Food for Thought

A while back I read Michael Pollan's book An Omnivore's Dilemmna. While I haven't yet foraged for mushrooms, I did appreciate his adventures into how our food is made and where it comes from and his attempts to eat in ways that keep a close connection between the field, forest, or farm and our kitchen table. Yes, he can be a bit preachy and ponderous at times, but hear me out. Tonight, I was reading an article on thinking Christianly about economics and came across this paragraph:

What might it look like for our communities to engage with creation as a partner and not a resource? Michael Pollan gave a talk in 2007 in which he challenged his audience to imagine the world from the perspective of other species. ... Pollan tells the story of a farm in Virginia where industrial agriculture has been rejected in favour of an approach where the crops form a complex and sustainable ecosystem or permaculture. The complex relationships between the species result in organic crop yields which are multiples of the yields produced by intensively managed factory farms. Might Christians be at the leading edge of such exciting projects? What radical impact might this have on our economics?

I'm not sure if the article's author is aware that Christians ARE at the leading edge of such exciting projects. At least as far as that farm in Virginia is concerned, the Salatins are a Christian family. I'm not saying that I think we should all haul ourselves out of the cities and start living this way. By no means! A famer's life is not for everyone. And I don't think that the Salatins have "the perfect farming method," though I do find their commitment to creating a symbiotic relationship between the farmers and the animals and crops compelling. Plus, they have a consistently strong work ethic, working long hours, yet still find time to read great books. (If only I could be so productive!)

I do believe that supporting these smaller family farms is a good idea, even if our pocketbooks can only do so in small doses. Christians should be leading the way, taking on these projects when possible, but at the very least teaching our children to be good stewards and caretakers of the earth. Even if the farms aren't overtly Christian, our support of such projects might help encourage others to do the same.

During the summer, I plan to support a CSA (community-supported agriculture)/farmer's market in my neighborhood that I discovered through Local Harvest. A few years ago, I bought extra shares from those farmers and have been on the mailing list ever since. This summer I hope to visit the market each week with the boys since our usual Wednesday activity is on hiatus. I think it will be educational for the boys and a start at seeing where our food comes from. Also, since we have such great outdoor space now, I hope to plant a small garden or, at the very least, some tomatoes. (Give me a few weeks and maybe I'll do something about that.) If nothing else, I will pause more often in the produce aisle and consider how and where I spend my grocery budget and what that means for the kingdom.

(I do want to add that I understand that choices of whether or how to implement these ideas are, like education, specific for each family. Maybe you don't buy this and just want to get all your produce from Publix? Okay, that's cool, too.)

Still, I've learned over the last few years the truth that what we do with this place we live matters. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. We have been called to be good stewards, whether in a city windowbox or a rural garden plot, and not to damage or abuse what we have been given. We're currently renting our house and I've noticed how I desire to improve it rather than let it remain as-is. (The analogy breaks down, of course, because if you own something you usually want to take care of it more since you have to fix it yourself. Perhaps it's only someone like me who would lament previous neglectful tenants and long to make it better.) It's the same with the earth, though -- our world belongs to the Lord so we should trod carefully and leave it better than when we arrived, not treat it like a garbage dump.

When we tend a garden, we are proclaiming that our role as caretakers matters. When we do research about local farmers and buy produce from a farmer who shares our stewardship values, we are supporting others who take care of the earth. When we nourish new plants with decaying compost in our backyard, it is a reminder that Christ overcame death and points us toward the day He will come again to create a new heavens and a new earth. May our gardens be redeemed into something glorious. Until then, may He find us faithful.

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Plastic, Plastic, Everywhere...

and nary a safe kind to drink from!

Other title possibility: "Thank you, Science Olympiad!"

When I was a senior in high school, our Science Olympiad team won the state championship and we got to fly to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the National Competition.

I was in multiple events; we were a small town high school with a small team. (We were also WAY out of our league. Thank you, South Carolina for coming in dead last, just below us!) Some of my favorite events from my years on the team, stretching all the way back to junior high, were Rocks, Minerals and Fossils, Name that Organism, Write It/Do It, and the one I excelled in: Designer Genes. (I still have nightmares about getting lost in the woods on some nature idetification event that tested your orienteering skills. I have probably blocked that event name from my memory.) But perhaps the most useful, though I wouldn't have thought it to be at the time, was a new event that year called Polymer Detectives.

Basically, I got to be the guinea pig for this new event that was all about plastics. When I was a participant, they gave you little pieces of plastics to test to try to identify their properties. You could see if they floated, bend them, and touch them, though I don't remember being able to burn them, though we probably did. I burned lots of things in high school.

For the event, my partner and I had to memorize the properties of all 7 types of plastics and be able to identify them from tiny samples. One example -- if you could tell that the piece was from a plastic milk bottle, you knew it was Type 2, HDPE, and could go on to answer questions about its properties. (Not that I was any good at the event, really--most of the time I think it felt like we were just guessing.)

But I am thankful for some of that Plastic Detective knowledge now, because today it helped me identify some harmful plastics in my own home!

There have been many studies released recently about dangerous chemicals in some polycarbonate plastics, called BPA's, that can leach out into whatever you put in them, possibly due to heat. That's why you should never microwave plastic containers, and some are still not safe to clean in the dishwasher. They have found levels of these BPA chemicals in the urine of pregnant and nursing moms and kids. I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I want some crazy chemicals leaching into my body. This morning, they highlighted unsafe drinking bottles and cups on the Today show (Click here to see a video segement.)

