MP Monthly - -
CHALLENGE YOURSELF THIS YEAR....MAKE CHANGES

January/February 2008

MP Monthly - - January/February 2008

If you haven't already made you resolutions the time is now. 2008 is upon us and this is a year of change...the US elections, environmental awareness and our pledge to leave Britney Spears alone. So in keeping with the vibe, we have some eco-friendly resolutions that we promise you can keep.

This comprehensive list is created from the minds of the eco-beginners to the eco-saavy; all of whom believe this list is an attainable goal and can be a part of your day to day living. These are small changes that make a huge impact on the earth, and will make an even greater impact in your life.

Yes, you will have to remember your bags for the shopping, think about where your food is coming from and even change the way you think about germs.

We promise once you get into the swing of things these habits will be old hat in no time, and you really will feel like you are making an impact. And you will be!

Make the new year full of changes. It's simple.

Regards,

MavoPavo

David Aubrey



She-Bible

2008 eco-resolutions

Challenge yourself with these 12 eco-resolutions. We promise you can keep them...you have an entire year to try. Enjoy.

1. THE LIGHTBULB - If just one light bulb in every home in America were switched out for a compact fluorescent—aka CFLs—it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year.

CFLs (compact fluorescent light) are everywhere now, there are tons of different kinds to choose from and CFLs use up to 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer than standard bulbs. We know that the light from a CFL can make a room look like a gymnasium, so try some of these fixes. Use a mix of CFL's and incandescent bulbs as you transition your lighting in your home and over time you won't even notice the difference. Change the lampshade or fixture color ...this definitely helps the light emitted in your room. To learn more about CFLs. Click here to help you find the correct bulb for your fixture.

Where to buy Target, HomeDepot, IKEA and just about everywhere.

LED (Light Emitting Diodes) bulbs have been around for a while and have been traditionally used for electronics and flashlights. They are now being made into consumer light bulbs, and last a whopping 10 times longer than a CFL, and more than 100 times longer than an incandescent. LEDs emit great light and are becoming more readily available, but right now they are costly (but worth it).
Where to buy www.ccrane.com

Good to know: The CFL light is measured in lumens, but we are familiar with watts, which is actually the amount of power a bulb uses. Basically if you buy a 60 watt CFL, it is the equivalent of a 150 watt incandescent bulb!

2. THE SHOPPING BAG - BYOB and don't forget it. Keep them in your car so you always have them. There are great tote bag options out there, but any bag around your house will do. As for the people that think they can't live without the plastic bags because they use them in the trash can...DON'T. You don't need them. Empty your trash can and rinse it out with soap and water every so often. A little elbow grease never hurt anyone.

You can buy these bags here at MavoPavo.com in the PavoHome section. Click on image to take you to the page. Enjoy.

Recycled Cotton Tote

Organic Mesh Produce Bag

Organic Expandable Tote

Good to know: According to the National Geographic News, between 500 billion and one trillion plastic grocery bags are consumed worldwide each year. That 100,000 birds die annually from encounters with plastic bags actually seems like a relatively small number—-ditto the estimated 100,000 whales, turtles, and other marine animals.

In the United State alone, 12 million barrels of oil are required to produce enough plastic bags to appease our needs. And then there's that little decomposition problem: 500 years in the landfill.

OK, paper then, right? Well, actually. . producing paper bags requires more energy and creates more air and water pollution than producing plastic bags. Recycling paper is much more energy-intensive than recycling plastic—-and then there's the issue of all those trees. In 1999, 14 million of them were knocked out to create the 10 billion paper grocery bags we used that year.

