Change Becomes Change

Greening Black Friday

Will you be honoring Black Friday this year with a trip to your local mall or strip center? When I sat down to write this post, I did a little googling on Black Friday and was surprised to learn that some sites, like www.TimeandDate.com actually lists it like an American Holiday.

This year, I challenge all of us to green up all of our holiday shopping in the easiest way possible: bring your own bag. I know, it doesn't get any easier.

When we first made the switch to reusable bags, we brought a bunch of brown paper bags that we had received and saved. Then we found some really great nylon bags from ChicoBags and bought up a bunch of them. Since my husband does most of our grocery shopping, he likes that these roll up into a compact little ball that can fit in his pocket. We can toss them in the washer, they hold 20 lbs and the kids can easily entertain themselves for a few minute wrapping each one up.

We've tried other bags, like the ones most grocery stores carry, but the ChicoBag just seems reliable, flexible and portable. I also really like the designer bags we bought from Whole Foods about a year ago that are made from recycled plastic water bottles and designed by Cheryl Crow. I have the largest (for groceries and mall shopping) and smallest totes (for toting my lunch in the rain) to meet all my tote needs.

If Black Friday takes you to Target, you might want to stop there first and pick up a free reusable tote bag. Yes...free! Starting at 4am on Friday, they'll be giving them free to shoppers. And don't forget that Target, like many other retailers, gives you money back for every bag you bring and use. Note, we have to use it too! Leaving it in your car or purse (yep, we've all done that, right?) doesn't count.

Good luck on your shopping adventure this week. Don't forget to BYOB (bring your own bag).

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So Much To Be Thankful For

Around this time of year, my kids take pleasure in activities at home and school around a theme of "thankfulness". We talked about a few different ideas last week and they decided that they want to make keepsake books that illustrate what they're each thankful for. And boy, do we have a lot to be thankful for. Each morning on my walk to work downtown I'm reminded that there are so many people having really tough times right now.

We took a few minutes for each of them to think about what they're most thankful for. My husband was quick to remind Patrick that last year he was thankful for, among other things, toilets. Yes, we have a darling construction-paper feather hat with one red feather memorializing his honor of the porcelain bowl forever. Nice.

They both told us they're thankful for family, friends, their school and teachers. Marcelena is also happy to have butterflies, flowers, the world and music to dance to, while Patrick added fall leaves, sunny days on the beach, and saints to his list (we started this while they were learning about saints in school). Oh, and did I mention that macaroni and cheese made the list? Yes. Along with a carrot.

We've sat down a few nights since then to illustrate these things. I often save larger pieces of boxes for projects so we're using some of those to make a sturdy cover for what Marcelena is calling her "prayer book". Her prayers often consist of sharing what's she's thankful for so I think that's the connection.

They're both so proud of their books - the work and effort that went into these beautiful creations, for sure. But there's something more. They understand that we have so much to be thankful for and it makes them feel so good (and loved) to talk about how fortunate we are.

So, tell us, what are you most thankful for this year?

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Reusing Those Cardboard Cereal Boxes

I can always appreciate ideas that help us reduce, recycle or reuse things around here so that can lessen what goes out to the street for trash day each week and love that my kids are learning these lessons at school now too. This week, I came across this clever idea to reuse cereal boxes from Mike Lieberman at 365 Ways to Go Green.

Used Cereal Box to Organize Plastic Bags

My roommate was going to throw his cereal box in the trash. I decided to use it to organize all of the plastic bags that are under the sink instead.Previously I used one of his old rice boxes to store seasoning packets.

According to RethinkRecycling: Nearly 30% of our trash is packaging. A lot of it is cardboard that can be reused or recycled.

It would be great if we could totally eliminate the trash, but reusing works.

Around the Rau house, we like to use those larger cardboard box sides to protect pictures or art that we send in the mail to grandparents. This week, we've got a Joe's O's box cut up and decorated to become the "hard" covers to books that the kids are making for Thanksgiving. 

Tell us how you reuse cardboard boxes in the comments below and let's all aim to put less out at the curb.

