More Hip than Hippie - A Home Energy Audit
This week we talk about a wayward whale, Eagle spotting, and Audits (Energy not IRS).

In the news -

• Up the Thames - A whale ended up in the Thames river. Sadly he died while they were trying to help him back out to the wild.
• The Eagles - Val and her family went to see the Eagles out near the rice fields. They saw one - it was huge.
• Parisa - Val waxed her legs. At least she didn't cry. She likes the smooth legs, and that all the parts (minus the wax) is reusable.
• Dori's House - Floors are being refinished, paint is going on (all low voc paint from Sherwin Williams). Fennel Frond, Clear Day, and Sole - Check them out in the colors section on the Sherwin Williams site.

Our Finds of the Week

• Scrapile.com - Dori found a company that makes great, stylish furniture out of scrap lumber.
• In Plenty
  
  The Top Ten Things We Hope to Find as the Glaciers Melt -
  • Jimmy Hoffa
  • Waldo
  • The mates to all our loose socks
  • A word that rhymes with "orange"
  • Dave Chapelle
  • Bill Gates's PIN number
  • Edvard Munch's The Scream
  • The Missing Link
  • The lost pieces of the ozone layer
  • Santa's Workshop

   

  The Beer - Piraat Ale - a Belgium beer imported by Win-It-Too, Inc. out of Santa Barbara, CA

  The Chocolate - NOT DARK!!!TerraNostra Chocolate Ricemilk Choco. For vegans this is a good choice. We liked it, but we're die hard dark chocolate fans so this wasn't top of our list.

  The Home Energy Audit
  Over 75% of our utility bills are spent on heating, cooling, lighting, cooking and running other appliances in their homes. Did you know that heating the shower for a family of four can cost up to $33 a month?
  Make it a goal to save 20% on your monthly energy bills this year. By incorporating simple tips throughout the house, you can do it.
  Before we start, here are the general steps to get started:
  Step 1: Take the following tour throughout your home and determine where you lose the most energy. Are there holes and cracks in or around walls, ceilings, windows and electrical outlets. Is there enough insulation in exterior or basement walls? Do the appliances work properly? Are they sucking every dime out of your wallet due to their lack of energy efficiency? Is there a way to use daylight to reduce the time the lights are on in your home?
  Step 2: Develop a plan. List priorities based on where you are losing the most energy, your budget and the amount of time you have available and what your limitations are if you are renting.
  Step 3: Begin making changes around your house.

  Living Room:
  For south facing windows, keep draperies and shades open during the day as they received the most sunlight. Keep all drapes and shades closed at night to help reduce chill.
  Minimize the use of your fireplace as warm air escapes through the chimney. Unless a fire is burning, keep the fireplace damper closed. If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue.
  If you have large blank walls, hang a tapestry to help trap warm air.
  Kitchen:
  Use your kitchen ventilation fan wisely - did you know that in just one hour, these fans can pull out a houseful of warm air?
  When using your oven, keep preheating time to a minimum and use the smallest pan possible to use less energy (less to wash, too). Limit the time you open the door as you lose heat - use the light to see what's happening inside.
  Scrape, don't rinse off large pieces of food and bone from the dishes. Soaking and pre-washing should be reserved for burnt on foods.
  Cover pots and pans with lids to retain heat and reduce cooking time.
  Position your refrigerator or freezer away from direct sunlight or warm air so the appliance doesn't need to use more energy to keep cool. Example: dishwasher, range, heating ducts, etc)
  Bedroom:
  Unblock all heating registers, air supplies and return vents.
  Plug all holes in walls including light switches, electrical outlets and windows to keep air from leaking out or in.
  Keep doors closed to unoccupied rooms and close vents. Why heat an empty room?
  Keep heated waterbeds covered when not in use.
  Bathroom:
  Install low flow showerheads and repair leaky faucets. Heating water is the second largest energy user in the home.
  Leave the bathroom door open after a shower to let the warm steamy air circulate through the house.
  Don't use the toilet as a trash can - every flush can use up to six gallons.
  Don't let water run when shaving, washing your face or brushing your teeth. Brush your teeth while waiting for warm water, then fill the basin and wash or shave.
  Lather once in the shower, Rob. A short shower uses half the water of a full bath. Use a shower timer to limit shower times.
  Attic/Basement:
  Add insulation to your attic and ducts. Check with your local utilities company for programs that provide free insulation or financial assistance. They're available in many states.
  Have a professional tune up and inspect your furnace once a year and change your filters regularly. It can make a big difference in furnace efficiency.
  General Tips:
  Be conscious of how many lights are on in your home. If your kids need light, purchase a low wattage night light -they illuminate while using extremely little energy.
  Wrap your water heater - this can make a big impact.
  Set your water heater to a maximum of 120 degrees. Plenty hot enough to wash everything, saves energy and prevents scalding.
  Switch to cold water laundry detergent, you can save up to $63 a year.
  Set your thermostat at 68 in the winter and 80 in the summer. Adjust accordingly to your climate. A few degrees can add up to big bucks at bill time.
  Houseplants add humidity and absorb toxins. Humid air feels warmer and helps to reduce winter colds and dry skin.
  Use CFL's! They last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs and use at least 25% less energy. Buy quality - cheap bulbs burn out.
  Paint walls light colors to reduce the amount of light you need.
  Keep your light bulbs clean - dust absorbs light and reduces efficiency.
  Keep South facing windows clean to maximize light and heat retention.
  If you have old windows and can't afford new ones, apply plastic sheeting to help insulate.
  Utilize weather stripping and caulking around doors and windows - prevents major heat loss.
  Power down appliances when not in use - this means unplugging. Computers, stereo's, toasters, coffee pots, you get the idea. Just because they're off doesn't mean they're not pulling current.
  Lots of little things add up to big savings. Keep track of your bills and your total wattage use. Consider buying a Kill-o-Watt to help detect key money sucking appliances.

