Support Free Access to Birth Control!

• Target: Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
• Sponsored by: CREDO Action

We have a chance to make birth control for women free by designating it preventative health care -- but we'll have to ensure the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) listens to women and not Catholic Bishops when it comes to women's reproductive health.

The White House has repeatedly failed to counter conservative initiatives that leave women without comprehensive health care. HHS's refusal to make birth control free for most women as long as it's designated as "preventative health care" is only the latest blow to women's reproductive health.

Fortunately, HHS is revisiting this decision. But the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops testified at the first meeting of the decision-making panel -- why would they weigh in on what qualifies as preventative health care for women?

Tell the Secretary of HHS Kathleen Sebelius to listen to women, not Catholic Bishops, and recommend providing free access to birth control.


Sign it now:  http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/188/445/074/


Guys, this is an important issue for you as well.  The letter being sent on your behalf (after signing the petition) will be as follows:


Dear Secretary Sebelius,

I stand for women's reproductive health. The Department of Health and Human Services should listen to women, not the Catholic Bishops, and mandate free access to birth control.

[Your comments will be inserted here.]

Sincerely,
[Your name here]

7 Foods Banned in Europe - Still In The U.S.!

Modified Foods

Although the E.U. is continuously coming under attack for policies banning GM foods, the community is highly suspicious of genetically modified foods, and the agro-industrial pressures that drive their use. The problem with GM foods is that there is simply not sufficient research and understanding to inform good public policy. In spite of widespread GM use without apparent negative impacts in other countries, the recent public reaction to trans-fats are reason enough to support a precautionary principle for the food supply chain.

Pesticides in Your Food

The E.U. has acted against the worst pesticides typically found as residuals in the food chain. A ban on 22 pesticides was passed at the E.U. level, and is pending approval by the Member States. Critics claim the ban will raise prices and may harm malaria control, but advocates of the ban say action must be taken against the pesticides which are known to cause harm to health and nevertheless consistently found in studies of food consumption.

Bovine Growth Hormone

This drug, known as rBGH for short, is not allowed in Europe. In contrast, U.S. citizens struggle even for laws that allow hormone-free labeling so that consumers have a choice. This should be an easy black-and-white decision for all regulators and any corporation that is really concerned about sustainability: give consumers the information. We deserve control over our food choice.

Chlorinated Chickens

Amid cries that eating American chickens would degrade European citizens to the status of guinea pigs, the E.U. continued a ban on chickens washed in chlorine. The ban effectively prevents all import of chickens from the U.S. into Europe. If chicken chlorination is “totally absurd” and “outrageous” for Europeans, what does that mean for Americans?

Food Contact Chemicals

Phthalates and Bisphenols in plastic are really beneficial. They help manufacturers create plastic products with the softness and moldability needed to fulfill consumer needs. But when the food contact additives are found in the food and liquids contained by those plastics, trouble starts. Both the U.S. and Europe stringently regulate food contact use of chemicals. However, the standard of approval is different. In Europe, the precautionary principle requires that the suppliers of chemicals prove their additives safe, or they will be banned. Of course, although the E.U. has banned phthalates in toys, both phthalates and bisphenol-A remain approved for food contact uses — subject to strict regulations on their use.

Stevia, the natural sweetener

The U.S. recently approved this “natural” sweetener as a food additive. Previously, it was sold in the U.S. under the less stringent dietary supplement laws. It has been embraced in Japan for over three decades, but E.U. bans still stand — pointing to potential disturbances in fertility and other negative health impacts. But the sweetener is credited with potentially positive health effects too. Is this a case where consumer choice should prevail?

Planned Ban: Food Dyes

Many food dyes previously recognized as safe are suspected of contributing to attention deficit disorder. Action is afoot as the UK evaluates a ban on synthetic food colors. Regulation in the E.U. often starts through the leadership of one Member State, which pushes the concepts up to Brussels after a proof-of-concept pilot phase. Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, and Red 3 are among the food colors associated with hyperactivity.

Scariest Fast Food Breakfasts

How would you like to meet your daily sodium and saturated fat allowance, as well as nearly half of your daily calorie needs, in one quick breakfast eaten on the road? It’s becoming progressively easy these day as food technicians, chefs and market researchers, holed away in corporate fast food “studios,” are busy developing monstrous new breakfast items. Trying to claim as much of the $57 billion fast food breakfast market as they can, the fast food giants are drumming up increasingly cheesy, steak-y, fried chicken-y breakfast dishes that tap into flavor combinations that have proven successful for lunch and dinner items. It’s no longer eggs and English muffins for fast food breakfast–breakfast burger anyone?

