Green Parent Chicago™

EarthTalk: Two years later, BP Disaster and the Gulf "back to normal?"

Dear EarthTalk: I’ve seen a lot of warm and fuzzy TV ads, some sponsored by BP Oil, urging me to vacation in the Gulf of Mexico. But are things really “back to normal?” -- Paul Shea, Dublin, OH

The Gulf of Mexico may be open for business and eager to attract tourists, but it’s still unclear whether or not marine and coastal ecosystems there are healthy two years after BP’s offshore drilling rig exploded 40 miles off the Louisiana coast, eventually releasing 205.8 million gallons of oil into the water column.

Five months after the April 2010 disaster the Obama administration released a detailed recovery plan, calling for spending up to $21 billion—most which would come from BP’s civil penalties—on clean-up and long-term ecosystem restoration. With much of this work—designed to complement the restorative powers of Mother Nature—well underway, some observers are pleased with the results so far.

“The natural recovery is far greater than what anybody hoped when it happened,” says James Morris, a University of South Carolina biologist and a member of the National Research Council committee tasked by Congress to assess the effects of the spill on the Gulf's ecosystem. “The fears of most people—that there would be a catastrophic collapse of the ecosystem in the Gulf—never materialized.”

“The fisheries have come back like gangbusters,” Morris reports. “One of the interesting findings was that after the oil spill, bait fish populations collapsed, and predator populations boomed. The reason was that there was no fishing pressure on the top predators because people stopped fishing after the spill. So the predator fish populations rebounded, and they grazed down their prey.”

Not everyone shares such a rosy view. The international environmental group Greenpeace reports: “Throughout the food chain, warning signs are accumulating. Dolphins are sick and dying. Important forage fish are plagued with gill and developmental damage. Deepwater species like snapper have been stricken with lesions and their reefs are losing biodiversity. Coastal communities are struggling with changes to the fisheries they rely upon. Hard-hit oyster reefs aren’t coming back and sport fish like speckled trout have disappeared from some of their traditional haunts.”

Still other observers argue that two years is not enough time to tell whether the region’s ecosystems will be severely damaged long term. “We really don’t know the effects the Deepwater Horizon spill had in the deep sea because we know little about the ecosystem processes there,” reports Gary Cherr, director of UC Davis’ Bodega Marine Laboratory and a lead author on a recently released paper published in the journal Bioscience. Cherr and his fellow researchers, including leading oceanographers, ecotoxicologists, and ecologists, conclude that scientists need more time to study how to contain damage from such accidents, especially given the trend to seek new sources of oil in off-shore regions around the U.S. and beyond.

“The deep sea is not a dead zone. It’s not a desert. There’s a lot of life down there,” adds Cherr. “Unfortunately it’s not until a disaster happens that we try to piece together the impacts. That’s difficult to do when you don’t have a complete—or even partial—understanding of the ecosystem.”

CONTACTS: James Morris, ww2.biol.sc.edu/~morris; Greenpeace, www.greenpeace.org; Bioscience paper, www.aibs.org/bioscience-press-releases/resources/Peterson.pdf.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine ( www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

Little Locavores: Supermoms Against Superbugs

Greetings everyone,

Two years ago, I wrote about the clear and present danger presented by the over use of antibiotics in the livestock industry in The Morality of Meat. Children dead within days of being exposed to Methicillin Resistant Staph (or MRSA), the development of superbugs resistant to our antibiotics - it scares the shit out of me.

Despite all the attention to childhood obesity, I firmly believe that this is the number one public health crisis in America. We need to change the hearts and minds of our government and our populace, to demonstrate the importance of keeping our antibiotics safe and effective for our children when they need them.

Because of my advocacy in this area, I was selected to be a “Supermom” for an event called Supermoms Against Superbugs. Today, Thor, Mike, my mom and I travel to DC to participate tomorrow in a day of advocacy in Washington, D.C. We will celebrate and unite moms and dads across America to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics for their children and families.

Organized by The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, our goal is to encourage the White House and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reduce antibiotic overuse in food animal production—a practice that breeds drug-resistant bacteria that can make us sick.

I will be joined by chefs, pediatricians, farmers, and everyday moms who have a particular interest in this issue.  Some raise food animals without the routine use of antibiotics, some serve meats raised without antibiotics in their restaurants and homes, some work on the frontlines treating a growing number of children with antibiotic-resistant infections, and some have personal stories to share about how antibiotic resistance has impacted their lives.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? PARTICIPATE VIRTUALLY WITH ME!

