Weekly Action List

Vegan Clothing

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 07:27:51 +0200

Few people today own or even wear real furs. These articles of clothing have fallen out of usage as a sign of high class and fashion and are now strongly looked down upon. People who are trying to achieve the old time upper class look can use a wide range of faux-fur products that are readily available. What about the rest of our clothing, how cruelty free are they?

A visit to any shoe department in nearly any store in the entire world will give you a glimpse at how much leather is involved in shoe wear for the average consumer. While it is possible to find shoes that contain no leather whatsoever, they are in the strong minority amongst the possible purchasing options. The same can be said for wallets and to a lesser extent purses. It is still considered high class to have animal skin rather than natural fibers.

Leather jackets have thankfully dwindled in popularity over the years, with only brief reprises in both male and female fashion. The availability of imitation leather jackets has further decreased the amount of leather required by the clothing industry. Unfortunately there is still quite a market for them, as can be evidenced by their appearance in nearly any department store in existence.

While silk can be considered nominally a byproduct of an animal rather than an animal itself, the fact remains that in normal silk production the animal has to be killed to harvest the product. The reason is because once the silk worms start to pupate into moths they secrete and enzyme that will destroy the silk threads, so they are usually boiled alive to prevent this from happening. Up to five hundred silk worms are killed to produce one kilogram of silk.

Down jackets, pillows and blankets are another source of animal products invading our lives unnecessarily. Not only are these products incredibly expensive compared to natural fiber alternatives; they are quite delicate and have to be replaced often. While down can be plucked from Geese and Ducks without killing them, but it is an intolerably painful and cruel practice.

Alternatives to these products are quite common, usually look just as good and are generally quite a bit less expensive. Cloth wallets, imitation leather jackets, nylon shirts and cotton blankets will all do the required job just as well, if not better, than the animal based products without having to hurt any animals in the process.

Silk lovers are in even more luck because people that abhor killing in any variety have produced a cruelty-free variety in India for hundreds of years. This “Tussah” silk is harvested from wild silk worms as they leave the cocoon, leaving the worm in peace afterwards.

Green Road Trip

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 08:29:08 +0200

With the increasingly high cost of air travel the road trip is an inevitable part of modern human existence. It is likely that you either have taken one this year or you will by the end of it. Whether it is for vacation, work or just exploration chances are you will travel for at least four hours straight. If you absolutely cannot travel on public transportation for this voyage there are a number of ways you can reduce your carbon footprint throughout the entire journey.

Perhaps the simplest and most effective way to reduce your fossil fuel usage during the trip is to make sure to always go the speed limit. The amount of time saved while speeding is inconsequential, especially when you take the added time of fill ups and possible traffic tickets into consideration. The fuel usage difference between traveling at 55 mph and 65 mph is usually around 15%, and this number tends to increase exponentially as you travel over 75 mph. Since your car is likely not geared for these high speeds the fuel usage can be quite extreme at high speeds.

Ensuring that your car is well maintained can also dramatically reduce your fuel usage. Improperly inflated tires can reduce fuel economy by another 15% all by themselves. Fouled spark plugs, old oil and dirty air filters can not only rob performance but quite a bit of economy. Of course ensuring your breaks are in proper order is just good common sense before a long trip

Another one of the high waste areas in road trips is in packaging for food and drinks. You can save yourself quite a bit of money, as well as a much needed boost to your health by packing your own snacks of homemade sandwiches, fruits and cut vegetables. Not only do you skip out on the fabulously unhealthy road trip fare of chips and candy, you also prevent the excessive packaging of those foods from ending up in a land fill, or worse the side of the road. Bringing your own water in a reusable container can save money and packaging as well.

Bringing your friends along can help defray the cost of fuel and keep you from getting bored on the long hours of driving. Doubling up on your hotel can also keep costs down and cut energy usage for heating, air conditioning and lighting. Sharing the drive is also quite a bit safer because there is less risk of driver fatigue in between rest areas and hotels.

Don’t Smoke Around Your Pets

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:19:46 +0200

The effects of second hand smoke on other people, especially children, has been well documented and disseminated in recent times. The risks involved with being near people who are smoking are serious indeed; cancer, respiratory illness, asthma, not to mention the terrible smell that can cling to you. While even the most pronounced smoker would think twice about smoking around small children, some people do not show the same courtesy to their companion animals.

