Today the Green Living Q&A blog is choc-full of interesting questions and answers...from choosing a green computer, to finding a green contractor, locating healthy lodging while traveling, an affordable natural laundry detergent you can buy at the supermarket, rechargable hydrogen fuel-cell batteries for household electronics, and more. I just continue to be impressed with the breadth of your questions and the wisdom of your answers. Thank you all for your participation in making this such a great blog! Debra :-) HEALTH, HOME & HABITAT #84 ~ 15 May 2007 * GREEN LIVING Q&A BLOG: new Q&As / new comments on previous Q&As If the links don't work on this newsletter, you can view it online at http://www.dld123.com/newsletter/newsletterupdateback.html Health, Home & Habitat Back Issue (tables of contents) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GREEN LIVING Q&A BLOG Here are the questions and new comments posted through yesterday. Remember, you are welcome to share your own comments and experience in response to any of these questions, and post questions of your own. To read and comment on more questions posted previously go to Green Living Q&A blog.
* Finding Healthy Cleaning Tools has a whole list of cleaning tools from a former professional nontoxic cleaner, plus more professional advice * Green Bed & Breakfast has links to eco-friendly hotels and MCS travel. * Dishwasher Detergent How do we find a green contractor? How do we find a contractor who will use non-toxic materials and decoration to finish our basement in the Naperville, IL area? We have children on the autism spectrum and want to convert our basement into a play area, a sensory gym area, and a therapy area...we need a kitchen, a bathroom, and a workout room as well. eco friendly laptops? Hi, hair removal Dear Debra, non-slip bath mat for INSIDE the bath I liked having a non-slip bath mat in the bathtub so when my toddler moves around in the bathtub, he is less likely to slip and bonk his head. But now that I've been reading about plastics, I am horrified at the thought of taking a warm bath with the plastic or rubber non-slip mats that are out there. safety of ant baits? A 2nd Question About Affodable Laundry Detergent... Hi Again, Baking soda Dear Debra, Are there any toxic factors or warnings of any kindwith baking soda? Synthetic Turf Hi, Dangers of Synthetic Scents and Safe Alternatives I wanted to share an article I just wrote for Alternative Medicine magazine (April issue) about the hidden dangers of synthetic scents, safe alternatives, and the chemicals in fragrances. I'm hoping it will help educate people. The magazine is available nationwide, and also feel free to share these links... Cookware What cookware is it still ok to use? Aluminum is bad, cast iron is bad, teflon/nonstick is bad, and now I read in a blog on this site that stainless steel is bad. (I was planning on getting stainless)Is it only certain types of stainless? What kind do you use? Thanks. Food-Grade Rain Barrels & alternative to Teflon Tape My husband and I are looking for rainbarrels. We notice that very few of the good-looking ones are "food-grade plastic." Two sites do (& both seem decently priced): sites for the grey-black "Urban" rain barrel (www.urbangardencenter.com) about $80 each, $100 counting shipping; and also some sold by "Midwest sales" on a few sites including www.rainbarrelsandmore.com - a dark green, 60-gallon, on sale for about $100 free shipping. power companies marking utilities Does anyone know if cities have started using non-toxic or biodegradable paint when power companies mark underground utilities? Our yard and mulch heap got marked, so I removed every scrap of mulch, every clump of painted dirt, every red, yellow or orange blade of grass! (It took over three days! Thankfully there was no rain at all!) I even dug out vegetables that had been painted! I filled more than 3 garbage bags of dirt and mulch due to having to get under the paint, which would have later caused me reactions every time I gardened and also ate the vegetables!!!!! What an invasion. Are there ways to prevent this, and are there cities NOT doing this to their customers? (Mine is a little behind the times...) Batteries Our household seems to go through a staggering amount of batteries. These can only be recycled at our county's household hazardous waste day. Can you tell me about the newer rechargable batteries? It used to be that you couldn't use them in everything and they didn't hold a charge for long. We tried them in our kids' baby swings/bouncers, but that was ten yrs ago. I've now started seeing batteries similar to those in cell phones. Any suggestions/reviews would be appreciated. door & window seals, alternative to vinyl stripping? Does anyone have experience replacing the vinyl stripping around windows & sliding doors? If so, what did you replace it with, how expensive was the job, & how much difference did it make in your ability to live in the dwelling? Safe proximity of residence to distribution power lines & transformer I live on a narrow lane where distribution power lines are very close to homes. One side of my house is located only 5 feet from such power lines (that run parallel to the back of the house); & a corner of my carport is just 5 ft from a transformer mounted on a power pole. All members of my family are at least 22 years old. Our sleeping areas are on the opposite side of the home from the power lines. The carport is attached to the residence. If we physically separated the car port from the residence, & removed all electric wiring from the now-freestanding carport, would that reduce ELF exposure inside the house?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CLASSIFIED ADS
LOTSA BAMBOO. Entire line of Bambu organically grown bamboo products--cutting boards, dinnerware, bowls, utensils, baskets, knives, trays, and more. www.greenfeet.com GIVE YOUR BODY THE NATURAL SALT IT NEEDS. Revive your energy with natural living salt. Contains 84 minerals essential to human life. Hand-mined to retain original primordial vibration pattern. Delicious taste makes food "come alive". A life-giving, natural, whole food. Email info@himalayanlivingsalt.com for free sample. www.himalayanlivingsalt.com SUSTAINABILY-HARVESTED WILD SALMON and other wild fish from the pristine waters of Alaska. Flash frozen, smoked, sausage and burgers, cans and pouches, salmon caviar. www.vitalchoice.com CALL FOR A HEALTHY BED CONSULTATION. 100% wool-filled and wool-encased mattress of heirloom quality, placed on a slatted wood frame for optimal airflow. Our wool fill comes from the EcoDomestic Wool Project and Woolgatherer Carding Mill in Montague, California, home of our production company. Available in U.S. and Canada. www.shepherdsdream.com SOLUTIONS FOR FLUORIDE HAZARD! Custom made water filters. Removes fluoride, arsenic, chlorine and chloramines without taking out the good minerals that make water wholesome. Whole house systems, under the counter systems, and 100% chlorine-free pool and spa system. Medical grade alkaline water unit. Natural Plus Plus LLC 727-447-2344 www.gobeyondorganic.com DEBRA'S GUIDE TO CHOOSING NATURAL SUN PROTECTION. Instant download e-book by Debra Lynn Dadd tells how you can enjoy the health benefits of sunshine in balance with natural methods of protection when necessary. Order now. DEBRA'S GUIDE TO CHOOSING A NATURAL BED. Instant download e-book by Debra Lynn Dadd covers the types of natural mattresses that are available, all about the materials, natural bedding, the history of natural beds. Order now.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|  The new, revised, edition of Home Safe Home is now available in bookstores nationwide. Home Safe Home tells what toxic chemicals are generally found in specific household products of all types, and safe solutions you can buy or make at home. It's different from other books on toxic chemicals because the focus really is what you can do to protect yourself and your family and create a healthy home. I bring over twenty years of research and personal real-life experience to this book. * 10 Simple, Inexpensive Things You Can Do To Reduce Household Toxics * How Toxic is Your Home? Quiz (excerpt from the book) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Debra's List ~ 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural & earthwise products
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ email: debra@dld123.com web: http://dld123.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
I also am available Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 4 pm eastern time to answer your questions immediately and personally with a