How Much Should You Worry About Eggs and Salmonella?
Aug 23, 2010 Eco Friendly Home
The recent major recall of eggs for salmonella has a lot of people wondering about how much they should worry. It’s hard to believe that it took so long for the recall to get started when so many eggs are a potential source for salmonella poisoning.
I’m feeling pretty lucky in that at the moment we’re out of eggs. If any were contaminated, clearly I cooked them well enough that it wasn’t a problem. Lucky us.
That’s one point to remember. Even without a recall, eggs are sometimes contaminated with salmonella. Cook them well and it won’t be a problem for you. That said, I’ve had foods with raw egg plenty of times without trouble. Raw cookie dough, for example.
Of course, if you have any eggs that are effected by the recall, get rid of them or return them to the store. There’s no point in taking a chance with contaminated eggs.
Will Free Range Eggs Help?
I love free range eggs. My sister has chickens, so I get them from her occasionally. She doesn’t live close enough for this to be a regular thing, however.
While eggs from free range chickens are not a part of this recall, they can still become contaminated by salmonella. You can’t see the difference, so looking at the eggs won’t help.
On the other hand, really free range eggs (not just chickens set free for a short time then recaged) are a good thing in general. Better for the chickens and you get better eggs. There’s a lot to be said that’s positive for finding a source of free range eggs.
I would suggest that there are better sources for free range eggs than the grocery store, however. If you know someone who raises chickens, that’s a good source. A farm that you can visit and see how they treat their chickens is a good source.
The grocery shelf, not so much. Free range is too loosely defined.
When to Worry
The only thing you need to worry more than usual about is if you have eggs directly effected by this recall. Otherwise, temper your new reminder of the potential for salmonella poisoning from eggs with your lifelong experience. Odds are good it hasn’t been a problem for you before.
Tags: egg recall, food poinsoning, salmonella
Women Shouldn’t Breastfeed Where?
Aug 19, 2010 Going Green
It amazes me how shocked some people get about the idea of breastfeeding in public. Until fairly recent times, mothers had no other choice. They did not just stay home when they had a baby, yet that’s what some people think mothers should do now if they aren’t willing to give their baby a bottle.
I came across this article about 9 Most Awkward Breastfeeding Situations via Mother Nature Network. The situations and reasoning they have are pretty ridiculous from my perspective.
Don’t breastfeed in church? I like my mother’s description: Feeding God’s creation in God’s house in God’s way. Where does that go wrong exactly?
There’s an article on the subject linked to the gallery on this one. It’s not as bad as the gallery, but some of the comments are depressing, especially the ones who think that women nurse in public to get attention.
No… and if you think you only ever see women nursing in public by flopping her breasts out for all to see, you’re probably right.
They’re the only ones you see. The rest are so discreet you don’t notice them at all. And there are more of them.
Nursing in public is not done to get attention. It’s not sexual. It’s nothing like urinating, defecating or having sex in public. It’s feeding a baby. Not so different from feeding oneself, except baby’s food comes directly from the mother’s breast.
No, it’s not always discreet. Babies don’t always allow that. They pull off randomly. As they get older they move the mother’s clothing around. They don’t all tolerate a nursing cover, nor should they be expected to. It gets hot under those things, and the ability to have eye contact with their mother as they nurse is a big thing for babies.
I truly detest the notion that moms should just stay at home with their babies. It’s usually stated as being in the baby’s best interest, but it isn’t. It’s isolating to the mother and child. It’s also impossible in many cases, such as when the mother needs to run errands. And there’s no reason to expect any human being to be chained to their home 24/7 just because they’re caring for another human being. We all have the right to a social life.
That said, I’ll agree that when possible sick babies should be kept at home. It’s not always possible, and most moms try their best.
Of course, if a mother were to refuse to breastfeed in public and doesn’t carry bottles of either pumped breastmilk or formula, then she’ll be criticized for having a hungry, screaming baby. Breastfeeding is much pleasanter for all. If the mother gets a little exposed, you only need to look away. It takes more effort to get away from the screams of a hungry baby.
Breastfeeding in public has allowed me to take my kids when each was a baby on airplanes and not disturb the other passengers. They just nursed through takeoff and landing, and didn’t need to cry at all. I’d call that a win even for anyone sitting close enough to realize what I was doing, although usually I’d be traveling with enough family that no strangers would be right by me.
Breastfeeding in public has allowed me to run errands even when my babies were small and nursed more frequently. It’s great for soothing babies who would otherwise be screaming as I tried to get things done out of the house. A full tummy solves many problems when you’re that young.
