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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Well, recycled toilet paper to the rescue! What a great idea! Recycle all the paper we use anyway and recycle it into something we’ll also use. The problem, however, is at most grocers the recycled toilet paper is often more expensive than the regular paper. So what is an eco-friendly apartment dweller to do short of purchasing a bidet?

Well, you can buy Trader Joe’s 100% Recycled Toilet Paper – twelve rolls for only $3.99! It is 80% post-consumer product recycled and scored an impressive “green” rating with the Environmental Resources Defense Council tissue guide. For that price, I can purchase a four-pack of recycled toilet paper at my conventional grocer. Hm, twelve versus four for the same price…

Thank you Trader Joe’s for yet another fabulous product, not to mention the amusing bathroom reading.

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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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It not only makes sense but has a ring of poetic justice to it too: maybe the American dream is what is indeed killing America.

Suburbia. Suburban sprawl. The Suburban?

The Congress for the New Urbanism (who I love with all my green heart!) set up a contest earlier this year for a video that could convincingly promote “walkable, neighborhood-based development”. Let me tell you, the winner created a remarkably convincing presentation.

(“Built to Last” by First + Main and Paget Films.)

So, back to the question: what can you do about the environmental crisis right now?

Need some milk from the store? Take an evening stroll. Dry cleaners? Find one within a mile or two and take the bike. The less you drive, the more money you save, the more calories you burn. But most importantly, the less you fossil fuels consume and the less pollution you pump into your air.

What can you do about it in the long term?

When you are looking for that perfect apartment, let Walk Score help you score the perfect home. That’s right – you type in your potential new address and let it tell you how walkable your life will be. Local bars and restaurants? Library? Grocery store? The Walkability Score will then rank if your potential home is a “walkable” one, but also tell you how your address rates compared to others in the area.

It’s just that easy. As you go about your day, choose well. Take a walk, get some fresh air, and save the planet.

___________________

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

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Let’s start with something currently near and dear to my heart – and my baby’s bum! Autumn Beck presents How To Make A Fitted Cloth Diaper posted at All About Cloth Diapers. We also have some great tips from N. & J. on the The Making of Homemade Soap Making posted at Bad Human! Don’t take chemicals from strangers!. Speaking of chemicals, how about we neutralize the commercial products and focus on Natural Cleaning Products You Can Make At Home posted at The Art of Balanced Living, brought to us by Lovelyn. But if you’re not up to the task, Anne-Marie posts about Getting down to the nitty gritty with green cleaning products posted at A Mama’s Rant.

And after all that cleaning? Join Jamie McIntosh in Brightening Your Home with Flowers posted at Suite101: Organic Gardens blog.

Now on to my favorite subject: food! Looks like we have another veggie in town! Jean Mosher presents Kelly’s New Vegetarian Cooking Blog « Always in Motion posted at Always in Motion. Over at Natural Family Living Blog, Tiffany Washko urges us that Now Is the Time to Pick a CSA. Theodore Pappas rings in with Eating Locally: Or, the Day of the Locavores posted at Britannica Blog. Since we’ve covered the actual food, what about food storage? Scott Blackburn presents Is your Refrigerator Hiding 10 Pounds of Greenhouse Gas? posted at WattHackers | Save Power | Go Solar | Live Green.

As a nod to my British and Asian pals, Alison discusses the repercussions of improper tea brewing in her post Green Me Tea at Green Me. And what discussion of food would be complete without discussing Why Learn How To Compost? posted at How To Compost courtesy of Jim. Thanks peeps!

