Avoiding Mercury in Fish - Which Fish to Eat, and What to Avoid

You've probably heard all of the bad stuff about fish and mercury, and the contradictory statements about the benefits of eating fish. With all of this information, it can be confusing-- should we eat fish or not? And what kinds of fish should we even eat, if any?

First, you should know why we can't eat fish with mercury. Mercury exposure and poisoning can lead to damage to the lungs, brain, and kidney, as well as several different types of diseases. While mercury can be found in other foods and even in the air, fish consumption has been found to be the likely culprit in many cases of mercury poisoning.

How to Avoid Mercury Poisoning

Avoid eating fish that are the highest in mercury, which are, according to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

Mackerel (King)
Marlin
Orange Roughy
Shark
Swordfish
Tilefish
Tuna (Bigeye, Ahi)

There are many more fish that you could possibly be eating, so check the full list of fish containing high amounts of mercury here. Not to worry though, because the article also lists many more safe fish to eat that outnumber by far the mercury contaminated species, like varieties of shrimp, clams, scallops, haddock, salmon, flounder, and tilapia.

Don't Stop Eating Fish!

There are far too many benefits of eating fish to stop eating them. Instead, just have this list handy and make educated decision when buying your fish. The essential Omega 3 fatty acid can be found in many fish, which aids in cardiovascular health, the development of the fetus in pregnant women, and may be linked to slower decline in brain loss and memory in older people.

Twelve Tips To Go Green for Thanksgiving

Scary news I know, but yes Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. Where did the summer go? And how is Thanksgiving, and dare I say Christmas, right around the corner. With holidays coming up there are several ways you can have a greener holiday. These tips are easy enough for anyone to use-no excuses allowed for not being able to follow at least one or two of these eco friendly Thanksgiving tips!

1. Turkey. Consider purchasing a locally farmed turkey which was free range and organically raised. This will bring to your table a fresh turkey with substantially less chemicals than a store bought turkey.

2. Vegetables. When making veggies to go with the turkey, search for vegetables that are in season and perhaps local to your area. If local veggies are not available look for organic veggies in your local supermarket as they are grown with less chemicals.

3. Gravy. Make your own gravy vs. the kind you can buy in a can. Not only will this save you a serving of BPA (which has been discovered to be present in canned foods, as it leaches from the can) but it also tastes so much better!

4. Stuffing. Consider using an all natural bread for your stuffing, either made from scratch or picked up from a local all natural bakery.

5. Coffee. Serve a fair trade, shade grown organic coffee after dinner as people are relaxing after the filling meal.

6. Pumpkin Pie. When making your pumpkin pie, search for a pumpkin or two that has been responsibly grown. Again if locally grown pumpkins are no longer available, search for an organic pumpkin as the growing process for organic vegetables uses a lot less chemicals and pesticides.

7. Drinkware/Dishes. ALWAYS use reusable plates, cups and utensils for all appetizers, meal and dessert, along with any drinks.

8. Football Games. When going to a football game of your old home team or your current home team, always bring with you a thermos and a Not a Paper Cup (or a BPA free SIGG bottle for cold drinks) . This will save you from spending money at the local coffee shop and buying a coffee in a paper or Styrofoam cup which will only be thrown away.

9. Carpooling. Are you traveling for Thanksgiving? Consider the other guests going and see if it makes sense to set up a carpool. This will consume less gas, less wear and tear on cars and on the road, and you will have great company to chat with along your route to dinner.

10. Leftovers. Does Noni (Italian grandmother) always send you home with leftovers? Plan ahead this year and bring your own containers for the leftovers. This eliminates having containers which will need to be recycled after you are done with them , or possibly even thrown away if they aren't able to be recycled.

11. Extra Hot Air. If you have no little ones around this holiday dinner, keep the oven open for a little bit after the turkey is done cooking. This will add a bit of warmth to the house and may help cut down on your heating expense for the day :)

12. Grocery Shopping. When grocery shopping for your produce, be sure to use reusable produce bags instead of the plastic bags provided by the grocery store. Don't worry if your bags get a little dirty, they can washed in the washing machine after you are done with them! The less plastic consumed the better the Earth will be!

