What's in that gulp of ocean water you just swallowed? This, unfortunately.

One of the things I am most proud of is our household ban on plastic. We don’t use plastic if we can help it. I take reusable bags on shopping trips to the supermarket and the mall, and we recycle any plastic that does come into our home. Every bread bag, every piece of packaging, every toilet paper or paper towel wrapping, every piece of bubblewrap, every dry cleaning bag, shrink wrap — it all goes into a big bag that is then recycled at our local Lowe’s. (You can read more about it here.) It really adds up. I started this family campaign after reading about The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. (Again, you can read more about that here.) To date, I’ve probably kept thousands of pieces of plastic out of landfills.

People think I am crazy. As they point out, this way of life does take some work and commitment. Still, it’s worth it to me. It really hurts when I think about how — by using plastic — we are polluting our oceans and inadvertently polluting our food supply.

I started this family ban a few years ago, but haven’t really heard a lot about the topic lately. Am I making a difference, I always wonder? Are we, as a society, making a dent in the problem? This week, I got answers to these questions when I garnered some time with an executive from Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of oceans, beaches, and the surf. Below, Bill Hickman, Surfrider Foundation’s Rise Above Plastics Coordinator, explains how why our oceans are still at risk, and why one person’s efforts really do matter.

KB: Have we seen a decline in the amount of plastic being found in our waterways?

Hickman: Some places yes and some places no. Cities that have passed plastic reduction ordinances such as plastic bag or expanded polystyrene foam bans are starting to see litter reductions. Some cities have done a good job with increased street sweeping, [adding] catch basins for storm drains, and other efforts but overall we are not seeing a decline in plastic pollution reaching the ocean.

KB: What’s are some of the biggest risks of plastic waterway pollution?

Hickman: Plastic does not biodegrade in our lifetimes, it typically photodegrades [meaning it breaks up into tiny pieces but never decomposes into organic matter] into smaller pieces that can easily be confused for food by marine life. Those plastic pieces are good at adsorbing persistent organic pollutants that may be in the water such as PCBs [which act as hormone disruptors and carcinogens] and DDT [a dangerous pesticide], which over time could travel up the food chain and possibly pose a threat to people who eat fish.

KB: Where is the plastic originating from?

Hickman: Not all plastic is bad, but disposable plastics can be devastating. After World War II the United States changed from a society that reused everything possible to one that promoted the convenience of throwaway living and benefits of “no more dishes” without realizing the consequences of these decisions as population soared. Now plastic encases everything from electronics to razors to fruit and veggies that already have nature’s packaging — its skin! Plastic is typically derived from petroleum or natural gas and starts out as pellets or ‘nurdles’ at production facilities that are shipped to plastics manufactures via rail and truck. Those pellets are typically heated then expanded or extruded into products such as plastic bags, bottles, toys, foam foodware, and more.

KB: What can we do to reduce the amount of plastic going into the water?

Hickman: The best way to help prevent plastic pollution is through source reductions such as plastic bag and expanded foam bans along with more states adopting ‘bottle bills’ [requiring a bottle deposit] which help to increase recycling rates.

KB: Can one person really make a difference?

Hickman: Absolutely. Every action helps to make a difference, and on a personal level it’s great to follow the four R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle plastic! Get involved with your local Surfrider Chapter and participate in their beach cleanups and their Rise Above Plastics efforts.

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I finally found a place for all the clutter -- at Best Buy!

We are big tech people. I can’t count how many servers, workstations, gaming consoles, and pieces of consumer electronics that we’ve purchased since we’ve been married. I’ve been recycling the big stuff — computers, laptops, monitors, and televisions — for a while now, but it’s been more difficult to figure out what to do with all the cords, remotes, and other electronic-related items that were left over. Oh, and I can’t forget the plastic gift cards that we used to purchase them. They were invariably thrown into the trash. Until now, that is.

I’ve always known that Best Buy has a fabulous electronics recycling program, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized the store also took stuff that other recycling sources won’t: CDs, DVDs, gift cards, wires, cables, cords, remotes, and controllers. Oh, and the store also has a repository for plastic bags, batteries, and ink and toner cartridges, too. At last! I have a place to get rid of everything — for free! While you might not think throwing away an empty gift card here and a wire there is a big deal, it really is because it all adds up. We, as a society, generate more than 4 billion pounds of e-waste every year, so it’s important to take every recycling opportunity we can. We should be recapturing whatever we can.

