moss envy - new green store - OPEN!

Moss Envy - an eco home & life store - is now open!

Owners of the now-closed Twin Cities Green, Ryan & Tina Noth, relocated & rebranded into Moss Envy, located next to Homemade Pizza Company in the Calhoun Commons shopping center (near Whole Foods) on Excelsior Ave.

As stated on their website, "Moss Envy - will incorporate the best of what worked at Twin Cities Green while adding several new categories and a refined, more coiffed look. Tina North will add eco-conscious clothing, building materials, and vintage items to her home and life collection with a stronger emphasis on sourcing locally, made-in-Minnesota products. This expansion represents the most comprehensive collection of "better for you" products in the Twin Cities. The creative re-do of the shop's design was led by local eco-designer and HGTV star Joshua Foss."

Take a minute to check them out in person or on the web. These guys are fabulous local eco-entrepreneur and have a ton of TRUSTED information on true eco-friendly products (no greenwashing here!).

Clear your head with VOC-free paint

So, with my kiddos at the grandparents for a few days and my hubby away on business, I have the house completely to myself. And what do I choose to do with this oh-so-precious gift of peace and quiet? Why, paint the kitchen of course! What IS my problem??

Anyway, I chose a paint with no VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which are what make the 'stinky' (and irritating) paint smell. The 'volatile' part means that at room temperature, theses compounds are easily evaporated into the air, and 'organic' simply means that they are carbon-based. VOCs greatly contribute to reduced indoor air quality, can inflame allergies, as well as contribute to urban smog. VOCs can also continue to be emitted into the air long after you complete actually painting, emitting nasty chemicals into your household air.

Due to their developing bodies & brains, children are especially susceptible to off-gassing from VOCs over time. Additionally, children breathe in a greater volume of air than adults relative to their body size and since kids tend to breathe through their mouths (rather than their noses which would filter some of the particulates out).

There are many different brands of no or low-VOC paints on the market now, but the one I used was Freshaire Choice, which has both the Good Housekeeping Seal and is certified by the Greenguard Environmental Institute. Freshaire boasts that it is truly a no-VOC paint since they have no VOCs in their colorant, in addition to no VOCs in the actual paint.

It was a noticeable difference while painting...no stinky odors, no chemical smells, no headaches, no needing to take a break to clear my head, including when I was painting the stairwell with no real airflow! Seriously. Essentially no smell! Even though the Freshaire literature says there is "no compromise in product quality" - it did seem that the paint did not go on as smoothly or as evenly as traditional paint. (I've done a lot of painting over the years...) I had to do more touch-ups than usual and it definitely required 2 coats. It's in the kitchen, so there is bound to be lots of wall scrubbing over the years.

Bottom line - even with perhaps slightly reduced quality and slightly more expensive than basic paint, I would definitely use no-VOC paint again (perhaps trying another brand). It made the experience so much more pleasant...well, as pleasant as painting the kitchen can be! Most paint supply stores offer at least one option for low or no VOCs, so give it a try.

Do you have experience with low or no VOC paint? Post a comment and let us know about it.

Lead found in 85% of tested children's drinks & snacks

Recent testing of many popular children's foods found LEAD in sufficient levels to be in violation of California's Prop 65 (CA Safe Drinking Water & Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986). Yes - LEAD!

The testing was done by the California-based Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), a non-profit public interest organization. ELF tested 146 different products in four specific food categories: apple juice, grape juice, packaged pears & peaches (including baby food), and fruit cocktail. All samples were purchased in California, but many tested brands are available nationally.

Of the 146 products tested, 125 contained levels of lead higher than the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms per serving in at least one of the samples tested! Yes - 125 out of 146 products tested...and 'organic' and 'natural' products were among those with unacceptable levels of lead, including Trader Joe's, Whole Foods' 365 brand, R.W. Knudsen and more!

Lead is a known carcinogen and can cause both physical and mental developmental problems. Children and pregnant women are especially susceptible to lead. Lead is a persistent and cumulative toxin. As stated in the ELF press release and previously by the American Academy of Pediatrics, "there is no safe level of exposure to lead."

ELF has filed "notices of violation" with the state of California and the manufacturers, retailers & distributors of the affected products.

