Another random favorite "green" product

G4G review:  I love this product!  It works great and smells fabulous!  Priced well and lasts and lasts.

Soy Blends® Soy Cream Cleaner

 

Description

• Cleans, Shines & Protects
• Natural Volcanic Perlite and Lime Peel Extracts
• 99% VOC Free & Ozone Safe
• Cleans, shines and protects without scratching
• Gentle to skin

Biokleen Soy Cream Cleaner effectively cleans, shines, and protects many surfaces without scratching, and without the use of toxic chemicals. It's safe and effective for linoleum, porcelain, chrome, stovetops, sinks, countertops, tub-n-tile, grout and more.

Ingredients

Water, Xanthan Gum, Zeolite, Linear Alcohol Surfactant from Coconut, Coconut Surfactant (NO DEA or SLS), Low pH Silicate, Lime Extract (Food Grade), Grapefruit Seed Extract, Soybean Oil Extract, Less than 0.2%: Environmentally Friendly Polymer, Volcanic Perlite (Natural)

Directions

Apply directly to wet sponge or soft brush, or directly on stain. Rub lightly, letting the micro-scrubbers do the work. Rinse with damp cloth and water, dry off with bath towel. 

 

Childrens Car Seats - TOXIC CHEMICAL, so not right!

What all parents or those purchasing products for friends and family should know!

2011 Childrens Car Seat Findings

Overall Findings

• Consumer products throughout our economy, including children's car seats contain harmful chemicals that are linked to reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, hormone imbalances and cancer.
• Over 150, 2011-model car seats were sampled from retail locations based in Michigan. This is a follow-up study to car seats sampled in 2008 (131) and 2009 (58).
• Brands tested include: Alpha Sport, Baby Trend, Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Compass, Dorel Juvenile Group (Cosco, Eddie Bauer, Maxi-Cosi, Safety First), Evenflo, Fisher Price, Graco, Harmony Juvenile, Orbit Baby, Peg Perego, Recaro, Sunshine Kids, Teutonia, The First Years.
• Brominated flame retardant chemicals that are either deemed toxic or that lack adequate health safety data were detected in 44% percent of the 2011 car seats tested.
• Over half (60%) of car seats contained one or more hazardous chemicals tested for (including PVC, BFRs and heavy metals).
• Overall, car seats are improving. Between 2008 and 2011:
  
  • average seat ranking improved by 64% (1.5 - 2009 to 0.9 - 2011);
    
  • number of car seats with BFRs declined by 18% (63% 2009 to 44% in 2011)
• However, some companies continue to use more potentially hazardous BFRs in their products than others in the industry. These include Baby Trend (100%), Recaro (100%), and Britax (84%).

Best and Worst Car Seats Worst 2011 Car Seats:

• Infant Seat: Graco Snugride 35 in Edgemont Red/Black & Graco SnugRide 30 in Asprey
• Convertible Seat: Britax Marathon 70 in Jet Set & Britax Marathon in Platinum
• Booster Seat: Recaro Pro Booster in Blue Opal & Recaro ProSPORT Toddler in Misty

Best 2011 Car Seats:

• Infant Seat: Chicco KeyFit 30 in Limonata, Graco Snugride 35 in Laguna Bay & Combi Shuttle 33 in Cranberry Noche
• Convertible Carseat: Graco Comfort Sport in Caleo, Graco MyRide 65 in Chandler and Streamer, Safety 1st OnSide Air in Clearwater, and Graco Nautilus Elite 3-in-1 in Gabe
• Booster Seat: Graco Turbo Booster in Anders

There are healthy car seats!
Car seats are necessary to safeguard children in cars, but hazardous chemicals are not necessary to make a quality car seat for children and infants. The majority of seats are now manufactured without BFRs. The best car seat list above contains are examples of seats which do not contain PVC or Lead and do not use brominated flame retardants.
HealthyStuff.org only tests for a limited set of chemicals of concern. Car seats may also contain other chemical hazards, including chlorinated flame retardants (CFRs), which were NOT tested for in this study. HealthyStuff.org is asking all car seat manufacturers to disclose and eliminate all hazardous chemical additives in their products.