My Best Buy epiphany had its roots on YouTube. I found out about the company’s recycling program by doing a search. (I was looking for a place to get rid of all my old CDs and CD-Rs.) Even though I was busy that day, I actually sat through the company’s video about how it recycles. I wanted to be sure Best Buy wasn’t like so many other companies that say they are recycling but simply collect everything and dump it overseas without removing the hazardous materials such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. (It’s a great video, BTW, and worth sitting through and showing to your kids.) I was really happy to see that Best Buy is able to break down all those tvs, laptops, keyboards, and monitors into their most basic elements so they can go back into the supply chain. Who knew a keyboard could go right into a shredder?

Last week I made a trip to Best Buy with my kids. They watched as I unloaded a black garbage bag full of wires and cables as well as a small box of old remotes. When I got home I started a bag for gift cards. It’s sitting in the garage next to my bag of old batteries. While I know I can’t recycle everything, it really makes me feel good to lessen my footprint — if only just a little bit. How about you?

My reasons are both health- and conscience-related. On the health side of things, organic turkeys are free of antibiotics and growth hormones that are commonly found in conventional turkey. (Check out this great blog on the subject from Green Talk.) As for the whole doing-the-right-thing thing, well, I think it would probably be much smarter and easier to let one of the experts I’ve interviewed do the talking instead. Here is the interview I did with Sharanya Krishna Prasad, U.S. Programs Officer with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) about the very topic:

KB: Why is organic turkey so expensive?

Krishna Prasad: Organic turkey is currently more expensive for various reasons. Intensive agriculture is highly subsidized by the U.S. government, and the price of products from intensively raised animals does not consider the true environmental, human health and animal welfare costs associated with producing and consuming factory farmed meat. As the demand for more humane meats increases, and when industry standards for all animal-derived products are raised, the cost of these products will become more competitive.

KB: There are so many different options out there. If I can’t afford organic, what are some of the more acceptable labels I should be looking for?

Krishna Prasad: When shopping for a turkey, look for labels such as “Pasture Raised,” “USDA Organic,” “American Humane Certified,” “Animal Welfare Approved,” or “Certified Humane.” These labels mean animals should have been raised under more humane standard where they were given access to sunlight and fresh air and had freedom of movement. They were also spared non-therapeutic antibiotics and growth-promoting hormones. Avoid misleading labels like “Natural” or “Naturally Raised.” While “Naturally Raised” ensures animals were not given antibiotics or hormones, this label does not mean the animals have freedom, fresh air or sunlight. The term “Natural” has no relevance to animal welfare and merely indicates that the product doesn’t have artificial additives.

KB: Is it worth buying organic over pasture-raised or the other non-organic labels you just mentioned?

Krishna Prasad: WSPA has developed an easy-to-use humane classification system where labeling claims have been designated as ‘Good’, ‘Better’, or ‘Best’ depending on the level of animal welfare required by the claim standard. Under this classification system, both USDA organic and pasture-raised fall under the same category — ‘Better.’

For turkeys, the best labels to look for are Animal Welfare Approved, American Humane Certified, and Certified Humane. If products with these labels are unavailable, we recommend choosing from one of the ‘Better’ or ‘Good’ category labels such as USDA organic, pasture-raised, or free range. If a turkey doesn’t have one of these labels, it was raised without the consideration of animal welfare, and buyers may be paying a premium for products that likely don’t meet their expectations in terms of the impacts on animals.

KB: How can I get my store to carry the “Better” or “Good” categories of turkey?

Krishna Prasad: Consumers should request humane food products from their retailers by speaking with the purchasing manager of the stores they frequently shop at. Studies have shown that it only takes a few customers to request a product before a store will carry it. In addition, WSPA’s website www.EatHumane.org has a postcard that consumers can print and drop off at the comments and suggestions box at their store to request more humane products.

KB: Does organic turkey taste different than the Butterball everyone might be used to?

Krishna Prasad: While some studies have been conducted on the taste of meat from organically-raised turkeys versus meat from intensively raised animals, to my knowledge they have not been conclusive. WSPA has noticed a trend among gourmet restaurants featuring more locally sourced, humanely-raised products on their menus. Chefs are probably taking in to account both the better care and fewer resources it takes to raise animals humanely. But I am sure they are considering the good taste as well. Today most food offered for sale in major U.S. supermarkets is from animals raised under intensive confinement on large factory style farms. These animals are typically denied fresh air and sunlight, and given very limited freedom to move and express their natural behaviors. Polls have shown that a large majority of Americans think the way farm animals are raised is important to them. Consumers who choose humane turkeys can be assured that the animals were given more natural living conditions and are typically given access to fresh air and sunlight, and freedom to move and express their natural behaviors.

So there you have it. Will this affect the way you shop for meat this holiday season? Was I insane for spending so much on a turkey that was gone in less than 20 minutes? I’d love to hear your feedback.

My husband's cast iron skillet: The grosser it looks, the better it is to cook on!

First, a little background. You and I call it Teflon, but what we’re really talking about is perfluorooctanoic acid (or PFOA), which is what manufacturers use to make all your brownie pans, frying pans, and turkey roasters non-stick. You can also find the chemical, which is sometimes referred to as C8, inside of packaged foods containers such as microwave popcorn bags and in many other consumer products. (The Environmental Protection Agency has a page dedicated to PFOA that’s got a lot more information. It’s certainly worth a read. You can find it here.)

Here are the problems that the EPA had with PFOA, taken directly from its site:

• PFOA is very persistent in the environment; it doesn’t break down and go away.
• It is found everywhere. You can see very low levels both in the environment and in the blood of the general U.S. population
• It sticks around inside of us for very long time, too. Once you ingest it or breathe it in, it’s in there.
• It has been found to cause “developmental and other adverse effects in laboratory animals.” (And in humans, too!)

If you’re like me, the last item in the list might be the one that’s giving you pause. What kind of adverse effects, you might want to know. Well, according to research studies PFOA can be linked to:

• Lower birth rate and size: Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that babies with higher concentrations of the chemical had smaller heads and lower body weights. Read the study here.
• Infertility: Women with higher levels of PFOA took longer to get pregnant, according to a study out of the UCLA School of Public Health.
• Elevated cholesterol: Kids with higher levels of PFOA have higher cholesterol levels, according to a study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
• Thyroid disease: A “study revealed that people with higher concentrations of PFOA in their blood have higher rates of thyroid disease. The researchers analyzed samples from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES),” according to researchers.
• ADHD: In this study, Boston University School of Public Health researchers found “increased odds of ADHD in children with higher serum PFC levels.” (PFOA is one of the PFCs they tracked.)

There have also been studies linking PFOA to cancer, although most of the research has been on the effects of PFOA released into the environment as a byproduct of manufacturing. No matter, the research is so compelling that, way back in 2006, the EPA asked manufacturers to phase out the chemical. Eight large non-stick manufacturers complied. The voluntary ban will be achieved by 2015, but that doesn’t do anything for all the folks who have non-stick cookware in their homes already unless they proactively get rid of everything non-stick they own.

That’s exactly what we did. Despite the fact that my husband loved his non-stick griddle, we tossed it along with four frying pans, a brownie pan, cake pans, cookie sheets, and a roasting pan. We actually threw it in the recycling bin rather than donating it to make sure it wasn’t going to be around to potentially make someone else sick. Today, we use either cast iron or stainless steel when we cook, bake, or fry, and I didn’t spend a fortune to make this happen.

My husband, for instance, got a $30 cast iron griddle to replace his beloved non-stick one. (No, he did not like it in the beginning, but has grown to love it.) I bought it from my local Target, and was thrilled to discover it was actually made in the United States, which is a rarity these days. Target also carries a number of other cast iron Lodge products including loaf pans, skittles, and fryers. (Note: I have nothing to do with Target or Lodge and am not being paid to say that. I just like the products.) I picked up some really inexpensive Pyrex brownie and cake pans at the Pyrex outlet. I got my stainless stuff as hand-me-downs, and was actually pleased to find that I had a plain stainless cookie sheet already sitting in my cabinet as well as a nice stainless frying pan.

From a cooking perspective, I love the fact that the glass and stainless stuff cleans up really easily. It’s also adding some extra flavor to my baking since I am forced to grease and flour my cake pans and butter up the brownie pan. The cast iron griddle, which is fully seasoned now, gives off a warm, homey smell when things are cooking on it. Plus, I love the extra boost of iron the entire family gets with our pancakes and eggs. (The American Dietetic Association confirms that cooking foods in or on cast iron increases the amount of iron in foods.)

Of course, most people aren’t going to be able to toss all their non-stick cookware into the garbage like I did, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do something. I challenge everyone to replace one pan — the one you use the most — by the end of the year since it can make a huge difference in your PFOA exposure. Ready to give it a shot?

This post is how I am participating in this week’s Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Fridays, two awesome blog carnivals dedicated to promoting the use and consumption of — what else? — real food.

I used to feel really guilty about that, but now that I’ve discovered that kids really don’t want that much, it’s not so bad. For example, I recently got rid of what seemed like a ton of stuffed animals, board games, and puzzles. (Okay, it was only three large bags, but still…) The kids did not even notice they were gone.

Of course, I’m pretty careful when I’m doing my weekly thrift store donation analysis. Before I toss anything I run it through a checklist:

1. Do either of the kids have any emotional attachment to this item?
2. When was the last time they wore it/played with it?
3. Do I know someone who would get use out of it?

The answers help me figure out whether to keep something or toss it. When it comes to emotional attachments, well, my decisions are much easier for Big Girl’s stuff than with Little Girl’s stuff. My little one latches on to stuff in a way that her sister never did. Case in point: Her bed. Right now there are about a dozen assorted animals that sleep with her every night. She knows EXACTLY who should be in there and complains bitterly if they are missing. This, I think, is the most important part of the check list. If there’s no emotional attachment, the decision is really a no-brainer.

Still, I am not an ogre. Just because someone doesn’t swoon over an item doesn’t mean it’s not worth something, so that’s where the time element comes in. My rule of thumb is simple: If it’s been more than a month or two since they played with something I can probably safely squirrel it out of the house. I figure if they haven’t looked for it, they probably aren’t going to.

I use the same lenses when I am pillaging my own closets. Sometimes, I cut too deeply and regret it (WHY did I get rid of those great thigh-high white boots?!?), but for the most part my excavation works really well. How about you? Do you sort and toss often? Once a year? How does that work for you?

The story has been the same all over the Island. Everyone, or so it seems, is talking about how crazy-vicious the mosquitoes are and how SOMEONE should do something. This weekend we got a call telling us that Nassau County was going to do that something: The county was going to be spraying my area and others surrounding us with Scourge, a resmethrin- and piperonyl butoxide-based pesticide since someone in the area had been diagnosed with West Nile virus.

As much as I hate those bugs, as much as I wish they were gone, I wish the county had simply let nature — and the impending cold weather — take care of the mosquitoes.

First off, I really don’t like the fact that our county executive robo-called everyone in Nassau warning them to keep their windows and doors closed, take children’s toys inside, cover fish ponds, and keep pets inside. The fact that it would take the time to do this means that these are not simple warnings. There is actual danger. And I really hate the product spec sheet from Bayer Environmental Science, the company that manufactures Scourge. “Harmful if absorbed through the skin,” and even better, “Caution. Keep out of the reach of children. Hazard to humans and domestic animals. This pesticide is highly toxic to fish.”

But what I really hate is that experts have come out against spraying, linking it to cancer, behavioral and developmental issues, and respiratory problems. The Cancer Prevention Coalition, founded by Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., who is at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Public Health, has a long, scary FAQ about Scourge. Here are some of the highlights taken directly from the site:

• About one-fourth of the Scourge formula is “inert ingredients,” including petroleum by-products.
• Unpublished data by the manufacturer reveal that Resmethrin is cancer-causing, with specific risk of liver and thyroid cancers.
• Unless homes are air-tight and windows are closed at the time of spraying, all residents living in the vicinity of Scourge applications are at risk from inhalation.
• The EPA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have emphasized that the inerts used in Scourge are frequently contaminated with the potent carcinogen benzene, a well-documented cause of leukemia and other malignancies.
• There are many case reports on these inert ingredients causing respiratory problems including irritant and allergic responses, asthma and conjunctivitis following inhalation or skin exposure to Scourge.
• Children and the elderly are at increased risk for problems.
• There are less toxic control methods that are just as effective.

Another source — the California Environmental Protection Agency — in a 2007 study reported that “for resmethrin, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has concluded that there is a likely risk of carcinogenicity in humans, requiring the manufacturers to provide more detailed data to prove that it can be used safely in vector control.”

