Foods for the green grill

The enlightened griller will serve humanely raised poultry and meat, and pesticide-free veggies this 4th of July and any old good time. When it comes to frankfurters, you can take the high road with the green haute dog.

Companies whose organic/grassfed hot dogs are available nationally by mail or retail include:
Applegate Farms
Dines Farms
Let's Be Franks
Niman Ranch
Organic Valley
Prather Ranch

Choose poultry that's led a natural, unconfined life, and meat from animals who not only knew what grass is, but spent most of their lives on it. You also don't want any products from animals who've been dosed with antibiotics, overuse of which is leading to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. And we do want the freshest in-season vegetables, free of pesticide residues, grown by local or regional farmers. Here's how to find 'em all:

* Type in your zip code to find local, sustainable, organic meat, dairy and produce from nearby farmers' markets, butchers, farmers, stores, and restaurants, at the wonderful Eat Well Guide site of Sustainable Table, which also produces the award-wining Meatrix film series.
* Look for the following labels on poultry and meat. None permit antibiotics or growth hormones, or feeding of animal parts to animals.
*American Grassfed Association: Cows, sheep, goats eat grass, period, and standards require they spend most of their lives outside in the pasture. Will soon be third-party-certified by the Food Alliance (see below).
*Animal Welfare Approved: This label, which is exclusive to family farms, guarantess outdoor living to cows and chickens alike and recently received top ratings from the World Society for Protection of Animals.
Certified Humane: Oddly for a humane label, pasture time is not specified, although comfortable shelter and gentler handling are.
* Food Alliance Certified: Sets clear ecologically responsible standards for vegetables, fruits and animal raising. Pasturage and humane slaughtering are required .
*USDA Organic: Better for you, but not necessarily for the animals. They eat only 100% certified organic grass, corn or grain, but, while they're required to have "access" to pasture, this is not clearly defined the way it is with the labels above.

As for the vegetables: Organic's great, and so's local. It's high summer, and nearly everything local is abundant and cheap. Look for produce labeled local at your supermarket and of course hit the nearest farmers' market. Locate greenmarkets in your area using the USDA's tool or at Local Harvest.

How to choose a green computer (and responsibly get rid of your old one)

Ah, computers. To buy, or not to buy? In tech purchasing, as in nearly everything these days, it's possible to spend your pennies more wisely for your sake and the planet's, now that companies are being vetted for energy efficiency and reduced pollutants. On the other hand, given the hazardous e-waste released by improper "recycling" (read, dumping) of 50-80% of our e-waste abroad, you might want to hold onto your old machine, upgrading its memory (and saving your money) for as long as possible.

If you really want or need to buy new, ask the company if they'll take your old machine for free recycling. To find out company policies, go here.

In a nutshell, here's what to look for new, and what to avoid:

Good Penny: Energy Star computers with least toxic contents

Bad Penny: Computers that waste energy and contain hazardous chemicals

Did You Know? If all computers sold in the U.S. met the U.S. EPA Energy Star standards, we’d save about $2 billion in electricity each year, and reduce as many greenhouse gases as taking 2 million cars off the road.
Toxic fire retardants can migrate out of computers [casings] into house dust, according to a 2004 Environmental Working Group study. Learn about other hazardous chemicals in computers from the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition.

4 things to demand from a new green computer:

* It should be energy efficient/ Energy Star compliant
* It should minimize the use of hazardous chemicals
* Its maker should have a responsible takeback/ recycling program
* The company should be significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Check out Greenpeace’s newest “Guide to Greener Electronics," released November 25. Among computer makers, Toshiba scored best in this round, followed by Motorola, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Acer, Dell, HP, Apple, Lenovo, and so on. Also look for a high rating from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT).

Currently, we like Apple and Dell for their performance and because both will accept machines by other makers for recycling. A popular green desktop this year is Dell’s new Studio Hybrid, which uses 70 percent less electricity than the average desktop PC. It won its Energy Star and a Gold rating from EPEAT. At $649, the Hybrid sits light on both the planet and your wallet. If you donate your old computer to the National Cristina Foundation, which refurbishes them for use by low-income families, Dell will give you a 10% off coupon for their products. That said, Greenpeace does fault Dell for not yet getting rid of PVC and brominated fire retardants.

