Go Green with Soy Beans

Shifting weather patterns, high fuel prices and Al Gore have all brought our attention to the rapid destruction of our home planet. Many people are "going green" by recycling, using low energy appliances, driving hybrid cars and producing less trash. Another way to help the environment is by using soy products to replace petroleum, plastic and hardwood products.

When talking about of soy, most people think of the health benefits of soy milk, soy nuts and tofu, but soy's benefits extend far beyond the grocery store. Small changes that you can make that benefit the buying your child soy based crayons. Crayola, the world's most popular crayon brand, uses paraffin wax, a petroleum by-product, in its crayons. Soybean crayons are still somewhat rare, but that may change with the introduction of Prang's new Soy Crayons. The crayons are comparable to traditional wax crayons with brilliant colors and smooth, flake free texture. They are also biodegradable, and soy is a renewable resource, unlike petroleum. Prices of soy crayons are roughly the same as paraffin based crayons.

Candles are another everyday product that is often made from petroleum based materials. Soy candles are becoming more easily available and offer multiple benefits. In addition to being made from an easily renewable resource that supports the farm economy, Soy candles burn cleaner, with less soot and no carcinogens.

In addition to small changes, scientists have been working on ways to use soy for large projects. In 2006, Buckminster Fuller Institute's C2C Home Design Contest was won by a design for a home built entirely of spinach and soy. In addition to using products that are easily renewable, the home was designed to generate more energy than the average family needs, so the excess energy could be funneled to neighbors. If you don't want to build your own soy house from the basement up, you can still reap the environmentally friendly benefits of soy by using soy based paints and carpeting. Soy carpeting is made from soy waste, and is shown to benefit those people suffering from respiratory and skin conditions.

While it may seem that soy is a new craze that will go the way of other trendy environmental movements, nothing could be more untrue. The first automotive use of soy was in 1933, when Henry Ford used soy plastic for automobile panels. The automotive industry continues to use soy in truck bed liners and more recently in BioDiesel fuel.

The environment needs our help, and with soy, small changes can make a big difference for our planet.