The most surprising thing I learned from the Today Show segment (and confirmed on the Z Report) was that Nalgene bottles, those staples of my college years, are actually high in BPA's!

So, look at the labels before you buy! This morning on the Today Show, they boiled it down to a pretty simple formula:

NEVER use Type 3, 6, or 7 plastics for drinking or eating.

Type 1 plastics: Only use once, then take to a recycling center. Do not re-use, because washing and cleaning with harsh chemicals can release BPA's into what your drink.

The rest should be okay, especially if they are labeled BPA free, like Born Free bottles.

Better yet, use glass or metal! Glass baby bottles are making a comeback. And so are aluminum sippy cups.

But, if you have lots of plastic kids' cups and can't find a plastic label or are unsure about the BPA content, then this site is a great resource for finding out if your children's products are harmful:

The Z Report on BPA in Children's Feeding Products

The above report even has a mobile number you can call to find out information about plastic products when you are out shopping. I would recommend at least checking it out to see if any of the products you have are made by the companies listed as "Fair" or "Poor."

As soon as I watched the report this morning, I checked my son's sippy cups. I had just bought a set of 5 cups and 2 bowls with lids on sale for only $10, thinking that surely those would be unsafe. (They are made in China, but that's a different story.) They were Type 5, and labeled dishwasher and microwave safe. Ok.

But, I picked up my son's Gerber Fun Grips Soft Starter Spill Proof Cup (the one with the two handles) to examine it. There was no plastic type insignia. No label at all. And here is where my former glory as a Science Olympian came in handy...it looked a bit like type 3 plastic to me. I couldn't be sure without damaging the cup, so I checked the Z Report. Sure enough, although many of the Gerber cups ARE safe, the Fun Grips Cup with the double handles is not BPA-free.

Bye, bye, Gerber cup, and good riddance! We never liked you anyway because your two handles make it too easy to sling around milk everywhere. I'm hoping to replace it soon with either a SIGG kid's bottle, Kleen Kanteen or Foogoo by Thermos Sippy Cup. Or maybe all three!

I hope this has been an entertaining and informative public service announcement. Parents, go check out your kids' cups!

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Easy Ideas for Going Green

In case you're wondering (and even if you weren't) we've been slowly taking greener steps to create a healthier home. Mostly, because doing so has helped to save us money and has lately become more convenient, but also because I've begun to notice a difference in how I feel with less toxins around.

1. Recycle. Duh.

Currently, we recycle aluminum cans. Gaines go through about a box of sodas a week, and the bonus is that we can drop off the empty ones at church and make a little extra money for our elderly members.

2. Use cloth.

I have a couple of cheap cloth shopping bags I got at Garden Ridge for $1 each. I try to remember to take these with me whenever I go to the store, but sometimes I forget. If I do bring home plastic bags, we keep them and reuse them. We also part-time cloth diaper, but that's an entirely different post for another day. Oh, and cloth napkins. Sometimes I remember to use those, but I need a better system for what to do with the dirty ones.

3. Become aware.

Having a baby DOES change everything. I'm not a complete clean/germ freak, but seeing how the little dude puts everything into his mouth really makes me pause. Eventually, I'd like to try out the baby surface spray and other products from Mrs. Meyers. Right now, I just use hot water and mild soap for most things.

Also, since Trader Joe's came to town, I've enjoyed using their laundry detergent, especially on cloth diapers and wipes. I'm open to trying other brands, though, so if anyone has any (reasonably priced) recommendations that are either unscented or that have a clean, fresh, natural scent, let me know.

4. Slowly get rid of chemicals.

I have tons of harsh cleaning products, but since I bought most of them at a warehouse club my stockpile has lasted for years. However, whenever I run out of a product, I try to replace it with something more eco-friendly. I'm currently loving the Method window cleaner with it's fresh mint scent (yay for Target!). I'd like to try out more of their products -- I'm thinking of just tossing out everything I have and getting the detox kit! But for now, I'll switch out one product at a time.

5. Freecycle.

It is my new best friend. A few months ago, we gave away our old TV, and yesterday, I picked up a filing cabinet!


Besides the other usual things like changing out to the long-lasting flourescent lightbulbs, using less water, keeping the thermostat constant (and using lots of blankets), how else do you try to make less of an impact on the environment while also being cost-effective?

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Winner! (Seventh Generation)

All my contest-entering has begun to pay off!

I just learned that I won eco-friendly Seventh Generation diapers and wipes from Seven Dogs and a Baby! There are always great contests going on over there, so check them out.

Before Jacob was born, I taught high school with an inspiring science teacher who gave us a package of newborn Seventh Generation diapers. We were skeptical at first, but after trying them out in comparison to some other brands, we LOVED them!

They had no funky deoderant smell and no cartoon characters, just a dye-free diaper. Of course, the diapers are "natural" in color, meaning they look brownish, and sometimes people thought he'd had an accident! But they worked great, better than Huggies in my opinion, and didn't have that Pampers cloying scent. The only problem is that I can't seem to find them at a reasonable price locally. Of course, we have been given so many diapers and use cloth part-time so we really didn't need to buy any for a long time! Now, I either find coupons or get the BJ's store brand, which we prefer over Target or Walmart. And believe me, we've tried them all!

I've also been using the Seventh Generation mold and mildew remover, which has a great citrus scent, and so far, has been keeping the grossness at bay with some regular spritzing and slight scrubbing. It also doesn't overpower me with nasty fumes whenever I do get around to cleaning the shower, so that's a plus.

FYI, Wee Generation is a cool new site from the Seventh Generation folks (among others) about eco-friendly baby products.

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