Mindful Momma

Non-Stick Pans: A Sticky Situation

Have you been hesitant to let go of your nonstick pans because they're so darn good at their job that you don't know what you'd do without them?  I've been feeling that way...especially about my nonstick griddle pan that makes fabulous pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches.  It's not TOO old, so I tell myself that there couldn't be very many dangerous chems leaching out yet...or could there be?

It depends on who you ask. PFOA (perfluorootanoic acid), the chemical used to make Teflon and other non-stick surfaces, has been listed by the EPA as a "likely human carcinogen."  Because of this, Dupont and other companies that make nonstick products have agreed to eliminate PFOA by 2015.  Word on the street is that at high temps, the nonstick coating breaks down and emits potentially hazardous particles and gases.  And old pans can flake off bits of coating into your food which isn't good either. 

On the other hand, a study by Consumer Reports found that the risk of using nonstick pans is very, very low.  The highest level of PFOA's detected in the air (near a heated nonstick pan) was about 100 times lower than levels that animal studies suggest are of concern.  Add to that, a report in Psychology Today that suggests that the manufacturing process for nonstick coatings is much more cause for concern than the use of an individual pan.  So be glad you don't live near a Teflon factory.

Still...if you would rather avoid Teflon altogether, there are other options including a well-seasoned cast iron pan that might give you some nonstick action.  If you're lucky.  Or...slop in lots of oil and cook in stainless steel.  Just have a good scrubbie handy for the aftermath.

True nonstick aficionados will be happy to know that there's a relatively new nonstick surface out there called Thermolon™.  I've read some rave reviews about it but haven't tried it yet myself.  Thermolon™- coated cookware releases 50% fewer greenhouse gases during production and contains NO toxic substances that could be released at high temperatures.  It's also highly durable and scratch resistant. 

GreenPan is the first commercial cookware to use Thermolon™ technology.  It's available through the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's.

I'm itchin' to try out the griddle pan...and maybe, just maybe I'll finally be ready to give up my trusty old Teflon.

Michael Pollan on Why We Should Bother Living Green

Michael Pollan's recent New York Times article Why Bother? speaks to something that swirls around in my head all too often....how can one person's tiny actions like changing a light bulb or turning down the thermostat really make a difference in GLOBAL climate change; something so big and scary it's hard to even comprehend??? 

And what do we do about our "evil twin" on the other side of the world, who as Pollan says is "eager to swallow every bite of meat I forswear and who’s positively itching to replace every last pound of CO2 I’m struggling no longer to emit."  It certainly does beg the question - why bother?

Pollan answers that question in his usual smart and thoughtful way and ultimately convinces us (at least he did me) that we should bother, primarily because we are setting a good example and raising consciousness.  We are challenging the 'cheap-energy mind' - which fosters the "mentality that makes dealing with climate change in our own lives seem impossibly difficult".

In the end, Pollan encourages us to grow just a little of our own food.  Plant a garden, big or small, wherever you can fit it in.  It may not make a huge impact on our carbon footprint but it will help to reduce our feelings of dependence and change the 'cheap-energy mind'.  Powerful stuff.

Power Up with Green Power

I decided to put my money where my mouth is this weekend.  I signed up to buy green power through my local electric utility - Xcel Energy. 

It's a program called Windsource and now a percentage of the electricity that we use in our home will come from wind power instead of from burning dirty coal.  The energy that supplies Windsource is 100 percent wind energy generated or purchased from Minnesota wind farms.  You can sign up for a fixed number of Windsource blocks (100 kWh each) or choose the 100% Windsource option.  There is an small upcharge to switch to wind power but I only expect it to be a few bucks each month.

Why should you care about switching to green power?  Because it's good for our environment and our health.  Green power:

• reduces carbon dioxide in the environment
• helps prevent acid rain by reducing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions
• reduces mercury emissions (which means the fish we eat is safer)
• keeps the air we breathe cleaner by reducing small particulates and other bad emissions.

(facts and photo from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)

Wondering if you can do this in your state?  Check out the green power network, provided by the US Dept. of Energy.  Just click on your state to get a listing of green power options near you! 

Savvy Source Guest Post

I've got a guest post up today over at Savvy Source.  They're kicking off their new blog with a 2 week emphasis on teaching kids to be green.  So I wrote up a few tips and called it How to Raise Eco-Friendly Kids, One Day at a Time.  Check it out if you have a minute...

Savvy Source is a terrific resource for parents looking for preschools and other educational opportunities for their kids.  It was started by a Mom who was frustrated by the lack of good, comparable information and feedback about preschools when she was out looking.  Eventually, she and some other parents created a website that filled the gap.  Just click on your state, browse the choices and compare teaching philosophies, curriculums, schedules and tuition information.  Then read parent reviews to get the real scoop about the schools. 

I recently ran across the spreadsheet that I put together when I was looking for preschools for my oldest son.  It was crazy how difficult it was to make a decision!!  A resource like Savvy Source makes good sense to me!       

Book Review: Big Green Purse

According to Diane MacEachern, author of the book Big Green Purse, the most effective way to protect the planet is to mobilize the most powerful consumers in the world...WOMEN!!  Our daily decisions to buy green or even to not buy at all are a powerful force - enough to make a big impact on the environment and also to get manufacturers to listen and respond to our needs.

Big Green Purse is quite a powerhouse of a book!  In its 12 chapters and 400+ pages it covers just about every green buying decision you could ever think of...and then some.  The second chapter, Cutting Through the Confusion is really the cornerstone of the book.  It showcases 7 simple, green shopping strategies and walks you through how to 'use your purse' to protect the environment no matter what you buy. 

What I appreciate is how complicated subjects are broken down into easy to understand tidbits.  It makes for easy reading and easy action!  The section on buying cars for instance, is approachable and interesting even for a person like me who knows nothing about cars.  And the chapter on appliances and electronics is filled with helpful 'in my house' tips describing the author's own experiences trying these things out.

There are plenty of green shopping resources too - everything from eco-friendly clothing companies to home furnishings to baby gear and much, much more.  Be sure to look for the ecocheap tips throughout the book - they help make going eco-friendly a little more wallet friendly!

Diane's Big Green Purse blog is also worth a look.  And sign up for her periodic Purse Alerts emails for the latest in green shopping tips and trends. 

Empowering Kids to Make Healthy Food Choices

...that's the goal of the Midwest Food Connection, a non-profit group in the Twin Cities, dedicated to educating elementary school kids about healthy eating, as well as sustainable and organic agriculture.  My 7-year old son, Drew has been attending one of their programs at his school.

Imagine how thrilled I was when Drew came home talking about how you should eat foods that are 'close to the plant' instead of foods that are processed.    Using the example of corn, he informed me that fresh corn is closest to the plant, then popcorn, then cracker jack, then corn oil and corn syrup.  (all explained in the kind of charming detail that only a grade-school kid can pull off!)

That was just the first class.  They also learned about whole grains (and got to grind some wheat into flour), sweets & sugars (how they're not so good for you) and healthy snacks (knowing what your body needs).  Each time, he came home all excited about what he learned. 

And by golly, it seems to have sunk in!  Drew still loves his sweets, but his new favorite dessert is Ambrosia, a tasty low-sugar concoction he learned in class.  There's no set recipe, but here's how it goes:

Mix plain yogurt together with some honey and maple syrup and season with cinnamon.  Yum!

Goods 4 Girls

Smart-thinking, environmental blogger, Crunchy Chicken has done it again.  Known for coming up with some slightly wacky initiatives like Freeze Yer Buns and project nowaste, her latest campaign steps things up a notch by getting us to look outside of the comfort of our own homes and to help the environment on a global scale.

Goods 4 Girls was started to help young women in Africa gain access to reliable menstrual products.  Apparently, many girls stay home from school when they have their periods and miss out on valuable education time. 

Although efforts were already underway by Proctor & Gamble to send Tampax and Allways pads to help keep girls in school, Deanna of Crunchy Chicken fame was concerned about the environmental impact of all those products.  She started Goods 4 Girls as a way to distribute reusable menstrual pads to those in need. 

