Shedding some light on the subject...

A few years ago we were all introduced to the energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs and almost everyone I knew began making the switch. We got rid of our energy-wasting incandescent light bulbs replacing them with the new eco-friendly fluorescent light bulbs thinking we were doing something good for the environment and reducing our electric bills. Well it turns out this switch has negative effects on our environment that, to me, sound worse than the incandescent bulb.

For those of you who don’t know, a compact fluorescent light bulb is a type of energy-saving bulb that fits into a standard light bulb socket or plugs into a small lighting fixture. These fluorescent lights are filled with a gas containing low-pressure mercury vapor and argon which can be toxic to your home and our environment. They also contain items such as fluorine, neon, and lead powder as well as mercury.

Here is an excerpt from an article by Mike Adams at http://www.newstarget.com/ “According to www.lightbulbrecycling.com, each year an estimated 600 million fluorescent lamps are disposed of in U.S. landfills, amounting to 30,000 pounds of mercury waste. Astonishingly, that's almost half the amount of mercury emitted into the atmosphere by coal-fired power plants each year. It only takes 4mg of mercury to contaminate up to 7,000 gallons of freshwater, meaning that the 30,000 pounds of mercury thrown away in compact fluorescent light bulbs each year is enough to pollute nearly every lake, pond, river and stream in North America (not to mention the oceans).

Many state governing agencies have adopted their own regulations regarding the disposal of fluorescent lights. In California, Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, it is unlawful for anyone to dispose of fluorescent bulbs as universal waste. These laws are based on the well-documented toxicity of the heavy metal mercury.Mercury (also called 'quicksilver') is a heavy, silvery transition metal most commonly found in thermometers, barometers, and other scientific apparatus. It is used in the electrical industry and in laboratory and medical instruments. Mercury is a known neurotoxin, and elevated blood mercury levels may lead to retardation and deformities in children. Chest pains, dyspnea, coughing, hemoptysis, and sometimes interstitial pneumonitis leading to death may follow acute inhalation exposure to mercury vapor. In America, 1 in 6 children born every year have been exposed to mercury levels so high that they are potentially at risk for learning disabilities, motor skill impairment and short-term memory loss.

If Americans adopt the use of even more compact fluorescent light bulbs, this ratio is like to substantially grow. Breaking one mercury light bulb in your home can contaminate your home to such a degree that hazardous materials experts are needed to remove the mercury. (At great cost, too. A typical mercury removal effort involving the breaking of a single fluorescent light can cost several thousand dollars.) The idea of allowing mercury to be placed in an easily breakable consumer product is fraught with public safety risks. In fact, it required a special exemption from the EPA to allow mercury-fluorescent lamps to be sold to consumers in the first place.When a fluorescent light breaks, its vapors quickly escape and can be inhaled and absorbed through the skin. Most compounds of mercury are toxic, especially its organic compounds (such as methyl mercury).

A researcher at the University of Illinois at Springfield sums up the basic point behind these fluorescent bulbs: "People need to understand that these bulbs are considered "hazardous" and can cause long term damage to not only the environment, but if broken can cause health problems with people as well. Mercury has the ability to cause humans, as well as animals, serious health problems such as permanent nerve and kidney damage if exposed."

If you break a bulb, the EPA recommends that (1) you immediately open windows to reduce mercury concentrations inside your home, (2) you do not touch the spilled mercury, (3) you clean up the broken CFL glass carefully and immediately (but not with your hands or a vacuum cleaner), and (4) you wipe the affected area with a paper towel to remove all glass fragments and mercury. EPA further recommends that you place the paper towel and glass fragments in a sealed plastic bag and bring the sealed bag to your local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Site.

The alternative is an LED bulb that is considerably more expensive so until we can make the switch (some bulbs are as much as $99.00 each)…I think we’re going back to the incandescent bulbs.

Will you make a difference today?

It's not really difficult to make the switch to a product that is more environmentally friendly. I think it's as easy as being armed with the right information. Let's say you're in the grocery store with your weekly list of must-have items. Toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissues are usually good ones to start with. If you knew that our forests are being destroyed to make toilet paper, facial tissues, and paper towels would you then reach for a package that contained a 100% recycled product? Maybe? How about if you knew that if every household in the U.S. replaced just one triple pack of 70 sheet virgin paper towels with 100% recycled ones we could save 1,660,000 trees, 4.2 million cubic feet of landfill space – equal to 6,600 full garbage trucks, 590 million gallons of water – a year’s supply for 4,700 families of four! That’s just the paper towels.

