Oh Frack!!

Great! My dad has heard that some of the people around the area he lives has been paid off for use of their land. Seems that they are going to be fracking in the suburbs around here. I also heard that they plan on fracking in another suburb in the same county.....

 So if you never heard of fracking Treehugger has a Infographic with a little bit of what is good about it and want isn't... Basically they drill down pass the water table and pump water into the shale. This water cause the shale to crack.... and when it cracks the natural gas will be set free... sound like a nature show... doesn't it?

Oh yea the movie 'Erin Brockovich,' the one with Julia Roberts as a lawyer aide that uncovers the water in a community was making people sick. well fracking was behind that too....

 We are getting commercials from Chesapeake Energy right and left... so really makes my skin crawl... if they are wanting to help us transition to clean-burning natural gas to help lesson our dependence on foreign oil..... they also claim that this is affordable;  to drill or frack.

 But at what price? OUR drinking water like the movie Gasland. True that in Dimock, Pa where they "lit the water on fire" was proven wrong and that it wasn't the fault of the natural gas company. Gas seeping from land owned by Lisa Bracken in Garfield County, Colorado however did result where EnCana Oil & Gas was fined $371,200. It also was because of a fault line. A few people did get settlements after learning that the fracking indeed was the reason why they had thermogenic methane in their water well. Where it was proven that drilling and hydraulic fracturing can liberate biogenic natural gas into a fresh water. So I am kinda worried that the fact they don't have to tell us what is in the fracking water and don't have to be held accountable for the items either. With the EPA having no power over them if they do use things that are harmfull. Thank you to the Safe Drinking Water Act in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Of course my dad is worry about the info one of the neighbors college son told them.  That there will be semi trucks driving straight for 3 months back and forth to the drill sight,  that then they also will be building for the same amount of time.  When they get it up and running they will be driving semi trucks in and out all day to bring and get rid of the fracking water.  He was like they said it was like a million gallons of water and they don't get all the water out??   I said that what I heard too... gessh my dad was shocked...  That and the fact if might be held in a pond right next to the drill site where pets and other animals can drink.  PLUS in this quiet suburb they will have 20 stories tall lit up pumping stations that will light up the country mile of land.... so it will be like daylight in the middle of the night in the only place I can go see the stats at night without the city lights blocking our view...

The  truth is my dad is worried about his quiet suburb that will never be the same because of the driving of trucks day and night.  The wear and tear on the roads... his water... the safety of  chemicals and the fact the government didn't even ask the community for feedback.... 

True  Chesapeake Energy site does say the chemical they use are a safe. They are the same chemicals that are found in everyday cleaning household products. Plus they use chlorine-based sanitization aides like the chemicals you use in your pool. I don't have a pool so maybe their pool.... But all we are asking is too make sure this is safe ingredients and have  the EPA be able to say yes this is all safe...

Then again they do have the say on many of those household cleaners and they are questionable on safety. Seeing how many ingredients are not for sale in Europe, because they ban things until they are proven save and here we ban things when they are proven  harmful.......


Messed up isn't it............ and very scary........
What ever happened to reusable energy, like solar and wind???

Eco-friendly lights

Batteries contain heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel. When just tossed they will leach into the environment.
So the answer to flashlights and batteries? A hand cranking flashlight. Use your own power to power up a flashlight. I found this very cool flashlight that is also a radio that includes the weather band, a charger for your MP3 player or cell phone. Plus you can charge it with the solar panel! How cool is that. Yeck you could let  the solar panel charge up during the day and then if you stay up late and need some extra power, use the crank!!

how great would that be for camping.  Plus it can come in handy for when the lights go out.... or any type of bad weather....

Plus I have my eye on that lantern  they also have.....

The Other side of the story...

With the green sites warning us of the cosmetic ingredients.  I founds was researching a ingredient when I found this site. Personal Care Truth or Scare. Where I found the article The 12 Most Maligned Cosmetics I like this site because they give you links to sites to back up their claims. Were you can make up your own mind!

