Nontoxic Homemade Roundup Works Just Fine

By DAVE FISHER/ecoRI News staff

I have had a problem with poison ivy winding its way through my hedgerow for the past 10 or so years. I never really gave it much thought, usually removing it by gloved hand, but this year the rash-inducing ivy had really taken hold and removing it by hand seemed like a daunting task.

Most folks would reach for the Roundup, but knowing that Monsanto is corporate evil incarnate, and Roundup is merely watered down Agent Orange, I decided to find a natural solution to my poison ivy problem.

To be honest, I took the first recipe I could find via Google search for a natural weed killer and, after reading the comments below said recipe, tweaked the recipe up.

In just a few hours, this solution began to break down the poison ivy in my hedgerow. Notice the blackened part of the leaves. (Dave Fisher/ecoRI News)Here’s my recipe for an all-natural weed and poison ivy killer that will cost you less than five bucks a gallon to make at home. I bought four quarts of white vinegar from Ocean State Job Lot for a buck apiece, and I can attach my squirter directly to the bottles. The amount of salt and detergent required for the solution can’t cost more than a buck.

What you’ll need:

1 gallon white vinegar
1¼ cup salt (I used kosher, but iodized table salt will work just fine)
2-3 tablespoons of dish detergent (I used Seventh Generation, but I’m sure any detergent will work)

The process: Add the vinegar and salt to a large pot. Bring the solution up to a low-medium heat, just enough to dissolve the salt. Add the detergent. Cool the mixture to room temperature, fill a spray bottle with the mix and go to town on those weeds.

Keep in mind, this is a spot solution. Spraying it on the weeds in your lawn will create big dead spots. It is fantastic for the weeds that pop up in the cracks in the sidewalk, and has really done a number on the poison ivy in my hedgerow.

Rein in Runoff with Rain Garden

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff

A rain garden class at the East Providence library taught landscapers of all experience levels how to both cut water pollution and beautify the yard. (Tim Faulkner/ecoRI News)EAST PROVIDENCE — The concept is simple: Keep rain and the pollutants it carries out of storm drains with a rain garden.

"The point is to show you how easy this is to do," said Kate Venturini, an instructor with the the University of Rhode Island's Stormwater Solutions Project, during a recent hand-ons landscaping workshop at the East Providence Public Library.

A rain garden is a shallow-planted area designed to soak up runoff from roofs, driveways, lawns and parking lots. During heavy rains in particular, these planted gardens reduce the stream of water — and the harmful pollutants it collects — from flowing down streets and into local waterways.

Currently, about 12 percent of Rhode Island is covered by impervious surfaces such as asphalt, cement and roofing.

These gardens allow concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous to absorb and dissipate in soil instead of harming aquatic ecosystems and contaminating drinking water supplies. Other common pollutants washed down street drains include nitrogen oxide from car exhaust, rubber particles from tires, metal from wearing brakes, spilled antifreeze and lawn fertilizer.

The volume of runoff from even a small area can be huge. A 1,000-square-foot roof produces about 600 gallons of water from an inch of rain, Venturini said.

After a morning of instruction about different soil types and ideal vegetation for rain gardens, the class of 40 landscapers, landscape architects and educators dug in the dirt. By late afternoon, the class had built two new rain gardens for the city, which in turn provided garden tools, compost and plants such as elderberry, sweet pepper bush, low-bush blueberry and columbine for the project.

Ways to reduce runoff and recycle water at home include:

Rain barrels are perfect for capturing rain water and then using that water on your gardens. It saves water and lowers your water bill.

Grid pavers and other porous materials are great alternatives to asphalt and cement driveways and patios.

Downspout extenders help divert rain to a landscaped area or garden and away from paved areas and even open lawn, which are not the best spots to catch runoff from a downspout.

The East Providence Public Library program was the second of three training classes about residential rain gardens held across the state. A third session will be held later this year in Providence. The class is open to landscape professionals and the general public. Look for program details here.

Switching to Organic Lawn Care is Easy

Organic lawn care still comes in a bag.By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff

CRANSTON — For lawn care do-it-yourselfers, the switch from chemical fertilizers to organic is easy.

John Holscher, co-owner of The Good Earth organic gardening center in the rural Hope section of the city, grew up working in the family greenhouse in Johnston. For 25 years, he and wife Joyce have run their own garden center, selling organic lawn and garden products, and organic produce.

Demand for their lawn-care and gardening products has grown considerably in recent years, thanks in large part to ongoing research that has exposed the potential hazards of standard synthetic fertilizers, Holscher said. "(People) are starting to get the fact that all those chemicals are not so good for you."

He recommended a few simple steps for making the switch to organic lawn care:

Soil test. For $4, the University of Rhode Island and University of Massachusetts share a program for a pH test. This test helps determine the amount of lime and other nutrients needed to feed the soil with natural fertilizers.

