How to be MEEP

Hi MEEPS!  I am so glad that you joined me for my first post on becoming a MEEP (My Everyday Earth Partner as explained here).  We have a great group going!  So far, it’s just me and my cat.  We really need your help to boost this group to the top of the environmental pyramid! 

Our first action today to become Everyday Earth Partners is to really give a big message to non-ecofriendly corporations and manufacturers.  It’s going to be tough.  It’s going to be brutal.  But best of all, it’s going to be stealth.  Those big dogs will never see us coming.

Try and guess what we are going to do?  Nope, we are not going to only shop high end designers who are making $150 dollar organic jeans.  We are not going to throw out all of the non-organic food currently in our cupboards and head to the health food store to buy all new.  We are not going to write letters or prank the CEOs. 

OOOH!  I am so excited, you will never guess!  At least my cat (the only current MEEP to achieve lifetime member status), has not guessed yet.  We are going to do nothing.  That’s right.  NOTHING.  Put your pocket books away.  Don’t run out to that best Earth Day sale ever at Macys.  Don’t drive across town to get your one free reusuable shopping bag and burn a hole in the ozone with exhaust fumes.  Don’t deliver letters to congress people or sit on the computer emailing heart wrenching letters imploring companies to change.  Just stay home.  Stay home and be happy with what you have.  Stop buying crap you don’t need.  Stop worrying about if the tshirt you just bought from Walmart was truly made with recycled material but dyed with a nonplant based dying process.  Just stop.  Our houses are full enough and our lives are full enough of activity.  Earth toxic products only last on the market because people are buying them.

Stay home for one day.  Look at the trees.  Look at the sky.  Pet your cat.  Think about how much you contributed to the environment by just appreciating what you have and not wanting anymore.  Then get up and advise a friend to do nothing as well.  This will start a chain reaction of do nothing-do gooders that will save the earth everyday for the rest of the year.

Thirdly, don’t forget to be MEEP.  My cat and I are really nice and not weird at all.  We would LOVE it if you joined our group.  There are no initiation fees.  Just quiet appreciation.

 

Not all Markets Need to be Super

Tweenie’s Greenies

Week 3: Eat It, on Purpose

How many times don’t we all go to the supermarket to get goods to feed our family?  How many times don’t we load our carts with deliciously waxed and over processed produce/foods because they are on sale and convenient?  I do it all the time.  I don’t get a chance to go to several places for my groceries since the addition of the second and third child.  I just don’t have time.  So, I end up buying what ever is at the supermarket and go ignorantly merrily along my way. 

What I never stopped to consider if how far the food I am buying has traveled.  Where has it been?  What’s been on it?  Who grew it?  Is my purchase benefiting a cause or process I would agree with?  I have just consumed in the past with little to no thought.  Well, ignorant no longer, I am determined to be a better, healthier, more environmentally friendly person.  Therefore, I am going to try and buy food that is truly fresh and food that supports producers in my area or preparation practices that are better for my family and the environment.

Produce generally would spoil fast unless it is treated by “unnatural” processes.  Depending on the season, the fresh produce in your grocery may have been on the road for thousands of miles and for about 10 days.  To do this, things like bananas and tomatoes are picked while still green.  Then they are chilled, warmed, and treated with gases to make them ripen.  Fresh is all relative in the supermarket.  That’s why produce from the store, usually tastes so different from that in the garden.  Plus, don’t get me started on how the food is treated with chemicals as it is grown.

Here are some steps that I am going to take while shopping for my families groceries.

1.  Pick My Own:  No, not my nose, my fruits and vegetables.  It’s summertime and there are many farms in our area where I can pick my own fruit and veggies that are in season.  For example, right now blueberries are ripe for the picking.  I can walk right out into the field with my bucket and bring it right home to my table.  Maybe 10 miles travel time.  Plus, I am able to inquire about the growing process and select organic.  Plus, Plus, I can support local growers and the local economy.  Whew!  That’s a lot of good from one action.

2.  Buy local produce:  If I am at the store, I won’t buy strawberries grown in California, when I can buy locally grown strawberries.  This is for basically the same reasons as above.  Even better than the store, I can buy at the cities Farmers Market.  The kids love to go and help pick out the produce.  Usually, they are even allowed to try different veggies and fruits for free as we contemplate our purchases and chat with the local growers.

3.  Buy Organic:  For all the obvious reasons.  I will try to pick out organic produce/food items.  Here’s a list posted by Mama Speaks as to the dozen foods that you should always buy organic.

 

Organic, Natural….What’s the deal?