Cocoa Krispies Fights the Flu

Really. Kellogg's says so. It's right here on the front of the box - look for yourself.

Coincidentally, this packaging hit the shelves in May, just shortly after the first few cases of H1N1 (swine flu) hit the news and consumers started protecting themselves.  Kellogg's says this new "immunity support" claim follows their new formulation for Cocoa Krispies where they added more vitamins.

Whether you think this is opportunistic marketing or a genuine effort to help parents boost their child's immunity, you should know this: adding vitamins to products that aren't good for your child to begin with, doesn't make it good for your child.

Adding vitamins to chicken fried steak, donuts or ice cream doesn't make it a healthy choice. 

The good news is that there are several proven ways to boost our immune system with foods like:

• including yogurt with live culture probiotics to maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria in our gut
• enjoying high-antioxidant foods on a daily basis. These are primarily the bright-color fruits and vegetables like spinach, sweet potatoes, blueberries
• adding two cloves of garlic to your meals each day to fight of viruses
• drink several cups of black or green tea daily to boost your immunity power with L-theanine

It's tough to make the right choices for our families at the grocery store, especially with messages like this. My advice: if the claim sounds too good to be true, it is. Follow your gut.

Donating What We Don't Need

As November arrived in the Pacific Northwest, it quickly became time to go through our winter gear to see what still fits, what doesn't and what needs to be replaced. Two years ago we bought the kids snow gear a size larger than they needed so we were fortunate to get through two seasons. Unfortunately, that means it's time for them to be replaced this year, along with the coats, winter clothes and shoes that no longer fit our growing little ones.

Over the years, we've put these kind of barely-used items for sale at a consignment store, Craigslist or eBay to help fund the replacements. This year we've decided that there are a lot of families who need our warm, gently used gear and winter clothes more than we need the few dollars we'd profit.

At work, the Community Involvement Team that I'm a part of, has organized a Gently Used Coat and Shoe Drive. We're asking folks to clean out their closets and donate these items to local organizations that will make sure they get to the most needy folks.

For other items, we'll take them to the Neighborhood House that "brings neighbors together to feed the hungry, house the homeless, and educate young and old". They serve a lot of families with young children and need a variety of sizes to help meet the needs.

If you have items to donate and share with others, a quick search for local shelters or churches should offer you many choices. National organizations like Goodwill and the Salvation Army are good options as well. You may even know of family or friends that would greatly appreciate some hand-me-downs or would be interested in a clothes swap if the sizes work out right.

This year, I urge all of us to think about those in more need and do something. Make a difference. 

What will you do?

Helpful Information on the H1N1 Vaccine

A few months ago I shared information with you from various sources on the H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccine. Since then, we've watched the news each night with updates on the spread of the flu and shortage of vaccines, we've also heard more concerns about the vaccine and the unknown risk felt by many.

Knowing that consumers everywhere are likely having discussions with their family, friends and doctors on this topic, the company I work for, Aisle7, just published an update on the H1N1 vaccine to educate and inform shoppers of our customers. You'll find the introduction to the article below. If you have questions, are considering the H1N1 vaccine, or just want to be informed, please click on the image so that you can read the full article. You'll also find natural tips on staying healthy this cold and flu season which is smart whether you're vaccinated or not.

Depaving the parking lot to put up a park

Did I get the name of that song wrong? Just ask my husband, I'm always butchering songs. But this time, it was intentional. Think about it: pull up a parking lot to plant something green.

Crazy? Maybe.

But it's happening. We just watched a clip on our local news tonight where community members rallied to depave a local parking lot that wasn't being used anymore. They plan to use some of the land for community garden space and the rest will be green space to gather in and enjoy.

Why? Lots of reasons, but a few include:

• Asphalt heats up the environment on hot days
• Run off water from the parking lot often clogs our drains (and we get a lot of rain here), while native plants,trees and grass soak it up
• Trees, grass, flowers and vegetables are good for our earth, clean air and clean streams
• Every neighborhood could use more green space

And wouldn't you rather look at a park or lovely garden than a parking lot?

