Health and Living

Now that the FDA has revised its position on mercury in amalgam fillings, acknowledging that it may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses, it is considering revising its rules about dental amalgam. As familiar as we are with these fillings, it may come as a shock to learn that amalgam fillings are 40 to 50 percent mercury by weight and release mercury vapor when we chew. Mercury can have neurotoxic effects, which is especially an issue for the developing brains of small children and fetuses.

[via] www.thegreenguide.com

There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people, especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood when exposures can have long lasting effects. Because the toxic effects of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood, or in some cases completely unstudied, shoppers are wise to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?

Nearly all of the data used to create these lists already considers how people typically wash and prepare produce (for example, apples are washed before testing, bananas are peeled). While washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

How This Guide Was Developed

The produce ranking was developed by analysts at the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005. A detailed description of the criteria used in developing the rankings is available as well as a full list of fresh fruits and vegetables that have been tested (see below).

EWG is a not-for-profit environmental research organization dedicated to improving public health and protecting the environment by reducing pollution in air, water and food. For more information please visit www.ewg.org.

The Full List: 43 Fruits & Veggies

[via] www.foodnews.org

A team of five environmentally conscious citizens has launched a petition-based initiative. Their goal is to request that the 44th President of the United States grow an organic farm on the White House grounds. It’s certainly a substantial request. If the group were to gather an immense response from citizens believing the project a great tool for promoting sustainability (and if the winning candidate were to say no), he would surely get a bad rap.

From The Who Farm (The White House Organic Farm Project):

“The farm will be tended by school children and Americans with disabilities, to feed the President, healthy school lunch programs, and food pantries. [It] will serve as a model for education, health, and sustainability for the United States of America & the world at large.”

The group first used a method of garnering national attention by going for the Guinness World Record of waiting in line for a week to buy something. They waited at the Apple store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan for the iPhone 3G to be released. Their humorous yet odd Open Letter to Steve Jobs was sent on none other than Independence Day. Read it at the link below.

By Kevin Wilder BGM

[via] The Who Farm

Virgin Mobile had launched a new viral marketing campaign called Strip2Clothe to do something about the one million or so homeless kids living in the United States. Armed with a controversial plan of action they originally tried to help the situation by launching a site that allowed teens to submit videos of themselves stripping down to their skivvies. With each video submitted they would donate a piece of new clothing to a homeless youth, and when five people watched that video, they would donate another. There were some guidelines, naturally, as to what type of content could be submitted.

However, not everyone believed the project to be the best solution to the homeless problem. A few weeks back, the National Network For Youth (NN4Y) declined partnership with the campaign, believing ties with the site might send mixed messages of helping many young people by exploiting others.

Strip2Clothe, which was only one portion of Virgin Mobile’s Re*Generation Organization, responded quickly changing their submission requirements. Knowing full and well nothing including America’s homeless population would persuade some to take off their clothes on the web anyway, they altered the site, giving it the new title Blank2Clothe. Here, they say “YOU express the unique ways that you’d like to donate to homeless youth.”

By Kevin Wilder BGM

[via] Blank2Clothe

If you’re buying for a greenie, or just trying to nudge a friend into ecological living, read these tips.

Give Something They Need

When you are trying to pick out a green gift, give the recipient something they need.  This may seem obvious but giving necessities is much more environmentally friendly than giving them “stuff”. A candle holder is probably not on anyone’s grocery list and will eventually end up in a landfill. Many people end up dreading the holiday season for the amount of clutter it is likely to bring into their home.

Buying necessities doesn’t have to be prosaic or boring. Foodies will appreciate multicolored pasta spirals and canned organic tomato sauce or a gift of Fair Trade coffee. A popular kitchen tea gift is a doll put together from useful pieces of household equipment—a bottle of dish washing liquid for the body, a wooden spoon attached to make the head, a ball of steel wool for hair, and cleaning cloths for a skirt. Such a gift will likely be appreciated by just-moved-in newlyweds far more than the typical serving platter-type gifts. And every parent of a new baby can attest to the joy of being given a meal of soup and bread!

Give Something to Encourage Self-Sustainability

Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day… Gifts such as packets of tomato seeds or newspaper pot makers encourage the recipient to buy less in the future, as well as teaching valuable and rewarding life skills. Don’t go overboard—many people might look askance at the present of a pair of chickens or a high-maintenance vermicomposting system! Children tend to love do-it-yourself gifts, so presents such as a book about papermaking or a homemade “grow your own beans” kit are usually highly appreciated. The busy mother who bewails her reliance on takeout foods may be grateful for a good basic Crock-pot cookbook.

