There has been so much for me to think about since our big move across the country. We came out to Seattle for an adventure and to build a life that reflected our values. There was nothing set up for us here before we moved and in fact, neither Kendall or I had even been to Seattle before we drove in with our moving truck. Because of this we had the luxury and the struggle to examine almost every part of our life, right down to EVERY material object we own. All that had at one point seemed important was thrown before us and we had to look at it all and prioritize. Many conversations took some shape or form of the following, “Kendall, which is it more important to you when we are looking for apartments, the community it is in or the size/quality of the apartment?” or “What sort of things does the area we are going to live HAVE to have?”. We would look at our values and ways in which our lifestyle encouraged or stifled them.

There are so many ways that our life has changed and continues to do so on a daily basis. Our life now reflects our values more coherently. Things are simpler and we each seem to have more of an ease about us. There was a great inner stress as a result of not living out what we knew was important and in some cases not being able to for various reasons.

I feel happy for and proud of us and daily feel blessed to have such a wonderful partner in my husband with whom to figure this life out. There is a lot that I/we get wrong. However, I do know that everyday we do what we can and there are many days we do the best we can. At times it has felt and continues to feel scary to take honest examinations of our life and put all excuses aside. The reason it is scary and the reason it is also can be so beneficial is because the conclusions we draw will force us to make a decision. Are we going to make the difficult change or are we going to make an excuse that will allow us continue our current behavior? What is it that is truly important to us: values, convenience, money, time, morals, human rights, health, beauty, popularity….?

As soon as I can better organize my thoughts I am going to publish a few follow-up posts that discuss some of my thoughts and some of the changes we have made and are planning/hoping to make.

Toxic chemicals are all around us, in our homes, cars, work, and even supermarket. It is our job to limit the amount of toxic chemicals that enters our body. Exposure is the term for how toxic chemicals can enter our bodies. Exposure to toxic chemicals can occur through three ways, ingestion, inhalation, and absorption.

Chemicals are ingested through eating items that have chemicals on them. One common way toxic chemicals are ingested is through not adequately washing fruits and vegetables before eating. Inhalation occurs through breathing in chemicals. Chemicals can become suspended in the air and easily breathed in, the smaller the chemicals the deeper in the lung the chemical can go and the more harm they can cause. We breathe in toxic chemicals all day with the use of aerosol or spray cans. Absorption can occur when toxic chemicals come in contact with our skin. Our skin is a great barrier, but chemicals are still able to penetrate through skin or easily enter through cuts on our skin.

Cleaning is not something most of us enjoy, but it is part of life. Cleaning can expose us to very toxic chemicals found in common cleaning supplies sold in stores. When we clean we are exposed to chemicals through ingestion, inhalation, and absorption. Ingestion can occur by spraying toxic chemicals near food that is out on the counter. Inhalation through breathing after Windex has been sprayed. Absorption can occur when we are wiping anything down with toxic chemicals and they touch our skin.

To reduce the toxic chemicals we are exposed to and create healthy homes, here are some non-toxic recipes to use to clean our homes.

These recipes are effective, smell good, cost less than commercial products, and don’t pollute the indoor air. I have tried all of the recipes and was amazed at how well they worked and how clean our apartment smelled. There was no toxic smell or over powering smell of cleaning agents. These recipes are best when made fresh each time in small batches. Do not mix these recipes with other chemicals.

The following recipes use the various combinations of six basic ingredients: baking soda, vinegar, salt, liquid castile soap, club soda, and water. More than likely you will already have most of them in your cupboards and if not they can easily be bought at the grocery store. Enjoy!

Drain Cleaner:
½ cup baking soda
½ cup vinegar
Boiling water

Pour the baking soda down the drain first, then vinegar. Let it fizz a few minutes than pour a tea kettle full of boiling water down the drain. Do NOT use after using commercial drain cleaner. If this does not release the clog try using a plunger or mechanical snake.