At the greatest risk of harm from living with smokers are house cats. Because of their particular grooming habits significant volume of carcinogens can be ingested while they keep themselves clean. This translates directly into an unacceptable risk of mouth cancer and lymphoma. Tobacco smoke is also an allergen for most cats which can lead to runny eyes and symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection. Because cats tend to spend most of their time around the people in their house rather than outside they tend to show signs of these illnesses rather quickly.

Birds are highly sensitive to any sort of pollutants in their environment. Even a casual smoker who has birds may notice that the birds tend to catch pneumonia with alarming regularity. Lung cancer usually follows for these poor creatures.

Dogs who are exposed to tobacco smoke generally come down with either nose or lung cancer. Because they tend to go with their humans in the car most dogs in smoking households get another dose even when outside the house. Dogs with large or long noses have a large surface area for carcinogens to accumulate over time. This can lead to respiratory distress and difficulty breathing. Small and medium sized dogs that have shorter noses tend to catch lung cancer because the nose is not as efficient at filtering out the smoke before it can reach the lungs. Typically these dogs will live for less than a year after showing signs of the illness.

Evidence has been long in coming regarding the effect of smoking around fish tanks, but preliminary tests are showing that tobacco smoke raises the ammonia levels in the fish tank. There is also some evidence that suggests that the nicotine in the particulates that land on the water can raise the acid in the tank to dangerous levels.

The good news is that all of these are one hundred percent preventable. In at least this one respect treat your pets as you would any other member of your family and do not smoke around them. If you simply must smoke just make sure to do it outside of your home and car.

Cooking Oil

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:03:01 +0200

Cooking with oil may not seem the healthiest choice, but certain dishes just simply cannot be done without it. There are ways of making this addition healthier though. The choice you make when it comes to which oil you cook with can have a dramatic consequence on not only the taste of the finished product but also the amount and type of fats and any unexpected pesticides.

Cooking oils are generally hydraulically pressed from various plants, nuts and vegetables. They can either be bottled at this point or they can be further refined to cook at specific temperatures. Some, such as Canola, is even cross bred to limit natural toxins in the Rapeseed it is pressed from. While this means you are indeed consuming an all natural plant based product, anything that went into the growing of the initial crop also passes through into the oil.

We all know the importance of organic fruits and vegetables in our daily life. The avoidance of genetically modified organisms, harsh pesticides and chemical fertilizers has gone a long way towards a healthier life. This is why it is very important to make sure that the oil you put into all that organic food is also pesticide free. Several major brands of organic oil have been showing up in both health food stores and regular grocery stores lately.

Spectrum sells nearly every variety of it's cooking oils in both conventional and organic varieties. They clearly label each bottle with the intended heat and use of each particular type of oil, so you can have a bit of fun experimenting.

Omega Nutrition has a simple selection of cooking oils available, all of which are certified organic.

If you are partial to Coconut Oil then I recommend Garden of Life's Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil. Not only is it naturally trans-fat free, because it is extra virgin you will be pleased with the wonderful aroma of fresh coconuts every time you use it.

It's important to keep in mind that every ingredient you cook with is just as important as all of the others. To get ever close to the goal of 100% organic every ingredient has to be scrutinized, even down to the oil.

Recycled Office Paper

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 21:01:55 +0200

The idea of the paper free office is quite appealing but it seems also unreachable. More and more paper is being used every day in offices all around the world. The majority of this paper is made from wood pulp from mills and once used it is effectively destroyed.

We all know the benefits of recycling paper, but the real trick is that if we do not then purchase recycled products it was all a bit of a waste of time. When you next go out to buy paper for your printer, copier or fax try to hunt around for recycled. The thing to look for is called "Post-Consumer Content" or "Post-Consumer Waste" depending on where you live. That percentage is what is actually recycled in your paper. Everything else is just wood chips. The higher Post Consumer Content in your recycled paper the better.

The other thing to look for is Chlorine-free paper. Chlorine is a noxious and harmful chemical that is used to not only give paper it's white sheen but to remove traces of wood fiber that cause the paper to yellow in the sun. Fortunately there are alternatives that produce nearly identical results. There are two categories of chlorine-free, "Totally Chlorine-Free" and "Environmentally Chlorine-Free". The difference is that totally chlorine-free paper is bleached using no chlorine whatsoever, while environmentally chlorine-free means that a chlorine derivative was used in the bleaching. Environmentally chlorine-free is better than regular paper, but it can still result in chlorine byproducts in the environment.

Recycled paper is typically classed as "Processed Chlorine-Free" which means they did not use any chlorine when they recycled the paper down to pulp, but the original paper may or may not have contained Chlorine. It is nearly impossible to buy recycled paper that is guaranteed to be chlorine-free down to it's original manufacturing.

These are all imperfect solutions to a very real problem and it is one that we can only solve by changing our own personal and business habits. Sending an e-mail of a scanned page instead of a fax or double checking to make sure you have the layout right before you copy it fifty times can cut down on paper usage much more than recycling ever can. In the mean time, don't forget to check that post consumer waste percentage.

Natural Lipstick

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:30:05 +0200

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Urban Gardening

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:28:51 +0200

One of the hardest things to obtain in most modern cities is fresh fruits and vegetables. Chances are when they are available they cost many times more than if you were to purchase them in a rural or even suburban location. The benefits of eating fresh and local are many so we simply endure the hassle and expense. While it is great to support these enterprising individuals who provide this needed service to city dwellers they are not your only avenue.

Growing your own fruits and vegetables can be not only very relaxing and inexpensive, it can go a long way towards lowering your carbon footprint and increasing your health. It is relatively common these days for people who enjoy cooking to have their own herb gardens if they have no garden space. People in the know realise that the taste from fresh cut herbs is far and away above store bought shakers. The same principle applies to other plants as well. You may be able to obtain a great tasting tomato every once and a while from your local grocery store, but they literally pale in comparison to the bright red juice bombs you'll be able to grow in a simple window box.

The secret to planning your own urban garden is to re imagine the space that you are using. Any roof access or rooms that receive an above average amount of sunlight should be seized at all costs. All of those little knickknacks you have stored on your window sills? They need to move, this is valuable farm land now. While most plants will prefer to spend most of their time outside if at all possible, it is likely you will start all of your seeding inside. If you have animals living in your house it may take some creative rearranging to prevent damage, but they eventually will get used to the sudden influx of plants now living in your house.

If you are very lucky your local grocery store may have seedlings available for a small fee. This is a great way to jump start your garden and see if you have the patience, time and dedication making your own food supply requires. Once you get the hang of things seed packets should be widely available in nearly any hardware or grocery store.

There are some types of food that will grow much better in restricted environments than others. Planting a row of corn in a planter box will work, but the results may be disappointing. It would be much more productive to use that space for green beans, tomatoes or lettuce. Obtaining a book on container gardening will give you some great insight on which are viable and which are not, depending on your individual circumstances. It is likely you will not be able to grow every type of plant you may want, but chances are some of your friends and neighbors have more favorable conditions and a barter system can be arranged for the crops that grow well with you.

The Ins and Outs of Spatulas and Spoons

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:50:25 +0200

Plastic cooking utensils have grown increasingly popular over the years because of their attractive looks and their ability to be used on non-stick surfaces. Typically they are easy to clean and last quite a long time. On the surface they are nearly the perfect compliment to the modern kitchen.

Unfortunately convenience usually comes with a price, and this is no exception. The plastic in the objects themselves is, generally speaking, inert and does not give off any odors. In the practical sense however these tools comes into regular and continuous contact with high temperatures and varying levels of acidity. Prolonged exposure and improper manufacturing can lead to chemicals leeching into your food.

The primary culprit is Polyamide. It is used because of it's sturdiness and ability to stand up to high temperatures, and seems well suited to the task. The problem is that Polyamide is made with another chemical known as MDA to increase it's rigidity under high heat, so your spatula does not wobble on the skillet. MDA is classified as a category two carcinogenic and is obviously not what anyone would choose to put in their food.

All plastic cooking utensils regardless of how they are made are safe to use until they reach a maximum temperature. Unfortunately they are not labeled with this information and the temperature can easily be exceeded, leading to melted tools that smoke and leave a harsh odor. Simply breathing this in can lead to unacceptable levels of exposure to dangerous chemicals.

Next time you are cooking try skipping the plastic cookware and go back to wood. Not only are they made from a renewable resource they also do not leach any harmfull chemicals into your food, providing you buy untreated wood of course. The results are suprisingly good compared to plastic and they last quite a long time. If youa re concerned about germs staying on the tools simply wash them with a bit of white vinegar to completey sanitize them. Discoloration of the wood is normal and should not effect the color and taste of your food in any way.

If you are uncomfortable using wooden tools for any reason metal ones work very well, providing you do not use them on non stick pans. If you choose to use these type be sure to only buy stainless steel tools so that you don't replace one leeching chemical for another.

Natural Tampons

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:48:38 +0200

Traditional cotton or cotton blend tampons come with more than meets the eye on the ingredients. The usual product that cotton is blended with is Rayon, a wood fiber based material that is heavily treated with chemicals.

Cotton itself is typically grown with the extensive use of pesticides and herbicides, in fact it is stated that nearly 50% of all agricultural chemical sprays are used by the cotton industry alone. This downward spiral usually results in reduced yield because of chemical resistant insects and weeds, which lead to more chemical use. Not all of these can be washed off of the cotton either, some merely sit inert until they encounter moisture.

To compound this problem the resulting cotton is then bleached to a sharp gleam adding yet more chemicals. Bleach in nearly any environment will eventually break down into dioxin, which can build up in our bodies over time. Dioxin has been linked through studies to cause uterian damage as well as being a potential carcinogen. Because of the repeated contact that invariably will happen with regular use the levels in a persons body can get high enough to become dangerous.

Fortunately organic cotton tampons are treated with no chemicals during the growth or processing stage and are left with a beautifully unbleached color. Studies have been shown that 100% cotton tampons reduce the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrom compared to Rayon blends, and because of the absence of chemicals in the organic variety the risk is bound to be lower still.

Any good health food store or natural food store is sure to have a great variety of organic cotton tampons to choose from.

Phantom Load

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:02:06 +0200

When the lights go off at your house for the night your electricity
meter is still hard at work, chugging along counting all of the wasted
Kilowatts being used by sleepless machinery. This is called a phantom
load. While some of this electricity usage is unavoidable, such as
with your refrigerator, most of it is simply not necessary. It has
been estimated that as of the year 2000 the average house consumed
roughly 1.5 Kilowatt hours per day in standby power. The Department of
Energy estimates yearly standby power usage to equal 64 million
Megawatt Hours, or roughly the equivalent to eighteen power plants.

Of course phantom loads exist in the daytime as well. All of your
mobile phone chargers, dvd players, computers, televisions, cable
boxes and even the clocks on your stove are constantly drawing power
whether they are being used or not. If you inspect the power bricks
that come with your electronics and feel that it is hot to the touch
when plugged in, that is an indication of it's power consumption.
Notice that they are still quite hot even when not used. Most cell
phone charges will draw just as much power whether they are charging
your phone or not.

In some countries it is common for all wall plugs to have power
switches to ensure that electricity is only being used when you want
it to be. Unfortunately the United States is not one of those
countries, so we have to come up with our own methods. The most
obvious idea would be to simply unplug everything when it is not being
used. This would of course become quite unwieldy in a normal sized
house with multiple outlets in every room, not to mention the added
wear and tear on the cords themselves over time.

The most practical solution then becomes power strips that can be
switched off when not in use. This gives the advantage of being able
to disconnect several devices at the same time with a flick of a
switch, with the added benefit of surge protection on all of your
expensive equipment. The danger is however that since these devices
have so many plugs they tend to be overloaded. It is still not a bad
idea to unplug something when it is not being used so you can plug in
something you need rather than use up all six power slots
unnecessarily.

Companies such as Wattstopper in the U.S. and Sava Socket in the U.K.
are bringing in new products to help automate the power usage in your
home by either automatically detecting if the device has entered
standby mode or through the use of occupancy detectors. Smart plugs
test the average load of a device and if it drops by 60% the plug is
shut down, preventing needless idle usage. Occupancy sensors will turn
lights in and around your home on or off depending on if anyone is
actually in the room. The days of Dad walking around the house
wondering why the lights are on when no one is in the room has passed.

The unfortunate fact is that short of turning off the power to our
house at the street every night, likely we'll never be able to
completely eliminate our standby power usage. We can however
dramatically decrease the amount we use by simply denying power to the
offending products. Going one step further when you are in the market
for a new electronic device inquire with the manufacturer exactly how
much standby power is used and buy according to the lowest use. You
can be sure if they received enough of these types of calls the
average use along their entire product line would come down.