Exit for Non Toxic Highway, On Back!

Stay up to date on the latest posts. Subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Photo credit: Jeff Keen via flickr

Yesterday, I didn’t have the time to elaborate in yesterday’s post… but the message in A Wake Up Story really hits home, doesn’t it? Just last week, I was feeling discouraged about all the toxic chemicals us moms have to worry about. A friend and I were talking about toxic chemicals (more of a rant) and I was giving her a toxic 411 lesson on all the yucky chemicals. Both she and I have tried to eliminate product containing harmful chemicals but every time we turn around; we learn about another pesky and toxic chemical to lookout for. I’m so sick of having to flipping items around to look for harmful ingredients. These companies are poisoning us AND as long as we continue to support them with our hard earned cash they won’t stop!

It’s not an easy task (nor easy being green, for that matter!) but avoiding products that don’t contain nasty chemicals is important for the sake of our lives and the planet.

The simplest item such as toothpaste can contain numerous chemicals that are known to cause cancer (found this out the other night when trying to make a decision on which one to buy; basically, it was which one is least harmful). Does this mean I need to start making my own toothpaste too? In my opinion, hell yes it does! Plus, Tom’s of Maine isn’t cheap and it STILL has propylene glycol in it! ARGH! An organic version (Jason Organics) is $8 bucks and I’m not going to spend a pretty penny on toothpaste, thank you very much (or any other overpriced “natural” product). Not right now, anyway.

Everything and it seems like everything sold in stores is bad for you. It’s impossible to avoid all of it the chemicals whether in our homes, outside, or at the movies!  What we can do as consumers and as FRIENDS is make a difference.

Tell all your friends as the Healthy Child Healthy World video implies and help spread the word! Secondly, stop buying the product and try to find an alternative. Finally, start writing to the companies and DEMAND change. This could seriously devote ones time since there are so many companies out there who are polluting the planet and our bodies (toxins + plastic). As a consumer we need to start standing up for what’s right- not wrong!  The FDA (Food and Drug Adminstration) does not require premarket health or safety studies or testing on products that hit store shelves which means were the guinea pigs who suffer!

What To Look For

(derived from better nutrition magazine)

Phthalates: found in synthetic fragrances, are endocrine disruptors that have been linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, and organ system toxicity. If it contains the word FRAGRANCE- stay away!

Propylene glycol: found in tortillas, lotions & potions, deodorant, many snack foods, etc., is linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies, immunotoxicity, and skin and eye irritation.  Also listed as 1,2-dihydroxypropane; 2-hydroxypropanol; methylethyl glycol; 1,2-propanediol; or propane- ,2-diol.

Parabens: used as preservatives in a wide variety of body care products. Also linked to cancer and developmental and reproductive damage. AKA 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, benzoic acid, p-salicyclic acid or zoic acid.

Mineral Oil: Petroleum based, linked to cancer and can be listed as paraffin.

Sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate: used as a foaming or sudsing agent – found in bubble baths and body washes, shampoos and hand washes. It can cause organ toxicity and irritation of the skin, eyes and hair. May be listed as PEG 1-4 or lauryl ether sulfate, sodium slat, polyethylene glycol (1-4)

Oxybenzone: widely used in sunscreens and other skin care products with SPF protection, is linked to endocrine disruption, reproductive damage and cell damage. AKA benzophenone-3, 2-benzoyl-5-methoxyphenol, phenylmethanone and other names.

Familiarizing yourself with these chemicals is your exit sign for the non toxic highway!

Resources

Healthy Child Healthy World

Enviroblog

MomsRising

I’m always checking out these helpful sites for the latest information! I know I’ve mentioned it before but if you’re curious to know what’s in your products be sure to check out the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database. Be sure to also check out their chemical index!

Beware!

Just because a product advertises “all natural” or “organic” doesn’t always mean that it’s non toxic! Reading labels is a huge preventive measure when it comes to buying products that may contain harmful ingredients.

Have you recently switched out a product because it contained unsafe chemicals?

Please, share your thoughts!

Is Your Purse Toxic?

Happy Friday!!

Yes, that’s my purse above and yes, is your purse toxic?

Your favorite accessory may be toxic and should know why!