What’s most striking about some of these high-calorie items–aside from the unsustainable, industrial, often GMO and synthetic ingredients–is the very high sodium and saturated fat content. According to the USDA, the current recommendation for sodium consumption is less than 2,300 milligrams a day. For saturated fat, the maximum allowance is between 18 grams to 31 grams, depending on your caloric intake needs. (You can calculate your caloric need with this calculator from the Mayo Clinic.) Many of these breakfast items meet or exceed the daily sodium and fat allowances, and provide much more than one-third of your daily caloric needs.

1. Carl’s Jr Breakfast Burger
Yes, I’m afraid you read that right, “breakfast” and “burger” in the same menu item. How do you turn a regular burger into a breakfast burger? By adding not only an egg–but an egg, bacon, American cheese and hash brown nuggets too!

Calories: 780
Fat Calories: 370
Total Fat: 51 grams
Sat Fat: 15 grams
Sodium: 1460

2. McDonald’s Big Breakfast with Hotcakes
Chances are that if you are ordering a breakfast that contains scrambled eggs, sausage, hash brown, hotcakes and a biscuit, you’re probably not really watching your waistline (well, watching it increase, maybe) but still, the tally for this corpulent combination is quite impressive.

Calories: 1150
Fat Calories: 540
Total Fat: 59 grams
Sat Fat: 20 grams
Sodium: 2260

If you decide to go with something less bulky, like the McSkillet Burrito with Sausage, you’ll still be ringing up 610 calories. The “best bet” here is the Egg McMuffin at 300 calories and 5 grams of saturated fat. But then again, the sound of “Pasteurized Process American Cheese, Canadian Style Bacon, and Liquid Margarine” may leave you a little blue in the gills…

3. Burger King Biscuits and Sausage Gravy Platter
I can’t decide which one is worse, the Biscuits and Sausage Gravy Platter or the Double Croissan’wich with Sausage Egg and Cheese. Calories are the same, but you can have 35 grams of fat with 2350 mg of sodium (that’s your limit for the day), or you can opt for the 49 grams of fat with 1520 mg of sodium.

Calories: 680
Fat Calories: 310
Total Fat: 35 grams
Sat Fat: 28 grams
Sodium: 2350

4. Burger King Double Croissan’wich with Sausage Egg and Cheese
Does the cutesy name make it any less threatening?

Calories: 680
Fat Calories: 421
Total Fat: 49 grams
Sat Fat: 18 grams
Sodium: 1520

5. Hardee’s Double Sausage Egg n’ Cheese Biscuit
Anytime you start saying “double sausage” when talking about a meal, you should just know to expect trouble…like 21-grams-of-saturated-fat kind of trouble. Along with your RDA for sodium and saturated fat all scooped up with this one sandwich, you can pretty much eat nothing else besides celery for the day. The problem with any of the biscuit meals here is that the biscuit alone is 370 calories.

Calories: 830
Fat Calories: 570
Total Fat: 63 grams
Sat Fat: 21 grams
Sodium: 2100

6. Hardee’s Loaded Breakfast Burrito
Can you imagine? “Eggs, crumbled sausage, bacon and diced ham, lots of shredded cheddar cheese, then wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. Served with zesty salsa.” I like the use of “zesty”–as if it somehow lightens this overwhelming brick of animal fat disguised as a burrito.

Calories: 760
Fat Calories: 400
Total Fat: 49 grams
Sat Fat: 21 grams
Sodium: 1380

7. Hardee’s Low Carb Breakfast Bowl
So, you think maybe the low carb option is going to be the better option? How does this sound: “eggs topped with a sausage patty and a slice of Swiss cheese, then piled with a loaded omelet (with crumbled sausage, bacon, diced, ham and shredded cheddar), then finished with more shredded cheddar and sprinkled with bacon bits.” Sounds like “call 9-1-1″ to me.

Calories: 620
Fat Calories: 450
Total Fat: 50 grams
Sat Fat: 21 grams
Sodium: 1380

8. Jack in the Box Steak and Egg Burrito
I don’t know who came up with the idea of steak and eggs for breakfast, but, ouch. Even worse when they are wrapped up in a tortilla along with hash browns, cheddar cheese, jack cheese and a bunch of sauce.