  Listener Emails
  

  • Tracy sent over a great tip for eco-friendly cat litter (which, by the way the girls apologized for forgetting- especially cat lover Dori) made of recycled wood pellets and is completely compostable. They even have a form to fill out where you can get your first purchase free after rebate. You can find it at www.felinepine.com/cons_rebates.html
  • Barry asked about a comprehensive list of green companies. While there isn't one complete list, the gals recommend Co-op America's National Green Pages. You can find them at most natural food stores and at several major booksellers. Or, you can get them free by joining Co-op America at www.coopamerica.org. Also Check out Organic Life Magazine, and Sustainable Industries Magazines.
  • Jen - Hello,
    A friend of mine just turned me on to your podcast - I just checked it out and I think it's great that you're putting that information out there! And you just sold me on the Earth Enzymes drain cleaner!
    I'm currently looking for a new job in the Cleveland, OH area and would like to find some companies that are environmentally aware, that produce earth-friendly products, something to that effect. I've tried searching a little, but I'm having trouble finding any such companies in the area.
    Please let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions. Val suggests checking with your local Chamber of Commerce.
  • Elizabeth in England - Let me just say you two are the California sisters I left behind! I am a transplanted Californian (Santa Maria is my home town) living in England. It is so great to download you guys every week. I have been committed to living green for years but it is an ongoing struggle! With four kids I am always challenged with things like how to pack my kids lunches without using prepackaged crap OR 5000 plastic sandwich bags, or how to recycle the mountains of boxes, bottles and cans that my family seems to generate in a timely manner before they take over our pantry and drive us out onto the streets! So thanks for the encouragement. I am currently conducting my own local organic beer and cider review in your honor and took myself out to lunch today at a local organic restaurant just because I was in the mood after your podcast! Hopefully I will be sending out four girls into the world that carry their own shopping bags, drink and eat locally, and drive environmentally responsibly cars. My crazy parenting style will be worth while if I can pull this off and with your help I hope to!! Thanks gals!!!
  • Liisa - I just got back from vacation on the big island of Hawaii, and I took you guys with me... on my iPod (yes, I know that isn't the same as you actually getting to go).
    About cleaning your drain with something other than Drain-O; white vinegar and baking soda down that sucker, cover it up and let it burn through that hair and icky stuff.
    Congrats on getting a Trader Joe's! We love ours. They have a great Zen cleaner, excellent biodegradable laundry and dish detergents... and excellent organic dark chocolate bars.
    Finally, a question: how safe is Oxi-clean for the environment? I have no idea how it works, other than it being bleach-free. Does it become inert after awhile? - Val says it gets it's power from oxygen.
  • Jarrod asked about good stains and urethanes that won't outgas he and his new wife to death (their cat Pixel does that just fine). Val recommends afm safecoat www.afmsafecoat.com
  • Ann - Did you happen to see Target store's Sunday circular? They are selling bamboo sheets and towels - hooray! Nice to see a national retailer going green. Val went to the website, and didn't find that they had actual bamboo fibers, but bamboo texture and design. Let us know if we've got it wrong.
  • Prabjit - Hello Dori and Val,
    I'm a guy studying Psych/Art History in Tucson, Arizona and you babes got a primo podcast! I would know--I used to be subscribed to 50 of them (but now I'm down to 20. For me, you hold a spot next to the likes of NPR's podcast collection--important, urgent, diverse, oh so relevant, and HUMOROUS. First off I'll recommend another podcast to you and your listeners. The Vegan Cooking School is a tight, 15min podcast hosted by chef Tracy Jorg that's got some good recipes...chocolate pudding, tofu scramble, and yes beer battered onion rings! I just wanted people to know about it, so there.
    Another comment concerns your show on Paper vs. Plastic. It made me think how I was raised in my house and how I keep my own apt. When grocery shopping at Albertsons (I'm a poor college student w/o a car and it's across the street..sry) I take my TJ's (Trader Joe's) canvas bag and walk to and from the store while listening to your podcast :). When shopping with a friend, I collect all the plastic bags that he and I used and I store them in my apartment. I use plastic bags to organize my clothes and laundry instead of a BIG dresser. I use them to cover the inside of small trash bins in the bath and bedroom so they stay clean of "goo". And the rest I save, so if someone has to blow chucks or something there's always a bag around.
    So my question is what's your review of the Nalgene, post-consumer (#7) plastic bottles that about a fourth of college students own? Are they OK with the hippies? I've had one for a year now and I've never bought an ordinary plastic bottle because of it. Who've thought college students, fresh away from home, would revert back to babies -- carrying around bottles :) Ha! On a related note, though I can't find the article in my mailbox, my dad forwarded a news article telling people not to freeze water in cheap plastic bottles or heat food in Tupperware because of the release of dioxins. Having heard you gals cover parts of this too I thought I'd tell you that everyone on my email list got the message.
    (Val said not to use #7 plastic bottles - switch to a stainless steel bottle - or use a glass bottle or a bottle from Biota.)
  • Andre, one of our Canadian listeners (eh?), shared a website with some disturbing information about pet food. Check out www.commondreams.org for more information.
  Email us at hip@greenfeet.com

   

More Hip Than Hippie - Pets Part II - What comes out!
This week we taste an interesting chocolate, focus on what comes out of your pets (ick), and answer lots of listener emails.

