Today I read an article about how scientists are linking eating organic food to losing weight. Scientists are finding that the chemicals being sprayed on our foods are endochrine disrupters, meaning they mess with the hormones in our bodies. This alters our ability to lose weight, to not gain weight, to get pregnant, to develop diseases, illnesses and many other things. The findings were that if you are eating organic you will find you can be more liberal in what you are eating because it does not affect your weight or your health as much. While that is great news the scary thing is that what we are eating is that bad for us, it messes with our hormones, and helps aid in our obesity problems, and our battle with weight. Wow! Can you imagine the other long term effects that haven’t even been uncovered yet. Also, the fact that it disrupts the ability to get pregnant is so frightening.

So here are some quick ways to go organic without breaking the budget, freaking out your family, or completely altering your lifestyle overnight

1. Stop eating & drinking things with high fructose corn syrup. It is everywhere, so read the labels. I know buying organic is more expensive so if you can’t make the switch then find alternatives, for instance, crackers: most of them have high fructose corn syrup, but there are a few brands that don’t and they aren’t as expensive as organic. This is true with almost everything on the market now.

2. Change the meat you eat. Again, organic  is  more expensive than non-organic  so if you can’t afford the organic meat look for the label that says “No Antibiotics, No Hormones”.  If you have a Trader Joe’s close that is a great place to find affordable “chemical free” meat & organic meat. Also, Costco sells organic meat in bulk, making it much more affordable to buy organic meat.

3. Find a list like this one from Planet Green, showing which foods are the most harmful and purchase these organic first. (I didn’t know green beans were so bad, containing over 60 pesticides, and testing over the legal limit for chemicals!) If you only change these items first it is a big start!

4. Evaluate what you are cooking and see where you can stop buying canned foods. Some canned foods do test positive for BPA. This is not good as it leeches into your food. Are there foods you can stop buying canned? Can you hydrate your beans instead of buying canned ones, even if just on the weekends? Look for items that come in glass instead of cans (make sure you recycle your glass).

5. As you replace your condiments and other items you buy less regularly try buying organic instead to replace them. It is a slow way to start building your organic pantry, without breaking the budget. Often times the organic alternative is a dollar more at most, so making one or two changes a week will only set you back a few dollars but make a huge difference in your diet.

6. Shop at Costco or someplace similar that carries organic foods. Our Costco sells organic eggs, milk, yogurt, meat, produce, detergents etc. at much more affordable prices. Plus, they are in larger containers  meaning less waste for the environment, less time spent at the store, and less emissions in the air from driving to the store as often.

7. I would love to say stop eating fast food, but I know for a lot of people that would be too big of a change right off of the bat. So, instead choose where you eat. For instance, at McDonald’s their french fries are perfect, because their potatoes are perfect. Their potatoes are perfect because they demand them to be. When was the last time you saw a potato grown normally that was perfect? It is rare, so McDonald’s solution, spray the potatoes with a chemical to make them perfect. Problem, the chemical is neurologically damaging. How bad? Well, after farmers spray the chemical they refuse to go into the fields, no matter what, for 5 days to lessen the risk of damage to their bodies. (Seriously, do you need to eat a perfect fry badly enough to eat the neurological chemical too?) There are other places that don’t practice this so eat there instead.

8. Shop at your farmer’s market. Talk to the farmers. A lot of them may not be certified organic but they practice organic farming so buy from them, and then freeze the fresh produce in pvc free freezer bags or BPA free containers.

9.  Don’t buy processed foods unless absolutely necessary. It is funny how habitual it is to buy processed foods. You can get into a rut and forget that really it doesn’t take very long to cook some of the things you are buying pre-made or processed. For instance, making a cake or muffins from scratch is not that much more difficult than the mixes.  You can find very simple recipes online and cook your food fresh. If you can’t do it everyday then try doing it one more day a week than you are now.When that gets comfortable and easy add another day. You will eliminate so many chemicals & calories from your diet. You will also have the chance to teach your children a new skill, and a new way of life. I have a great tomato soup recipe for instance that may take 10 more minutes than canned soup but aside from the organic canned tomatoes there are no other ingredients I don’t control. I use organic onions & garlic, sea salt, pepper, and organic milk. It tastes a million times better than canned soup, is almost as easy, and does not contain any preservatives, high fructose corn syrup etc.

10.  Watch what you are storing your food in & reheating it in. You can buy great glass containers now that are perfect for storing your leftovers, and for reheating them. This will cut down on the chemicals leeching into your food. Also, buy BPA free to go cups, or stainless steel and take your own water places instead of buying it in plastic bottles.  You will save so much money doing this you can afford to buy another organic item or two at the grocery store, plus, no more chemicals in your water or food from the container.

How are you incorporating more organic food into your diet? Have you seen a difference in how you feel or what you weigh by switching? Leave us a comment and tell us what you think!

-Sheri

I hate malls. I am sorry but I do, I always have. So when I announced I wanted to go to Cleveland to visit a galleria, you would have thought I was suggesting we sell our house and move to outer Mongolia. As crazy as it sounds I do want to go to Cleveland to go to this Galleria at Erieview, and I want to have lunch with Vicky Poole. Why? Because she is a genius, and because the Galleria is remarkable.

The Galleria’s occupancy had started to decline and Vicky knew she had to do something to increase traffic to the mall. So she started offering the atrium in the Galleria as a banquet hall. This was good, but then she was inspired by something she had seen in New York and she decided to really make a difference in the Galleria.

She set up the sun filled  Galleria as a hydroponic garden. Hanging from the ceilings and the stair banisters are tomatoes, lettuces, and herbs.  Vicky is using the space to showcase organic gardening, creative gardening solutions and even better, great ways to utilize urban spaces.

Recently Vicky was approached about experimenting with airoponic growing, she agreed to the experiment and is working with the student who suggested it to implement it at the Galleria. The project has recently been awarded a 30,000.00 grant from the Civic Innovation Lab and they are working on a composting solution for the food court scraps and will be selling their produce to the food courts.

What I love about Vicky is that she took something that could have been bad, slowing of traffic at the galleria, and turned it into something amazing! She really used her background as a farmers granddaughter, taking what she knows, and turned it into a learning, growing and experimental environment. From a marketing standpoint it is phenomenal. From a business standpoint it is a great save, and from an environmental standpoint it is a great example to other companies who own these large glass buildings to think outside of the box and start using their spaces to improve our environment.

You want to go visit the Galleria at Erieview in Cleveland now too don’t you?

Gardens Under Glass, as it is now called, is welcoming any suggestions or ideas for their endeavor. You can email them at gardensunderglass@yahoo.com.

(the garden photo is from blog.cleveland.com, who ran the original story)

-Sheri

Boy do we have the news around Franklin Goose!!

First, Congrats to Jennifer C. for winning the iPod touch! & Thank you to everyone who participated. Keep following us for great giveaways!

Second, checkout the great giveaway we are doing with Inhabitots for a Prince Lionheart balance bike!

Third, We are in Mothering Magazine this month! They featured our great hangers from Tatty Bumpkin. These hangers are organic & bendy so you can mold them from small size clothing to kids clothing, never having to buy another hanger. They are super eco, super cute and super fun!

I am going on vacation soon (woohoo!). The resort we chose is a sustainable resort. I am pretty excited about this. As I count down the days I started thinking about everyone else who is planning vacations for the late spring & summer. Why not go green or sustainable? Here are some places I found (which are now on my list for future traveling):

1. Casa Viva Troncones in Troncones, Guerrero Mexico.

This place looks amazing!!! It has 3 palm thatched roof bungalows. They use solar panels for heating & lighting, they have grey & black water recycling, they compost, have an organic garden on premise, low flow toilets & showers, they recycle, biodegradable laundry detergents, bikes, and beach toys; and this is only the beginning!They also have a private cook & caretaker.

On Trip Advisor they get 5 star ratings. The rates are 129.00-260.00 per night, and look how beautiful! (I think Franklin Goose needs to take a trip and check it out, don’t you?) You can see them here.

2. Finca Rosa Coffee Plantation Inn- Santa Barbara, Costa Rica

This Inn goes above and beyond, literally. First, they are perched over the coffee plantations & forests. They use solar panels to heat, they use a copper/silver ionization system to clean the pool, recycle their coffee pulp for fertiziler, they compost, grow an organic vegetable & flower garden, donate money to the local schools, and donate part of the money they make at the bar & restaurant to the local  school, childrens food bank, & to build 2 new recycling centers.

They get a 4 3/4 star rating on Trip Advisor. What a great place to take your family to teach them about being green, giving back, farming & forest life! Check them out here.

3. Hotel Mocking Bird Hill-Port Antonio, Jamaica

Hotel Mocking Bird is nestled within 6.5 tropical acres the hotel’s hilltop location offers superb Blue Mountain and Caribbean Sea vistas whilst overlooking the Antillean town of Port Antonio and her beautiful natural double harbour, spectacular by day and romantic by night.Hotel Mocking Bird Hill uses natural air conditioning, a pool running on renewable energy, anaerobic waste water treatment, practice waste avoidance, use local produce whenever possible, plus they educate their staff and the community about environmentally friendly living. They offer an adult literacy program for their employees along with classes on making sell-able art from recycled paper.

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill gets a 4 1/2 star rating on Trip Advisor.  It looks like a place dedicated to make your trip and our world a great place to be. You can find them here.

4. Wild Spring Guest Habitat-Port Orford, Oregon

If you can’t leave the country, why not visit Wild Spring Guest Habitat? It is a retreat made up of 5 cabins, built like homes set in the forests of Oregon.  They offer hiking, meditation, Tai Chi, and massages.

They have set the habitat up to have a zero carbon footprint, they use organic food & flowers whenever possible. They recycle, and donate their unused food to local shelters. They are also working on windpower options and composting options.

Trip Advisor gives them a 4 3/4 star rating. You can find them here.

5.  Feather Down Farms-across the U.S.

Feather Down Farms are run by farmers. There are three to choose from, 2 in NY and 1 in IL. Each farm offers a specialty whether it it beef farming, vegetable farming, or dairy farming. Each family stays in a tent, unlike any tent you have seen, see the picture below. You live off of the land like farmers before have done (although they do offer flushing toilets). They are run by families and offer bike rentals, you pick your own eggs every morning, and you and the kids can learn about the farm animals, farm life, agriculture and relaxing on the farm. What a great way to teach your kids about food, agriculture, animals and where our food comes from!

You can find them here.

1. Canopy Bed    2. Cooking Stove   3. Master bedroom  4. Bunk Bedroom  5. Flushing Toilet

Happy Travels! If you know of other great eco vacations please let us know! We would love to feature them, and add them to our dream list.

-Sheri

We have another video review posted on Franklin Goose TV. This time we reviewed the Little Sapling Toys Teether. Check it out, it makes a great gift, and a super toy! You can find them here.

-Sheri

We just began offering a great new company on our site, Hand Full. They make hemp & organic cotton clothing that is creative, fun and practical! Here is our interview and make sure to check out their great clothing, undies, and trainers! You can see it all here.

2. Why did you choose to work with organic & hemp materials?
R:  I have been wearing organic cotton and hemp clothes for years and love the way the fabric feels, washes, tears and wears.  Living in Eugene I am amazed by the plethora of beautiful, high-end organic clothing for adults. Unfortunately, there are few designers making eco-conscious clothing for kids. We want our kids, their friends, everyone else’s kids to have the opportunity to wear such amazing materials.

s:  After driving 17 hours to get to our house, Rebecca jumped from the car with a piece of hemp fabric in her hand.  First, the long awaited joyous hug, and then she thrust the cutest little skirt into my hands.  “This is our next project!,” she exclaimed.  Being a fabric lover myself I was instantly curious.  We had talked about organic cotton before; and hemp blends seemed like a better match.  We love the feel and wear of organic cotton, so why not add a little natural (no-pesticides-needed) hemp in and create a durable, eco-concious, green fiber.  It was an obvious, positive fit for hand full’s eco-wear.

3. What is your inspiration for designs?
Our 3 beautiful children!    As we started to design our clothes we wanted them to be kids clothes– not adult clothes made for kids.  We felt like there was plenty of time for our kids to wear button-down shirts and jeans when they got bigger.  Our clothes are made to look and feel great in the activities we like to do with our kids–hiking, climbing, camping, biking, walking, gardening and of course, playing.  We also wanted our kids to want to put our clothes on–and to our liking, they do!  They love them and once we made them for our kids, people started to ask us to make them for theirs–and here we are, just making simple, well thought out clothes for kids.

4. What is the best part of being in business for yourself? 
The creativity– it is a dream to be doing something that we love and that feels inspiring every day.  The best part is seeing adorable little people walking around in something that we have created together.  Another amazing thing is getting to know each other–you would think that after bed rest together and raising kids together we would know each other all too well; but being business partners is a whole new dynamic.  The connection is amazing– there is more laughter in our lives now than ever before.  The word synergy doesn’t describe it.  The two of us are “super” synergy.  You can’t imagine all the creative ideas we’ve come up with for hand full that never make it to our “to do” list. Months later we will bring something up and think, “Didn’t we already brainstorm this? Why isn’t it already done?”  We just have to laugh and embrace all that we have accomplished.

5. Do you feel any pressure competing with clothes made in China?
We feel absolutely no pressure from clothing made in China.   We focus on consumers looking for something unique, organic and locally made.

6. Where do you hope Hand Full goes in the future?  Everywhere!

7. If there was one thing we should know about you what would it be?  The thought, time and love that goes into our clothes.  Every piece we make is filled with intention.  Whether it is custom or a piece made for a fair, we think about what we are doing at every step and send love and playfulness to the kids that will wear them.  We make clothes for the kids…not the parents, grandparents, or friends that do the buying.  Every item is made intentionally for the free-spirited kids that imagine, play and explore in our eco-wear.

Sometimes I struggle with what to write in blog posts. I have to think about running our company, tweeting, facebooking and corresponding with our customers, bloggers, and merchants. Mind you I am not complaining. But sometimes I run out of words, which my family would tell you they never thought possible.

I have wanted to write a post about getting rid of plastic in our lives for about a week but keep stalling out or getting sidetracked. I so admire these people who cut their plastic down to one bag or less a year but I am nowhere near that but I would like to try to get closer.

So today I am going to make my list, and make some more changes  in my life with a little help from other bloggers and great products.

1. Buy in bulk and take your own small cloth bags.

2. Use cloth bags for your produce and fresh bread.

3. Stop using plastic lighters. This comes from fakeplasticfish. (It is a tough image to look at but powerful!)

4. Visit your local butcher, best case bring your own container, worst case, at least they wrap your meat in paper not plastic containers.

5. Don’t use plastic silverware when you eat out or get take out. Try these reusable bamboo ones, the case is even made from recycled plastic bottles.

6. Buy large containers instead of small ones. For instance, can you buy one large container of yogurt instead of daily ones. What about the family sizes or better yet shop at Costco, BJ’s or Sam’s Club and buy big. Then recycle. At our local green grocery store you can also fill up your shampoos, conditioners, soaps, olive oils etc from large containers into your reusable ones. Ask your grocery store to offer similar options if they don’t already. (My local green grocery store, Ellwood Thompson’s.)

7. Use recyclable or reusable toothbrushes. Try these:

Preserve recycled/recyclable toothbrushes

Radius recycled material toothbrushes whose handles last a lifetime.

8.  Stop buying cleaning products and make your own in reusable bottles. Vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent and can be substituted for window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, stainless steel cleaner etc. Mix with water in a reusable spray bottle and voila. You have saved tons of money and tons of plastic. Not to mention the chemicals not entering your home or your water system!

9. Stop buying processed foods. Think of how much plastic is in the wrapping & the packaging. If you don’t have time to cook what about taking your own container to the grocery store and filling them up at the food bar instead.  Check out this organization for ideas and fun on not using plastic containers.

Take Out Without

Okay, so here are my list of 9. What do you do to save plastic? What changes have you made in your life? I have to admit I don’t own the bamboo flatware, but I think it is a definite purchase this week. We don’t eat take out much but when we do, this is a great solution to the plastic!

-Sheri

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a chemical used in soaps, shampoos, conditioners, bubble bath and body washes to create suds. At least 90% of non-organic shampoos and conditioners contain sodium lauryl sulfate.  So what is it and why should you know about it?

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is a chemical. For a lot of you that is reason to avoid it. But, for those who want to know here are the rest of the details. SLS is used to to break down oil and grease, and make suds. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate started its career as an industrial degreasant & garage floor cleaner. When applied to human skin it has the effect of stripping off the oil layer & the irritating & erroding the skin.

From the research I have found SLS is not linked to cancer however, it does have some other side effects you may choose to avoid. It can cause eye irritations, skin rashes, hair loss, dandruff, cause allergic reactions & can lead to blindness or cataracts. It can also change genetic information & damage the immune system. It is listed as a high human health priority and is expected to be found to be harmful or toxic, according to the Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List, in relation to non-reproductive organ system toxicity.

A study at the University of Georgia Medical College, indicated that SLS penetrated into the eyes as well as brain, heart, liver, etc., and showed long-term retention in the tissues. The study also indicated that SLS penetrated young children’s eyes and prevented them from developing properly and caused cataracts to develop in adults.

When we first discussed this chemical we were divided as to whether or not to allow it. It was our final decision that there are many fantastic products out there that do not include so why take the risk by allowing products on the site that do.

It is a cheap ingredient to use but our stance is that cheap in the short term often does not equate to cheap in the long term.  One of the arguments in support of SLS is that it is not really a skin irritant if it is only left on your skin for a short period of time. I was unable to find out what “short period of time” equates to. However, I can’t help but think if a child is taking a bubble bath using a product that contains SLS, or shampoo that then washes into their bath and they sit in it, well that may be longer than a “short period of time”. Why should I worry how long is long and how short is short?

