You’re resolved: toxic chemicals are out of your life. Now how about your fellow creatures? Our pets deserve natural care too, but fleas are often the biggest pet problem we have to buy chemicals for – or do we? Here are some non-toxic flea care ideas to help you keep your animal companions – and your home – safe and organic.

B vitamins and garlic are natural insect repellents, so supplement your pet’s diet with a pet safe vitamin. Healthier animals are more resistant to pests and diseases, too. It might take a few weeks to notice the effects, so consider this part of your long term flea treatment.
Regular flea combing is essential to making sure eggs and insects never stay on your pet long enough to matter. Simple daily brushing pays off! Plus, it helps you bond with your little buddy.

Castorand Pollux makes a flea collar infused with naturally insect repelling essential oils.

Keep the environment flea-free too. Use diatomaceous earth or boric acid to keep fleas and other pesky bugs at bay. These are minerals that cut up bug’s stomachs, without having any toxic effect on humans and animals.

Biological control: There’s a nematode, called the ‘killer roundworm’, that feeds on flea larvae, and you can buy bottles of it, add water, and spray the tiny worms around your yard. Supposedly they will die out once they run out of fleas to eat, but I’d do a little more research before introducing another species into the garden. Ask your vet about it.

And we love to hear your personal pet stories, so let us know what has and hasn’t worked for you.

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Serious hikers and those who travel are quite familiar with the many varieties of portable water testers. But who would have imagined that here in the United States we would ever feel the need or desire to test our pet food or baby formula?

With an estimated 50,000 Chinese children sickened and several deaths after drinking melamine contaminated formula, and the reported deaths 8,500 dogs and cats in the United States from contaminated pet food produced in China, the folks at Purdue University were inspired to invent a new analysis method that can detect the kidney-damaging chemical in a matter of seconds.

“This situation created an immediate need for an analytical method that is highly sensitive, fast, accurate, and easy to use,” said R. Graham Cooks, Purdue’s Henry B. Hass distinguished professor of chemistry on the Purdue website. Hass led the team that developed the analysis method, which included Guangming Huang, a postdoctoral research associate, and Zheng Ouyang, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering. A paper detailing their work was published online in the journal Chemical Communications and will appear in the next issue of the journal.

Cooks said that even without direct contamination, trace amounts of melamine sometimes make their way into consumable products because melamine is used in manufacturing and is found in many packaging materials. At trace levels, said Cooks, the chemical is not known to be a health threat and has been deemed safe by the FDA. Our analysis, he added, provides a way to determine whether the amounts present exceed safe levels.

The Office of Naval Research Research Tools Program funded this research.

Image: Maldivian dude

When I was 21, I used to think that the definition of a proper grownup was someone who took their dry-clean-only clothes to the dry cleaner. I now know otherwise.

Under U.S. law, manufacturers can only label an item of clothing “dry-clean only” if they have evidence that it would be damaged by washing.

I have to say, my experience is different. The washing machine is fine for most of my clothes, even though many of them say “dry-clean only”. Delicate clothes such as silks, satins and woolens require washing by hand. In fact, I’ve found that hand-washing is gentler on clothes than dry-cleaning. Just use a gentle laundry detergent and avoid water that is too hot as it can cause the color to run.

There are some items I will take to a dry-cleaner, especially if the item needs pressing and would be tricky to iron, or if I’m not confident about hand-washing. The trick is to find an environmentally-friendly dry cleaner. The most common dry-cleaning agent is perchloroethylene – a toxic chemical. The alternatives include liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) (Hangers Cleaners), silicone-solvent based (GreenEarth Cleaning), and wet (or soap and water) cleaning methods.

The one thing I never do with my clothes is tumble dry them. It’s terrible for your clothes, your electricity bill and the planet. When I lived in Sydney I had the benefit of a warm climate and a back yard with a clothes line and I must say there’s nothing quite like the fresh smell of sun-dried clothes. Drying our clothes outside is normal for Australians and, contrary to what many of my American friends seem to think, you don’t get your clothes stolen. In the 26 years I lived in Australia that never happened to me. Now, I live in London and still I’m perfectly happy with the indoor clothes trellis – my clothes dry overnight even in winter and I don’t have to deal with static, shrunken clothes and guilt.