The Chocolate - This chocolate has a little kick of chili and nibs. As suggested to us in a listener email - Xocolatl from Dagoba - Check it out.

The Beer - This one is from England - Young's winter warmer a dark seasonal ale from the Ram Brewery Wadsworth.

Val's Waxing: Val is going to try perisa leg wax. A natural product for hair removal - She will let us know how it goes.

Dori and Val are Proud to be a Californians:

• Approved California Solar Initiative - Learn more here.
• Legislature considers bill to ban chemical from kids' products Bisphenol A found in pacifiers, toys and baby bottles - Read the article here - and a guide to safer toys and home here.
• Industrial Hemp Farming Act - State Hemp Legislation Making Advances- Read More here.

Finds for the Week

• Martha Stewart Living Magazine - Suggests putting pebbles (that can match your decor in a baking dish and putting your boots on that so the moisture can be wisked away.
• Also from Martha Stewart Living - Paw Care- Winter walks are fun, but the rock salt used to melt snow can make a dog.s paws raw and chapped. To prevent a pet injury, fill a container with warm water before going outdoors, and briefly dunk each paw in the water when you return home. Keep a towel nearby for drying off.
• From Real Simple Magazine - Furnace Filter Replacement Reminder - Before this winterâ��s high energy bills have you heading out to the backyard to build a windmill, make sure youâ��re not adding to them by neglecting your furnaceâ��s filter. For maximum efficiency, it should be replaced at least every three months, but often this task is forgotten. Sign up at www.filtersontime.com and filters will be shipped to you automatically, right on schedule. (You can also have water filters and air-purifier filters sent regularly.) Thatâ��s one less task for the to-do list.
• Another from Real Simple Magazine - Keeping your garbage disposal fresh - To get rid of odors, make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the garbage disposal. Simply run cold water through the drain after grinding. You can also use lemon, which will leave your disposal smelling lemony-fresh.
• For the party-goer - Tabletopics.com - great icebreakers and questions to freshen the conversations at your next cocktail party or family gathering. Val adds a few Valentine's party ideas. Email us your great party ideas at hip@greenfeet.com

Your Pets - What comes out of your pet and how to deal with it
A city of 1,000,000 people would have an average dog population of 60-80,000. Each dog produces about a 1/4 of a pound of waste a day. That's 52,500 lbs of dog poop a day in just one city.

 

Pet waste can contain pathogens and bacteria that can be harmful to humans. Here are some of the illnesses that can be contracted by pet poop (any carnivore eating pet, that is) typically through ingesting contaminated water

• Parasitic worms such as round, tape and hook worms
• Cryptosporidium (val pronounced it right - yay!). It causes nasty intestinal unspeakables and fever
• Salmonella
• Giardia (beaver fever - don't get Dori started on this)

Chlorine doesn't kill all of these pathogens so water treatment plants are not the answer. We need to dispose of poop properly.
What to do?

• Control where your pet relieves him/herself.
• Use biodegradable/compostable pet poop bags such as BioBags.
• Till an area in your yard to make pooping in a specific area more attractive to Rover
• Flush pet waste down the toilet (good for cat poop, but can fill up septic faster)
• The best idea is to compost your pet waste. You need to create a condition where the temperature is high enough to kill pathogens - it's like setting up a mini doggie septic tank. Here are the tips that Val found on the internet on how to make your own pet composter.

Remember: NEVER use pet compost on edible garden or flower beds. It's best to use for trees and shrubs away from little hands.

 

Listener Emails

• Annie -
  1. Freecycle: thanks for turning me on to this - people have, and will take, ANYTHING (so TRY it!)
  2. Essential oils: I went out and bought tea tree and lavender oils. Tell me about the droppers, though. My oils have the droppers in the lid - and not the kind of dropper that you squeeze like eye drops. These seem kind of hard to control - do you recommend these kind and how do you know what the dropper is like if you can't open the bottle?
  3. Method products: have you learned anything about these? I have tried the dishwashing detergent and it seems to clean well but I want to know if they're good for the environment. Check out what Method has to say about their ingredients here
  4. When I pack my child's lunch, I have to use recloseable container so that the school can have him repack what he does not eat. I WAS using zip-top bags but found a fabric wrap at www.reusablebags.com that is a square of fabric with a safe plastic on the interior and a velcro close - it's called a Wrap-n-Mat. My son (4) can open and close it with no problem and it works great. Thanks for turning me on www.reusablebags.com - I also bought some reusable shopping bags and am working on remembering to Just Say No to plastic bags at the store!
  5. Tell me about baby wipes. I use a lot of them with my 21-month-old and wonder about them. Are they recyclable - how can you tell?
  6. On a recent podcast, you talked about getting rid of the plastic, especially in your kitchen. Bet you didn't know you are not only green, but in style. In the most recent catalogs I received from Williams Sonoma and Crate & Barrel, they are carrying glass refrigerator ware! And, you talked about environmentally friendly paints. I just opened Sundance catalog and they are carrying a line of paints that use only post-consumer paints - decorators turn in their overages and Sundance blends them into paints that then leave no environmental footprint. How cool! Don't know if they are low VOC however ...
  7. Sirius: Congratulations on their interest in you! My thoughts are that if the deal had been right and meets your primary criteria, do you really care about the theme song? If so, make it a deal point that you get approval on a new one. Bottom line, I think your real value is your approach and your brand - More Hip Than Hippie is an awesome brand and you girls just rock!
  8. Is wax paper recyclable? Afraid Not
  9. Idea: Ok, what if manufacturers had to include ideas on how to recycle/reuse their packaging as part of the packaging?
  10. Idea: Plastic bags: Why not take your extra bags to your local library or thrift store so they can reuse them (until you run out because you're using reusable bags!)
• Dennis - Hi Dori, Hi Val,
  Thanks for reading my email on your show! You are more than welcome to add my blog link to your site (meadowdance.blogspot.com)- it shows the progress of my next book.
  Your suggestions are perfect. I've actually had dinner with Doug Wood, the author of Old Turtle. He's a great guy.
  I look forward to next week's show as I have a 100 lbs. Golden Retriever that leaves all sort of recycled dog food all over the yard. I've always struggled with the best way to deal with it.
  Dennis
• Shayna - Because of your ladies wonderful show, I've started trying to find ways I can make a difference. I've told my family I will not buy disposable plastic silverware, cups and plates anymore. I've started recycling all our newspapers and plastic bottles and hope to start saving the cans soon.
  I was at Bed, Bath and Beyond today and found these GREAT reusable "shopping bags". They had a bunch of colors, they are probably 2' x 2' and zip closed across the top. The best part, is they fold up nicely and snap shut and have great handles. I bought 3. Thanks for the great show and all the good ideas!
• Diana - Dori and Val, I have been listening to the show for quite a while now and it just gets better and better. I've been influenced by you to change a few things: I no longer use perfume or air sprays.. Instead I now use essential oils-I've found my favorite so far to be sandalwood. In the new year, I vow to find green household cleansers so the episode where you touched on that topic I found to be very helpful. And one more thing. I know that you didn't want to get too technical or scientific about essential oils, but, I was given an essential oil body spray. I wonder if there would be any red flags as far as ingredients that would make this false? Keep up the good work! I'll keep listening!
• Rowena and Gerry - Hey there, Dori and Val. Happy new year to you both!
  My husband and I really think your show's a great thing! ... just wanted to let you know that we think you're doing an excellent job of "planting seeds" for a greener world.
  We're gradually making the switch away from plastics and teflon to glass, stainless steel, wood, etc.
  I was wondering if you have any suggestions for healthier alternatives to foam when it comes to stuffing pillows? I thought I heard one of your guests who specializes in green construction of buildings mention in one of your summer or fall shows that foam is something you want to get away from when creating a healthy indoor environment. We're looking to stuff 2 beautifully handcrafted (in Bangladesh) floor pillows that are 32 inches square. Look forward to hearing any green suggestions you've got!
• Bob - I was listening to your ideas about reducing the amount of junk mail you get. I like your idea of using a different middle initial, but if you want some more fun, give yourself a different title each time. It's so much fun to open a piece of mail addressed to Dr. Val or Dori, PhD. Plus you can get really creative with your different titles.
• Tom - Hello Dori and Val, and a very Happy New Year and belated Merry Christmas!
  I've been on holiday in the UK, visiting my family, for the past three weeks so was excited to come back to several podcasts from you waiting for me!
  I was just listening to your latest podcast and heard you mention some great schemes done by Co-op America, I wanted to mention that in the UK the Co-op supermarket chain has made all of their own brands fairtrade. I just thought you'd like to mention that, for anyone who doesn't know it.
  Also in Japan (where I teach English) there is a green Co-op system which supports local farmers. You can get a catalogue of locally produced produts and, where I live at least, you place an order and on Wednesday they bring you your fresh fruit, veg, meat and dairy products, all produced locally.
  Also I noticed that if you download the podcast on to an ipod (there are other mp3 players available mind) and press the centre button whilst it's playing, after you go past the skip function and the rating function you come to the show notes. The full show notes too! So Jill's work is not in vain, you can read them on the go and thus there is no excuse not to now!!
• Chris - Hello ladies, my name is chris and im new to your pod cast... but I love it and it is by far my favorite of all ive heard... I just wanted to know more about you guys and how long you have been "hippies", im about 17 and im the only hippie in the whole school... so i just wanted to talk to someone who knows what they are talkin about... I'll stay in touch
• Aster - Hi Dori and Val, what a great New Year show! I have a podcast too (i'm from the Netherlands, that's the 'horrible English excuse'), and my latest podcast, was about truffles, organic slave-free chocolate, and Vivani chocolat! Isn't it great? Its called chunks 'n bits, and it's in international>dutch (itunes), but it's dutch, so i wouldn't know how that could be to any use. Well, i'm defenitly naming you in the next show! By the way, my dad owns an organic-food shop, that's why I know quite a lot about that stuff actually (the reason to make my podcast). I still wanted to tell you something about the 'Beauty to die for' show. Check out 'urtekram'. I don't know if it's available in the US, but I love their shampoo and deo (it just works :) ). Love your show!
• Theresa - I really like that you guys suggest fairtrade/organic coffee, but the next time you talk coffee, please urge folks to practice green coffee making at home in one more way - use a reusable filter. They are thin metal mesh and the coffeemaker companies sell them for $20 or $30 dollars. Dump the grounds in your compost pile or garden and there you go - no wasted filters!Keep up the great work!! - Try hemp filters
• Joe - I did better that vote for you at podcast alley (which I have done for last few months).... (drum roll....)
  More Hip than Hippie has won the Best Environmental Podcast for 2005 on moraca.org !!!! I know it is exciting .... anyway I know at least one or two of my friends here in Sarasota have started listening and several hundred people have seen the posting... Keep up the great work...

