Photo by Blonde Chicken Boutique

A very welcome addition to the sphere of sustainable fibers, Blonde Chicken Boutique launched this year with the purpose of supplying ethically sourced, made-to-order handpainted yarns to fiber buffs. The Dayton, OH-based “handpainted, organic, luxury” store is “committed to seeking out fair trade, organic and sustainable [yarns] and fibers to share with our customers.” Better yet is its desire to “offer not only yarns and fibers, but also education about making eco-friendly decisions in your fiber arts.”

Currently, Blonde Chicken has a soysilk yarn in three handpainted colorways for online gawking: Lilac, Verdant, and Hydrangea. Piqued your interest? Sign up for the mailing list to receive updates on new products.

(I’ve added a list of specialty sustainable yarn stores to the Greensleeves index, as well. Give me a holler if I’ve left out your favorite store.)

This Sunday, July 2, 2006:

WNYU co-sponsors and DJs a free renewable energy-powered festival with live music from Aa, Dame Darcy, Japanther, Parts and Labor, and the Wowz. Plus WNYU DJs, also interactive exhibits showcasing key innovations, practicesm and policies for New York’s sustainable future and a green lifestyle marketplace offering apparel, electronics, and household goods.

Stuyvesent Cove Park
23rd Street and East River, Manhattan
www.citysol.org
1-8pm

I was brainstorming gift ideas, for the anti-consumerist Christmas I plan on making a tradition of … besides, y’know, 12 papier mâchè ash trays lovingly crafted from mulchy copies of the New York Times … when I stumbled upon this online retailer that supplies kits for making your own natural skin- and home-care products. While ostensibly for children, Kits for Crafts has a certain all-ages whimsy and sophistication, as evidenced in its attention to detail and presentation. Already I can tell you, from my hours and hours of experience stalking the aisles of natural food stores and generally bugging out the staff, that the ingredients would cost significantly less if purchased on your own—you can find tons of recipes online or from books—and then packaged with materials gleaned through serendipity or ingenuity. (The hub, who knows me so well, stumbled upon a yard sale the owner of our local tea shop held last week, and secured, for a song, a few bail-handled canning jars that used to house tea leaves—too perfect!)

Still, the site has scores of wonderful packaging ideas, along with ingredients, bottles, jars, and bags à la carte should you desire them. And you can always plonk down a nice chunk of change for the kits if you have more greenbacks than patience. Best of all, however, is the site’s free (yessiree, FREE) Making Labels section, where, once you register your e-mail address, you can download and print pre-designed TOOCUTEFORWORDS labels and embellishments (including those paper outfits above) you can slap on your own fabulous creations.

I started spazzing out like a Japanese schoolgirl let loose in a Sanrio store when I saw The Green Pharmacy on a high shelf at a second-hand bookstore. (Used = zero environmental footprint, baby!) The book had already wheedled its way into my good graces when I used Amazon’s Search Inside function to surreptitiously look up specific ailments and their corresponding herbal cures, and the author’s level tone and judiciously doled out advice had such a warm, grandfatherly nip I found reassuring.

Pharmacy suggests cayenne pepper as a possible way of alleviating migraines (p. 287-288), but it was Care2.com’s recipe for a detoxifying tea that made the spice really pop on my radar. I’ve been adding a few dashes of cayenne pepper to my twice-daily tincture of apple cider vinegar and water (occasionally I put a few drops of echinacea extract for an immune-system boost). I can’t vouch for the myriad health claims a good many sources have made—though cayenne and its phytochemical compound capsaicin can be found in prescription-strength pain medications such as Zostrix and Dolorac—but I’ve been feeling more energized, along with a general sense of increased wellbeing, even after the initial fiery flush has receded. The purported antioxidant and free-radical-fighting properties couldn’t hurt either.

Wheatgrass, which is also rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants, is something I’m considering taking again, even though the taste makes me want to throw up a grassy knoll or two. My mother juices her own wheatgrass every morning, and although she turns 60 next year, she looks like a woman at least 10 to 15 years younger. Coinkydink?

From Green Fertility:

When people jibe me for spending so much of my limited writer’s income [on] organic products, I like to retort, “Well, think of how much $ I’ll save in chemotherapy.”

Word up.