November Reusable Bag Contest: Reusable Gift Bags!

We've held a slew of reusable bag contests over the past year, and we're starting November off with another one! This month, we're upping the stakes. How? Win two reusable bags from our cool reusable gift bags section! Each bag is valued at $18.50, and the bags will be shipped anywhere in the USA at no cost to you.

What You Can Do With These 100% Canvas Cotton Reusable Gift Bags

Not only are these great to give as gifts, but they're perfect to use instead of a stocking, or to tote around your holiday baking items (fresh cookies, bread, and treats!). Bring them to the grocery store as your holiday reusable bag, or give them as a unique green gift.

To help spread the word about going reusable this holiday season, we'll be giving away two of our reusable holiday tote bags. First, our Yuletide Greetings tote bag, which features a vintage style gingerbread man, along with some festive colored lights surrounding him. It's double-sided with the same image, so no one will miss this striking holiday design from any angle! Second, our classic wrapped presents reusable gift bag. A large pile of presents will remind you of all of the packaging you'll be saving from going reusable!

How to Enter the Contest

Entering the contest couldn't be easier.

1. Simply visit our store,
ecogreenbags.com,
and tell us your favorite tote bag in the store. Find one of our reusable gift bags, browse our large selection of grocery bags, or if you'd prefer, name off your favorite organic t-shirt or SIGG bottle!

2. Then, come back to this post and tell us what your favorite bag is. Leave the name of the bag in the comments, and make sure we have a way to get in touch with you (that means link to your Twitter account, your personal website, etc., just make sure we can get in touch with you!).

3. The winner will be drawn at random on November 30. Contest ends November 29, 2009 (that's a Sunday night), at 7PM EST. Look for an announcement here for the winner, but don't worry, if you're the winner, you'll be contacted asap. Contest is open to U.S. residents only. We will contact the winner to arrange shipping (which we will pay for).

So the question is, what's your favorite bag from our store?

Reusable Bag Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Heather for winning the free reusable tote bag contest! Heather is the lucky winner, having our go green California tote bag shipped to her home, which will take the place of several plastic bags. Curious about our contest? You can read more about the free reusable bag contest on this post.

Don't worry if you weren't a winner, we'll be giving away another bag very shortly! Look for us to announce our next contest on Sunday, November 1st, right here on this blog, or at EcoGreenBags itself! Which bag will be up for a giveaway? Or should we say which (plural) bags?

The Grinch of Halloween

Halloween is upon us! Next week all of the neighborhood children will be dressing up and going out to Trick or Treat or to attend Halloween parties. Costumes will be worn and the candy will be handed out until late into the night.

But I think its important to just stop and think for a second how we could lessen our environmental impact this Halloween. The more you think about the "holiday" of Halloween you realize how large the environmental impact can actually be.

Costumes. Imagine each child (and adult for those of us out attending Halloween parties) that is buying a new costume every year. After that one night of fun is over, where does the costume end up? Passed along to a friend for next year? Maybe? Packed away for next year? Possibly, but who wants to wear the same costume two years in a row? Thrown away to make room for other more important things you need to store? Very likely. Instead of going out every year to buy a new costume, consider what items you may already have in your house to create a costume for you and the kids. After Halloween is over you can return these items to their normal use within your house. For example, check out these creative recycled Halloween costumes.

Face paint. Now just about every child coming to my house has this face paint smeared all over their face. First we have the issue of the packaging and extra face paint which comes in the containers. Due to the fact that the paint will dry up before next year, most face paint is thrown away.The next issue is removing the face paint and either washing the toxic paint down the drain or throwing it into your trash, which by default could potentially end up in a water source. The last danger is that toxins included in the face paint will be absorbed into your child's skin while your child is wearing it. Consider looking for organic, non toxic face paint or perhaps make your own!



