The Environmental Hazards of Consumerism

By Susan Lutz

Products stacked high. Priced low. That’s the box-store shopping model we’ve come to accept. Shoppers expect cheap bargains, and for the most part, get it. From my small college town in Minnesota to Central America, I’ve watched Walmart build and consumers follow. I watched as the college town almost died out. Buildings begged for renters, to buyers rather than shoppers. Today, we watch the scope of Walmart’s impact reach for the skies, adding a negative carbon footprint at a fervent pace.

Walmart’s positive green press spins differently. Walmart reports all is right with the company’s clip to reduce emission and go green. However, The Institute for Local Self-Reliance reported that Walmart is guilty of going in the opposite direction and increasing greenhouse emissions with no stop in sight. In addition, many of Walmart’s products do not reflect the consciousness of a company dedicated to sustainability.

About ten years ago, Walmart started issuing it’s own, Global Responsibility Report. In developing countries, it’s hard to keep people away from the lure of the American brand (though many products are not made in America). I found the stores overpriced. The appeal for many, as Walmart knows, is the location. It was on a bus line, the parking lots are huge, and taxis even wait outside. Everything sat under one roof. A lure, even to this shopper, who couldn’t resist when the rain poured (the parking was not only huge, it was covered), and I needed some over-sized paper for my child’s school project.

Walking the aisles of these big box stores feels overwhelming and too much. Do we need purple and green and pink toilet paper? Are those products a “green” company should support. Jeffrey Hollender, founder and former CEO of Seventh Generation, Inc. took a look at what companies are doing to confuse customers into thinking a company is going green, when in fact it’s not:

“In essence, Walmart is saying, ‘Hey, Walmart shopper, here’s a totally unsustainable product from one of our supposed Sustainability Leaders.’”

What do we do? Walmart and other box-stores are now planted as an option for shopping, for everyone, for everything. What do we need? Do we need so much? The visual of green and pink toilet paper is one I’d never thought of until now. Walmart’s not just going to go away. We’ve helped create it. Yet, it must change. It’s too important. They’ve got the power to do it. We’ve got the power to demand it.

I returned to my college town a few years ago. It had made a bit of a comeback. The diner I cooked for was gone. But a few coffee shops and new stores had taken hold. It’s the main street of postcards. The place where community gathers and owners greet customers. Between the Walmart model and the main street, a model exists where we can reduce our impact, empower local retailers, and promote that which truly is good for the planet.

The DARK Act or “Deny Americans the Right to Know” Proposed Legislation to Allow GMOs without Labels

By Susan Lutz

“Probably carcinogen.” That’s what the WHO (the World Health Organization) called glyphosate, chemicals often found in toxic pesticides used by Monsanto and Dow for GMO crops.

Sri Lanka’s newly elected president immediately banned glyphosate, recognizing it as the herbicide contributing to the tremendous surge in kidney disease in the country. Glyphosate adds a dangerous and deadly ingredient to the already harsh conditions many farmers face from too little water and scorching heat.

Enter the United States where Kansas Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo reintroduced (yes, it’s been around before) a bill blocking states from the ability to require labeling on GMOs.

The bill, dubbed The Dark Act: Deny Americans the Right to Know, #stopDARKact, is spun by supporters to look as though it is legislation supporting transparency, but according to a recent House Agriculture Committee on Biotech Labeling Laws with Just Label It chairman, Gary Hishberg, it’s an anti-labeling push to keep the consumer out of the labeling process. A proposed amendment, mandating GMO labeling is being backed by anti GMO groups.

When I pick up a food on the grocery shelf, I automatically look at what’s in it. It’s frustrating to find product after product with ingredients I can’t pronounce, have to look up on the Internet what they really are, and more often than I want, succumb to eating chemicals in mislabeled or poorly labeled products. One example is Nutella. My kids love it. Who doesn’t? When not required by law, the company rearranges the ingredients to make Nutella appear healthier.

When law requires correct labeling, it’s a different story. Labeled accurately, sugar becomes the first ingredient in Nutella. Then, you should find the MSG. Monosodium glutamate in Nutella? Look on the label. It’s not there. But vanillin, which could be called E612, is also MSG. Nutella was sued for false health claims, which resulted in a settlement payout of $3.05 million and the company dropping it’s claim that it was a healthy food.

