More Hip Than Hippie #169 - Triclosanity

Triclosan is a common ingredient in anti-bacterial soaps and detergents. But is it any better than plain old soap and water? Dori and Val get in a lather about Triclosan's connection to BPA and "Superbugs". Also, Dori dreams of Obama, and Val reveals the two dirtiest animals on the farm!

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Oh no! They say he's got to go! Laughing Dog Brewing unleashes Dogzilla Black IPA in a 22 oz. bottle. Pour yourself a growler...it's fetchingly good.

Chocolate: During her travels, Val found Chuao Spicy Maya dark chocolate. It's infused with pasilla chile and cayenne pepper. Quick, more beer!

 

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Things! Val shares her soft fluffy soybean pillow with us. It can resist germs and mildew, but apparently not husbands and sons.
• Green Apples. Wondering which laptop and desktop computers are the greenest in the land? MetaEfficient looked in the magic mirror and found an Apple even Snow White could love. Slip on a green laptop sleeve or jacket, and it's off to work you go!
• No-meat feet. Hey all you animal-activist skateboarders, your shoes are here! Vegan Vans combine function and fashion, no animal parts required.
• Tray chic. More college campuses are dumping cafeteria trays. They've cut food waste by as much as 50%. Food fights are unaffected.
• A 3-hour tour... A recent documentary takes a voyage to Garbage Island. It's an eye-opening look at over 3 million tons of trash swirling around a remote stretch of the Pacific Ocean. Gilligan, want one of Mary Ann's plastic-cream pies?

 

Hip News

• Weather we need it or not. Eight scientific organizations ask the next US President to spend $9 billion to protect the country's economy from climate change. Sure, if "climate change" is hiding in a cave in Afghanistan.
• How Swede it is! The government of Sweden aims to end that country's dependence on fossil fuels by 2020. Can a Volvo run on fish oil?

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Freeze! Buy up a bounty of fresh veggies, then freeze them for winter soups and stews. Prepare green beans by washing and drying them thoroughly, then spreading them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Gather the frozen beans into a storage bag. That way there's no giant beansickle to thaw!

Triclosanity

Triclosan is a common ingredient in anti-bacterial soaps and detergents. But is it any better than plain old soap and water? Dori and Val get in a lather about Triclosan's connection to BPA and "Superbugs".

• Ciba no evil. The company that developed the pesticide Triclosan, Ciba-Geigy, touts its effectiveness at killing bacteria.
• Look, up in the sky! Scientists have linked the use of Triclosan to the emergence of Superbugs, which resist antibiotics.
• Bug off! Take simple steps to keep your family safe from pesticides, and you won't need those wipes and gels!
• Tric-NO-san. Here's a long list of products that don't contain Triclosan. Build up your immunity to bacteria with...bacteria. Get out and touch nature. It's a dirty planet; that's why it's called Earth!

Listener E-mails Look for Dori and Val on Twitter: MoreHipDori and GrnDiva! If you have a question or comment longer than 140 characters, send an e-mail to hip@greenfeet.com. And don't forget to post articles, links, and insane ramblings at our MHTH forum!

• Myka is now the Green Diva at her workplace! Start with compostable dishware and utensils, then move to eco-friendly office supplies. Congreenulations! (Check out Greenfeet's office supply nightmare on the forum.)
• Leslie in the UK would like to try dehydrating some of her home-grown veggies. Isn't English humor dry enough to do the job?
• Tim from Wis-Kahhnn-sinn wants us to look at recycling programs around the country, and embarrass the towns that rate poorly. Sorry Tim, we're too busy embarrassing ourselves!
• Brownchickenbrowncow. You have to listen to Roger's joke to understand.

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