Tag Archives: Green Advocacy

No Need To Lose Nose Hairs While Cleaning Your Oven

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Oven cleaners are one of THE most dangerous cleaning products ever.

Here are a few lovely substances one might find in an oven cleaner:

Naphthalene
A white crystalline compound derived from coal tar or petroleum and used in manufacturing dyes, moth repellents, and explosives and as a solvent. Also called tar camphor

Petroleum Distillates
A thick, flammable, yellow-to-black mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid hydrocarbons that occurs naturally beneath the earth’s surface, can be separated into fractions including natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, fuel and lubricating oils, paraffin wax, and asphalt and is used as raw material for a wide variety of derivative products.

Butylcelosolve
Any of four flammable alcohols derived from butanes and used in organic synthesis and as solvents.

Carcinogens -
Substances that increase the risk of neoplasms in humans or animals. Both genotoxic chemicals, which affect DNA directly, and nongenotoxic chemicals, which induce neoplasms by other mechanism, are included.

Ammonia -
A colorless, pungent gas extensively used to manufacture fertilizers and a wide variety of nitrogen-containing organic and inorganic chemicals.

Chlorine -
A highly irritating, greenish-yellow gaseous halogen, capable of combining with nearly all other elements, produced principally by electrolysis of sodium chloride and used widely to purify water, as a disinfectant and bleaching agent, and in the manufacture of many important compounds including chloroform and carbon tetrachloride.

Hydrochloric Acid -
A clear, colorless, fuming, poisonous, highly acidic aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride, HCl, used as a chemical intermediate and in petroleum production, ore reduction, food processing, pickling, and metal cleaning. It is found in the stomach in dilute form.

Organochlorine -
Any of various hydrocarbon pesticides, such as DDT, that contain chlorine.

the above definitions sourced from what’s under YOUR Sink?

What if you could clean off burnt on food in your oven without losing nose hairs in the process?

Allow me to share a green clean nugget, a moment of greenness – just you, me and that darn oven.

Consider trying a green clean scouring paste that smells a little like something between bubble gum and cherry Kool-Aid.

Gentle in that it won’t scratch, but mighty in that it works really well !!

It’s NON-TOXIC and bio-degradable too!

Certainly not something one thinks of as an oven cleaner.

How many folks do you know who believe it needs to be really nasty chemical to get the job done?

Try again.  Pick your very toughest stain or oven and let this alternative scouring paste and a little elbow grease take it on!!


circa 1967self-cleaning flickr image

P.S. there is always a reader who has this oven.  love it

Climate Change And Our Health

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This post is for this month’s Green Mom’s Carnival hosted by Diane MacEachern of Big Green Purse. The topic is Climate Change.

It’s the last day of Earth Month.  Earth day is an over done, green washed “whatever”  expression that has lost it’s meaning to perfect looking designer grocery bags, and look good efforts to plant a tree.  I realize I am being very negative.  But many of us who advocate green concerns find this month to be a lot of green noise. Changes that could happen to move things forward via climate change aren’t happening fast enough. For me, my concerns are climate change and our health.

Perhaps I shouldn’t complain, I personally don’t take on climate change like some,  yet I point in admiration to those that do, and I advocate when and where I can.

The way I earn my living is by selling supplements.   The premise of taking supplements is to build your well being, protect and enhance it – it’s in the mind set of prevention.  Prevent illness and you won’t get trapped in the machinery of modern medicine.  I believe this, it’s one thing I feel I might have control over.   I example this as best as I can.  I  eat well – that means eating for health – not eating for taste. I cook from scratch, and gosh darn it,  I take my vitamins.  I champion my clients to do the same. I hope this is somehow doing my part.   I know I help people get well, get off of medications, restore their health.   Is that enough?

In reading about the future of climate change, inevitable atrocities are expected,  especially to our water supply.  This precious commodity needs to be protected.    I heard a statistic that said that our municipalities only treat 3% of the water supply for drinking water,   the other 97% goes to things like washing our cars.   What??   That statistic floored me.  What are we actually doing with our water ?? Do we even know?  Look at the manufacturing of a fast food hamburger and how much water that takes.   We don’t get that water back.  How about the manufacturing of bottled water.  Excuse me, but that’s simply criminal.  Why are we still allowing the manufacturing of bottle water?   Why?

Many of the top health issues are diet related.  The statistics just around the issue of obesity are staggering.  I know this perhaps sounds naive, but as long as 75% of what is purchased at our grocery stores – this so called produced/manufactured food — is still available for folks to consume, become addicted to, and continue to build poor health and illness …nothing will change.

So….couldn’t we just stop making the stuff ?? Yeah – like shut the industry down.   Do people really need ketchup, sugar laden genetically modified corn cereal and diet coke??  If aspartame, high fructose syrup and altered grain are ALL bad for us, why are we still producing it??  I don’t get it.   Why do we manufacture this stuff??  Let’s abolish fast food.   Make it illegal. Can you even imagine it?  If we are such a powerful smart industrious nation, couldn’t we recreate the family meal, implement scratch cooking, lose the BPA lined cans and get back to eating from the land?  A land not sprayed with round up and controlled by some large mega company??  What if the aisles in the grocery stores were reverse and 75% was “live” clean, healthy, health building food??  Let’s fund and champion the organic farmer, real people, hard working people who care. They want to alter the way we are currently eat.  Let the organic farmer take that on!!  What about mandating school lunch programs that serve vegetables.  Period.  Like that’s the only choice.  None of this chicken tenders crap.  What if hospitals and nursing homes served patients vegetable soup, verses plastic peel lid apple juices and jello.   Jello?  Since when does jello do the body good?