The drama continues and the climax is not yet known, at least in the courts. But for those in the fields picking foods that end up on our tables, for families trying to eat foods without poisons, for the sake of our waters and our climate, not knowing the poisoning that happens to our planet, on any level, creates a villain darker than any comic book character imagined.

End the Use of the Tiny, Terrible Microbead

By Susan Lutz

Scrub some natural face cleanser on at the end of the day. Feels wonderful. A shea butter body cream can only be good, right? Read the ingredients. Many of the cosmetics on the shelf today contain microbeads. What’s a microbead? I hadn’t heard of them either. Yet, they are now so proliferate in many of the products we use, approximately 69 NGOs from 33 countries are supporting the campaign to end the use of the microbead, according to beatthemicrobead.org.

What exactly is a microbead? Imagine a teeny, tiny bead of plastic. Now, image something smaller. Microbeads replace more natural ingredients, especially in health and body care products like scrubs, creams, and toothpaste. The tiny beads, less then 1mm, are composed of polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl methacrylate, or nylon, in short, plastic. Use a microbead for seconds, rinse, and it goes down the drain to stay in the environment forever. The cycle of water pulls the plastic fibers all the way to the oceans. They don’t break down. Instead, they mush into plastic-like goo; floating, unnoticed by a fish that eats a smaller fish – tasty, yet environmentally deadly. Catch the bigger fish and the contaminant ends up back on our table, in our mouths. See anyone pick up a tiny piece of plastic on the ground and eat it? That’s exactly what’s happening.

How did this happen? And, right under our nose? All of these ingredients are approved and “safe” to use. Safe bet companies are making money on the short-term benefit of making a product cheaper, getting it on the shelf quicker, and selling more than we really need. Natural ingredients take more time, most likely more investment – in the short run. (And, I’m not even talking about organic ingredients yet, just “natural” like putting in more real shea butter instead of cutting the real product with these tiny plastic beads.)

Step in a movement to end those tiny, terrible microbeads. Like so many other products we discover for the quick, availability and cheaper price, we buy it: plastic bags, the k-cup, or processed food. The ramifications of our choices always, not sometimes, but always come back to bite us in the bags and beads. Without seeing the long-term effect before we eat too much sugar or throw all or allow GMO modification of our food, we suffer the consequences of our choices and have to work to not only end the use of the danger, but also find ways to reinvent how to educate, make healthy choices, and show our children things like tiny microbeads just are a bad decision.

A movement has started to ban the microbead. Annie Leonard, founder of The Story of Stuff, began an idea to look at our prolific use of stuff. Her animated movies are short, great for anyone – I’ve showed them to my kids – and poignant. She’s always working on a solution. Pointing out the problem is one thing, doing something about yet another. Learn what products carry microbeads and stop using them. Check out sites that offer more information on microbeads and how to join a campaign to ban the bead.

So, let’s get started, below is a list of companies and products as posted from beatthemicrobead.org that contain microbeads. You can get the full list, for many countries, on their site.

A few examples of products with microbeads as listed by beathemicrobead.org:

Ahava: Dead Sea Essentials-Relaxing Almond Exfoliating Body Cleanser – Polyethylene (PE)

CVS Pharmacy: Oil Free Scrub – Polyethylene (PE)

Neutrogena/Johnson & Johnson: Deep clean gentle Scrub (oil free) – Polyethylene (PE)

Note the brands; be familiar with the all the chemical names of the microbead. Changing brands, really going natural or organic is a choice not just for better skin or whiter teeth, but a choice that makes a difference for our children and our planet.

Interesting Ways to Go Organic and Eco-Friendly

Every choice I make has an impact, somewhere. The food I choose not only affects my children, it also impacts the farmer and the community. If I buy local, the carbon footprint shrinks. If I buy organic, I’ve chosen a system that fundamentally focuses on how our bodies and our planet will grow naturally, without toxins. When the global issues seem out of reach, when I feel powerless, I step back and remember that my consumer choices make a difference.

