Join us for a Twitter chat on Organic Gardening

by Fawn Pattison, Senior Advocate

I hope you can join us for our first-ever Twitter chat - it's all about Organic Gardening!

We are so excited to be teaming up with our friends at MomsRising for an evening chat all about our favorite activity. Best of all, the featured guest will be Tom Philpott, writer, farmer and food & ag correspondent at Mother Jones magazine. Tom is the cofounder of Maverick Farms, a center for sustainable food education in Valle Crucis, North Carolina.

When: Tuesday April 29
Time: 9 PM EST
Where: On Twitter! Use the hashtag #EcoTipTue to follow the conversation

Whether you're just getting started with gardening, or you're a master gardener, please join us! We'll be talking about:

• tips for getting started with an organic garden
• how to fight pests naturally
• how to make sure your soil and beds are safe
• how to make and use compost in the garden
• ways to get kids involved in your garden

And of course we'll be taking your questions and ogling each other's garden pictures. I hope you can join us. Leave a comment to let us know you're coming!

Dig In: Dirty and Dignified

by Sarah Snow, Toxic Free NC Outreach Coordinator Intern

On March 8, 2014, community leaders and teachers gathered in the garden of Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC.  There were there to attend the Dig in Community Garden & Urban Agriculture Summit , where I would be volunteering. This was my first time volunteering with Toxic Free NC, and I was excited to learn about the growth of the pesticide-free food movement in North Carolina!  Dig In would be the perfect place to meet people in our state who already cared about organic gardening.

Many of the people who attended Dig In were teachers who wanted to learn how to start organic community gardens at their schools.  While children played in the museum, I talked with teachers about organic food and why pesticide-free schools were important for their communities.  These teachers shared their concerns about the health of our state's children and their excitement about using what they learned at Dig In back in their own communities.

TFNC volunteers Jean and Margaret making seed bombs!

Our table also caught the attention of curious families who were visiting Marbles Kids Museum.  Kids were happy to get their hands dirty at our seed bomb station where they made balls of clay, soil, and seeds.  After they dried in the sun, the seed bombs could be "detonated" to set loose a sea of wild
flowers.  While kids were busy in the mud, parents collected our fact sheets about how to make their homes and gardens pesticide-free.

In addition to the interest in organic gardening, attendees at Dig In were also eager to sign Toxic Free NC's petition to the EPA!  After learning about the lack of pesticide protections for young farmworkers, people felt strongly about signing the petition.  Because children as young as ten can work in the fields with some crops in North Carolina, young farmworkers are at a very high risk for pesticide exposure.  No on understands better than parents and teachers how important it is to protect growing minds and bodies from dangerous chemicals!  Teachers and parents also want to make sure that the food their children eat is grown safely and responsibly.  These signatures will increase the growing tide of voices calling for protections for young farmworkers!

After a long day of tabling, I felt refreshed!  It felt good to volunteer with energetic people ready to "dig in" to organic gardening.  All the people I met that day strengthened my own belief that change begins with individuals.  When motivated communities come together, organizations like Toxic Free NC and their volunteers help change our state for the better!

Seed bombs that kids at Dig In made, waiting to dry and be thrown or planted!

Let’s make Seed Bombs: A fun-filled flower planting activity for all ages

by Lynne Walter, Associate Director

Spring has officially arrived!  And there is no better time than now to get outside with your friends and family to do some gardening and planting.  A simple and easy activity you can do together is to make and plant seed bombs!  This is also a great take-home activity for kids ages 3 and up--ready-made for classrooms, birthday parties, and festivals.

Photo by NCDOT via flckr

Seed bombs are made of clay, organic compost, and flower seeds.  They were inspired by guerrilla gardeners, who plant beautiful things in less-then-beautiful places.  Seed bombs are designed to be easy to plant and to automatically fertilize the beautiful flowers that grow from them, attracting pollinators like butterflies, honeybees, and even hummingbirds.

How Do We Do This
First, you will need to gather your supplies:

• Clay (you can use potters clay or clay dug right from your backyard)
• Organic compost (worm castings are a great choice)
• Flower seeds (a wildflower mix with native flowers from the Southeast will work well)
• Medium-sized waterproof container (for mixing)
• Big wooden or plastic spoon
• Water (in a watering can or water bottle)
• Flat tray or cookie sheet
• Sandwich bags
• Paper towels
• Hand wipes
• Tablecloth that can get dirty or some newspaper

Once you have all your supplies, head out into the beautiful spring weather to make your seed bombs.  Set up the supplies on a table covered by the tablecloth or newspaper:

• Mix together the clay, organic compost, and flower seeds in the medium-sized waterproof container:
• 5 parts clay
• 1 part organic compost
• 1 part flower seeds

• Add enough water to the mix so that is gets muddy, but not soupy
• Make seed bomb mud balls (about 2 inches in diameter)
• Put the seed bombs on the tray to dry for a few minutes
• Put the seed bombs in the sandwich bags and place them in a cool, dry place for 24 - 48 hours
• Once you're ready to use your seed bombs, simply take them out of the bag and throw them where you want to plant them.
• You can also crush them up by hand and plant them this way, too.
• Give them a little water and watch them grow!