Dear Chekhov,

My roommates and I are poor artists and have a lot of pressed wood around the house because it’s cheap and we like to build things. I recently discovered that pressed wood is treated with toxins like formaldehyde, so our plan is to phase out its use. But what do we do with our current supply? Is it so toxic that we should get rid of it immediately, or can we continue to use it? Would it contaminate the soil if we used it for a garden box? What is the best way to dispose of the stuff—can we recycle it, or should it be treated like toxic waste? Can you suggest some cheap, safer alternatives to pressed wood?

Artistically yours,
Aleta

Dear Aleta,

A severe eye, nose, and throat irritant, formaldehyde is a leading indoor air pollutant classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen. Kidlets and nuggets in vitro are, of course, more susceptible to its heinous hold.

Formaldehyde is offgassed as a pungent, colorless vapor by urea-formaldehyde glues used in plywood, particle board, and medium-density fiberboard (MDF). (You can also find formaldehyde lurking in drapes, carpets, and some foam insulation.) Although pressed-wood manufacturers have reduced emissions by 80 percent or more over the past 20 years, concentrations of the gas can still cause nausea, difficulties breathing, chest pains, headaches, and may trigger attacks in people with asthma. While volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde can be emitted throughout the lifetime of the product, the less-bad news is the amount being offgassed peters out with time as the product dries out.

Particle board is very difficult to recycle, but don’t despair, you can actually purchase eco-friendly formaldehyde sealants, such as AFM Safecoat’s Safe Seal, to block off any formaldehyde vapors. Varnishes such as polyurethane and nitrocellulose are also effective when you brush on a double coating. The EPA- and U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded Healthy Indoor Air for America’s Homes project recommends applying generous coatings to all exposed edges and surfaces, including the undersides of countertops, cabinet interiors, and any drawers. A well-ventilated home will also help disperse any lingering toxic vapors.

If you’re looking for alternatives for the future, PrimeBoard is an MDF made using agricultural waste from wheat straw bound together with formaldehyde-free resins. Reportedly emission-free, PrimeBoard also exceeds industry standards for particle board. You may also want to check out Columbia Forest Products, which uses a patented soy-based adhesive for its veneer-core hardwood plywood.

Medite II is another formaldehyde-free wood-based MDF. (The company also manufactures a decorative hardwood plywood called PureBond that is LEED-compliant and contains no added formaldehyde.)

You can also look for pressed wood bonded with an adhesive called phenol formaldehyde (used in softwood plywood and oriented-strand board), which has a much lower formaldehyde emission rate, according to several sources. (Recite “PF, not UF” like a mantra ad nauseum.)

Be sure to check that your wood products are Forestry Stewardship Council-certified, which ensures that the wood was harvested from sustainably managed forests. Or try sourcing for reclaimed lumber such as those obtained from logs rescued from the bottom of rivers and lakes.

Logging out,
Chekhov (the cat)

Want to stuff your plushies with some organic cotton/wool batting for cheap? Natural America sells organic cotton/wool batting left over from its mattresses and pillows for $5 per pound.

The company also sells fabric scraps—you have a choice between organic cotton and hemp—for $4 per pound. Perfect for quilters or the buy-curious. (For the fabric scraps, call 877-867-5890 for availability and descriptions as the inventory varies.)

Call it stash enhancement or waste reduction—it’s all copacetic.

Photo by Steve Taylor/Getty Images

TransFair—the only third-party certifier of fair-trade goods in the U.S.—just introduced fair-trade-certified chamomile, hibiscus, mint, and vanilla. (The first three herbs, from two producer groups in Egypt, are part of Transfair’s fair-trade-certified tea program.)

Why fair trade?

The Fair Trade Certified label is a simple way for consumers to know that their products were produced under socially, environmentally and economically sustainable conditions. Farmers and farm workers in Fair Trade Certified producer organizations are guaranteed fair, above-market prices for their crops and fair wages; have direct market linkage with international buyers who offer reliable, long-term contracts and pre-financing; use sustainable farm management systems that protect the environment, and prohibit forced and child labor, harmful agrochemicals and GMOs; and have the right to organize and democratically decide how to best re-invest their Fair Trade premium in community and business development projects.

Where your money will be going:
The two Egyptian producer groups, Sekem Initiative and Royal Ottoman, are investing their fair-trade premium in scholarship funds and literacy programs to help lower Egypt’s illiteracy rate of more than 40 percent. To boost Egypt’s basic infrastructure and ease access to basic necessities, Sekem Initiative is also contributing funds to better housing, sanitation, and healthcare facilities, along with safe, reliable transportation. At Royal Ottoman, producers are setting up private healthcare and life insurance plans, while increasing the number of women in their workforce to 65 percent, favoring those who are the sole breadwinners of their families.

