its easy being green - 4 steps to a greener school year

With Fall just around the corner, many of us are facing new battles with the kids back in school, and the lazy days of summer coming to an end. Schedules are busy but the healthy habits you worked to so hard to build during the summer should be all but forgotten. We did our part to cut down on our electricity by using the air conditioning sparingly, rode our bikes instead of driving, bought organic produce from local farmers markets and kept up on our recycling. These tiny changes are hardly an inconvenience, save us money and are a tremendous help in preserving our environment. Lets keep up the good work and continue to do our part and make this new school year as green as possible! With a few simple steps we can ensure a less wasteful and healthier year for everyone.

1) Reuse items from last year. Retailers love back to school time, marketed as a sort of holiday consumers are persuaded to purchase a number of items that are unnecessary and wasteful. Try pulling out last years backpack or binders and help your kids stay involved by letting them be apart of “greening” their school supplies. Realizing that some new things are unavoidable look for recycled paper and pencils as well as keeping and eye out companies that are producing eco-friendly goods. Many large chain stores such as Target, Staples and Wal-Mart are offering affordable alternatives for the environmentally conscious. Even here in our office we found sugar cane based (Bagasse) notebooks for .99 cents each, small changes like this add up if everyone were to participate.

2) Pack school lunches in reusable bags. This is a two for one, By preparing lunches ahead of time and bring them in reusable bags or boxes you are getting a healthy meal and cutting down on waste on landfills. Fill lunch boxes with organic snacks and meals so your child is getting the best possible nutrition while at school and not consuming the toxic chemicals, pesticides, preservatives, hormones, and GMO’s found in conventional foods.

3) Carpool, walk or ride your bike to school. This is a big one, most of us have become accustom to the convenience of hopping in the car with out much thought to the consequences. Over recent months with the gas prices sky rocking it has given many of us perspective and caused us to look into alternative transportation. In my opinion, this is fantastic. Becoming less dependant on oil in general will force many to walk or ride a bike, in turn making us all happier and healthier people. If driving is necessary look into carpools with other parents or public transportation.

4) Educate others. By sharing your knowledge of organic food and environmental concerns you may be surprised by the number of people you influence to make better choices in the future.

So there you have it, 4 simple steps to a greener school year, I wish everyone the best of luck this year and look forward to hearing any other suggestions or comments on what steps everyone else out there is taking to keep our families and environment healthy.

amber- business development

fats: good or bad?

Fat equals bad. Well at least that’s what our society believes. We know that fat causes us to have heart problems, diabetes, arthritis and an expanding waistline. Therefore, when we see a product labeled fat free or low fat, we reach for it. We are like moths to a flame. However, with the popularity of these non-fat foods, why then are our obesity rates are climbing while heart disease sits as the number one cause of death in America? I think the main reason for this discrepancy is that we are not aware of the different types of fat that exist in our food. There are both good fats and bad fats. Yes you heard me correctly… THERE ARE GOOD FATS! Good fat is way better than non-fat because it actually has health benefits, not to mention it tastes better too!

Let me break it down for you. Unsaturated fats are called good fats because they can improve blood cholesterol levels, ease inflammation, stabilize heart rhythms, and play a number of other beneficial roles. Unsaturated fats are found in plants, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. These fats are liquid at room temperature. The two types of unsaturated fat are called monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are found in high concentrations in canola, peanut, and olive oils, avocados. They are also in nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans, and seeds such as pumpkin and sesame. Polyunsaturated fats are found in oils such as sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed. They are also found in foods such as walnuts, flax seeds, and fish. Omega-3 fats are an important type of polyunsaturated fat. The body can't make these, so they must come from food. An excellent way to get omega-3 fats is by eating fish two or three times a week. Good plant sources of omega-3 fats include chia, flax seeds, walnuts, and oils such as flaxseed, canola, and soybean. So don’t be afraid to fill up on all these wonderful foods!

