"Get to know your plastics"

There was a brief article in today's Star-Tribune about plastics and Bisphenol A (BPA). It was an Associated Press piece, in response to the release this week of a scientific assessment report of the FDA original report on BPA from this spring. (I know...very confusing.) A scientist from Consumers Union was quoted in the article as follows:

"Get to know your plastics," says Urvashi Rangan, a senior scientist with Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports. Avoid polycarbonate plastic containers, those imprinted with the recycling number "7" and the letters "PC." Don't microwave foods in these containers. Don't use polycarbonate plastic baby bottles. Consider powdered infant formula instead of liquid formula in cans. Cut down on canned foods.

"If you the consumer want to take matters into your own hands while the science is being sorted out here, those are the things you can do that will directly reduce your level of exposure to BPA," said Rangan.

You can read the full article here. And Mindful Momma will be publishing a recent post from her blog about plastics soon. Stay tuned...

Welcome Guest Blogger - Mindful Momma!

Welcome to Mindful Momma - a fantastic (and local) eco-momma blogger! She has agreed to share some of her posts with us and do an occasional guest post here at our new little blog at Linden Hills EcoParents. Mindful Momma is a much more exhaustive blog than this little one, with tons of fabulous resources.

Be sure to check out her blog at www.mindfulmomma.com. There is also a link to her blog on the right of this page, along with a few other related blogs that you might find interesting.

Thanks to Mindful Momma!!

Mailing Envelope --> Jack-o-latern

Want a super easy Halloween craft using recycled paper? A kraft mailing envelope is the perfect color for a jack-o-lantern! The two here were made by my kids by just cutting open a USED mailing envelope, cutting it in half, and then cutting it into a pumpkin shape and gluing on eyes, nose & a mouth! Pretty cute, eh?


Also - you can make some spooky spiders from a paper egg carton. Just cut apart the carton, flip the sections over, and paint them black. Once dry, use chenille stems as legs. (Just remember to pull off the legs before you toss them with your organics recycling!)



Happy Halloween!

Linden Hills Co-op offering special on Graham Cracker Treats for Halloween

Want an alternative to passing out candy on Halloween this week?

The Linden Hills Co-op (located at 43rd and Upton for those who may not be familiar with it) has worked out a special arrangement with Country Choice Organics to be able to provide an affordable, locally-made, healthy and organic alternative to typical Halloween treats. The co-op will be offering several specially-priced cases of Country Choice Fit Kids graham cracker snacks in individual 1-ounce serving sizes. A case of 40 1-ounce bags costs only $3.99, and they come in chocolate or cinnamon toast flavors.

It might not make me the most popular grown-up on the block among the kids, but the kids will still get plenty of candy. Plus, any leftovers will make better snacks for my kids (and me) than traditional candy leftovers...

Good articles re plastics

I was in the MSP airport on Thursday as I was readying to go to Maine for the weekend without kids and realized I needed a magazine for the plane trip (did I already mention no kids?!). Anyway, I think I am officially old b/c the magazine I selected from the huge wall of choices was...Good Housekeeping! Argh. Oh well. It worked out though because the current issue of Good Housekeeping has a very good article on plastics - BPA, plastic wrap and phthalates. It's a good primer that includes the results of their testing plus a discussion of the current scientific research and policy situations.

The Good Housekeeping article can be read online here.


Also, the current issue of Minnesota Monthly has a long article discussing toxicity concerns about plastics and BPA. Click here to read the article online.

We will address the whole plastics issue in a coming EcoParents meeting - probably in Feb?

Curbside Organics Collection

Do you have your super cool green organics cart? Yes, the city of Minneapolis will collect your household organic material CURBSIDE as part of a pilot project. Thanks to Linden Hills Power and Light (yeah Felicity!) and the City of Minneapolis (woo woo Susan Young) for all their hard work to get this pilot up and running.

Collection has already started, but it's not to late to sign up! If you live in Linden Hills and want to participate, click here. For more information, visit Linden Hills Power and Light.

To check out a KSTP news-story on the project featuring yours truly and my kiddos, click here!

We've launched!

We had a great kick-off for Linden Hills EcoParents on Tuesday, Oct 14! Thanks to all those who came to learn more about EcoParents, as well as share your experiences, preferences, and visions for this exciting project. I was thrilled to see folks both from Linden Hills as well as from outside the neighborhood, those who are parents and those without kids, and a DAD (although we'd love more dads!).

Attendees to the kick-off event received a lovely reusable bag with our gorgeous logo - FAIR-TRADE, organic canvas, and produced locally - and filled with resources and coupons. A special thanks to Bob Bayers of Bayer's Do-it-Best Hardware for donating coupons for $5 a package of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs)!

I am busy tabulating the results of the survey (administered at the kick-off and on-line) Click Here to take survey) to determine the best dates/time and topics for our next meeting. Check back soon!

If you're not on the email list, please email ecoparents@lindenhills.org and we'll add you to the list for updates and notifications of upcoming EcoParents events.