KV Organics

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Baby Wipes

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Last week, we hit the store with three different school supply lists for the elder three kiddos, and it was a really strange feeling buying all the disposable paper goods.  It’s been a while.  The hardest one for me was the baby wipes.  I haven’t found a disposable wipe yet that I really like, which I guess is why we use cloth wipes as much as possible.

And before we go any further, this post isn’t just for people with babies.  Lots of people use baby wipes for all sorts of purposes.  But is there a really good disposable wipe out there that takes best possible care of people and planet?

A few months ago, at the request of a friend, I dug a little deeper into baby wipes, only to be left more compelled toward cloth than ever.  I had already known about many of the questionable ingredients in the solutions in which commercial wipes are soaked, but I had never realized that the wipe material itself is often made out of non-biodegradable polypropylene.  While this type of plastic can often be recycled in container forms, it can’t be recycled in its used wipe form – especially not if it’s smeared with baby poop.

Goodguide.com ranks Natracare and Seventh Generation as the top two options.  But I was surprised to see ‘parfum’ and some of the other synthetics in Natracare’s solution ingredients – it appears to be the cotton wipe that’s organic, not the solution.  The 7th generation wipe has a better solution, but the wipe is plastic.  Poking around online some more, Walmart has an organic cotton wipe, but the solution has propylene glycol, PEGs, formaldehyde-donating ingredients, etc.

Cloth wipes are SUPER easy.  We found the easiest option was to cut up a flannel receiving blanket (the kind you swaddle newborns in) into small squares.  And most of the time, we just use water to wet the wipes.  We only use a ‘potion’ when there is a touch of irritation (the Miessence baby bottom cleansing gel works really, really well.  Clears up irritations quickly and lasts a long time since a little goes a long way and we use it sparingly anyway).

We’ve gotten pretty used to taking our cloth wipes out with us on the go, but there are times when disposable wipes come in handy.  Has anyone out there found a disposable wipe that is both organic cotton / biodegradable and free of all the synthetic chemicals – either for personal use or to send in as an alternative for filling the school supply lists?

Circadian Rhythms

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This is one of those “other changes along the way” that I would definitely call a work in progress for me.  As with most things, this one specific change may not be possible for everyone, but the more I’m wrestling with it myself, and researching it, the more I believe that people and the planet would benefit greatly from our living more in tune with natural circadian rhythms, taking our cues for wakefulness and sleep from the sun.

Those who know me know that I am most definitely not a morning person.  So before anyone accuses me of pushing a morning person agenda onto the night owl world, please know that I fight against this one hard in my own life and really wish, on so many levels, that it weren’t true.  🙂

I come from a long line of night owls and have always found myself really ‘waking up’ and most productive somewhere around 9:00 at night.  But, in recent years, with the addition of young children to the mix of my life – at least 3 of whom are already taking on my husband’s morning person traits – I have had to confront this issue.  If I ‘wake up’ at 9pm, get things done, and go to bed around 2am (or later), then I can be one grouchy zombie mama when my kids pop up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (except for the one who takes after me in this regard) at 7am.

The reality is, this issue of my sleep habits affects every aspect of my life.  My relationship with God, my marriage, my kids, my friendships, my work, my health, and my mental sanity.

The number one thing that keeps me up late at night is the computer.  Having electric lights and electronic gadgets makes my day longer than it would be naturally, and it is throwing me off.  I realize the paradox here and feel a little hypocritical, since I’m also trying to maintain a blog, but I really don’t like being online much.  The online world is great for reconnecting with old friends, making new friends, and finding information, but I so much prefer life offline.

When I took my ‘e-fast’ back in February – no internet at all, including email – I felt so good.  Maybe it was the postpartum hormones, but I really think it had a lot to do with unplugging.  I know it did, because when I logged back online March 1st, my brain hurt just looking at the computer screen – and the 500 emails I had to work through.  Ugh.

Since then, I have been trying to get in the habit of turning my computer off with the sun.  And I’m still trying to form that habit – definitely a challenge.

I know that not everyone can do this – some overnight jobs require life in artificial lighting – but there are lots of people out there who, like me, could unplug more frequently at night.  From a creation care perspective, living according to circadian rhythms could have significant benefits for energy conservation, which can in turn improve health for certain populations affected by pollution from energy production.  And, as with so many things about efforts to live a more natural life, living by circadian rhythms can have positive impacts for our own health – physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational.

Here is an interesting article on sleep from Dr. Mercola.  33 tips.

