Conscious Consumerism

In our capital driven society, it is important to put your money where your mouth is. There a few databases to research products to be sure that the things in your home are not harming your health. We cannot leave it up to the FDA to protect us from harmful substances (remember toxic shock syndrome, red dye #5, lead based paint). Many ingredients are not regulated and some have minimum healthy amounts that are allowed to be in our food and other products.

Food: Did you know that you can eliminate up to 90% of the pesticide intake in your diet by avoiding 12 conventionally raised items of produce? Check out the website www.foodnews.org for a shoppers guide that you can easily fit in a wallet. Oh, buy the way, the 12 foods that you have the highest pesticide load (and that you should therefore eat only organic) are, in order of worst to really bad, 1.Peaches 2.Apples 3.Sweet bell peppers 4.Celery 5.nectarines 6.strawberries 7.cherries 8.lettuce 9.grapes (imported) 10.pears 11.spinach 12.potatoes
www.foodnews.org

Cosmetics: Did you know that many of the things in the cosmetics we use are not regulated by the government but are harmful to our bodies and the environment that sustains our lives? This website covers soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, suntan products, etc... Check out this website to see where the products you currently use in your home rank in safety and to see what products are the safest for you and your environment: www.cosmeticdatabase.com

For a shoppers card look here:http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/122/dirtydozen

Seafood: This is the shoppers guide that started the shoppers guide. Check it out to see what seafoods are safest for you to eat and least impactful on our worlds waters:
www.environmentaldefense.org/documents/1980_pocket_seafood_selector.pdf

Home Cleaning Products: remember grandmas cleaning solutions? Back then they were "thrifty" choices, today they are "green" choices. Cleaning product companies are not required to disclose all their ingredients. Remember, words like "non-toxic", "eco-safe", and "environmentally friendly" are not regulated, meaning there is no legal definition for their use, meaning don’t trust them. Check out the website below for home recipes for cleaning. Hint, its all about white vinegar...

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/consumerism/good_housecleaning.html
This article gives an overview on the topic:
http://www.grist.org/advice/possessions/2003/03/18/possessions-cleaning/index.html

Well, there you have it. Keep your home free of nasty chemicals and make the world and future a better place by making informed, conscious buying decisions. In many cases it's cheaper too!

Birdwatching in Beulah on New Year's Day 2008

2007 ended with a wintry December in Beulah, with many cold days and several very cold nights, plus about 28" of snow. 2008, and the beginning of MPEC's ninth year, began with a chilly and sunny day. The birds knew not that us humans were acknowledging the turn of the year, but they were busy at the bird feeders. My son-in-law Erik took plenty of good photos of some of them, including a very hungry male hairy woodpecker, a loud but camera-shy Stellar's jay, a busy mountain chickadee, and a red breasted nuthatch that just wouldn't stay very still.

A dusting of snow on Thanksgiving eve!

After a very mild several weeks, the park is being graced by some much cooler temperatures and a lovely dusting of snow as Thanksgiving approaches. For this we are all very thankful! And we are all hoping that this is the beginning of lots more snow to come!

A Couple of November Mammals!

Abert's squirrels (sometimes called tassel-eared squirrels) and mule deer are two commonly seen mammals in Pueblo Mountain Park these days. Most of the Abert's squirrels are sporting a rich winter black, and we also have a few of the pretty gray (with a white belly) Abert's as well. The mule deer blend in so well with the brown autumn vegetation, and can easily be missed.

Autumn color in full swing in Pueblo Mountain Park!

First Frost of the Season!

Last night brought the season's first frost with temps in the upper 20s. The day quickly warmed into a lovely indian summer day. An afternoon hike along the park's Mace Trail revelaed plenty of autumn color, whether you were looking on a micro or a macro scale, as illustrated by the photos. The berries are from a threeleaf sumac bush (sometimes called skunkbrush).

August wildflowers!

Along with floods and other challenges to the town of Beulah, the generous summer moisture has brought forth a wild abandon of wildflowers that typically dominate the latter part of summer. I walked but a few steps from my MPEC office a few moments ago to take these photos of stiff goldenrod (Solidago speciosa var. pallida) and smooth aster (Aster laevis var. geyeri). These and many other species, most of the Sunflower Family, are adding much color to the landscapes of Pueblo Mountain Park. Some of the spring flowers have produced ripe fruits (like the wax currant - Ribes cereum - below, also taken just outside the MPEC's door) that add to the harvest of color as we move towards the latter part of summer.