Because natural isn't always possible — or easy.
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Environment, Going Green, Toxins on Oct 10th, 2012
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its Guide to Healthy Cleaning. The results really shocked me. I searched the database for some of my tried and true — and green, I thought! — cleaning products. Many of them have horrible ratings. Heck, my beloved Trader Joe’s liquid laundry detergent scored an F. Yes, an F! [...]
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Environment, Going Green, Health, Toxins on Jul 24th, 2012
There has been plenty of news lately about the dangers of Tricosan, but many people are still puzzled about the chemical. I interviewed Dr. Larry Weiss, chief scientist and founder of hand sanitizer and soap manufacturer CleanWell about the topic. Here are his answers. KB: What is Triclosan? Dr. Weiss: Triclosan and the closely related [...]
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Environment, Food, Going Green, Health, Illness, parenting, Preventative medicine, Safety, Toxins on Feb 15th, 2012
By now, you’ve probably heard about Bisphenol-A or BPA, a chemical that’s used to manufacture non-rigid polycarbonate plastics such as take-home food containers as well as epoxy resins, found inside cans and the lids of glass bottles. It can also be found in cash register receipts. This week, The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine [...]
Posted in Environment, Going Green, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse on Jan 20th, 2012
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 [...]
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Eating Healthy, Food, Going Green, Health, Organic, Siblings, Toxins on Dec 8th, 2011
A recent Consumer Reports story took a look at the safety of apple and grape juices, and the results were less-than-comforting. The organization tested a variety of juices including some organic options and found both arsenic and lead — neurotoxins that can cause a multitude of problems such as bladder, lung, and skin cancer as [...]
Posted in Eating Healthy, Environment, Food, Going Green, Health, Research, Safety on Nov 16th, 2011
I recently participated in a food-related Twitter party. During our discussion about Thanksgiving turkey and whether or not stuffing is safe to eat, the host asked about cookware: what were people cooking their turkeys in? I immediately tweeted that I used to cook in a non-stick Teflon pan, but about two years ago I banned [...]
Posted in Environment, Pissy mussings, Toxins on Sep 26th, 2011
We have had a rainy and therefore VERY buggy summer. The mosquitoes are so bad that, only a few weeks ago, I actually took Little Girl to the aftercare center thinking she was having an allergic reaction. I put her into her carseat in my car and drove three miles. By the time I got [...]
Posted in Eating Healthy, Food, Going Green, Organic, Toxins on Feb 15th, 2011
I’ve been feeding my kids organic stuff forever. Since before they were born, really. I’m a real stickler when it comes to meat, veggies, dairy, and fruit, too. I have been a little more lenient when it comes to my own food, though. I’ll eat the non-organic comice pear — my absolute favorite snack. I’ll [...]
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Environment, Food, Recycle, Reduce on Nov 29th, 2010
It is no secret that I LOVE Trader Joe’s. Love it. One of my favorite things about the store is tucked way in the back along the left wall: the sample counter. Yesterday, they were sampling Checkerboard Mousse Cake ($6.99.). Are you freakin’ kidding me? So sweet and smushy and yummy. I couldn’t buy it. [...]
Posted in Consumer Packaged Goods, Health, Illness, Safety, Shopping, Toxins on Jul 13th, 2010
You have, no doubt, heard about the 28 million box Kellogg’s cereal recall. The company recalled select boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Pops, Honey Smacks, Froot Loops and Apple Jacks cereals. Consumers said there was an “off” taste and smell. Oh, and that they were giving some people nausea and diarrhea. Kellogg’s said the packages were [...]