Many green parents (and doctors) have long thought that increased exposure to environmental toxins can lead to childhood diseases such as asthma, cancers, birth defects, and developmental disorders. CNN.com even ran a story last week about industrial chemical buildup in children’s bloodstreams. Now, the Shaklee Foundation and HealthyChild.org have teamed up to produce a new DVD that provides information for parents, teachers, school administrators, and child care professionals on five easy steps to create healthy environments for children.

Creating Healthy Environments for Children features Private Practice’s Amy Brenneman as host with Ben Harper providing music. Pediatricians Dr. Philip Landrigan and Dr. Alan Greene provide their expertise, as well. Their five major tips include:

• Avoid using pesticides
• Clean safely
• Help children breathe easier
• Provide healthy food
• Use plastic products wisely.

Pop the DVD in your computers, and you’ll find three tool kits, one each for home, child care centers, and schools, that provide resources for making each environment safer for children. The tool kits also give advice for community outreach and activism on safer environments for children.

The DVD will be released in November and retails for $12.95. More information can be found on HealthyChild.org’s website. HealthyChild.org is also releasing a similar book Healthy Child, Healthy World, in March of 2008

Americans eat more than a ton of corn every year. Literally, a ton. Right now, you’re thinking, "There’s no way. No one eats that much corn, even in August." Well, that ton is not really corn in its unsullied, fresh-from-the-field, bought-at-a roadside-stand form. Nor is it in its canned-creamed-or-not form. Most of the corn we eat is in the form of processed additives and sweetners. Green Options’ Philip Proefrock wrote about how we eat corn, and why we eat so much of it. In the new documentary King Corn, director/producer Aaron Woolf attempts to bring the prevalence of corn to the big screen.

King Corn focuses on co-producers Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis as they move to Iowa, rent an plot of farmland, and attempt to grow an acre of corn using typical industrial methods: genetically modified seeds, nitrogen fertilizers, powerful herbicides, and government subsidies. They show us exactly how industrial corn production works today, from seed to table, in the convoluted journey of a commodity. From Ian and Curt’s one acre, they harvest enough corn to make 57,348 sodas, 3,894 burgers, or 6,726 boxes of cornflakes. And yes, corn is a major ingredient in all of those foods.

The two major corn byproducts King Corn focuses on are high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and beef. The average American consumes 73.5 pounds of HFCS per year, mostly in the form of soda. Ian and Curt talk to a cab driver whose family is plagued by diabetes and who lost 100 pounds, just by cutting soda out of his diet. They also visit a beef feedlot: a large percentage of corn grown in the US goes to feed beef, even though cows’ bodies are not designed to eat corn and it can make them seriously sick and definitely uncomfortable. But, as the panoramic shot of a feedlot populated by 100,000 head of cattle shows, indigestion is the least of most cows’ worries — they barely have room to turn around on their way to the slaughterhouse.

Cheney and Ellis are fairly charming, but leave little impression on the viewers other than they seem like nice guys with whom to share a beer. The time spent on the backstory of their families’ connection to Iowa is unnecessary and detracts from more content Woolf could have included about the impact of corn: namely the environmental impacts of industrial corn production at the scale we’re at right now. Just when I felt the filmmakers were about to talk about the degradation of topsoil, the carbon impacts of CAFOs and corn-fed beef, or the externalities created from industrial agriculture, they skirted away and went in another direction. And although they do inform on the gross use of farm subsidies and how those subsides have changed over time, they neglect to mention the impact of government subsides to American corn farmers on corn farmers in other countries, namely our Mexican neighbors.

However, industrial agriculture is a wicked problem, and the filmmakers do note that they wanted to focus on the food system. In my mind, though, you can’t talk about the problems with the food system without talking about the condition of the land we use to grow our food. With the environment so prominent in current discourse, one would think they would have at least touched on that area.

Despite this, I was entertained and informed, and not just because I’m a born-and-raised Iowa Girl. The vast majority of Americans have no idea how their food is produced, and King Corn gives a general glimpse into what Old MacDonald’s farm has become. If you liked Super Size Me, Sicko, or The Future of Food, King Corn is a hybrid of the three, and well worth checking out. Just don’t expect green themes to be prevalent.

Sustainability is making its way into mainstream periodicals. It seems like almost every magazine in the past year has featured a "green" issue, some credible, some not. My friend just gave me the green issue of a magazine targeted at the marketing industry. So it’s no surprise that Edutopia, an education magazine for teachers and administrators published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, used sustainability as a theme for their October issue.

Kudos to Edutopia; this issue ain’t no puff piece. Every teacher looking to go green, or those already greening their classroom, can find something of use to them in this jam-packed issue. The editor’s note in the issue is penned by guest editor Bill McKibben of Step It Up fame, who skillfully explains why all teachers should and can incorporate sustainability into their curriculum.

Edutopia listens to McKibben’s advice by provided several ideas for sustainability lesson plans and projects for all ages. Not only are there many useful ideas in the magazine, but there are more on the magazine’s website. There are also tips for teachers, by teachers, about how to green up their own classroom practices: some helpful, some fairly obvious.

Sara Bernard highlights Clackamas High School in Clackamas, Oregon, one of the first LEED-certified schools in the country. Not only is their building green, but their curriculum highlights sustainability, and students all participate in experiential learning. In teacher Rod Shroufe’s sustainable systems class, students do nothing but focus on making their school more sustainable. They run their own recycling center, investigate energy use and waste disposal, and analyze food waste. Shroufe then offers his own tips for making schools more eco-friendly.

Richard Rapaport reports on school gardens and playgrounds. I’ve written about schoolyard gardens before, but the nature-based "alternative playgrounds" highlighted here were new to me — and quite fascinating. For example, at the San Francisco School in the Bernal Heights District of San Francisco, the alternative playground has a dirt plot with a water pump that creates mud with the perfect consistency for mud castles and pies.

There are also articles on student environmental research, experiential learning, and environmental defense efforts. It struck me how much students can accomplish when they become passionate about something. These articles paired nicely with two pieces on the nuances of talking to kids about something as urgent and pressing as global warming. Edutopia also has Ann Cooper’s opinion on local eating, something often avoided in green magazine issues in favor of more benign lifestyle changes (like the ubiquitous CFL). Cooper not only explains the benefits of local eating, but provides the laundry list of local eating books for those looking for more information. And, of course, what green magazine issue would be complete without the seemingly-requisite interview with Ed Begley, Jr?

Edutopia’s green issue is legitimate and will hopefully bring the message of sustainability to a greater crowd who may just have more influence on the future than our politicians: our teachers. Of course, I’m biased, but climate change and environmental destruction will impact future generations more than they will impact us. Our children deserve to hear the message and feel empowered to make positive changes.

A common question when talking to my students about the concept of vegetarianism is, "What do they eat?" … as if a meal without meat somehow loses it’s focus or validity. There are several schools of thought on what vegetarians eat in lieu of meat. One group says, well, nothing. Fruits, veggies, grains, beans, nuts (and dairy and eggs, if you so desire) are enough on their own and can produce substantial, flavorful meals. Another group often substitutes meat with protein-alternatives, also knows as meat analogues, or, more commonly, "fake" meats. Buddhist cuisine has used seitan, tempeh, and tofu for hundreds of years, and many other Asian cuisines often incorporates tofu into dishes.

Personally, I think fake meat is just that — fake. It’s not a substitute for the real thing, but I do enjoy them. And I don’t need it in every meal — I love a fat plate of well-prepared in-season veggies, and I rely on the versatility of pasta for many of my meals. In fact, I only use protein alternatives once or twice a week because they are more processed (and more expensive) than I would like (save the versatile tofu). Some aren’t even suitable for vegans. But, I’ve found several "fake" meats that I whole-heartedly endorse on their own as lower-fat, lower-cholesterol, lower-calorie protein options, and some are good enough that my meat-loving husband doesn’t mind their presence.

My burger-of-choice is Morningstar Farms Grillers Prime, because (don’t judge!) they remind me of fast-food burgers, but I also like the Spicy Black Bean and Tomato & Basil Pizza Burgers. I’m not a huge fan of Boca anything — mainly because I don’t like the taste, and they’re owned by Philip Morris/Altria. I also like their fake bacon, as does my carnivorous husband, because it gets crispy. I use Morningstar’s Recipe Crumbles in tacos, lasagne, and other pastas, and both my husband and I prefer it because it lightens up heavy dishes.

The other brand I’m a fan of is Quorn, which is a "fake" chicken made of mycoprotein. Harder to find and more expensive, I think it’s the best chicken replacement with the most realistic savory flavor. I use their cutlets in rice dishes, and their Chik’n Tenders in fettuccini alfredo. Finally, I like Gardenburger’s BBQ Riblets, which is odd, since I never liked real ribs, but my sister-in-law and I rely on these during summer family barbeques, and they’re a nice change from veggie/soy burgers.

Enough about what I like — what do you guys think about "fake" meat? Is it a part of your meat-free or less-meat diet? Why or why not? What are your favorites, and why? I didn’t even touch on soy dogs or "soy"sage, because I don’t like them, but I know many people swear by them. Your thoughts on the fake meat debate?

When I talk to people about thinking sustainably, they inevitably ask for books to read, and although there are several books I love about sustainability, they’re all very specific to one area of sustainability. Want to read about food? Try Michael Pollan, Peter Singer, or the new Barbara Kingsolver book. Climate Change? How about The Weather Makers? Looking for the classics? Rachel Carson and Aldo Leopold are a good starting place. But I haven’t yet found the primer, the comprehensive text that really gets into why humanity desperately needs to embrace a greener way of life.

The Future of Nature: Writing on a Human Ecology from Orion Magazine (Milkweed Editions, $18.00), just might be that book. A collection of thought-provoking essays selected and introduced by Barry Lopez, The Future of Nature includes writings by such heavy-hitters as Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben, and Derrick Jensen, all originally published in Orion, the seminal magazine covering the intersection of culture, nature, and the environment.

Released this past Thursday, the book is divided into six loosely-themed sections. Actions runs the gamut of activism, from small suburban grassroots efforts to stop construction on a SuperTarget store to bailing out direct-action activists in Appalachia. Refugees discusses those displaced by humanity’s interactions with the environment, giving a face to the faceless victims of climate change and the unending hunt for resources. Boundaries addresses the idea of the wilderness and our relationship with it. Reverence discusses how appreciation for nature, a love of and respect for it, is the essential guidepost for sustainable living. Monsters lays out just exactly what sorts of devastating things we’re doing to our only home, and Native leaves the reader with both hope and guidance for living in harmony with our ecosystem.

Highlighting both theory and practice of sustainable (and unsustainble) living, the causes of our ecological crises, and a vision for a lasting future, The Future of Nature provides a plethora of contexts for understanding just why we desperately need to change the way we live. Elegantly written and compiled, this book should be required reading for those interested in sustaining our future on Earth. The themes balance each other nicely; the reader understands the reality of the direness of humanity’s situation but is left with hope that good things are happening everywhere, those little pockets of positive change that will lead to a more balanced way of life. It immediately made me want to go read not only Orion, but every other piece of writing by this insightful group of writers.

When Amy wrote about green magazines, she mentioned GOOD as being one of her favorites. I, too, a self-described magazine junkie, am a big fan of GOOD since it’s inception last year. With all the depressing news out there on any given day, GOOD always reaffirms my faith in humanity. Its focus is, like its name implies, good stuff: those things that are making our world a little bit better, and when I’m feeling down about what’s going on around me, GOOD usually perks me up. It’s a rare magazine that doesn’t need an annual "green" issue: sustainability has been a priority since the magazine was founded.

The latest issue (Sept/Oct 07) is no exception. The issue, which commemorates their one-year anniversary, focuses on design solutions. A topic I covered a while back, green schools, gets a feature nod from Eva Steele-Saccio. Steele-Saccio highlights different schools’ efforts to reduce their footprint and become more energy efficient, and acknowledges that there are benefits beyond energy savings: "Green schools create a healthy atmosphere for learning that has measurable results. The combination of natural light, fresh air, open plans, and multi-use facilities that encourage community involvement has helped student test scores rise by 20% and reduced asthma rates by 39%."

There’s also a feature about a village in England that launched a community effort to reduce their carbon footprint, with the ultimate goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral village in the U.K. GOOD’s product reviews almost always include items produced with sustainability in mind, and in this issue, they create a proposal for better CFL packaging: create a package that can be used to ship burned-out bulbs back to the producer for proper disposal. There’s also a profile of Rogan Gregory, founder of clothing company Loomstate, who was virtually responsible for bringing organic cotton to the fashion industry though his work with Loomstate, and his other two companies, Rogan and Edun

Even subscribing to GOOD can make you feel good: 100% of your $20 subscription costs goes to your choice of twelve charities, including the World Wildlife Fund and Oceana. Good is printed on 30% recycled post-consumer paper that is EcoLogic certified, and 100% offset by projects Good is actually involved in.

The September/October issue of GOOD is on newsstands now.

Thriftiness isn’t really "new" or "green"; people have found ways to reuse scrap or discarded items for years. The pre-industrialization U.S. didn’t have what we call "trash." Every bit of scrap and waste from the home was remade, reused in some way, or sold to peddlers where it was eventually recycled. With the Industrial Revolution came more products to buy with new kinds of packaging, and trash as we know it was born.