Volunteer Shannon making seed bombs at a Toxic Free NC event

Have other questions about organic gardening?  Check out Toxic Free NC for more information, helpful hints, and workshops.

The Ants Go Marching: Avoid and Control Ants!

By Jennifer Li, Children's Environmental Health Writing Intern for Toxic Free NC

Ants are an important part of the natural environment.  They feed on pests like fleas, flies, and termites, and their tunneling helps aerate the soil and recycle organic matter.  However, ants can also be common household pests, and dealing with them can be a headache.  The key to avoiding these pests is to understand your options.  Fortunately, there are many toxic-free and environmentally friendly methods that can be used to stop an ant problem!  These non-toxic methods are safer and are effective for longer periods of time.

Ants want to get in our homes and child care centers in order to find food.  Follow these three important steps to keep ants out:
1. Remove food.
* Use ant-proof glass or plastic containers with tight-fitting lids to store food (including pet food).  Glass jars should have a rubber gasket or seal. Ants can climb up the threads of screw-top jars!  Dry goods like flour, rice, and sugar can also be stored in containers in the refrigerator or freezer.
* Clean up daily, especially kitchen floors, cabinets, and underneath appliances.
* Ant-proof your trash.  Make sure the food waste in your garbage can doesn’t stick around—Clean it out! Rinse out empty food containers before you throw them away or recycle them.  Don’t leave food scraps in the garbage overnight.  Take out the trash often.

2. Remove entryways.  Seal up cracks and crevices that give ants a way in to your child care centers and homes.  Use caulk to seal the cracks between walls and floors, around windows and doorframes, and around cupboards and bathroom fixtures.  You might also install door sweeps and weather stripping to prevent ants from slipping in under the doors.

3. Remove outdoor ant hiding places.  Avoid attracting carpenter ants by removing any piles of wood from under or around your home. Diseased plants, tree prunings, fallen fruit, and fallen leaves can also make great hiding places for ants!

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt via Flickr

So, you’ve done all you can to keep the ants out.  But, what do you do when you’ve got ants in your home and need to control them?  The first step is to locate their nest and their path from their nest to their food source, since ants follow a regular trail.  The last step to deal with these ants involves either killing or repelling them, and several non-toxic methods to do so are included below.  Make sure you keep up the ant prevention steps described above!  Even if ants are repelled, they may find another path to their food source.  Even if ants are exterminated, another ant colony may show up and discover the food source later.

Getting Rid of Ants
1. Soapy water.  Drown ants marching through your home by wiping them up with a sponge and dunking them in soapy water.  Also, wipe up the trail they leave behind—that way, their buddies won’t be able to find their way inside again.
2. Pet food barrier.  Ants cannot cross soapy water.  You can create a barrier by putting your pet’s food dish in the middle of a pan of soapy water.
3. Borax ant-bait.  Borax is a low-toxicity laundry powder that kills ants.  Borax does not vaporize into gas, so it is safer to handle than many household pesticide products.
       Recipe for Ant Bait 
       * 3 cups of water
       * 1 cup of sugar
       * 4 teaspoons of Borax

Mix ingredients and divide the mixture between 3–6 screw-top glass jars.  Loosely pack the jars halfway with cotton balls or other cotton stuffing.  Screw the lids on tightly and seal with tape.  Then, poke a few holes in the top of the jars, and place them near points of ant entry and along their trails. Mark the jars clearly as ANT BAIT and be sure to put them where pets and children cannot reach them.

If you work with large amounts of Borax, inhaling the powder can be irritating—wearing a mask is helpful!  As with all potentially hazardous materials, store Borax and boric acid out of the reach of children and pets.

4. Conserve outdoor ant nests. While ants are a pest when they come inside, they are important allies in your garden.  Native ant colonies eat lots of pest species like fleas and termites and aerate the soil.  Did you know that they also fight off fire ants?  Keep the outdoor ants happy by leaving their nests undisturbed.

If you have fire ant mounds, be very careful!  Fire ants are notorious for their bites and stings.  Keep a lookout for their mounds, which look like hills of loosened soil.  Marking them with flags or sticks will help others from accidentally disturbing them.  When dealing with fire ants, BE CAREFUL and wear shoes and socks rolled over long pants.

You can learn more about how to deal with fire ants at http://www.toxicfreenc.org/informed/fall08/fireants.html

Inside your house, ants are annoying little pests.  If you follow the steps above, you’ll be able to keep them where they belong—doing their important work in the great outdoors!
 