And yes, according to the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC), the chemical takes a long time to leave the environment. According to the chemical’s fact sheet: “The typical half-life of resmethrin in the soil is 30 days.” So after a month, about half of the amount of pesticide sprayed is still out there. The worst part, also according to the NPIC, is that the reason the county is spraying in the air is that it is released as an “ultra-low volume (ULV) spray” that lets “very tiny droplets that stay in the air and kill flying mosquitoes that may carry public health diseases.” The way I am reading that is that the spray sticks around a bit in the air. How long? Who knows?

I called Nassau County this morning and was told that the spraying trucks, which get a police escort, will be driving up and down blocks tonight between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. The Scourge is blasted out 75 feet on either side of the truck, which means it will be coming right at my house, my windows, my front door. I’m really pissed.

Today, when I dropped Little Girl off at school I asked the director if she will be washing the outside equipment tomorrow. In the morning especially there is dew all over everything and it will intermingle, I assume, with a dose of Scourge. The director said the kids would be staying inside all week because she wouldn’t have time to power wash until the weekend. Sigh. I hated being the bearer of bad news, but I am glad my child, who is constantly touching her nose, eyes, and mouth, will be protected from the Scourge. Of course, the better protection would have been to avoid spraying in the first place.

The sick, crazy part is I just got off the phone with a staffer at Nassau County executive Edward P. Mangano’s office who told me that the county did not want to spray. That they had hoped the mosquitoes would die when we got a frost earlier in the month, but that they got “beaten up” in the press for not spraying. The source also said (and yes, I identified myself as a journalist) that he agreed with my safety concerns and that the chemical “probably” is a carcinogen, and that’s why the office does as much as it can putting out press releases and letting people know about the dangers, but the media and the public just don’t care. And that is the most depressing fact of all.

How easy would it be if Little Girl wanted to be a flower? Oh, well, another costume to add to the swap, right?

For a little kid, Little Girl has a big memory. She’s been talking about Halloween since July. “I wanna be ‘arina,” she told me. (Translation: She wanted to dress up like the Marina character on Fresh Beat Band.) “And Daddy will be Shout and you can be Kiki.” Hmmm. Okay, so right away I started looking for a Marina costume. There aren’t any! What’s the deal, Nick Jr.?!?

After much discussion with the craftiest people I know (my friend Shari and my sister Kim), I had a plan. I would make a Marina costume. But then I took Big Girl shoe shopping at Marshall’s. We spotted the rack of costumes the moment we got in the door. The girls wanted to take a look, so we walked back. There, in the middle of the princesses and Red Riding Hood dresses, was a cute little monkey costume. Little Girl shrieked, “I wanna be a monkey!” What about Marina, I asked? No, she insisted, now she wanted to be a monkey. I looked at the price tag. $34.99. And it was a size 3T. We’d get one wear out of it. Nope, we were not getting that monkey costume. This weekend, Little Girl decided she wants to be Abby Cadabby. I just threw my hands up in the air and told her we’d get something as Halloween got closer.

Since I really don’t want to add yet another costume to my already full costume box, I’ve decided to try and participate in National Costume Swap Day, which will take place on Saturday, October 8. Here’s what it is, in a nutshell: Everyone who brings a new or gently-used costume to a local event gets to leave with a new-to-them costume. There are plenty of benefits: since you aren’t buying a new costume, there’s less waste to go into landfills, there’s huge cost savings, and everyone gets to enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

As of today there are no costume swaps on Long Island. I’m about to change that. I am waiting for confirmation on a location but…OMG, I can’t believe I am trying to do this…I am going to host a swap in my town. More details to come.

In the meantime, if you haven’t purchased your own costume you may want to check out the ever-growing list of swaps. Maybe there’s one in your area? Since there are some pretty big sponsors behind it — Green Halloween, Swap.com and Kiwi Magazine — it’s sure to build as we get closer to the event date.

The outline of my Grandma's personal garden. The compost heap was at the lowest point of the photo.

Growing up, I lived in a house with a huge (for Long Island) backyard. It was a stretched pentagon-shaped piece of property 60 feet across in the front but about 300 feet across in the back. It went back at its deepest 250 feet deep, and the house wasn’t big so there was a wide expanse to run and play and work in. Since there was so much room every spring my Italian grandma would come and plant three vegetable gardens along the back fence, which abutted a school yard. We’ have tomatoes, watermelon, lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, green peppers, eggplant, and herbs, among other items. She also planted a fourth garden along the common side fence that we shared with a neighbor — a perfect place to grow green beans, cucumbers, and other climbing plants.  Grandma was blessed with a proverbial green thumb. My father had one, too, despite the fact that he grew up in a Manhattan apartment building. They gardened together for years before he died.

