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Avoid pesticide consumption by following these guidelines:

Buy organic produce.
People buy organic for many reasons, including the desire to eat fewer pesticides. While the quality and quantity of organic produce at supermarkets has improved in recent years, it is still the more expensive choice. The hope is that production will increase as more people buy organic, thus dropping the cost.

Peel vegetables.
Certain pesticides are highest in the peel, especially of root crops such as carrots and potatoes.

Wash produce.
It can't hurt and may give you the sense that you are doing all you can to fight pesticides. The reality is that most produce is pre-washed to get it cleaned up for market. Your kitchen wash probably won’t do much more. Keep in mind that many pesticides are "systemic," meaning that they are taken up into the peel or edible portion of the vegetable. No amount of washing will remove them.

Found on all plastic bags and containers, the numbers or letters in the middle of the chasing-arrows recycling symbol indicate the type of plastic used to make the item.

Josie Spector, a mother of three and a green community activist, shares a trick to remember which plastics are good and which are bad. "On your right hand (think: Right is right), all fingers but the middle (1,2,4,5) are the safer plastics."

That leaves 3, 6, and 7 as bad.

PLASTICS TO AVOID
• #3 -- PVC or V (Polyvinyl chloride) -- The worst plastic for people and the planet, it is commonly used in cling wrap and food and liquid containers. It's petroleum-base can leach harmful chemicals, including phthalates, especially when it comes in contact with oily or fatty foods during heating.
• #6 -- PS (Polystyrene) -- Used in Styrofoam containers such as meat, egg and bakery trays, and, in its rigid form, in clear take-out containers, plastic forks, spoons, and knives. Polystyrene may leach styrene into hot or acidic food. Styrofoam does not degrade in the environment, so it constitutes a big part of landfills. San Francisco has banned its use.
• #7 -- Other (usually Polycarbonate) -- Used in five-gallon water bottles, clear plastic baby bottles, and metal can linings. Polycarbonate can release its primary building block, the hormonally disruptive Bisphenol A, into the liquid it contains.

SAFER PLASTICS
• #1 -- PETE or PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) -- Used for most clear beverage bottles, ketchup and salad dressing bottles.
• #2 -- HDPE (High-density polyethylene) -- Most commonly found in “cloudy” jugs for milk, water, juice, yogurt and spreadable butter tubs, plus trash and grocery bags.
• #4 -- LDPE (Low-density polyethylene) -- Found in sound squeezable bottles and frozen food storage bags.
• #5 -- PP (Polypropylene) -- Used in rigid containers, including cups, bowls and some baby bottles.

For more information and to purchase plastic products of the safer variety, visit www.greenfeet.com, www.diamantfilm.com, www.reuseablebags.com.

Consumers have been warned to avoid eating microwaved popcorn. According to studies conducted by the FDA, the same carcinogen found in Teflon is also in the lining of microwave popcorn bags.

Significant amounts of the chemical, PFOA, leach from the bags to the oil in the popcorn.

Though the amounts from any single serving are small, the chemical remains in the body for years and levels can build up.

On movie night, use the stove for your popping.