1) Go to Work a Different Way:

a) Don’t drive your car,
b) Take mass transit,
c) Ride your bike,
d) Or even run/walk.

You’ll get into better shape, save money and help protect the planet all at the same time.

2) Use natural remedies to heal your ailments.

a) Slice large onions and lay them on your chest, to help clear-up sinus congestion.
b) Steam a pot of water, add a teaspoon of crushed lavender, hold a towel over your head and inhale the warm revitalizing scent.
c) Pour 1/2 cup of Epsom salt into your bath to help soothe aching, tired muscles.

3) Use Products a Different Way.

With the new year here people often want to clean out the old and here’s how to do it without polluting the planet.

a) Use vinegar and water to wash your windows and even your clothes. You can mix 1/4 cup of vinegar in a quart of water. Moisten a dry cotton cloth with this mixture and you can wipe down your counter tops, appliances and even your bathroom.
b) Use a slice of lemon to clean the bottom of your copper pots and pans. Simply rub the copper with lemon juice and salt and you will be awe…mazed.
c) Use baking soda to clean out your refrigerator. Take two tablespoons of baking soda and mix it in a quart of water. Use a sponge and dip it in the liquid to clean your appliances.

People haven’t always had store bought cleansers that were full of dyes, perfumes and chemicals. They used vinegar, baking soda and scrub brushes. You can too!

The first is one even your Grannie used — honey to quiet a stubborn cough. One spoonful can be more helpful than over-the-counter cough syrups for children, as found in a Pennsylvania study. The honey soothes a throat irritated from coughing and coats it. For adults, two teaspoons are probably a better dose, but not for diabetics, due to the high sugar content.

While you’re checking out your pantry, don’t overlook the wonders of cranberry juice. Great for urinary tract infections, drinking the juice or taking cranberry extract pills can actually help to prevent them. A Dutch study found that cranberries keep bacteria from attaching to bladder walls. The caveat here: be careful if you take blood-thinning meds like Coumadin or Plavix; possible interactions may lead to bleeding.

Another berry with healing properties is tart cherries. Drinking their juice can prevent gout attacks and relieve muscle soreness after exercise. There is evidence that their natural anti-inflammatory content can reduce arthritis pain, too. Research on animals shows links to retarding diabetes and heart disease, making these cherries not just for pie anymore. Be certain to reach for the bright red tart cherry, high in antioxidants than its sweeter relatives, black or Bing cherries.

Ginger, fresh or powdered, has been shown to have powerful anti-nausea effects. Studies have shown taking one gram an hour before surgery reduced nausea and vomiting those first 24 hours after the event. The National Cancer Institute also found that patients undergoing chemotherapy who take as little as one-quarter teaspoon of ginger daily before their treatment cut nausea by 40%.

But you can use it for simple motion sickness by eating one or two pieces of crystallized ginger, found in most supermarkets and food stores, before getting in that car.

Turning to your medicine cabinet, next time you reach for the menthol rub, such as Vicks, for a cold, be aware that you could be treating nail fungus at the same time. Safe and easy to obtain, wipe those nails affected with a cotton ball wet with white vinegar before applying a thin coat of the menthol gel. Easy to apply, studies show using this approach once daily cured or cleared up the fungus, sometimes more effectively than more expensive alternatives.

While you’re in the bathroom, don’t overlook baby shampoo at the back of the closet if you’re one of the many adults who suffer from itchy, red or crusty eyelids, known as blepharitis. This causes scaling and crustiness along the base of the eyelashes and is very common in older adults. The Mayo Clinic suggests the following: Dilute a tiny amount of baby shampoo with water and gently rub the mix with clean fingers on your closed eyelids twice a day for one minute. Rinse well with water. Remember to apply the mix only to the eyelids, never to the eye itself.

Eco Lassie is not recommending specific brands of items, nor has she or Eco Women profited from mentioning any of these remedies.

1.  Wraps.  Use phyllo dough or soft tortillas and wrap up any combination of veggies, spread and meat to serve up as an appetizer.  Enviro Girl likes to nosh on turkey/cranberry sauce for a savory treat.  Mix up dates, walnuts and brie.  Salsa, cheddar cheese and black beans.  Mushrooms, cheese and spinach.  Hot or cold, wraps are always a hit.