In about a minute’s time, my friend Jennifer Taggart, The Smart Mama, will tell you what to watch out for.

I couldn’t get the video to come up but you can view here!

Jennifer recently wrote the book Smart Mama’s Green Guide: Simple Steps to Reduce Your Child’s Toxic Chemical Exposure.

In her book she provides great tips and tricks to help kick those pesky toxins to the curb & live easily without them!

Her website is also filled with tons of information on her latest investigations concerning toxic products on the market and the 411 on toxic chemicals.

So, back to the question, is your purse toxic?

(In case you were wondering, my purse is made from hemp and the other two accessories are made of cotton.) 

P.S. Thank you, Lisa for tipping me off about this !

Fake Plastic Fish

Interesting visual isn’t it? Fake. Plastic. Fish. In our bathtubs??? A toy? Ocean?

If you haven’t yet heard those three words… then listen up!

Beth Terry is a woman whom I consider a pioneer in the quest to rid her life from pesky plastic. She  runs the site Fake Plastic Fish-Living with Less Plastic.

That’s right, PLASTIC! The unbiodegradable material that is ruining the environment, our oceans & wildlife.

Beth has gone above and beyond to prove we can live and enjoy life without plastic.

Just watch…  you’ll be inspired & motivated! I promise!

All I have to say is Beth YOU ARE THE WOMAN!

a recycled post, gearing up for 2010, & homemade recipes!

Hiya RYD readers!! How are ya? Hope you had a wonderful holiday.

Here’s a post I wrote about last year… if you need any ideas for what to do with your X-Mas cards!

Donate Your Christmas Cards

I’ve been looking at last year’s Green Vision’s and thinking about what some will be in 2010…

My vision board is a work in progress as I find pictures and words to summarize my goals and future!

Lately, I’ve been doing my best to meditate and visual what it is I truly want and what makes me happy. I also focus some time on my boys’ and our future together as unschooler’s. It’s going to be a great journey. I can only hope  we make it the greatest experience.

{Anywho}

I mentioned in an earlier post; I was going to make homemade gifts/goods for Christmas and that’s exactly what I did. ( I didn’t get any pictures of the green cleaning supplies; but I promise I made them.) I bought 2 new squirt bottles and reused and old one. I filled them up with…

1/2 cup of vinegar

1/4 cup of baking soda

10-20 drops of peppermint essential oil

put contents into a glass pitcher and add 1/2 gallon (2 liters) H20!

That’s it! You’re ready to go clean as it is an all purpose solution!

I put the squirt bottles in a reused gift bag along with a sample of Dr. Bronner’s Almond scented soap,  a glass mason jar filled with baking soda and a coconut scrub brush. The Dr. Bronner’s and baking soda make a good soft scrub in case you didn’t know. Something I’ve been doing for years.  I HEART Dr. Bronner’s soap. I highly recommend buying some- you can even find it at Target. A little goes a long way… it’s an all purpose soap. It’s amazing. 2 squirts to 2 gallons… is the recipe on their bottle.

Since my bro didn’t get any Dr. Bronner’s soap; I reused a baking soda can added in more baking soda, put in about 10-20 drops of Tangerine essential oil and sealed it with it’s lid. Poked holes in the top- voila’ it’s an instant carpet deodorizer! He’s always complaining about smells in his house… he’s a bachelor with roommates… so you know what I mean. LOL!

I also made a salt scrub for a close friend of the family. She loved the one I made for her on Mother’s Day so I decided to whip up a winter batch she would like!

Here’s what I did…

Bath Salt Scrub

1 cup of sea salt – fine works best… if you have course you can blend it down into fine using your blender or food processor.

1 cup of epsom salts

1/2 -3/4’s of oat powder (oats put into the blender and pulverized)

20 drops of essential oil of your choice … I chose peppermint for the holidays!

1/3 cup of organic EVOO

Stir all ingredients in a stainless steel or glass bowl for 2min’s or more then put into a glass mason jar! Or whatever dish suits your fancy.

For mother’s day I added in a lot more EVOO… you can do more or less depending on how slick you like to feel when you get out of the shower.

Enjoy!

P.S.

