The endocrine disruptor that everyone wants to avoid these days seems more and more unavoidable.

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been discovered through lab tests to be lurking inside 40 percent of receipts from major US businesses like Walmart, CVS, McDonald’s, Safeway, KFC, the US Postal Service and even Whole Foods.

The levels of BPA found were 250 to 1,000 times higher than what’s  inside canned foods and baby bottles.

The culprit is thermal paper used for receipts. And the Environmental Working Group (EWG) warns that this paper shouldn’t be recycled as it could corrupt recycled paper with BPA.

Starbucks beats out Whole Foods when it comes to BPA on receipts!

All’s not bad news though. Some companies had receipts that were either free of BPA or contained only trace amounts. So, cheers to these companies: Starbucks, Target and Bank of America ATMs.

I guess I’m still naive when it comes to BPA, but thanks to the lab study commissioned by the EWG, receipt BPA is now on my mind. Awareness is a good thing though. I tend to keep up with my receipts as I need them for checking all the charges against my debit card. Now I’ll take care to wash my hands! (Read more at EWG)

How worried should you be over BPA on receipts?

If you work as a cashier, you should probably be concerned. A recent Swiss study showed that BPA absorbs easily into the skin at a depth that’s difficult to wash away. (Read more at CNN)

Are you surprised about BPA on receipts?

(image via flickr/rudolf_schuba)

So, you may know already that eating less meat is healthier for the environment, but have you really dug into the facts about what meat does to your waistline?

No? To put it simply, researchers say that eating more meat makes you heavier.

You can get the skinny on this meat and weight study at MSNBC.

Interestingly, poultry was associated with the biggest weight gain. It has to be from fried chicken, right?

The curious can learn more about meat-free eating at Meat Free Monday on Facebook.

Do you avoid meat to be thinner?

(image via morguefile)

So, your iPhone 3G or 3GS worked just fine, but you were lured into buying the sleek, ultra-trim iPhone 4.

And, guess what? It drops calls. What is Apple’s fix for this?

They are giving away free bumper cases (made of rubber and plastic) to help combat the issue.

Am I the only one who sees this as ironic?

The new iPhone was supposed to be so much smaller and better than the 3G, but if you have to put a rubber case on it, doesn’t that add some weight and bulk?

The most environmentally friendly thing to do would be to fix the problem with a software upgrade, not put a rubber bandage on it. Wow, shame on Apple.

I’m writing this from an Apple computer. I’ve been an Apple customer for more than 10 years, but I’ve never been so disappointed in them. I don’t even own an iPhone.

Apple should own up to their mistake and give consumers a permanent, real solution that’s not made of rubber.

You may think that canning your own food in glass jars means you’re totally safe from BPA exposure. Nope.

Umbra at Grist has written about BPA in the lining of mason jar lids.

I would have never suspected it, but I guess BPA really is everywhere. If you want your canning to be totally BPA free, then go with some other lid options discussed in Umbra’s column: BPA-free canning lids from Lehman’s or glass lids from Weck.

(image via morguefile)

One of my nicknames is “The Dessert Queen” since for years I’ve enjoyed baking fun, even complicated desserts. But I never really got into bread making much. Other than the occasional batch of cornbread or biscuits, I very rarely ever made by own bread.

For close to two months now I’ve had the pleasure of making my own bread each week. Not every loaf turned out. I made some mistakes, but I’ve also had many successes and found recipes that work for me. There are a lot of advantages of making bread for yourself:

• You don’t have to look sideways at the bread in the store and wonder when it was really baked.
• You won’t have to deal with a pesky plastic bag or other packaging.
• You control the ingredients: organic flour, honey or sugar — no problem.
• You can give fresh-baked bread gifts!
• You can try great recipes like Organic Honey Oat Bread (My batch pictured above! Recipe from Jennifer.)

The only downside of making your bread, as I see it, is that you need to allow time for rising. If this is difficult for you during the week, make a couple of loaves during the weekend and store one in the refrigerator.

If you hate the kneading process, invest in a good stand mixer! I’m probably more lazy than I’d care to admit. One very probable reason I’ve recently started making more of my own bread is that I received a stand mixer as a gift. Making bread is much easier with a dough hook…

Another reason I started making my own bread was that a friend of mine, Jennifer at Growing a Green Family, started talking about how she wanted to get back to making more of her food from scratch to cut down on packaging. From scratch always taste better (don’t let the commercials for processed food fool you).

If you start making more food from scratch, you’ll notice something interesting happening: In the grocery store, you won’t shop the interior aisles as much. That’s where most of the canned and processed stuff lives. You may also end up with fewer items in your cart and a cheaper bill at checkout, not to mention more compliments from family and guests.

Do you have a favorite bread recipe?

(Image by Peggy Rowland)

You’ll love this video of a black cat named Oscar. The kitty made medical history recently with his groovy new artificial cat feet. Oscar (no, not my Oscar!) lost both of his hind legs in a combine accident. Ouch.

Watch to see him wake up from surgery and immediately start walking again. It’s enough to make the Grinch’s heart grow 10 times, plus two. The new prostheses will allow Oscar to jump and run like other cats. Read more about Oscar’s story at CNN.

Densely populated areas like New York City can become “their own overheated micro-climates,” says CBS News. However, planted rooftops can dramatically help cool things down. Plus, they’re pretty to gaze upon.

Besides having a cooling effect in busy urban areas, container gardening or roof landscaping may also help provide relaxing areas for people who don’t live near green spaces.

So, they’re cool in more ways than one! Learn more about rooftop gardening on a budget at Green Home Guide.

