Monday, Sept. 1
Slate: School Lunch Box
Today’s Tip: Green Your Kids’ Lunch Box
When it comes to green living, we’re all kindergarteners. A good step forward is to green your kids’ lunch box. You’ll not only learn something yourself, you’ll teach your kids responsible and earth-friendly habits for keeping our planet clean.
First of all, aim for no waste lunches. That means no plastic baggies! Go reusable and keep approximately 100 pounds of extra trash out of the landfill each year.
When packing a lunch, avoid lead-painted lunchboxes and those containing PVC (more commonly known as vinyl). If the recycling symbol lists a 3, V, or PVC, avoid it.

Choose a lunch box that is eco-friendly. There are several reuseable plastic lunch boxes in the marketplace that are BPA-free. If you want a greener option, try a tiffin, which is a stainless steel stackable container used for centuries in India. Tiffins are a smart solution for storing and carrying both wet and dry foods. They don’t leak and they keep hot foods relatively warm. I haven’t found any for sale in Des Moines yet, but they are available on the internet for as little as $10 at angelinhome.com.

For advice on other green lunch boxes check out a couple of websites: SFKids.org and GreenMomFinds.com.

Tuesday, Sept. 2nd
Slate: bike valet
Today’s Tip: Hire a bike valet
I just returned from a summer in Vancouver, British Columbia, where I have a second home. I chose Vancouver because it touts itself as the most sustainable city in North America. I experiencing first-hand how the city is changing to fit its image.

The city government takes its mission to implement state-of-the-art eco-innovations very seriously. Most of the taxis are Priuses. The buses run on bio-diesel and flex fuel. There’s a strict no smoking ban in all public places, including within 20 feet of any door or window. A no-idling law requires drivers to turn off their vehicle’s engine if stopped for more than 30 seconds. That means no drive-through Starbucks or MacDonalds. And there are designated bicycle routes throughout the city where cars are not welcome. At the height of the rush hour, you can navigate quicker and more easily by bicycle than you can by car.

Every time I visit I see Vancouverites embracing a new concept—something I’d never heard of or thought about before. This summer that new concept was bike valets.

Fancy restaurants have ‘em. Concerts and big events have ‘em. I first encountered them at the international fireworks festival held a couple of blocks from where I live. It works like this:

You ride your bike to a restaurant or event. At the entrance to a fenced and gated bike parking lot, a valet gives you a number and takes your bike. You enjoy the event knowing that your bicycle is safe. When it’s time to go, you hand the number back to the bike valet who retrieves your bike from the lot, and you give him or her a tip, usually 3 to $5. It’s that easy.

People all over Vancouver are trading cars for bikes. It’s the most bicycle-friendly city I’ve ever witnessed.
What’s next? I’ll keep you informed.

Wednesday, Sept. 3
Slate: FDA/BPA .8/08
Today’s Tip: The FDA is flat out wrong about Bisphenol A.
It’s always interesting to watch the dance between scientists, the media, and the FDA when an often-used chemical is suspect. We’re seeing such a drama played out now about Bisphenol-A, a plasticizer found in baby bottles, sports bottles, and canned goods.

Independent research has uncovered worrying qualities about Bisphenol-A. It mimics hormones, and has its most dramatic effects on young bodies. The list of potential health effects is long and damning: Breast and prostate cancer, obesity, diabetes, brain and liver damage.

In April Canada became the first nation in the world to label Bisphenol-A potentially hazardous. A couple of months later top level scientists at the U.S. National Toxicology Program raised concerns. Still, last month, the Food and Drug Administration, relying on non-peer reviewed studies funded by the chemical industry, released a report saying the chemical is not dangerous to infants or adults and encouraged parents to continue exposing their children to BPA.

FDA studies are flawed on several accounts, according to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization. For me, I choose to side with independent science. I believe the time will come when the dangers of BPA will be too apparent to ignore. I’ve seen it happen before—with DDT, dioxin, and other organochlorines. And the health of our children is too important to toy with.

What’s the wise consumer to do? As the drama plays out, it’s best to forego any plastic with the #7 recycling code, particularly if it comes into contact with food. Begin weaning yourself from canned goods, especially those containing acidic substances like tomatoes, unless you’re certain the cans don’t have plastic linings. And for baby, use BPA-free bottles and non-canned formula.

Thursday, Sept. 4
Slate: carbon water filter
Today’s Tip: Get a carbon filter for your kitchen tap.
A healthy home has healthy drinking water. That’s not easy these days when industrial chemicals pollute municipal water supplies and utilities aren’t required to test for them. The best way to protect yourself is to get a carbon filter for your kitchen tap. They’re available at Home Depot for about $15 and are easy to install under the sink. Remember to replace the filter every three months or so.

Pur and Brita water pitchers are another option. Available at Target and green housewares stores, these products cost about $TKTK and come with a carbon filter encased in plastic. They aren’t the greenest choice because you have to throw away spent plastic filters every three months or so. As yet, there’s no way to recycle them.

Whichever method you choose, keep a pitcher of filtered water in the refrigerator and use it to fill your stainless steel personal water bottle every morning. Keep that bottle in the fridge, too, where you can grab it quickly as you fly out the door.

Friday, Sept. 5
Slate: Fridge Water
Today’s Tip: Keep a Pitcher of Water in Your Fridge
Such a simple action as filling a container of water from the tap and placing it in your refrigerator provides several benefits in terms of energy and water savings, as well as your health.

For one thing, a pitcher full of water helps your refrigerator keep your food cool, much like how a cold ice pack works in a cooler. Also, whenever you want a glass of water you won’t have to let the tap run for obtain a cool temperature, cutting down on waste. You won’t need as much ice, which requires energy to make.

Having cold water at the ready will discourage you from reaching for disposable plastic water bottles, which have a sizable environmental footprint to produce, ship, and store.

You’ll also be likely to drink more water, keeping hydrated while avoiding sugar-loaded sodas and other alternatives. Plus, when tap water sits for a while (particularly when it’s uncovered), much of the chlorine that is present from the filtration plant evaporates out. This means you’re enjoying a tastier drink, and cutting down on toxins (extremely dilute though they may be) that enter your body.

Doesn’t that sound refreshing?

From thedailygreen, #5503