While my father had good instincts, it was my Grandma who taught him that the best fertilizer is the natural stuff. During the planting phase he’d watch my grandmother drop egg shells, veggie scraps, and manure into the dug-out holes, lovingly ensconcing in the little seedling plants and covering them with what was essentially garbage. I don’t know if my grandmother had anything to do with it, but at some point he started making a huge compost pile in the backyard and it became the primary way to feed our garden. All the yard and grass clippings went there, of course, but so did coffee grinds and eggshells and apple peelings. Dry leaves were added in the fall. In the spring they would fill up a wheel barrow and dump piles of compost on top of the garden, covering up the withered vines and plants from the previous year. (No reason to pull them, after all, since the dry, brown vines and mushed tomatoes and eggplants would simply have gone into the compost bin anyway.)

Between April and April, I can remember him — every so often — turning over the pile with a pitchfork. What’s most vivid, though, is the memories of its smell and heat. In the spring, the pile would steam as he uncovered the decomposing bottom layers. In the summer, if you took a moment, you could smell the different components rising up. It was a good smell. I think I may have even sat in that heap once or twice. It was fairly close to our swingset, so it was often incorporated into our play — sometimes it was a home for ghosts; sometimes goblins lived in it.The smell and the process bring back wonderful memories of people who have been gone for years.

Anyway, tonight as I took a bowl of vegetable scraps out to my own pristine, antiseptic, black plastic compost bin I remembered the one from my childhood, and connected the two. I don’t know why it took me so long to do so. Here I thought I was doing something so modern and Earth-friendly, but in reality I was just following in my father’s footsteps. He and my grandmother were eco-friendly before I EVER was.

Feeling nostalgic, I came inside and told Big Girl about my childhood compost bin. (She loves hearing about when Mommy was a little girl.) I also made her a promise: Next year, we’re going to start a garden. After all, what’s the point of composting if you don’t use it for what it’s intended for: creating life.

My soon-to-be delivered product and bread bags look beautiful -- and they are made in the U.S.A.

My house is pretty much a plastic-free zone. We’ve eliminated all Tupperware and plastic storage containers. I don’t use any Zip-Lock-type bags. I have reusable grocery bags. We don’t use plastic wrap, opting instead for glass containers with lids. We don’t have a single plastic cup. I even got rid of all the plastic utensils (aside from two my husband insists on keeping around). However, there were two holdouts from my plastic ban: bread bags and produce bags.

This weekend I set out to get reusable cloth bags that could be used for both. I checked on Amazon first. I found plenty of them available but they were either lined in plastic or manufactured in China. Two no-nos in my book. Then I took to Etsy.com. It was there that I hit the jackpot.

If you’re not familiar with Etsy: It’s billed as “Your place to buy and sell all things handmade, vintage, and supplies.” You can find everything from clothing to art to glassware to toys — it’s truly like a giant online craft fair. I searched for “reusable produce bags” and found more than 600 options available. Then I started narrowing things down. I wanted something without a stitch of plastic. I also wanted something that was light and washable. And it absolutely had to be made of materials from the U.S. or Europe — that was not negotiable. I picked about eight options and contacted the sellers, asking them where they sourced their materials.

A lot of people told me their materials were made in China. (How sad, BTW, that even stuff lovingly handmade here in the States starts out in some plant in Asia.) I was starting to think I’d never find anything when I heard back from the seller LoveForEarth, who, incidentally, has a feedback score of more than 2,700. A trustworthy seller, I figured. Here’s her word-for-word reply to my question: “Where is your fabric made?”

Hi, it is made in North Carolina. Thanks!

Wanting to make sure I heard her correctly (and that she read my note correctly), I sent a clarifying email:

Fabric that’s made in the USA? Really??? Just confirming that the fabric — not the bags — are made in the USA, and once I do I will go purchase them!

Her reply:

Amazing, isn’t it? There are still a fair amount of textile mills in the U.S., mostly in the South. I’ve managed to source both materials from the zipper bags and the produce bags from U.S. mills. Although they are more expensive, they are MUCH higher in quality.I’ve gotten to where I can tell the difference between some types of synthetic fabrics. Here’s a list I found of U.S.-based textile mills:

Textile Companies of United States of America which has been accumulated from various sources from the net.

