It’s hard to believe, but we’re back to school. As parents, we’re concerned about creating a healthy environment that is free of toxins that might inhibit learning.

Here are some tips to help you and your children to have a healthy, happy school year!

1. Keep Swine Flu In Perspective

Because it’s a new virus, there’s no telling how bad it will be this year, but so far H1N1 has proven to be a virulent strain of the flu, similar to the one that goes around every winter. The same basic rules apply:

1. Keep your child home if you think he/she is sick.
2. Wash your hands frequently with warm, soapy water or use a hand sanitizer if soap & water are unavailable.
3. Cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow, not your hand!

2. Recess Rocks!

A 15-minute break seems to be key not only for learning, but for social development and good health! Unstructured play is as important as structured play with emotional, social and cognitive growth.

3. Reconsider The Cell Phone

Many parents see cell phones as an important tool for staying in touch with their children and for emergency situations. Some children consider them to be a status symbol. There is still a lot of debate about the safety of cell phone radiation and its effect on growing brains. Kids are particularly vulnerable to environmental insults. Give it some careful thought.

4. Head Lice – The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Head lice is unpleasant and a fact of life for many school children.  The most common over-the-counter products contain actual pesticides!  Old-school treatments include olive oil, essential oils, Moroccan oil, even mayonnaise! There are tons of web sites that can help.

5. Check those backpacks!

Six out of 10 children will experience back pain before their 18th birthday and heavy backpacks are one of the reasons why. Pack wisely and use wide, padded shoulder straps. No backpack should weigh more than 10%-20% of a child’s weight. No more than 14 pounds for a 70 pound boy or girl.

6. Pack Healthy Lunches

Buy organic foods and pack them in nontoxic containers whenever possible. Use BPA-Free water bottles. Bisphenol A is a synthetic estrogen used to make some plastics and it’s been linked to a number of health problems including obesity! Pack a lunch with a healthy sandwich or wrap and a drink that isn’t loaded with extra sugars. Applesauce, yogurt, carrots, hummous and raisins are also great choices.

7. Vaccinate With Care

Vaccination is important for public health and is responsible for the eradication of several debilitating childhood illnesses. Discuss the necessary vaccines with your child’s doctor. Avoid immunizing when your child is sick. Take note of allergens like MSG or eggs and be sure to let your doctor know.

Have a fantastic year and remember, it is easy being green!

Jennifer Jesperson

Summer is here!  Whether you’re a regular beach-dweller or you only step in the sun once in a while, sunscreen is of the utmost importance to protect your skin. So when you stock up on your UV-ray protection, make sure the product you choose is not only safe for your body, but for the environment as well!

Chemical Sunscreens can be comprised of estrogenic toxins when absorbed by your skin can affect reproductive health and development. A study has shown that chemical sunscreens may harm coral reefs, so be on the look out for natural and biodegradable sunscreens for use on the beach.

Natural Sunscreens often include plant-based ingredients such as hemp seed oil, shea butter, jojoba oil and coconut oil that naturally provide UV protection – it helps that you can pronounce these ingredients too!

Check out http://www.allterrainco.com/sun_protection.html

Reapplying sunscreen and simply using enough throughout the day has a greater effect on protecting you from sunburn and UV-rays than using sunscreen with a higher SPF (and usually a higher price!). If you plan to spend a day outdoors, doctors recommend using a “shot glass” amount to cover all of your exposed skin, and to apply approximately 20 to 30 minutes before heading out in the sun.  Apply every couple of hours.

Before we know it, summer will be over.  As you start shopping for next years’ lunch boxes remember this:  During the average school year, each child throws out approximately 67 pounds of waste!  Think about purchasing reusable containers instead of plastic bags.

Laptop Lunch Boxes were created by two eco-conscious moms about seven years ago when the savvy pair realized that the best way to help parents pack wholesome, low-waste lunches was to “provide them with a lunch system that was not only convenient and economical, but also appealing to kids.” Made of lead-free plastic, its unique design, features single-serve individual containers, reusable utensils, a water or juice bottle and a handy carrying case.

Everyone from Wal-Mart to Land’s End to The Land of Nod are making eco-friendly backpacks now.  So keep that in mind too.

