Choose Organic Chocolate

from The Sierra Club:

Of all crops, cocoa demands the second highest use of pesticides (first place goes to cotton). But toxicity isn’t a requirement. In fact, the sweet stuff tastes better when producers honor USDA organic standards, which prohibit the use of harmful chemicals. This benefits our bodies and the earth, by preventing all those poisons from getting into the soil, water, and air. Not sure which organic chocolate to choose for your sweetheart? Check out our picks here.

Tell us: What are your favorite ethical chocolate brands?

Take a Commuter Mug

From our friends at the Sierra Club:

If you're like us, you need a jolt of caffeine to start your day, especially on these cold winter mornings. You already know to buy organic, fair-trade, and shade-grown coffee and tea, so this week we’re giving you other tips for making your daily cup eco-friendlier.

When heading out the door in the morning, grab a commuter mug to hand the barista at your favorite coffee shop; you may even get a small discount. Skip the plastic mug in favor of ceramic or stainless steel. On days when you’re in a hurry and forget the mug, check your paper cup, sleeve, and lid to see whether they can be recycled or composted.

Tell us: Does your local cafe offer a discount for bringing your own mug? and if so, where??? We all could use the extra money!

Your Healthy Holiday Kitchen

From our friends at the Environmental Working Group:

'Tis the season to be in the kitchen, whether you're hosting an event, heading for a potluck or cooking a traditional meal for your family. Whatever the reason, you're probably going to buy ingredients, cook, clean -- and enjoy some leftovers.

EWG makes it easy to prepare your holiday feasts (and to purchase any supplies you need on Amazon) with your family's environmental health in mind. Just follow these simple tips as you shop, cook, eat and clean:

• Cook with safer foods
• Use non-toxic cookware
• Store & reheat leftovers safely
• Clean greener

1. Choose safer foods
   

   The food we eat can contain ingredients we don't want to eat -- from pesticides to food packaging chemicals. To find safer foods, we suggest that you:

   • Buy organic when you can. Organic produce is grown without pesticides, so when you eat it you're not also eating toxic chemicals. Organic meat and dairy products also limit your family's exposure to growth hormones and antibiotics.
   • When you can't buy organic, look for less-contaminated conventional produce. Our Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce ranks popular fruits and vegetables based on the amount of pesticide residues found on them. Check out the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides.
   • Avoid food containers that leach packaging chemicals into food, especially canned foods (the can linings contain bisphenol-A) and greasy fast-food wrappers. Instead, head for fresh food or prepared foods in glass containers. Pick recipes that call for fresh, not canned, foods.
   
   

   Read more about eating safely in our Healthy Home Tip: Go organic and eat fresh foods.


2. Use non-toxic cookware
   

   Skip the non-stick so you don't breathe toxic fumes (that can kill your pet bird!) while cooking on high heat. Non-stick pans are coated with a synthetic chemical (think Teflon), and, while convenient, they emit toxic fumes when overheated.

   Non-stick cookware is in most American kitchens. Is it in yours? If it is, use it safely. If you can, cook with safer alternatives. Here's how:

   • Choose safer cookware. We suggest cast iron, stainless steel and oven-safe glass. Yes, there are many new products on the market, but we don't know enough about them to know if they're safe. Even if they're advertised as "green" or "not non-stick," manufacturers do not have to release their safety data to the public. If you're in the market for a new pan, purchase it through Amazon and a portion of your purchase total will go to EWG!
   • Cook safer with non-stick if you're 'stuck' with it. You can reduce the possibility of toxic fumes by cooking smart with any non-stick cookware you happen to own: never preheat nonstick cookware at high heat, don't put it in an oven hotter than 500 degrees F and use an exhaust fan over the stove.
   
   

   Read more about cooking safely in our Healthy Home Tip: Skip the Non-stick.


3. Store and reheat leftovers safely
   

   Leftovers are an inevitable result of holiday cooking. Avoid plastic when storing and (especially) when heating them. Here's why -- and how:

   • Skip the plastic food storage containers if you can. We know that chemicals routinely migrate, or leach, into food and liquids placed in plastic containers. Ceramic or glass food containers (like Pyrex) are safer.
   • Don't microwave food or drinks in plastic containers, even if they claim to be "microwave safe." Heat can break down plastics and release chemicals into your food and drink. Microwaves heat unevenly, creating hot spots where the plastic is more likely to break down.
   • If you must use plastics, handle them carefully. Use them for cool liquids only; don't reuse single-use plastics; wash plastics on the top rack of the dishwasher, farther from the heating element (or by hand!); use a paper towel instead of plastic wrap to cover food in the microwave.
   
   

   Read more about reheating leftovers safely in our Healthy Home Tip: Pick Plastics Carefully.