Jennifer Li is passionate about advocating for improved health in communities. After interning at the Museum of Life and Science last summer to promote healthy living, she is excited to build on her experience to make a difference in improving environmental health with Toxic Free NC.

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Did you find this article helpful? Approximately once a month, Toxic Free NC volunteers or staff write a newsletter-ready article, focusing on children's environmental health, that we send to child care centers across North Carolina.

These articles contain helpful tips on ways child care centers, staff, and the children's parents can reduce kids' exposures to toxic chemicals and pesticides...we also think they're great for using in your home, too!  We hope you find the article useful and feel free to share.

If you would like any of the past articles, please email Lynne Walter for copies or to be added to our Child Care News list.  Examples of past articles include:

• Having Fun in the Sun: Avoiding Sunburn, Skin Cancer, and Toxic Chemicals, too
• Toxic-Free Gardening with Kids: 5 Tips for Gardeners at Home, School, & Child Care on Getting Rid of Bugs Safely
• Insect Repellent and Kid Safety
• Get Pesticides Out of Your Kids' Classrooms: It's Easier than You Think!
• Mosquito Management in Child Care

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Resources
* Get Rid of Ants Toxic NC Factsheet: http://toxicfreenc.org/informed/pdfs/ants.pdf
* The ABCs of Coping with Fire Ants Toxic NC Factsheet: http://toxicfreenc.org/informed/pdfs/fireantssheet.pdf
* EPA Pest Control and Pesticide Safety Guide: http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/Publications/Cit_Guide/citguide.pdf

Text Copyright 2013 by Toxic Free NC.  NC Child Care centers have permission to use text for educational purposes with their parents and staff, provided full credit is given to Toxic Free NC www.toxicfreenc.org

Sleep Well, Sleep Safe

By Joey Shea, Public Health Writing Intern for Toxic Free NC

Did you know that some children’s nap mats contain harmful chemicals?  New studies show that chemicals meant to keep foam mats from catching fire may be harmful to children’s health.  These chemicals have been linked to obesity, hormone disruption, infertility, and even cancer (1).

Photo by Michael LoRusso via Flickr

Flame retardant chemicals get into the air and can be inhaled by young children sleeping on the mats. And, even though these chemicals are used to lower the risk of fires, a recent study found that treating foam mats with these chemicals does not increase fire safety(2).  So, not only are these chemicals harmful for kids, they don’t even do their job!

The studies that found flame retardant chemicals in nap mats have been done on products from major retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, and Babies ‘R Us.  Safer options for mats include cotton or wool mats instead of foam.  Also, be sure to wash your hands and your child’s hands often. Hand-washing is of course the best way to get rid of germs, and will also help lower your child’s contact with harmful chemicals.

This story from The San Francisco Chronicle has a list of mats with the harmful chemicals mentioned, so you can check if the nap mat you own or the ones at your day care center are on that list.

Are you concerned about how often we hear about toxic chemicals in kids’ products? There are several legislative initiatives in North Carolina and the US Congress aimed at getting the worst toxic hazards out of kids’ products. Check out ToxicFreeNC.org to learn more!

Joey Shea is a volunteer intern at Toxic Free NC, and is very excited to be working with a group so dedicated to the health of the planet and its communities.

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Did you find this article helpful? Approximately once a month, Toxic Free NC volunteers or staff write a newsletter-ready article, focusing on children's environmental health, that we send to child care centers across North Carolina.
These articles contain helpful tips on ways child care centers, staff, and the children's parents can reduce kids' exposures to toxic chemicals and pesticides...we also think they're helpful for use in your own home, too!  We hope you find the following article regarding concerns about chemicals in popular nap mats useful, and feel free to share.

If you would like any of the past articles, please email Lynne Walter for copies or to be added to our Child Care News list.  Examples include:

• Having Fun in the Sun: Avoiding Sunburn, Skin Cancer, and Toxic Chemicals, too
• Insect Repellent and Kid Safety
• Get Pesticides Out of Your Kids' Classrooms: It's Easier than You Think!
• Mosquito Management in Child Care

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Resources:
(1) "Toxic Nap Mats Draw Suit in Oakland." San Francisco Chronicle http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Toxic-nap-mats-draw-suit-in-Oakland-4292200.php#photo-4220718
(2) "Naptime Nightmares? Toxic Flame Retardants Found in Day Care Nap Mats." Center for Environmental Health  ceh.org/making-news/press-releases/29-eliminating-toxics/630-naptime-nightmares-toxic-flame-retardants-found-in-day-care-nap-mats

Text Copyright 2013 by Toxic Free NC.  NC Child Care centers have permission to use text for educational purposes with their parents and staff, provided full credit is given to Toxic Free NC www.toxicfreenc.org