What’s up with the vanilla industry?

The vanilla market has been tumultuous since 2000, when environmental disasters and political turmoil in Madagascar and Indonesia cut supply so drastically that the world price skyrocketed. As a result, many companies switched to synthetic vanilla flavoring, just as new vanilla farmers in Africa and Latin America emerged eager to capitalize on an inflated market. Production increases combined with a drop in demand caused prices to plummet almost 90 percent since 2003, when vanilla prices peaked at around $500/kg.

While the vanilla industry is still recovering from devastating price fluctuations, many farmers are struggling to sell their crops, some even uprooting or abandoning their vanilla plants. This option is devastating for farmers who have invested considerable time establishing their crops—vanilla is perhaps the world’s most labor-intensive crop with the lowest yield, taking an average of five years between first planting the vine and producing aged extract.

Most vanilla is shade-grown, and integrated with other crops. However, this practice could soon change. A new sun-tolerant variety of vanilla has been introduced that may force sustainable, small-scale vanilla producers out of business, and further contribute to deforestation and erosion. This new variety of vanilla may also further depress prices by flooding the market with even more supply. Fair Trade Certification standards require environmental stewardship, giving value to sustainable, shade-grown vanilla.

(Emphases are mine.)

To find fair-trade-certified products, search here. (Remember to look out for the little fair-trade guy!)

Got tagged by Siel, who wants to try out a new blogtoy called Plugaid, about what coffee I’m drinking right now.

I’m really more of a tea drinker, but my mini household loves Gorilla Coffee’s Brooklyn-roasted organic and fair-trade Ethiopian Yirgacheffe blend. We also favor Equal Exchange’s organic Ethiopian roast, which is really rich and full-bodied without being overwhelming.

Do you want to join this conversation? Hit “Participate,” create a password, and paste the resultant code into a new post. (HEY CARA, TAG YER IT!)

Click here for more »

Natural Knits for Babies and Moms: Beautiful Designs Using Organic Yarns by Louisa Harding

Nature Babies: Natural Knits and Organic Crafts for Moms, Babies, and a Better World by Tara Jon Manning

Photo by Catherine Ledner/Getty Images

From the Chicago Tribune: “Antibiotic-free foods not necessarily safer for people, study says.”

Antibiotic-free foods are not necessarily safer, according to an Institute of Food Technologists study to be released Monday.

The study, conducted by a panel of food scientists and microbiologists, aims for the heart of the marketing campaigns in the last decade by organic food advocates who have suggested there is an overuse of antibiotics and that antibiotic-free foods are better for human consumption.

One such group is the Organic Trade Association, based in Greenfield, Mass., which represents many of the nation’s organic food producers. The association cites 10 studies from 2000 and 2001 of antibiotic use in farming to support its stand that antibiotics have been abused by American farmers.

“What we are trying to do is bring a balance to the discussion,” said Michael Doyle, chairman of the panel assembled by the Chicago-based Institute of Food Technologists and a professor and director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. “The study does raise questions about those groups using this as a basis for their promotion of organic and natural products.”

…

Doyle and the Institute of Food Technologists say they don’t dismiss concerns about overuse of antibiotics or antimicrobials, such as cleaners and disinfectants. However, they do warn against reducing the levels of antibiotic use in food production, saying eliminating those drugs may have little effect on bacteria that might develop resistance to antibiotic treatment but would hurt animal health and food production.

Gee, Mikey, that conclusion wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact you’ve received significant funding from the American Meat Institute, would it? Or am I being too cynical?

Photo by Catherine Ledner/Getty Images

The U.S. Center for Disease Control has long had an opposing stance on what it deems the overuse (and abuse) of antibiotics on farms. (An estimated 70 percent of antibiotics and related drugs produced in the U.S. are used on livestock, according to the CDC.) A group of education campaigns, known as Get Smart on the Farm, works to counter the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The affiliated CDC Foundation has this to say:

Antibiotic resistant bacteria can move from animals to humans through the food supply. Bacteria like Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli are commonly found in food animals and sometimes contaminate meat during the slaughter and packaging process. If the meat is not prepared properly, the bacteria can infect humans. Bacteria from animals also infect humans via the environment—animals excrete bacteria in manure, which can contaminate ground and surface water systems around large farms or contaminate produce if the manure is used as fertilizer. An increasing percentage of the bacteria that move from agricultural animals to humans is now resistant to antibiotics.

“Salmonella is bad news. Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella is really bad news,” says Tom Chiller, medical director of Get Smart on the Farm. “Even if they don’t make us sick, those bacteria can swap genes with other bacteria in our intestinal tract, creating more and more strains of drug-resistant bacteria that can multiply and cause numerous types of nasty infections.”

“No one wants to not treat sick animals,” emphasizes Chiller. “The problem is that antibiotics are given to animals even when they’re not sick.”

Giving animals antibiotics in regular low doses has long been considered a means to prevent illness and promote growth. “Essentially, the belief is that an antibiotic-rich diet equals big juicy chickens,” says Chiller. “But, research indicates that these claims are doubtful.”

AIEEEE, I just ordered the Keeper from GladRags. (This had been percolating at the back of my head for some months now, but the final nudge I needed was Siel’s rather … errr … timely post.)

Review to come if I don’t PASS OUT FROM TERROR FIRST.

Illustrations by Raymond Savignac/BG Shop

Illustrations by Rica Takada/BG Shop

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Two new farmers’ markets by Real Food just opened in New York City:

Petrosino Square
(Lafayette Street between
Kenmare & Spring)
Saturdays 10 am-2pm
June 17 - December 23

South Village
(6th Avenue between
Bleecker & Houston)
Saturdays 10 am-2pm
June 17 - December 23

Real Food Markets are for farmers, artisans, and purveyors of regional and traditional foods. At a traditional farmers’ market, the vendors are all producers. Real Food Markets are more like markets in Europe. There are farmers and bakers, but also food artisans and purveyors such as fishmongers. The Real Food Region is larger than at a traditional farmers’ market. We forage in the Northeast: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Is Our Food Organic?
You won’t find industrial foods at Real Food Markets! We favor foods produced with organic, biodynamic, or other ecological methods. Our beef is grass-fed; pork, poultry, and eggs are pastured. We ban hormones, antibiotics, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and artificial flavors and colors.

Sounds like these locations—and founder Nina Planck’s book—are worth investigating.

Update: Whoa Nellie, I may have a bit too hasty in posting this—”local” usually refers to food grown within a 100-mile radius, and Planck’s idea of local extends to a 200-mile one, and includes “food artisans” who may churn out guacomole without having grown the avocadoes themselves—they could have been purchased from Costco, for instance. More in this New York Times article. Mucho thanks to eagle-eyed reader Andrea for pointing this out.)

Chekhov poses with his new summer bed, which I whipped up last evening using repurposed materials: corduroy from an old ankle-grazing skirt of mine I shortened considerably, upholstery remnants I snagged for cheap a few years ago, and foam padding someone at my office threw out but screamed “POTENTIAL” at me.

(I used an overlapping envelope-style closure on the back so it’s easy to throw the cover into the wash.)

Have a few disused cell phones lying around in the Drawer of Misfit Tech? RipMobile wants to recycle them for you, and it’s willing to dole out top dollar in the form of gift certificates you can redeem for carbon-offset credits from TerraPass.

The average car emits about 10,000 lbs of carbon dioxide (a leading greenhouse gas) per year. By purchasing credits from TerraPass, you’re reducing your car’s environmental impact by helping fund clean renewable-energy projects, such as solar or wind power, which will subtract an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide pollution from the global-warming equation.

Turning your car “carbon neutral” doesn’t give you license to pollute your SUV-loving heart out, of course, but helping move the economics and production of alternative energy is a huge positive step forward to rescuing us from our “national oil addiction.”

Have an old Motorola Razr V3 gathering dust? It’s worth $75, which is enough to trade in for a Utility TerraPass.

Why recycle cell phones at all? According to TerraPass,

• Recycling the precious metals such as gold in a cell phone reduces pressure to mine new materials. Mining is incredibly destructive.
• Cell phones contain toxic materials that don’t belong in landfills. Reselling a used cell phone is far more energy efficient than manufacturing a new one.
• Last but not least, purchasing a TerraPass with the proceeds from your recycled cell phone is a great way to promote renewable energy and fight climate change.

Check out how much your cell phone or PDA is worth here.

