When it comes to organic gardening, you want the best of both worlds. You want healthy, bug free plants without resorting to toxins or pesticides. However, garden pests don’t always cooperate. One great organic solution is to plant companion plants. These plants can help to ward off bugs and make the plants you love grow bigger and stronger. Here are some examples:

Plant Catnip with Collard Greens

Catnip helps prevent flea-beetle damage on the collards.

Surround Broccoli and Potatoes with Sweet Alyssum

This quick to spread, fragrant, low-growing, flowering plant is a member of the mustard family, with a taste similar to horseradish. It also attracts beneficial insects to protect your broccoli and potatoes, and you can eat it.

 Protect Spinach with Radishes

Planting radishes near your spinach helps to keep leaf miners away from delicate spinach leaves and allows the radishes to grow unharmed underground.

Let Corn be Your Beanstalks

Allow beans to grow up the tall corn stalks and you will help protect the corn from predators. Bean plants draw in beneficial insects that eat the bugs that love corn.

Grow Cabbage with Thyme, Dill, and Tomatoes

Thyme repels cabbage worm, while dill attracts cabbageworm predators. Cabbage helps dill grow strong and upright. Tomatoes also repel diamondback moth larva that likes to chew on cabbage leaves.

Defend Carrots or Beans with Rosemary

Rosemary is not only a tasty herb, it also repels bean beetles and carrot flies.

Save Your Roses with Garlic

Plant garlic alongside your roses to ward off bugs.

Plant a Border of Marigolds and Wormwood

Marigolds repel a variety of bugs, including nematodes that attack the roots of your melons. Wormwood repels animals like deer and rabbits as well as white flies. Together they make a great border to help keep your organic garden pest free.

Plant smart and keep your garden healthy.

Approximately 200 synthetic industrial chemicals interact with our cells every single day.

Autism now affects one in 50 children.

Cancer is the leading cause of death (after accidents) in children younger than 15 years in the United States.

In the last twenty years, the rates of asthma, allergies, and ADHD are on the rise:

• 400 percent increase in allergies
• 300 percent increase in asthma
• 400 percent increase in ADHD

$2.6 trillion of the GDP is spent on treating disease every year.

These are facts. Unacceptable facts.

And Ed Brown wants to do something about it.

Moved by his wife’s two unexplained miscarriages and a nasty tasting glass of water at work, Ed (now father of two healthy children) was determined to uncover the possible cause of these and other health issues. With camera in hand, he traveled the country seeking insight from the top minds in the fields of science, advocacy, and law.

The result: an award-winning documentary, Unacceptable Levels.

The film poses challenges to our companies, our government, and our society to do something about a nearly unseen threat with the inspired knowledge that small changes can generate a massive impact.

You don’t have to take on the world to change it. Just pick one thing in your life. Water, food, regulations—it doesn’t matter. Just pick something. Become curious about it and start asking questions. Find the answers just like I did.

“And know that of all the people out there, you finally found someone that can truly make a difference. That person is—and always has been—you.” ~ Ed Brown

His documentary dissects the ways chemicals saturate our homes and environment amid a backdrop of a glaring lack of regulation. It chronicles the results of the post-WWII chemical boom and details common avenues of exposure, from food to fluoride to toxic sludge. The film brings together 47 non-profit organizations and 91 companies to support the overwhelming need for chemical reform in the United States.

Unacceptable Levels opens the door to conversations about the chemical burden our bodies carry so that we can make informed decisions now and in the future.

Screening in San Francisco July 11th and Chicago July 24th (with special guest actress/eco activist Mariel Hemingway), the film will hopefully reach beyond the typical environmentally conscious audience… and empower all viewers to make better decisions for their children and themselves.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/PVB6XSyBTVE

Please help spread the word about the film by sharing this post and liking their facebook page here. You can also follow them on twitter @UnacceptableLev.

If you live near San Francisco or Chicago, please come out for the screening! Both will be followed by a panel discussion led by Ed Brown. I’ll be attending the Chicago event and hope to see you there!

Are GMOs Safe?

While many studies claim no correlation to any health issues with GMO consumption, there are a number of studies that do show frightening correlations including multi-organ damage and reproductive disruption. The serious health risks are becoming harder to dismiss.

How to Avoid GMOs

It’s not easy. It is estimated that 60 to 70 percent of processed food contains a GMO ingredient, according to the Colorado State University Extension.

As for produce, buying organic is one very good way to avoid GMOs. There are times when organic crops have been contaminated, but for the most part, buying organic keeps you free of genetically modified foods. We prefer to purchase most of our food from local farmer’s markets where we can get to know the farmers. Besides growing it yourself, local farmer’s markets are typically the best way to get the freshest, healthiest produce. And buy heirloom produce as much as possible! It’s funny looking, but much healthier and much tastier! Read The Difference Between Heirlooms, Hybrids, and GMOs for more information on heirlooms.

Another way to avoid GMOs is to avoid the foods that are most often genetically modified.

What Foods are Genetically Modified?

The foods most likely to be GMO are corn, soybeans, cotton (for oil), canola (also a source of oil), squash, papaya,  and sugar beets, which are refined into sugar. There’s also GMO alfalfa, but that is used for animal feed, not for sprouts that people eat. That leaves quite a lot of your garden untouched.

GMO versions of tomatoes, potatoes, and rice have been created and approved by government regulators, but they aren’t commercially available.

GM Corn

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 70 percent of corn grown in the United States has been genetically engineered. The two most common genetically modified corns are BT corn and herbicide resistant corn. BT corn is genetically altered to contain the bacterial Bt toxin, an insecticide. Herbicide resistant corn varieties are resistant to glyphosate herbicides, Liberty and Roundup. Now fourteen countries grow herbicide-resistant GM corn.

