Eco Green Tips

Here is an interesting video I found on You Tube showing you how to create an inexpensive but effective home made rain barrel system.

photo credit: Putneypics

If you haven’t read ‘part I’ of the article, it deals with the mostly abused claims in the meat industry providing you with the truth behind some of the more ambiguous and meaningless proclamations.

So next time you walk around the meat and poultry aisle, remember that not all labels were created equal and unfortunately not all of them are as truthful as we would like to believe.

Here are some of the most common claims for CHICKEN.

• The claim: “air chilled”
The truth: this method of chilling chicken omits the cold water treatment (which is a standard method for chilling), using cooling chambers instead. Both methods reduced the bacteria before packaging however, the air chilling may actually improve the flavor of the meat since it produces more tender and less water-saturated chicken.

• The claim: “no retained water”
The truth: after slaughter, the chickens are immersed in the cold water to keep the bacteria at bay. While in the bath, poultry can absorb up to 8% of their body weight in water thus diluting nutrition and taste. Moreover, conventional poultry is often enhanced with salt since USDA does not consider salt a food additive.

• The claim: “free range”
The truth: to qualify for a ‘free range’ label, the birds must have access to the outdoors for at least 51% of their lives but the USDA does not strictly define “outdoors”. The term could mean many things, from birds roaming the grassy hills to ones stuck in small cages outside. Unfortunately, most so-called free range chickens get the latter treatment.

• The claim: “raised without antibiotics”
The truth: Luckily, poultry industry have been reducing the use of antibiotics mainly because of the claims that bacteria causing illnesses in humans can be developing drug resistance due to the extensive use of antibiotics in the animals. Unfortunately, there are still manufacturers, such as Tyson or Perdue, who continue to use antibiotics.

 
• The claim: “organic”
The truth: organic chicken has been growing in popularity and perhaps some day soon, it may even became a bit more affordable. For now however, it seems your best bet if you’re looking for healthy meat. Look for two certification: The Secretary of Agriculture seal and The USDA Organic seal, which confirm that the animals were fed organic (at least 90% organic) feed and had access to pasture.

And now you know…

photo credit: L2F1

If you’re trying to choose a healthier variety of meat available at your local supermarket, you might be unpleasantly surprised. Many so-called healthy meat products come with empty or ambiguous claims, and the USDA does not quite regulate all of such proclamations, thus leaving a lot of room for interpretation  for the manufacturers.

Below, you will find some of the most common and most abused terms in the meat industry and the truth behind the manufactures’ claims.

BEEF 
• The claim: “no antibiotics administered”
The truth: most farms have crowded feedlots, which is perfect breeding grounds for various bacteria and disease, which, in turn, calls for antibiotic treatments. Moreover, the most common cow feed is based on corn (75% corn, 10% bran and 15% animal by-products), which causes ulcers, heartburn and potentially fatal liver abscesses. To prevent or treat these, the industry pumps the animals full of antibiotics. An interesting fact: corn-fed beef contains twice as much fat and a lower concentration of omega-3 fatty acids as its grass-fed counterpart.

• The claim: “no growth hormones”
The truth: most of the cows in the US (about 2/3) are treated with growth hormones to speed growth and amplify profits. Although many scientists claim there’s a direct link between growth hormones in meat and various health issues, e.g. premature aging in girls, lower sperm count in men, breast cancer etc., USDA considers it safe for both cattle and humans. However, the European Union has banned hormone-injected beef since 1988 and prohibits the use of growth hormone in the raising of cattle. Other countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and many more have banned the hormone since 1992.

• The claim: “all natural”, ”minimally processed”, “contains no artificial ingredients”
The truth: These claims are becoming increasingly popular on the packaging of both meat and poultry since the organic industry is gaining in popularity as well. The conventional manufacturers, thus, plaster ‘natural’ on nearly everything these days worrying that compared to organic, consumers would think traditional meat products are ‘chemical ridden’. Unfortunately, USDA doesn’t regulate the term itself thus making it meaningless.

• The claim: “product of the USA”
The truth: In September 2008 the Country of Origin Labeling became a requirement for the meat products to inform the consumers where the meat came from. In case of beef the label should indicate where the cattle was raised (which may include multiple countries) and whether it was brought to the US for slaughter (about 2.5 billion lbs of beef a year are imported to the US).

So before you grab your favorite steak again, check the labels first and make sure that you’re getting what you were looking for. Not all labels were created equal, as it turns out.

