Skin cancer is caused by the ultraviolet rays that penetrate through your skin and mutate the skin’s DNA. Exposure to sunlight is good to a certain degree as you benefit from Vitamin D, but excessive exposure can cause more harm than good. With the advent of sunscreen creams and lotions, we are given a protective layer that prevents us from sunburn, but the question here is whether sunscreens prevent our skin from damage. The answer to this would be a yes and a no.

There are a variety of creams in the market that offer protection against two kinds UV — UVA and UVB — with both causing cancer. The SPF indications on the packaging refers to the sun protection factor, quantifying the extent to which the cream should protect you from sunburn. The most critical thing to look for on the packaging would be whether the cream is a broad-spectrum sunscreen, protecting against UVA & UVB rays.

Doctors believe that the right kind of sunscreens can prevent skin cancer to a large extent, but recommend that the application of such creams should be in addition to wearing protective clothing, sunglasses and keeping in the shade as much as possible. However, wearing a sunscreen lotion with broad-spectrum protection and a high SPF should not encourage you to spend more time in the sun. Tests conducted on both animals and humans have also produced evidence that sunscreens have the potential to protect against skin cancer.

If you go to a pharmacy and peruse through the variety of sunscreens on the shelves, you may be surprised to find that the most effective ones are often the cheapest. Specialized creams tend to cater to particular customers who are either focused on how the product smells or feels on the skin with effectiveness being a secondary concern.

However, recently conducted tests on animals state: “the composition of sun blocks — particularly oxybenzone, disrupts the function of the endocrine gland which may cause an adverse impact on sexual health and reproduction.” However, research is still on-going but so far, as evidence shows the benefits of sunscreens outweigh the the risks. However, it is worth noting that pregnant women and children should avoid sunscreens and sunblocks with oxybenzone as a precautionary measure.

After considering the estimated deaths from skin cancers, which is about 11,790 each year, as well as the financial, emotional and health tolls of fighting cancer, sunscreens and sunblocks are the cheapest and most effective way to avoid skin cancer.

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Amanda Kidd is a blogger by profession who believes in eco friendly existence. Recently she was really impressed by a green technology concept to reduce Environment Pollution in which the gadgets converted kinetic energy into renewable energy for a clean recharge and also a step ahead to power save.

Photo courtesy of Robert S. Donovan.

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But eating in season? That wasn’t something that crossed my mind. In fact, I realized I did not even know when most fruits and vegetables came into season! Yes, that is how out-of-touch with our world we city-dwellers and suburbanites have become.

So I thought to myself, “What the heck is in season?” After scouring the internet and dozens of sites, I compiled a list as a crib sheet that I keep next to my master grocery list on the fridge. And here, I’ll share it with you!

First, note that autumn is September through November in the Northern hemisphere.

Autumn fruits:

• Apples
• Berries: blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries
• Figs
• Grapes come to their best in autumn
• Pears
• Plums

Autumn vegetables:

• Broccoli
• Carrots are their most robust this season
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chicory
• Corn
• Fennel
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Leeks
• Onion
• Parsnip
• Peppers
• Potato
• Pumpkin
• Radish
• Squash
• Sweet potato
• Turnip
• Zucchini

The benefit of eating in season is you are more likely by default to be purchasing more local items as they are in season in your area. Most grocers try to get the best price on produce and in season is cheaper locally. This also means your wallet will benefit from the savings and the planet will appreciate you not having your produce shipped from half-way across the world.

But, and perhaps on a spiritual/emotional note, you will be reconnecting to the earth in the simplest form – eating the bounty while it’s available. You’ll be enhancing that feeling you get when you smell pumpkin spice bread on a crisp autumn morning or pumpkin pie the week of Thanksgiving. The seasons can give you more to celebrate and enjoy if only you take the time to be in sync.

Happy harvest eating!

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Excellent post — I too am trying as hard as possible to get into the comprehensive habit of ALWAYS having a bag with me. Maybe a post about how to establish some new habits with regard to that?

As promised, I have some great tips to get this green habit going.

Mostly, becoming eco-friendly comes down to thinking ahead as we humans tend to be creatures of habit despite what we think. As a long time subscriber to the KISS method (thanks, Dad!) the key is to think about what you normally do, where you normally do it and adjust your routine with those two things in mind.

How to Establish the “Bag-Person” Habit
Cost: Depends – if you have enough reusable bags, then nothing; if you don’t, it’s time to invest in some (think $5-100, depending on what you need and what you’re willing to spend)
Time: about 10 minutes to think/plan, 30 minutes if you need to shop, approx. 20 minutes to execute
Energy to do this: Moderate – requires some thinking and some planting of materials around your spaces.

