Interested in giving cloth diapering a try? Good for you (and your little one(s)!)

Cloth diapers dramatically cut down on diapering expense, free up tons of space in our landfills, they’re healthier for your baby, and chances are potty training will go much quicker!

Most people are not fond of daily dealings with diaper full after diaper full~ which explains why disposables have become a multi~million dollar business. However, cloth diapers are making a comeback with some really convenient and effective designs. The fold~and~pin variety of diapering system that many people are used to still exists, but new all~in~one cloth and cover designs are popping up everywhere. Velcro and snaps have replaced sharp pins and the diapers are fitted with elastic around the waist and legs to hold in contents. A few people are turned off by the cost of each diaper- which can run anywhere from $5 to over $20 a dipe. While I understand that the initial cost can be a distraction, doing the math for the entire length that your little one will be in diapers instantly turns that frown upside down;). After trying several when my daughter was first born, I settled on buying only 6 ‘Bum-ware’ all-in-one diapers. These were the most incredible diapers~ I paid a total of $132 (plus I continued using a few of the ‘trial diapers’ mentioned above.) They lasted through 2 children. It costs, on average, about $1,600 to diaper one child for two years in disposable diapers- about $66 a month. Many children are in diapers for longer than two years. That comparison is a no-brainer.

Varieties of rash creams are staple on store shelves and on baby~shower lists. I don’t know of many parents who even have to invest in these products while using cloth diapers. True, rashes may develop from constant wetness against the skin…but, deeper thinking into what disposable diapers are made of leaves any inquisitive person wondering…

Both of my children are past the diapering years, and while I was intuitively drawn to cloth diapering without much further investigation, I never looked much into the chemicals that disposables contain. It didn’t take much searching to track down a few: first on the list: traces of dioxin. Dioxin is an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries…yet, is in full swing here in the U.S.. Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT)- a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and other animals. And, lastly (for this write~up, anyway…I’m sure that I’m missing a few) disposables contain sodium polyacrylate~ a type of super absorbent polymer- the substance that becomes all gel-like when wet (anyone who as used disposables is familiar with sodium polyacrylate.) A similar substance was used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980’s when it was discovered that it increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome by increasing absorbency and creating a nice environment for the growth of toxin-producing bacteria.

We move on to the environmental aspect of diapering. The Real Diaper Association- an advocacy group founded in 2004- estimates that the U.S. uses 27.4 billion disposable diapers each year. The EPA further translates this into more than 3.4 million tons of waste dumped into our landfills. Add to this mix the amount of petroleum, chlorine, wood pulp, water and energy that it takes to produce disposables…

The one plus that disposables have going for them is convenience. Admittedly, while we had visitors staying with us and when we traveled, we traded in the Bum-ware for seventh generation brand disposables. Even with those exceptions, we saved a ton of money and, more importantly to me, a *crap~load* (laughing) of diapers from reaching the garbage.

Using cloth diapers is an amazing thing that you can (now easily) do for your baby’s health, the environment, and your budget. The moment you throw away your last gel-filled disposable and wrap your little one in soft, warm, (safe) cotton, you’ll understand why cloth-diapering mamas are so ‘crazy’ about cloth!

Happy diapering!

(a handful of diapering companies worth looking into-> bum-ware.com, fuzzibunz.com, happyheinys.com, bumgenius.com and betterforbabies.com)

Here we go again. Just when I thought I had picked the right plastic, I discover I’m drinking toxic water. I stopped microwaving with plastics after reading about dioxins leaching into foods. Soon after, I threw out my microwave. What was I thinking, zapping my food and spinning its molecules? I stopped using soft plastic food containers and soft plastic water bottles. Instead I bought a box of Mason jars and two cool sets of glass food containers. My leftovers and salad fixins were happy, and so was I. bought two new hard plastic water bottles. Safe, right? Wrong!

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports the toxic chemical, bisphenol-a or BPA is now leaching into our food from clear, hard plastic bottles and containers and from the inner lining of canned foods. Animal studies raised multiple health concerns including a risk of cancer and hormonal disruptions that may cause early puberty in females.

The CDC reports 93% of Americans have BPA in their bodies. It certainly is found everywhere in our environment! Quoting the Tufts University School of Medicine report to the National Toxicology Program, theses scientists state there are many routes to exposure other than the oral route. “In a survey of 118 homes, BPA was found to be present in 86% of dust samples… cited in a report examining preschoolers found BPA present in detectable levels in indoor and outdoor air samples, floor dust, and play area soil.” They go on to say BPA is found in the air and dust of homes and offices, in sewage treatment works effluents, rivers, creeks, and drinking water, making exposure through drinking water and bathing likely.

It actually makes sense that it is found everywhere, because it is an element in so many things: CDs, telephone parts, glasses, even composite dental fillings! Just think, we can trade in mercury poisoning for chemical poisoning!

The 69 page preliminary report from the NTP was an interesting read. As one might expect, they determined the risk to infants and children is greater than the risk to adults. Glass baby bottles have regained their popularity. Even-flo is sold out online with a 2-3 week back order as moms scramble to replace plastic baby bottles.

I look in my kitchen to find my food steamer, my favorite means for cooking rice as well as well as vegetables, is made of #7 plastic. My ice tea maker—plastic. My sprouter—plastic. My toaster—plastic. I read about BPAs, dioxins, and PVCs and I wonder if any plastic is a good plastic.

