Plastic State of Mind....

Bring your own don't you forget dude
And let your reps know too
Ban single use plastic toxic bags!

It's your choice....

You may want to Opt out of the Yellow pages deliveries or not. For something I didn't know that the yellow pages are made from recycled newspapers and residual chips, the unusable pieces of wood that are cut off at the lumber mill when they are cutting the logs.... they all so use vegetable-based inks and eco-friendly adhesives as not to pollute the ground water

They also have a link to how to recycle your old book...

Earth hour

World Wildlife Fund's global initiative where individuals, schools, organizations, businesses and governments turn off their lights for one hour to make a stand  on climate change.
Last year over 80 million people (just in the US) 4000 cities, 87 countries turned off their lights for a hour.  Earth hour.

This year Earth Hour  is March 27 at 8:30 PM local time for a hour people will turn off their lights for a hour.  Places like The city of Cleveland,  Goddard School, government buildings, and Cleveland State University in my area. Places like Mount Rushmore, The space Needle, and even the Empire State Building! Musicians Linkin Park, Alanis Morissette, Coldplay, Wynonna Judd, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Lady Antebellum, Finger Eleven, Simple Plan, The Veronicas and Rise Against also turned off their lights.



 I have to work........... We close at 8:30, so we do turn off the non-essential lights for the most part.  But I work be at work for the hour.  The girls forgot last year so we did it when I got home a  half a hour late, but did it for a full hour. Candles and no TV.  The sky was cloudy but we still just went in the mud room and looked at the sky.  Not to many people on our block turned off the lights..... sad.

Join me by signing up for Earth Hour
Join me in sending a message to the world that the time for action. It doesn't cost you anything. In fact it may save you money. 

Are you turning off our lights for Earth Hour? Are you planing anything special?
It's my dad's birthday his cake candles will light up the room..... giggles....

I am craving sweets

I have tried to cut out or down the amount of high-fructose corn syrup we eat. This has NOT been easy to do.... Because so many items have HFCS in them.  Things you never thought they would be in like ketchup, salad dressings, yogurts, breakfast cereals,  pancake syrups,  juices (even the one marked real juice)  cookies, gum, jams, jellies, baked goods and barbecue sauce. We have heard and know that things like soda and  bottled drinks have  HFCS in them.  So we have been reading the labels when shopping.... The girls are  help too.  They also noticed that some items have corn syrup listed.  But I tell them that it's the high-fructose part that worries me for the chemical process to make a fake syrup that our bodies don't know how to digest is the problem.  You know the eat only what your great-grandmother would recognize! My grandmother used corn syrup for candy making.  But we try to find a brand with corn syrup for the most part.  Karo has been around since 1903 so I guess that is in my great-grandmothers time..... 
  I have reading things including a few blog posts on thoughts of  high-fructose corn syrup and learning more then I thought i knew about it.  It cheap to make and is very sweet.  It is sweeter than sugar making it easy to produce because they can use less and have a very sweet taste. I also learned of lab test that use high-fructose corn syrup and cells.  The cell became fat cells after a diet of high-fructose corn syrup.  hummm.  Or the fact doctors noticing that it play a big role in accelerate bone loss,  high cholesterol,  hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.  It is also said that men are more at risk then women but we women also have the issue that HFCS will mess with our hormones.  Between the food we eat and the hormone we take to prevent pregnancy we really should be careful how we affect our hormones. In my opinion.
So just like a junkie needing a fix I have really have had a sweet tooth lately.  Can it be from the withdraw of high-fructose corn syrup? Well I am learning new ways to cure that craving.

We have found that Welch's juices are HFCS free, well not the frozen punch type.
Simply Fruit from Smuckers which at first the girl said it tasted different but now love the taste and think that regular jellies and jams are way to sweet.  But my beautiful cousin and wonderful aunt has made fresh jams and preserves for us too.  yummmy.   And more important to the vegetarian Jif peanut butter but still concerned about rapeseed oil..... might be looking for a different peanut butter...
But hey they got a sugar coated breakfast cereal and told me hey it doesn't have HFCS..... hey sugar was the second ingredient and had 11 grams of sugar, but hey it's  high-fructose corn syrup free! LOL Not sure I am pleased but it has only one bowl per girl gone..... so I guess that they had a taste.  Oatmeal is slowly replacing cereal... no HFCS  there. But more important better for us. They really ask is it ok to add a little brown sugar? How is that healthier?  I tell them that the sugar adds to the taste and is far less sugar then most  sugar coated breakfast cereal.  I know if I remove all the sweet items they would want more and eat the worst... oh the fun!

What items have you changed to remove the  high-fructose corn syrup from your table????

The Junk Mail Magic Words: "please do not rent, sell, or trade my name or address"

This morning I been reading some eco-friendly sites and found my self at Eco-cycle. I found some information about removing my name from list for junk mail.

first thing you can do is to sign up with a remove your name organization DMA.  Print there form here.  It only cost a dollar! however the mail addressed to “resident” or “occupant” cannot be stopped through the DMA. Like the ads for the stores in your area.

Any time you fill out a form including the warranty cards cards. Include the Magic words: "please do not rent, sell, or trade my name or address" Oh no I did just fill out on line 2 warranties........ guess I have to go with the other ideas if my name has been sold..... Plus you don't have to fill out anything more than the name address and product information on the card.

Call the 1-800 numbers to stop catalogs. Some where usually by the address of the company is a 1-800 number for customer service. Call that number and ask for your name to be removed form the list.

If you see anything like this on the mail:
* return service requested
* forwarding service requested
* address service requested
* change service requested.

You can return to the company with "refused, returned to sender" written on the unopened envelope.

Granted there are companies out there that will charge you to help get your name off the lists, but I really don't keep the junk mail to be able to fill out the forms. They are shredded and put in the recycling bin or compost pile. Plain paper no shinny paper can be shredded and put int he compost pile. Add like you would the yard waste.

Then I see how to get my name removed from the phone book list... Cool! A little to late this year but I can do this for next year. Oh yea and the Verizen book will be coming soon......... I don't know why I get the Verizen book but I get like 3 phone books..

* DEX: 1-877-243-8339
* Yellow Book: 1-800-929-3556 -- renew every two years
* Verizon: 1-888-266-5765

Thinking of a green Yule tree idea for next year

With all the articles and even some blog posts about the eco-friendly holiday tree; I am thinking of trying something different next year. I have been told that next year I will have a empty nest. Well I have been told that for years now, but Miss Animal Rights is in her twenty's and is talking marriage to the  The Tech... Who is talking moving in together.
Many green sites have had the debate of a real tree VS a fake tree.  Real trees are a pain with all the needles falling off and this year because of the crawling little one, no way.  Many of the fake trees or artificial trees are made from PVC. PVC (polyvinyl chloride)—know as vinyl, as well as “a poison plastic" can cause problems with breathing and may even cause cancer. Because they break down and are know to release  mercury, dioxins, and phthalates.  This can cause many problems with our bodies. One thing being infertility problems and Miss Animal Rights wants babies.  Smiley has one but might want more; too soon to tell he is only 8 months old.    I do have a artificial tree and have to tell you that I find that very scary. 

So few of the green sites; would direct you to trees that are not made with PVC. They cost more money then I can spare.  Which isn't much. Many half of what  I make in a week. DO they sell them at Goodwill? That is where I got many of my gifts this year, partly because it is green but mostly because I was short on income. There was fake trees that where more eco-friendly made with safe plastics.   The ornament tree was almost like a mug tree and you would hang your ornaments on the end of the sticks.  Ok.  Then I saw the beer bottle tree, ladder (ok, maybe do-able...)  and the neon tree.  These are the trees that are usually sent in a email, sorry I can't find the sites,but this is Curbly with just a few.
Oh I can't forget the blow up tree........... ok yea I can. Too many animals and I couldn't look at it with a straight face. A blow up tree.
   Suggestions to real trees that you rent or replant outside after the season. Of course they caution you that this isn't in all areas that the colder regions might not be able to do this for the tree will die. I live in Ohio... Can't plant a tree in January with snow on the ground most of the time.  Rosemary bushes look like mini holiday trees. Ok if I could find one I might do that....... but with all the animals in the house the Rosemary will become a chew toy.; Psycho cat has destroyed more than a couple plants...She loves to chew on them... . where the others have used them for the little box and dumped it over to kill the roots.... Snapped roots don't make it back to live.