Among laptops, Apple’s MacBook Air uses the least energy among the whole Mac family, and earned an Energy Star and a Silver EPEAT rating. Apple assures that the MacBook air is free of arsenic, mercury, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and PVC plastic. And, it comes in an easily-recycled aluminum casing. Price: $1799. Apple also complies with the Basel Convention, which means that it cannot export its e-waste out of the U.S. On the other hand, Greenpeace dropped Apple a notch in its ratings, and points out that the MacBook Air still contains some toxic substances, although in its favor, the company is now disclosing its carbon footprint and has removed PVC and BFRs from its iPods.

Old or New: Energy saving tips

Whether you keep chugging along with your old computer or buy a new one, you can always improve on its performance and your energy savings by smart usage.

*Use your machine's built-in power-saving features. To learn what they are, how to activate them, and calculate how much you would save, check out the EPA IT Calculator and other tools featured on the Climate Savers Computing website.

Turn off your computer and the power strip when it's not in use. See more tips from the EPA.

Average U.S. retail price for a kilowatt hour of electricity (kwh) was 10.63 cents in August 2008 (latest figures), acc to DOE. If you turn off your PC when it's not in use, you can save 188 kilograms of CO2 and 437 kilowatt hours a year. That's $43 at the current average U.S. price of 10.6 cents per kwh.

Finding more products

For a list of Energy Star desktops, click here.

For a list of Energy Star laptops, look here.

Check out these 2008 lists for greenest PCs and Laptops.

The Environmental Working Group has a list of PDBE-free computers with links to manufacturers’ websites.

Want more simple green living tips? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter by emailing GreenerPenny@gmail.com. Thanks!

Mindy

BPA-free Pumpkin Pie

The secret to making BPA-free pumpkin pie is a simple one: Don't use pumpkin or milk from metal cans, which are lined with resin containing the estrogenic, toxic chemical. See watchdog group EWG's good summary of BPA findings.

For the pumpkin puree, you can make your own from a fresh little sugar pumpkin (see instructions below). Or, look on store shelves and at farm stands for pumpkin puree or pumpkin butters (above, from Muirhead Foods) packed in glass, which is BPA-free. Jars of organic pumpkin pie butter can be ordered from Latimore Valley Farms. You can easily find the pumpkin farm or farmers' market nearest you at Local Harvest.

Instead of canned evaporated milk, indulge in thick sweet organic dairy cream or soy milk (both are also free of added hormones and antibiotics) in cardboard or aseptic cartons or glass.

To make your own pumpkin puree:

*Buy a 2 lb. organic sugar pumpkin or butternut squash, enough for one pie filling.

*With a sharp knife, cut out the top, slice pumpkin into eighths, and scrape out insides (a serrated knife or grapefruit spoon works nicely).

*Boil slices until pulp turns bright orange and soft.

*Let cool to room temp.

*Blend or puree in food processor until smooth.

Pumpkin Pie Recipes

*We like this classic version, which you can alter according to your own tastes, from Diamond Organics, where you can also buy all the ingredients for next-day delivery.

* Here's a recipe using pumpkin butter (which doesn't contain dairy, just pumpkin, sweetener and spices)

* And here's an egg-free, vegan pumpkin pie filling recipe:

3/4 lb. firm tofu

2 cups pumpkin puree (if you use pumpkin butter, taste before adding any spice/sugar)

1 cup brown or raw sugar

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (safflower, canola or corn)

2 Tbsp molasses

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Blend or process until smooth; add to pie shell; and bake for at least 350 degrees F for 1 hr., or until firm and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Win-win: One pumpkin pie from scratch, and another way to scratch BPA off your list!

Use glass instead of "microwave-safe plastic"

Before you nuke those Thanksgiving leftovers, think twice about using plastic containers labeled "microwave safe." When heated, several of these products were found to release toxic doses of Bisphenol A, in tests commissioned by the Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel ."The amounts detected were at levels that scientists have found cause neurological and developmental damage in laboratory animals," the newspaper reported on November 15th. While studies of the chemical has raised concern primarily for its impact upon fetal and infant development, a recent human study has shown a greater risk of diabetes and heart disease among adults with the most exposure to BPA. While alarming, it wasn't a surprise to learn that, of the 10 products tested, a can of Enfamil infant formula and a Rubbermaid Premier container made of polycarbonate (#7) leached the most amounts of the chemical. Most food and drink cans are lined with BPA, and polycarbonate is known to contain it. What was unsettling: BPA was also found to migrate out of plastics with the recycling numbers 1, 2, and 5, which have generally been considered to be safer alternatives. These tests, which were overseen by Frederick vom Saal, professor of biology at the University of Missouri, fortify the pediatric environmental health community's warnings against microwaving or heating food or baby formula in plastic containers and bottles of any kind.