And to all poultry eaters: the second part of this article will be posted later this week so stay tuned for all the bird labels decoded.

photo credit: Robert S. Donovan

We’ve been told over and over again how important it is to slather layers of sunscreen before you go out in the sun and then repeat it as often as possible to protect your skin from the harmful free radicals and thus prevent skin cancer.

While it is still true, and, by all means, we should not skip this sometimes bothersome step, the unpleasant fact is that many of the conventional sunscreens are not what they seem to be.

According to the Environmental Working Group, which checked the effectiveness of over 1500 skin care products containing sunscreen, 3 out of 5 do not meet their claims and do not provide adequate protection against sun damage. It’s more than 50% of the products! Worse yet, many of these products contain toxic chemicals, which are absorbed into your bloodstream and may disrupt your hormones, cause allergic reaction or leading to various other health issues.

Many leading brands do not meet the EWG’s criteria for safety and effectiveness however, things are slowly improving. According to EWG, 70% of conventional sunscreen products contain strong UVA as opposed to only 29% last year. Moreover, the number of this year’s stock containing oxybenzone, a harmful chemical, went down by 19%.

Below are top ten of the 25 brands listed by EWG in their Skin Deep database:

Badger Balm’s SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen— created to protect and moisturize with FDA-certified organic ingredients; water resistant up to 40 minutes, free of fragrances, preservatives or dyes.

True Kid “Sunny Days” Natural Mineral Sunscreen Stick—mineral ingredients titanium dioxide and zinc oxide offer broad spectrum protection.

Keys Soap Solar RX Cosmetic Sunblock— in SPF 30; rated second leading brand in safe, natural sunscreen protection; protects against bothUVB and UVA.

Lavera Sunscreen Neutral—best for sensitive skin; contains USDA-certified organic sunscreen and is free of parabens, fragrances and gluten.

Soléo Organics All Natural Sunscreen—recommended for both kids and adults, broad spectrum protection (UVA and UVB rays); suitable even for the most sensitive of skin.

UV Natural Sunscreen—made from 24.8% zinc and natural ingredients including green tea, grape seed, macadamia oil and natural vitamin E.

Mexitan sunscreen—available in SPF 50; contans both titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as its active ingredients to offer UVA and UVB protection.

Vanicream sunscreen—available in SPF 60; broad spectrum protection using natural ingredients; non-comedogenic, which means it won’t clog your pores so it’s safe to apply to your face.

MyChelle Sun Shield— it’s a two-in-one product for both skin protection (protects against UVA and UVB rays) and anti-aging properties (using natural ingredients such as leaf juice powder, soybean oil, D-beta carbohydrates, which work to reduce redness and inflammation, hydrate skin to reduce wrinkles and tighten skin to reduce facial sag).

Little Forest sunscreen—specially formulated for babies and kids; among the most highly-rated sport sunscreens for kids.

California Baby—made with hypoallergenic ingredients; water-resistant and chemical-free, made only with organic and sustainable ingredients.

If you’re one of the people that like to use those scrubbing sponges for all kinds of kitchen (and bathroom) cleaning but are concerned about their impact on the environment, here’s some good news. There are a few companies that offer more sustainable versions of the old-fashioned sponge.

Here are some of the more eco-friendly types of the scrubbing sponges available on the market:

Walnut shells—Scotch-Brite offers a slightly more eco-friendly version of their most popular scrubber. While the sponge part is still made of cellulose, the scrubbing part is made of walnut shells, which are natural and biodegradable instead of nylon, a synthetic fiber that does not break when discarded. However, this type of scrubber is not advisable for people with nut allergies. Another walnut shell variation of a scrubbing sponge is made by a company named Spongezz.

Natural fibers—Twist offers a variety of sponges made of materials such as loofah, bamboo or hemp cloth that are designed to be both sustainable and pleasant for the customer.

Shredded sandpaper—these types of scrubbing cleaners are designed for jobs requiring a lot more durability and are meant to replace the conventional steel wool scrubbers. They are made from shredded sandpaper and work without using a detergent, which makes them excellent not only for household cleaning but scrubbing fruit and vegetables as well. Available from Sandclean.

And if you cannot find any of these eco-friendly sponges or simply don’t want to spend money on a product that will end up in the garbage, use your imagination and create your own home-made sponges or cleaning cloths. Old cotton t-shirts or socks make fantastic cloths that can be used for any type of household cleaning. So unleash your creativity and be amazed at how many things you already have available around your house that can be used for cleaning.