Green Zone
KFMG 99.1 FM, streaming at kfmg991.org
Des Moines, Iowa
September 8-12, 2008

Monday, Sept. 8
Today’s Tip: Buy a Stainless Steel Water Bottle.
Drinking enough water is crucial to good health. So you want to make your drinking water is as pure as possible.

One of the best choices you can make is to ditch your expensive bottled water habit, and buy a stainless steel personal water bottle, instead—one you can use over and over again. Just make certain the bottle you buy does not have a plastic liner, because many plastics leach toxic chemicals.

The beauty of stainless steel is that it acts as a thermos, keeping liquids cold for hours. It also keeps hot beverages warm, so you can use it for takeout coffee and forego nasty Styrofoam cups.

Stainless steel water bottles are available at Campbells Nutrition Centers and New City Market for about $20. They’re also for sale on the web.

Because it’s a pricey item, vow to take good care of your new stainless steel water bottle—remembering to pack it along each day with your purse or briefcase, and remembering to not forget and leave it somewhere, or you’ll have to invest in another new bottle.

So, if you haven’t done so already, quit buying water in plastic bottles and opt for the green choice—a stainless steel bottle with no plastic liner.

Tuesday, Sept. 9
Today’s Tip: Arctic ice still melting
Arctic sea ice is a bellwether of global warming, so it’s worth watching. What we’re seeing now is that the ice has melted to a degree only seen once before in recorded history.

In 2005, the seasonal melting of the Arctic seemed to be running on steroids. Scientists were alarmed as a new record was set. Concern mounted for polar bears and other life that relies on the ice. Scientists feared we were near a tipping point as the planet was rapidly losing its air conditioner.

Last year the 2005 record was shattered. An additional 460,000 square miles of ice melted, the Northwest Passage opened, and the race to develop oil infrastructure and shipping routes through the Arctic intensified.

This summer ice hasn’t melted to the extent seen last year, and early season predictions that the North Pole would become ice-free have not come to pass. But the melting exceeds the level seen in 2005. It’s not as big a headline, but it should be.

Melting continues in September. And the refrozen ice that replaces this ice next winter will remain thin, lacking that multiyear stability that gives the earth its air-conditioning.

So please reduce your carbon footprint. If we all work together we can slow this process down. Rethink your transportation. Buy local food. And rely on sustainable methods of heating and cooling. Stay tuned to “The GreenZone” for more tips, everyday.

From thedailygreen 8.27.08

Wednesday, Sept. 10
Today’s Tip: Buy firewood in advance
Cut down on dangerous wood smoke pollution and get prepared. Buy your firewood well in advance of winter.
When firewood suppliers who sell by the cord or truckload say they’re selling dry wood, they mean the trees were cut down some time ago. They do not mean the wood was cut to length and split more than about 5 minutes before it went on the truck.

So if you want firewood dry enough to ignite easily and burn cleanly it’s important to plan in advance. It takes at least a couple of months for “dry” wood to finish drying, so the sooner it’s delivered and stacked, the better; and if you have the storage room to buy now for NEXT winter, by all means go for it.

From the dailygreen, 460809

Thursday, Sept. 11
Today’s Tip: FDA finds lead in vitamins.
The Food and Drug Administration has wrapped up testing of vitamins for women and babies, and surprisingly found that almost all contain trace amounts of lead.

Lead is of particular concern to pregnant women, fetuses and young children—particularly those under the age of six. A naturally occurring metal, lead is known to cause permanent brain damage, limiting IQ, causing behavioral and learning problems, and affecting other aspects of development. Some studies have linked exposure to violent spates across the country, and the government has worked to limit exposure by banning or limiting the lead content in paints, gasoline, and most recently, lead in many toys and children’s products.

The FDA vitamin research covered 324 multivitamin-mineral products and failed to detect lead in only four. However, as of now the FDA does not consider any of these vitamins unsafe, based on lead content.

If you’re concerned about the lead content in vitamins you and your family take, you can find the complete list of vitamins tested by the FDA on the web at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov . Once on the site, search for the topic “lead in vitamins.”

From thedailygreen, 8.28.08

Friday, Sept. 12
Today’s Tip: Get picky with your milk
Look for the words “no artificial hormones or antibiotics used” on your milk carton the next time you shop.

In 1993, the FDA approved the use recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), otherwise known as bovine somatotropin (rbST), in cows. Farmers inject this synthetic hormone into their animals to increase milk production. This practice has been banned in Europe, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.

According to the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, cows injected with this hormone tend to have a higher instance of painful udder infections called mastitis. As a result they are treated more often with antibiotics. This increase in drug use can contribute to the growth of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, a major public health concern.

Since milk from treated cows is not marked as such, dairy farmers who do not use the hormone voluntarily label their products with such wording as “no artificial hormones or antibiotics used.”

If in doubt, buy certified organic milk, which guarantees no hormones or drugs were used. It also contains a higher level of omega-3 fatty acids, among other nutrients.

From thedailygreen, #1894