Image: piddy77

I’m a pretty sore loser at tennis, especially when my husband rockets those serves toward my face and I want to throw my racket at his head. But my arm never aches after as it does with the Wii tennis video game.

I notice I emulate the real motion of the swing with my remote while my daughters execute abbreviated swipes at the screen to place shots, serve and return. They’re so aggressive, if it were the real thing, I’d take them out of school and put them on the circuit to support our family. But truth be told, I fear too much time spent with this year’s holiday gift will result in those Wii-related sports injuries on the rise- everything from tennis elbow to sprained ankles and severe eyestrain.

This week on Good Morning America, GiGi Stone coined the phrase “Wii-habilitaion” in her piece featuring a woman whose shoulder injury from boxing sent her to an orthopedic surgeon. A doctor told ABC News he is seeing 10 to 12 new Wii injuries per month and attributed the epidemic to “exuberant overuse.”

In other words, both kids and adults get hooked fast and play for several hours at a time. Gone are the days of exercise in the great outdoors. Since the virtual sports aren’t as strenuous as playing for real, you don’t feel the fatigue that signals it’s time for a break. The strain results from repetition. (As with any exertion, doctors recommend stretching before and after playing.)

A condition called Wii-itis first surfaced in a report by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 when the Nintendo game was gaining popularity. This holiday season it sold out nationwide (reports of the Wii being bad for the environment have yet to score big points). Nintendo says it provides plenty of guidelines with the equipment to prevent injuries.

At a site called Wiiinjury.com, victims from unstrapped remote accidents share their sob stories: black eyes, bruised cheeks, shattered wine glasses. There was even a bogus class action lawsuit in 2006 in which the plaintiffs argued the remote straps were faulty and caused injuries. Nintendo says when used properly, the remotes stay affixed to the wrist and don’t go flying into faces. The company’s precautions also suggest how far to stand from your opponent and from the TV screen.

Apparently, Wii humans aren’t the only ones who can take a beating from ignoring guidelines. The most reported accidents involve smashed televisions.

The past year has been a bad one for toxic kid’s products, what with lead paint on imported toys and phthalates in plastic toys. For once, Congress has been quick to act.

A new law is set to go in effect on February 10th that will require all products such as toys, backpacks, clothing and other kids’ gear be tested for lead and phthalates in order to be legally sold.

This is a major step towards ensuring non-toxic products for little ones, but there was also a little scare for children’s thrift and consignment shops and DIY resellers like those found on Etsy (many of them being work-at-home-moms). Had they been required to pay for the expensive testing, most of them would have immediately been put out of business. And it would have dealt a financial blow to the large number of families in an economic crunch who depend on thrift and consignment shops to clothe their fast-growing children.

After hearing a huge consumer response, Congress quickly added a notice that vendors of second-hand children’s goods would be exempt from testing for lead or phthalates.

So what does this mean for thrifty, recycling-minded shoppers? When buying second-hand, use good judgment. Most clothing is safe enough, but avoid metal buttons that may contain lead or parts that can easily break and leach chemicals if a child puts it in their mouth. And when it comes to used toys, cribs and other children’s items, it would probably be best to avoid any imported or plastic products altogether.

Do your research, be smart, and rest assured that as this law goes into effect, safer products will be entering the second-hand product stream, and that’ll make the eco-friendly option of buying gently-used just that much better.

Image: notic

Who am I to argue with the Madison Avenue suits who coined the phrase “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”?

If only diamonds were all we believe them to be. The violence resulting from the diamond mining and trading industry is, in a word, tragic. And, as it turns out, diamonds aren’t even as valuable as we’ve been told.

First, a little primer:

The U.S. happens to be the largest consumer of conflict diamonds, purchasing over $33.7 billion dollars’ worth of the rocks in 2005. Wondering what conflict diamonds are? I’m no fawning fan of DiCaprio, but the film “Blood Diamond” is nowhere near as fictional as we’d like it to be. Conflict diamonds involve abuse, corruption and death. There goes that gorgeous, shimmery, sparkling stone set in platinum I’ve been dreaming about.