4. Clean greener
   

   You clean before holiday guests arrive and after they leave -- and while you cook. But do you clean green? We recommend that you do, because our homes aren't safe and clean if the air inside is polluted with chemicals from household cleaners. It's really quite easy:

   • Choose safer cleaning products. Try natural alternatives (vinegar, baking soda and water!). Avoid anti-bacterials (here's how). Avoid the biggest hazards (acidic toilet bowl cleaners, air fresheners, oven cleaners, and corrosive drain openers).
   • Adopt safe cleaning routines. Open the window. Use gloves. Keep kids away from toxic products. Dust and vacuum often because dust often contains toxics.
   • Tips for the kitchen. Microwave your sponge. Wash your hands with plain soap and water -- it's just as effective. Use a baking soda & water paste instead of commercial oven cleaner.
   
   

   Read more about cleaning safely by downloading our Guide to Greener Cleaning at Home.

LEARN MORE about our Healthy Home Tip series and sign up to get the monthly tips in your inbox.

Healthy Home Tips: Skip the Non-Stick

From our friends at the Environmental Working Group:

Non-stick cookware has been popular because, well, it's non-stick -- very convenient to use and clean. But it also emits toxic fumes when overheated. Environmental Working Group recommends that you choose safer cookware to reduce the risk of inhaling toxic particles when you let that non-stick pan get a little too hot. And who doesn't do that occasionally?

• Why you should skip the non-stick
• What safer cookware to choose
• How to cook with non-stick if you're 'stuck' with it
• Other ways people are exposed to PFCs, and how to avoid them

WHY YOU SHOULD SKIP THE NON-STICK

Non-stick surfaces are aluminum pans coated with a synthetic called polytetrafluoroetheylene (PTFE), also known as Teflon, a DuPont brand trademark. Learn more about Teflon and its perfluorinated chemical “family” (PFC’s) in our chemical dictionary.

Toxic fumes from the Teflon chemical are released from pots and pans at high temperatures, potentially killing pet birds and causing people to exhibit flu-like symptoms (called "Teflon Flu" or, as scientists describe it, "Polymer fume fever"). Ingesting particles that flake off scratched non-stick cookware isn't toxic because solid PTFE flakes are inert.

Manufacturers' labels often warn consumers to avoid high heat when cooking on Teflon. But EWG-commissioned tests conducted in 2003 showed that in just two to five minutes on a conventional stove top, cookware coated with Teflon and other non-stick surfaces could exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases.

See a graphic of what happens at to Teflon at various temperatures.

Health dangers: When you breathe kitchen air polluted with fumes from overheated Teflon, you're at risk for developing flu-like symptoms (yes, "Teflon flu"). The long-term effects of routine exposure to Teflon fumes, and from Teflon flu itself, have not been adequately studied.

PFCs have been found in nearly all Americans tested by federal public health officials. Chemicals from this family are associated with smaller birth weight and size in newborn babies, elevated cholesterol, abnormal thyroid hormone levels, liver inflammation and weakened immune defense against disease.

Environmental hazards: Manufacturing PFCs and the consumer products that contain them poses great risks to the environment and wildlife. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says PFCs present "persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity properties to an extraordinary degree."

SAFER POTS, PANS AND BAKEWARE ARE READILY AVAILABLE

While there are a growing number of new cookware options on the market, we don't know enough about them to know if they're safe -- even if they're advertised as "green" or "not non-stick." We continue to recommend cast iron and stainless steel cookware as safer options for stove-top cooking, and oven-safe glass for baking. These safer pans might be a little harder to clean, but your health is worth it.

Stainless steel is a terrific alternative to a non-stick cooking surface. Most chefs agree that stainless steel browns foods better than non-stick surfaces.

Cast iron remains a great alternative to non-stick cooking surfaces. Lodge, America's oldest family-owned cookware manufacturer, refers to its cookware as "natural non-stick." Cast iron is extremely durable and can be pre-heated to temperatures that will brown meat and will withstand oven temperatures well above what is considered safe for non-stick pans.

HOW TO COOK WITH NON-STICK IF YOU'RE 'STUCK' WITH IT

• Never preheat nonstick cookware at high heat -- empty pans can rapidly reach high temperatures. Heat at the lowest temperature possible to cook your food safely.
• Don't put nonstick cookware in an oven hotter than 500 degrees.
• Use an exhaust fan over the stove.
• Keep pet birds out of the kitchen -- the fumes from an overheated pan can kill a bird in seconds. Learn more here.
• Skip the self-cleaning function on your oven. It cleans by heating to high temperatures, which can release toxic fumes from non-stick interior oven parts.
• Choose a safer alternative when buying new cookware.

OTHER WAYS PEOPLE ARE EXPOSED TO PFCS, AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

PFCs are ubiquitous -- both in and out of the kitchen. They are widely used as water, stain and grease repellents for food wrap, carpeting, furniture, and clothing. They keep food from sticking to pots and pans, repel stains on furniture and rugs, and make the rain roll off raincoats.

If you want to avoid PFCs in more places than your cookware, download our Guide to PFCs to reduce your exposures further.

LEARN MORE about our Healthy Home Tip series and sign up to get the monthly tips in your inbox.