Here are some glass substitutes:

Microwavable Pyrex 18-piece glass food container sets are now on sale for $29.99 (down from $39.99) at Amazon.com, where a set of three Frigoverre glass containers is $25.95. Glass baby bottles are made by Bornfree, Evenflo, Medela and Nurturepure.

Readers Response to Nonstick Cookware

Green Cookware: Seasoned cast iron, enameled cast iron, Thermolon/ceramic nonstick coated pans, ovenproof glassware for baking

Not Green: Teflon/Silverstone-type nonstick coatings using PFCs

Reason: Until recently, most nonstick cookware was made with PFOA, a perfluorochemical that has been linked to cancer. Although chemical companies agreed to phase out the use of PFOA by 2015, this does not affect PTFE, another perfluorochemical, which is the main component in conventional nonstick cookware. PTFE is known to break down at high temperatures and its fumes cause acute, flu-like symptoms if inhaled.

What to do?

If you’d rather not buy new:

Use what you’ve got with care. If your Teflon pans are unscratched and unscorched, there’s no reason to toss them. Continue to use and preserve them carefully with non-scratching wood, silicone or, yes, Teflon utensils. Never use them on high heat, above 500 degrees F. Never heat them when empty.
Look for indestructible cast-iron and uncoated stainless steel pots and pans at yard sales, flea markets, and secondhand stores.

If you’re ready to buy new, buy smart. Greenerpenny recommends the following:

Cuisinart Green Gourmet
GreenPan
Le Creuset enamel (coated cast-iron for stovetop/ oven, and glazed clay for oven only)
Lodge Cast Iron
Pyrex glassware (for baking, not stovetop)

To respond to Greenerpenny readers’ latest round of comments and questions on nonstick cookware, below, we checked with DuPont, the Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Reports, the Environmental Working Group, and Scientific American.

Reader: Anodizing aluminum pans produces a very hard surface with no toxins. Non-stick coatings are applied on top and this is where the controversy is.

Greenerpenny: This is a good point. A pan’s label may declare it’s “PFOA-free” but remain mum on whether the pan has PTFE. Remember: The phase-out of PFOA does not affect the presence of PTFE in conventional nonstick cookware. If you’re trying to discern the safety of your pots and pans, you have to ask whether they’re free of PFOA and PTFE.

Reader: I was wondering if you had any studies of the green pan made by Cuisinart? We purchased one and it works really good. But we wanted to make sure it was safe.

GreenerPenny: According to Cuisinart, their new Green Gourmet pan has a ceramic nonstick coating and contains neither PTFE nor PFOA. GreenPan’s manufacturer makes the same assurances.

Reader: How about ALL-CLAD's Excalibur? I paid a king's ransom for these pans about 10 years ago and they said they were safe! Know anything about them? I'll throw them out if you say to...

Greenerpenny: It’s flattering to be held in such high regard, but we need more information about your cookware. All-Clad makes both stainless steel and nonstick-coated pans. If yours are the stainless steel variety (shiny silver on the inside and out) you probably have nothing to worry about.

If you do have the black silky nonstick coating on the inside of your pans, that’s another story. The EPA and the companies that use PFOA in their cookware didn't agree to a PFOA phase-out until 2005, so if you bought your pans 10 years ago, they could very well have PFOA in them. Heck, cookware can technically have PFOA in it until 2015!

But you can probably still cook on your All-Clad if you take precautions, as noted above. Consumer Reports did independent studies of nonstick cookware known to have PFOA and their findings were reassuring. They recommend not putting the cookware on the stove without something in it first; while PTFE tends to start breaking down (and releasing toxic fumes) at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, the presence of food or oil will prevent the pan from releasing fumes as it heats up, CR said.

Please tell your friends about GreenerPenny.com! They can visit us on the web or subscribe to receive updates and tips on living the green life at info@greenerpenny.com.

By Island Girl

Happy Melamine-Free Halloween!

Green Halloween Buys: Lake Champlain or Sweet Earth foil-wrapped milk and dark chocolate coins; Yummy Earth organic, individually wrapped lollipops, Sour Z treats or Gummy Worms; Annie's Organic Bunny Fruit snacks

Don’t Buy: Sherwood Pirate’s Gold Milk Chocolate Coins; White Rabbit “milk” candies; unlabeled candies of any kind, which may contain toxic melamine.

Buccaneers are big this Halloween, but make sure your pirate’s hoard doesn’t contain melamine, the chemical illegally added to Chinese dairy products, including infant formula, that has caused 54,000 cases of kidney stones and four infant deaths in that country.