Val's Pet Picks
Check these items out at greenfeet.com - Y.U.M. (Your Ugly Mutt) - a line created to clear out the doggie odor. Vitae - Spotted Dog line. Ceramic dog bowls. Organic catnip toys.

More Hip than Hippie - Going to the Dogs - Part I
This week (and next week) we are going to talk about the ins and outs of pet care. This week it is the ins, next week the outs. Dori's children get busy calling birds. Val has a question about rescuing birds. Val goes wine tasting (with cheese and chocolate in tow).

The Chocolate- Vivani brand premium organic dark chocolate. Premium pleasure for chocolate lovers!

The Beer- Hennepin Bottle Conditioned Belgian Style Ale. From Cooperstown where Val is going in June.

Finds of the Week

• From the USA Weekend Insert - Go green, get tax credit - credits for green home and car owners -If you're not subject to the alternative minimum tax, there are tax credits for home and car owners who go green in 2006. (Note: The total maximum credit for all energy-saving home improvements is $500 per home.)
• USDA purchasing biobased products- Biobased products, like the biodiesel fuel, are gaining steam and are used to make household cleaners, bath gels, even cups and utensils. The USDA has announced an initiative to purchase more biobased products for government use. This will help foster production so everyday folks can buy the products and help the environment.
• Coop America - Adopt a Supermarket. Co-op America's ADOPT-A-SUPERMARKET campaign is linking up Fair Trade advocates with stores in their local communities to keep pressure on supermarkets to increase the amount and variety of Fair Trade products sold and to ask stores to do their part to promote justice for farmers and artisans.
• Ask your favorite magazines to go woodwise - from Coop America
• Smart shoppers fish picks from thegreenguide.com and can be found in this months issue of Natural Home and Garden.
• Chocolate’s Bittersweet Legacy - Learn more about why you should buy fair trade chocolate. - another article that can be found in Natural Home and Garden Magazine - some good chocolate to choose - Dagoba, Equal Exchange, Green & Blacks, and Ithica fine chocolate art bars.
• A Quiz - You'll have to listen for the fuel and money saving quiz.

Bring on the Dogs
There's a lot of controversy out there regarding the best diet for your pet. The pet food industry is huge

Info from the FDA
There is no requirement that pet food products have premarket approval by FDA. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act does require that pet foods, like human foods, be pure and wholesome, contain no harmful or deleterious substances, and be truthfully labeled. Canned pet foods must be processed in conformance with low acid canned food (LACF) regulations designed to ensure that the finished product is free of any viable microorganisms.

Explanation of how to read a pet food label: To learn more visit the FDA Website on Pet Food Labels

• The "95%" rule applies to products consisting primarily of meat, poultry or fish, such as some of the canned products. They have simple names, such as "Beef for Dogs" or "Tuna Cat Food." In these examples, at least 95% of the product must be the named ingredient (beef or tuna, respectively), not counting the water added for processing and "condiments."
• The "25%" or "dinner" rule applies to many canned and dry products. If the named ingredients comprise at least 25% of the product (not counting the water for processing), but less than 95%, the name must include a qualifying descriptive term, such as "Beef Dinner for Dogs." Many descriptors other than "dinner" are used, however. "Platter," "entree," "nuggets" and "formula" are just a few examples.
• The "3%" or "with" rule was originally intended to apply only to ingredients highlighted on the principal display panel, but outside the product name, in order to allow manufacturers to point out the presence of minor ingredients that were not added in sufficient quantity to merit a "dinner" claim. For example, a "Cheese Dinner," with 25% cheese, would not be feasible or economical to produce, but either a "Beef Dinner for Dogs" or "Chicken Formula Cat Food" could include a side burst "with cheese" if at least 3% cheese is added.
• Under the "flavor" rule, a specific percentage is not required, but a product must contain an amount sufficient to be able to be detected. There are specific test methods, using animals trained to prefer specific flavors, that can be used to confirm this claim. In the example of "Beef Flavor Dog Food," the word "flavor" must appear on the label in the same size, style and color as the word "beef." The corresponding ingredient may be beef, but more often it is another substance that will give the characterizing flavor, such as beef meal or beef by-products.

Watch out for the term natural. To quote the FDA
The term "natural" is often used on pet food labels, although that term does not have an official definition either. For the most part, "natural" can be construed as equivalent to a lack of artificial flavors, artificial colors, or artificial preservatives in the product. As mentioned above, artificial flavors are rarely employed anyway. Artificial colors are not really necessary, except to please the pet owner's eye. If used, they must be from approved sources, the same as for human foods. Especially for high-fat dry products, some form of preservative must be used to prevent rancidity. Natural-source preservatives, such as mixed tocopherols (a source of vitamin E), can be used in place of artificial preservatives. However, they may not be as effective. "Natural" is not the same as "organic." The latter term refers to the conditions under which the plants were grown or animals were raised. There are no official rules governing the labeling of organic foods (for humans or pets) at this time, but the United States Department of Agriculture is developing regulations dictating what types of pesticides, fertilizers and other substances can be used in organic farming.