News on Rooftop Gardens

Stuart Gaffin and his students at Columbia University are studying the cooling effect of planted rooftops. He says that green roofs cool like street trees. That’s great news for crowded cities with few trees.

According to Stuart (via CBS), the rooftops in Times Square and other NYC locations can do the work of  “20 tree-filled Central Parks!”

(Image via flickr/pnwra)

You can put old tires to good use. Well, for those of us who aren’t extra crafty like that, you can buy tires that have been turned into a purse or iPod or mobile phone case. And the prices are reasonable. Plus, you’re supporting Fair Trade when you pick up these recycled tire products from Taraluna, one of my fave online shops for Fair Trade items.

I don’t have any kind of affiliation with Taraluna, and they don’t advertise on this site. But when I saw these new Fair Trade and recycled items at a very reasonable price, I had to pass it along. Plus, this is an easy and fun back-from-vacation type post!

One of Taraluna’s producers in Nepal was situated directly across from a place that was burning tires (eek), so they came up with this solution and stopped the burning.  The waterproof tire purses and other accessories (like coin purses or wallets) help provide work at fair wages. And the tire bags have a lot of pockets and details.  Some may even have the Goodyear logo!

Check out the selection of recycled tire bags at Taraluna.

You read about the reaction of my cats, Choco and Oscar, to Feline Holistic Select wet food. Now, how did the dry food fare with these picky felines?

They love it. While the cats weren’t wild for Holistic Select’s wet food recipes, they were extremely enthusiastic over their dry food: Feline Radiant Adult & Kitten Health Chicken Meal Recipe and Feline Radiant Adult Health Anchovy, Sardine & Salmon Meals Recipe. (Many more varieties are available.)

My cats used to love Pet Promise cat food, but many of you know that the food, which was sourced from family farms, was discontinued a few months ago. The kitties and I both grieved the loss of such excellent food that apparently (I wouldn’t know myself) tasted so wonderful to them. I had replaced Pet Promise with Halo, a natural cat food. They liked it fine, but never as well as their beloved Pet Promise.

However, I’m happy that both Oscar and Choco have shown more zeal for Holistic Select Radiant dry food than any other dry food that’s been offered to them! That’s saying a lot. Lately, my cats  have been acting like dry food is a punishment that’s forced upon them when no wet food is around. And that’s no fun. The cats voted pretty loudly when their Halo dry food remained untouched next to the new offering.

When my cats are happy, I’m happy. I’m mixing the last of the Halo dry food in with the new food to make the transition.

Given that Oscar is still a kitten, we’ll select the Feline Radiant Adult & Kitten Health formula, which is supposed to be easily digested by kittens. Another benefit of  the food is that it contains Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for skin and coat health, as well as cranberries for urinary health and Yucca schidigera extract to reduce urine and fecal odors. Plus, it has healthy fat sources and lots of protein.

The Holistic Select website is really great, and I mean it. I’m picky about product websites. So, if you want to learn more, please go over there. It’s not only informative, but very easy on the eyes, soothing in fact, which is rare for a pet food website.

What could make this food better? Holistic Select could give a nod to the environment by choosing at least some organic ingredients.

If your cats have also tried Holistic Select, please share your thoughts in comments. I’d love to find out how other cats react to this food that was so enticing to my kitties.

Disclaimer: Choco and Oscar received two free bags of dry food and two cans of wet food from Holistic Select for review purposes.

When asked by email whether they’d like to review a particular cat food, both Choco and Oscar, being the gluttons they are, eagerly agreed. A package of Feline Holistic Select dry food and two cans of wet food arrived shortly thereafter.  (Coming up next, the review of Feline Holistic Select dry food.)

They are most ravenous for their wet food first thing in the morning, so that’s when they had the Duck & Chicken Recipe wet food for cats and kittens.

Oscar, a kitten still and the more finicky of the two, took a whiff and walked away. Choco, my seven-year-old darling, dove in and stayed for a bit, but never finished the serving. Oscar returned later for a second whiff and repeat performance. There you have it — one of two cats like the taste.

When the cats tried another variety of the wet food, Salmon & Shrimp Recipe, Oscar went for it and ate the whole serving while Choco hesitated and merely nibbled.

In general, my cats tend to be much more finicky when it comes to wet food, but they liked Holistic Select much better than the last new wet food I offered to them: Halo Spot’s Stew, which seemed to greatly offend them though they like Halo’s dry food. For reasons I don’t understand, my cats regularly turn down more natural and even organic wet food to go for Fancy Feast! I’m encouraged though my their response to this wet food. Plus, there are three more varieties we can try.

What’s Inside

The overall color and consistency of the wet Feline Holistic Select food reminded me of Science Diet, except that Holistic Select has fine little chunks of veggies like carrots and a less mushy texture overall. In their protein-based canned cat recipes, Holistic Select includes fruits, vegetables and added vitamins, Taurine and minerals. Specifically, both varieties the kitties tried contain Yucca schidigera extract, which is supposed to reduce urine and fecal odor, as well as cranberries for better urinary health. The food is free of artificial preservatives, colors and flavors.

For whole-cat health, the company uses a foundation of natural foods, adding ingredients like micro-organisms, enzymes, botanicals and phytonutrients. They believe that these powerful ingredients combine to promote health of the entire body, a holistic philosophy that guides all their unique recipes.

To sum it up, this food is worth a try, especially if you’re looking for natural, holistic food that may be fed to both cats and kittens. And who knows, it may even reduce fecal odor. Fancy Feast doesn’t help much in that arena, as I have to scoop quickly while holding my breath.

Disclosure: Choco and Oscar received two free cans of Holistic Select wet food and two free bags of Holistic Select dry food for review purposes.