Eco-novice: Going Green Gradually

Worth Saving for the Grandkids: Colorful Wooden Blocks by Grimms

2013-05-21T05:10:00.000-07:00

My 18-month-old building with Grimm's Color Charts Rally Building Blocks Set
(wooden cars and people not included).

In Search of Colorful Wooden Blocks (not made in China)

A few months ago my husband suggested that it would be nice to have some colorful wooden blocks in addition to our numerous unfinished natural ones. I agreed, but quickly discovered that the choices were surprisingly slim. There were quite a few inexpensive sets of small blocks that were painted colorfully, but all were made in China.

I eventually started checking websites for individual brands I like (Plan Toys, Maple Landmark, Holgate Toys, Haba) as well as natural toy stores I've purchased from in the past. And what I found was that not one offered a large colorful set of basic building blocks. I was feeling rather defeated about the whole thing, when one day our Grimms stacking rainbow caught my eye. Of course, Grimms! I went to the Grimms website and immediately found gorgeous colorful sets of blocks. A little online comparative shopping landed me on Amazon where I found a wide variety of Grimms blocks sold by The Natural Family Shop (purchases are fulfilled by Amazon).

Grimm's Set of 100 Stepped Blocks

And then I hesitated. For several months in fact. Because, as is often the case, choosing to purchase high-quality, crafted by hand, ethically and sustainably-made products can result in a bit of sticker shock. But as is also often the case with such purchases, once I forked over the dough and received my item, I was so pleased with my choice. I say with the utmost confidence that you will not find colored blocks any where more attractive than those made by Grimms.What Makes Grimms Blocks Special?

Grimms Block are:

Handmade in Germany
Made of sustainably harvested woods (including alder, lime, maple and cherry woods)
Made with non-toxic water-based stains in rich, gorgeous colors
Have no finish, varnish, lacquer or paint. Unlike paint, the color cannot chip off.
Have the texture of unfinished wood (not slippery like painted wood) which makes them easier to build with; stain rather than paint also means you can still see the beautiful grain of the wood
Inspired by the philosophy of Waldorf education
Encourage open-ended imaginative play as well as effortless, playful learning
Encourage building, creativity and a sense of design
Use the same base size (2 cm or 4 cm) making it easy to combine different sets
A colorful complement to any unfinished wood set of blocks you may already own

Stain instead of paint means you can still see the lovely grain of the wood.

Color Charts Rally Building Blocks Set

The Color Charts Rally set has 29 colored pairs of rectangles (4 cm x 8 cm x 1 cm) plus 15 square blocks of various sizes for a total of 73 blocks. We love to use this set to create buildings and towers, especially apartment buildings for our little friends (see photo at beginning of the post). These blocks also work really well in combination with a tabletop set of unfinished blocks.

The Color Charts Rally Building Blocks Set adds a splash of color to any
unfinished tabletop wood block set.

The rectangles make nice fences or roads, or line them up and knock them over like giant dominoes. Two of each color of rectangle in so many shades makes these fun for color matching. I was surprised my 5-year-old could detect the subtle differences.

I love working with the palette of colors in this set. My husband is great at getting on the floor and playing with my kids. I tend to try to get my kids engaged in an activity so I can run off and get something done. These blocks make me want to sit down and create something alongside my kids. I used to draw and paint a bit way back when. With an 18-month-old, I simply cannot sit and focus long enough to create much of anything artistic these days. I know it sounds a bit cheesy, but just arranging these blocks does fill that little artistic yen of mine a bit. In fact, when these blocks arrived I told my kids that they were mine, but that I would let them play with them too.

The Color Charts Rally Building Block Set by Grimms -- love the variety of colors!

You should know that the rectangles are made of a softer and more lightweight type of wood. My teething toddler has managed to make indentations in some of them. In addition, while stained colors don't ever chip off the way paint, with enough pressure and friction, occasionally one color might rub off on another block, and sometimes a block may arrive this way (it looks like a small mark was made with a colored pencil). I've seen this with the Holztiger animals we own as well. It just comes with the territory of the more natural finishes. I can tell you that my toddler sometimes sucks on the blocks (not recommended), and the colors don't seem to bleed at all.

Set of 100 Large Stepped Counting Blocks in Storage Tray (4x4 Size)

Grimms stepped blocks are 4 cm by 4 cm by variable height (from 1 cm to 10 cm by 1 cm increments).

These blocks are fabulous to build with, of course, but also great for encouraging mathematical thinking: comparisons, addition, multiplication, measurement, and algebraic thinking. While you could certainly deliberately use these blocks for mathematical explorations (how many ways can you make 10? how many dark green blocks equal one purple one?), I have noticed that these playing with these blocks naturally encourages you to figure out how to use different combinations of blocks to make the same height just so you can create a level surface.

How many ways can you make a tower of 10 cm?

We love to use the Stepped Blocks set on its own, or in combination with the Color Rally set, or to add color to our set of unit blocks.

Stepped 4 x 4 Grimms blocks make a colorful addition
to an unfinished unit block set.

Like other blocks, they lend themselves well to open-ended play. In our house they have most often been used for building houses, garages and skyscrapers; making words; or as play food for us or our wooden animals.

My 5-year-old building a skyscraper with the Stepped 4 x 4 Grimms blocks.

Yum yum. Stepped 4 x 4 Grimms blocks make a colorful meal.

100 large blocks means plenty of blocks to create an entire town.

I love the wooden tray which makes clean-up into a game.

My 3-year-old cleaning up.

There is also a less expensive 2 x 2 (2 cm by 2 cm) set of 100 stepped blocks, but note that the smallest sizes would be choking hazards for little ones.

Set of 5 Small Wooden Stacking & Nesting Bowls

I also have these Stacking & Nesting Bowls. Many folks are familiar with plastic stacking/ nesting cups. You can stack them inside each other or on top of each other, hide a small one underneath a bigger one. Of course Grimms bowls can also be used for these activities, but unlike plastic they are lovely to look at and pleasant to touch.

We love to use them for imaginative play as pools, feeding bowls, and potties for our little animals and people. Of course you can also use them in combination with other blocks for building.

The five bowls range in diameter from a little more than 3 cm to about 10 cm. Stacked on top of each other, they are 20 cm high. The smallest bowl does fit inside my 18-month-old's mouth, so I watch her carefully when she's playing with them. The set of 5 bowls is available in several different color choices: shades of pink, shades of blue, rainbow (largest bowl red), and natural. I wish I'd purchased these when my baby was just a few months old.

Toys for the Grandkids

In every way, Grimms blocks fit perfectly with my toy-buying philosophy: quality over quantity, natural and completely non-toxic materials, aesthetically-pleasing and open-ended, durable and appealing to all ages (including adults like me), and also created by a business I can enthusiastically support. If I had it all to do again, I would own only these types of toys.

The other day my husband, who hounds me relentlessly to donate or sell any item I haven't used in the last 4 hours, saw our Grimms blocks scattered on the ground and remarked that many of our toys are so nice that we will have to pack them up and save them for the grandkids once our kids are grown. Amen to that. But I'll probably keep at least our Grimms blocks out for me to play with in the meantime.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I purchased the Color Charts Rally Building Blocks Set and Set of 5 Small Wooden Stacking & Nesting Bowls myself. Natural Family Shop provided the Set of 100 Large Stepped Counting Blocks in Storage Tray (4x4 Size) to facilitate their review. All opinions are my own. See my full disclosure policy here.

This post is part of
Works for Me Wednesday

How to Buy with Confidence on Craig's List

2013-05-17T17:56:00.004-07:00

Earlier this week I posted (Almost) Everything I've Ever Bought or Sold on Craig's List. In today's post I'm sharing some tips that I hope will give you the confidence to try buying a used item on Craig's List. I've heard people say buying on Craig's List seems creepy. Maybe you heard a sketchy story on the local news involving Craig's List once. Having purchased tons of items on Craig's List, I can tell you that almost everyone selling something that you would want to purchase on Craig's List is just an ordinary person like you. Take a few precautions, and you should never find yourself in an iffy situation.

Note that Craig's List is used for other things besides buying and selling (personals, services like tutoring and child care, job postings, rental housing). This post is about buying an item that is in the "For Sale" section. Go to the Craig's List site page, click on your nearest metropolitan area, then click on the heading "for sale" and you're ready to go.

A few tips for buying safely and successfully on Craig's List

Deal locally with people you can meet in person, and you will avoid 99% of all scams according to Craig's List. As a general rule, you should hand over the payment only when the object in play is in your sights, ready to be loaded into your car. This is not eBay.

Search for lots of different phrases. Many sellers are not very savvy about listing their item, and a lot of people post a photo with just one sentence using their Smartphone. For example, when looking for a TV stand, I searched for television stand, TV stand, entertainment center TV, and so on. You can narrow your search by choosing a specific category (drop-down menu next to search box), but some folks don't select a category and dump everything in general, or an item might straddle several categories (for example, a child's bicycle might wind up in "bicycles" or "baby and kid stuff" or "toys and games"), so sometimes it's better to do a general search. You can also set parameters for the price of the item on the search page.

Consider shopping only within a certain radius of your home. You can choose to only search specific neighborhoods within your general area on Craig's List (just as you can choose to search only within certain categories, such as "Appliances"). It can be very annoying to drive 30 minutes only to discover the item isn't really what you wanted. If I'm not sure about a purchase that will involve driving more than 15 minutes, I grill the buyer on the phone and sometimes ask for additional photos. Buyers are usually fine with this as they really don't want to waste your time or their own with an appointment that results in no sale. In general, I am pretty darn sure I want to purchase an item drive somewhere to look at it.

Bookmark or create a feed for your search pages to facilitate searches. Once you've chosen the appropriate category, search query, price range, and desired neighborhoods, consider creating a bookmark or a feed for your search. To create a bookmark, you simply bookmark the page of your search. To set up a feed: after you've done your search with all the appropriate parameters, scroll to the very very very bottom and in the bottom right hand corner you'll see "RSS" in an orange box; click on that and paste the URL into your reader. Feeds are useful when for the same item you want to use several different search queries, or have separate searches for a few neighborhoods versus the entire metropolitan area, or for different price ranges. Create a feed for each search and then group them all in a folder together in your reader if you think you'll be browsing regularly for an item or items for a while. Now that Craig's List has the very useful grid view (with large photo preview), I most often begin a search with my bookmark of the "for sale" page with my three nearest neighborhoods selected. Then I just type in search queries for whatever items I'm shopping for.

