Eco Green Tips

photo credit: ehsan_00

Facial cream is the one thing we all put on every day and we expect it to be safe and healthy, apart from moisturizing, slowing the aging process or whatever else the facial creams and lotions are designed for. However, have you ever stopped to think what hides behind those unpronounceable ingredients? And, more importantly, if the ingredients are actually safe for you.

The most disturbing thing about this whole business of personal care products is that they are not tested for safety by FDA. In fact, 89% of 10,500 ingredients widely used in cosmetics have not been evaluated for safety. The manufacturers are responsible for testing their own products and vouch for their safety to consumers, however, they can also sell a product that contains unhealthy ingredients as long as it comes with a warning. Moreover, the testing is not required by any governmental agency before the products hit the market, which means that some of the cosmetics may pose potentially serious health risks (allergies, cancer, brain problems, hormone and DNA disruption issues etc).

So what are the health threatening ingredients?

• Parabens, which are common preservatives that can mimic estrogen and have been found in 18 out of 20 breast tumor samples.
• Sunscreening ingredients used in moisturizers with sunscreen, such as benzophenone, homosalate and octy-methoxycinnamate (octinoxate) are possible hormone disruptors, and Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 may damage DNA if exposed to sun rays.
• Nanoparticles of the sunscreen’s titanium dioxide and zinc oxide may damage brain cell, if they enter to the bloodstream through cuts and abrasions.
• Carcinogenic coal tar, which is used in artificial colors, namely FD&C Blue 1 and FD&C Green 3.
• Fragrances, which often include hormone disrupting pthalates; the neurotoxin toluene; harmful organic compounds methyl ethyl ketone, methyn isobutyl ketone and ethyl alcohol; carcinogenic benzyl chloride and methylene chloride; and numerous other allergenic chemicals.

To make matters worse, the labels posted on your favorite moisturizers are often quite misleading. Here are explanations of some of the most commonly found labels promising safety:

Fragrance-free (or ‘unscented’)—although the term implies there are no fragrance added, companies often conceal them in to cover the chemical scent. FDA does not require manufacturers to disclose them in the ingredient lists since fragrances are considered ‘trade secret’.

Hypoallergenic (including ‘dermatologist tested’, ‘allergy tested’, ‘sensitivity tested’ and ‘non-irritating’)—there are no specifications regarding the meaning of the term, and companies aren’t compelled to provide evidence supporting their claims. Thus, it comes down to the fact that any of these terms simply mean whatever a particular company wants them to mean.

Non-Comedogenic—another term without a specific clarification of its meaning, but FDA says it should contain ingredients that will not clog pores and lead to acne. However, there are no organizations that attest to the claims and again the manufacturers are not required to test their products to prove that, in fact, they are non-comedogenic. The National Institute of Health recommends looking for ‘oil-free’ products instead.

Have you ever wondered what really goes into the meat production process? And which certifications and labels guarantee healthy beef and happy cows?

National Geographic examined six of the most common certifications for the meat products (i.e. USDA Organic Certified, USDA Certified Grass Fed, Animal Grassfed Association, Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane Raised and Handled and Food Alliance Certified) comparing them based on categories such as feed, access to pastures, use of antibiotics and growth hormones and animal welfare in general. The results were that the American Grassfed Association is, by far, the best certification and covers most of the issues.

For those of us who are concerned about quality of the meat and want to know more about where it comes from and what goes in it, here is a list of the categories and terms related to raising cattle:

• Feed—traditionally cattle are raised on a diet of corn and grain, which firstly, is not their natural diet and secondly, it contributes to painful health problems and can lead to higher levels of bacteria (e.g. E. coli) in the meat. Since grass is what cows eat naturally, it is healthier both for the animals and the consumers. The meat from cattle that’s been fed grass has less fat, less cholesterol and fewer calories. It also has more vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Access to pastures—the term implies that eh animals spend most of their time outside in the meadows. However, some labels don’t define ‘access’ quite clearly, for example animals that spend only a fracture of a day outside or not at all (as it happens in extreme cases) may still be certified by some as having ‘access to pastures’. Look for labels that have specific definitions of the term, e.g. American Grassfed Association, Animal Welfare Approved or Food Alliance Certified.
• Use of antibiotics—conventional cattle are dosed with heavy amounts of antibiotics when they are sick and such overuse of antibiotics has been linked to a rise in drug-resistant bacteria.
• Use of growth hormones—2/3 of American cattle are injected with growth hormones to make them mature faster. Even though meat contains only traces of those hormones, it is still not very healthy (over an extended period of time) for humans, especially children. Additionally, agricultural waste that contains both the growth hormones and antibiotics ends up in waterways and poses a serious threat to reproductive capabilities of fish.
• Animal welfare— ill-treated and sick animals transmit diseases to meat products, and the waste from sick cows can pollute waterways. Some labels, like USDA Organic Certified, USDA Certified Grass Fed and American Grassfed Association have unclear criteria regarding animal welfare. However, others, e.g. Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane Raised and Handled and Food Alliance Certified provide very specific rules that guarantee animals’ health as well as clean and comfortable surroundings.

photo credit: matwiemann

According to the recent news, a global consumer company, Unilever, is planning on clearing the Ivory Coast rainforest for growing palm, which will result in the extinction of three primates. Tanoe Swamps Forest is one of the last old-growth forests in the area and a safe haven for three endangered species of monkeys, Miss Waldron’s Red colobus, Geoffroy’s colobus and Diana roloway, as well as many species of plants.

The forest is home to previously widely hunted and thought to be extinct (pronounced extinct in 1998) Miss Waldron’s Red colobus (Piliocolobus waldronae), however in the early 2000s a fresh specimen was found there. The existence of this animal, along two other species and numerous plants is threatened by companies clearing the ancient forest for palm oil plantations. Despite international protests, the works began this 6,000 hectare forest and it they aren’t stopped, both the animals and the plants will definitely become extinct.

Unilever is one of the leading world companies producing food and personal care items and behind the scenes they are part of irresponsible companies like PALM-CI, which is the one that started clearing the Ivory Coat rainforest. Publicly, they claim to be a ‘responsible’ company and even told Greenpeace recently that they intend to only buy palm oil from sustainable sources. Unfortunately, regardless of their promises and public statements, they have not stopped purchasing palm oil grown on deforested land at the expanses of communities and numerous species of animals and plants that are closer to extinction with each passing day.

The predictions for the future of the Tanoe Swamp Forest are dire, since the government of Ivory Coast refused to protect it in spite of its extremely high biodiversity. All over West Africa the rainforest are being systematically destroyed and only 3-4 million hectares still remain (out of 50 million a century ago) and regrettably deforestation has accelerated since 2000.

Sadly companies like Unilever take advantage of Africa’s poverty and need for incoming business. This poses a serious threat not only to communities there but also all over the world since deforestation increases global warming, destroys soil, pollutes water supplies and threatens the existence of a number of animals and plants that are irreplaceable for the Earth’s biodiversity.

photo credit: Siebuhr

It is hard to think about preserving H2O if it’s so readily available but with the increasing amount of droughts each year (that deplete municipal water supplies) it’s becoming vitally important to do so. According to National Geographic, Americans on average use about 70 gallons of H2O per person per day (inside) and about 100 gallons for the outdoor activities and tasks.

Think of this: you could fill up 2,444 glasses just brushing teeth, watering lawns or washing dishes but we really only need a fraction to perform all theses tasks successfully. Cutting down water consumption by taking a few easy steps will save enough H2O to supply clean drinking water to 237 people! The following tips will help you save both water and money.

