I’m always looking for organic cotton or bamboo bedding. Unfortunately it’s still not as mainstream as it should be. West Elm and Pottery Barn have been carrying it for a little while but I just realized that now Lands’ End has a decent selection! Check it out!
Did you know…
According to the EPA, carcinogens average 10 times more potent for kids than adults – and in some cases, 65 times more potent – at the same dose that adults get. And kids typically get higher does. Adults eat about 1/40th of their body weight each day; kids eat 1/10th of theirs. Pound for pound, kids eat, drink and inhale a lot more fumes than adults.
Eager to start the new year off with greener cleaning products?
When we remodeled our condo I really wanted to purchase the VOC-free paint but I couldn’t convince Eric it was worth the price or worth sacrificing style in the fact that the line at HD never seemed to have the perfect color for what we were doing. I just read the following from the Ask The Science Man column on Seventh Generation’s website – from now on I will definitely purchase the low VOC-paint – I’m convinced it is worth the money!
Most conventional products have a high VOC content which increases your risk of certain health effects. VOC exposure has been associated with asthma, ’sick-building-syndrome’ (a phenomenon in which building occupants experience acute health and/or comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a particular building) and respiratory and lung infections. Most people spend 90% of their time indoors, yet indoor air is up to 10 times more polluted than your ambient outdoor air (even if you live in the city). Therefore, it is always a good idea to keep your house well ventilated during any VOC emitting activity (i.e. painting, cleaning, installing carpets, etc.).
The value in choosing low-VOC or VOC-free alternatives in any product is avoiding exposure to toxic chemicals. Consider this decision comparable to choosing to buy organic foods in order to avoid ingesting pesticides. You breathe 20-40 pounds of air a day, much more than the amount of food you eat! Consider your long-term exposure as well. VOCs are emitted at high concentrations during product application, but will also continue to be emitted at lower levels over time. Fabrics and other materials in your house absorb any VOC emitted indoors, thus retaining them and releasing them into the air you breathe. There is research that supports using low-VOC products to significantly improve the indoor air quality of your home. Therefore, I believe it would be worth spending the extra money for VOC–free paint.
will also react with ozone to form secondary pollutants, including formaldehyde – known to be a human carcinogen.VOCs emitted from paint (and other conventional household and building products) contribute to greenhouse gases, smog formation, and ozone depletion. Some VOCs, formaldehyde, lead and/or chlorine. Certain ethers, glycol terpenes are typically related to consumer products containing traces of VOCs have harmful effects on the environment and human health. The negative environmental impacts and health effects from VOCsThere is plenty of scientific evidence supporting the claim that
Just in case you wanted to buy your cleaning products from a company that does more than just make eco-friendly products, check out some of what Seventh Generation does…
Through their annual donation program — Seventh Generation dedicates 10% of its profits to non-profit community, environmental, health, and responsible business organizations working for positive change.
I participated in this last year – it’s a great thing to do!
World Wildlife Fund is proud to announce Earth Hour 2010 will take place Saturday, March 27, at 8:30 pm. National Monuments including Mount Rushmore, the Empire State Building, the Las Vegas Strip, and the Golden Gate Bridge have already pledged to participate but what we really need is for you to participate again.
Standing nearly one billion people strong, we made last year’s Earth Hour the single largest mass action in human history. This year we need you to grow it.
We have worked tirelessly to bring the international community, governments around the world and corporate leaders to the brink of breakthrough action on climate change in 2010. That’s why it’s so important we make our voice heard again.
Please join millions of people around the world in turning off the lights for Earth Hour to raise awareness and demand action to fight climate change. Grow the movement by sharing this message with your friends and family. Working together, we can overcome one of the greatest challenges facing our planet.
Visit our new site at EarthHour.org to access to videos and toolkits to help grow the movement as well as fantastic ideas on how to make Earth Hour a special event in your home, community or business.
I really like Seventh Generation products – I definitely use other brands but I can always trust that their stuff works. This video is a good, quick house tour to show you their products.
I JUST learned that recycling old cell phones can help save gorillas! Please watch and listen to Jane Goodall –
Gorillas Are at Risk from The Jane Goodall Institute on Vimeo.
Have you heard of No Impact Man? This guy is great and it is absolutely amazing how he, his wife and young daughter lived for one year making really no impact on the environment. Check out his video below and then definitely go to his website. Also take a peek at the trailer for the No Impact Man Film!