Breastfeeding in public has allowed me to participate in church services. It has allowed me to enjoy a good meal out with friends and family.
I won’t say I flaunt anything, as I try to keep things covered, but do people sometimes see a bit more than they would if I weren’t breastfeeding? Absolutely. You can’t control a baby that perfectly. They wiggle, move and play. They pull clothing aside. They remove covers.
I can limit that and do, but there’s only so much to be done for it. I’m not a mind reader, so there’s no way to know in advance that baby’s going to pop off at a particular instant despite suckling strongly just a moment before.
Moms, don’t let articles and commenters get you down about where you breastfeed. Most states acknowledge your rights to breastfeed your baby any place you’re allowed to be.
Tags: baby, breastfeeding, nursing in public
Give Your College Students a Green Start
Aug 17, 2010 Eco Friendly Parenting
As kids get older and further along in school, they need more supplies. Mine are in elementary school, with one homeschooling, and so don’t need much in the way of supplies this year. That’s not going to last. Kids in high school and college in particular need more supplies.
Laptop Computer
Older kids and young adults are often best served by having their own computer, especially if they’re going to college away from home. It’s a big advantage to not need to use the library computers or wait for the family computer to be available.
Laptop computers use much less energy than desktop computers. Look for Energy Star certified laptops
Backpacks
What student of any age gets by without a backpack? Most students carry them, and too often only use them for a year if you don’t pay attention to quality.
Buying a good quality backpack with the goal of using it for more than one year is a good green step. Look for backpacks made from recycled
Eco Friendly Writing Supplies
Look around for eco friendly writing supplies. There are a few brands that make eco friendly pens and pencils.
Get a Bike
Once kids are old enough, encourage them to bike or walk to school. Same for college students. Not only will they save on gas, but biking to college classes rather than driving means not having to buy a parking permit. You may need to rent a bike locker for storage, however.
Buy Dorm Decorations Used and Locally
When kids go off to college, there’s a huge temptation to ship them off with a ton of supplies to decorate and otherwise set up their rooms. Better is to help them buy dorm room supplies locally, used if you can find thrift shops in the area.
This can be a hard sell, as there are usually roommates to deal with, and no student wants to look like they can only afford thrift store stuff. But sometimes you can find things that no one will know came from the thrift store, which can help to soothe your college student’s needs.
Besides, there’s almost a tradition of college students decorating with some really odd stuff. Thrift stores can help you get a start on that.
Mini Fridge
The mini fridge is a classic feature of the dorm room. It’s great if a shared one can be negotiated with roommates, but that often leads to battles over whose food is whose, and so many students just prefer to keep their own.
Once again, go for Energy Star
Cooking Gear
Having a fridge means there’s going to be some cooking going on in that dorm room, at least in a microwave
Dishes and other supplies for cooking the food in are a great target for the thrift stores. You don’t need anything fancy for dorm room food.
Laundry
Make sure your student knows how to do laundry when he or she goes away to college. Otherwise they’re either going to suffer in the laundry room or keep hauling it home, which isn’t very efficient.
Encourage your student to use eco friendly laundry detergents such as Country Save
Care Packages
It’s always fun to send a care package to your student a few weeks in. Find out what your student needs, and send along eco friendly versions, along with some fun treats.
Tags: eco friendly school supplies, laptop computer, students
12 Ways to Naturally Keep Your Home’s Air Cleaner
Aug 16, 2010 Eco Friendly Home
I posted the other day about how to keep the air in your home smelling better naturally. Controlling the smell is only a part of the battle. You want to keep the air in your home clean and healthy. These are some steps you can take to help the air inside your home stay cleaner.
1. Take off your shoes when you come inside.
Shoes track in a lot of dirt when you come into the house. That’s anything you walked on that was outside. Even if you don’t use them yourself, others in your neighborhood probably use pesticides and fertilizers, which make their way into the dust and dirt around everyone’s homes. Your shoes track these and other dirt into your home.
Keep a mat
Fortunately, going barefoot is pretty good for feet. It gives them a break from being confined inside your shoes. If you really don’t like going barefoot, buy some slippers or other comfortable house shoes to wear only indoors.
2. Have hardwood, tile or other hard floor materials.
Hard floor surfaces are much easier to keep clean than carpets. You can keep your carpets looking clean, but they trap a lot of dust and dirt that make it into the air of your home.
You’ll probably still put in some area rugs, so pick ones that have low piles or can easily be taken outside to be cleaned.
For the carpets you can’t take out, use a vacuum with HEPA filters
3. Use natural cleaners around the house.
The more chemicals you use to clean your home, the more chemicals will build up in the air inside your home. Natural cleaners may still contaminate the air in their way, but their ingredients should be safer for your lungs..
4. Open the windows.
Outdoor air in most places is cleaner than indoor air. Let the air flow through when weather permits.
5. Use low VOC paints when repainting.
If you’re painting inside your home, choose low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints. They don’t smell as bad and release fewer compounds into the air of your home. Varnish and carpets also contain VOCs, so pay attention when buying any of these.
6. Check your air filters.
If you have a heater or air conditioner, check the filters regularly. Some filters can be cleaned
7. Don’t allow smoking indoors.
If you, anyone in your family or anyone who visits you smokes, ask that it be kept outside. The rest of the people in your home don’t need to breathe those chemicals.
8. Don’t let the car idle in the garage.
Air from the garage gets into the rest of your home. You know how bad car exhaust smells and that it’s unhealthy for you. Why would you want that inside your home? Be ready to pull the car out of the garage shortly after starting it to minimize the pollution it add to your home.
9. Keep the humidity down.
Daily life inside a home can increase the humidity of a home. Just think how humid the bathroom is after a shower. Humid air makes for good conditions for mold to grow. Run bathroom fans or open the window after showering or bathing to let the humid air out.
10. Don’t use pesticides indoors.
It’s tough finding out you have bugs in the house, especially hard to control ones. If you can at all help it, don’t use pesticides inside your home, as they will contaminate the air as well as the areas you sprayed them.
Prevention is best to keep the bugs away. If you’re starting to see them, figure out what they’re after. If you can clean it up, they aren’t going to be as interested, although you may need to take more steps to get rid of them.
Some pests can be gotten rid of more easily than others. You can get rid of some kinds of ants with a mixture of borax and corn syrup, for example. Others you will need to set bait traps.
11. Rethink your personal care supplies.
Some of the supplies you use in your daily personal care routine aren’t too good for your indoor air quality. This is especially true of anything you spray, such as perfumes and hair sprays. Look for options that you still like but don’t have as many VOCs.
12. Grow houseplants.
Houseplants
Tags: clean air, fresh air, indoor air quality
How Do You Make Your Home Smell Fresh Without Using Air Fresheners?
Aug 12, 2010 Budget Environmentalism, Cleaning Products
If there’s one home care product that falls consistently on my least favorite list, it has to be air fresheners. Most do nothing more than add a scent to the air, usually created by some chemicals that if you really thought about it, you wouldn’t be spraying in the air you breathe.
They’re usually unhealthy, minimally to poorly effective, and frankly there are better ways to handle the smells that build up inside a home. For people with conditions such as asthma, it can be vital to avoid many of the usual commercial air fresheners.
Remove the Source
You won’t always be able to do this, but if you can get the source of the smell out of your home, that’s the best way to get the smell to dissipate. That could be taking out the trash, cleaning the cat litter, and so forth.
Open the Windows
Weather permitting, opening the windows is the simplest way to make a home smell fresh. It lets the air circulate. The smells floating in the air in your home have a way to get out rather than continuing to build up.
It’s important to open your windows in your home when you can. Indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air, especially if you use a lot of conventional cleaning supplies.
Use Natural Air Fresheners
Natural air fresheners may not work as quickly as the ones you buy at the store and spray around, but they’re better for you and I think they smell better.
Baking soda is a classic odor absorber. Place bowls of it out where smells are an issue. Sprinkle it on carpets that are having odor problems and let it sit for a little or even overnight before vacuuming it up. It doesn’t have a pretty scent, but that’s not the point of using baking soda.
Vinegar isn’t a favorite scent for most people, but it does help to control odors. Put a bowl of it out or spray it into the air. As it dissipates, the vinegar smell and the problem smell will go away. Add in a drop or two of a favorite essential oil if you want to cover the vinegar smell right from the start.
Different herbs can help make a room smell nice too. Sprigs of rosemary or lavender are good choices, especially if you grow them fresh yourself. If not, dried versions smell good as well.
Boiling herbs and spices works also. Many people like the scent of cinnamon boiled in water. Boiling a sliced lemon or lemon juice is another good smell. Vanilla, orange, peppermint, cloves and nutmeg also smell good when boiled.
Your favorite essential oils
Growing plants indoors
