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myurbandreamokay, it's kind of weird how helpful the msn.com featured stories are. seriously.
Newly Pregnant? Here's an 8-Step Crash Course in Going Green
June 4, 2008 at 4:02PM by Deirdre Dolan
A friend of mind just called to tell me that she happily, but unexpectedly, just found out she’s nearly three months pregnant. She wanted advice on how to get organic immediately because even if she hasn’t been all that organic up until now, she’d prefer to hedge the bets of her unborn child. In this column we talk about lots of specific organic parenting ideas, but I told her that the following eight things will cover the big picture and if she does them she’ll be able to catch up quick.
1. Food
Start eating whole foods (as close to how it came out of the earth as possible), paying attention to which items are more and less toxic. Meat is high on the food chain and therefore more toxic; vegetables are lower. For information on joining a community supported farm check out Local Harvest. Avoid packaged foods and try to eat a varied diet that includes plenty of protein, calcium, whole grains and folic acid. (Take a daily vitamin with folic acid as well to be sure you’re meeting the requirement.)
2. Water
Test the tap water at home for contaminants and deal with it – a Brita-style carbon carafe pitcher will take care of most issues. Stop drinking bottled water and carry your beverages in something safer like glass or stainless steel – there are great water bottles at SIGG and Klean Kanteen – to avoid chemical-leaching plastic, as well as help save some earth.
3. Air
You can’t always control what you’re breathing – the carpet at the bank or toxic bathroom cleaners at work – but wherever possible (in the car, at work, at home) open the windows and keep your environment as well-ventilated as possible.
4. Kitchen
Lose the Teflon and nonstick pans because they cause cancer in mice and rats and are a probable human carcinogen. Store food in glass instead of plastic (Pyrex is cheap and nice-looking), and never microwave food with plastic wrap on it or in plastic containers.
5. Beauty Products
Take stock of your arsenal of beauty products – everything from zit cream to moisturizer to nail polish – and stop using the ones with chemicals that are potentially harmful to a fetus (who has much greater exposure to toxins pound for pound than you do). This takes more effort than eating organic because, regardless of what their label claims, there’s no certification process for these products. Do your own homework by going to Skin Deep at the Environmental Working Group and enter the name of your preferred cosmetic into a database for a rating of its ingredients.
6. Cleaning Products and Insecticides
As with your beauty products, you need to consider your conventional cleaning products and laundry detergents and replace them with green versions. (The ingredients in non-green cleaners are often toxic, not to mention considered trade secrets and rarely listed). Most green products will list their ingredients, and less is usually more. Apply the same approach to any fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides you use to garden.
7. Renovation
This is a tough one because there’s something about having a baby that makes you want to head down to Home Depot and build something, or at least rip up a carpet and throw some paint on the wall. Resist the urge to renovate, unless you're able to be out of the house for the duration of the work, and then some. There are toxins in the paint, dust, caulk and glue that you shouldn’t inhale while gestating, and there are too many potentially toxic dusts and chemicals unearthed when you start tearing things apart. Also replace crumbling foam in cushions – they contain brominated flame retardants (PBDE’s) that can negatively affect brain function.
8. Testing
Test your home for contaminants like radon and lead and carbon monoxide, and paint over any chipping lead paint with a zero-VOC fresh paint -- Home Depot introduced a no-VOC version last month. This is probably going to be cheaper than having it professionally removed, although green cleaning is more accessible than ever and can probably be located close to home with the help of Google.
~
in other news, i bought my first magazine today at the heb, and it was a bridal magazine called "the knot". sara and i looked at all the dresses, and then we got online and i signed up for an account at theknot.com. that website is badass. i mean, it's amazing, fantastic, fun, and incredibly helpful. it has so many organizational features and tips, i couldn't believe it at first.
i'm still so giddy about all this- i haven't even been engaged a week! but here's one downer: i was talking to don on the phone just a little bit ago, and he looked up the 2009 calendar. it turns out, dec 29-31 of next year falls right in the middle of the week, tuesday thru thursday. which isn't that big a deal since it IS basically new years' eve, so it's not like it's too much of a hassle, but still.... most weddings are weekend weddings, you know? and i'm not actually sure if anyone would be willing to do a new years' eve wedding. we might have to have it on the 30th. *shrugs*
well, anyway, i have work to do. ttl!
Newly Pregnant? Here's an 8-Step Crash Course in Going Green
June 4, 2008 at 4:02PM by Deirdre Dolan
A friend of mind just called to tell me that she happily, but unexpectedly, just found out she’s nearly three months pregnant. She wanted advice on how to get organic immediately because even if she hasn’t been all that organic up until now, she’d prefer to hedge the bets of her unborn child. In this column we talk about lots of specific organic parenting ideas, but I told her that the following eight things will cover the big picture and if she does them she’ll be able to catch up quick.
1. Food
Start eating whole foods (as close to how it came out of the earth as possible), paying attention to which items are more and less toxic. Meat is high on the food chain and therefore more toxic; vegetables are lower. For information on joining a community supported farm check out Local Harvest. Avoid packaged foods and try to eat a varied diet that includes plenty of protein, calcium, whole grains and folic acid. (Take a daily vitamin with folic acid as well to be sure you’re meeting the requirement.)
2. Water
Test the tap water at home for contaminants and deal with it – a Brita-style carbon carafe pitcher will take care of most issues. Stop drinking bottled water and carry your beverages in something safer like glass or stainless steel – there are great water bottles at SIGG and Klean Kanteen – to avoid chemical-leaching plastic, as well as help save some earth.
