Robyn was a member of the MOMS Club of Antioch. She wrote a monthly column for their newsletter. The moms who do the newsletter titled the column, “Green Parenting 101″. Robyn thought that the articles would make a nice addition to Jack’s blog. She may continue writing them, just because.
The Three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
July 2008
We’ve covered the first two R’s—Reduce and Reuse. This month, we’re on to the last one—Recycle!
Recycling is the easiest thing you can do to be environmentally responsible. Here in Antioch, all you need to do is put all of your recyclables in the brown trash can. What can you recycle? A complete list can be found at the Allied Waste web site, http://www.alliedwasteservicesofcontracostacounty.com/services/recycling_antioch.cfm
We can recycle just about any type of paper and cardboard, including paperboard egg cartons, paper with staples, envelopes with the clear plastic windows, Post-Its, wrapping paper, pet food bags, and cardboard tubes.
Of course, we can recycle aluminum cans, but we can also recycle empty aerosol cans, aluminum foils, and tin cans, including paint cans. All glass bottles and jars can be recycled. Plastics #1–7 can be recycled, and we can include the lids and caps. Many plastic items can be recycled, including baby wipes containers (although these make great crayon and craft holders), detergent bottles, milk jugs, empty prescription bottles, and fruit baskets.
Recycling can also bring you a bit of cash. The Antioch Recycling Center, located at 1305 Sunset Ave, near Aladdino’s Pizza, buys back all containers with California Redemption Values (CRV) and all non-ferrous metals (aluminum, stainless steel, basically anything except iron).
When you’re out and about, look for recycling cans instead of just pitching your bottle into the trash. Sadly, not all of Antioch’s parks contain recycling containers, but Prewett Water Park does. Antioch also places recycling bins in strategic locations for city events. Raley’s and Safeway have bins to take your old plastic shopping bags (but you’re using the nifty canvas bags now, right?).
Recycling is seriously easy, and it’s the right thing to do.
The Three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
June 2008
Two months ago (oops!) I wrote about the first “R”—Reduce. This month, we’re on to the second—Reuse!
The easiest and most fun way to reuse is to shop secondhand. Jack’s entire summer wardrobe comes courtesy of eBay, where, for about $100, I got over 50 pieces of clothing from high-end stores such as Gymboree and The Children’s Place, as well as character clothes that would cost $30 per outfit new. While the children’s consignment environment isn’t too great in Antioch and Brentwood, our neighboring towns have lots to offer. My favorite is a wee change in Lafayette. (http://www.aweechange.com/) There are a number of secondhand and swap sites on the Internet. Diaper Swappers, despite the name, is a place to find lots more than just cloth diapers. (http://www.diaperswappers.com) BabySwap.net is not a place to swap babies, but you can swap all of their stuff. You can sell your used clothes this way too!
99% of textiles that end up in landfills could actually be put to use. If it’s a matter of a stain, or holes, you or someone handy can repair them, or patch, embroider, or otherwise creatively hide them. Suits and work clothes can be donated to organizations such as Dress for Success, a charity that helps homeless and low-income women enter the workforce. (http://www.dressforsuccess.org/) If clothing really is beyond use, you could go the rag route, or you might try donating to the Ugly Quilt project. A woman began this project to make blankets for the homeless. (http://www.reese.org/sharon/uglyqult.htm) The Antioch Animal Shelter also uses old t-shirts and towels as bedding for our homeless animal friends.
I’ve used up this month’s space on clothes alone! Before you toss anything—and I mean anything—think “Could somebody use this?” If the answer might be yes, the easiest thing to do is join FreeCycle and offer it up. (http://freecycle.org) You’d be amazed at what people need! (Or think they need.) I once had scraps of contact paper and someone took them because his daughter made silk screened t-shirts. Paper scraps go quick too, between the scrappers and cardmakers in this area.
The Three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
April 2008
If you have listened to the Jack Johnson Curious George CD, you have undoubtedly heard the song, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. These three R’s are at the heart of environmentalism, and they are quite easy to incorporate into our everyday lives as parents. This month, I’m talking about Reduce—reducing trash and reducing our reliance on non-renewable resources.