Our Sun Safety Committee members have offered their time and energy and will continue selling gift cards at school on Fridays during the summer. If every family purchased at least $100.00 a month, in grocery store cards, Stevenson would earn $4,000.00 a month!  At that rate, the kinder yard and possibly even the pirate ship would have a sun shade next year!  I don’t know about you, but I easily spend over $100.00 a month at Von’s alone!   And don’t forget about gas cards!  It’s SO easy!

Have a great summer everyone!  And remember, it is easy being green.

by Jennifer Jesperson

Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

We had a salad for dinner tonight. The lettuce came from seeds that my son planted. I’ve gotta say, it was pretty cool. And tasty!
I spent some time in the school’s garden last week. You’ve heard Felix Chamberlain talk about it throughout the year. Fortunately for our Stevenson students, Jennifer Hughes has offered to take over for Felix, who will be off to Jordan next year. It was a great experience for me. Ms. Carrillo’s class joined us and I can’t even begin to tell you how excited the children were! They couldn’t wait to get their hands in the dirt! They were looking for bugs, digging holes, sifting mulch, pulling weeds and having a fabulous time!
Numerous studies show that the outdoors remains the healthiest environment for children and adults. Yes, even in Los Angeles! Gardening with children is one of the easiest ways to reap the benefits nature offers. Children with access to green outdoor spaces play more creatively and score higher on tests of self-discipline, according to a University of Illinois study. Studies show that nature and gardening are the best stress relievers. Recent studies by the American Dietetic Association found that children who garden eat more fruits and vegetables.

However, there haven’t been many studies (if any) on how nourishing the garden is for the soul. Caring for a garden is usually a silent activity, pierced only by the sounds of chirping birds and buzzing insects. But in the Old Stevenson Garden, it wasn’t quiet – and it was wonderful! There were screeches of “I found a pincher bug!” or “Look at the butterfly!” or “There are apples growing on this tree! When can we eat them?!?”
But even for children, the quiet time in the garden can be an antidote to all the noise and busyness of today’s culture. It’s a place where they can learn to be quiet. The garden can cultivate a sense of wonder in children and wonder, if nurtured, can serve as a lifelong source of joy and provide motivation for further learning.

Tips for Gardening With Kids

Gardening can be even more wonderful for children if parents plan some surprises. Here are some tips:

Plant some quick growers, like radishes, lettuce and sunflowers to keep the child’s interest.

Set aside a children’s garden and let the children choose their own vegetables and flowers. Teach the children responsibility by encouraging them to weed and water the garden throughout the growing season.

Do a theme garden. A pizza garden can contain segments with oregano, basil, tomatoes, onions and peppers. We just started a salsa garden with tomatoes, cilantro and peppers.

Have fun with vegetables. If you plant a pumpkin, when the pumpkin is small, scratch your child’s name on it and then watch it grow with the pumpkin.

Grow fragrant and medicinal herbs and flowers. The fragrance of roses has been used to cope with grieving. Lavender is a wonderful herb to grow in a children’s garden. It is known as a stress reliever and helps children to calm down. Growing some near a child’s bedroom window may even help the child get to sleep at night!

The garden offers a way for children and adults to recreate a connection with nature, which is essential to health and our planet!

When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves. ~David Orr

Remember, it is easy being green!

By Jennifer Jesperson

He wondered why more people weren’t trying to solve these problems. He talked to other lawmakers and to President Kennedy. They decided that the President would go around the country and tell people about these concerns. He did, but still not enough people were working on the problem.

In 1969, Senator Nelson had another idea. He decided to have a special day to teach everyone about the things that needed changing in our environment. He wrote letters to all of the colleges and wrote an article in Scholastic Magazine to tell them about the special day he had planned. (Most of the schools got this magazine then and he knew that kids would help him.)

On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held. People all over the country made promises to help the environment. Everyone got involved and since then, Earth Day has spread all over the planet. People throughout the world know that there are problems we need to work on and this is our special day to look at the planet and see what needs changing.

One person had an idea and kept working until everyone began working together to solve it.

Jennifer Jesperson

“Behold, my brothers, the spring has come. The earth has received the embraces of the sun and we shall soon see the results of that love! Every seed is awakened and so has all animal life. It is through this mysterious

power that we too have our being and we therefore yield to our neighbors, even our animal neighbors, the same right as ourselves to inhabit this land. My love of our native soil is wholly mystical.”

