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Short video describing several reasons why everyone should consider changing from regular light bulbs to the newer compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in support of your green lifestyle!

Nice work Lee  … Thanks!

Over the last decade, the presence of numerous airborne chemicals in our indoor environments has been very well documented.  Many of these chemicals are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) known to cause respiratory and other health problems including asthma in both adults and children.

Sources of these VOCs have been traced back to household cleaning products, home maintenance chemicals (solvents, thinners, etc.) and even the paints and finishes used on our walls.

Though some household cleaning product companies have developed no VOC alternatives over the last few decades, only recently have the paint companies followed that early lead.

Even still, it appears that some of the companies now advertising non-VOC paints, are still producing paints with other volatile compounds that also raise health concerns.

Watch the following documentary video from BGTV to learn more about the ins and outs of eco-friendly paints!

Green cleaning products are being used in the White House!

These same green cleaning products were formerly used in Dick Cheney’s Vice President Residence!

Are these the first bipartisan green cleaning products?  Can there really be that kind of compromise in Washington D.C. ?

Actually, I use them and am an Independent …. I guess that means they are multi-partisan!

There is little doubt, Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee was truly a green lifestyle visionary as indicated by his life’s work and the following quote:

“Listen to the voice of nature and feel the joy of living” – Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee.

As mentioned in a news interview on a St. Louis, MO TV station of current CEO, Roger Barnett, the Shaklee Corporation introduced one of the green cleaning product lines anchored by Basic H® in 1960. (Sidenote: Rachel Carson’s – Silent Spring credited with launching the current environmental movements wasn’t even published until 1962).

Ever since they were introduced, Shaklee Corporation has continually worked to refine their green cleaning products line always striving to maintain the balance between our safety and the environment.  Shaklee’s current line of green cleaning products, Get Clean®, comprises a complete system of Earth-friendly home cleaners.

Some of the reasons why I chose Shaklee green cleaning products over 25 years ago include:

• The Get Clean® products are safe for people and the Planet;
• Tough on dirt outperforming or matching the cleaning strength of >20 national brands;
• Products like Shaklee Basic H2® (second generation of Basic H®) are ultra-concentrated reducing waste, shipping costs and not only being green but saving green ($) as well;
  • The Get Clean® starter kit can save families over $3400, eliminate > 100 pounds of packaging waste and >240 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

It is great to see even the “Big Boys” of D.C. can get beyond the politics of the day and agree on something even if it is just a line of green cleaning products that is good for all of us and the environment!

For more information about Shaklee green cleaning products and the Get Clean® line, click on the Get Clean® Starter Kit image below:

No, not by getting rid of some of the old political cronies that permeate Washington but by simple organic gardening practices in the new White House vegetable garden!

Given the fact that I had posted a previous article on lead in urban gardens, it seemed fitting to create this as a follow-up.

I believe Washington D.C. is considered an urban environment

The White House Goes Green!

In case you missed it, First Lady Michelle Obama (with the help of staff and local students) broke ground and planted an organic fruit and vegetable garden on the White House lawn earlier this year.  The “fruits” (or should I say vegetables) of their labor started to be harvested and June with the intent to provide fresh, organically-grown produce for the First Family, White House staffers and even some State dinners!

See the video below for an up close look at the White House gardening venture:

Amongst all the initial hoopla associated with the planting of the garden was a report of “elevated” levels of lead in the soil of the garden plot.  According to a story in today’s New York Times, the initial level of lead reported was 93 p.p.m. which is less than 25% of the hazard level established by the U.S. E.P.A. (though countries like the Netherlands set hazard levels as low as 40 p.p.m.).

Through the actions taken to enhance the productivity of the garden plot, lead levels were decreased to as low as 14 p.p.m. Concentrations like these are typically found in areas where there has been little human activity and is indicative of natural levels of lead in the environment.

So what actions were taken exactly?

A few simple organic gardening steps were implemented to enhance the ground’s fertility and also reduce the availability of lead to the plants including:

• Addition of lime;
• Addition of green sand;
• Addition of crab meal;
• Addition of organic compost supplied by the National Park Service; and
• Adjusting the soil pH to between 6.5 and 7.

It should be noted, when developing compost to use in produce gardens be sure to avoid using organic material obtained along roadways or in high traffic areas since this material often has higher levels of lead.