Set up a free Google Voice account to use for texting with prospective sellers. I have a Go Phone and I pay per text so this is a must for me (with Google Voice I can type texts on my laptop). Even if you use a Smartphone, you might prefer to keep your regular phone number private by using Google Voice, which will forward to any number you want. I'm also happy to use email when I'm buying (you mostly deal with spam when you are the seller), but many sellers prefer texting because they are avoiding spammers.

Ask to meet at a public location whenever feasible. If you are purchasing a difficult-to-move item (such as furniture) or the seller prefers to meet at their house, ask that the item be moved outside or to the garage if possible. If you are a woman dealing with a male seller, ask who else will be home and if you can wait until a woman is there. Or take someone with you. Or send your husband/ brother/ male friend. For more tips about staying safe, check out Craig's List own page on Personal Safety.

Bring cash. No legitimate seller wants anything else, and it's a bummer to have to drive to an ATM in order to close the deal. I do sometimes negotiate a "down payment" when I find an item I want but can't take it immediately. So for a $500 item, I might give them $100 or $200 and then pay the rest when I pick it up. If you do this, you might consider writing a note and having the seller sign it, or just send a text/ email immediately to the seller so you both have a record and there is no confusion later. This way I don't have to show up with tons of cash in case I don't actually buy the item.

If you are buying a large item, check measurements and ask the seller if he or she can help you load it in your car. Most will, but some people are unable to and you need to know whether you need to bring help with you. Some folks will even deliver for a small additional cost. Also, be sure the object will both fit in your home and the space in your car. I once sent my husband to pick up an item of furniture only for him to discover it didn't fit in our van. That was sad.

Before buying, do a little homework. How much is the item new? Some dreamers price items on Craig's List for nearly new or even more than new prices. I once purchased something on Craig's List and later realized I could have purchased it nearly as cheaply new online. I should have known the best new price and used that to bargain with the seller.

Always bargain when buying. Unless you know the item is way under-priced, in which case I would not push your luck. I often ask buyers in my emails, texts, and on the phone if they are willing to bargain or not. Some have the time and inclination to wait for their desired price or have already priced to sell (these sellers often include "price firm" in their postings), but many folks will flat out tell you they are willing to come down on the price, especially if you can pick up the item immediately. And almost every seller will give you a deal if you purchase multiple items from them.

Ask if they have anything else you might be interested in purchasing. People are often selling a bunch of items at once. If you are purchasing baby gear, clothing, toys, books, kitchen gear and so on, it's probably worth asking what else they are trying to get rid of. If you are shopping for baby gear, I'd say it is very common for people to just give you some additional items if you want them. I've done this myself. Parents are usually very eager to get rid of baby/kid gear once they have moved on to the next age-stage.

Garage sales are better for window shopping while Craig's List is better when you are looking for a specific item. You will generally pay more for stuff on Craig's List than at a garage sale.

What are your tips for buying successfully on Craig's List?

(Almost) Everything I've Ever Bought or Sold on Craig's List

2013-05-14T10:53:00.001-07:00

The other day when I mentioned that I'd recently sold something on Craig's List, a friend asked me, "How does that work? I've never used Craig's List." I was shocked. SHOCKED. This frugal soul had neither purchased nor sold a single thing on Craig's List. Just in the past month I have purchased a TV stand, infant bucket swing, and kid's bicycle, and sold 2 portable air conditioners on Craig's List.

My conversation with my friend inspired me to try to catalog all the items I've ever bought or sold on Craig's List. It's not truly possible, because it's just been too many things over too many years (dating back to my single days in Los Angeles over 15 years ago), but I did look through my emails and walk around my house to try to remember what I've bought and sold on Craig's List. Here is what I came up with.

(Almost) Everything I've Purchased on Craig's List

Pretty much every Plan City toy that we own (many purchased as part of a "lot"), including: garage, airport, gas station with car wash, mechanic, fire station, set of roads, numerous cars and other vehicles.
Plan Toys dollhouse, dolls and furniture
Numerous high-quality wooden and cardboard puzzles
IKEA Trofast toy organizer (two different ones, two different times)
Kid's bicycle
Nearly new deluxe baby swing with plug (such a find!)
Baby Bjorn (P.S. I hate the Baby Bjorn)
Moby wrap baby carrier
Ergo baby carrier (see my review here)
Double umbrella stroller
Double jogging stroller
Little Tikes plastic play structure
Little Tikes plastic picnic table
Infant bucket swing
Lakeshore two-sided art easel
Solid wood changing table and child's dresser
Dutalier reclining glider and ottoman
2 different wooden rocking chairs
High chair
Two different infant seats
Futon sofa
Oval kitchen table and chairs
Several desks and miscellaneous tables
5 different solid wood bookshelves
Two different TV stands
Portable air conditioner
Bread maker
Microwave
Lawn mower
Moving boxes

(Almost) Everything I've Sold on Craig's List

Baby swing with plug (purchased on Craig's List - baby never lasted more than 10 minutes in it)
Baby Bjorn (purchased on Craig's List)
Double umbrella stroller (purchased on Craig's List but decided I didn't like it)
Pocket sling baby carriers (never could figure these out)
Infant car seat with 2 bases
Many gifts (toys, fleece PJs) given to my children as gifts that I didn't want but couldn't return
Lots of kids toys, many purchased second-hand on Craig's List or at thrift stores
Interlocking foam floor mats
Cloth diapers
Twin size bed frame and mattress
Queen size bed frame and mattress/ box spring set
Several particle board bookshelves
Entertainment center (which we had purchased used from a friend)
Round kitchen table and 4 chairs
Dining room table and 6 chairs
Several desks and tables (most purchased on Craig's List)
Portable air conditioner (purchase on Craig's List - wasn't powerful enough for our large bedroom)
2 portable air conditioners (purchased new after used one didn't work out)
Lots and lots of teaching materials (children's books, teaching manuals, workbooks, posters, manipulatives, etc.)
Computer monitor
Crock pot and other under-used kitchen appliances and gear
Bedding
Lawn mower (purchased on Craig's List)
Numerous gifts (including wedding gifts!) that were many years old but in original boxes and never used and also didn't think I could get away with re-gifting, including: wine glasses, hand mixer, electric nonstick skillet, and drinking glasses
And last but not least, our car

As you can see, lots of baby and kid stuff, furniture, as well as miscellaneous household items like small appliances. I often sell a large batch of items on Craig's List in preparation for a move, and then donate whatever I can't sell. I almost always have a couple of items on my Craig's List Wish List, but I don't always have the inclination to check the listings or follow up on them. I often buy in spurts too.

Craig's List is particularly awesome for baby gear, because so many items you don't end up using or using only for a short period. For example, I bought a very nice nearly new baby swing on Craig's List. A few months later, when I had resigned myself to the fact that my baby was never going to last more than 10 minutes in it (not nap for hours there as I had envisioned), I turned around and sold it on Craig's List for $5 less than I'd purchased it. We have also bought, tried briefly, and then resold on Craig's List a double umbrella stroller, Baby Bjorn, portable air conditioner, and lawn mower. Usually with little or no loss of money (just a little time). Buyer's remorse is a lot less painful when you purchase used. When it comes to baby gear, in particular, please don't waste your money on new.

Soon I'll post some tips for buying and selling safely and successfully on Craig's List for all you Craig's List newbies.

Related Posts

What have you bought and sold on Craig's List?

What are your tips for using Craig's List successfully?

Disclosure: This post contains a few Amazon affiliate links. Before buying new, check your local Craig's List listings! See my full disclosure policy here.

Green Changes that Save You Money

2013-05-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Soon after I decided that I wanted to live a greener healthier lifestyle, I discovered that green changes and choices come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Some green changes are really challenging and may require perseverance despite repeated failures, like trying to find a natural deodorant that works for your husband. Or a natural cleaner that conquers mold. On the other hand, some green changes are downright easy. For example, opening your windows to improve indoor air quality or turning your thermostat up one or two degrees in the summer.

Certain green choices are expensive, like buying an all-natural bed free of flame retardant chemicals. Organic and natural food products also tend to cost more than their conventional counterparts. But many green choices are inexpensive and will save you lots of money.

Click here to continue reading about money-saving green changes at The Green Sisterhood

Top Methods of Entertaining a Child on the Potty

2013-05-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

How to get your child to sit on the potty and stay on the potty long enough to relax and do her business: this is one of the central dilemmas of potty training, whatever age your child may be. I'm currently potty training my third child. Since I've done early potty training with my 2nd and 3rd children, I've had a chance to hone my skills for entertaining a wide range of ages on the potty, from 3 years all the way down to 5 months. Whatever age your child may be, here are some ideas for getting them to take a seat and make a deposit.

Potty Time Entertainment

The list below is roughly in the order I have used them with my third child, who started sitting on the potty around 5 months and is now about 18 months.

Board Books

Books are my most often used entertainment device in the potty department, regardless of age. The smallest ones love the board books of baby faces and nursery rhymes. As they get a little older, we might have to kick it up a notch to board books that are also songs. Once we hit the busy toddler age, I find the key is novelty. As soon as my 18-month-old loses interest in a book, I'm ready with another one to take its place. I recently got my 3-year-old to transition from a small potty to the toilet by giving her special books that she could look at by herself only while sitting on the toilet. Reading material is how my older children still choose (independently) to entertain themselves on the toilet, just like the adults. But sometimes, especially with my busy toddler, the board books don't cut it.

Finger Play

Rhymes with finger play such as pat-a-cake and itsy-bitsy spider were enough to keep my 6-month-old excited about sitting on the potty for many months.

Drawing

We got through one period of particularly reluctant potty use when I hit on the idea of letting my one-year-old draw with a pen. Because she regularly draws on the floor and walls, I normally do my best to keep pens out of my toddler's hands. Which made pens the perfect forbidden object to be used only in the bathroom under my supervision. I would carry her to the bathroom, let her turn on the light switch herself, take a notebook and pen out of the bathroom cupboard where I had stashed them, hand her the pen and then put her on the potty. The pen in hand was enough to overcome any resistance. Best of all, I could leave the room for short spurts while she kept herself entertained drawing in the notebook placed on top of a stool in front of her. Before the pen, we also used a magna-doodle for entertainment periodically.

Food

Yep, food. Especially right after she wakes up dry, when I know she needs to go, but she's still a little grumpy and resists me taking her to the bathroom. Sometimes a little bowl of cereal, a pita chip, or even one chocolate chip is enough to get her to stop fighting me and take a seat.

Older Siblings

With my very busy, very energetic toddler, this is currently my ace-in-the-hole. When I cannot convince her on my own to come sit on the potty, I enlist one or both of her older siblings to come to the bathroom with us. Sometimes they will sit next to her while I read them both a book, or sometimes I can get the older sibling to read her a story or do a finger play with her.

