I have a new story out on Sprig.com: 8 Best All-Natural Acne Busters. Ch-ch-ch-check it out. I loved Simple Basics Acne Skin Care Set so much I wrote an extended review on it for TreeHugger. Crazy-good stuff.
» Mysterious thyroid disease in cats linked to flame retardants? I’m officially freaking out, especially since Chekhov does have kidney problems, which the vet found odd because he was only 5 when he was diagnosed. (2) #
More at GreenPaws.org, including a free, downloadable pet wallet guide to safer tick and flea treatments. Chekhov and Mir don’t get fleas because they’re strictly indoor cats, but they heartily approve of any and all attempts to detox the home environment, especially if it includes a belly rub at the end.
» I love this quote from trailer of the new The Day the Earth Stood Still for its obvious, barenaked truth. Keanu as Klaatu: “If the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the Earth survives.” (0) #
Photo by Sick Lumpy, under a Creative Commons license
Because I’ve become more of a health nut in my dotage, I rarely deep-fry anything when I cook anymore. (That doesn’t stop me from indulging in the occasional tempura, however; I am large, I contain multitudes.) I remember leftover oil being problematic, though. Pouring used cooking oil down the sink is the worst thing you can do for your plumbing because it can congeal and clog up your pipes, and the general wisdom has been to allow it to cool and then disposing of it with your household trash—something I’ve always found wasteful.
My mother has a savvier, more frugal method: To save your cooking oil for the next time you fire up your stove, strain it through a mesh (to get rid of crunchy bits) into a reusable glass or ceramic container you can cover with a lid. Keep the container on your kitchen counter so that it’s at arm’s reach the next time you decide to don your chef’s hat.
» If you still haven’t made the switch to energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs, here’s how to pick a better bulb for your needs. (0) #
» From Slate’s Green Lantern, “What’s the greenest way to drink coffee in your office?” In other words, that old disposables versus reusable cup argument, a question I wonder why people continue to struggle with. It’s a no-brainer for me. True, making a Styrofoam or paper cup takes less energy than making a ceramic one, and they don’t need to be washed, but they’re still use-and-toss propositions that will take up room in our landfills—which release methane, a greenhouse gas about 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. (Also, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t already own a mug, so that argument’s moot in most cases.) Then there’s the health issue: Polystyrene has been known to leach styrene, a possible carcinogen linked to increased risk of breast cancer. Here’s one Slate reader’s comment that makes a succinct case for reusables, after all the math’s been said and done. (0) #
Clinton: I believe global warming is caused by man.
Palin: And I believe it’s just God huggin’ us closer.
I’d be laughing harder if I didn’t want to dive under my covers in horror and fear that this drill-happy, global-warming-denying (mostly), polar-bear-hating, wolf-shooting, book-banning (allegedly), reproductive-rights-fighting, nepotistic, revenge-seeking creationist could be a heart attack or bullet away from becoming president of the United States.
A green tea cupcake I happily noshed on last month outside Beechwood Cafe in Jersey City, a simple indulgence that brought me more pleasure than any expensive designer tote can. What was your most recent inexpensive (or better yet, free) source of pleasure?
» A must-read: “Unmasked: 10 Ugly Truths Behind the Myth of Cosmetic Safety” (PDF) from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Breast Cancer Fund. My favorite aunt—who was like a second mother to me—passed away from breast cancer seven years ago this month, and I believe that the cosmetics and skincare products she was so fond of played a profound role in this. She was only 44. (0) #
» More tips on creating waste-free lunches and why single-serving packaged foods are a complete rip-off. (2) #
» Oh, check out the latest ish of Plenty (Oct/Nov 2008); I wrote an op-ed on the back page about “eco pregnancy guilt.” For my neighbors up north, grab the Sept/Oct 2008 issue of Alive for a story I wrote on sustainable feminine-hygiene products. (0) #
Photo from Debbie Bliss Magazine
That baby blanket! That bag! Those cupcake-fondant-colored sweaters! Ever since I stumbled upon Royal Yarns’ sneak peek of Debbie Bliss’ new knitting magazine, I’ve had to hold myself back from licking the screen and then sobbing uncontrollably because I resemble a large cantaloupe and can’t wear any of this deliciousness until I regain my figure. (Well, assuming I have the time to knit anything in the first place with ALL THIS FREE TIME I’m going to have when the baby arrives.) More photos, if you can handle them, online.
Photo from Debbie Bliss Magazine
Photo from Debbie Bliss Magazine
Photo from Debbie Bliss Magazine
Photo by Topsy at Waygood, under a Creative Commons license
Waste of any kind makes my eyeballs itch; one-off disposables even more so. Despite the recent upswell in conversation about energy independence and the need to wean ourselves off foreign oil, few people seem to realize that plastic bags, clamshell takeout containers, and that iced-coffee cup are petroleum-derived conveniences—ones we don’t need festering in our landfills for thousands of years. (Methane, a greenhouse gas found in landfills, is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat in our atmosphere, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.)
I usually pack lunch when I travel into the city for another bout of in-house editing at some magazine or another, but I’m laxer when I know I’m going to be in midtown because I love the hot-food counter at one particular organic deli on Park Ave. South. (I’m addicted to the sweet-and-sour seitan.) It’s easy to get swept up in a maelstrom of difficult-to-recycle plastic waste, but you can step around it with a bit of diligence.
1. Bring your own Tupperware: Because of the recent hullaballoo about toxic chemicals leaching from plastic, I’ve taken to toting along a stainless-steel container to fill up with hot foods at the organic deli. The lovely gent at the register weighed my empty container last week, so I don’t have to pay for the extra weight.
2. Bring your own flatware: One thing this world doesn’t need is more disposable plastic cutlery in the landfill. I have a fork-and-spoon set in a reusable pouch that I just toss into a bag with my lunchbox.
3. Choose wrapper-free snacks: A juicy organic Anjou pear or Gala apple doesn’t have any packaging to dispose of. I save the core for our weekly trip to the community garden’s compost heap.
4. Bring your own bag: I love my Whole Foods ChicoBag. When I’m done putting away its contents, I simply stuff the bag back into the attached pouch and throw it into my purse. No fuss, no muss, and no forgetting to pack a bag.
5. Bring your own water bottle/commuter mug: Apparently Chris Meloni from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit banned plastic bottles from the set and bought everyone reusable water bottles. What a guy.
Photo by Two Trees at Etsy.com
More than a year later, I still want to escape into Shanna Murray’s world, where organic, recycled linens set the backdrop for a life of romantic, handcrafted simplicity. Murray recently teamed up with Pistachio Press to bring us evocative letterpress cards made from 100 percent recycled cotton rag. Her works of art—what else can you call them?—whisper “slow down, be still, everything will be okay.”
Photo by Two Trees at Etsy.com
Photo by Two Trees at Etsy.com
Photo by Two Trees at Etsy.com
Photo by Two Trees at Etsy.com
» My friend Meredith on depression: “depression forces you to live small. it’s like living in a box that keeps shrinking. first there’s no room for the world, then there’s no room for other people, then there’s no room for the basic tasks of life, and finally there’s no room to move at all. that’s when the air supply starts to run out.” (I’m “terriblebeast” in the comments section.) (4) #
I wrote about toxic air fresheners some time ago for Discovery’s Planet Green Web site, but with the glut of TV commercials featuring women gleefully huffing synthetic, chemicalicious fragrances (Glade and Febreeze, I’m looking at you), I think it bears repeating. I’d rather have a slightly stinky room than cancer and brain damage, thanksverymuch.