Instead of using disposable (or even recyclable) cups, invest in one or two stainless steel travel mugs. Although all plastics are allowed in the Antioch recycling bins, only plastics of types 1 and 2 are actually recycled. The rest are either sent to landfills or sent overseas, where it is burned, creating toxic air pollution. Plastic is also more energy-intensive to create than other materials, and some plastics contain bisphenol-A, which I’ve written about before. Stainless steel and aluminum last longer and are more easily recycled.
Instead of choosing plastic or paper at the grocery store, bring your own bags. Target, Raley’s, Safeway, and Trader Joe’s all offer reusable bags for less than $2 each. Plastic bags are often sent to other countries and burned, which again, creates that toxic air pollution.
Instead of using paper napkins and paper towels, use cloth napkins and tea towels. Cloth napkins are not just for Thanksgiving anymore. Will you have more laundry? Not much, actually, because cloth can handle a lot more spills than even the thirstiest paper towel.
Instead of buying bottled water, which costs more per gallon than gasoline and is usually no better than tap water, use filtered tap water. A reverse osmosis filter costs less than $200, or about half of the cost of a year’s worth of bottled water for a family of four.
Instead of buying and tossing batteries, invest in rechargeable batteries whenever you can. Batteries are never supposed to go in the trash, as they end up leaking some pretty nasty stuff that ends up back in our water.
What’s the point? Well, Americans generate 4.6 pounds of waste per person per day. Each person uses about 900 plastic shopping bags per year. Every little bit counts! What does this have to do with parenting? First, you’ll be teaching your kids to be better stewards of the Earth, to care about this planet that we all inhabit, and to think before they just throw something away. Second, if we can generate less trash now, there will be far less of it for our children and grandchildren to deal with.
I got these ideas from Co-Op America, at http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/caq/articles/Fall2007/threers.cfm
Green Diapering
March 2008
Diapers. We all use them. A child will go through 8,000 diaper changes from birth to toilet-training. One disposable diaper takes 500 years to decompose. 18 billion disposables per year are sent to landfills. Disposables are also made out of plastic, which is derived from petroleum, and is resource-intensive. Every year, 1.3 million tons of wood pulp (250,000 trees) are used to make disposables. Disposables also release the chemicals toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and dipentene, all of which can pose health hazards. One study even found that children who wear disposable diapers may be more susceptible to asthma, because they breathe in the chemicals.
OK, OK, you say. But what’s the alternative? Well, the first would be cloth. The term “cloth diaper” conjures images of mounds of laundry and pin-scarred fingers and waists. However, today’s cloth diapers are light-years ahead of the ones our mothers used. There is a plethora of choices, from the old-fashioned pre-folds to the BumGenius 3.0. If you don’t want to do the laundry, you can use a diaper service. There are several serving the Bay Area, including Tiny Tots (tinytots.com) and ABC (abcdiaper.com). For those trying to save money, disposable diapers cost about $50 per month, while cloth diapers cost about $35 per month, a $180 per year savings. For more information about cloth, try http://www.diapernet.org/
No, cloth is just not my thing. OK, then why not a diaper that combines the best of both worlds? The gDiaper is the world’s only flushable diaper. It consists of an outer, reusable, and simply adorable cover; a snap-in reusable liner; and a flushable insert. You put the insert into the liner, the baby soils the insert, you then flush the insert. The inserts are also compostable, which is good news for gardeners. “gDiapers have no elemental chlorine, no perfumes, no smell, no garbage, and no guilt.” We have used gDiapers since Jack was 14 months old, and I love them! I would be happy to share a couple with you so you can try them out. You can find out more at http://www.gdiapers.com/
Aside: Last month, I wrote about BPA. The blog ZRecommends has a new, brilliant series about it, accompanied by a wallet card so you’ll know what’s safe and what’s not. I highly recommend it! http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/02/z-report-on-bpa-in-infant-care-products.html
What is BPA and Why Should I Care?