Company

Some little potty users love company. For a long time, me using the toilet while I set my little one on the potty across from me was a sure-fire way to get her to use the potty. But now Mom isn't special enough anymore and I have to enlist an older sibling or Daddy to use the toilet so that the youngest will sit on the potty and go too. My favorite is when my 3-year-old and toddler need to go #2 at the same time, and I can leave them both in there together unsupervised for a long stretch while they do their business.

Other Methods I've Used

I haven't had to resort to any of these methods with my third child, but I did find them useful with my first two.

Stickers

I don't use this one with my third, because she mostly just tries to eat stickers, particularly little ones, but stickers were a great way for me to get my 2nd child to sit on the potty long enough to go #2. I would give her a sheet of little stickers and let her put them in her special sticker notebook which we stashed in the bathroom.

Blowing Bubbles

The truth is, I don't really enjoy blowing bubbles because it's just plain messy. You end up with bubble solution all over your hands and also the floor from drips as well as popped bubbles. But my first child, who I potty trained the latest and who was my most challenging, loved bubbles. So for months I blew bubbles for long stretches to get him to sit on the potty long enough to go.

Annoying Electronic Toys

You know those annoying electronic toys that other people give your children that you hate to listen to? Use them only in the potty and they become a great source of novel entertainment. Also, it's not that tragic if they accidentally get ruined in the bathroom. I haven't relied on this method much with my third child, but a play cell phone's beeping often kept my second child happy on the potty when we she was 9-months-old, and often allowed me to do something else (like brush my teeth) as long as I stayed near her. A pretend laptop often kept my 2-year-old alone in the bathroom and seated on the potty for 30 minutes at a time.

Favorite Toy

I've never used this one much, because honestly I don't really want to encourage bringing toys into the bathroom, but if you are having trouble luring your child to the potty and she is very busy with a particular stuffed friend/ puppet/ toy animal/ doll/ toy car, consider just bringing that toy with you and maybe even having the toy use the potty first.

DVD

When it comes to potty training, I don't really consider anything to be off limits. Whatever it takes to get the job done. With my second child, there was a period of time where the only way we could convince her to sit long enough to go #2 was to let her watch a 20-minute show. This was partly the case because we were often too busy with her older brother or a new baby to sit with her long enough for her to do her business. The only trick was to set up the portable DVD player in the bathroom so as to minimize the chances that she would play with the buttons or drop it and break it.

For more tips, tricks, and tales from our potty training adventures, including the very best times to put your child on the potty, visit my Potty Training Page.

What is your best trick for getting your child to sit and stay on the potty?

New Loves Discovered on the Green Path

2013-05-03T12:30:00.001-07:00

This week, as I wrote my umpteenth post about how much I love the farmers market, I realized how many wonderful things I have discovered only because of my permanent detour onto a greener path.

Farmers Markets

For me, one of the greatest benefits of living greener has been becoming connected to my local food economy and developing a greater appreciation for where our food comes from. Since I don't really garden, the farmers market for me is the shortest path of production available. Food has such far-reaching implications for our family's health, how land is used and the health of the planet. It is also a large and recurring expense. I view changing how I buy my food as one of the most important green changes I have made. In addition to feeling great about giving my family the healthiest and tastiest produce available, I feel good about consciously choosing to support small local sustainable farming. I like handing my money straight to the farmer. I have always said that I don't like shopping, but I have discovered that what I actually don't like is shopping in conventional grocery stores and mega-stores and especially malls. Thanks to our local farmers markets, now I often go more than a month without setting foot in a regular grocery store, which means no cheapy toys or salacious magazines at my kids' eye levels, no wandering through a dozen aisles to find the one thing I actually want, no processed foods beckoning, no checkout line. Love that.

Click here to continue reading at The Green Phone Booth.

Why I No Longer Pay Much Attention to EWG's Dirty Dozen™

2013-04-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday my entire family was out and about doing errands in an unfamiliar part of town when we passed a farmers market. We made a note of it and on the way home stopped there for lunch and groceries. We were so glad we did.

This market was much larger than the farmers markets closer to my home that I usually frequent. While it was tougher to keep track of my kids (I was very glad my husband was with me), there was plenty to love among the aisles and aisles of vendors. In addition to tons of beautiful produce, there was honey and freshly squeezed juices, tamales and hummus, natural meats and fresh fish, flowers and potted plants, bread and pastries. There were eggs, $6 for 30 ($2.40 a dozen, about half of what I normally pay). I bought 60. When we passed a musician playing a James Taylor-esque version of "Up on the Roof," one of my 5yo's favorite songs, my son looked at me and immediately put his hand out for a dollar to put in the hat. It was like we were meant to be there.

Most important of all, there were tomatoes. Ripe, red, and juicy. Despite the high price tag, I bought more than a pound each of tomatoes still on the vine as well as uber-sweet cherry tomatoes. My husband looked at my purchase and said, "What are you thinking? Go back and buy at least two more pounds of those cherry tomatoes." The kids and we ate almost all those cherry tomatoes walking through the stalls of the market. Our first fresh tomatoes of the season.

A few days later when The 2013 Dirty Dozen™ came out, I realized how much less attention I pay to it now than when I first started going green. I mean, I still pay attention because it's news (which is why I wrote a post about it last week). But I no longer print up the list and stick it on the fridge, or type the complete list into Excel and then print it out in a tiny font so that I can carry the list with me at all times in my wallet. I no longer agonize over whether I should substitute Clean Fifteen™ produce from distant lands for local Dirty Dozen™ produce while standing in the grocery store with a cart full of small children. And that's because I now shop for almost all my produce through my farmers market and my CSA, which allows me to purchase nearly all of our fruits and vegetables pesticide-free. And for that, I feel very lucky.

How to Shop Local, in Season, and Pesticide-free without Even Trying

As I've said before, farmers markets take all the calculation and effort out of shopping local and in season. Much of the time, they also take all the effort out of shopping pesticide- and GMO-free. Farmers markets are often the most affordable way to buy pesticide-free produce.

Not everything at farmers markets is organic. But many of the non-organic vendors don't use fertilizers and/or pesticides. Just ask! I regularly buy from many vendors who are working on organic certification (it takes many years) or small family farms that are organic in all but name but just don't want to invest the money in the certification process. If the person manning the booth is part of the family that owns the farm, or has worked on the farm for many years and is very familiar with their operation, and I am standing there with a child in each hand and a baby strapped to my chest, I am willing to take the vendor's word for it when he tells me, "We don't use pesticides."

Find your local farmers market here.

How often do you consult EWG's Dirty Dozen™ list?

EWG's 2013 Dirty Dozen List
Getting the Most Out of Your Farmer’s Market
My Love Affair with the Farmers' Market
How I Shop for Food

EWG's 2013 Dirty Dozen List

2013-04-26T09:09:00.001-07:00

The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™

Every year for the past nine years, the Environmental Working Group has published their Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ based on tests for pesticide residue conducted by the USDA and FDA. EWG specifically highlights "The Dirty Dozen™": produce likely to have a higher level of pesticide residue, which they recommend avoiding or purchasing organic. For the last couple years, EWG has expanded their Dirty Dozen™ list with a Plus category resulting in "The Dirty Dozen Plus™". The "Plus" refers to crops that do not meet traditional Dirty Dozen™ criteria but that were commonly contaminated with exceptionally toxic pesticides. Consumers should prioritize purchasing organic versions of these vegetables as well if possible. The produce with the least residue is termed "The Clean Fifteen™."

Use the The Dirty Dozen™ to Prioritize Purchases

This guide is not intended to scare you into not buying fruits and vegetables. Any produce is better than no produce. And conventional fruit and vegetables are certainly better than processed or packaged foods. Instead, this information is intended to help families who cannot afford to purchase all organic produce limit their exposure to pesticides, especially harmful to developing fetuses and young children. You can use the guide to substitute produce from The Clean Fifteen™ for The Dirty Dozen Plus™ (for example, I might decide our family will eat more kiwi and fewer apples), or use the guide to help you decide which produce you will buy organic and which you will buy conventional (for example, I might buy organic strawberries and conventional onions). When I first started going green, I found that selectively purchasing organic produce helped a lot with the sticker shock of switching to greener foods.

The 2013 Dirty Dozen Plus™ (starting with the worst/ dirtiest)

apples - the dirtiest of the Dirty Dozen™
strawberries
grapes
celery
peaches
spinach
sweet bell peppers
imported nectarines
cucumbers
potatoes
cherry tomatoes
hot peppers

PLUS: Kale/ Collard Greens
PLUS: Summer squash (zucchini, yellow crookneck squash)

The Clean Fifteen™ (starting with the best/ cleanest)

sweet corn - the cleanest of the Clean Fifteen™
onions
pineapples
avocados
cabbage
sweet peas frozen
papayas
mangoes
asparagus
eggplant
kiwi
grapefruit
cantaloupe
sweet potatoes
mushrooms

Note that the Dirty Dozen™ are all produce with thin edible skins, whereas the Clean Fifteen™ tend to be fruits and vegetables with thick skins you don't eat (pineapples, avocado, onions, melons). If you are avoiding GMO foods, EWG also recommends purchasing only organically-grown sweet corn (small fraction GMO), zucchini (small fraction GMO), and Hawaiian papaya (almost all GMO). In the US, GMO foods do not have to be labeled, but most produce (with the aforementioned exceptions) is not.

Other Helpful Tips

Eat fruits and vegetables! Any fruit, even fruit with pesticides, is better than no fruit. Remember that eating fruits and vegetables is much better than eating processed and packaged foods.
Think twice about buying conventional baby food. EWG reports that "results remained troubling for some baby foods purchased in American stores in 2011." For example, green beans tested positive for especially toxic organophosphates and perhaps even more troubling, pear samples tested positive for 11 pesticides including a probably carcinogen not registered for use on pears. To save money on baby food, consider making your own with organic ingredients.
Learn how to minimize exposure to toxins on any budget. Check out EWG's useful guide Good Food on a Tight Budget, which describes 100 nutrient-rich foods at a good price, with the fewest pesticides, contaminants and artificial ingredients.

Further reading from Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™
Executive Summary
The Full List
Methodology and Highlights
Frequently Asked Questions, such as

Agribusiness claims pesticide residues are safe. Are they right?
What if I wash and peel my fruits and vegetables?

10 Green Gifts for Mom

2013-04-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Wondering what to get mom this year?

Handmade

In my opinion, the most meaningful gift for mom has always been the gift you make yourself. All I really want for mother's day is a homemade card by my children. If you have a gift-able skill (drawing, writing, sewing, knitting, carpentry, ceramics, photography, cooking, gardening, etc.), consider making mom a gift this year. If you can't make something handmade, consider buying a unique handmade gift in your community or through an online marketplace like Etsy (check out this jewelry from the EcoEtsy team).

