The meaning of life is to find your gift.
The purpose of life is to give it away. 
-- Pablo Picasso

Photography by Denise Blasor

            A FEW THINGS WE

        CAN DO WITHOUT


1 -- Plastic wrap cling

The apparent convenience of this product is offset by the fact
that it is made with potentially harmful chemicals that can
leach into your food.

2 -- Balloons

Ok, so balloons are romantic and playful (think "The Red
Balloon," the marvelous short film by French filmmaker Albert
Lamorisse about the adventures of a young boy and his newly
found friend, a balloon). But they have a dark side. They
can end up in the ocean and kill marine like whales and
turtles that swallow the balloons thinking it is food.

3 -- Styrofoam

Styrofoam is the end product of a series of processes that
begin with ethylene ( a gas) and benzene (a liquid derived
from coal tar) and ends up with a white-foam material that is
non-biodegradable, and like Dracula, enjoys eternal life
(almost). Solid styrofoam is 95 percent air. Used to make
cups, coolers, containers, and packaging. A fascinating
story in the May 20, 2013 issue of The New Yorker
reported on a new styrofoam-like product, made out of
mushrooms and hence bio-degradable, that was
discovered by two young inventors.

4 -- Oven cleaners

Why would you pay money to buy lye-based products to
clean your oven when you can clean it easily and cheaply
with baking soda? Make a paste with 3 tablespoons of
baking soda to 1 cup of warm water and using a fine wool
pad scrub interior while the oven is still warm.

5 -- Mothballs

The para-dichlorobenzene in mothballs is harmful to liver
and kidneys. More suitable alternative: cedar chips.
Or place a few drops of cedar oil on small pieces of
absorbent cloth which when left inside drawers
will act as a powerful repellent.

 6 -- Fabric Softeners

They contain potentially toxic chemicals such as
chloroform and ethyl acetate (both on EPA's
hazardous-waste list), linalool (shown to cause
disorders of the central nervous system), benzyl
alcohol (irritant to the upper respiratory tract) and
others.

Some of the above information comes from the book
 "What's In This Stuff," by Patricia Thomas, an
excellent guide for consumers interested in knowing
about "the hidden toxins in everyday products and
what you can do about them." Another good resource
is "50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save The
Earth," published by Earthworks Press.

Photography by Denise Blasor

Earth provides enough to satisfy
 every man's need,
but not every man's greed.

Mahatma Gandhi

        SAVING MONEY

                   At 79 cents a can, Friskies is not always the
                   first choice for consumers who need to feed
                   more than one cat. But a sale currently running
                   at Supermax stores in San Juan brings that cost
                   down to 60 cent a can.

                   The sale ends Aug. 27.

Photography by Denise Blasor

            A SIMPLE TIP

                 Use a cotton bag to store vegetables, like broccoli,
                 in the refrigerator.

                 Produce keeps fresh and lasts longer.
           

      SOCIAL SWISHING

        Need an excuse to party and add a new
        outfit to your closet at the same time?

        Then hold a "swish" or "swap" event as in ask
        your friends to bring their cast-offs to the party
        and everyone gets to pick what they like.

       As the saying goes, "one woman's trash is
       another woman's treasure" so this is a perfect
       opportunity for everyone to pick up a new
       look without spending a single penny.

       For food: opt for a simple cold pasta dish and a
       large pitcher of sangria. For the pasta, choose
       a type of pasta like farfalle (bow tie), penne,
       rigatoni, or rotini (spiral shaped), cook and
       mix in cut cherry tomatoes, sliced red bell
       peppers, crumbled feta cheese, green onions,
       black olives, mushrooms. Add oil and vinegar,
       and spices like basil, oregano, pepper. Toss until
       evenly covered. Put aside for a couple of
       hours and serve.


Copyright ©  2013 Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved