobalWarming.org
BBC – The Greenroom
New York Times – Environment
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