Therefore, at Franklin Goose we do not carry products with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. We prefer to use products and offer you products with no questionable ingredients. You may have to forgo a few suds but we think it is worth it.

How do you feel about Sodium Lauryl Sulfate? Do you avoid products with it or find it is not a very big concern of yours?

So this was my husbands question on Saturday when I got in the car excited after I fought the crowds at Target. Normally I would get in the car cranky (and yes this does mean my husband sits in the car while I fight the Saturday crowds at Target & Trader Joes, although he never skips going into Whole Foods), but FSC certified recycled. WOOHOO!

Yes, I know, am I seriously so crunchy I get excited about FSC symbols on target gift card envelopes, the answer my friends, YES. First, look what I do for a living, I am vice president of Franklin Goose, very crunchy. Second, I am a vegetarian. Third, I have been raised by descendants of farmers who didn’t make anything unless it was from scratch, never used chemicals and always taught us never to be wasteful (which explains why my grandma’s sister figured out how to make rugs out of plastic grocery store bags twenty years ago before recycling was mainstream).

So then the question, “What is the deal with FSC anyway?” I looked at him, my husband, the one who tolerates my conveniently forgetting to buy paper towels so he can’t use them, the one who has to listen to me complain about clothes shopping because everything comes from China and the one who loves meat, everything meat who sat through Food, Inc in the theatre and then listened to me rant for weeks, how can he not know?  And so I respond with, “huh?” He says, “Seriously, what is FSC?”

To which I reply, “How can you not know this? Okay, FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council. They have the strictest regulations for environmental responsibility, they enforce social responsibility and economic viability. It is a world wide organization that has established the highest level of certification for timber.” “Oh,” he says. “Okay, for me it means we are guaranteed there are no chemicals, there is no slave labor and there is no depletion of natural resources or harm done to the humans or the planet where this wood is grown. FSC certified recycled means that in an industry where there is not necessarily any oversight FSC recycled provides the highest vigor in recycling. There must be a certain amount of recycled and post consumer waste used.” “Ohh,” he says, “Well that is cool.”

But, to me, it is so much more. It means that more and more people are paying attention and trying to make a difference by making the right choice, or at least they are trying to impress those of us who pay attention and really care. Either way, it means less chemicals, and better treatment for people and our planet. And that my friends means a little less cranky on a hectic Saturday morning.

-Sheri

We love our WAHM’s and are so happy to see them growing and bringing their personal attention and experience to the industry! One of our merchants is Katydid Diapers. Katie has a great story, she started out making diapers herself and has grown into a great business.Enjoy the interview, and check out Katydid diapers at franklingoose.com.

What motivated you to start your own business? I was having so much fun sewing diapers!  I wanted to share my knowledge and love for cloth diapers with other moms and my neighbors and family kept telling me I should start selling my diapers so I did.
How did you get started with diapers? My husband lost his job and we had two little boys in diapers so I had to find a way to save money. That’s when I discovered the joys of cloth diapering and all the wonderful modern cloth diapering options out there today.

How long have you been running your own business? I started out selling handmade diapers on Etsy a year and a half ago and I just started up my new business, Katydid Diapers, in January of 2010.
What is your favorite part of cloth diapering? It makes me feel so good! I love taking a warm load of clean diapers out of the dryer and putting a fresh, soft diaper on my baby’s bum!
What advice would you give parents considering cloth diapering? Don’t be swayed by people who would try to deter you away from cloth because they think it’s all about folding, pinning and dunking. Most cloth diapering parents these days don’t do any of those things! You never know what it’s like until you try it.
How do you manage your family and your business? I never have to leave home. That’s the best part of my business. I can work at any hour that’s convenient for me and my family. Some days I spend a little too much time at the computer and my kids watch a little too many movies, but there are always great-mom days to balance that out.
Do you have any plans to expand Katydid in the future? Oh yes, I’m just getting started! I’m itching to bring in more colors and cute prints. I have wet bags in the works already and I want to make wipes as well. We’ll see where it goes from there!
What advice can you give other mothers thinking of starting a business? Start small and see how it goes. Don’t be afraid to take that first step and make sure you come up with something that’s uniquely yours.
Any great tips you can give us about cloth diapering? If you’re afraid to get started because you think you might not stick to it then don’t keep any disposables in your house. I guarantee you’ll use your cloth and learn to love them if you don’t have the old familiar sposie to fall back on.

-Sheri