Jade Yoga Mats

I started doing yoga a couple of years ago and love it.  I’ve discovered though, that there are just about as many different styles of yoga mats as there are different styles of yoga!  My daughter was raving recently about the eco-friendly Jade yoga mat and wondered if I knew anything about them.  I hadn’t heard of them and decided to do some research.   I was impressed by their website and their philosophy.  Jade yoga mats are made with natural renewable and sustainable rubber tapped from rubber trees and contain no PVC or synthetic rubber. JadeYoga is committed to producing their mats in the U.S. in compliance with all U.S. environmental laws even though they could be produced cheaper in China.   Because their mats come from the rubber tree, they thank the trees by planting a tree for every mat sold.  They also offer a reuse program bringing used yoga mats to people who can’t afford them, thereby helping those in need and reducing the number of yoga mats going into the landfill.

Sold on their philosophy,  I was eager to try one.  The company sent me a demo mat and I’ve tried it a few times.  I have to say it is completely different from my other eco-friendly yoga mat or any other mat I have used.  The Jade yoga mat has unbelievable grip!  I noticed I could hold my downward dog and pyramid pose better and longer.  With a strenuous workout, my feet and hands get sweaty, but even so, I didn’t slip. Apparently the open cell natural rubber guarantees optimum grip. There is also better cushion and more resilience than other mats.  You really can feel the difference!  My yoga teacher tried it and agreed the grip was amazing!  Jade yoga mats are also great for pilates and other exercise routines.

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yoga offers tremendous health benefits at any age, but especially as we grow older.  It helps with relaxation, flexibility, strength, and balance.  If you aren’t already doing yoga, give it a try and consider using the Jade yoga mat. It feels good supporting an eco-friendly company with a quality product genuinely doing the right thing for the earth, even if it means paying a little more.

Information compiled from jadeyoga.com.

SodaStream

As a follow up to my post,  “Is Carbonation Good or Bad?”  I want to tell you about the SodaStream home soda maker.  Tired of lugging home, storing and recycling cases of heavy seltzer bottles, I thought I would give one a try.

Tall and sleek, it fits nicely on my countertop and under the overhead cabinets. I had heard that they are easy to use and they really are!  Once you set up the carbonator in the drinksmaker, you simply fill the carbonating bottle with cold water (I use filtered water.), screw it in to the carbonator, press the button on top three times (4 for more carbonation) and seconds later you have delicious seltzer water.  If you want flavored seltzer or soda, you add the flavoring afterwards.   Just slowly pour it into the tilted soda bottle, close and gently shake.  I tried the cola flavoring and the lemon line.  Both were good – the cola flavoring tasted just like coke.  While I avoid foods with artificial flavorings, I was glad to know they are made without high-fructose corn syrup or aspartame.

I noticed that the fizziness stays for a couple of days, though you’ll definitely finish the bottle of seltzer long before it goes flat.  Another plus, the carbonator bottles never need washing, only a quick rinse with warm water, if that.

When the carbonator is empty, you can take it to any participating retailer where they will sell you a full one for the price of the gas contents only.  Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, the Bon-Ton family of stores, Crate and Barrel, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Staples, Sur La Table, Target, Wal-Mart, and Williams-Sonoma are some national retailers that carry exchange carbonators.

I try not to clutter my kitchen with extraneous gadgets, but SodaStream I highly recommend.  It’s practical, simple-to-use, no-fuss and good for the environment – no energy is wasted by transporting billions of gallons of soda and seltzer every day, nor are there empty bottles thrown into the landfill.   Give one a try – Starter kits start at $129.00 and include a home soda maker, 1 reusable BPA-free carbonating bottle with fizz-preserving cap, 1 60L CO2 carbonator which makes up to 60 liters or 50 cans, and a sodamix taste sampler with 6 flavors (they have over 50!)

As their marketing materials say, “it just makes good sense”.  It really does.

 

You’re Kidding – Eliminate Aluminum Foil and Plastic Wrap?

I try to avoid single use products like plastic wrap and aluminum foil and rarely use them, but when I do, I cringe when I have to throw them away knowing they won’t biodegrade.  If it’s not too dirty, aluminum foil is easy to wash and reuse, but eventually it has to be thrown away. If it isn’t too soiled, you can recycle it (wash it first).  The same is true for plastic wrap, although many curbside-recycling programs won’t accept it.