2.  Dip it.  Enviro Girl loves pretzels and mustard, but you can also serve salsa and chips, bread and low fat spinach dip, pita chips and hummus, apples and caramel, raw veggies and roasted eggplant dip (recipe below).

3.  Raw veggies and raw fruit.  If it’s cut bite-sized and elegantly presented, people will enjoy.

4.  A proper cheese plate.  Four blocks of cheese never fail to please:  sharp aged cheddar, Parmesan, Gouda and a goat cheese pair well with crackers, grapes and olives.

5.  Bagels.  Enviro Girl knows they’re acceptable at breakfast, brunch or lunch, but she’d even enjoy eating them later in the day.  Mix up 4-5 different sweet and savory spreads and serve up bagels cut into quarters. A salmon dip (recipe below), fruit spread, pumpkin and vegetable cream cheese provide a bagel platter great variety.

6.  Bruschetta.  Here’s a basic recipe for any occasion.

7.  Homemade pizza.  If you skip the greasy pepperoni and serve it laden with vegetables, goat cheese or sharp Asiago, pizza can be gourmet and healthy.

It’s easy to eat too much over the holidays, but if you’re packing in carrots instead of cookies, you can fill up without feeling too full.  And remember, quality ingredients can make even the most simple recipe tasty.

Roasted Eggplant Dip:Poke several holes in each of 2 medium eggplants, about 1 pound each and roast at 400 F for 30 to 40 minutes or until soft. Cool, then peel and scrape flesh of eggplants into a food processor, leaving most of the seeds behind. Add 3 tablespoons cashew or peanut butter, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 3 cloves garlic and pulse until chunky. Season with salt and stir in 1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro.

Eat a healthy diet with a variety of vitamins and nutrients. Healthy bodies are better able to ward off illnesses, so keep plenty of fruits and vegetables in the kitchen.

Vitamin C is an important tool in  your cold-fighting arsenal, so drink orange juice and eat oranges,, and other foods rich in this nutrient. Consider taking Vitamin C supplements too.

When the inevitable sniffles and runny noses appear, drink plenty of clear fluids, like water and tea.

Chamomile tea with lemon and honey is great for the slight queasiness that comes with colds, plus the chamomile has some natural anti-inflammatory properties. The honey and lemon both soothe sore throats and the honey helps keep your blood sugar up since you’re likely to have have no appetite for food. The tea helps you stay hydrated.

Ginger helps soothe a queasy stomach and the spiciness cab help clear your nose a bit. To make ginger tea, bBoil ginger root and then simmer until it is a caramel color. Add honey to sweeten it and it will kill anything in your mouth and throat. Sip it all day.

As always, chicken soup is a wonderful thing to have when sick. The steam from the hot soup can help loosen congestion in your chest and nose, plus researchers have found evidence that chicken broth has anti-inflammatory properties that aid in soothing sore throats and help stop the movement of the white blood cells that encourage the flow of mucus in the lungs and nose. Furthermore, soup tastes good and the liquids help keep you hydrated. To make your own, see this post.

Another way to deal with congestion is to take a hot bath or shower, since the steam will help unclog your sinuses. Add essential oils of rosemary or eucalyptus for some herbal aid.

Remember when your mother would rub Vick’s Vapor Rub on your chest when you were a kid to help soothe your stuffy nose and/or hacking cough? Well, that’s definitely still a good thing to do. If you want the most organic option available, then give Badger’s Aromatic Chest Rub balm a try. According to their website, you can use the balm as a chest rub or “put a half a teaspoon in a humidifier or pot of hot water as a steam inhalant.”

You can also try some organic throat lozenges, such as the ones made by St. Claire’s, or you could make your own.

Tell the Eco Women: What’s your favorite thing to do when you have a cold? Do you push through or do you you hunker down on your sofa with a warm blanket and a good book?

The Eco Women are not employed by any of the companies mentioned here. Photo credits: Yahoo Images, except for the balm, which came from the company’s website.

Enviro Girl declared her status as “neutral” and admitted she doesn’t really buy Proctor & Gamble products–and then on Sunday while reading through the weekly coupon offers from that company, discovered why.  You see, it’s not that Enviro Girl is against Proctor & Gamble, per se.  It’s not even that she’s buying goods produced by a competitor.  She doesn’t buy Proctor & Gamble products because as an environmental activist and “green” housekeeper, they don’t make much that she needs!