 I hope you will join me by participating virtually! No planes, trains, or automobiles required, just a computer with an Internet connection, a smart phone, or a tablet.

Here are some things you can do:

·Visit Supermoms Against Superbugsto learn more about the event, including bios on all of the Supermoms and a list of virtual actions you can take on May 15.

-Take action NOW and urge FDA to strengthen measures to end overuse of antibiotics on industrial farms.

-Follow us on Facebook and Twitter as we prepare for our trip and take Washington by storm!

Thank you for your support!

-Melissa Graham is a former attorney, chef, and, head spear of award-winning Purple Asparagus, trying to live sustainably in Chicago.

My Top Books for Breastfeeding, Plus a Mother's Day Discount on Nursing Wares

It's been a few years since I've been on active duty, active breastfeeding duty that is. But, luckily I still get to be surrounded by little bundles of nursling joy as many of my friends and family continue to nurse their littles and add to their family numbers.

Although our family seems to be complete, (we started a little early), there are a couple of things that I remember keeping me sane and steady during those early months of new motherhood. The first was a collection of good books with comforting advice. The following are my personal favorites.

(In no particular order):

1. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International:

2. Nighttime Parenting by William Sears, M.D.

3. The Breastfeeding Book by Martha Sears, R.N. and William Sears, M.D.

4. Natural Family Living by Peggy O'Mara

5. Mothering Your Nursing Toddler by Norma Jane Bumgarner

6. How Weaning Happens by Diane Bengson

7. The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins

8. The Baby Book by Martha Sears, R.N and William Sears, M.D.

Yes, I am partial to attachment parenting books and as you can see the Sears' books. But, unlike what Time magazine would have you believe from this month's cover, I don't think this method of parenting style has to be based on extremes of any sort. Take what works for your family, and find other methods for other areas, that's my belief. If everyone in the family is happy, healthy and safe that's the key.

The number two help for me as a new nursing mom was finding comfortable nursing bras. My favorite nursing bras were wire-free and made from a mostly natural fabrics. My personal favorites included bras from Leading Lady. Leading Lady is a family owned and operated business based in Cleveland and has been around for over 70 years.

That's why I'm so glad to offer Green Parent Chicago readers a discount on 100% certified organic nursing bras and camis from Leading Lady. 

Just enter code GREEN15 at checkout for 15% off the entire Leading Lady organic collection (the collection includes bras, camis and a panty set) until June 8. This code has unlimited uses until June 8.

Happy nursing!

-Christine

-photo credit: Mothering Touch, flickr

Cleaning for Health - Making Your Own Cleaning Products

What does it mean for something to be clean? Here at Sprouts, cleanliness is all about health. We clean to keep our living environment as healthy as possible for the children and us. Sadly, many cleaning products people use in their daily lives do not promote health. They clean up dirt and bacteria, but leave behind all sorts of synthetic chemicals that can contribute to a whole mess of health problems. Check out this test done by the Environmental Working Group on cleaners used regularly in schools in California. Many of the cleaners used have ingredients in them that are known carcinogens and asthmagens. These chemicals are even more hazardous for young children, whose bodies are not yet fully developed and are more vulnerable to the toxic effects of these chemicals.

At Sprouts, we make most of our own cleaners, and we have one cleaning products that we use in every room in our house, and it cost less than $1 per bottle to make. The magic ingredient: vinegar! We take a spray bottle, fill it half with water and half with regular white vinegar, and use it to clean just about everything in the house. Vinegar creates an acidic environment that kills most germs, and it does not cause cancer or degrade indoor air quality. It smells a little like, well, vinegar, but the smell dissipates quickly and you can feel good knowing that you are not harming your family’s health when you clean. If you have some serious grime to clean up, such as baked on food, you can use undiluted vinegar and let it sit. We often do this overnight with baking sheets and in the morning, baked on food that would have taken an hour to scrub off, washes off effortlessly.

If you have some additional concern about disinfecting a surface, such as after a bout of the flu has spread through your house, you can follow the vinegar spray with hydrogen peroxide. Regular 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, the kind you can find at the drug store, is a potent disinfectant that is, according to Ellen Sandbeck, author of Organic Housekeeping, “utterly harmless to humans, pets, and the environment.” Just spray it on the surface after you spray the vinegar, let it sit for a bit, and wipe it up.

