The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   2

What’s in this issue ...

4 Turning up heat
How to select the most efficient
wood stove to warm your home

8 Solar flare-up
Plans for the world’s
biggest solar farm
spark green concerns
11 My backyard tour
Even in the dead of
winter a garden is ripe
with possibilities

14 Weatherizing with eco-products

If you look hard enough, you can find
biobased products to protect your home

16 Frugal rules
mother taught 18 Toxic chemicals
in breast milk?

On the cover
Bill Beeson, owner of Olive Branch Fire Inserts, recently installed an
Ashley wood burning insert with thermostatic control in a home.
Photo by Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Going Green is a special online publication of
The Commercial Appeal. We welcome your comments
and suggestions. Follow Going Green on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/GoGreenMemphis.
Editor: Roland Klose, 529-2776,
klose@commercialappeal.com
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   3

The Green Page Groups

n Coalition for Livable
Communities: The organization
advocates healthy, vibrant
and economically sustainable
communities. livablememphis.
org or (901) 725-8390.
n Mid-South Peace and
Justice Center: Works with
low-income communities in
Memphis to plan and plant
community gardens, providing
area residents with access to
fresh produce. midsouthpeace.
Learn about Reelfoot Lake’s birds of prey at org or (901) 725-4990
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library on Jan. 28. n Sustainable Shelby:
Launched by Shelby
Events County Government,
n Ranger David Haggard will give a presentation Sustainable Shelby promotes
about birds of prey and outdoor opportunities at environmentally and
Reelfoot Lake at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Benjamin L. economically sound regional
Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Ave. The presenta- strategies for development.
tion is hosted by the Sierra Club Chickasaw Group. sustainableshelby.com or
n Citizens to Preserve Overton Park hosts a nature (901) 576-6601.
walk through the park’s Old Forest beginning at 10 n Wolf River Conservancy:
a.m., Jan. 31. Meet at the end of Old Forest Lane, The nonprofit land trust is
next to the Rainbow Lake parking lot. For information, dedicated to preserving
call (901) 278-2396 or e-mail naomi@spiny.com. the Wolf River corridor and
n Temple Israel hosts Eco Expo 2010 from 11 a.m. watershed. wolfriver.org or
until 4 p.m. Jan. 31 at 1376 E. Massey Rd. More than (901) 452- 6500.
50 exhibitors are expected to participate in the free To submit items for The
event. For more information, call Linda Kaplan at (901) Green Page, e-mail klose@
472-6473 or e-mail TIMemphisEcoExpo@msn.com. commercial appeal .com

Just one thing

Save glass jam and jelly jars and run them through the dishwasher. For your next picnic
or children’s party, fill them with beverages and reseal them with the original lids. They’re the
perfect reusable cups that are both free and 100 percent recyclable, too.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   4

Alan Spearman/The Commercial Appeal

Bill Griffin sells wood-burning stoves at Germantown Fireplace, Air Conditioning &
Heating.

Turning up heat
Unraveling choices in alternative warming
By Karen Ott Mayer / Special to Going Green

WHEN THE WEATHER turns frightful, undoubtedly so do

heating bills.
This has led many homeowners to crank down their central
heat source in order to save a few dollars and to begin thinking
about alternative heat sources.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   5

With more options today, from controlled,” Beeson said.

wood stove inserts to ventless gas logs, Wood stoves are generally made
knowing where to start is half the battle. from cast iron, although ceramic is also
Preference, lifestyle, cost, practicality available for a hefty price tag. The insert
and efficiency are just a few factors to is lined with firebrick and is positioned at
consider before making a final decision. the opening of the fireplace with a shield
“Efficiency has to do primarily with around the opening of the fireplace.
what you want,” said Bill Griffin, owner of “Some manufacturers offer a 6-foot
Germantown Fireplace for 17 years. tube that goes into the throat of the flue.
Wood is the natural place to start, Others recommend the entire chimney
primarily because the Southeast has been being relined,” Beeson said.
and is a rich timber Experienced
source. specialists like
“We have a lot Beeson can easily
of white and red assess the condition
oak, which burns of a fireplace and
well after being flue to determine
seasoned for six to the safest
eight months,” said installation method.
Bill Beeson, owner Buck, Napoleon
of DeSoto Chimney and Appalachian
Service. Beeson, are well known
who has been in Jill Toyoshiba/Kansas City Star/MCT brand names and
the industry for Ventless fireplaces are suitable for offer high quality
20 years, installs, traditional or modern decor. The logs and durability for
builds, and cleans are popular sellers at local fireplace the money, Beeson
chimneys and stores due to their affordability and said. On average, a
fireplaces. energy efficiency. wood insert that can
He believes wood heat approximately
is economical and efficient. 1,200 square feet will run from $1,800 to
“A cord (4x8x8) of wood runs about $3,000.
$175 delivered and stacked or $125 if you “Depending on the layout of the home,
haul it yourself,” he said. these stoves can heat most of the open
Traditional masonry fireplaces, spaces, but may not reach down halls or
however, rank low as far as efficiency. into bedrooms. Many of my customers
For those die-hards who love a may turn on their primary heat source
fireplace, an insert may be a fair only long enough to take the chill off,
compromise. “I sell a lot of wood inserts then use the stove the rest of the time,”
in Mississippi. They are efficient because Beeson said.
they have blower fans and are thermostat Beeson estimates that 35 percent of
The Commercial Appeal
Wood-burning stoves offer cozy warmth in areas such as theSoutheast, where
wood is readily available. Most of the stoves are made of cast iron.
his customers use wood-burning inserts in
a fireplace.
Griffin sells a lot of wood-burning
stoves like the Appalachian or Buck.
“The government has recently helped
out with the 30 percent energy-savings
tax credit,” Griffin said. “If people are
concerned with the price of (natural) gas,
then a wood stove is the answer.”
Wood inserts require maintenance
just like a fireplace. Before installation,
the chimney needs to be evaluated. “The
biggest thing is to make sure the chimney
is not leaking water,” Beeson said.
He adds that the chimney needs to
have a 10-foot clearance, free from trees.
Annual maintenance involves cleaning
Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   6
David Pulliam/Kansas City Star/MCT
the fans on the back of the stove. “I pull
out the insert and check the fans. Some
also have self-concealed ball bearings
that require oil,” Beeson said.
Another option along similar lines is a
pellet stove.
Pellet stoves came onto the market as
an alternative to wood and the pellets,
made of compressed wood such as
sawdust or bark, are sold in bags. More
popular in the Midwest because of little
timber, pellet stoves haven’t gained
ground in the South.
“In my opinion, they’re not very
popular. I’ve never seen anyone using
one,” Beeson said.
He attributes the low interest to the
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   7

cost of the pellets, which average $150 efficiency, Bryon Davis, owner of
per ton. The cost of a new pellet stove is Southern Hearth in Olive Branch, offers a
comparable to a wood insert with prices special-order soapstone stove that begins
from $1,700 to $3,000 as well. at $3,000.
Griffin said he’s sold a few pellet “A soapstone stove has an iron
stoves but hasn’t installed them. structure but natural stone fillers on the
Natural gas logs have been a favorite sides. The strong point is the stove holds
option for homeowners, generally waning the heat well after the fire burns out,”
in popularity when gas prices spiked. Davis said. Popular in the Northeast, the
“Two years ago when gas stove has been gaining
prices were high, I got Local sources: popularity in the South.
so many calls to pull out “I’ve heard more about
the gas stoves as people Southern Hearth them in the last two years,”
returned to wood,” Beeson 8271 Industrial Drive he said.
said. Olive Branch, MS 38654 Davis says the efficiency
Beeson believes the (662) 895-2431 of all stoves, including
ventless gas logs remain Germantown Fireplace wood, has improved greatly
the most economical 1638 Whitten Road and that the EPA efficiency
and efficient option on Memphis 38134 ratings are about the same
the market. “They don’t (901) 754-1481 on all stoves. “Wood stoves
require an open flue and (901) 757-0487 have come a long way,
retain 99 percent of the and while they’re smaller,
heat.” Conversely, vented Hamilton’s Fireplace Shop they burn hotter and more
logs need a pipe or flue. 4462 Summer Ave. efficiently, turning all the
Both types of heat require Memphis 38122 wood into ash.” He reports
a gas line and shut-off valve (901) 683-6301 they’ve sold more wood
or key near the fireplace. DeSoto Chimney Service stoves in 2009 than any of
Only licensed plumbers 1319 Clyborne St. the past few years.
can install the gas line. Olive Branch, MS 38654 Beeson recommends
Griffin agrees. “Over (662) 890-9200 that homeowners focus
time, vent-free gas logs on efficiency and need, as
have gotten better looking. opposed simply to dollars,
If people want efficiency, that’s the way when exploring a new stove.
to go.” “People go wrong by trying to save a
Of all his products, Griffins sells few dollars and not getting the right size
ventfree gas logs the most. stove on the front end.”
The cost of either vented or ventless And what is his personal choice?
gas logs ranges from $200 to $1,200 for a “If I had a masonry fireplace, I would
set of logs. get a wood-burning insert and re-line the
For those looking for high-end chimney.”
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   8

For Solargen
Energy CEO
Mike Peterson,
California’s
Panoche Valley
is the ideal site
for his plan
to build the
world’s largest
solar farm, but
environmental
groups want no
part of it.
Karen T. Borchers
San Jose, Calif.,
Mercury News/ MCT

Solar, yes, but not here

Calif. environmentalists
fight largest energy farm
By Paul Rogers
San Jose Mercury News
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Panoche Valley
is known mostly for cattle and barbed
wire, a treeless landscape in eastern San
Benito County that turns green every
spring but for much of the year looks like
rural Nevada.
It is in this remote valley 25 miles
south of Hollister that a Silicon Valley
company wants to build what would be
the world’s largest solar farm — 1.2 mil-
lion solar panels spread across an area
roughly the size of 3,500 football fields.
“This is renewable energy. It doesn’t
cause pollution, it doesn’t use coal or
foreign oil, and it emits no greenhouse
gases,” said Mike Peterson, CEO of
Solargen Energy, the Cupertino company
behind the $1.8 billion project.
But critics, including some environ-
mentalists, say green energy isn’t always
green. In a refrain being heard increas-
ingly across California, they contend
the plan to cover this ranch land with a
huge solar project would harm a unique
landscape and its wildlife.
From the Bay Area to the Mojave
Desert, green energy backers are frus-
The Commercial Appeal
trated that a state that wants to lead the
green revolution is facing roadblocks.
Peterson, a former vice president of Gold-
man Sachs, recently looked across the
Panoche Valley and noted its attributes. It
is 20 miles from the nearest town, and has
90 percent of the solar intensity of the
Mojave Desert. Five willing sellers, mostly
longtime ranching families, have signed
options to sell his company 18,000 acres.
Huge transmission lines run through the
site, negating the need to build the kind
of costly and controversial power lines
that have stalled similar projects.
“From our standpoint, this is a perfect
place,” he said. “If not here, where?”
The project would produce 420 mega-
watts of electricity, roughly the same as
a medium-sized natural gas power plant,
and enough to power 315,000 homes.
But in recent weeks, the Santa Clara
Valley, Monterey Peninsula and Fresno
chapters of the Audubon Society have
opposed the project.
“One of our biggest worries is the size.
There are no other projects like it,” s
aid Shani Kleinhaus, an environmental
advocate with the Santa Clara Valley
Audubon Society. “There is really very
little information on how these sorts of
projects impact the environment. We re-
ally don’t know.”
Among their primary concerns:
Panoche Valley is home to several endan-
gered species, including the San Joaquin
kit fox, the blunt-nosed leopard lizard and
the giant kangaroo rat. Additionally, an
estimated 130 species of birds have been
observed in the valley, including the bald
eagle, golden eagle and prairie falcon.
Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   9
Kleinhaus said she supports renew-
able energy. But not here.
“Put solar panels over parking lots.
Put them along the freeways, in airports,
landfills,” she said. “T here ’s plenty of
space. In five years, with new technol-
ogy, they may not even need this much
space.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has
introduced a bill to establish two new na-
tional monuments on federal land in the
Mojave Desert. If approved, the measure
would all but kill 19 big solar and wind
farms proposed for the area.
Feinstein said she wants no large-
scale solar or wind energy on former
railroad lands that the federal govern-
ment acquired a decade ago and that are
prime habitat for bighorn sheep, desert
tortoises and other wildlife.
But others argue that prohibiting
solar developments in vast portions of
California doesn’t make sense.
“They say that we want renewable
energy, but we don’t want you to put it
anywhere , ” Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneg-
ger said last year. “I mean, if we cannot
put solar power plants in the Mojave
Desert, I don’t know where the hell we
can put it.”
Schwarzenegger signed an executive
order requiring 33 percent of Califor-
nia’s electricity to come from renewable
sources such as solar and wind.
And President Barack Obama’s
stimulus plan contains billions in grants
and tax credits for green power. It would
pay for 30 percent of Solargen’s Panoche
Valley project, for example, if ground can
be broken by Dec. 1, 2010.
The Commercial Appeal
Solar power co-ops take heavy
cost burden off of homeowners
By Pat Brennan
The Orange County Register
Getting groups of buyers together to
cut costs has been tried with everything
from health insurance to organic foods.
Now, a San Francisco company is
taking a similar approach to solar power.
They say that by gathering homeowners to
buy solar power systems as a group, they
can bring each a savings in the neighbor-
hood of 23 percent — on top of the large
discounts and credits offered by state and
federal governments.
The company, called One Block Off the
Grid (1bog.org), is offering their service
around the country. In Orange County,
Calif., it’s part of their “Los Angeles cam-
paign.” The first step: go to the company’s
online estimate tool, plug in the kind of
system you want, and find out how much
it costs.
“The solar industry doesn’t do it right
now, ” said Dave Llorens, co-founder and
general manager of the company. “The old
thinking was, you don’t want to scare off
the customers with big numbers till you
get in the living room, and salespeople
can convey the value proposition.”
But customers interested in solar
power can immediately hit a wall of frus-
tration, he said. The power systems and
financing can be so complex that even the
usual approach of getting three estimates
Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   10
One Block Off the Grid is offering
homeowners the chance to buy solar
power systems as a group.
and comparing them might not work.
“It’s not apples and apples,” Llorens
said. “Most homeowners just quit.”
People also have “trust issues” with
the solar power industry, he said. But he
believes allowing them to calculate their
finances online will make it a “transpar-
ent” process.
The new service is on its third group
purchase, he said, with about 50 home­
owners involved in each. The company is
partnering with SunWize Technologies Inc.
(www.sunwize.com) for the installations.
In one example, calculation for a
32-panel system, which is $40,000 gross
cost before rebates and discounts, is
reduced to $12,288.
“We want to make it super easy and
simple to understand,” Lloren said. “We
want to make it grow from friends to
friends. It’s really hard to create trust in
this industry.”
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   11

GOING GREEN ADVENTURES

Garden maintenance in abundance

It’s been too cold to go outside mountain the three tiers of large
and I feel like a caged, suburban greenhouses are heated by water
squirrel. So I put on my puffy coat from the earth that averages
and toured the yard in the dead about 185 degrees and flows at
of winter. about 240gpm. The water rights
I started at my favorite flower have been in the owner’s family
bed. Some of the foliage, which for years so their energy costs are
we try to winter-over, looked like SCOTT minimal. They were eco-friendly
plantsicles. It’s a bed I didn’t get SINES before it was cool.
to clean out before the cold hit. My friend tended the 33
Just another thing that didn’t get done. azaleas way past their sale season so he
There is a section of fence that’s could bring them to Memphis and help
falling down. That’ll have to be fixed. me plant them on our vacation. It’s good
One of the legs on the upper section of to have a project when old friends, or
our compost bin collapsed. That’ll be an sons, come to visit. Besides, better to
easy fix. The compost looks great. We’ll let a plant live than compost it. So, he
get enough soil from it for the whole stuffed them all in a soft duffel and flew
vegetable bed. I’m ready for spring. with them to Memphis. For himself, he
There’s a dead squirrel in the shallow stuffed a week’s worth of clothes into
end of the pool. Probably died of a frozen a backpack to get around the baggage
nose trying to get a drink. The lush is fro- check fees. People who depend directly
zen in ice and I’m musing about whether on their own labor for their wages are
to chop him out and stick him in the more creative with their resources than
freezer for Teresa and Abby to find; or, others.
arrange a proper burial in the grotto This year the nursery helped the Cub
area of the backyard. Either way I’ll get Scouts grow tomatoes. The Cubs took the
in trouble, but I don’t have to make that produce to the farmer’s market, sold it,
decision today. and did well.
What caught my eye were some small, Which has me thinking why aren’t
green azaleas. They were part of a batch we doing more in Memphis, a city with
of 33 bushes that my friend brought profound hunger problems, to teach
down from the Warm Springs Green- our kids how to grow their own food?
houses in Garden Valley, Idaho, where he Please send your ideas to me at
works. Terraced into the south side of a sines@commercialappeal.com.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   12

Sandy Noble of Southaven is a member of the DeSoto Civic Garden

Club, an affiliate of the Garden Clubs of Mississippi. The group
participates in garden tours, symposiums and an annual plant sale.

GARDENER PROFILE Southaven resident Sandy Noble says her love of gar-

Sandy
dening really blossomed when she and her husband Gary
moved out of the city and into the country, about 35 years
ago. Noble says gardening has been a family affair; her
husband was brought up on a farm in Iowa and taught
her many of the gardening basics, and her sister, Anne

Noble
Riordan, is involved in the master gardener program in
Memphis, and has been a wealth of information.
Part of town: My husband, Gary, and I built our
home in the Stonehedge subdivision in Southaven in
1988.
City dweller grows How long have you been interested in gar-
dening? Since I moved out of the city and into the
love of nature after country approximately 35 years ago.
Average amount of time involved with gar-
adopting tranquility dening — per week or month: How much time I re-
of country lifestyle ally spend in the yard will depend upon the time of the
year. Working full time makes it very difficult to spend
a lot of time in the garden during the week, so most
of my gardening is done on the weekends. Of course, I
The Commercial Appeal
am very blessed to have a husband that
really enjoys seeing the fruit of his labor
and he spends many hours in the garden.
The basic lawn maintenance is taken
care of by Andy Steele who owns a land-
scape company called Steele Enterprises:
A Bit of English.
How did you get your green
thumb? I have grown in gardening by
learning from others. Gary was brought
up on a farm in Iowa and taught me so
many of the basics.
The ladies in my garden club, the
DeSoto Civic Garden Club, an affiliate of
the Garden Clubs of Mississippi, support
all of its members through educational
monthly meetings. My sister, Anne Rior-
dan, is involved in the master gardener
program in Memphis, and she has been a
wealth of information.
So it is a process — we all grow in
gardening by digging in, getting our
hands dirty and expanding our minds
through education.
What’s your favorite plant and
why? My favorite tree is a dogwood be-
cause it signifies the beginning of spring
and a new beginning. When the dogwood
and redbud trees, azaleas, peonies,
forsythias and daffodils are all blooming
in the spring, who could ask for a more
beautiful landscape.
Calla lilies and Gerber daisies are a
favorite, too.
Current or most recent gardening
project: Gary and I have what we like to
call a “secret” garden in our backyard. I
wanted to add a garden structure with a
stone floor this past spring. Once I found
the right structure for our garden we were
Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   13
full-steam ahead. The finished project is
exactly what I envisioned and we have en-
joyed relaxing in the garden many times.
Favorite gardening project: Oh,
that would have to be the garden struc-
ture in the secret garden.
What are your favorite garden-
ing experiences? The DeSoto Civic
Garden Club participates in so many
garden tours, symposiums and we now
have an annual plant sale. This came
about due to the popularity of the inter-
nal plant sale.
My neighbor and fellow garden club
member, Emilie Michael, and I became
the plant sale co-auctioneers. All of
the members brought plants from their
yards to sell to the other members.
Neither Emilie nor I knew what all the
plants were so it became lots of fun with
questions to the members as to what the
plant was first and if anybody would want
that plant in their yard. Whether it was
a sun plant or shade plant and if it was
aggressive or just a great plant to have
in the yard. After lots of laughs and the
plant sale was over we all realized we
had learned so much about plants while
just having fun. The next year we invited
our friends and neighbors and did it all
over again. We decided this last year to
make it an annual plant sale open to the
public. The day of sale it rained, but as
we all know, rain never deters a dedi-
cated gardener.
Currently, I am in the midst of learn-
ing how to be a flower show judge with
the DeSoto Civic Garden Club president,
Amye Kelly, and vice president, Jane
Borgognoni.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   14

Weather ready
Winter preparation cleaner with biobased products

US Biobased
Product Companies
This map shows the locations
of more than 2,200 companies
in the United States that either
manufacture or distribute
biobased products. These
vendors manufacture or sell
products that (1) have already
been designated for preferred
Federal procurement via USDA’s
BioPreferred Program, and (2)
are expected to be “BioPreferred
designated” given future program
implementation.
Source: Iowa State University,
Center for Industrial Research and
Service (CIRAS), October 2009.

By Leah C. Wells help make the job of weatherizing your

Special to Going Green
The good news: There’s more gov-
ernment money available than ever to
weatherize homes.
The bad news: Most weatherization
projects still rely heavily on petroleum-
based products, including caulk, water
heater blankets and some types of
insulation.
There are, however, some biobased
products in the marketplace that can
home cleaner and greener.
Biobased Technologies of Fayette-
ville, Ark., is among companies offering
alternatives.
The Fayetteville, Ark.-based firm
produces a biobased spray foam insula-
tion made from soybean oil grown and
produced exclusively in the U.S.
The company’s BioBased Insulation
has a lower R-value than traditional
blown insulation, and can be used to
qualify for LEED certification, said Jen-
The Commercial Appeal
nifer Wilson, company brand manager.
The product is gaining acceptance,
and notable structures that use it include
the Heifer International headquarters in
Little Rock and the Evelyn Pease Tyner
Interpretive Center near Chicago, Ill.
John Oglesby of Tupelo, Miss., is one
of BioBased Insulation’s customers. He
also is the closest soy-based spray foam
insulation dealer to Memphis.
Just over three years ago, Oglesby
and his family decided to build a new
home, and he learned about spray foam
insulation from public television’s “This
Old House.”
After a thorough investigation, he
decided to use biobased insulation for
his home because of the lifecycle utility
and ecological friendliness.
A soybean farmer, Oglesby learned
that the crops he was growing and selling
were sent to a regional mill for processing
and likely made their way into the spray
foam insulation which eventually lined
the walls and attic of his new home.
In the course of building his home,
he was so pleased with the biobased
insulation that he became a dealer for
the Mississippi market.
David Ezell, assistant manager at
Stewart Brothers Hardware in Midtown,
carries eco-friendly foam insulation wrap
for pipes in addition to biobased cleaning
products in the “dollar aisle.” While not a
biobased product, the insulation does help
pipes retain heat and conserve energy.
However, he also finds that customers
are often inclined to purchase a cheaper
and less ecologically-friendly product.
“People want to strike while the iron
Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   15
Cost-effective repairs
Making homes more energy efficient is a
good investment: For every $1 invested in repairs,
home weatherization yields a $1.39 return.
The federal stimulus package offers financial
incentives for making these repairs as well.
For the most common upgrades, consumers
are eligible for tax credits of 30 percent up to
$1,500.
For low-income individuals, the Low- Income
Home Energy Assistance Program offers up to
$6,500 in home repairs that increase energy
efficiency.
Leah C. Wells
is hot ,” Ezell said, “and it’s difficult to
offer a quality product that is competi-
tively priced.”
The USDA’s BioPreferred Program
keeps track of companies that make
plant-derived products, but they rep-
resent, at best, a niche market. Inter-
nationally, the cleantech industry is a
multi-billion dollar phenomenon, but
many consumers have yet to develop a
preference for biobased products.
For these products to gain a foot-
hold and become competitively priced,
consumers need to start asking stores to
stock them.
To learn more about BioBased
Insulation, go to www.biobased.net.
Stewart Bros. Hardware is located at
1340 Madison Ave. in Midtown. Con-
tact them at (901) 726-1922.
Leah C. Wells is a staff member at
BioDimensions and is pursuing a
doctorate in political science at the
University of Mississippi.
The Commercial Appeal
Home ec hand-me-downs
By Kate Forgach
FreeShipping.org
Mother
passes on
Mother was raised during
the Great Depression and Depression’s
World War II, when econo-
mizing was considered both
lessons of
patriotic and smart. She lived frugality
frugally her entire life, never
wasting so much as a piece
of wax paper that could be
reused. That meant her kids
wore a lot of hand-me-down
clothing and carried re-used
lunch bags to school. Our
family of eight left very little
garbage at the curb and
dined on vegetables from
Dad’s post-victory garden.
The Greatest Generation’s philosophy
to “Make do or do without” is one we can
all live by during this economic turn-
around. Here are the top seven lessons
Mother left indelibly etched on my mind.
1. Garbage Stew: The sound of
scraping leftovers into the trash drove
my mother crazy. Every scrap went into
the freezer until she had enough for a
savory soup or stew. Leftover bread was
frozen, ready to be turned into holiday
turkey stuffing.
2. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle:
Our kitchen drawers were stuffed with
crinkly tinfoil and washed plastic bags.
We snipped buttons off clothes ready to
become rags.
Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   16
3. Free entertainment:
We never missed a free day
at the museum or zoo and
autumn meant hikes in the
country to admire the chang-
ing leaves. Story time at the
library was a weekly treat
and Christmas found us tour-
ing light displays through-
out town.
4. Never buy books:
Use your library card. We
had plenty of books but
most were purchased at
second-hand stores or dur-
ing the library’s annual sale.
5. Hang it up: I have
many childhood memories
of stretching high to hang
endless rows of clean diapers and sheets
on our clothes lines. They smelled fresh
and circumvented use of an energy-
sucking dryer.
6. Use paper towels sparingly:
We practically had to pass an interroga-
tion before using a single sheet of these
expensive products.
7. Darn it! Socks didn’t hit the rag
pile until repeatedly repaired heels and
toes made it difficult to walk. It’s time we
stop tossing garments and re-learn the art
of darning socks and repairing clothes.
From McClatchy-Tribune Informa-
tion Services. For more savings tips,
check out FreeShipping.org’s “Go Fru-
gal” blog at www.freeshipping.org/blog
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   17