If every household in the United States replaced just one box of virgin fiber facial tissues (175 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 582,000 trees, 1,500,000 cubic feet of landfill – equal to 2,200 garbage trucks, 210 million gallons of water – a year’s supply for 1,600 families of four, and avoid 35,000 pounds of chlorinated pollution. Let’s think about this for a second, this is a product that is generally used for “boogie patrol”. How fancy do you really need to be?

And if every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper (500 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees, 1.0 million cubic feet of landfill space – equal to 1,600 full garbage trucks, 153 million gallons of water – a year’s supply for 1,200 families of four. I don’t think you need me to go into detail about the general use of this product.

And as you paid for these 100% recycled products you could walk out of that store knowing that YOU made a difference today. Of course, you’re carrying them out of the store in your reusable grocery bag…right?

Are your lips full of lead???

"Have you ever thought about what’s in that pretty red stuff you’re putting on your lips? Could it be collagen, beeswax, strawberries, or lead perhaps?Reports about lipstick containing lead are flooding the media, since the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics conducted a study of 33 lipsticks from store shelves among four U.S. cities and found that over 61% contained lead. Tests revealed levels ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million."

OK, I admit it...I LOVE lipstick so I was very excited to find this product from Cargo Cosmetics.
http://www.cargocosmetics.com/product_44.html
This is a botanical lipstick that has a tube made entirely out of corn - a renewable and abundant resource. This environmentally-friendly innovation also emits less greenhouse gases, which many scientists believe to be the major cause of global warming. The outer carton is made of flower paper embedded with real flower seeds. Simply moisten, plant, and wait for a bouquet of wild flowers to grow!

I sent my carton to Vandervort Academy (Yes, this is also another way to get people to see how cute our grandkids are!) for a fun project. http://vandervortacademy.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html scroll down to the October 15th entry to see recycling in action and get the fun details.

I love the colors and they don't make my lips dry which has been a problem for me with some brands I've tried. It is formulated to be smooth and silky; the innovative botanical formula is infused with Orchid Complex™ and meadowfoam seed oil as well as jojoba and shea butter. Not only that, but it's environmentally friendly, containing no mineral oils or petroleums. Cargo also donates two dollars from the sale of every shade to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The PlantLove™ seeds we sow today affect future generations so we are investing in the earth and our children for the future of the planet! It just doesn't get any better than that...pretty, safe, environmentally friendly, AND saving the children!

Ok, back to business..."The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits lead levels in candy to be less than 0.1 ppm, but does not regulate the level of lead in lipstick.So why should you care? Well, one study estimates that the average woman consumes about 4 to 6 pounds of lipstick a year, from licking her lips and eating it with food. Ever wonder why you need to re-apply after a meal? And men, don’t be complacent if you don’t wear lipstick. How many women have you kissed?Alarming? Perhaps, considering that there is no safe amount of lead for human consumption. Lead is a neurotoxin. Our bodies do not dispose of lead, rather, lead stays in our systems and builds up over time. So daily consumption, compounded over decades, can lead to toxic levels of lead. This can lead to brain damage, retardation, emotional and behavioral problems, lower IQ levels and learning disorders like ADD. Children and fetuses are at an even higher risk, because lead can cross the placenta and enter the developing brain of the fetus. It is also linked to infertility and miscarriage.So how does lead get into lipstick anyway? Well, it’s not put there intentionally. There is not a conspiracy among the cosmetics companies to poison lipstick wearers. Lead is found in some colorants. Lead can also become a byproduct from raw materials such as zinc oxide, paraffin and petroleum-based ingredients.Since the FDA does not currently regulate the amount of lead in lipstick, it is up to the cosmetics companies to establish higher levels of self-regulation. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has urged the FDA to begin regulating lipstick, and is asking the cosmetic companies to reformulate any products that contain lead. The FDA has agreed to conduct an investigation, and according to a spokesperson for the cosmetics industry, cosmetic companies are committed to reducing the levels of lead even further. While a lipstick recall is unlikely, there are plenty of lipsticks on the market that are made without lead.How can you find out what is in your brand? Despite urban legend, a gold ring will not help. And since lead is not listed on the list of ingredients, and most consumers do not have a scientific laboratory in their homes to do their own testing, this is a tough call. However, you might start by avoiding the guilty culprits. The study found the highest levels of lead in some Cover Girl, L‘Oreal and Christian Dior lipsticks, especially the red shades. To find out if your brand of lipstick was on the lead list, visit SafeCosmetics.org."