Do you struggle with this at all?  Maybe it’s just me.  If you feel too attached to your computer, like I often do, try taking an ‘e-fast’ for a few days, a week, or even a month.  Let me know what you experience.  🙂

Seek First

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The other day, I was reading that beautiful ‘Do Not Worry’ passage in Matthew 6.  To paraphrase and sum it up: Jesus says, “If you’re seeking my kingdom today, right now in every moment, you don’t need to worry about the future.  It will take care of itself and you will have what you need.”

God created this world to sustain life for generation after generation, and He put us in charge of stewarding its ability to continue doing so.  In all our modern progress, and often times, our attempts to live life independently of God, we’ve kinda lost sight of this incredible gift and responsibility.

In discussions around sustainability, there can be great temptation for worry and fear about the future.  There can be lots of focus on what’s going wrong and what is so unsustainable about our current realities.  Some shudder and ask, ‘What happens when this system crashes?’

And that’s a valid question.  The Bible has a lot to say about what happens when the system crashes.  But even in the midst of prophetic passages that seem terrible and wrathful, there is great love underpinning it all.  And that love can move us past fear into faith-filled action.  With great hope, we need to ‘seek first’ His kingdom.

How do we do that?  Two other passages come to mind.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

If we are truly drawing closer and closer to God, then our hearts are increasingly changed to love.  Not the emotion-based definition of the word that our culture seems to use most often, but rather the commitment-, sacrifice-, and action-based definition of love that Jesus used.  As we love, we begin to see more and more needs around us and are motivated to begin asking tough questions about our own choices.  As we begin to see the injustices underpinning so much of modern life – the unsustainable systems that many of us have been blinded to for years – we begin to make changes one at a time to live differently.  As we walk humbly, knowing fully well that we are nowhere near perfect ourselves, we begin to lovingly and mercifully encourage and empower others to begin living differently also, without judging them or condemning them.

Guilt and fear can never be a destination on our journey, or even a resting point. Getting stuck in guilt and fear can lead to all sorts of problems. Nor can they be weapons to use against other people.  Their only useful purposes are fulfilled if they are rooted in God’s love and open our eyes to some truth around us, moving us onward toward always seeking God’s kingdom of love and hope.

Zero Commute

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Since starting this blog almost a year ago, I haven’t written much about my experience working from home, but it has definitely been a big part of my greener living/creation care journey.  Since leaving the “normal” work world in September of 2004, I have learned a great deal about options for working from home, both from my own experience and from talking with others who either own and operate home businesses of some kind or work from home for larger companies.

The possibilities for working from home are endless, really.  As I begin these ‘2nd week of the month’ posts on home businesses, my first focus will be on the creation care benefits of working from home.

As we explore these ideas together, please keep in mind that working from home need not be limited to people who start their own home business of whatever kind.  More and more companies these days are allowing their employees to work out flexible schedules, either partially, or sometimes even fully from home.  If that’s something you’d like to do, consider approaching your boss about the idea.  This is not where my experience has been, so it won’t be a focus of my blog; however, many of the points we consider together will apply in both situations (employees or business owners) and if you want advice on how to approach your boss about working from home, I can put you in touch with people who have done it.  Just let me know if you want that info.  🙂

Working from home is not for everyone.  For starters, there are many professions that obviously cannot be worked from home.  We still need teachers in public school classrooms and doctors in emergency rooms, for example.  And for some personalities, working from home simply isn’t a fit.  Some folks find being at home far too distracting to really accomplish their work.  “Oh, let me finish up that laundry or those dishes first, then I’ll get my work done…”

So, please know that as we explore the ‘green living’ benefits of working from home, I am in no way suggesting that everyone should work from home.  That’s neither practical nor ideal.  Following the examples found in all creation, we need diversity to thrive.  The arena of work is no different.  And if you are best suited to work outside the walls of your house, then by all means do so!  Even if working from home is not part of your life, I hope you’ll still find these ‘week 2’ posts interesting and helpful.  Some of the ideas may still be applicable in your situation, and if nothing else, then perhaps you can pass ideas to others.

For those who are so inclined to work from home, let’s start by considering one of the most obvious benefits.  And I only choose to start here because of a recent experience…

A couple weeks ago, my hubby and I were driving up toward NY, and I was absolutely shocked by the number of buses lined up and literally crawling into the city.  The traffic was so bad!  And these were folks using public transportation.  Here is the string of thoughts that went through my head…  “Yikes!  Can you imagine if they were all in cars? …  We need double-decker buses. …  What if these people didn’t have to commute to work but could work from home instead? …”

Working from home has the obvious benefit of zero commute, which means fewer vehicles on the road, which means less traffic, which means less idling on the highways, which means less pollution, cleaner air, and fewer asthma attacks for children.  Less traffic and less idling also means better gas mileage, which means better stewarding of oil resources, which can in turn help protect the waterways, and on and on goes the ripple effect.

