The Red, White, and Green

Baby fever has struck. In the past year and a half, no fewer than 10 of my female friends and family members — not including myself — have become mothers. Since I’m the tree hugger of the bunch, I often get asked: What’s the most important thing to buy organic for my baby?

To that, I always give a three-word answer: Where. They. Sleep.

Babies sleep, on average, 15 hours a day. Whatever your child’s sweet little cheeks are slumbering against is what she’ll be breathing in — whether it’s the hormone-disrupting plasticizers in most conventional mattresses or the formaldehyde in the particle board base of the crib.

So when I had the chance to test out the Hushamok, a baby hammock made from 100 percent organic cotton and solid sustainable beech, how could I refuse? A newborn only gets one start in life, and between the all-natural materials and the promise that it could prevent the dreaded flat-head syndrome, I was sold. (OK, and I admit: It also didn’t hurt that its mid-century-modern-esque design fit nicely with our sustainably spare decor.)

More than anything though, I was curious: Americans, by and large, use cribs; but the baby hammock has been a mainstay of other cultures for centuries. Its gentle rocking motion is said to mimick the movement of the womb.

Womb-like, indeed. My little peanut of a daughter was so soothed in her new hammock home that at 2 weeks old (don’t hate me!), she was practically sleeping through the night. At 6 weeks, she was sleeping for nine-hour stretches, completely uninterrupted.

I would wake with a start at 2 in the morning, wondering why it was so quiet and worried that something had happened to her; I’d peer into the Hushamok from my side of the bed, just in time to hear her let out an adorably contented sigh.

True, we did have some setbacks: For one, my daughter is a real kicker (she turned my uterus into a punching bag for the entire last trimester of my pregnancy), so it took us awhile to find the right swaddling blanket to prevent her from wriggling her way to the bottom of the hammock.

And until she got a bit bigger, the soft sides of the mattress would curl around her face, making me concerned that she wouldn’t have enough room to breathe. (Though the materials themselves are completely breathable; the Hushamok has also undergone extensive safety testing.)

All in all, though, it was magical. While I gladly would have kept our little lady in those swinging slumbers for the full six months that the Hushamok is designed for, at 4 months of age our feisty little lady (still fully swaddled) began bouncing her way to the top of the hammock. One morning we woke to a yelp, only to see her inverted, feet pointing toward the ceiling; we moved her to her crib the very next day.

Still, for those looking for a truly eco alternative to the traditional bassinet, the Hushamok gets high marks. The $500-plus price tag is steep, but there is a less expensive aluminum stand version; you can also buy the hammock alone for $195 and mount it to the ceiling.

I’m not sure you can put a price on sleep, though — as much for you as for baby. Zzz…

–Jennifer Grayson

Note: After testing, the Hushamok was returned to the kind folks at the company so that another lucky new-mom/dad blogger can put it to the test.

Another note: Hushamok is based in New Zealand. All the more reason to support this small, family-run company in the wake of the devastating Christchurch earthquake.

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Photo via Flickr: Bcmom

A few hours after my Eco Etiquette column about eating organic on a food stamp budget was published yesterday, I went marketing at Whole Foods. While I’m not egotistical enough to think that a quarter of the shoppers there had a) read my column and b) suddenly decided to heed my advice, I have to admit: There was a surprising crush of people in the bulk bin section.

I’d never even seen half that many people shopping bulk before. I’m usually the lone one, save for a homeless-esque man who waits till no one is looking before he sticks his full hand in a tub of apple-cinnamon oat squares.

But there they were: People stepping over my baby’s stroller to fill their bags with pasta spirals! Pounds of lentils! Organic oatmeal! Chocolate chips! You would think a storm was approaching.

Which it is, in a manner of speaking. US unemployment is chronically high, oil is near $100 a barrel — people are looking to scrimp and save any way they can.

Shopping in bulk is a good place to start. It’s also a great way to cut down on waste, something I’ve been inspired to do since learning about this zero-waste family. Apple-cinnamon oat square, anyone?

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Wikimedia: National Park Service

This President’s Day, I’m offering evidence that The Red, White, and Green isn’t another left-leaning environmentalist blog. That’s right: We’re honoring a Republican.

Theodore (“Teddy”) Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States. Proof that what now constitutes “conservative” and “liberal” agendas can coexist within the same presidency — heck, within the same man. War hero, Nobel Peace Prize winner, trust buster, hunter. And most relevant to this site, one of our national parks’ greatest champions: creator of five national parks, 18 national monuments (including what is now Grand Canyon National Park), and more than 100 million acres of national forests.