Let’s take a quick look at their brands and product lines and why Enviro Girl doesn’t buy them:

Always:  well, maxi pads are gross and Enviro Girl prefers tampons.  She sees panty liners as a total waste of plastic-lined trash.

Clairol, Aussie, Herbal Essences:  Enviro Girl goes au natural with her hair color and prefers a paraben-free, synthetic-fragrance-free, sulfate-free, phthalate-free shampoo/conditioner experience.  She’s an Avalon Organics girl all the way for her hair care products.

Secret:  Not strong enough for this woman.  She prefers Certain Dri.

Tampax:  Is it just Enviro Girl or have other people noticed the “designer style feminine hygiene care products?”  Bottom line:  An applicator is a waste of plastic or cardboard.

Ivory:  Actually, Enviro Girl swears by bars of Ivory soap at her house, so Proctor & Gamble do get her money for this product.  Tried and true, it’s a cleansing classic.

Venus:  Ditto here–she invested in a razor and likes the disposable cartridges instead of disposable razors.

Scope:  If you brush and floss, mouthwash isn’t necessary.  If you find it is, then you’ve probably got bigger issues going on in your mouth.

CoverGirl:  See the above issues Enviro Girl has with hair care products.  Ditto for her face.  She does not buy most make up products, when she does she opts for brands free of toxic chemicals.

Crest:  Enviro Girl’s household uses Crest.  Not everyone in the household brushes their teeth with crest, so it’s not the main toothpaste brand of choice.

Comet:  (no site link available) Enviro Girl uses Bon Ami or baking soda–not the lung-searing cleaning power of Comet.

Swiffer:  It’s a disposable mop-head/broom product, people.  Disposable.  Enviro Girl won’t even speculate on what they brew to make the floor spray stuff with–she uses a regular mop and vinegar with hot water to clean wood and tile floors.

Tide/Dreft/Cheer/Gain:  Enviro Girl has major issues with chemical fragrances and she likes to use a laundry detergent that’s gentle on the environment.  To that end, she’s a Seventh Generation fan through and through–that detergent never fails to clean her family’s clothes and doesn’t leave a heavy scent behind, either.

Ferbreze:  Speaking of chemically toxic smells, most people already know that a clean house doesn’t require air fresheners.  Never ever in a million years would Enviro Girl buy a product that leaves behind dangerous chemical residue in the name of “freshening up” her household. Enviro Girl cleans well with vinegar and water and leaves windows open for that “fresh air” fragrance in her house.

Duracell:  Enviro Girl has already invested in rechargeable batteries by Energizer.  ‘Nuff said.

Downy/Bounce:  Enviro Girl has posted before about dryer sheets and fabric softeners.  They’re a wasteful and even dangerous product.   If static cling is really an issue, wool dryer balls or a quick spritz with vinegar and water will cure it.  It’s products like these that make the last few aisles of Target an asthma attack waiting to happen for people like Enviro Girl.

Dawn:  Just as she feels about laundry detergent, Enviro Girl likes an environmentally friendly and natural smelling dish soap.  She chooses Mrs. Meyers Clean Day products.  (And is it just Enviro Girl or do other people notice a wonky smell on dish cloths when folks use the “antibacterial” Dawn dish soaps?)

Cascade:  Again, environmentally friendly dishwasher detergents are Enviro Girl’s pick.  She really likes Seventh Generation’s dishwasher powdered detergent.  It’s fairly inexpensive and does a great job getting dishes clean.

Bounty:  Enviro Girl has taken The Paper Towel Challenge and uses about a quarter a roll of paper towel a year.  Paper towels really aren’t necessary–old newspapers or rags do the same job for a fraction of the price and without decimating forests.  In fact, Enviro Girl’s family has even reduced their use of paper towels since she originally took the challenge!  Because she barely ever buys paper towels, she spends a bit more on some 100% recycled paper towels.

Charmin:  Enviro Girl buys the store brand of toilet paper–not super plush, not super scratchy.