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"The bad"- tested children's foods containing lead (listed in alphabetical order):

1 365 Everyday Value Organic 100% Juice Concord Grapes

2 Beech Nut 100% Apple Juice

3 Best Yet Bartlett Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup

4 Best Yet Chunky Mixed Fruit in Pear Juice

5 Best Yet Yellow Cling Peach Halves in Heavy Syrup

6 Chef's Review Fruit Cocktail

7 Del Monte 100% Juice Fruit Cocktail

8 Del Monte Chunky Mixed Fruit in 100 % Juice (peach, pear, grape, etc.)

9 Del Monte Diced Pears in Light Syrup

10 Del Monte Freestone Peach Slices in 100 % Juice

11 Del Monte Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peach, pear, grapes)

12 Del Monte Fruit Cocktail No Sugar Added

13 Del Monte Lite Fruit Cocktail in Extra Light Syrup

14 Del Monte Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup

15 Del Monte Pear Halves, Bartlett Pears in 100% real fruit juice from concentrate

16 Del Monte Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in 100 % Juice

17 Del Monte Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in heavy syrup

18 Dole Diced Peaches, Yellow Cling in light syrup

19 Dole Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup

20 Dole Pear Halves in Juice

21 Earth's Best Organics Apple Juice

22 Eating Right Fruit Cocktail packed in Sucralose

23 Eating Right No Sugar Fruit Cocktail

24 First Street 100% Apple Cider from concentrate

25 First Street Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice

26 First Street Diced Pears

27 First Street Fruit Cocktail in heavy syrup

28 First Street Grape Juice from concentrate 100% juice

29 First Street Sliced Bartlett

30 First Street Yellow Cling Peaches in heavy syrup

31 Full Circle Organic Apple Juice

32 Full Circle Organic Bartlett Pear Slices

33 Gerber 100% Juice - White Grape Juice

34 Gerber 100% Juice Apple Juice

35 Gerber 3rd Foods Peaches

36 Gerber 3rd Foods Pears

37 Golden Star Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup (peach, pineapple, pears)

38 Golden Star Peach Halves in Heavy Syrup

39 Great Value 100% Grape Juice

40 Great Value 100% No Sugar Added Apple Juice

41 Great Value Bartlett Pear Halves in 100% Juice

42 Great Value Bartlett Sliced Pears in Heavy Syrup

43 Great Value No Sugar Added Fruit Cocktail

44 Great Value Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches

45 Hansen's Natural Apple Juice

46 Kedem Concord Grape Juice 100% pure grape juice

47 Kroger 100% Juice Apple Juice

48 Kroger Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup

49 Kroger Grape Juice 100% Juice

50 Kroger Lite Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice

51 Kroger Value Fruit Mix (Peaches, pears, grapes)

52 Langers Apple Juice 100% Juice

53 Langers Grape Juice (Concord)

54 Langers Red Grape Juice

55 Libby's Fruit Cocktail No Sugar Added (Sweetened with Splenda)

56 Libby's Yellow Cling Peach Slices No Sugar Added (Sweetened with Splenda)

57 Market Pantry Diced Peaches in light syrup

58 Market Pantry Diced Pears in light syrup

59 Market Pantry Mixed Fruit in light syrup

60 Maxx Value Fruit Mix in Light Syrup (peach, pear, grape)

61 Maxx Value Pear Pieces in Light Syrup

62 Minute Maid Juice Apple - 100% Apple Juice

63 Motts 100% Apple Juice

64 Mrs. Brown's Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peaches, pears, grapes)

65 O Organics Organic Grape Juice from concentrate

66 O Organics Organic Unfiltered Apple Juice Not From Concentrate

67 Old Orchard 100% Apple Juice

68 Parade 100% Juice Apple

69 Polar Mixed Fruit

70 Polar Peach Slices

71 Polar Pear Halves in light syrup

72 R.W. Knudsen Just Concord Grape Juice

73 R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Concord

74 Raley's 100% Grape Juice

75 Raley's Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup

76 Raley's Premium 100% Apple Juice not from Concentrate

