Mom Goes Green

In name and theory, the term “antibacterial” seems like a smart choice to prevent illness and inhibit bacterial growth, but these products contain a chemical antimicrobial called Triclosan.  So what’s the big deal?  Well…

Triclosan was originally created for medical uses and sterilization but, now that it has become outrageously common and “household”, consumers need to know that it is actually linked to health issues, including antibiotic resistance, allergy susceptibility and severe skin irritations (not to mention the destruction of fragile aquatic ecosystems!).  Seems rather contradictory, doesn’t it?  While you are trying to keep germs and illnesses at bay, you are actually building a resistance to antibiotics and decreasing their effectiveness should you ever truly need them.

Triclosan is commonly found in soaps, deodorants, toothpastes, cosmetics, shampoos, disinfectants and even fabrics (also marketed as “Microban” or “Biofresh”).  What I also find disturbing is that Triclosan actually “reacts” with chlorinated water and produces a high level of chloroform… yes, I said chloroform…. classified, by the EPA, as a probable human carcinogen.

Another scary fact?  It literally accumulates in our bodies, and this is the reason we build the resistance to antibiotics.

The reality is simply that the harm far outweighs the benefit.  In fact, there is little evidence to support the use of antibacterials for home or personal use in the prevention of viruses or illnesses.

So why buy antibacterial products? Simply put, I cannot think of a single reason…

One of my most recent “switches” was when I started to buy only organic coffee a few months ago.  I don’t really have a reason for not buying organic coffee sooner, except that (while I was worried about my to-go cup) I really hadn’t given the content of the cup much thought… no, not a good excuse, but an honest one…

There are a multitude of reasons I’m happy that I finally made this change… and they’re big reasons, so consider these facts:

• Organic coffee is grown without herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic growth chemicals, therefore these chemicals will NOT be part of your morning java.  Avoiding these chemicals is also much safer for farmers and workers, and will prevent contamination of the soil, water sources and surrounding environment.

• Organic coffee prohibits the use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer.  Yes, you heard that right… sewage sludge.  Every disgusting thing you can imagine that ends up in sewage can end up in the sludge that is added to coffee crops for fertilizer.

• Organic coffee cannot contain genetically modified organisms or use ionizing radiation (both common in non-organic coffee production!).

• Organic coffee can be shade grown, so large areas of trees do not need to be cleared for this crop, and wildlife and their habitat will also be spared.

If you think it might be easier to just give-up coffee (no, never!), remember that there are also health benefits of coffee… it actually contains powerful antioxidants and is believed to help protect a body against diabetes, liver disease, gallstones, and even the onset of dementia and/or Alzheimer’s…

I know there are times when we all think we might go a little crazy without our coffee(!), but the important thing is:  you want the benefit without the harmful “extras” and practices.

Organic coffee is the healthier, greener way to serve up a much better cup of joe.

Sooo many green rules… and (for me, especially!)… only so much “brain space”!  Honestly.  Remembering and retaining all of the rules can be mind boggling.

Sometimes we may even waiver on a choice simply because it seems like it can’t possibly make that much of a difference.

Fabric choice is one of those, but think about this the next time you have a choice of clothing and fabrics:

• Conventionally grown cotton involves fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, genetically modified seeds and approximately 25%(!) of the insecticides used on ALL crops WORLDWIDE! (yes… you heard it right… 25%!).  This should be especially disturbing when you consider that (because of the vastness of these crops) most of these chemicals are applied aerially (so no… don’t take any deep breaths if you’re in the vicinity either.)

• Bamboo and hemp fabrics are a great alternative too.  They are sustainable and grow rapidly.

• Organic wool means that the sheep have been raised by organic standards…. a plus for animal lovers too!

• Dyes contain harsh chemicals so look for fabrics that have been colored with non-toxic vegetable dyes instead of those chemically tinted.

Maybe your “color chart” says that green “isn’t for you”, but when it comes to fabric choices, green is for everyone!

Yes, will the worries ever cease… it seems not, because after researching new bath products for our kids I not only discovered some potential candidates, but also reasons to worry.

It seems there are some serious, and harmful, chemical “monsters” lurking in far too many children’s bath products.  This includes the most common products we all used on our babies (and often continue to use) – Johnson & Johnson, Gerber, Baby Magic and L’Oreal – all are major offenders.

And the two scariest ingredients, you ask? They are 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde (doesn’t THAT one conjure up some horrible images?).  Both are known carcinogens and unbelievably harsh on the skin, especially for young children.

1,4-dioxane is common in personal care products as a foaming agent.  Of course the ingredients won’t actually list it under this name, so avoid ingredients called sodium laureth sulfate, PEG-100 stearate, polyethylene, myreth, oleth and ceteareth-20.

Formaldehyde comes into play when common preservatives (like parabens) used in the bath products release formaldehyde but, of course, this won’t be on the ingredients list either!  Instead, look for and avoid names like quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.

