The Red, White, and Green

By now, you’ve likely heard the news that Pres. Obama has rejected the Keystone XL pipeline; though rejected may be too strong a word. Punted is more like it, since the pipeline’s builder, TransCanada, will be allowed to reapply for a new permit. But for now, it’s a victory, and everyone who protested and marched and called their Congressperson certainly deserves a thank you.

The Republicans deserved this, of course. They were the ones who placed a rider in the payroll tax cut extension forcing Obama to either reject or approve the pipeline by Feb. 21. What a ridiculously short and arbitrary deadline. Did they think Obama (and the State Department) would approve such a far-reaching project without having adequate time to study its potential risks?

The rub is: Of course not. It was a setup.

The Republicans put that provision in the legislation because they knew that Obama — or any sensible person, for that matter — would be forced to reject it, and then they could call him out for being a job-killer and make him look bad in his bid for reelection.

Nevermind that Cornell University says the pipeline could actually cost us jobs. Look for Republicans to stick to those ridiculously inflated TransCanada numbers in the months ahead.

Is anyone else insulted that the Republicans think we’re that stupid?

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: MillionsAgainstMonsanto

Happy New Year! Or not: I had every intention of starting off 2012 with a bucket of rainbows, but first, some important — though lamentable — news that can’t be ignored (although most everyone else seem to have done just that; this news came out last week). Props to The San Francisco Chronicle for not letting what had seemed like a much-anticipated decision about whether to allow the planting of genetically modified alfalfa slip under the radar:

A federal judge has upheld the government’s decision to let the nation’s alfalfa growers plant the genetically engineered, herbicide-resistant strain manufactured by Monsanto Co., saying the alleged risk of contaminating other crops does not require regulators to impose buffer zones.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the use of Roundup Ready alfalfa — so named because it is designed to withstand Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide — in January 2011, ending a nationwide ban that another judge had imposed in March 2007.

The action was challenged by a group of alfalfa farmers who said they feared that the Monsanto product, spread by winds and bees, would pollinate their crops and take over their fields. Thursday, however, U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti of San Francisco said the USDA had acted within its authority.

Federal law does not require the department to “account for the effects of cross-pollination on other commercial crops” in assessing the risks posed by a new crop, Conti said.

Translation? GM alfalfa is free to blow around and contaminate (“cross-pollinate”) the fields of organic alfalfa (“other commercial crops”) that feed our nation’s organic dairy cows. USDA doesn’t have to worry about it. But you do: As Gaius Publius has reported over at Americablog, this could mean the end of organic, at least as we know it.

As of now, there are plans to appeal. I’ll keep you posted.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: 666isMONEY

A lot of environmentalists are the crystals-and-incense type. I’m not; you’re probably just as likely to hear me inquire after someone’s sign or use the expression raising consciousness as I am to eat a factory-farmed cheeseburger. (Which is to say, not very.)

So that’s why I’m kind of semi-cringing as I write this, but lately I feel like the universe is trying to tell me something.

Three different apartments in the space of six months. Four discrete insect infestations. A loss I’m not ready to write about yet. And a kitchen ceiling that two days ago started leaking water all over me at the very moment I took out my laptop to start working again after our move this past weekend.

This is not to say woe unto me; the world at large is a far crazier place right now, to be sure. An apartment full of moving boxes and bouncing crickets is still a more restful abode than a tent in Zuccotti Park (now a backpack on the Brooklyn Bridge?).

Still, I hope you’ll understand if I stop fighting the tide for a few weeks and take an early holiday break. I will still be working on a few exciting projects in the interim (though most important: enjoying time with my little one and getting our home in order), so I’ll have lots to share when I return after the New Year. Happy and healthy to you all–

–Jennifer Grayson

Some holiday posts you might enjoy from the archives:

Real or fake? Rent your tree instead
Holiday travel: Stay at an Energy Star hotel
Sustainably sweet potato pancakes
How to give gifts without giving ‘stuff’

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Photo via Flickr: Valentinapowers

Babies and formaldehyde are two things that should never be in proximity to one another, but unfortunately, finding the highly carcinogenic chemical in nursery furniture is the rule rather than the exception. Earlier this year, I addressed this issue in a column for The Huffington Post, but I guess I wasn’t thorough enough; below is a related question I received from a reader earlier this week.

Jennifer,

Thank you for writing this article. I too have been worried about the formaldehyde issue since I came across a few articles from 2008 which stated Delta, along with four other companies, were under fire for having high levels of formaldehyde in their products. I have since been in contact with Delta and they would not give me a straight answer whether or not their products still emitted formaldehyde. The only crib I found that said formaldehyde-free was the DaVinci line. Have you come across any updated information regarding Delta’s cribs? Or what crib manufacturers really are trustworthy?

–Monika

Hi Monika,

Glad you liked the article! I’m not all that familiar with Delta’s products, but I took a look at a few different cribs on their website, and I suspect that most of them do, indeed, contain formaldehyde. Here’s how I know: If you click on the product details for each crib, it does say what materials are used. For example, in the case of the Padrona Crib and Changer, the listing says “made of wood and wood components.”

Solid wood you don’t have to worry about; it’s the “wood components” that should trigger an alarm: That’s code for particle board or MDF, which is made from tiny little pieces of wood that are bonded together with a resin that contains — you guessed it! — formaldehyde.

Now, it is possible that Delta uses a particle board made with formaldehyde-free glues, but since the company hasn’t been responsive to your inquiries, I’m guessing that isn’t too likely (if I’m wrong Delta, feel free to set the record straight here). It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so I would look for a crib manufacturer that prides itself on its use of formaldehyde-free, sustainably harvested solid wood. A few of my personal faves: Bloom, Oeuf, and Stokke.

By the way, you may be pleased to know that last year, President Obama signed legislation that will help protect consumers from formaldehyde exposure. It doesn’t go into effect until 2013, though, so for now, you’re on your own. Good luck!

–Jennifer Grayson

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If you read my post last week about the large amounts of chemicals about to be pumped through our apartment building, you know that we’re trying to move out of here – and fast. So I though I would post this video I made for HuffPo about my tips for a green move, which I filmed over the course of our last move. The tips are current, since that last relocation was but a mere four months ago.

The only difference this time: I’ll be packing our belongings in boxes from UsedCardboardBoxes.com instead of the Recopacks from Rent A Green Box; we haven’t actually found a new home yet, so I need options in case we have to put those boxes in storage. (You only get the Recopacks on loan for a couple of weeks.) Wish me luck–

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Jelene

Should we do everything in our power to reform US corn subsidies so that genetically modified corn syrup isn’t the sweetener of choice for US candy manufacturers? Absolutely. Should we support GMO labeling laws so that those companies are forced to rethink putting GM ingredients in their products to begin with? Of course! Should we urge companies like Hershey’s to stop sourcing cocoa from places that use child slave labor (or even boycott those companies)? Not even a question.

But until those reforms happen, should we punish our children by not letting them partake in some good old fashioned trick-or-treating and candy-eating that (heaven forbid) isn’t organic and fair-trade certified? I say an emphatic no.

There’s been a big push this year to green Halloween, to make it a “conscious” holiday. I’m all for DIY costumes, lead-free makeup, and using a pillowcase to collect treats instead of the ubiquitous landfill-bound plastic pumpkin, but seriously: Don’t make your kids stay home and celebrate with lame healthy “treats” while their friends run around the neighborhood and rejoice in their candy carousing.

Halloween only happens once a year, and kids need to be kids. Even the eco ones.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Over the years, I’ve attended a lot of eco-related conferences and festivals, and I have to be honest: A lot of them are just halls filled with booths of people trying to sell a bunch of junk by calling it “green.” Not so with the Green Festival, a grassroots project between Green America and Global Exchange, and arguably one of the most community- and solutions-focused “green” festivals in the country. That’s probably why it’s had such staying power — the festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

That’s why I’m excited that this weekend, Green Festival will be coming to the Los Angeles Convention Center, where more than 125 speakers will grace 10 different stages and pavilions to share their knowledge with us all. These aren’t just eco-celebrities — these are renown authors, professors, filmmakers, scientists, community and political leaders who actively working to make this city a truly sustainable place.

Of course, the festival won’t be a total wonk-fest; there will be plenty of fun in the form of live music, yummy local vegetarian food, an organic beer and wine garden, an eco fashion show, and yes, plenty of exhibitors showcasing their green wares.

If you haven’t purchased your ticket yet (an all-access pass is $10), let me make it easy for you: I have four free tickets to give away. Just leave me a comment about what you’re most excited to see at Green Fest (take a look at the website for more details), and I’ll pick the winners later today.

I’ll be at the festival on Saturday hosting one of the speaker stages, so I hope to see you there!