Tips on recycling, resolve follow

Arkansan home from Australia
By Michael Ford their sun is really harsh. Fifteen minutes
Courier News in the sun there and you’re burnt.
“They also have the highest skin
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Even as a cancer rate,” she added. “They’ve had to
child, Carman Stump felt responsible for make hats mandatory at school recess.”
keeping the planet clean, but it wasn’t When Stump and her husband re-
until the Russellville native lived in Aus- turned to Russellville, she noticed people
tralia for 10 years that she realized how still were not recycling, so she decided
void her hometown was of recycling. to take action. Through her church, she
Stump, 39, joined her spearheaded a “Green Team,”
husband in returning to his “Russellville is which was responsible for
hometown of Perth in 1997, setting up recycling bins in
after they both graduated finally moving church offices, kitchens and
from Arkansas Tech Universi- forward. ... People gathering areas. She then
ty with accounting degrees. As coordinated volunteers who
he continued his education,
are excited.’’ would deliver the recyclables
she worked as an accountant CARMAN STUMP to the city’s drop-off center.
while also taking note of how Recycling advocate Stump’s overwhelming
environmentally friendly sense of responsibility to the
people were down under. planet has led to her becom-
“They’ve been recycling for 20-plus ing a staunch defender of Russellville’s
years, ” Stump said of Australians. “It was new single-hauler system. Ironically, it
just a part of life for them. Never once did is the same system Australia has already
we have a conversation about the incon- been using for more than two decades.
veniences of trash or having to recycle. “Russellville is finally moving forward,”
They just did it.” Stump said.
Stump’s decade in the country also “This is an enormous improvement
reaffirmed for her the negative impact over the old system and a huge undertak-
sustained by the planet when people ing. Not only are we recycling, but we can
don’t recycle. She observed firsthand a now get rid of yard waste and big items at
hole in the ozone layer that has led to life- curbside. People are excited that they can
threatening consequences. now actively do something positive for our
“Because of the depleted ozone layer, planet from their homes.”
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   18