(The hub’s prehistoric Motorola is worth bupkas, but I’m still making him recycle it.)

Illustration by Mother Jones

From CNN.com: “National Academy of Sciences tells lawmakers that Earth is heating up and that human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming.”

[The top climate scientists’] 155-page report said average global surface temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere rose about 1 degree during the 20th century.

This is shown in boreholes, retreating glaciers and other evidence found in nature, said Gerald North, a geosciences professor at Texas A&M University who chaired the academy’s panel.

The report was requested in November by the chairman of the House Science Committee, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-New York, to address naysayers who question whether global warming is a major threat.

Last year, when the House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, launched an investigation of three climate scientists, Boehlert said Barton should try to learn from scientists, not intimidate them.

Boehlert said Thursday the report shows the value of having scientists advise Congress.

“There is nothing in this report that should raise any doubts about the broad scientific consensus on global climate change,” he said.

In a case of climate-change synchronicity, a study sponsored by the National Center for Atmospheric Research concludes that “global warming helped fuel 2005’s destructive hurricane season.” From USAToday.com:

“About half of last year’s extra (ocean) warmth was due to global warming,” says a co-author of the study, Kevin Trenberth of the federally funded National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. That translates into an increase in ocean temperatures of just under 1 degree Fahrenheit above natural year-to-year variability in temperatures.

According to the study, the 2005 hurricane season was a record one with 28 named storms. The season extended beyond its normal November close, lasting until Dec. 30. It was the first year on record with three Category 5 storms, the strongest hurricanes. Hurricane Wilma was the most intense Atlantic storm; Rita was the most intense in the Gulf of Mexico; and Katrina was the most damaging storm. It led to the deaths of more than 1,800 people.

Last month, researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there’s an 80 percent chance of an “above-average” hurricane season with four to six major hurricanes this year. The season began June 1 and runs till Nov. 30.

(Emphasis is mine.)

The hub and I need to get off our procrastinating tushies and assemble that emergency kit we keep talking about. FEMA better gird its loins because the Bush administration “values the economy”—and the potential loss of 5 million jobs to new pollution controls—over saving the entire planet and the potential loss of billions of lives.

Should we get this life jacket for Chekhov or this? I’m not even kidding, y’all.

From BBC News: “Are green blogs are helping raise environmental awareness or just confusing matters?”

There are already nearly 12 million weblogs in existence and it is estimated that this number is doubling every five months. However, despite the growing popularity of blogs they are still viewed with considerable suspicion by both scientists and the general public.

A recent international survey of public trust in the media, conducted for the BBC and Reuters, found that internet blogs were the least trusted source of news information, with one in two people unable to say if they trusted them.

The public are right to be cautious. Misrepresentation of environmental science on the internet is widespread and weblogs are by no means a special case. From deforestation rates in the Amazon to climate change statistics, nothing is necessarily how it appears.

Furthermore, unlike most traditional forms of media that have gatekeepers, people whose job it is validate facts, check copy, exert some sort of quality control; the defining characteristic of the blogosphere is its lack of regulation.

Inspire or conspire?

Misreporting and misrepresentation are important because they can lead to a loss of trust at a time when public support for pro-environmental policies is most crucial.

Poor reporting of environmental science may also have a disproportionate effect on children who are increasingly turning the internet as their preferred source of information and who are least able to judge the validity of claims or the legitimacy of one blog over another.

So how should we be responding to the challenges and opportunities presented by the blogosphere?

As both a scientist and journalist by training, I do make it a point to check in with myriad sources before presenting certain facts or statistics. Honestly, not a post goes by when I don’t ask myself, “Self, are you sure about this or are you spewing more crap than a overfed cow on laxatives?” (Okay, maybe now and then the question shifts to “Self, you work so hard. How’s about rewarding yourself with a cupcake or two?” and then “Where can I get cupcakes around here?”)

Regardless, I’d be interested in hearing what you guys think.

Photo by Dennis Kitchen/Getty Images

Here are just some of the natural remedies we’ve tried that have been a resounding success so far.

1. Tea Tree Oil Mold Killer
The hub’s low snorts of derision about the efficacy of our homemade cleaning fluids quickly turned into shouts of glee when he used Care2.com’s recipe for tea tree oil mold remover to clean our bathroom ceiling. He said it was better than the bleach-based products we used in the past. “Plus, no cancer!” I hollered up the ladder at him. He still wore goggles, however, so the oil wouldn’t irritate his eyes, and a face mask we have lying around, because the smell can get quite overwhelming. (Oddly enough, I thought it smelled rather bleach-like.)