3. CHANGE THE WAY YOU CLEAN - Cleaning supplies don't have to strip the paint off on a table to make it clean. Soap and water generally will do the trick. We are so obsessed with cleaning and striping those germs off our clothes, in our kitchens and bathrooms. Next time you use ammonia or bleach think about the residue left over and what you or your child is eating on or touching. There are great biodegradable and safe cleansers out there and you can buy them at your local grocery. We have listed a few:

METHOD	Simple Green	Mrs. Meyers
Seventh Generation

Good to know: If we want water coming in our taps to be clean, we need to make sure that which goes down our drains is clean. Here are ways you might be polluting the water from your drain, that you might not have thought about: disinfectant hand soap, hand dish detergent with artificial scents and dyes, automatic dish detergents that contain phosphates, hair dyes, solvents from washing paint brushes, rags with furniture polish, etc, toxic cleaning product residues from everything from bathtub and shower stall cleaners, to sponges rinsed after use on oven cleaner, toxic dyes from fabrics that "bleed", pesticides from washing plants that have been sprayed. Try some of these alternative products and look for them at your grocery stores.

4. EAT ORGANIC - It just taste better and you'll feel better after you eat it. Buying organic food promotes a less toxic environment for all living things. With only 0.5 percent of crop and pasture land in organic, according to USDA that leaves 99.5 percent of farm acres in the US at risk of exposure to noxious agricultural chemicals.

Top things to start eating organic are fruit and produce, grass-fed beef (Target $4.45 lb), and milk (Borden, Horizon to name a few). We would add sugar, chicken, eggs and no nitrate bacon to that list, as well. Your body can process grass-fed beef easier, and the lack of hormones or steroids in our food means none in our bodies. There have been studies that link our food to depression, anxiety, obesity, and ADHD in children and adults, remember you are what you eat.

Organic food isn't necessarily expensive to buy anymore especially since more local markets are offering organic for a very decent price. Of course we know that stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe's & Henry's Market, just to name a few, have great organic food options, but here is a list of stores located everywhere: Tom Thumb, Ralphs, Vons, Kroger, Target (in the new Super Targets) and even Walmart has jumped on the band wagon.

Good to know: Remember read labels (no hydrogenated oils or processed foods or corn syrup), see where your food is coming from, buy locally when you can (even your meat), look and check for the USDA Organic seal.

5. THINK ABOUT THE GAS YOU ARE USING - If your are not planning to buy a hybrid or are waiting for the electric car then we have some suggestions for conserving gas with some car maintenance steps. For example, we can get 6 to 20 percent higher mile per gallon (mpg) with a properly tuned engine. Keeping a mileage record will tell us when our gas mileage is slipping, which is a signal for a tune-up.

Here are some tips for how to stretch a tank of gas.

• You can easily take care of a few items without going to a service station. One of them is the air filter. A clogged air filter leaves your engine gasping for breath and means you’re probably running with a “rich” mixture, that is, more gas and less air. Many department and auto stores carry air filters, and they are simple to change. A clogged air filter can cost you 1 mpg. Replace your air filter regularly.
• Dirty oil cuts back engine efficiency, so make sure your oil is changed according tot he car manufacturer’s recommended schedule. You can change your own, and buying your own oil is much cheaper. There’s a drain plug under your engine that will come out readily with a wrench. Have a bucket ready to catch the dirty oil, and remember to dispose of it safely.
• If your fan belt is too tight, your engine is working too hard and wasting gas. The belt should give a little to finger pressure when the engine is not running. If it doesn’t, you can easily adjust the tension with a wrench.
• Badly worn spark plugs can cost you as much as 2 mpg. This is probably a job for a trained technician.
• The car has been a way of life for most Americans. There are alternatives. These include mass transit, bike paths, and car pools.
• Heavier cars are more costly to run. A reduction of 200 pounds in automotive weight typically improves fuel economy by nearly 5 percent.
• Use the air conditioner in your car as little as possible. It uses a lot of gas. Roll down the windows and get some fresh air!
• Using cruise control can save gas. If you drive on the open road often, staying at a constant speed will save fuel.
• If you are taking a trip, start early in the day while traffic is light. Plan to stop for meals at times when traffic is heavy.
• Don’t let your car idle for a long time to warm it up. Also, don’t let your car idle for more than a minute after it is warmed up - this idling wastes more gas than restarting your car.
• Do not rev the engine and then quickly shut your car off. This wastes gas. It also pumps raw gasoline into the cylinder walls. This can wash away a film of oil that protects the cylinders and will increase engine wear.
• Check your tires. Your owner’s manual has important information on your tires, including the correct air pressure that should be in them. Underinflation of your tires can cost you as much as 1 mpg. Radial tires have 50 percent less road resistance, so they give you 3 to 19 percent better mpg.
  