Bad fats are the ones that we need to watch for, they are the types of fat that cause an increase in cholesterol, and heart problems. Bad fats include saturated and trans fat. Saturated fat is found mostly in foods from animals including beef, veal, lamb, pork, lard, poultry fat, butter, cream, milk, cheeses and other dairy products made from whole and 2 percent milk. All of these foods not only contain saturated fat, but they also contain dietary cholesterol. Some plants also contain saturated fat, they include coconut, coconut oil, palm / palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter. The other bad fat, trans fat (also called hydrogenated fat) is found in many processed foods. These foods undergo a chemical process called hydrogenation. This process is done to increase the shelf life and maintain the flavor of the food. Trans fat can be found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. Unlike other fats, the majority of trans fat is formed when food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. Both trans fat and saturated fat need to be eaten in moderation.

Now with this new understanding of the difference between good fat and bad fat, it is important to blow out the flame! Instead of being drawn to these fat free labels on the front of the package, flip the product over and look at the Nutrition Facts panel, and choose the food with the lower amounts of saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. Health experts recommend that you keep your intake of saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3045789

So, enjoy your unsaturated fats, they are good for you!

Audrey - Corporate Sales

organic: it is more nutritious

The debate over nutritional value in organic vs. conventional food has been an ongoing battle for years now. Government and private studies have been performed; many with a different outcomes, thus confusing consumers and leaving us with contradictory information and no answers to a serious issue. One of the fatal flaws in the numerous studies, and the main reason we cannot get a definitive answer, is simply the inconsistency of each experiment. Comparing a study on organic produce in Washington to one done in Germany in different soil, weather conditions, care taking practices, and other farming variables is like comparing apples to oranges.

There are studies that prove that without a doubt organic produce is a more nutritious product - not every product proves to be extraordinarily higher in nutritional value but in my opinion, it’s enough to warrant a second look. According to 41 different studies and a report compiled by certified nutrition specialist Virginia Worthington on fruits, vegetable’s and grains, there is almost 30% more vitamin C, 22% more iron, and 30% more magnesium on average in organic produce compared to conventional produce. In addition there is approximately 15% less nitrates! Among the many reports published, the higher levels of vitamin C and essential minerals remains consistent throughout experiments all over the world. Info such as a study commissioned the Organic Retailer and Growers Association has stated that conventional foods purchase in standard grocery stores has 10 times less mineral content that fruits and vegetables grown organically.

Research on the benefits of eating organic foods for its nutritional content should be enough to convince most people to pick organic during their next shopping trip but, if that isn’t enough, consider the fact that not only are you eating a more nutritious product, you are also avoiding all of the synthetic pesticides, hormones, GMO’s, and chemicals that are now part of your conventional produce. That’s good for everybody.

http://www.organic-center.org/news.pr.php?action=detail&pressrelease_id=22

Amber – Business Development

earthpure staff

The team.

Thank you all for a great job defining our mission, our company and our future.

paul - founder

reduce, reuse, recycle…rethink

How can we lighten the toxic load on ourselves and our environment? How can we make better use of our resources? We can address these questions via the green mantra “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.”

Think about “Reduce”. As consumers, people often change habits because they are affected financially. A great, recent example of this phenomenon is the rapid rise in demand for fuel-efficient vehicles and the dramatic drop in demand for gas guzzlers, as the price of fuel climbs. Coupled with the rise in carpooling, biking, and overall reduced usage of vehicles, the net effect is a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.

How about “Reuse”? Cities, states, and countries around the world are starting to ban or restrict the use of plastic grocery bags. What a great movement. When you stop and think about the fact that most of these bags are used only once, they don’t make much sense. Of course, many do get reused at home, which is great, but they still have a very short functional life, relative to their decomposition rate. Hey, how about a reusable, fabric grocery bag? An organic, reusable grocery bag. How about a biodegradable produce bag?

And of course, we know “Recycle”. Immediately, most of us think of paper, aluminum, and plastic. Most of the materials in these categories recycle very well, especially when they are clean, washed, and without a cap. But how about biological recycling? When asked the question, “What is the best thing that an individual can do to make a difference in the environment?”, visionary architect and designer William McDonough responded with one word, “Composting.” Just as our exhales are the inhales of trees, and vice versa, our biological wastes are the raw material that feeds and enriches the soil. And we can also generate significant amounts of electricity during this decomposition process.

The momentum toward sustainable lifestyles and business practices is growing, through economic pressure, efficient products, and social awareness. Earthpure™ will continue to do its part, large and small to contribute. We hope you will join us.

justin - product development