Easy Being Green

Yesterday, ecosalon.com posted an article suggesting 20 different ways to use garlic.

Now, I’m a big fan of garlic and any time a recipe calls for two cloves, I usually double if not triple it.

And because my husband is part Italian, we cook with a lot of garlic.

Consequently, if their story is right, I should never have a mosquito bite.

But clearly injesting it doesn’t work, so maybe I’ll try the spray option.

The other garlic remedies sound somewhat plausible at least:

• Splinter removal
• Acne
• Pesticide
• Fish bait
• Cough syrup

And many more. I may try a few with the garlic we have from the summer’s harvest (we planted 75 cloves last fall).

And if you have some garlic and want to try a few yourself, let me know how they work (or don’t work).

– Linda J.

Now that we’ve re-launched the Easy Being Green blog, it’s time to start talking about how green we are, our kids are going to be as they grow up and what that will mean for Kentucky.

If you are just getting started and need some ideas, check out these going green tips.

Start with the first 10 or so, then when you get comfortable, try some more!
Do or have tried all 30 tips?

Well, what more should people know that isn’t in this list?

Tell me and I’ll add them in.

– Linda J.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall notice for about 10,000 Young Artists Easels, because the chalkboard surface contains high levels of lead.

The easels, manufactured in China for MacPherson’s, of Emeryville, Calif., were sold between July 2004 and June 2009.

Use this form to tell the CPSC about any injury reports or hazards related to this recalled product.

For details about replacements for the easels, contact the company at (866) 319-5335 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, visit the firm’s Web site at www.art-alternatives.com/recall or send email to recall@macphersonart.com.

— Linda J.

How clean can something really be if chemicals are used to “clean” it? What percentage of those chemicals are left behind on surface you just cleaned?

The Environmental Working Group studied cleaners used in 20 schools in California, and posted the results, showing what’s in the cleaners and the potential hazards associated with each chemical.

Many of the cleaners cited are common household items, so it’s enlightening for what may be under your kitchen sink.

If you have other cleaners not listed on the EWG site, you can also look up the chemicals in cleaning supplies at the National Institutes of Health household products site.

Do you have natural cleaners that work really well? Send me an email, at ljohnson1@herald-leader.com, and we’ll try to check them out.
— Linda J.

Slate’s The Green Lantern has a great article looking at what hot showers cost in water and energy.

It’s depressing.

I’m sorry, but I’m drawing a line on this one.

I freeze at work and we’ve turned the thermostat down at home to where I’m usually cold, but we’re saving energy so I’m living with it. So a hot shower is my one warm retreat each day.

But I also don’t brush my teeth in the shower, as the article mentions, and for years I’ve turned the water off while brushing my teeth or even washing my hands (while soaping up).

And, frankly, on five out of seven days a week — school days — I take a pretty quick shower as it is. I’ll see if I can make it quicker, but that’s the best I can do.

So, read the article and then take our poll and tell us how this relates to your routine.

— Linda J.

So many questions abound: I get buy local, I get Fair Trade. But to me, organic should mean organic.

Turns out, not so much.

The USDA’s National Organic Program’s regulations sheet list four levels of “organic” labels, from 100% organic to ‘Processed products that contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients.’

That’s a huge difference.

But this is useful: The logo below indicates a product is at least 95% organic.

So, read labels carefully, and pay attention to how a store markets its “organic” items.

— Linda J.