Green Sexy

Summer Sunscreen!

Now that Summer is officially here, we're going to be spending more time outside enjoying all that nature has to offer!  Ah, but there is an upside and a downside to everything---the glorious sun that makes our summer days warm and bright can also damage our skin and eyes with its UV rays.  There are actually two main kinds of rays to be concerned about:  UVA rays, which penetrate deep into the skin and cause long term skin damage, and UVB rays, which cause sunburns, are linked "to more than 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancer" and to the development of cataracts.  According to a USA Today article, a decade ago sunscreens were designed to primarily protect people from UVB rays.   Nowadays scientists have come to the conclusion that UVA rays are far more detrimental to the skin because they penetrate more deeply than UVB rays and are the most likely cause of melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer.   

What can you do to protect yourself?  First of all, wear sunglasses with UV protective lenses to protect your fragile eyes from the sun.  With the bug-eye goggles the girls are wearing these days, it seems that fashion has inadvertently provided an unintended health-benefit!

Another thing you can do is to cover up exposed skin with summer-appropriate clothing.  Yes---for some especially fair-skinned that may include long pants and long-sleeved shirts.  Some companies like  Coolibar, Solumbra , and Solartex manufacture SPF clothing that block up to 97% of UVA/UVB rays. If you don't want to purchase a new wardrobe, you can make your clothing into sun protective clothing by washing your garments in SunGuard, a laundry detergent that gives your clothes a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) of 30, which effectively blocks 96% of the sun's ultraviolet rays.

Yet another thing to consider is that the sun's ultraviolet rays are the strongest from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., so it is advisable that you avoid being in the sun during these hours.  If you must be out during these hours, slather on the sunscreen, or seek the shade of a tree or some outdoor structure.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to choose the right kind of sunscreen.  First of all, you must choose one with the proper SPF, which means "Sun Protection Factor...a measure of a sunscreen's ability to prevent UVB from damaging the skin. Here's how it works:  If it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer —  about five hours."  The Skin Cancer Foundation warns that sunscreens are ineffective after two hours and must be reapplied, and that most sunscreens don't protect you from UVA rays.  You'll find that most sunscreens contain octylmethoxycinnamate and/or cinoxate, which protect against UVA rays, and oxybenzone  and/or sulisobenzone, which protect against shortwave UVA rays.  To get even more effective protection, purchase a sunscreen that contains avobenzone (Parsol 1789), ecamsule (Mexoryl), titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide. 

My wife and I use sunscreens manufactured by Aveeno, L'oreal, and Neutrogena and have been pleased with their non-greasy feel and relative waterproof properties.  These three products were a bit pricier because they are non-comedogenic (won't clog pores) and because of their well-recognized namesakes.  The L'oreal sunscreen was especially pricey because it contains mexoryl SX, a product long used in Europe that blocks short wave UVA rays not blocked by other sunscreens.  On the low end we've tried Coppertone's Continuous Spray sunscreen, and while the price was reasonable and the coverage/protection effective, I felt like I was wearing a spray-on rubber suit and had a heck of a time trying to wash it off in the shower.   

In any case, you don't have to break the bank to protect your skin from the sun's rays this summer.  Sure, you may find the prospect of applying sunscreen unappealing and contrary to the free spirit of summer, but consider the alternatives---looking like George Hamilton (see above picture), or even worse, Magda---that ultra-tan freaky lady from There's Something About Mary!!!!!!!!!!

Scotts Push Mower: No Gas To Cut Your Grass!

I did it---I paid over $4 for gas ($4.03, to be exact) AND I purchased a manual push mower from Home Depot, all on the same day.  Hopefully my move will help offset the pain of high gas prices a bit. 

This spring I only got one and a half cuts out of my gas-powered push mower before it stopped working.  The mower was leaking gasoline, it stunk up the shed and it wouldn't start.  My lawn was rapidly rising to the skies and I couldn't get any lawn mower repair shops to return my calls.  In desperation, I borrowed my neighbor's riding mower to mow down my lawn.  Not wanting to repeat this act again, I immediately looked into a greener option---my first instinct was to look at an electric mower.  While this seemed like an attractive choice at first, the prospects of trying to mow around a cord (for the lower-cost option) or paying $400+ for a rechargeable electric mower considerably soured my enthusiasm.