 

Many Pet Foods contain ethoxyquin, approved as a food additive over thirty-five years ago for use as an antioxidant chemical preservative in animal feeds. Approximately ten years ago, reports from dog owners were made attributing the presence of ethoxyquin in the dog food with a myriad of adverse effects, such as allergic reactions, skin problems, major organ failure, behavior problems, and cancer. There's still research being done to determine toxic dosage.

Benefit of a Raw Diet

According to doggienews.com, "Jane Anderson, who publishes a popular BARF website RawLearning.com, suggests that feeding an appropriate raw diet is the best way to provide a solid platform for a dog's health. "You probably already know that there is no commercial dog food that even comes close to providing the benefits of an appropriate raw diet for your dog. And there is no such thing as "quality" or "human-grade" kibble.", she explains on her website."

Ms Andersons site has a FAQ section regarding feeding a raw food diet

Here are a few benefits she lists:
A raw diet provides a range of benefits that commercial dog diets can never hope to even closely match.

These benefits include:
1. no doggy odour
2. naturally cleans teeth - no need for toothbrushes, de-scaling jobs, or gum disease
3. the time it takes for a dog to chew a raw meaty bones give their stomach adequate time to get the acids moving
4. much less stools produced - and they are firm, and turn chalky after a couple of days
5. decreased or non-existant vet bills (your dogs are healthier!)
6. less cost for dog food - commercial dog foods are ludicriously expensive
7. mirrors what a dog would be getting in the wild - and certainly even the modern day dog has a digestive tract exactly the same as a wolf
8. puppies develop at a more appropriate rate - and quick growth spurts are avoided. A GOOD breeder will want to stop fast growth in any pup.
9. the ripping and chewing involved in eating raw meaty bones develops the jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles of the dog. Commercial dog foods will never assist in this important muscle development.

What do you feed your dog/cat?

• raw meaty bones and/or whole carcasses - chicken, lamb, pork, whole raw fish (at least once a week), beef, rabbit
• whole raw eggs in their shells (I let the dogs crack the shells)
• organ meat
• Her dogs will also get fish heads, eel, prawns, squid, and any other raw meaty carcass she can get. Sometimes this means kangaroo!

Remember that dogs and cats are carnivores and don't need vegetables and grains directly. Read from Tracey's page on the big picture.

 

To find a Holistic Vet in your area - Click Here.

If you have any questions or ideas - email us at hip@greenfeet.com

Listener Emails

• Phillipe - Wanted to know our suggestion for getting through the midterm exams - Val suggests, lots of water, as much sleep as you can get, a little lavender or vetiver for stressful situations. And she would suggest B vitamins. He also had a very good tip - he found a site (www.greenseat.be)where you can compensate your flights by paying for the planting of the amount of trees necessary to compensate the emissions caused by your flight: you can make your seat a green seat! On the site you can input your whole travel journey (including the used airline) and they calculate the amount of trees necessary to compensate for the emissions. It usually costs about 2-5% of your ticket prize but it can really make a difference...
• Jill - had cheese service - here are the cheeses she had (in case Val's pronunciations through you off) - Here is how it read in the menu: Chef Lou's Cheese Presentation: St. Nectaire (France), Cremosa Tartufo (Italy) Thomas Hoe Stephenson Stilton (England), Fiscallini San Jaoquin Gold (California) Membrillo, Lucque Olives, Spiced Nuts, Autumn Fruit and Warm Baguette.
• Karen - I just noticed that Equal Exchange very dark chocolate (my personal favorite of all of the organic chocolate I've sampled) is a good source of dietary fiber. A single serving (220 cal) of this stuff contains 20% of your daily value of dietary fiber! The lighter chocolates I've looked at don't seem to have as much fiber as the darker ones.
  How coincidental that you just did a podcast about lemon essential oil and I had recently bought some to make home-made furniture polish from the recipe in the most recent issue of Natural Home & Garden. I made this furniture polish, used it before our house guests arrived, and it worked BETTER than the lemon pledge I _used_ to use. It leaves the wood with a rich, warm glow and is not sticky (after you do the wipe with a dry rag, as they recommend). Check this stuff out - it's under "Nourish Your Wood Furniture" in the "Good to Know" section of the January/February issue.
  Recipe for Furniture Vinaigrette courtesy of the January/February issue of Natural Home & Garden Magazine
• Paul and Arlene - Stopped by the store and met Val. They had a lot of good suggestions for future green building episodes. He suggests lime plaster for the exterior of homes.
• Eileen - Have you tried Xocolatl from Dogoba.
• Johanna -Small tidbit.. if you want a finer grain raw sugar for like baking, you can put it in your blender and it can grind it down just as fine as powdered sugar. Also, in regards to xylitol… you can buy gum in some stores with the only sweetner being xylitol. Good stuff. Half the calories of regular sugar and does nothing to your glycemic index. This means its safe for diabetic people. Xylitol is also great because its good for your teeth and can help wean you from regular sugar.
• Mike - He tried out our recipe for cleaning silver on a silver tea set. Because the pieces are too big for a flat baking dish, I used a glass punch bowl so that at least half of each piece could be submerged. But the recipe wasn't working. The cleaning was happening, but barely noticable. He then did a google search on "baking soda polish silver" and found a missing ingredient with the scientific reason why it works. http://www.darylscience.com/Demos/Silver.html The trick was to add salt to the water to act as a salt bridge for the electrolytic current that transfers the sulphur on the silver to the aluminum. It was like magic. Within a minute, the tarnish was totally gone, even though the water had cooled off by the time he added the salt. You could smell the sulphur, so I'd also recommend a well ventilated place for the cleaning, unless you want the "benefits" of a sulphur hot spring in your house.
• John - You can move up from Z-list to R-list celebrities! I love your show - I'm going to buy a biodiesel VW Rabbit today thanks to your shows back in the Summer!

Vote for us at Podcast Alley! Send us your emails at hip@greenfeet.com. Don't forget to add us to your favorites on Podcast Pickle.

 

Here it is! The Sweet Potato Recipe - Julie apparently got it from Epicurious.com.
CIDER-GLAZED SWEET POTATOES WITH CRANBERRIES
3 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 cups apple cider or apple juice
1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until halfway cooked (a knife inserted into center will encounter considerable resistance), about 5 minutes. Drain and cool. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Combine cider, sugar, butter, salt and allspice in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to boil, stirring often. Add sweet potatoes and cook 5 minutes. Add cranberries and continue cooking until liquid is reduced to syrupy glaze and sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with green onions.

 

More Hip Than Hippie - Getting to know your Drain!
This episode you hear about our New Year's Eve Celebrations. We resolve to make some changes for the New Year, read some listener emails and another essential oil of the week. And we are going to help you get to know your drain.

The Beer of the Week: Eye of the Hawk from the Mendocino Brewing Company.

Val made her Trouffles: Val got this recipe from Martha Stewart (ok from her website), and added a few touches of her own.
Simple Chocolate Truffles
Makes 3 dozen
Keep these truffles chilled until ready to eat.
1 pound bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
Best-quality cocoa powder, for rolling
1. Chop chocolate finely using a serrated knife, and place in a large heat-proof bowl.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat; pour directly over chopped chocolate. Allow to sit 10 minutes; use a rubber spatula to gently stir chocolate and cream until combined. Allow to sit at room temperature until just thickened, about 15 minutes.
3. Pour ganache mixture into a shallow glass dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until mixture is very cold and set but still pliable, about 30 minutes.
4. Using a small spoon, scoop out ganache into 1-inch nuggets; place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill for 10 minutes. Use fingertips to mold truffles into round shapes. Roll in cocoa powder to coat; chill in an airtight container until ready to serve.
***Val also added 2 tablespoons of Raspberry brandy and place one fresh raspberry in the center (frozen work too, but are a bit more messy)

This Weeks Finds

• Inovations for 2006 - from USA Weekend. "The solar-powered backpack Backpacks were once for campers, then for students, and now they have become increasingly popular with commuters. To help you keep your cellphone and other gadgets charged, several companies offer backpacks with built-in solar panels. Two of the best reviewed: Voltaic "Solar Bags" and Reware's "Juice Bag." Prices for the backpacks start at about $200. Find them online at voltaicsystems.com or rewarestore.com and at select stores nationwide. "
• Emissions Neutral Vehicles - While ENV's are often expensive and hard to find, a new bike that is due out later this year may change all that - click here to learn more.
• Stop Receiving Junk Mail - We found this one on about.com (eh?). Help preserve the environment and keep your sanity. One tip - go to Optoutprescreen.com or junkbusters.com A few more resources to check out are www.newdream.org or Direct Marketing Association.
• A new Magazine for you to check out - Green Light Magazine (Digitally Produced).
• In Plenty - Paper thick walls - Discarded phone books and old newspapers were used to build a building - check it out at Eve's Garden Organic Bed & Breakfast and Ecology Resource Center.

Getting to know your Drain!
Introduce Yourself
It is highly unlikely that you have formally introduced yourself to your drains, and while we’re not asking you to go that far, we hope you will take this opportunity to learn a little bit more about where your drain leads and where the things you send down it may end up. Everything we put down the drain can have an effect on our personal environment – including cleaning products. It can affect the water we drink, and enjoy for recreation. Household chemicals, if improperly used or discarded can leach into the soil or filter into neighboring waters.

 

Where Does Your Drain Lead?
The answer to where your drain leads can be slightly different depending on what kind of drain we are talking about. So let’s start there. I would like you to meet your household drain. This drain can lead one of two places. It can lead to the sewer or to a septic tank depending on the system you have in your house.

The Sewer
If your drain leads to the sewer, you may think that you don’t have to worry about what goes down your drain, but nothing is further from the truth. Many of the chemicals we use in our homes are toxic. The toxic chemicals are not only dangerous to the health of your family when you use them in your home, but also can contaminate the water supply when they are dumped down the drain. You may think that they get diluted enough when they are dumped not to cause a problem, but that may not be the case. In some cases small amounts of hazardous materials that you can find around your home can ruin one million gallons of water. Many of the municipal water treatment plants rely on bacteria or other organisms to decompose the waste, but some of the toxins can pass through unchanged, leaving the water polluted. The bacteria they are counting on to purify the water may also be killed, and rendered ineffective. If that doesn’t happen, it can also damage the pipes that carry the water, corroding them, which may cause them to release fumes. Sewage treatment plants are designed to treat sewage, not hazardous chemicals, so flushing them down the toilet isn’t the answer either.