Calories: 821
Fat Calories: 450
Total Fat: 48 grams
Sat Fat: 15 grams
Sodium: 1616

9. Jack in the Box Extreme Sausage Sandwich
When a regular sausage sandwich just isn’t enough…

Calories: 690
Fat Calories: 445
Total Fat: 41 grams
Sat Fat: 17 grams
Sodium: 1356

10. Chick-fil-A Sausage Biscuit
The Chick-fil-A Sausage Biscuit is not too much better or worse than the other sausage biscuits. The general problem with a biscuit breakfast is that it is not that large of meal, yet you are using up a lot of calories for a lot of junk and animal fat.

Calories: 590
Fat Calories: 370
Total Fat: 41 grams
Sat Fat: 16 grams
Sodium: 1250

11. Chick-fil-A Chicken Egg and Cheese Bagel on a Sunflower Mutligrain Bagel
Well it’s nice that they opted for a multigrain bagel studded with sunflower seeds, but does that really hide the fact that there is a slab of fried chickenbetween the eggs and American cheese?

Calories: 530
Fat Calories: 200
Total Fat: 23 grams
Sat Fat:7 grams
Sodium: 1330

Sustainable Gardening .101: Kitchen Gardens

Do you know where your food comes from? In the last few months there has been a flurry of books and articles on the subject of sustainable food. First Lady, Michelle Obama, helped break ground on a new White House organic “kitchen garden”. The White House kitchen garden will be the first working garden since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a so-called “victory garden” at the height of World War II. The Obamas’ garden with its proposed 55 varieties of vegetables sends a message about where they want their food to come from.

Home kitchen gardens can be one of the most sustainable food options for people who want to know where their food comes from. Kitchen gardens can provide a living tapestry of healthy vegetables and fruits, just steps away from your kitchen. My family's kitchen garden is an integral part of our home. It sits a stones throw from our kitchen out the back door. We know where to go when someone says, “I need chives for the soup” or, “Who wants to help with the salad?”

The French have been designing jardin potagers, or kitchen gardens, for centuries. Kitchen gardens serve as functional, practical and beautiful additions to many homes. These gardens are typically located outside of a kitchen and include herbs, vegetables and fruits. Some kitchen gardens contain medicinal plants and flowers. Having immediate access from the kitchen is optimal for harvesting while cooking. Kitchen gardens can be easier to tend because they have clearly defined beds and paths.

Creating a bountiful kitchen garden can be an economical and healthy addition your home. Planned kitchen gardens still have an element of trial and error, like all gardens, but worth the experimentation.

What you need:
• graph paper
• wooden dividers or an arrangement of pots
• watering supply
• trellises or stakes
• sunlight
• plants-vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers

Here are some things to consider when planning a kitchen garden:
• Divide each bed into rectangles (or whatever shape will fit in your space).
• Plot out on graph paper the types and numbers of plants you think you’ll be able to fit into the space. Raised beds will allow for a more efficient use of space.
• It’s said that vegetables are like people, they thrive on companionship. Vegetables may yield up to twice as much when they are surrounded with companion plants. Here is an article about companion planting that outlines which vegetables are best friends.
• Think about combining plants that will create patterns of color and texture: a square of red leaf lettuce with deep green basil in the middle; the ferny fronds of fennel surrounding the bold leaves of cabbage.
• Plan for the spread and height of each vegetable, so the beds don’t get too overgrown, and so you’re able to find and reach the vegetables as they ripen.
• Plant intensively and close together so that there is little room for weeds and the plants shade each other.

I'll post some more next time for would-be gardener's with small spaces. (Urban planners? Have hope!)

Feng Shui For Winter Nights

From Divine Design by Betsy Stang, certified Feng Shui consultant.

Red is not just for Santa! Red is the color of warmth, of fire, of yang. It is the antidote for the cold yin nights of winter. Warm your nights with just the right chi by practicing these feng shui tips for winter colors, light, warmth, safety and sharing.

Winter Colors and Light

Red
Replace some of your summer blues with reds and oranges. Think pillows, quilts and place settings. You will feel warmer and less depressed. A cozy red or burgundy throw on the chair or on the bed will make you feel wonderful, and cut down on the need to turn up the heat.

