Eco Child’s Play

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Any mother can tell you the benefits of breastfeeding, but scientists recently discovered stem cells in human breast milk. Stem cell research and treatments using embryonic stem cells, which are more versatile than adult stem cells, is controversial. An embryonic stem cell can produce cells for almost any tissue in the body, whereas adult stem cells are more specific to blood and skin types. The discovery of stem cells in breast milk may alleviate the controversy of using embryonic stem cells, if breast milk stem cells behave in the same versatile manner. Stem cell research shows they are promising at treating spinal injuries, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.

Perth scientist Dr Mark Cregan made the world’s first discovery of breast milk stem cells. He believes this is just the tip of the iceberg in discovering the benefits and potency of baby’s first food.

It is setting the baby up for the perfect development. We already know that babies who are breast fed have an IQ advantage and that there’s a raft of other health benefits. Researchers also believe that the protective effects of being breast fed continue well into adult life. The point is that many mothers see milks as identical – formula milk and breast milk look the same so they must be the same. But we know now that they are quite different and a lot of the effects of breast milk versus formula don’t become apparent for decades. Formula companies have focussed on matching breast milk’s nutritional qualities but formula can never provide the developmental guidance.

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I’ve been following the stories about cell phones and cancer closely. It’s not that I use mine very often (in fact, I can rarely find it), and coverage is spotty in rural Vermont. No, I am thinking about all of my students who probably started using cell phones in the seventh grade, and do so heavily (can you say teenager and phones?) now as high school students. I also think of my young daughters, growing up quickly, and their many years of cell phone use when they are older (much, much older-). Read the rest of this entry »

I was standing at the refrigerator door, pouring filtered water into my son’s sippy cup when a terrifying news story from a few weeks ago flashed through my head: “Pharmaceuticals Found in Tap Water” the headlines had screamed. According to the AP report: trace concentrations of heart medicine, infection fighters, estrogen, anti-convulsants, a mood stabilizer and a tranquilizer were found. And a study released by Medco Health Solutions Inc. reported that HALF of all insured Americans were on medications for chronic health conditions. Are you kidding me?

That’s an awful lot of chemically-laced poop and pee (as we say in my house) being flushed each year. For some reason when the story broke it didn’t hit home to me. I don’t live in a metropolis, but as I stood there with that sippy cup I realized I don’t want my son drinking birth control pills, no matter what the dosage level. And what if he had been exposed to this when he was an infant? Read the rest of this entry »

The other day, my daughter asked me what time it was. I gazed up at the sun and told her it was 3:30 pm.  She checked her watch, and then in astonishment asked me how I knew the time.  She had no idea that you could tell time from the sun, even after we had just visited the Sundial Bridge and read the time from its cast shadows.  I was reminded of a project I used to do as part of a unit on solar energy when I was teaching K-8:  Human sundials.

To help children learn how the sun moves across the sky and how shadows are formed, the human sundial project takes a whole day.  First thing in the morning when the sun is up, go outside with your child and trace their shadow with some chalk.  Mark an X where your child is standing so they can return to the same spot.  Switch roles and have your child trace your shadow in a different spot. Then, return every hour and repeat tracing your shadows and recording the time on each shadow. By the end of the day, your child will see how their shadow moves in accordance with the sun’s path, as well as changes shape. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wonder what’s really in your fast food meal? Here’s the ingredients list for a Happy Meal that contains nuggets, fries and a Hi-C beverage:

White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, chicken flavor (autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid, rosemary), sodium phosphates, seasoning (canola oil, mono- and diglycerides, natural extractives of rosemary). Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, whey, corn starch. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, partially hydrogenated corn oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent). Water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose, citric acid, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), potassium benzoate (to protect taste), modified food starch, natural flavors (vegetable source), glycerol ester of wood rosin, yellow 6, brominated vegetable oil, red 40. Potatoes, vegetable oil (partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor (wheat and milk derivatives)*, citric acid (preservative), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), dimethylpolysiloxane (antifoaming agent)), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, partially hydrogenated corn oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent).

Wow. Amidst the few recognizable food items and the really-bad-for-you hydrogentated oils, what is all that other stuff? Get the answer after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

What does it look like when a school goes solar? Students in Gerlach, NV, found out firsthand yesterday when they celebrated the installation of 90-kilowatt PV system at their campus in northern Nevada. The system will supply almost all of the energy needs of the three-building campus that serves 83 K-12 students.