- Chief Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotaka), Hunkpapa Sioux (1831-1890)

I thought that was a pretty appropriate quote for spring!

Three very simple words – re-use, repurpose, recycle. It’s a very simple concept really. If you can remember to think green, it becomes second nature. I know it’s not always easy or convenient, but it’s crucial. And an eco-lifestyle has a lot of great perks! It can save you money!!!

Here are a few easy tips for spring:

Plant a garden – It doesn’t have to be big. You’ve heard of the success of the Stevenson garden. Our children got out there and planted vegetables and they loved it! The kids even got excited to eat raw broccoli! I wonder how many of them do that at home? Try planting something with your child – you’ll be amazed.

Laundry – About 90% of the energy used while washing clothes goes to heating the water. Try washing in cold water and hanging some clothes and linens on a clothesline in the yard. You’ll save money and your clothes will smell great! There’s nothing like getting into a clean bed with sheets that have hung on the line. It can save you as much as $70.00 a year!

Change Five light bulbs – 
And help change the world. Now that it’s lighter longer, you can really make a difference on your electrical bill. Replace the conventional bulbs in your five most frequently used light fixtures with bulbs that have the ENERGY STAR and you will help the environment while saving money on energy bills. If every household in the U.S. took this one simple action we would prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars. (Amazing isn’t it?)

Heat and cool smartly – 
Simple steps like cleaning air filters regularly and having your heating and cooling equipment tuned annually by a licensed contractor can save energy, money and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When it’s time to replace your old equipment, choose a high efficiency model, and make sure it is properly sized and installed.

Use water efficiently – Saving water around the home is simple. City water systems require a lot of energy to purify and distribute water to our households, and saving water, especially hot water, can lower greenhouse gas emissions. There are simple actions you can take to save water: Be smart when irrigating your lawn or landscape; set your sprinklers to water during the coolest part of the day, early morning is best. Turn the water off while shaving or brushing teeth and did you know that a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day? Repair all toilet and faucet leaks right away.

Don’t use disposable bags of any kind – The chemicals used to make paper bags are almost as bad as plastic bags! Watch for the spring PTA fundraiser – they’re selling those really cool bags again and I hear that they’re even cuter than they were in the fall!

Cut back on paper towels – Use old cloth towels to mop up spills. I’ve sung Viva’s praises before – really, they’re almost always on sale at Von’s and you can rinse them and wring them out and reuse them. I’ve even accidentally washed and dried one before and it didn’t fall apart in the washer! I used it again!!! Put out a stack of small hand towels in the bathroom and a little basket for soiled ones. You’ll save a ton of money.

- 40% of trash in U.S. landfills consists of paper products.

- 30% of the timber consumed in the U.S. is used to make paper products.

We need to change that.

Remember, it is easy being green!

Jennifer Jesperson

The world has come together in Vancouver. And these Olympics are the greenest in history!

For example, the Olympic and Paralympic Village will reuse captured methane gas from a former landfill for energy and the primary heat source for the community will be waste heat recovered from the municipal wastewater treatment system.

The Richmond Oval, where all speed skating events will take place, has a huge ceiling – the size of almost seven Olympic hockey rinks! It is made with a million board feet of pine beetle-infested wood that otherwise would have gone to waste. Wood cleared from the six-acre site before construction began was used to make benches in the team dressing rooms. Even the rainwater running off the roof is collected in a pond for irrigation and for flushing the facility’s toilets!

NBC’s broadcast headquarters has a six-acre “living roof.” The roof features an enormous garden with 400,000 individual indigenous plants to help regulate the building’s temperature.

And of course how green could the Olympics be without sustainable transportation? The athletes will be traveling between venues and around the Olympic village via cutting-edge electric trolleys. Since their introduction three years ago, over 450 of them have been installed across Europe, and Toronto has ordered 204 models of a similar design.

Vancouver has raised the bar.

Remember, it is easy being green!
By Jennifer Jesperson

Our family tries very hard to reduce our carbon footprint, yet I know we’re not trying anywhere near hard enough. Here are some helpful, basic hints with a little bit of interesting trivia so you can impress all your friends!

