Ain't nothing like the real thing.... Trees that is!

Oh No she is on that soap box again.... yes I guess I am. maybe it's a tree stand!!!
This time of year is bittersweet for me, while I love the holidays for the celebration of what the season is, and all the traditions and family. I am sick of all the nasty leftovers.
The wrapping paper is one thing, but I can't tell you how saddened I am every time I pass through a big box store and see the artificial forests set up in the Christmas area. All that plastic, made to look like a beautiful living forests.
Why? The common person would say that an artificial decoration would save a tree, well on the surface yes. One tree but the production of the artificial tree, the VOC off set and then the dumping it when it inevitably becomes too worn to use another year, poisons the air, the environment and takes up space in a land fill forever. Artificial trees are plastic, plastic is made from by products of petroleum. So with that said we saved 1 tree and did thousands of years worth of damage to the environment.Plastic is made of oil and is flammable so we must treat the "trees" with a flame retardant that is toxic to avoid it com busting. I know that many people fear the real tree fires but if the tree remains well watered and the lights on it are low heat and responsibly monitored this is very avoidable!
To support the view I am expressing here I offer this table from the National Christmas Tree Association
This goes deeper than just the green too. Think about the American farmers being employed by the production of real trees. Especially here in North Carolina. We are one of the biggest producers of Christmas Trees!
We are also reducing our dependency on oil but reducing the amount of plastics we use...which will by far be better for the economy and the nation!
So, I say... say no to artificial..... what are your options?
You can of course purchase a cut tree. This is a matter of preference. You can go to a lot and buy one, I would recommend finding out where the trees are grown and if pesticides or inorganic fertilizers are used.The best option is to find a farm that is sustainable across the board. Uses organic growing practices, grows a variety of native specias of trees (this helps to contribute to the native wildlife conservation), harvests the trees using minimal amounts of heavy equiptment and has a high return plant ratio,( this means that they plant more than one to one harvested trees) Often when a mature tree is harvested there is room to plant two smaller breeds) That might require a little research but there are resources available on the internet.
Another option is going to a farm and picking one out,you can see the practices first hand! I have a friend who has made this an annual tradition with her children. She loads up the van and drives to the NC mountains often staying overnight and enjoying the whole trip, she tops it off by visiting the same family owned tree farm every year, selecting a tree where it grows, harvesting it and brings it home. What a great memory her kids will have of that experience.
A potted tree is a good option too, Keeping the same tree for 5 years or so potted is safe for the tree, and good for you. As the tree grows it will eventually need to be planted but in the meantime you can enjoy it indoors for the breif holiday season and then return it to the outdoors.
One more way that we get a little more out of our real tree is, after the holidays we take our ornaments off the tree (if you use tinsel be careful to get all of it off) and lights and take the tree outside in the stand and return the favor. This is a gift to the animals (God's other creations, as my son puts it). Once the tree is clean of any artificial stuff we redecorate it. We straw twine and string popcorn and berries together and hang it on the tree. We use "imported" pine cones from my son's family on the coast and make the peanut butter birdseed feeders and hang them as ornaments on the tree. other "ornaments" include dried corn on the cob for the squirrels, various fruits and nuts...we top the tree with a filled bird feeder. It is a great tradition that the kids look forward to, and it is a great way to help the wildlife with food and shelter for a few weeks in winter. Once all the food is gone, we make sure there were no homes built in the branches and then the tree is chopped and composted.

Enjoy the sites and sounds and smells of the Winter holidays, and let me have the feed back!! What are your opinions , traditions and thoughts about the Tannenbaum?

TP your Christmas, and Roll into Reusing!

Hey all it has been a while since my last post and I want to apologize looks like the Holidays caught up with me.
I have been working on the article on indoor air quality and I will be posting that in early 2010.
I wanted to take advantage of the Holidays being here to post some things that are reliant to this time of year!

This post is dedicated to my nearly five year old daughter Addy. She is obsessed with the cardboard tube in the middle of the toilet paper roll. She will remove them from the dispenser and add them to a collection she has in a gift bag in her room, she does all sorts of things with them from making "Lincoln Logs" and building things to making puppets. When I say she is obsessed I mean it, she will take them from other peoples homes- she says, "Are you going to recycle this?" The usual answer is no- as most people don't even think about them being recycled they just toss them into the trash - where Addy rescues them! So in the interest of not having all of my in laws and neighbors now bringing my daughter TP rolls I am sharing some of her better ideas of what we can do to repurpose the TP roll! below are the ideas with instructions for doing things , crafts and practical ideas with Toilet Paper rolls.
This time of year she had some really amazing Christmas ideas!!