Then I had an epiphany (I had always wanted to have one of those)!  I decided to search for a manual push mower---they still make those, right?  Well, I found one for sale at Home Depot and I was there in a flash to snatch it up!  My Scotts 20 Inch Green Classic Reel Mower is simply wonderful!  It cuts moderate-length grass beautifully and it actually "cuts" the grass, instead of tearing the grass like traditional mowers do.  This is great because there's not all of this wet "green blood" all over the lawn and on my shoes. Also, weighing in at only 30 pounds, this mower is easy to push and does not take any longer to cut my rather large lawn than it did with a traditional gas-powered push mower.  In addition, my mower also makes a merry little whirring noise as it cuts the blades of grass, which is a vast improvement over the ear-drum shattering roar of my old gas-powered mower.  Perhaps best of all, there's no crank to pull, no gas to fill and no oil to check!  That means that there's no annual tune up to pay for!  Barring any major accident, the most maintenance I'll have to get for my push mower is a blade sharpening every 3-4 years.  This mower cannot, however, cut bendable weeds such as the stalks of dandelions, nor will it cut extra long grass.  If you try to mow these, you'll discover that they simply get bent over and then spring back up.  Unless you're willing to go back and forth numerous times to try to cut these down, you'd be better off using a weed whacker or some garden shears. 

All in all, I would recommend Scotts 20 inch Green Classic Reel Mower to anyone who wants to do away with their traditional mower---it's good exercise and it's great for the environment!  Now that's one green sexy product!      

Environmentally-Friendly Dishwasher Tabs from Ecover

My wife and I are trying to reduce our household cleaning product pollution, so now it smells like vinegar all the time in our bathroom!  Anyway, I know that dishwasher detergent is very caustic for the environment, so once our regular dishwasher tabs ran out, I promptly purchased Ecological Dishwasher Tablets from Ecover.  Ecover is an environmentally-conscious company founded in Belgium in 1980 that produces ecological cleaners.  Their products are marketed in over 20 countries and range from dishwashing products, to laundry products, to all-purpose cleaners, and even a heavy-duty hand cleaning product.  The great thing is, you know that when you use their products you are not adding harmful chemicals to the environment.

So, how did Ecover's dishwasher tabs perform?  Excellently, as a matter of fact.  I was quite impressed with how clean my dishes got (I do use the "Water Miser" setting on my dishwasher)---even dishes that I did not pre-rinse.  One more cool feature of the product is the fact that even the plastic wrapper that each individual tab comes in has a #5 recycling number on it!  Ah, if only all companies could be so committed. 

So, please consider giving all of Ecover's green-sexy products a try---you won't be disappointed!

Candles---Beautiful, Relaxing, Aromatic...HARMFUL?!?

** Update...we just got a reference in the Chicago Tribune web edition. In in their Green Buzz regarding eco-friendly candles. Check it out!**

Americans have the luxury of electricity, so candles have largely become a novelty, useful for illuminating romantic dinners or for helping to soothe the soul at the end of a long day.  As a result, some stores like Yankee Candle charge exorbitant rates for these waxy creations.  Other candle manufacturers have made a fortune touting candles' supposed aromatically-therapeutic effects.

One thing that never gets discussed is the fact that many traditional candles---especially scented candles---contain and release noxious chemicals when burned.  According to E/The Environmental Magazine, many scented candles release phthalates, which are chemicals that are linked to the disruption of hormonal systems and other health issues.  Other harmful chemicals that burning candles can release are acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and naphthalene. 

People have become very aware and proactive about getting the lead out of their homes by removing old lead paint from their walls.  However, few are aware that many candlewicks contain lead---specifically the wicks with the stiff metal center.  If you have candles with such wicks, refrain from burning them and replace them with candles with soft cotton wicks.

In this day of record-setting oil prices, a good number of Americans have begun to take measures to help reduce the United States' dependence on foreign oil---from driving less to saying no to plastic bags at the grocery store---we are certainly more conscious of the role we play in this issue.  So, did you know that you can also help mitigate the oil crisis by not buying paraffin-based candles?  How so?  Paraffin-based candles are "made from waxes derived in the process of refining crude oil and literally consist of hydrocarbons."

So, what is a candle lover to do?  One option is to buy soy-based candles, which are made from plant waste.  Beeswax candles are another natural option.  For those aromatherapy addicts, buy scented candles that use only pure plant essential oils.  Check out these candle makers for a more Earth-friendly option:  Bluecorn Naturals, Honeyflow Farm, Vermont Soy Candles, and Aveda.

 

Hey Honey!