With regard to climate change it is predicted that we can look forward to extreme temperatures, super infectious diseases spread by insects who thrive on warmer temperatures, poor air quality and more. This is frightening!

Our bodies human needs to be in  a much stronger place to combat these pending concerns

How we doing on that ?? Is your immunity at it’s very best?   I know I feel as I get older, that I have to work harder to continually build and protect my immune system.   I work with moms and infants who are so immune challenged so early, how are these kids going to be prepared for the fall of our earth’s natural resources? When they can’t even manage a common ear ache without a round of antibiotic.

Obviously my ideas lack some layer of reality in our current model.   I don’t know what leader of what nation would shake things up and make decisions that are not based on profit, greed and harm and actually get to the business of quality living.  Life.  Isn’t that what we are here for ??  Can’t it be a life of wellness for all and save the planet too?

Am I too kumbaya in my thinking??

Or is there potential somehow?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

Take On The Good To Go Commuter Challenge!

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A Bloomington – Normal  campaign known as “Good To Go” is gearing up for it’s annual challenge.   The campaign asks commuters to look at sustainable/ alternative ways of transportation.   This could include car share, car pooling, riding a bike, walking or taking the bus!

The effort asks computers to take this on for one week.  It’s a super program to observe commute habits and to consider some of these shifts as your personal norm. Try it on!

The director of the ISU Sustainability program Michael McCurdy enthusiastically champions this campaign, he commutes via bicycle to his job, as program director for the local public radio station WGLT

Michael just completed a series of radio/blog interviews to illustrate several who are alternatively commuting year round.   I was the project photographer.

The actual Good To Go challenge is May 12-18,  a friendly competition between individuals, teams and workplaces.  Participants track/report their efforts and are eligible for prizes. The simple goal is to do anything but drive alone.

The main reasons to consider alternative transportation is that it’s really good for you, great for the planet and it saves you money! It also connects you with others in the community!!

More projects by Photographer Karen Hanrahan

New Magazine — Taproot

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I admit I am a devoted amanda soule groupie.

I love her vibe, her soft chatter, her warm heart, the beauty she surrounds herself, either handmade or naturally, and I admire her authenticity.  Simply by being herself she’s created a wonderful brand.  She is deeply committed and when she sets out to do something you experience the meaning tried and true.  I’ve been with her, her blog and family through two of her pregnancies, watched her move to their dream farm, publish two additional books, welcome fearfully, beekeeping to her daily tasks ( which i found sooooo fascinating) and always always find myself in a chuckle when she writes that she made popcorn for dinner…yet again.  I treasure the personality of her kids, the sweet posts written by her husband, and I am deeply envious of her talents in textiles.

A recent blog post shared an exciting project she is involved in that I felt I wanted to share.  It’s a stunning new magazine called Taproot.  In her post she writes, as only she can, about wanting to be part of something that is shifting to less. less stuff, less noise, a slower, and more mindful place.   As the editor of what looks like a deeply rooted concept, she lovingly shares images of the proofs of the first issue coming to print in March.   In my mind it looks like a magazine that I’d love to have.  It strikes me as thoughtful, arty and very resourceful.  AND a beautiful reminder of less.   Which I think is needed today.

 

http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2012/02/introducing-taproot.html

Green Moms Carnival :: Green Books And Authors We Love

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What fabulous green books have you enjoyed and who are the green authors that you admire? I am delighted to host Green Moms Carnival this month and share our collaborative perspectives on the exciting topic of Green Books And Authors We Love. 

Commentary from any of the woman in green moms carnival are always resourceful, thoughtfully written and enthusiastic…please enjoy: 

Tiffany of Nature Moms could not just single out one title, I was fascinated by her topics of interests, I bet you will be too.

Micaela of MIndful Momma, Abbie Of Farmers Daughter, and Diane of Big Green Purse ALL shared reviews of our fellow green mom and author Deanna Duke’s new book Non-Toxic Avenger.   This book shares a personal journey of relieving one’s own personal toxin burden. The reviews are all mighty positive.  I know I too enjoyed this book very much!

Amber of Strocel.com shared five compelling green book titles and how they inspired her. She shared how books convince her that she too can make a difference.

Lori of Groovy Green Livin shares ten green books just for kids, as a seasoned mom, I had to say her suggestions made me smile with memories long gone now of reading at the library.

Beth of A Plastic Free Life’s book review is about someone who takes a well researched journalistic perspective about the topic of plastic, be sure to consider Beth’s very own call to action book Plastic Free  

Anna Of Green Talk reviews a book about greening your teen to change our world, simply put our teens are our next leaders, they will take us into the future of green!

Alline of Ecovillage Musings, and someone who hasn’t joined in on the carnival in awhile ( good to have you back Alline!!)  is a devoted book pusher, her love of books is about sharing them  Books were part of her decisions to live in an intentional community, click on to investigate her impressive list of favorites

Harriet Of Climate Mama focuses her title selections on books about Climate Change especially those that can start conversations with kids about that topic.   Harriet also pointed to all the impressive authors we have on our Green Moms Carnival.

Betsy Of Eco-Novice shares five of her favorite and rather intensive green guides, with a lovely and gently reminder how overwhelming and stressful it can be.  A bit like read with caution and only if you are really ready to know.  I appreciated that.

This past week I shared about the author Sandra Steingarber at my blog Best Of Mother Earth and how she inspires me. She is highly regarded for her voice on many environmental issues, hydro-fracking beng one.