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Awareness, Babies & Kids, Video
Awareness, Babies & Kids, Video Sunday
07Sep
Submit Comments for Healthy School Lunches by 10/15!
Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 11:57PM
Via Eco 'Burban Mom
My last post, before the haze of a holiday weekend set in, focused on the reauthorization of The Child Nutrition Act in 2009. I asked readers to comment on the USDA's public comment website to make their voices heard. We want fresh fruits and vegetables! We want increased funding! We want standards for "snack line" foods! And, then I got to thinking. I asked all of you to comment, I commented, but then I stopped there.
Today, energized by a sunny holiday weekend spent with my children, I realized I could do more. Did you comment? Do you want to take it a step further? To quote someone very politically relevant - YES, I CAN! Today I wrote a letter to every member of the school board as well as my children's school principals and some powerful PTA women that I know that can really get the job done. It was so simple and so quick. Visit your school's website, scout out the email addresses and type a quick letter. No time to write the letter? Here - take mine! Just don't tell the kids how quick and easy plagiarism can be!
Dear Members of the Board,
My name is (your name here), a mother of x, y, z attending the (ABC) Consolidated Schools. I am writing you today to request your attention to an important matter:
The Child Nutrition Act - a major piece of federal legislation that helps determine school food policy and resources – will begin reauthorization in 2009. Amazingly, this act has been unchanged since the 1960's and besides being outdated, it doesn't address many issues facing students today, such as: obesity, diabetes, cholesterol levels, allergies, working parent households, religous beliefs and many other factors not present in the 1960's. In addition, the current act doesn't contain any standards for so-called "snack-line" foods such as brand name items, fast food chain selections, sodas and marketing gimmicks.
The good news is the USDA and the government are accepting the public's comments on the reauthorization of this act, but the comment period ends very soon - October 15, 2008. I understand this email is reaching you during the busiest time, right at the beginning of a new school year. However, I am only asking for a moment of your time to pass the word along to your fellow colleagues, the schools and their PTAs and the food service department.
For those who are limited on time, simply visit the website I provided below and enter your comments. The website address:
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=09000064805f47dd
A basic set of comments are as follows (please feel free to cut and paste these comments into the comments section if you wish!):
My last post, before the haze of a holiday weekend set in, focused on the reauthorization of The Child Nutrition Act in 2009. I asked readers to comment on the USDA's public comment website to make their voices heard. We want fresh fruits and vegetables! We want increased funding! We want standards for "snack line" foods! And, then I got to thinking. I asked all of you to comment, I commented, but then I stopped there.
Today, energized by a sunny holiday weekend spent with my children, I realized I could do more. Did you comment? Do you want to take it a step further? To quote someone very politically relevant - YES, I CAN! Today I wrote a letter to every member of the school board as well as my children's school principals and some powerful PTA women that I know that can really get the job done. It was so simple and so quick. Visit your school's website, scout out the email addresses and type a quick letter. No time to write the letter? Here - take mine! Just don't tell the kids how quick and easy plagiarism can be!
Dear Members of the Board,
My name is (your name here), a mother of x, y, z attending the (ABC) Consolidated Schools. I am writing you today to request your attention to an important matter:
The Child Nutrition Act - a major piece of federal legislation that helps determine school food policy and resources – will begin reauthorization in 2009. Amazingly, this act has been unchanged since the 1960's and besides being outdated, it doesn't address many issues facing students today, such as: obesity, diabetes, cholesterol levels, allergies, working parent households, religous beliefs and many other factors not present in the 1960's. In addition, the current act doesn't contain any standards for so-called "snack-line" foods such as brand name items, fast food chain selections, sodas and marketing gimmicks.
The good news is the USDA and the government are accepting the public's comments on the reauthorization of this act, but the comment period ends very soon - October 15, 2008. I understand this email is reaching you during the busiest time, right at the beginning of a new school year. However, I am only asking for a moment of your time to pass the word along to your fellow colleagues, the schools and their PTAs and the food service department.
For those who are limited on time, simply visit the website I provided below and enter your comments. The website address:
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=09000064805f47dd
A basic set of comments are as follows (please feel free to cut and paste these comments into the comments section if you wish!):
- Increase funding for school meals and provide incentives for schools to offer healthier foods.
- Increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Improve nutrition standards for school meals so they align with the most recent dietary guidelines.
- Establish
standards for food sold in schools outside of the school meals programs
such as that sold at snack bars and cafeteria a la carte lines.
Sunday
07Sep
Hi Mom!
Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 11:13AM 
My mother was an activist back in her day. She burned her bra, was a delegate for Jesse Jackson, and fought to have hostages freed from Lebanon in the 80s. Now in her 60s, she loves her job as a school social worker and spending time with her grandchildren. The last thing she wanted was to hear was me spouting off about the urgency facing the planet.