-Jeremy Arendt is head cook and co-owner of Sprouts Home Day Care, an organic, eco-healthy day care located in the Northwest Chicago Suburbs.  He graduated from the University of Illinois Springfield where he studied sustainable food systems.  When he is not cooking for the kids, you can usually find him tending to the gardens or hanging out in the greenhouse with his dog.

Book Review and Interview: "Vegan is Love" the newest children's book from Ruby Roth

Author/illustrator Ruby Roth's newly released children's book, "Vegan is Love", has drawn plenty of praise from notable figures such as Jane Goodall, Gene Baur and singer Jason Mraz. Building on the success of her first book, "That's Why We Don't Eat Animals", Roth offers a more detailed description of vegan living in "Vegan is Love", complete with information for children to make cruelty-free choices at home, in school and in their communities.

Some critics of Roth's book say it is inappropriate for children because of its subject matter and the book's references to animal testing, factory farm pollution, and animal cruelty. Roth has been making the rounds on the air addressing the media "controversy". This past week, I talked with her about what parents can expect from the book and how she developed its intriguing illustrations.

With "Vegan is Love" you've gone more in depth on vegan life choices that children can make, from simply focusing on eating a vegan diet in "That's Why We Don't Eat Animals" (published in 2009) to making a choice to avoid zoos, circuses that use animals, choosing cruelty-free products, etc. When did you decide to take this message further and what age range do you believe the book is best suited for?

The official age is seven and up, but I believe that children even younger can relate to the illustrations. Where my first book was about the “why’s” of a plant-based lifestyle, “Vegan Is Love” is about the “hows”—how to send our love across the world through the choices we make everyday. This book discusses the far-reaching impact of veganism. I wrote it because America has had a very hard time in the last couple of years. Instead of worrying or “occupying,” I decided to write this book for a new generation of children who will have to think, eat, and live differently if we are to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues.

Are children ready to handle the responsibility of making the consumer choices you describe? Some reviewers say that the subject matter may be too "controversial"? What is your take on this?

 There is nothing more graphic in my book than what any child might see in a deli case or on the myriad fishing, hunting, or cooking shows on TV. I think it’s never too early to begin teaching your kids how to love deeply, think critically, and act responsibly. We do not give kids enough credit for their insight and ability to make inferences and draw conclusions. When we give kids the information they need to make educated choices, they choose wisely—for health, animals, and the environment. For example, if children are educated about animal testing, they are excited to help their parents look for cruelty-free logos at the grocery store. The PG versions of reality in my book are a child-friendly way to begin discussions.

Your newest book is quite an empowering guide for young people, have you received any notable letters of admiration or support from young fans of your books?

Absolutely! Parents around the world send me news about their children’s thoughts and reactions to my books as well as the “controversy” in the media—the notes are always hilarious and insightful. In response to the negative critique of “Vegan is Love” by a child psychologist on FOX, one mother told me her young vegan daughter said “Why is that expert so ignorant?” I also have letters about the activism my book inspired—children doing presentations, science projects, and placing signs in their neighborhood about the benefits of veganism. Kids feel empowered by information.

The subject matter of "Vegan is Love" is serious, but needn't be frightening to children who are ready to comprehend it. What were the biggest challenges you faced when creating the illustrations for the book? What was your creative process like when deciding on the look and feel of the book?

Thank you, I’ve never once seen a child overwhelmed by my books—only adults. The purpose of the text and illustrations is not to instill fear but inspire action. The animal testing spread, for example, shows only the most minor slice of the reality inside labs. To kids, the illustration appears simply as animals in cages, some with “ouchies.” Children don’t have the context that adults do when we look at an image like this, which reminds of us exposed organs, syringes, restraints. I made sure every page was manageable for a child’s capacity and contained an affirmation about action. The most important lesson for kids to learn is that we don’t have to fear anything we have the power to change.

For more information on Ruby Roth's books visit http://www.wedonteatanimals.com/

-Christine

EarthTalk: Cloud Computing's Substantial Footprint

Dear EarthTalk: Why is Greenpeace upset with some leading tech companies for so-called “dirty cloud computing?” Can you explain? -- Jeremy Wilkins, Waco, TX

Leading tech companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft are now offering unprecedented amounts of data storage and access to “apps” on huge Internet-connected servers, saving consumers and businesses the hassle of installing and running programs and storing information on their own local computers.