  Adapted from 547 Ways to be Fuel Smart, by Roger Albright.

6. REDUCE THE USE OF PLASTIC IN YOUR LIFE - Let's try and get a way from plastics containing Bisphenol-A this year, especially for our children. Bamboo is a great sustainable alternative to plastic and is naturally anti-bacterial. You can find utensils, plates, cutting boards and more from Bambu. Also wood bowls are great for kids and they don't break when they throw them. Check out the list below to see a few of our picks.

Good to know: Single use, disposable water bottles create millions of tons of unnecessary waste each year. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86% of plastic water bottles used in the US become garbage or litter. And buried plastic water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

Bambu

You can buy Bambu products here at MavoPavo.com in the PavoHome section. Click on image to take you to the page.

Underthenile Baby - don't let your baby chew on plastic teethers use these organic cotton teethers instead.

You can buy UTN products here at MavoPavo.com in the Peachicks section. Click on image to take you to the page.

Baby Bottles

Born-Free bottles and nipples are made from a safer alternative plastic called Polyamide (PA) that is free of Bisphenol-A. They also sell the hard to find glass bottles and are available at Whole Foods, CVS, and Babies-R-Us.

Think Baby Baby Bottles line is free of BPA, PVC, Nitrosamines and Lead. The bottles and training cups are made from a safe, durable and heat resistant plastic called PES (Polyethersulfone).

Green to Grow Baby Bottles are made from a safe, durable and heat resistant plastic called polyethersulfone (P.E.S.) which is Bisphenol-a and Phthalate Free! The bottles are a warm honey color.

Adiri Natural Nurser Bottles are created to reduced air ingestion, ease of use, a graceful design and 100% polycarbonate-free materials. The safer, simpler, more natural-feeling bottle feeding.

Sippy Cups

Born-Free sippy cups, are available at Whole Foods, CVS, and Babies-R-Us.

Foogo sippy by Thermos adds protection from spoilage and foodborne illnesses. Thermos also offers parents extra peace of mind in knowing that Foogo products use all FDA approved materials and do not use plastics containing Bisphenol A (BPA) and is available at Target. Also available Straw Bottle and Food Jar.

SIGG an aluminum sippy which is 100% recyclable and toxic free. Due to the finish of the liner, there is much less chance for bacteria build-up with a SIGG as opposed to plastic containers.SIGG bottles exceed FDA requirements and have been independently tested to prove 0.0% leaching.Coming soon to MavoPavo.com

The Safe Sippy is a stainless steel straw-based sippy cup. The Safe Sippy is made from clean, inert and non-leaching medical grade stainless steel. So what you put in is what you get out!

Adult Water Bottles

Think Baby also makes an adult non-toxic reusable stainless steel called Think Sport.

SIGG an aluminum water bottle which is 100% recyclable and toxic free. The liner is resistant to fruit acids and energy drinks, ensuring that your drinks taste good. SIGG bottles exceed FDA requirements and provide 0.0% leaching.Coming soon to MavoPavo.com

The Klean Kanteen is reusable, lightweight, and risk-free 27 oz stainless steel bottle comes with a sports drinking cap made from safe, non-leaching polypropylene.

Buy these sippy cups and water bottles at TheSoftLanding.com

7. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE - Recycling is the third R of the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Recycling means taking a product or material at the end of its useful life and turning it into a usable raw material to make another product.

• In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, this country recycles 32 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.
• While recycling has grown in general, recycling of specific materials has grown even more drastically: 50 percent of all paper, 34 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 63 percent of all steel packaging, and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.
• Twenty years ago, only one curbside recycling program existed in the United States, which collected several materials at the curb. By 2005, almost 9,000 curbside programs had sprouted up across the nation. As of 2005, about 500 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials.
  -- Earth 911

Good to know: Up-cycle your stuff and don't just throw it away see what you can reupholster, paint (use non-toxic paint) or trade with a friend for something different.