Lastly, we have the candy. Bags and bags and bags of candy. Creating waste not only from the packaging for all of the large bags containing the pieces to hand out but also the individual wrappers on the candy pieces. Then there is always candy that the kids receive which no one in the house likes-so the solution, just throw it away. Of course, all pieces which look potentially tampered with should and are immediately thrown away. Then, as I have heard from people, sometimes after the kids are in bed some more of the candy will be thrown away just so the kids aren't consuming mass amounts of sugar. More waste is created when the kids receive the fresh baked goods packed in individual baggies, which again for safety reasons are thrown away instead of being consumed. Instead of creating all this additional waste consider saving the candy your kids don't like for a local food pantry, and also having them include some of the candy they do like as a life lesson.

To help have a greener Halloween consider hosting a green Halloween party at your house for your friends and your kids friends. Make it a requirement that all costumes must be designed from items which they already own and are repurposing for the night. Have fresh baked goods instead of individually wrapped candy bars. Play some fun games, such a who can eat a donut the fastest when it is hanging from a string from the ceiling. Or you could have a pumpkin decorating contest and see who comes up with the most creative design.

Anything to lessen our impact will make a difference! As you can see from above, even a slight "holiday" such as Halloween creates a large amount of waste, creating only a larger problem for future generations...

Remember, "Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children." (Ancient Indian Proverb)

Getting Your House Greener This Winter

Green Up Your Home Before the Winter Season Arrives to Save Time, Energy and Money!

The end of fall is here, and the leaves have changed and are falling from the trees. And dare I say here in Massachusetts some of us have seen SNOW! In mid-October... So we are in for a fun winter. In getting ready for winter there are a bunch of things to do around the house to "green" your home. What better time than now to start these small projects? Of course after the leaves have been raked and placed in your compost pile...

1. Find the drafts in your house. Not only does cold air come in, but that expensive heat you are paying for will go sailing out! This can easily be done by checking the weatherstripping around your doors, checking the cases around your windows and perhaps even investing in a door snake or two for the doors in your house leading to the outside. Also consider adding on a screen door. Not only will that keep the heat inside in the winter but allow the sun to shine in during the warmer months.

2. Recycle the Warm Air From Your Oven. Have baking to do? Consider doing it later on in the day when the sun has gone down. This will temporarily heat your house as its baking and since the sun is no longer shining it will make up for that loss of solar heat. After your done baking, crack the oven open a little bit to release the warm air into your home (but be careful if you have children!)

3. Think about adding a plant or two to your family. Not only are house plants great for cleaning the air, but they will also add some color into your home.

4. Turn the thermostat down a few degrees at night. Not only will you sleep more comfortably, but you will be saving some cash and reducing your energy consumption. During the day keep the temperature down a few degrees and put on your sweatshirt to keep you warm. The heat can be very drying and sometimes by keeping the temperature down a few degrees your skin will retain a bit more moisture.

5. Last but by no means least, get your spices started growing in pots inside! Once the weather warms up after winter you can move them outside. By growing these fresh spices inside you will save money on buying dried spices, the spices you use will be fresher and they will add a bit of greenery to your house!

We'd love to hear your ideas on how you are planning on going green for the winter! Please share them with the other readers in our comments section!

Boost Your Veggie Intake: Easy Vegetarian Meals

Making a full-fledged switch to becoming vegetarian isn't a change that most people are willing to make with their lives. But reducing the amount of meat that you eat, that might be more realistic. Throughout most of the world, meals revolve around some sort of meat dish for 2 out of 3 meals of the day. Squeezing in even one all veggie meal once or twice a week is a small change that can lead to big benefits for you, and for the environment!

Not only is it better for the environment, but it's better for you. Hormones, antibiotics, pesticides.. these are all some issues to think about when consuming meat. Consuming a little bit less of it probably won't hurt, and consuming more local vegetables definitely won't hurt.

Now how can you realistically replace one meal a week with just vegetables? Salads are boring. Soy is gross (to a lot of people), and tofu is nearly inedible to a meat eater. But these vegetarian recipes are more realistic. Most of these recipes are things you already eat that can be slightly altered to exclude the meat.

Looking for more easy meat replacements? Here are a few more ideas:

• Easy Vegetarian Recipes
• Easy Meat Replacements


• Ways to Sneak in More Vegetables