I'd like to start a thread about what y'all are doing to help protect our environment and your health. It's a huge issue I'm very passionate about and I'd like to discuss topics, share ideas, that kind of thing.

Or are y'all just a bunch of gas-guzzling, non-recycling, hummer-driving nature destroyers? :frown:

I thought I was such a good environmentalist - recycled, used cloth bags, tried not to drive the car too much. Then I got into researching it more on the internet - sheesh, there's a lot of stuff you can do.

On the environmental side, I'm just trying not to consume as much, buy things with as little packaging as possible, and drive the car even less, buy local food, compost, plant my own garden veggies, bake my own bread, do canning, that kind of thing. Basically live as my grandma did on her homestead! I'd love to get a clothesline but I don't think our neighbourhood would stand for it. Actually, what I'd love to do is have an acreage and raise poultry, sheep and goats, but that's not going to happen for a while.

As for personal health issues, it's really scary what our world has come to - how many toxins are in our environment and how little the FDA is doing to protect us. I've learned that I just have to do my own research and protect myself because governments (Canadian, U.S. - don't have personal knowledge of others) aren't - unless you buy everything 100% certified organic. That's the only way to make sure you aren't eating or applying toxins to your body.

Cosmetics are really obnoxious. There is so much BAD stuff in personal care products. Check out The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics site online, enter the ingredients of whatever is in your toothpaste/deodorant/perfume/lotion. You would be very shocked to find cancer-causing substances and endocrine disruptors in just about everything you have. Whatever you put on your skin gets absorbed just as if you drank it. Look for anything with paraben in it - it's an endocrine disruptor. It's used to make products have a long shelf life, and it's in just about every single personal care product you have. That's just one of the commonly found harmful ingredients - there are thousands others. Don't be fooled if your product says "green," "natural," "environmental," or use catch phrases or have pictures of idyllic scenes on them. Also, it can say organic and have only 1% of the total product being organic. It's not all organic unless it says 100% organic.

I used to assume everything in my local health food grocery store was all organic - I don't know why I did, but I just did. I have to really look closely at the labels there too to make sure I'm getting a 100% organic item.

I'd totally replaced all plastic and teflon items in the kitchen with either stainless steel or glass. Teflon has been found in cancer tumors, and plastics can leach crap into your food and Water and cause cancer, disrupt your endocrine system (as in it can feminize boys), and all kinds of awful things.

Right now we're in the process of getting organic latex and wool mattresses. Next item on the list is a whole house water filter to filter out chlorine - another awful ingredient which causes cancer. The chlorine in your water gets absorbed through your skin when you shower or bath just as if you drank it.

So, anyone else passionate about the environment, the organic movement, or personal health issues? Is anyone in any great environmental groups or simple living clubs? I'd love to talk to ya!

Linda

There have been articles in the Canadian media about the 100 kilometer/mile meal plans. The idea behind these is that many of our foods travel from very far away and thus come with a large carbon footprint. The concept is to make meals using only such produce which can be sourced locally. The trouble with doing this in Canada is that our growing season is so short. This leaves us pretty much deprived of everything except for root vegetables and apples during most of the year. blehhh..... I eat a lot of fresh produce and thus my carbon footprint will remain large in this area.

And as for drinks, I much prefer scotch over rye and French wines over those produced in Ontario.

Ah Green, I do very well buying groceries locally all but the "drinks". I like my Vodka from the Netherlands, Wine from the Russian River Valley & Tequilla from Mexico (Sonora State).

Sounds like fun! I can't wait til I am thin enough to ride a bike again...

It will be sooner than you think. Just 30 pounds ago it was very hard for me too - that was last summer. I've been using a stationary bike for exercise and I think that's helped, but definitely having a smaller stomach is helping greatly.

Lindata - The solar panels are neat additon to the green house, I'm not overly scientific like DH is, I do know that the seeds I started in Sept (that's when the green house was complete) are taking off - far faster than anything I had in a window. I get lost inside there sometimes, I put my Ipod on and examine every little pod / pot I have going on. Right now I have a whole wall of Sunflower seeds sprouting , that I'm hoping to plant around our stocked Bass pond. I'd like to have the pond surrounded by Texas Wildflowers, and the only thing really missing was the sunflowers. The pond is one thing I didnt' mention that we eat from (Bass and some Crappie), since my Labs get the most of the fishing it seems as of late.

Your pond sounds so nice! We're putting one in but not with fish. My DH got a solar powered pump for it. Are we green or what? We tried the pump out today and it works really great. We haven't lined it yet - we just tried it out with the Water collected in it from rain.

I planted some sunflower seeds for my son to see. I can't believe how fast they've grown! I just have a window to grow them in, not a greenhouse. It sounds like you have a really nice set up. Are you on a farm?

Your pond sounds so nice! We're putting one in but not with fish. My DH got a solar powered pump for it. Are we green or what? We tried the pump out today and it works really great. We haven't lined it yet - we just tried it out with the Water collected in it from rain.

I planted some sunflower seeds for my son to see. I can't believe how fast they've grown! I just have a window to grow them in, not a greenhouse. It sounds like you have a really nice set up. Are you on a farm?

Not a farm, more like a Ranch. Unlike most of TX, our property is all terrain..lots of hills / creeks / ponds..not much of flat land condusive for farming. I'm sure we could get one in place, however that would mean cutting a lot of Mesquite / Pecan / Cedar Trees, that I don't have the heart in doing.

Growing up in NY, I always wanted a big piece of land w/a bunch of animals. I pinch myself daily and try to not take advantage of it.