No, I'm not hitting on you---I'm here to extol the virtues of honey!  Turns out this ooey gooey golden goodness is good for more than just sweetening your tea.  I've known quite a few singers who will not only drink honey-sweetened tea before performing, but some who will actually chug honey straight to give their throats a good coating.   Honey is also great for a sore throat because of its antimicrobial properties, and it can even kill the bacteria that caused the infection.  With its anti-bacterial properties, honey can be an aid in digestion.  Last, but not least (and certainly not the last benefit of honey), honey is great for treating burns.  According to Men's Health magazine, "New Zealand researchers found that burned skin covered with honey healed as much as 4 days faster than skin treated with antibiotic creams or sterile wound dressings". That's due to honey's anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Well, I'm going to have some tea and crumpets with a good dollop of honey!   

Biodegradable BioBags!

Plastic products were seen as a sensible solution to products formerly constructed of wood or metal.  Not only were plastic products easier to produce, but they also were intended to last forever.  Good idea, eh?  Well, being that less than 2% of plastic bags, which can take over a 100 years to degrade, are ever recycled, and also being that we further marry ourselves to the suppliers of foreign oil to produce plastic bags, an alternative was sorely needed.

Enter the BioBag---a 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable bag!  Each bag is composed of a material called Mater-Bi, which was invented by Novamont, an award-winning Italian research company dedicated to finding environmental alternatives to polyethylene-based plastics.  Mater-Bi is comprised of renewable raw materials of agricultural origin and from non-genetically modified starch. These bags biodegrade in only 10-45 days when exposed to the Earth's elements or to the organisms in the dirt.  Their products are varied and include:  Kitchen Compost Bags (3 gallon), Tall Kitchen Bags (13 gallon), Lawn & Leaf Bags (33 gallon), Shopping Bags, Dog Waste Bag, Can Pan Liners, Garden Film, and the Nature Waste Bag & accompanying toilet system.  These BioBag products are starting to really catch on!  For example, San Francisco recently distributed 100,000 rolls of BioBags to residents to promote their residential food waste collection program---ah, I think I left my heart in San Francisco!

My wife and I bought the Tall Kitchen bags and are quite pleased to know that we're putting one less polyethylene-based bag into a landfill.  While the bags were a bit pricey for the amount of bags per package (only 12 per package) and the bags are a bit thin, I think the environmental tradeoffs are well worth it!  You can find BioBags on most supermarket shelves, so check 'em out!
 

To Flush or Not to Flush?

We all do things differently in public than we do behind closed doors.  When in a public bathroom or in someone's house, I flush regardless of what "number" it was.  But, when at home, I'm not ashamed to say that I don't flush every time.  It's a simple equation:  if it's yellow, I let it mellow; if it's brown, I flush it down.  Oh, now---don't turn your nose up at this notion.  It's all in the interest of water conservation.  It's kind of like turning the faucet off when you brush your teeth...only different.  In any case, there are a few "refresher" flushes in a given day, so things don't get odoriferous. 

Alright---confession time (especially for you lurkers out there):  Do you flush every time or do you "put the handle on hold"? 

Confessions of a Plastic Water Bottle & Paper Napkin Junkie.

I had a problem:  I enjoyed using bottled water and paper napkins.  I'm okay now, but let's recount my tragic history...

I liked bottled water.  I found them to be a convenient way to transport water.  Unlike reusable water bottles, which I found to be large & clunky, bottled water bottles were small, and fit well in the car cup holders, in the side pocket of my messenger bag, and in my hand.

What about paper napkins?  My family always used them, and I would often times get multiple uses out of one napkin by folding and refolding it.  I always found fabric napkins to be unsatisfactory when it came to their absorbency and the fact that once greasy, you couldn't just throw it away and get a new one.

Flash forward to today: I'm fully recovered from my wasteful ways.  I can credit my wife's persistent admonitions for turning me around.  Anyway, when you consider that over 17 million barrels of oil were needed to produce enough water bottles to satisfy U.S. consumer demand last year, it kind of sours one on drinking bottled water.  Also, when one factors in that every paper napkin was once a proud tree, and that the cutting down of that tree has reduced the number of trees that absorb carbon from the air we breathe, I knew it was time to reform myself.  Now we're using reusable water bottles and cloth napkins.   

To help you on your way to live a less wasteful life, click on the icon in the sidebar for thinkoutsidethebottle.org and take the pledge to choose tap water over bottled water today and for the rest of your life!