Is Your Sofa Safe?

I often worry about the chemicals I use in my house. I worry about what exactly is in the air freshener I use. I freak out when my husband buys a Teflon skillet. But, I just read that another real threat in my house may be my sofa. My sofa? A threat? Yes. Since 1975, California has required that all furniture with foam such as sofas and baby products such as car seats be treated with flame retardant chemicals. That standard, maybe because California is so large a state, became the standard for most other states. The problem is while … Continue reading →

Bad News for Reusable Shopping Bags

For a couple of years now, we have been pushed to say goodbye to both plastic and paper bags at the store. Instead, it has been suggested we use reusable bags. This means less waste and less plastic in landfills. But now, there is bad news for reusable shopping bag fans and it may have everyone rethinking the whole bag thing again. One thing that appears to be important with the reusable bags that wasn’t with paper or plastic bags is washing. Yes, your reusable bag may be a haven for germs which can make your family sick. In fact, … Continue reading →

Another Citizen Loses a Garden Due to City Codes

During World War II, the government pushed Victory Gardens – gardens planted in public areas and residencies to help feed people during the war efforts. Today, it seems that many gardeners are seeing the wrath of the government when it comes to residential gardens Not long ago, I told you about the plight of the Helvengstons, a couple in Orlando who have been told by local government to dig up their front yard vegetable garden. Doing a little research, I found that there are several citizens who have been asked to get rid of their gardens – or worse Denise … Continue reading →

That’s Not Very Green, Orlando!

Jason and Jennifer Helvengston are residents of College Park, a section of Orlando, Florida. This area is close to downtown and popular among the working age citizens, of which the majority are homeowners. But, if you are a homeowner, do you have the right to do whatever you want on your land? No, according to College Park officials. See, Jason and Jennifer decided to set up a 25 x 25 foot micro-irrigated vegetable garden in their front yard. City code says your yard has to look “finished” and kept clean to keep property values up. Therefore, officials told Jason he … Continue reading →

A Push for Safe Beauty Products

As I’ve warned before, your beauty products may be doing you harm. Right now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t approve ingredients used in beauty products before they hit the shelves. Instead, that responsibility of safety falls on the beauty product companies. Still, there could be lead in your lipstick, lead acetate in your hair dye, and even formaldehyde and 1, 4-dioxane in you baby’s shampoo. But, that may change soon. The Safe Cosmetics Act was introduced in 2011. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is hoping to convince the House of Representatives to support this bill, which would require … Continue reading →

Warming Hurts Ski Industry

What is it going to take for businesses to realize global warming is real? What about a loss in profits? Americans love to ski and play in the snow. And, it’s big business, bringing in an estimated $1.4 billion in state and local taxes and $1.7 billion in federal taxes alone. But, lack of snow fall, perhaps due to global warming, has slowed the industry. A report done by two University of New Hampshire researchers for Protect Our Winters and the Natural Resources Defense Council shows that global warming is hurting ski resorts. The study estimates the ski industry has … Continue reading →

Parking Spot Costs $640,000

What better way to encourage the use of public transportation than to making the cost of parking outrageous! That is the case in Hong Kong, where land, no matter how small, is a great commodity. CEO Jacinto Tong has a piece of prime real estate in Hong Kong – a parking spot. Yes, it is only 8-feet-by16-feet, but this slab of concrete comes at a hefty price – $640,000. That is about $5,000 per square foot. Tong says it is the best parking spot he’s ever had – he only has to walk 20 steps to the elevator. And, he … Continue reading →

Hurricane Sandy Relief Continues to Pour In

Hurricane Sandy happened almost a month ago, but the devastation it left in its path will take a long time to clean up. There are still about 120,000 people without power in New York and New Jersey, but that also includes homes there were too damaged to have power anyhow. If anything good came from this, it is the generosity of Americans. Some physically went to damaged areas while others gave what they could to help the victims. I already wrote about celebrities that gave to Hurricane Sandy relief, but it is worthy to note that Lady Gaga donated $1 … Continue reading →

The Green Party

I don’t know about you, but I am a bit worn out with all the presidential race news. But, one thing I haven’t heard much about, unfortunately, is the Green Party. It seems like Al Gore should be its presidential candidate, but the Green Party candidates are actually Dr. Jill Stein and her vice-presidential candidate, Cheri Honkala. The Green Party isn’t new – it’s been around since 1984. What is their platform? According to its homepage, the Green Party, or “Greens” as they call themselves, “are grassroots activists, environmentalists, advocates for social justice, nonviolent resisters and regular citizens who’ve had … Continue reading →

Cities with the Best Air Quality

Honeywell AirGenius has announced the best cities as far as air quality goes and I am not shocked to find Memphis was nowhere close. Well, I shouldn’t saw nowhere close because we did rank in the top 100 – 82nd. Hey, we are ranked above Los Angeles, St. Louis, Dallas-Forth Worth, and Philadelphia. I read a statistic recently that said we take over 21,500 breaths a day, but we often don’t think about exactly what we are taking in with each of those breaths. The AirGenius Awards were based on airborne pollen levels, particulates air population, and smoking regulations. If … Continue reading →