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UPCOMING ISSUES |
ENVIRONMENTChoosing eco-friendly diapers
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------ The eco-friendly nursery When becoming a new parent, many of us are faced with an overwhelming desire to become a better citizen and take action towards ensuring that our environment is a nice, safe place in which our children may grow and flourish. If this sounds like you, read on to find some great tips on how to make your surroundings more eco-friendly and less toxic for your new arrival, as well as your entire family. Ooh, bamboo! In short, bamboo fibre is a naturally functional textile that is ultra soft, breathable, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-static. Bamboo fibre has tiny micro-gaps and micro-holes that make it excellent at moisture absorption and ventilation. This unparalleled microstructure means that bamboo fibre has natural wicking capabilities. “Bamboo kun” is a natural agent found in bamboo fibre that has anti-bacterial properties. What could be better for baby? If you are remodelling your baby’s room, bamboo flooring is a very wise choice since it meets all requirements for hardwood floors and floor laminates. Hand-me-downs please! When planning your nursery, start the recycling process by asking family and friends, who will likely be more than happy to oblige, to rid their homes of no-longer-needed treasures! Hand-me-down furniture is great (as long as the crib meets today’s standards) and is very cost efficient, possibly saving you thousands of dollars. Multi-functional pieces can prolong their lifespans by being used for different functions after baby grows up. For instance, a footstool for mom who is nursing can double as a toy chest and then be used as a coffee table or even extra seating in the home. A transitional crib will also last much longer. What was once his crib will be able to follow Junior to college! Second-hand baby clothes often appear to be new since they are worn for such a short time. Games, toys, books, and mobiles can all be reused. Other tips They decided to replace all their light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs. We could all follow their example. Also, don’t forget to turn off lights when leaving a room. An obvious but often forgotten task is regularly dusting your light bulbs. This chore can improve your lighting by 50 percent! Another solution to eco-friendly lighting is the installation of fibre-optic light sources. This is a new concept and is being greatly adopted by the environmentally conscious as well as design gurus. Using fibre-optic tubes, natural light sources are captured from the outdoors and brought into the house. This new concept has even proven to alleviate symptoms of seasonal depression. In the nursery “The rocking chair and rocking horse are from my grandmother,’’ she says proudly. “The stuffed animals adorned my own room when I was a child. We already had the armoire, but decided to give it a new function.” Besides using second-hand pieces for her decor, she uses cotton and bamboo diapers made only in Canada or the US. “I wash his bottom with washcloths instead of disposable wipes,” she adds. “And I wash them with high-efficiency phosphate-free soap (produced in Canada) and then I reuse the recycled and recyclable container it comes in!’’ When asked about any renovations she made to the baby’s room, she was eager to share. “From a doctor’s point of view, I’d like to remind people that houses that are at least 60 years old can have many very old layers of paint which may contain lead,” she warns. “Therefore, when undergoing serious renovations (sanding, demolition, stripping) make sure your infant will not be exposed to the dust produced by such renovations (and likely put it in his mouth).’’ She added that some of the immediate symptoms of lead intoxication are anorexia, irritability, abdominal pain and vomiting; but long-term effects can also be seen, such as developmental retardation and, in rare cases, encephalopathy. If you are going to buy new, be sure to look for organic alternatives for items such as linens, curtains, sheets, even mattresses and mattress covers. Go green ------- Give baby a green start While pregnant with my oldest son, I got a couple of baby bottles as gifts. Pretty as they were, they proved to be useless, since he never accepted any bottles or soothers. Later I found out that most baby bottles contain, and can leak, bisphenol A (BPA) into liquids. BPA is a compound added to plastics during manufacturing and is extremely detrimental to human health because it acts like an endocrine disruptor, mimicking hormones and possibly inducing tumors in hormone-sensitive tissues. The bottles eventually ended up as sand toys. I felt relieved that I hadn’t used them, until I found out that plastic toys may contain phthalates—a group of compounds used to make vinyl softer which can act as endocrine disruptors—and also that most sippy cups may leak BPA. Nowadays, the convenient leak-proof cups come at a price, given the chemicals added to plastics. Here’s a glimpse at what’s safe for baby and what’s not in today’s chemical world. Health for mother and baby. Even before the baby is born, potentially harmful chemicals that enter your body might reach the tiny body via the umbilical chord. But don’t stress over every single polluted breath that you cannot avoid: remember