The Advent "Candle" wreath:
4 TP Rolls
1 side of a large cereal box
adhesive

We started by covering 4 rolls with the corresponding colors of the Advent(you can color with markers or glue construction paper around the tube). One Pink , One white and two purple. Addy traced a large circle on a cereal box and then a smaller one inside that one. We cut it out and that made the wreath shape, to make the wreath look green and full we shredded green scrape paper and attached it. Then we took each of the candles and placed them in the space appropriate, for the Sunday.

Nativity Scene
You need at least 3 tubes for this one but if you plan on making it more elaborate then save more.Mary Joesph and baby Jesus are the main attention so start buy making them. You want to clothe and swaddle your characters. You can use paper (reclaimed or construction or felt) Make the faces, and if you fill they won't stand up well with help you can secure the bottoms to a cereal box you have cut a base out of. You are essentially making puppets.(* You can also use the remaining box to make the stable- or if you have enough TP rolls make a "log" stable)

Christmas Light and Extension cord storage:
fold lights or extension cords end over end and push through the center of the tube the tube keeps the cords wound tightly and secure until you take it out to use it- NO MORE BALLS OF CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!
Candy or small gift containers
Roll the tubes in enough wrapping paper to go all the way around and extend about an inch at either end.Adhere the paper to the tube then twist and tie one end securely with pretty ribbon or twine. Fill with goodies and then twist and tie the other end.
This is a great way to wrap stocking stuffer or an inexpensive holiday party favor idea!!!
(greener version - use those odd pieces of paper scraps from wrapping or use newspaper, at our house we stamp news paper with holiday themed stamps and soy ink)
Stay tuned for more Greening your Christmas, Holiday ideas and as always if you try any of these ideas please post pic or comments letting me know what you thought. I would love some feed back too- what do you reuse your TP rolls for?

Green Halloween Costume Contest

Hey Halloween Goers
Did you make your costumes? Did you get one second hand or just use
what you had?
Send me your pictures of your green costume, explain what makes it recycled , up cycled or green in general- then send us a picture and be entered into a drawing for Soap Nuts laundry berries packet.
Contest ends at Midnight on October 31.
Winners will be be announced on November 2!

Post your pics here in the comments section. Good Luck

Baby Green: Choosing the "better" formula for your little one

I have to say that this is one of my longest researched blogs yet. In case you haven't figured it out I am a huge advocate of breast milk, but I also recognize that there is sometime circumstances where breast feeding solely or at all isn't an option. My own daughter Addy needed formula supplements to save her life, I wasn't producing enough milk to help her rid her body of Bili Rubin during her first weeks of life. I maintained sole breast feeding and she had her levels checked nearly everyday. ultimately though James and I chose to supplement her rather than see her continue to yellow and possibly do irreparable damage to her liver.
There are also those special couples who adopt and thus mothers milk isn't really physically possible. Some mothers have their miracles born too early and their milk never comes in, and there are those moms who just can't get the hang of it try as they may, it just becomes so tiresome and frustrating for them and baby.There are a number of really GOOD reasons why we need a quality choice in formula. This became most apparent to me during what I call a "God moment" this week,when my brother in law, a bachelor, brought me an orphaned kitten he had found. I had to purchase formula for an infant, though not of my species in order to keep it sustained and alive. It was sometime during one of the midnight feedings that it dawned on me that though I advocate breast milk, it truly is important to have a safe healthy alternative to breast milk sometimes.
I was researching the topic from the perspective of not being able to breast feed. What is important to me. Well obviously as close to breast milk as possible, organic, without any additives. I began with what I knew, the main stream brands and their organic options.
What do I mean by organic? A true organic formula whether it is milk to soy based must come from organic certified source ie organic soy beans or an organic cow (no hormone injections and a strict organic vegetable based diet), all the essentials added things like carrots for the beta carotene or other vegetables for fat and vitamin content must also be certified organic before becoming part of the formula. The process by which the formula is made must also be organic, meaning that nothing can be don chemically to alter the ingredients, heat and additives are all strictly monitored.
I was surprised to find that there are a lot of things I didn't know about formula. DHA is all the rage. So what is DHA - it is "fatty acid,that occurs naturally in breast milk.These long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are powerful enough to affect brain and eye development.They work in concert with other fatty acids which make up lipid bi-layers.These lipid bi-layers are found in every cell in the human body.They regulate proteins involved with signaling.The regulation and balance of lipids in these bi-layers is critical for proper cell signaling.Cholesterol is essential for s-acylation which activates and de-activates protein signaling.Disruption of this s-acylation by increasing the amount of unsaturation will have devastating consequences. in breast milk there is a natural regulation not fully understood by scientists". However, they found DHA in breast milk so they thought to add it to formula to make it "just like breast milk"