Caveat:
Essential oils can be potentially toxic to cats, so do keep Fluffums out of the area where you’re doing this. (For more information about cats and essential oils, I recommend reading The Lavender Cat.)

2. Dr. Chekhov’s Cold & Flu Tonic
The name was my sister’s silly idea. She was thrown on her back by a severe case of the sniffles, and complained bitterly about a sore throat. So, improvising from herbal wisdom, I told her to mix 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with about 8 oz. or more of water, plus 20 drops of echinacea extract—to be taken three times a day for a few days. It didn’t perk her up instantly, of course, but after some bed rest (this is very important), her sore throat vanished, and a couple of days later, she was practically bouncing off the walls. Apple cider vinegar kills bacteria and prevents the little buggers from sticking to the lining of your throat, while echinacea—which you may find in many “immune-boosting” health shakes—has antimicrobial properties and stimulates the immune system to battle infections.

You can make a warm version with a teaspoon of honey, as well, but be sure to rinse your mouth well after that because the combo of honey and vinegar can corrode your dental enamel. (We happened to have echinacea extract at home because I told the hub to try this formula when he had an onset of allergies in Florida last week, and so he bought some from a nearby health store. It wasn’t a cure-all for him, but he said he felt somewhat relieved of the symptoms after drinking this for a few days.)

Disclaimer:
Remember kids, Chekhov doesn’t have a real M.D., so this isn’t a substitute for non-quack medical advice, and you should always consult your doctor before trying home remedies if you’re pregnant, nursing, or on other medications. (Some people may be allergic to echinacea, as well, so do approach with caution if you’re hypersensitive.)

3. Baking Soda: Miracle Cleaner
If there’s one product that can put all chemical-cleaner manufacturers out of business, it’s baking soda. I use it for everything from unplugging drains (sprinkle a heapful of baking soda over the drain, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then pour hot water over it) to getting coffee and tea stains out from inside our ceramic mugs. I also like to shake some into the trash bin to absorb smells. And it works great on baked-on gunk on oven pans, and even, to my surprise, rust stains in our sink.

4. DIY Hair Conditioner
I also improvised this from different sources: 1 egg yolk (left over from your egg-white facial), 2 teaspoons of castor oil, and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. I found this actually worked a little too well, resulting in hair that was almost greasy, so the next time I do this, I’m going to reduce the amount of castor oil by 1 teaspoon. Still, if you have dry hair and are seeking one of those “deep-conditioning treatments,” this would do the trick. My hair became incredibly soft and shiny, and now I’m thinking of adding a few drops of lavender essential oil (and experimenting further) so this can replace my store-bought conditioner. Less haste but less waste.

Applications of apple cider vinegar also all but vanquished any dandruff I had. My scalp still tends to itch the next day, however, so I’m still looking for a solution to this problem.

Photo by Silvestre Machado/Getty Images

(Part of my Green This House program.)

I’m usually disinclined to order anything off the Internet these days because of the additional fuel and pollution burden this extra route creates, not to mention the typically unecological packaging the product is embalmed in. (Amazon.com, I’m looking at you.) Yet, possibly at this moment, a low-flow dechlorinating shower head that you can pause mid-lather is trucking its way to us from California—a genius of an attachment that has been on my to-buy radar forever. (I’ve been pretty crummy at conserving water in the shower because I’m loathe to “lose my place” once I’ve found the right delicate balance of hot and cold water, which makes me feel like a giant jerkwad.)

An article in Care2.com section on skin-care also had this to say:

“The chlorine in tap water assaults your skin,” [Kat] James [author of The Truth About Beauty: Transform Your Looks and Your Life From the Inside Out] says. It’s irritating, it causes free radical damage, and it destroys the skin-nourishing vitamin E in your body. “A shower-water purifying filter eliminates chlorine and will give you the biggest skin-care bang for your buck,” she says. “You’ll notice changes in your skin that you couldn’t get with even the most expensive product regimen.”

I e-mailed Rainshow’r, the only company I was able to find that manufactured this mystical low-flow, pausable, dechlorinating wonder, to find out if any retailer in my area sold its products. No dice. I had to go the online route.