The Septic System
If your drain leads to a septic system, you may know that the concept behind them is that the waste water is put into a tank that is buried underground. Some of the products are decomposed, and the remaining wastewater goes into a drain field to continue to breakdown. When there are toxins dumped or spilled into the drains, it can cause the bacteria that help in the process to die, and thus the process may no longer work properly, and surface waters may become contaminated. This can cause a lot of problems ranging from smell to contaminated yards to spoiled ground water.

The Storm Drain
A third kind of drain is a storm drain. These are the drains along the side of the road that do not lead to the sewer. They collect water from outside our homes and carry it untreated to the waterways. They lead directly to streams, rivers and lakes. Some people dump their left over products into these drains thinking it is a safe way to rid their home of the unwanted chemicals. They are intended for flood control, not for dumping. When we wash our cars or change our oil, any run off may be going directly into our lakes and streams. This makes knowledge of the products we use essential to the preservation of our water supplies.

So what can you do to protect your waterways?

• It is important to know what kind of products you have in your house. When you purchase chemicals for use in your home you may want to check out the level of warning that accompanies that product. POISON means highly toxic; DANGER means extremely flammable, corrosive, or highly toxic; and WARNING or CAUTION means less toxic.
• Select less toxic alternatives to conventional cleaners, drain openers, and other products. Try to use non-toxic substitutes whenever possible.
• Check with local government how to dispose of Household Hazardous Waste, or take them to a local hazardous waste collection center.
• Share left over cleaning supplies with others, or use them up.
• Decrease Erosion.
• Plant plants.
• Ask you lawn service what kind of chemicals they use.

It may seem that the amount of toxic products that you use may not have an affect on the water you use, but putting that with the chemicals of all of your neighbors, it can really add up to a big problem. There is no question that without clean water, the earth would be uninhabitable. We take for granted the water that we use everyday. Many of us may think about saving water through water conservation, but it is as important to save our water from the chemicals we are using in our homes.

Any tips or ideas - email us at hip@greenfeet.com

Essential Oil of the Week: Vetiver
Botanical Name: Vetiveria zizanioides
Vetiver, one of Val's all time favorites, is a tall, tufted, perennial, scented grass with a straight stem, long narrow leaves and an abundant complex lacework of underground white rootlets.
The essential oil is obtained through steam distillation from the roots and rootlets which are washed, chopped, dried and soaked.
It's dark brown, olive or amber looking with a smokey, earthy, dirt smell that provides a grounding effect. It reminds Val of the smell after a fresh summer rain.
Uses:
Inhaled directly from the bottle or from a cotton ball that has had 2-3 drops applied. May also be used in an aromatherapy diffuser for a calming effect.
Add a few drops per ounce of carrier oil and use as a massage oil for arthritis, aches and pains.
Add approximately 4 - 6 drops (remember: less is more) to your bath to relax and de-stress
Explore the internet for recipes suitable for your ailment.

Ready Made Magazines - Book How to make almost Everything - A Do-it Yourself Primer. If you try any ideas from this book or the magazine, please email us pictures!

Listener Emails

• Doug - Concerned that we would discontinue if we went with going to satelite radio.
• Bob - What don't they like about the theme song? Also Says many more supportive things. He is great!
• Janesdaddy (aka Chris)- Says "NO Don't do it", and don't change the theme song. He love us just the way we are.
• Dennis - Hippie New Year - Says More Hip Than Hippie is his favorite Podcast! He writes Children's books, and will be turning his focus toward sustainability. Wanted to know of publishers who use good products to make their books. His books are available at Raventreebooks.com or his blog (Note from Jill - Interesting Blog - Definately check it out). Some Books Dori and Val have read to their children with an environmental slant is The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and Old Turtle.
• Luanne - I really enjoy your podcast, but the theme song grates on my nerves. If you plan to attract a wider audience, and your show really could, that song won't help.
  I don't subscribe to satellite radio and have no reason to, but it sounds like a good move for you. Just don't drop the podcast.
  Kudos for promoting the non-use of antibacterial products. Anything strong enough to kill most bacteria ( and if you really need an anti-bacterial product, you want it to kill all "bad" germs, which also kills beneficial germs, duh) has to be toxic enough to harm nearly every other living thing. Scary.
• Pepper's Mamma - Enjoying the show - Doesn't have recycling in her part of Boise. She went online and saw her local waste management and saw they did have a limited program, and she will start using that soon.
• Chuck - Hello lovely ladies, First let me just say how much I love the show. You make going green much more fun than I ever thought it would be. And as 2006 is my big new years resolution for going green, I'm glad I found your show a few months ago. I live in British Columbia (the canuck equivilant of california) there just aren't a huge number of organic/natural resources. Online ordering is of course a huge saving grace, but shipping costs and packaging are always a concern; am I better off to let things pile up and do a big order, or get it as I need it? Loving the essential oils you're bringing us ... Any thoughts to doing a green vehicle show/segment? Alternatives to just buying new tires/cleaning products right off the shelf, as a thought. Lastly, wondering what you think of juicing and the machines that go along with it. Please please keep up the show, its my all time favourite and I'm more excited about seeing a new show than I am about that first jolt of caffeine in the morning. You girls rock!
  Thanks again, ya hosers,
  Chuck
  PS - the show notes are great... gotta give jill some love for that! EH!