that the human body does its fair share of detoxifying, so your job is to prevent most substances from entering the body. Seafood. Never raw! Avoid tuna sushi and sashimi, king mackerel and swordfish, all of these being high in mercury, an environmental pollutant that can affect the development of the nervous system. Farmed salmon is yet another threat to the health of the developing fetus. It contains polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, a group of chlorinated industrial compounds banned for almost two decades now but still very much persistent in the atmosphere, especially in the water. Babies and fetuses can suffer developmental and neurological problems if repeatedly exposed to PCBs. Cleaning supplies. Ditch the harsh smelling commercial cleaners in favour of green alternatives, now found even in big chain supermarkets. Or keep it simple and economical with homemade cleaning supplies made from vinegar, baking soda and plain liquid soap (see page 28 for recipes). Biological threats. Don’t handle cat litter while pregnant, unless you have no choice. If you must, make sure you wear gloves, especially if your cat goes outside occasionally. Cats may be carriers of the dangerous microorganisms called Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause permanent eye and ear damage in the unborn child, or miscarriage if it happens in early pregnancy. The same microorganisms can be found in raw and undercooked meat, and in soil. Also, mothers-to-be with a green thumb should always use garden gloves and wash hands thoroughly after gardening, in order to avoid possible contamination with the microorganism. Pollution. In a 2004 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, scientists analyzed newborns and their mothers living in New York City and found a relatively high number of genetic mutations in the babies’ DNA, which they attributed to exposure to emissions from vehicles and other sources of urban pollution. Since the placenta is filtering some of the environmental toxins out, the fact that newborns still had DNA damage proved what scientists feared: fetuses are more susceptible to these toxins. Whether they can repair the DNA damage is still not known. Before you move out to the country side, do remember that environmental toxins travel a long way and the solution is not to run away, but rather help ease the toxic burden we lay on the environment. Drive less, plant trees and opt for local, possibly organic produce. Choose parks for your daily walks rather than busy streets. Health for baby. If the first couple of months after the arrival of baby are spent in bliss, sleepless nights notwithstanding, as soon as we start thinking about how the environment affects baby, new worries emerge. Is he exposed to too many pollutants? Are plastic toys dangerous? Which is the best way to protect him? Smoking. A big NO. Many studies showed that babies are more affected by secondhand smoke than adults are. If anyone in your immediate family smokes, ask them to quit. As for visitors who are smokers, hand washing is a must and even removal of smoke-laden clothes. Bisphenol A. BPA has been shown to leak from plastic containers, like baby bottles, into food. And when ‘unsafe’ levels of BPA go into a baby’s immature detoxification system, things can get serious. Safe levels are listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day, but several studies have shown that it takes less than that for deleterious effects to happen. Exposure to BPA may be blamed for chronic diseases such as cancer, and male animal models were also susceptible to hormonal alterations if exposed to BPA during fetal development. Human studies have yet to be published, but BPA has been found in the bloodstream, placenta, cord blood and fetal blood of humans at levels that were shown to affect lab animals. Although it was assumed that BPA leakage increased with regular usage such as dishwashing, a new hypothesis is that BPA leaks from new bottles just as much. A study published in Toxicology Letters in January of this year showed that BPA was released 55 times faster when plastic bottles were briefly exposed to boiling water. If your baby uses baby bottles, opt for the BPA-free alternatives. Also, don’t use polycarbonate plastic water bottles, which may also leak BPA. Use stainless steel containers instead. As for teething rings and other soft toys that may contain another class of plastic additives called phthalates, simply buy ones that are phthalate-free. Many stores now offer phthalate-free toys and feeding utensils for babies and toddlers. Diaper chemicals? Although I opted for cloth diapers a long time ago, I still use disposable diapers occasionally and I am probably not the only parent freaked out by the little beads of sodium polyacrylate gel leaking from the diaper. It turns out that the absorbent gel is harmless and non-irritating to the skin. But to the environment-conscious parents, there is another concern too, and that’s dioxin, a chlorinated by-product that finds its way into streams all over the planet during the manufacturing of disposable diapers. If the diapers have to be disposable, choose chlorine-free ones. A couple of studies back-published in the Archives of Environmental Health in 1998 showed that laboratory mice suffered respiratory problems when exposed to disposable diaper’s emissions. If allergies or asthma are a concern, it