There are 2 ways to donate:

• Sew your own reusable pads.  Pick a pad tutorial and let your sewing machine rip!
• Buy pads for donation.  There are a whole slew of web-based businesses that make them. 

Although I've been on a sewing kick lately, I've got too many other projects going to realistically make any pads, so I ordered some from Mama Cloth on Etsy.  For every 4 pads ordered she throws in a 5th for free! 

I have to laugh because my dear, earth-mama sister gave me some cloth menstrual pads back in the 80's.  I did use them, really I did. 

Save the Polar Bear!

You probably thought this was going to be about global warming didn't you?

Well it is, but first I have to share a little early Valentine's gift that Liam gave me and his polar bear.  We had the red ink pad out for making homemade Valentine's cards.  Guess what happened when I went upstairs for a few minutes?

A couple of trips through the washer saved this polar bear...but what about the real ones?

The cute, cuddly white bear that we all love is all too often a skinny, malnourished animal, struggling to survive.  In fact, the polar bear might very well become the poster child for global warming in the coming years.  A few polar bear facts worth pondering:

• By 2050, two-thirds of the world's polar bear population could be gone, mainly due to loss of sea ice. 
• The polar bear's ability to hunt for food is much greater on ice and almost nonexistent on land.
• Polar bear's lose up to 2 pounds a day in the summer months when the ice is gone.
• The gap without ice is getting greater and greater due to global warming.

The Bush administration is considering putting the polar bear on the endangered species list but has been slow to get it done.  You can take action by sending a message to the Dept. of the Interior through NRDC's Polar Bear SOS campaign.  I did it and it took a whopping 30 seconds.

I guess I have to thank Liam for his Valentine's Day polar bear prank - it got me to take a closer look at the situation - and I'll be paying more attention from now on. 

Wanna Go Hypermiling With Me?

Hypermiling.  Sounds like some kind of extreme sport - like zip lining or bungee jumping.  Some would argue that it IS an extreme sport and is a dangerous way to try to save on gas.  But many think it's a smart way to increase fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

It's a whole new way to drive, that's for sure.  And you can learn all about it at Hypermiling.com.  At its most basic, the premise seems to be that LESS acceleration = LESS braking = LESS time stopped at stoplights = LESS gas consumed.  If you are mildly interested in increasing your MPG, keep these tips in mind :

• Drive the speed limit or less.
• Lay off the brakes!
• Coast whenever possible. 
• Minimize the amount of time your car is not moving.

For those who are into making this an extreme sport:

• Use cruise control to accelerate and decelerate very slowly (using the accel and decel or cancel buttons).
• Coast to a stop in neutral.
• Use the 'pulse and glide' technique to minimize use of the internal combustion engine.
• Coast through stop signs without really stopping.
• Draft behind a semi.

I'm know for a fact that I will never be an expert hypermiler, but I can see the benefit of paying attention to my driving a little more.  My typical 'hurry up and wait' attitude could certainly use some improvement and saving on gas is a big incentive! 

Are there any hypermilers out there?  Please report!

(thanks to sister Julie for turning me on to this eco-friendly but bizarre driving phenomenon!)

Election '08 - Grist's Guide to Green Candidates

If you're having trouble deciding who to support in the presidential election - you are certainly not alone.  Even my book club gals are not all on the same page at this point and that says a lot. 

I'm not going to get all down and dirty about it here on this blog...but I do want to pass on some links from Grist that help sort out where candidates stand on environmental issues - something I think we should all be considering as we sweat through the good, bad and ugly phases of this long, drawn-out campaign.

Grist's staff writer, David Roberts provides interviews and info on each of the candidates environmental positions and plans in How Green is Your Candidate. You can get a quick rundown on each candidate and if you're interested, dig deeper into voting records and current platforms or watch recent video clips.  Grist will keep updating the pages as the campaign unfolds.

If you just want a quick look at where the candidates stand on climate and energy issues, check out their handy candidate comparison chart.

I've also added a widget from Grist on the lower left hand column of my blog - it contains links to all the latest green campaign news.