MOM’s Organic Market’s ER Blog

I thought readers of the MOM’s blog would find this interesting..

greg

Startling fact about formaldehyde November 24, 2008

Posted by Kirstin @ 9:51 am on tryingtobegreener.wordpress.com

I was watching “Stuff Happens” on Planet Green yesterday and Bill Nye was talking about insulation for your home. He mentioned that formaldehyde is in traditional fiber glass insulation and the “anti-green” issue with it is that after we’re through with it, it goes in a dump, thus reeking havoc on the environment. Two “greener” alternatives to fiberglass insulation were given. One was recycled blue jeans and the other was vegetables, believe it or not. There is now a vegetable oil polyurethane insulation foam where bubbles within it trap air. Both are amazing products.

What really struck me during this segment was a horrifying fact he gave about formaldehyde. Twenty years ago, two times the amount of formaldehyde was needed to embalm a body. Now, only half the amount is needed due to the fact that we have so much formaldehyde already in our body. Here are typical products that contain it:

• cosmetics
• paper
• wood
• clothes
• mouthwash
• nail polish
• hair spray
• perfume
• floor polish
• toothpaste
• wax
• spray starch
• deodorant

According to Wikipedia, formaldehyde is “classified as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that there is “sufficient evidence” that occupational exposure to formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer in humans. Formaldehyde has been banned in cosmetics in both Sweden and Japan.”

Scary, isn’t it? Probably the simplest ways to reduce the amount of formaldehyde you come in contact with is to read the ingredients on all your personal care products, visit Skin Deep for safer ones, and use “greener” cleaning supplies. Remember, small changes over a long period of time can make a big difference.

UPDATE: December 1, 2008 - The EPA has announced that it will be looking into the health risks of formaldehyde in pressed wood products

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Have that old tv or monitor that you know needs to be recycled?  If it is not completely broken, I suggest putting it on Freecycle or on Craigslist under “free”.  Someone out there will be able to use it, or know how to fix it.  If it is completely unrepairable, then take out on the 14th to be recycled.

Bethesda Green’s Electronics Recycling Day is coming up on December 14th at Walt Whitman High School (7100 Whittier Blvd, Bethesda MD) from noon until 4pm!

Drop off any old, unused electronics and enter a raffle to win a a new Samsung ENERGY STAR®-qualified TV (26-Inch 720p LCD HDTV), courtesy of Shady Grove Fertility Center.

Check out more info at Bethesda Green

http://bethesdagreen.org/

greg

I wanted everyone to be aware of these free energy audits. Several states across the U.S. do them and I’ve heard a lot of success stories. You can’t go wrong with free…

greg

Free Home Energy Audits Available to DC Residents

Washington, DC – With air-conditioning season just around the corner and energy costs on the rise, the District Government is again offering free energy audits to single-family homeowners. The DC Department of the Environment’s Home Energy Rating System (HERS) program identifies a home’s energy deficiencies and provides homeowners with cost-effective, energy improvement recommendations.

“I hope our residents will take advantage of the free audits,” said George Hawkins, Director of the DC Department of the Environment. “We have found that many consumers don’t consider energy conservation because they’re not sure what to do. The HERS program will give homeowners new insight.”

The HERS Program will send a RESNET certified Auditor to evaluate a home’s existing energy condition, including walls, floors, ceilings, windows, doors, hot water heating, heating and cooling mechanical systems and other related aspects. Once the home audit is complete, a detailed HERS improvement analysis report is provided to the homeowner. Recommendations range from no-cost behavioral changes to major improvements to reduce energy loss in the home.

District residency and DC homeownership are the only program eligibility requirements. To schedule a free HERS audit, interested residents should call Willie Vazquez at 202.671.3304 or LaKeisha Estep at 202.673.6733.

To learn more about the HERS program, visit ddoe.dc.gov.

There is a good article in The Washington Post today about how the House bought carbon offsets in their efforts to green the Capitol. I’ll let you read it and form your own opinions, but my personal belief is that it is better to try and fail, then to not try at all. Just like anything else in life, when you start an initiative, you are only going to learn over time how to improve the process.

Here is the link

Found another great source of information out there.  It’s called Go For Change, and can be found at Goforchange.com

I’m a firm believer in supporting people who are trying to get information out, and these folks seem to be posting daily.

For those folks reading our MOM’s blog locally, Go For Change should be of special interest to you, as they are based out of Baltimore and feature many arenas of action.

greg

The Sierra Club and Clorox have partnered up to promote Clorox’s new line of products AND…

 CHINA bans plastic bags..

  I don’t know how to feel on this one, except to say that I guess eventually everybody has to wake up to the fact that we have to change..

From Greenbiz.com

Clorox is announcing a partnership today with the Sierra Club, as part of its launch of a new line of environmentally friendly cleaning products, the company’s first new brand in 20 years. Sierra Club will help promote the cleaners, which are 99 percent derived from coconuts and lemon oil.

 The products are formulated to be biodegradable, non-allergenic, packaged in bottles that can be recycled and not tested on animals. The Green Works line includes five household cleaning products: an all-purpose cleaner, a glass cleaner, a toilet bowl cleaner, a dilutable cleaner, and a bathroom cleaner.

Also from Green Biz

China Bans Plastic Bags, Sets Tougher Fuel Standards
China banned the production of thin plastic bags Tuesday and outlawed their use in supermarkets and shops beginning June 1. Worries about pollution has also sparked the introduction of tougher fuel standards to improve air quality before the Olympics.

The MOM’s store in Columbia was selected by GenGreen as it’s site for the month.  I went over and checked out the website, and it looks pretty cool so far.  It’s still in beta development, but they are launching a new state each month I believe.  They already have Virginia and Maryland, so that should be of special interest to folks in this area.

Check it out, dig in a little further, and let me know what you think..

http://www.GenGreen.org

Have a great weekend everyone..

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate all art for what it is. It’s an expression of the individual which shouts “Hey, this is me. This is what I see and feel.”

I like all kinds of art, including music, poetry, paintings, movies, dance, sculpture and pretty much everything else.

Just like some movies speak to me, and some music takes me to a higher place, sometimes other art does as well.

The work of Chris Jordan is one of those. It was sent to me by Scott, who in turn was sent it by Will, and I thought I would pass it on. As Will put it, it is a startling ER Motivator, and I couldn’t agree more.

http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=7

Check it out, and let me know what you think..

greg

Saturday, January 19th, 1-5pm in Takoma Park, Md.