One other quick thought, for those who might be afraid of being stuck in their houses all day: Home-based does not have to mean home-bound.  I don’t know too many people who want to stay forever inside their houses.  Having a home business can still get you out of the house plenty.  As much or as little as you’d like really.  It just happens to be based at home (which offers a whole ‘nother set of benefits we’ll look at next month).

Even if your home business takes you out on the road every day, the power to decide not to be clogging up the roads during rush hour traffic is a huge benefit to both the planet and your sanity.  🙂

Tricksy Triclosan

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OK, yes, I said ‘tricksy’ and, yes, I love The Lord of the Rings (my little tribute to Gollum).

Another silly tidbit about me:  Prior to beginning this post, I spent nearly 20 minutes debating whether or not to first recategorize all my old posts according to this revamp plan I’m following.  As laid-back and wingin-it as I have become with four kids, that detail-oriented, and uber-organized, pre-motherhood nature still likes to poke through now and again.  I decided I’d better silence that voice and get on with my ‘Week 1: Ingredients’ post for now.  Will sleep on the idea of bothering to recategorize at some point or not – let alone figuring out how!  🙂

I suppose it’s incorrect to somehow suggest that I’m not still detail-oriented.  That’s the part of me that digs into labels and researches to find the hidden impacts of the choices we make – on ourselves, our neighbors all over the world, and the planet on which we all depend together.  You might think that this is obsessive and unhealthy, but I actually find it quite freeing and exciting.  More on that in a couple weeks, when I touch on the ‘Deeper Whys’ of green living.

For this first week of August, in our official ‘new and improved’ (hee-hee) category around ingredients, let’s talk about Triclosan.  This is a very common ingredient in antibacterial hand soaps and wipes.  It’s also used in toothpastes, antiperspirants, and other non-personal care items such as clothing, bedding, and more.  It is an endocrine disruptor and a good example of an ingredient that is problematic both via its journey through our skin (it’s in clothing and bedding, too?!  sigh…) and down our drains.

As an endocrine disruptor – meaning it messes with our hormones – there are looming concerns over triclosan’s potential toxic and carcinogenic effects on people.  And it is highly toxic to marine life – aquatic systems on which I might remind you, in case you haven’t thought about grade school science for a long time (as I hadn’t until a little over a year ago), we are dependent.

Truth is, we don’t need all this antimicrobial stuff.  It may be weakening our immune systems and creating super bugs (which we then can’t defeat) all at the same time.  If you don’t want all the details, just know to read your labels and avoid Triclosan (and its cousin Triclocarban).  If you want more information, here are a handful of good resources.

Breast Cancer Fund on Triclosan
Dr. Mercola’s recent article on Triclosan’s damaging effects to people and planet.
Triclosan’s MSDS (material safety data sheet)

For natural alternatives and defenses, check out things like essential oils and probiotics.  In our home, we make our own hand sanitizer (2/3 aloe gel, 1/3 water, tea tree oil and an aromatic oil of choice – peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon, orange, whatever you prefer.  How many drops of oil depends on your container size).  Oregano oil is amazing for so many things. We really enjoy Miessence’s certified organic (entirely untouched by synthetic chemicals) foaming hand soap and its refill concentrate.  We also really like their dish soap, which is so effective, concentrated (a little goes a long way), and contains only one synthetic ingredient – the biodegradable, corn and coco based surfactant.  And of course, their probiotics (my kids prefer this one).

I’ve heard that somewhere around 80% of your immune system is in your gut.  If your gut is healthy and functioning well with friendly good bacteria being fed nutritious real foods, then you’ll be able to fight off the bad bugs you come in contact with here and there.

I used to be quite the germophobe.  Hand sanitizer, antibacterial soaps and wipes, the whole works.  While I’m still no big fan of slimy trash cans and less-than-clean public toilets, I feel so much more comfortable with the world around me – all the bad bugs included – now that I know how the immune system works, how to keep it healthy in my own body and the bodies of my kids, and natural germ fighting methods that aren’t toxic to our bodies or the waterways.  And I’d say, anecdotally and thankfully, we’ve been a lot healthier since making these changes.

Skip the Triclosan.  🙂

Revamping Blog

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So, after almost a year of getting my tech-challenged feet wet with blogging, and obviously struggling a bit to keep up with it since baby #4 arrived (thanks for your patience!), I’m thinking I might need to revamp things a little here.  I suspect if I can organize my posts into a more predictable rhythm, then maybe it will be easier for me to stay more consistent with my writing goals.  I hope!  What do you think?  🙂

As I reflect on the “green journey” messages I feel even remotely equipped to share (some more than others), I can pretty easily lump them into the following four categories:

1- Entry Point #1 – Personal Care Product Ingredients
2- Entry Point #2 – Working From Home
3- Deeper Whys for Green Living
4- The Ongoing Journey of Learning and Change

Everyone on the “green journey” has his own “entry point” that got him started.  For me, it was the toxic ingredients a friend pointed out in the baby shampoo we were slathering all over our firstborn – and the opportunity I was given to work from home, educating folks on safer product choices.  The “deeper whys,” beyond just not wanting to expose my family to unnecessary toxins, have become clearer to me along the way, and they have motivated our family to continue the ongoing journey of learning and change.

So, starting in August, I will experiment with putting myself on a little rotation.  Someday in the distant future I may be able to rotate through all four categories in one week, but for now while I’m too busy enjoying life with my precious little ones, I’m hoping to accomplish rotating through them in a month.

One post a week, that’s my goal.  First week of the month = Personal Care Ingredients.  Second week of the month = Working from Home.  Third week of the month = Deeper Whys for Green Living.  Fourth week of the month = Other things we’ve learned and/or tangible actions we’ve taken in our home along the way.

We’ll see how it goes!  And once again, thanks for your patience as I hammer out the balance in my life with techie things.  🙂

I’d love to know – what was your “entry point” onto this path?

Replacing Parabens

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Parabens have pretty much been black-listed in the public’s mind at this point.  But what are companies doing to get rid of them?  What alternatives have they chosen?  Have you noticed?  What do you see on your labels?

Some companies insist that paraben concerns are unproven, hype-based fears, and they continue to use this family of synthetic preservatives in their formulations.  Methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl paraben.

Some companies are removing parabens not for the sake of human health, but rather brand health.  The mounting evidence against these ingredients hasn’t convinced them – they just want their products to keep selling, and they know that parabens are a pox on their products that will lead to declining sales and brand death if not addressed.

Still other companies have carefully considered the growing research (see Breast Cancer Fund for a brief summary) and have responsibly chosen to remove parabens from their formulations.

But what are they doing differently instead of using parabens?  Are they finding ways to create quality, shelf-stable products without the use of synthetic preservatives?

Sadly, in most cases, the answer is no.  The vast majority of companies who have removed parabens from their formulations, and now proudly display “paraben free” in their marketing, have simply chosen to replace them with other synthetic preservatives.

Read your labels.  The most popular paraben replacement that I am seeing on labels these days is phenoxyethanol.  But check out the MSDS on this synthetic chemical preservative.

 

Do you see that?  Extremely hazardous to the eyes.  Very hazardous to the skin, lungs (when inhaled), and digestive system (when ingested).  Toxic to kidneys, nervous system, and liver.  And note the words “not available” next to carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and developmental effects.  Do you know what that means?  It means that this data is not available.  The studies haven’t been done.  Like 89% of the 10,000+ synthetic chemicals used in the personal care industry, phenoxyethanol has not been fully evaluated for safety yet.  (For the full MSDS, click here).

To be fair, the MSDS is typically for the folks working with a chemical in large batches at a lab.  However, is not daily use, often multiple times a day, also “repeated and prolonged exposure” to an ingredient?  As they do with most synthetic chemicals, many formulators will claim that because phenoxyethanol is used in such small amounts in their products, it must be safe.  But that’s what they said for decades about parabens, too.  Is history going to repeat itself on this issue?

Nowadays we know better.  We know that chemicals can have cumulative effects in the body from minute daily exposures over time.  We also know that chemicals act on the body in different ways when combined with other chemicals.  Even if phenoxyethanol were proven completely safe in isolated studies, research would still need to be done on its combined effects with the other chemical ingredients in the products you use daily.  But a quick glance at the current MSDS already shows us that it’s a hazardous material.

I used to believe that synthetic preservatives were necessary for product stability.  And for years, it was a trade off I was willing to accept as a customer because naturally occurring molds and rancidity are certainly not safe for my family either.  Most truly natural options I had seen, including DIY (do it yourself), were prone to going funky halfway through the jar or bottle.  And if it were still the case today that there was really no way to have a shelf-stable, quality product without synthetic chemical preservatives, I’d probably say to myself, “Well, OK, if this is the best option, I guess I’m not going to obsess and worry about it.”

But the truth is, thanks to advances in ‘green’ chemistry, today there are options out there that are completely free of synthetic preservatives and still have a great shelf-life.  And there have been for years now, it is just taking time for this information to get out there and combat the chemical fairy we’ve been listening to and trusting for decades.  The educational and product development efforts of Miessence first opened my eyes to this fact, and a relative handful of other companies are now following their lead to move in this totally different direction, swimming upstream against the masses who are simply looking for a more socially-acceptable (because we don’t yet recognize the ingredient names), quick-fix, synthetic ingredient swap.

Instead of choosing products that have merely swapped one hazardous, synthetic ingredient for another, look for the brands that have gone above and beyond the use of synthetic chemical ingredients.  If other effective, truly natural choices now exist, the precautionary principle would ask, “Why risk it?”

 

Blessed Earth

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Reading Matthew Sleeth’s book, “Serve God, Save the Planet,” was transformational for me and for our family.  As I poured through the chapters, it was as if everything that I’d been sensing, thinking, and learning on some semi-conscious level for years suddenly came to more vibrant life.  I think I could literally feel neurons in my brain firing all over the place as everything God had taught me or molded into my being to date began to connect and forge stronger, more cohesive bonds.  I am still in awe of how it all fits together, and how He is continuing to piece it all together and teach me more.

This “green” journey really is a never ending one – there is always so much more to learn in this amazingly complex and beautiful world. A funny analogy came to my head the other day when I was trying to describe the present state of my brain to my husband who so patiently helps me sort through all my thoughts.  You know those multi-colored yarns, where 6 inches or so of color suddenly turns into a 6-inch section of another color and so on?  It’s as if each unique color is a different topic, category, compartment, issue, interest, hobby, passion, or gifting that God has put into my life and being – but it’s all one continuous yarn.  And right now, especially during this joyous and crazy season of loving and nurturing preschool aged children, it often feels like my yarn ball is sitting in a jumbled, useless heap; however, I know that God is working to weave it into the bigger tapestry of His global story of restoration.

Like the Sleeths, we are finding greater depth and connection with God, people, and all of creation through this journey of creation care and downward mobility, but they are definitely better at communicating the experience than we are because they are much farther along the path!  🙂  I highly recommend checking out their books, their Blessed Earth ministry website, and/or their story in this video below.  If you’re in the SJ/Philly area this summer and want to join us for a book club discussion on “Serve God, Save the Planet,” click here for details.

Matthew Sleeth’s Creation Care Journey from Matthew Sleeth on Vimeo.

Downward Mobility

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I always want to be very careful about how I say this, and I hope you’ll hear me out, but I believe that the recession has been one of the biggest blessings that our country needed.  OK, before you think I’m totally crazy, let me explain…

I do not in any way wish to downplay the real hardships that people are facing right now.  They are significant and at times overwhelming, no doubt.  However, have you noticed the good that is coming out of all this?  There is so much good happening.  Here are just a handful in no particular order other than as they come to my mind.

1- People are walking away from the pursuit of stuff.
2- People are reconnecting with God’s green earth and its provision for us.
3- People are realizing the unsustainability of our consumer-crazy culture.
4- People are more carefully evaluating their spending, focusing on quality not quantity.
5- People are reducing and reusing more, instead of just recycling and throwing away.
6- People are becoming more conscious of negative environmental impacts on their health.
7- People are plugging back into to community and sharing more.
8- People are returning to entrepreneurship.
9- People are regaining time with family.
10- People are turning back to their faith.

In our household, we are on an intentional journey of what we like to call “downward mobility.”  Do we own a home-based business?  Yes.  Do we desire to grow that business as large as the Lord allows?  Yes.  Do we do it for our own gain?  Only partly.  Our take on business and entrepreneurship is this: it is a way for God to meet our needs and then bless others through us.  At the same time as we are growing a business, we are seeking to reduce what we consider to be our needs.  By intentionally learning to live with less and less, we are finding a deeper connection to God, family, community, and the earth, and we are creating space for God to pour out even greater blessing to others through us.  Instead of focusing on wanting more and striving in our business to attain those new heights of material living, we are focusing on wanting: less stuff, more meaningful connections with people, and for God to grow our business to the extent that He wants to position us to be a blessing to others in the future.

And we are so thankful for how God has used this perspective to put up a strong shield around our hearts and minds during a recession.