So the next time your near D.C. and pass the organic produce section of a local market, think about the steps taken at the White House to produce contaminant-free and nutrient-rich fruits and veggies.  On the other hand, if the produce was grown on another urban garden, hopefully they used similar practices to “keep the lead out”.

Continuing the article series examining green cleaning products, this post looks at “ready-to use” and concentrated cleaning products derived from vegetation sources such as coconuts, corn, palm, etc.  In this post, I am focusing on green cleaning agents derived from coconuts to simplify the analysis.

Many of the coconut-based cleaning agents used in major brands are reported to be relatively safe and easily biodegradable as was the case with the materials evaluated earlier (baking soda, vinegar, etc.).  Therefore this evaluation considers the nature of the source of the cleaning agents and some of the steps involved as the product evolves from the coconut tree until it gets into the consumers’ hands.

First of all, the source is from a living plant supplying the raw ingredients on a periodic basis; a definite renewable source!  The plant also uses atmospheric CO₂ as it continues to live and produce the fruit and oil and therefore is an ongoing absorber of an additional environmental concern playing a role in removing greenhouse gases.

Additionally, most coconut-based cleaning agents are derived from raw coconut oil as it is being refined and the cleaning agents are constructive byproducts of the refining process.

Once the cleaning agents are produced, they are then delivered to various companies to formulate their specific “green cleaning product”.

Some companies opt to formulate their product at a “ready to use” concentration as matter of convenience while others deliver a highly concentrated formulation where the end user mixes the final use solutions in spray bottles or for other uses.

Though each vendor is still using an environmentally friendly agent, in my mind, there are distinct advantages to using the highly concentrated alternative:

• The only ingredient the consumer adds to the highly concentrated coconut-derived cleaning product is water therefore saving the cost of shipping a relatively large quantity of water;
• Less packaging is required since the highly concentrated cleaner is used to make the “ready-to-use” solutions many times over;
• Far less fuel is used to ship the highly concentrated cleaner (also saving on the cost of shipping as well); and
• Re-use of cleaner and mix bottles over and over again minimizes the amount of plastic waste to be sent out for disposal or recycling.

Granted the “ready-to-use” formulation is more convenient and some would consider less “sloppy”, I still believe a little effort to mix the final cleaning solutions may well be worth the effort considering what is being saved.

(Of course this could be the latent chemist starting to rear its nerdy head as well!)

Now that I have given you my viewpoint about vegetation or coconut-based green cleaning products, please let me know yours by commenting below ….

Over the last few weeks, I have been evaluating how different terms are used by those with an interest in green living.  Today’s post will focus on the use of “green” as it pertains to three “home-brews” often touted as green cleaning products.  These environmentally or Earth friendly household products are baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar.

The real question is … are baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar truly green or Earth friendly when used as cleaning products?

There is little doubt these common household staples are relatively safe and when used in the condition (diluted to a few percent in the case of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar) and flushed down the drain they pose little harm to the environment (or water treatment facility).

This is the basis most people claiming these are viable as green cleaning products use to formulate the conclusion they are indeed green or Earth friendly.

So it must be true then … baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar can be used as green cleaning products right?

But … where do these common household products come from (besides Good Golly Miss Jolly World )?

Definitely an interesting question ….. Let’s take a look at each product:

• Baking Soda – historically baking soda was produced via a synthetic industrial chemical method called the Solvay process, a switch to the use of a natural resource, the mineral trona, occurred during the 1980s. Here in the U.S. most of the trona deposits were formed from evaporation of large inland lakes ~ 50 million years ago in western Colorado and Wyoming.  The trona deposits are now mined from several hundred feet below ground surface them brought to the surface to be processed to extract both sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and sodium carbonate (soda wash).  This does raise another question …. I wonder how many truly green or environmentally friendly mines there are in the World?  Hmmmmmm …..

• Hydrogen Peroxide – though hydrogen peroxide exists in many organisms, virtually all hydrogen peroxide is produced from another synthetic industrial chemical process (Autoxidation) involving organic chemicals such as anthraquinone, a hydrocarbon-based carrier solvent, natural gas and a metallic catalyst (nickel or palladium).  The organic chemicals involved are typically derived from petrochemical feed stocks.  As I look over the process and chemicals involved I have to wonder where the “green” part comes into play …..