Give Gifts to Change Habits

These days everyone is aware of the environmental impact of disposable products. Sometimes it can take a little push to get someone to make the change. Many green living alternatives are simpler, cheaper and more enjoyable than the traditional way. Providing the means to change can be welcomed by the friend who simply hasn’t gotten around to making the switch.

Canvas tote bags for the supermarket are a green alternative to plastic bags—why not sew or decorate a gorgeous one (or four) for a gift? Beautiful cloth napkins, a picnic set with reusable cutlery and crockery and good quality cloth cleaning wipes may ultimately replace the disposable alternatives once their benefits are realized. For a friend who has been talking about switching to eco-friendly cleaning products, a gift of essential oils with a note explaining their cleaning and therapeutic uses may be ideal.

Give Something With Love

As sneaky as some of the above tips appear, the idea is not to judge or force ecological awareness on the recipient. Make sure the present is something the recipient will love. If you cannot think of any eco-gifts, that would be appreciated, try a voucher for some fun activity—perhaps a wildlife park or a zoo with an emphasis on sustainable breeding programs.

By Sarah Tennant [via] Suite101.com

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing has vowed the Olympic Games will take place under blue skies, not the murky “sauna” haze that has shrouded the city recently, but even on apparently clear days pollution levels may not be safe for athletes.

Officials lavished 120 billion yuan ($17.6 billion) on cleaning up the capital with factories dozens of miles away closed down, construction halted, and over half the city’s 3.3 million cars cleared from the roads.

Still, even when Beijing says the air is clear, athletes and their coaches may have cause for concern.

Most Chinese air pollution standards are outside World Health Organization guidelines. Moreover, experts say that the pollution index China uses to tell ordinary citizens whether the air is safe — a “blue sky” day — is seriously flawed.

It only uses average measurements across the capital, so some spots could have dangerous levels even when overall readings say it is safe to venture out. And some hazardous pollutants are not included in the index, experts say.

Many athletes have delayed arriving in Beijing until the last minute to avoid bad air, and the International Olympic Committee said it may reschedule endurance events such as the marathon to prevent health risks to athletes if pollution is bad.

China’s national limits on major pollutants, with effects including breathing problems and lung damage, are more lenient than most of those of the WHO and the European Union.

Some environmentalists say that alone means the country’s best may not be good enough for athletes because even if the air meets national standards, it will still fail the WHO test.

[via] www.enn.com

Finally, you can do something for the environment and look good doing it. Taking a new spin on “natural beauty,” Cargo Cosmetics has introduced its PlantLove collection, featuring 20 lipsticks — 11 designed by celebrities including Mariska Hargitay (“a sheer warm nude cream”) and Maria Menounos (“a sheer poppy red”) and nine inspired by “places of ecological beauty” such as Yellowstone (“a rich rose plum shimmer”) and Killarney (“a soft terracotta pink shimmer”).

Almost everything about these lipsticks is plant-based. They’re made from a botanical formula using orchid complex, meadowfoam seed oil, jojoba and shea butter. They contain no mineral oils or petroleum-based ingredients.

Even the packaging is eco-friendly. The lipstick case is made from a corn-based, compostable bio-plastic, and each lipstick comes in a seeded carton, which will grow wildflowers when you moisten it and plant it.

Cargo donates $2 from every lipstick sale to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Visit www.sephora.com.

[via] cargoplantlove.com

Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.

Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
high cholesterol levels
cariovascular disease
infection
impaired immune function

What makes green tea so special?

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the “French Paradox.” For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Why don’t other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

[via] chinesefood.about.com

Go back to the original and safe way to put color in your home and get a great look too. Old-Fashioned Milk Paint is non-toxic and environmentally safe, and it comes in lots more colors than just Milk Made from natural materials; milk protein, lime, earth pigments, and clay fillers…no petrochemicals, leads, solvents, or other harmful additives. Safe for bedrooms, hospital rooms, and other areas for the environmentally sensitive. You can achieve an authentic “old look” immediately without the use of complicated antiquing kits. This is an excellent painted finish for all types of furniture, children’s toys, wood floors and cupboards, woodwork, traditional plaster walls, or stenciling.

[via] www.green-living.com

If new moms want their babies to grow up loving fruits and vegetables, they should eat plenty of these good food choices themselves during pregnancy and breastfeeding. A recent study from the Monell Center suggests that the best predictor of how much fruits and vegetables children eat is weather they like the taste of these foods. It is very simple, flavors are transmitted first through amniotic fluid during pregnancy, and then through the mother’s milk. This gives the babies the opportunity to familiarize themselves with certain tastes early on, setting the stage for likes and dislikes later in life.

[via] Monell Chemical Senses Center