Black Zogoflex – West Paw Design’s greenest toys yet

Having a new dog in the house means my collection of chew toys is growing. But as a responsible pet “Mom”, I wondered just how healthy or safe they were.

There are currently no standards concerning the levels or types of chemicals in pet toys.  Because pets chew, lick and carry their toys around, they’re exposed to higher levels of hazardous chemicals including phthalates, BPA (Bisphenol A), lead and arsenic.  There aren’t many studies regarding the interaction or impact of these on animals. But given the toxicity of these chemicals in humans, finding pet toys without these is important.

Green your holiday gifts this year

This stylish men’s wallet is made of natural cork from Cool CorC

You’ve finally finished your list with who to give gifts to this year Then you’re suddenly in serious brain freeze with what to get.  It can’t be just ANYTHING. It has to be special, and more green, this year.

Here are some fun, affordable eco-friendly gifts that will bring plenty of smiles this holiday.

Campbell’s to stop using BPA in their cans

Campbell's Soup to phase out BPA use, photo by Dennis Goedgeboure, Flickr

Seems that mm, mm, Good is about to get even better!

Campbell’s Soup has agreed to join other companies in eliminating the use of BPA (Bisphenol A, a chemical used in a wide variety of products, including the hard lining of soup and other canned goods.

Thanksgiving Trouble: BPA in canned food

Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving, enjoying safe food. Photo by Lexnger, Flickr

Along with family gatherings, too much food, and football, Thanksgiving is a time for food donations to those in need. But there’s an underside to these canned goods that spells trouble.

A new report by The Breast Cancer Fund called “BPA in Thanksgiving Canned Food” reveals that many of the canned foods associated with Thanksgiving contain high levels of BPA (Bisphenol A). BPA is used in a wide variety of applications, including linings of metal canned goods. BPA can leach from the inner metal coatings of the cans into the food itself. It also leaches from products like plastic food storage containers and baby bottles.

To learn more about the most recent, eye-opening report on the presence of BPA in canned food – especially those foods associated with Thanksgiving – see http://bit.ly/tr5N3M.

Daily Grommet gives smaller companies visibility

You may not know what a grommet is or even heard of one before. But you’ve seen one. It’s a ring of metal, plastic, or rubber that’s used to reinforce a hole or protect the sharp edges of one. You’ll recognize it as the eyelet on a shoe, or the metal ring at the top of a nice shower curtain.

There’s a different kind of grommet, one that’s helping to redefine online shopping.

Ziploc’s newest reusable – VersaGlasss containers

Almost every kitchen in America has a plethora of plastic containers ready to hold all sorts of left-overs. Chances are you’ll have a tough time finding lids to fit most of them.

With BPA in plastics getting plenty of attention in the news, consumers are looking for good alternatives that work. Ziploc®, a long-trusted household brand, has come up with a unique durable option.

Green your kid’s lunch and cut waste too

Americans throw out 100 billion plastic bags each year. We use 60,000 of them every five seconds. Such widespread use causes the deaths of over 100,000 seabirds, dolphins, whales, and other sea animals each year. They mistake these bags for food, ingest them and die horribly or become entangled in the plastic and suffocate to death.

The average schookid’s lunch uses 4 plastic bags. Multiply that by 5 days a week and that’s a lot of plastic.

BPA-free cash register tape soon to be available

Recent studies point to cash register receipts as containing BPA

A personal concern of mine of late has been the news of the prevalent consumer exposure to BPA and what if anything is being done to fix the problem.

BPA or bisphenol A is a chemical that’s found in an amazingly wide range of products and is linked to all sorts of health risks – including breast cancer, prostate cancer, genital abnormalities in male newborns, obesity, diabetes and even ADHD. Recent research has shown that cash register receipts may be the ultimate offender for BPA exposure.

For more on the story – and a workable alternative that’s in the works, check out http://3.ly/fdnf.

Colorful reusable plastic sandwich bag alternatives

An average family of five uses between 1,800 to almost 2,400 plastic sandwich bags per year.  More than 20 million sandwich bags from school lunches end up in U.S. landfills.     

There are eco-friendly alternatives to those plastic baggies we’re accustomed to using. Colorful, fashionable, affordable dishwasher and washing machine safe, they can be reused hundreds of times. And these are all made in the U.S.  

Here’s my “Best of the Best” list. They were all created by Moms unwilling to keep using an unsustainable, petroleum-based “baggies” and who, after searching for a great alternative, ended up creating one.The first three products are reusable sandwich and/or snack bags that have Velcro fasteners.  The fourth one looks like a bright-colored plastic food container, but isn’t. 

Watch out for BPA in those receipts you’re getting

Those innocent white receipts are really hazardous to your health

 

Almost every time you purchase something, the cashier hands you a little white receipt. I generally keep them to help when I do my taxes and, if you’re like me, there’s a small stack of them waiting for my attention. 

But maybe hanging onto them isn’t such a good idea, regardless of what the IRS says (okay, have tread carefully here). There have been a number of stories lately – in print, online and on the airwaves – about the growing concern of the effects of BPA (bisphenol-a), an estrogen-mimicking chemical linked to all kinds of medical issues.