Oven Cleaner:
¼ cup baking soda
2 tablespoon salt
hot water

Remove charred spills with a non-metallic bristle brush. Mix baking soda, salt, and enough hot water to make a paste. Apply to oven surfaces and let stand a few minutes or over night. Scrub off with non-metallic scouring pad and water. Keep paste off oven wires and heating elements. Do not use on self-cleaning ovens.

All-Purpose Cleaner:
1 2/3 cup baking soda
½ cup liquid castile soap (Can be found in supermarkets or drug stores)
½ cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar
16 oz bottle

Mix baking soda and liquid soap with fork in bowl. Add water. Add vinegar last. Pour into squeeze bottle: if it is too thick, add more water. Shake well. Squirt in tub, sink, toilet, counter, etc. Scrub and rinse.

Scouring Powder:
Baking soda
Liquid castile soap

Baking soda can be used in place of your scouring powder. First, wet area you want to clean. Then sprinkle baking soda on and rube with a wet rag. Add a little soap to the rag for more cleaning power. Rinse well. For toilets, sprinkling baking soda into bowl, add a few drops of castile soap, then scrub.

Mirror and Window Cleaner:
Club soda
Spray bottle

Put club soda into spray bottle. Spray on surface. Rub with lint-free cloth (such as a cloth diaper) or squeegee.

Adapted from: Thurston County Hazardous Waste Program

photo by Fran-cis-ca

Is there a difference between using Purell vs. antibacterial soap vs. plain soap and water in cleaning the hands and preventing illness?

The overall answer- Hand washing with plain soap and water is best!

The recent marketing of antibacterial everything has changed consumer thought that antibacterial soap is necessary to get rid of all the bacteria on your hands. Well it is not. It is a marketing gimmick.

There is actually concern regarding the use of so many antibacterial agents because there are superbugs. Superbugs are bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Superbugs have become resistant to antibiotics because of the overuse of antibiotics. So when people get sick and really need antibiotics a stronger antibiotic has be used but there are a limited number of antibiotics available.

Purell is convenient and portable but is no replacement for hand washing with soap and water. Purell works by killing all organisms on the skin, even natural microorganisms. This is bad, because those microorganisms are needed to keep the skin healthy and kill the bad organisms. Purell is helping the environment on hands grow more bad organisms. If you can wash your hands with soap and water it is better than using Purell.

Several randomized control studies have been done looking at the effectiveness of antibacterial soap vs. plain soap in reducing childhood illness (mainly diarrhea). The results– Plain hand soap worked just as well as antibacterial soap. Antibacterial is not more effective than washing your hands with plain soap and water.

1. Wash you hands with plain soap and water.
2. Don’t use antibiotics when it is not necessary. (Antibiotics do not work for viruses)

photo by jmv

Over our family Christmas in January in Dallas (huh?) my dad kept telling my brothers to not microwave their food in the plastic containers they were using. In return my brothers laughed. Well, it turns out the joke is on you my dear brothers.

Parts of an Environmental Working Group (EWG) article.

It’s not true that “dioxins” go from your plastic into your food. There is some evidence, however, that some molecules — phthalates in some flexible plastic, and another chemical plasticizer DEHA — can migrate into high-fat foods such as meats or cheeses. And that’s not just if you’re microwaving plastic. Many environmentally conscious Web sites, such as www.greenguide.org, tell consumers to avoid wrapping high-fat foods in plastic altogether for fear that you’ll end up eating minuscule plastic bits.

Of course, manufacturers of plastic wrap don’t like all this worry. A Consumer Reports test in 1998 found worrisome plasticizers in both Saran Wrap and Reynolds Wrap, but none in Glad Crystal Clear Wrap. Since then, S.C. Johnson has reformulated Saran Wrap, and makes it clear on its Web site that their products are made of polyethylene and do not contain either the plasticizers phthalates or DEHA. Reynolds Plastic Wrap is still made of PVC, which contains DEHA.