Recycling cans and bottles may seem basic, but it is one of the easiest ways you can reduce your carbon footprint with little or no extra effort. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours!!!!!
Recycle old scrap paper that may be hanging around the house. Between junk mail and used pieces of computer paper, you’ll be surprised at how fast you can fill the recycling bin up. Americans use 85,000,000 tons of paper a year: about 680 pounds per person.
Check labels to see if some of your favorite household products are recyclable. Products such as aluminum foil are often overlooked, but can be thrown in the recycling bin along with (aluminum) cans and glass. Americans toss out enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet, according to the Aluminum Association.

Pack your child’s lunch with the environment in mind:

1. Use reusable lunch bags – I couldn’t find any statistics on paper lunch bags specifically, but in 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year alone. Paper bag production delivers a global warming double-whammy forests (major absorbers of greenhouse gases) have to be cut down, and then the subsequent manufacturing of bags produces greenhouse gases. I’m hoping that in the last 10 years, that number has gone down.

2. Use reusable water bottles – in America, 38 billion water bottles end up in land fills each year!

3. Snack and sandwich bags – Americans spend about $85.00 a year on plastic baggies!

4. Cut waste and save by buying in bulk while using reusable containers to portion out lunches.

5. Napkins, utensils, icepacks and more – check out this web site for some amazing products that will actually help you save money and the environment. And they look cool!

http://www.reusablebags.com/store/lunch-bags-more-utensils-more-c-4_28.html

Remember, it is easy being green!

- Dr. Seuss, from The Lorax

Have you read The Lorax lately? When I reread it as an adult, I was stunned by how ahead of its time it was. He published this in 1971 and it’s about the plight of the environment. In 1971!!! No one was talking about the environment then – certainly not in a children’s book! Yet here it is for all to see with its lovely colors and Truffala trees!

In order to start making changes, we must start at home. The more we educate ourselves the more likely our children will follow in our footsteps.
Here are a few ways to have fun with our kids and enjoy the beautiful fall weather:
Go apple picking! Both Julian and Oak Glen have excellent harvests this year. Oak Glen was threatened by the fires, but fortunately, the area was saved.

By picking your own apples you not only enjoy the freshest fruit available, but you also support the livelihood of local farmers and orchards. Here are a few simple tips to follow on your apple picking adventure:

Ask the orchard owner/manager which trees flowered first in the spring. They will also be able to give you more information on the different apple varieties found in their orchards.

Select firm, bruise-free apples. Apples ripen from the outside of the tree to the center, so pick the ones located on the outer branches.

Don’t jerk apples off the branches. The proper way is to roll the apple towards the tree branch and then twist it until the stem breaks free.

Apples are free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and contain small amounts of potassium, which may promote heart health, help maintain healthy blood pressure and a healthy weight.

Grow a garden It’s a fun and easy eco-activity that kids always enjoy. For those with a yard, plot out a small portion for the garden. If you don’t have that much space simply get a pot to grow in a windowsill. We live in Southern California where we can grow our food all year long! Try lettuce, carrots, radishes, onion and garlic – look! You’ve got a salad right there!

Get kids involved by looking for programs like California Youth Energy Services (CYES). Their goal is to educate kids and the community on how to lower energy usage throughout the home. Youth and young adults are trained as energy specialists who offer “green house calls” and a free energy audit for your home!!!

So pull out your old copy of The Lorax or The Giving Tree or go to the library. You’ll be surprised – and delighted!

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” – Native American Proverb.

By Jennifer Jesperson

NFL football is the number one sport in the United States – at least as far as fan support and revenue goes.  So, when one of their teams say that they want to lessen their impact on the environment, we need to pay attention!  Especially when it’s a big team like the San Francisco 49ers!  California tends to lead the country in environmental awareness so this could be the start of something big!

A game at a professional football stadium requires enough electricity to power 2,269 homes for a day.  That’s a lot of houses!  A stadium holds tens of thousands of fans who come to support their team, but also go home realizing that they too can do something to help the environment.  The new 49ers stadium will be talked about and seen on TV by millions of people.  Hopefully, the eco-friendly theme is something that catches on with other teams.

Football is a big and influential business.  Countless children and adults look up to sports teams and their players.  Now there’s a chance for people who don’t normally live an environmentally friendly life style to hear about green issues and they will be introduced to a greener way of life.

