BPA in the news

There have been all kinds of stories in the news the past few months about BPA (bisphenol A) in plastics that hold food and beverages. This chemical has been linked to reproductive and developmental problems in lab animals.


There haven't been any studies on the effect on humans, though, until this one that is taking place at Harvard right now. It'll be interesting to know the results.


In the meantime, it's probably best to avoid BPA products anyway. These products can be identified by looking on the bottom for the recycle symbol with a 7 in it, or the letters "PC" on the bottom.


So what do you use for your leftovers and your water bottle? In my household, we drink from Sigg bottles (a little expensive, but a good investment and they come in cool designs! I love mine!) and I pack my leftovers and take them for lunch in good old glass Pyrex bowls.


One of the big concerns is the BPA that is in almost all baby bottles. My sister uses Born Free bottles that are BPA free. So while a lot of things do contain BPA, there are alternatives.

A Pleasant Surprise

I added a counter to my blog and was flabbergasted at the number of visitors! Honestly, I thought my sister and 1 or 2 others were the only ones that read this! What a nice surprise :)

I hope you enjoy the blog...please leave me a comment...even if it's just "hi!" And thanks for reading!

Easy Activism

We don't all have the time to join a march or protest...but here's an easy way to make your voice heard.

For the past year or so, I have received "Action Alerts" from the Sierra Club. These emails let me click one button and an email is sent to my local representative. It's easy, and it brings to my attention issues I didn't even know about.

Topics range from protecting polar bears to West Virigina's wildlife to preventing the logging of Great Sequoias and clean energy options.

Check out the Sierra Club's Action Center and see how you can easily make your position known to your elected officials.

The Long, Hot Shower

Who doesn't love long, hot showers? I sure do, but in the spirit of saving money and being a little more earth friendly, I decided it's going to be one of the things I work on.

Now, I have no idea what the average person's shower length is. I know I could easily stand in a hot shower for 20-30 minutes. That's a lot of heated water.

The first thing I did was to get a low-flow showerhead, which saved a lot of water. Still has a nice water pressure and was an easy transition.

Next, it was cutting down my time. I started keeping track of how long I was in the shower. Yikes! It was long. I really only need to wash, shampoo and shave and then hop out. So I've come up with 5 minutes as my shower time.

I have a little timer on the sink and set it for 5 minutes. Most times I do what I have to and am out before it rings, and some days...I don't quite make it out on time.

The point is not really to deny myself a nice long shower. It's to save money and water and to know that when I really DO need a long, hot shower, I won't feel bad about it.

It's a little (and easy) thing to do to save yourself some money and water.

How Green Are You?

The National Geographic has a "Greendex Calculator" that will give you an idea of how "green" you are. Check it out...I'm off to take it now :)

My good friend, Bon Ami

In my search for earth friendly, nontoxic cleaners, I've tried a bunch. Pretty much all of them I have liked and they've been effective (except for the Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner- not so much).

I've even made some home-made cleaners that work pretty well, too, but I especially needed something like Comet for tub and shower scrubbing.

I found Mrs. Meyer's Surface Scrub (in Lemon Verbena scent) and loved it! But...it ranges from $4-$5 for an 11 ounce can. Yikes.

Green is great, but it's even better when it's cheap. I did a little research and found good old Bon Ami! My mom used to use it on our glass cooktop stove when we were kids. It has non-toxic ingredients, works well and is about a buck a can. Jackpot!

Lesson learned: sometimes there are good oldies out there that were "environmental" way back when.

Recycling crocs!

Just got some great information from Renee over at Enviromom! Crocs can be recycled! Yay!

My son has a pair bought by his grandparents and LOVES them. I cringed because I felt the bright red crocs would be sitting in a landfill 40,000 years from now. But there's a great group that recycles crocs. Check it out over at Enviromom.