East Meets West

TCM follows the flow of nature. Although where I live is green throughout the year, spring still heralds new growth: new green leaves, new and greener grass, new flowers, and new sprouts. Going green for spring involves eating more organic greens, starting your own herb garden, and choosing a gas-efficient vehicle, or using your own power, to commute. Kermit the Frog says, "It's not easy being green", but I disagree. I believe a few small changes can make all the difference in the world!

For Your Home:
Transform ordinary household ingredients into safe and inexpensive cleaners. Here are a few to try:

Sink cleaner – Mix baking soda, salt and water into a paste.
Toilet bowl cleaner – Flush toilet to wet the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle 1 cup of borax on the insides. Drizzle 1/2 cup of vinegar over the borax and leave overnight. Scrub with a toilet brush and flush.
Glass cleaner – Many glass cleaners contain ammonia or alcohol whose fumes can be irritating to breathe. Plain club soda will do the same job at a fraction of the cost.

Healthy Plants:
NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) have announced the findings of a 2-year study that suggest a sophisticated pollution-absorbing device, the common indoor plant, may provide a natural way to help clean the air.

Areca palm
Reed palm
Dwarf date palm
Boston fern
Janet Craig dracaena
English ivy
Australian sword fern
Peace Lily
Rubber plant
Weeping fig

Although many plants like light, they do not all have to be placed near windows. Many indoor plants originated in the dense shade of tropical forests and have a high rate of photosynthesis. These are ideal for the home and can be placed in darker corners. Try to find a balance between light and ventilation when positioning plants. Apparently, if they are placed in a draft, the effect of plants on indoor air pollution appears to be reduced.

For more information on the plants themselves, click here.

For more information on the NASA study, click here.

For Your Body: We've all heard about the controversy between organic versus conventional foods. Is it really worth the price difference? Certified organic fruits, vegetables, and grains are not sprayed with herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides, and cannot be genetically modified. Certified organic livestock are not given steroids, unnecessary antibiotics, or hormones, and must be fed organic food. Organic foods are not only better for our health; they benefit our environment by not adding chemicals to our land, air, and water. A University of Washington study found that children who ate organic fruit had much less agricultural pesticides in their bodies than children who ate conventional fruit. Which would you prefer to choose?

If you find going completely organic is too difficult or pricey, note the "most contaminated" fruits and veggies in the list below. You should put these items on your organic list first. At the very least, make the majority of your food choices "whole foods", i.e. foods that are not overly processed.

Contaminated fruit and vegetables:

Least Contaminated	Most Contaminated
Asparagus	Apples
Avocadoes	Bell Peppers
Bananas	Celery
Broccoli	Cherries
Cauliflower	Some imported grapes
Corn (sweet)	Nectarines
Kiwi	Peaches
Mangos	Pears
Onions	Potatoes
Papaya	Red raspberries
Pineapples	Spinach
Peas (sweet)	Strawberries

http://www.foodnews.org/reportcard.php -- Environmental Working Group