Jan Lundberg from culturechange.org, a nonprofit network of anti-petroleum activists and visionaries for sustainability, would say no. “Plastics’ long-term effects were not considered when first made and put into the environment,” she says. “Now we are starting to see the harm and implications for the health of the oceans and our species.”

I’m getting my name on the backorder list for glass baby bottles. I’m buying a timer so I can cook my rice in a stainless steel pan. I’m storing my food in glass jars and glass containers. I’m drinking my water from a glass made of glass. Now, if I can just find a water distiller with no plastic parts…

You’re standing in the checkout line at the grocery store and you’ve made enough decisions for one day. You decided what you’ll be eating all week and what you’re having for dinner tonight. You’ve taken the time to choose which brand of non-toxic dish soap is more likely to cut grease. You even decided whether to pay with cash, a check, debit, or credit. But there’s one more decision you’ve yet to make. When the question is asked, it can confuse and distress even the most seasoned shopper who cares about the environment (and since you’re reading OLM, chances are you do care). Yes, your last decision might be a tough one. Are you ready? Here it comes: “Paper or plastic?”

Many shoppers don’t know which choice is better for the environment. After all, plastic is recycled, isn’t it? Should we be cutting down trees to make paper bags? Grocers seem to prefer plastic. Does that mean it’s better?

Plastic grocery bags are light, sturdy, and easy to carry because they have built in handles. They also have the added advantage of providing a bit of protection from foods that might leak. They’re cheaper than paper. They require less energy to produce than paper bags. When they are compacted, they take up less space in landfills. And some supermarkets make it easy to recycle plastic bags right there at the store.

Unfortunately, plastics have many downsides. Plastic bags are made from non-renewable petroleum resources. They can be recycled, but not as easily as glass, aluminum, or paper, partly because the bags may be made from one of several different plastics. This makes separating plastics for recycling difficult. And for the most part, plastic must be recycled into a product for non food use.

Plastic production and processing require the use of toxic chemicals. Many manufacturing plants that produce these chemicals also produce hazardous waste and pollute the air. In 1986, the Environmental Protection Agency ranked the top 20 chemicals whose production generates the most hazardous waste. Five of the top six were chemicals commonly used by the plastics industry (propylene, phenol, ethylene, polystyrene, and benzene).

Some plastic bags are said to be biodegradable, but biodegradation takes place when air is present. Photodegradation occurs when sunlight is available. Most of the garbage we generate (about 95%) is landfilled. In landfills, garbage is buried beneath layers of soil where it’s s a little difficult for air or sunlight to reach it. The fact is, most plastic bags just don’t degrade, even in a compost pile. Estimates say those plastic bags will take 1000 years to decompose. Others say they never will.

The truth is we use them once and rarely recycle them. Americans throw away about 100 billion plastic grocery bags a year. Only 0.6%—less than 1%, are recycled! Plastic bags clog our sewers, pollute our rivers and lakes, collect on our beaches, churn in toxic islands of debris in our oceans, threaten our wildlife and our ocean life, and litter our land.

Brown paper grocery bags need to be so strong they are generally made from high quality paper with little recycled content. And though they are made from a renewable resource, trees take a long time to grow and paper mills pollute both the air and the water.

Paper bags can be recycled. They are often used to make corrugated cardboard. Paper bags are also biodegradable, but again, the process is not facilitated in landfills.

So which should you choose? Neither, of course. You should carry reusable cloth bags. But if you don’t have any with you, Whole Foods has made the decision easy. They’ve stopped carrying plastic bags.

“More and more cities and countries are beginning to place serious restrictions on single-use plastic shopping bags since they don’t break down in our landfills, can harm nature by clogging waterways and endangering wildlife, and litter our roadsides,” said A.C. Gallo, co-president and chief operating officer for Whole Foods Market. “Together with our shoppers, our gift to the planet this Earth Day will be reducing our environmental impact as we estimate we will keep 100 million new plastic grocery bags out of our environment between Earth Day and the end of this year alone.”

“Doing away with plastic grocery bags won’t just help protect marine life, it’s a key move in shifting us away from a ‘consume-and-dispose’ mentality,” said Lisa Mastny, editor of the Worldwatch Institute report Oceans in Peril. “Disposable plastic bags can linger in the environment for more than 1,000 years and are the major debris item found on the seabed, especially near the coast.”

“During our International Coastal Cleanup each year, our volunteers find hundreds of thousands of bags on beaches and in the ocean posing a threat to birds, turtles and other marine life. As people continue to learn more about the impact their lifestyle has on the environment, we find they are looking for personal solutions to global problems,” said Laura Capps, senior vice president of communications and outreach with Ocean Conservancy.

Last year, Whole Foods Market became the first and only food retailer in North America to offer 100 percent recycled fiber content paper bags, which also are completely recyclable and they have handles. “I am not sure why anyone would think you can’t make quality paper bags out of 100% recycled paper,” says Deborh Horgan of Whole Foods. “I think ours are pretty good.”

So do we. But Whole Foods agrees with us: reusable bags are the best. Whole Foods encourages their customers to bring in any kind of bag, used paper, plastic, cloth, even backpacks and baskets. They also sell a 99 cent “Better Bag,” a reusable bag made from recycled plastic bottles.

So keep a stash of used bags in your car as well as your cloth or canvas bags. Reuse and recycle. We’ll all get the hang of it. All we need to do is practice.