Orange
Cook orange. Pumpkins and squash are plentiful and give you the good carbohydrates and nutrients that you need for winter.

Light up the Night
Get at least one full spectrum light for a reading area. The complete spectrum will relieve seasonal affective disorder and help your eyes. Plants love full spectrum light so you can put some greenery nearby, and create a small winter garden that will cheer you up and help provide oxygen for your rooms.

Long evenings mean it is time to replace light bulbs. Think energy conserving compact fluorescents, especially for outside lights and accent areas. Your pocket book and your planet will thank you. There are even energy conserving Christmas lights that are now standard in Canada. Solar path lights won’t go all night at this time of year, but they probably are on sale and will light your way home in the evening with no strain on the environment. Additionally, in February, as the days lengthen, they will glitter most of the night, even in the snow, and will make you smile for years to come.

Warm up your Windows .
Check to make sure all windows shut well. If you have single paned glass which lets the cold wind into the house, find some cheerful thick fabric, valances or drapes, which can cut your heating costs all winter and is a terrific way to change the feel of a room. The Victorians covered their windows for a reason; their homes were drafty! When you feel an uncovered window on a cold night, it’s cold! So think warm and add fabric.

Remove or cover your air conditioners. If removal is difficult get some wonderful natural fabric from your local fabric store and create a cover. Tip: Double-sided Velcro is amazing for the sewing challenged!

Watch For Fire
Get the chimney ready for Santa. It is the time to have your boiler and fireplace checked and cleaned. Too many house fires or clogged boilers are caused by the lack of taking this step. All combustible materials create residue which in time builds up, so be safe, be warm and be pro-active. This expense could save you thousands.

Pay Attention to Your Floor, Your Grounding
Remove any dangerously slippery bath mat. The backing does disintegrate, and think about a cozy rug for your bedroom or sitting area. Please think about natural materials so you are not creating a toxic environment. Artificial rugs off-gas and pollute a closed environment; you could expose yourself and your family to illnesses. Look for Tibetan or other tribal rugs made from natural fiber and plant dyes.

Tell Stories; Share with Others
Get some good books. The wintertime has always been storytelling time among all traditions, so let the indoor time give you a chance to expand your mind, either for sheer pleasure or to learn something new you have been meaning to get to but haven’t had the chance.

Lastly, share your home with your friends. Long winter evenings are great for sharing food and conversation. Being with those you love will remind you of how much you have to be grateful for.

And as your gratitude increases take some of your old clothing and household goods to a local shelter or Goodwill and spread some cheer around. You will also get rid of your clutter and make room for the new.

Top 10 Superfoods for Fall

I, for one, love the idea that there are superfoods–certain edibles that go the extra mile in terms of nutritional chutzpah. They may not leap tall buildings, but superfoods are purported to fight the evil villains of heart disease, high cholesterol, cancer and a host of other diseases. Blueberries, for example, have become a superfood darling for their powerful punch of antoxidants–and I have to say, they do seem pretty mighty to me.

That said, I think some of the trendy superfoods are stealing the spotlight from the true heart of the matter–from the everyday heroes. It seems to me that almost any grain or produce that is grown organically, unprocessed and prepared gently, has much to offer. I just can’t see a list of ten superfoods that earn obvious rank. In fact, if you look at 10 “Top 10 Superfoods” lists, you will see that they vary widely.

The truth is, most good food from nature is pretty super. So with that in mind, I like taking a seasonal approach. Rather than debating the merits of acai berries over goji berries, I prefer to look at what’s in season, and work with the nutritional workhorses that I can get here and now. These are my favorites for fall, based primarily on nutritional variety and strength, but that also give me that primal, sensuous satisfaction that comes with eating what’s in season:

Sweet Potatoes and Pumpkin
I go crazy for these flavors come fall, and no wonder: The dark orange vegetable family outdoes all others in vitamin A content. Sweet potatoes are also packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, calcium, and potassium. Other dark orange vegetable standouts include pumpkin, carrots, butternut squash, and orange bell peppers.

Cruciferous Vegetables
Crucifers such as broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards and turnips contain indole alkaloids that may help prevent cancer. They are also high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Along with their fabulous flavor, once you get the hang of cooking them, they may have an added bonus: they may help bolster memory as you age. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that women who eat the most of these foods are the least likely to be forgetful.