KITCHEN

• Scrape dishes instead of rinsing before loading the dishwasher—pre-rinsing really only wastes water (about 20 gallons per day). Scrape the food into the garbage bins or compost it.
• Don’t use the garbage disposal—instead throw food scraps and leftovers into the thrash bin or use it as compost. Using garbage disposal wastes about 2 gallons per day since you have to run water to flush the pipes.
• Run the dishwasher with full loads only—it will save you about 15 gallons for each load. Half loads waste not only water but energy and money as well.
• Stop the bottled water use—research shows that it takes 3 liters of H2O to make 1 liter of bottled water because of the process of a making plastic bottles. Use tab instead, and if the quality of it isn’t satisfying to you, use the filters (either on the faucet or the filtered pitchers).

BATHROOM

• Collect and reuse the ‘warm-up’ water—we usually waste about 6.35 gallons just by running the H2O for it to warm up. This water could be used for a number of things, e.g. watering lawns, plants or rinsing dishes.
• Reduce the length of showers—reducing the shower length to 5 minutes will save nearly 9 gallons and if you turn the water off while soaping, it will save you even more!
• Turn the water off while brushing teeth—running H2O for 2 minutes (the time it takes to brush your teeth) twice a day wastes about 8.8 gallons. Instead fill a glass or cup to rinse your teeth and toothbrush.
• Stop the leaks—leaky faucets and toilets waste as much as 9.5 gallons a day!

OUTSIDE

• Use waterless car washes—about 140 gallons are used while washing your car in the driveway. Instead use the waterless car wash products that are becoming more popular. However, if your car is extremely dirty, go to a commercial wash, which uses 40 gallons per car and the waterwaste is directed to treatment plants instead of a storm drain.
• Get an automatic shutoff nuzzle for your hose—on average a 15-minute soak wastes 120 gallons but using a nuzzle with an automatic shutoff, you can cut it to 48 gallons for the same amount of time. Besides, most people waste about 50% of the H2O used on plants due to overwatering and evaporation.
• Sweep or rake instead hosing down—hosing down your driveways, sidewalks, patios etc wastes about 120 gallons and it sends chemicals, such as pesticides or motor oil down the drain.

photo credit: Marcin Wichary

There are a number of concerns regarding global warming and its impacts on the environment but the levels of the seas rising about 3 mm a year, is rapidly becoming the main one. The rise is caused by the thermal expansion of the oceans while the melting water from the glaciers is becoming scarcer. Scientists are increasingly concerned about receding glaciers, in particular Greenland and the Antarctic Peninsula, where some disturbing collapses have been occurring for the last few years. In addition, Greenland is in danger of the so-called ‘plumbing’ effect, where large amounts of meltwater get to the bottom of the bedrock through the cracks in the ice sheet accelerating the melting process.

The experts predict that the sea levels will keep rising in a relatively moderate pace, which should result in a rise of 20cm-50cm by the year 2100. That is, of course, if the global warming can be curbed. This really isn’t a good news but at least it’s manageable. However, there are no guarantees at this point and the fact whether the sea levels will rise at this rate or will it happen more rapidly, depends entirely on how much we do to at least slow down global warming.

For millions of people living in tropical and subtropical climates another major concern is the increase in the storm quantity and intensity. Warmer oceans are likely to generate more storms because of the increased amount of energy and moisture in the air. Unfortunately, most experts agree that the frequency and severity will increase in the coming years as a result of global warming, e.g. from 2001 to 2006 the US was hit with seven major hurricanes and in the previous 40 years the average number of hurricanes was five per decade!

Rising waters are a serious problem for marine organisms and animals as well as the chemical composition of the water changes and the higher temperatures cause oxygen to dissolve slower. Moreover, increased amounts of carbon dioxide acidify the sea water, which prevents various organisms, like coral, from developing their skeletons from calcium carbonate, since it dissolves in acid.

One of the biggest threats connected to global warming is the fact that it will significantly reduce the growth of phytoplankton, the scientists agree. These are microorganisms that form a basis of marine food chain and bear half of the Earth’s photosynthesis. Thus, it’s vitally important to decelerate global warming as the time is running out for both humans as well as a number of species worldwide.