Photo by Camden Rose
Tip: Find out if your child’s toys contain lead and other toxins at HealthyToys.org
» Things that make me so angry I want to spit #28123—from Reuters: FDA defends safety of U.S. infant formula (0) #
» Free download from the Center for Health, Environment and Justice: Pass Up the Poison Plastic: the PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home (0) #
» Seen on Bath & Bodyworks’ 3-in-1 Bubble Bath, Body Wash and Shampoo in Cool Kiwi Berry: “CAUTION: Use only as directed. Excessive use or prolonged exposure may cause irritation to skin and urinary tract… Keep out of reach of children except under adult supervision.” Seriously, people. What. The. Hell? (2) #
Photo by kaytethinks, under a Creative Commons license
Happy Halloween, the most frightful night of the year! (Of course, with the state the world is in, who needs extra chills and thrills? I’m already petrified with fear.) Coincidentally, it’s also the third anniversary of the day I first registered The Worsted Witch; I didn’t pick Halloween intentionally but perhaps my subconscious latched onto the significance before I did.
Fall days just cry out for pumpkin pie or soup, and I have two organic sugar pumpkins ready to sacrifice themselves for the cause. The challenge now is finding a good-size pot, since we donated the last of our Teflon-coated nastiness to Goodwill last week—I couldn’t cope with nightmares about PFOA and “Teflon toxicosis” anymore—and we haven’t had time to stock up on stainless steel just yet, so I’m down to one cast-iron pan and a ceramic-coated skillet.
» From The Washington Post: “BPA Ruling Flawed, Panel Says; FDA Ignored Scientific Evidence of Harm, Report Finds.” (0) #
» Every year, I get that ambivalent feeling in the pit of my stomach over Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I won’t rehash the reasons why (although seeing pink goodies packaged in PVC drives me up the wall): You can read a 2007 TreeHugger post I wrote about why you should think before you fall for cause-related marketing. Want more? Here’s another “think before you pink” screed from 2006. I’m nothing if not consistent. (0) #
» 
No matter what the Corn Refiners Association would have you believe, high-fructose corn syrup is NOT all-natural (0) #
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.
» 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) #
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.
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.
» Please support the Mental Health Parity Bill, which will require insurers to treat mental illnesses in the same manner as physical illnesses. (0) #
» These baby bottles are so frikkin’ KEWT. I’m such a sucker for packaging. (0) #
Photo by Wired
A Very Special Interspecial Reunion
A lion that was raised by humans, but was released into the wilds of Africa, reunites with his former handlers a year later. What else can Treehugger say but “OMGKITTIES!!!11!!!”
Wired’s Artifacts from the Future: Fusion Food
Possibly coming to a produce store near you: Monsanto’s Cinna-Del, the only GM apple that expresses both cinnamon and sugar, only $26.99 per kilo!
Penguins March into New Patagonian Marine Park
Squawk if you’ve heard this one: The government of Argentina is creating a new marine park along the isolated Patagonia coast to officially safeguard more than half a million penguins and other rare seabirds, according to the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society.
Peace, Love, Earth: Yeah, Baby
Designer Anna Mkhitarian reinvents that tired hippie standard—the ol’ peace sign—into physical, wearable mantras that, though unsubtle, remind us what our groovy voyage on Spaceship Earth is all about.
Global Warming Wants to Eat Your Flesh
We’d have used a picture of flesh-eating bacteria diligently at work, but all our options made us want to disgorge the contents of our stomachs, so here’s a nonthreatening—dare we say even cuddly?—microscopic look at the insidious beasties themselves.
» For kids, it tastes better if it’s in a McDonald’s wrapper. You know, I was probably one of those kids, but McDonald’s was a special treat back then, not the dietary supplement it probably is now. Disturbingly enough, whenever I get stressed out of my mind, I have to fight this deeply visceral craving for a Fish-O-Fillet—remember when they used to come in blue styrofoam clamshell boxes?—and I don’t even eat seafood anymore. Dayum, people. (0) #
Photo by Aubrey Organics
I’ve just run out of my old standby sunscreen from Paula’s Choice, which I’ve loved using because of its nongreasy, unscented, yet gently moisturizing formula—unfortunately, to my everlasting grief, it hasn’t been rated by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), so when my husband called from the natural-foods store asking if I needed anything, I asked him to pick up some sunblock. But because I didn’t have EWG’s list handy (big mistake), after he prattled off some brands, I instantly latched onto a familiar name: Aubrey Organics, the brand I use for my shampoo.
Slathering it on this morning, I give it a big ol’ “meh.” First, its EWG score is a middling 3.0, placing it in the lower-end of the moderate-hazard range.
Next, the cream has a cloying, sickly sweet scent that doesn’t quite arouse my adoration. (Ironically, it’s likely the jasmine oil I’m sniffing; looking at Aubrey’s Web site now, it appears that the company does make an unscented version, however.) And while the Paula’s Choice product glided across my face streak-free, Aubrey’s sunscreen required more effort to rub away any mask-like appearance that might inspire spontaneous bursts of song, while terrifying children and small animals.
Its one saving grace, besides being vegan- and animal-friendly: The sunscreen doesn’t stay on as greasy as other brands I’ve used in the past—even though it contains white camellia, organic shea butter, and organic jojoba oil for hydration—but, considering it costs almost $8 for a 4oz. tube, I think I’ll still give it a miss the next time I’m down the shopping aisle.
» Another reason to make your own eco-cleaners: Study says many use chemicals linked to fertility problems. As always, this is my fave resource. (0) #
A Slice of Organic Life by Sheherezade Goldsmith (Ed.)
Novices taking their first toddling steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle should look elsewhere for a reassuring hand and the soft coo of encouragement. A Slice of Organic Life, edited by Sheherezade Goldsmith, dives headlong into the often baffling business of eco-friendly living by rattling off a series of instructions, without framing them in any kind of context that might make sense to a greenie-to-be.
A foreword by acclaimed chef, author, and food activist Alice Waters is followed by an introduction by Goldsmith. But just when you think you’re on solid, navigable terrain, the ground suddenly opens up below your feet and you find yourself inexplicably rushing past an edict to “Grow Salad Leaves in a Window Box.” Immediately after, you’re asked to “Save Energy the Easy Way,” and then to “Shop Ethically,” as if you were flipping through a stack of flash cards, each bearing little relation to its neighbors.
It would be unfair, however, to say that no effort at organization has been made—the book is ostensibly split into three sections based on your living situation: 1. No Need for a Yard, 2. Roof Terrace, Patio, or Tiny Yard, and 3. Yard, Community Garden, or Field. It might be easier to think of Slice as a collection of homesteading projects, from making and freezing baby foods to—I kid you not—raising a couple of young pigs.
The large type, vibrant and generously laid-out photographs are certainly appealing, and so this is the kind of glossy picture book you could strategically place on your coffee table to pique the curiosity of non-environmentally inclined guests. Slice makes for an easy, non-threatening read—and you really do emerge from its pages believing that yes! you could grow sweet peas on a teepee or become a bee keeper—but the book also tries to toss too many balls in the air at the same time, and keeping track of all them can leave you feeling dizzy. ($25, cloth)
Want to snag my free copy of the book? Comment below about something you never thought you’d DIY, but you did. I’ll pick a winner at random on August 1.
This review refers to a first American hardcover edition, courtesy of DK Publishing. A Slice of Organic Life can be found in stores now.
The Essential Bordertown (Borderlands) by Terri Windling, Delia Sherman
