Eco-Basic Home Blog on Healthy Homes and Living

Cardo's Farm Project: Community Agriculture near Denton, Texas

2011-09-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

Cardo's farm project provides sustainably-grown and local produce to the Denton Community Market each week, as well as to local restaurants.

They are in the midst of their Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000 for new farm infrastructure.

Here is the link to donate and support local agriculture and education.

You can also watch this video

Urban Farm in Denton, Texas: Earthwise Produce Creates Farm for Denton Community Market in Subdivision

2011-08-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

Earthwise Produce is currently preparing the soil at a vacant lot between two homes as a future urban farm or garden for produce to be sold at the Denton Community Market.

I was attending a Board meeting of the Denton Community Market, and Ryan Crocker of Earthwise Produce, a current vendor, was talking about his difficulties in finding a vacant lot in Denton for growing local produce. After thinking about it a few minutes, I realized that a vacant lot that I own in my subdivision next to my house could be the perfect spot.

The property is about 1/4th of an acre and has not had any application of chemicals since at least 1995. Ryan plans on producing chemical-free salad greens and other produce this fall to sell at the Market. This will be the most local produce that the Market will have, being a "farm" within the Denton City limits.

DFW Solar House Tour: Denton, Texas Home

2010-10-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

I visited one home on the North Texas Renewable Energy Group's DFW Solar Home Tour. After hearing about their home about 1 year ago, I was pleased to be able to visit the Soph Residence in Denton, Texas.

Their system, installed by North Texas Renewable Energy, is directly tied into the energy grid, without the use of storage batteries. In fact, if there is ever a power outage, the Sophs or Denton Municipal Electric (DME) must shut off their system to avoid injury to workers restoring the power. A meter shows how much energy they are generating or sending back to the grid at any time.

Denton Municipal Electric created the GreenSense Program and a $15,000 rebate for future solar installations as a result of the Soph House. Over time, the Sophs hope other residents will take advantage of these incentives and provide a home-grown source of renewable energy. Since DME gets 40% of the electricity from wind energy, the Sophs have a nearly zero impact on the environment from their home energy use.

For lower-cost solutions, they suggest purchasing energy-star appliances and installing a timer on the whole-house water heater to reduce the time that the heater is utilizing energy.

Cascadian Farm® Instructions on Canning

2010-09-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

If you have fresh vegetables and fruits from your early fall garden (hopefully chemical-free) or farmers market, here is a useful blog post on the basic steps to canning.

Cascadian Farm® Step-By-Step Canning Basics.

Photo: September Day at the Denton Community Market

No Impact Week: The Green Lifestyle Challenge

2010-09-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

What's Your Tree, created by Julia Butterfly Hill, has organized a No Impact Week based upon the No Impact Project. On a conference call with Julia, she discussed the importance of really thinking about what one really needs in life. As we get rid of items and aspects of our lives that we don't need, we make rooms for new things in our life. This concept can apply to anything that we buy. Though it's not possible to have "no impact," we can strive to have less of an impact on the environment and be mindful of what we use and purchase.

The No Impact Week for What's Your Tree is from September 19th to September 25th, 2010.

Sustainability Plans: Greening Entire Cities

2010-07-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

I am very excited about the current trends in urban planning. Many cities across the United States are creating plans to promote energy efficiency, sustainable practices at the local government level, and sustainability in the private sector as well. Only a limited number of cities had sustainability plans prior to this, with some setting city-wide goals or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Cities are now striving to overlay their comprehensive plans with these new sustainability goals. The implementation of these plans are in the initial stages and there is a great opportunity to make significant gains in green practices, green buildings, energy reduction, reuse of materials, environmental goals, and economic viability in the new economy. ICLEI is one organization promoting standards and training in this field. There are many other organizations as well, including ISO, USGBC (US Green Building Council), the American Planning Association, and others.

Go Organic, Go Co-op

2010-01-14T15:26:00.000-08:00

I recently joined an organic produce co-op. Every two weeks, I receive a large box of fruits and vegetables, some from a local organic farm and other items from an organic produce distributor. It's a great way to meet people also interested in organic food and the environment as well as save money on your grocery bill. I still shop at the local health food store for other items, but it's fun to see what will be in my "goodie box" with every co-op shipment.

I had to pay a membership fee, and I do not get to choose what I get each order. Each co-op is different, however, so check on membership fees and rules.

Here are some website links to find co-ops near you.

Local Harvest

Coop Directory Service

Organic Consumers Association Food Coops and Health Food Stores

Live Green and Save Money: Coupons and Other Saving Ideas

2009-05-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

In these economic times, most people are trying to find ways to save money. It is also possible to live "green" on a budget as well.

I generally buy organic and natural foods as well as biodegradable and recycled-material household products. These are some strategies I have used to save money and live green:

1. Watch for coupons in newspaper inserts as well as other sources, such as health food store flyers and advertisements.
2. Contact companies of your favorite organic food, natural food, or green product. Most companies have email "contact us" links that can be used to request coupons or discounts. Make sure you include your name and address with inquiries.
3. Buy in bulk when products are on sale, at health food stores or even grocery stores that have health food or natural products.
4. Green products from Amazon.com are available at deep discounts and in bulk.
5.Check out this Organic and Natural Foods blog for a list of organic grocery companies with online coupons as well as contact information.

Find Green Living Books on Library Thing

2008-06-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

I just started using the website Library Thing to catalog my personal library as well as leave reviews for books. As with blogs, members can tag books in their library.

This site is a good way to find new books on green living, healthy homes, and the environment as well as read reviews by its members. Do a search of "tags" for any topic that interests you.

Minimize Mold Exposure in Your Home

2008-06-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

From personal experience, I believe many people do not often understand the potential health effects of mold. Not only can mold cause allergic reactions in many individuals, but also the mytoxins produced by mold can cause immune system dysfunction and serious neurological problems.

There have been many recent cases of sick buildings with "black mold" as well as other types of mold that thrive on wet drywall and other materials. Severe mold contamination may require a mold remediation company to clean up the property and remove mold. In some cases, the property may be uninhabitable.

On a daily basis, however, there are some basic steps to avoid mold in your home:

1. Immediately address any leaks, no matter how small, in your roof, bathrooms, kitchens, or any other part of the home. Replace any drywall or wood that shows signs of mold.

2. If you have a central ventilation system, have the vents cleaned periodically (I have them cleaned about every 3 years) to remove any mold-spores as well as dust and particulate build-up.

3. In humid climates, use a dehumidifier, especially in basements.

4. Use vents in bathrooms or other areas where there is regular moisture.

5. Use bathroom squeegees after each shower to remove excess water from the shower stall to prevent mildew.

6. Make sure water drains away from the house at least several feet during rainstorms. A properly installed gutter system will help prevent standing water from accumulating around the foundation.

7. Opt for smooth floor surfaces, such as tile, rather than carpeting that can accumulate mold spores.

8. Use HEPA air filters in your home.

Some useful links:

American Environmental Health Foundation article

Common Molds in Home, Office, or School article by American Environmental Health Foundation

EPA links on Mold

New Basic Book on Green Living: Green Chic

2008-05-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style is an easy-to-read guide for people who want to start living green without sacrificing their quality of life or personal style.

Christie Matheson, a food and fashion critic, writes this green guide for the masses because she believes everyone needs to take steps to save the planet. She is concerned about carbon dioxide levels, general pollution, and the waste of valuable natural resources.

She begins the book with relatively easy steps the reader can take to start living green, from taking shorter showers to replacing bottled water with refillable, stainless steel containers. She advocates that everyone replace items as needed, rather than running out and immediately replacing everything with green items.

She offers seven other detailed chapters on green homes, food, beauty products, fashion, daily transportation, occasions and holidays, as well as the "big green things" to do. She also includes an appendix of her favorite green things. Each chapter is a very good introduction to taking steps in every aspect of the the reader's life. She advocates using natural cleaning products, opting for organic clothing, driving the speed limit to save gas, as well as other smart tips for green living.

A few links from her favorite green things appendix are:

Gomi NYC: an ecofriendly boutique in New York City

Stewart and Brown: eco-friendly clothes

White Dog: cafe in Philadelphia prepares food with sustainable ingredients

This book is definitely a great addition to any library on green living.

Green Living Getting a lot of Attention for Earth Day: NBC on toxic living test and NY Times on Green Living

2008-04-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Green living is in the news more than ever before tomorrow's upcoming Earth Day. Over the weekend, the New York Times Magazine featured a Green Issue . The issue focused on steps everyone can take to reduce their carbon footprints. Solar energy, walking, green building, and organic clothing were among the topics discussed.

Also Dateline NBC compared toxins in two families, one living green and one that does not. Both families took a body burdern blood test. Both families had over 40 chemicals out of 76 tested, but the levels were different for each family.

The non-green did not do well in terms of levels of chemicals for daily products: PFCs from cookware were very high in the non-green family (3X), parabens from body products (4X) in the women, phthalates from plastics very high in the boys of the non-green family, and triclosan (anti-bacterial) was much higher for the non-green family as a whole.

The green family did not do well in two catogories: bisphenol A (metal cans and baby items) as well as lead. It was higher in the parents, possibly from their childhoods.

Links for further information on product ingredients:

toxic ingredients links from Dateline

Some Helpful Links on Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water

2008-04-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press investigation on drinking water contamination by pharmaceuticals is a recent installment to the ongoing research about this topic. The U.S. government as well as other scientists have been studying this issue for some time. Here are some interesting links about the topic:

EPA information on Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment (PPCPs): Frequently Asked Questions about PPCPs in the environment and basic introduction.

USGS What's In Our Wastewater and Where Does It Go? an array of studies and articles on contaminants in wastewater. "The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has implemented a national reconnaissance to provide baseline information on the environmental occurrence of "emerging contaminants" such as human and veterinary pharmaceuticals (e.g., fluoxetine and lincomycin), industrial and household wastewater products (e.g., p-nonyphenol and triclosan), and reproductive and steroidal hormones (e.g., equilenin and progesterone) in water resources."

The Environmental Working Group: A national assessment of tap water quality.

Drugs/Pharmaceuticals In Drinking Water Video

2008-04-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

An Associated Press investigation found that pharmaceutical drugs are widespread in drinking water suppliers. No one really knows what are the long-term health effects. This is yet another reason to install water filtration in your home. Reverse osmosis is one type of home system that is supposed to remove these drugs.

Eco-friendly and Healthy Things To Do for Spring

2008-03-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and it is the perfect time to renew your home and garden with eco-friendly practices.

1. Buy a compost bin and begin to recycle household and garden waste for extra rich soil in your garden. Compost adds vital nutrients and microorganisms to the soil.

2. Use several inches of mulch on your garden instead of resorting to weed killers.

3. Buy organic seeds from Seeds of Change or other venues.

4. Spring Cleaning: unclutter your house to create a healthier indoor environment---minimizes dust and other allergens that collect on items and promotes easier cleaning.

5. Spring Cleaning: select natural and biodegradable cleaning products for your home. These are now readily available in health food stores, some grocery chains, and online stores.

6. Add solar lighting to your yard to save energy and provide an attractive addition to your organic yard.

7. Add recycling to your daily routine. Earth911 has a website that enables you to find a local recycling or reuse locations.

Eco-Living at Gaiam

Go Green This Valentine's Day with Eco-Friendly Gifts and Flowers

2008-01-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is always a big time of year for gifts and flowers. Here are some great sources for green and environmental gifts for your loved one or friend:

1. Send organically grown flowers or chocolate with organic ingredients from Organic Bouquet.
Classic red roses for Valentine's day start at $49.95. Velvet heart chocolates are one option at $59.95. The flowers are USDA certified organic as well as Veriflora certified for sustainable growing practices. The chocolate is fair trade and grown in Costa Rica.

2. The Sierra Club works to protect the environment as well as explore its natural beauty.
Join Sierra Club and share the love this Valentine's Day. (Get a Free Backpack for Joining)

3. GAIAM offers healthy home and eco-friendly gifts. Also use the $10 off a $50 coupon.

Local News Stations and the Green Living Movement

2008-01-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

I've been noticing lately that green living is getting dramatically more attention in the media. The major national television networks have green living campaigns, such as NBC's recent "Green Week," which included green tips on commercials and shows throughout the week. The "Biggest Loser" even had a green show with challenges featuring green living topics, such as household waste.

I decided to investigate this further to see if local news stations around the country are also providing green living websites and news stories. My local station, WFAA, now has "Project Green," a Dallas guide to living more ecologically, saving energy, saving water, and saving other natural resources. The website even provides an online calculator for calculating one's carbon footprint.

I found several other sites as well. WGNTV in Chicago offers many videos on recent green living and green building news stories. I was surprised to find that the green fire station in my town, Denton, Texas, was also featured in one of their website videos. Charlottesville; Seattle; Washington, D.C; and El Paso were some other cities as well with green living videos, tips, links, and articles. I am sure there are many more, but it is refreshing to see that green living ideas are getting more attention and becoming more mainstream. A few years ago when I would mention green living tips and ideas, most people were not even aware of the concept or ideas.

Eco-Friendly Gifts for the Holidays

2007-12-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

As all of us think about gifts for the upcoming holidays, it's also possible to think about using some of that money for ecologically-minded or environmental causes. Not only can you help a cause and feel good about your purchase, but also the recipient can appreciate the gift of supporting green causes.

Here are few of my favorite sources of eco-friendly gifts:

1. The World Wildlife Fund Gift Catalog
Support the crucial habitat of an endangered species by adopting a single animal, family of animals, or supporting research and the preservation of habitats. The recipient will receive a certificate explaining the purpose of the donation.

2. The Heifer International Gift Catalog
This catalog offers sustainable gifts of tree seedlings, livestock, honeybees, and other items for farming families and individuals in developing countries.

3. The Gaiam website for natural and organic products as well as sustainable gifts. Christmas ornaments from pine needles produced in Nicaragua with a living wage, recycled glass catchers, and more.

4. The NRDC Green Gift Giving Guide

A list of recommended green gifts--national park passes, solar radios, and more.

5. Local craft fairs and health food stores: buy locally-produced items as well as natural and healthy gifts. You can create your own gift baskets of natural soaps and local crafts.

Tips from The Lazy Environmentalist

2007-11-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

NBC's Green Week and iVillage featured Josh Dorfman, host of The Lazy Environmentalist radio talk show and author of a new book.

Here are a few of basic tips for going green:

1. Select organic food as well as organic materials in items purchased--from shoes to clothes.
2. Select furnishings made from renewable materials, such as bamboo.
3. Refuse receipts from ATMs, gasoline, and other machines. This saves paper and trees.
4. Use a BRITA water filter (or other water filters can be used) and refill reusable hard plastic bottles instead of buying bottled water. This reduces waste in landfills and the use of plastic.

He has more tips in his book The Lazy Environmentalist:

How You Can Become a Local Environmentalist

2007-09-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

By the time a developer submits plans for a commercial or residential development, it is often too late to protect precious habitat or farmland. If there are large tracts of undeveloped land in your area, it is a good idea to find out what regulations or ordinances govern their development. Consider forests, stream and river habitats, open space, and other community assets.

Unless the community has already established environmental protection ordinances or if the land it protected by county, state, or federal regulations, once the property is zoned for a use, there is little in the larger scheme that can be done to protect habitat or other desirable community assets. The developer's planners and engineers generally design and make development decisions based upon the developer’s goals.

1. Contact your local planning and zoning or development department to review existing ordinances. Many municipalities have these regulations available online.

2. If you know of areas that are desirable for protection, find out what the process would be to change the local development codes or ordinances to protect them.

3. Find out what developments are being planned in your area. This may give you an idea of whether more is on the way.

4. Attend local board and committee meetings and find out about the development process.

Off the Subject--Another Picture of Oscar

2007-09-11T20:21:00.001-07:00

One Way to Improve Indoor Air Quality: Mechanized Air Cleaning Devices

2007-09-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Since most Americans spend the majority of their time indoors, good indoor air quality is increasingly more important for overall health. The air in your home or office can be a soup of chemicals, pollens, particles, and microbiological agents.

There are three major approaches to improving indoor air quality as enumerated by the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency).

The EPA states:

“Solutions to air quality problems in apartments, as in homes and offices, involve such actions as: eliminating or controlling the sources of pollution, increasing ventilation, and installing air cleaning devices.”

One Solution: Mechanized Air Cleaning Devices

Air cleaning devices, come in many forms, but one common type is medium efficiency air filter installed in a special housing on duct systems. These usually have an accordion appearance and are 80-90% efficient.

The other common type is the high efficiency (up to 99.9%) HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Accumulator) systems installed on dust systems or as stand alone units. HEPA systems on ducts usually require additional fans to push the air through them. Stand alone and portable units also generate sufficient air flow to filter the air. These can filter down to 0.3 microns.

There are also often adsorption filters that contain activated carbon to filter pollutants in the form of gases. The gas particles adhere to carbon as the air passes through the carbon filter.

AllerAir offers many high-quality, all-steel construction, portable units. Most units have HEPA and activated carbon. A UV lamp can even be added to sterilize bacteria, viruses, and mold present in the air.

The Controversy Over Bottled Water: One Solution--Home and Office Water Purification

2007-08-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Recently after San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (2007) banned the purchase of bottled water by City funds, there has been greater discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of bottled water. Some argue that the transport and processing of bottled water as well as the disposal of bottles negatively impacts the environment. They also argue that tap water is as healthy as bottled water.

While municipalities across the country do remove a majority of water contaminants, it is also true that there are residual contaminants in the water. The disinfection process also adds chloramines and other byproducts. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates allowable levels of contaminants in drinking water. A list of contaminants and their possible adverse health effects is available on the EPA website:

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html#dbps

The EPA categorizes possible water contaminants into: microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals, and radionuclides. There can also be turbidity from soil runoff and other nonregulated contaminants. Not mentioned on this list are possible contaminants, such as copper or lead, after municipal processing from local water pipes.

In reviewing the water quality report for my local city, for instance, I found small and permissible amounts of lead, copper, barium, nitrate, atrazine (herbicide), simazine (herbicide), and chloramines, among others. Even if the low levels present are acceptable by EPA standards, it is a personal choice as to whether one would prefer to ingest even lower levels of contaminants and also have better tasting water.

One solution is to add a whole house/office or individual faucet water purification system to remove the residual contaminants. Seagull, for example, offers water purification systems with a “structured matrix technology” that remove trace amounts of chemicals and any microbiological contaminants found in tap water and creates water quality that is as good as or better than bottled water. In fact, the structured matrix is also “certified to meet the EPA standard for microbiological ‘purification’.”

There is also the added benefit of having purified water for pennies per glass instead of the higher cost for bottled water.

Book Recommendation: Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken

2007-06-25T21:11:00.001-07:00

In his latest book, Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming, Paul Hawken provides an optimistic overview of the environmental movement on a global scale. This movement has no particular leader or ideology, yet, as he estimates, there are between one and two million organizations worldwide working on environmental and social justice issues.

The participants of "the largest social movement in all of human history" come from all walks of life, from the farmer in Africa to the urban activists. He looks as some of the roots of the movement as well as indigenous cultures and organizations as they are related to globalization. He then defines this movement as related to two biological terms, "immunity" and "restoration."

He ultimately explores the connection between environmental and social justice issues. The strategy, for instance, of a "zero-waste society" cannot be achieved without reducing both environmental or material waste as well as "waste on a social level"--underemployment and the marginalization of human beings.

This book is timely, given the recent attention to global warming, green living, and green business practices.

"Eco-Tecture", the New Face of Green Building

2007-05-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

In the New York Times Magazine of May 20th, Nicolai Ouroussoff discusses the great progress that Europe has made in designing and building green buildings. In fact, Europe is way ahead of the United States in commonly requiring and integrating green building elements, such as energy efficiency and sustainability.

As he says "By the mid-90s, all new construction in Europe had to meet basic requirements in energy consumption, and many European architects began to make sustainability a central theme in their work." Most of the green architecture shown does not "look" green at all, but just quietly integrates these elements into the overall functioning and design of the buildings. Examples are the Dessau, Germany headquarters of the environmental agency, with underground pipes that heat and cool the building as well as the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart that has thick concrete walls to store hot and cool air that is drawn into an atrium.

This Magazine issue has several articles that discuss "eco-tecture"- the design movement of green buildings, zero-energy, green cities, and sustainable living.

It is good to see that the concepts of green building and sustainability are finally getting some needed attention.