Off the Urban Grid

What are the Differences Between Organic Foods and GE Foods?

Corn, soybean, rapeseed (canola), flax, alfalfa, sugar beet, squash and papaya are common genetically engineered (GE) foods, and you probably eat them without even knowing this. Currently, our government does not label commercially available GE foods such as the ones listed above, but you don’t have to worry about organic herbs, organic mushrooms and other organically grown foods. The Campaign, a grassroots movement that supports the labeling of GE foods, estimates that 70 percent of U.S. and Canadian food contains GE ingredients. If you knew that a food was genetically modified, would you still buy it?

About GE Foods
GE foods are not created from organic seeds, because they are specially designed to have desirable traits like a resistance to insects or viruses, a tolerance to severe weather conditions (e.g. droughts) and enhanced nutrition. Farmers find these traits ideal, because as the crops become super organisms, they able to resist potential threats. Food shortages seem to be less of a threat now, but at what cost are we creating these crops?

These crops are genetically manipulated to inherit genes that do not occur naturally. Environmentally speaking, these genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can contaminate natural organisms causing “genetic pollution”. If these desirable traits spread, we will reduce the planet’s biodiversity and may kill off non-target insects that are beneficial to the environment.

In addition, these crops are treated with insecticides and pesticides for the purpose of aphid control. Aphids are small insects that feed off of certain plants and destroy the crop revenue. However, the harmful chemicals used to manage these bugs seep into the soil and can potentially contaminate groundwater. Non-chemical aphid control is more environmentally friendly, because chemicals are not involved. Instead farmers will use monitoring (checking crops to prevent infestations), biological control (use ants and parasitic wasps to ward off aphids), and cultural control (plant crops away from aphid populations).

Health Concerns
With regard to humans, there has not been any conclusive testing to determine whether GE foods cause allergic reactions, yet these foods are still available to consumers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a Michigan State University’s mouse model that researcher Venu Gangur designed specifically to test whether GE foods cause allergies. This grant-funded project may commercially release its results in 2011.

Similarly, in 2000 StarLink corn was thought to cause allergies, so the Center for Disease Control tested it, but their data was inconclusive. This corn contained cry9C protein, which protected it from black cutworms and other corn borers. Initially, this corn was approved for nonfood products and animal feed in 1998 but somehow traces of this protein were found in taco shells and other foods, so asthma sufferers thought their asthma attacks might be caused by consuming this modified corn.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture claims that the Animal and Plant Heath Inspection Service (APHIS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the EPA are all responsible for regulating GE food products. There are so many unanswered questions when it comes to GE foods, yet our government still allows them to go on the market. Supporting organic gardening reduces the amount of chemicals going into the soil and your body. Although studies are not conclusive on whether organic foods are healthier, you at least know that you are consuming a natural product.

Tags: GE foods, genetically engineered foods, organic food

Posted in Natural Health | No Comments »

Sustainable Easter Egg Tips

Decorating Easter eggs is a hands-on activity that children can’t resist, and there is an endless number of ways to color them. Some kids enjoy the tie-dyed ones while others turn the eggs into their favorite characters like Spongebob Squarepants. However, after the eggs have been transformed into works of art, where do they sit? Most likely at the kitchen table for a few days until they need thrown away. If you color eggs or have an egg hunt, there are some ways to make these activities less wasteful.

When dying your eggs, choose natural dyes as opposed to the ones that come in the egg coloring kits. For example, use items you already have in your house to create the colors. This includes purple grape juice/blueberries (lavender), spinach/grass clippings (green), pomegranate juice/cranberries (pink), paprika/chili powder (orange), red cabbage/blackberries (blue), lemon peels/ground cumin (yellow). All you need to do is boil your eggs in water and vinegar with one of your natural dyes for 15 minutes. Then your kids can use nontoxic crayons, markers or pens to add personalized details—when using crayons, it’s best to have them draw on the egg before boiling them.

Keeping the decorated eggs in the refrigerator enables you to eat them or transform them into egg salad or deviled eggs. By using natural dyes, you don’t have to worry about the colors contaminating the inside of the egg.

If you have a traditional Easter egg hunt for your children as well as the neighborhood, skip the plastic egg containers or make sure you reuse the ones from last year. An alternative to the plastic is cutting out the individual egg holders from egg cartons. These can be filled with candy, and you can use leftover holiday ribbon and wrapping paper to jazz it up. Instead of candy, fill a selected number of eggs with money or personalized coupons (“Redeemable for a movie night,” “Redeemable for a trip to the zoo”).

By thinking more creatively and using common household items, you can turn your Easter eggs and egg hunt into a unique experience that you friends, neighbors and children won’t forget.

Tags: Easter egg tips, green Easter, sustainable Easter

Posted in Mindset | No Comments »

What Are Your Eco-sins?

Whatever you want to call them, eco-sins or eco-mistakes, everyone makes them because no one can be perfect. So even if you are an environmentalist, you have most likely been guilty of one or more eco-sins. Don’t be ashamed or hide from the truth, because if you do, you won’t be able to prevent yourself from making the same mistake over and over again. Instead, be brave and confess your eco-sins so you can find solutions to them and prevent others from making the same mistakes.

First, create a list of your daily activities. Then focus on details of those activities. For example, how often do you drive your car? Do you combine your errands or end up making several trips? Think about your work habits. Do you drink out of Styrofoam cups and use disposable plates and utensils during lunch? Does your office or company recycle paper or is it thrown away? Also consider your behavior in the home. Do you have a compost bin? Do you buy local and organically grown produce?

Second, after you have made a list of all of the eco-mistakes you can think of, make a second column where you can brainstorm solutions. In order to stop these habits, it’s necessary to provide yourself with alternatives.

Third, discuss your eco-sins with family, friends and co-workers. You might not have realized other things you do that are not so environmentally friendly. Also talking about your efforts to be eco-friendly might inspire others around you to follow in your footsteps. Maybe your employer might decide to recycle and do away with disposable utensils and plates.

Acquiring green awareness doesn’t happen in one day. So don’t beat yourself up if you fall back into some of your old bad habits. Remember, we are all human so mistakes happen, but you can try your best to reduce your waste, limit your water and electricity usage and purchase more consciously. Even if you change one of your behaviors with a more efficient solution, you are a making a step toward living a greener life. So admit your eco-sins and do something about it.

Tags: eco-conscious decisions, eco-friendly choices, eco-mistakes, eco-sins

Posted in Mindset | 1 Comment »

Get Yourself a Fuel Economy Ride

Gasoline has been around for quite awhile now, yet it will become known as the fuel of the past. At the rate that we are using petroleum, the wells in which we obtain it will soon run dry. Edwin Drake was known for digging the first oil well in 1859. He used the oil that he recovered for kerosene and discarded the rest of the products that came from its distiller. If only he knew that in the future we would be paying so much for those precious byproducts.

In the 1950’s cars were being made heavier and faster, which lead to an increase of octane levels. They added lead to the gasoline to help improve engine performance. In the 1970s, unleaded gasoline was introduced and a health concern about lead poisoning became an issue. In the 1980s the United States completely phased out lead in gasoline altogether. However, lead can still be found in gasoline in other countries.

According to the Environmental Information Administration (EIA), there are approximately 234 million vehicles that use gasoline to travel on an average of 12,000 miles per year. The amount of BTU in one gallon of gasoline is 114,000, and the United States consumes about 140 billion gallons each year. American Energy Independence calculates that at $3.00 per gallon times 140 billion gallons of gasoline, Americans spend 420 billion dollars on gasoline each year. In addition, we put 47 percent of energy into refining petroleum. For a vehicle traveling for 15,000 with an average fuel efficiency of 42 miles per gallon, it would cost $1,071 for gasoline.

Hybrids are currently the best fuel economy cars readily available to and safe for the public. The Toyota Prius Hybrid gets 60/51 gallons per mile, and its greenhouse gas emissions are 5,100 pounds per 15,000 miles. The Honda Civic Hybrid gets 50/50 miles per gallon and emits 5,700 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. The Ford Escape 4×4 Hybrid gets 33/29 miles per gallon, but its greenhouse gas emissions are 9,200 pounds per 15,000 miles. However, the best fuel economy mode of transportation is the bicycle.

Upgrading your car to a hybrid is probably one of the best decisions you can make in 2010. Dealerships are cutting deals so in the end you could save double your money when you include the car’s price cut as well as the reduction in your future gas expenses.

Tags: choosing a hybrid, fuel economy cars

Posted in Saving Money | No Comments »

How to Dry Tea Leaves

Every type of tea is different, so depending on the tea, you have to harvest it at a certain time and dry it at a certain temperature. However, once you know the rules for each tea, you will have no problems brewing a variety of teas at home.