Organic goes beyond food. We can wear, sleep in, brush our teeth, and pamper our pets in eco-friendly products. I am constantly amazed at the array of organic products becoming available on the market. It’s exciting to see that organic is losing the label as alternative and instead becoming a normal, preferred way of life. Some of my favorite products are those we find we’ve already got in our own home like baking soda.

Here are a few interesting ideas (in no particular order) I’ve found to help fight bugs, get a good night’s sleep, or smile a little brighter.

1. Organic Mosquito Repellant: Bugged out this summer? There’s no question DEET – the chemical used by many major brands of mosquito repellants – works. But at what price? Mosquitos are a pesky problem, and the use of harsh, chemical-laden sprays and lotions will eventually take a toll on the liver in the detoxication process. We also must not forget that choosing chemicals also means supporting a system that makes our planet more toxic. Not only do we have to manufacture it, we have to dispose of it. I’ve fought back many mosquito climates and swear the alternatives work. The only difference is use it often as the natural scent will wear off. A few good examples I like are Bite Blocker or Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent, which just smells so yummy it’s kind of nice to dab a little on even when there isn’t a mosquito in sight!

2. Organic Mattress: It’s said we spend a 1/3 of our life sleeping. Imagine how many particles of inorganic chemicals we’re breathing every night. Where you rest might be a great place to control more of your environment. Wouldn’t you rather snuggle up to organic cotton or wool? An example of an organic mattress can be found at Janice’s. However, there’s no need to stop at the mattress. The entire bed can be an organic haven complete with pillows, sheets, and covers. It’ll make counting sheep so much easier and that much better for you and the planet.

3. Organic Pet Toys: We just can’t leave our pets out of the organic revolution! Sure most of might know organic pet food is available, but did you know you can get organic chew toys? A favorite I’ve found is by Simply Fido. It’s a plush bone that is great for a puppy’s chewing stage or a larger dogs comfort toy. In the case of the my dogs, which were more like the “Marley and Me” kind, it helps become a safe alternative to chewing the couch to bits. SimplyFido sights the fact that by adding pets to our organic list in the home, we do that much more for the environment. It adds up. With 43 million households in the U.S. alone owning dogs, it can make a big difference.

4. Organic Shoes: Shoes seems a natural step in going organic. When going barefoot might not be a good option, organic shoes are perhaps the next best choice. Mahalo shoes says it’s organic line gives a more natural way to put one foot in front of the other. Did you know shoes are made from hemp? Not to mention socks, underwear, shirts…

5. Organic Teeth Whitener: Right in your own cupboard can be quick, affordable, and easy ways to whiten your teeth. Teeth whitening methods can contain a lot of chemicals including bleach. Sometimes making decisions under the glaring light of the dentist’s chair with all those sharp instruments nearby is not the best place to decide on what to do with stained, yellowed teeth. A good place to start the decision making process is at home.

Baking soda, lemons, strawberries, orange rinds, and now activated charcoal has become popular. These rank as a good place to start getting a brighter smile. Other tips are changing a few habits like drinking staining beverages such as coffee and red wine; using a straw; eating more crunchy vegetables; and simply rinsing with water after you’ve indulged in any of those darker drinks. What better way to avoid a the dentist chair than taking charge of more health care right in your own home? Then, if you still can’t do without that super-pearly white smile, at least you’ve gone in informed and instilled with a few more healthy, organic lifestyle choices.

From top to bottom; from pests to pets, we can all go more natural and chemical free. Price can still be an issue with a few items but adding a product here and there can be a way to ease into the system. Overall, my favorite organic products are those we find we’ve already got in our own home like baking soda. With some ingenuity and forethought we can save a few bucks; help the planet; and toss Rover a healthy bone to chew on.

Food Revolution: Jamie Oliver Teams with Music Greats to Change How We Eat

We eat too much. We eat the wrong things. According to Jamie Oliver, “Obesity is one of the three biggest social burdens created by human beings alongside smoking, and armed violence, war, and terrorism. Obesity costs $2 trillion dollars globally each year.” #FoodRevolutionDay is May 15th, a day Oliver wants us to join him in kicking off a campaign to change the way we eat at home, at school, and out. He’s got some highly talented help from Ed Sheeran, Hugh Jackman and Paul McCartney with this music video.