Then I came across Green Home Environmental Store, an e-tailer based in California that doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar store, or any physical warehouses it keeps stocked. Instead, any goods you order are shipped directly from the vendors. The rationale behind this is, surprisingly, pretty green, which made me take heart in my decision:

Green Home takes the shipping of its products and the impact that we have on the environment quite seriously. When you order from most companies, the product you receive has been shipped twice—once from the manufacturer to the warehouse, and then again from the warehouse to you—and in many cases three times as it is moved from warehouse to warehouse. Green Home’s products are shipped directly. So although there can be an added environmental cost in having two shipments vs. one, Green Home’s model often cancels out—or improves on—existing wasteful shipping processes. Although more than one package may go to you, we saved on multiple shipments having to arrive at a centralized warehouse, where they would perhaps sit on shelves and need to get thrown out, or sent back. Also, we strongly encourage our drop-shippers to use a minimum of packing materials, and always try to sell our products in as large a grouping as possible.

Plus, Rainshow’r claims its shower head will reduce water usage up to 50 percent, and that’s probably not even taking into account the gallons I’ve been wasting while I soap up. So long, shower guilt, hello purdy skin!

Mollie from One/Change ambushed Denyse Schmidt via e-mail to find out if the designer intends to shift towards sustainable fabrics.

Right now the supplies for their quilts are manufactured commercially and sadly, the textile industry is not without its environmental issues. Denyse wishes there were more options for sustainably produced raw goods, but what is out there now is much more expensive than what DSQ currently uses and unfortunately, because their prices are already difficult for some folks, it is not financially possible to make the switch.

The good news, from what Denyse says, is that the industry is definitely moving in the direction of sustainability. The even better news is that Denyse is looking into producing a line of organic solids with her fabric manufacturer and Sarita Handa Exports (SHE Home), the company in India that DSQ works with, is also researching organic materials. Denyse realizes that it is a slow process, but the important thing is that they are trying to move closer to better practices and as they do it is up to the market to financially support their positive changes.

I encourage Greensleevers to write to Denyse to applaud her long-term goal and to spur her on to hasten that transition. All the facts and figures you need to support your case for sustainability can be found in the archives.

(If you BCC me on the e-mail or send me a scan or photo of your letter, I’ll make a $4 donation to Heifer International for you. No foolin’!)

Thanks, Mollie!

According to the fine folks at The Green Guide, conventional mattresses can potentially offgas toxic chemicals:

Mattress foam is treated with fire-retardants. The greatest potential health risk is posed by one class of fire retardants: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). These have been widely used in polyurethane foam and other plastics. Due to the health risks and public pressure, use of these chemicals is declining and less toxic alternatives are becoming more common.

PBDEs are similar in makeup to PCBs—their chemical cousins that have been banned for nearly three decades, because they cause immune suppression, endocrine disruption, cancer, and behavioral problems, among other ill effects.

In California, two PBDEs are being phased out, with a total ban to go into effect after 2006. The Great Lakes Chemical Corporation, the only manufacturer of penta- and octa-varieties of PBDEs, agreed to stop production in 2004. Exposure to PBDEs may be especially harmful to infants and fetuses, with human studies revealing that these compounds accumulate in breast milk. Infants are always more vulnerable than adults to exposure to toxic substances.

You want to avoid mattresses and pillows that contain moisture- and stain-resistant finishes, PFOA (Teflon), flame-retardant PBDEs, and synthetic materials (including “hypoallergenic” down). Choose instead mattresses made with wool casings or organic cotton fills, and pillows stuffed with natural fills such as kapok, buckwheat hulls, synthetic-free latex, untreated wool, or, again, organic cotton (can’t really go wrong there).

To help you sleep better at night, the magazine has compiled a muy excellente foldable Smart Shopper’s Mattress and Pillow Card you can print out and tuck into your wallet for the next time you go shopping. (It also has a list of recommended retailers you can check out.)

Local alert:
New York/New Jersey residents can also peruse the offerings of NJ-owned and -operated White Lotus, which has locations in New Brunswick and Princeton.

Brilliant use of discarded wine-bottle corks, from Hand made style: ナチュラルに暮らそ! (ISBN 4-391-62101-0), scanned by Anart-Island on Flickr. I like using those page-holders to prop up recipe cards when I’m cooking.

Illustration from MaryJanesFarm

Scroll down to the bottom of this page for clever step-by-step instructions on how to convert an old shirt into a vintage-style apron.