Remember when part of being a conservative was to conserve? I don’t. Will a real Republican please stand up?

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Veronica Belmont

I apologize: A hectic writing schedule has kept me from posting here regularly in the past couple months. But you know what else has been slowing me down? Signing contracts.

I know that sounds ridiculous, but when you’re a busy freelancer, there’s nothing more annoying than having to print out a contract, sign it, scan it, and then email it back. Especially when the only computer that will work with your scanner is an eight-year-old PowerBook G4 that kernel panics nearly every time you turn it on. But that’s a different story.

Then there’s the paper wasted by all this printing, all of whose purpose is to become a digital file anyway. I print on both sides and recycle when I’m done, but I’m still contributing to the 4 million tons of copy paper used in the US each year. (Sorry, trees.)

Luckily, there’s SignMyPad, a cool new app that lets you sign the PDF on your iPad with your finger or a stylus and email it right back to the sender. No paper to print, fax, or mail. Now all I need is an iPad…

–Jennifer Grayson

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I’m a news junkie, but even I can only hear about massive asteroids on a collision course with Earth so many times before I need a bit of fluff to lighten it all up. Literally. Like this gigundo gourmet two-pound marshmallow from Plush Puffs that’s corn syrup–free and made with all-natural ingredients.

So delicious and amazing looking! I was really tempted to order one, but since I spouted off last year about consumerism on Valentine’s Day, I thought the better of it. (And while trying to slim down five months post-baby, I find it generally helpful not to consume anything that includes the word “puff” in the name.)

So brilliant for a gluten-free birthday cake, though. Order yours here, at Abe’s Market.

–Jennifer Grayson

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This photo was taken during the last gas price hike, in 2008. Photo via Flickr: Karin Dalziel

I got back into Los Angeles last night after working in Mammoth all week and was shocked to see the price of gas at my local cheapo gas spot at $3.31 a gallon. Given what’s going on in Egypt, I shouldn’t have been all that surprised, but since I work mostly from home and try to run all my errands locally and/or on foot, it had been a good three weeks since I filled up my tank.

The $3.31, not surprisingly, is only a harbinger of things to come: ABC7 reported earlier this week that the turmoil in the Middle East could push gas prices well over the $4 mark by summer.

The Egyptian people ending decades of oppression and injustice, of course, is the more important story here; but the climbing costs at the pump here at home should only be a reminder to Americans why now, more than ever, we need our own (energy) independence.

–Jennifer Grayson

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There’s something so quintessentially American about cast-iron cookware. It actually originated in China over 2,500 years ago, but I always picture cowboys cooking a big ol’ Dutch oven (the real kind) of beans over a nice toasty campfire.

I love cast iron because when well seasoned, it’s naturally nonstick (no yucky PFOA). And in our throwaway culture, it’s nice to know a Lodge pan will last long enough to hand down to your grandchildren.

I knew chili would be served at the Super Bowl party I attended yesterday, so I busted out the cast iron corn stick pans and baked up a double batch.

Cast iron pans, brushed with butter/oil and preheated

In goes the batter, already sizzling

Corn sticks!

Cast Iron Corn Sticks

Makes 28

1 1/2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill stone ground cornmeal (medium or coarse grind)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, and vegetable oil. Whisk together until ingredients are just mixed.

Brush cast-iron corn stick pan with oil or melted butter and heat in oven until fat smokes. Fill molds and bake for 15 minutes. Serve with plenty of butter.

I’ll be eating the leftovers for today’s Meatless Monday breakfast.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Balthazira

While all the world is focused on peak oil, other natural resources are vanishing into thin air — literally. Like helium. While it may be the second most abundant element in the universe, it may soon be one of the rarest on earth.

From this month’s issue of National Geographic:

The deflating news, says the National Research Council, is that we’re running out. Most of the world’s helium comes from beneath America’s Great Plains, where it’s trapped in natural gas. The US began stockpiling it in the 1960s, but in 1996 opted to recoup its investment and sell off the reserve by 2015. After that, other producers — including Russia, Algeria, and Qatar — will control what’s left of the global market: perhaps a mere 40 years’ worth.

We’re not just talking about a future of pathetic party favors: Helium is also crucial for military technology, space travel, and nuclear research. So why does a helium-filled balloon still only cost 99 cents? You’d think the stuff would be as precious as diamonds.

–Jennifer Grayson

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