I will attempt to post a Meatless Monday recipe today! We’ll see…

Homemade Underarm Goodness

I highly recommend making your own deodorant- it will be gratifying.

It has been a goal of mine to stop buying mainstream deodorants for AWHILE now. In case you didn’t know, deodorant’s on the market today are known to be harmful and cause certain cancers due to the toxic ingredients being used to make them.  (Ugh!)

After learning about chemical exposure from deodorants (what isn’t toxic anymore) I turned to natural alternatives such as, Tom’s of Maine, Alba, Miessence etc. I’ve pretty much tried them all but those name brands are just a few that kept creeping back onto my dresser.

Eventually, I found that Miessence worked the best and had ZERO toxic exposure. It’s my favorite alternative, for sure. My least favorite part though is having to order it and pay extra for shipping.

Granted, the product is outstanding but my pocketbook is not! I have yet to find any place in my town to carry the Miessence line (but even then $$). I thought what would my grandparents have done?

Read more

the {upcycled & recycled} Kid Art

The past couple of weeks I’ve been in such a crafty mood. It must be the cool crisp air getting to me! I’m beginning to  LOVE the world of kid’s crafts and realize I only know a speck of what is out there for my child to learn. With learning in mind I like to provide opportunities for a lot of creative play + playing outdoors. My son mentioned he wanted to paint one afternoon and it turned out to be such a great idea even with our limited art supplies.  He really enjoys the different textures paint offers and loves to rub it everywhere on the paper including his arms!

We usually do it outside where I hose/wipe him down in the sunshine. It’s pretty windy where we live so in the cooler months we’ll have to be inside. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks we can start working on the outbuilding  and begin to shift it into our school room. It’s going to be a fun project for us. So, if any of you homeschooler’s or unschooler’s shall I say – have any tips or ideas on decor/supplies please feel free to share. I’m pretty sure were going with a Waldorf based curriculum.

Read more

Pure & Heavenly: Earth Mama Angel Baby

Back when I was pregnant with Tristan I had heard of a company named Earth Mama Angel Baby but had never seen it (I live in a small town) until I started looking online for greener baby products. Before conceiving, I’d heard startling information about baby washes containing harmful ingredients. It made me realize, I needed to start doing my research and find natural baby products that did not contain toxic chemicals like phthalates, 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde,” etc.

Recently, I was actually able to sample Earth Mama Angel Baby products through swag and for this review. I received a sample of their Bath Blossoms, Bottom Balm and Baby Lotion. I so was excited when I saw EMAB inside my swag bag from The Smart Mama’s book release. I’d always wanted to try their products but just never had the opportunity. Quite honestly, I was going with my easiest most available option…. Burt’s Bees, California Baby and Little Twig. Depending on where we did shopping is what we’d end up with. I’d known about the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database and have looked up a few things in the past. It never really dawned on me to look up the baby products. I thought I was in the clear. Boy, was I wrong!!!

Read more

Going Back To School Green

This month, the Green Mom’s Carnival topic is Back to School.

August is traditionally the Back to School month where students stock up on what they’ll need for the school year. What usually comes to mind when you think “Back to School”? I immediately think supplies. Backpacks, pencils, pens, erasers, cases, notebooks, calculators, folders…etc. The list can get pretty lengthy! It’s no wonder parents go broke over school supplies each year. That’s not even including clothing or lunch money (both for splurge and for making).

I can remember, when I started high school my mom would give each of us $100 (3 of us = $300). With that money we had to buy our clothes and supplies. She always made our lunches and sometimes would leave two dollars on the days we didn’t have a lunch.

With the $100 dollars, I was smart. I had to make it last. The only way to do this was to shop second-hand. I’d fill up an entire cart of vintage clothes at “The American Way” and felt like I had an entirely new wardrobe when I walked out. It was a good feeling.

Read more

Cloth Diapers: Back By Popular Demand!

When I first started blogging I was at freewebs.com – I posted about my cloth diapering experience there but the post did not make the Wordpress move.

Now, that I’m here I have not had the opportunity to really discuss my experience…I’ve mentioned before that I use bumGenius 2.0, All In One (AIO) diapers but haven’t gone into great detail.