According to Earth911.com, “more than 1.3 billion pounds of aluminum foil is produced in the U.S. annually….we also use enough plastic wrap every year to shrink-wrap the entire state of Texas.”  That’s a lot!  It’s true, aluminum foil and plastic wrap are convenient kitchen staples you almost can’t live without, but happily there are alternatives.

Plastic wrap on top of a vessel. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Plastic wrap and foil are regularly used to cover food, but it’s better to store leftovers in microwave safe glass pyrex dishes.   Look at flea markets for the colored pyrex dishes with a glass top from the 50’s – they are fun, stackable and sturdy.  I don’t know why they quit making them.   Reusable one-size silicone lids that stretch to fit most containers are another perfect solution.  They are 100% airtight and are dishwasher and microwave safe.  A set of three lids costs $14.95 and can be ordered from reuseit.com.

Aluminum foil is convenient for keeping food hot at a buffet or while you wait for everyone to come to dinner, but it’s wasteful.  Chef’s Planet makes a reusable, silicone thermal food cover that can withstand heat up to 475 degrees and is machine washable.  Bed, Bath and Beyond sells them.

I usually line my cookie sheets with unbleached, totally chlorine-free, FSC-certified parchment paper, but it’s still single use.  Many people use aluminum foil to line a cookie sheet, but a better choice is a reusable parchment baking mat that can be cut to any size for a perfect fit.  It doesn’t absorb flavors or odors and can withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees.  Reusable silicone-coated baking sheet liners developed for French pastries are another great alternative.  There is no need to grease them and they roll up for compact storage.  Both can be found at Williams-Sonoma.

Even if you don’t entirely eliminate aluminum foil and plastic wrap from your kitchen, just substituting some of these cool, eco-practical alternatives some of the time, makes a difference.  Give them a try – I am!

Information compiled from Earth911.com.

 

 

Silica Gel Packets

Here is an unlikely green tip – reusing those silica gel packets found in the packaging of some processed foods, particularly organic ones, vitamin bottles, shoes, and electronics used to absorb moisture.  What you say? Why not simply throw them away?  They certainly don’t take up much space in the landfill!  If you think about the number of silica packets in your packaging, however, multiplied by all the packaging used around the world, then it’s a different story.

 

Silicia is an important drying agent where excessive moisture could encourage the growth of mold and spoilage.  Excess moisture can also damage electronics or break down the chemicals in vitamins. Silica is usually non-toxic to humans, pets and the environment. Some forms of silica gel have been proven to cause cancer in laboratory settings however, specifically the blue ones that contain the chemical cobalt chloride, often added to indicate the presence of humidity.  The packet that the silica is often encased in is made from high-density plastic that won’t tear or break and even keeps the smallest particulates from entering the packet.  While that is a really good thing, it is not biodegradable.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

So, what do you do with all those packets?  You use your imagination and reuse them to help preserve other things in your house.  For example, I tape one on the lid of my 50-pound tin of dog food to keep it fresh.  Other suggestions?  Put some in a box of old photos or important papers to keep them from molding.   Put some in your jewelry box or in with your flatware to help keep them from tarnishing so quickly.  Add them to your seed packets and seed jars you are storing for planting next year to keep them mold and moisture free.  And, you can use the packets over and over – simply “reactivate” them by placing them in a warm oven (176-200 degrees) for 15 minutes.

 

Reusing silica gel packets, now that’s a good eco-citizen!

 

Happy Labor Day, readers!  Make it an eco-safe holiday this year.  Click here for ideas….

 

 

 

Information compiled from Natural Health, September/October 2012, “Ask the Experts” by Mike Yukizky, public health education manager, North Texas Poison Center and www.ehow.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Do You Do With An Old Toothbrush?

Three toothbrushes, photo taken in Sweden (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When something I use in my daily life wears out and needs replacing, I think “How do I dispose of this?  I can’t throw this in the landfill!  What else can I do with it?”  A used toothbrush is an example. Dentists recommend replacing our toothbrushes every 3 – 4 months.  Multiplied by the number of people in the world, that’s a lot of plastic toothbrushes thrown away.  According to recycling experts, 450 million of them end up in the landfill annually!  How do we avoid that?