CAR SEATS SAVE LIVES. ALWAYS USE CHILD SAFETY SEATS, REGARDLESS OF THE RATINGS AT HealthyStuff.org. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SAFE USE OF CAR SEATS, SEE CAR-SAFETY.ORG OR THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS.
NOTE: HealthyStuff.org is an initial screening of chemicals in products for a handful of hazardous chemicals. There are a number of chemicals of concern that the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) device and HealthyStuff.org cannot detect. For example, there has been much concern recently about bisphenol A, a component of polycarbonate plastic. The XRF device is not able to detect bisphenol A, nor can it identify polycarbonate. In addition, the XRF device cannot detect phthalates, a family of chemicals of concern, although we have used the presence of PVC plastic as a surrogate for the likely presence of phthalates.

HealthyStuff.org ratings do not provide a measure of health risk or chemical exposure associated with any individual product, or any individual element or related chemical. HealthyStuff.org ratings only provide a relative measure of high, medium, and low level of concern or concentrations of several hazardous chemicals or chemical elements in product in comparison to criteria established in the methodology.

CAR SEATS - LIST



**Thank you HealthyStuff.org!!

Clean Your Entire Home with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Mother Earth News - link to this article

6/7/2011 4:55:19 PM

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence

Tags: green cleaning, cleaning without chemicals, chemical-free cleaning, cleaning with baking soda and vinegar, natural cleaning, cheap green cleaning, Robyn Griggs Lawrence

I had such a great time talking with attendees at the Mother Earth News Fair in Puyallup, Washington, this weekend about how to make green cleaners. As always, I learned a new trick or two, and I promised everyone that I’d recap our conversation here for easy access. Today let’s examine one of my workshop’s premises--that you can clean your entire home with vinegar and baking soda.
Acidic vinegar kills some germs and microbes and inhibits their growth; cuts grease, lime deposits and soap buildup; disinfects and deodorizes; removes stains, shines and polishes. I use white vinegar for practically everything I clean, from my wood floors to my toilets. I mix about ½ cup of vinegar with a cup of water and add a little orange or lemon essential oil to make a wonderful, all-purpose sanitizing spray. I also like to put a little in a small bowl and place it on a high shelf to absorb odors, and I use vinegar scented with essential oils to wash garbage cans and remove pet stains.
During the workshop, we talked about the importance of checking the label before you buy white vinegar to make sure it’s made from natural ingredients. If the label says “grain alcohol,” “neutral grain spirits” or “wine,” it’s made from natural ingredients such as corn, apples or grapes. Avoid anything that says “synthetic alcohol,” as it’s likely petroleum-based.
Baking soda is an effective (and cheap) deodorizer that also scours and removes smudges or scuffs from floors. When my dog has an accident inside (which, in her defense, is almost always my fault), I add a few drops of lavender essential oil to baking soda, sprinkle it on the rug, let it dry and vacuum. This formula is much more pleasant smelling and healthier than the chemical formulas that are sold for this purpose. I also use a thick paste made from baking soda and water to clean my oven—simply apply the paste, let it sit overnight, remove and follow with a swipe of vinegar-water solution. (You can play with the ratios. One of the great things about cleaning with these simple ingredients is that it doesn’t have to be an exact science.)
The real fun happens when you combine baking soda and vinegar in to clear sluggish drains. Pour in ½ cup of baking soda and chase it with ½ cup of vinegar, then watch it fizz as the acid and alkaline react to each other. It’s so much fun that my kids beg to clean the drains!
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, on natural and scientifically proven ways to fight germs and viruses—without nasty chemicals.

Common baking soda deodorizes, scours and removes scuffs and smudges. Photo by Povy Kendal Atchison

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-home-living/clean-your-entire-home-with-baking-soda-vinegar.aspx#ixzz1PZWl6Kci

The Best Purchase for Young Children is No Purchase at All - Mamapedia™ Voices

The Best Purchase for Young Children is No Purchase at All - Mamapedia™ Voices

Mamapedia Voices

Mamapedia City Voices highlights the inside scoop on your city by selected writers, from up-and-coming mom bloggers to well-known mom experts.