Experience

What do you buy for the mom who doesn't want any more stuff? A great gift for someone in the decluttering stage of life is an experience: a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant; membership to an art museum, tickets to the movies or a special cultural or sporting event. Even better would be an experience you could share together with your mom.

Special Breakfast

At my house, we love celebrating holidays with a special breakfast. Kick-off an all-day celebration of mom with a delicious homemade breakfast or brunch. Try whole grain pancakes with strawberries and whip cream, french toast with real maple syrup, eggs and bacon, or the always impressive German pancakes.

Photo Gifts

One thing grandmothers never seem to tire of is photos. My mom loves the digital photo frame with photo slideshow we gave her one year. The photos can be continually updated. You can also get photo slideshow key chains. Another gift might just be your pledge to stay on top of posting photos of the grandkids in online photo albums or on a blog for grannie to enjoy year-round.

Cookbooks

For the mother who enjoys or wants to enjoy being in the kitchen, a new cookbook can be the perfect gift. I personally love cookbooks that facilitate eating seasonally as well as baking cookbooks that allow me to make delicious, healthy baked goods for my family.

Kitchen Gear

This is another idea for the chef-at-heart mom. I almost always have some item of bakeware or cookware or a kitchen gadget or two on my wish list. Since I spend a good portion of every day working in the kitchen, great kitchen gear can markedly improve my quality of life. High-quality durable kitchen gear is sometimes very pricey, offering you an opportunity to give to mom that fun and useful splurge she might never buy for herself. Maybe it's also time to help mom say goodbye to that 20-year-old Teflon pan.

Organic Flowers and Chocolates

If you want to go the traditional route, make it eco-friendlier by seeking out organic, fair trade, and local flowers and chocolate if possible. There are many types of organic chocolate available now. One that compares very favorably with my favorite regular brands of chocolate is Theo Chocolate. I especially like the Dark Chocolate with Orange variety. There are now many online options for organic flower delivery services, or, better yet, find an organic flower vendor near you: find one through Local Harvest.

Plant

Even better than flowers, in my opinion, is a plant. Does your mom have a green thumb and love splashes of colors? Or need a plant that is difficult to kill? Show your thoughtfulness by visiting a nursery and picking out a plant just right for your mom's needs.

Reusables

Gently leading folks from single-use disposable products to classy and money-saving reusables is a great way to encourage greener living. Just make sure you give something the recipient would appreciate! For some moms this might mean very practical items such as rechargeable batteries. For others, lovely embroidered cloth napkins (perhaps discovered at your favorite thrift store) or food bags made of fun fabrics might be appropriate. Remember to wrap your gift in reusable gift wrap!

Green Electronics

Gadgets aren't just for guys. This year my siblings and I are pitching in to buy my mom a new digital camera for an upcoming European adventure (her previous camera is a 10-year-old castoff from me!). We used Consumer Reports ratings to find a not-too-tiny highly rated camera that also happens to meet the EU's new electronic certifications (WEEE). I was so pleased to see Consumer Reports include green certifications on their Specs pages! Other green electronics certifications include EPEAT, RoHS, and Energy Star. Additional resources for finding green electronics include Story of Electronics - Greener Products for Your Home and the EPA's Green Electronics Page. If replacing an outdated or broken gadget, offer to recycle your mom's old gadget for her.

OK, Green Moms, what would you like for Mother's Day? Do tell!

More Ideas!

Eco-novice's Green Gift Guide
It’s Not Too Late for Intangible Gifts!
Green Gifts for Adults: Reusables
My Favorite Cookbooks
10 Favorite Kitchen Tools (Gift Ideas for Mom)
Plastic-Free Cookware and Bakeware
Reusable Food Bags - Variety Is Best

Disclosure: this post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This post is part of
Your Green Resource

Green Sisterhood Link Up

4 Ways to Create Bacterial Super Bugs

2013-04-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

There have been several stories involving antibiotics and antibiotic resistance lately.

A Battle Over Antibiotics In Organic Apple And Pear Farming

This story was news to me. Like many consumers of organic produce, I wasn't aware that antibiotics were ever allowed in organic agriculture. As Urvashi Rangan, the director of consumer safety and sustainability at Consumer Reports put it, "This isn't what consumers expect out of organics" (source). Exactly! I have been looking askance at my apples for weeks. Happily, the National Organics Standards Board has rejected a petition to extend the exemption that allowed the use of antibiotics on organic produce. However, I wonder just how much antibiotic I have ingested over these past few years eating organic apples and pears. (Note that not all organic apples and pears are treated: the article reports that up to 16 percent of all apple acreage and up to 40 percent of all pear acreage get sprayed with antibiotics each year.)

How To Track And Attack A Superbug

In March I heard this NPR interview discussing a press conference by Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in which he announced the need to "sound an alarm" on the advance of CRE, a highly drug-resistant bacteria. I learned in this interview that the antibiotics prescribed to treat many patients with superbugs have not been used for decades. That's because the antibiotics have such undesirable side effects as kidney failure. Facing death from an infection caused by a superbacteria, however, the patients are left with no other choice but to take a drug that may cause them serious harm.

Sparse crop of new antibiotics confronts 'nightmare bacteria'

And just today I read this story about a report that found that surprisingly few new antibiotics are being developed for the treatment of infections caused by an especially nasty class of superbugs, such as CRE.

I always pay special attention when antibiotics are in the news, because I once had a drug-resistant bacteria. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant experience, and definitely one I will never forget. Antibiotics are one of the great accomplishments of Western medicine, and it is a tragedy that we are squandering this precious resource through our own misuse. Here are some ways that humans are contributing to the creation of bacterial superbugs that cannot be treated with regular antibiotics.

4 Ways to Create Bacterial Super Bugs

1. Practice hyper-cleanliness.

In our quest for hyper-cleanliness, antibacterials are added to all kinds of personal products and cleaning products where they are completely unnecessary. Hot water and soap has been shown to be just as effective in killing germs as antibacterial soaps, for example. Select carefully and use very judiciously any product labeled as a disinfectant or an antibacterial.

During the NPR interview listed above, one listener emailed in: Does the use of antibacterial soap increase the likelihood that my body won't respond properly to standard antibiotics? Guest Carl Zimmer, a science writer and blogger, responded:

Well, by doing anything that exposes bacteria, even good bacteria, to antibiotics, you're creating the opportunity for the evolution of resistance. Any genes that provide resistance are going to become more common, and mutations to those genes are going to be favored by natural selection. And the real tricky thing about bacteria is that once they've got these highly evolved resistance genes to different drugs, they trade them. They swap them around. And actually you'll have some bacteria like the bacteria we're talking about today, which have accumulated lots and lots of genes for lots of different antibiotics.

2. Use consumer products containing antibacterial pesticides.

Perhaps you have noticed the proliferation of school supplies and other products (such as crib mattresses and even underwear) containing antimicrobials or antibacterials such as Microban. What exactly is Microban? The Smart Mama explains in her post "Back to School with Microban":

Microban is a broad range of antimicrobial technologies that are designed to protect products from microbes. Microban technologies do not protect the user of the product from disease causing microorganisms (if Microban International was making such claims, it would be subject to certain regulatory requirements and would have to have proof to support the claims).

Imagine my annoyance when I discovered that the extra-fat pencils my son uses in his Kindergarten class contained Microban. Really? Do we really need to sanitize a pencil? And in what universe would this help at all with the spread of germs among 5-year-olds? I also recently ordered some Timberland sandals for my 1.5 year old. When they arrived, they sported a Microban tag. I sent them back. I kind of understand wanting to avoid odor-causing bacteria in a teenager's shoes, but in a 1-year-olds? I plan to call Timberland and ask about this gratuitous use of antimicrobials in their products, because I expect more environmental responsibility from an outdoors company. Remember, any unnecessary use of antibiotics gives bacteria the opportunity to mutate and adapt. I refuse to purchase any consumer product labeled as antimicrobial or antibacterial.

3. Purchase conventional meat and animal products.

I've read different estimates, but usually the figure is around 70% to 80% of all antibiotics in the U.S. are used on livestock. 30 million pounds of antibiotics are given to livestock annually. Antibiotics are used to prevent animal illness (conventional feedlot practices involve unnatural diets and conditions which promote illness) and just plain old fatten up those animals more quickly. According to a report published by the FDA's National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, "store-bought meat tested in 2011 contained antibiotic-resistant bacteria in 81 percent of raw ground turkey, 69 percent of raw pork chops, 55 percent of raw ground beef and 39 percent of raw chicken parts" (source). I once asked a doctor relative (who is often skeptical of my green concerns) what he thought of the use of antibiotics on livestock. He immediately replied, "completely and totally irresponsible." This misuse of antibiotics is one of the top reasons I do my best to avoid and never purchase conventional meat and dairy. Read more about superbugs in supermarket meat in EWG's Meat Eater's Guide: "Superbugs Invade American Supermarkets" as well as "Tips to Help you Avoid Superbugs in Meat."

4. Ask your doctor for antibiotics for you or your child.

If you need antibiotics, your doctor will prescribe them. Even if your doctor suggests antibiotic use, ask if you can wait a few days to see if the problem resolves on its own, or consider getting a second opinion. For example, my doctor wanted to prescribe antibiotics for my child's ear infection. After consulting with a relative who is an ER pediatrician (and aware of the latest research on ear infections and antibiotics), I decided against it, at least for several more days. I did discuss that decision with my doctor, who did not oppose it. Neither my 2nd or 3rd child has ever taken antibiotics despite several ear infections (about 80 percent of all ear infections clear up on their own). I treat ear infections with pain killers, observe, and consult with my doctor. The AAP recently issued new guidelines for the treatment of ear infections. One change is that observation without antibiotics is given as an option for children over 6 months of age. I push back hard when any doctor suggests antibiotic use for me or my children. It's not that I don't believe in them, it's that I want them to work when they are really needed.

I have no doubt that we will one day reach the "post-antibiotic" world that so many public health experts are warning about. I just hope we can delay it long enough to come up with alternate means of dealing with bacterial infections before we get there.

Related Posts
I Survived a Drug-Resistant Bacterial Infection
Green Cleaning Series

Non-toxic Antibacterial Soap

What are you doing to prevent the overuse and misuse of antibiotics?

This post is part of
Your Green Resource

Green Sisterhood Link Up

Simple Inexpensive Ways to Go Green (Happy Earth Day!)

