Easy Eco Blog » Food

How to have a Green Valentine’s Day – What is Eco Friendly Green Sex?

easy eco blog — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:00:43 +0000

Having an Eco Friendly Green Valentine’s Day or any holiday, is more and more desirable these days. How can you green your Valentine’s Day?

Instead of a Valentine’s Day card, send a virtual Valentine’s Day card
If you must send flowers, try to purchase flowers that were grown locally to your area or ones that are fair trade certified
Why spend a large amount of money and resources eating out, when a romantic dinner is even better?
Buy your meats and vegetables for your big meal from a local farmers market or from local sources
Buy any new garments from a high-quality used clothing store
Utilize reusable bags to hold gifts
Compost any meals leftovers, etc.
Give out green oriented treats like handwritten poems, homemade scents, and handmade arts and crafts.
Observe eco-friendly romantic relations

With a little preparation we all can make a difference, even on Valentine’s Day.

Eco Friendly Green Sex

We couldn’t believe that eco-friendliness has extended itself to another realm, sex. Eco Friendly Green Sex is described in the new book Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable.

The book covers eco-friendly alternatives to a wide variety of merchandise from bed sheets to mood lighting to fair-trade condoms to green dating sites to hair and makeup to lubricants to toys and romance. It also covers the resource usage results if you have children.

Heavy Metals in Protein Drinks – Arsenic, Fungicide in Juice

easy eco blog — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 07:00:01 +0000

photo credit: d_vdm

Consumerreports.org reports that some Protein Drinks like Muscle milk are contaminated with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury.

“Our recent investigation—including tests at an outside laboratory of 15 protein drinks, a review of government documents and interviews with health and fitness experts—found that most people already get enough protein, and some of the drinks can pose health risks, including exposure to potentially harmful heavy metals if consumed frequently.”

Federal regulations do not generally require that these protein drinks and other dietary supplements be tested to ensure that they are safe and free of contaminants.

Cadmium is a carcinogen, lead is a toxic, as are the other contaminates.

Be careful and read up on the dangers, if you regularly drink these protein drinks.

Heavy Metals in Juice

They also conducted tests in 2011 on several samples of juice and found that several contained arsenic levels higher than Federal limits for bottled water. Lead Arsenate pesticides were once widely used in orchards, so residue is probably causing the issue.

Recommendation is to minimize the amount of juice drunken and to dilute it with water whenever possible.

Fungicide in Juice

Orange Juice from Coca-Cola and PepsiCo were recently found to have the fungicide carbendazim. They were imported from Brazil. The EPA approved this chemical for orange use from 2002 to 2009. The companies claim the level of fungicide was safe. We would steer clear of this juice ourselves.

How to have a Green Thanksgiving

easy eco blog — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:00:41 +0000

Having an Eco Friendly Green Thanksgiving is more and more desirable these days. How can you green your Thanksgiving?

Buy your pumpkins, squash, and other vegetables from a local farmers market or from local sources. Some even carry special Heritage turkeys
Buy organic when possible, except for product on the Clean 15 list
Buy a locally raised organic turkey with no antibiotics, no hormones, free range, raised on vegetarian feed, and no added flavor enhancers or salt
Utilize reusable bags to hold groceries
Don’t over cook or serve too much food
Rent or buy your decorations from used clothing stores like Goodwill. Reusing items that you already have is even better.
Donate extra food, money, clothing to those in need
Compost the leftovers, pumpkin, squash, etc.
Give out green oriented treats like organic fruit, repurposed trinkets

With a little preparation we all can make a difference, even on Thanksgiving.

Donating Food to the Hungry

The Food Runners are an organization in the San Francisco Bay Area that helps business, organizations and people donate excess food. You call them at 415-929-1866, tell them what you have, and they match you with a party in need.

They work with restaurants, hotels, schools, food services, and private individuals. They are also looking for volunteers.

If you know similar organizations in your area, leave a note with the region and contact information.

