A round-up of this week’s environmental, green and ecofriendly news and updates.
When you look at some cakes and soft drinks, it’s pretty obvious that they have artificial colouring added to them. But there are are some foods that might surprise you.
For example, if you live in the US and your fresh tuna steak is bright red, it may have been gassed with toxic carbon monoxide! It’s a great way to stop the flesh going brown, but because the gas so toxic, the process is banned in the European Union, Japan and Canada.
Oranges aren’t brightly coloured all year round, so a synthetic dye called Citrus Red #2 is often added. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Dried apricots are often treated with nasty, smelly sulphur dioxide to preserve them.
Buy organic foods to avoid these problems.
Pickled ginger is normally white or faintly pink. If it’s pink-coloured, it’s probably been treated with Allura red, a dye made from synthetic coal tar and approved by the FDA. Ugh!
And synthetic canthaxanthin is often added to farmed salmon to make it pinker.
We know it’s healthier for us – and better for the environment – to clean with natural, non-toxic products.
But there are 3 mistakes that many people make when it comes to cleaning naturally.
See the 3 main mistakes here.
I’m sure you heard about the earthquakes in New Zealand recently. But one facet of them is not so well known – the mysterious “earthquake lights”.
Sometimes, the sky is lit with flickers of blue, green and white during the peak of an earthquake.
They were not the result of power lines exploding from the quake, because the lights occurred far off the coast. It wasn’t lightning because there were no storms in the area at the time.
“Earthquake lights” are a still-unexplained natural phenomenon that has been reported over the centuries.
Black Friday is almost here. It’s one of the worst times for excessive consumerism.
Luckily, there are alternatives.
You can shop if you want, just differently.
Or you can go completely the other way…..
Either way, you get to actually ENJOY Black Friday for once. Read more here.
Are you scared to go to the dentist? (I’m terrified).
If you go to a dentist in San Francisco, you can be calmed by a wonderful rescue dog called Karma. By a fascinating coincidence, Karma has no teeth! (When she was rescued, all her teeth had to be removed).
This loving little dog is more than happy to sit on the laps of patients having dental procedures. They are instantly calmer and more relaxed. Her dentist owners say Karma has made a huge difference in their lives – and to their patients too!
(I love reading about the power of animals to help and heal).
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Please spread the Green word and share this info.
And if you’re on Twitter, get a daily green tip by following me – @EcoExpert1 . See you there!
Quite a bit to read here so it took me a bit. First off, I don’t DO black Friday! EVER! That’s just nuts. I didn’t know about the lights during an earthquake because I usually had my head under something during one. Been through a couple big quakes. I know about the stuff and gases they put in our food. They actually gas organic bananas too. 🙁 I think the only way to avoid it is to not get anything from a store. I’m afraid it would take more than a sweet puppy to make me comfortable at the dentist. Haven’t been in 5 years or so. As for furniture polish, I stopped using any. I think it gums up the finish. Have to think about olive oil.? Hmmm. Use lots of vinegar and baking soda but not on carpet spots. Might have to check that out. Have a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving. Marlene Herself
I’m delighted you don’t do Black Friday Marlene. It’s now caught on in the UK and it’s getting more like the US version each year. (I’m blissfully far away from it – no Black Friday here, and Amazon ships hardly anything to the island). I was reading a discussion thread online where someone said that we should all shop on Black Friday because it helps the poor because that’s the only day of the the year when they can buy necessities. I couldn’t quite believe it – Black Friday isn’t for necessities, it’s for wants. And then suddenly it turned into a race discussion, even though Black Friday was named for when retailers finally got out of the red (overdraft) and into the black due to consumer spending. Isn’t it fascinating how differently we all think?
You’ve been though earthquakes? Wow! Like you, I would NOT be looking at lights. I would be absolutely terrified! Organic bananas are gassed? Good grief. I hear you about the dentist. I only go in an emergency – pathetic really, I know. Logic tells me to go more regularly but …..
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, and I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving!