Q. Dear Umbra,<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In <\/p>\n Keeping <\/p>\n A. Dearest Kid <\/p>\n Indeed the “green inclinations, no kids” (GINK)<\/a> posts have caused quite the stir. I’ve only dared to <\/p>\n Any form of birth control is greener than no birth control at all, as it aims <\/p>\n But let’s say that going permanent with a vasectomy or tubal ligation (truly green, GINK-approved, no more condom waste) is not yet a commitment you’re ready to make. Fair enough. No judgement here. I’d certainly hate to have to eat my words should a mini-Umbra pop into the picture down the road.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Also, I completely understand if you are abstaining from abstinence. The next best option, effectiveness-wise would be an IUD, which either contains copper or releases the hormone progestin, as do implants. Both IUDs and implants are quite small and last for years; however, I’d probably opt for the copper as the greenest choice, what with synthetic hormone production and all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But not comfortable with the IUD? Birth control shots, rings, pills, and patches work just fine—they all release progestin or a combo of progestin and estrogen. Aside from the hormone issues, the plastic film over the plastic cover in the paper box, which contains a zillion-page booklet of all the awful things that can happen if you take the drug, seems like overkill packaging-wise for something you use every single month. Hey, birth control companies, can’t you just give each patient one little booklet for the duration of the prescription?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My second fav option behind the copper IUD in terms of eco-ness is a reusable barrier—a diaphragm or cervical cap. Both basically get in the way of the sperms’ journey to the egg and can last a couple of years. However, in terms of effectiveness, 15–25 pregnancies result each year out of 100 women with this method—the same as with male and female condoms. And speaking of old faithful, ah, the condom<\/a>. Indeed they do produce <\/p>\n And if you <\/p>\n Ouchily, <\/p>\n Q. Hello, <\/p>\n The <\/p>\n Anything <\/p>\n Have <\/p>\n Ron <\/p>\n A. Dearest <\/p>\n So annoyed myself with these little individual-cup-producing plastic <\/p>\n You <\/p>\n Or <\/p>\n Javaly, <\/p>\n Q. Dear Umbra,<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some <\/p>\n I <\/p>\n Kathy <\/p>\n A. Dearest <\/p>\n Good <\/p>\n Sumner in Science News Online<\/a> in 1996: “If <\/p>\n All you <\/p>\n Bacteria-freely, Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n Why even the childless should care about school lunch<\/a><\/p>\n A teacher openly crusades for better school food—and gets seared<\/a><\/p>\n
\nlight of Lisa Hymas’<\/a> current
\nseries on GINKing<\/a>,
\ncan you fill us in on the most eco-friendly forms of birth control currently
\navailable?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIt Kid Free
Seattle<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nFree,<\/p>\n
\npoke the issue with a 10-foot pole a few times<\/a> in the
\npast, but I think it’s a topic that deserves its place in the sun. I’ve also
\nbroached the subject of contraception<\/a> previously,
\nbut it’s been several years and is totally worth another look.<\/p>\n
\nto prevent the addition of yet another human to our already overburdened planet
\nand its resources.<\/p>\n
\nsome waste, but in the grand scheme of things (i.e., possibly producing another
\nhuman being), I’d say it’s somewhat inconsequential. Especially given that
\ncondoms, most of which are made of biodegradable latex (though chemical
\nadditives can complicate the process), represent 0.001 percent of trash
\nAmerican households produce annually. But whatever you do, don’t flush that
\ncondom: In addition to wasting water, it’ll just end up as a sewage solid, and
\nthe sewage staff will have to pick it out and put it in the trash themselves.
\nVom.<\/p>\n
\nfeel slightly stifled by your BC options, take this stroll through the evolution
\nof birth control<\/a>, and thank your lucky stars that we’re no longer bound
\ninto chastity belts, having to blow up condoms before use, or using a
\nvagina-scalding gem called Lysol douche.<\/p>\n
Umbra<\/p>\n
\nUmbra!<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nmassive company I work for recently got Keurig<\/a> machines. I noticed that the K-Cups<\/a> are not recyclable and are made from
\n“other or #7 plastic” which is not healthy when heated.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nin mind that can be done (e.g., posting about them on Grist!) other than me calling them and asking them to change it
\n(which I have four times now)?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\na good one!<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nM.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nRon,<\/p>\n
\nbuckets of coffee, despite the fact that the company says it’s “researching alternatives
\nto the K-Cup portion pack’s petroleum-based materials<\/a>.” Normally
\nI would consider this one of those small things not to sweat so much, but it’s so easily avoided. According to parent company Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’<\/a> website, more
\nthan 2.7 million K-Cup portion packs were brewed every day in 2008 alone. That’s
\na lot of unnecessary plastic whiling away the years (and years and years) in
\nthe landfill—not to mention the petroleum that went into making them.<\/p>\n
\nsaid you’ve called “them” four times and asked them to change it—who are you
\ncalling? Your supervisor? HR? Maybe talk to your boss to make sure you’re
\ncontacting the right people within the company first. Then get a posse
\ntogether. Several voices are much louder than just one—even if it’s heard four
\ntimes over. Start a petition or draft an email everyone can send to show the
\npeeps in charge that there are lots of employees that feel the same way you do.
\nAnd be sure to offer an alternative—like coffee grounds and a reusable filter
\n(actually, I see that K-Cups even has a reusable
\nfilter option<\/a>). It always chaps my hide when people say they disagree with
\nan idea but don’t offer up any sort of alternative.<\/p>\n
\nperhaps some guerilla-marketing-style, anti-single-serve-coffee posters near
\nthe machines would do the trick. Additionally, I always find it helpful to
\ninclude cute pictures of puppies<\/a> when
\nI want to get a point across. Best of luck to you!<\/p>\n
Umbra<\/p>\n
\nyears ago I read about a study that recommended a nontoxic way to sanitize
\ncounters: two spray bottles—one with vinegar, one with peroxide. Spray till damp;
\nthe order doesn’t matter. Let dry.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\ncan’t find a reference for this. It seems like the USDA did the study.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Salt
\nLake City<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nKathy,<\/p>\n
\nmemory—that was more than a decade ago! However, it wasn’t the USDA; it was
\nSusan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
\nUniversity, who discovered vinegar and peroxide’s combined sanitizing power,
\nwhich she found would kill almost all Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli
\nbacteria. And it’s not just for counters; you can use it to clean cutting
\nboards and vegetables too (just give the veggies a rinse with water after
\nspraying them).<\/p>\n
\nthe acetic acid got rid of 100 organisms, the hydrogen peroxide would get rid
\nof 10,000, and the two together would get rid of 100,000.”<\/p>\n
\nneed is regular white vinegar and 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (the same stuff
\nyou’d buy at the drugstore) in two separate spray bottles—don’t mix the two in
\none container, as it can form a weak peracetic acid, which can be highly
\ncorrosive. Spray one and then the other onto the surface; the order doesn’t
\nmatter. And voila!<\/p>\n
Umbra<\/p>\n