First of all you can reuse an old toothbrush and give it a new purpose.  They make a perfect little cleaning brush once you have cleaned it thoroughly.  It’s a good idea to label it “cleaning brush” so it won’t be mistaken for a usable toothbrush.  They are useful for cleaning those hard to get at cracks and crevices, for shining up jewelry, or for cleaning the grooves in bike or chainsaw chains.   Old toothbrushes are ideal for cleaning bathroom grout or around the drain in showers and sinks.  You can even use them to remove tough stains from clothing.  Simply put a stain remover on the stain and use the toothbrush to scrub.  Toothbrushes are good for cleaning electronics like your keyboard and computer monitor, or dust from the air conditioner or from the wire-mesh of a hair dryer.  They are excellent for cleaning silver; they can get into those crevices.  Old toothbrushes are good for cleaning under your nails or for cleaning the mud or dog poop off the bottom of your shoes.  How about brushing your dog or cat’s teeth with your old toothbrush?  Art projects?  The ideas are endless!

Eventually toothbrushes are thrown away.  I buy the brand Preserve, which makes toothbrushes with 100% recycled handles and actually come in a postage-paid mailer to conveniently mail back your old one for recycling.  Another company called World Centric has created a line of compostable toothbrushes and travel cases that are made from a plant-based resin called Ingeo designed to fully compost within three to six months when sent to a commercial composting facility.  They also provide a prepaid envelope to return the old toothbrush in.  Both products are available at natural food stores, at most Whole Foods and on-line; Trader Joe’s sells Preserve.

It’s thrilling to see people and companies making progress in reducing trash.

Information compiled from www.squidoo.com,  www.wikihow.com and Cape Cod Times.

The Dump

English: Recyclables at transfer station near Gainesville, FL. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The dump, recycling center, transfer station, whatever it is called in your area, is a must visit!  In our town of 30,000, we don’t have trash or recycling pick up, so most people go to the dump. There they recycle newspapers, magazines, junk mail, cardboard, plastic containers, cans, glass bottles and jars, computer monitors, television sets and for a small fee, old appliances, yard debris, bulky metal, etc.  It’s almost a local gathering spot – politicians politic there and neighbors and friends greet each other.  It’s old fashioned and fun.

While this seems a little outdated, it occurs to me every time I go to the dump that everyone needs to experience sorting and throwing recyclables in the appropriate container.  The amount of recyclables in our town alone is shocking!  Multiply that by the number of towns and cities in the US and the world.  Think of all the areas of the country that don’t recycle. According to the Clean Air Council, “Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times.”  “The average American office worker uses about 500 disposable cups every year.” “Every year, Americans use approximately 1 billion shopping bags, creating 300,000 tons of landfill waste.^”   With the garbage produced in America alone, you could form a line of filled-up garbage trucks and reach the moon or cover the state of Texas two and a half times.  And shockingly, America is not the number one producer of garbage in the world!

Recycling is only part of the answer. What we need is a paradigm shift to focus on reducing consumption at home and in the workplace.  There is a lot we can do: buy fewer disposable products, avoid purchasing products with too much packaging, service appliances to keep them working efficiently, fix things instead of throwing them away, buy local, don’t give into impulse buying, go with quality not quantity, purchase biodegradable products, check out thrift and vintage shops and always use less energy and water.  Reducing consumption is crucial to a sustainable future.

Take your kids, your friends, your students, your coworkers on a field trip to a transfer station and get a tangible look at the amount of trash we dispose of.  It’s eye-opening!

Information compiled from http://www.wisegeek.com, cleanaircouncil.org

 

Dispose of Pet Waste Properly

waste 2 (Photo credit: scotthughes)

When I grew up, dogs ran free and no one ever thought about picking up dog poop.  Today things are different – we have leash laws and people walk their dogs.  America has approximately 71 million dogs that produce 29,000 tons of waste each day. Leaving pet waste on the lawn or near the curb can be a major source of harmful bacteria and excess nutrients that wash into the storm drain and eventually into local waterways.  It’s very important to pick up the poop.

What then, is the most eco-conscious way to dispose of all that poop?

