Hope everyone had a great day today, this year I think was the most exposure thus far on the TV, radio, and media on being GREEN. I think that it is great everyone is on board to help save our planet, especially for our children. I want Zayden and his children to live on this beautiful earth--and help keep it GREEN!
Some things we do in our family to keep it GREEN today in honor of mother earth...
- Zywx biked to work :)
- Mommy and z stayed in during the day, kept most lights and appliances off all day
- Mommy used her reusable bags to do some errands for the house
- We planted and watered our veggies for the summer :)
- Got sister some GREEN items for her bday package!
The author has great ideas, and they are SIMPLE. But sometimes it is the simplest things that are the hardest to do right?
(I highly rec'd reading the book!)
Vote with Your Fork
"You don't have to wait for Nancy Pelosi or Barack Obama or Collin Peterson to get their act together on this issue. You can act now. There are alternatives. You can vote with your fork." -Michael PollanIn his convesation with Bill Moyers, Michael Pollan stressed that we need to redefine our relationship with food. We need to take a hard look at how America's food policies — trade rules, farm subsidies, and regulation — affect larger issues including global warming, healthcare, and even homeland security. But, stresses Pollan, we needn't wait for policy makers and economic trends to make changes. Below are a few of his suggestions for voting with your fork:
- THINKING: Think of the dollars you spend on food in a different way. You're not just a consumer. You're a producer too. And you can produce another kind of agriculture depending on where you choose to spend your money. Vote with your fork, for a different kind of food.
- SHOPPING: Go to the farmer's market. Get out of the supermarket....You will find that you are supporting local agriculture, 'cause you'll care about the quality of ingredients.
- GROWING: Plant a garden if you've got space. And if you don't, look into a community garden where you might rent a little bit of space.
- COOKING: Simply by starting to cook...you declare your independence from the culture of fast food. As soon as you cook, you start thinking about ingredients. You start thinking about plants and animals, and not the microwave. And you will find that your diet, just by that one simple act, is greatly improved.
- TAKE TIME: I am saying that we do need to invest more time in food. Food is just too important to relegate to these 10-minute corners of our lives... We watch cooking shows like crazy on television. We've turned cooking into a spectator sport. If you would merely invest the time you spend watching cooking shows in actually cooking, we'd find you've got plenty of time to put a meal on the table.
- GLOBAL WARMING AND LOCAL EATING: Why don't we experiment with a meatless Monday in America? Why don't you set the example in the White House? And on Mondays you don't have meat. That's a lot easier to do. You know what that would do to climate change? That's the equivalent of taking 30 million or 40 million cars off the road for a year... In the process of doing it, we will be making a substantial contribution on greenhouse gases, and we will realize that we're not helpless
They both ended up tasting similar, the one in the glass bottle was a little more creamier and yellow in color...see Zayden below refusing to taste, but he actually LOVES milk, just was being a cranky pants that night!
I hope that more families adopt the tips listed above, the author isn't giving any unique ideas, they are practical! They are very do-able for our family. WE will continue to support greener living and I am so glad to have found the Straus dairy and so glad that the local markets have it. We certainly can't milk our own cows here in AC, but we will do our best with what we have!
Chemical in Plastic is connected to Health Problems in Monkeys
0 comments Posted by Mama D and Little Z at 12:08 AMSome great info below--this came out soon after the FDA declared that BPA was safe! As a mother, I think we all need to be more proactive and research and have a voice in what is manufactured in our children's products, especially bottles and food sources! Take the time to read the article below, and do your part in being GREEN and get a safe, reusable bottle for your kids to start!
Washington Post 09.04.08
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have linked a chemical found in everyday plastics to problems with brain function and mood disorders in monkeys -- the first time the chemical has been connected to health problems in primates. "Our findings suggest that exposure to low-dose BPA may have widespread effects on brain structure and function," the authors wrote. In contrast to earlier research on rodents, the Yale researchers studied monkeys to better approximate the way BPA might affect humans.
Link: Chemical in Plastic is connected to Health Problems in Monkeys