This emerging trend, dubbed “cloud computing,” means that these providers have had to scale up their power consumption considerably, as they are increasingly responsible for providing more and more of the computing horsepower required by the world’s two billion Internet users. No doubt, sharing such resources on centralized servers is more efficient than every individual and business running their own versions separately. In fact, the research firm Verdantix estimates that companies off-loading data and services to cloud servers could save $12 billion off their energy bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 million metric tons within the next decade. But for the greenhouse gas savings to be realized, the companies offering cloud computing services need to make the right energy choices.

Greenpeace has been tracking sustainability among tech companies for over a decade, and recently released a report, “How Green is Your Cloud?” assessing the green footprint of the move to cloud computing. According to the analysis, some of the major players (Google, Facebook and Yahoo) have gone to great lengths to ensure that significant amounts of the power they need come from clean, green sources like wind and solar. But Greenpeace chastises others (Apple, Amazon and Microsoft) for relying on so-called “dirtier” sources of power, such as coal and nuclear, to run their huge data centers.

“When people around the world share their music or photos on the cloud, they want to know that the cloud is powered by clean, safe energy,” says Gary Cook, a Senior Policy Analyst with Greenpeace. “Yet highly innovative and profitable companies like Apple, Amazon and Microsoft are building data centers powered by coal and acting like their customers won’t know or won't care. They’re wrong.”

Greenpeace’s report evaluates 14 major tech firms and the electricity supply chains in use across more than 80 different data centers that power cloud-based services. Some of the largest data centers are in buildings so big they are visible from space and use as much power as 250,000 European homes. If the cloud were its own country, says Greenpeace, it would rank 5th in the world in electricity consumption.

“Companies like Google, Yahoo and Facebook are beginning to lead the sector down a clean energy pathway through innovations in energy efficiency, prioritizing renewable energy access when siting their data centers, and demanding better energy options from utilities and government decision-makers,” reports Greenpeace. But unfortunately the majority of the industry is not marching in step. As such, Greenpeace is calling on all tech companies with cloud services to develop siting policies based on access to clean energy sources, invest in or directly purchase renewable energy, be transparent about their energy usage, share innovative solutions so the sector as a whole can improve, and demand that governments and utilities increase the percentage of clean, green power available on the grid.

CONTACTS: Verdantix, www.verdantix.com; Greenpeace, www.greenpeace.org.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine ( www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

-photo credit: Wichary, Flickr

The Green Stork Recommends: Door to Door Organics

Any mum who has ever been to Whole Foods knows how @#$%^&* expensive organic produce is. Any mum who has male children knows that they eat their weight in food. Often several times a day, alas. And any mum who has looked into finding a local co-op, knows that they generally require “pick up” at the local Farmers Market – which sounds convenient – until you think of loading up two children into the car, parking, schlepping and unpredictable weather. So. What is a mum who needs organic food, but would also like to have enough shekels to send her children to uni, to do?

Well boys and girls – if you live in Chicago, you need only call Door to Door Organics. For $40 a week you will receive enough produce to ensure that your two hungry boys will have fruit and veg at each meal. If both parents are also fruit/veg eaters – you may want two boxes – which is still less cash a week than you probably spend on one Whole Foods run.

Door to Door Organics delivers to your very own casa, come rain or shine – which I think is just genius. It doesn’t get any easier than this mama – or any less expensive.

I am only just subscribing this week – so I will update you as to possible savings.

And remember – the more we support local organic farmers – the healthier our land, air, water and children will be. Make Monsanto angry. Join a co-op today.

-"The Green Stork" Claire Douglass is a Chicago mum of two sons and heirs (one her pride, the other her joy), concerned with ever increasing data connecting childhood health issues, from asthma to autism, to exposure to common household toxins, chemicals and air quality – seeks to detoxify her nest and create as green and still beautiful a childhood as possible. Without driving herself, or her loved ones, crazy. The former is going far better than the latter.

 

Our Chicago Spring Eco-Fest Roundup

Get your home and garden ready for spring and summer with these upcoming eco festivals for the month of April and early May.

The Green Metropolis Fair returns this Saturday April 14. This free family friendly event is sponsored by Green Parents Network and The Green Exchange and runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. What can you find at the fest? Here's a sample:

• Hands on family-friendly activities: farm animals, Johnny Appleseed performance, gardening activities
• Over 100 local businesses and organizations
• Retail market with sustainable business vendors
• Food market with local restaurants and chefs
• Presentations from local experts throughout the day on gardening and sustainability topics.

