I'm not sure what it is about allergies; but I find that the farther I delve into them the more aware of our environmental impact I become.
Part of it is the quest for a cause, which may lead to a cure. Part of it is becoming aware of the way our food chain works, which raises more questions than it seems to answer. And part of it is simply that the more aware I am of what is IN food, the less I want it in my (or my kids') bodies. It's not about avoiding allergens. It's about our safety, and our society's sustainability.
What would we do if suddenly massive truck routes were made impassable? If we were forced to eat fresh produce and meat without grains?
This happened in parts of Europe during the second world war. This dangerous diet led to...increased health. But, during the second world war, we still had memories of how to farm. We had a little extra space to garden. We had memories of how to prepare and preserve our own food, or there were plenty of people around who could teach us.
And there were a lot fewer of us to feed. In an age of microwaves, freezers and take out containers, how many would know how to plan and execute a month's worth of meals if heaven forbid there were no more factory food deliveries? There's a commercial that we used to laugh at. "Without us, some guys would starve".
"So true," we joked.
But when we entered the realm of food allergies and started cooking from scratch, we stopped laughing. With an increased awareness of ingredients, and additives, and the true definition of cooking from scratch, the jingle seemed too hit too close to home. And all of these realizations led us to an increased awareness of sustainability.
Allergies themselves are overwhelming, especially when you have a slew of them that require multiple pages to list. Corn being one of the toughest allergies to live with, since it even shows up in the citric acid rinse on bagged salad. Sustainability isn't a main concern.
And yet, it is. Corn is the number one source cited when companies talk about environmentally friendly "green" resources. But it isn't sustainable. It isn't a sustainable crop, it requires a lot of gunk to grow industrially, and then it takes a lot of energy and effort to turn cobs into something that doesn't resemble a kernel, an ear or a husk. It's just natural, and sounds more sustainable than petroleum and plastic.
I now look at food in a new light. I wonder about the modifications we've put it through the past several decades. Trying to grow a better variety, something easier or hardier or simply more aesthetically pleasing. I wonder about the cost of our actions. The loss of heirloom varieties of plants, the loss of diversity. I worry about what exactly is coursing through the veins of my children. I've seen the detrimental effects of food dyes on Bumblebee. I've seen a playful Penguin double over, pale and sweaty, from a simple snack.
I hear them complain of random tummy aches or mild headaches, and I wonder what else might be going on. I look at ingredient lists and ask myself why, exactly, they need BHT or TBHQ. Xanthan gum might improve the texture, but how much can a body really handle? And what about all those synthetic vitamins? Grown en masse in laboratories to try and replace some of the nutrients lost in the soil from our poor farming practices, do our bodies know what to do with them? And the process itself can't be especially good for the environment.
None of this would ever have been given more than a fleeting thought, I'm certain, if it weren't for the food allergies. I used to figure that what was in the food wasn't all that bad, I read lists...but not that closely. Carageenan? Hypromellose? tocopherols? High fructose corn syrup? They had to come from somewhere. And the FDA approved them. That was good enough to consume them in moderation.
And now I wonder. Not only what they do to us, but what effect do they have on the environment? What unseen damage can they do?
I note that food isn't the only thing with an ingredient list, and the personal care aisle scares me, too. Products designed to be washed away into our water supply. With names like Polyethylene (which, by the way, is bits of plastic designed to help exfoliate. Bits of plastic and corn derivatives, bound together for eternity and washed into our water supply, where any bacteria and large particles might be cleaned up...but anything minute is likely to remain in tact and be ingested by something else, animal or human.) or ammonium lauryl sulfate (a foaming agent commonly derived from coconut or palm alcohols) what sort of effect do they have on our water supply? Or the quality of the soil they drain into?
You see, the awareness of cross contamination, and the inability to sterilize away cornstarch dust or drops of peanut oil, makes me aware that nothing vanishes from our planet. It may get absorbed, or rearranged, or diluted. But it doesn't vanish. The problem may begin, for our family, with allergen containment, but the question of "why" leads us to the bigger picture. The chemicals and GMO's whose safety I question for my family aren't easily contained. The wind blows, the bees pollinate, and flowers blossom freely. They don't know where the boundaries between organic and inorganic lay. And honestly, as a society we don't know the long term effects.