First, it’s important not to panic: These illnesses are due to contaminated infant formula, and eating a candy or two doesn’t begin to approach a dangerous dose, according to nutritionist Marion Nestle in her Dailygreen.com column. However, Dr. Nestle points out, melamine is symptomatic of a broader consumer protection matter, namely, that we are entitled to know what’s in our food.

Next, here's what to look out for: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall of Sherwood Brands Pirate’s Gold Milk Chocolate Coins, sold in Costco and dollar and bulk stores. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not recalled Pirate’s Gold because, the agency says, the candies were not distributed in this country. However, on its website, Sherwood admits that it really can’t be certain where all its products end up. The FDA has recalled White Rabbit candies, but its tracking has been less than reassuring: The agency’s list of states where the candies were distributed does not include Connecticut, where White Rabbit toffees containing melamine were found this month by that state’s office of consumer protection.

As a vigilant Greenerpenny reader advises:

“Please make sure to check your children’s Halloween candy and DO NOT LET THEM EAT THE PIRATE COINS (you know, the ones wrapped in the shiny gold foil) and please let other parents know about this!”

Food origins, tracking, meaningful safety standards and enforcement are the broader issue, in this age of global markets. Melamine has just leapt beyond products containing milk, such as Chinese cookies found with high levels in Asian and Europe, (the FDA has also recalled Mr. Brown powdered "nondairy" creamer) to crop up in eggs from China. Dr. Nestle says, “For the moment, it’s best to just say no to imported foods and ingredients supposedly made with milk or soy powder, unless they are certified free of melamine and other toxic contaminants. But for this, it helps to know where food and ingredients come from.”

Organic certification, of course, means a product can’t contain melamine or other synthetic chemicall. Organic labels are transparent, that is, the ingredients are regulated each step of the way and can be traced back to the source. If your child brings home unlabeled candies, “trade” them for organic fruit (including individually boxed organic raisins) and chocolate treats, U.S.-made chocolate coins by reputable companies likeVermont’s Lake Champlain, and organic cookies shaped like cats, bats and autumn leaves from Dancing Deer. Find nearby retailers on company websites; or check at Whole Foods. Also, as much as possible, buy from local producers you know and trust. Check your yellow pages or local “green” pages or food magazines, for candymakers near you; many independent bakeries also make confections, including chocolates and fruit gels. Type in your zip code at Sustainable Table and zoom into your local food network.

More treats:

Fairly traded, foil-wrapped mint-chocolate bits at Kate's Caring Gifts

Sweet Earth Very Scary organic milk or dark chocolate colorful wrapped "coins," skulls, witches' hats, bats

Endangered Species small wrapped chocolate bars and creepy crawly bug bites (10%) of profits go to species protection

Annie's Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks (vegan)

Yummy Earth individually-wrapped soft and hard candies.

Remember...screen, then have a screaming good time!

Natural parchment paper

Our neighbor Chef Maurizio never uses silicone bakeware because, he says, "It's just plastic, really, and no matter how much I wash it, it always has this greasy feel." Instead, Maurizio uses parchment paper to keep his dough from sticking. But buyer beware: Conventional parchment papers are treated with silicone! Here are some greener choices:

*All-vegetable parchment paper. This is the kind of simple paper butter comes wrapped in, but it can be heated without burning up to 450 degrees F. I just made a nice pear tart on top of a round of Regency all-vegetable parchment paper laid on a stainless steel cookie sheet (greased with butter). Bought it at Whole Foods for $1.77 a roll. The tart baked at 375 degrees, and the pears and sugar got the perfect caramel patina, but the paper emerged fresh enough to be reused after brown edges were trimmed off (see below for how).

*Maurizio recommends Beyond Gourmet Unbleached Parchment Paper: It's certified by the reputable non-profit Green Seal of approval because it's made without environmentally destructive chlorine bleaching, which releases cancer-causing dioxins into waterways. And it is Star-K certified kosher. It can also be bought at Whole Foods.

* Patapar all-vegetable parchment papers are kosher-certified. Note: While the kosher kashrus standards give top ratings to genuine vegetable parchment paper and do not approve of quilon, a DuPont coating used on some parchment papers, kashrus does not formally object to silicone coatings. If You Care unbleached parchment paper is advertised as quilon-free.

Another use (or reuse) for parchment paper: Rewrap cheese in it, after taking off the PVC (and phthalate-leaching) deli wrap most supermarket cheeses are sold in. Toxic chemicals leach most readily from fatty foods like cheese, or when heated (hence never microwave food in plastic).

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