The 20th annual Green & Growing Fair is a free urban gardening festival organized by GreenNet: Chicago's Greening Network and takes place from from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 28 at Garfield Park Conservatory. The event will showcase a variety of vendors, workshops, demonstrations, and family activities to "get your rusty green thumb up and running." The fair will also host the unveiling of  the winning seed in the  One Seed Chicago contest, which hopes to link thousands of the same community gardens, yards and window sills across Chicago in a season long celebration. This year’s seed "candidates" are herbs: basil, cilantro, chamomile.

Green Festival

The mama of all Chicago green festivals, sponsored by Green America and Global Exchange, returns May 5 to 6 at Navy Pier. Hours for the event are noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Featuring multiple stages of demonstrations, speakers, film screenings, a kids zone with family friendly activities and fun, vendors galore and much, more. Tickets are available online in advance and at the door.

Who's free?
• Youth 18 and under
• Bicyclists using the festival's bike valet
• Green Festival Volunteers
• Green America and Global Exchange members
• Union members with card

Social justice and environmental issues are expected to be the focus of this year's Green Festival with keynote speaker Rev. Jesse Jackson and other speakers to include: Laura Flanders, Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!; Jeffrey Smith; William Ayers; Bernadine Dohrn; Greg Palast and local leaders Naomi Davis of "Blacks in Green"; Bianca Alexander of "Conscious Living TV" and Karyn Calabrese.

-photo credit: roman.petruniak., flickr

EarthTalk: A Kid's Life--Marketing Messages and Sales Pitches

Dear EarthTalk: Are all the commercial messages kids are bombarded with today having any noticeable negative effects? And if so what can a concerned parent like me do to limit my own kids’ exposure to so much advertising and marketing? -- Jason Baldino, Somerset, NJ

No doubt, marketers are hard at work targeting our children with their messages and creating young demand for their products. Companies in the U.S. today spend some $17 billion yearly advertising to children, a 150-fold increase from just a few decades ago. Some cash-strapped school districts have even started selling ads on and sometimes in their school buses as a way to bolster sagging education budgets. To be an American kid today is to be bombarded with marketing messages and sales pitches. It’s no wonder that, given the amount of advertising and marketing they endure, young people in our society are experiencing record levels of obesity and problems with credit card debt.

According to the non-profit Center for a New American Dream (CNAD), a leading proponent for more ecologically sustainable and community-oriented lifestyles in the United States, this incessant marketing is turning our children “into little consumers, alienating them from nature, getting them used to unhealthy diets filled with junk foods, and making them want ever more stuff.” The group points to several disturbing studies, such as one that showed how U.S. children could recognize more Pokemon characters than common wildlife species, while another found that the average American kid is exposed to more than 25,000 television ads spanning some 10,700 minutes over the course of just one year.

The result of all this aggressive marketing to kids is not just excessive materialism and obesity, but also a host of other problems including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders, increased violence, and family stress. “Economically, societally and ecologically,” CNAD reports, “this is unsustainable and not the best path for children.”

Against this backdrop of media and marketing saturation, what can be done to help steer our kids in a more healthy direction? Given that shielding American kids from these messages would be nearly impossible, the next best thing is teaching them how to parse through the different come-ons and solicitations they are exposed to these days at nearly every turn. CNAD’s free, downloadable 32-page booklet “Tips for Parenting in a Commercial Culture” offers loads of useful information on how to limit kids’ exposure to commercial influences that come via the television, computer or mail slot, and replacing those lost hours with new opportunities for more beneficial activities. Examples abound: playing board or card games, going on a walk or hike, riding bikes, and much more. The booklet also elaborates on how to limit or rid commercial influences in schools and other places where kids spend time away from home.

Another great resource for parents and teachers looking to reduce commercial influences on kids is the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a coalition of more than two dozen other groups started by consumer advocate and author Susan Linn. The coalition advocates for the adoption of government policies that limit corporate marketers’ access to kids and works to mobilize parents, educators and health care providers to stop the commercial exploitation of children. Teachers love the coalition’s free downloadable Guide to Commercial-Free Book Fairs while concerned parents can download the Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays in order to help themselves and their kids resist the hype.

CONTACTS: Center for a New American Dream, www.newdream.org; Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, www.commercialfreechildhood.org.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

-photo credit: iStockPhoto

Earth Hour 2012 tonight!

Earth Hour is tonight at 8:30 p.m. Will you be taking part? My family and I usually take some time to participate and turn off and unplug all the electronics we can (except the fridge), light some candles and have a special treat, snack or dessert and tell stories or as my daughter likes to do: perform impromptu works of theatre or read out loud. How will you be spending the time?

-Christine