And when she seemed unwilling to join up in arms with me to make change, I was sad.
After all, hadn't I become exactly what she'd raised me to be? Sure she was proud, but she was too comfortable to fight the system, and too tired to implement new programs into her school to teach kids about living green like I asked--begged--her.
Eventually, I got over my disappointment and figured she'd earned the right of complacency. Then today, I got a phone call.
"Can you meet with the Principal to talk about how we can work this into the curriculum?"
So off we go!
Thanks for inspiring me--yet one more time-- Momma!
Sunday
07Sep
Build Green Schools NOW!
Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 10:56AM 
An amazing Web site, buildgreenschools.org, has launched!
A few things to check out:
Spotlight on Green Schools Advocates: As the name suggests, this will be our opportunity to highlight your successes. Please keep us posted on your advocacy efforts: speaking engagements, green school victories and other noteworthy milestones.
Resource Library: This is only a preliminary list. We intend to expand this section considerably. If you know of a Web site that belongs on this page, please email me with the site address and a 2-3 sentence description.
Contact: Those interested in joining your Green Schools Advocacy Teams will be able to link directly to you. Please go to this page and click the Green Schools Advocate link that corresponds to your region. Get ready to start plugging interested individuals into your Green Schools Advocacy Teams!
Sunday
07Sep
Sleep Better with IKEA
Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 10:45AM 
Last year, Sweden-based IKEA launched an initiative called “Bag the Plastic Bag.”
The goal was to reduce the more than 100 billion plastic bags used annually in the United States.
Beginning March 15, 2007, they began charging customers 5 cents for every plastic bag; they also reduced the price of their durable, reusable IKEA blue bag from 99 cents to 59 cents.
And, to make it a win-win for everyone, all proceeds from the plastic bag sales are donated to American Forests, the nation’s oldest non-profit citizens’ conservation organization. IKEA North America has partnered with American Forests through the Global ReLeaf Tree Planting program and over ten years, has planted more than 500,000 Global ReLeaf trees in environmental restoration projects.
So how much money has been raised by selling the plastic bags, by what percentage were they able to reduce the number of plastic bags used, and what are their plans for the next phase of the “Bag the Plastic Bag” program? (The goal was a 50% reduction in bag usage, but it’s projected that that they surpassed expectations.) Stay tuned or read on for reasons why banning plastic bags is vital.
Read more from IKEA about the impacts of plastic bags and what they're doing to make positive change.
Thursday
04Sep
Moving the Needle--An Act Prohibiting the Idling of Motor Vehicles
Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 1:14PM 
Over a three-month period, three different mothers from three different towns in Connecticut reached out to us because they thought they were alone in their belief that idling outside of their children's schools was not only unnecessary, but also a risk to our children's respiratory health.
Each of them said that they felt awkward coming forward to reach out to other parents and administrators, and each took a different approach dealing with the issue.
One mother made up fliers and put them on cars in the parking lot, and one spoke directly to the school office. All raised awareness and primed their schools for what is sure to be a ban similar in scope to banning smoking cigarettes in public.
Our hats are off to all of you!
And if you're not from Connecticut and want to work to change this in your area, email us and we'll do our best to connect you to others doing similar work in your area!
Tuesday
02Sep
Chemically Scented Candles--Does your Nose Know?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 12:12PM 
EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
-- Leanne Chacksfield, Cincinnati, OH
Like most air fresheners, many scented candles contain and release phthalates, potentially harmful chemicals that have been linked to the disruption of hormonal systems and other health problems in people exposed to them. Burning candles can also emit small amounts of acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and naphthalene, organic chemicals that are also potentially harmful and that can leave nasty black soot deposits on floors and other surfaces.According to Pamela Lundquist of the nonprofit Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC), this black soot deposit “is primarily made up of elemental carbon, but may also contain phthalates and volatile organic compounds like benzene and toluene, which can cause cancer and neurological damage.” Children can easily ingest these chemicals if their hands have been wandering and end up in their mouths. The chemicals can lodge deep in the lungs, disrupting the lower respiratory tract, exacerbating existing problems like asthma, and potentially causing other longer term breathing problems.
Despite laws against it, many candlewicks still contain lead, long linked to impaired learning and brain damage in children.
Lead dispersed from burning candles can be breathed in and also constitute part of the dreaded black soot deposit. Candles with lead-containing wicks are on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ban/recall list now (thanks to efforts by nonprofits like U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), but many are still out there on store shelves.
Consumers can avoid them by sticking to candles with soft cotton wicks, not stiff, metal ones.
Eco-conscious candle burners should also avoid paraffin-based candles, which are made from waxes derived in the process of refining crude oil and literally consist of fossil-fuel generating hydrocarbons. Unfortunately, the vast majority of commercially available candles are made from paraffin, though many alternatives are now available.
Soy-based candles are a popular choice, as they are made from plant waste and emit less soot than the paraffin variety. Beeswax candles are another nice alternative, as well, especially if you can pick them up at a local farmers’ market. For scented or aromatherapy candles, look for varieties that use only pure plant essential oils instead of synthetic chemicals with unintelligible names. Some leader makers of Earth- and people-friendly candles include Blue Corn Naturals, Honeyflow Farm, Vermont Soy Candles and Aveda.
CONTACTS: Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC), www.checnet.org; Blue Corn Naturals, www.bluecornnaturals.com; Honeyflow Farm, www.honeyflowfarm.com; Vermont Soy Candles,
www.vermontsoycandles.com; Aveda, www.aveda.com.
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.
Monday
01Sep
Electric Cars? Cooler than You Think!
Monday, September 1, 2008 at 9:24AM 
Imagine turning the key in the ignition and not hearing a sound? Or
zipping around town on errands and not emitting ANY carbon! That's what
it's like when driving an electric vehicle (EV). GEM (Global Electric Motorcars) are available for sale here in Connecticut for around $8,000 and they plug right into an outlet. If you're signed up for Clean and Renewable Energy Options at home, you'll feel great about using this to run around doing errands.
The feel of the interior is similar to a VW beetle, with large
windows, a sun roof and lots of light. The gas and break pedals are the same as any other car, but the noise--or lack of--is what I found most amazing.
The GEM I drove tops out at 25 mph, but is a perfect alternative to my other cars when doing errands or traveling short distances. They also come in a four seater model, which was spacious enough for me to put groceries and other goodies in the back.
The one I drove was owned by EV proponent, John Papa. "It's great as a second vehicle to use instead of a SUV. Why not have different cars for different functions? The guys at the gas station love it when I drive by," Papa says.
Let's hope the guys who own the automobile industry feel the same way and it doesn't turn into another Who Killed the Electric Car!
Sunday
31Aug
Little Me Fighting our Disposable Culture
Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 3:15PM 
A few weeks ago I took my laptop to a
major electronics chain for repair. The woman at the service desk
suggested that I purchase a new AC adapter, see if it solved the problem and return it for a full refund if it didn't. Sounded easy enough.
It turned out not to be the AC adapter and I went back to the store
to get my refund. With the adapter on the counter, my newly-found green
conscious prompted me to ask the cashier what would happen to the
perfectly good piece of electronics sitting before us.
"Just tell me it won't just end up in the trash, that it will be repackaged (it came in one of those plastic containers that you have to cut to get open) and
re-sold--it's perfectly good," I studdered.
"It'll go back to the vender, and they'll throw it away," she spat.
So now what? Write a letter to the chain? Boycott the store? Suck it up and accept it? Anyone....?
Saturday
30Aug
Today’s Green Building: A New Spin on Good Old Common Sense
Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 3:01PM 
Long ago, we used our intellect to create shelters out of our surroundings. We were connected to the land that we lived on, took only what we needed and moved on to “greener pastures” when weather or a lack of resources dictated. Back then, we taught our children skills of self-sufficiency and survival.
Once we settled down and became skilled at building permanent structures, the timber for framing came from the trees on the lot, we built close to the road and we oriented to the south for natural day lighting and ventilation. We built houses that lasted a century or more, and every room was used every day.
Today, the average size of our homes—often built using virgin materials that are shipped thousands of miles—has more than doubled since 1950, while our family size has decreased by one-fourth. We use building materials that contain toxins and carcinogens (as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that are emitted into the air inside our homes for years after their installation.
Enter green building. The concept grew from the geodesic and solar days of the 70s and 80s when engineers, builders and architects sought out environmentally friendly solutions to an energy shortage (sound familiar?). As they built south-facing structures to take advantage of natural day lighting and improve the performance of solar systems, they broadened their focus as they realized there were a lot of ways to improve the way we build.
Today, LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design)—the rating system established by the US Green Building Council—provides education, guidance and accreditation. Clean energy technology is more affordable and practical than ever before, builders are becoming skilled in the green building arts and there are a host of great looking and eco-friendly products to choose from.
But before we go out and gut our kitchen or tear down our house to build a green one, we must consider the steps we can take to get back to the basics of smaller, smarter and sounder. By understanding that reusing, re-purposing and recycling are all important considerations before buying new, we can be sure to lessen our impact on the planet, and not just replace old problems with new ones.
Given that according to the USGBC, buildings account for 38 percent of our country’s CO2 emissions—more than the transportation or industry sectors—a turn-on-a-dime adoption of green building practices is essential.