by Ingrid Justick:

Vol. 25, No. 5

Toxic elements and energy-inefficient practices within our own homes negatively impact not only the health of our bodies, but of the earth, too. A few simple, inexpensive changes can make a significant difference in the well-being of our planet and our homes.

Since we spend almost 90% of our time indoors, breathing easy can be a matter of concern. Indoor levels of many pollutants are 25 to 100 times higher than those outdoors. In our indoor air, we find pet-dander, pollen, and chemicals from pesticides, cleaning products, paints, treated carpets and wood, that cause allergies, asthma and neurological damage. Making a few basic adjustments can clear the air considerably:

• Open your windows for at least 10 minutes every day.
• If your water is so heavily chlorinated that you can smell the chlorine, open your bathroom window or turn on the exhaust fan whenever you are taking a shower. Airborne chlorine is a potential carcinogen at high levels.
• Ventilate when using gas or wood-burning stoves or fireplaces, which produce harmful gasses (including carbon-monoxide.)
• Run your kitchen exhaust fan (it should ventilate to the outside) when using your gas appliances.
• Vacuum at least twice a week using a unit with a high-efficient-particulate air filter to eliminate dust and all those contaminants that accumulate in it.
• Use green housecleaning practices. Many indoor pollutants come from household cleaning products. So please use environmentally friendly cleaning alternatives.
• For clothes that need dry cleaning, find a wet cleaner. Many dry cleaners use perchloethylene, a chemical shown to cause cancer in animals. If you cannot find a natural wet or green cleaner, remove the plastic bag from your traditionally treated garment and hang it outdoors for a few hours, before hanging it in a closet.
• Avoid gas-emitting products, including paints, sealants, furniture made from pressed wood and wall-to-wall carpeting made with products containing formaldehyde. This toxic chemical off-gasses into the air. Open windows when applying paint or sealers. If this is not possible, place a bowl filled with white vinegar in the center of the room to absorb the toxins.
• Avoid commercial air fresheners, which can release chemical toxins and airway irritants, such as dichlorobenzenes and xylene. Instead, use natural air fresheners like Ecco Mist, available at health food stores. Their Lavender Mist removes smoke, cooking and pet odors. Sprayed on your bed linens at night, it relaxes and soothes your emotions. It also is known to combat germs and boost immunity. It is used to disinfect hospitals.
• Grow indoor plants. Plants are not only nature’s air filters, but this connection to nature can have other health benefits, like improving moods and lowering stress levels.

Please establish living patterns that benefit and sustain all elements of life.

For environmentally friendly information call: 732-922-2935

by: Ingrid Justick

Vol. 25, No. 4

This is an excellent time to step back and take a look at how your organic garden did grow this season. Do your plants look as healthy as you expected them to be? Take photographs of your plants each year. This winter, when you are planning next year’s garden, reach for the photos and you will be quite surprised on how much you accomplished.

Most trees, lawns and spring-blooming shrubs grow better if you plant them in the fall in well-prepared organic soil. Top growth is less active, ground water more plentiful and tiny roots become strong, storing energy for the spring show of flowers and foliage. 

Now is an excellent time to plant fall-flowering perennials: graceful Japanese anemones, sweet autumn clematis, along with other cool weather plants such as asters, kale and pansies. Fragrant witch hazel will bloom even when snow is on the ground. Do not forget to plant your bulbs into the ground. They will announce spring’s arrival.

Autumn is the perfect time to prepare your organic spring vegetable garden. Clean your vegetable beds and turn the soil adding plenty of compost. Scatter spinach seeds that will mature and flourish in cool weather. These hardy greens grow throughout the fall, lie dormant under the snow and then start growing again in spring. Plant some Egyptian onions; they are perennial and you can harvest the green tips all winter. 

Herbs are among fall’s most rewarding plants. Cut them back and freeze or dry the clippings for winter enjoyment. Place organic leaf mulch around your perennial herbs, to protect from frost damage. 

Before moving your potted plants indoors, wash them well with an all-purpose natural spray that will eliminate most pests: mix two teaspoons of liquid dishwashing detergent with one cup of vegetable oil. Shake vigorously to emulsify then add one quart of water. Be certain to spray the undersides of leaves, too. Mealybugs and scales grow a tough coat of arms, so use a cotton swab and dab each bug mass with rubbing alcohol. Then once a month scrub leaves gently with soapy water to remove dust particles from the breathing holes. 

It is time to relax from our summer labors while we are anxiously awaiting the end of winter and the first sign of spring to start our organic gardens —  all over again. 

You must heal any wounds you give the Earth
and you must feed her to replace what you take from her. 
Only if you repay your debts will she continue to provide.

For environmentally friendly information: call 732-922-2935.

Printing compliments of The Atlantic Club

by: Ingrid Justick

Vol. 25, No. 2

Please, do make a conscious effort to eliminate or minimize use of toxic pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers in your garden. Choose organic alternatives. If you take good care of your plants, your garden will be healthier and have fewer problems with insects and disease. Invite beneficial insects to your garden by planting a variety of flowers, especially wildflowers. If problems arise, please try the following earth friendly sprays:

All Purpose Insect Spray:
Mix 3 tbsp. baking soda, 2 tbsp. Murphy’s Oil soap, 2 tbsp. canola oil, 2 tbsp. vinegar and 2 gal. warm water. Apply with hand sprayer.

Fungus Spray:
Mix 1/2 cup molasses, 1/2 cup powdered milk, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 gal. water.

Powdery Mildew Spray:
Mix 4 tbsp. baking soda, 2 tbsp. Murphy’s Oil soap, 1 gal. water.

Slug Spray: 
Mix 1 1/2 cups ammonia, 1 tbsp. Murphy’s Oil soap, 1 1/2  cups water. Spray over area where you see signs of slug activity.

White Fly Spray: 
Mix 1 cup sour milk (leave milk at room temperature for 48 hours), 2 tbsp. flour, 1 quart warm water.

Disease Preventing Spray:  
Mix 1 cup chamomile tea, 1 tsp. liquid dish soap, 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil, 1/2 tsp. peppermint oil (or 1 tbsp. Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap), 1 gal water.

Mole Tonic:
Mix 11/2 tbsp. Tabasco sauce, 1 tbsp. liquid dishwashing soap, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 quart water. Pour small amount of mixture into mole runways. Or, insert sticks of unwrapped Juicy Fruit gum slit lengthwise into the runs.

ROSE CARE:
Rose Spray: 
Mix 1 gal. water, 1 tbsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. oil. For aphids, add 1 tsp. liquid soap.
Mildew Spray for Roses:
Mix 1 tbsp. baby shampoo, 1 tbsp. hydrogen peroxide, 1 tbsp. instant tea granules, 2 cups of water.

Soil Enhancement:
Work banana peels into soil near roses; the potassium will help the plants fend-off pests and diseases, and deliver beautiful blossoms.

Other Tips:
Every time you use eggs, crush the shell, soak in water overnight and pour the water on your plants to provide then with calcium. Sprinkle cayenne pepper around plants to keep cats, dogs, rabbits, squirrels away. Aspirin keeps plants healthy. With regular doses every two months, indoor and outdoor plants will grow more, bloom better and have fewer fungus and pest problems. Dissolve 1 regular strength uncoated aspirin tablets in 1 gallon water.

A message from Helen Caldicott:

Hope for the Earth lies not with leaders but in your own heart and soul.

If you decide to save the Earth, it will be saved. Each person can be as powerful as the most powerful person who ever lived — and that is you, if you love this planet.

For environmentally friendly information: call 732-922-2935

Printing compliments of The Atlantic Club