EarthTalk: Raw Food Diets; and Organic Baby Clothing and Bedding
Dear EarthTalk: A friend with many minor health problems recently switched to a diet of only raw plant foods and reports feeling much better. She also insists her new eating habits are better for the environment. Does this make sense or is the strange diet making her crazy?
– Phil C., Reno, NV
A raw foods diet typically consists of unprocessed foods that are not heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit so as to preserve nutrients otherwise lost during cooking. Proponents claim that besides losing weight and feeling more energetic, they are also avoiding the carcinogens introduced into foods by cooking and protecting the environment from drug- and chemical-dependent, water-wasting big-business agriculture.
Humans have been eating raw foods since
they first began foraging for their
sustenance, but the raw foods diet really only
began to catch on in recent years. There are
now upwards of 100 raw foods restaurants in
operation across the U.S.
Getty Images
Some people do short spurts on the raw diet to cleanse their system of toxins, while others maintain a majority raw diet but do eat some cooked or processed foods. Diabetics can especially benefit from a raw foods diet, as shown in the film Simply Raw, which documents the trials and tribulations of six diabetes sufferers who go on a raw foods diet for one month and effectively cure themselves of their disease.
While humans have been eating raw foods since they first began foraging for their sustenance, the diet really began to catch on in recent years when some high-profile celebrities began touting its health and weight maintenance benefits. Carol Alt, Woody Harrelson, Uma Thurman, Sting and Demi Moore are just a few of the big names who swear by the raw foods diet — and now upwards of 100 raw foods restaurants are in operation across the U.S. For a list of raw food eateries by state, check out the SoyStache website.
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Spirituality in the Workplace
There’s a growing movement within corporate America of merging spirituality into the office setting, as businesses encourage holistic practices such as tai chi, meditation, yoga, and prayer. Employees now have access to quiet rooms for a meditation or prayer retreat, libraries with spiritually-oriented books and videos, or an instructional tai chi, yoga, and qigong program at lunchtime.
These types of wellness programs have become a more acceptable way to help employees cope with the challenges and daily demands that arise in corporate settings, and management teams who implement such programs realize the competitive advantage by allowing their employees to become more attuned to spiritual practices in the workplace.
While hesitant to promote organized religion and an atmosphere of proselytizing, the emphasis, rather, is placed on seeking the spiritual aspects of life, such as finding meaning and purpose in everyday events and interactions, a deeper appreciation of connections with others, improved sense of community, and better relations with management and coworkers. For such businesses that are now including these holistic programs in the workplace, it’s really all about determining what helps employees feel motivated and good about themselves.
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EarthTalk: Keeping Wildlife Out of the Compost; and Recycling Retired Appliances
– Carmen Veurink, Grand Rapids, MI
It’s true that outdoor compost piles and bins can be a draw for wildlife — be it bears, rats, raccoons, skunks, opossums or some other creatures of the night — but there are ways to minimize the attraction. For one, make sure everyone in your household knows to keep meat, bones, fish, fat and dairy out of the compost. Not only will these items “overheat” the compost pile, they’ll also stink it up and attract animals.
To discourage animals from raiding the
backyard compost, OrganicGardening.com
recommends mixing kitchen garbage with
soil or wood ashes before burying it in
the hot center of your compost pile.
LexnGer, courtesy Flickr
Otherwise, home composters should keep in mind that critters aren’t actually eating the compost but are sifting through it to find fresh edible kitchen or garden scraps. To discourage animals, the website OrganicGardening.com recommends mixing kitchen garbage with soil or wood ashes before burying it in the hot center of your compost pile. Washington State’s Department of Fish and Wildlife recommends not putting any food scraps in open compost piles, but says that if you must, bury them under at least eight inches of soil and then place a wire mesh barrier over the top held in place with a heavy object or two.
Putting your compost pile in a pest-proof container is another way to prevent tampering with your precious organic soil-to-be. Compost tumblers are popular because they mix and aerate by just being turned occasionally, and they keep raccoons, rats, dogs and other interlopers at bay. Otherwise, compost bins with wire tops or sealed lids work well too, but require a little more manual labor in terms of stirring.
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EarthTalk: Electric Cars, Hybrids and…Coal Power? and Is Silicone Cookware Safe?
– Graham Rankin, via e-mail
It’s true that the advent of electric cars is not necessarily a boon for the environment if it means simply trading our reliance on one fossil fuel — oil, from which gasoline is distilled — for an even dirtier one: coal, which is burned to create electricity.
Coal-fired power — albeit indirectly
used — will be the predominant
source of electricity used by
electric and plug-in hybrid cars
unless we begin to source
significant amounts of electricity
from renewables like solar and
wind. Pictured: the Virginia Electric
and Power Company’s Mount Storm
coal-fired power plant in
northeastern West Virginia.
Rich McGervey, courtesy Flickr
The mining of coal is an ugly and environmentally destructive process. And, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) burning the substance in power plants sends some 48 tons of mercury — a known neurotoxin — into Americans’ air and water every year (1999 figures, the latest year for which data are available). Furthermore, coal burning contributes some 40 percent of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) estimates that coal mining and burning cause a whopping $62 billion worth of environmental damage every year in the U.S. alone, not to mention its profound impact on our health.
Upwards of half of all the electricity in the U.S. is derived from coal, while the figure is estimated to be around 70 percent in China. As for Europe, the United Kingdom gets more than a third of its electricity from coal, while Italy plans to double its consumption of coal for electricity production within five years to account for some 33 percent of its own electricity needs. Several other countries in Europe, where green sentiment runs deep but economics still rule the roost, are also stockpiling coal and building more power plants to burn it in the face of an ever-increasing thirst for cheap and abundant electricity.
On top of this trend, dozens of electric and plug-in hybrid cars are in the works from the world’s carmakers. It stands to reason that, unless we start to source significant amounts of electricity from renewables (solar, wind, etc.), coal-fired plants will not only continue but may actually increase their discharges of mercury, carbon dioxide and other toxins due to greater numbers of electric cars on the road.
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EarthTalk: Recycling E-Waste; and Finding Healthy Snacks for Kids
Electronic waste, or “e-waste” as it’s called, is a growing problem in the United States and abroad, as obsolete or broken computers and other electronic equipment are taking up increasingly precious amounts of landfill space and potentially leaking hazardous substances into surrounding ecosystems.
The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition reports that
70 percent of the heavy metals in U.S. landfills are
from discarded electronics. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency reports that
Americans trash two million tons of unwanted
electronics each year - six times the amount
they recycle. Pictured, e-waste in Ann Arbor,
Michigan readied for recycling.
George Hotelling, courtesy Flickr
The nonprofit Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition reports that 70 percent of the heavy metals in U.S. landfills are from discarded electronics — even though the e-waste itself accounts for only two percent of the trash by volume. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that Americans trash two million tons of unwanted electronics each year — six times the amount they recycle. To make matters worse, U.S. companies often ship old equipment to poor nations whose landfills and incinerators are ill equipped, subjecting already struggling populations to lead, cadmium, beryllium, and other contaminants.
So what can be done? If your old units still work but have merely been eclipsed by newer models, then by all means donate them to a needy cause that will either put them to good use or resell them to help fund their programs. You’ll earn a tax deduction for a charitable donation and, by keeping the equipment alive, prevent the manufacture of new units and thus, if ever so slightly, reduce the footprint of your operations.
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EarthTalk: Plug-in Prius Energy Consumption; and Environmental Impact of De-icing and Snow Removal
According to the blog Futurewheels.com,
electric cars and plug-in hybrids (those that
have been converted by owners) currently
average about two cents per mile to
recharge, while gasoline-only cars average
about 10 cents per mile to refuel.
Pictured: a Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid
demonstration program vehicle at the 2010
Washington, DC Auto Show.
Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz, courtesy Flickr
It is difficult to pinpoint the answer to this question right now since Toyota has not yet released its much anticipated plug-in hybrid, but most analysts believe the increase in your electric bill from overnight charging will be minimal. According to the blog Futurewheels.com, electric cars and plug-in hybrids (those that have been converted by owners) currently average about two cents per mile to recharge (electric rates vary greatly by region), while gasoline-only cars average about 10 cents per mile to refuel.
Plug In America, a California based network of electric vehicle and (self-converted) plug-in hybrid owners, estimates the cost to charge a typical plug-in hybrid overnight to be less than a dollar. So while your electric bill might go up $30/month due to recharging, your gas bill will decrease by somewhere between 80 and 100 percent depending on your driving habits and what you were driving beforehand.
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