Green Paige

With summer vacation comes summer messes.  Here are some green ideas for organizing kid clutter and cleaning up those sticky messes.

Tips for Organizing Kid Spaces - The rule in our house is that my daughter has to clean up her toys before she goes to bed.  I try and make this task as easy as possible by:

1. Creating specific areas for each kind of activity:  craft corner for arts and crafts, study table for homework, dress-up nook to hang costumes and play clothes.  Creating play zones helps our daughter identify where items go when she is cleaning up.
2. Labeling shelves and drawers with picture tags that tell her where her shorts, tops, pajamas and underwear go.  Since she is just learning to read, labels with pictures of the specific items helps her not only learn where to put things but also the words for each object.
3. Providing storage containers marked with picture labels for Toys, Dolls/Stuffed Animals, Games/Puzzles and Books.  We reuse storage bins, baskets and small crates for this purpose. 

Green Cleaning Recipes  -  Here are some great green ideas for cleaning up sticky messes:

• Crayon Mark Remover - This works great for walls but not wall paper.  Rub regular, white (not gel) tooth paste into a damp cloth and then on to the stained wall.  Wipe clean after you have removed the marks.

• Chewing Gum Remover - Rub ice cube on chewing gum blob.  The gum should then harden and break off. 

• Chocolate Stain Remover -

1. Scrape off all of the chocolate.
2. Rinse with cold water.
3. Soak the garment in detergent and then wash.
4. If stain remains, soak in an enzyme-based stain remover.

If you have some tips that you would like to share, please post a comment. 

Free-range or barn raised?  Locally produced or imported? Organic or conventionally grown?  These days, going to the grocery store is like taking the SATs-otherwise known as the Shopping Aptitude Test.  With so many decisions to make, how do we know we are making the right choices?  The simple answer is you don’t, unless you have done your homework. For those of you who haven’t studied, it’s time to grab your #2 pencils.  I am going to lead you on a short course through the world of healthy, authentic food.

• Part I: Organic?   You walk into a grocery store and see a beautiful, perfectly round, red tomato on display next to a smaller, organically grown tomato that looks a little like Abraham Lincoln’s profile.  What do you do?

1. Not knowing what the term organic really means, you throw up your hands in defeat and wander off towards the frozen foods section in search of a pint of Chunky Monkey.
2. Buy the organic tomato because even though it looks like something grown on Mars, it has the Earthy aroma of a tomato.
3. Buy the beautiful, conventionally grown tomato because it’s cheaper.

If you answered 1., it’s time to put the Chunky Monkey down and visit the USDA National Organic Program (NOP).  They define organic as a food that has been produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.

According to the NOP, organic food should be produced without using pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering or ionizing radiation.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products must come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Cloning animals or using their products would also be considered inconsistent with organic practices.  In order for a food to be labeled organic, a Government-approved certifier must inspect the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.  Companies that handle or process organic food must be certified, too.  What exactly does this mean to you and how does it help you choose which tomato to buy?

For those of you who answered 2., it means a healthier tomato.  The Organic Trade Association (OTA)  believes that there is mounting evidence that organically grown fruits, vegetables and grains may offer more of some nutrients including vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus with less exposure to nitrates and pesticide residues, than their counterparts grown using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.

It just makes sense that foods that foods grown without pesticide residue are healthier for you.  Organic farmers are prohibited from using synthetic chemicals but conventional farmers can use around 200 approved synthetic chemicals-fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.

Pesticides on foods pose even more of a danger to young children.  Because they are growing, they consume more food per pound of body weight than adults which means higher exposure to pesticide residues.  Since many modern pesticides are neurotoxins designed to kill bugs by interfering with their nervous systems, even low levels could be potentially dangerous in children whose brains are developing.

The not-for-profit  Environmental Working Group (EWG)  has developed a ranking system based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005.  Their list, The Dirty Dozen, catalogs the most contaminated fruits and vegetables.  It includes:

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Bell peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Imported grapes
10. Spinach
11. Lettuce
12. Potatoes.

For the people who answered 3. to the tomato question, you are part of an increasing minority.  The organic industry is growing by an average of 20 percent each year.  Most people are willing to pay more for organic food because they believe it’s a healthier way to eat.  Rising fuel prices are one reason organic food is more expensive than conventional food products.  Tighter government regulations, lower crop yields and more expensive farming practices also contribute to higher prices.  Because organic farmers do not use herbicides or pesticides, they must rely on labor intensive practices to control weeds and pests.  The good news is that organic foods are becoming more mainstream, therefore more affordable.  If you shop around, in some cases you might find organic items less expensive than conventionally produced food.    

• Part II: Localvores?  Choose the answer that best describes the term localvores.

1. Legendary, dragon-like creatures that eat local villagers.
2. People who eat food that meets the Authentic Food Standards.
3. People who eat food produced within a certain radius of their home.
4. Both (2.) and (3.)

If you answered 4., you are correct.  Because formal USDA certification can be expensive and complicated for small, independent farms, alternative organic standards are emerging.  The Authentic Food Standard, proposed by author and organic farmer Eliot Coleman, includes criteria that are incompatible with current agribusiness.  He proposes that fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs and meat products be produced within a 50-mile radius of the place of their final sale and that grains, beans, nuts, and potatoes be produced within a 300-mile radius.  ”Localvores” feel that  locally grown, seasonal food can be brought to market more quickly than food that has to be transported long distances.  Therefore, it is fresher, better tasting and more nutritious.

Our family has found that eating locally produced food and eating organic compliment each other.  For us, it’s all about eating the healthiest foods you can to be the healthiest person you can be.  It’s also about making healthy choices for a healthy planet.  The amount of money most families spend on food is enormous.  If we divert that money from buying conventionally grown food that is being shipping hundreds or thousand of miles to locally grown food, we can make big changes for our planet.

• Part III. All of the above 

The debate over organic versus conventionally produced food has waged for years with proponents saying that organic farming protects the environment and critics saying it has little effect.  Organic advocates say pesticides can cause numerous health problems including cancers, neurological disorders, immune system weakening, autoimmune disorders, asthma, allergies, infertility, miscarriage, learning disabilities, mental retardation, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders.  Critics say there is little evidence that organic is healthier than conventionally grown food.

I think we can all agree that the authentic food movement has been gaining momentum for some time as people discover that the best tasting, most sustainable and healthiest choices for their family are foods that are fresh, seasonal and organic or locally grown.  While localvores are drawing inspiration from the 100-Mile Diet or from books like “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver, others are following their consumer consciences to farmers’ markets, CSAs and natural food stores.   Do your homework and educate yourself about your food choices before you head to the market so that the next time you are faced with the shopping aptitude test, you will pass with flying colors.

It’s summer.  For many people that means bar-b-quing, organic gardening, long bike rides to the park and splashing at the pool.  For us, it means DYI projects. 

We are continually searching for ways to make our 1970s-era house a greener, more inviting place to live.  Currently, that means remodeling our living-room to add storage space and more light.  After experimenting with various shades of orange and red including Hawaiian Sunset and Red Hot Lover, we decided to paint our living-room a combination of Summer Dragonfly and Midwest Spring - otherwise known as blue.  Yes, there really is a paint shade called Midwest Spring.  Who knew humidity had a shade. 

Now, you would think that deciding on a color to paint our living-room would be the biggest obstacle we would have to overcome in this DIY project.  It wasn’t.  Our biggest obstacle turned out to be where to find paint that didn’t produce toxic gases - VOCs. 

• VOCs - To the uninitiated DIYers who haven’t heard of VOCs, here is a quick summary.  VOCs or volatile organic compounds are solvents that most conventional paint manufacturers use to improve resilience and make their paints more functional.  These compounds produce a breathable gas that diminishes air quality and can be hazardous to your health.  Lucky for us, there are paint manufacturers out there that have developed VOC-free paints.  How do you determine VOC levels in paint?  VOC levels are expressed in pounds per gallon or grams per liter.   If your interior paint has a VOC content of less than 50 grams per liter for flat sheen or 150 grams per liter for non-flat sheen than it qualifies as a low-VOC product and earns a Green Seal of approval.

• Green Seal - What exactly is a Green Seal of approval?  Green Seal, Inc. out of Washington D.C. is an independent, non-profit organization that was founded in 1989 to provide science-based environmental certification standards for products and services.  Their goal is to inform manufacturers and purchasers so that they can make responsible choices that will ultimately achieve a healthier and cleaner environment.  They recognize products and services that cause less pollution and waste, conserve resources and habitats and minimize global warming and ozone depletion.  Green Seal began issuing their seal of approval to products that meet approved standards for performance and environmental impacts in 1992.

• GreenGuard -What is the difference between Green Seal and GreenGuard?  You be the judge. Founded in June of 2001, the GreenGuard Environmental Institute (GEI) is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees the GreenGuard Certification Program.  By establishing acceptable indoor air standards for indoor products, environments and buildings, GEI seeks to improve public health and quality of life.  They have an advisory board that consists of independent experts in the areas of indoor air quality, public and environmental health, building design and construction, and public policy.  The GreenGuard test laboratories are widely considered to have some of the most stringent standards of testing in the country.

The Hunt For Non-Voc Paints 

Where do you find these VOC free paints?  Our first thought was to call our local home improvement stores and paint distributors.  When I asked if they carried VOC-free paints, the clerk who answered the phone at the first store I called acted as if he had just received a call from outer-space.  “You want what?” he asked in an irritated and mildly astonished voice that was most likely accompanied by a roll of the eyes and a shake of the head.  After I launched into my brief summary of VOCs and why we don’t want toxic fumes permeating our living-room, he sounded a bit friendlier and thought we might be able to order it but he wasn’t sure.  I called two more  stores in the vicinity that assured me that there was no such thing as a VOC free paint once you added tinting.  I soon realized that I was wasting precious resources - time and patience.  I switched from the phone to my computer and starting doing my research via the Internet. 

My first stop was at The Green Guide where I found a  list of recommended paints including: 

BioShield 

EcoSpec Paint

Old Fashioned Milk Paint

Real Milk Paint

AFM Safecoat Paint

Kelly-Moore Envirocote

Dulux Paints

Glidden Lifemaster paints

Sherwin-Williams HealthSpec® paints

The winner was………..The Freshaire Choice

We based our decision on our own four-point “green scale” rating system:

1. How environmentally friendly is this product?
2. How far do you have to go to purchase it?  (I.e., how much fossil fuel would you have to use?)
3. How expensive is it?
4. How many color options do you have?

Milk paint and Safecoat received three out of four stars because they were completely VOC free but they were both relatively expensive too.  We found that we could order the milk paint through the mail for additional shipping costs which beat the 50 mile drive to pick up a gallon of Safecoat paint at our nearest distributor.  Still, we opted for The Freshaire Choice.   Why?  Even though the price, at $35-38 a gallon, was high and the color selection limited to muted Earth tones, we chose The Freshaire Choice  for the following reasons:

1. Being available through Home Depot made it the easiest to obtain.  Living within biking distance of a distributor meant we weren’t wasting fuel driving 50 miles to a dealership or having the paint shipped to us from another city or state.   
2. We felt that it was the most environmentally friendly product that we reviewed.  Besides being VOC free, The Freshaire Choice  container is made from  100% recycled materials and can be recycled again when you are finished.  The product’s label is made from 75% recycled fiber and printed with soy ink.  The paint chips are also completely recyclable as well as being made from recycled materials.
3. It had great word-of-mouth reviews by friends and family members and is GreenGuard certified meaning that The Freshaire Choice meets acceptable indoor air quality guidelines and standards shared by those of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Review:  The real test of this product was how it did in our at-home laboratory.  Both my husband and I agree that there was no smell associated with this product.  I had heard that The Freshaire Choice can have a Play Dough-like aroma but that wasn’t our experience with the primer or the two shades of blue that we used.  Our one complaint was that the paint consistency seemed a bit thin.  The final verdict:  we like this product and will probably use it again.

Summer is here along with the sunburns, mosquito bites and the “Mom, I’m bored!” blues.  Don’t get me wrong, I love summer as much as the next mom but it does come with it’s own unique challenges.  Here are a few solutions to help with those summertime challenges.

• Sunburns - I have a large aloe vera plant that grows next to my patio.  For rapid sunburn relief, I snap off a leaf and squeeze the gel over the sunburned area.  It’s a bit sticky but very soothing.   When I was a teenager, I believed the suburban legend that adding a cup of baking soda or apple cider vinegar to a warm bath would instantly turn my freckled, sunburn skin into the Bain de Soleil tan of my dreams.  Surprisingly, that never happened but after the initial sting, this sour smelling bath was quite soothing.  Look for burn creams made with aloe, calendula and comfrey.  Comfrey contains allantoin which is a skin cell regenerative and calendula has anti-inflammatory properties that help decrease redness. 

• Mosquito Bites - The best way to deal with mosquito bites is not to get bitten in the first place.  Our backyard and patio is surrounded with plants that repel mosquitoes including lemon thyme and geraniums.  Lemongrass and catnip are also good choices that can contain up to 60% of the repellent power of DEET without exposing your family to toxins or carcinogens.   We also spray ourselves with an herbal insect repelling spray that contains citronella, eucalyptus,  lavender, thyme, cedar and geranium.   If you do get bitten, try using my grandmother’s tried and true method to alleviate the itch:  

1. Clean the bites with witch hazel.
2. Make a paste of baking soda and water - I use a tbl sp. of baking soda to a tsp of water.
3. Put the paste on the bite and then bandage. 

This solution takes a while to work it’s magic and stop the itching but in the mean time, my daughter generally becomes so entranced by the whole procedure that she forgets to scratch her bites which might be the real magic of this cure. 

• Bee Stings -  In my entire life, I won’t tell you how long that’s been, I have only been stung by a bee once.  In my daughter’s first year of life, she was stung twice - once by a bee and once by a wasp.  These were horrible experiences for our entire family.  What we learned was that the first thing to do is make sure the stinger is out by scraping the bite with an object like a library card or piece of cardboard.  For the wasp sting:  we placed ice on the bite for no longer than 10 minutes.  At that point, our daughter’s arm continued to swell so we called a nurse who advised us.  For the bee sting:  we made a paste of baking soda and water and rubbed it on the bite.  The baking soda helped draw out the toxins which gave our daughter physical relief and the strawberry popsicle we stuck in her mouth gave her the emotional relief she needed.

• Removing Grass Stains - For all you moms and dads out there with kids on soccer and softball teams, removing grass stains from sports uniforms is a challenge.  When I was growing up, my mom pretreated grass stains on washable fabrics by sponging them first with warm water then dabbing rubbing alcohol or white vinegar on the stain.  After the item was laundered, she hung it outside to dry in the sun.  This process removed the grass stains every time.  My aunt’s favorite method was to rub Felsnaftha soap over the stain and then wash as usual.  Recently, a friend told me about her unusual method of  rubbing molasses or honey into the stained area and then laundering the item.  I have to say I haven’t tried the last suggestion but it would make for an interesting summertime experiment.

•  Cleaning the Grill - In our family, the thought of cleaning the bar-b-que grill is enough to make us eat out.  An easy solution that we came up with is to mix 1/2 cup washing soda with 1 gallon of warm water in a large tub.  Soak the grill in the soapy water for approximately 20 minutes while you are lighting the charcoal.  Take the grill out of the water and scrub lightly, rinse and dry.  The whole procedure takes about 25 minutes. 

If you have some cool solutions to summertime challenges, let me know.  Post a comment.

What are the most important changes we need to make to our house to make it more energy efficient and sustainable?  Where do we begin?  That’s what we had been asking ourselves until we discovered the  Green Guide’s Eco IQ Quizes.

Questions like Do you have recycling bins in your house? or Have you replaced at least one incandescent bulb in your house with a compact fluorescent light bulb?  might not seem like they can set you on the path to total home greenovation but as the Green Guide quiz explains, it can make a big difference.

What kinds of things did our family learn from our own eco I.Q. quiz? 

• Water - We learned that tap water meets stricter federal and local standards for chemical contaminants than bottled water does.  We also found that by installing aerators on all of our water faucets we could cut our water usage from 5 gallons per minute to 2.75 gallons or less - the most efficient models use only 1 gallon.
• Air - By sealing air leaks, we could reduce our energy bill by 10 percent and cut our carbon footprint by 865 pounds per year.
• Heat -Surprisingly, we discovered that our microwave uses 85 percent less energy than our conventional cooktop and almost a third of the energy used by our toaster oven.

Another great web-based resource to help launch you on the home improvement path to a more energy efficient home is the  The Home Energy Saver .  This do-it-yourself energy audit was developed by the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  The audit helped us determine what we could do to make our home more energy efficient.

• Results - Out of the 17 recommendations made, we had already completed 11 which included:

1. Replacing our 1980s electric stove with a ceramic top range, our vintage refrigerator with an Energy Star, freezer-on-top model and recycling our old freezer which has saved us over $100 in energy costs so far this year (3 months.) 
2. Upgrading our washer and dryer with Energy Star front loading models for a savings of $110 in energy costs and 22 gallons of water per load.
3. Installing a programmable thermostat and setting it to 63 degrees saving us $170 last winter.
4. Replacing our old tank water heater with a tankless water-on-demand water heater set at 120 degrees saving us $112 a year in energy costs. 
5. Switching our incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
6. Replacing floors and adding insulation.
7. Being lucky to have purchased a house where the owners had already updated the old gas furnace with an energy efficient forced-air gas furnace, replaced the single-paned windows with doubled paned glass, maintained the whole-house fan and installed a new roof.

• Audit Recommendations: 

1. Replace our inefficient, 1990s dish washer.
2. Seal our ducts to prevent air leaks.
3. Increase insulation in our walls.
4. Replace the insulation in our attic.
5. Insulate our duct work.
6. Seal air leaks in our house including our unused fireplace.

Suggestions, ideas, recommendations?  Post a comment and let me hear from you.