Mothballs

It's getting to be time to put away your winter clothes for the year -- thank goodness! But don't pack them away with mothballs. Those things are literally poison, which is helpful in keeping moths at bay but not so good for your health.

An alternative? Cedar chips or blocks. You can find them at hardware stores (like Lowes), big box retailers (like Wal-Mart), and bed/bath specialty stores (like Bed, Bath & Beyond). They're inexpensive and much better for you than moth balls!

An added bonus: you can refresh cedar blocks and chips with cedar oil and/or sanding. This will keep your cedar investment working for years to come!

Dirty Dozen

Every year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) analyzes around 50 "conventionally grown" (ie, pesticide-ridden) fruits and vegetables to see which are the safest and which are the most dangerous.

This year's list just came out. This year's "dirty dozen," the 12 worst in terms of pesticides, are (from the highest pesticide levels to lower ones): peach, apple, sweet bell pepper, celery, nectarine, strawberry, cherry, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrot, and pear.

The EWG produces a wallet sized print out of these dirty dozen (as well as the "clean fifteen," the least pesticide-ridden of the 47 analyzed fruits and vegetables this year) that you can bring with you when you go shopping. That might be a good idea, actually, until you have these more or less memorized. The point is, you should try to always buy the "dirty dozen" organically grown!

Of course, a dozen is an arbitrary cut-off point. Not that much difference between twelveth and thirteenth places, after all. Check out the whole list here.

Hand Sanitizer

If you often use waterless hand sanitizer, consider switching to a green alternative. The following article from Tree Hugger discusses the Clean Well line of hand sanitizers. Here in West Melbourne, FL, you can find these products at Paradise Health and Nutrition. I'm sure if you have the good fortune of having access to larger natural food/products stores, you'll be able to find Clean Well easily where you live, too.

A Greener Hand Sanitizer for Cold Season?

Natural CleanWell hand sanitizers kill 99.99 percent of germs while being 100 biodegradable just in time for cold season. CleanWell’s kid-friendly sanitizers, soaps, and wipes are made with ingredients from renewable plants such as thyme that don’t require pesticides during their growing process.

CleanWell also doesn't include Triclosan, an ingredient that has gotten a pretty bad wrap. Triclosan, widely used as an antibacterial ingredient in household hand sterilization products, breaks down rapidly when exposed to chlorinated water and produces toxic chemicals including chloroform. According to a study published on the Environmental Science & Technology research website As Soon As Publishable (ASAP), many antibacterial products may not only be ineffective, but harmful.

According to Cleanwell's Web site, however, the product doesn't disrupt the eco-system. It's also free of toxins like Triclosan and cruelty-free (not tested on animals).

Lloyd previously discussed how hand sanitizers can do more harm than good. According to Scientific American, it appears that after spraying a counter with an antibiotic cleaner, some chemicals linger and continue to kill bacteria but don't necessarily get all of them. The ones that survive develop a tolerance. That's scary stuff. The jury is still out as to whether that's true of natural sanitizers.

The bottom line: people love hand sanitizer. So if you're going to use it, you might as well try a greener version.

Holiday lights and trees

The holidays are close upon us now. If you're still thinking about getting some lights or a tree for this year, learn how to make your holiday more eco-friendly. Even if you're done decorating for the season, take note of these tips for next year. (Plus, the days after Christmas can be a great time to stock up on more sustainable holiday supplies for future years.)

Holiday lights: Look for LED light strings. All the arguments for LED lights over incandescent bulbs in your house still apply. They are cheaper to run, they use less energy, and they last practically forever. And year by year they are easier and easier to find in stores. Home Depot, for example, has a TON of options. So do Sears and Kmart.

Trees: This is a tough one. A really tough one. In fact, there are very few good options here. You could forgo the tree although, the best option, or you could decorate a tall potted plant instead. But if you must have an honest-to-goodness Christmas tree, there's a lot to consider.

First, consider an outdoor potted tree that you can bring in for the week before Christmas. Or planting your own Christmas trees. In six or so years, you'll be able to harvest your first one, and, so long as you plant one a year, you'll be set from then on out. Both of those options are realistic for the suburban or rural homeowner.

If you live in an urban area, an apartment, a rental property, or a condo, you have a different set of options. Some cities have Christmas tree rental programs where you can have a live potted tree in your home for the holidays, then send it back out to pasture, so to speak, for the rest of the year. This is a great program. Your next-best option after that is an organically-grown tree. These are getting easier to find.

If none of the above options work for you, you are now in a toss-up situation: conventionally-grown chopped down tree vs. artificial tree. Conventional tree farms use a ton of chemical pesticides and herbicides. Most conventional trees to reach your neighborhood also had to be shipped a long way, leaving a large carbon footprint behind. If you choose to go with this option, buy the most local tree you can, and research how to environmentally dispose of it (using a wood chipper to produce mulch is good, as are programs that use them for fish habitats in lakes -- see what's available in your area).

Artificial trees offer much more convenience and can be used year after year. However, most are made of unsustainable plastic, contain lead, and are produced in China. Again, the carbon footprint of that transportation is large. If you choose to go with this option, make sure you take good care of your tree so that you may use it for decades. Also, do not buy a new one. Look for one at thrift stores or through the classifieds (Craigslist counts too!). In this way, you are not adding to the ecological impact of your tree. In fcct, you are taking it out of the waste system, which is always a good thing.

For more of Christmas trees, check out this article from Green Promise.

For ideas on green tree-trimming and home decoration, see Crunchy Chicken's article Greening Your Holiday Decorations.

Image from http://www.thelasvegasadventurer.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/tree_recycle.jpg

A Healthy Nursery

When you're setting up a nursery for your little one or looking into baby shower gifts, remember to choose items that are good for baby and good for Mother (Earth). Amenity Modern Organic Living has a new nursery line with crib accessories, blankets, pillows, and furniture. Adorable prints are just the icing on the cake, as these products are make of organic and sustainable materials. Choosing organic materials for baby is vital, since conventionally grown cotton is one of the most pesticide-laden crops grown.

Amenity has organic bedding for adult beds, too, as well as table runners, placemats, napkins, wall decor, throws, and more. Treat yourself to some pesticide-free cotton, too!

For more options, Egg has a whole line of organic baby clothes and bedding.