Most of us don't give it more than a fleeting thought. I know I never did. I tried to toss my water bottle into the recycle bin instead of the trash can, I parroted the idea that organic was better but I didn't really deeply care. Not until the allergies opened my eyes, and I began not only seeing the cause and effect of something as ubiquitous as food but questioning choices I'd never thought to question before.
While some studies are linking allergies to environmental causes, I'm finding that allergies are lowering our personal environmental impact in a lot of little ways. Sure, I have to drive farther to get to the grocery store that carries gluten free pasta, but I don't waste time idling in a drive through. I don't buy many single serve packages, and we gravitate toward environmentally friendly cleaning aids like baking soda and vinegar.
Truthfully, I don't know if I'm happy to know all I know. I'd be perfectly happy to still be in the dark regarding the origins of microcrystalline cellulose and astaxanthin. In fact, I don't think I'd miss being able to spell either one without a cheat sheet. Awareness breeds responsibility.
While I can't do as much as I want for the environment, awareness gives me the opportunity to do more than I might have before and allergies give me the motivation. Maybe someday my grandkids will have a planet to inherit, after all.
Showing posts with label environmentalist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environmentalist. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Earth Day
Earth day 2011 just passed, and in honor of the event I'm reading "The WorldWithout Us".
Okay, maybe not so much in honor of the event. More like, because I saw it on the shelf and was interested. At any rate, I'm deeply disturbed by the section on plastics and plastic polymers, and the fact that even on a microscopic level, they don't actually break down, they simply get smaller. And when ingested, they cause damage.
There is a plastic trash island in the middle of the pacific the size of a small island. And bits and pieces of plastic bags, bottle caps and cotton swab sticks wash up on estuaries all over.
"Plastic is evil." Bumblebee says.
"People are evil," Penguin corrects.
"People make mistakes out of ignorance," I tell them. No one meant for plastic to be 'evil' or even thought about the consequences of something that lasts forever. Even biodegradable plastic lasts for over a year in the ocean. And it only biodegrades into...smaller plastic particles.
"What can we do?" they both asked. And then we thought about it. Right now, we haven't used a plastic bag at the grocery store in almost 3 years. Our canvas bags are beginning to shrink, but they're still pretty sturdy. The last time I bought baggies was about the same time. Although, we do use them...it was a costco sized box I last purchased. We are more likely to use plastic containers. Still plastic, still considered disposable...but much sturdier and we wash them regularly. And they're easier to recycle when they finally crack. Our recycling bin is still often overflowing with appropriate materials, although we really should cut down on packaging.
I told them I thought we were doing pretty well. Of course, there's always room for improvement so we'll all keep our eyes open for environmentally sustainable (not corn) ideas.
We'd like to make Earth Day every day, or at least once a week. :-)
Okay, maybe not so much in honor of the event. More like, because I saw it on the shelf and was interested. At any rate, I'm deeply disturbed by the section on plastics and plastic polymers, and the fact that even on a microscopic level, they don't actually break down, they simply get smaller. And when ingested, they cause damage.
There is a plastic trash island in the middle of the pacific the size of a small island. And bits and pieces of plastic bags, bottle caps and cotton swab sticks wash up on estuaries all over.
"Plastic is evil." Bumblebee says.
"People are evil," Penguin corrects.
"People make mistakes out of ignorance," I tell them. No one meant for plastic to be 'evil' or even thought about the consequences of something that lasts forever. Even biodegradable plastic lasts for over a year in the ocean. And it only biodegrades into...smaller plastic particles.
"What can we do?" they both asked. And then we thought about it. Right now, we haven't used a plastic bag at the grocery store in almost 3 years. Our canvas bags are beginning to shrink, but they're still pretty sturdy. The last time I bought baggies was about the same time. Although, we do use them...it was a costco sized box I last purchased. We are more likely to use plastic containers. Still plastic, still considered disposable...but much sturdier and we wash them regularly. And they're easier to recycle when they finally crack. Our recycling bin is still often overflowing with appropriate materials, although we really should cut down on packaging.
I told them I thought we were doing pretty well. Of course, there's always room for improvement so we'll all keep our eyes open for environmentally sustainable (not corn) ideas.
We'd like to make Earth Day every day, or at least once a week. :-)
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Corn, the Ungreen
Calling corn a sustainable crop is like saying oil is a renewable resource.