is probably a good idea to monitor baby’s respiratory health if using conventional disposable diapers. Luckily, there are other options. You can buy unbleached disposable, as well as biodegradable or compostable ones. If the gel is what concerns you, there are disposable gel-free diapers, or simply use cloth diapers, which have become as cute and reliable as they can be. The bottom line is that life is not perfect. The air is not perfectly clean and food may come with additives, or it may contain pesticides. Avoid what you can and make the greenest and cleanest choice you can, given the circumstances. Steer clear of over-processed foods and use less plastic in your everyday life. Do your best to set a good example for your babywhen she grows up, by making healthy choices, respecting nature and encouraging others to do the same. ------- Choosing eco-friendly diapers Cloth diapering can be a great way to reduce our impact on the environment. But not all cloth diapers (or reusable diapers) are created equal. In fact, today, there are so many different alternatives to disposable diapers that most new mothers don’t know one type from another. To help you decide what kind of reusable or more eco-friendly diaper might work for your family, we’ve compiled a summary of what you can expect to find in the marketplace today. Diaper Types Contour cloth diaper: The contour cloth diaper is similar to the pre-fold, but is cut into an hourglass shape to fit your baby. It is made up of layers of absorbent cloth sewn together, with more layers in the centre, and fewer at the edges. The contour cloth diaper also needs some type of fastener, like pins, a Snappi, or a diaper cover or wrap. The contour cloth diaper is slightly more expensive than the pre-fold. Fitted cloth diaper: The fitted cloth diaper is fastened with snaps or hook and loop closures (Velcro), making changing relatively fast and easy. A fitted diaper requires a separate diaper cover. You can reuse the diaper cover without washing it, as long as it is not soiled, so you do not have to purchase as many covers as diapers. The fitted cloth diaper is also cut into an hourglass shape, and has elastic at the waist and thighs to contain messes. Pocket cloth diaper: The pocket cloth diaper is actually a two-piece system consisting of a cover and an absorbent insert that is ‘stuffed’ into the cover, so you won’t need as many covers as you’ll need inserts. If you pre-stuff the pockets, you can have all your diapers ready to use. Most parents and caregivers agree that these are as easy to use as disposable diapers. The pocket cloth diaper fastens with Velcro or snaps. The pocket cloth diaper is at the top of the scale when it comes to price. All-in-one diaper: The all-in-one (AIO) diaper is just what its name implies. The AIO diaper is ready to use, and is fastened with Velcro or snaps. Layers of absorbent cloth are sewn into the cover with more layers in the centre. The AIO diaper is great for ease of use, but note that it takes longer to dry than the other alternatives. It is also more expensive than the other options on the market today. gDiaper: The gDiaper is a great addition to the market. It is somewhat of a hybrid. With the outer layer made of 92 percent cotton and 8 percent spandex, it stretches in every direction that your baby does. The inner layer, called a snap-in liner, is PUL-coated polyester for water resistance and is made of fluff wood pulp and SAP (the highly absorbent gel crystals used in disposable diapers). The best part about this snap-in liner is that it is flushable and completely biogradable (it contains no plastic). So, flush it or throw it away, it’s your choice. You can also compost it. Other Diaper Features Material: Cotton has long been used in cloth diapers, but today there are many other options. Hemp is an absorbent and natural fibre that is used in many inserts and full diapers. Bamboo is another great addition to the cloth diapering market. It is roughly 60 percent more absorbent than cotton! Wool is used in diaper covers and makes a fantastic choice; it is very absorbent, and easy to clean. The newest fibres are man-made: polyester and nylon. They are called microfibre and microfleece. These fibres are extremely absorbent, and are often chosen for heavier wetters, nighttime coverage, or long trips. With so many options, you can mix and match natural and organic fibres with man-made fibres for ease, comfort, and need. The average child will potentially use 5,300-plus disposable diapers before he is toilet-trained—that’s 5,300-plus disposable diapers that go straight into our landfills. Why not choose to use approximately 36 cloth diapers (or more eco-friendly alternatives) instead? It helps our environment, it’s convenient thanks to all the innovative products available, and it’s easy on your pocketbook. ------- 5 ways to get your family to eat organic The reasons people choose to eat organic foods vary greatly. For many, a preference for organic food begins when faced with an illness and a quest for optimum nutrition. For others, eating organically is rooted in environmental concerns and an overall desire to be as healthy as possible. For still others, making more organic food choices can start during pregnancy or when planning meals for a young family. A strong desire exists to be reassured that everyone is getting the best quality food possible. Despite consumer interest in