Here are several important reasons you should never, ever buy (or accept) a diamond:

We’ve been conditioned to want a diamond. Pavlov much? Who isn’t tired of the advertising and marketing ploys used to brainwash us into believing our value as women rests on the size of our…gem? (Toss that in with measurements and marital status and we’ve got an endless supply of not-good-enough.) Marketers have thrown us a giant, glittering bone, and watched the profits pile up as we’ve chased, fetched and rolled over in order to conform to what we’ve been conditioned to believe is the only acceptable standard.

Diamond prices have been artificially inflated by the diamond cartel. The average diamond sold in the U.S. has been over-graded in quality by 2 grades, and the average U.S. couple pays twice what they should for an engagement ring. Do you really want to enter into a lifelong commitment with a man who’s willing to waste his hard-earned cash on a diamond, especially when said diamond is ridiculously overpriced? Okay, well, me too. Forget number 2 and let’s move on to the third reason to avoid diamonds.

Diamonds are anything but an “investment”. A 1-carat diamond will set him back about $5,000, which amounts to $710,000 per ounce. Worse even than a car once it’s driven off the sales lot, a diamond will never be worth what you’ve paid for it. Try to trade it or sell it or pawn it and you’ll be sorely disappointed. Do you know why? Because their “worth” has been artificially inflated! Diamonds aren’t scarce or rare.

Just don’t tell him this until after it’s on your finger. (Kidding!)

Conflict diamonds. Any lover shallow enough to buy you a diamond to “make up” for misbehavin’ ways is indeed dumb enough to think that the name “conflict diamonds” refers to relationship issues. Ditch that man and his diamonds…fast. Blood diamonds have resulted in over 4 million deaths in Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Ivory Coast. One shiny rock, 4 million lives.

Diamonds with strings attached. Did you know that only 11% of U.S. jewelry stores practice a conflict diamonds policy and 67% won’t even discuss the topic when asked if they have one? Just because he bought you dinner, I mean a diamond, doesn’t mean you have to marry him. Presents aren’t promises, and kisses aren’t for keeps.

Diamond mines damage the environment. This is important, even though it’s true of all types of mining, not just diamond mining. Mines are dangerous for workers (including children) and threaten our planet, too. I wish there were a way to dig that deep without so much damage.

And last but definitely not least…

A diamond is not forever. Nothing is forever, my friends. Engagements, marriages, jobs, you name it. If they happen to last a long time, then you are indeed a very lucky person. Why do we kid ourselves into believing that a sparkling rock, delivered to us on the backs of the abused, purchased for more than it’s worth, marketed for more than it means and obtained at the expense of our own dear planet will keep love alive?

And please tell me why I still melt, just a little, at the sight of a beautiful, shimmering diamond ring perched on a shelf in a store window.

(Lastly, did you know? There are some great alternatives: you can buy vintage diamonds – at a fraction of the cost! – and retailers like Brilliant Earth and Green Karat are eco-friendly and cruelty-free, too.)

Images: fashionjewelry, stephend9, ruby-jade-sapphire-pearl, smh, nyinquirer, starryskies, hairdecor, hourglass diamond

While the government has yet to assess the safety of nonstick cookware, we the people have gotten word that Teflon is taboo. On a conventional stovetop, it only takes two to five minutes to exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases that can expose us, our children and our pets to chemical dangers.

According to Natural News, Dupont denies that Teflon is unsafe for use in households, even though those fumes it gives off are well known to kill parrots and other pet birds. In fact, the company faces new charges from the EPA that it concealed research showing pregnant women exposed to the chemicals passed them on to their babies. It has also accused the company of hiding evidence it’s manufacturing plant had contaminated water supplies affecting 12,000 people. Teflon reassures customers of the safety of its products on its web site, saying that even the EPA doesn’t believe the cookware is bad for you.

We cannot rely on these companies to do the investigating for us – they’ve got pots and pans to sell. A better choice would be to seek out an iron or stainless steel pan you like. Unfortunately, that requires using oil which consumers try to avoid because of our national fat phobia.