Corn hybrids have been marketed with tolerance to imidazoline herbicides under the trademark “Clearfield.” Not to be confused with GMOs, the herbicide-tolerance trait was bred into the corn by using a tissue culture selection and the chemical mutagen ethyl methanesulfonate.

For those who eat a conventional, modern diet, GM corn seems to be in everything! It’s prevalent in most processed foods. Look out for the following ingredients which are either made directly from GM corn or are processed using GM corn:

• Artificial Sweeteners (many are derived from corn in one way or another)
• Artificial Flavors
• Ascorbic Acid (most vitamin C is made from GMO corn)
• Caramel Color
• Citrate (Calcium Citrate, Magnesium Citrate, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Citrate)
• Corn Meal
• Corn Oil
• Corn Starch
• Corn Syrup
• Decyl Glucoside (body care products like shampoo)
• Dextrin
• Glucose
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Honey (High fructose corn syrup is often fed to bees to increase production. In addition, honey is often mixed with corn syrup by unscrupulous companies). Lactic Acid (often made using corn fermentation)
• Maltodextrin
• Modified Food Starch
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) (often made from corn)
• Natural Flavors
• Sodium
• Vitamin E (Tocopherols)
• Xanthan Gum
• Xylitol

And believe it or not, this is an incomplete list. As you may have figured out, this means breads, cereals, baby foods, baby formulas, sauces (ketchup, BBQ sauce, etc.) veggies burgers, soy cheese, protein powders, supplements, candies, instant dinners, peanut butters, pastas, and even hospital IV’s are likely to contain genetically modified corn. Almost anything packaged! This is one of many reasons to prepare your own food and avoid anything processed.

Even organic corn has been shown to be contaminated by pollination. The farther away non GMO corn is from GMO corn fields, the less likely it will be contaminated, but it seems to be spreading.

GM Soy

The first genetically modified soybeans were planted in the United States in 1996. Now, more than 93% of  soybeans the United States produces are genetically modified, according to the USDA. GM soybeans are planted all over the world. The most commonly used GM soybeans are Roundup Ready soybeans. Soybeans have natural protection against pests. But weeds are a major problem for farmers growing soy. Roundup Ready soybeans possess a gene, agrobacterium sp. strain CP4, a bacteria, that causes the soybean to be herbicide resistance. Now the farmers can spray massive amounts of herbicides onto the crop fields without harming the soybeans.

Fortunately, since soy is well known to cause severe allergic reactions in people (and we suspect that the number of people allergic to soy is on the rise partly due to the GM soy), it’s fairly common for packaged foods to be labeled as having soy, or labeled to show they were processed in facilities that also process soy. But there are lots of food manufactures who do not label soy or that use soy and label it under a different name. Below is a list of both common names for soy and ingredients that are often derived from or contain soy. So watch out for these ingredients:

• Daidzéine
• Edamame
• Estrogène Végétal
• Fermented Soy
• Flavoring (including natural and artificial)
• Génistéine
• Glycine
• High Protein Flour (possibly)*
• Hydrolyzed Plant, Soy or Vegetable Protein*
• Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
• Isoflavens
• Isoflavone
• Isolated Soy Protein
• Isolated Soybean Protein
• Kinnoko Flour
• Kyodofu (freeze dried tofu)
• Lecithin
• Legume
• Many vegetable broths
• Miso
• MSG
• Natto
• Phytoestrogen
• Phytosterol
• Plant Esters
• Plant Estrogen
• Shoyu
• Shoyu sauce
• Soja
• Soya
• Stanol
• Sterol
• Tamari
• Tempeh
• Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
• Tofu
• Vitamin E
• Xanthan Gum

GMO soy is found in pastries, infant formulas, supplements, protein powders, cereals, vitamin E, bread, cheese, dough, candy… Once again, pretty much anything and everything processed and packaged as convenient food.

Meat, Dairy, and Eggs

While scientists are beginning to genetically modify animals, the current problem with GMOs from meat comes from the foods we feed our livestock.

Chickens, cows, and pigs (as well as many “free range” livestock) are fed genetically modified corn and soy. You are what you eat (and drink, and are injected with). So conventional meat, eggs, and dairy are essentially made up of GMO corn and soy.

Farmers who want to avoid genetically modified feed can purchase corn and soy feed that is labeled GMO free. But the feed is often contaminated with GMOs. Even organic animal feed is not free from contamination! In 2006, Albert Straus, owner of the Straus Family, wanted to make sure the food he was producing was completely free of genetically modified foods. He made the decision to test the feed he used for his 1,600 cows and found that nearly 6% of the corn feed he used, labeled organic, was contaminated by GMOs (read the Times article, When Organic Isn’t Really Organic).

While dairy shares the same problem as meat and eggs, as it is essentially created in large part from genetically modified animal feed, Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, also known as RBGH, is another problem with conventional milk. This Monsanto hormone artificially forces cows to increase their milk production by 15 percent.  While not a genetic modification, it’s worth mentioning that this is nasty stuff that should be avoided at all costs.

The easiest way to avoid meat contaminated with GMOs is to go vegan or to know the farmer that raised the meat so you can be assured that precautions are taken. Regardless of where one’s ethics are when it comes to eating meat, animals should be allowed to roam freely and eat what nature intended. This produces healthier meat that is generally completely GMO free. But with the spread of genetically modified pollen, it may eventually become harder and harder to insure animals don’t eat GM plants.

