Question from Sus D

Hi Debra,

I work with people who have worked with me when I contracted fragrance allergies, they refuse to stop using their fragranced lotions and work in my office before I get there.

We have a policy addressing this but isn’t enforced even by HR department.

I work in a health care facility and it has gotten bad over the last five years. we have customers that have fragrance allergies also.

Why do the leaders let this happen with these employees who don’t seem to care about anyone but themselves. the leaders are aware, I know of one family that has wrote letters addressing the issue.

I was told I didn’t have the right to ask people to not use their product and the only manager that has tried to help feels like his hands are tied due to no one else caring to enforce the policy.

is their any organization to contact. already contacted JAN. Any advice. the manager wants to get me and the one that works in the office before me to met and have a discussion. I say it won’t help cuz she already knows and has know since the beginning but will not stop.

Debra’s Answer

Readers, anyone have a similar experience? Any advice?

Here is a page from The Chemical Sensitivity Foundation with many links regarding fragrance-free policies

I understand you have a policy and need help getting it enforced.

Here are some other resources that might help with enforcement. Some of them address refusal to comply. You might contact any of these organizations for help with your situation.

SAVVY WOMAN’S ALLIANCE: Five Friendly Fragrance-Free Signs

New ADA Guidelines for Fragrance Sensitivity Explained | Labor Law

Accommodation and Compliance Series: Employees with Fragrance ..

Fragrance Sensitivities Raise Bouquet of Legal Issues

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Larry and I have been living with his mom and two siblings for the past two months, and it had become abundantly clear that a standard refrigerator would not hold enough food for five adults with varying food preferences.

So we decided to get a small “apartment size” refrigerator to hold our food. A bit inconvenient to have to bring food into the kitchen from another room to prepare it, but the trade-off is that we can actually find our food and nobody else will eat it, intentionally or by accident.

And then we had to find one.

Larry looked on craigslist but didn’t find anything. I called around to used appliance stores, but they didn’t have any. Prices on new ones were more than $400, and I didn’t want a new refrigerator.

So Larry and I went to the bank to get some cash, and cleaned out his van so we could bring the refrigerator home, and looked again at craigslist.

There was a new listing.

It was about 45 minutes away, in Mill Valley. It was in perfect condition and totally clean. It was six months old so it didn’t have the “new refrigeratory smell” of plastic outgassing.

A young couple was selling it because they were moving out of their rental, which just happened to be a charming Arts & Crafts cottage in a grove of redwoods that was 100 years old. The owner wanted to tear down the house. The couple had moved everything out of the house and the refrigerator had to be gone today.

The ad said $200, but when Larry asked the seller how much he wanted, he said $150.

We took it.

Larry and I had wanted to spend $100 and his sister had given us $50 toward the refrigerator as an early Christmas present. So we spent the $100 we wanted to spend and got the exact refrigerator we wanted.

I have to tell you that intention plays a large part in finds like this. Knowing what we want and intending we will find it. Works every time.

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Question from Kaila

Hi Debra,

I recently purchased a glass kettle by Trendglas Jena to replace my old kettle and avoid leeching metals. Sadly, I didn’t see your comment on lead in the markings on the outside before I bought it, otherwise I would have purchased their smaller one with no markings.

I wrote the company and they sent me their test results (yes lead in the paint).

However, their kettles pass: FDA, Prop 65, REACH and several other European standards.

Is the risk with this paint just that it would wear over time and you’d come into contact with it washing, etc. Or that it can leach into the glass from the outside? I did not want to purchase a Chinese glass kettle and chose this because of the higher European safety standards. I may be able to exchange for one without markings. Thoughts?

Debra’s Answer

Europe does have higher safety standards.

I’m not really concerned about this.

A lot of research has been done on lead exposure and there are zero warnings about touching lead or breathing air next to a surface with lead paint. The hazard of lead exposure from paint is when it is ground into dust and inhaled, such as a door or window wearing away paint from opening and closing, and releasing it into the air. Also eating chips of lead paint is a hazard.

But I have no evidence or logic that would indicate to me that lead paint on a measuring cup would be a hazard.

Would I prefer there to be no lead paint on a product? Yes. But I don’t see a hazardous exposure here.

Someone please correct me if you have some evidence otherwise.

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Every Christmas I look for organic Christmas trees, wreaths and greenery. In the past they have been difficult to find, but last year I have quite a few. Some of these are from Debra’s List, others I’m not adding only because they are seasonal. This is last year’s post updated.

Before you make a decision, check out this great article from Beyond Pesticides about Christmas Trees and Pesticides. They talk about pesticides used on Christmas trees, give suggestions on how to find organic trees in your area, and give lots of tips about how to handle and care for your tree.

And here’s another interesting article about how farmers are learning to reduce and eliminate their use of pesticides. It says that even though Christmas tree farmers do regularly use pesticides such as Roundup and Lorsban, the amount of pesticide residue that may be present on a Christmas tree by the time it gets to your house in “minor.” Most pesticides are sprayed in the spring or summer, so by December, they’ve been broken down by the elements.
 

ONLINE SOURCES

SILVERTON TREE FARM “Our Christmas trees are organically grown, with no pesticides used. Our tree farm is certified with the American Tree Farm system. To be certified we must follow “[t]he American Forest Foundation’s (AFF’s) 2010-2015 Standards of Sustainability for Forest Certification…” By following such standards we are promoting “…the vitality of renewable forest resources while protecting environmental, economic, and social benefits and work to increase public understanding of all benefits of sustainable forestry.” (http://www.treefarmsystem.org/) We are also working toward organic certification.”

LYNCH CREEK FARM Wreaths, garlands, centerpieces, and “trees” (assembled from sprigs) made from Noble fir boughs from the Cascade Mountains. Assembled on a farm that has been organic since 1980. “We generate revenue for local landowners, giving them a reason to protect their forest versus opting to clear-cut.”

GRANSTORM EVERGREEN Wreaths, garlands, and a cross wreath. “We do not use any pesticides when growing or making our evergreen products. We are a family business that has been making wreaths for over 30 years.”

OREGON HOLIDAY WREATHS Wreaths hand-made with fresh cut boughs of Noble Fir, Douglas Fir, Juniper, and Pine Cones. “We are 100% organic and pesticide-free.”

CREEKSIDE FARMS Holiday wreaths made from plants of the season that are not evergreens, grown naturally without pesticides.

ORGANIC BOUQUET Wreaths, plants, and fresh flowers. “All of our sustainably certified partner farms in Ecuador, Colombia and California use earth-friendly techniques to grow the flowers you enjoy! Instead of using harmful synthetic chemicals for fertilizers and pesticides, natural resources are used to grow these beautiful flowers.”
 

LOCAL SOURCES

GREEN PROMISE List of organic Christmas tree farms in USA. This list has been growing for many years and is updated for 2016.

SLOW FLOWERS A lovely online directory that lists local providers of “slow flowers”—flowers that are locally grown and often organic. Providers know the source of the flowers they sell.
 

CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE CHRISTMAS TREES

Now there is a program for Christmas tree farmers that educates and certifies farmers for sustainable practices in the Northwest. Socially and Environmentally Responsible Farm (SERF) Includes in their certification requirements use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) instead of toxic pesticides.

While only four farms in Oregon have been certified as of this writing, Oregon is the largest Christmas tree producer in the nation—more that 6 million tress are harvested there every year, and they are shipped all over the world. So you just might see a SERF seal at a Christmas tree lot near you.
 

A GIFT OF A WREATH

Last year I received a beautiful wreath from Jen’s Wreaths.

I had contacted them last week for this post, but there was a big blizzard in Minnesota and they didn’t get the message in time. When she finally responded, Jen offered to send me a wreath in exchange for adding them to the list. How could I refuse?

All the materials for their wreaths are hand-harvested from their local forests. “We are all about sustainable harvesting and a lot of our greenery actually comes from logging sites and the branches they discard…Some of our bows are made of synthetic material, but we’re on the look out for affordable, durable ribbon that is organic and healthy for everyone.” Maybe they will have that this year. Sustainably harvested wreaths with organic bows. 🙂

I emailed Jen on Friday I needed the wreath by Monday and it arrived on Saturday. It was full and lush and just beautiful. It was mixed greens—cedar, white pine, balsam fir and dogwood—so fragrant I could smell it even sitting in the next room as I wrote.

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