March 2008
BPA is short for Bisphenol-A, a substance used in the production of polycarbonate plastics (plastics of types 3, 6, and 7). BPA is a hormone disruptor that acts like estrogen, and in lab tests has been proven to cause health problems in animals. Even at low doses, a link has been shown between BPA and prostate cancer. Other potential health issues include impaired brain development, harm to the reproductive system, and altered testosterone levels. BPA affects the endocrine system, and builds up in our bodies’ fatty tissues. BPA leaches into food and drink, especially when the plastic is warmed or damaged.(1)
BPA is found in sippy cups, pacifiers, food storage containers, tableware, and infant formula. In August, the authors of the book Baby Bargains brought the issue to the nation when they withdrew their recommendations for any baby bottle that contained BPA. (2) The plastics industry asserts that BPA is safe. However, until recently, tobacco companies were extolling the virtues of cigarettes.
BPA is in most popular brands of bottles, including Avent, Dr. Brown’s, Evenflo, and Playtex. Avoid these brands, especially if your baby is usually bottle-fed. The blog Z Recommends has created a directory of BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups. (3 & 4) Recommended bottles: Adiri, Born Free, MAM, Medela, Mother’s Milkmate, and glass bottles. Recommended sippy cups: Born Free, Kleen Kanteen, Sassy, SIGG, Thermos, The First Years. Recommended pacifiers: Playtex, Gerber/NUK, The First Years, and silicone pacifiers, such as Soothies. New BPA-free brands include: Green to Grow, iPlay, KidBasix, and Boon.
Baby formula also contains BPA. Cans and cardboard canisters used to store liquid and powdered infant formulas typically use BPA-containing plastic to line their metal parts.(5) Ready-to-eat formula is the most affected; according to one study, 2/3 of all infants fed ready-to-eat formula would be exposed to doses above those shown to cause significant health problems in animals. (6) The Environmental Working Group recommends the following formulas, in order of preference: 1 – Powdered formula by Nestle, Enfamil or Similac; 2 – Powdered formula by Earth’s Best or Bright Beginnings; 3 – Concentrated liquid formulas.
Choose glass bottles or containers whenever possible. If you must buy plastic, look at the number in the recycling triangle. Plastics of type 1, 2, 4, and 5 do not contain BPA. Plastics of type 3, 6, and 7 contain BPA. Do not put plastic in the dishwasher or microwave. Throw away plastic objects that are old or scratched. Do not place hot food in plastic containers; when storing leftovers, allow them to cool first.
1) ZRecommends, Breaking News: http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/01/breaking-news-boiling-water-increases.html
2) Original Baby Bargains article: http://baby411.typepad.com/babybargains/2007/08/consumer-alert-.html
3) ZRecommends, A Directory of BPA In Baby Bottles and Sippy Cups: http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/11/z-report-bisphenol-in-baby-bottles-and.html
4) ZRecommends, The Next Z Report on BPA: http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/02/next-z-report-on-bpa.html
5) ZRecommends, BPA in Infant Formula: http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/12/bpa-in-infant-formula-notes-on.html
6) Toxic Plastics Chemical in Infant Formula: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bpaformula
What are Parabens and Why Should I Care?
January 2008
Shampoo, deodorant, lotion, cosmetics, and even some foods can contain chemicals known as “parabens” – synthetic preservatives that act as hormone disruptors. When looking for any type of beauty or hygiene product, try to get ones that are free of parabens. Parabens have a chemical structure similar to estrogen that interferes with production of the body’s natural hormones. This potentially leads to weight gain, and potential links to cancer are also being investigated. The EPA states that all parabens – methyl, propyl, butyl – have been proven to disrupt our endocrine systems. The endocrine system regulates every function of the body. It consists of the thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal glands, the pancreas, the ovaries and the testes, all linked to the hypothalamus in the brain. Endocrine disruptors are stored in a body’s fatty tissues and do not get flushed out with water, thus they accumulate over the years. Avoid ingredients with the word “paraben” at the end, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, or butylparaben. Some paraben-free brands include: Burt’s Bees (now available at Target), Dr. Hauschka’s, and Terressentials.
To find other paraben-free products, try Skin Deep, by the Environmental Working Group, http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php
Some articles:
http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/parabens_in_cosmetics_pretty_ugly/
http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/06/21/what-are-parabens-and-why-should-you-avoid-them/
http://www.terressentials.com/endocrine.html