I loosely paraphrase this from "The Compassionate Carnivore" written by Catherine Friend. I love that concept. Environmentalists everywhere are jumping on the Cornwagon. Because it's a crop. It can be renewed within a growing season.
They don't think about the fact that it requires thousands of pounds of chemicals to be grown profitably. Or the tons of fossil fuels involved in the growth, transportation and processing of that corn into usable derivatives; then delivering the derivatives somewhere useful.
Corn is only green in the field. And then, it's only green to your eyes. Sure, in moderation it isn't harmful. But in the mass quantities it's grown today, it isn't good for the soil, or the Earth. Add in the GM seeds that are often used to grow conventional corn, the gallons of chemicals used to keep it "healthy" and pest free, and the machinery used to harvest and process it and you have an Earthday nightmare.
Not only is corn unsustainable, it's in everything. If something were to happen en masse to our corn crop, what would Americans eat?
Not corn chips or tacos or corn bread, obviously. No more popcorn.
Pizza makers would scramble to find a new product to dust their boards with. And soda drinkers will be left mixing juice with seltzer.
They may need to squeeze their own juice, too.
Cheese makers would be stuck with bricks of cheese, since the shredded requires an anticaking agent, and many would have to find new packaging that doesn't involve corn starch.
Conventional farmers would lose large quantities of their stock...Which means factory farms would be in serious trouble.
Tylenol, which is encapsulated with cornstarch, would be unavailable.
And you wouldn't be able to drown your headache in beer, which is fermented from corn, either.
Manufacturing would pause, since there's corn in several construction materials.
Soap, shampoo, cleaning products, even producers of hand sanitizers would run into a trouble. There would be nothing to ripen green fruit with, no dextrose for salt.
No toothpaste, no xanthan gum. No baby powder, or diapers, or menstrual pads.
The medication issue would probably be the worst, and all medical grade cleansers would be hoarded in hospitals for sterile procedures.
Of course, the good side would be that without corn, our diet as a nation might improve to the point that the need for certain medications and medical attention might actually drop.
Which would probably be good for the environment, too.
And of course, us uncornies would suddenly have a lot of doors open in the shopping world. :-)
I loosely paraphrase this from "The Compassionate Carnivore" written by Catherine Friend. I love that concept. Environmentalists everywhere are jumping on the Cornwagon. Because it's a crop. It can be renewed within a growing season.
They don't think about the fact that it requires thousands of pounds of chemicals to be grown profitably. Or the tons of fossil fuels involved in the growth, transportation and processing of that corn into usable derivatives; then delivering the derivatives somewhere useful.
Corn is only green in the field. And then, it's only green to your eyes. Sure, in moderation it isn't harmful. But in the mass quantities it's grown today, it isn't good for the soil, or the Earth. Add in the GM seeds that are often used to grow conventional corn, the gallons of chemicals used to keep it "healthy" and pest free, and the machinery used to harvest and process it and you have an Earthday nightmare.
Not only is corn unsustainable, it's in everything. If something were to happen en masse to our corn crop, what would Americans eat?
Not corn chips or tacos or corn bread, obviously. No more popcorn.
Pizza makers would scramble to find a new product to dust their boards with. And soda drinkers will be left mixing juice with seltzer.
They may need to squeeze their own juice, too.
Cheese makers would be stuck with bricks of cheese, since the shredded requires an anticaking agent, and many would have to find new packaging that doesn't involve corn starch.
Conventional farmers would lose large quantities of their stock...Which means factory farms would be in serious trouble.
Tylenol, which is encapsulated with cornstarch, would be unavailable.
And you wouldn't be able to drown your headache in beer, which is fermented from corn, either.
Manufacturing would pause, since there's corn in several construction materials.
Soap, shampoo, cleaning products, even producers of hand sanitizers would run into a trouble. There would be nothing to ripen green fruit with, no dextrose for salt.
No toothpaste, no xanthan gum. No baby powder, or diapers, or menstrual pads.
The medication issue would probably be the worst, and all medical grade cleansers would be hoarded in hospitals for sterile procedures.
Of course, the good side would be that without corn, our diet as a nation might improve to the point that the need for certain medications and medical attention might actually drop.
Which would probably be good for the environment, too.
And of course, us uncornies would suddenly have a lot of doors open in the shopping world. :-)
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sometimes, as parents, we find ourselves making difficult decisions. Having to choose between buying our kids things that will make them happy, and keeping to a budget.
