photo credit: goldberg

Back to school… Having Lice in your hair is not fun.  Schools encountered kids with this problem all the time because Lice can easily spread in schools. To remove the lice, most people essentially use toxic pesticides in their kid’s hair which include Permethrin, Pyrethrum, and Lindane.  Hair lice has slowly become resistant to these chemicals.

We found a non toxic product called Licefreee! that uses the naturally occuring mineral Sodium Chloride USP to kill lice.

You can whip up your own Pediatrician’s home remedy using 2 ounces of vegetable oil with 20 drops of 100 percent tea tree oil and 10 drops of essential oils of rosemary, lavender and lemon. (Apply to the inner arm for about an hour to test for hypersensitivity first.) Rub oils into scalp and hair and leave for one hour covering with a towel. Comb out nits with a nit comb and use a hand-held blow-dryer for 10 to 15 minutes, before washing out oils. Repeat in seven to 10 days.

Other suggestions include:

1. Covering hair with a show cap and heat with a hair dryer.
2. Soak head in salt water for a few minutes or swim in the ocean
3. Apply olive oil in your hair for about 30 minutes

We recently traveled to Asia and needed to find a reliable, yet safe insect repellent or natural mosquito repellent. DEET is a strong effective repellent but looking at a toxicology report on DEET makes one squirm and the NRDC has some warnings on it. Recent research shows that DEET is a neurotoxin and could have long-term effects. Moreover, DEET may increase the toxicity of other chemicals to which people are exposed. EPA lists it in Toxicity Category III for eye, dermal and oral.

If you must use a DEET containg Insect repellant  choose one containing 30% of DEET. The protection afforded by 30% is sufficient for almost all circumstances. In Canada, 30% is their legal limit.

Another alternative is Picaridin, also known around the world as KBR3023, or Bayrepel (trademark of Bayer AG). It was developed by Bayer. EPA ranks its toxicity as Toxicity Category III for acute oral and acute dermal. Toxicity Category IV for primary eye and skin irritation.  Several insect repellents use this chemical.

We choose to use Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent as or Natural mosquito Repellent. Rosemary, Lemongrass, and Citronella oils mix with 5 other oils that bugs hate. The proof was that it worked well on our trip and prevents all the bug bites our fellow travelers got.  Different insects work in alternate ways, so this may not be potent in other regions.

It is that time of year.  Back to school!

Millions of people flood the stores to buy new clothes, backpacks, binders, computers, etc.  Here are some tips to save money and be a little more green. Amazon has a back to school sale.

1) Stick with the same wardrobe. Buying a new set of clothes just to wear something new, is wasteful.   Also try hand me downs, thrift shops.

2) Reuse school supplies.  Look through your garage and dig up those old pens, markers, backpacks, binders, etc that can be reused.  You don’t need the latest commercial fade advertised all over your stuff. Donate unwanted items so others can reuse them.  If you need a new backpack buy one with natural fibers and skip PVC based ones. (Usually marked as #3)

3) Buy or use a re-usable lunch bag/box.  Also pack items in washable plastic containers, reusable utensils, not throwaway plastic bags. Thermos work great for drinks. Forget about juice boxes, use refillable BPA free bottles. Avoid lunch boxes with lead paint, PVC (Usually marked #7) , BPA, or antimicrobial chemicals.

4) Upgrade your computer, do not buy a new one.  Add some ram or a bigger hard drive.  Clean off junk that is un-necessary. Defragment your hard drive. Consult our Green Electronics Article.

5) Plan eco friendly transportation.  Bike or walk to school. Take the bus. Worst case, carpool with a friend.

6) Buy paper goods with high recycled content. Avoid PVC (#3) plastic. Binders, Binder paper, manila folders, notebooks, etc.  At least 30% post consumer waste is good.

7) Art supplies can contain many toxic chemicals so stick to water based paints with natural pigments, avoid polymer clays as they contain PVC. Buy natural brushes and pens with recycled materials. Avoid petroleum products by sticking to soy or beeswax crayons.  Water based glues are better than toxic ones or rubber cement.

Pencils should be plain wood, not painted, scented, or coated.

9) Cell phones should be low on the radiation scale and should be used with our tips.

Earth-Baby.com is a new service that composts disposable baby diapers and wipes.  Finally a green solution to a long time problem. They say their high temperature composting process uses only a tiny fraction of the energy required to launder diapers.

The down sides. Their monthly service fee is $29.99 and includes delivery, pickup, and professional processing.  You need to use their diapers as they need to control their waste stream. (And profits) Diapers are $11.79 per pack (22-44 diapers depending upon the size) and wipes are $3.59 per pack of 70. Their service is available in the San Francisco Bay Area. Check your local area for similar diaper composting services.

Indoor Air Quality refers to how clean the air indoors is. We spend 90-95% of our time indoors. Often times the air outside is cleaner. This leads to health problems like allergies, asthma, etc.

Consumer Product Safety Commission and EPA has a good guide on how to improve indoor air quality. EPA has an extensive list of items that affect indoor air quality.

Major problems include: Smoking, Fireplaces, Mold, Dust, Radon, Stoves.

Some lesser known problems include: Offgassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other chemicals from paint, carpets, cleaners, office equipment, furniture, building materials.

NASA has done research to show that plants Clean Air and Water for Indoor Environments.

An NCPA article states:
“For every 100 square feet of office area, one or two Boston ferns can clean so much formaldehyde out of the air that it is no longer detectable.

Other toxin-eating plants include the azalea, poinsettia, dieffenbachia, gerbera daisy, corn plant, pot mum, Chinese evergreen and various species of philodendron, schefflera, chrysanthemum, tulip orchid and ligustrum.”

Penn State recommends plants like Spider plants, Grape Ivy, Chinese evergreen, Snake plants and more.

If you have carpet, consider removing it or using modular green carpets such as Interface flor. Install using no voc adhesives.

Putting a better filter on your heater, such as a 3M Filtrete will also improve indoor air quality.

In room portable air purifiers with HEPA filters also help clear the air. Look for ones that are whisper quiet.

This is a lot cheaper and more eco than buying lots of air purifiers or replacing every piece of furniture you have.