Green Options

In her article, “The Essential Resource for Green Family Life: Healthy Child Healthy World“, Jennifer Lance mentioned the Healthy Child Healthy World’s advice on getting rid of Teflon in your kitchen.  Teflon is the DuPont brand name for polytetrafluoroethtylene, or PTFE, a type of PFC that is used as a non-stick coating for most cookware.  A PFC means that it is a chemical compound composed of fluorine and carbon atoms  If you walk down the aisle at any store that sells pots and pans, or even in your pantry at home, I am sure you have noticed those wonderful non-stick pans that make cooking and clean up a breeze.  Yes, they are wonderful because you do not need to use as much butter, oil, or whatever else you add to prevent food from sticking to the pan but have you ever wondered what happens as that nonstick coating scratched?  What exactly is it that you could be adding to your food?

The WebMD Health eHome is a a new educational collaboration between WebMD and Healthy Child Healthy World and is sponsored by Seventh Generation.  It provides you the tools to discover how to create a safer and healthier home for you and your children.  While many of the writers here provide daily information on how to provide your family a safe environment both outside and inside your home the WebMD Health eHome promises to provide more wonderful information on how to rid your home of health hazards.  With a variety of tools it may even enlighten some ECP readers on new ways to improve their quality of life.

I am not a huge fan of box stores, but I am even less of a fan of the idea that my kids could cuddle up with a stuffed animal that has a ton of chemicals that I probably would stutter pronouncing.  This is something I contemplated recently when a very kind nurse offered me a stuffed animal for my daughter when she was in the hospital.  Especially when a kid has a respiratory infection, the last thing I would want to do is expose their delicate lungs to chemicals from an innocent looking teddy bear.  But there is some good news for those of us strapped for cash during these tough economic times that do not want to sacrifice our children’s health.

Blackberry Storm and Apple iPhone move aside there is a new touch-screen cell phone coming out that is looking to reduce energy and material waste, the Samsung Blue Earth.  Samsung has been working on its image as an eco-friendly company under their campaign “The Blue Earth Dream: Eco-living with SAMSUNG Mobile” and now they definitely have up the anty.  In a press release from the 16th of February, Samsung introduced their new cell phone, Blue Earth.  As a geeky mom who loves the idea of eco-friendly technology, the Blue Earth definitely has caught my eye.

The same government agency that has failed to protect us from salmonella in peanut butter, BPA leaching into our children’s foods and beverages, melamine in formula, among other health dangers, will soon be allowing the by-products of genetically engineered animals to reach our grocery stores.  In January 2009, the FDA released the “Guidance for Industry #187″, which provides regulation guidelines that pertain to genetically engineered animals containing heritable recombinant DNA constructs.  Therefore, these are not even enforceable regulations on the animal agriculture industry.

A circus without elephants could be in the near future for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus if the plaintiffs, including ASPCA and the Animal Welfare Institute, succeed in their lawsuit that heads to trial this Wednesday.  The lawsuit, which will be in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., aims to stop the prolonged use of chains and bullhooks in elephant training.  According to the David Crary’s article, “the plaintiffs hope the lawsuit pressures Ringling Bros. to stop using elephants in its shows”.

A new study, available in the February issue of Pediatrics, by psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has found that children crossing the street are in greater danger when they are using a cell phone.  Many states have introduced legislation banning handheld cell phone usage for drivers, not that I see that stopping people in California, and in 2008 New York proposed banning mp3 and cell phone usage by pedestrians.  Multi-tasking can be difficult for adults, especially in a setting where there are motor vehicles involved, and it is therefore imperative as parents that we pay attention to how our children handle similar situations.

Some of you may already drink yerba mate on a regular basis, or you have only heard small mentions of yerba mate and how wonderful it is, or you may have never even heard of it at all.  But if you enjoy your daily cup of coffee you may want to make the switch to yerba mate after what I have to tell you.
The Source
Yerba mate is actually made from the stems and leaves of the small yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) tree, a member of the holly family native to Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.  Yerba mate has been awarded such titles as “The Drink of the Gods” and “the green gold of the Indios”.  It was discovered centuries ago by the native people of South America and has been consumed to increase energy, health and longevity.  It is the national drink of Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina, and is commonly consumed throughout South America.

A 2007 survey issued to approximately 9,000 adults by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that 367,000 children are vegetarians, that translates to about 1 in every 200 kids.  It is estimated that the number could be four to six times higher for teens and young adults since they have greater control over their diet.   An Associated Press article, CDC Study: 1 in 200 American Youths is Vegetarian, details the results of the CDC survey and interviews with young vegetarians.

There is brief mention of kids who are berated and made fun of for their dietary choice, as in the case of Sam Silverman, co-captain of his high school’s football team,  says, “my friends try to get me to eat meat and tell me how good it tastes and how much bigger I would be.”  But in some settings, such as Agnes Scott College, vegetarianism is widespread and food choices at cafeterias are beginning to cater to the students’ dietary choice.

This week a study by Social & Scientific Systems Inc., summarized by PR Newswire, has found that between 1996 and 2005 there has been a 6 percent increase in the number of U.S. citizens who have three or more chronic illnesses.  And with the lack of affordable healthcare this is no longer just an issue for the millions of uninsured, but for our own children.  According the article “Shaping good health as teens outgrow pediatricians” by Lauran Neergaard of the Associated Press, recent research performed by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine has found that there are few doctors equipped to provide comprehensive healthcare to tweens and teens.  Adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years of age, experience, arguably, the greatest biological transformation and yet the healthcare system is poorly equipped to deal with the needs of a demographic that is known for testing boundaries.