Tweenie’s Greenies

Week 3: Eat It, on Purpose

Have you ever had the feeling that being healthy and being environmentally friendly is A LOT of work?  I have that feeling everytime I go to the grocery store lately.  I am constantly having to read labels, compare and contrast items.  I put one thing down and end up running back across the store to find it again later.  I can’t really do a great job at shopping healthy when I have the three kids.  Well, I can, but it requires a large “family cart” and donuts or cookies.  Does that defeat the purpose of healthy shopping?  I don’t think so, it’s all a balancing act.  Sure they ate one donut full of tasty garbage that day, but I managed to buy organic fruit and cereal to balance it all out later.  Give and Take.  Life is give and take (that seems to be one of my mantras lately with raising children). 

 It usually takes me about 2 hours to do a really good grocery shopping trip.  That includes checkout time and coupon sorting, along with chasing after escapee children and replacing items pulled off of the shelves.  Not usually a fun experience but necessary, so I never want to add more time to my shopping by having to guess about labels or ingredients.  I am sure that most moms who have to shop with children feel the same way. 

I am trying to be more organic in my food choices but have heard rumors that some foods with organic or natural on the labels may not really be organic.  I thought “What a rip off!  If that’s true why bother spending extra money on organic items?”  So in order to save myself some hassle and some money, I did a little research.  Here’s the scoop according to the USDA.The U.S. Department of Agriculture has put in place a set of national standards that food labeled “organic” must meet, whether it is grown in the United States or imported from other countries.  After October 21, 2002, when you buy food labeled “organic,” you can be sure that it was produced using the highest organic production and handling standards in the world. What is organic food?

Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.  Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects 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 before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.Is organic food better for me and my family?

USDA makes no claims that organically produced food is safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food.  Organic food differs from conventionally produced food in the way it is grown, handled, and processed.When I go to the supermarket, how can I tell organically produced food from conventionally produced food?

You must look at package labels and watch for signs in the supermarket.  Along with the national organic standards, USDA developed strict labeling rules to help consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy.  The USDA Organic seal also tells you that a product is at least 95 percent organic.
                                                                       

Single-ingredient foods

Look for the word “organic” and a small sticker version of the USDA Organic seal on vegetables or pieces of fruit.  Or they may appear on the sign above the organic produce display.

The word “organic” and the seal may also appear on packages of meat, cartons of milk or eggs, cheese, and other single-ingredient foods.

Foods with more than one ingredientThe following photo shows examples of the labels that may be used on a wide variety of products that use organic ingredients.
Click photo of follow this link for larger image of cereal boxes.

The sample cereal boxes show the four labeling categories.  From left:  cereal with 100 percent organic ingredients; cereal with 95-100 percent organic ingredients; cereal made with at least 70 percent organic ingredients; and cereal with less than 70 percent organic ingredients.  Products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients may list specific organically produced ingredients on the side panel of the package, but may not make any organic claims on the front of the package.  Look for the name and address of the Government-approved certifier on all packaged products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients.

Will I find the USDA Organic seal on all 100 percent organic products, or products with at least 95 percent organic ingredients?No. The use of the seal is voluntary.

How is use of the USDA Organic seal protected?People who sell or label a product “organic” when they know it does not meet USDA standards can be fined up to $11,000 for each violation.

Does natural mean organic?No. Natural and organic are not interchangeable.  Other truthful claims, such as free-range, hormone-free, and natural, can still appear on food labels.  However, don’t confuse these terms with “organic.”  Only food labeled “organic” has been certified as meeting USDA organic standards.For more detailed information on the USDA organic standards, visit our web site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop call the National Organic Program at 202-720-3252, or write USDA-AMS-TM-NOP, Room 4008 S. Bldg., Ag Stop 0268, 1400 Independence, SW, Washington, DC 20250.

Printed: April 2002

 

Natural Disinfectants

I was just reading a post on The Good Human about spring cleaning.  I agree with the thought that there is such thing as using too many antibacterial cleaners.  When I taught high school, I was exposed to so many germs.  After a year of that, I had the immune system of a bionic woman.  Now that I am more isolated in my germ contact, I tend to get colds/flu whenever they come around.  That is also why I choose to let my kids eat dirt.  It makes them strong!

Anyway, here is their list of great alternatives to using antibacterial cleaners:

- You can add 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil to a gallon of water to wash windows, floors and toilets to scrub away the germs.
- To chase away bugs, but a drop of tea tree oil near where they are coming in and you can bet they won’t be coming in that way anymore.
- Lavender oil or tea tree oil can be applied directly to cuts and scrapes where it will cool the pain and help fight infection.
- Mixing a few drops of tea tree oil with some water in a spray bottle can clean mold in the bathroom, disinfect the floor after the dog has an accident, or can clean up after your child has been sick. (or you, after a night like the ones in college)

Link here for the rest of the post.

On a side note:  I LOVE tea tree oil!  I use it on about every skin problem you can think of.