organic food increasing by about 20 percent per year in Canada, many people still find making the switch to organic eating difficult. This is often the result of limited access to organic products or a valid concern about the cost of feeding exclusively organic foods to a family. If you’d like to feed your family more organic foods, here are a few practical suggestions for getting started. Keep in mind that switching to an organic eating style doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. You can still benefit, enjoy fresh tasting organic food and reduce your exposure to chemical residues by adding organic choices to your meals when you can. Most mainstream supermarkets now offer a wide selection of organic fruits and vegetables, meats, breads, pastas, canned goods and more. Watch supermarket flyers for weekly specials that can sometimes even make the organic options equal in price to conventional choices. Consider trying one new organic option each week. An easy place to start is with produce. Perhaps you try organic baby carrots one week and organic lettuce the next week. By trying, you’ll be able to assess the taste difference and experience the feeling of knowing you made an extra healthy choice for your family. This may help shape your future buying decisions about organic food. Look for organic options beyond the produce department. Many people enjoy the taste of organic dried fruits, organic cereals, pasta or sauces and more. When possible, support local growers either at your supermarket or community vegetable stand. Although not guaranteed certified organic, generally, the closer a fresh fruit or vegetable is to home, the less it has been exposed to chemicals or other residues. Consider trying an organic delivery service. Although this can cost more than picking up the groceries yourself, some people find the time savings of having the food selected for them and delivered to their doorstep a fair trade-off. Keep in mind that as with conventional foods, organic foods still need to be handled properly to keep them food safe. Although there are no chemical residues on organic fruits and vegetables, they still need to be thoroughly washed before eating. Eating organically will only help promote good health if overall healthy, well-balanced food choices are made. ------- Hybrid cars: are they family- and Earth-friendly? Hybrid cars are becoming more and more popular. More people are buying them and more automakers are producing them. There are more choices than ever before. Hybrids account for one percent of the 17 million-plus new vehicles sold in Canada and the United States today. The manufacturers are making money from them...but more importantly they are making a statement with them. “It kind of reflects an intelligent approach to transportation,” says Vancouver automotive journalist, Tony Whitney. “Corporations like to make statements. They like to tell the public, We’re looking at it, we’re working on it, we’re doing what we can.” Consumers also make a statement. It’s that feel-good factor. “I think with hybrids you get some brownie points for caring about the world and driving something responsible and intelligent.” says Whitney. But can hybrid vehicles be environmentally friendly and family friendly? Before we answer that question, let’s take a look at the hybrids on the Canadian market: Canada’s Hybrid Line-up Toyota Prius: It was first launched in Japan in 1997 and introduced to North America in 2000. According to Toyota Canada Inc., last summer, there were more than 6,000 Prius cars on the road in Canada. Its features include idle stop, regenerative braking, electric drive assist, and engine-off drive. The 2004 Prius was Natural Resources Canada’s pick for the most fuel-efficient mid-size vehicle for the 2004 model year. The 2007 five-door liftback price starts at $31,280. Toyota Highlander SUV: It went on sale in June 2005. According to Toyota Canada Inc., more than one in four Highlander buyers chose the hybrid version in 2006. It shares the similar, but more powerful, hybrid technology found in the Prius. The 2007 price starts at $44,850. Toyota Camry Hybrid: It was voted 2007 Car of the Year in the Family Sedan (over $30K) category by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). The 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid is the third hybrid vehicle in Toyota’s hybrid car line-up. It has the performance of a six-cylinder engine, with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder engine. According to Toyota Canada Inc., it accounted for roughly 10 percent of all Camry sales in just its second month of availability last year. CAA awarded the 2007 CAA pyramid Award for Environmental Initiatives to Toyota Canada for the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The 2007 price starts at 31,900. Lexus RX 400h luxury hybrid SUV: Lexus GS 450h luxury hybrid sedan: Honda Insight: Honda Civic Hybrid: Honda Accord Hybrid: Ford Escape Hybrid: Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid: Chevrolet Silverado: So now you know what’s out there on the Canadian market. So back to the question: Can hybrid vehicles be environmentally and family friendly? Bob McDonald, science journalist and host of CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks, says yes. “That’s what Honda and Toyota are being very smart about. They are now offering ordinary cars with hybrid engines,” says McDonald. Tony Whitney agrees. “The first hybrid was the Honda Insight. That was not family friendly – very little luggage space, room for two passengers.” But Whitney says times have changed. “One of the trends in recent times has been in the introduction of a number of SUV hybrids, which are obviously roomy vehicles that are popular with families.” Whitney says that if you are in the market for a new car, and considering a hybrid you won’t necessarily be compromising performance. “ I like driving hybrids. I think they have good torque characteristics and good response. In some cases, there are hybrids that are actually faster and more powerful than the conventional vehicles in the model range,”says Whitney. Bob McDonald agrees. On his last trip to Vancouver, he rented a Toyota Camry Hybrid. McDonald says he was impressed. “Driving it is pretty much like driving a regular car,” says McDonald. “There’s no noise. You put it in gear and you start to drive and it just moves. Silently. The engine is only running when it’s needed.” And that, McDonald says, is where the environmental benefits of hybrids begin. “It doesn’t pollute when it’s on electric drive and it saves gas – unlike regular cars that are sitting in stop and go traffic.” Steve Akehurst, senior manager with Energuide for Vehicles Program, Natural Resources Canada, says that’s just one of the benefits of hybrids. “Most hybrids offer the greatest potential for fuel savings in urban stop-and-go driving.” “That’s the idea,” says McDonald. “To try to minimize the use of the gasoline engine. It’s a combination of an electric car and a conventional car with a gas engine.” That is why McDonald says he has a problem with the increasing number of hybrid SUVs on the market. While they may be more family friendly, it’s their size that’s the problem. “You try to have the electrics dominate not the conventional engine, but in the SUV it’s the other way around. The big engine is dominating and the electrics are just helping.” And because of that, the bigger vehicles just don’t have the fuel efficiency of the smaller hybrids. But all this technology doesn’t come cheap. Hybrid vehicles come at a premium for consumers, costing anywhere from $5,000 to $8,000 more than their conventional counterparts in some cases. But Whitney says the price gap has slimmed in recent years. Akehurst acknowledges hybrids are still priced at a premium, but says, “Ultimately, I think that many hybrid buyers also perceive their purchase of a hybrid vehicle as a commitment to the environment and recognize the impact their vehicle use has on the environment, human health and climate change.” Bob McDonald says there’s actually two ways to look at hybrids, environmentally and economically. “Environmentally they’re good, at the moment you could argue either way on the economics.” While they do cost more and the jury is still out on exactly what it will cost long-term to maintain these vehicles, McDonald says all new technologies are more expensive. “If you’re going to do it, you do it for altruistic reasons.” But Whitney believes more needs to be done to narrow the price gap. “You hear enough talk from government about buying less cars that pollute, that are clean and fuel efficient but, okay, put your money where your mouth is.” There are some tax incentives if you decide to buy a hybrid. The British Columbia government offers two different tax reduction benefits when residents buy a hybrid. Ontario and Prince Edward Island are the only other provinces to offer incentives. McDonald and Whitney both say that the future is developing alternatives to conventional gas engines, like hybrids, fuel cells or hydrogen power. That will likely mean more environmentally friendly alternatives for families. Just about all the automakers have plans to roll out more hybrids in the near future. This year at the Detroit Auto Show, Toyota announced its plans to offer a hybrid option on all its vehicles in the years to come. In a recent release, Stephen Beatty, managing director of Toyota Canada Inc., said he is “confident Toyota will achieve its goal of selling one million hybrid vehicles worldwide by early in the next decade.” It has already sold more than 500,000 hybrid vehicles around the world. Useful Websites: BC hybrid tax incentive More about the cars Natural Resources Canada, Office of Energy Efficiency ------ The great diaper debate The day has arrived. You are taking your little bundle of joy home. With your baby in a fresh outfit and clean diaper, you walk in the front door of your home and already it’s time for another diaper change. You make your way to the change station, and get out a diaper. You remove the soiled one and slide the new one under that tiny bottom. Even before you get a chance to get it done up...a steady stream of pee hits the fresh diaper. Better get out a new one. And so it begins all over again. According to Environment Canada, a baby will have anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 diaper changes in the first two years of life. Environment Canada also says about four million of those diapers are thrown out every day. It can take anywhere from 200 to 500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose. So if you’re a math whiz (and even if you are not) you’ve figured out the price on you pocket book. But what about the environmental price? Whether you use disposable or cloth, there is an impact. Disposable