GM Beets/Sugar

More than 50% of sugar sold in America comes from sugar beets. Genetically modified, Roundup Ready sugar beets account for more than 90 percent of the crop. This figure is likely to increase since the USDA granted non-regulated status for genetically engineered beets just last year, and the FDA approved them to be to be sold on the market under the name “sugar.”

If the ingredients say “cane sugar,” there should not be GM beet sugar in the food.

GM Papaya

The only currently commercially-produced GM fruit is the Hawaiian papaya. In the late 1980s, the University of Hawaii developed a papaya genetically engineered to be resistant to Papaya Ringspot Virus. They did it by transferring viral genes encoded with capsid proteins into the papaya genome. The capsid proteins cause something similar to an “immune response” from the plant. The genetically modified papaya plants are no longer susceptible to infection, allowing farmers to cultivate the fruit even when the virus is widespread. The GM papaya is often held up by GMO proponents as proof of how genetically engineering food can benefit us.
The first GMO papayas were grown in Hawaii commercially in 1999. Now these Transgenic papayas account for more than three quarters of Hawaiian papaya crops and they are contaminating the organic crops. NW Resistance Against Genetic Engineering reported that independent laboratory testing results showed widespread GM contamination.

Nearly 20,000 papaya seeds from across the Big Island, 80% of which came from organic farms and the rest from backyard gardens or wild trees, showed a contamination level of 50%.”

Fortunately GM papayas can be avoided if you buy  the large Caribbean or Mexican red papayas, which are not genetically modified.

GM Canola/Rapeseed

Accordning to Wikipedia, “A genetically engineered rapeseed that is tolerant to herbicide was first introduced to Canada in 1995. In 2009, 90% of the Canadian crop was herbicide-tolerant. As of 2005, 87% of the canola grown in the US was genetically modified. A 2010 study conducted in North Dakota found glyphosate- or glufosinate-resistance transgenes in 80% of wild natural rapeseed plants, and a few plants that were resistant to both herbicides.”

If it’s not labeled Organic or certified GMO free, canola oil is almost definitely genetically modified.

GM Squash

Summer squash and zucchini were genetically modified to become more resistant to viruses and bacteria. But there was a problem. Cucumber cockroaches love GMO squash. They wound the leaves, leaving open holes in them. The cockroaches’ feces get absorbed into the stem causing bacterial diseases.

Some experts say that genetically modified squash have blended with wild squash species.

Farmers generally do not want to use GMO squash seeds for the aforementioned issues, and most experts say that conventional store bought squashes are very unlikely to be GM squash.

GM Fish

The AquAdvantage salmon has been created by adding a growth hormone regulating gene from a Pacific Chinook salmon and a promoter gene from an ocean pout to the Atlantic salmon’s genes. These genes enable the salmon to grow all year (as opposed to growing only during the spring and summer). The AquAdvantage salmon grows much faster than wild salmon and matures to twice the size of regular salmon. Many environmentalists and scientists are worried that GMO salmon could have negative impact on the environment and mutate over time.

The application for FDA approval requires land-based tank cultivation. There are no sea-based pens under discussion at this time. But if there was ocean contamination, consider the ramifications. The contamination would be impossible to stop once it starts, and the changes to the salmon population, as well as any species that foods on the salmon,, would be irrevocable.

The good news is that as of this writing AquAdvantage salmon has not been approved by the FDA. The bad news is that it is likely to be approved very soon.

Whole Foods and Trader Joes have vowed that they will not sell genetically modified seafood.

It would seem that farm raised seafood would be good for the environment, considering the toxins such as mercury in the seafood and the deviational effects our fishing industry has had on our oceans. But with the way fish are farmed, there are significant environmental and health concerns. From dyes being used in the feed, to much higher levels of toxins in farm raised fish, we cannot recommend consuming any farm raised seafood at this time. For more information on these environmental and health concerns read Top 10 Problems from Food and Water Watch.

Artificial Sweeteners, Preservatives, Artificial Flavors, and Artificial Colors

Many of these additives are derived from genetically modified organisms, as if we need another reason to stay away from them.

GM Cotton

Like corn and soy, cotton has been genetically engineered to handle pesticides. At least half of the cotton grown in the world has been genetically modified to resist pests and pesticides. GM cotton has been blamed for many farming issues in India including soil infertility and a rise in farmer suicides.

Cottonseed oil is used to make vegetable oil and margarine, but cotton itself has gossypol, a toxin that makes it inedible. But scientist have recently been able to silence the gene that produces the toxin, so cotton  may end up being a food crop for more than just oil.

To avoid wearing clothing made from GMO cotton, buy organic cotton clothing or look for a GMO free label.

Wheat

Recently an Oregon farmer sprayed a patch of wheat with Roundup. Some of the wheat survived. The farmer then sent samples to be analyzed by a laboratory. The wheat was a genetically engineered Monsanto Roundup Ready wheat that had never been approved anywhere in the world.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/WSrcq912DOI

But there are many other reasons to avoid wheat. Artificial selection over many years has changed the proteins in wheat, which is causing massive health issues. Check out 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Gluten for more information.

GM Potatoes

There are no transgenic potatoes marketed for human consumption at this time. That may soon change. BASF requested cultivation and marketing approval in 2011 for its Fortuna potato, genetically modified to be resistant to late blight.

Many consumers concerned about GMO foods believe that conventional potatoes will not sprout because they are genetically modified. But this is not the case.

Potatoes are treated with fungicides while they grow, then they are sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines for easier harvesting. Finally, after the potatoes are extracted from the ground they are treated on order to prevent them from sprouting. It’s been said that many farmers have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without the chemicals.