Cuisinart might have the first, good alternative. It has introduced an eco-friendly nonstick line of cookware called Green Gourmet, shown above, which sells for $249 for the 12-piece set, $49.95 for a 10″ skillet. The nonstick technology is a petroleum-free, ceramic-based interior to conserve oil consumption and the coating is applied at a temperature one-half that of conventional nonsticks. The cookware is also free of PTFE and PFOA and boasts riveted stainless handles made from 70% recycled stainless steel. It also helps save energy via its anodized construction that provides superior heat conductivity. The company goes one further with by packaging the cookware in 100% recycled materials printed with soy ink.

Best of all, the cookware comes with a limited lifetime warranty. Now that’s green.

Our relationship with the sun is a complicated one.

Take sun tans. Nobody’s sure how it happened, but sometime over the last century in America and Europe, being tanned became fashionable. Yet go halfway round the world today, and you’ll find pale skin most desirable. Go back two centuries, and the same is true in Europe – just read up on the long tradition of lead-paint cosmetics (and deadly consequences). But now we have sun-beds and artificial tanning lotions that turn you a lovely shade of orange…whilst in India, skin-lightening lotions are on the shelves. Confused? I don’t blame you.

Biologically, things are more straightforward. Our skin needs ultraviolet light to manufacture Vitamin D. We’ve known for a while that this organic compound is important in maintaining good bones, regulating mineral absorption and keeping our immune system fighting-fit. (Here’s a detailed breakdown of the benefits of sunlight.) However, a recent study from John Hopkins University suggests we’ve underestimated its importance – in particular the association with heart disease.

Cue the sound of a million tanning fanatics heading for the beach. Somebody should tell them a little about the flip-side: even if we neutralize the threat of melanoma (and the latest news is promising), it’s been claimed that a tan is worse than smoking for your skin.

Sunshine’s getting an about-face these days, but it’s no license to fry. Enjoy the sun by all means – and here’s another reason to do so – just protect your skin with non-toxic sunscreen and natural skincare products, and do it properly – here’s National Geographic Green Guide’s suggestions.

The need for some sunshine is instinctive for animals, plants, children, and I’d argue even us hypochondriac adults. Think of how lovely it feels soaking into your bones. Sure, the relationship is complicated – but we couldn’t live without it.

Image: Zanastardust

A crackling fire might be a symbol of domestic warmth and bliss but the pollutants can be so bad for your lungs, some states forbid building open masonry fireplaces in new homes and home remodels.

Northern California homeowners like me, with existing brick fireplaces, can’t use them any old time we want any longer. The Bay Area Quality Management District has established a Spare the Air Program, making it illegal to burn wood on winter days when air pollution exceeds national standards.

Instead of fighting the tide, perhaps it’s time we learn to live without fires or investigate affordable green alternatives that provide ambience without  a carcinogen danger. Here are a few hot ones:

I’ve written before about the Ecosmartâ„¢ Fire from Australia. It is fueled by denatured ethanol (a renewable energy source) so it burns cleanly and requires no installation of a utility connection for fuel supply. Housed in a metal stainless steel chamber, they can be wall mounted or free standing for two-way pleasure (below), and the Zeta  design at the top of page. They are distributed wordwide, starting at around $1600.

Gel fireplaces, such as the wall-mounted metal designs by Southern Enterprices Inc. ($200), burn grain-alcohol gel (about two to three hours per can). They emit no fumes or smoke, only small amounts of carbon dioxide. These, too, come in many designs, including indoor-outdoor personal fireplaces, like the Pagoda by Jensen. All of them are available at Cailbex.
 
 

I’m not a fan of woodstoves (most of them are so ugly), but the EPA certified that pellet burning models do pollute less. The Englander designs such as this one (below) runs $1589 at Home Depot and boasts new technology, such as stainless steel tubes and a ceramic fireboard to produce a clean, hot burn that lasts for hours.

But what are these cell phones actually doing to our cells? Human studies aren’t conclusive, but I used to have a phone that would make the side of my head hot after a few minutes of conversation. I knew that couldn’t be good.

Since you’re probably not willing to give up your cell phone, the least you can do is buy a safer model. An earpiece is essential, but even a phone on your belt is still emitting radiation. Cnet reviews different brands and models on radiation levels, so you can make wise purchasing decisions. Buy safe.