I found that the one site that is a database of all cosmetics would disregard  a cosmetic that
listed something that was concerned a harmful ingredient but used a natural substitute.  If studies show ingredient xxxxxx cause a health concern and a product uses  this ingredient   xxxxxx derived from coconut oil ;  the ingredient  was deemed  harmful. I can understand that maybe this is a computer program that does a search of the words. But it seems that they miss the mark to many times and I have yet to see studies to prove the claims.

  So I have been using the site called  Goodguilde.  I find a product and if the ingredient that has a red dot beside it says when I roll over this ingredient, the  warnings are  This ingredient has been restricted for use in cosmetics in fill in country name.. or This ingredient has been banned for use in cosmetics in  fill in country name.  Ok so I use this manly because yea it still bothers me that in Europe and other countries  the companies must prove that the ingredients are safe so they have 1400 ingredients that are banned.. Here in the states 140 ingredients are banned  and they need to prove that the ingredients cause cancer.  Gee business is number one in this country.

Plus it is easy to not search the companies that you never have seen their product and only search the companies you know..... makes it easier for you to modify

Mosquitoes!

Last month we got eaten up by the mosquitoes at our gathering at church. Someone had a natural mosquito spray. Well it didn't work too good. Smelled very good but didn't work that great... We got eaten alive!!

We are getting some citronella candles, but I wondered what mosquito repellents  recipes I could find online...


 What I found:
Of course the citronella plant. (I don't have one ....)

African Marigolds Plants works too.  (Wow I have some in the garden and  the front flower bed)

Mix one part garlic juice with 5 parts water Spray or soak clothes in this mix........ (so no one will talk to me...)

Add rosemary and sage to the fire (I don't think we will have one this time.....)

EOs (essential oils) that work:

* cinnamon oil
* lemon eucalyptus oil
* citronella oil
* Castor oil
# Peppermint Oil
# Clove Oil
# Geranium Oil
# Possibly Oils from Verbena, Pennyroyal, Lavender, Pine, Basil, Thyme, Allspice, Soybean, and Garlic

10-25 drops (total) of essential oils
2 tablespoons of a carrier oil or alcohol

Use Vick's Vaporub. (so no one will talk to me or if they do they will ask are you feeling ok?)


lavender oil: dab it on your pulse points (ok I like this one)

Things that you can spray on yourself

Clear real vanilla  Sold at health food stores Some Mix 50/50 with water Some say straight  (oh yea how much$$?)


Then I see you can use  the grocery store vanilla extract but I found some say mix 50/50 with water other say use straight on pulse points.  (ok I will smell nice!! Lavender oil and vanilla) 

Catnip tea.  (wait I really do want to sleep afterward... I have cats that love catnip and would love to keep me up half the night)

Amber colored Listerine (They say it works and to spray the yard and deck with it too)

Lemon Fresh Joy dish washing soap  put a drop in water on a plate. (ok the next idea is better for I don't use that dish soap- I use 7Th Generation) 

cut up a lemon and boil it for a few minutes.  Let sit a couple of days before bottling.  Plus others have said to use oranges. limes or lemons.  (ok I have lemons.... plus it make a great de-greaser- I can add some citric acid to preserve)

So I have vanilla and lavender on my pulse points,  and lemon spray......... Maybe I will add some amber Listerine to the spray...... Well it might smell something like the natural spray we had last month.  Lets hope it works...........

It's getting hot in here......

Warning A rant... I work at a grocery store and the weather is very nice the last couple of days. In the 70s so nice but people seems to forget that the temp realy can climb in a parked car in a parking lot. There is no shade in this grocery store parking lot.  But still people bring their dogs along for ride...  And leave them while they shop. Oh they are only running in for a minute or two the dog will be fine.

Wait a minute really? ON the day before Easter people think that they can run in to the store and be out in a minute or two?????? OMG!!!  My store was so busy that the lines where long starting at 8 AM... Ok that when I went in........ and it was hard to walk threw the store.  It was like Christmas Eve.... No way you are getting out in a couple of minutes............. Gesh!!   every time I went outside for breaks or lunch I heard a dog barking...