• Vinegar (acetic acid) – Much of the food grade vinegar we have around the house is assumed to be derived from the fermentation of ethanol derived from vegetation.  When the label states “apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, etc. that may almost be a safe assumption, especially if you read the “ingredients label” and it clearly states vegetation as primary ingredients.  If you use biologically derived vinegar to make your own household cleaning solution you are likely being truly green.  However, if you by a commercial product labeled as containing vinegar it is likely the source was from synthetic sources of ethanol (including petroleum) since only 10% of all acetic acid produced comes directly from biologic sources (vegetation) and mass production of the synthetic form is much cheaper to produce.

So in the final analysis how does each of these highly touted “green cleaning products” stand up to the scrutiny?

1. Baking soda-derived from processing of a mined Earth resource – NOT GREEN!
2. Hydrogen Peroxide – derived from industrial chemical synthesis – NOT GREEN!
3. Vinegar – if derived from a clearly labeled plant source – LIKELY GREEN!
   1. if an ingredient in commercial “green” cleaner – NOT LIKELY GREEN!

Let me know how you feel about baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar as green cleaning products by commenting below!

A podcast with my thoughts on people’s perception of the word “chemical” (be patient, it may take a moment to load):

Right click to download the audio MP3 file: Meaning of Chemical

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Interesting question isn’t it?

Read the short post below and listen to the podcast above and see why I believe a lot of people really don’t know the answer!

Many people seem to think that if household cleaning products (or other products for that matter) contain chemicals, they must be toxic, unsafe or not earth-friendly.  Part of the issue again comes down to a combination of multiple meanings for a term, in this case chemical, as well as confusion about chemicals that might be in various products.

The fundamental meaning of the word chemical relates to the fact that all matter is made of the chemical elements.  Therefore the only time there would not be chemicals present if there was an absolute vacuum.  We could not survive in an absolute vacuum!

Everything around us is chemical.

The air is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, etc.

Water is H₂O and we can’t live without it!

Arsenic is a naturally occurring chemical element we can pretty much live without!

Every material in the environment around us including our household cleaning products consists of chemical compounds and nothing, other than an absolute vacuum can be 100% chemical free ….

Keep these facts in mind as you listen to the podcast and please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts!

Is this mild? .. Ouch!

We’ve all likely done it, run out the door on a hot summer’s day after forgetting to anoint all exposed skin areas with our favorite sunscreen or other means of sunburn prevention.  In a few hours we start to notice several of the exposed areas feel warm and tight then later … wham, the full effects of the sunburn hit home!

Fortunately most of us have a number of nature’s green remedies (plus a few other items) readily available around the home to help alleviate the pain and inflammation.

Green Home Sunburn Remedies from the Kitchen

• Take a chilly bath or shower for several minutes. Try not to use soap or only use mild ones if you must then rinse off and do not use a washcloth finally patting yourself dry with a soft towel;
• Add ½ to 1 cup oatmeal to the cooled bathwater rather than bath oils.  You can also use Aveeno powder (oatmeal-based) found in my drug stores.  Air dry your body to let the effects of the soothing oatmeal linger (baking soda is another alternative);
• Use honey as a salve by coating the burned area to promote healing;
• Take a couple of washed potatoes, cut into small pieces, add to your blender then process until they take on a liquid or pasty form (if pasty, add water to liquefy), pat the sunburned patches with the liquid then allow to dry before rinsing with cool water; and
• Soak a washcloth in cool water then apply to burned areas as a cool compress.

Home Sunburn Remedy Selections from the Bathroom Medicine Chest

• Apply a skin moisturizer after bathing to help with dryness and pain (chilling the moisturizer before use can help add relief);
• Use pure Aloe Vera gel (98% or greater) which helps increase blood flow then lower pain and inflammation;
• Sometimes cream or spray topical anesthetics can help if used correctly (be sure to use as directed and check ingredients to insure safety and minimize health issues);
• Use an over the counter pain reliever such as aspirin, ibuprofen (preferred) or acetaminophen (if the first two are problematic for you) to lower both pain and inflammation.

Each of these remedies should help you tolerate the pain and discomfort brought on by mild cases of sunburn. Remember, however, to take the proper actions to prevent future issues the next time you head out for some fun in the Sun!

Note that these remedies are primarily for small areas and minor sunburn cases.  If the burn area is extensive (whole back for instance), if you experience fever/achiness, or the burn develops blisters or forms a light brown crust, seek medical advice immediately.

A simple title isn’t it?

If you do a web search for that phrase, you will find link after link touting baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an agent for natural cleaning, skin care, tooth care and the list goes on and on ….

