save a little time, save a little money, save a little planet
A list of posts from around the web this week:
New Study and New Dangers of the Old Toxic Teflon Chemical @ Enviroblog.
Another Reason to Avoid High-Fructose Corn Syrup — Mercury @ Allie’s Answers
Tips for Greening Up Your Garden @ The Good Human
BPA Stays in the Body Longer Than Once Thought @ Safe Mama
Vampire Power Sucking Money From Your Wallet? @ Frugal Dad
How to Make Your Own Luck @ Get Rich Slowly
From time to time SmartFamilyTips will feature an organization that is a “Do-Gooder”: a group that works to help both people and the environment. The Do-Gooders may be companies, nonprofits, or any organized group that focuses its efforts on making the world a better place.
WE ADD UP is fighting global warming one person and one t-shirt at a time. Their innovative idea has landed them in the Top 10 Green Businesses of the Year at Co-op America’s 2008 awards. How do they do it? According to their website:
WE ADD UP is a global campaign using organic cotton t-shirts that literally “counts you in” in the fight against global warming. Every shirt is printed by hand with a unique number. YOUR number represents your place in the sequential global count of all the people who are taking steps to help stop climate change. As the count grows, we demonstrate to the world that “WE ADD UP.” On the back of each shirt is a word or phrase that describes an action almost anyone can take to reduce their carbon footprint – the contribution their lifestyle makes to greenhouse gases – such as, Unplug, Lights Off, Carpool, Hybrid, Bike, Buy Local, and 18 others. You choose which action you are committed to doing and get counted in. No one can do everything. Everyone can do something. And, WE ADD UP.
Our goal is to get millions of people around the world counted in and committed to helping stop global warming. With our combined effort, we can create a healthy, thriving world for generations to come. So, get counted in. Because you + everyone else = change.
I’ve had a great time looking around their site. The shirts are really cool. I’m trying to figure out which action I want to choose. The kids’ shirts are among my favorites.
WE ADD UP donates 1% of sales or 10% of profits (whichever is greater) to climate causes. They are also Co-op America Approved. In addition to standard sales, WE ADD UP offers fundraising for school groups and non-profits. A worthy cause; serious do-gooder.
Free range eggs, that is. According to the pastured egg research conducted by Mother Earth News, free range eggs have “4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs.” Unfortunately, there is a huge problem with the term “free range.” Many of us have a vision of little chickens running free through gorgeous green fields, returning to their coops only at night to rest. But legally, people must only “provide access” to pasture for chickens to be considered free range. However, many farmers keep the chickens cooped up for the first few weeks of their lives (which is allowed) and only then open a door on their cages. By this time, the chickens, who have never been outside, have no desire to go.
Your best bet is to buy organic eggs (which doesn’t guarantee free range, but many organic farmers believe in the process and do this). And to buy your organic eggs through a smaller, more local farm. There is a grocery store chain in my area that carries organic, free-range eggs from a small farm only a couple of hours from where I live. The yolks in the eggs are much darker — more orange, which is one way you can tell if you’ve gotten the real deal or not.
Check out Mother Earth News’ Chicken and Egg Page. There, you’ll find that pastured eggs also contain:
• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
We’ve been eating these eggs for a while now and really like them. It’s great to know that chickens raised in pasture are not only treated more humanely, but that the eggs they produce are healthier for us as well.
Where do you get your eggs?