Green Eco Friendly Turkey Fryer for Thanksgiving

easy eco blog — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:00:47 +0000

Fried Turkey tastes great but generates a ton of used grease that must be disposed of properly. A typical turkey fryer uses 3 gallons of oil. You should recycle the used oil and not toss it in the garbage, but few people do that. The fryer should never be used indoors, even if it is raining or snowing outside. There is also a flash fire safety issue, not to mention healthiness issues on a day that most of us overeat. Just check out this video..

Char-Broil The Big Easy Oil-Less Infrared Turkey Fryer does not have the problem because it uses Infrared cooking technology. It is able to cook turkeys (up to 16 lbs.), chickens, beef roasts, pork tenderloins, and other large cuts of meat. The Big Easy allows for the use of rubs and seasoning flavor to be used on the outside, which can wash away with traditional turkey fryers, so there is the potential of even better flavor.

This unit does require a propane tank though.

Winter Green Pest Control – Ants, Organic Pesticides

easy eco blog — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Winter time brings on the bugs, seemingly at the same time every year. The ants in our area seem to love to visit our kitchen when the first heavy rains hit. Almost everyone has to deal with pests. Whether indoor or outdoors, we need to think about eco friendly, green alternatives to toxic pesticides.

Finding Where Ants are Coming From

We try to first watch where the ants are coming from, then plug the holes with caulk. Unfortunately these pests came come through holes slightly larger than a pin size, so that strategy works up to a point. Also examine the perimeter of your house. Make sure all branches and plants are not touching your building.

Keeping food in sealed containers, the tables and counters free of any crumbs, and the kitchen immaculate also helps. Place sweet items like sugar, candy, syrup inside Ziploc plastic bags. If you have some problem prone areas, you may have to rearrange her kitchen during the peak insect infestation season.

Be sure to check plants for insects. They love the moisture in the soil. You may need to mix the soil with the insecticide to prevent ants growing in your plants. We have also found leaving the plant outside in the cold for a couple hours, drives the ants away.

Green Pesticides

We also use Orange Guard, which is d-Limonene (orange peel extract) based to keep ants away. Spray and leave it on for a while to soak in and deter other ants from coming back. This spray helps remove the pheromone trails that ants leave.

Safer Ant & Crawling Insect Killer is another product we use. It contains diatomaceous earth (77.69%). Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. OMRI-listed and compliant for use in organic gardening. We dust the cracks where ants may come out of with this stuff. It also works on Cockroaches, Ants, Earwigs, Silverfish, Crickets, Millipedes & Centipedes. Avoid inhaling this stuff.

You can make your own ant traps by combining 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon of borax. Sprinkle it in ant infested areas. Ants will take this mix back to the nest and slowly eradicate it. Be patient and do not move the trap around, as it takes several days for this to occur.

You can also sprinkle baking soda, talcum powder or food-grade diatomaceous earth (not swimming pool quality) in areas where ants are active, and also in any cracks, crevices, or wall openings. Vinegar or bleach can be sprayed on ant trails.

EcoPCO ACU contact insecticide is another eco-friendly insecticide. It is made from plant essential oils.

Niban, moisture-resistant, fine granular bait made of Boric acid, is a good product for ants and silverfish control.

Greenbug for Outdoors is a good cedar-based outdoor product to spray on your foundation.

Other Green Tips For Ant Problems

This website has a good list of eco-friendly or green insecticides. Others have suggested using coffee grounds, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, laundry detergent, cornstarch, or Vaseline.

Food Flu Fighters – Vitamin Benefits? – Natural Cold Care, Sambucus

easy eco blog — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:00:23 +0000

It is getting colder by the day, which means the cold and flu season approaching rapidly. People are stocking their medicine cabinets with vitamins, medicine, and other cold remedies. Hand washing is happening much more frequently, as is the use of hand sanitizers, and the avoidance of crowded spaces. We will examine some remedies that you may not have considered.

Vitamins and Dietary Supplements

Vitamins and other dietary supplements may not offer health benefits and may even cause harm to some people. Recent data has prompted people to conclude that vitamins are a waste of money unless you have a specific nutrient deficiency, medical condition, or illness. The research seems to indicate that vitamins don’t make healthy people healthier.