EARTH TALK

Environmental toxins in breast milk

Dear Earth Talk: Does human breast milk
contain toxins from environmental pollution
and what effect does it have on babies?
People who live in
developed countries carry
around a significant toxic
burden in their bodies due
to constant environmental
exposure to chemicals.
The fact that these toxic
chemicals end up in breast
milk and are in turn
passed along to newborns
is even more troubling.
According to writer
Florence Williams, whose
groundbreaking 2005 ar-
ticle in the New York Times
Magazine opened many
women’s eyes to the envi-
ronmental health issues
with breastfeeding, breast
milk tends to attract heavy
metals and other contami-
nants due to its high-fat
and protein content. “When
we nurse our babies, we
feed them not only the fats,
sugars and proteins that
fire their immune systems,
metabolisms and cerebral
synapses,” she reported.
“We also feed them, al-
beit in minuscule amounts,
paint thinners, dry-cleaning
fluids, wood preservatives,
toilet deodorizers, cosmetic
additives, gasoline byprod-
ucts, rocket fuel, termite
poisons, fungicides and
flame retardants.”
In the wake of such
news reports, four nursing
mothers came together
in 2005 to form Make
Our Milk Safe (MOMS), a
nonprofit group engaging
in education, advocacy and
corporate campaigns to try
to eliminate toxic chemi-
cals from the environment
and in breast milk. The
group educates pregnant
women and others about
the impacts on children
of exposure to chemicals
before, during and after
pregnancy, and promotes
safer alternatives to
products such as clean-
ing supplies, food storage
containers and personal
care products that contain
offending substances.
Despite these concerns,
some recent research has
shown the toxic load in
breast milk to be smaller
than that in the air most
city dwellers breathe
inside their homes.
Researchers at Ohio
State and Johns Hopkins
universities measured levels
of volatile organic com-
pounds in breast milk and
in the air inside the homes
of three lactating Baltimore
mothers. They found that a
nursing infant’s chemical
exposure from airborne
pollutants to be between 25
and 135 times higher than
from drinking mother’s milk.
For more information,
go to the MOMS Web site
at www.safemilk.org.
The Commercial Appeal
Make bathroom earth-friendly
By Karin Beuerlein
Home and Garden Television / hgtv.com
The bathroom is a great place to go
green. Here are some ideas:
Think Organic Cotton
Bath linens made from organic cotton
are not only comfy and soft, but they
require less pesticide to produce than
regular cotton towels. Manufacturers
that use the slightly more expensive
organic cotton also tend to use natural
dyes and softeners that are less toxic to
the environment.
Consider replacing your vinyl shower
curtain with a heavy cotton duck curtain,
says Annie B. Bond, author of “Home En-
lightenment” and executive producer of
green-living content at Care2.com, a site
devoted to natural health. “The plastic
in a shower curtain is PVC, and the plas-
ticizers in PVC are hormone disrupters,”
she says. “Those toxic ingredients can
become airborne.”
Try an All-Natural Approach
Natural bath products are friendlier
to your skin than chemical-laden offer-
ings from major cosmetics companies,
and they won’t create toxic air pollution.
Visit the Environmental Working Group’s
Skin Deep Web site, ewg.org/reports/
skindeep2/index.php, to research
products you currently use and discover
healthy alternatives.
Sunday, January 17, 2010 | GOING GREEN   19
Be Water-Wise
A low-flow showerhead can reduce
water consumption by 30 percent, yet
still provide a pressurized spray. Another
nifty gadget, a gray-water diverter, sends
used water from the shower or bath to a
collection container for distribution to
your garden.
Insulating your water heater and
lowering its thermostat to 120 degrees
makes a real difference in the amount
of energy used to heat your morning
shower. And consider replacing your
toilet with a low-flow model if it’s more
than 12 years old.
Use Recycled Building Products
Remodeling your bathroom? Seek out
tile made from recycled materials for
floors, baths, showers and countertops.
Thanks to the popularity of recycling,
colors and finishes are plentiful. Re-
cycled glass tile is a particularly good
choice for low emissions.
Clean Green
Get rid of the harsh chemicals you use
to clean tubs and toilets. Pay attention to
the government-mandated warning labels
on cleaning products; the terms used,
from least to most toxic, are “caution,”
“warning” and “poison/danger.” Aim for
products that say “caution” only or seek
out environment-conscious brands like
Seventh Generation and Ecover.