ecochildsplay's story links

40 lab rats were offered a choice between organic and conventional biscuits by Swiss and Austrian scientists.  The rats preferred the organic biscuits, which makes you

Reviewing research on over 500 forests, scientists in Europe and the United States have concluded old growth forests store more carbon dioxide than they release.  They are not carbon neutral, as previously believed.

Such programing now issues the following warning to French parents,

“Watching television can slow the development of children under 3, even when it involves channels aimed specifically at them.”

-->Move over evolution:  Now you can add climate change to the list of controversial science topics taught in public schools.  That’s right, the governor that sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over greenhouse gas emissions doesn’t want to mandate California’s children are educated on climate change.  Why the apparent contradiction?

Whether you are growing vegetables or a lawn in your yard, the presence of lead in the soil is a concern.  The cause of such contamination could be flakes of leaded paint, the remnants of gasoline, or the residue from pesticide application of lead arsenate.  Lead can remain the soil for hundreds of years.

In the US, 290 million scrap tires are generated each year!  Reusing them in playgrounds is a good idea from a recycling viewpoint, but what about our children’s safety?  To create playground cushioning, the tires are ground up and magnets are used to remove metals; however, according to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), ground up tires release 49 different chemicals, including seven carcinogens.

As Russia is focused on Georgia, and China is focused on the Olympics (two countries that might oppose further sanctions against Iran), the US is amassing its largest naval buildup in the Persian/Arabian Gulf since the 1991 Gulf War. This deployment comes on the heels of both House and Senate resolutions calling on the President to take action against Iran, which could only be accomplished through a naval blockade, an act of war under international law.

Wally Herger is one of the worst representatives in Congress evident by his voting record.  He is against women’s right to choose, the Endangered Species Amendment Act, alternative fuels and public transportation, alternative energy tax incentives, etc.  Herger is for the war, FISA, drug war funding in Mexico and Central America, etc.

Salvage logging is not the solution to forest fire rehabilitation, and it only removes merchantable timber leaving small diameter fuels behind.  It makes forests more susceptible to future burns, and it negatively impacts natural regeneration. It doesn’t make economic or ecological sense.

I’ve always professed that every baby should wear cloth diapers; however, with my son wearing one diaper in 24 hours, it takes a long time to make a diaper load of laundry.

Year after year, Bush has cut funding from the USFS, yet within this budget, more money is allocated for fire management and less for fire prevention.  In February, 2008, Bush proposed decreasing fire preparedness monies by 11 percent.

Approximately 100 rural schools in the United States have adopted a four day a week school schedule, mostly to save fuel costs where buses travel up to 100 miles a day.  Districts are reporting up to a ten percent savings on fuel and four percent savings on facilities energy use.  I know from personal experience on our district’s budget committee that transportation is th

This hilarious video of Will Ferrell playing George W. Bush comes close to the truth of what the president really understands about global warming.

The Hell’s Half Fire, the fire that forced a mandatory evacuation on my home, has burned 15,146 acres, according to Inciweb. At least 1/3 of that acreage is from burn out operations. It is hard to see my neighborhood intentionally lit by hand crews and aerial ignition, and one can’t help but wonder if the fire would have spread as far as the burn out operations naturally. So why burn out?

Eco-Friendly Families is filled with many simple tips, such as watering your houseplants with rainwater and hosting a neighborhood toy swap, as well as explains the bigger issues and how our actions affect them.  By targeting families, this guide helps families raise the next generation with

US companies have taken the UK’s voluntary ban seriously by removing additives for the EU market. Mars has removed artificial colors from Skittles and Starbust sold overseas, as has Kraft removed color additives from Lunchables. Sorry American children, but you are still getting these nasty treats filled with artificial ingredients linked to hyperactivity.

Globalization is a fact of modern times, and supporters of “free trade” tout it is good for the US economy and supports world peace.  Given that it will take a global effort to solve the climate crisis,

Most toilet bowl cleaners are made with caustic acids that can burn your skin, and I certainly don’t want my little one’s bums to experience that!  Seventh Generation’s Emerald Cypress & Fir Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner is biodegradable, safe for septic systems, chlorine-free, phosphate-free, dye-free, etc.  It comes in a cool shaped bottle allowing you to squirt under the toilet bowl rim.

During fall season, tribes went into the forests and gathered the dead limbs and debris, the brush and leaves and cones.  They made piles of the dead and drying materials and covered the piles with bark slabs, abundant on an old windfall where much of the debris was piled.  Then they waited for the proper time.  At the proper time they took pitch torches into the forest and set the forest piles on fire.

On June 20, 2008, an unusual, early summer lightning storm sparked over 1400 fires in California.  According to state wildfire maps, currently 489 fires are burning.  The reduction in the number of fires is not because they have been put out, but because these blazes have merged.

Little girls love princess, but eco, feminist parents lament the adoration of helpless females who need rescued by princes.  Now, I have found a princess that is inspiring her subjects to grow organic vegetables.

The Uberstix Scavenger Series utilizes recycled materials, such as straws, water bottles, and cups, to create working models.

This week, typical of of the Bush administration’s ineptitude, the EPA decided to take no new action on global warming emissions.

If you are of my generation, you remember Schoolhouse Rock’s Saturday morning cartoons.  To this day, I only know what a conjunction is from “Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?”, and I clearly remember how a bill becomes a law by that little rolled up bill sitting on the congressional steps.  “The Energy Blues” is 30 years old this year, and we are still singing these blues

I don’t have a problem with ethanol per se, but I am concerned that Senator Obama favors corn-based biofuels over other alternatives.

With the explosion of organic baby clothing on the market, it is getting difficult to tell one company from another.  Offering organic cotton clothing for little ones is great, and many major retailers, like Pottery Barn Kids, have jumped on the bandwagon.  Still, not all organic kids clothing companies are created equal.  Social responsib

Fireworks displays create surges of pollutant ozone in lower levels of the atmosphere, where it is a respiratory irritant, greenhouse gas, and plant toxin.  Some scientists believe fireworks are  an “insignificant source of pollution”, because they occur infrequently; however, no source of greenhouse gases is insignificant considering our current climate crisis, not to mention the heavy metals and potassium perchlorate in these grand patriotic displays.

Austrian art collective Gelitin has created an installation titled “Normally, Proceeding and Unrestricted With Without Title”.  You can row around this four feet deep artificial rooftop lake in boats made from from reclaimed timber and junk-store furniture with oars assembled from old chair legs.

One of my fondest childhood memories was playing with a brand new refrigerator box with our neighbors in the front yard.  This large box was a space ship, a school bus, a house, etc.  Parents know that kids love boxes, and sometimes these corrugated containers are more interesting than the toys they contain on birthdays and holidays.  Kidsonroof has combined children’s love of cardboard boxes with dramatic play to create the MobileHome.

It seems like everywhere you go, people are talking (complaining) about the cost of gasoline. From the natural food coop to Twitter, everyone is wondering how many hours they will have to work to fill up their gas tank. There is one person who remains clueless as to what Americans are paying at the pump:  John McCain.