Green Options

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Sarah Smarsh and Simran Sethi are writing a series on the impacts of everyday things. They will be posting previews on Green Options before launching the posts on Huffington Post.

Who doesn’t feel better after a yoga class? Yoga is the union of the body, mind and spirit.It stabilizes the nervous system, decreases blood pressure, increases flexibility and endurance, and opens you up in ways that you may not have imagined.

Simran used to be a yoga teacher. She loves the practice even though she hasn’t spent much time on her mat lately. (“Yoga on the inside, baby!”) Sarah gets her yoga on every week and knows it does her body good.

But, as any student knows, the real practice starts when you walk out the door. That’s also where the rubber hits the road and your practice takes its toll on the environment.

Oh brother, that again? Yes, my dear yogin, that.

Last week, I let you know my strong feelings about the need to ban vinyl from the craft world. This week, I want to explore what that means in real time and explore some potential alternatives.

First and foremost, I see clear vinyl used most extensively in hand made items. It is found in wallets, ID holders and things like ipod cases. Unfortunately, I have yet to find an alternative for clear vinyl. So it stays on the Eco-Crafter’s List of Demands.

Second, many crafters use vinyl to make bags; many, many bags. The vinyl fabric that is used in these bags is bright and colorful. It comes in many different colors and is a relatively inexpensive material. It is also used because people either can’t afford leather, or are morally opposed to using leather.

Here at CAGW, we try and direct fellow crafters to materials to use that are gentler on the environment for craft projects. From fabric and yarns to scissors and notions there is a plethora of options out there for the eco-conscious crafter.

On the flip side, these are limited options and often our craft supplies leave you wondering how safe and green are they. We’ve even started a list of demands for things that we wish we had.

Well, I am going to add waterproof, clear, flexible, “fabric” to that list. Many crafters use this in their projects for many purposes. Unfortunately, this “fabric” is vinyl or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a type of plastic (number 3 to be exact) and I am calling for an outright ban on this poison plastic.

The fashion industry has only recently become somewhat linked with eco-friendly values. Yet even with the advent of popular hemp clothing and the use of natural fibers, most eco-friendly fashion accessories are considered to be ‘hippie fashion’. Hardly products that could be associated with the 7th Avenue fashion scene!

Natasha Kimling Kwan, the owner Kling handbags has decided to change things around. An emerging designer of vegan fashion handbags, Kwan produces uber stylish clutches that are the perfect compliment to [...]

The Center for Health, Environment & Justice, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing environmental health harms caused by chemical threats, recently released a report stating that shower curtains made with PVC contain numerous harmful chemicals including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phthalates (think CA toys), and organotins. These ubiquitous shower curtains are likely to have adverse effects on the nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems.

I don’t have enough hands to count the number of those shower curtains I’ve used in my brief 23 years, but it’s a lot. I’m happy to say I switched to cloth a few months ago after having a conversation about the possible effects of continued exposure to these shower curtains with my friend John Laumer of treehugger.com. I’m glad to see our fears were not confounded. The smell you most often associate with the excitement of a new product is actually a sign of off-gassing, a process by which harmful toxins become airborne through evaporation. There should be no rejoicing when this smell is encountered.

Some interesting findings from the study:

I love yoga and could not live without it. My children have experienced my practice in utero and throughout their childhoods. Sometimes they are inspired to join, but more often than not, they crawl under my downward facing dog or sit atop my bridge asana. I have tried to encourage their own practice through games and books, but they often lose interest. Finally, I have found the solution: Nothing inspires a child to practice yoga more than their very own yoga mat, eco-friendly of course!

Lotuspad makes eco yoga mats and yoga accessories for kids. Lotuspad eco yoga mats are made from TPE, meaning they are PVC-free, biodegradable, and non-toxic. These mats are sized perfectly for children and certain to inspire their practice. They do not have an odor and come in many colors sure to delight any child. My daughter is now excited to do yoga with me; all she needed was her very own mat.

It’s no secret: I hate Wal-Mart. Honestly, I have only been inside a Wal-Mart store four times in my life, including buying batteries in Colby, Kansas on a cross-country childhood vacation, and every time I leave the store, I feel disgusted with American consumerism. This company’s initial practice of establishing stores in small communities to drive out “ma and pa” stores has contributed to the homogenizing of American retail. Furthermore,

Over 70% of products on Wal-Mart’s shelves are made in China. The recent string of product recalls shows the dangerous and even deadly consequences of Wal-Mart’s corporate bullying strategy to drive down the cost of products. Suppliers are forced to ship production to places like China where quality and labor standards are far less stringent.

Wal-Mart’s race to the bottom strategy leads to more than just unsafe products - it forces suppliers to cut corners when it comes to their own workers as well (walmartwatch.com).

I don’t care how green Wal-Mart attempts to be when they still sell dangerous products for children. I was shocked to learn that Wal-Mart is still selling, in some states, PVC vinyl backed baby bibs that contain lead despite a recall in Illinois.

If your shower curtain is plastic, chances are it is made from PVC - polyvinyl chloride. Since this is the stuff we don't want in our kid's toys or in every day plastics why would you want to shower next to it every day? Eliminate PVC from your bathroom by getting a fabric shower curtain instead.

Get a shower curtain made from a natural fiber such as cotton or hemp. Hemp

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We find it incredible that something so poisonous in every stage of its life cycle is a material that is still advertised by name. Vinyl, also known as PVC, is dubbed by one group as the "poison plastic."