Whatever conclusions you draw, here are some guidelines: - Everyone from plastic manufacturers to the USDA says that if you are going to microwave with plastic wrap it should be plastic wrap that explicitly says it’s microwave safe. - Never microwave in plastic containers that have not been specifically marked microwave-safe, especially containers made to hold other foods. And it’s prudent to avoid microwaving in plastic take-out containers. Heat encourages leaching of some plastic molecules from the container into the food. - When it’s in the microwave, do not let the plastic wrap touch your food, because it can melt into fats or sugar. Keep the plastic one inch from food. - More information is at www.plasticsinfo.org.

We gave our microwave away before our big move to Seattle, so we don’t need to worry about that. However, we do still use plastic tuperware to store our food. We have been wanting to buy some glass storage containers for a while and will make the purchase when funds allow. Maybe we can try to look for some used one….ooooh good idea.

photo by Jaako

My friend Becky has been sending out e-mails occasionally with different information about the environment. I thought that I would start posting them in some form or another and we are talking about her maybe doing some writing for one/change.

Toxic Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell’s 10 Tips to Improve Indoor Air Quality:

If you don’t use a toxic chemical in the first place, then you don’t have to contain it, clean it up, or be exposed to it—which is what preventing pollution is all about. Here’s a list of the top 10 things you can do to reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals to create a safer indoor living environment for you and your family.

1. Household Cleaners.
Look for labels that divulge ALL of the cleaner’s chemicals. Be sure to avoid using cleaners that contain these suspect hormone disrupter chemicals: Nonyl- and octyl-phenols are used to make alkylphenol ethoxylate (APE) detergents.

2. Disinfectants.
Limit the use of disinfecting products in your home. They contain chemical agents that are capable of destroying or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. Overuse could lead to the growth of ’superbugs.’ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies disinfectants and antimicrobials as pesticides.

3. Lawn Care and Pests.
Children and pets in particular are exposed to pesticides tracked inside homes from lawn treatments. Pesticide exposure also occurs from using off-the-shelf pest repellents. Use organic lawn care methods like mowing high and adding topsoil. To get rid of pests, remove food sources, use boric acid and traps.

4. Vinyl Floor and Wall Coverings.
Flexible vinyl household products like flooring and wallpaper are manufactured using PVC that may have toxic chemical additives including phthalate plasticizers and lead. As these products are used, they create dusts that accumulate these chemicals. Choose non-PVC wall and floor coverings to minimize potential exposure to these toxins.

5. Building Materials.
Plywood, oriented strand board, kitchen cabinets and home insulation are all products that can contain formaldehyde, a known human cancer-causing chemical. Choose solid woods and formaldehyde-free insulations when constructing or renovating your home.

6. Personal Care and Beauty Products.
Choose products that are fragrance free and reduce your use of nail polish and acetone nail polish remover. If you do use these products, be sure to open your windows.

7. Dry Cleaning.
Ask your dry cleaner if they offer safer alternatives such as liquid carbon dioxide or “wet cleaning” rather than the commonly used cleaner perchloroethylene, a suspected cancer-causing chemical.

8. Got Moths?
Eliminate the use of mothballs since they contain naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene. Instead, clean and seal wool clothes, use cedar blocks, shavings or oil.

9. Mold.
Dry is the operative word. Prevent mold and the overuse of bleach by preventing moisture build up in the first place. Fix leaky pipes and faucets immediately. Make sure that water slopes away from the foundation of your home.

10. Basement.
Do not leave a car running even with the garage door open especially if the garage is under the living area. Carbon monoxide can easily seep through walls and floors. When your oil company calls during the slow summer months to clean your boiler, don’t delay. And test your house for radon.

Bonus Tip: Avoid Tobacco Smoke.
Ask those who live with you to smoke outdoors. Indoor tobacco smoke is a major contributor to airborne contaminants in the home. Over 4,000 chemical compounds, of which 40 are known or suspected carcinogens, have been identified in tobacco smoke.