The article in quotes was written by Cherie Pinto and can be found on http://www.newstarget.com/.

Keep smiling with those lead-free lips!

Household Cleaning Supplies

It's not always possible to open your windows and let in the fresh air. We all know that fresh air is good not only for your state of mind but also for your health. The EPA has found that concentrations of pollutants inside homes can be two to five times higher than outside. A major source of indoor air pollutants is conventional cleaning products, because they're loaded with fragrances and petroleum-distilled chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that vaporize into the air.
"There's definitely a cause-and-effect from using petroleum-based cleaning products, especially in poorly ventilated areas. As the chemicals build up in the air space you're working in, the toxicity also builds up," says Mike Vogel, head of the Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes program.
A Spanish study of over 4,000 women published in November 2003 found that 25 percent of asthma cases in the group were attributable to domestic cleaning work. In the U.S., a 2002 Inform report detailed the negative impacts of cleaning products on janitors' health. Reducing the use of volatile and odorous products, Inform concluded, could improve indoor air and protect health.
Happily, safer alternatives can be bought or mixed from such common household staples as white vinegar and baking soda.

Laundry detergents and fabric softeners are some of the most heavily scented cleaners. Chemicals known as phthalates, which have harmed hormonal systems and reproductive organs in animal tests, are common in fragrance formulas because they make the scent last longer. But fragrance residues on clothes can cause skin irritation and provoke allergies, according to Harvey Karp, M.D., a Los Angeles pediatrician.
A great alternative fabric softener is a half-cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle. Since vinegar breaks down uric acid, it keeps cloth diapers smelling fresh; it also eliminates static cling. I've found that adding vinegar to my wash also cuts down on lint buildup in the dryer.
Avoid chlorine bleach (also called sodium hypochlorite), it has caustic fumes and is toxic if swallowed. In warmer weather, the sun does a great job bleaching your whites. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant too. To boost your detergent's cleaning power and remove odors, add a half-cup of baking soda or washing soda, two related minerals, along with the detergent. For stubborn stains, try a pre-wash soak in water mixed with either borax, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar. Or mix washing soda and water into a paste—wear gloves, as washing soda can irritate skin. Or buy non-chlorine bleaches that contain sodium percarbonate or sodium perborate.
For store-bought laundy products: Look on labels for plant-based cleaning agents or castile soaps instead of petroleum-based surfactants, which deplete natural resources and may contain harmful impurities. The catch-all term "fragrance" may hide ingredients such as phthalates. Look for plant essential oil scents or products that are truly fragrance-free, and don't believe the antibacterial hype! (That's a whole other blog itself!) In March 2004, researchers at Columbia University reported that a study of 238 Manhattan households found virtually no difference in the rate of infectious disease symptoms (runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever, etc.) in homes using antibacterial products—including laundry detergent—and those that did not.

Best bets: Seventh Generation(http://www.seventhgeneration.com/); Ecover (http://www.ecover.com/); Sun & Earth(http://www.sunandearth.com/); Bi-O-Kleen(http://www.bi-o-kleen.com/).

I have used both Ecover and Seventh Generation laundry products. Both are excellent. I put some of the detergent directly on a few stains and they came out beautifully. Here are some interesting environmental facts from the Seventh Generation laundry detergent bottle: "If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 50 oz. 2X ultra petroleum based liquid laundry detergent with our 50 oz. 2X ultra vegetable based product, we could save 233,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 13,400 U.S. homes for a year!"

A great natural floor cleaner is one cup white distilled vinegar per gallon of hot water. It removes sticky residue and killes odors, with no rinsing needed. Or use 1/2 cup borax (like vinegar, a natural disinfectant) and 2 gallons of water. You can add 1/4 cup of any liquid soap for extra cleaning power, but soap should be rinsed.
For store-bought products:
AFM Super Clean concentrated all-purpose cleaner/degreaser (http://www.afmsafecoat.com/);
Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds hard-surface, all-purpose cleaner (http://www.drbronner.com/);
Ecover Natural All-Purpose cleaner (http://www.ecover.com/);
Murphy Oil Soap (http://www.murphyoilsoap.com/).