We’ve been buying into the corporate model since the advent of industrialism. Crops are modified; hormones and antibiotics are given to animals as routine business; pesticides flow freely; forests are cleared for immediate pay back; and the list grows. We’ve become robots of digestion and consumption.

The World Health Organization compiled this data on obesity:

– Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980.

– In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 600 million were obese.

– 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2014, and 13% were obese.

– Most of the world’s population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.

– 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2013.

– Obesity is preventable.

Time to connect the dots. A revolution doesn’t “just happen.” The consciousness for changing how we eat comes from the work of individuals, groups, and organizations like the Organic Consumer’s Association, The Cornucopia Institute, and The Food Tank, to name a few.

McDonald’s growth isn’t declining because society wants “to speed up customer service,” as reported by Business Insider. Steve Easterbrook, the new CEO, says he’s going to turn McDonald’s around by introducing a better burger and removing antibiotics and “hard to pronounce ingredients” from its chicken in the US. Not enough. What about the beef? Consumers want healthy food – simple food – that fulfills its mission: Nutrition, health, and energy, which give back to life rather than take from it. The mighty Mac food conglomerate began a slow descent when its ingredients went public. As consumers, we’re becoming smart.

Jamie Oliver takes on the tough subjects. His goal is to implement food education in the school system. Not easy. I’ve worked in schools, and I’ve owned my own restaurant where I’ve watched this organic, eat-better/grow-better food movement on a national and international level. From Central America to Europe to the US, organic food and better eating practices are shaking up the way tradition has boxed in food. Oliver also aims to pave a path towards better eating at home. Also not an easy task. Even for me, an organic girl from way back, I struggle to feed my family with organic food and as little sugar and fats as possible. Challenging? Yes. Impossible? No. We can’t continue stuffing ourselves as the conventional model wants us to do. The more we demand higher quality, the more we’ll get it – and at a better price.

Back up to the World Health Organization’s last point about obesity: It is preventable. Our health reflects the health of our planet. If we’re sick, so is our food system. #FoodRevolutionDay is more than signing a petition. It’s a movement in awareness reflecting a change we not only need to happen, but also want to succeed.

Take some action: Sign the petition; buy something organic; make a salad; take a walk with someone you love. We can do this. Our lives depend on it.

Simple Green Cleaning Ideas

The simplest spring cleaning ideas can be found around the home. Under the sink and in the cupboard are ingredients with the power to clean easily and organically. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Hydrogen peroxide: Hydrogen peroxide is very inexpensive. Available at any store in the pharmacy and health and beauty section, the bubbling action gets up stuck on grime and sanitizes as it works. Food grade hydrogen peroxide is an even safer, cleaner way to go, though a bit more in cost.

2. Baking Soda: Scrubbing made easy and cheap. Put this cleaner on tough stains and scrub. Many like to mix hydrogen peroxide with baking soda and call it the miracle cleaner. I always wear gloves when cleaning.

3. Vinegar: Most know about vinegar as a glass cleaner. Old newspapers make a great wipe as paper towels can leave a trace of paper flecks behind.

4. Lemon: Clean with the power of a natural sanitizer with lemon. I love to use the last drops on my cutting boards. After drinking down a delightful fresh lemon drink, drop the rind down the garbage disposal and in an instant get a fresher system and smell.

5. Room Freshener and deodorizer: Mix half alcohol such as vodka (as has no smell) and water. Then add your favorite essential oil like peppermint or bergamot.

A Place of Peace with Daily Food Choices

At times, I pile the bags of food in my car after spending a boatload of money and feel lost. With all my research and knowledge of the world of organics, I should radiate confidence. Instead, I doubt my choices and wonder if I even make a difference in what I feed my family.

Back in the store, I gazed upon the simple choice of cookies. With food allergies and touchy digestive issues for my kids, I can spend time laboring over even the simple choice of which animal cracker I should choose. Do I buy the kind without sugar? If so, what other kind of sweetener does it have? Is it organic? Gluten-free? Loaded with food dyes? Preservatives? GMOs? Is it local? The days of walking out to the barn to get the milk is gone for most of us. Now, we rely on a chain of people, machines, and often corporations to bring us our food. Instead of a place to nourish my family, stores feel like science labs – the joy of life squeezed right out of it.

