environment

You are currently browsing articles tagged environment.

Seriously? Two More Oil Leaks.

07/27/2010 in Environmental, Health | No comments

For those Americans who haven’t received the memo that we use too much oil and drill it irresponsibly, we have a few more million gallons to dump. This morning a Tugboat collided with an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana.  The crash caused the rig to catch fire and oil to leak, covering a 1 mile radius in only a half day.  The tugboat driver claimed that the rig was not fully illuminated, even though it was 11am in the middle of the day.

In Michigan today, Detroit News reported that an oil pipeline had burst and was flowing into tributary rivers that feed into the Great Lakes.  The oil leaked undetected for hours before local river residents complained of an oily smell.  Local residents have been evacuated as the oil contamination reached dangerous levels. It has been estimated that 1 million gallons have been spilled, the largest oil spill ever in the midwest, according to the EPA.

“The oil spilled into Talmadge Creek, which flows northwest into the Kalamazoo River. The site is in Calhoun County’s Marshall Township near Battle Creek and about 60 miles southeast of Grand Rapids. The pipe may have been leaking for many hours before it was originally reported to have burst Monday morning. Marshall Township fire officials responded to complaints of an oily smell from residents. More than 20 homes have been evacuated.” - Detroit News

When will American’s have enough of their own poison and switch to renewable energy sources?  I fear that money is the determining factor in the oil equation.  We will continue to use it at alarming rates, to the detriment of our environment and ourselves until it becomes too expensive.  When is too expensive?  For everyone, this is a different answer, but for a country in economic crisis and high unemployment, that number may be lower than previously conjectured.

Story of Stuff

03/26/2010 in Self-Sufficiency & Farming | No comments

A new movement, illustrated by the Story of Stuff, encourages us to break the cycle of work,shop,work,shop and try to understand where all our stuff comes from and the impact it has on the earth and other people around the earth.

So what can you do?

-Get involved.

-Become a Maker and start reusing your own stuff to make new stuff.

-Learn how to live sustainably

A New Years Resolution to Healthy Armpits

01/02/2010 in Health, Product Reviews, Sustainable Living | 1 comment

This December I read an article on Treehugger.com addressing healthy armpits.  Armpits are a common conundrum among health nuts like myself who have decided not to use deodorizers with chemicals and metals in them.  So many armpit products today advertise as an “antiperspirant”.  But do you really know why they work or how?

Metals that exist in most antiperspirants like Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY actually react with your skin to close the sweat pores so that you are unable to sweat from your armpits.  Aluminum Zirconium is a metal that is a human nervous system toxicant.  This metal is the most common ingredient in antiperspirants like Axe, Dove, Secret, etc.  These products often also contain fillers like PROPYLENE GLYCOL, BHT, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE , and PPG-14 BUTYL ETHER. The EWG states that these ingredients are known to cause “neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, persistence and bioaccumulation, organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), enhanced skin absorption, contamination concerns, occupational hazards, biochemical or cellular level changes.”

Do you know what you are smearing under your arms each morning?  Check your label and consider an alternative.

The only product out there that does not contain harmful substances and actually works is called Crystal. Instead of forcing sweat glands shut with a toxic metal powder, Crystal uses natural salts to kill the bacteria that eat your sweat and exude that awful stink you are trying to get rid of in the first place.  Get rid of the bacteria producing the smell, don’t force your skin to swell shut preventing natural sweat.

My favorite Crystalproduct is the “original” stick.  It is actually a rounded piece of salts rock that you apply right after showering when you arm pits are still damp from the shower.  I have been using it for a month now after previously having settled for another all natural stick that just masked odors.  There is no smell!  Even after a hard workout at the gym, I smell good.  Amazing!

Spray on Tanning and Spray-on Suncreen may cause cancer

11/20/2009 in Health | 6 comments

Every time I go to a new gym, I become familiar with the resident “orangies” who are perpetually tan, most of them bordering on the orange spectrum.  For weight trainers like myself there is something to be said for being buff AND tan.  Spray on tans are by far the most common alternative to frying your skin in the cancer coffin on a regular basis.  I’ve tried the spray tan booth a few times myself and was hard pressed to avoid breathing in the spray.  Holding your breath for 15 seconds while being doused with dye.  I inevitably inhaled the stuff.

Researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have conducted studies on nano particles found in paint, vitamins, tanning sprays, spray-on suncreens, cosmetics, toothpastes, etc.  Their focus especially was on titanium dioxide nanoparticles.  Results suggested that continual exposure whereby the nanoparticles were allowed to enter the body (through digestion or inhalation) caused cancer in mice.  They also suggested that the nanoparticles are not able to penetrate the skin, but upon entering the body, they are able to move around freely causing oxidative stress and cell death.

“It could be that a certain portion of spontaneous cancers are due to this exposure,” Schiestl said. “And some people could be more sensitive to nanoparticles exposure than others. “I believe the toxicity of these nanoparticles has not been studied enough.”