diapers came on the market in the ‘60s. and were invented by a mother. Ten years after emerging on the market, the number of cloth diaper users was estimated to be down to 10 percent. There is no doubt the choice for many parents is disposable diapers. And that is largely because of the convenience. Ken Lashley is one of those parents. The father of two girls says it’s all about the convenience: “I’m like most parents, I think. When you walk into the store and you see a giant pack of diapers, you don’t think of the environment. You just think how easy it is.” Disposable diapers produce at least 70 times more municipal solid waste, trash, than cloth. It’s estimated that two percent of household waste is diapers. Tracy Job and her husband Scott are parents concerned about all that trash. They have two girls, four-year-old Maggie and four-month-old Avery. Tracy uses disposable diapers. She says she thought about cloth but because they get their water from a well, they decided it would be too taxing on their supply. But they do use biodegradable diapers sometimes. In an effort to divert some of their family’s trash from landfills, Job uses a recycling/composting service. “I kind of see this as an in-between. It’s not the cloth extreme and it’s not the disposable in the landfill either.” “It’s your contribution to the environment,” says Job. “It just feels right.” Carla van Messel, owner of a Vancouver baby store and mother, says she is very concerned about disposable diapers piling up in landfills. “There is no part that is truly disposable,” says van Messel. Not only has she been in the baby business for nearly 12 years, she is also a mother of five children. She used cloth diapers for all of her children. “I never questioned cloth. For me it worked.” But she says there is something else to consider: human feces. Disposing of human feces in landfills is illegal. According to Environment Canada, it creates a breeding ground for a variety of viruses and poses a potential ground contamination concern. Human feces should be put in the toilet before tossing the diaper in the trash. And that goes for cloth as well. There are some communities in Canada that are doing their part to eliminate disposable diapers from landfills. For example, Toronto, Ontario accepts diapers in its green bin program. It began in 2002. It’s a curbside pick-up. The green bins take all organic materials, including diapers. Guelph and Vaughan, Ontario also allow diapers in their organic containers. The Vancouver region does not have a program that composts disposable diapers. “The Greater Vancouver Regional District is reviewing options for additional organics diversion including products like diapers,” says Lindsay Moffit, recycling coordinator, City of Vancouver. But he notes there are some drawbacks to a program like that. Moffit says composting processes that divert materials like disposable diapers are expensive and the end product is of questionable value. “From a sustainability perspective, it is uncertain if large-scale food waste collection and processing is the option that will be chosen at the regional level for those types of materials.” As a retailer, van Messel says cloth diapers are a smart and easy alternative to disposable diapers. And she says you can start with very little. Cloth diapers for a newborn are sold by the dozen. You will need a cover, a diaper pail, and of course a way to wash the dirty diapers. “Ultimately you should use cloth if you believe in the viability of recycling,” says van Messel. You can use them over and over again she says. But therein lies the environmental impact of cloth. Washing all those dirty diapers comes at a cost. According to Environment Canada, washing a load of diapers once or twice a week is roughly the same as flushing a toilet five times a day for a week. The water, which needs to be heated, the detergents, bleach, and, of course, the cost of electricity, have an impact. Home laundering produces greenhouse gas and other emissions from energy consumption in the dryer. Van Messel acknowledges the draw for parents to disposables. “Everybody needs to use disposable diapers for the convenience in the modern world we live in,” says Messel. But she says there are choices. She uses biodegradable. “It just makes me feel better that my child is in a biodegradable product.” She says you don’t have to choose disposable over cloth. “Use cloth only when you are at home. It will be so much better all around.” “There is no rule book,” says van Messel, adding that it’s all about our eco-footprint. And in the end, it all comes down to making a choice. Every parent must make the best choice for themselves, their child and their lifestyle. But there are choices out there. Ones you and your child can live with. Useful Websites: • Environment Canada • City of Vancouver • Greater Vancouver Regional District ------ Organic living for moms-to-be It was during the summer of 2001 when Corinne Thompson (name changed by request) visited the Saturday organic farmer’s market for the very first time and, after having a few tastes here and there, she fell in love with the fresh, wholesome taste. “It made perfect sense to eat what made my taste buds and my whole body feel good and healthy,” she says. Pregnant at that time with her first child, she started researching organic products and organic lifestyle in general, and shortly after, she made her