Corn gluten is great to add in early spring to help control weeds. The time has already passed for applying this season, as grasses are beginning to seed. Once the yellow of the forsythia appears it's best to hold off.

Compost. About an inch of compost is great fertilizer. Buy organic compost in the bag or in bulk, or use the food scraps you are composting in the backyard. Just rake into the lawn.

Seeding. There are a few organic seeds on the market, as well as native turf-grass seeds that work best with local soil.

Aeration. A fully organic lawn shouldn't need much aeration, a chore performed by worms if the soil isn't treated with toxic chemicals.

Holscher compared chemical fertilizers to taking vitamins: easy to use but less beneficial for your health. A natural lawn, he said, with well-fed soil will release nutrients naturally to feed the grass.

Organic products are safer to apply and store, and aren't classified as household hazardous waste, such as the synthetic, mass-marketed fertilizers from Scott's and Miracle Gro. "There's no skull and cross bones on these bags," Holscher said.

The transition to organic care may take a year or two to see the full results. There also are organic weed killers — vinegar works — to eliminate unwanted plants. Grubs and other insects can be treated with several natural sprays. Natural treatments for killing ticks, such as organic garlic sprays, are also available.

Rain Garden Keeps Botanical Center Dry

Video by MARY GRADY/ecoRI News contributor

PROVIDENCE — About two years ago a rain garden featuring a variety of native plants and shrubs was installed at the Botanical Gardens at Roger Williams Park. The garden helps keep the area from flooding during heavy rains.

Tattoos and Heavy Metal: We're not Talking Music

By DAVE FISHER/ecoRI News staff

Not long ago, tattoos were seen almost exclusively on bikers, sailors, convicts and Maori tribesmen. Today, however, the practice of using one’s skin as a canvas for self-expression has almost become a de rigeur rite of passage for the youth of America.

There's no spellcheck on a tattoo gun, but spelling is the least of your worries when getting inked.Though tattoos have proliferated in the past two decades, getting a tattoo isn't an easy decision to make. Finding an appropriate location on your body to increase or decrease the visibility of your ink, the design and size of the tattoo, and finding a tattoo that will look as cool to you when you’re 60 as it does when you’re 21 are tough propositions.

Plenty of folks regret the permanent image of Bart Simpson urinating on a New York Yankees hat or the name of a former lover who they now wish was stranded in the Arctic tundra.

The immediate health concerns of getting a tattoo are no secret. Infections of hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, mycobacterium, syphilis, malaria, HIV and even leprosy have been traced back to less-than-reputable tattoo artists working out of less-than-sterile studios with contaminated needles and inks. Reports of these types of infections have dropped in recent years despite the boom in the tattoo industry. This is largely due to increased regulation and inspection by state departments of health. Rhode Island has pretty stringent standards regarding the licensing of tattoo artists and studios.

But here’s another thing to think about before getting tatted up. Think about the color of your tattoo. Many tattoo inks contain heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, lead, antimony, beryllium, chromium, cobalt, nickel and arsenic. These metals — which make your tat permanent — have been known to cause allergic reactions, eczema and scarring, and can increase sensitivity to mercury from one’s dental fillings or consuming fish that have a tendency to bioaccumulate the stuff.

Red inks are the biggest offenders, but most other colors of your average tattoo ink are derived from heavy metals and can cause skin reactions. Some people have reported sensitivity springing up years after getting a tattoo, and MRIs can cause tattoos to burn or sting as the heavy metals in the ink react to the strong magnetic fields generated by these exams.

ecoRI News contacted local tattoo artist Michael Brousseau of Federal Hill Tattoo to ask if he, or any other tattoo studios that he knows of, uses natural inks, to which he replied, "No."

"There are none that I know of that use inks like that exclusively, in fact, inks don't really market themselves that way," he replied to a recent Facebook message. "I know of some brands of inks that use a natural 'driver' or the ingredient that makes them liquid, but other than that, no, I don't know of any.

"There are no heavy metals that I know of in any inks I have ever used. That ended in the '60s, as far as I know. I read an article about inks being in question for what exactly they contain, and I, and the rest of the tattoo community, have just sort of been waiting for results. This was 3 or 4 years ago."

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently testing tattoo inks for the presence of heavy metals and other toxins, and in 2007, a lawsuit filed and won by the American Environmental Safety Institute resulted in warning labels being placed on the products and promotional materials of two of the largest tattoo ink manufacturers, explaining “inks contain many heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and others” and the increased risk of cancer and birth defects associated with these metals.

If you just can’t wait to get a tattoo but are concerned about the constituents of the inks used, black may be the safest permanent tattoo ink — it's usually derived from a substance called carbon black and rarely causes any kind of sensitivity issues. If your heart is set on having a tattoo with as many colors in it as a bag of Skittles, find a tattoo parlor that uses non-metallic organic pigments. There are non-metallic inks available for most popular tattoo shades, but they may be more difficult to find than locally grown produce at Rhode Island Stop & Shop.

In researching this story, ecoRI News searched what seemed like thousands of websites for Rhode Island tattoo studios that use non-metallic inks and couldn’t find one that advertised that fact, or even offered the option of using non-metallic inks.

Dave Fisher, the author of this article, doesn't have any tattoos. If there is any licensed tattoo studio in Rhode Island that either uses exclusively, or offers the option of, non-metallic, naturally derived tattoo inks, he will get the full-color ecoRI News logo tattooed on his right forearm and will document the process on video and post it on the website, Please send an e-mail to dave@ecoRI.org if you own or know of a studio that uses these inks.

Avoid Stank Breath, Naturally

By DAVE FISHER/ ecoRI News staff

So, you just brushed your choppers and, after rinsing, you reach for that bottle of antiseptic mouthwash that you’ve been using for years. Well slow down, Dr. Teeth. That bottle could contain substances that are known and probable human carcinogens and may cause neurological problems when over-consumed. Not to mention spitting them into your sink and, ultimately, our oceans.

Many mouthwashes use alcohol as their main antiseptic ingredient. Alcohol is great for killing bacteria and germs, but in 2009, the Dental Journal of Australia confirmed a link between alcohol-based mouthwashes and increased occurrences of oral cancers.

Most mouthwashes contain at least some sodium fluoride. While fluoride helps fight cavities by killing the tooth enamel-eating bacteria in your mouth, studies have linked increased fluoride levels in humans to neurological problems and could be a cancer trigger as well. The artificial sweeteners used in most mouthwashes also have a range of observed effects on people. Saccharin is a suspected carcinogen, and sucralose may trigger migraines in those that suffer from these most painful of headaches.

Some mouthwashes actually contain formaldehyde. Overexposure to formaldehyde can cause a burning sensation in the eyes, nose and throat, as well as coughing, wheezing, nausea and skin irritation. Formaldehyde also gets upgraded, from “suspected” to “probable” on the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of carcinogens. There’s really no reason to give the mortician that handles your earthly remains a head start.

What happens after you spit? Well, mouthwashes contain a laundry list of chemicals that have been proven to be toxic to marine organisms. Among them are sodium lauryl sulfate, polysorbate, cetylpyridinium chloride and benzalkonium chloride. Tasty!

So what do those concerned with the environment and fresh breath do to avoid their spouses, friends and family recoiling in disgust every time they open their mouth? Check the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database for environmentally friendly mouthwashes.

You also can make your own mouth cleanser at home. As with most DIY projects and products, the Internet has nearly as many recipes for homemade mouthwash as you have different types of bacteria in your mouth right now.

Super Bowl Delivers More Trash to Johnston Landfill

By ecoRI News staff

The Big Shop for the Big Game can lead to humongous waste by the end of the weekend.

At the Central Landfill in Johnston, trash and recycling intake spikes by more than 3,000 tons after Super Bowl weekend. (See chart below.)

Here's how to cut back on waste:

• Buy locally brewed beer and wine. Better yet, buy reusable 64-ounce "growlers" sold at local brewpubs scuh as Trinity Brewhouse and Union Station in Providence and Coddington Brewery in Middletown. All of these brewers offer a credit for returned empties.

• Don't buy soda or bottled water, unless the bottler takes back the empties, such as Yacht Club Beverages. Glass doesn't get recycled in Rhode Island and plastic bottles have a huge carbon footprint.

• Use ceramic plates, metal flatware, cloth napkins and glass cups to feed your Big Game crowd.

• Avoid buying plastic party platters. They can't be recycled. Buy and slice fruit and vegetables, instead. They taste a lot better, too.

Municipal Trash & Recycling Totals, Pre- and Post- Super Bowls, 2005-2011
TRASH	RECYCLING
Week After TRASH Total	Week After RECYCLING Total
43,160.56	10,726.99
Next Normal Week Trash Total	Next Normal Week Recycling Total
40,908.94	9,887.11
Increase in Tons	Increase in Tons
2,251.62	839.88
Percent Increase from "Normal"	Percent Increase from "Normal"
5.5	8.5

Keep Out the Cold this Winter

By ecoRI News staff

Between 40 percent and 70 percent of all home energy is wasted, but homeowners could save about half of that by buying efficient appliances and taking energy-saving measures, according to EarthShare.

The following are some inexpensive solutions to consider, courtesy of EarthShare:

Cover your air conditioner: If you can’t remove your window unit, consider covering it both inside and out. Besides protecting your air-conditioning unit, these covers also help keep cold air from entering your home through the space around the air-conditioner and help lower utility bills.