An article sheds some light on the need to make sure you have a balanced diet with the right nutrients to fight infectious diseases like influenza. Some key information in the article:

Vitamins and minerals are necessary to produce immune cells. If you do not consume enough vitamins and minerals, the immune cells you produce may be compromised, making it more difficult to respond to infections.

Obesity and diet play a key role in not getting sick.

Where to get Your Vitamins

Getting vitamins and minerals from food is the best way for your body to absorb them. Multivitamins are a good addition for many people’s health regime. Always consult your doctor before changing your diet. Some supplements can be toxic especially if taken in large doses.

Dr. Beck of the University of North Carolina performed the study of mice infected with the flu virus. He found that obese mice infected with the flu were more prone to die, as compared to lean mice. He is expanding his trials to test this result in lean and obese humans. Here is another reason to lose weight.

Popping a pill does not work as well as eating right.

We are now looking at expanding our diet to incorporate some of the foods high in vitamins and minerals that we previously ignored.

Nasal Sanitizers

Being near a person who coughs or sneezes can infect you with their cold. Recently several products have been released that help clean the nose and reduce the amount of bacteria in nostrils. These products include:

You can also wear a scarf or other anti-bacterial winter covering to achieve the same effect.

Sambucus, Natural Cold Care, Elderberry Extract

It is cold and flu season. We have been taken Sambucus for years and find it really helps to shorten the duration and intensity of a cold. We take it at the first sign of when we feel that something is coming on, a scratchy throat or slight headache. This supplement contains black elderberry extract.

We’ve tried many other items from Airborne to Iscillococcinum to Chinese herbs. This product is also sold under the trade name Sambucol. It comes in versions for kids and in pill form. Amazon and Whole Foods sell this product.

NIH Medline has information on Sambucus and gives it a grade B for Influenza. As always, check with your doctor before you take any medicine.

How to have a Green Halloween

easy eco blog — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 07:00:27 +0000

Having an Eco Friendly Green Halloween is more and more desirable these days. How can you green your Halloween?

Buy your pumpkins, squash, and other vegetables from a local farmers market or from local sources
Rent or buy your costume from used clothing stores like Goodwill. Reusing items that you already have is even better. Consider donating or giving away your costumes after Halloween.
Utilize reusable bags to hold treats
Trick-or-treat in your own neighborhood or carpool to your destination
Compost the pumpkin, squash, etc.
Give out green oriented treats like organic fruit, repurposed trinkets

With a little preparation we all can make a difference, even on Halloween.

Fair Trade Coffee and Eco Friendly Coffee, Green Keurig Single Serve Coffee Filter

easy eco blog — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:00:39 +0000

Coffee drinkers are joining the green crowd by selecting eco friendly coffee options. We will examine some of the attributes you should look for when shopping for coffee.

Coffee plantations sometimes cause land to be cleared and pesticides and chemicals to be used. Newer shade plantations use natural tree canopies allowing animals to survive in trees while coffee can be grown in a more eco friendly method.

Fair Trade Coffee

Fair Trade coffee is coffee purchased usually directly from coffee growers at a fair and reasonable price. The price is usually higher than regular coffee. The growers should have better working conditions for workers as well as better economic incentives. Sustainability practices should also be better with Fair Trade coffee.

Sierra Club Coffee

The Sierra Club offered its own blend of Fair Trade Coffee for a time, which was even grown under diversified shade and the natural habitat of many song birds!

Be sure to store your coffee in a dry, dark place. Do not stock up too much, as coffee is best enjoyed fairly fresh.

Keurig or Single Serve Coffee Makers

Convenience has made Keurig and other brands of single service pod coffeemakers all the rage. Senseo and other brands have also become very popular. You do pay a premium for the coffee and more waste is created, so please recycle single serve coffee containers if possible. If you cannot recycle the K-cup, at least open it up and remove the coffee grounds and compost them.

We recommend users purchase a ekobrew Cup, Refillable Cup For Keurig K-Cup Brewers. this cup is a refillable coffee filter that will save you money as well as prevent waste.