So we are going organic? UNTIL you get to the process of adding that magic accompaniment that makes the world believe that it is just like breast milk. I have learned that the process used to derive DHA is what I would consider to be "dirty", there is a number of ways but one of the most disturbing is to use bleach - yes bleach to break down the wall on the fat cell in order to extract the DH:,C. cohnii oil (algae) & M. alpina oil (fungus) used in some organic and conventional infant formulas,are treated with hexane solvent (a suspected neurotoxin), acid, and bleach. After reading a blog by Jenn Savedge,I started checking network news sources, like the Washington Post and I FLIPPED OUT! The really disturbing thing is that the FDA knows this and still allows some organics to carry the USDA seal.
I found a few formulas that are certified organic sealed and used nothing toxic extract DHA.A few but they are out there! I have posted a link, on my facebook page and will include in my newsletter,that compares the alternatives to these, this was a great list and included prices.
If organic isn't that important to you then a conventional formula may be your choice, I would recommend avoiding the DHA/ARA additives all together, as the process isn't guaranteed in the least.
Of Course, as anything these days price is one of our biggest concerns, so I also took a look at some of the generic and store brands too. A few of the big box stores have organic options, again I would opt for not getting the DHA/ARA to avoid unnecessary chemical exposures, if you choose to use even the organic store brands.
It comes done to this for me, if I have to use formula I would choose Natures One baby's Only Organic formula... they have organic certification disclose all ingredients and offer explanations for how they get the DHA in the formula. You may be concerned that they don't offer an infant formula, well the baby's only is nutritious enough for infants, it is a labeling tactic to encourage breastfeeding moms to stick to it for the first 12 months... but they told me that on their label - how is that for truth in advertising?
My best advice for any product is to avoid the green washing, find a product that discloses ALL it's ingredients and tells you in plain language how each additive is extracted,if a product is worth your time, trust and dollars then you are worth it enough to that company to be allowed to know what they are asking you to put into your body and the bodies of your family.

Baby Green: Bottles and BPA

If you know me then you know that the whole green thing only went to the next level in the last few years. I have learned more about my impact on the environment and more , since joining Chartreuse about the impact of the unnatural environment on my family.
Nearly everything we use has some sort of toxin in it. Our dishes, our clothes, most defiantly the products we use... but that is another blog.
This one is on BPA. What is that anyway? Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA, is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups. It is a dysfunctional building block of several important plastics and plastic additives. With an annual production of 2–3 million metric tonnes, it is an important monomer in the production of polycarbonate, or plastic. I could probably bore you more about how the process takes place and how it is not really stable, I can also mention that it has been suspected since the 1930's that it may be toxic to humans but I think you are reading this to try to learn how to avoid the 'bad bottles".
I want to add, before going into the proposed safe list that this isn't something I have just rounded out to sell products as recently as Aug. 6, 2007
ABC news reported that :
"A report published online last week by the journal Reproductive Toxicology warned that a chemical used to make a wide variety of plastic goods, including most baby bottles, may not be safe. It's called bisphenol-A, or BPA.

Tests involving lab rats and mice have shown that even small amounts of exposure to BPA can lead to a range of serious ailments, says professor Frederick vom Saal, a biologist at the University of Missouri who authored the report.

"Very low doses [of BPA] — below the amounts that are present in humans — when, particularly, exposure occurs in fetuses and newborns, you end up with those babies eventually developing prostate cancer, breast cancer. They become hyperactive.
They show learning impairment. It's a poster chemical for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," vom Saal said.
And it's in most of us: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found BPA in the urine of 95 percent of people it tested. (NINETY FIVE PERCENT..)

In the last two years, state lawmakers in California, Maryland and Minnesota have tried to ban BPA, without success.

California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma introduced a bill to ban BPA and although that provision was eventually removed, she hopes to bring it back."I think it's a very serious chemical," she said. "The science is in." ".
Until there is a national ban on BPA, like Canada and the UK have already done here in America we can only stay informed, ask questions and make the best of the choices given us.
The Boston Globe published this resource and round of Q&A
The state’s warning is precise for parents of children up to age 2: Avoid transparent (clear or colored) plastic containers or baby bottles with the recycling number 7 and the letters PC (which stands for polycarbonate); use glass or stainless steel instead. If plastics are still being used, parents should avoid heating those containers because that can increase the release of the chemical. They should also wash the containers by hand with warm water and soap, instead of placing them in dishwashers.

Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should also eat, or cook with, fresh or frozen products instead of canned foods that may contain BPA, to reduce fetal or infant exposure to the chemical, Condon said.

Some Answers to questions about BPA
How to avoid bisphenol A
Q. How do I know if a bottle has BPA in it?
A. Polycarbonate, the kind of plastic that contains BPA, is hard and clear. It may also be tinted. Look for a code on the bottom. If you see a number 7 recycling symbol, and the letters "PC", the bottle contains BPA. You should also avoid bottles with only the number 7; while not all contain BPA, most do.

Q. What should I use instead?
A. Glass or stainless steel bottles do not have BPA. There are also several kinds of plastic baby bottles that do not have BPA. However, studies on BPA-free products are too limited to recommend one product over another. Be sure you look at the bottom of the bottle and read the label carefully to make sure you are choosing a BPA-free bottle.

Q. What else can I do to protect my child?
A. Eat fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables instead of canned products (the lining contains BPA) if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. Do not heat food or drinks in polycarbonate plastic containers. You would be suprised where you find BPA.
Here are some BPA FREE baby bottles:
~Born Free makes BPA free and glass bottles.
~ Medela the champion among most breast feeding moms, offers BPA FREE bottles and pu,ping accesories.
~ Dr Brown's Natural GLASS bottles
~ Play tex drop ins are BPA free (but you know I absolutely don't advocate a disposable when there is an alternative.)
All of these are avaible at Target and Babies R Us as well as over the internet. There are less main stream brands - and I LOVE those as they actually have "lead the pack" and have been green and safe before the media rallied for safer products.
~ Green To Grow
~Wee Go baby bottles - these are glass with a rubbery sleeve to protect against breakage, The whole bottle is free of BPA, phthalates, PVC and polycarbonates. The bottle and sleeve can go into the dishwasher together for easy cleaning. The cap and ring should be hand washed, though.

On a side note - if you have children past bottle age and you are wondering about BPA - the answer is Yes there are risks of BPA in "sippies" to avoid that choose glass or stainless steel. Check out the stainless steel water bottle on www.greenlifecarolina.com . It comes in 2 different sizes and the smaller one is great for Toddlers.
Some additional recommended reading:

Baby Green : Breastfeeding

So, I have to say I was really surprised at the reaction that I got about my post on disposables.
I am proud to announce that I will be breast feeding baby number three.
Why breast feed? Well to start with , it is the design I mean mom comes equipt to do it. My doctor as well as most of the world's doctors state that breastfeeding is better for baby and mother. Your natural immunity is passed to your child through your milk.Studies are showing that not only are babies given moms immunities but they are also at lower risks for ear infections and recently I read for lukemia.Not to mention that mom's recovery time is quicker!
It's convenient.Always the perfect temperature. I have to say i know both sides of the fence on this one and I liked having to roll over pick up Addy and nurse her back to sleep while a peacefully dozed versed having to get up measure and heat water, mix test , feed burp... that was the case with TJ. I also liked not having to carry bottles around. Addy did take formula - she needed supplements.
I never had the problem of eating anything that didn't agree with Addy, I made sure that I had a lot of fluids and ate a well balanced diet but I never avoided any foods for the milks sake. Although, I always avoid alcohol I know that several moms have prepared for an evening out where they planned to have an adult beverage by pumping before going out for enough until they had metabolized the alcohol, and simply "pumped and dumped' the alcohol laced milk.
There is a lot of information out there on breastfeeding, I got the most help with Addy from other moms. I also got a great deal of encouragement from those moms. I think the best advice for a nursing mom is to join a support group, like Le Leche League. There are groups of moms that meet on a regular basis to discuss feeding, naturally.
I think that one of the best things about breast feeding is that sense of satisfaction that comes with knowing you are providing your babies nutrition, the bonding that takes place during nursing is absolutely amazing. I can't describe the feeling that I had looking down at my baby as she nursed and knowing that I was giving her something that no one else could.
What makes breastfeeding green you might ask? Well a few things, primarily to start breastfeed mothers forgo bottles most of the time, so the amount of plastic being produced for bottles is reduced, especially if the "drop in" disposable liners are avoided altogether, no plastic scoops. In exclusively breastfeeding moms aren't taking advantage milk based formulas, which come from obviously cows milk, a good 20% of green house gases come for the dairy farm industry, nursing inadvertent reduce green house gases.Not to mention the energy used to "harvest" the cows milk. Breast milk, always the the perfect temp required no energy, well no outside energy. You don't have to use electricity or natural gas to heat a bottle, no water or detergent that would pollute that water is used to clean the bottles. Then there is the poop factor,the issue of a breastfed versus formula-fed and the environment. When changing a diaper especially a cloth diaper, you know the difference! Breastfed baby’s waste is much easier to wash from a cloth diaper, as well as the odor is not nearly as bad. When considering the energy and water involved in washing cloth diapers, breast is definitely best!

I plan on writing next on bottle feeding, so what is the big deal with bottles these days anyway?Since having her and using the Avent brand bottles I have learned more about the dangers of plastics and how the constant heating and washing some brands of bottles can cause petro toxins , BPA that leach into the baby's milk and digestive systems. Rest assured though there are green options!

Baby Green

Greening the Homefront

As I began this blog, I have found it hard to write in a reporting, non emotional way. I am just not made that way. Everything that I talk about is something I care about, generally speaking they all fall under a few headers. Thus many of these posts will be combined with some of those things and my love of Green.

With that said, I have to start by telling you I used to be an Army wife. I wasn't cut out for that life and the reasons are many. I do however have a deep respect and heart for Military wives and husbands. I don't believe there is enough support for our soldiers but I know that the spouses of our service folks are truly unsung heroes. I have the pleasure of knowing a few. Among them are my sister in law, my former sister in law and my ex husbands wife (who is one of my dearest friends).
These women are amazing. All of them are away from their families at duty stations with their children, waiting on their husbands to return from war. They run their households with amazing efficiency, care for children , volunteer and still find time to make sure to write to and send care packages to their husbands. They all have exceptionally well kept homes, all awaiting a returning soldier.
It is lonely and sometimes an anxious life, being pregnant and sometimes bearing children alone.Most every winter they have at least one sick child, and even get sick themselves - never having relief. Missing a spouse who is doing something that not many would volunteer to do. All along being proud of who they are and knowing it is a calling.
So what does this have to do with green? Well I believe that as the holidays approach we are all looking for ways to give back. So I say. Why not treat a soldiers wife. Do a little something special for them - and keep it green!
Here are some ideas.....
Send a care package..
~ use a box that has already been used for something else..
~use your newspaper as packing material.
Now what to fill it with ?
~Some ideas are available on GreenLifeCarolina face book page (home keeping or personal care products for example) I promise that if you contact me about sending one of my products to a Service-person's spouse I will pay the shipping.
~A good book, one you have already loved, so something you found in a used book store... Not a new purchase we are talking Green here.
~A mug and a nice fair trade organic tea or coffee
~ Google Green gift ideas for more ideas

Another idea is to Commit to sending an email a week or an e-card. If you know them personally make a call just to see how they are doing.

Just some thoughts I have had this week on doing more on the home front. If you have any GREEN Ideas, drop me an email and I will be sure to give you credit in the blog post.

Hello world!

Just the first blog attempt, I am new to this so I ask that you bear with me as I am still learning. I want to say that my mission is to spread the news that going green is not only good for the environment but also for the health of your family and YOUR FINANCES.
I appreciate all those who will follow this blog and I look forward to feed back. I am an avid Greenie and am excited to share what I know, if you have questions in the topic of greenlife just ask and I promise to blog on it.
Please comment and come back to read the next blog.
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