UPDATE (5/1/2015): Genetically Modified Potatoes are not on the market. Avoid any potatoes that are not organic for the GMO issue and other reasons.

GM Tomatoes

In 1994, the transgenic Flavr Savr tomato was approved by the FDA for marketing in the U.S. The modification allowed the tomato to delay ripening after picking. But these GM tomatoes have disappeared. Transgenic tomato (FlavrSavr) had a “deactivated” gene (Antisense approach). This meant that the tomato plant was no longer able to produce polygalacturonase, an enzyme involved in fruit softening. The premise was that tomatoes could be left to ripen on the vine and still have a long shelf life, thus allowing them to develop their full flavor. These GM tomatoes, however, did not meet  expectations. Although they were approved in the US and several other countries, tomatoes with delayed ripening have disappeared from the market after peaking in 1998. At this point, no genetically modified tomatoes are being grown commercially in North America or in Europe.

The nearly perfectly round and bright red tomatoes you see in the grocery stores, lacking in flavor and nutrition, are hybrids. For more information, check out The Difference Between Heirlooms, Hybrids, and GMOs.

GM Peas

Australian scientists genetically modified peas with genes from kidney beans, creating a protein that functions as a pesticide. Studies have shown strong evidence that these genetically modified peas may create significant health issues including immune system disruption. The good news is that these genetically modified peas are not approved for human consumption and are not available.

GM Rice

Currently, there is no large scale production of genetically modified rice. Bayer has developed a strain of rice they call LL62 with increased tolerance to glufosinate-containing herbicides. This genetically modified rice has been approved in the United States, but farmers are not yet using it.

There is a wide variety of genetically modified rice not yet approved in any country. GM research for rice includes making rice resistant to herbicides, diseases, and pests; increasing nutritional value; eliminating rice allergies; producing human blood protein; increasing yield; improving tolerance to drought and salinity; and enhancing nitrogen use efficiency.

GM Yeast

Genetically modified yeast is approved in the United States for making wine.

In the United Kingdom genetically modified yeasts were approved a few years ago. The yeasts are a bakers’ yeast that displays a shorter rising time and a brewers’ yeast that is used in diet beer. Neither of the GM yeasts are used commercially on a large scale at this time.

Bananas

Despite what you read online in many uninformed websites, bananas are not genetically modified. The bananas we eat are a result of selective breeding. Wild bananas have a large, woody seed in the middle of the fruit. They also have much less edible fruit.

GM Alfalfa

In January of 2007 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that he would authorize the unrestricted commercial cultivation of genetically modified alfalfa developed by Monsanto and Forage Genetics.

Experts who are not in the pockets of Monsanto agree that massive GM contamination of alfalfa, more so than any other GM crop, is only a matter of time.

GMO alfalfas are treated with Monsanto’s Roundup ready that have been related to many health problems and crop failures, including a mysterious unknown organism discovered last summer in Midwestern fields that is connected to seemingly healthy fields are suddenly littered with yellowed leaves and dead plants (check out More Details on the Strange Organism That Could Destroy Monsanto).

From my research, alfalfa is the most freighting GMO on the market (though I would pick salmon if it were on the market today). It’s a shame. Alfalfa is an amazing plant with awesome health benefits (Read more about alfalfa and its health benefits).

GM Contaminated Honey

Canadian honey was banned by Europe after it was found that the honeybees in Canada were feeding off of genetically modified canola.

Bees are often fed high fructose corn syrup to increase their honey production. In addition, testing has shown that conventional honey imported into the U.S. is sometimes mixed with high fructose corn syrup and is usually processed to filter out the pollen or heated, which destroys its nutrients.

Only use organic raw honey, and do not cook with it (it destroys the health benefits).

Other Ways to Avoid GM Foods

A common myth is that you can tell which produce is genetically modified by its bar code. Five-digit numbers that start with a “9″ signify that the product is organic, while a five-digit number starting with “8″ implies that it is a GMO. The problem is that there are no labeling requirements for GM foods. And since consumers have shown that they don’t particularly want GMOs in their diets, the companies don’t want to label as such.

But there will be a way we can tell which foods are GMO and which are not regardless of whether or not we get labeling laws passed.

A handheld device that detects pesticides, heavy metals, and genetic modifications will soon be available. We are very excited about this and cannot wait for it to hit the market!

In the not too distant future, consumers will be able to run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, GMOs, pesticides, food safety, and more with their smartphones and other hand-held devices.”

Check this article for more information

In closing…

There is a lot of misinformation about GMOs. I’ve tried to dispel some of it, but there are a few other issues that should be addressed that don’t fit into the scope of this article. Please do take the time to check out Top Five Myths Of Genetically Modified Seeds, Busted, an NPR article by Dan Charles.

We need to label genetically modified foods. Personally, I feel that organic foods should be our staple. Organic food is real food. It should be the food that doesn’t require labeling, while everything else should. But then again, in a perfect world, we wouldn’t even have GMOs, pesticides, herbicides, etc.

The truth is, if we take time to cultivate nutrient dense soil and look at growing food from a long term perspective, toxic chemicals aren’t needed at all. And we would all be healthier for it. But with the way things are now, we can’t rely on big business to do this. Organic standards are consistently dwindling. And whether or not GMO foods get labeled, we need to take back our health, stand up to big agriculture business, and start growing our own food and supporting small local farmers we know and trust. Marching on the streets against Monsanto is great. It needs to happen. But money talks. Vote with your wallets. And spread the word. I do believe that we are on the cusp of some radical changes with our food system. I’m just not yet sure which way the change is happening.

Recommended Supplements (These supplements help detoxify GMOs):

• Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula
• FloraMend Prime Probiotic – Thorne Research
• Fundamental Sulfur Powder (MSM Powder) – Douglas Labs
• Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse Formula
• Shillington’s Intestinal Detox

Further Reading:

• How to Avoid GMOs
  
• The Difference Between Heirlooms, Hybrids, and GMOs
• The Unspoken Link Between GM-Foods and Cancer
• GMO-Bananas are Going Into Human Trials

We at OLM are not fans of sunscreen or sunblock. The problem is that we have not found a totally safe and benign topical way to protect the skin from sun damage besides coverage with clothing and hats.

Sunlight has numerous health benefits including the most well known, vitamin D. Most of us do not get enough vitamin D. And anyone who eats well and is in relative good health can enjoy sunlight. As with everything else having to do with health, believe it or not, a healthy diet full of a wide variety of organic, nutrient dense fresh produce is the very best way to prevent, heal, and reverse premature aging, damage, and skin cancers that can be caused by the sun.

Simply limiting exposure to shorter periods until the skin builds up its natural defenses is the best way to be able to play in the sun without the worry of sun damage. But we live in the real world, and not everyone has time to build up the their sun tolerance for a week in order to enjoy 8 hours at the beach with nothing more than a swimsuit.

Exaggerated Dangers of Sunlight

When we first learned about the dangers of too much sun exposure, we ignored the dangers of not enough sun exposure, which as it turns out, leads to greater incidents of cancer, including the more dangerous form of skin cancer.

“There are two types of skin cancer,” says Dr. Michael Holick, one of the world’s leading authorities on vitamin D and vitamin D deficiency. “There’s what’s called non-melanoma skin cancer and there is no question that excessive exposure to sunlight and sunburns will damage the DNA and induce skin cells to become cancerous. That is non-melanoma squamous and basal cell cancers. They are typically easy to detect, easy to treat. They’re not lethal, for the most part.

“Melanoma is a different story. Most melanomas occur on the least sun exposed areas. Occupational sun exposure decreases your risk of malignant melanoma.”

And to top it off, vitamin D, what you get from our vilified sun, is one of the best preventers of any and all types of cancer!

For more on sunlight, skin cancer, and vitamin D, check out our article, Sunlight and Vitamin D.

Dangers of Sunscreens

So we all got scared of skin cancer, and what did we do? We started slathering on toxic chemicals that kept our skin from appearing and feeling burned while we sunbathed . Thinking we were totally protected, we cooked these chemicals into our skin, causing serious damage to out skin, our liver, our DNA, etc.

And guess what happened? Skin cancer rates rose right along with the use of sunscreen.

Canada Proposes Stricter  Sunscreen Regulations

If Canada’s planned rules take effect, this would likely prompt much needed changes in the sunscreens sold in the United States.

“Sunscreen companies won’t make better products until they are forced to,” said Sonya Lunder, Senior Analyst at Environmental Working Group. “EWG welcomes Canada’s efforts to improve sunscreen protection, particularly because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration appears unable or unwilling to wrap up its sunscreen rules more than thirty years in the making.”

For more on Canada’s Stricter Sunscreen Rules, checkout The Environmental Working Group’s article.

EWG

The Environmental Working Group has just released its 7th annual Sunscreen Guide.This guide rates the safety and efficacy of over 1,400 sunscreens, lotions, lip products and makeups that advertise sun protection.

“The vast majority of sunscreens available to the consumer aren’t as good as most people think they are, but there are a handful of products that rise above the rest,” said Sonya Lunder, senior research analyst at EWG and lead author of the report. “The best advice for concerned consumers is to use sun-protective clothing, stay in the shade to reduce intense sun exposure, and schedule regular skin examinations by a doctor. And turn to EWG’s guide to find the best sunscreens for skin that isn’t protected by clothing.”

“Despite an increasing awareness of the sun’s risks, rates of melanoma – the deadliest skin cancer – have tripled over the past 35 years, with an annual increase of 1.9 percent per year since 2000,” Lunder said.

The Environmental Working Group states, “Part of the reason for the increase may be the decades of deceptive marketing claims by sunscreen manufacturers, EWG researchers said.  EWG believes that the federal Food and Drug Administration should press companies to stop selling high-SPF sunscreens (above 50+), which account for 1 in 7 products on the market. As a result of misleading and confusing marketing claims, consumers frequently misuse sunscreens and spend more time in the sun than they should, putting themselves at greater risk.” We contend that that sunscreen’s toxic chemicals are the biggest culprit.

Sunscreen Ingredients to Avoid

Retinyl Palmitate: In sunscreen, exposed to the intense rays of the sun, Retinyl Palmitate builds up in the skin elevating the risk of skin cancer and other health issues.

Oxybenzone: Also known as methanone, 2-hydroxy 4 methoxydenzophenone and benzophenone-3. The Environmental Working Group states that 56% of sunscreens contain Oxybenzone, a penetration enhancer (causes other chemicals to be able to penetrate skin). This chemical is known to cause allergic skin reactions that can spread beyond applied areas. Oxybenzone disrupts the human endocrine system and can damage the cardiovascular system.

Octinoxate: The most widely used sunscreen ingredient, octinoxate helps other ingredients be absorbed more readily. Studies show that this chemical is likely responsible for disrupting the endocrine system by altering hormones. The chemical’s effects on estrogen levels are harmful for humans and our environment. Octinoxate is likely the main culprit for premature aging due to the fact that it produces free radicals that attack and damage our skin cells.