Studies have shown that even at 70 degrees F  the insides of a car can get at hot as 112 degrees F....
Let alone the summer time brings news stories of animals dying while humans go shopping, swimming or what ever. Plus the stories of babies and children dying in parked cars while the adults go drinking (the most I have heard was that reason or they where drunk and forgot where they parked), shopping or what ever.......  AND YES they get charged with the deaths. Sorry the only thing you can say to keep you from being charged is I never watched a TV and didn't know that could happen because I have can't feel heat.....   I don't get it.  I don't usually watch the news but have seen and heard stories about this.
.

Plus what about the stress of having to bark the entire  time the "human" is gone. You are getting drink or stopping by the drive threw but what about your fur baby with a coat on in your HOT CAR??   . Sorry this is so irritating to me that it still happens year after year, poor little animals and children dying because someone forgets this can happen!!!!!!!!!

 But then I went a did search for cool pictures of dogs and found My Dog is Cool where you can download flyers and posters to raise awareness about the dangers of hot cars and dogs. Guess I will leave some fliers on cars (but not at work I could get into trouble because we do have a camera system..)

Think they will get the picture then??? I wonder......

“Phth.”

Sounds like something that the kids might say when you announce that you are serving broccoli tonight. Phth. Phthalates are the phth we need to remove from our homes. Studies  have shown that they can cause reproductive and developmental disorders, cancer, and organ damage. Phthalates are found in soft plastic. BPA is found in hard plastics.

They many times are not listed.  So how is a green consumer going to know?  Watch the soft flexible plastic and vinyl products.  Phthalates are in children toys; shower curtains and personal care products. However the American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that anything that will go into a babies or toddlers mouth is no longer made with phthalates. One sign of relieve.

The one thing that shocked me was the study from Vermont Public Interest Research Group that found phthalates in those shape and bake clay. They contain 14% phthalates by weight. Dang.

Surprising report from CBS called The Disappearing Male reports study to show that phthalates cause more problems with our boys. Lower hormone caused deformities.

ewww now I have to wash my bagged lettuce

on Civil Eats site reports that Consumer Reports' that packaged leafy greens has high levels of fecal contamination! Signs of poor bathroom manners. Yuk! Plus this also is in the organic produce too!

There is limits on the amount of contamination in our water, raw meat, milk, and some processed foods, but not produce. So the lettuce is not tested to assure us that there is no contamination.

Part of the testing that Consumer Reports included the sale by dates. The closer to the sell by date the more of this contamination. So try to use it up before the sale by date and wash, wash your greens...... the packages marked "pre­washed" and "triple-washed" salad greens had a high number of poop matter.

What Consumer Reports advice on what you can do:

* Buy packages as far from their use-by date as you can find.
* Even if the bag says "prewashed" or "triple-washed," wash the greens yourself. Rinsing won't remove all bacteria but may remove residual soil.
* Prevent cross contamination by keeping greens away from raw meat

Ok this is getting gross. First I learn that at fast food restaurants there is a high level of fecal matter in the drinking fountains and now it the lettuce bags!!!!! OH my goodness. It is also said that many times this contamination is from the illegal help that picks the food. The ones in charge demand a high yield and cut cost where they can. Not that the pay is problem. Many times the works just use the ground as their bathroom, for to take a break may cost them their pay for the day. I am not sure how true this is or if it is a internet rumor but makes you wonder with many foods are testing high for the fecal bacteria.....

Guess we should just give everything a good washing before eating......

The new dirty dozen.

Last year I wrote a blog on the dirty dozen.  The fresh food items that had the most pesticide according to the   Environmental Working Group. There is a PDF version of the guide plus a page with the full list of all fresh fruits and vegetables to help you decide what foods to buy organic. So they updated the list after testing the foods.

The Dirty Dozen:

(worst)Peach (highest pesticide load)
Apple
Sweet Bell Pepper
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes – Imported
Carrot
Pear

Tomatoes have their name taken off the dirty dozen. The Environmental Working Group. is not sure why they have tested with less pesticides. Humm maybe more companies are listening to the reports then we thought....

The least to have a high pesticide residue:

Onions
Cabbage
broccoli
sweet potatoes



Fruits and vegetables that have a thick skin are protected from pesticides:
Avocados
Pineapples
mango
Kiwi
Corn
Sweet peas
eggplants
papaya
watermelon

But wash the outside before cutting them anyway.