77 Raley's Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup

78 S&W Natural Style Fruit Cocktail in Lightly Sweetened Juice

79 S&W Natural Style Pear Slices in Juice

80 S&W Natural Style Yellow Cling Peach Slices in Lightly Sweetened Juice

81 S&W Premium Peach Halves Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup

82 S&W Sun Pears Premium

83 Safeway 100% Juice Apple Cider

84 Safeway 100% Juice Apple Juice

85 Safeway 100% Juice Grape Juice

86 Safeway Diced Peaches in Light Syrup

87 Safeway Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup

88 Safeway Light Sugar Fruit Cocktail

89 Safeway Lite Bartlett Pear Halves in Pear Juice

90 Safeway Lite Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice

91 Safeway Organic Grape Juice

92 Safeway Pear Halves in Light Juice

93 Safeway Yellow Cling Peach Slices in Pear Juice

94 Santa Cruz Organic Concord Grape Juice

95 Simple Value Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup

96 Stater Bros. 100% Juice Apple Juice

97 Stater Bros. 100% Juice Grape Juice

98 Stater Bros. 100% Juice White Grape Juice

99 Stater Bros. Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup

100 Stater Bros. Yellow Cling Peach Halves

101 Stater Bros. Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in heavy syrup

102 Sunny Select 100% Apple Juice

103 Sunny Select 100% Grape Juice

104 Sunny Select Fruit Cocktail in Juice

105 Sunny Select Pear Halves in Pear Juice

106 Sunny Select Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in Pear Juice

107 Trader Joe's Certified Organic Apple Juice, pasteurized

108 Trader Joe's Concord Grape Juice made from fress pressed organic concord grapes

109 Trader Joe's Pear Halves in white grape juice

110 Trader Joe's Yellow Cling Peach Halves in while grape juice

111 Tree Top 100% Juice Apple Cider

112 Tree Top 100% Juice, Grape

113 Truitt Brothers Pacific NorthWest Bartlett Pear Halves, in pear juice from concentrate

114 Valu Time Grape Drink from Concentrate

115 Valu Time Irregular Bartlett Pear Slices

116 Valu Time Yellow Cling Peach Slices

117 Walgreens Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice

118 Walgreens Grape Juice from concentrate 100% juice

119 Walnut Acres Organic Concord Grape

120 Walnut Grove Market 100% Apple Juice

121 Walnut Grove Market Grape Juice

122 Walnut Grove Market Natural Peaches Sliced Yellow Cling in Light Syrup

123 Walnut Grove Market Natural Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup

124 Welch's 100% Grape Juice (from Welch's Concord Grapes)

125 Welch's 100% Red Grape Juice from Concentrate

"The Good" - tested products which had zero samples that exceed Prop 65 limits (You'll notice that some manufacturers have products on both the 'good' and 'bad' lists):

• Del Monte Mixed Fruit
• Dole Diced Peaches, Cling in Light Syrup
• Dole Diced Peaches, Freestone in Light Syrup
• Dole Sliced Peaches
• Eating Right Kids Diced Peaches in Extra Light Syrup
• Eating Right Kids Diced Pears Fruit Cups
• Great Value 100% Apple Juice not from concentrate
• Harvest Day 100% Apple Juice from Concentrate
• Kirkland Fresh Pressed Apple Juice Pasteurized
• Martinelli's Gold Medal Apple Juice 100% pure from US grown fresh apples
• Old Orchard Healthy Balance Grape
• R.W. Knudsen Organic Apple Juice unfiltered
• Raley's Everyday 100% Apple Juice
• Stater Bros. Diced Pears Snack Bowl
• Stater Bros. Diced Peaches Snack Bowl
• Sunny Select 100% Unfiltered Apple Juice
• Trader Joe's Fresh Pressed Apple Juice all natural pasteurized, 100% juice
• Tree Top 100% Apple Juice
• Tree Top Three Apple Blend 100% Fresh Pressed Juice

Read a related post from inhabitots here.

Scratch, scratch...repel those bugs safely!

With all this rain, it's bound to bring out mosquitoes and other annoying flying things, eh? How to safely protect our little ones, or ourselves?