Pomegranates
Pomegranates have very high antioxidant activity, offering brain and memory protection. And research shows that drinking pomegranate juice may help with lowering the risk for hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. And they're my personal favourite on the list!

Beets
The pigment that gives beets their super-beautiful fuschia depth-betacyanin-is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Beets’ potential effectiveness against colon cancer, in particular, has been demonstrated in several studies. Beets are also particularly rich in the B vitamin folate.

The Alliums
Garlic, onions, leeks, scallions, chives and shallots contain sulfur compounds that may protect against heart disease and some cancers, they can all help the liver eliminate toxins and carcinogens.

Beans
An excellent source of protein, antioxidants, folic acid, potassium, dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates, beans are flavorful, nutritionally dense, inexpensive and versatile. Read about heirloom varieties and cooking tips.

Olive oil
Several large studies suggest that the monosaturated fat in olive oil is good for the heart. Olive oil lowers bad cholesterol levels and increases good cholesterol. It is hgih in antioxidants–and is one of the superstars of the Mediterranean diet. Recent research shows that heart-attack survivors on a Mediterranean diet had half the death rates of those on an ordinary low-fat diet.

Tea
The caffeine content in tea is useful for stimulating alertness, mood and motivation, but is also a rich source of the antioxidant called catechins. Studies suggest that catechins protect the artery walls against the damage that causes heart disease and prevents formation of blood clots. It also does wonders for the spirit on a cool autumn day.

Red Wine
Grapes provide vitamin C, vitamin B1 and vitamin B6–red grapes also contain powerful phytochemicals (especially phenolics) that may help decrease risk of cardiovascular disease. These phenolic compounds are housed mostly in the skin of the red grapes, which is what makes red wine red. Resveratrol, a polyphenolic stilbene found in the skins of red fruits including grapes, may be responsible for some of the health benefits ascribed to the consumption of red wine. Resveratrol has been shown to have anti-oxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activity.

The Halloween Hangover: Fructose and Your Digestive System

Here is an article on fructose that I am going to forward to a number of friends who have digestive problems that they can’t seem to get rid of. From The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose Fallout That is Making You Fat and Sick, by Richard J. Johnson, MD, the book is a fascinating read. Here is the excerpt on the Halloween Hangover. See if it sounds familiar:

Call it the Halloween Hangover: Filling up on sweets often leads to an upset stomach. This is because many people have difficulty digesting the fructose in sugar, HFCS, and other sweeteners. But it’s not only candy-munching trick-or-treaters who are affected by this problem, known as fructose malabsorption (or sometimes dietary fructose intolerance.) If you have been experiencing unexplained digestive problems, fructose could be the cause.

As fructose travels through the digestive system, it eventually enters the small intestine. From there, it normally is absorbed into the bloodstream. But some people absorb fructose less efficiently than others so. In these cases, fructose enters into the large intestine, where it is broken down by bacteria, producing large amounts of hydrogen gas. Fructose can also suck water into the colon.

Fructose malabsorption causes a variety of gastronintestinal problems, including abdominal pain, bloating, cramps, flatulence, diarrhea, and constipation. Bacteria can convert fructose to compounds called ketoacids; in rare cases, this could cause the blood to become dangerously acidic, a condition that can lead to rapid breathing, confusion, and other symptoms. In one small 2005 study published in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers asked 15 volunteers to drink water laced with 25 grams of fructose, which is similar to the amount found in a 12-ounce can of non-diet soda. Breath tests that measure hydrogen determined that more than half of the subjects had evidence of fructose malabsorption. Six of the volunteers developed gas or rumbling sounds in their stomachs, and one experienced abdominal pain. When the dose was increased by 50 grams of fructose, breath tests showed that 11 of the 15 volunteers had reached the threshold for fructose malabsorption.

Recent research suggests that fructose may be one cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that affects up to one in five Americans. Previously, the foods and beverages most commonly linked to IBS were wheat and other grains, chocolate, and dairy products, as well as alcohol. Now studies suggest that many people who complain of IBS symptoms have fructose malabsorption. In a University of Iowa study, for example, more than one-third of people with IBS-like symptoms had dietary fructose intolerance.

If you struggle with gastrointestinal problems, adopting a low-fructose diet may help. A 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that 74 percent of IBS patients who cut back on their fructose consumption experienced a significant drop in gastrointestinal symptoms.

Contraception Is Abortion?