    I can't find it now; maybe it was a crazy dream after surfing the web late the other night, I find a kinda cool easy to do and very green idea for a holiday tree.  I swear it was from one of the blogs here that I follow but I can't find it again. The blogger borrowed the tree from a neighbor that made a sculpture from fallen branches and wood. Just add your ornaments and tinsel. But I like the pearls from the ladder, I do have a string kinda like what that I use on my death tree now. So I have 50 some weeks to fiqure it out............ I have looked for that site for 2 days now but I think I will just go with my own memory.

Animal fat in Fabric Softner........... Eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwww

So reading tonight I find out that Dryer sheets have toxic chemicals including Benzyl Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, camphor, Chloroform and Linalool. Plus they are made with tallow. Miss Animal Right Girl will flip when she finds out that her dryer sheets are made with tallow! Animal fat all over her clothes. I know dryers are not the greenest thing to use for your clothes but I do live in Northeastern Ohio. Hanging clothes in the snow may not work to well and the basement is cold. I do however have a economy sitting and we finish drying our clothes on hangers.

They say to ad a 1/2 a cup of vinegar in your rinse cycle. Which I do......... I also have dryer balls. I like what the dryer balls do for the towels and blankets. But Miss Animal Rights says it does NOT get her clothes soft like it does with the dryer sheets (and she likes the smell!) and get that look, and then she tells me: if you want me to use the dryer less. Give me the dryer sheets so my clothes are not stiff as boards. Ok compromising works well with my daughter..... then again she has learn to turn around on me!!!
So off to find frugal dryer sheets. For the vegan dryer sheets run $5 for 32 sheets. Then I saw 100% wool dryer balls... hummm but with both off us having allergies to wool I think we will pass......... . Ad a few drops of fragrant essential oil to small cloth, she like the smell but not sure she would be happy with how soft the clothes are........... Same with the herb dryer sachet bags. Just put some herbs in a bag. Tie closed and dry with clothes.

So then I find a recipe....
Make your own fabric softener: 6 c. water; 3 c. vinegar; 2 cups hair conditioner (eco friendly that you like smell of); Mix; put teaspoonful amount on WET washrag (or same size cloth) & put in with clothes to be dried; 1 bottle should last you a year!

Or this idea with eco- friendly liquid fabric softener: pour the softener onto a washrags/squares & let it dry. Use same as the throwaways........... yea sounds like her type of project......... easy and quick plus she gets her great smell with softening..........


Plus I found a product called the Static Eliminator that is on sale at the health food stores around here that is suppose to get rid of static and is reusable for 100's of uses.. the softness and static removal is in the weave of the cloth. No chemicals used ......... well I have to learn more about it or if it is ever on sale for a good price.....

Semi green with a happy daughter and a happy mother, not bad for a nights work.......... Thank-you Yahoo................ my search is complete!!!

Getting Ready for Halloween

I love Halloween! The costumes, the candy, and the parties that make Halloween my favorite holiday of all. But how can a green momma make this eco-friendly? I have thought and fought this for many years.

The costume is the most fun thing for a small child. It also can be the biggest fight. See rows and rows of plastic I want that costumes at the big stores is my biggest fight. I hated those things when I was a kid. The mask would get all gross from me breathing in to the mask. The plastic would feel weird and shift making it hard to walk. So not because I was green it was because I had girls that hated the feel of labels in their clothes let alone the seams on the socks. I would make costumes from old clothes and adding some wonderful accessories.