Believe it or not, some landowners of old, unused space would rather see it get put to good use for the community but sometimes don't have the resources or know-how to get it down. If you have this type of place in your community, you might be surprised at the answer if you just ask. Find a win-win situation and you've just improved your neighborhood! Maybe even raised your home value. And given local kids more outdoor space to play in.

Looking for Smart Choices at the Market

We all want to make the right choices for our family, especially when it comes to the food we feed them. With headlines telling us about the increase in childhood disease like obesity and diabetes, parents everywhere are trying to do their best to protect their children from danger.

While some government agencies are helping to make it easier with mandatory nutrition labeling on restaurant menus, there's a gap where we spend the most money on food: the grocery store. A few grocers have implemented their own nutritional guides to help shoppers make educated choices, but they can still require interpretation and understanding beyond the few seconds we really want to spend reading a product label.

Earlier this year, a group of food manufacturers like Pepsi, Kraft and Kelloggs developed their own self-endorsed labeling program called Smart Choices that called out products that met their secret-formula standards to make these decisions easier for shoppers. Some of the Smart Choices include Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms, Diet Pepsi and Fudgesicles.

In defense of this labeling , Jeff Stier from the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)  wrote:

Froot Loops and Lucky Charms have the ‘Smart Choices’ label. They have sugar in them, but they also contain half of a person’s daily requirement of some vitamins. If we’re able to give kids those nutrients, it should be okay to give them some sugar. If they sold these products without sugar, kids wouldn’t eat them, or they might end up adding even more on their own….Don’t companies have the right to say those foods are better than others? It’s not as if they are making specific health claims, rather these are just comparative claims.

Does that help you feel better about the rationale behind this program? 

On a related note, just this week there was a new study released from Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity indicating that cereals marketed directly to children have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber and 60% more sodium than cereals marketed to adults.

And if you've got a young child at home, you're likely not surprised to learn that the industry spends a lot of money targeting young children with their advertising: $156 million on cereal TV advertising alone.

“The total amount of breakfast cereal marketing to children on television and computer screens, and at their eye-level in stores, combined with the appalling nutrient profile of the cereals most frequently marketed is staggering,” said Jennifer L. Harris, director of marketing initiatives at Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

The good news, for today, is that the Smart Choices program is halting operations and many of the food manufacturers are revising their packaging to pull the label from these formerly smart choice products.

What does this really mean for us consumers? Well, according to the American Society of Nutrition:

The FDA intends to develop standardized criteria on which future front-of-package (FOP) nutrition or shelf labeling will be based. In a letter captioned, “Guidance for Industry” and posted on its website, the FDA stated: “We want to work with the food industry − retailers and manufacturers alike − as well as nutrition and design experts and the Institute of Medicine, to develop an optimal, common approach to nutrition-related FOP and shelf labeling that all Americans can trust and use to build better diets and improve their health.”

And that's really good news for Americans today.

So, for now, we continue to read labels and do our best to make our own smart choices at the market.

What Will You Do With Your Halloween Candy?

I don't know about you, but I've got a 10 pound bag of candy sitting on my front table and we didn't really stay out that long on Halloween. While I was pleased to see some pencils, stickers a few wind-up monsters, most of the "treats" were anything but for young, growing bodies.

What's a mama to do? She needs a good trick up her sleeve.

It was so much easier when they were younger and would forget about their sweet treasure by the next morning. This was really the first time that they asked about the candy, but maybe our mistake this year was leaving the goodie bags out in plain view.

For a few years, we've negotiated a bargain of a deal with our kids: they turn over all but a few pieces of acceptable candy and, in return, they can select a toy, book or money for their piggy banks. Since their evening was especially successful this year, they each earned $5 to deposit and agreed to keep four pieces of candy to enjoy. Both parties walked away from the negotiation pretty happy.

What they don't know yet is that this mama also purchased a few additional treats from Whole Foods that have no high fructose corn syrup, and are free of artificial colors and preservative. It'll be a nice surprise once their treasures are gone.

We want to know: how do you deal with the abundance of candy your child collects between trick or treating, school parties and friends?