Avoiding one toxic choice feels like bowing down to another. I’d like to always buy organic and planet-friendly for my kids and not stumble over ingredients I often cannot pronounce. The word organic gives me hope that there are fruits and vegetables still glistening with nutrition. Then, I look at the prices: a single cucumber is $2.29. $2.29? Each? The other cucumbers are $.79 each. Yet I remember (from all my research) that cucumbers are one of the most chemically sprayed crops. When I go back to the bin of organic cucumbers, I wonder about the plastic each cucumber is wrapped in: Isn’t that bad for the environment? The conventional cucumbers feel waxy. But just one cucumber for $2.29?! One won’t last the whole week! It’s my kids’ favorite vegetable. And it’s so nutritious! Which one should I buy? After only being in the store for five minutes, I was exhausted. This shouldn’t be how we have to buy food.

We’ve polluted our planet and can’t eat our foods without loads of labels warning us what the food does and does not have. We can’t drink the water unless it is filtered or eat the fish unless it is found in the right waters.

Whether organic or not; whole grain or gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian, we’ve got to eat. I have to find a place where food is happy again. I’ve put down my food-battle sword and written a seal of peace on my shopping list. I eat organic whenever I can. I eat as little sugar as I can. I eat greens more than anything else. I stay within budget without beating myself up. I let it go when eating with others so as not to be a know-it-all or worrywart about the food contents.

Most of all, I relax and give thanks for every bite I take and am able to give my children. No food is any good unless it is served with joy.

Whole. Green. Simple. Life.

Meditating on a mountaintop never did it for me. I’ve been there. Climbed high; stretched my arms out; and reached for the sun on the horizon. Then, I’d turn around and realized I’d have to go down. The search for the ideal, whole, simple life would have to continue after the vacation ended. Life called me back into the hectic fold.

The whole life, the green life, the simple life truly is one. Each aspect circles into the other. Without contentment from within, a green, organic lifestyle will only do so much good. Without simple choices in how to live, a whole life hangs far in the distance.

With the universe at our fingertips, we can find the answer to anything. An internet search for “organic food” offers 97,000,000 results. And tomorrow will yield more. What do we do with all this information?

The planet is being torn apart; people dismissed, marginalized, and compromised. Toxins infiltrate the air and water; global warming destroys our foundation of life; food has been reduced to profits and slick marketing campaigns, and gadgets are replacing face-to-face interactions. These examples are only a few of what we face as a global community. Climbing back up to that mountain and settling in for a lifetime of meditation at times does sound appealing at times. But, it’s with the people, in society, and at the farms and grocery stores we need to be. Together is where we will find our solutions.

As a writer in the field of organic and natural lifestyle, I’ve discovered that these are confusing and complicated subjects. Driven by my own real-life traumas, I decided to find alternative approaches to health, education, and life. The Many Shades of Green offers a platform to extend into all areas of “greening” our lives, including our own backyards. I intend to add to the commitment of this site by finding the information and tools to live at a greener, less chaotic, and simpler level.

After my own health traumas, I faced more with my children. That’s when the search engine becomes a steam machine: caring for the life of another. I research, assimilate, and try to practice a lifestyle with as much awareness and consciousness about how my choices impact my family, the planet, and myself. I am not a model organic eater. When I try to meditate, I fidget and start thinking about chocolate or if my library book is overdue. Sometimes I fail. But I go on and never give up on the green path. By making my phone last another year, by eating a few more organic salads a week, by walking instead of driving, I find ways to simplify the moments and let the natural whole life burst through.

I lived in Central America for 15 years. By understanding a different culture, I’ve been able to raise my level of understanding, compassion, and pragmatism to the day-to-day struggles we face in raising our children and maintaining our planet. We can all find our own formula to succeed. A day is a jubilant success if my family has eaten an apple over a candy bar or a glass of water over a sugary drink. Success on a national and global level will follow with the same steps.

Life is whole when it is simple and surrounded by the healing powers of green.