“The solar panels will give our students good insight into the different ways we can address global warming issues with renewable energy,” said Gerlach Principal Carol Kaufmann. The system is the result of a collaboration between the Washoe County School District, MMA Renewable Ventures, SCHOTT Solar, Sierra Pacific Power, and the infamous Burning Man festival. The ground-mounted system will save the district approximately $20,000 per year.

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Tomorrow is the release date for a movie on climate change called Everything’s Cool, an official selection from the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. This documentary examines the chasm that has developed between scientific knowledge about climate change and the lack of political action on the part of the US government. Featuring renowned scientists and journalists, Everything’s Cool is directed by Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand. This film has not been rated, but it would be an excellent catalyst for discussion with junior high and high school students, as well as adults who still do not recognize the need for immediate action to curb the effects of global warming.

Everything’s Cool has been called “A Profile in Courage” by the Ashland Daily Tidings, as the film features activists including Step It Up’s Bill McKibben, Pulitzer Prize winner Ross Gelbspan, The Weather Channel’s Dr. Heidi Cullen, the “bad boys of environmentalism” Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, and White House whistleblower Rick Piltz. Bill McKibben and Ross Gelbspan are two of my personal heroes, and I think that exposing young adults to such role models is important. Everything’s Cool makes these activists accessible by revealing their human feelings and showing how individuals can have an impact beyond “changing a light bulb.” Read the rest of this entry »

Looking for an unusual green project for your kids? What about a worm bin?

Hold on, hold on. Before you completely throw that idea to the wind because you don’t want stinky, wriggling, slimy “pets” in your kids’ bedroom, hear me out. Worm bins, or vermicomposting, are a cool way to decrease the amount of solid waste heading into the landfill by recycling your food wastes into amazingly rich compost for your plants. Here’s the non-scientific explanation, suitable for explaining to your four-year-old: the worms eat our food scraps, and their poop can feed our flowers. Done correctly, a worm bin will produce less odor than collecting your food wastes for an outside compost pile, and the maintenance is simple enough that a child can do it. What a great way to teach science, stewardship, and responsibility all at the same time.

There’s two ways to procure a bin: buy one or build one. Jeff has instructions for a great DIY bin from the early days of Green Options that couldn’t be easier, or you can check out different models for purchase here. Read the rest of this entry »

Spiders Spin Webs was given to us one birthday, along with many other books from an older child’s collection. The regifting of books children have outgrown is a very eco-friendly idea, and I have always been delighted to discover new books through such gifts. Spiders Spin Webs was a pleasant surprise amongst the books we received.

Spiders Spin Webs is written by Yvonne Winer and illustrated by Karen Lloyd-Jones. Each page begins with the line, “Spiders spin webs….” and features rhyming words and amazing, detailed illustrations. For example,

Spiders Spin Webs is full of rare words, like filigreed, that expand children’s growing vocabulary. Reading this book gives children (and adults) appreciation of these little eight legged creatures that invade our homes and Halloween hearts.

I want to thank our reader Mary Anne for suggesting a review of this product. I have not tested this product myself, and I am always very hesitant to review something I have not touched, but I thought that it was important to tell our readers about PVC free options for the bathroom.

EVA Vinyl Shower Curtainsare PVC free. According to the the manufacturer, “Many shower curtains are made from PVC vinyl material, which may have negative effects on your health and the environment. Therefore, we made sure all our products are environmentally friendly with PVC free materials.” PVC has been called the “Poison Plastic“. According to CHEJ, “PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic, commonly referred to as vinyl, is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created. PVC is dangerous to human health and the environment throughout its entire life cycle, at the factory, in our homes, and in the trash. Our bodies are contaminated with poisonous chemicals released during the PVC lifecycle, such as mercury, dioxins, and phthalates, which may pose irreversible life-long health threats.”

Not only are EVA Vinyl Shower Curtainsbetter for your health and the environment, they are educational too. There is a weather, periodic table, dinosaur, metamorphosis, and solar system design available. Now both you and your child can learn while in the bathroom! Mary Anne writes about her metamorphosis EVA Vinyl Shower Curtains, “It totally brightens up my bathroom, and my nieces and nephews love coming over just to look at it and ask me even more questions, lol! The curtain itself feels considerably softer than traditional PVC curtains, and I believe the designs are silk screened. And it doesn’t have that odd smell when it comes out of the packaging. It’s really a great find, and fellow parents have definitely gone to check out the company and their products.”