Photo by: CarbonNYC

The Best Purchase for Young Children is No Purchase at All

April 15, 2011

by Lory Manrique-Hyland of "The Mom Blogs"

Share

Someone recently asked me about toys that are good buys for young children. After having a think about this, I decided that I couldn’t in good conscience write a blog post about spending money. Firstly, I have little of it. I could wax lyrical about great products, but I won’t be buying any right now. Secondly, lots of other people these days don’t have enough money, either. As they say, though: the best things in life are free. This sounds like a cliché, but when it comes to raising kids, it’s almost true. Here’s a list of the best non-purchases I’ve ever made:

1. Dirt
   I used to pay for sand, but when the sand ran out one day, my two boys just sat down and started playing in the dirt under the sand table. I was like: ‘What the Hell – why not?’ I have to make sure and bathe them after an afternoon outside, but I had to bathe them after a spell in the sand box anyway. Sand is worse than dirt, actually, as it goes EVERYWHERE. Price: Free.

2. A Large Cardboard Box
   Because my two year old killed the TV last week (there’s another blog post in that story), my husband brought home a new TV on Friday night. It came in a large box. Last summer, I bought a large piece of furniture, which also came in a large box. Guess what happened with these boxes after their contents were removed? That’s right – hours of play. They ended up outside and the kids hid in them, imagined in them, and, eventually, destroyed them. Price: Free (initial purchase required – unless you go box hunting around town.) Warning: you may have to clean box pieces off your lawn or living room rug. Trust me, this is worth having them entertained and stimulated for a while.

3. Fresh Air
   There’s nothing like several hours outdoors to exhaust kids and get them into bed by 7:20 pm. How does my family like to get fresh air? Walks, bike riding, skateboarding, ‘insect hunting’ in the garden with old fishing nets, chasing each other, etc. If you don’t have a bike or anything else, walking will do. Collect stones, weeds, and other interesting tidbits along the way. Price: Free (If you don’t have outdoor fun gear, secure hand-me-downs or shop in a thrift store.)

4. The Local Playground
   I want us outside getting physical exercise as much as possible. Playgrounds are great for climbing structures, area to run, swings, and so on. They make a change from the front yard, and you can picnic there as well. We were home in Florida visiting family over Christmas 2009, and made the disappointing discovery that the local playground in Broward County was closed two days a week because of cutbacks in public services funding. We showed up there one afternoon ready to play and couldn’t. What a bummer. Price: Free – unless you want to include your tax dollars that go to maintenance, and gas to get there (unless you can walk).

5. The Library
   Raining again? Go to the library. It’s good for you, and often they have more than just books on offer. There are sometimes activities, computers, and in some – even toys and play areas. Price: Free.

I could keep going here, but use your imagination. Sometimes, you do need to spend a little money – but not much. The best toys are the core ones that get kids engaged, and which don’t cost much: Paper, crayons, Play-Doh, reading books, balls, blocks, buckets, bowls, spoons, shovels, blankets. Some of these things aren’t even technically ‘toys’, but your kids’ imaginations will make them so.

In closing I’d like to say that, to be honest, one of the best purchases I’ve ever made for young children was part-time childcare – but that was a purchase for me, not them!

If you have more creative ideas for free or almost free activities, please share them in the comments section, here.

Lory Manrique-Hyland is a freelance writer and stay-at-home Mom. She has a BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU and an MA in Creative Writing from City College. She’s also a certified adult educator and teaches fiction at the Munster Literature Centre. Her first novel, Revolutions, was published by the Lilliput Press. Read more at The Mom Blogs

Harmful Cleaning Product Ingredients |EMagazine.com

An informed consumer is a safer consumer.

Harmful Cleaning Product Ingredients |EMagazine.com

Random favorite "green" product

Hello,

Having a new baby is super wonderful and awesome and almost beyond words.  So until I can get a bit more time, I'm going to keep things active by posting short favorite items.  Please I encourage questions, comments, etc. 