Happy Cleaning!

ps...just found this interesting site. I may have to give this a try. I'll let you know how I like it.
http://www.betterlifegoods.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BLG%2DCAT21480

Here's more info on vinegar:
Vinegar is the most amazing all-natural cleaner that we can use. Great for those who are worried about the environment, it may smell bad, but is very powerful. Otherwise known as acetic acid, most vinegar is really fruit wine that has turned bitter. When used diluted or straight, it creates a very acidic condition that kills bacteria. It also can take the finish off of metal, so use with supervision. A test patch (a small hidden area that you can use vinegar upon to see if it discolors or eats away the decorative finish) is recommended. A straight 100% solution can be used to clean plastic dishes. Pour a bit of vinegar on a rag and wipe out the dishes. Rinse well.
Use a 50%-75% vinegar/hotwater solution to remove hard water stains (lime) from ceramic and glass bowls also. Fill bowl with solution and let soak for an hour or two. Chip off lime with a toothpick or scrub with a sponge. Rinse before using.
You can also soak your used sponges in 100% vinegar for several hours to keep them from smelling sour.

Paper or Plastic?

"Paper or plastic?" It's the question that's asked at every grocery store today. But is it the right question? How would things change if the cashier asked, "Did you bring your bags today?" Here are some statistics taken from an article in Delicious Living in the November 07 issue. There are more than 88 billion plastic bags used each year in the United States. It takes 12 million barrels of oil to produce the bags that the U.S. uses annually. Less than 1% of the plastic bags get recycled in the U.S. It takes an estimated 1,000 years for a plastic bag to decompose. Paper bags aren't necessarily better. They take more energy to produce and to transport because they're bulkier.

Here are more sad facts from http://www.chicobag.com/ The average American uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags per year. If everyone in the United States tied their annual consumption of plastic bags together in a giant chain, the chain would reach around the Earth not once, but 760 times! According to the American Forest and Paper Association, in 1999 the U.S. alone used 10 billion paper grocery bags, requiring 14 million trees to be cut down. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade—breaking down into small toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food-chain when mistaken for zooplankton or jellyfish.

The good news is that some grocery stores are selling their own version of reusable shopping bags for an average cost of .99 cents. One of the grocery stores in our area offers a 3 cent refund when you bring your own bag. We were lucky, we received our reusable Chicobags as birthday gifts from our daughter, Kristen http://vandervortacademy.blogspot.com/. They fold up into a little pouch and fit nicely in my purse so they're easy to carry around. They come in a variety of colors, are machine washable, and are very reasonably priced. Check out the websites below and go GREEN!

http://www.chicobag.com/

http://www.reusablebags.com/

Recycled Trash Bags!

Have you ever given any thought to trash bags? Who does...unless you run out, right? We just purchased our first box of recycled trash bags from Seventh Generation. Here's some interesting information quoted directly from the back of the box: "If every household in the U.S. replaced just one package of 20 count tall kitchen bags made from virgin plastic with 55% recycled ones, we could save: 37,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 2,100 U.S. homes for a year, 680,000 cubic feet of landfill space, equal to 1,000 full gargage trucks, and avoid 14,000 tons of air pollution. By using plastic materials that have fulfilled their intended end use (called 'post-consumer recycled material') and turning them into recycled products like this one, we play an important part in the overall reycling process. The process of manufacturing from recycled material requires 40% less energy compared to bags made from virgin plastic. This reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmostphere - and helps slow global warming. Processing crude petroleum into virgin plastic creates many dangerous chemicals. The 436 plastics production facilities in the United States emit over 37 million pounds of toxic air emissions and create over 2.5 billion pounds of production-related waste each year.
This pollution and waste is dramatically reduced or avoided entirely with trash bags made from recycled materials."
Don't tell our girls, but guess what Santa is bringing them for Christmas?
If you want to check out Seventh Generation for yourself, go to: http://www.seventhgeneration.com/
I have tried some of their other products and have been very happy with them.
I ordered my products from Amazon and got free shipping...even better!
That's my recycling "rant" for today. Happy smart shopping!

A New Adventure!

Welcome to my first post in blog land. I'm dedicating this blog space to our grandchildren, listed in order of appearance in this grand movie called Life: Gabby, Samantha, Lizzy, Katie, Byron, Mark, Sarah, and Oliver. Every step we take towards reducing landfills today creates a more beautiful earth for all their tomorrows.