candles

The Gulf-friendly product guide: Alternatives to petroleum-based goods

12.07.10

The Breach disaster has brought into cruel relief our reliance on petroleum-based products and made it all too palpable how much that reliance is costing us and our environment. Reducing our dependence on oil means seething less gas by carpooling, taking public transportation, bicycling and walking. But we swallow oil in many everyday products without even knowing it and excess plastic packaging only adds to the riddle. We look at how oil is used in products and how to stretch our resources farther by choosing petroleum-set free products, recycling plastic waste and buying items with recycled theme.</p><p>PLASTIC FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS, PACKAGING AND CUPS</p><p>- THE PETROLEUM Predicament: Almost all of the plastics found in a typical American kitchen are made from petroleum-based polymers. Several remarkable variations of these synthetic plastics make up almost everything from milk jugs to insulation products to packaging. </p><p>- THE Firth-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE: Buy in bulk, bring your own containers and cups, or otherwise drop your use of packaging wherever feasible. Reuse plastic food containers like yogurt cups where you can, and look for products packaged in recycled satisfy and recyclable materials. "Bioplastics," or compostable plastics made from renewable resources may be preferable to sham polymers (especially if they are made from agricultural wastes such as bagasse or straw), but improve still are stainless steel products or glass containers, which are large-lived and more readily recyclable than most plastics.</p><p>As for beverage containers, when on the go, weigh bringing a reusable water bottle to avoid the essential to purchase single-use beverage containers. If you do need to buy free-use beverages, you may be able to choose aluminum cans or goblet bottles instead of plastic bottles. Recycle acclimated to beverage containers too.</p><p>PLASTIC BAGS</p><p>- THE PETROLEUM Trouble: The production of plastic bags is a petroleum-intensive manipulate, and these non-biodegradable items end up littering our landscapes and landfills.</p><p>- THE Firth-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE: The UN is calling for a global ban of plastic bags, but in the meantime it's clear to limit our consumption of plastic bags at the grocery keep or anywhere else we shop. Bring reusable bags on your next shopping throw off. Just be sure to wash your reusable bag intermittently. If you already have a accumulation of plastic bags building up at your house, reuse them wherever doable (for food storage, trashcan liners, pet waste, etc.), and also arrest with your local grocery store or local waste stewardship authority to see if they take back bags for recycling.</p><p>LAUNDRY DETERGENT</p><p>- THE PETROLEUM Difficulty: The majority of laundry detergents are derived from petroleum, and also admit a number of other harmful chemicals.</p><p>- THE GULF-FRIENDLY Additional: Look for plant-based, biodegradable products. The Impulsive Products Association, which requires that 95 percent of ingredients must be derived from organically grown sources, now certifies cleaners and detergents. According to Seventh Formation, if the 107 million US households each replaced a single manliness of conventional detergent one using plant-based ingredients, the absolute oil savings could provide a year's heating and cooling for 8,500 homes. </p><p>GUM</p><p>- THE PETROLEUM Puzzle: Gum was originally made from natural chicle, but now its long-lasting rubbery consistency comes from petroleum-based polymers. Goodyear, the debilitate and rubber company, actually supplies Wrigley's gum with a big portion of its main ingredients!</p><p>- THE GULF-FRIENDLY Additional: There are still a few brands of gum that can be found in health food stores or online that use straight chicle and no petroleum products. However, if you're looking for something a little more attainable, try satisfying your minty cravings with natural herbal mints!</p><p>CRAYONS</p><p>- THE PETROLEUM Hornet's nest: Crayons are most commonly made with paraffin wax, a petroleum-derived effect. Over 12 million crayons are produced every day by one factory alone in the U.S.-this amounts to 60 tons of petroleum-derived crayons habitually. </p><p>- THE GULF-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE: Look for petroleum-unasked for craft supplies like natural beeswax and soywax crayons. Options classify Stubby Pencil Studio crayons, which are made from a combination of ingrain and vegetable waxes and pure beeswax and Prang crayons, which use a soybean-based wax.</p><p>CANDLES</p><p>- THE PETROLEUM Dilemma: Candles are another product that uses a paraffin-wax base, a byproduct of petroleum refining. Contaminants in paraffin, such as toluene, benzene, methyl ethyle ketone and naphthalene (substances found in go on a pub-crawl, lacquer, and varnish removers), make it a particularly controversial choice for candles, since they may enter the air we breathe at home. The American Lung Linking also notes that recent studies suggest that burning candles increases staining by fine particles.</p><p>- THE GULF-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE: Candles made from soy wax, beeswax, and intrinsic oils are fairly easy to come across and do not include the contaminants found in paraffin. The candles' smoke poses less of a trim threat.</p><p>CANNED FOOD</p><p>- THE PETROLEUM PROBLEM: Nourishment additives - including sodium benzoate, FD&#38;C red 40 and yellow 5 - put in canned goods to continue their shelf life and give them an unnaturally appealing color are yet more petrochemicals. The humanitarian body is not designed to consume petrochemicals, so there are many possible risks behind over-processed foods. New studies are linking nourishment dye consumption to ADHD. Bisphenol-A (or BPA), a chemical commonly found in can linings, is a great extent known to interfere with hormone production and is therefore associated with divers diseases. Many varieties of additives have already been banned (for a full list see the Center for Sphere in the Public Interest: www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#banned-additives), but still more of these ingredients remnants in grocery stores.</p><p>- THE GULF-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE: Wherever conceivable, buy fresh, organic produce and limit purchases of canned subsistence. Frozen food in recyclable cardboard as well as foods packaged in window also make a suitable alternative to cans.</p><p>LIP BALM</p><p>- THE PETROLEUM Question: Most lip balm brands use a petroleum jelly base, which may forearm short-term comfort but is easy to ingest, which can agent stomach upset and diarrhea.</p><p>- THE GULF-FRIENDLY Variant: Beeswax- and Shea butter-based lip balms have no known dissentious health effects.</p><p>For better health and sustainable living tips, articles and how-tos, fall upon NRDC SimpleSteps at: http://www.simplesteps.org

Source: Kansas City Star

Prevention Tips to Keep Pets from Starting Home Fires

12.07.10

Cognizant of that all too well.  Their curious dog Lucy was home alone and spied a slab on the stove top. As Lucy tried to get a taste, her paw accidentally hit the stove projection and turned on the gas burner that was under the cake pan. Within minutes, the house was filled with smoke, triggering the Wardlow's ADT monitored smoke detector. Firefighters were called to the upset, the house was saved and Lucy was rescued.

"Planning for unexpected emergencies like poorhouse fires and taking these precautions are an integral part of responsible pet ownership," Peterson said.

AKC® and ADT forth the following tips to educate pet owners on how to prevent your paramour pet from starting a fire, as well as how to keep your pets safe.

Prevent your pet from starting fires

Kill off open flames - Pets are generally curious and will examine cooking appliances, candles, or even a fire in your fireplace. Ensure your pet is not left unattended around an present flame and make sure to thoroughly extinguish any charitable flame before leaving your home. Remove stove knobs - Be certain to remove stove knobs or protect them with covers before leaving the for nothing. According to the National Fire Protection Association, a stove or cook top is the numbers one piece of equipment involved in your pet starting a fire. Invest in flameless candles –

Source: PR Newswire (press release)