Step 1: Analyze your habits
Think about when you personally end up using bags. Do you plan regular weekly trips to the grocery store or do you tend to randomly hit up the market a few times a week as you run out of milk or bread? Can you not pass a bookstore or a mall or a <insert your shopping weakness here> without purchasing something? Are you a a book addict like I am? Then a bag that is small and can fit in your pocket, purse, backpack or diaper bag is what you need since you never really plan when you’re going.

After thinking about it, I want you to make this list:

Column 1: Where I shop (list “the mall”, “Borders”, “grocery store”, “Old Navy”, etc.)
Column 2: Planned or spur of the moment
Column 3: Type of bag needed (list “heavy-duty”, “compact but holds a lot”, “small and light”, etc.)
Column 4: Placement – list where a bag would be easiest and most convenient for you to remember to use it again and again

Step 2: Get the supplies you need
Now that you know what kind of shopper you are and have narrowed down what kinds of bags you need from filling out your list, you need to make sure you have them on hand.

For example, I have half a dozen canvas backs and an insulated bag for my grocery shopping. But I need some of those handy-dandy mesh produce bags from ReusableBags.com that I mentioned in my previous post. I also need a reusable bag or two to put in my purse and later, the diaper bag (which looks like a normal backpack – God bless the evolution of baby supplies!). Well, that’s when a handy little bit like ReusableBags.com’s Mini Maxi shopper comes in handy. This kind of reusable bag comes in it’s own little zippered container, which means I throw it in my purse, backpack, messenger bag or even the diaper bag. Now, being my Husband tends to be out without me somewhat often, so I do need to consider a bag or two for him to keep in the car.

After putting this all in a shopping cart at ReusableBags.com, my bag purchases will come to about $70. I consider this a small price to pay considering these bags will last me years and just the spur of the moment purchases I made last week left me with one dozen new plastic bags in my home. Even if I did that once every other week or so, I could save the world use of 260 single-use plastic bags in one year. If every person in my apartment complex did this at the same rate, just over 250,000 plastic bags would be saved from use.

Now, obviously, you can get your reusable bags from anywhere you like – your local market, a second-hand store, EcoBags, or make your own! I just happen to like ReusableBags.com because it’s one-stop shopping – and I LOVE making things easy!

Step 3: Put the bags where they’ll be used
This is simply the execution of taking your supplies and putting them in the places you listed in Column 4 on your list.

If you regularly hit up the market, for example, you can keep all of your grocery bags in the kitchen so you can grab them after you get your list and keys. More the spur of the moment shopper? Stick the bags in your car: you can hang them off the back of your seat so when you are exiting the car, you remember to take a sack in with you or stick a few in the glove compartment if that’s easier. I’ll definitely have two of those Mini-Maxi shoppers in my messenger bag or the diaper bag so I’ll always have them with me for those random trips to Borders and the market. And for the Husband? A Mini-Maxi shopper in the center console of our sole vehicle as well as  this cool Mini-Maxi backpack for heavier loads and some manly pizzazz.

Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?

My hope is that once people start taking responsibility and making reusable bags a daily habit, retailers will start to catch on and follow Whole Foods’ lead, eliminating plastic bag use altogether. It just takes some thinking to make your life a little more environmentally friendly without seriously hindering the convenience of modern life.

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I have no idea what brought me to ReusableBags.com but I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

For example, I hate that I haven’t had many options to get rid of those horrible produce bags that even “health food” chains are using! What to do?

How about an organic netted cotton produce sack for a whopping $4? Brilliant!

Shopping bags are also an issue. In general you want something you can slip in your backpack or purse or, for you gents out there, slip in your pocket. Something with long enough handles to slide over your shoulder and strong enough to handle your shopping load – be it clothes from the mall, a few groceries to tide you through the end of the week or some office supplies from IKEA.

How about their Reisenthel – Mini Maxi Shopper with long handles? Zips up into a teeny-tiny bag with attachable hook! Again with the brilliant. I’m so getting two or three of these things…

But what about that trip to your local big box store like Costco or Sam’s Club? Then these Super Strong Canvas Messenger Bags are worth the $13!

What got me so excited about this website was the fact that they have fabulous products promoting sustainable sources, reuseable and recycled items at prices that the average Joe can afford.

Going “green” doesn’t have to be overwhelming or über-costly. Mostly going green means thinking about what you want to do and planning ahead of time to use what you have, reduce what you use and only bring into your life the things that give and sustain life instead of living a “throw-away” or “prepackaged” existence. Life should be fun and beautiful and the things you buy and use should support life continuing to be fun and beautiful.

