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Not So Perfect Parent BLOG |
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August 2008
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Mary Ann Greene, director of the di Vinci School in Dallas is the guru in all things Green! She made sure that the school that the school she developed was completely eco-friendly. She truly is a pioneer and has provided these tips to keep all of us Green! Mary Ann Greene Titles: Director and Founder Company: The da Vinci School Website: www.davincischool.org Number to call: 214-373-9504 Email: davincischool@hotmail.com or mag@davincischool.org _______________________________________________________ GREEN RESOURCES Healthy and green resource books "Healthy Child, Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home" by Christopher Gavigan. A must read for parents or parents to be to understand what is at stake for their child. Read this before you get pregnant. Available through bookstores. "Healthy School Handbook" by Norma Miller, Ed. This book was published in 1995 by the NEA Professional Library. It is a helpful compendium of chapters written by various experts in the field of education, medicine and environmental health. "Home Safe Home" by Debra Lynn Dadd. Debra also has a very informative website that includes her list of "greenest of the green products" and a "green living Q & A" section. You can click on a topic and you are guaranteed to learn a lot of extremely helpful information. That website is: http://www.dld123.com/debraslist/index.html "Less- Toxic Living" by Carolyn Gorman Lists unhealthy household products and ingredients and offers less toxic or non-toxic alternatives. "Prescriptions for a Healthy House: A Practical Guide for Architects, Builders and Homeowners " by Paula Baker Laporte, Erica Elliott, M.D., and John Banta. "Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby Care" by Alan Greene, M.D. The best time to read this useful publication is before you ever get pregnant! There is a lot of helpful information plus additional references that will help you make healthier decisions for you and your baby. Available in bookstores. "The Toxic Sandbox" by Libby McDonald Become informed The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) - has a very informative website that will help you be a more informed consumer, parent and advocate for your child in school. They are soon releasing the Back-to-School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies --so you can make smarter and healthier shopping choices for your kids, family and environment. Environmental Defense - provides a wide range of information and in depth studies on their website including a list of safe and unsafe seafood, and air pollution concerns with special initiatives regarding school buses. Their website states "We start with rigorous science. Then we work directly with businesses, government and communities. Together, we can create lasting solutions to the most serious environmental problems." Do you enjoy eating seafood, but wonder about the contaminants in them? www.oceansalive.org reports the least and most contaminated and endangered fish, which can be downloaded into a handy pocket-sized list. Environmental Working Group - Has on their website a report on the toxicity of cosmetics and personal care products. You can enter in your favorite products and learn if they contain health hazards. www.ewg.org Their 2005 Report studied the chemicals found in newborn umbilical cord blood. This is an eye-opening report that certainly points to chemical contaminants - many known to be carcinogens and toxic to the brain and nervous system. http://archive.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php This same organization also provides a list of 43 common fruits and vegetables ranked in order of pesticide residues from worst to least. www.foodnews.org GOOGLE: EPA - Children's Environmental Health: 2006 Report. Read the 2006 Report from the EPA on the environment, health and a focus on children. It contains well-documented information and lists many additional resources. What Foods Should You Only Buy ORGANICALLY grown? The website below has a downloadable, pocket sized list of the fruits and vegetables which tend to have the most to least pesticide residues. Read through this website for links about integrated pest management techniques, also. The Environmntal Health Perspective Online has a thorough and easy to read collection of articles related to all aspects of health and the environment including information on playgrounds, and pesticides. Open the website listed and open the box on the lower left hand side of the home page labeled "The Children's Environmental Health Institute" www.ehponline.org Healthy Schools The Healthy Schools Network ...http://www.healthyschools.org. They send out regular e-mails updating parents and school officials on many issues surrounding healthy and safe school operations. Educational Curriculum Resources How to make a worm compost...The da Vinci School 2007-08 kindergarten students share how and why at the end of this document The Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) has an energy education curriculum for schools. http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/ Click on Energy Education Curriculum. Also, click on "links" for additional educational resources and articles. Sustainable Skylines - Dallas is promoting a clean and healthy environment for our city. You can read about initiatives and your organization can become a partner with the city - like The da Vinci School . For more curriculum ideas on reduce, reuse and recycle, check out the following: Where to find products Green Guard Indoor Air Guardians...The Greenguard website lists products that they have tested and are safe to use with a special listing - Green Guard Certification for Children and Schools. Look under "Products" on their website. The Green Seal certification program also evaluates products against a standard that is considered healthier within the parameters they define. You can review their standards and the products they have certified. TheGreenOffice.com is an online office products retailer providing one-stop Progressive Kid: great and really stylin' backpacks and some lunch bags. Want to make your own environmentally cleaning solutions? http://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions Or Google: "Homemade cleaning products" for several websites offering formulas that will allow you to save money while protecting your environment.
Now for the "How"! 2. Bedding - A variety of bedding materials will work. We are currently using pine bark mulch and newspaper. 3. Worms - You can order red wigglers online. You only need to order worms to get started. They will multiply in your bin! 4. Feeding the worms - Any fruit or veggie scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags and even egg shells can be buried in your bin. No meat or dairy, they will smell. 5. Every 6 months or so you "harvest" the rich compost soil from your bin and give the worms new bedding to start over. You need to mix 1 part compost to 1 part soil. It is great for houseplants and outdoor plants. 6. Resources - We used the book Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof.
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