• Avoid dusk - this is when bugs are the most active
• Blow 'em down - if you are going to be sitting outside, consider setting up a fan. The gentle breeze of a basic fan can be sufficient to keep bugs away.
• No frilly smells - avoid floral scented lotions, laundry soap, perfumes, etc... as they can attract mosquitoes (and are usually made from synthetic chemicals anyway!).
• Use repellents thoughtfully - Oil of lemon eucalyptus and the amino acid IR3535 are two naturally derived active ingredients recommended by the Denter for Disease Control as effective insect repellents. Avoid using insect repellent-sunscreen combinations, as reapplication for sufficient sun protection could result in overexposure to the repellent ingredients. Other plant oils which may provide some repellent action include: citronella, cinnamon, castor oil, rosemary, lemongrass, cedar, peppermint, clove, geranium, verbena, pennyroyal, lavender, pine, cajeput, basil, thyme, allspice, soybean and garlic.
  
• Make your own repellent! To make your own repellent, mix 10-25 drops of essential oil (or a combination of oils) with about 2 tablespoons of a carrier oil or alcohol such as olive oil, witch hazel, any cooking oil, or even vodka! Rub or spray your natural insect repellent onto skin or clothing, keeping in mind that some oils may stain clothing.
• Avoid applying DEET directly to skin. If you must use a repellent containing DEET (e.g., in you're exploring areas with high tick populations), dress in lightcolored long clothing and spray the clothing with a repellent containing less than 30% DEET. Products with more DEET do not repel better, but may repel bugs longer (reducing reapplications) than products with lower DEET concentrations. So, if you are only going out for a short hike or something, consider a product with only 5% DEET.

Curious about active ingredients licensed in Minnesota (or other states)? Visit the National Pesticide Retrieval System for state-by-state information. You can search by active ingredient, targeted pest, site of application, product or manufacturer name. It's a little cumbersome...not exceedingly user-friendly, but the database does contain a lot of interesting information.

another sign of summer - CSA deliveries!

What signals the beginning of summer for you? The end of school? Memorial Day parades? NBA Finals? Yes, yes & yes! But another sure sign that summer is here...first CSA pickup of the season (That's Community Supported Agriculture, in case you forgot!). Beautiful spinach, arugula, rhubarb, lettuce, pea shoots, & herbs. Mmmmmm! What a treat to be able to walk to the pickup site...and walk home with a bounty of fresh seasonal produce. The whole kitchen smells fresh from putting it away.

The lettuce will be used tonight for fish taco night! My mouth is watering already.

Want to learn more about CSAs? Check out a previous EcoParents blog post here for a full article.

McDonald's Shrek Glasses recalled due to cadmium

McDonald's and the Consumer Products Safety Commission announced a recall of 'Shrek Forever After'-themed glasses due to cadmium levels in the enamel pigment on the exterior of the glasses. Unlike earlier cadmiun-related recalls, these glasses were manufactured in the United States. However, the origin of the enamel in question has not been released.

The concern is not that cadmium could leach into the drink inside the glass, but rather that the cadmium could get onto the hands of the drinker - then into his/her mouth. As discussed in previous posts, cadmium is more toxic than lead and can contribute to cancer and weak bones, as well as kidney and learning problems.

The recall only covers Shrek glasses, not Happy Meal toys, at this point. BUT, this recall was initiated by a private tipster who tested the glasses and provided the alarming results to a California Congresswoman who in turn kicked off an investigation. The manufacturing process for these glasses met federal safety guidelines...so it's kinda by LUCK and not due to stringent safeguards that this danger came to light!

More information about the recall is available from the Consumer Products Safety Commission or McDonald's.

Free Green Double Feature - June 8

The final installment of the Green Film Series is next Tuesday, June 8. This series is sponsored by the Linden Hills Environment Committee and Linden Hills Power & Light. FREE FREE FREE.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at 7PM

Linden Hills Park Building
3100 43rd St. W. Minneapolis, MN 55410

Gimme Green

Synopsis: Gimme Green is a humorous look at the American obsession with the residential lawn and the effects it has on our environment, our wallets and our outlook on life. From the limitless subdivisions of Florida to sod farms in the arid southwest, Gimme Green peers behind the curtain of the $40-billion industry that fuels our nation's largest irrigated crop -the lawn. http://www.gimmegreen.com/

The Power Of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil

Synopsis: When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba's economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half - and food by 80 percent - people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people during this difficult time. Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. http://www.powerofcommunity.org

(Click on movie posters to view trailers!)