2013-04-22T08:16:00.001-07:00

Perhaps the best way to begin (or get back on) a green path is with an easy step. Sometimes you just need an easy win to get some momentum going. Here are some simple cheap ways to go green this Earth Day.

Easy Steps for Earth Day

Drink water.
Go outside.
Wear clothes more than once before washing (more ways to reduce laundry).
Open a window instead of using air freshener (more natural alternatives to synthetic air fresheners).
Cancel junk mail.
Shop at a farmers market.
Clean surfaces with straight or diluted vinegar (more ideas for green cleaners).
Use cloth napkins (more ideas for reusable products).
Use one less beauty product.
Use snug fitting rather than flame retardant PJs for your kids (other easy ways to keep toxins out of your home).

Check out these additional easy green tips from The Green Sisterhood.

Share your favorite easy green step in the comments!

How to Clean the Potty

2013-04-15T15:04:00.003-07:00

How do I clean my child's potty? Mostly, I don't.

Recently a friend sent me this email:

Hey, I've been interested in your early potty training adventures, so I ordered [my 7-month-old] a potty chair. Today I put her on it for the first time. She sat there happily, although her feet don't touch the ground so she's a bit unstable. The next time I put her on there, she peed! She did it again about an hour later! I was amazed. We shall see where this leads...

Hooray for immediate success! That's the way we like it. I'll be interested to see where it leads too. Remember that the goal is not to get the baby to pee every time in the potty, just to do her business some of the time somewhere besides the diaper.

Later my friend emailed me:

Oh yeah, how do you usually clean it [the potty] ? I'm not really looking forward to that part of the process...

So now I'll tell you how I clean the potty, for you first-time parents who've never potty trained anybody. Before reading any further, you should know that, as a general rule, I like to keep cleaning standards nice and low.

How I Clean the Potty

I dump out pee in the toilet, and never even rinse it because I'm lazy like that. I think my husband rinses it out with water in the bathtub afterwards usually.
Sometimes if I've got my hands full and am running out the door, I don't even dump the pee! It just sits there until the next time she uses the potty. However, I do really try to dump the pee before the next time she uses the potty (even if it's only seconds before) because then it's easier for me to tell if she actually peed.
For poop, I dump the poop out in the toilet and then rinse the potty in the bathtub. If some of the poop sticks on the bottom or sides, I let it soak in the tub until the next time she needs to go, then dump out the water (in the tub if it's not too bad, in the toilet if it's pretty poopy) and put her right on the potty. Although it's not that fun to clean a pasty poop off the potty, it is more fun than wiping it off your child's bottom, in my opinion.
I used to always dry off the potty with a cloth wipe if it was a little damp before sitting her on it, now I don't bother.
Once every week or two, we clean the potty more thoroughly with vinegar or some other non-toxic cleaner.

And that's it!

By the way, my friend is using the Baby Bjorn potty chair for her 7-month-old. The perfectly sized little potty has been discontinued for reasons that cannot be fathomed (What's up with that, Baby Bjorn???). The Baby Bjorn potty chair or smart potty (or maybe IKEA's potty) are probably your next best options, and preferable to using a potty seat on the toilet.

For more tips, tricks, and tales from early potty training, visit my Early Potty Training page.

How do you clean your child's potty?
What type of potty chair are you using?

Disclosure: this post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Introducing The Green Sisterhood

2013-04-12T15:34:00.000-07:00

Those of you who scrutinize the sidebars of my blog layout (i.e., my parents) may have noticed a certain new blog button currently in my left sidebar that reads "Green Sisterhood ~ Network Member."

Or perhaps you've clicked on one of those thumbnails under the title "Related Posts from the Green Sisterhood" at the end of each of my blog posts.

What is the Green Sisterhood?

The Green Sisterhood is an online community of passionate bloggers whose mission is to share their knowledge about sustainable and conscious living with others. Our group of 20+ bloggers includes authors, speakers, and social media experts who have been featured on radio, television, and in print. Among our ranks are cloth diapering moms, expert gardeners, plastic-free gurus, upcycling divas, green building consultants, vegans and vegetarians.

While we represent a variety of stages in life, areas of expertise, and shades of green, we share a common purpose:

To make safe, healthy and sustainable living easier.
To help you be selective in choosing products that will keep your family healthy.
To work together to be positive and support each other to make a global impact.

Brand Green, Make Green

In addition to offering the opportunity for green bloggers to learn from and support one another, the Green Sisterhood also provides a sort of match-making service to green blogs and green companies. I personally don't want to spend my time vetting every company that emails me about advertising on my blog. But I do want to support green businesses and inform my readers about greener products and services that are available to them.

Enter the Green Sisterhood. Green bloggers are given the opportunity to partner with trusted green businesses who are committed to caring for the planet. Green businesses are able to reach a combined readership with pageviews in the millions. By combining our blogging superpowers, and by partnering with and promoting like-minded companies, the Green Sisterhood aims to create meaningful change in the marketplace and beyond.

Be a Part of the Green Sisterhood Community

We want you to be a part of the Green Sisterhood Community! We hope you'll turn to us for reliable information and useful tips. Bring us your questions and concerns. Share with us your successes and failures. Here is where you'll find us:

Green Sisterhood Blog: Read posts written by the bloggers of The Green Sisterhood. Share your questions, concerns, and experiences in the comments. Sign up for free email updates so you don't miss any posts or special events. Link up your own eco-friendly tips and tutorials to the Weekend Reading Link Up each Thursday.
Facebook and Google+ Jump in the discussions.
Twitter: Follow @greensisterhood and join in our twitter parties.
Pinterest: Follow and post to our many boards about green living. These boards are open to all who are interested in contributing. If you are interesting in pinning to the boards, just leave your Pinterest username in a comment below and we'll add you.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Eco-novice Interviewed on the Green Divas Radio Show

2013-04-08T07:06:00.003-07:00

Last Thursday I was interviewed by Green Divas Megan McWilliams and Mizar Turdiu on the Green Divas Radio Show. The green divas radio show is a weekly, one-hour internet-based radio broadcast that offers listeners information about green and sustainable living in an accessible, low-guilt, often humorous way.

During my segment, we covered topics such as:

Whether or not I am still an "eco-novice".
How I got started on my green journey.
Cloth diapers: do I wash them myself and do I use one of those plastic covers that looks like a shower cap? Plus other fun facts about my and the Green Divas' experiences with cloth diapers.
Easy green steps for parents, like using straight or diluted vinegar to clean any surface.
The burden of green knowledge and how the Omnivore's Dilemma changed our lives.
Plus: a cool tip for making bar soap more kid-friendly.

My segment starts around minute 40. Listen to the entire show to hear about local communities creating their own currency to support the local economy (and kick things up a notch from bartering), encouraging car companies to get greener, and where your Earl Gray (and other) teas come from. Find a detailed summary of the radio show on the Green Divas blog.

This was a fun experience for me - chatting with long-time greenies in real time with our real voices - since most of my interactions with other greenish types are virtual. I hope you enjoy listening.

Green Divas Radio Show 4.4.13 - Are you an Eco Novice?

If you love podcasts, consider subscribing to The Green Divas hip and informative radio show.

When Shopping for Food, What Matters Most to You?

2013-04-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

Between California's recently defeated Proposition 37, which would have required the labeling of GMO foods, and the recent so-called Monsanto Protection Act (protecting biotech companies from future litigation if it turns out that GMO seeds are dangerous), GMOs and how to avoid them have been all over the news and blogosphere during the past six months.

Which has made me realize, GMOs have never been a top issue for me.

Sure, I avoid them. I switched to organic canola oil (which I use in large quantities for bread and most high-temp cooking) when I read that almost all conventional canola oil is GMO. I know that almost all corn is GMO, so I do try to buy most things with corn as a main ingredient organic (organic products cannot contain GMOs). I would never eat a genetically engineered animal on purpose.

Of course I supported California's Proposition 37 and labeling GMOs. I would like to be the one to determine whether scientific innovations in agricultural with very short track records and questionable research are relevant to my food purchases or not.

And, yes, I think GMOs are a bad idea. Or at the very least, an idea that doesn't have enough rigorous science behind it to merit their widespread and ever-growing creation and application.

But I've never participated in a GMO-free month or scrutinized blog posts with lists of items that might or do contain GMOs. I've never gone through my pantry to identify and toss any item that might have GMOs. Honestly, I'm not sure exactly why, but it just doesn't push my buttons the way other food issues do. I often buy conventional chips as long as the ingredient list is short (potatoes, oil, salt), knowing full well that the vegetable oil might be GMO. I guess I think I'm better off putting my money and energy into finding healthy alternatives to the chips, like a new homemade snack.

All this GMO business has made me think about what ARE my food priorities. What matters most to me when I shop for food? Where do I draw the line and when am I willing to compromise?

Continue reading at The Green Phone Booth

Photo credit: NatalieMaynor

Everything Eco-novice Knows About Early Potty Training

2013-03-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

{Find a continually updated version of this post here.}

Early potty training isn't about never putting a diaper on your newborn. It isn't about getting your 9-month-old to pee every single time in a potty. It's about sometimes giving your baby an opportunity to do her business somewhere besides her diaper. Early potty training is as simple as taking off your baby's diaper and plopping her on the potty.

I first delved into early potty training (a.k.a. elimination communication) when attempting to potty train my first child around the age of 2 1/2. I found it maddening that he would sit for 30 minutes on the potty, put his underpants back on and immediately poop in them. How could that be normal? Out of frustration, and just for the heck of it, I decided to put my second child (then 8 months old) on the toilet and see what happened. She pooped, and I was hooked.

This page includes every post I have written about early potty training, including:

tips and tricks for successful early potty training
the benefits of early potty training
specific instructions for early potty training at different ages and stages
the history of potty training
why you should ignore all guidelines for "potty readiness"
my experiences potty training my second child from the age of 8 months
my experiences potty training my third child from the age of 4 months

So if you are interested in learning more about early potty training, read on!

Early Potty Training 101

A Brief History of Potty Training
In addition to outlining a brief (and enlightening) history of potty training, this post discusses why you should ignore the AAP guidelines for potty readiness, which are based upon myths and theories that have been proven false in published medical studies.

10 Benefits of Early Potty Training
This post describes various medical benefits for early potty training, as well as Eco-novice's own view on the greatest benefits of early potty training.

How to Potty Train a Baby
This post introduces three basic stages of early potty training.

Tips and Tricks for Successful Early Potty Training

When to Put Your Child on the Potty

These are times during the day when it is either especially easy to put your baby on the potty or when he is especially likely to use the potty, or both!

I Love Board Books of Baby Faces

Entertainment is an important part of success with early potty training. These board books have served me well during potty training.

Favorite Potty Training Stuff

Favorite and least favorite potties and potty seats, training pants, books and DVDs about potty training and prizes.

Early Potty Training: Dress for Success

What clothing your put on your baby influences how often you are willing to plop her on the pot!

How to Clean the Potty

Cleaning pasty poop off the potty is a lot more fun than cleaning it off your child's bottom.

Early Potty Training My Third Child

My current adventure in early potty training.

Early Potty Training My Second Child

My first adventure in early potty training. Read a tale of early potty training from start to finish!

My 9-Month-Old is Potty Trained!!! (9 months)
Potty Training Reflections or The Thrill of Success & The Agony of Defeat (1 year)
Preschooler Potty Training Finale (Plus Top Ten Benefits of Early Potty Training) (13 months)
Thoughts on Diapering and Pottying During Travel (16 months)
Potty Update (18 months)
Early Potty Training Reprise (2.5 years)

Potty Training My First Child When He Was a Preschooler

This experience provided the motivation for trying early potty training with my second child.

My 9-Month-Old is Potty Trained!!! (2 years, 10 months)
Potty Training Reflections or The Thrill of Success & The Agony of Defeat (3 years)
Preschooler Potty Training Finale (Plus Top Ten Benefits of Early Potty Training) (3 years, 2 months)

I will be publishing a constantly updated version of this post on my early potty training page. Or click on the picture in my left sidebar which links to my early potty training page.

Note to helpful readers: I'm thinking of publishing 4 or 5 of these topic pages. If you find this one useful, please let me know. If you have a suggested topic for another topic page, please share in the comments. Thank you.

This post is part of

Your Green Resource

Green Sisterhood Link Up

Works for Me Wednesday

How to Make Letting Go of Clutter a Little Easier

2013-03-20T17:24:00.001-07:00

Naming your clutter can be the first step on the road to freedom.

I finally checked out The Happiness Project from the library. I know everyone else has already read it and discussed it in all three of your book groups, but it takes me a while to get around to reading the bestsellers. At any rate, I enjoyed the chapter that addresses clutter. While working to reduce the stuff in her house, author Gretchen Rubin identified types of clutter she and others have trouble getting rid of. Several categories I immediately identified with.

Types of Clutter

Bargain clutter: things that you bought because they were on sale
Freebie clutter: things you have because you were able to get them for free
Nostalgic clutter: momentos from the past
Aspirational clutter: things that you own and aspire to use someday
Buyer’s remorse clutter: things that you bought which you later realized you didn’t need or want, but you hang onto it rather than admit that you wasted your money on a bad purchase.
Conservation clutter: things that are theoretically useful but currently useless to you

I have moved enough times that I am pretty good about passing up bargain clutter and freebie clutter. I know now that owning these items really does have a substantial cost in terms of just dealing with it being in your life. As my Grannie used to say, "A thing of beauty is a job forever." On a related note, I now often take photos of momentos rather than save the actual item. Moving helped with that too. For one thing, when you move a bunch of times, breakable things break.

I used to have a serious problem in the aspirational clutter category, particularly with books. It took me years to admit I was never going to read on my own some Latin texts I had picked up at a used book store in my college town just before graduating. I often used to buy used books that I wanted to want to read because they were important books, but never actually wanted to read at any particular moment. My mom once told me that she thought owning a book was the next best thing to reading it. I used to think that too. Until I moved 4 times in 4 years.

My number one reason still for keeping things is that I actually do not enjoy shopping much, so I keep things just in case I might need to use them someday to save myself from having to purchase the item (maybe) at a future date. I think this is a type of conservation clutter. But I have determined that if someday I will miss one of the 100 items I think I might want someday, it's worth it to get rid of the 100 items and rebuy/ borrow/ find at a thrift shop that one item someday down the line.

Green guilt can result in buyer's remorse clutter. It's not just the money wasted that haunts you, it's the energy and resources wasted in the creation of the product, maybe the plastic created that will live on forever in the environment. And, in fact, for many items of value that are difficult to dump in the Goodwill bin, it has been helpful for me to find a home for them, through friends, Craig's List or Freecycle. It's easier to let go when you know the item has found not just might find a useful home.

I am lucky to have many folks in my life that are happy to help me de-clutter. My sister is always ready to watch me try on clothes and tell me which I should never wear in public again. My husband hates clutter and has been an excellent influence on me. He is particularly ruthless when it's time to pack and move. He often helps me get rid of things by saying, "When was the last time you used that? Someone else could be using that." Also, "I'm not moving that again."

Why bother getting rid of clutter? Especially if you have the space to store it?

That clutter could be useful to someone else! And then that person might not have to buy something new, resulting in less production of new products and less consumption.
Dealing with your clutter will make you realize how much stuff you have.It seriously dampens the desire to accumulate. I speak from experience.
Clutter uses up mental and sometimes physical energy, especially if you have to keep moving it to clean or to find what you need.
You will have to deal with that clutter eventually when you move. And if you die before you move, your poor descendants will have to deal with it.

I do think that finding a name for particularly intractable clutter can be a useful first step in letting it go.

What kind of clutter do you have trouble avoiding and getting rid of?

Related Posts:

If you struggle with paper clutter, consider checking out my series Goodbye, Junk Mail.

Photo credit: puuikibeach

Disclosure: this post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This post is part of
Your Green Resource

Green Sisterhood Link Up

Celebrate a Special Day with a Special Breakfast

2013-03-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

I love breakfast, so for special occasions like holidays or birthdays or even just the arrival of the weekend, I love to celebrate with a special breakfast.

We regularly have whole grain pancakes, French toast, German pancakes, or scrambled eggs, for breakfast. If you are used to eating cold cereal with milk for breakfast, any hot homemade deliciousness could be a special breakfast. Around here, I need to kick it up a notch to make breakfast special.

For this most recent Christmas Day and New Year's Day we enjoyed our usual scrambled eggs, with toasted french bread, orange juice, with local bacon (cook the bacon first and then cook the scrambled eggs in the same pan in the bacon fat - yum!) and cinnamon rolls. See the photo above. When you have a breakfast like that, you can skip lunch!

For Easter Sunday in a few weeks, we may do a repeat of this highly popular menu, but I'm actually leaning towards our decadent whole grain pancake breakfast (whole grain pancakes topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit) because strawberries are back at the farmers market. They aren't as amazingly sweet and delicious as summertime strawberries and they are pretty expensive at this time of year, but boy are we excited to be eating strawberries again at my house.

Maybe we'll have a special breakfast on the Vernal Equinox as well. I love an excuse for a special breakfast.

Do you make special breakfasts to celebrate special days?
What is your favorite dish for Easter brunch?

This post is part of the Green Mom's Carnival about greening your Easter. Check out Big Green Purse on Monday, March 18 for more great ideas.

The Power of the Purse

2013-03-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was in the library with my son, looking at books about Cesar Chavez. I flipped one open and read about how they used to spray toxic pesticides on the fields while the workers were in the fields. I closed the book and slid it back onto the shelf. As I often do, I decided to shield my son who is in Kindergarten from this particular detail for a few more years. Reading about Cesar Chavez reminded me of a time several eons ago when I sat in front of a class of 32 fourth graders in downtown Los Angeles discussing the grape boycott as part of our California history lesson. "You see," I told them, "when you buy something, it's like you are voting for it. You aren't just buying a product. You are supporting the companies who make the product. And if you don't agree with what they are doing, then you shouldn't give them your money." I told them what a powerful message ordinary people were able to send these companies simply by choosing to not buy something.

This is the power of the purse. And while public policy and government action must play a major role in order to address many of the most dire problems our planet and its inhabitants face, it is also true that individual choices, including our own personal consumption choices, are often the fastest way we can impact our own health as well as send messages to the marketplace. Businesses tend to notice when they stop selling products and stop making money.

The U.S. – China Greener Consumption Forum

The U.S. and China are the world's two "consumer super powers." And on March 22, 2013 at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., women leaders from both countries will gather for The U.S. – China Greener Consumption Forum to meet and address the environmental challenges their countries face due to consumption. The Forum will convene leading consumer advocates, green entrepreneurs, scientists and public policy specialists to explore ways to marshal the "power of the purse" to protect the planet.

As quality of life and income improve in China and other parts of the world, escalating consumer demand is leading to an unprecedented acceleration in the consumption of natural resources, energy, and water. This pattern of consumption worsens already existing problems like pollution, climate change, toxins in the environment, and waste. When we reduce our consumption as well as shift our spending to greener products and services, we're sending a powerful message to manufacturers worldwide that, if they want to continue to get our business, their products must meet our greener, cleaner expectations.

Buying less and using less is always the most fundamental aspect of green consumption. At the Forum, speakers will highlight examples of the "sharing economy" as well as initiatives in China and the U.S. (like "meatless Monday" and ENERGY STAR) that have been very successful in reducing consumption. In addition, the forum focuses on women because of the disproportionate influence women have on consumer purchases. If women in both countries can be mobilized to use their power as consumers and as entrepreneurs, significant progress can be made in reducing our global carbon footprint while creating a greener, cleaner world. Like American women, Chinese women are also concerned about the environmental impact of our decisions. In China, national and local women's federations are a particularly powerful force for social change and community engagement. Many women's groups have been on the forefront of encouraging their cities and towns to reduce their carbon footprint. The Forum will provide ideas and tools they can apply to consumer campaigns, as well.

Forum speakers will be addressing such topics as

Why our spending habits have so much power to make a difference
Obstacles that prevent people from shifting their spending to greener products and services
Strategies to reduce consumption, such as campaigns to reduce plastic use and to improve energy efficiency

Speakers include Lisa P. Jackson, the recently retired Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (luncheon keynote address); Huan Gao, the mayor of Yichun, China; Xiang Guo, the General Director of the Chinese Women Activity Center; Peter Banwell, Director of Product Marketing for Energy Star; Elizabeth O'Connell, Campaigns Director for Green America; the founders of Au Naturale organic cosmetics and Skincando body care products; and Cheryl Newman, VP and Deputy Chief of Mission for Honest Tea.

Due to the popularity of The U.S. – China Greener Consumption Forum, registration is now closed. However, you can participate in the conference virtually by following the Forum's own social media outlets as well as those of Green Sisterhood, which is a media partner for the Forum. You can:

Sign up for Forum email updates.
Follow updates on the Forum's Facebook page as well as the Green Sisterhood Facebook page to receive updates before, during, and after the conference.
Follow the Twitter conversation at hashtag #uschinagreenforum and hashtag #GSGF13 (which the Green Sisterhood will be using for tweets about the Forum).

Spread the word: click here to tweet about the forum.

What steps have you taken to become a more conscious consumer?

Finding Non-toxic Lipstick Using the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database

2013-03-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

The only make-up I ever wear these days is lipstick. I like lipstick because it instantly makes you look done up (my sister taught me this trick). Less discerning souls might even think you spent 30 minutes in front of a mirror putting on makeup and trying to look your best.

Recently I decided I wanted to purchase some non-toxic lipstick. Some of you may have heard about lead in lipstick. The FDA has an allowable level of lead in lipstick. Personally, I'd like my lipstick to be lead-free and toxin-free, since I am both constantly eating as well as absorbing through my skin its ingredients. Although I have shifted much of my purchasing to online simply because I loathe shopping with my small children, make-up is the kind of thing I like to shop for in person. So here's what I did.

How to Buy Non-toxic Lipstick (the hard way)

1. I went to Whole Foods and bought a lipstick. I bought a Gabriel lipstick. The ingredients looked reasonably innocuous and I liked the shade. Whole Foods will let you return any cosmetic you end up not liking within a short period (30 days, I think).

2. Eventually, and after a few times wearing it, I got around to looking up my Gabriel lipstick in the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. I was not pleased to discover that it had a Hazard Score of 4 (moderate hazard), including an ingredient that scored a whopping 8 (high hazard). That ingredient was Vitamin A Palmitate or Retinyl Palmitate. On the one hand, Vitamin A is an ingredient that sounds pretty un-mysterious and harmless, especially as cosmetics go. On the other hand, I knew (but had forgotten) about the problems with Vitamin A (particularly when exposed to sunlight) from my research on sunscreens. The Skin Deep Database lists the following "Concerns" with this ingredient: "Biochemical or cellular level changes, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)." All of which is to say, don't assume that every product in your nearby health foods store is as non-toxic as you would like it to be.

4. Back to square one. I looked at the lipsticks with the lowest hazard rating in the Skin Deep Database. But the list is long and where could they be purchased and which would I be able to find in a physical store so that I could check it out in person? I quickly decided this was not the best approach.

5. I called my local Whole Foods and asked them for the brand names of all the lipsticks they carried. I looked up those brands in the Skin Deep Database. One brand, Hemp Organics, was most promising. All their lipsticks had hazard scores of 1 or 2 (low hazard). The worst score for any individual ingredient was 2 (low hazard).

6. I went back to Whole Foods and picked a shade of Hemp Organics lipstick that I liked. Mission accomplished! I now have a non-toxic lipstick that I like.

After all this rigamarole to find a non-toxic lipstick, I decided to look up my old favorite: the Origins Matte Stick. I've used Origins Matte Sticks for many years because I like the matte finish and they stay on well. They are sort of like giant lip pencils. Unfortunately, the exact formulation of my two colors was not in the database, although many ingredients were the same, giving me a decent idea of what the hazard score of my current stick would be. And let me just say that I find it annoying that Origins doesn't list all ingredients on their product pages online, which I think every company but especially companies claiming to be natural or organic should do. Luckily, I still had the boxes my matte sticks came in to refer to for a list of ingredients. I did look up some of the weirder ingredients individually, with the main concerns being the artificial colors. I decided that my Origins Matte Sticks are still OK for occasional use, but the Hemp Organics lipstick is definitely the less toxic choice.

How to Buy Non-toxic Lipstick (the easy way)

1. Look up your current favorite (using Search box on Skin Deep Cosmetic Database). Might not be as bad as you think. Be sure to cross-check the ingredients listed with the formulation on your product or a list of ingredients online (manufacturers' website or online beauty/drugstores are good sources). If the formulation in the database doesn't match your product's you can either: 1) look up individual ingredients or 2) create your own custom report using the Build Your Own Report feature of Skin Deep. Love this feature!

2. Call your local health foods or beauty store and ask what brands of lipstick they carry. Look those brands up in the Cosmetic Database Again, it's usually a good idea to cross-check ingredients against another source. Identify which brands have the lowest hazard scores.

3. Go to your local store and choose a shade from the lipstick brands with low hazard scores.

Of course, if you have a Smartphone (I don't), you can do these steps standing in the store, although building your own report would be rather cumbersome on a Smartphone, I imagine, so I'd recommend doing a little research ahead of time, especially if you'll be shopping with kiddos.

What is your favorite non-toxic lipstick?

More Posts about Non-toxic Personal Products
My Favorite Non-toxic Hair Products
Natural Deodorant that Works for My Husband
Non-toxic Tooth Care
Should I Use Sunscreen?

Disclosure: this post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This post is part of
Works for Me Wednesday

Your Green Resource
Green Sisterhood Link Up

The Poop Report: Diapering and Pottying at 15 Months

2013-03-07T10:57:00.001-08:00

Potty

I've been putting my third child on the potty since she was about 5 months old. Now at 15 months, I feel like we are in the home stretch. She goes in the potty many more times per day than she goes in her diaper. In fact, one day recently she exclusively used the potty. She went zero times in her diaper for an entire day! Another day, only one wet diaper. However, then there are the days when she refuses to sit on the potty and then wanders off diaper-free to the living room and pees a huge puddle on the floor. If there is one term I would use to describe this period it is Hit and Miss. It's mostly hit, but the misses tend to be fairly annoying and memorable.

In general, I am noticing that my 15-month-old can hold it for longer and longer periods. I believe this is for two reasons. One: her bladder control and bladder awareness are probably increasing; and two: I am nursing her less often, which means she isn't chalk-full of fluids all the time anymore. I have also noticed that she does better on weekdays or days with lots of outings. When we have to go places, I am putting her on the potty before leaving the house and as soon as we return, and remembering to give her lots of opportunities to use the potty. I've also noticed that she likes to hold it when she is out of the house, even for hours at a time. But on Saturdays, when we are getting odds and ends done around the house and not following any schedule, and my husband and I are both mindlessly assuming/hoping that the other is taking her to the potty regularly, she ends up going more often in her diaper because no one is taking her to the pot.

How I wish she would just tell me when she needs to go! She does often say "pee pee" after having gone in her diaper. One time she yelled "pee pee!" and since she was dry I whisked her off the the potty and she peed. But she also yells "pee pee" for all kinds of random reasons throughout the day, so I don't always pay attention when she says it. She also sometimes gets really fussy and whiny when she needs to go. But of course, she can be very whiny for entirely non-potty reasons as well. She has brought me the potty a couple of times when she needed to go, but in general we are lacking in a consistent form of communication on the potty front. So instead success is really about us taking her at regular and predictable intervals.

Dry nights seem to be a thing of the past. My 15-month-old switched to one nap (most days) and has an earlier bedtime. She still wakes up dry occasionally, but not routinely. For the last couple weeks she has been teething and frequently wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. She has woken up every morning with a soaked diaper. She still always wakes up dry from naps. I can't remember the last time she peed in a diaper after a nap.

My 15 months old frequently pees in the little potty we keep in the van (aka the van pot). This is a very useful skill to have.

Our Biggest Obstacle

Our biggest obstacle currently is impatience: hers and mine. Sometimes it's not that convenient to take her to the potty, and when she has been doing really well, I often get complacent and lazy. And sometimes I just don't feel like sitting there long enough for her to poop. And as we all know, pooping requires some patience. My busy, busy 15-month-old often lacks patience as well. She frequently bounces off the potty even when she needs to go. She also often complains when taken to the potty at all. She really hates to miss out on any of the action involving her two older siblings.

The solution for my impatience: motivation and discipline. I usually cycle through being diligent about taking her to the potty regularly and waiting patiently while she does her thing, getting lazier and more distracted, cleaning up many accidents and changing many wet diapers, and then getting motivated to be more diligent again. Once or twice she bounced off the potty after peeing or even pooping, and then walked off diaper-free and pooped somewhere else (we often let her go diaper-free after using the potty for a while because we can usually count on her not to need to go again for an hour or so). Cleaning up poop off the floor is very motivating for me. After that, I instituted my two-book rule. Because it can be hard to tell when a baby is done using the potty, with my last child, I had a three-minute rule. We would not get off the potty unless three minutes had elapsed since the last deposit. With my 15-month-old, I instituted the two-book rule. We sit on the potty for at least two books. Often more. This is some of the only one-on-one time (besides nursing) that I have with my 15-month-old all day. I remind myself of this often when I feel impatient sitting next to her on the potty.

The solution for my 15-month-old's impatience: entertainment. I've started rotating the reading material in the potty fairly regularly. And sometimes I have to be very persistent. But the persistence almost always pays off.

The 3-year-old

In other news, I am in the midst of transitioning my 3yo from her potty to the toilet. This is quite an accomplishment given her at times intense fear of toilets (she often screams when someone flushes the toilet and won't use her pot if the toilet seat on the adjacent toilet is open). I attribute much of my success to finding this awesome book called Toilet Tales, perfect for my 3yo who is in love with chickens. I am really looking forward to no longer cleaning her pot.

Diapering

We are washing diapers about one time per week. I can easily assess how we are doing any given week by how quickly the diaper bin is filling up. Many weeks, the diaper bin is only half-full by the end of the week. Other weeks, like this current week, the bin is nearly full only half-way through the week. Lots of misses this week.

We use and run out of the training pants and fitted diapers first. I still most often use an unbleached prefold (in thirds) inside a cover outside the house, but since she rarely pees or poops when away from home, I mostly use the prefolds for clean ups of accidents these days. Also as at 12 months, we are still using our Bumgenius diapers stuffed with prefolds at night.

Previous posts about early potty training my third child

Potty Training a 4-month-old Baby
My 5-month-old Baby Uses the Potty
Early Potty Training at 6 Months
The Poop Report: Diapering and Pottying at 7 Months
The Poop Report: Diapering and Pottying at 9 Months
The Poop Report: Diapering and Pottying at One Year

For links to every post I've ever written about early potty training, visit my Early Potty Training page.

Disclosure: this post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This post is part of
Tuesday Baby Link Up

Green Sisterhood Link Up

My Favorite Non-toxic Hair Products

2013-03-05T15:08:00.001-08:00

My hair after washing with shampoo bar and rinsing
with vinegar (no conditioner).

EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database

To determine the toxicity or safety of products or specific ingredients, I often consult EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database, which evaluates the safety of personal products based upon research regarding known and probable carcinogens, reproductive and developmental toxicants, as well as allergens and irritants. The higher the score, the more potential toxins your product contains. Personally, I pay more attention to ingredients linked to cancer and developmental/ reproductive problems than those that are allergens (essential oils are often potential allergens or skin irritants).