Ground Beef, Hamburgers and E. Coli

easy eco blog — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:00:30 +0000

NY Times has a scary article on the dangers of ground beef and burgers. A 22 year old lady had a severe form of food-borne illness caused by E. coli, officials traced to the hamburger that her mother had grilled for their Sunday dinner in early fall 2007. In the end, she was left paralyzed. This is a rare occurrence but the article raises several facts that we all should be aware of.

“a single portion of hamburger meat is often an amalgam of various grades of meat from different parts of cows and even from different slaughterhouses… there is no federal requirement for grinders to test their ingredients for the pathogen.”

“Using a combination of sources — a practice followed by most large producers of fresh and packaged hamburger — allowed Cargill to spend about 25 percent less than it would have for cuts of whole meat.”

“Those low-grade ingredients are cut from areas of the cow that are more likely to have had contact with feces, which carries E. coli, industry research shows”

“Unwritten agreements between some companies appear to stand in the way of ingredient testing. Many big slaughterhouses will sell only to grinders who agree not to test their shipments for E. coli, according to officials at two large grinding companies.”

“Food scientists have registered increasing concern about the virulence of this pathogen since only a few stray cells can make someone sick, and they warn that federal guidance to cook meat thoroughly and to wash up afterward is not sufficient.”

“The largest ingredient was beef trimmings known as “50/50” — half fat, half meat — that cost about 60 cents a pound, making them the cheapest component.”

“Although the safety instructions on the package were followed, E. coli remained on the cutting board even after it was washed with soap. A towel picked up large amounts of bacteria from the meat.”

Examine your cutting board, looking for groove marks when your cutting board is worn, it becomes more difficult to remove all contaminants from it. Consider replacing it or buying a glass cutting board.

Many people think they should rinse meat before cooking, but the latest food safety guidelines do not recommend this. Running water can spray bacteria and other contaminants from the meat all over the sink and counter top. Bacteria will be destroyed during cooking.

“Dr. James Marsden, a meat safety expert at Kansas State University and senior science adviser for the North American Meat Processors Association, said the Department of Agriculture needed to issue better guidance on avoiding cross-contamination, like urging people to use bleach to sterilize cutting boards“

Costco is on the cutting edge of pushing for more testing. They are one of the few large grinders to test ingredients for the pathogens as they arrive at its plant. Costco recently reached an agreement with Tyson to do more testing.

Is organic ground beef any safer? This package again stated that the meat was from several sources. A recent E. Coli outbreak in organic meat means that organic beef is not any safer.

It is probably safer having your local the butcher grind up some chuck than buying this pre-packaged meat. Make sure you observe USDA meat handling guidelines.

Feel like having a burger tonight?

Sodium is another culprit, at least burgers have less sodium than hot dogs.

New Coke Plant Bottle Sugar Cane Based Bottle, Heinz Ketchup Plant Bottle

easy eco blog — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 07:00:13 +0000

Coca-Cola has introduced a new PlantBottle that is fully recyclable, has a lower reliance on a non-renewable resource, and reduces carbon emissions, compared with petroleum-based PET plastic bottles. The new blend has up to 30% plant based materials. Sugar cane is used to make the new material. New manufacturing techniques reduce carbon emissions by up to 25 percent.

Products using it were first rolled out in Denmark and were at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Dasani water is utilizing this bio plastic. Look for the green recycling triangle and Plant Bottle label.

The bottles are still 70% plastic and only 27% of PET plastic bottles got recycled in 2008, so this is a step in the right direction but not a major breakthrough. Many of these drink makers are also trying to reduce the amount of plastic in each bottle. Competitors of Coke question whether the environmental footprint of this PlantBottle is better or worse overall than the current PET plastic bottles.

The recycling rate for plastic bottles has not kept pace with the growth in plastic bottle use over the last decade. In fact, the scarcity of old plastic bottles results in a higher price for used plastic material than new. Companies like Coca-Cola are wrestling with how to fix this problem as they need more recycles material to achieve their goals.

Heinz is licensing the plant bottle for use in its 20 ounce plastic ketchup bottles, to be released later in 2011.

Pepsi has announced a 100% plant-based renewable sourced bottle. It will be in pilot production in 2012.

Lets not get started about high fructose corn syrup..