3. Air
You can’t always control what you’re breathing – the carpet at the bank or toxic bathroom cleaners at work – but wherever possible (in the car, at work, at home) open the windows and keep your environment as well-ventilated as possible.
4. Kitchen
Lose the Teflon and nonstick pans because they cause cancer in mice and rats and are a probable human carcinogen. Store food in glass instead of plastic (Pyrex is cheap and nice-looking), and never microwave food with plastic wrap on it or in plastic containers.
5. Beauty Products
Take stock of your arsenal of beauty products – everything from zit cream to moisturizer to nail polish – and stop using the ones with chemicals that are potentially harmful to a fetus (who has much greater exposure to toxins pound for pound than you do). This takes more effort than eating organic because, regardless of what their label claims, there’s no certification process for these products. Do your own homework by going to Skin Deep at the Environmental Working Group and enter the name of your preferred cosmetic into a database for a rating of its ingredients.
6. Cleaning Products and Insecticides
As with your beauty products, you need to consider your conventional cleaning products and laundry detergents and replace them with green versions. (The ingredients in non-green cleaners are often toxic, not to mention considered trade secrets and rarely listed). Most green products will list their ingredients, and less is usually more. Apply the same approach to any fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides you use to garden.
7. Renovation
This is a tough one because there’s something about having a baby that makes you want to head down to Home Depot and build something, or at least rip up a carpet and throw some paint on the wall. Resist the urge to renovate, unless you're able to be out of the house for the duration of the work, and then some. There are toxins in the paint, dust, caulk and glue that you shouldn’t inhale while gestating, and there are too many potentially toxic dusts and chemicals unearthed when you start tearing things apart. Also replace crumbling foam in cushions – they contain brominated flame retardants (PBDE’s) that can negatively affect brain function.
8. Testing
Test your home for contaminants like radon and lead and carbon monoxide, and paint over any chipping lead paint with a zero-VOC fresh paint -- Home Depot introduced a no-VOC version last month. This is probably going to be cheaper than having it professionally removed, although green cleaning is more accessible than ever and can probably be located close to home with the help of Google.
~
in other news, i bought my first magazine today at the heb, and it was a bridal magazine called "the knot". sara and i looked at all the dresses, and then we got online and i signed up for an account at theknot.com. that website is badass. i mean, it's amazing, fantastic, fun, and incredibly helpful. it has so many organizational features and tips, i couldn't believe it at first.
i'm still so giddy about all this- i haven't even been engaged a week! but here's one downer: i was talking to don on the phone just a little bit ago, and he looked up the 2009 calendar. it turns out, dec 29-31 of next year falls right in the middle of the week, tuesday thru thursday. which isn't that big a deal since it IS basically new years' eve, so it's not like it's too much of a hassle, but still.... most weddings are weekend weddings, you know? and i'm not actually sure if anyone would be willing to do a new years' eve wedding. we might have to have it on the 30th. *shrugs*
well, anyway, i have work to do. ttl!
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no subject
Date: 2008-10-19 12:22 am (UTC)Also nonstick pans are icky, all that P-whatchama chemicals (too lazy to look it up, lol). And the fumes are toxic enough to KILL BIRDS. Yes, if you have a pet bird, and cook with nonstick pots/pans, you will shortly have a DEAD bird. I don't think I want to breathe that even if I'm *not* pregnant...
no subject
Date: 2008-10-19 06:37 pm (UTC)i am an idiot. *headdesk*
anyway, yeah, during the week would not be so bad, i guess. but it IS traditional to have weddings on weekends. in this case i guess i can get away with it, because no one will be doing anything during the week, because it's new years! yay! but the 31st actually might be more expensive because it's new years' eve, so.... *shrugs* i dunno. and it's 14 months away, so we've got time to plan and figure it out for certain. i need to pick a venue and all first.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-19 04:00 am (UTC)Also, I ended up picking up a bride-mag for you too (and felt guilty about it for reasons I couldn't say) I figure I can either send it to you or you can get it next time you're in town. I got it because it had some low-cost wedding tips. Not sure how helpful it'll be, but I'm trying.
ME
no subject
Date: 2008-10-19 06:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-19 09:34 pm (UTC)You're spending Thanksgiving with Jim's family, then?
ME
no subject
Date: 2008-10-20 12:35 am (UTC)my family keeps giving me crap, because nz and i are the only two cousins that have gotten engaged before bringing the boy up to meet the family. my uncle dirk said it's cheating if they don't get a shot at scaring the poor guys away before they propose. ^____^
no subject
Date: 2008-10-20 01:15 am (UTC)ME
no subject
Date: 2008-10-19 06:21 pm (UTC)BRIDAL MAGAZINES!!! AAAAAAA!
Watch out- they will make you want to spend WAY too much money.
Ehhh... Are Tanner and I going to Texas or Wisconsin? O_o Just curious (to start planning).
no subject
Date: 2008-10-19 06:33 pm (UTC)i definitely had forgotten that tanner would be coming as well, until yesterday when i was first starting on an official guest-list. oops! *lol* but he's there now!!
those magazines are already sucking me in big-time. it's so baaaaadddd..... but apparently i have cheap taste in bridal gowns, so i'm gonna be fine. *grins* bwahahahaha!!!!!!
no subject
Date: 2008-10-20 05:15 pm (UTC)He better be. :P
Good! Just be wary, they are tricksy fiends.