Green Tea
This tea should be harvested while the leaves are young and still have buds. Then let them dry on the counter for a few hours before you steam them on your stove similar to the way you would steam vegetables. An alternative is to roast them on the stove for a couple of minutes, which will give the green tea a different flavor. The last step is sprinkling the steamed or roasted leaves on a baking sheet and putting them in the oven for 20 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ooolong Tea
Choose the youngest leaves and leaf buds from your plant and lay them out under the sun to dry for 45 minutes. Then keep them indoors at room temperature for a few hours to dry some more. As they dry, you will notice that the dried leaves will turn a reddish color. Finally, you can put them on a baking sheet and dry them one last time for 20 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Black Tea
For black tea, it’s also best to pluck the youngest leaves and leaf buds. Before starting the drying process for this tea, it’s best to crush the leaves with your hands and let them sit on a tray for two to three days in a cool, dry place. Then you can put them in the oven for 20 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

You have to have patience during the drying process, but it’s well worth your wait. Once your green, oolong or black tea is dry, you can store it in an air-tight container.

Tags: drying tea leaves, harvesting tea, homemade tea creations

Posted in Home Brewing | No Comments »

The Basics of Brewing Tea at Home

Brewing tea at home can be a wonderfully aromatic experience. Plus, you will ensure that the tea you’re drinking is organic and simply natural. However, before you start brewing, it’s beneficial to have some basics in place before you begin your homemade tea brewing journey.

First, it’s important to understand the temperature at which to steep your tea. The actual process of steeping tea is easy, because all you have to do is put the tea in hot water for a few minutes. Nonetheless, by steeping the tea for too long, it can become bitter. The steeping process is also dependent on whether you use loose tea or tea bags.

Next, it’s best to familiarize yourself with the varieties of teas you can drink. There is black, green, oolong and white. Which ones do you and your family prefer? Deciding this will help you better prepare your herbal tea garden.

Before you can start brewing, you need some equipment. Fortunately, you don’t need much to prepare tea. Water can be heated in a kettle or a pot, and if you’re using loose leaves, you will need some type of tea strainer—even cheese cloth would work.  

Once you get your basics, you can work on perfecting your recipes for hot, iced and herbal tea. The great thing about tea is that it’s pretty easy to customize it to your liking. If you grow fruits in your garden, add some dried strawberries, blueberries or other fruits to your loose leaf tea creations. Fruit can make the tea sweet enough so you don’t need to use sugar or a sugar alternative such as agave nectar.

The next step is learning how to properly dry your herbs and fruit so you can create delicious tea creations from scratch.

Tags: basics of brewing tea, brewing tea at home, brewing tea basics

Posted in Home Brewing | No Comments »

What Do You Do with E-waste?

What can you do with your old computer when it doesn’t work anymore? While you can keep it somewhere in your home to collect dust, you can give it a new life by recycling it. Many companies actually specialize in recycling technology, so it’s not that difficult to find somewhere to take your broken down computer or other electronic gadgets.

Computers are categorized as e-waste, and when you recycle them it’s called e-cycling. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the average American household owns 24 electronic products. Times that by the approximate number of families in the U.S. and you have a significant amount of items that will eventually become e-waste. This type of waste is only increasing exponentially, because our society improves and creates new technology every day. Plus, larger companies who update their technology more frequently only add to the problem, especially if they don’t recycle.

These materials not only fill up the landfills, but they are also a major source of carcinogens and toxins. So they can cause land, water and air contamination. However, on the positive side, they are an excellent source of secondary raw materials.

When you buy electronics or a new computer, find out if the manufacturer offers recycling. For example, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Apple accept old computers. If you enjoy electronics and are always buying newer models, donate your old, working computers to a school or organization that is in need of these types of supplies. You might even have a friend or family member who can benefit from using an older computer you have just lying around. Even if you go through cell phones, you can donate these to organizations that help families stay in contact with their loved ones who are over seas in the military.

There are so many ways you can donate your electronics and having them sitting around your house or in a landfill is not doing them or the environment any good. You might have to make a phone call or do some research to find out how and where to send your e-waste, but it’s an extra step that is going to help preserve and protect the environment and the public’s health.

Tags: e-waste management, recycling e-waste, recycling your computer

Posted in Mindset | No Comments »

Serve Your Family an Eco-friendly Breakfast

Everyone has been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This is the meal that keeps your body’s metabolism strong until lunchtime, and for some, it might be their favorite time of the day. Creating a nutritious and eco-friendly breakfast is easy, but you have to know how to shop and what to look for.

When you’re at the grocery story, keep organic and locally grown in mind. It’s always beneficial to the planet when you support your local farmers as well as pesticide and hormone free products. Also, buying eggs, dairy and meat that are humanely processed keeps your mind at ease. Terms you might find on eggs include: vegetarian fed and free-range. Organic products keep unnatural hormones from getting into your body and the environment. Or if you have a garden and raise livestock, you can shop right in your backyard.

If you are able to give up meat, cook the eggs with tofu bacon or sausage. Boca and Morning Star Farms have created tasty vegetarian alternatives. Or you can cook your own bacon as long as you have firm tofu, liquid smoke, sea salt, soy sauce and vegetable oil.
By cutting the tofu into small strips and sautéing it with the liquid smoke and soy sauce, you have a delicious and healthier take on bacon. It might take you time to adjust to soy products, but they are lower in fat and cholesterol in comparison to the real thing. Serving them with syrup or bread can sometimes offset the difference in flavor.

Eating breakfast at home prevents you from going through a drive thru where you will be handed a bag of paper products that you will most likely throw away. When you’re at home, you can an unlimited number of coffee refills in your reusable mug. Also, you will save some gas and definitely money too.

Serving eco-friendly breakfasts to yourself and family is an excellent way to broaden your horizons. There are easy organic pancake mixes, and you can make them more interesting by adding locally grown blueberries or bananas. A healthy and eco-conscious breakfast doesn’t have to be boring, but it will require more frugal shopping habits on your part.

Tags: earth friendly breakfast, eco-friendly breakfast, organic breakfast

Posted in Natural Health | No Comments »

Battle Pregnancy Fatigue Naturally

When expecting a baby, your hormones are increasing as well as your body weight and the stress on your back. This transformation can be an exhausting experience at times, but you can manage your fatigue in a healthy and natural way.

Depending on how far along you are and how active your doctor is allowing you to be, yoga is one type of discipline that you can incorporate into your lifestyle. Although some yoga poses are challenging, you can pick and choose the ones that work best for you. Maybe focus your yoga session on relaxation poses and ones that stretch and relieve pressure in your back. Even easy or short sessions of exercise is enough to increase your circulation and give you an adrenaline boost.

Another way to prevent pregnancy fatigue is to infuse your life with essential oils. For example, try burning clary sage, geranium, bergmot, rosewood, lavender or tea tree in your home or office. Or you can add one of these oils to your bath or shower to get you refreshed and ready to take on the day.

If yoga or essential oils don’t appeal to you, try Bach flower remedies. These are safe and non-toxic flower essences, which were developed by Dr. Edward Bach. Some energy boosting ones include walnut, olive, hornbeam and gentian, but there are pre-made blends you can try too. These flower essences can be added to your drinking water or you can take them orally.

Developing natural remedies to fight your tiredness while your pregnant is an easy way to deal with those caffeine cravings, and you will be able to prepare for your bundle of joy too.

Tags: natural pregnancy, natural remedies for fatigue, remedies for pregnancy fatigue

Posted in Natural Health | No Comments »

Pet Care: Repell Fleas Naturally

Once fleas get into your home, you need to act immediately because the problem will continue to get worse. Fleas will get into all of your soft fabrics such as your bedding, carpeting, pillows, etc. Not only will they bite your pets, they can start attacking you too. Although pets can get fleas at any time of the year, they are more prone in the summer months. So how can you protect your pet without the harmful pesticides?

Natural repellents are a safe option for your pet and the environment. Although they contain familiar ingredients, they are still just as effective as the other products. Plus, unlike the chemicals, the natural ingredients don’t cause cancer, diabetes, seizures, liver toxicity and other problems. If the chemical products can cause this many issues with your pet, just think about what they can do to the drinking water, soil and other animals and organisms it may come in contact with.

Instead of poisoning your pet and the environment, you can take preventative measures to protect your pet from fleas. A non-toxic and safe option is combining equal parts of white vinegar and water. This solution can be sprayed onto your pet’s fur to deter fleas. Or you can simply feed your dog or cat a garlic pill on a daily basis, and the garlic odor will repel the fleas too.

If it’s too late and your pet already has introduced the fleas into your home, you need to formulate an eco-friendly plan of attack. Organophosphates and carbamares are synthetic pesticides, which can affect your pet’s nervous system so avoid products containing these ingredients. Instead, look for d-Limonene, which creates a grapefruitlike odor. Since some cats don’t like citrus fruits, try a product containing Diatomaceousearth. This is a natural pesticide that comes from fossilized algae, and it kills fleas by dehydrating them.

Natural, safe and non-toxic flea products don’t always mean that they are ineffective, so give these alternatives a chance before reaching for the chemicals. Also, remember to sweep your home often when you have a flea infestation and empty the vacuum outside as soon as possible.

Tags: chemical free flea repellent, natural flea repellent, natural flea treatment

Posted in Natural Health | No Comments »