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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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USA Made ~ The Power of Patriotic Purchasing

Buying products that are made in the USA supports both our neighbors and nation. Keeping the entire product cycle within our borders employs more Americans, enhances local and national economic security and ensures greater product quality, because American environmental and health regulatory standards are often higher than in other countries. For companies, domestic production can be part of a larger emphasis on supporting local businesses and implementing eco-practices.

StillMadeInUSA.com provides examples of domestically made products in many categories, including personal apparel, handcrafts, household goods, green products, appliances, sporting goods and tools.

About 95 percent of our clothing is now made in other countries, according to the Ecology Global Network (Ecology.com), mostly in China, where sweatshops and human rights abuses are prevalent. Polyester and nylon are derived from petroleum and processed and dyed using synthetic, often toxic substances such as copper, nickel and cobalt. The nonprofit Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture’s Fibershed and Grow Your Jeans programs (Tinyurl.com/GreenJeansEtc) and the Sustainable Cotton Project’s Cleaner Cotton program (Tinyurl.com/CleanerCotton) increase domestic production by assisting and connecting domestic growers and textile makers.

Eco-lifestyle tips at ChasingGreen.org include an overview of U.S. craft breweries pursuing sustainability. Examples include the Brooklyn Brewing Company, New Belgium Beer, in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, in Chico, California.

In addition to spotlighting locally made products in its stores with special shelf tags, Whole Foods Market has made more than $10 million in low-interest loans to independent farmers and food artisans via its Local Producer Loan Program. Canyon Bakehouse, a gluten-free bakery in Boulder, Colorado; Buchi Kombucha, brewers of sustainably crafted, Earth-bermed tea in Asheville, North Carolina; and Fancypants Baking Company, makers of 100 percent natural and nut-free cookies in East Walpole, Massachusetts, are examples (Tinyurl.com/WholeFoodsLocalLoans).

Iconoclastic ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s (BenJerry.com), headquartered in Waterbury, Vermont, conducts a Caring Dairy program that assists farmers to apply more sustainable practices; buys eggs from hens in certified humane cage-free farms; and plans to transform all of its 50 flavors to non-GMO ingredients and earn fair trade certification by the end of this year.

 

buying products made in the USA Eco Tip
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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