During Dr. Sears visit to Houston to sign his book Happy Baby: The Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months and attend the Houston HEB Healthy Baby and Child Expo, I had the opportunity to discuss with him several important green parenting issues. During the interview, Dr. Sears also shared with me his three ‘must-have’ tips for creating an environmentally sound and healthy home for our children.
A change in federal law effective Monday, February 22, allows firearms in many national parks and wildlife refuges. People who can legally possess firearms under federal and state law can now carry those firearms into the national parks in that state. The new law (Sec. 512 of P.L. 111-24) was passed by Congress and signed last May by the President (National Park Service Press Release). This law applies to some of its most well known parks in the nation, as well as ones that span several states such as Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite and Rocky Mountain National Park.
What are the pros and cons of this new law and how can you share your thoughts, not just with us, but with your Senators and Representatives too?
The 21st Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada have record numbers of fans watching from all over the world. Olympic planners know that many fans aren’t just looking for the gold, silver, and bronze. They are also looking for the green.
During my visit a few months ago to South Padre Island a “lizard fish” was caught (and released) during our Eco-tour. This type of fish is usually not seen in the waters off the Texas coast, but a number of environmental factors have caused it to be there. What is causing Asian carp to appear in the Great Lakes region-and more importantly, how can it be stopped without harming the environment?
Dr. Robert Sears, father, world-renowned pediatrician, and author was recently in Houston as a special guest at the HEB Healthy Baby and Child Expo. He was kind enough to grant me an interview, where we discussed a number of parenting topics, including tips on vaccinations, green parenting, and making your home more environmentally sound and safe. This begins the first in a series of articles based on my interview.
By Christopher Paul Smith
In China, electronic bicycles are all the rage.
Just how popular are they?
Recent studies have shown that in China there are now four times as many electric bicycles as cars.
There’s no doubt about it: e-bikes are cool.
The tally is currently over 100 million in the nation, with some estimates topping 120 million. Despite friction due to concerns over the bike’s safety and an uproar from both sides over a possible mandate of licenses for riders, that number continues to grow – and may hit the 200 million mark by the end of the year.
The bikes are sleek, speedy, and maneuverable – easily darting through sluggish traffic or down cluttered alleyways. It’s no surprise that they’ve caught on with the youth.
On an e-bike, one can silently glide up behind a pedestrian without them even knowing.
Or, as has sometimes been the case, speed towards unsuspecting victims and clip them unawares.
But it’s not just young people that have taken a liking to e-bikes. The electric speedsters are becoming a choice way to get people where they need to go. Another advantage of e-bikes and contributing to the recent surge is that they are a way around bans on internal combustion engines (traditional gasoline).
In China, electric has been the way to go.
The other day, Jonathan and I ran across the movie “Who Killed the Electric Car”. When we saw it, we knew we had to watch it.
Having an electric car has been something we’ve been wanting for a long time now.
In fact, I remember back when I was in high school thinking that it would be awesome to have one. There was even one featured briefly on the TV show “Seventh Heaven” once, and I never saw an electric car again.
Now I know why.
I highly recommend that you take a look at “Who Killed the Electric Car”. It really opened our eyes to some of the practices of the oil industry, and GM.
Who Killed the Electric car is a great documentary about the short life of a very popular electric car in California. If you have ever wondered what happened to the original electric car, I suggest you watch it.
I can tell you one thing, I (for one) will never look at GM the same way again.
I’m not one for destroying a company. But, I am one to promote when I think something is a good thing. An electric car is a good thing. The technology for electric cars exists. But, companies are still not making them. At best, they make a hybrid. A hybrid vehicle, such as the Prius, is a start, but it’s not a solution.
In “Who Killed the Electric Car?” they offer many points for who it could have been without pointing a finger.
They just tell the story and offer suggestions. It’s not one of those documentaries where they’re trying to force a specific point of view on the general public. They just tell it how it is.
Unfortunately, at the moment, if you want to have an electric car (like I do), your best option is to buy a kit and convert your gas car into an electric car. You could even buy an old car from a junk yard and then a kit and instructions and learn how to convert your car to an electric car. The cost is less than you might expect. I’ve even seen places where you can buy an electric car for about $10,000.
We’ve found this electric car conversion kit. While we haven’t tried it yet (as we don’t have a car while we’re traveling the planet), we will definitely have an electric car in the future, and we think that this electric car conversion kit is a great place to start. Check it out.
What to do with all that baby stuff when you just don’t have a “baby” anymore. Consider these options that save green and go green, but find out what you should know before you go.