We had princesses with fancy dress that they didn't like to wear to school because they were too puffy. Add some necklaces and a crown that we made from a headband or got from the dollar store. Now being jeans and t-shirt people, we had hippies with this outfit very easily. One daughter loved ballet so she was a ballerina. She wore her Tu-Tu, tights and leotard and became a ballerina. Cowgirls was easy too. A flannel shirt from Dad and jeans with a cowboy hat. They got to carry a rope and a play gun. A black cat was a favorite costume. I made ears from black fuzzy material. Very easy to do. Cut triangles from the back and pink for the inside. Sew together leaving the bottom open. Stuff with fiberfill. Sew bottoms to a heavy plastic hair headband the type with a open end. Sew the bottom of this tight to the hair band.......... She get to wear black sweat pants and a black sweatshirt. Ta Da. She was also a dog one year with long ears but that was something her grandparent found for her at the store....

I have my favorite too. I fall back on being a gypsy! I wear a flowing top with a big skirt add a shawl. Add a bunch of necklaces and I become a gypsy. I really like the bohemian look to this day. So it isn't to hard for me to pull this off. I can't wear a shirt or a head-cover. So I am going to wear a pair of black pants and flowing shirt I got from Good Will.

Really! This is Worst then Greenwashing!

The debate on plastic bags and reusable bags rages on. The latest crazy thing is that plastic is healthier for you. Canada's Environment and Plastics Industry Council found high levels of yeast, molds and bacteria in some reusable bags they tested. The key word here is Plastics Industry Council because their message was that plastic bags where better for you because they are disposable. Hummmm. Now many scientists and professors of leading science department here in the USA are saying Yea, germs grow on a lot of things.. like every surface can have germs, yeast, mold or bacteria. Then it is also been reported that some of the "reusable bags" they tested where diaper bags. With used diapers in them, oh yea you will find some fecal matter if you really want to find it. People used the reusable bags for gym clothes and other items... Yes if used as grocery bags; meat and produce can leave behind some nasty things that are fungus, germs and bacteria. So it is a better bet to use your grocery bags for just groceries. your gym bag for just gym clothes and Please your diaper bags for baby items, and throw away the used diapers in the trash cans.
Ok I work with the public and guess what many people shop while sick, heck many people come to work sick. In this economy many people have to work sick, that the bags being set on the checkout counter can expose them to germs. Using the cashiers pen can expose you to germs. Germs are everywhere. The best protection is of course hand washing! And not the anti-bacterial soaps because those kill the good bacteria we need. It has been proven that these soaps don't kill more than the regular soaps. But can harm us by not letting our bodies develop anti-bodies to fight infections and the flu.

Ok back to reusable bags........... So I guess That some common sense
needs to be used with reusable bags.......... I have to admit I have stopped purchasing bags from the store; the ones with their logo, most are made with recycled plastic bags. This could be a great thing but not for bags that get regular washings. Many washings that is. They begin to pill and break down. I have had seams rip. My favorite bags are Ecobags; the string bags, because they are easily washed with my laundry and are small enough to fit in my pocket even thought I just sling it over my shoulder. Plus they come in many different colors.

One thing I learned from many of my customers at the warehouse club was that a cooler can hold your meat perfect for you. I very rarely purchase meat anymore but when I do I use a cooler. Yes no bag but when I get to the car I have a cooler for the cold items. Easily washed after each use. I have forgot the cooler and yes I have gotten a store plastic bag, gasp; for my meat. But then that bag becomes the trash bag liner for the bathroom. Yes I use a liner in the kitchen and bathroom. If you are a woman or live with a young woman; you know why the bathroom is one place you should have a liner....

Remember to throw your reusable bags in the washing machine with your jeans or anything that geta heavy duty washing. Many sites tell you to use bleach but I don't bleach my clothes, only with a non-chlorine bleach some times. Add some borax to the wash load. Borax is a booster for your detergent, stain remover, deodorizes and is anti-fungal. Many times can be used as a substitute for non-chlorine bleach. But my daughter loves her non-chlorine bleach for her clothes.

I feel for Canada's Environment and Plastics Industry Counci, really must be hard to try to hang on to a job you might lose if most of Canada turns eco-friendly. But hey maybe they could figure out how to make something useful out of the plastic in their country. Picket fences like Ed Bagely Jr has in his front yard, plastic wood for decks..... guess they don't see the big picture.

look what I found!!

I went shopping at Walmart the other day and found a couple of Aluminum Water Bottles that are bottles are recyclable, BPA free and very cool! They where only 4 dollars a piece. Beats the 12 dollar a piece price at most online places. I took them on a drive from home to Columbus and back in one day. Yea it wasn't fun. But it keep the drinks cool enough for me, well the daughter had hers empty before Columbus. They are also dishwasher save but I don't have a dishwasher... They came with a hook that you can hook it to your backpack or purse. It not that small hook but the large hook that the side pushes in for a wide belt can fit, haha speaking from experience.
The two I got where the designs, they also had a blue and red. The online site only shows assortments that you have to buy together where my store had them separate Say what you want about Walmart but they do have some good deals at times!

Has ubber green gone to far?

So as you can tell by my last post I have been surfing the net and reading many of my favorite green sites. I have been seeing to many things that are just plain shocking, leaving me to wonder has the ubber green followers gone to far?

First thing that really made me go huh? was potty whispering or know as elimination communication (EC). Basically this is a practice of talking to your baby as they are pooping or wetting their diaper. AND using the babies tell signs of "going potty" to hold your child over the toilet as to help them understand where you want them to go. That basically the baby doesn't want to mess their diaper they want to go to the potty. Hummm I agree that babies aren't stupid but then I really don't believe they are thinking that they don't want a diaper on. Are they really thinking I have to go, are they thinking I want to go or just yes thank-you parent person for removing my soiled diaper. You see this helps with limiting the number of diapers used, less landfill and less cloth diapers that have to be washed. This will save 15-20% of the approximately 27.4 billion disposable diapers used in the US.... but really? Isn't this another thing to attack the already shaky psyche of a new parent specifically the mother? What your 6 month old doesn't go diaper free part time? You DON"T potty whisper?? GASP!
Confused? The basics of potty whispering is watch and put over a toilet. So you watch your baby try to learn their signs of when they use their diaper. You can basic tell when they are using their diaper by watching, learn their natural rhythms and by instinct. hummm I know at times I thought oh nice the little one is making a stinky diaper for grandma but it ends up that they just had gas. We do this on instinct already. You hold them over the potty for them to do their business. There was a picture of a 3 month old. Ok really that young? Wow I am glad I don't have to worry about potty training anymore. I am told that girls are easier and I was very lucky the wet diaper was the biggest motivator, plus a bigger kid friend who had a cool potty that made all the grown ups go OH You're a big boy now. She just decided to use it just like he did. Yea I am braggging but it was that easy for me. I feel for the moms that don't have it as easy as I did. Plus working mommas have really hard they can't watch their babies 24/7, again the war between the working mommas and the stay at home mommas gets more attention.
raSo I think if I had a little one right now I wouldn't worry about potty whispering too much. I did have the fun of a little raw bottom from diapers that gave her a rash out and left her on a towel with a changing pad under that to help air it out, but to hold her over the potty and tell her to go on the potty at 3 months. Nope, I don't think I would have done that far!!

Then it was the colon cleansing that is recommended that had me going huh?. Shame on them. There are sites that are being sued now for using Oprah and Dr. Oz's names without their true endorsement. If you are ubber green you know that a colon cleanse should NOT be a choice because you already have eaten a balance diet. Stay away from those frozen family sized meals that you nuke to heat. Give up the sugar drinks. Ok that is my weakness.. :as she takes a drink of Pepsi:. Don't open that little envelope and mix in milk or water to make a meal that you could have done 20 some years ago from scratch. No need to remove toxins from your body you haven't placed any in your body. Or very few. Oh and : Don't nuke anything in plastic to not be exposed to BPA (Bisphenol A ) , use glass. Speaking of BPA don't use canned veggies or fruits, buy frozen or fresh. Don't wash your hair or body in anything containing Nitrosamines, Lead and Other Heavy Metals, Parabens, Phthalates, Hydroquinone, or 1,4-dioxane. Check the site Skin Deep first.

That was my rant for the day...........