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Montereypubliclibrary

It’s been a nauseating, if not completely frustrating, couple of months here at Chez Red, White and Green, which I’m going to blame for my sporadic posting of late (my apologies). It all started back at the end of August, when the first of the Southern California heat waves struck and these tiny flying-ant-like creatures began appearing wherever they could squeeze in through the cracks in the window screens to escape the blazing sun. They were gross-looking, but they disappeared once the temperature cooled back down. So I forgot about them.

That is, until a couple of weeks ago, when the next heat wave struck. I came home from an afternoon of errands in the 95-degree heat, put my daughter down for a nap, and then made my way to the bathroom, happy to finally have a chance to pee. Except that I never even made it past the bathroom door. There, greeting me, was a veritable swarm of the flying ant creatures — I’m talking hundreds — around the windows, the toilet, the sink, the bathtub, everywhere.

I spent the next half-hour sucking them all up with the vacuum cleaner (thank goodness I’m not one of those eco types who only keeps a broom in the house), then called the first green exterminator who could come right over.

The verdict: They weren’t flying ants. They were termites.

I was hoping that the problem would be localized and could be spot-treated with a non-toxic botanical insecticide, but the long and short of it is that our building has a complete infestation. Which means the building has to be tented and completely fumigated.

The chemical typically used in termite tenting is sulfuryl fluoride, or Vikane, as it’s called by the Dow Chemical Company. Used in gas form, it’s an incredibly potent neurotoxin that wipes out everything in its wake — including people, if there’s direct exposure in large amounts. Before fumigation, a form of tear gas is actually released first into the building to make sure that no one remains inside before the insecticide is pumped in. (In the instances where that’s happened, it hasn’t been pretty.)

Because it’s a gas, the prevailing wisdom — at least from the pest management companies and Dow — is that sulfuryl fluoride leaves no residue. Once the tent is removed, the gas diffuses into the atmosphere (at a warming rate 4,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide, by the way), and residents can move back into their new termite-free building a few days later.

I, however, am not so sure. The EPA is now rethinking the use of sulfuryl fluoride as a fumigant in food supplies, citing the possible health risks due to excessive fluoride exposure. There’s also evidence that the gas can be absorbed by materials in the home — including polystyrene insulation, wood, polyester cushion fibers and even latex baby bottle nipples — and then off-gas over a longer period of a time.

Not surprisingly, if the gas does linger, infants and small children are more susceptible than adults to the effects of chronic exposure, which include lung and kidney damage. So the bottom line is, with a 14-month-old daughter, we’re not taking any chances: We’re moving out. Not as in, moving out for a week or so while our apartment is being fumigated, but moving out for good.

Is this a huge pain in the ass? Yes. Am I overreacting? Maybe. But when it comes to the health of my family, I always think it’s better to be safe than sorry. Seriously, what would you do?

–Jennifer Grayson

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If you haven’t been following the “Made in America” series from ABC World News, it’s definitely worth a watch (and check out the interactive map, above). Last night’s show featured a home in Bozeman, MT, that was built entirely from American-made materials — right down to its custom-made J bolts.

The builder, Anders Lewendal, is also an economist; he believes that if every builder in the country used just 5 percent more American materials, we’d have 220,000 more jobs.

Is it a coincidence that the word economy also contains the word eco? By buying American-made, you’re also, as a general rule, making the greener choice, since you’re avoiding the extra fuel expense to ship those foreign-made goods halfway around the globe.

In some cases, you’re also minimizing waste; David Muir noted in the report last night that American-made nails clog the nail gun less frequently than the China-made ones.

Only 50 years ago, foreign goods comprised a mere 8 percent of Americans’ purchases. Today, nearly 60 percent of everything we buy is imported. To buy American costs more in many cases, yes, but I see the extra expense almost like tithing — whatever you give will come back to us ten-fold.

–Jennifer Grayson

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[Watch video on YouTube]

Since discovering Robyn O’Brien’s book about the link between genetically modified food and children’s food allergies, I’ve made it my mission to avoid feeding GMOs to my 13-month-old daughter. I’ve written before about how this isn’t easy to do, though, because while every other developed nation in the world has either banned genetically modified foods or mandated their labeling, there are currently no labeling laws for GM products in the US.

This is insane. The federal government has no problem slapping graphic warning labels on a pack of cigarettes; so why, when it comes to something that affects all of us — the food we eat every day — are we left dining in the dark?

So asks the video above from the new Just Label It campaign, launched with Environmental Working Group, O’Brien, The Center for Food Safety and more than 300 organizations. With this kind of momentum, we have a real shot at changing this.

Watch it, and then tell FDA that we Americans have the right to know we’re eating genetically engineered food. Click here.

–Jennifer Grayson

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