Benzophenone-3 (B-3): Can damage DNA.

Amino Benzoic Acid: Otherwise known as PABA, para-aminobenzoic acid, Vitamin Bx or padimate O, Amino Benzoic Acid  is a nontoxic UV filtering compound. But researchers have come to find that Amino Benzoic Acid can amplify cellular damage.

Homosalate: Like oxybenzone, homosalate can mimic bodily hormones. Our bodies cannot remove this chemical at the common rate of absorption so it accumulates to very toxic levels over time.

Paraben Preservatives: There have been many reports of serious chronic and acute side effects associated with Paraben preservatives. Derived from plant and petroleum sources, these preservatives may cause irritation and allergic reactions. More importantly, the chronic effects of Paraben use are known to disrupt and mimic hormones and cause reproductive toxicity. As a suspected carcinogen, it has connections with breast tumors, skin cell damage, and oxidative stress on the body’s tissues, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Octocrytene: This synthetic UV absorber may produce oxygen radicals that cause cell mutation resulting in increased production of free radicals that are known to damage DNA, which may lead malignant melanoma skin cancer.

Artificial Ingredients: Scents, colors, and preservatives are never good to put on your skin. They are absorbed into your body, and when baked in the sun, many of these ingredients can become even more dangerous,. Like, for starters, many artificial ingredients when cooked into the skin produce DNA damaging free radicals. These artificial ingredients are bad for us, bad for the environment, and should be avoided anywhere, in food, sunscreens, supplements, etc.

The Safest Effective Active Sunscreen Ingredient

While there are many totally natural, completely safe, and edible ingredient options that offer some protection from the sun, the highest SPF you can get from them is about a 5 (see our homemade recipe below). But for a higher level of sunburn protection, we choose zinc oxide. Not the nano technology kind which is composed of zinc oxide particles so small they are absorb into the skin. You don’t want to absorb zinc oxide.  And if you’re healthy, you shouldn’t absorb any non nano zinc oxide applied to the skin. It’s still not the kind of thing we want to put on our body. But for any significant SPF protection, it’s the best choice we know of.

For more on zinc oxide, check out this post by The Environmental Working Group.

Homemade Sunscreen

It’s easy to make your own sunscreen. But how effective is it? There are some efficacy issues to consider. And be careful. Don’t just slather on some coconut oil with zinc oxide and then spend 8 hours in the sun.

Homemade Sunscreen Warning

Before deciding to save a few dollars with the DIY route, consider some of the issues that arise when making your own sunscreen.

One problem with making your own sunscreen at home is that there is no effective way to test SPF levels. Another issue is mixing the ingredients. Sunscreen manufacturers use a high pressure machine called a homogenizer to break up zinc and/or titanium dioxide particles in order to evenly distribute them throughout he formulas. Mixing by hand, or even a blender can cause uneven distribution of the active ingredients leaving large areas of skin partially or totally exposed to UV rays.

And oils by themselves can actually contribute to sunburns by absorbing light which allows greater UV ray penetration. It should also be noted that store-bought sunscreens typically contain a of different ingredients to protect against the different wavelengths of UV rays. Zinc or titanium dioxide alone does not offer the same level of protection from sunburns.

That said, we still choose sunburn over cancer causing chemicals any day! And we are a fan of DIY projects. But regardless, when using sunscreen, and especially the homemade variety, use common sense with sun exposure. Reapply after getting wet. Use a hat and cover the body after or get out of the sun all together before you burn.

How to Make Homemade Organic Sunscreen

• 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel
• 1/4 a cup of coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of raspberry seed oil
• 5 tablespoons Shea Butter
• ¼ cup Beeswax
• 5 tablespoons Zinc Oxide

Coconut oil and shea butter are natural sunscreens (around SPF 5). The beeswax helps make lotion water resistant. Aloe moisturizes and protects against burns. Raspberry seed oil has an SPF of 25-50.

Zinc Oxide must be only zinc oxide and should not be nano particle technology (it should not be able to be absorbed through the skin). Be careful not to inhale!

Optional Ingredients – Antioxidants

• Green Tea (brew concentrated green tea and add ¼ a cup)
• 3 tablespoons of Vitamin E oil
• 10 drops Grapefruit Seed Extract

You can also add essential oils for scent, but avoid citrus as citrus oils can contribute to sunburns.

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except zinc oxide and heat until ingredients liquefy. You want ingredients to melt but not cook or become too hot for the next step, so watch closely and pull as soon as liquefied. We recommend a double boiler for this. You can also put the ingredients into a jar and put the jar into a pot of hot water on the stove at a higher setting.

Put ingredients into a blender with zinc oxide (the better quality the blender the better this will work) and blend with zinc oxide. If you don’t have a blender (or you have a cheap one that doesn’t mix well) then see above warnings.

Mix on highest setting until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and then pour the solution into the container you will use to store it.  A pump container isn’t going to work very well for this. I recommend a mason jar.

Now place the product in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This will solidify the product so that the ingredients stay evenly mixed and don’t separate. Then put product in the refrigerator.

Keeping the product cool keeps the ingredients from separating. This allows us to have a more stable product without the use of the chemicals manufacturers have to resort to keep their product ingredients evenly distributed.

When ready to use, you can scoop some out and put into a smaller container to take with you, or put the whole thing in a cooler with your picnic.

And play with the recipe. Depending on the product consistency and the temperature you keep it at, you may find that varying some of the ingredients work better for you.

Application

If you know you’re going to be needing sun protection the next day, we recommend applying sunscreen liberally the night before and the morning or for greatest efficacy.