choice. Organic – a definition Good for you, good for baby According to an article published in Environmental Health Perspectives (January 2007), organophosphate pesticides, which are widely used in agriculture and around the house sometimes, can pass the blood-brain barrier and placenta and as a result, have been found in amniotic fluid. Some of the pesticides can have a neurotoxic effect on the rapidly developing brains of fetuses and young babies. Children who were exposed to high levels of pesticides showed poor performance levels in hand-eye coordination, gross motor development and decreased attention, the scientists observed. Babies whose mothers were exposed to high levels of pesticides during pregnancy scored lower on infant scales than babies whose mothers were not exposed to the toxic substances. While most of us will never be exposed to such high levels of pesticides, there will still be exposure by consuming conventionally grown produce and animal products. There is a so-called “Dirty Dozen Produce List” which analysts at the Environmental Working Group have put together following an extensive review of studies. Among the most polluted fruits and vegetables are peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines and strawberries. Spinach, potatoes and imported grapes also made the list. That is not to say that you should deprive your body of important nutrients if you cannot buy organic. If you can only afford a certain amount for your weekly grocery shopping, don’t be too hard on yourself for not eating organic as much as you would like. “Shop local,” advises Chuey. “Generally, the closer a food is to home and its originating growing location, the fewer chemicals have been used to preserve freshness on its travels to your plate.” As a general rule, buying what’s in season also reduces your exposure to chemicals. The least contaminated produce list includes asparagus, avocado, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, kiwi, mango, onions, papaya, pineapples and sweet peas, and these can be purchased non-organic without fearing high pesticides levels. Word of caution: Avoid fatty, fried foods even when they are certified organic. It will do you little good if your daily snack is potato chips and ice cream, organic as they may be. What’s good for you is good for the planet Organic farming is environmentally friendly, since it uses biological control and crop rotation in order to protect the seeds and plants from insects and mold. Certifying agencies require that a production field should be chemical-free for three years prior to being allowed to label its products as organic. Organic farming is entirely sustainable. According to a review by the Organic Trade Association, organic farming can reduce greenhouse emissions, hence slow down global warming. The Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development published a report stating that conventionally grown apples are sprayed with at least 16 different pesticide applications, and it is advisable to buy organic grown ones in order to avoid exposure. While other scientists have criticized the report, the facts remain: some fruits and vegetables are loaded with chemicals and they can harm human life, the environment and wildlife. Through crop rotation, by encouraging biodiversity and protecting wildlife, and the environment in general, organic farmers are doing much more than to produce food. They are stewards of the land. While they cannot ensure that organic produce is completely devoid of chemicals, since the soil, air and water are polluted, they do however guarantee that there are no pesticides, fertilizers or harmful chemicals sprayed on the crops. Saving the planet by purchasing organic food is a good start in teaching our little ones about the value of life. Paying more for organic food means that you know the real price of food, and yes, organic does cost a bit more since it is not based on mass production and harsh chemicals to counteract pest attacks and adverse weather conditions. While conventional food is largely affordable, there is also a hidden cost to it: clean-up of polluted waters, increased healthcare costs since workers’ health is affected, and replacement of eroded soils. By paying a fair price for the organic food, you will lend a helping hand to small organic farms, most of them family owned. The existence of local organic farms means that your food will travel very few miles to reach your plate, which translates into fresh healthy food and almost no air pollution from transportation. Choosing organic is a matter of knowing what’s good for you and for your baby. Not only that, but choosing organic means you are saving a little bit of the planet for your children – and for their children, too. ------ 10 ways to save Earth at home As mothers, we know many important things start at home, like reading, proper nutrition and manners, to name a few. But in the face of growing environmental issues, saving the world also needs to start at home. Here are 10 small steps that have a big impact, and that other BC moms are finding time for. 1. Dispose of disposables 2. Put your home on an energy diet 3. Change a light bulb 4. Get it shiny green clean 5. Walk on the wild side 6. Don’t have a cow 7. Money talks; shop local 8. Water, water everywhere 9. Get your lawn off drugs 10. Take care of number one |
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