Throwing the bag away creates more burden in the landfill.  The plastic bags, even biodegradable ones, and the waste won’t break down without air, water, light and enzymes, which aren’t available in the landfill.  Some communities allow it however.

You don’t want to add the waste to your compost pile either.  Instead build a separate compost pile for the dog waste or dig a hole and bury it away from your vegetable garden or running water.  The enzymes in the soil will eventually break it down.

There are in ground dog waste digesters you can install which act like a home septic system.  You add water and an enzyme and bacteria digester to the pet waste, which turns it into a ground absorbing liquid that does not harm the environment.  Or, you can purchase dog waste buckets that can be attached to an existing septic system.

According to the EPA, “flushing pet waste is the best disposal method.”  (Cat waste however, should never be flushed down the toilet.) You can either empty the waste into the toilet or use a biodegradable,flushable bag and simply throw the entire thing into the toilet.  (Check your plumbing before flushing any flushable product.) That’s what I do – it seems to be the easiest, most sensible, eco-friendly option!  Let’s do the right thing for our dogs and the earth.  

Information compiled from http://www.practicallygreen.com, http://www.nrdc.org and http://www.epa.gov.

UPCYCLING

Upcycling is a term not many of us are familiar with, but nonetheless an important concept that differs from recycling. According to Wikipedia, “upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.” Upcycling makes something of equal or better value without downgrading the original material or creating more pollution during the process.  Recycling requires additional processing, is less environmentally friendly, and is not necessarily of better value.  For example, the quality of recycled paper or plastic is lower than that of new paper or plastic.

Image from Terracycle.net

Artists upcycle when they make jewelry out of discarded tin cans or make garden sculptures out of wooden pallets.  The US-based company TerraCycle has diverted billions of units of waste and used them to create over 1500 products such as purses, lunch boxes, picture frames, and coolers made from used candy and gum wrappers, bottle caps, etc.  Their products are now sold at major retailers such as Whole Foods Markets and Walmart, and they have partnered with major brands like J&J, Kraft Foods, BIC, and Aveeno.   Committed consumers around the world send them used products and packages for repurposing that otherwise would end up in the landfill.  (Visit www.terracycle.net)

In developing countries, where new raw materials are often expensive, upcycling is commonly practiced. Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade retailer, sells beautiful upcycled items from artisans in developing countries, creating opportunities for them to earn money.

As a society, we need to reduce waste and consumption.  Some trash is inevitable, but the goal is to keep it out of the landfill.  Recycling is an obvious solution, but upcycling provides a new mindset and an even greener alternative to trash disposal.

Information compiled from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycling, http://www.helium.com/items/1547988-how-does-upcycling-differ-from-recycling

 

A GREAT IDEA!

My son recently went to a music festival and told me about the recycling center.   I loved how they labeled the bins for recycling – glass, plastic, landfill.  That really packs a punch!  I think we should start substituting the word landfill for trash.  I bet it would make a difference!

BUYING CHEAP – WHO REALLY PAYS THE PRICE?

Now more than ever acquiring possessions, and lots of them, is convenient and cheap. We are bombarded with advertisements, on average about 3000 per day, telling us we need to buy new furniture, clothes, electronics, appliances, sports equipment, etc., which can be bought for incredibly low prices at megastores like Walmart, Costco or Marshalls, to name a few.

There are hidden costs though for purchasing things so cheaply.  The accessibility of such affordable items makes accumulating “stuff” so easy that we often end up with things we don’t need, that have to be managed, and thrown away into the landfill.  In order to keep prices down, manufacturers often employ underage workers who are poorly paid and work in unsafe conditions.  Quality is usually compromised and manufactured with planned obsolescence so that we are constantly replacing things, creating more waste for the landfill.

While consumerism is good for the economy, I advocate purchasing more responsibly.  Ask yourself some questions before you buy something. Where was the product manufactured?  Under what conditions?  How will my purchase impact the environment? Do I really need the high impulse item at the checkout counter? Am I better off spending more money for a better quality item so that it lasts longer? The average person makes 4 ½ pounds of garbage a day and America creates 30% of the world’s waste. With more thoughtful purchasing, we can improve this.

Annie Leonard, whose film The Story of Stuff, explains the problem with “stuff ” in a very clever 20 minute video at this link.  http://www.storyofstuff.com/