My first column on HuffPo focuses on not only Chicago’s resolution regarding a healthier, more sustainable food system, but also the impact they can have on other cities and the momentum of the food movement:

Competition among large cities to be the first in a given green technology, green roofs or greenest overall city raises the bar for others to improve their relative sustainability. This resolution is a great example of thinking globally and acting locally: as Chicagoans make healthier, more sustainable food choices, the impact can be huge as other cities follow suit and the movement toward sustainable eating grows.

What does Chicago’s Green Food Resolution say? Both its text and its very presence say a lot. The growth of the food movement is exemplified by the fact that local officials are not only discussing, but also have gone so far as to acknowledge in a resolution that the manner in which our food is produced affects both our health and the sustainability of the planet.

Of course, I’ll continue writing on Earthascope regularly, but the opportunity to write for The Huffington Post is a great one that will allow me to reach a greater audience.  I plan to continue writing there about environmentally-related stories in Chicago. 

Check out my piece on The Huffington Post!

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Check out these finds! Vollrath pot: $3.90, Revere Ware Pot and Steamer basket: $3.90, sifter: $0.45

This week’s Green Life Project action item is to begin shopping at secondhand stores.

I know, you may have a bias against buying something secondhand.  The fact that someone else was using it can make some of us squeamish, but pretty much anything you buy from a thrift store can be washed, whether clothing or homewares, and how many of us have bougth items at yardsales?  Or tried on a pair of jeans at a store which potentially many other people had tried on?  

The point is, squeamishness can be put aside.  I love to cook and many of us are rediscovering the value of knowing how to cook and cook well, both as a societal/cultural change, and one made to help us to eat locally grown, fresh foods.  I will focus on the cooking/serving items I have bought secondhand.

We can help close the loop on materials through reusing items before sending them off for recycling of their raw materials.  By closing that gap, you can find some deals and improve your envirohuman impact!

What items in my kitchen are secondhand?  Actually, the shorter list for me would be that which is not secondhand.  Most of my lot, my preparation and eating utensils, my mixing bowls, pots, pans, and measuring cups, were bought at different secondhand stores.  And most of it was in great condition — usually with something cooked on that had to be scrubbed away.  But you sometimes will find almost new, some stuff still with the tags left on them!  You would not know my stuff is secondhand items were not bought new — most of them are glass or stainless steel and have been scrubbed back to a like-new shine.XX

Quality items can be had for cheap!  Most utensils at many thrift stores will go for a dime to fifty cents per piece.  Compare that to a $10 or $15 set of new Kitchen Aid brand measuring cups!  Many secondhand stores will occasionally be overstocked and hold half-price or $1 per bag sales, where you can really get major deals on gently used stuff.

Sometimes you can even score restaurant-grade cookware for cheap.  I recently bought a huge stainless steel Vollrath brand sauce pot for less than $4; it probably would have run me $50 or more new.  If you are willing to search, great deals are available!

Secondhand stores can often provide hard-to-find or usually expensive items — but you have to be willing to look!  I have some very nice heavy-disk bottom Revere Ware pots that were a fraction of the cost that you pay for new ones.  These were in like-new condition and will likely last me a long time.  Collanders, muffin tins, cake pans, pie plates, custard dishes, you name it, I’ve found it!  Restoration Hardware brand plates?  I paid around $3 for all six.

Sometimes the items need to be scrubbed with steel wool and others are beyond being saved.  But knowing when to recognize those items that can be restored is the key!  You would be surprised what you can find, especially for someone who likes to cook!  

Greener?  By buying used products, you’re reducing the collective need of our society to use our resources to make new.  If you haven’t already, start shopping for gently used items at a local thrift store today!

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Manufacturers, not wanting to miss out on the huge California population, will usually bend to these rules, even if it means listing something as carcinogenic on the label, if they get to continue selling their products in California.  The rest of us reap the rewards!

According to The Daily Green, 30 more chemicals were just listed by the State of California to be toxic in one or more ways.  Check ‘em out – In the words of The Daily Green

Male Reproductive Toxicants

1. n-Butyl glycidyl ether, a chemical used to make epoxy resins with a number of uses in common products
2. Carbaryl, a household pesticide used to kill a range of insects, and sold as Sevin by GardenTech and Bayer (also a developmental toxicant)
3. 2-Chloropropionic acid, a chemical used to make herbicides
4. Dichloroacetic acid, which forms in drinking water as a byproduct of disinfection using chlorine
5. Diglycidyl ether, a chemical used to make epoxy resins
6. Ethylene oxide, a chemical mainly used in the manufacturing of chemicals like antifreeze and polyester (also a developmental toxicant)
7. Ethyl-tert-butyl ether, a common gasoline additive
8. Methyl chloride, a chemical used primarily to make silicone polymers, but also used in other processes, including the oil refining
9. Methyl n-butyl ketone, an industrial solvent
10. Phenyl glycidyl ether, an industrial chemical
11. 1,3,5-Triglycidyl-s-triazinetrione, a constituent of some paints
12. 4-Vinyl-cyclohexene, a chemical used in the production of epoxy resins (also a female reproductive toxicant)

Carcinogens

1. Amsacrine, a chemotherapy drug
2. Bleomycins, antibiotics used in chemotherapy treatments
3. Chlorophenoxy herbicides, including 2,4-D, are common weedkillers sold for lawn and garden use
4. Marine diesel fuel
5. Progestins, synthetic hormones found in some birth controls
6. Styrene, an ingredient in many plastic and foam products
7. Toxins derived fromFusarium moniliforme (Fusarium verticillioides), a fungus
8. Vinyl acetate, a compound used to make polymers used in plastics, films, lacquers, adhesives, inks, water-based emulsion paints, floor tiling, safety glasses, cosmetics and personal care products and other goods
9. Wood dust
10. Zalcitabine, an HIV drug sold as Hivid
11. Zidovudine (AZT), an HIV drug

Developmental Toxicants

1. Tert-Amyl methyl ether, a common fuel additive
2. Carbaryl, a household pesticide used to kill a range of insects, and sold as Sevin by GardenTech and Bayer (also a male reproductive toxicant)
3. Chloroform, which is used in the manufacturing of other chemicals, and which can form in drinking water as a byproduct of disinfection using chlorine
4. N,N-dimethylacetamide, a solvent used in industries ranging from fibers and adhesives to pharmaceuticals and plasticizers
5. Ethylene oxide, a chemical mainly used in the manufacturing of chemicals like antifreeze and polyester (also a male reproductive toxicant)
6. 2-Ethylhexanoic acid, a chemical associated with phthalates and PVC plastics
7. p,p’-Oxybis (benzenesulfonyl hydrazide), an industrial chemical
8. Phenylphosphine, an industrial chemical

Female Reproductive Toxicants

1. Toluene, a constituent of oil, is found in gasoline and is used to make paints, paint thinners, fingernail polish, lacquers, adhesives and rubber
2. 4-Vinyl-cyclohexene, a chemical used in the production of epoxy resins (also a male reproductive toxicant)

We can all be a little more mindful of what we’re putting into and onto our bodies.  The lesson? check the labels of your cosmetics products and begin changing over to greener, safer products today!  Changing over also prevents these chemicals from being produced and eventually ending up in our environment!

A great place to start with cosmetics products is to check them at Skin Deep.  If you find products with any of the toxins listed above, share them in the comments section below!

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