Let’s take a minute to educate ourselves with some interesting green news. This time around, Jackson Kern presents us with two very educational posts: Can Sustainable Development Be Clean AND cheap? A Promising “Carbon Credits” Case Study and Sustainable Development: The Role of Coal, both posted at Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Causes: The Alternative Channel Blog. Excellent, Jackson! Unfortunately, the US business in the dark on climate change and not learning from these articles as we are reports Leon Gettler at Sox First. So let’s change that! Thankfully, Sagar Satapathy recommends GreenDev: 50 Environmentally Friendly Apps, Hosts and Resources for business owners posted at Virtual Hosting. Even Fiona Lohrenz piped in on Recycling at your day care posted at Child Care Only – if the customer cares, the business will follow suit. In fact, that’s the whole idea behind Matty Byloos’ Petition Signing Campaign: Get Plastic Bags Removed From Grocery Stores | GreenEggsandPlanet posted at Green Eggs and Planet.

While we’re on the subject of business, Jacob is busy bragging that My commute is awesome posted at Early Retirement Extreme. Indeed, it is Jacob! Mine’s better – 5 seconds from bed to office. I love being a writer!

And last, though certainly not least, Liz Smith presents Eco-egos posted at Practical Living Blog as a reminder that going green is about doing what you can, not focusing on everyone else’s “green sins”.

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That’s it for this edition of “Tips for Green Living”. Thank you all for your great submissions and I hope you found some useful info in this carnival. You can find a new edition posted every second and fourth Monday here at Green Your Apartment. If you are interested in participating in our next edition set for March 24th, submit your post HERE.

PLEASE NOTE: I am currently waiting to find out if labor will be induced nearly a month early due to pregnancy complications. Monday’s carnival will be posted as planned, but any further posts will be held off until my maternity situation is either stabilized or induced. Thank you for your patience and well-wishes and I promise there will be updates on our situation as we have them.

I look forward to seeing what else you have to offer for next week’s carnival!

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But why?

Unless you have been living in a cave for the past decade (which is quite a ecologically sound lifestyle!), you already know the reasons why. Global warming. Overpopulation. Sustainability. A better future for our kids and their kids and all the future generations of this world.

But what I want to prove to you is being an ecologically-conscientious person doesn’t have to mean being a radical hippie, never eating out or *gasp* giving up your tv! Low-impact living can be easy, convenient and affordable if you just think ahead a little. I want to prove to you that low-impact living is a lot easier than you think!

Now, most of these tips can be used for anyone living in an apartment, condo, townhouse or even a house of your own. But this blog will be specifically geared toward those of us living in American apartments (which makes up roughly 1 in 4 households according to the Residential Energy Consumption Survey way back in 2001) because I’m sick of hearing people say that low-impact living is entirely undoable in a modern American apartment. Hey, if this guy can be no impact, then you can certainly learn to easily lower yours!

Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will offer you one way to Green Your Apartment. With each tip, I will try to offer three levels of Green as well as letting you know how much time, money and energy you will have to put in to make these changes.

• Level One, also known as “Newbie“: you are concerned about all this “global warming” talk. Heck, have you noticed the freaky weather?! This is the easiest, cheapest, quickest tip I have to offer.

• Level Two, also known as “Amateur Environmentalist“: for those of you who have seen “An Inconvenient Truth“, changed to CFL’s and recycle your beer cans and bottles. You believe in making a difference but the convenience and cost factors have made you reconsider going pro.

• Level Three, also known as “Certified Tree-hugger“: for those of us (yes, I’m in this group) who look for cloth diapers instead of the disposable paper, use homemade cleaning supplies and bring your own reusable bag to the store. There is a deep commitment to the environment which makes your relatives look at you a bit funny when you refuse the Styrofoam cup at a local burger joint and pull your own non-leeching plastic cup from your bag for your beverage.

There is, however, another level. Level Four, also known as “Green Guru“: you are dedicated, you are Dharma-esque. You forgo plastic containers and use your own organic hemp shopping bags. You have undyed organic fair-trade sheets and bamboo wood in your kitchens stocked with homemade organic preserves. I salute you and aspire to make you proud with my tips.

Look for my first tip starting with the New Year on January 2nd! Until then, have a Merry green Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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