Dave and Lillian Brummet’s Trash Talk is a book that aims to get back to minimizing waste and finding everyday uses for trash. Think of it as "Hints From Heloise" meets Mother Earth News. The introduction reminds readers that reduce, reuse, and recycle should be precluded by refuse — as in, refusing to buy items that generate a lot of waste. The book is divided into four sections: the first has ideas for reusing common household items (some not-so-common — who has a plethora of old oven racks hanging around?), and the second has plans for habits you can implement that follow the four Rs, like composting, or cutting open toiletries bottles to get all the product out. The third section focuses on tips and habits related to paper, and the brief fourth section gives statistics that remind the reader that the little things do add up.

It’s clear that the authors walk the walk: many of the tips are reuse ideas that I hadn’t heard of, and their extensive gardening background was surprisingly helpful. The home garden seemed to be a playground for reuse. And, again, this seems to be more for the crunchier crowd — it definitely had the vibe of Mother Earth News as opposed to Real Simple. That doesn’t mean that it was packed full of radical ideas; most of the tips and habits are pretty practical for those who are in the process of going green. But there were a few that I know would cause the light-greenest of readers to drop the book and never look back.

There are issues with the text. The editing leaves something to be desired; I don’t know if the format of the book was the best way to present the information. The second section just seemed a catchall for random green-living ideas. Why is there a whole chapter about picking up trash while going on walks in a book marketed as "an inspirational guide to saving time and money through better waste an resource management?" I don’t think there’s really enough material here for a book like this: there’s a lot of unfocused information that, while interesting, didn’t really have a lot to do with solid waste reduction. And for $19.99, you’d think you get a lot more out of a paperback than 190 pages with a lot of white space.

All in all, the book is worth a read, but not a purchase. You’d be better off checking it out from your library, if you can find it.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education announced on Friday four Campus Sustainability Leadership Awards in four different categories. Two other schools were named honorable mention. The awards were given during the 7th biennial Greening of the Campus conference held at Ball State University.

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (Chandler, AZ) won in the community college and other two-year institutions category. Green Mountain College (Poultney, VT) won in the four-year and graduate institution (under 1,000 students) category. Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT) won in the four-year and graduate institution (1,000-7,500 students) category. Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI) won in the four-year and graduate institution (over 7,500 students) category.

Chandler-Gilbert’s president, Maria Hesse, was one of the first presidents to sign the American College & University President’s Climate Committment. The College is part of a city-wide system that uses reclaimed water for irrigation. Two of Chandler-Gilbert’s campuses use energy management systems to ensure energy efficiency, and all new buildings will be built according to LEED standards.

For Green Mountain College, the environment and sustainability are unifying themes on campus. Environmental awareness is infused into every aspect of the curriculum, and all students must take courses in sustainability. Students installed a wind turbine to power the campus greenhouse and solar panels on the student center. The remaining energy needs are met partially by electricity generated from methane from local dairy cow manure.

Middlebury College has pledged to become climate-neutral by the year 2016. Bill McKibben is a scholar-in-residence there, and Step It Up 2007 was largely organized by Middlebury alumni. 25% of Middlebury’s dining budget goes towards locally grown and produced food, and the college recycles 60% of its waste. The campus uses solar and wind-generated power for portions of its energy needs, and has an Environmental Council, a committee of students, staff, and faculty, that advises the president of the college on sustainability policies.

Michigan State University has been a leader in large campus sustainability by committing to a 2% annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, along with meeting LEED standards for all new buildings on campus. MSU has an extensive recycling program, sustainability speakers, and funds student-designed sustainability projects. It even hosts a green roofs research program. One look around their extensive "Ecofoot" website tells you that this is a campus that takes its sustainability seriously.

Honorable mentions were awarded to Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA) and University of California, Berkeley.

The college years are an exciting transitional time for young people. Many are off on their own for the first time, and they’re faced with responsibility for their own actions and their own well-being. For some teens, college is the first time they experience autonomy, and the variety of choices they’re faced with can be overwhelming, and the pressure of making green choices might just be too much to handle. There are, however, five simple choices they can make in their transition into adulthood that can easily lessen their footprint while in college.