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“In a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an 800-cubic foot room (10 feet by 10 feet by 8 feet) contained pollution levels of approximately 1,808 micrograms of formaldehyde, 112 micrograms of xylene, and 67 micrograms of benzene. A single Boston fern can remove 1,800 micrograms of formaldehyde from the air (nearly the total amount found in the EPA study) in about an hour. The Foliage for Clean Air Council, a communications clearinghouse for information on the use of foliage to improve indoor air quality, recommends a minimum of two plants per 100 square feet of floor space in an average home with eight- to ten-foot ceilings.”

from http://www.earthwitchery.com/pollution.html

But where are all these poisons coming from? Apparently, formaldehyde is used in many pressed wood furniture products such as those in your shelves, cabinets, drawer fronts and in some paints. Xylene is found in common degreasers, varnishes in your furniture, paints and inks, as well as in many adhesives and pesticides. Benzene is a carcinogen (a chemical that causes cancer) that is in plastics, detergents, pesticides and even in your can of cola. Look around your apartment – see any of the aforementioned items?

But why should you care? Because formaldehyde can cause eye, nose and throat irritation that in serious cases can lead to asthma attacks, nausea and vomiting, severe headaches and nose bleeds. Xylene “can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory system.” Poisoning from xylene can create “headache, dizziness, drowsiness, excitement, tremor, heart arrhythmia, edema, respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting and coma.” And benzene? Try short-term exposure at high levels can also cause drowsiness, dizziness, even unconsciousness and death! Long-term exposure can lead to leukemia. How’s that for your glass of cola while washing your clothes? (See HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for my sources.)

The question now is what can be done? Simple things that make a big difference!

Newbie
Cost: about $10
Time: seconds to 10 minutes – an extra minute at the store to purchase items, 5-10 minutes to mix Energy to do this: minimal

Switch to non-toxic cleaners and detergents. This is remarkably simple or you can even go homemade!

For non-toxic cleaners and detergents, if you have a health food store like Trader Joe’s near you they carry some excellent products that are cheap and effective! Laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, dish soap, even glass and all-purpose cleaners that are non-toxic.

Or, if you’re a real DIY-er like I am, then you can make household cleaners at home! You’d be shocked what can be effectively cleaned with baking soda, white vinegar, hot water and some elbow grease. For some great “recipes” for these cleaners, this is the site where I got the ones I use: Care2′s Green Living, EarthEasy and Organized Home.

Amateur Environmentalist
Cost: $30-$200 depending on where you get the plants
Time: 2 hours approx. (including run to the store, planting and placement)
Energy to do this: moderate to start and minimal to maintain

Before I continue, I am assuming you’ve already gone non-toxic in your cleaners. Now you can further your toxin-elimination with plants! Get the Foliage for Clean Air Council’s recommended minimum of 2 plants per 100 square feet of your apartment to eliminate all those toxins in the air. To do this on the cheap, you can head down to your local 99 cent store where they always have plants, pots and soil on sale! If you live in the typical one-bedroom apartment, it should only cost you about $30 total for this improvement at this type of store.

If you have more money to spend, then you might want to look at specific plants like the Boston fern, English ivy, and spider plants. The quoted article above noted that a single Boston fern can eliminate 1,800 micrograms of formaldehyde from your home’s air in about an hour – that’s nearly all the formaldehyde found in the EPA study! According to EarthWitchery the areca palm is the most effective filter of xylene while other plants like Boston ferns, chrysanthemums, and dwarf date palms are better at removing formaldehyde.

In essence, feel free to diversify. Just make sure you get that minimum 2 plants per 100 square feet in your apartment spread out so everyone – plant, human and furry friend – can breathe deeply.

Certified Tree-Hugger
Cost: a little more than you would have spent anyway
Time: a few minutes per shopping trip/web browse to find non-toxic
Energy to do this: minimal to moderate, depending on your tastes

After achieving your plant quota, look into cutting the source of these toxins and find furniture, decor and linens that are environmentally friendly and non-toxic. Local artisans often make beautiful, one-of-a-kind furniture at affordable prices with minimal processing that will bring those resins and varnishes into your home. Spend a little extra time and money to find organic bedding, towels, drapes and clothing though you can often find sales online. Not only are you eliminating the toxins that you are exposing yourself to everyday, you’re giving your immune system a break, your body a chance to detox and exercising your capitalistic right to support the businesses you prefer. Once the market starts demanding a product with their money, it will become more available. Money talks, people!

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