The studies warrant further research on the effects of nanoparticles on the body.  Until then, think twice when stepping into that tanning booth, spraying on the sunscreen or powdering your face.  You may be flirting with lung cancer.

Find out more at Science Daily.

Mercury in your Mascara and Lead in your Lipstick?!

09/14/2009 in Environmental, Health | 1 comment

Not too long ago it we learned that Nail Polish contains “female reproductive toxicants”. Some more beauty products in the average women’s arsenal are now up for question for containing lead and mercury.

The FDA recently tested 33 of the most popular lipsticks and found lead in 60% of them. The ranges in lead detection were between 0.01 parts per million (ppm) to 3.06ppm. Ladies should also know that most lipsticks are composed of fish scales and parabens (along with the lead) which get ingested when you lick your lips or eat with the stuff on. Read the full report here.

Along with lipstick, Mascara as regulated by the FDA allows for up to 65 parts per million of mercury.  This is a small amount, however Mercury is a neuro toxin and once absorbed by the body stays in the fatty tissues and never is flushed out of the system.  Mercury can then accumulate over years of exposure and prove toxic to a developing fetus.

Things like Lead and Mercury are not included on the manufacture’s lable along with other harmful carcinogens.  Fortunately for those who want to still look smashing without the poison, there are beauty product lines that offer an all natural, chemical and paraben free way to dress up your eyes and lips.  For[amazon ASIN="B0017QT7T6"]Mascara try Honeybee Gardens[/amazon].  They also carry a great line of [amazon ASIN="B000VUUSAG"]lip color[/amazon] and [amazon ASIN="B0036ANS0U"]eye color[/amazon].

Similar products and many many more can be found at Whole Foods or other health stores.  If you are unsure about trying a new product, ask a sales representative at the store to recommend a product.  You may even ask if they will accept a return so you can try something new in confidence.

Record “Nice” weather in Arizona

06/24/2009 in Environmental, Travel And Exploration | 2 comments

We just moved in Arizona in October 2008 after living the majority of our young lives in the great state of Minnesota.  To say the lease, I did NOT miss the Minnesota winter.  Being able to step outside in December in a skirt and flip flops never got old.  Being able to go camping on a whim in February couldn’t have been nicer.

The local new reported this week that June has procured record  lows, sporting an unusual 14 days straight of below 100 degree weather.  My friends from Minnesota would baulk at 100 degree weather, but that is simply because the 100 degree weather  they know is generally accompanied by muggy humidity which sends the heat index much higher and makes for a very uncomfortable inabability to self cool when outdoors.  In Arizona, when the thermometer reads 100, it feels more like 85-90, especially in the shade because of the dry atmosphere.  The human body’s cooling system is definitely better equipped to handle dry heat and very ill equipped to handle freezing temperatures.

Evening view from our back porch in Phoenix, AZ

Evening view from our back porch in Phoenix, AZ

So the “nice” June weather here has allowed more afternoon activities and perfect evenings.  What the weather man in AZ doesn’t know is that wherever I go, great weather follows :)   And in the wake of my departure from Minnesota, that state had one of the harshest winters in a long while.  Just sayin…

Coal is secretly dumping ash in your backyard.

06/13/2009 in Environmental, Politics, Sustainable Living | No comments

An aspect of coal energy that we might have overlooked is now being kept under wraps at the highest levels of government. The Huffington Post reported that ash from coal plants is being dumped at over 40 sites around the USA and those sites are not public knowledge.

The pollution is so toxic, so dangerous, that an enemy of the United States — or a storm or some other disrupting event — could easily cause them to spill out and lay waste to any area nearby.1

The Head of the Department of Homeland security has been told not to discuss the locations.  Here is what she was able to say:

There are several hundred coal ash piles across the nation, she said, all of them unregulated.

“If these coal ash piles were to fail they’d pose a threat to the people nearby,” she said. While keeping it from the public, DHS is alerting first responders as to the location of the piles. 1

Thankfully, she also thinks people should know where these toxic dumps are located so the public can make their government clean up the mess and regulate the disposal of such poisonous byproduct from coal burning.

Bottom line: coal  is not clean energy.  We should continue to focus on renewable energies like wind, solar and tide.  These are forms of energy than can be used by individual homes and businesses.  They are 100% renewable with no byproducts to dump secretly in American neighborhoods.

Plastic Oceans… horrifying

05/10/2009 in Environmental | 1 comment

Ever wonder where all that plastic we use ends up?

Solution:
Recycle plastics you DO use and cut down on the amount of plastics you buy (food containers, ziplocks, waterbottles, household items, etc). Ask for paper at the grocer and recycle the bags. Buy a Sigg water bottle or Kleen Kanteen instead of wasting all those plastic bottles. Use glass dishes instead of ziplocks and plastic food containers. It is better for your health anyhow, and it saves you money in the long haul. cheers!