Of course, as adults we know they don't need extra toys. Or candy. Or other treats.
But everyone else seems to have them, and all the other parents say "Oh, well, it's only $5, $10, $50..."
Every little bit adds up.
Although it's hard to say no sometimes, I'm proud of my dd.
Just the other night she was asking something, and she smiled and said "Mommy, I think we have just the right amount of money. Because we have enough money for rent, and to eat every day and to buy treats once in awhile. But not every day, like some people. Because that's not healthy."
I'm glad that she doesn't feel deprived.
As I look around our home I see so many things I want to upgrade. Replace. Flat out get rid of! But I pause. Practicality sets in. Anything that I would want to replace in a year, needs to stay. If it's reparable, it stays. It doesn't always get tidied up, or repaired in a timely manner, but it's relatively clean and not unsafe.
I resent our expensive allergy friendly diet, and sometimes yearn for blue box mac and cheese, frozen dinners, the ease of a drive through happy meal.
Then I look around at the world. The first glance, of course, makes me want to upgrade more. Get rid of the old sheets! The plastic toys that look used. The chairs with tattered seatcovers. The clothes that I've owned for more than a year. Go out to a restaurant, if for no other reason than so my kids know what a happy meal toy is.
The second glance is what gives me pause. The landfills are overflowing. As I toss abandoned fast food coffee cups and grease stained bags that end up in our gutter in the trash, I see a lot of overflowing oversized trashcans by the curb come trashday, and although more than half the driveways sport recycle bins, it's far fewer than 90%. And they're rarely overflowing.
There's an island of plastic floating in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
Polar Bears in the arctic, who have never heard an airplane or seen an automobile, have discernible levels of plastics and pesticides in their blood stream.
Factory farms are steadily crowding out family farms, and humane (animal) farming is struggling to remain a viable resource in any community. One quarter of American meals are eaten in restaurants. 2/3 of the remaining meals are take out or pre-prepared. The remaining quarter or so of meals are prepared using exotic techniques such as spreading condiments onto sandwich bread or microwaving vegetables.
There's a pipe spewing hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf Coast waters as I type.
It's not that the second glance makes me want to move into a redwood tree like some kind of 60's fanatic (although I remember reading "My Side of the Mountain and dreaming about it.) but it does make me want to...either save the world or go back to bed and stay there.
And how can we help the world? By living smaller. Experts (such as the Sierra Club and National Wildlife Fed, and the Slow Food Movement, and Whole Foods) suggest paying attention to where your dollars go.
With a tight budget, I do that.
Avoid unnecessary packaging. Avoid excess waste.
Again, from a budgeting perspective, this is paramount.
Don't buy things you don't need. And keep the things you own in good condition, so you can reuse them or pass them on.
As someone without a lot of money to spread around, I do this. Garage sales never seem to work for us, and since I rarely have much extra cash to donate where I want to I assuage my conscience by sending used goods to places they can be put to the best use...if not a friend or family member, to a local job rehab center or the Salvation Army.
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Respect our resources.
When I'm tempted to buy junk, or feeling bad that I can't, I remind myself of those 4 Rs.
Like my daughter, I'm glad we're 'poor'. It's forced us to make hard decisions, to focus on what really matters, and to lighten the imprint we make on the Earth. Unlike her, I'm surprised that my kids seem to have a greater appreciation for their toys. They pull out the Barbies and create elaborate games. Other parents look askance when I talk about the intricate Littlest Pet Shop set up the girls were fighting over.
Of course, maybe it's healthier to get outside and ride a bike. But when that's not feasible, I'd rather they have a box of scrap paper to build origami cranes, or a closet full of board games, or a plastic tub of plastic animals to turn to than a TV to turn on. (yes, we own a TV. No, it is not hooked up to cable.)
And I'm really surprised to hear the reinforcement come from her mouth. She's glad we can't afford too many treats? For sweets in lunches every day? She's glad I don't buy her too many toys?
I'm sure I could do a better job at being green, and raising green kids. I could walk more, or buy a bike. I could make a more concerted effort to get to the farmer's market. And I do intend to work on continuing to lessen my carbon print. But for now, I'm going to be happy that our budget keeps us (somewhat) green. And my kids know it.