Before Tristan was born I knew I was going to cloth diaper. I had no idea how popular it’d become until I started scouring the net. UPDATE: Check out www.diaperpin.com for reviews on diapers, slings, etc. I based my decision on which cloth diaper I was going to invest in based on the comments there. I found so many different types of diapers I was completely overwhelmed but was also filled with delight that cloth diapers were now functional, stylish and modern. I couldn’t wait to jump on board. Cloth diapering has actually been a money saver and I honestly don’t mind doing the dirty laundry at all. I chose bum Genius “dipes” because they were very close to what a disposable diaper, AKA “sposie” was like. I liked the velcro tabs feature as opposed to the snaps. At the time, I didn’t think the snaps would be ideal. I’m totally over that now!

Little did I know that snaps were an awesome feature until I received my Fuzzi Bunz in the mail – AKA “fluffy mail”. It is the only other brand of cloth dipes that I’ve used I even have about 8 old skool dipes- you know the burb cloth style- but these have velcro tabs! No pins, here. I would love to expand my cloth diaper stash and have a variety. There are just soooo many different styles, colors, and prints that it seems worth it to have a more than one brand. I’m sure you’re curious about how well they function.

Read more

On My Mind…

There seems to be a lot of great content going around the blogosphere which is why this post seems so appropriate. My mind is always whirling and swirling with ideas and blog topics. I have an ongoing list. I wish I had time to write about everything but it’s just not possible. So, I’m going to share with you some topics that I’ve wanted to write about and some that I just thought were ROCKIN’. Okeydokey?

So, here we go…

Green Mom Review has started a Great Green Post Awards…

Send them a link to a great green post you’ve read in the past month via their submission form — input ‘GGP’ as the “Giveaway Name” and the URL of the post you’re nominating in the “Entry Answer” field. They will notify your awardee and link both of you on our new Great Green Posts page! The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, June 9.

Pregnant? Want to work as a spokesperson for the BPA industry…I’ve been meaning to share this article with you that I wrote over at Eco Child’s Play- Then go to EWG and PROTEST!!!!

My husband has been doing so well in cutting back on his soda consumption. I’m really proud of him. He was drinking 2-3 sodas a day and know it’s maybe 2-3 a wk. if that. I considered at one point buying him a soda making machine. Just the other day I saw a post to make homemade soda and was inspired by the recipe that I think we’re going to give it a go! What about make your own vanilla extract!!! Incredible. I love being domesticated and these recipes give me motivation to put on my apron.

I was so happy to when I heard about Aveda and recycling plastic caps. I’m bummed when I have to toss the caps into the trash but like Deborah, from Pure Mothers, I’m also guilty of tossing the entire bottle and cap into my recycling bin. I too, feel like it should be in their hands last.  Join Aveda and start recycling caps!

Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009 marked the official kick-off of Aveda’s Caps Recycling Program—our powerful grassroots effort to help save marine life by reducing the amount of caps littering our beaches and oceans.

Join the Recycle Caps with Aveda campaign. Bring your plastic caps into an Aveda Store and feel great knowing that they will be repurposed into new Aveda packaging and kept from entering our waterways and harming wildlife.

I recently read an article about Borax and it left me wondering if I’ll ever use it again. I use borax in my laundry especially for cleaning cloth dipes and have used it to clean our mattress. I’m going to do a little further digging…what do you think?

Eco Cutey Photo Contest going on at Inhabitots…check it out! I’m going to enter in my Eco Cutey’s!

My mother in law uses a Swiffer…do you use one? Here’s a few alternatives!

It’s summertime…don’t have an ice maker? I {heart} these stainless steel ice cube trays!!! Since we have an ice maker it looks like I’ll have keep my eyes peeled for the stainless steel Popsicle molds! Sweet.

Oh! and So you know- I’ve been ECing (Elimination Communicating) with Clark. So far, it’s gone smoothly and we’re only doing it Part-time. I plan to write more about our EC journey as we go along. There’s nothing more gratifying then watching your 2 month old pee and/or poo in the potty. It’s surprising and fantastic. I love the concept and can’t wait to see how this will later turn out. Look for an informative post regarding EC coming soon!! 

I know I’m missing a few points…anyway…

What’s on your mind?

Next Page »