Nourish Your Body
With Fabulous Homemade Food
Antimicrobials on From Front Loading Washing Machines
Question from Dori Looking for a new front loading washing machine. I am told they now all use antimicrobial coating on the door gaskets. What are the coatings made of? Do they leach into the environment or contaminate my clothing? What are the risks/safety for a...
New Movie on Toxics: Unacceptable Levels
My guest today is filmmaker Ed Brown, who created the new film “Unacceptable Levels.” The film examines the results of the chemical revolution of the 1940s through the eyes of Ed, a father seeking to understand the world in which he and his wife are raising their children. This documentary was made by one man and his camera traveling extensively to find and interview top minds in the fields of science, advocacy, and law. Weaving their testimonies into a compelling narrative, Brown presents us with the story of how the chemical revolution brought us to where we are, and of where, if we’re not vigilant, it may take us. We’ll be talking about what Ed learned by making this film, how it changed his viewpoint about toxic chemicals, and what changes he’s made in his life to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals. www.unacceptablelevels.com
Green Sheetrock
Question from Sandy I posted a question last week on sheetrock, but forgot to ask one of the the most important questions. Would green sheetrock be equally as safe as white sheetrock..which would you recommend? Thanks Sandy Debra's Answer When I first looked at your...
The Organically Clean Home
Today my guest is Becky Rapinchuk of CleanMama.net, a blog that tells you how to simplify and organizee your housekeeping while also using nontoxic cleaners. Becky is the author of The Organically Clean Home, and offers free printables on her site, such as cleaning recipes for using castile soap, lemons, borax, vinegar, and baking soda. 
Has been featured on Oprah.com and HGTV and has also provided content and cleaning consulting for Scotch-Brite (3M), Peapod/Reckitt, Cafemom.com, and Bissell. Circle of Moms named Clean Mama one of the Top 25 Home Management Blogs, iVillage named her as one of the 10 Organizers You Should Be Following on Pinterest, and Skinny Scoop named Clean Mama one of the Top 25 Organization Blogs. Rapinchuk is also Answer.com’s housekeeping expert. www.cleanmama.net
Becky’s Free 55 Simple Cleaning Recipes for using castile soap, lemons, borax, vinegar and baking soda to clean your house.
Can Dry Cleaning be Less Toxic?
My guest today is Joy Onasch, who oversees the community and small business program at the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She manages the community grants which are awarded each year to community-based or municipal organizations striving to reduce or eliminate toxics. Focus areas of the community and small business program currently include reducing or eliminating toxics in the home (including cleaning and building materials), pesticides, the cosmetology industry, auto shops, and perchloroethylene in dry cleaning. Today we will be talking specifically about dry cleaning, how dry cleaning establishments can become less toxic and how you can choose a less toxic dry cleaner. Joy is an engineer with over fifteen years of experience with industry, government, and institutions, assisting them with environmental compliance issues and pollution prevention projects. Her technical focus areas include hazardous waste, stormwater, wastewater, oil storage, and toxics use reduction. Joy earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Union College and a Master’s in Engineering and Policy from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a registered Professional Engineer in three states and a registered Toxics Use Reduction Planner in Massachusetts. www.turi.org
Heirloom Foods and Community Supported Agriculture
My guest today is Linda Crago, owner of nine-acre Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm in Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. There she runs a Community Supported Agriculture program and grows heirloom varieties. We’ll be talking about the importance of heirloom foods and about buying organic food direct from a local farmer. Seventeen years ago, Linda quit her career as a social worker and began delivering baskets of organic vegetables to her former collegues who were interested in fresh produce. Without ever having heard of the “Community Supported Agriculture” concept, it was in fact what she was doing and her CSA was born. She now has two large hoophouses and a small one, all unheated, to extend her growing season to year-round and to “get my thousands of seedlings off to a roaring and robust start.” She also sells seed…”fabulous organic and heirloom seed, full of magic and possibility!” Her interest in heirlooms increases every year. Her seed comes from many sources around the world, she saves more and more seed herself and also shares her seed with others. Her most treasured business relationships are with those businesses, organizations and individuals who are selfless in their devotion to the cause of ensuring diversity by growing heirloom varieties and reoffering them. She is a lifetime member of Seed Savers Exchange and also a proud member of the rebel Kokopelli in France and Garden Organic. in England. Linda has organized the local Niagara Seedy Saturday for years, believing firmly that seed and gardening knowledge are to be shared. She is also entering into her eighth year as a test gardener for Rodale’s Organic Gardening magazine (her blog has some incredible garden info from very knowledgeable gardeners). In March 2009, Linda was awarded the Agriculture Enterprise Award at the Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Award and in 2007, she received a regional Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence from the Province of Ontario. www.treeandtwig.ca
A Box of Chocolates for Mother’s Day
Question from Craig Hi, Debra. I have a question. What boxes of chocolate do you recommend for Mother's Day? Thanks. Craig Debra's Answer If you want chocolates in a pretty gift box, I don't know of any organic chocolates you can buy in a store, but you might be able...
Simmons BeautyRest Mattresses Are Free of Some Toxic Chemicals, But Not All
Question from KER Hi, just saw a segment on a shopping channel, while channel-surfing. The Simmons BeautyRest company was hyping its foam inside the mattress – saying it containted no formaldehyde, no chlorofluorocarbons, no lead, no mercury. They talked about how...
How Safe is Sheetrock?
Question from Sandy We may have to put new sheetrock on a bedroom wall. Do you find sheetrock, tapping and mudding that would have to be done, to be inert as far as bothering those with EI. Thanks Sandy Debra's Answer I can tell you that I have installed many walls...
Safe Way to Clean Bird Droppings Off the Patio?
Question from Leslie Beck Hi Debra – do you know of a safe, non-toxic way to clean bird droppings off of a concrete patio? Thanks so much. Debra's Answer Here are some instructions that are nontoxic and written by bird specialists who are familiar with special...