Click here to sign an emergency message to the Department of Health and Human Services: "Contraception is NOT abortion. The Bush Administration's proposal to change the definition of abortion and reduce women's access to birth control must be stopped." Sign the petition In partnership with:

Can you imagine living in a place where birth control is considered an "abortion" and health insurers won't cover it? Where even rape victims are denied emergency contraception?

It seems unbelievable, but the Bush Administration is quietly trying to redefine "abortion" to include birth control. The Houston Chronicle says this could wipe out dozens of state laws that protect women's reproductive freedom and protect rape victims.¹ Access to basic health care for millions of women would be jeopardized. And it's being pushed as a "rule change"—meaning, it doesn't need congressional approval.

Can you sign an emergency message to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, whose department is considering this rule change right now? Tell him: "Contraception is NOT abortion. The Bush Administration's proposal to change the definition of abortion and reduce women's access to birth control must be stopped."

Click here to add your name to this message.

The best way to beat back this proposal is to show Secretary Leavitt massive public outrage—that's why today we're launching this petition jointly with Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Together, we'll deliver every signature to Leavitt. You can help add to our momentum by forwarding this message to friends.

Here's what some others are saying about this proposal:

The draft regulation would define birth control as abortion...it could deny access to critical family planning for women across the country.—Letter signed by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and 26 other senators.²

The draft rule could void laws in 27 states that require insurance companies to provide birth control coverage for women requesting it [and] laws in 14 states requiring that rape victims receive counseling and access to emergency, day-after contraceptives.—Houston Chronicle editorial³

The administration needs to stop playing word games with women's health and state clearly they will reject any regulations that will undermine women's access to basic health care.—Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.⁴

[It's] a spectacular act of complicity with the religious right... —RH Reality Check, Information and Analysis for Reproductive Health⁵

The birth control pill, the IUD, and emergency contraception might all become unavailable—illegal—as a result.—Brigid Riley, executive director of a Minnesota teen pregnancy prevention organization⁶

Can you help send a loud message to Secretary Leavitt that birth control is NOT abortion? Clicking here will sign your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/contraception/?r_by=13468-9390789-FpKtJ4x&rc=comment_paste

Thanks for all you do.

This message was provided by MoveOn.org. Want to support their work? They're entirely funded by their 3.2 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And their tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

Reform American Health Care

Target: U.S. House of Representatives
Sponsored by: IOUSA: The Movie

Did you know that Americans spend more on health care than any other country? Costs have been rising significantly faster than economic or personal income growth for the past 40 years, and the trend is continuing at an unsustainable rate. In fact, it is the worst long-term crisis facing the nation, and it demands a solution.

If we don't address these rising costs now, our entire safety net could disappear, including Medicare and Social Security. Even worse, cost burdens and our $9.5 trillion national debt make it almost impossible to invest in new programs that make us healthier and more secure.

Annually, the U.S. health care industry spends an amount equal to the entire gross domestic product of France and Spain combined, so reform is going to be complicated and challenging. But it needs to happen sooner rather than later, and the first step is asking hard questions about health care in America.

Waiting to reform the health care system will just push the problem onto our children and grandchildren, and that is irresponsible and immoral. Ask Congress to seriously face health care reform today.

Sign the petition!

Signature goal: 25,000

Current signatures: 2,370

Create a Green Nursery

Healthy Product Recommendations for the Baby's Room

A New Priority for Parents

Taking toxic materials out of the nursery is becoming a top priority for new parents. Creating a green nursery just makes sense since your delicate little one will spend up to 17-hours a day in there! Consider everything your baby comes in contact with and choose your nursery furnishings with natural, organic materials in mind.

Use Non-Toxic Paints and Finishes

Before baby comes home from the hospital you can start preparing your green nursery. Painting should be done at least a month before the new addition arrives and it should be done by someone other than a pregnant mom. Avoid residual toxic chemicals found in typical paints and finishes by choosing Zero VOC or Low VOC options. Babies are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) found in common commercial oil and water based paints.

Using healthy non-toxic paints and finishes for the creation of an organic baby nursery is a must. The crib is your baby’s “home” and needs to be as pure as possible in every way. Choose real wood and natural finishes.