1. Weave Corporation, USA
2. Van Lathem, Inc, USA
3. Triumph Geo- Synthetics, Inc, USA
4. The fabric Stock Exchange, USA
5. Textile Innovators Corp, USA
6. Textile Development Associates, USA
7. Taconic, USA
8. Sunsilks,Inc. USA
9. Sun Action Textiles, USA
10. Straus Knitting Mills, Inc, USA
11. Stratford Hall Textiles, USA
12. Somerset Fabrics, LLC, USA
13. Silberman Associates, USA
14. Satesa Corporation, USA
15. Safco Fabrics, USA
16. AST A. Sommer Textiles, USA
17. American Folk & Fabric, Inc., USA
18. American Ribbon Manufacturers, USA
19. American Spandex, Inc., USA
20. American Textile, USA
21. Angel Textiles, Inc., USA
22. Apparel Label, USA
23. Arc-Com Fabrics Inc., USA
24. Asheboro Elastics Corp., USA
25. Ashro Fabrics, USA
26. BNB International Textiles, Inc., USA
27. Bo-Tex Sales, USA
28. Bostik, USA
29. Brecon Knitting Mill, USA
30. Bruck Braid Company?, USA
31. CDS Company, USA
32. Carnegie, US
33. Celia Incorporated, USA
34. Central Shippee, Inc., USA
35. Crazy as a Loom Weaving Studio, USA
36. Custom Laminations, USA
37. David Rothschild Company, Inc., USA
38. Dazian, USA
39. Donaldson Filtration Solutions, USA
40. Fifield Inc., USA
41. Fisher Textiles, United States
42. Gemex, Corp. , USA
43. Gibson-Tex, Inc., USA
44. Gift Fabric, Inc, USA
45. Guilford Performance Textiles, USA

Success! I plunked down my $15.75 plus $1.85 for shipping my seven reusable produce bags, and here I sit waiting for them to come. Okay, maybe not literally waiting for them to come, but you know what I mean.

So what’s the point? There are healthier options out there. If you want to avoid plastic or whatever you’re not loving these days you just have to do a little legwork to find it. And, as an aside, bravo to sellers like LoveForEarth and to the tenacious mills that have stuck around here in the States. That’s what’s going to help drive our economy. I’m so happy to be doing my part.

Contamination occurs in a number of ways. For instance, if someone preparing a hot dog doesn’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom or someone picking food in a field decides to pop a squat and drop a deuce among the veggies rather than making a trek to an outhouse or Port-a-Potty someone you can catch their bug. (Sounds gross, but for those workers who are paid for what they pick a 10-minute poop break means lost cash.) If meat is the source, the E.coli may come directly from the feces of the animal in question. Slaughterhouses are dirty, nasty places, and if an animal poops itself as it’s being electrocuted and that feces gets on the carcass….well, you get the picture. Contamination also happens if the cow’s intestines (filled with E.coli) make it into the ground beef mixture.

Meat that is contaminated can be rendered safe by cooking it thoroughly — bringing its internal temperature up to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also mitigate risk by washing and peeling riskier vegetables such as sprouts and spinach, and cooking them as well. And it should go without saying (but I’ll say it) that everyone should wash their hands thoroughly before handling any type of food or eating it.

To date, researchers haven’t figured out where the latest outbreak of E.coli is coming from. They’ve been testing a variety of vegetables including sprouts and cucumbers, but nothing has come back positive yet. As a result, officials are warning people, asking them to avoid eating leafy vegetables and raw tomatoes. For us here in the States, this should be a wakeup call about the way our food is produced. Meat shouldn’t be factory farmed. Vegetables should be picked by people who are allowed to take bio breaks. Me? I’ll just stick with what I’m doing: Buying fresh, locally-sourced meat and vegetables, most of which is organic. I’ll also keep reminding people that if they are sick, they should take extra care with handwashing for at least two weeks after their infection. People don’t realize or don’t know that most stomach bugs take several weeks to leave the digestive system even when there are no symptoms present. You can pass along a stomach bug even if you or your child hasn’t thrown up or had diarrhea for a week or two.

The good news is that the large majority of people who do contract E.coli tend to get better. Still, my heart goes out to the families of those 22 people who died. It’s so sad that they died doing something that should carry no risk.