A Chemical-Free Bottle for Baby
Parents now have an alternative to the toxic plastic bottles, which research has shown leaches the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) into food and drink.
Jen Moore, founder of Pura Stainless, has developed an electro-polished stainless steel bottle thats BPA free, hygienic, lightweight and durable. Best of all, it wont leach chemicals into the drink inside.
A Good Reason to Can the Can
December 30, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Eating out of a can has never appealed to me. Besides the fact that the food inside is dead, it has always seemed just not quite right on some level. Perhaps great if youre stranded in the desert (hopefully with a can opener in your pocket), but for every day living I just dont do it.
I know there has been some talk over the years of aluminium leaching into the foods inside the cans. Whether thats true, I cant say. However, new research is suggesting its the plastic that lines cans these days thats doing the harm.
Dr Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, who is an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri, specialises in studying the effects of bisphenol-A (BPA), the toxic chemical that comes from plastics that wrap just about everything we buy in supermarkets. He says the number one canned food to steer clear of is tomatoes. The following info may well make you re-think your mothers famous spaghetti sauce.
Dr vom Saal says bisphenol-A is a synthetic estrogen that is linked to all sorts of dis-eases from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Its the acidity in the tomatoes that reacts with the BPA that causes the chemical to leach into the food. Appetising huh?
Whats the solution? Learning to live like your great grandmother perhaps, and only eating organic food that looks how its supposed to. Freshly picked. Oh and speak to your local grocer about supplying more organic, non-packaged foods. The greater demand, the more supply.
While Im on the subject of stuff to avoid, here are some other foods, as published in a story on Shine.com, that you may want to re-think.
Microwave popcorn ~ Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize – and migrate into your popcorn.
Non-organic potatoes ~ Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes theyre treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After theyre dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting.
Conventional apples ~ If fruits held a “most doused in pesticides contest,” apples would win. An increasing number of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides with Parkinsons disease.
A better way to use cans
A Good Reason to Can the Can by Vegan Girl at www.diaryofavegan.com
10 Tips for Greening Your Workout
November 3, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Who doesnt like a great workout to get your adrenaline going and have a burst of energy? But is that burst of energy slowly draining the environment? Eco-expert Kim Carlson is encouraging workout enthusiasts (and those less enthusiastic) to green their routine. Before hitting the gym, check out Kim’s top 10 tips to consider when greening your workout.
Top 5 Eating Habits to Keep the Planet (And Your Body) Healthy
October 16, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
By Adria Vasil
Maybe it’s the half-Greek in me, but there’s nothing that makes me giddier then the sight of a table full of food (well, other than actually eating the food). Trouble is most of what we stack onto our plates isn’t just weighing on our hips, hearts and cells, it’s also bloating the planet with packaging, pesticides and climate-changing gases. How can you get your fill without, er, tipping the ecological scales?
Hair Salons Taking the Green Route
As I understand it, hair salons are pretty toxic enterprises on many counts. Are there any efforts underway to green up that industry? — Paula Howe, San Francisco, CA
Hair salons have long been criticized for the pollution they generate. Traditional hair dyes and many shampoos contain harmful synthetic chemicals that are routinely used on customers scalps-and then washed down the drain where they can accumulate in waterways, soils and even our bloodstreams.
While there doesnt appear to be an industry-wide, coordinated effort to green up these operations, green-friendly salons are popping up all across the country, leading the charge by taking matters into their own hands. A simple Google search for “green hair salons” followed by your two-letter state abbreviation may well turn up one or several within driving distance.
Not surprisingly, Southern California seems to be ground zero for the green hair salon movement. For example, Beverly Hills Shades Hair Studio prides itself on its chemical-free atmosphere. Spurred on by her own health problems related to working with conventional hair dyes, owner Susan Henry-so-called “colorist to the stars”-first created her own line of natural hair colors that contain no harmful ammonia, and then transformed her Shades salon into a model for environmentally friendly hair care.
Across town, Noris EcoSalon in Encino is making waves in the industry for its non-toxic permanent hair color treatments and 100 percent botanical henna using home-grown formulations. To boot, Noris interior features energy efficient lighting, recycled denim insulation, low-VOC paints on the walls and sustainably sourced bamboo on the floors, along with a number of other green touches to keep indoor air quality high. And up the coast, San Franciscos Descend Salon goes to similar lengths, and then steps it up a notch by recycling its hair clippings for use in absorbent mats used in oil spill clean-up efforts.
Not just for California anymore, eco-friendly hair salons occupy just about every major North American city, many operating in the same spirit as Shades, Noris and Descend in making use of non-toxic and/or organic ingredients while greening indoor surroundings for an overall healthy experience. Then theres the granddaddy of them all, Aveda, which in addition to operating some 200 of its own spas, supplies natural hair care and personal care products to 7,000 professional hair salons and spas in 29 countries.
Another way to get a greener hair treatment is to search on the websites of green hair care product makers such as EcoColors, Aveda, Modern Organic Products or Innersense for salons that use their products.
Of course, if none of the salons in your area have gone green, take it upon yourself to encourage them to make the transition. You can start by showing them this article and suggesting they begin to carry some all-natural products, perhaps by first contacting companies like EcoColors, Aveda, Modern Organic Products or Innersense to see whats out there that they could easily transtion to.
CONTACTS: Shades, www.shadesnaturalcolor.com; Noris EcoSalon, www.norisecosalon.com; Descend salon, www.descendalon.com; EcoColors, www.ecocolors.net; Aveda, www.aveda.com; Modern Organic Products, Innersense, www.innersensebeauty.com.
SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com.
Insulating Paints No Miracle Energy Saver
June 28, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Do insulating paints actually insulate and save energy? If they do, are they environmentally friendly to use? — Bob Dibrindisi, Easthampton, MA
Paint additives that claim insulating qualities have been marketed since the late 1990s, but energy research organizations have not confirmed their insulating value. For its part, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not recommend using paints or coatings in place of traditional bulk insulation. “We havent seen any independent studies that can verify their insulating qualities,” the agency reports. The federal government does rate roofing paint for its energy efficiency, but such findings only take into account a substances ability to reflect heat off the roof-not its insulating properties per se-to keep the building cooler.
According to the Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the use of so-called insulated paints is in most cases “difficult to justify on the basis of savings in energy costs alone.” Meanwhile, the non-profit EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse, a partnership between Washington State University and the nonprofit Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, found that under ideal circumstances insulating paints can achieve a “reduction in heat gain” of around 20 percent on freshly-painted sun-exposed walls, but notes that such walls will only face direct sunlight for a limited part of even the clearest summer day. Also, the clearinghouse reports that “heat gain reductions…are significant only for sun-bathed surfaces” and that the “reflectivity of the painted surface generally declines considerably with time.”
Alex Wilson of the website BuildingGreen.com is not a fan of insulating paints: “To say that there is a lot of hype about insulating paints…is an understatement,” he tells the website Treehugger.com. “The Internet is rife with claims of paints that dramatically reduce heat transfer-usually based on some technological magic spun off from NASA. While these products may have some relevance in the extreme conditions of outer space, manufacturers of paints containing [insulating additives] are making claims that defy the laws of physics…when they claim they can save significant energy in buildings.”
Nevertheless, for certain applications, especially in concert with traditional forms of insulation underneath, insulating paint can help reduce energy expenditures and air conditioning bills accordingly. For those who want to forge ahead with insulating paint despite the limited benefits, some of the leading brands to look for include Insuladd, Hy-Tech, Therma-Guard and Eagle Coatings SuperTherm.
Adding insulating paint should merely be the icing on the cake of an otherwise well-conceived plan to cut heating and cooling costs. Installing a traditional form of insulation would be the first defense. A reflective, radiant barrier on the roof structure in the attic also could offer significant help, according to the Florida Solar Energy Center. Thermal-pane windows and energy-conscious practices will contribute to the effort. Finally, consider trees and other landscape shading, which the U.S. Department of Energy recommends as an effective way of passively cooling your home. For more ideas, visit the “do-it-yourself energy audit tool” on the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratorys Home Energy Saver website.
CONTACTS: U.S. EPA, www.epa.gov; EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse, www.energyideas.org; Insuladd, www.insuladd.com, Hy-Tech, www.hytechsales.com; Eagle Coatings, www.eaglecoatings.net; Therma-Guard, www.befreetech.com/thermaguard.htm; Home Energy Saver, www.hes.lbl.gov.
EarthTalkTM
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com.
BREAST CANCER DECEPTION by Mike Adams
June 20, 2009 by The Dove · 2 Comments
Why its great: Naturalnews.com founder Mike Adams lifts the lid on the lucrative breast cancer industry. It’s a shocking, tell-all report that reveals how conventional breast cancer detection and treatment programs are actually designed to ensnare women into a very harmful (but highly profitable) system of toxic treatments that will only cause permanent damage to her health. “It’s the report the industry would prefer to censor, because it contains startling truths about how the cancer industry actually feeds upon the continuation of this disease while censoring natural cancer prevention strategies that could halt 90 percent of all future cancers starting right now,” Adams says in the report that’s available online here.
Whos reading it: Women who are are looking for alternative treatments to health-destroying radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It’s also attracting attention of health care professionals who are turning to natural therapies, as they begin to understand chemical treatments are the real killers in the “cancer war”.
What youll learn: Mike Adams (The Health Ranger) says it best:
The top 18 causes of breast cancer that you can control or change;
How breast cancer provides billions in profits for drug companies;
Why the breast cancer industry isn’t looking for a real cure;
Which simple nutrient prevents 77% of ALL cancers;
The latest research on natural breast cancer prevention therapies that really work;
Names and web addresses of my top recommended anti-cancer herbs and supplements;
The real reason why cancer mortality is much higher in blacks than whites (and why you were never told the truth about this…);
The shocking truth about the miserable failure of over-hyped breast cancer drugs;
How chemotherapy causes permanent organ damage to cancer patients;
Why “pink products” are often just a marketing sham;
Why the cancer industry ultimately doesn’t want people to prevent cancer;
How certain cancer non-profits are actually front groups for Big Pharma;
How the cancer industry victimizes black women by keeping them ignorant of simple cancer prevention strategies;
The truth about deadly mammograms (and why mammography harms ten times as many women as it helps!);
The top 22 ways to prevent or even cure breast cancer;
Which anti-cancer foods work best to halt tumor growth;
How the male-dominated cancer industry exploits women for corporate profits;
Which breast cancer non-profit you can really trust!;
Which herb from the Amazon rainforest shows powerful anti-tumor activity;
Why your geographic location on the planet impacts your breast cancer risk (includes graphs);
Why running in circles to raise money for a “cancer cure” is a complete waste of time;
How top cancer non-profits have abandoned cancer prevention in favor of screening and “treatment”;
Want to know more? Head to www.naturalnews.com/Report_Breast_Cancer_Deception_0.html