Being of the feline persuasion, I find this tip loathsome, but humans can save some valuable acres of forest by eschewing bathroom paper towels after they wash their hands. (Hand dryers, with their warm, moist interiors, are bacteria breeding grounds, so I wouldn’t use those either.) Simply flick the water from your hands onto your face—it’ll wake up your skin and hydrate it at the same time.

Before we formally kick off our chapter on the sustainability of organic wool, here’s some rather foul cud to chew on, so to speak. Ever wonder why the paper sleeves of some yarns proclaim their charges to be “permanently mothproof”? One curious customer e-mailed Brown Sheep, just one of the yarn manufacturers making the claim, to ask what it meant. “They replied that a small amount of a pesticide (Mitin FF) is actually boiled into the yarn during the dyeing process,” she said, horrified.

Why you should care:
Even if we subtract the environmental damage caused by these toxins, pesticides are still poisonous, horribly persistent¹ synthetic chemicals that can build up in your fatty tissue over time, increasing your risk of cancer and reproductive problems, while impairing brain development in children². (Their effect is more insidious because it is slow-acting and long term.) In fact, the National Academy of Sciences classifies more than 80 percent of today’s most commonly used pesticides—routinely found in breast milk—as carcinogenic. Even low-level exposure to pesticides can precipitate headaches, nausea, dizziness, and mental confusion.

(To prevent egg-laying moths from satisfying their babies’ case of the munchies on your natural fibers, toss a sachet of sweet-smelling lavender buds or dried lemon peel in with your yarn.)

¹They are so pertinacious that pesticides banned more than 30 years ago are still found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns today.

²Also, a National Cancer Institute study discovered that children are as much as six times more likely to get childhood leukemia when pesticides are used in the home and garden.

From the San Francisco Chronicle: “California bill would gauge levels of chemicals in people.”

State Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, introduced a bill Wednesday that would create the country’s first statewide program to accumulate data on measurements of toxic chemicals in the bodies of the general public.

This is the third time around for the “biomonitoring bill,” or SB1379, which has the support of environmental and physician groups but faces heavy opposition from the chemical industry.

GEE, I WONDER WHY?

Also, people, flushing your meds down the toilet could cause more than plumbing problems.

[Sewage] plants are designed to treat human waste and other biodegradable organic materials—not the medicines and chemicals in consumer products that make it through treatment and remain in the effluent that spills into the bay or ocean, and in the sludge that is used for landfill cover, incinerated, or placed in farmland.

“Some of the pharmaceuticals are definitely making it through sewage treatment plants,” said Phil Bobel, manager of the environmental compliance division for the city of Palo Alto and a spokesman for the agencywide Bay Area Pollution Prevention Group.

Studies of fish in waterways near Denver, in Lake Mead and in London’s Thames River have found changes in their reproductive systems that apparently are linked to pharmaceuticals that can disrupt the endocrine systems, sewer officials say.

I remember an old episode of Ally McBeal where our bleeding-heart bobbleheaded heroine self-righteously flushes her Prozac down the toilet. Watching her prance about on her chicken legs in that birth-canal-grazing miniskirt of hers made me livid, not only because I wanted to bitchslap her with a rancid fish carcass for being annoying, but also because her act was simply disrespectful of the 18.8 million Americans who are coping with depressive disorders (including many who cannot afford or have no access to proper medication). To reroute that tangent back to the original discourse, no flushie even your expired aspirin or Tylenol, please. Instead, check if your city organizes safe-medicine-disposal days or contact your local pharmacy for assistance.

Photo by Luca Trovato/Getty Images

I feel like I’ve rediscovered Jesus. During my shower, I rubbed on some coarsely ground sea salt with my yogurt-honey cleanser and OINGO BOINGO ON A TOASTED CRACKER, it exfoliated so well it unearthed some pretty deeply entrenched blackheads. (GEE-ROSS yet strangely mesmerizing.) Care2.com says that salt has natural antiseptic qualities and will “draw out impurities.” I’m a believer.

That recycled-sweater whiz Betz White does it again, this time with your morning java. Made from recycled woolies, these darling coffee pincushions are available from Cut + Paste for $32 per cuppa, which might be a tad um … strong for some of us to stomach, but that’s the price you pay for the exquisite work of a national treasure. Hey Betz, don’t forget us tea drinkers, too!