Caulk it: Small spaces and gaps around windows, pipes and wires entering the home create energy wasting drafts that can cut the efficiency of your heating system. Most caulking products cost less than $10; rope caulk, one of the easiest types to apply, sells for about $4 for 50 feet.

Block drafts: Draft blockers are foam plates that fit behind light switches and electrical outlets to reduce drafts that enter through those spaces. You can get a packet of 10 for about $3 and they’re easy to install.

Install heat reflectors: These are thin sheets that fit behind radiators, to reflect heat away from the wall and into the room, thereby maximizing each radiator’s energy efficiency.

Upgrade your thermostat: Changing your thermostat to a programmable one allows you to control the temperature in your home at different times of the day without you being home. Keep the heat off when you’re out of the house and set it to turn back up before you get home. Some also have a second set of settings for weekends, when people usually spend more time at home. These thermostats range from $90 to $175, but can save 12 percent or more on your energy bill.

Reflective window film: Place these thin, plastic sheets directly on the inside of windowpanes and glass doors. The film reflects inside heat back into your home, reducing the amount that is conducted outside through windows. The film costs about $10 a window and is easy to put on.

Storm-window kits: It can be expensive to have storm windows installed throughout your house, but there is a less-expensive way to weatherproof home windows. Storm-window kits consist of plastic film or sheets to cover the window. Attaching the plastic is done with tape or tacks. Prices range from about $3 to $10 per window.

Weatherstripping: Create a tight seal around all your windows to reduce heated and cooled air from escaping outside. Weatherstrips are plastic, foam, felt or rubber strips that fit around window and doorframes with a self-adhesive backing. Prices vary, but average about $5 a window or door.

Head to the Bar to Stay Green and Clean

By DAVE FISHER/ecoRI News staff

Rhode Island Spa Products offer a full line of all-natural soaps and cleansers for people and pets.In the past few years, many producers of personal hygiene products have introduced what are commonly referred to as “body washes.” These liquid soaps, usually packaged with plastic scrubbers, are not environmentally or economically sound purchases.

It may seem like an insignificant decision, but choosing bar soap over liquid soap for your daily ablutions can have a significant impact on your personal carbon footprint. Bar soap is inherently more eco-friendly than body wash, due to both its ingredients and the way in which it's sold.

Find soaps that use minimal packaging. Avoid extra layers of plastic or wax paper. One reason that bar soap is greener than body wash is the packaging. Many bar soaps are available in recyclable cardboard boxes, but body wash comes in plastic bottles. Plastic bottles are recyclable in theory, but according to Environmental Protection Agency data, as of 2009, most plastic bottles still end up in landfills.

The largest percentage of most body-wash formulas is water. This makes the product heavier and more expensive to ship than a comparable amount of solid bar soap. Hard soap's more concentrated formula means less energy is necessary to ship an equivalent amount of cleanser.

By buying soap made with natural ingredients, you avoid potentially hazardous chemicals such as the antimicrobial triclosan. Triclosan continues to be under review by the Food and Drug Administration, due to concerns that the chemical may alter human hormone production. It also has proved toxic to multiple forms of aquatic life. The chemical has been shown to accumulate in an organism's fat cells, which can lead to degradation of the food chain. The American Medical Association suggests avoiding antimicrobial products such as triclosan over concerns that frequent use of such chemicals can contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance.

For the most environmentally friendly soaps, skip the supermarket or pharmacy and head to your local farmers’ market. You can find soaps made from beeswax, honey, goat’s milk and other natural ingredients. Soaps made and distributed locally usually have the least packaging and move the fewest miles from production to your sink. Try any of the goat’s milk soaps from Reynolds Barn Hobby Farm, or the all-natural soaps from Rhode Island Spa Products.

R.I. Christmas Trees Turned into Commercial Chips

By ecoRI News staff

Not to worry, those unwanted Christmas trees and wreathes who see laying on the curb are going to a good home, maybe even your neighbors.

Last year, some 310 tons of trees were collected at the Central Landfill in Johnston. The trees go into a grinder and the wood chips are added to the yard waste and leaf commercial composting program at the landfill.

The finished commercial Class A compost is used either at the landfill or sold through the compost soil and mulch company Agresource. The company’s commercial product is used for turf farming, sports field construction, garden center supplies, wetlands restoration and roof gardens.

Rhode Island residents can buy the compost for home use throughout the year at the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) office at the landfill. Details for purchases are at the RIRRC website.

Many Rhode Island communities offer their own tree collection and composting. Call your local DPW for details.

Also, New Urban Farmers and ecoRI News teamed up to collect 20 Christmas trees at the Jan. 7 Wintertime Farmers’ Market at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket. New Urban Farmers is going to reuse the trees for a variety of purposes.