Notes

This recipe has an SPF of around 30. More or less Zinc Oxide will increase or decrease the SPF. It is water resistant, but if you sweat or swim do reapply.

More beeswax makes thicker sunscreen, less makes thinner. We like thicker to reduce ingredients settling and separating.

Remove the zinc oxide and you’ve got an amazing lotion that has a little bit of sun protection as well.

And for truly organic sunscreen, and a totally edible sunscreen (a light sunscreen with a low SPF), remove the zinc oxide and make sure all ingredients are 100% organic.

And here is an infograph we just came across from livelovefruit.com. Let us know if you try some of these oils!

Best Sunscreen

We like Solar Body Block 30+ by DeVita Professional Skin Care. It’s vegan, cruelty free, paraben free, titanium dioxide free, and has been tested and proven to be of SPF level 32. We liked it, so we got it for our store at Green Lifestyle Market.

https://www.greenlifestylemarket.com/solar-body-block-30-7oz-devita-professional-skin-care

You can check out the Environmental Working Group’s listing of Solar Body Block 30+ here

We Want to Hear From You

What, if anything, do you do for sunburn protection? Do you have any sunscreen recipes or ways to improve our recipes? Did you have any luck with the homemade sunscreen recipe or some of the oils listed?

The Super Bowl airing of a Dodge Ram commercial in which Paul Harvey described the noble qualities of a farmer is a glamorization of today’s typical agro-industrial production. It is not a true representation of the majority of today’s farmers.

Decades ago, farmers did possess gentility towards the animals they raised; they were a symbol of land stewardship and environmental awareness. Their passion was to cultivate life for the nourishment of others. The fertility and integrity of the land was a priority; it ensured future success. For the most part, farmers of the past are icons of an era that has been changed as much as the land they plow.

Too many of today’s farmers relentlessly sow a single crop in nutritionally barren land and repeatedly spray their yield with poisonous chemicals. Government subsidy checks are the priority instead of nutritious food. Their focus has shifted from sustainability to maximum profitability, resulting in vast fields of single crops and confined animal feeding operations.

Corporations have taken control of production away from the farmers, placing unnatural demands on the land and animals. These modern conventional farming practices have led to the rise in food borne illness; antibiotic, pesticide and herbicide resistance; genetic erosion of species; and a detachment of a people from their food source.

We cannot, however, lay all the blame on the farmer, or even the government. We, the public, the consumers, carry the majority of the responsibility for this dramatic change in our food production. We have sent a loud and clear message to farming companies, telling them that we approve of gluttony and harsh environmental practices, that we tolerate the plundering of our lands as long as there is a never ending supply of nutritionally substandard food. We tell them this every time we purchase today’s quick, prepackaged meals.

The once intimate relationship we had with our food is in the past, but it doesn’t need to stay there. For the health of our children, the preservation of our land, and the future of our people, we must rekindle our emotional connection to food: where it comes from, how it is grown, and the bonds that it can create among us. Food can once again become a means for celebration and family togetherness. We can take our first step with a return to purchasing fresh, local, wholesome foods.

Many of the qualities of a farmer mentioned by the Dodge Ram ad are maintained by today’s sustainable, heirloom, and organic farmers and ranchers. Their growing ranks are leading a shift back to fresh and local food production. By changing our consumption, we can demand a rise in organic, ethical farming. In turn, this rise in demand will impact food production, driving government policy to provide assistance to alternative, clean, environmentally conscious farmers instead of commodity producers.

God made a farmer, a steward of the land, an advocate for healthy food and humane ranching practices. Across the nation we are seeing a return of this iconic image of the farmer who raises grass fed beef and sheep, free range chickens, and organic crops. We want them to be bold and courageous, to stand against tyrannical corporations that dictate unsound methods of food production. We want them to succeed. But they cannot succeed without our full support—support that comes through our choices each time we buy our food.

Will we continue to use our dollars to support factory farming, GMO foods, and giant food conglomerates? Or will we choose organic? Grass fed? Free range? The choice is ours.

A Beginner’s Guide to the Art of Organic DIY Composting

With “green” gardening becoming more and more popular, many gardeners are turning toward making their own organic compost for a number of reasons, from low cost (relative to store-bought versions) to reducing landfill waste, to simply benefiting from the high quality and mineral and nutrient rich nature of organic, homemade compost.

Greens + Browns + Oxygen + Water = Healthier Plants!

While reasonably easy to learn, there are a few tricks of the trade to ensure that your organic compost is mixed and aerated properly, that it stays at the right temperature, and that it will provide all the wonderful benefits it should.

Choosing a Bin

Compost bins come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials. Prices vary from practically nothing to upwards of $150.

Homemade bins can be created out of a number of recycled materials such as scrap wood, cinderblocks, wire mesh, bricks, or a combination of each. Regardless of the materials used to build the bin, it is important that the unit is constructed to withstand the weight of the composting materials and to maintain the proper composting temperature (140-160 degrees Fahrenheit) when it is full.  Additionally, it must withstand the elements and intrusion by wild animals while allowing proper drainage and air-flow.  And, of course, it should fit your needs and the space allotted.

Store bought bins are generally (though not always) plastic, durable, and lightweight. They come in any number of colors, shapes and sizes.  Features vary from manufacturer to manufacturer but often include built-in lids with venting holes for aeration and drainage, trays for sifting the different materials, and access doors for removing material ready for application.  Some even allow for “tumbling” the material, a practice that allows for more effective aeration or separating the material relative to when it was placed in the bin.  Depending on your budget and need, there are myriad commercial composting bins for indoors and out available at your nearest home and garden retailer.