It’s absolutely mind boggling.  Sometimes I truly don’t know what to look for and what to avoid, because it seems we need a chemistry degree to have the ability to read between the lines (and I think manufacturers count on that)!

I have heard good things about both Gaia and Weleda, as well as the line of Burt’s Bees Baby (often much easier to find at a local retailer) but we’re currently giving Organix South TheraNeem a try!  The kid’s Shampoo & Bodywash and Conditioner are in use and (as far as my “non-chemistry-degreed-self” can decipher!) they don’t contain any of these scary ingredients!  I also find it fairly interesting that they seems to work wonderfully (and make our kids smell fabulously citrus-y) but they don’t foam-up as much as the common brands and aren’t nearly as thick… hmmm?  A likely side effect of what happens when you remove some of the bad stuff!

I know it will take extra effort, but there are plenty of products out there that are safer options.  If you have something you recommend, please share!

But whatever you do, don’t settle for the old stand-bys just because they’re easy to find and an ad campaign and some slick marketer appealed to your emotional side to sell a product.  Believe me, I used to be one of “them” and things aren’t always as they seem.

I’ve always been, and will always be, an advocate of drinking tap water over bottled water.

Some readers agree, others have said “never without a filter first”, but one of the most common comments is the concern over the chlorination of tap water.   A good filter can remove the chlorine but did you know you can remove the chlorine in one simple step, even without a filter?

This is all it takes…

Fill a pitcher with water, leave it (uncovered) overnight on your countertop and by morning, your water will be chlorine-free… the chlorine will actually evaporate out of the water overnight!

Drink it throughout the day, store it in your refrigerator, cook with it….what you do with it after that is all up to you.

That’s it for today… short, sweet and (chlorine-)free!

I had a completely different post planned for today, but in light of a recent conversation, I just had to write this instead.

You might recall a post last spring when we were in the market for a mattress for our son.  We wanted an organic, chemical-free mattress so we could have peace of mind while he was getting a peaceful night’s rest.  The issue is the excessive chemicals sprayed on traditional mattresses to make them meet government standards for fire retardants.  They are so, so dangerous for everyone, since we inhale these toxic chemicals each and every night, but especially for children with developing bodies and systems.

Well, a friend of ours recently contacted us and wanted to know about the mattress we ended up buying.  When I sent him the information he told me that the mattress store he just visited told him that he was “unable to buy that type of mattress without a prescription” (presumably because they are also hypo-allergenic) and “they have to use chemical fire retardants to meet standards”.

This is where my blood started to boil.

The reality is that they were lying to our friend simply because they didn’t HAVE what he was looking for and, obviously, would go to any length to make a sale.

The truth of the matter is this:   Mattresses do NOT need to be sprayed with chemicals to make them fire retardant! They do, however, need to meet standards for BEING fire retardant.  There are other ways to meet this standard but unfortunately, for consumers, the cheapest way to do this is simply to spray on a load of dangerous chemicals.

The mattress we chose was from Savvy Rest (via Healthy Home Sleep Gallery).  Since organic wool is quilted to the inside of the organic cotton fabric cover, THIS is the non-flammable layer that inhibits burning and makes it pass these tests.

I absolutely hate the fact that a mattress retailer would tell such lies just for the sake of a sale.  But on top of that, they are completely misleading consumers about the truth.

Of course, there are honest retailers out there, but if you are in the market for a new mattress, don’t be misled.  You CAN buy a safe, non-toxic mattress… no prescription needed.

I have a story that NEEDS to be shared…

I recently attended a local PTA Council meeting and went to a special session on “Health & Nutrition”.  I had no idea what would be discussed, but having two young children, I’m always interested in the topic and how I can improve upon our overall health.

What I learned nearly made me fall off my chair.

The presenter began by asking everyone to pass around a plate that held a McDonald’s hamburger and Burger King fries.  My stomach churned at the thought, because we really avoid fast food (especially these two chains!).

When I was the (un)lucky recipient of the plate my stomach churned even more than expected.  Everything looked dried out and completely unappetizing… as if they had been sitting in a low-heat oven for a few hours.  (Note: they looked nothing like these photos!)

After the plate made its rounds, the presenter asked for thoughts about the “age” of the food.  Guesses ranged from a few hours to a few days.

Guess what?  That burger & fries were four and a half years old… yes, I said YEARS!

They had never been frozen, never been refrigerated, never received special “treatment”… they just sit around in their original containers.

The point?  There was no mold, no decay, no visible bacteria, no growing “green fuzzies”.  Nothing.

And what does this tell us? Essentially, these foods are so processed, so preserved, so lacking in enzymes and usable nutrition, that not even bacteria, mold or microbes could locate enough nutrients to develop and grow.  Can you, therefore, imagine was it does (or doesn’t do) for our bodies?!?

Enough said. The next time you’re looking for a “fast food”, grab a banana!

THAT is a question I never thought I would have to ask myself, but surprise… I’m now asking myself that exact question.

I originally became the proud owner of a Sigg bottle on Mother’s Day, as one of my only requests. I have been proudly sporting my Sigg for almost a year and a half now. It seemed only logical that I should have one since I’ve made no secret about my dislike for bottled water, for both the trash they create as well as the risk factors associated with BPA.

Now the brand that I always thought I could trust has let me down… waaaay down!  There has been some question as to whether or not the “older version” Sigg bottles (manufactured before August 2008) are actually 100% BPA-free.  There have been scientific studies and disputes and measures that go way over my head, but the fact of the matter is, there is no undeniably reliable answer.  It seems the tricky part is that, while they contain some BPA, studies show that it does not leach into the water.

Sigg has released statements reassuring their customers that their bottles are safe, yet what I find bothersome is that they have actually changed the liner of their bottles in the past 12 months.  I understand that products are ever evolving, but this kind of smells to me, especially if they touted themselves as having the best product on the market.

Now the CEO is apologizing.  Seems, yes… BPA is in my Sigg.

When I looked at the lining comparisons on their site, I was disappointed to find that my bottle does have the old lining.  So how do I continue to use my old Sigg?  Well, I don’t.

Fortunately, they are offering an exchange program where you can return your old Sigg and get a new one (with an EcoCare liner!) for only the cost of shipping it back or (soon) you can simply exchange it at a retailer.  Am I going to take advantage of this?  You bet I am.

Have I lost confidence in Sigg?  Yea, I guess I have somewhat.  It’s like an old trusted friend that tells a lie… or stretches the truth a bit too far, and that’s what they did.  Will I give them another chance.  I guess I will.  Is that crazy?

The reality is that any stainless steel or aluminum bottle is undoubtedly better than the mountains of plastic water bottles that are consumed daily.  They create less trash and have A LOT less BPA.  If you’re interested, other alternatives I recommend include Klean Kanteens or CynerGreen bottles.

Today I must pack my Mother’s Day gift and send her back.  Sorry.  You have a lot of lovely dents and scratches to commemorate the places we’ve been, but I bid you a fond farewell… just in case.

…so this is what the latest review is telling consumers.  My first reaction sounded something like this: “AUGGGHHHHH!!!!!”  My second reaction was: “Well, what about the rest of the story?”

In summary, this conclusion was the result of a British review of studies held over the past 50 years.  It states that organic and non-organic foods possess the same nutritional content and therefore there is no superiority in organically grow produce.

Now first of all… I would consider the inclusion of studies that are 30, 40, 50(!) years old fairly irrelevant at this point. But what bothers me more is what this study DOES NOT include.

At no point does it ever address the real reason organic foods are important.  I can honestly say that I have NEVER purchased organic foods because I had some expectation of nutritional superiority. I do not buy these foods for what they contain… I buy them for what they DO NOT contain…

What organic foods DO NOT contain are the herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals that are sprayed on the crop… chemicals that are harmful to both us and the environment.  It’s that simple.  If you have been buying organics for some other reason, then you’ve been buying them for the wrong reason.  I’m buying them to prevent my family from consuming chemicals while they are consuming the foods that have a high nutritional value, regardless of the value (especially if they are equal!).  And our children are the most vulnerable when it comes to consuming these chemicals.  What it also does not mention is that the presence of pesticides can actually block the absorption of nutrients, so then doesn’t this automatically make the amount of nutrients irrelevant if they can’t be properly absorbed?!?

In my opinion, this result is misleading and irresponsible.  It’s only half the story.

You can decide for yourself, but my opinion has not been swayed one inch.  It’s not about non-organic vs. organic, it’s about chemical vs. non-chemical.  Which one would you rather give to your child?

Over the past weeks, we’ve had a raccoon hid her babies in our yard, snakes take up residence in a bush outside our front door and two birds nest under a different bush.  A raccoon even stopped by in our open garage while I was quietly doing something one evening. (That event caused me to let out a “startled scream” that sent mama running!)

All this in a suburban neighborhood, close enough to urban life that we can see downtown Cleveland from our backyard.

I truly wondered “what gives!” until my husband pointed out that we have the most natural place in the neighborhood… no chemicals, no fertilizers or pesticides, no unfriendly environments… and I think he’s right.

When my neighbor saw the snakes, she suggested we pay for an exterminator or snake wrangler to get them out of here.  (Seriously?  I should pay someone to evict these poor little harmless creatures?!  But she is the same person {although she is a nice lady} that chopped down all of her backyard trees last year.) Then there is the other neighbor (also a “tree chopper“) that called out his OWN tree service to look at removing a tree in OUR yard because he didn’t like the leaves it was dropping in his driveway!  He offered to pay half, which we politely declined.

Maybe animals really do have a sense of “someplace safe”… yea, MomGoesGreen’s yard, of course!  And our kids are loving the animal park in their own yard (but yes, I do understand the dangers of raccoons, so they have been educated on safety.)

If you believe in karma, I think you’ll agree that my husband is right.  There IS a natural attraction because we do let off all whole lot of “good nature karma!”