Pringles:  Enviro Girl will let the ingredients speak for this product:

RICE FLOUR, VEGETABLE OIL (CONTAINS ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: CORN OIL, COTTONSEED OIL, SOYBEAN OIL, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), DRIED POTATOES, CORN FLOUR, MALTODEXTRIN, WHEAT STARCH, MODIFIED RICE STARCH, SUGAR, AND TRIGLYCEROL MONO-OLEATE. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, WHEAT BRAN, DRIED BLACK BEANS, SALT, AND CITRIC ACID. CONTAINS WHEAT INGREDIENTS.

Um, yeah.  Enviro Girl likes potato chips made with 3 ingredients, potatoes, oil and salt.  FAIL, Pringles.  FAIL.  (And this is the ingredient list from the healthy-sounding “Multigrain Pringles.”)

Mr. Clean:  Enviro Girl loves Ecover.  Bless your shiny bald head, Mr. Clean, but the contents of your bottle will never in a million years live up to the high environmental standards of Ecover.
So, it’s not personal, Proctor & Gamble.  It’s more a matter of being friendly to her environment (air, earth and water) and knowing what’s necessary to keep her household clean and healthy and what will probably pollute it more.   Do tell, reader–do you buy Proctor & Gamble products for your household?  Or have you opted to buy more eco-friendly brands?

It’s that time of year again.

Yes, Bike Commute Challenge.

You see, here in River City, we take sustainability seriously. Hundreds of people commute by bicycle every day to work and back. It’s an easy way to save money: no need to pay for parking, no money for car insurance, heck, no need for cars, gas or maintenance. And, that doesn’t say anything about how much less your carbon footprint will be. But, just think about it for a moment. You can reduce the emissions your car would be putting out into the air, simply by riding to work. This is one way you can do your part to save the planet . . . plus, you’ll be getting yourself in shape – all at the same time. So no need to pay for a gym membership either. Think of how much you’ll save: money, maybe time and the planet!

So don’t let your bike go to waste sitting on the sidelines.
Get out there and ride to work! And, if you aren’t lucky enough to live in River City, then check with your local community to find out whether they have a bike commute challenge and, if they don’t, why don’t you get one organized…I challenge you.

Even the Green Queen has been riding to work. Of course it’s an easy downhill ride and that helps. She hasn’t quite gotten up the guts to ride back home – all the way uphill, yet – this year. But, that’s coming. She’s lucky to be able to take her bike on the MAX (the citywide transit train) if she chooses.

But Portland has always been one innovative city. City planners have been creating a bike encouraging city. Just look at some of the unusual aspects of city planning going on here. Cars have to sit and wait behind the bikes. And, people can often get to work faster on bikes than in cars, locked up in gridlock.
So, what more do you need to hear to get you pedaling yourself to work? It’s time to JUST DO IT!

Beer.  Pour flat warm beer mixed with water through your hair after you shampoo and wait a minute or two before your final rinse.  Beer replenishes moisture and adds shine.

Apple cider vinegar.  Use the same as a beer rinse.  It’s a natural cleanser and a good conditioner.

Carbonated water.  Apparently the low pH helps manage fly-away strands of hair.

Olive oil.  Actually, any kind of oil.  Apply through your hair BEFORE you shampoo to restore moisture and shine.  You can use a few drops as a serum after  you’ve dried and styled your hair, too.  Enviro Girl suggests olive oil because it has the least amount of odor compared to other oils.  Shea butter can also smooth styled hair.

Finally, a mash-up of mayonnaise and avocado makes a great deep conditioner.  Just be sure to shampoo well afterwards or you’ll smell like a sandwich!

Despite all these measures to keep children safe, most of us think nothing of sending our children to toxic school buildings to spend 7 hours a day, 180 days of a year, for 12-13 years of their lives.

What makes a school a healthy learning environment for millions of  children attending them and the  teachers and support staff working in them?

“Green schools ” need to take things further than providing recycle bins in every classroom and installing energy-efficient light bulbs.  Most school buildings are industrial boxes with few windows and even fewer that open.  Older buildings, while not full of asbestos any longer, often have poor ventilation and high levels of pollutants.  Environmentally healthy schools provide a safe infrastructure and an environment that combine to produce healthy and safe students.

Green Schools, or  Environmentally Healthy Schools, by definition, should include:

*Daylight.  Simply having windows in classrooms alters mood and behavior and reduces electrical use, which saves money and energy.

* Transportation.  Efficient, safe, and emission free are good guidelines.  Safe walking paths are ideal since they leave the least environmental impact (emission free!) and give children a chance to exercise and enjoy fresh air.  Enviro Girl lives in a rural district and she simply asked her school’s principal to have the buses turn off their engines while waiting for students at the end of the day.  By turning off their diesel engines, the air is cleaner, there is less noise pollution and the bus company saves money on fuel.  Encouraging car pooling is another way to reduce energy consumption.

* Good air quality.  Adequate ventilation and reduced environmental toxins mean healthier students.  Simply being able to open windows improves circulation.  This can also help reduce mold.

* Temperature control.  A well-constructed building won’t have drafty classrooms or overheated classrooms.  Radiant heat is one excellent way to efficiently heat large buildings because it maintains even temperatures and uses less fuel.  If your school district is building a new school, chime in on the heating/cool system to maximize your taxpayers’ investment.  Likewise, if your school buildings have extreme temperature fluctuations, advocate for an energy audit to discover if there are more efficient ways to heat/cool the school.

*  Water use.  Safe drinking water should be available at water fountains or spigots.  Low flow toilets and faucets reduce waste and use.  The greenest schools encourage students to bring their own water bottles and refuse to sell bottled water and soft drinks out of vending machines during the school day.

* Access to nature.  Fresh air, exercise, playground areas, “green spaces” for learning make children physically healthier and more able to think and learn.  Trees provide wind, dust and noise barriers while creating shade.  Gardens and native plantings can educate students in a range of topics, including nutrition and biology.

* Healthy food.  The Eco Women could write a week’s worth of posts on this issue, but chemical free, unprocessed, locally produced, nutritious food should be available for students.  Many schools have instituted “healthy snack” policies and banned vending and soda machines.  This is a good start.  The bigger issue is the food served on those cafeteria trays.  Many school cafeterias serve high-salt, high-sugar, high-fat foods like chicken nuggets and canned vegetables.  Enviro Girl was glad her children’s school began contracting with local farmers to make fresh produce available.  It’s a small step in the right direction, even though they have miles to go to make hot lunch healthy and palatable.  Most schools have hired out the cafeteria to a large corporation (like Aramark).  Aramark does provide healthy meal options to customers demanding them.  It’s a small thing to rally parents to put fresh fruit and vegetables on those cafeteria trays.

* No bad chemicals.  Chemicals are used all over school buildings–waste management, pest management, cleaning supplies, mold control, laboratory waste management.  Environmentally healthy schools adopt integrated pest management (IPM) and use nontoxic cleaning supplies.

* Curriculum.  Lessons in all subject areas should include environmental knowledge and awareness of environmental issues.  From Biology to Social Studies, Language Arts to Health, students should learn how their behavior and actions affect the world around them and how nature and people are deeply connected.  For teachers, Planet Pals and The Sierra Club are great resources.

All of these elements combine to make our students healthier and improve their ability to learn.  These factors also combine to make public education cost-effective by reducing consumption.  According to Building Green Schools, the cost benefits include: less electrical use, lowered emissions, and reduced illness.  Whether lobbying for nontoxic, biodegradable cleaning supplies, new ventilation systems, or improved lunch programs, there are many ways parents can advocate for a healthier school environment.  The majority of our nation’s schools don’t meet the healthiest, greenest standard.  These issues encompass more than the physical structure of a school.

Is your children’s school green?  Which of these areas might your school improve?

By coordinating parent support for these issues and lobbying your school board, your school’s administrators and your school’s PTA/PTO, you can make your school greener and healthier for everyone learning and working there.  By tackling one issue, one project, one area at a time, this challenge is less daunting and the payoff is immediate.    It’s about a cleaner planet AND our children’s safety.

All images are from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Green School Poster Program.

While there are plenty of people who default to eating McFood or mixing up boxes of this ‘n’ that because they think it’s quicker or easier or less expensive, Recycla is here to tell that it’s not so. Every day across America, thousands of people make the same choice. They opt for convenience over nutrition, flavor, and cost.

There is a better option — slow food. And that is what Recycla has been teaching her daughters.

Slow food is good food.

Slow food is real food.

Slow food is healthy food.

Slow food is less expensive than fast food.

The Slow Food movement began in Italy over 20 years ago as a reaction to the culinary horrors of fast food and has since spread to nearly all corners of the globe. The objectives of the Slow Food movement include, but are not limited to:

• educating consumers about the risks of fast food
• educating citizens about the drawbacks of commercial agribusiness and factory farms
• lobbying against government funding of genetic engineering
• lobbying against the use of pesticides
• teaching gardening skills to students and prisoners
• and more

Slow Food is about bringing back traditions that sustained humans for centuries but that are now being lost to the conveniences of fast food.

What can you do?

The most important thing is not to eat McCrap.  Instead, prepare your own meals.  Easier said than done, right? However, even if you cook only a couple of nights a week, it’s better than nothing. And these don’t have to be lavish, multi-course affairs.  Pasta tossed with some chopped tomatoes and freshly-grated Parmesan will take 20-25 minutes.  Omelettes and frittatas take 20 minutes.  A Greek salad can take 15 minutes.

And that is what Recycla is teaching her daughters. While she has long involved them in the kitchen and the girls already know a lot, this summer the girls are helping her plan meals for the week; they are going with her to the go to the grocery store, farmers’ market, and/or local organic butcher to get the food supplies; and then they are cooking alongside her in the kitchen. So far, the girls have made dinners as simple as pasta tossed with frozen vegetables to the slightly-more-involved baked chicken and mashed potatoes to the even-more-involved spaghetti and meatballs. Each meal has involved simple ingredients — no pre-packaged foods — and nothing has taken inordinate amounts of time to prepare.

Recycla will admit that it’s a bit more work for her to show her girls step-by-step what they need to do than if she just does the cooking herself. However, all humans need to eat; therefore, they need to learn how to cook. Recycla is going beyond just teaching her daughters how to follow a recipe — she’s explaining to them HOW and WHY things are in the kitchen so that they’ll understand the basic processes of cooking. She’s also teaching them basic kitchen skills that everyone should know — for example, how to use a knife properly and safely. (By the way, Recycla highly recommends In the Green Kitchen by Alice Waters, which teaches readers all the necessary basic kitchen skills.)

At this point, Recycla’s pre-teen daughters know how to do a lot, but there’s always more that they can learn.Eventually, she knows that they’ll be able to prepare a meal from start to finish without her input and she knows that day is coming soon.

In the larger scheme of things, Recycla is not only giving her daughters valuable life skills, she’s also creating memories with them — baking a birthday cake for their grandfather, inviting some friends over and working as a team to make ice cream and brownies for their sleepover, making their father’s favorite dinner and listening to him shower them with compliments for a delicious meal, and more. The girls are having a lot of fun, which is important because cooking should not be a burden.

Tell the Eco Women: Do you cook? If so, how much? How old were you when you learned how to cook?

Another problem that some research talks about is that the CO2 raises Ph levels in the body, which prevents absorption of nutrients and destroys enzymes that aid in digestion.

But there are also possible benefits to CO2. It can kill bacteria which might make it a good option in beverages when you are in a foreign country where the water may not be safe.

Of course, most of the bubbles have already popped by the time the liquid reaches the stomach so most of its effects are gone by the time it settles inside you.

Another question that has been raised is whether or not CO2 has been linked to cellulite, there isn’t any research that the Green Queen has found to suggest the two are linked. So, it might simply be a silly rumor.

So, what does carbonation have to do with sustainability? It’s an interesting question the Green Queen has wondered about because in her family they try to eat whole foods that are processed as little as possible. But one thing they love is carbonated waters, so it’s nice to know that carbonated water doesn’t pose any serious health risks.

Still, even if carbonated water isn’t bad for you, it’s not the best option for the environment. Usually these beverages are sold in plastic and/or glass bottles, which means more waste in the world than if you simply drink the water directly out of the tap. And, a lot of people don’t just drink carbonated water, they drink soda pop and other carbonated drinks that add an entirely different level of complication to the question of health effects from those drinks. That’s one reason to keep the question simple: water and carbonation . . . ?

So, in the Green Queen’s opinion, the best motto is to use carbonation in moderation at least until we have more research. It might not make a big difference in your health but it will make a big difference to the environment.