The one problem with this database is that sometimes it is out-of-date or incomplete. Sometimes for the product I am investigating, an old formulation might be listed. I always cross-check the ingredients listed in the Cosmetic Database against a list of online ingredients (either from the manufacturer or from an online drugstore that lists all ingredients such as Vitacost). Other times the product is not in the database at all. Sometimes I use the Build Your Own Report function of the database, which takes a few minutes, but is easier than typing in individual ingredients in the search box. And then you have your custom report to refer back to whenever you please.

Here are the hair products I am currently using.

Shampoo

For the last couple of years, I have been using a shampoo bar (like a bar of soap) instead of liquid shampoo. I love it! I also converted my husband (it was an easy sell). He prefers the shampoo bar as well, especially when he travels. Shampoo bars make so much sense since the first ingredient of bottled shampoo is often Aqua (aka Water). Packaging is also a big advantage: with a bar, the packaging is a small strip of recyclable paper instead of a plastic bottle. I was lucky to like the very first shampoo bar I tried, a Sweet Orange Shampoo Bar purchased from Etsy shop Dress Green. In case you are wondering, yes the shampoo bar does produce bubbly suds. I know that's an important part of shampooing for many folks.

I just barely ran out of my last bulk order, so I took a moment to make some calculations. Note that I only wash my hair about once a week, but I use a lot of shampoo when I do because I have a lot of hair. My husband washes his hair every day.Our last bulk order lasted us 18+ months, which means that we spent a mere $3.64 per month for both me and my husband on handmade eco-friendly non-toxic shampoo. {Correction: I just realized we spent even less than this since my sister and a friend each bought a bar from me, making the amount spent per month closer to $3.00)} According to the Skin Deep report I built, my shampoo bar has a hazard score of 0 (low hazard and best possible score). Individual ingredients had a hazard score of 0 or 1 (low hazard).

Once a month I also do a vinegar rinse after shampooing to remove any soap buildup, as recommended by the seller. Dress Green recommends doing this once a week. Since I wash my hair once a week, I do a vinegar rinse every month or two. I use apple cider vinegar from the grocery store. Nothing fancy. The smell quickly dissipates, and if you use conditioner afterwards, you probably won't smell the vinegar at all. My husband never does the vinegar rinse, and he also doesn't feel like he needs to use conditioner now that he's switched to the shampoo bar (a common experience of shampoo bar users, according to the seller).

Conditioner

I'm still using my Avalon Organics Lemon Clarifying Conditioner, even though my sister pointed out to me some time ago that it has some ingredients with higher hazard scores in the Skin Deep Database. According to the custom report I built using the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database, my conditioner has a hazard score of 4 (moderate hazard). I'd like to find a conditioner with a better/ lower hazard score. I've tried a few other conditioners and haven't liked them. I really need a thick goopy conditioner to tame my thick curls/ frizzies, and at the moment I'm not feeling that experimental. So for the moment, I'm using up the bottles I have, and hoping I find an awesome conditioner bar soon.

Styling Products

My husband and I have used and liked many different leave-in conditioners and hair gels (my husband who has short thick curly hair tends to prefer the gels and other products which have a stronger hold). Whatever these styling products are called, the important factor for me is that you leave them in and do not rinse them out, so I care a lot about the ingredients. My current favorite is EO's Tame Curl Control Gel (coconut & vanilla). In EWG's Skin Deep Database, it scores a Hazard Score 2 (low). Since this product is not in the database, I used the Build Your Own Report function to get a general idea about any problem ingredients. It has a light natural scent that is mostly gone by the time your hair dries. My husband recently ran out of the gel he was using, and gave mine a try. He liked it, so now we're using the same hair gel too.

Other styling products we have used and liked:

Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner, Weightless Moisture: Skin Deep Hazard Score 3 (moderate hazard). I used this one. Not my favorite scent (artificial-smelling), but good for taming frizz.
Giovanni Eco Chic Hair Care, L.A. Natural Styling Gel, Strong Hold: Skin Deep Hazard Score 2 (low hazard). My husband liked the strong hold of this gel, but I was not a huge fan of the scent (which was once again, synethetic-smelling to me).
John Masters Organics - Sweet Orange & Silk Protein Styling Gel: Estimated Skin Deep Hazard Score of 2 (low hazard), based on the report I built. This one worked great for both me and my husband. I love the smell, but it's pretty pricey.

What are your favorite non-toxic hair products?

Disclosure: this post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This post is part of
Works for Me Wednesday

Your Green Resource
Green Sisterhood Link Up

The Friday Question: How Do You Store Raw Meat?

2013-03-01T14:29:00.002-08:00

Ground turkey packaged straight from the
butcher counter into my Pyrex container.

Although I aspire to being disposable-plastic-free, I am far from there, particularly in the realm of food. But I do try to draw a line somewhere, and the line I have drawn is this: I do not buy meat packaged on styrofoam trays. Not even the organic ground turkey at Costco, even though it is quite a good price for organic ground turkey.

When I decided to stop purchasing meat packaged in styrofoam, I resolved to instead buy ground turkey at the meat counter in Whole Foods, so I could have it packaged in my own reusable glass Pyrex containers. After using the meat, I could just put the Pyrex through the dishwasher and store until my next meat purchase. I could also use them for any other raw meat I bought at Whole Foods.

Continue reading at The Green Phone Booth

Hidden Dangers in Baby's Nursery Infographic by HCHW

2013-02-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

Last month I wrote about Healthy Child Healthy World's free eBook Easy Steps for a Healthy & Safe Nursery last month. Now they've released this informative infographic called Hidden Dangers in Your Baby's Nursery.

Via Column Five for Healthy Child

Share, tweet, and pin! Spread the word to help parents protect children from harmful chemicals during this vulnerable stage of development.

Related posts

It's so hard to say goodbye to BPA

2013-02-22T11:58:00.000-08:00

I use a can of tomato sauce every Friday night to make pizza.

I've already taken many steps to avoid BPA:

We use stainless steel sippy cups and water bottles instead of plastic ones.
We avoid any plastic marked 7, particularly food packaging/ containers and toys.
I avoid handling receipts and try to wash my hands afterwards if I do handle one.
I have stopped using most canned foods. For example, I bought a pressure cooker and started making beans from scratch.
We don't drink canned beverages.
I am suspicious of any clear hard plastic.

But there has long been one hold out in the canned food department: tomatoes. This is somewhat tragic because tomatoes are acidic and thus more likely to involve leaching from the epoxy lining of metal cans. I did can diced tomatoes purchased in bulk at the farmer's market with my lovely friend Heidi a couple summers ago, which effectively replaced my canned diced tomatoes. But I have never stopped using canned tomato sauce (Trader Joe's organic tomato sauce, if you really want to know). And now that I am making pizza every single Friday night, I am using a lot of canned tomato sauce. One can per week to be exact.

Why don't I just use pasta sauce instead that comes in a glass jar? I tried it. Didn't like it (too watery). I can be picky like that.

Why not make and can tomato sauce myself? I suppose I could, but my friend Heidi, who has all the requisite canning equipment and know-how and made canning so painless the first time around, has moved away. At any rate, this would be quite an undertaking for me and I do not see this happening in the near future. On the bright side, I now have a huge freezer, so I'm planning to dice and freeze jars of farmer's market tomatoes this summer, enough to last during the months tomatoes are not in season in California. So that takes care of diced tomatoes at least.

Why not just switch to BPA-free canned tomatoes? They've been out there for a few years now. I'll tell you why. Because I don't just avoid BPA. I actually avoid eating plastic all together. So for years I have been hoping to find something packaged in glass that would work as a base for my pizza sauce. There were a few failed experiments. And a lot of forgetting to even bother checking for a product in glass that might work during my quarterly trip to Whole Foods. For over a year, I just kept on using my canned tomato sauce. Every now and then a little voice in the back of my mind would say, "you're feeding your family BPA." But my kids' yelling usually drowned it out.

But then EWG came out with a new Guide to BPA. And then I read this post by ecokaren about an endocrinologist who won't eat any canned tomatoes.

So that did it. BPA was on my mind again. And I decided that while I'm still searching for the perfect plastic-free tomato sauce solution, I'm going to at least avoid BPA. Then came the annoying part: identifying a BPA-free canned tomato sauce.

I found quite a few blog posts with lists of BPA-free tomato products (see additional resources below). Sometimes there was contradictory information in the comments, or between different blog posts. Many manufacturers' sites (e.g., Muir Glen, Trader Joe's) were often maddeningly silent on the subject, and only a few of the purportedly BPA-free manufacturers print "BPA-free" on the can. Bloggers often reported contacting individual companies for a response. Which is somewhat reassuring, but can I even feel completely confident in one employee's response if the company isn't willing to own the position on their official website?

At any rate, I settled on Muir Glen organic tomato sauce. Because Cook's Illustrated likes Muir Glen and I've always been happy with their tomato products. And although the cans don't say so and the website doesn't say so, I feel pretty confident they are BPA-free based on others' research and reports. And also because I was able to purchase a case from through Amazon. Because I didn't want to take my kids to Costco or Whole Foods or anywhere else shopping anytime soon, and I was afraid I would completely slip into inaction once again if I did nothing. The good news: everyone liked the pizza sauce made with the BPA-free Muir Glen organic tomato sauce. The bad news: that metal can still has an epoxy lining made of who knows what.

In other news, we recently purchased a small citrus juicer. Our new home has an orange tree, and the oranges are falling off the tree but not quite sweet enough to eat by the bucket-full. So we decided to juice them instead. Anyway, I go online to buy a juicer, and they all seem to involve clear hard plastic, with not a whiff of BPA-free to be found anywhere. I even visited manufacturers' websites to see if I could find any info. With my husband asking me several times a day if I had purchased a juicer yet, I just decided to go with a well-rated Cuisinart model that did not involve clear plastic on the food-contact parts.

Several days later, the juicer arrived, and stamped in a little corner of the box: BPA-free. I breathed a little sigh of relief.

Related Posts from Eco-novice

Additional Resources

EWG's Guide to BPA (includes a great primer on what BPA is and why you should avoid it)
7 Foods Even Food Safety Experts Won't Eat by ecokaren
Tips for Avoiding BPA in Canned Food by The Breast Cancer Fund
BPA-free Canned Food Options by The Soft Landing
A list of cans with, and cans without, BPA by Inspiration Green
7 Companies You Can Trust to Use BPA-Free Cans by Treehugger
NEW - Amber Glass Jars of EDEN® Organic Tomatoes & Sauces - these have been out since 2011 and are probably worth a try

Have you struggled to avoid BPA?

What tomato products do you use when fresh tomatoes are unavailable (or you don't feel like making pizza sauce from scratch)?