How to Live Safer and Healthier Organic Foods, Plastics, Safer Cleaning and Personal Care Products: The Basics to Help you Be Some Shade Of Green with Resources and Tips

Sommer Poquette

Owner and Author

www.greenandcleanmom.org

About

I am… Wife, Mom, Early Childhood Advocate, Social

Networking Consultant and Green Blogger Humanitarian In love with learning and protecting the

environment.I am not… Doctor, scientist, lawyer, environmentalist or

expert

What does it mean to be GREEN? Do you have to

recycle? drive a hybrid car? ride your bike to work? only eat organic food? buy clothes made from organic cotton? use energy efficient lights bulbs?

Global Warming 101

Increase average temperature of earth’s atmosphere and oceans.

Natural Greenhouse effect that keeps the earth 30 degrees warmer than it otherwise would be.

Global temperature has risen .7 degrees Celsius in the last 100 years.

Global Warming 101

Temperature increase is caused by manmade increase in carbon and other greenhouse gases (burning of fossil fuel)

Predicted the temperature may rise between 1.4 to 5.8 degrees Celsius before 2100.

Carbon Footprint

Measurement of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced measured in carbon dioxide.

My Carbon Footprint

I create 17.9 metric tons of carbon !!!!!

EQUAL TO…Cutting and burning all the trees in asection of the Amazon Rainforest the sizeof 2.2 football fields.

My pollution is calculated by my housing, drivingand flying from www.carbonfootprint.com

GreenTip #1 Buy Organic To avoid potentially nasty and harmful chemicals from entering our bodies and our

growing and developing children.

Studies show children who switch to organicproduce have no traces of the pesticides in

their urine 36 hours later.

More Nutritious and Better Tasting

Studies show foods that are organic have 11nutrients that are 25% higher.

Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, April 2008. Source: Food for Thought: The Case for Reforming Farm Programs to Preserve the Environment and Help Family Farmers, Ranchers and Foresters, pages 12-

13, found at www.environmentaldefense.org/pubs/Reports. Original source: Environmental Working Group, Overexposed: Organophosphate Insecticides in Children’s Food, 1998, pp. 1-3.

Source: “New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-Based Organic Foods,” www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/5367_Nutrient_Content_SSR_FINAL_V2.pdf.

What does Organic Mean

No synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fumigants. No fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients. No genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) No hormones, antibiotics, artificial ingredients, or

trans fats. Look for the USDA Organic Certification which

means the product is 100% or 95% organic.

The Dirty Dozen Peach Apples Pear Carrot Imported Grapes Lettuce Kale Strawberries Celery Nectarines Bell Peppers

Always Rinse and Buy Organic When Possible. Pesticides and Chemicals CAN have long term health consequences.

Source: foodnews.org

GreenTip #2 Plastics and PVC Reduce the Use and Learn about ThemPolyvinyl Chloride Entire Life Cycle is Dangerous Produced or Burned it releases dioxins that are a group of synthetic

chemicals hazardous to our health Chemicals evaporate or leach (new car smell or the vinyl shower

curtain smell) DEHP a phthalate that is a suspected carcinogen is found in PVC

products Children chew on toys made of PVC and they are exposed. Legal to sell products made of PVC in the United States Cannot be recycled Look for and avoid the #3 plastic

Sources: http://www.thesoftlanding.comhttp://www.besafenet.com/pvc/about.htm

Plastics

There are over 10,000 kinds of plastic. No labeling laws for plastics but it is common to see numbers 1-7. BPA (Bisphenol A ) is important for the production of number 7

plastic (polycarbonate) and it was invented 120 years ago Bisphenol A (BPA), “a man made chemical, was discovered to be a synthetic version of the hormone estrogen in 1936”

Potential Risk of BPA include but are not limited to: human development, early puberty, heart disease, diabetes, and liver toxicity.

Sources: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bpatimelinehttp://healthychild.org/live-healthy/faq/bisphenol_a_or_bpa

Rules of Plastic Safety

Never expose plastics to extreme heat Hand wash to avoid scratching Choose #1, #2, #4 and #5 Choose products labeled BPA Free. When possible choose stainless steel or

glass.Sources:

http://www.thegreenguide.com/buying-guide/plastic-containers

http://healthychild.org/5steps/

Green Tip #3

Choose cleaners with no harsh chemicals, artificial ingredients or synthetic fragrances.

Use a Vacuum with a Hepa Filter The words natural, biodegradable, green or eco-

friendly are not regulated. Look at the history and longevity or a company and

their eco-friendly track record. Common sense. Is it fluorescent green? Read the label

What to Avoid in a Cleaner Butyl Cellosolve: Found in many all purpose cleaners (Degreasers, drain

cleaners, etc). Sodium Hydroxide: Odorless and effects respiratory tracts. In many

scouring cleaners and oven cleaners. Napthalene: Possible carcinogen often found in mouth balls or metal

polishes. Bleach or Hypochlorite: Causes more poisons than any other household

cleaning substance. Ammonia: Found in many glass cleaners. Sulfamic Acid: Hazardous to lungs and mucus membranes. Found in many

scale and lime removers. Hydrochloride/Hydrochloric Acid: Throat irritation and skin irritations.

Found in many toilet bowl cleaners.

Sources: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (1998); Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (1999); Scorecard (2007).Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registery (2005).Annual Report for the American Association of Poision Control Centers’ National Poisioning and Exposure Database (2005).Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (2004); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.ScienceLab.com

Scary Statistics

Cleaners with Phosphates hurt marine life and pollute our streams and rivers.

90% of poisons occur at home. There are over 80,000 chemicals registered with the EPA and less than

20% of them have been tested for toxicity. Because cellular structures are changing so rapidly during embryonic and

fetal growth, a toxic exposure at the wrong moment can permanently alter future development.

Children metabolize, detoxify and excrete many chemicals different than adults.

Sources:Landrigan, P.J. & Garg, A (2002). Chronic effects of toxic environmental exposures on children’s health. Journal of Toxicology:

Clinical Toxicology, 40(4), 449-456.PBS.org, Trade Secrets: A Moyers Report (2001).

GreenTip #4 Healthier Baby Care/Personal Care Ingredients

Avoid the Following Ingredients

Parabens: Preservative that can mimic the hormone estrogen. Controversy over this ingredient but studies are challenging the safety. Err on the side of caution.

Phthalates: Found in Talc, Baby Lotion and studies are finding it can alter the male reproductive system. They are used to sustain fragrance.

Sodium Laurly/Laureth Sulfate (SLS): A surfactant used in shampoos, degreasers and thousands of products. They can form carcinogenic nitrates that can enter the blood stream in large numbers and irritate the skin and eyes and cause allergic reactions.

numbers and cause eye irritations, skin rashes and allergic reactions.2 PEG’s and/or Propylene Glycol: Petroleum derived and acts as a wetting agent. Used in antifreeze, floor

wax, tooth paste, shampoo and more! Triclosan: Antibacterial Soaps and Sanitizers have been linked to many allergies, antibiotic resistance,

linked to it in our water systems, toxic to algae and is suspected to be contaminated with dioxins a highly carcinogic chemical.

Sources: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/96118.phphttp://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2008/2008-0204sathyanarayanaetal.htmlhttp://www.thesmartmama.com/bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=10http://www.cosmeticdatabase.comhttp://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/Triclosan%20cited.pdfhttp://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/10-04/triclosan-article.htm

Green Tip #6

Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.

According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion)

www.reusablebags.com

Green Tip #7

Use a Dishwasher!

Hand washing uses 50% more water than

a water saving energy efficient dishwasher. Run full loads. Don’t waste time rinsing, it wastes water!

Green Tip #8

Cut your junk mail with www.greendimes.com for only $15!!!

Your name is typically worth 3 to 20 cents each time it is sold. 100 million trees are ground up each year for unsolicited mail. It wastes 28 billion gallons of water for paper processing each

year. That's 4.5 million tons of junk mail produced each year! $320 million of local taxes are used to dispose of unsolicited

mail each year. The average person gets only 1.5 personal letters each week,

compared to 10.8 pieces of junk mail. 44% of all junk mail is thrown in the trash, unopened and

unread.

Alternatives and Resources: For My Kids All Natural Alternative Ecostoreusa.com cleaners and baby care products. Shaklee Cleaners Earth Mama Angel Baby Care Products California Baby Safe Solutions Pest Control Products Lafes Natural and Organic Baby Care Products FuzziBunz Cloth Diaper BumGenium Cloth Diaper Seventh Generation Diapers and Wipes TheSoftLanding.com TheSmartMama.com Safemama.com CottonBabies.com TheGreenParent.com BigGreenPurse.com HealthyChild.org EWG.org Terrapass.com Carbonfootprint.com PositivelyGreen.com GreenGuide.ComDisclaimer: I feel comfortable with these products but Iadvocate for you do to your own research and feelcomfortable for yourself and not just take my word for it.

Sensibility & Consumer Demand

Use Your Buying Power Tell Companies to Disclose and be

Transparent Support Research and Legislation that

Protects Us

http://www.ewg.org Do Something and Start Somewhere

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Step One: Go to the National Institutes of Health Household Products Database and find out what you have in your home

• Step Two: Enter names of chemicals and see which brands contain them

• Step Three: Look up Toxicity Information or Health Information for the chemical

• Properly dispose of harmful products

• Find safer choices

TAKE ACTION

GET EDUCATEDVisit http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/ingredients.htm

Special Thank You

These Companies Support and Help

Sponsor my Efforts in Putting this Presentation Together

http://www.formykidsonline.com

http://www.thesoftlanding.com