Given this, it was more than a little annoying to learn that SIGG, maker of popular metal bottles, disclosed recently that the liner in it’s bottles contained traces amounts of BPA. It changed the liner in 2008 to address the problem but as this AP article notes, some bottle buyers feel betrayed that the company didn’t let people know sooner. Personally, it just makes me feel somewhat powerless to really protect my children from all the things in their environment that could be harmful. But what can you do? Just keep doing the best we can, I suppose. Begrudgingly, I’m going to go ahead and give SIGG another chance and send my bottles in to have them replaced (only charge is shipping). Click here for instructions on how to do so. (Note: the old liners are copper color, the new liners are kind of a yellow-cream color, as in the photo).

UPDATE: Apparantly local sellers of the bottles are exchanging them. I called Nature’s Oasis and Gardenswartz and they both confirmed that they are. Just bring in your old bottles and they’ll give you new ones. Thanks, Leslie, for the heads up!

ADDENDUM: I should add that for beverage containers there are, of course, less costly but still environmentally friendly alternatives, like the one I have sitting on my desk right now: a recycled pickle jar. Not as fashionable as SIGG but no chemicals and 100 percent recyclable.

We go through A LOT of yogurt in my household, and I think this gadget has been well worth the investment. There’s a little work involved but not much: boil 4 cups of milk, cool, add yogurt starter or a cup of plain yogurt, pour into the jars and turn on the machine. About 8 hours later, you have yogurt. You can add flavoring either before or after “cooking” it. I’m still experimenting with different starters, which definitely affect the finished product. The starter that came with the machine produced very tangy yogurt, which I liked but the rest of the fam less so. The second batch I used a cup of plain Greek yogurt and the result was creamy, less tangy and a hit in the household. Aside from being healthy and tasting good, it’s fun to make. For older kids, I’m sure there’s a science lesson to be had in the process. And Wikipedia has a lengthy entry on the history of yogurt, which apparently stretches back 4,500 years. The culture of culturing, it seems, goes way back.

It notes that the $343-million “play and discover” market — toys and goods marketed to parents of children under a year old — has fallen by more than a third over the last year and a half.

I like this observation: “Some analysts are surprised at how quickly new parents have begun to wise up,” it reads.

I’m sure many Durango-area parents have been snapping up second-hand baby gear since long before the recession because of the savings but also to reduce their environmental footprint. But it’s nice to know that chichi New Yorkers are doing the same. I’ve often wondered at the sense in buying a $880 Bugaboo stroller when the $50 one we’ve used through two kids works just fine. And second-hand baby gear is easy to find because, as we all know, they don’t stay babies for long. Durango’s many thrift stores are a great place to look as is Durango’s Freecycle group.

The question is, will the shift to second-hand stick? “This new frugality is celebrated by anti-consumerism groups, dreaded by retailers, and mused over by social scientists who say we might be on the cusp of raising a new generation of depression-era babies,” the article states.

I saw my first mosquito of the season last night. It was like the bugger could smell virgin baby flesh and was angling hungrily for a bite. Of course he made his appearance just as I was relishing the thought of dinners on the patio during the long and lovely summer evenings. But as carriers on the potentially fatal West Nile Virus, those buzzing pests not invited to dine at our table. The quandary is how to keep them away.

Though repellents containing the chemical DEET are generally held up as safe and highly effective (see this statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics), parents concerned about possible long-term health and environmental effects are turning to natural alternatives, of which there are many.

Dancing Willow Herbs, located on Main Avenue in downtown, carries a repellent called Bug Be Gone, which derives from catnip. It also contains aloe vera, witch hazel and essentials oils.

“It’s mild and you don’t need to use a lot,” said Alexis Mclean, who works at the store owned by Debra Swason.

She said it is safe for all ages. A 4-ounce bottle costs $15.50.

Nature’s Oasis just started carrying a new line of products for babies that includes an organic repellent.  Lafe’s Natural Bodycare, based in Austin, Texas, uses geranium, cedarwood, eucalyptus, lavender and almond oil in it’s spray, which is packaged in plastic “free of estrogenic activity,” according to the company’s Web site.  A 4-ounce bottle costs $10.99 (cheaper, I noticed, than you can order it online).

“It’s a really beautiful new line,” store manager Becky Most-Reinfeld said.

A repellent that Kelli Reese, general manager at Durango Natural Foods, recommended is by All-Terrain and contains citronella, peppermint, cedarwood and geranium. 

“I think it works great,” she said.

The store also carries Dancing Willow Herbs’ repellent.

Natural Grocers carries a product out of Boulder called WishGarden, which contains catnip oil. A 1-ounce bottle costs $7.99.

Other brands carried by natural food stores included Burt’s Bees, Kiss My Face and Jason’s.

Sprays and lotions aren’t the only way to combat mosquitoes. Using netting over child carriers, wearing long sleeves and pants, and getting rid of standing water where mosquitoes can breed will also help avoid itchy and potentially infectious bites. Thus protected, parents and children can take back the night.

There is no local drop-off location but the company accepts the containers by mail (see Web site for address). Obviously, there’s environmental cost associated with shipping but the company says, on balance, based in its research, there is still an eco-gain. Seems logical that waiting until you have a large shipment would help. Or maybe (just thinking out loud here) one of our natural food stores could be persuaded to coordinate collection and shipment …

She described it as “a pair of wheels that you strap onto the car seat so you can push the seat and the kid around the airport. You can also leave the wheels on when you strap it into the airplane. It’s a simple thing but will make things waaaaaay easier switching planes, etc.”

A new one goes for $89.99 while a used one costs $69.99. Crane suggested that several local families might want to go in on one together since they’re unlikely to need it at the same time. If you’re interested, send me a message using the contact form (upper right-hand corner) and I’ll pass it along to Crane. Happy travels!