G4G

Green Product:
20 Mule Borax 


20 Mule Borax has been harnessing the natural cleaning power of mineral borax since 1891 - WOW!


It is available at most major supermarkets, home improvement stores (laundry section most often).

20 Mule Team Borax is an effective, natural laundry additive that removes stains, freshens laundry and helps detergent and bleach work more effectively.

• Naturally occurring mineral that works as a laundry additive.
• Boosts performance of laundry detergent and bleaches.
• Serves as stain remover and laundry freshener.

Among the many uses are:

• Detergent Booster - add one-half cup per wash load
• Laundry Deodorizer - add one-half cup per wash load
• Condition Hard Water - add one-half cup per wash load
• Presoak for stains - add 1 tablespoon per gallon of water - soak 30 minutes
• Toilet bowl cleaner

 FOR EVEN MORE IDEAS - check out:

http://www.wackyuses.com/20mule.html  Thanks WackyUses - I'm looking forward to trying these!

Car Rental Companies Will Offer Electric Vehicles In 2011

I'm so happy to hear this!  The more people see electric car being used in main stream and get a chance to test, the better.

http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/car-rental-companies-will-rent-electric-vehicles-in-2011/

posted by: Beth Buczynski 22 hours ago

Commuting by bike or foot in the New Year is easy when you're familiar with the lay of the land, but what's a carbon-conscious traveler to do when far from home?

In 2011, two major car rental companies will add electric vehicles and car sharing services to their fleets, making it easy for the planet-friendly traveler to keep their carbon-footprint low.

Last week, rental giant Hertz announced that it will add hundreds of EVs to its fleet over the coming months, making electric vehicles available at locations in Manhattan, Washington DC and San Francisco.

To book an available EV, consumers must sign up for Connect by Hertz membership and make a reservation via connectbyhertz.com. As an extra incentive, those that sign up between now and December 25, 2010 will receive a one-year free membership to Connect By Hertz, the company's global car sharing club.

Not to be outdone, Enterprise is adding 500 Nissan LEAFs to its fleet this month and has plans to add up to 100 CODA Sedan EVs in 2011.

Enterprise has announced that from January 2011 they will begin rolling out EV rentals in Phoenix, Tucson, Knoxville, Nashville, San Diego, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle, although it is not clear how many vehicles will be available at each location and from what date (Gizmag).

Biz Journals also reported earlier this year that Enterprise would also install charging stations at some of its locations, including several of the Enterprise "hybrid branches," or nearly 100 designated locations that offer hybrids and other environmentally friendly rental options in 30 different markets.

So, if you weren't one of the lucky 13,000 that reserved a Nissan LEAF back in April, you might still get the chance to try one out!

While you're waiting for your next business trip to give you an excuse to rent a new EV, whet your appetite by checking out the trailer for director Chris Paine's new documentary "Revenge of the Electric Car."

Go Flushless (conservative flushing - saves water)

http://www.goflushless.com/index.html

For less than 16¢ a day, you can save over 37 gallons of clean water EVERY DAY.*

 * These numbers are based on a household of 3 people. One 16 oz bottle will last 5 weeks on average.

how it works

GoFlushless® is made from vegetable based cleaners, essential oils, and food grade colors. It has been independently tested by an ACS Certified professional chemist. Apply two or three sprays of GoFlushless® in the toilet bowl before or after you use it . Add more GoFlushless as needed throughout the day to continue the neutralizing effect. When you spray GoFlushless® into your toilet bowl, the scientifically proven formula captures and neutralizes the odor of urine, replacing it with a pleasant citrus scent. GoFlushless® counteracts the staining chemicals in urine to help keep your toilet bowl clean. Finally, it leaves the water in the bowl an appealing blue-green color.

Saving Water Saves Energy
Water conservation isn’t just about having enough water. It also takes a lot of energy to treat and transport clean water to our homes. And it takes a lot of water to produce energy.