The more I thought about it however, something didn’t quite seem to fit …

Part of the issue relates to where most baking soda comes from, while the other is due to an understanding of the meaning of “natural” when discussing these types of substances.

Is there a “natural” form of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)?

Now I am totally aware sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃), a.k.a. baking soda, does exist in large quantities within Mother Earth’s system in the form of a mineral called nahcolite.

Even though nahcolite is the natural form of sodium bicarbonate, is it used as the source of baking soda?

Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) Production ….

Historically, baking soda was manufactured using the Solvay process (developed in the mid nineteenth century) by processing calcium carbonate (usually limestone) with salt brine (sodium chloride) that had been saturated with ammonia.  Other products derived from this process includes sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) also known as soda ash and calcium chloride (CaCl₂).  This Solvay system is definitely a chemical manufacturing process for producing baking soda!

After the discovery of substantial deposits of another sodium carbonate mineral called trona (Na₃CO₃(HCO₃) – 2H₂O), the use of the Solvay process fell off by 1980.  The shift away from using the Solvay process was two-fold:

1)      it was less costly to mine and process trona to produce baking soda and soda ash;

2)      hypothetically, processing trona is more “earth-friendly”.

Like nahcolite, trona is an inorganic, evaporate mineral forming as mineral-laden waters evaporate away causing the chemicals in solution (like Na⁺, Ca²⁺, HCO₃^-, CO₃^2-) to recombine and precipitate out forming beds of new minerals.  Significant deposits of trona and nahcolite were formed as ancient lakes (>50 million years ago) evaporated away in parts of western Wyoming and northwestern Colorado.

The trona deposits of this region are now the targets of several mines and the companies produce more than 17 million tons of trona (and a few hundred thousand tons of nahcolite) each year from the Wyoming deposits alone.

More than 95% of the baking soda and virtually all soda ash used in the U. S. each year is derived by processing trona (per the Wyoming Mining Association).

Since trona (Na₃CO₃(HCO₃) – 2H₂O) is not pure sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) it has to be processed to derive soda ash (sodium carbonate or Na₂CO₃) first then baking soda (NaHCO3) is produced from the soda ash by adding CO₂.

So technically speaking, the bulk of the baking soda we buy in the grocery store is a material that is produced by first mining the mineral trona which is then processed into soda ash (Na₂CO₃) which is subsequently mixed with more CO₂ to finally produce baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).

Does this sound like a completely natural product to you?

To me it seems like there is an awful lot of “production” going on when making baking soda!

Are you one of those people who use commercial dryer sheets to help your clothes feel soft, smell nice and so they don’t cling?

If so, how often have you stated to get dressed only to be greeted by the abrasive patch of porous material left over from the last drying cycle?

It’s a simple fact that many people use commercial dryer sheets several times during any given week as they complete their laundry chores. Each time they complete a load, another swatch of crinkly scrap is produced.

Ever since they were first introduced over twenty years ago, people have been either chucking the spent sheets into the trash can to head off to the local landfill.  After realizing that many of the commercial brand’s sheets are not readily biodegradable people started to find new, innovative ways to reuse them.

Reuse ideas range from dusting your TV screen; wiping up spills of powdery substances (like flour or body powders); stuffing them in sneakers or hampers to help control odor; use to remove pet hair from clothing; clean the chrome on your cars; and the list goes on and on …

Well here’s another tip for reusing those scratchy little swatches that is spun from an earlier post on home-brewed pest control tips.

Reusing Spent Dryer Sheets to Make Cedar-Chip Pouches

If you are anything like our family, closet and dresser drawer space is often at a premium. So each Spring and Fall we pack away one set of seasonal clothing and break out the next seasonal wardrobe.

A few decades ago, we typically added moth balls to the clothes being packed away reducing problems with moths and other pests.  That was until we learned of the potential health effects from the chemicals in moth balls (naphthalene and dichlorobenzene), especially on our kids and pets.

From that point on we started using cedar blocks or cloth bags filled with cedar chips. As it became more difficult to find small cloth bags, we looked around for an alternative and came up with the idea to take a handful of chips, place them between two spent dryer sheets then sew the seams together. You can also easily change the shape of the pouch (square, rectangle, circle, oval) for any specific need by leaving a little extra room around the edges and trimming accordingly.

Since the sheets are extremely porous, the cedar gets to do its job and help keep more waste out of the landfills.

And we even keep the pouches out of the landfill by recycling them at a local facility as part of an alternative energy project ….