CT Green Scene

A Greener Way to Clean

by Eileen Weber

Walk down the cleaning supply aisle of any supermarket these days and you’ll see an array of brightly colored bottles. Each of them expresses their powerful cleaning action like a superhero on steroids. All they’re missing is the red cape and silly tights.

Many of them also claim to be eco-friendly. From body lotions to pet shampoo to a chlorine-free line of eco-diapers, there’s something green for everybody. Even Clorox, a company whose very name conjures the scent of bleach, is getting into the act with Green Works™, their biodegradable cleaners.

A number of reports from the EPA and the Consumer Products Safety Commission show that toxic chemicals can have an adverse effect on our health. Specifically, children and those with severe allergies are most affected by these chemicals when inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

Wayne Miles, Proprietor of GoGreen, Inc. in Brooklyn, NY, said he’s been in the cleaning business for 27 years but was looking for an alternative. After cleaning the bathroom in a local homeless shelter, the residents felt nauseous from the fumes in the industrial-grade cleaners. “That was the turning point,” he said.

Since 2000, his company has been completely green. He said he’s even green at home. “Slowly but surely, I’ve been able to convince my wife.”

Demand Grows for Farmers' Markets

Via CT Environmental Headlines
EVERTON BAILEY Jr.

Connecticut Post: 07/05/2008 11:23:52 PM EDT

With summer officially under way, the 2008 Connecticut Farmers Market season is yielding a bumper crop of new markets around the state — with more and more people demanding locally grown products in the face of rising food prices.

Rick Macsuga, marketing representative for the state Department of Agriculture, said there has been a significant increase in requests by towns and cities to offer farmers' markets.

"Town involvement has definitely increased over the years," he said. "Before, we would kind of have to reach out to towns in order to hold a farmers' market. But nowadays, more towns have been reaching out to us and demanding more and more farmers' markets.

"With more and more town support, it definitely makes this process a lot smoother and easier," he said.

Macsuga said 21 new farmers' markets will debut this season, bringing the total statewide to "a little over 100," with 320 farmers contributing fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and other produce. However, farmers are not the only suppliers to these markets. Fishermen, bakers and florists also participate, adding variety to the markets.

The draw of the farmers' market is "the fact that it is local," Macsuga said, "that the money spent here stays here. There is less of a carbon footprint and the food travels less miles in order to get here."

Customers at the Fairfield Farmers Market at Greenfield Hills agreed.

"I like the whole ambiance of the farmers' market," said Fairfield resident Art Beagan.

Some just want to help support hometown goods. "I like the idea of buying local, homegrown products," said P.J. Calyne, of Fairfield, who was shopping with his wife, April, and two children, Abigail and Alexandra.

Others have another agenda.

"I like the cookies," said Abigail with a giggle.

Vendors say they most enjoy the one-on-one contact when dealing with buyers of their crops.

Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags

On What to with A Handful of Dog Poo

by Elizabeth Howard

After we got finished discussing wine, films, Sex and the City, Myanmar and the general state of the weather at our cozy Southport luncheon, we finally got around to chatting about poo.

It started innocently enough, with a conversation about weaning ourselves off of plastic grocery bags. 

It evolved from the full-fledged bags to finding a replacement for the produce bags, which I had recently found a solution for.

"But then, you know," Carol asked, "what do you do about picking up the dog poop?" Carol is nothing if not practical. And she has a Black Lab.

Not to worry: when we aren't slathering butter on a cob, or pumping it into our gas tank, corn apparently has another brilliant use: biodegradable dog poop bags!

NOTE: The instructions on this product say you can toss the pet waste in the compost heap. DON'T!! Pet feces should not be mixed with normal garden compost that may come in contact with food. For a better alternative, check out Sharon Slack's Pet Waste Composter.

Fun, Function, Art and Sustainablity

Consumers currently use 500 billion (yes, that's with a "B") plastic bags each year for shopping: that's 60,000 every 5 seconds. And what happens to many of those bags?

According to the San Fransisco Chronicle, "In reality, the rogue bag would float into a sewer, follow the storm drain to the ocean, then make its way to the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch - the enormous stew of trash - twice the size of Texas, which consists of 80 percent plastics and weighs some 3.5 million tons, say oceanographers - floats where few people ever travel, in a no-man's land between San Francisco and Hawaii."

OnusGear is focused on the solution. They have developed a unique way
to reduce the use of plastic bags and inspire community participation by conducting monthly design contests through their website, OnusGear.com.

Members can submit designs and other members can vote once per day.
Each month the 3 designs with the most votes will have their winning images printed on the heavy-duty canvas bags that come complete with a beverage holder and straps that are easy to sling over your shoulder. Membership is free.

The theme for the May contest is any design that has to do with trees.

So grab a pen, let the creative juices flow, and sign up on their website to submit your own design and vote!

Sneaky, Green Feet: Earth-friendly kids' footwear

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: I’ve found environmentally friendly shoes for myself, but have had trouble finding similar shoes for my kids. Are they out there?    -- Dawn Masterson, Augusta, GA

Kids’ shoes are a quickly expanding market and companies with a green perspective are now jumping into the race with mini versions of everything from flip-flops to slippers to heeled dress shoes. While green kids’ shoes from makers like Simple, which offers organic cotton EcoSneaks with car tire soles, might seem expensive at $40 or more, they are durable enough to get passed around from sibling to sibling. “It is an investment if you’re going to do quality,” says Craig Throne, general manager of footwear at Patagonia.

 

"Image Courtesy "Isabooties and Patagonia."

Chemicals in Scented Candles

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: I just read an article that said air fresheners contain chemicals that can cause health problems when inhaled. Are scented candles any better?

        -- Leanne Chacksfield, Cincinnati, OH

Like most air fresheners, many scented candles contain and release phthalates, potentially harmful chemicals that have been linked to the disruption of hormonal systems and other health problems in people exposed to them. Burning candles can also emit small amounts of acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and naphthalene, organic chemicals that are also potentially harmful and that can leave nasty black soot deposits on floors and other surfaces.

According to Pamela Lundquist of the nonprofit Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC), this black soot deposit “is primarily made up of elemental carbon, but may also contain phthalates and volatile organic compounds like benzene and toluene, which can cause cancer and neurological damage.”