Some Companies Making a Difference

The Real ECO Blue Jean - Del Forte Denim is made in the USA with 100 percent organic cotton, Del Forte’s premium denim apparel is part of a growing trend which interprets luxury as a combination of distinctive design and ethical production. The garments are sewn and finished in Los Angeles, a fashion-forward city that is a leader in anti-sweatshop legislation and enforcement, as well as being home to the most cutting-edge wash development facilities in the country.

Del Forte Denim has partnered with The Sustainable Cotton Project and a portion of Del Forte Denim’s proceeds will go to support The SCP. Also, their office is stocked with eco-friendly supplies,printing is done on New Leaf paper using vegetable-based inks and site hosting at a carbon neutral company.

Wearing Soda Bottles? - Patagonia In 1993, they adopted fleece into their product line made from post consumer recycled plastic soda bottles (PCR® ), were the first outdoor clothing manufacturer to do so. Over the course of 13 years, we saved some 86 million soda bottles from the trash heap. That’s enough oil to fill the 40-gallon gas tank of the diminutive Chevy Suburban 20,000 times.

Common Threads Garment Recycling program was launched last fall. Patagonia asked for the tired, worn out Capilene® Performance Baselayers for recycling and have now expanded the list of recyclable garments to include Patagonia fleece, Polartec® fleece clothing (from any maker) and Patagonia® organic cotton T-shirts. Cool huh. Check it out.

Get paid to recycle - TerraCycle is trying to eliminate the idea of waste. To do so, they must find great uses for objects that used to be considered waste. And best of all, you can raise funds for your favorite charity by helping us collect waste. It's easy and shipping is free. Check it out.

Elon Musk - Electric sports cars, Tesla Motors. Solar power, SolarCity. Space travel, SpaceX. Finally, an entrepreneur who's not afraid to think really, really big.

GreenDimes - for a minimal fee of $20 will stop up to 90% of your junk mail and plant 10 trees on your behalf. The will immediately remove your entire household from dozens of lists and eliminate your unwanted catalogs.

8. PLANT SOMETHING AND WATCH IT GROW- There is nothing better than watching something grow to make you feel connected with the earth. Plants are important to us as they provide us with food, clothing, shelter, medicines, even the air we breathe! Did you know that most children and some adults don't know where their veggies and fruit come from. If you can start a small garden with some lettuce and tomatoes and show yourself and your kids all about nature. If you want something smaller try a herb garden or potted plants. One at a time is you don't think your green thumb is so green. Talk to the person a the nursury and ask questions. Your thumb will be green in no time.

AeroGarden ^TM -The world’s first-ever in-home kitchen gardening system offers a cost effective and environmentally friendly way to enjoy farm-fresh, delicious, nutrient-rich produce, while promoting planetary health and sustainability.
Buy it here.

Good to know: A few sites to help you get started Urban Sprouts, The Herb Guide, Urban Garden, Organic Gardening Guru.

 

9. USE THE INTERNET- The Internet is an invaluable tool full of information so let's use it. Check your site for authenticity an double check your information. Instead of searching for celebrity info ad a little time for organic research. Learn the terms sustainable, organic, recycle, up-cycle, what hormones are doing to our children, how to support local farmers, why we don't need combustion engines and to learn the truth that electric cars are not worse than combustion engine cars.

10. JOIN GROUPS AND RECEIVE NEWSLETTERS - We have created list of Organic sites that you can join and receive valuable information. Email MP, email@mavopavo.com, if you have other groups and sites that we can add to the list.

Click here for a list of Organic Organizations

11. DON'T GET OVERWHELMED - If you get overwhelmed stop reading any more information and give your brain some time to absorb everything you have read. Focus on the things you are already doing and add to your list little by little.

12. IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED TRY, TRY, AND TRY AGAIN - It's simple...if you stop doing one of the resolutions just come back to it later. We find the second time is a lot easier, since it is already in your subconscious and the change seems so familiar.

Just try these resolutions and you really will feel like you are taking care of yourself, your house, your family and the environment. E-mail MP if you have other suggestions or a great eco-idea email@mavopavo.com.

TAKE CARE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!