Are you a loyal consumer of organic foods? Calculate the benefits to the environment here: http://www.organicvalley.coop/organiccounts/. Not only has the science show they are 25 - even 50% more nutritious, but they also prevent toxins from entering the environment. Remember, a healthy environment, means a healthy you and vice versa! This is fun to do with the kids!
(reposted from MNN Daily Brief, e-Newsletter, September 24, 2009) POLAR MELTDOWN: Ice sheets in Greenland and western Antarctica are melting faster than scientists previously thought, and some places are experiencing “a runaway effect,” according to a team of British scientists who analyzed laser readings taken by NASA satellites. Some Antarctic ice sheets have been losing 30 feet of thickness annually since 2003, and while many areas are up to a mile thick to begin with, the melting is speeding up - the rate of Antarctic thinning was 50 percent higher between 2003 and 2007 than it was from 1995 to 2003. The problem isn’t warmer air, but warmer water, which wears down the ice from the outside in. “To some extent it’s a runaway effect,” says the lead author of the study, which was published online today in the journal Nature. “The question is how far will it run?” (Sources: Associated Press, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle)
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If you are in the market for a new pair of cute and comfy shoes, look no further. Toms Shoes http://www.tomsshoes.com/ donates a pair of shoes to a child that doesn’t have any. Good deal! They are well constructed and range from plain black to some fun and wild patterns. I actually just purchased a pair of boots and feel good that someone else benefits too.
In my big wallet, I carry a seafood card, but there only room for credit and cash in the tiny little wallet I carry most days only. I can’t be trusted with a purse or big wallet because most times they get left behind, which can spell disaster. I do know that we should stay away from shrimp because all but one very small farm grows or catches it sustainably and restaurants do not purchase from them. I also know that orange roughy take a long time to mature and reproduce and we have fished them just about beyond recovery. I also know that the big fish in the ocean suffer from bioaccumulation, meaning that they retain all of the toxins of all of the animals they ate and of the food that they animals they ate, ate. If you can’t follow, it means they have high concentrations of heavy metals (which causes neurological dysfunction and disorders in us). But I don’t yet have it completely memorized. If you ask your server, most times they have no idea either. The other day, I came across this hand tid-bit. The Blue Ocean Institute FishPhone http://www.blueocean.org/fishphone/index.html is a service in which you can text 30644 with the message FISH (make sure it is all caps) and follow with the yummy sea creature you are hankering to eat. The service will send back info on both health and sustainability. Now I won’t feel guilty about not carrying around my seafood card.
With this time of year comes large gatherings of family and friends - and even larger meals. Arm yourself with some healthy options for storing leftovers. First think of the environment by not using plastic bags that are often single use or those disposable plastic containers. Instead, think about using a recyclable container that is not only good for the environment, but good for your health too. Use glass and ceramic that do not leach the unwanted toxins like hormone disrupting phthalates that leach from plastic bags or containers when they are heated.
Did you know that it takes over 1,000 years for a plastic bag to decompose and even then it is broken down into small chemicals that travel through the ecosystem and back into us.
The press release below was issued by the State of Illinois. They are talking about this issue. (more…)
Karen McGinnis, Green Team member, forwarded on this presentation about the direct links of plastic bags and wildlife. It is heart breaking! I have witnessed it first hand with quite a variety of animals when I was in grad school in Florida. I researched sea turtle hatchlings and spent most of my days and nights on the beach. Too often we came across a dead animal that was strangled by a 6-pack ring or by a bag handle or ones that had plastic bags coming out of the mouth and even other end. Check out this presentation and share with others. It is a concrete reminder of why you should bring your own canvass bags to stores.
Are you worried about spending time out in the woods hiking or camping for hanging out in the yard at night because of those pesky mosquitoes? Because of climate change, we have seen shifts in where we find mosquito populations as well as the diseases they carry. You can go chemical free and avoid DEET by dressing from head to toe with lose clothing in light colors. And if you are really bothered by the bugs, you can even get a hat with a mosquito net to protect your head. Mosquitoes can easily bite through tight fitting clothes and are more attracted to dark colors. Wearing lighter colors will keep you cooler, which is great because mosquitoes love warmer bodies.
With the high heat these last few days, sitting in a movie theatre is nice to cool off. Tonight, for a mere $5, see the 11th Hour by hottie eco-actor Leonardo DeCaprio compliments of Insight Awareness - A Center for Healing & Self Discovery (18112 Martin Ave., Homewood, IL 60430, 708-957-1284) www.InsightAwareness.com. Arrive by 6:45pm because the show starts promptly at 7:00. Take a peek at the movie trailer.
Are you interested in brushing up on your knowledge of global warming this summer. A fun was to do so is to hit the Chicago museums. Here’s a list:
Cool Globes, Field Museum Campus, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr. at Roosevelt Rd. Through Sep. 1. Free. http://www.coolglobes.com/chicago.php
’Nergy solar electric car, Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Dr. at Roosevelt Rd. (312-922-7827). Admission, $8/adult. http://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibits/envision_tempexhib.htm
Melting Ice - A Hot Topic, Field Museum (312-665-7683). Through Sep. 1. Admission, $12/adult. http://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibits/envision_tempexhib.htm
Smart Home: Green + Wired, Museum of Science and Industry, 57th St. at Lake Shore Dr. (773-684-1414). Through Jan. 4. Admission, with exhibit entry, $22/adult. http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/smart-home/
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