Creating the Perfect Organic Compost: The Compost Equation

The goal of every composter should be to produce the richest, most nutritious and viably useful organic compost possible.  The materials you will be contributing to your compost bin, from household kitchen scraps and refuse to lawn clippings and leaves, will eventually break down.  Therefore, you will always be producing usable compost, though the time-frame will depend on your methodology.

Since compost becomes compost as microorganisms (bacteria known as actinomycetes and fungi) feed upon the materials in your bin, these pathogens require a few basics in order to do what Mother Nature intended them to do.  Therefore, it is important to have an understanding of what is going in your bin and when, as the effectiveness of the compost and how fast it will be usable is reliant on a balance between the “green” and “brown” materials introduced.

In short, for every pound or so of “green” nitrogen material you put in to the bin like coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peelings, and grass clippings, you will want to include a pound of “brown” carbon-rich material like straw or dead leaves. Too much of either material can slow down the decomposing process and/or lead to unpleasant smells.

Oxygen and moisture are essential for the microorganisms to keep functioning aerobically.  Too little moisture in the bin will lead to a pile of dried-out, crispy matter as opposed to rich and slightly dampened material. Too much moisture will drown the microorganisms, depriving them of the oxygen necessary for life. Turn your compost once or twice a month with a pitchfork, shovel, or aerating tool and add a little water if needed. Proper aeration can result in rich, moist compost ready to use in a few weeks rather than a few months.

To Compost or Not to Compost?—That is the Question

Now that some of the basics of composting have been outlined, it is important to develop an understanding of just exactly what sort of items you can put into the compost bin and why.

Remember: for creating organic compost it is generally preferable to only include those items that are themselves organic or organically grown!

The following is a short list of materials that are suitable for composting and commonly found around the house:

Nitrogens:

• Coffee grounds
• Banana peels (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Flowers (but only if they are green and not dried)
• Vegetable and fruit peels (chop them up for quicker break down; do not use lime peels, as they can abruptly and detrimentally increase the pH levels of the material leading to the death of the beneficial organisms)
• Pet food (preferably not meat-based)
• Lawn clippings (again, only if they are green)

Carbons:

• Leaves (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Dried grass clippings
• Hedge clippings (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Dried corn stalks and cobs (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Pine needles
• Saw dust and wood shavings (but only from wood that has not been chemically treated)
• Peat moss
• Nut shells/peanut hulls
• Tea leaves

The following is a short list of unsuitable items for the compost bin:

• Ashes from the barbeque (charcoal)
• Dog and cat feces (may contain disease organisms so avoid at all costs!  If one chooses to use manure only use material from organically raised animals like cows, goats, horses, etc.  with ratios of 16-18:1)
• Meat, bones, fat, grease, oils (will not break down and will attract unwanted animal visitors)
• Lime
• Non-white/colored/dyed paper
• Toxic materials (household cleaners or water with cleaners added)
• Any materials that are not biodegradable

Upon following these very basic guidelines the DIY gardener will soon have what master gardeners have long considered the “bee’s knees” for their beds, lawns and gardens.  Use this homemade, nutrient-rich organic compost as a soil amendment, fertilizer, or mulch and watch your vegetables, flowers, and other plants flourish like never before, all while lessening waste in the home.

Happy gardening!

Carpet Cleaning is one of the most toxic things you can do in your home, both for the environment, and your own health. Here are some good alternatives to conventional carpet cleaning.

Steam cleaning your carpet is the number one way to get rid of stains and germs, but standard carpet cleaning solutions contain a lot of harsh chemicals that can be dangerous for human health and the planet. Fortunately, there are a few substitutes you can use that may be better for your family and the environment.

Why are Standard Carpet Cleaners Dangerous?

Most people have never looked at what is in the standard carpet cleaning solutions. Most cleaning solutions for use in steam carpet cleaners contain perchloroethylene, which makes people feel dizzy and sick if it is breathed in. Opening the windows when you steam clean your carpet is a must, but even with good ventilation your family will still be breathing in harmful chemicals during the cleaning process.

Even more worryingly, the chemicals you use on your carpet hang around in the fibers, potentially causing a health hazard for young children who play on the floor. As perchloroethylene is a known carcinogen, it is a good idea to keep it out of your home, particularly if you have a young family. Using a natural carpet cleaning solution in your steam cleaner protects your loved ones and stops harmful chemicals from being released into the atmosphere and the water supply.

How to Naturally Steam Clean Your Carpet

To make your own non-hazardous carpet cleaner that won’t destroy the planet, mix equal amounts of white vinegar and warm water. You can use this solution in a steam cleaner to gently lift out stains and sanitize your carpet. Vinegar is a natural anti-bacterial agent and the mild acidity of the solution helps to lift stains from the carpet fibers. For stubborn stains, use a higher ratio of vinegar to water in the steam cleaner.

To make the carpet smell delicious, add a few drops of eucalyptus or lemongrass essential oil to the cleaning solution. These harmless oils are released into the air when you clean the carpet, filling your home with natural fragrance.

To make a foaming carpet cleaning solution, you can mix natural dish soap or laundry soap with equal parts baking soda. Apply the foaming solution to stained areas before steam cleaning with warm water and vinegar. The vinegar helps to break down and remove the soap residue to leave your carpet looking clean and stain free.

Steam Cleaning Your Carpet

Choose a warm, dry day with low humidity to steam clean your carpet. Open the windows to allow air to flow through the house, helping the carpet to dry as quickly as possible.

Post contributed by Lucy Massey for Empire flooring.