I just hope that she continues to see the positive...and not resent the sacrifices.
Of course, as adults we know they don't need extra toys. Or candy. Or other treats.
But everyone else seems to have them, and all the other parents say "Oh, well, it's only $5, $10, $50..."
Every little bit adds up.
Although it's hard to say no sometimes, I'm proud of my dd.
Just the other night she was asking something, and she smiled and said "Mommy, I think we have just the right amount of money. Because we have enough money for rent, and to eat every day and to buy treats once in awhile. But not every day, like some people. Because that's not healthy."
I'm glad that she doesn't feel deprived.
As I look around our home I see so many things I want to upgrade. Replace. Flat out get rid of! But I pause. Practicality sets in. Anything that I would want to replace in a year, needs to stay. If it's reparable, it stays. It doesn't always get tidied up, or repaired in a timely manner, but it's relatively clean and not unsafe.
I resent our expensive allergy friendly diet, and sometimes yearn for blue box mac and cheese, frozen dinners, the ease of a drive through happy meal.
Then I look around at the world. The first glance, of course, makes me want to upgrade more. Get rid of the old sheets! The plastic toys that look used. The chairs with tattered seatcovers. The clothes that I've owned for more than a year. Go out to a restaurant, if for no other reason than so my kids know what a happy meal toy is.
The second glance is what gives me pause. The landfills are overflowing. As I toss abandoned fast food coffee cups and grease stained bags that end up in our gutter in the trash, I see a lot of overflowing oversized trashcans by the curb come trashday, and although more than half the driveways sport recycle bins, it's far fewer than 90%. And they're rarely overflowing.
There's an island of plastic floating in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
Polar Bears in the arctic, who have never heard an airplane or seen an automobile, have discernible levels of plastics and pesticides in their blood stream.
Factory farms are steadily crowding out family farms, and humane (animal) farming is struggling to remain a viable resource in any community. One quarter of American meals are eaten in restaurants. 2/3 of the remaining meals are take out or pre-prepared. The remaining quarter or so of meals are prepared using exotic techniques such as spreading condiments onto sandwich bread or microwaving vegetables.
There's a pipe spewing hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf Coast waters as I type.
It's not that the second glance makes me want to move into a redwood tree like some kind of 60's fanatic (although I remember reading "My Side of the Mountain and dreaming about it.) but it does make me want to...either save the world or go back to bed and stay there.
And how can we help the world? By living smaller. Experts (such as the Sierra Club and National Wildlife Fed, and the Slow Food Movement, and Whole Foods) suggest paying attention to where your dollars go.
With a tight budget, I do that.
Avoid unnecessary packaging. Avoid excess waste.
Again, from a budgeting perspective, this is paramount.
Don't buy things you don't need. And keep the things you own in good condition, so you can reuse them or pass them on.
As someone without a lot of money to spread around, I do this. Garage sales never seem to work for us, and since I rarely have much extra cash to donate where I want to I assuage my conscience by sending used goods to places they can be put to the best use...if not a friend or family member, to a local job rehab center or the Salvation Army.
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Respect our resources.
When I'm tempted to buy junk, or feeling bad that I can't, I remind myself of those 4 Rs.
Like my daughter, I'm glad we're 'poor'. It's forced us to make hard decisions, to focus on what really matters, and to lighten the imprint we make on the Earth. Unlike her, I'm surprised that my kids seem to have a greater appreciation for their toys. They pull out the Barbies and create elaborate games. Other parents look askance when I talk about the intricate Littlest Pet Shop set up the girls were fighting over.
Of course, maybe it's healthier to get outside and ride a bike. But when that's not feasible, I'd rather they have a box of scrap paper to build origami cranes, or a closet full of board games, or a plastic tub of plastic animals to turn to than a TV to turn on. (yes, we own a TV. No, it is not hooked up to cable.)
And I'm really surprised to hear the reinforcement come from her mouth. She's glad we can't afford too many treats? For sweets in lunches every day? She's glad I don't buy her too many toys?
I'm sure I could do a better job at being green, and raising green kids. I could walk more, or buy a bike. I could make a more concerted effort to get to the farmer's market. And I do intend to work on continuing to lessen my carbon print. But for now, I'm going to be happy that our budget keeps us (somewhat) green. And my kids know it.
I just hope that she continues to see the positive...and not resent the sacrifices.
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