Recommendations To-Do This Weekend

Looking for something to do this weekend, while also becoming aware of environmental issues that affect us locally & globally?

FRIDAY - APRIL 17

• Eco-film: FLOW: For The Love Of Water (2008) NR, 7:30 pm
  
  Leffler House Livingroom @ Saint Mark's Cathedral - 1245 10th Ave E; Seattle
  FREE, but $1 donation is appreciated
  
  An urgent & unflinching documentary that focuses on the role of politics, pollution, corruption, and human rights in the often-invisible & under-reported global water crisis. Interviews illustrate a grim story about water piracy contrasted with activists who stay the course in their global battleground. For more information, contact Kevin Meadows, Friday Film Night Coordinator for Saint Mark's at filmnight@saintmarks.org.

SATURDAY - APRIL 18

• Earth Day Family Volunteer Event - Park Clean Up at Pine Lake Park, Sammamish, 10am-2pm
  
  During this annual Pine Lake Park clean up, you can be among the first to see the new park renovations. Help prepare for opening day by picking up fallen branches from winter storms, removing invasive ivy, and planting small plants. This family-friendly event is open to everyone. Dress appropriately for the weather and bring gloves. Please register by emailing City Of Sammamish Volunteer Coordinator Dawn Sanders at dsanders@ci.sammamish.wa.us or by calling 425-295-0556.
  
  
• DUWAMISH ALIVE! ~ EARTH DAY 2009, 10am-2pm, plus Volunteer Party 2pm-5pm
  
  Plant trees, pull weeds, and clean up trash at parks and beaches along Seattle's Duwamish River...12 sites to choose from! DRCC is hosting a kayak cleanup along the river itself. To sign up, email cari@duwamishcleanup.org. For a full listing of sites, see: www.duwamishcleanup.org.
  
  
• Nature Consortium 2nd Annual Earth Day Celebration - Cooper Elementary School, 9:30am-3pm
  
  1901 SW Genesee Street, West Seattle. Come join Nature Consortium and Earth Corps volunteers in further cleanup and development of the hilltop. The work party will be followed by Nature Consortium's own Earth Day Festival at Cooper Elementary, which is free, family-friendly, and open to the public. All are invited to come and enjoy free food, kids hands-on art activities, and performances by a wide array of artists. There will also be on-gong nature hikes, an arts and environment tabling area, a fantastic raffle, and more!
  
  
• Clean and Green Seattle! - Sustainable Wallingford's Clean Up of Burke Gilman Trail In Wallingford & Fremont, 9am-1pm
  
  Help clean up the Burke Gilman Trail in Wallingford and Fremont! Join the Mayor, friends and neighbors.
  • Pick up litter in and around the trail
  • Spruce up green spaces
  • Learn more about climate protection
  • Volunteers receive compact fluorescent bulbs
  
  Tools will be provided. Have refreshments and meet at Gas Works Park Parking Lot (Located at 2101 N Northlake Way)
  
  Contact: tim.durkan@seattle.gov 206-684-4054 Or ron.harris-white@seattle.gov 296-386-9765
  

SUNDAY - APRIL 19





Locally filmed eco-film: Broken Limbs
4pm @ Central Cinema - 1411 21st Ave; Seattle
$10 suggested donation.

A benefit for Clean Greens Farm & Market. CleanGreens is a neighborhood project of the Black Dollar Days Task Force, an organization dedicated to creating economic opportunity and equity in Seattle's low income communities. Clean Greens mentors people from the neighborhood in organic farming & returns fresh, delicious, nutritious, and affordable produce to the community. This innovative project providing education and good food is based on 22 acres of leased land in Duvall, WA. This past winter's crop was wiped out by a flood, but the spring planting is in progress now.

Central Cinema will be screening the documentary, Broken Limbs, a film based in Washington State. They'll be discussing how Clean Greens and YOU can work together.

Once produce is ready to be harvested for sale, CleanGreens Farm will re-open their Clean Greens Market @ The New Hope Baptist Church parking lot, 124 21st Ave, Seattle, every Friday & Saturday from 10am-5pm.

The Dirty Dozen--Revised

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?
The growing consensus among scientists is that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human health, especially during fetal development and early childhood. Scientists now know enough about the long-term consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our consumption of pesticides.

What’s the Difference?
EWG research has found that people who eat the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Those who eat the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables ingest fewer than 2 pesticides daily. The Guide helps consumers make informed choices to lower their dietary
pesticide load.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?
Nearly all the studies used to create these lists assume that people rinse or peel fresh produce. Rinsing reduces but does not eliminate pesticides. Peeling helps, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the skin. The best approach: eat a varied diet, rinse all produce and buy organic when possible.

How Was This Guide Developed?
EWG analysts have developed the Guide based on data from nearly 87,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce conducted between 2000 and 2007 and collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You can find a detailed description of the criteria EWG used to develop these rankings and the complete list of fruits and vegetables tested at our dedicated website, www.foodnews.org.