Pressures on our water and energy supplies are growing all the time. Population growth, increased droughts, environmental protections and more all require clean water. New technologies may help, but most use more energy – which will use more water. Conservation of the water we have is the only way to solve both problems without making either of them worse. GoFlushless® will help you and your family save water - and energy - every day without sacrificing anything.

Here Are Some Amazing Facts

• It takes more than 130 billion gallons of water a day just to
  produce half of the power in the US.
• In California, 20% of the state’s electricity is consumed for
  water-related uses.
• 1 ton of recycled paper saves 7000 gallons of water from
  being used and polluted.
• T. Boone Pickens, Warren Buffett, and Ted Turner see the
  urgency of clean water in the future. All three are now major
  players in the investment of water.
  These include major tracts of land that sit above the largest
  clean water aquifers in our country and systems that treat and
  purify water for human consumption.
• Just 2.5% of Earth’s water is fresh and only a tiny part of that
  is useable and renewable.

Recycling of computers & TVs now law in Pennsylvania

http://enviropoliticsblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/recycling-of-computers-tvs-now-law-in.html

If you live in Pennsylvania, you soon will no longer be allowed to put your old television or desktop or laptop computer at the curb with your household trash. 

Under HB 708, which Governor Ed Rendell signed into law on November 24, these electronic products now must be recycled.

The new law requires manufacturers of computers and television to to register with the Department of Environmental Protection, pay a $5,000 annual registration fee, and individually or collectively develop a statewide program for their products' recycling.

“Our goal is to keep these cumbersome devices out of our landfills and to provide consumers and businesses employing 50 or fewer people with a safe means of disposal,” said bill sponsor Chris Ross (R-Chester County).   

DEP will maintain a list on its website of each manufacturer and the brands the manufacturer uses for devices covered under the act.  The new law, Ross says, goes into effect in 60 days.

Pennsylvania now joins a number of other states, including New Jersey, which ban the disposal of televisions and computers as solid waste and require manufacturers to provide for the recycling of the products.

The Great Debate: Real Vs. Artificial Christmas Trees

By Kimberly Crandell | December 7th 2007 05:46 PM
http://www.science20.com/science_motherhood/great_debate_real_vs_artificial_christmas_trees
Christmas trees are appearing in homes throughout the country and families prepare for the holiday season. But in this age when we are all asked to be aware of the impact we are having on the environment, is the right choice to purchase an artificial tree and use it year after year, or go in search of the perfect living tree to be the centerpiece of our holiday decorating?

The answer may surprise you.


Artificial trees do offer a long-term solution for your Christmas tree decorating needs. And I have to admit, the latest generation of “fake” trees don’t look that fake. They’ve come a long way from the first artificial trees that were actually manufactured by a toilet brush company. That’s right, the first artificial tree was pretty much a really tall, green, toilet brush. But today, until you get close, you’d be hard pressed to distinguish the artificial trees from the real thing… except of course for the missing fresh pine smell.

Economically, artificial trees can also be easier on your wallet. For the cost of a single large live tree, you can purchase an artificial tree that looks the same but will last for several holiday seasons. Sticker shock has become part of the annual trek out to find the family Christmas tree at a local tree lot. If you want your real tree to meet your eye level or above, be prepared to pay in the neighborhood of $100 before you can lash the tree to your roof and drive it home.

So if they look the same, cost less, can be used year after year, and can prevent living trees from being chopped down… should we all be lining up to purchase an artificial tree this year? Well, maybe not.

While chopping down a living tree may see like the most un-environment friendly thing you can do, in this situation it actually appears to be the “greener” choice. Because it’s not so much about how many uses you can get from your tree… as it is about what the tree is made of, and what it does to the environment when it is created and when you dispose of it.


Artificial trees are manufactured using a polyvinyl chloride (or PVC), which is a petroleum-derived plastic. The raw material for fake Christmas trees is both non-renewable and polluting. Furthermore, PVC production results in the unhealthy emission of a number of carcinogens, such as dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride.

Additionally, in order to make the PVC needles on artificial trees more malleable, the manufacturers use lead and other additives that have been linked to liver, kidney, neurological, and reproductive system damage in lab studies on animals. The Children’s Health Environmental Coalition warns fake trees "may shed lead-laced dust, which may cover branches or shower gifts and the floor below the tree."