• Walk. Almost all college campuses are designed to be walker-friendly. This might be the easiest time to get rid of your car. However, if being completely car-free isn’t an option, park it and leave it. Campus parking is notoriously frustrating, and keeping your car parked in a lot is a lot easier than futilely circling said lot. Use your feet, a bike, or campus transportation to get from your dorm to class to the library. If your school is in a larger city, most public transit systems offer student discounts on monthly, semester-long, or yearly passes.
• Eat greener. Dining halls have come a long way. Now, they’re catering to student demands, and the variety of food choices is endless. Choosing a diet based in whole-grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins from plants sources, such as beans and nuts, will not only reduce your carbon footprint, but will help fight off the dreaded freshman 15. Many dining halls are getting with the program and offering a wider-variety of meat-free entrees, and partnering with local farms to offer organic and local produce. If yours doesn’t, take advantage of those student dining surveys to express a preference for local, organic, and fair-trade food choices.
• Choose green cleaning products. Hopefully, most college kids helped out around the house at home, but those same kids probably didn’t have a lot of input as to the cleaning products they used. When cleaning in their dorms, whether it be the bathroom, their room, or their laundry, choosing biodegradable cleaning products keeps petroleum use to a minimum and minimizes toxins in their environment. Check out products from Mrs. Meyer’s, Method, Seventh Generation, or make your own.
• Recycle. With the push in the higher-ed community to go green, recycling may be more convenient on college campuses than it is in the general community. "Trash rooms" in dorms, where students dispose of their garbage, almost always have recycling bins for cardboard, plastic, glass, cans, and paper. Furnishing a dorm room with two separate receptacles, one for trash and one for recyclables, makes disposal a breeze.
• Reuse. College students are notorious for tossing away perfectly good stuff. Ever driven by dorms and off-campus housing at the end of the semester? You’ll find furniture, lamps, and appliances that students just don’t want to move. Consider used items when looking for college gear. Check out Gigoit, Craigslist, or Freecycle for free-to-dirt-cheap dorm room essentials. Conversely, use those same networking sites if you absolutely, positively, have to get rid of your old futon. Keeping functional items in use by someone keeps them out of the landfill. The same goes for clothes. One of my favorite thrift spots is located near a college where seemingly-affluent young women sell their perfectly good jeans–at a fraction of what it would cost me retail.

Students make big changes when they take the step from high school to college. That makes this transition the perfect time to take small steps for a greener life.

My husband and I went backpacking on the Appalachian Trail for ten days this summer, and we started off eating various energy bars because they were light and provided quick energy. However, we quickly grew tired of convincing ourselves that we actually liked eating them. I’ve never been a fan of bars: to me, they always seem like pathetic versions of what they claim to be. Chocolate-chip cookie dough? Cookies and Cream? Raspberry Strudel? Yeah, right. I’m friends with chocolate-chip cookie dough, sir, and your "bar" is not him.

I wish I had known about infant company Matisse & Jack’s before my trip. They’ve created two bake-at-home energy bar mixes using real ingredients that I could actually identify. I was initially going to review both the chocolate chip version and the cranberry walnut version, but my dog got ahold of the former before I could, which was a disappointment, but I forged ahead with the cranberry walnut

The directions seriously couldn’t be easier: combine the dry mix with three options of wet ingredients (original, dairy-free, or less sweet). I opted for "original", which involved applesauce and yogurt. I stirred it all together with a spatula, spread the batter in a 8"x8" pan, and baked for approximately 30 minutes. While baking, the bars filled my kitchen with a pleasant cinnamon smell.

After the allotted baking time, I couldn’t resist cutting a corner off and tasting it while it was still warm. I was pleasantly surprised. The cranberries, dehydrated in the dry mix, plumped up, and little chunks of walnut, oatmeal, and flaxseeds provided great texture. The bars were sweet, but not even close to overpowering. In fact, these sweet treats didn’t taste like energy bars, but more an oatmeal muffin or a scone. They were moist, yet held together without the extreme chewiness of some energy bars. I really, really liked them. In fact, I had to remind myself that these were supposed to be energy bars, not bakery-fresh treats.

The box recommends toasting lightly if you are into something a little drier. I had another bar the following morning, and it was perfect for a quick, healthy breakfast on the go. That’s probably what I would use these for: baking a pan during a busy week to serve as my breakfast. The bars provide a good dose of fiber, protein. and Omega-3s without a lot of calories (180 per bar).

Matisse & Jack’s are also committed to the environment. In fact, the idea for the mix came from the fact that there are virtually no energy bars on the market that aren’t individually packaged. The mix comes packaged in a 100% recycled (65% post-consumer) paperboard box, and although the mix is inside a plastic pouch for now, the company is working on developing a corn-based, biodegradable replacement. 30% of their ingredients, by weight, are certified organic, and M&J’s is looking to increase that number as well.

Take it from someone who normally hates energy bars: these aren’t your typical bar. They’re awesome, and I would absolutely make them again. They’re available online from M&J’s website, and and select supermarkets in Northern California and British Columbia.