Other sports teams have gotten into the swing of things as well.  The Suns have focused on lowering their carbon footprint by rethinking old habits and providing fans with 100% organic shirts or reusable bags during game giveaways.

In Major League Baseball, each baseball club decides its level of commitment, which can range from recycling paper cups to creating more environmentally friendly ballparks.  Some teams have begun to purchase renewable sources, such as wind and solar to power their ballparks and training facilities.  In the front office, green efforts include buying postconsumer recycled paper, making double sided copies and encouraging employees to separate their recycling from their regular garbage. Every little bit counts.

Teams also engage in public education by providing eco-friendly tips during games and like Stevenson, some baseball clubs have their own “green teams” to collect stadium recyclables.

So, no matter what sport you love, think about it, if they can do it then so can we because it is easy being green!

Jennifer Jesperson

I was fortunate enough to spend the month of July at my cabin on Lake Superior in Northern Michigan.  They don’t recycle there as much as we do.  It’s not as easy for them as it is for us.  We are so lucky here to have the utility companies and the City of Burbank help us to make a difference.  And now with the Stevenson Green Team, we’re going to make it even easier for you to “Go Green!”  Contact Tiffany Bakas at tnt.illuma.net if you’d like to get more involved.

This article is going to be about water.  Looking out onto Lake Superior every day, I really thought about water.  Superior is the largest fresh-water lake (by surface) in the world. It’s one of the cleanest too.  But it is in danger.  The nitrate levels are rising. Over-fishing has become an issue. (I think that’s partly due to the amount my family eats when we’re there!)  Then there’s the temperature increase (Global Warming).  If trends continue, Lake Superior, which freezes over completely once every 20 years, could routinely be ice-free by 2040.  That’s not very far off.  And it’s a problem.

On a more personal note, I’m allergic to chlorine – and we have a pool. Chlorine contaminates the earth’s soil and water and it evaporates into the atmosphere where it eats away at the ozone layer. I’ve recently started looking into alternative ways make our pool cleaner and safer to swim in.  Not sure what I’ll go with yet, but here’s a list of what I’ve found in case you’re thinking about it as well:

• Salt Water:  Salt water or saline pools use small portions of salt to clean water through electrolysis. To some, this may not be the greenest optiondue to the fact that it still utilizes chlorine albeit in a natural, bacteria fighting, and non-threatening form.
• Ionization: Ionic pools use small amounts of metals such as copper andsilver to kill bacteria and stop algae growth.
• Oxidation: Oxidation pools use UV light or electricity to produce ozone, which disinfects the water.
• Sonic Waves: New sonic wave pools use specific patterns of sound waves to kill algae and contaminants.
• Natural Pools: Natural or green pools use external or internal plants to create mini ecosystems that enrich the pool water with oxygen, support beneficial bacteria that consume debris and contaminants, and deprive algae of nutrients.
• Natural Products: If you do not want to convert to a new system, one option is to use natural cleaning products such as PristineBlue and Natura Chemistry.

Another “type” of water I’ve thought about recently is “Greywater.”  That includes any and all wash water that can be collected – from showers or leaky faucets to when you empty out your partially consumed water bottle.  Here are some ways you can use “Greywater” in your home:

• While you’re waiting for the shower to heat up or daydreaming under the spout, place a big bucket in the corner to collect the extra runoff from going down the drain. Use greywater to hydrate your plants or lawn.
• If you plan on upgrading your home and are willing to make more of aninvestment, a greywater system is the perfect fit for an eco-homeowner.  State-of-the-art systems filter used water from the shower, bath and laundry and then reuse it in the toilet’s flushing system.

When emptying out your ice chest after a trip to the beach or camping, put it in your flowerbed.  You can try lowering usage in other ways too. Run the washing machine and dishwasher only when they’re completely full.  Don’t forget to change your sprinkler system timer too.  You’re allowed to water on Monday and Thursday for 15 minutes per zone.  And only late in the evening or at night.  Don’t hose down your driveway or sidewalks, sweep them.  We all must do our part!

I’m thirsty.  Gotta go.  Until next month, remember, it is easy being green!

Jennifer Jefferson

p.s.  If you’re interested, contact Tiffany Bakas to get involved with Stevenson’s first ever Green Team!  tnt@illuma.net