Some artificial trees actually come with warning labels due to their lead content. And not that we’ve recently had any problems with excess lead content in items imported from China (ahem), but approximately 85% of the artificial trees imported by the United States come from China.

Richard Maas, the director of the Environmental Studies program at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, offers some tips for people who suspect that their artificial tree may contain lead:

- Keep children away from the tree. Do not allow them to touch the tree.

- If you touch the tree, was your hands thoroughly before touching your face or handling food.

- Do not vacuum dust from under the tree, especially with a vacuum that does not have a HEPA filter. Vacuuming could spread lead dust through the air in tiny particles, creating an inhalation danger.

Hmmm. Well then… that puts a bit of a damper on the Christmas cheer.

So what about real Christmas trees? Well, we know what they are made of… an all natural, all renewable source. But there are some components of the Christmas tree industry that aren’t quite as green. Most trees are harvested after 8-12 years, and require maintenance over that period. In addition to watering, some Christmas tree farms use pesticides and chemicals for pest control and to speed growth. Also, when it comes time for delivering those trees to Christmas tree lots, they must be transported by truck to the local communities.


The good news is, while those trees are growing they help to sequester the carbon dioxide that is produced by modern industries. Each year, an acre of Douglas fir trees can absorb 11,308.7 lbs of carbon dioxide. And frequently, Christmas tree farms are placed in areas that would otherwise be unusable. Due to their hardiness, Christmas trees can be planted on barren slopes where few other plants successfully grow, as well as fill in areas under power lines.

When the time comes for harvesting the trees, each tree that is cut down must be replaced. So most tree farms plant 1 to 3 new trees for every one that is cut, in order to to maintain a constant supply. So fortunately the tree population is not reduced due to Christmas tree farming; but instead is maintained, protected, and in many instances increased.

And in terms of the transportation costs and impact, trees must be grown fairly locally in order to make it into homes while still fresh. So some transporting and trucking is part of the supply line… but most likely is a much shorter trip and burns much less fuel than importing artificial trees from China. And there is the added bonus of supporting a local businesses as opposed to buying a foreign import.

But if you buy ten real trees in ten years as opposed to only one artificial tree in the same period, do the benefits of the real trees still outweigh the negatives of the fake ones? Clearly you can save money by purchasing a single artificial tree. But it is important to look at the environmental difference between the two options.

An artificial tree may be used for 5, 10, or 15 years… but eventually it will be disposed of it in favor of something new. Unfortunately artificial trees are not biodegradable and cannot be recycled, so their disposal has a significant impact to the environment. If disposed in a landfill, artificial trees will never breakdown but rather permanently remain in landfills. If disposed of by incineration, the PVC in artificial trees will emit into the atmosphere dioxins and other carcinogens into the air.

On the other hand, when the holidays are over a real tree can be recycled. The branches and trees can be ground into mulch. The mulch provides a protective barrier for the roots of other plants and vegetation while preventing weeds from growing. The mulch then decomposes, providing the nutrients plants need.

In our area, it isn’t even necessary to transport your tree to a recycling center. The Boy Scouts come by each neighborhood during the two weekends following Christmas, and for a small donation will pick up any trees left by the curbside and deliver them to a nearby recycling center. You’ve got to love those Boy Scouts!

There are still proponents for both sides of the Christmas tree debate. But short of forgoing a tree altogether, the real trees are the best option when considered from an environmental perspective. So the best advice? Go to a local tree farm or lot, and have a great time picking out the family Christmas tree. Make a big deal of the event, possibly stopping for hot chocolate or cider somewhere on the way home. Once your tree is home, keep it well watered… and respect the “three strand” limit on joining strings of lights together. (Most Christmas tree fires are the result of overloaded electrical circuits, not dry trees.) And when the holiday season is over, make sure your tree is disposed of properly at a recycling center. This way your family Christmas tree can enjoy a second life... as mulch to help nurture and protect the next generation of trees.