Choose Safe Flooring

You can be sure your baby will spend a lot of time on the floor, so stay away from new carpeting. Instead choose natural and hard surfaced flooring like wood (with a low VOC sealant), linoleum or cork. Hard surfacing is easier to maintain and less likely to trap potential contaminants than wall-to-wall carpeting. If an area rug is needed, be aware that VOC’s can be found in carpet backing, adhesives and the fibers themselves, as well as stain or water resistant treatments that have been applied to the carpet. Make sure to choose natural fibers and untreated options.

Choose Organic Baby Clothes, Organic Bedding and Natural Toys

Choose certified organic cotton that’s been untreated, unbleached, and unprocessed for bed sheets, baby clothes and toys your baby will use. Also make sure that colored dyes in the fabric have all-natural ingredients derived from nature’s plants and minerals.

Make sure your baby sleeps on an organic mattress that is free of dangerous flame retardant chemicals. Ours are made from certified wool, natural rubber and organic cotton.

In 2007, 12 million children's toys were recalled. Be aware of imported toys from China, which may contain lead, a neurotoxin. But that’s not the only toy hazard. Most toys sold in major toy stores are made from plastics. Plastic is a major contributor to indoor air pollution. There are many natural cloth and wood toys available on the Internet.

Use Safe Baby Bottles

There has been a lot of news lately about a chemical found in baby bottles, called Bisphenol-A. Bisphenol-A is a hormone-disrupting chemical considered to be potentially harmful to human health and the environment and is found in common plastic baby bottles. It has been known that scratched and worn polycarbonate feeding bottles will leach Bisphenol-A into liquids. Studies have been shown that very low levels of Bisphenol-A in a baby can cause behavioral effects like hyperactivity, and impaired learning. Make sure to use BPA free plastic baby bottles or glass bottles for feeding your baby.

Trust Your Senses

It may not always be possible to determine which materials are used in nursery products, or their safety, but there is one tool you have that you can rely on to evaluate any product—your nose. If the smell bothers you, it will bother your baby, so don’t put it in the nursery. Once you have a natural, organic, green nursery, keep it safe by using only natural and nontoxic cleaning products and pest controls.

Originally authored by Ron and Lisa Beres

Lisa and Ron Beres are Building Biologists,
Certified Green Building Professionals and
the founders of www.GreenNest.com.

Clean and Green Exercise

Originally posted by Annie B Bond. Excerpted from "Wake Up and Smell the Planet" (Skipstone, 2007), by Grist.org.

Even eco-types like us can be couch potatoes (though the couch is formaldehyde-free and our potatoes are organic and locally grown). But when the clock says 5:03 p.m. and the stress of your last meeting lingers on, nothing beats the satisfaction of a sweat-inducing, tension-releasing workout. (Well, that or a good stiff bourbon.) Still, popular modes of exercise come with their own set of environmental concerns, so educate yourself before dropping to give us 20 at the end of your busy day.

For the Fleet of Feet
Those of you whose post-work exercise routine includes an invigorating run may want to consider the implications of inhaling deeply—especially if you live and jog in an urban area.

Your chief outdoor foe is likely ozone, created when the chemicals in car exhaust and other emissions react to sunlight. It lurks mostly during the day, usually hitting its peak in the late afternoon and early evening, and lessens quickly as the sun goes down. Since traffic is usually lighter at night, and factories are likely to be spewing less, it’s likely that nighttime air is cleaner than daytime air. Of course it all depends on weather, geography, traffic intensity, the type of pollution, and so on. Some particulate matter can stick around for weeks, but in general pollution weakens with time.

If your schedule—or safety concerns—don’t allow for nighttime jogging, you still have options. Just pay attention to the local air-quality forecasts and keep a close eye on your body’s reactions as you run, especially if you have asthma or another respiratory condition. Try not to run on days or nights when the air quality is especially bad. If you simply can’t miss a day, ease up a bit: Walk instead of jog, jog instead of sprint.

As for other alternatives, you could create a gym with your friends by combining collective equipment. Or think about joining a local sports league—you get to exercise and socialize all at once. (And whether you win or lose, there’s always a reason to hoist an organic beer or two afterward.)

Low-Impact Exercise

• Walk or bike to work.
• Run up and down the steps of your local museum (just try not to sing the “Rocky” theme song.)
• Work in your garden.
• Do sit-ups while watching Animal Planet.
• Clean out your garage.
• Take your dog for a long walk.
• Chase your kids around the yard.

Advanced Workout

• Bike home from the market with panniers full of fresh food.
• Volunteer to lift sacks of bulk grains at your grocery (you never know).
• Join a group that clears trails in local hiking areas.
• Bench press your composting bin.
• Plant trees with a local arbor organization.
• Push a Hummer into a Prius car lot. Bonus workout: Engage in the ensuing scuffle (don’t forget to guard your face)!

Come On In, the Water’s … Probably Okay

We know some of you go to great lengths to achieve a weekly quota of laps at the pool. Perhaps you’ve noticed the scent of chlorine wafting off your skin for hours afterward and thought, “I stink of chemicals and my hair is turning brittle and green. Could this be harmful?” Well, perk up those swimmer’s ears as we dive into what we know about pools.

Chlorine is used to remove harmful contaminants from water, mostly because it’s
cheap (and because anyone who’s swum in a kid-populated pool is thankful for its mighty
pathogen-zapping powers). But when chlorine reacts with organic matter such as dirt and dandruff, a whole new family of chemicals results: Trihalomethanes (THMs), which hang around in the water and the surrounding air. Their concentration depends on water temperature and the amount of chlorine in the pool.

When swimming in chlorinated water, you have an elevated exposure to this group of chemicals, though the actual risks from such exposure are currently unknown. How long do THMs persist in the body? In the case of the most notorious, chloroform, the answer appears to be: not very long. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set allowable workplace chloroform levels for the standard work week at 50 parts per million. Most pool air will be at that level or higher, but you are only in the pool for an hour or so.

If swimming is your exercise of choice (and if you don’t do it all day long, every day), the associated chemicals aren’t likely to do you in. Be aware that outdoor pools and indoor pools with high ceilings are considered safer than those in low-ceilinged or otherwise tight quarters. Rest assured that swimming is great exercise—and you look totally hot in that Speedo.

Build a Compost Heap

Originally posted by Annie B. Bond Apr 22, 2008 7:00 am

Adapted from Four-Season Harvest, by Eliot Coleman

So often, the obvious solution is right at our fingertips, but
it looks so simple that we fail to notice. Generations of
gardeners have consistently come up with the same chain of
logic: A fertile soil is the key to growing garden vegetables;
compost is the key to a fertile soil. The first step in the
four-season harvest is learning to make good compost. It’s
not difficult. Compost wants to happen.

Pick a site near the garden so the finished compost will be
close at hand. Whenever possible, place the heap under the
branches of a deciduous tree so there will be shade in hot
weather and sunlight to thaw the heap in spring. A site
near the kitchen makes it convenient to add kitchen scraps.
Access to a hose is handy for those times when the heap
needs extra moisture. If the site is uphill from the garden,
the heavy work of wheelbarrowing loads of compost will have
gravity on its side.

Build the compost heap by alternating layers of brown
ingredients (such as dried grass stems, old cornstalks, dried
pea and bean vines, reeds, and old hay) with mostly green ones
(young, moist, and fresh materials such as kitchen wastes,
grass clippings, fresh pea vines). Begin with a layer of straw
about 3 inches deep, then add 1 to 6 inches of green ingredients,
another 3 inches of straw, and then more green ingredients.
The thickness of the green layer depends on the nature of the
materials. Loose, open material such as green bean vines or
tomato stems can be applied in a thicker (6-inch) layer,
while denser material that might mat together, such as kitchen
scraps or grass clippings, should be layered thinly (1 to 2
inches). These thicknesses are a place for you to start, but
you will learn to modify them as conditions require.

Sprinkle a thin coverage of soil on top of each green layer.
Make the soil 1/2 inch deep or so depending on what type of
green material is available. If you have just added a layer
of weeds with soil on their roots, you can skip the soil to the
compost heap has both a physical and a microbiological effect:
physical because certain soil constituents (clay particles and
minerals) have been shown to enhance the decomposition of organic
matter; microbiological because soil contains millions of
microorganisms, which are needed to break down the organic
material in the heap. These bacteria, fungi, and other organisms
multiply in the warm, moist conditions as decomposition is
initiated. If your garden is very sandy or gravely, you might
want to find some clay to add to the heap as the soil layer.
As an additional benefit, the clay will improve the balance of
soil particle sizes in your garden.

More on Lawns & Gardens (104 articles available)
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Don't Deny Insurance Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions

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Make sure John McCain and Barack Obama get this message, and tell them they must include everyone in their plans for quality, affordable health care!

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Current: 154 signatures