Three of my children are in Scouts; Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Cub Scouts. Scouting can be very religious focused. And I've heard that it can be difficult for non Judeo-Christian families. I have been very fortunate to be with Scouting groups that are open and not overly religious focused. With the Boy Scouts I assume it is because our Chartered organization isn't a Church, but an amazing group of people who love scouting and started the Thirty Six club. However being a Pagan Scout does come with it's challenges.
Showing posts with label Green Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Living. Show all posts
April 27, 2012
October 17, 2011
DIY Napkin rings
I made the decision to go with cloth napkins! Of course I did have the problem that my kids would argue about which napkin belonged to which person. So we decided to make some napkin rings.
October 14, 2011
Paper -vs- Cloth
I've been playing with the idea of switching to cloth napkins. My mother just recently made the switch and I thought "good for her!" And of course I was slightly jealous that my mother was being more "green" than me (for a change).
Then I started thinking, could I make cloth work?
Then I started thinking, could I make cloth work?
August 11, 2011
Going DEET free!
December 24, 2010
My Morning Joe
Recently I had a friend point out something very interesting, my coffee comes in a styrofoam cup! We are both very green gals, but here I am drinking my coffee from styrofoam,while she's using a paper cup. Very embarrassing moment for me. Well of course now I bring my own travel mug for a re-fill. It's better for the environment and less expensive. But I started to think about not only the environment, but how safe is it to be drinking out of a styrofoam cup? Time to do some research, and I'm shock at the information I found.
Interesting fact that I don't think many of us know: Styrofoam cups don't exist. Styrofoam is a trade mark name for the foam material made by the Dow Chemical company. They don't make any kind of food packaging. So what are we drinking out of? Polystyrene cups, commercially manufactured from petroleum. Styrene (the basic chemical component) can leak into you food or drink and then into you.
Studies suggest that styrene mimics estrogen in the body and can therefore disrupt normal hormone functions, possibly contributing to thyroid problems, menstrual irregularities, and other hormone-related problems, as well as breast cancer and prostate cancer.Foods that are higher in fat and hot drinks can cause Styrene to leak faster. This means coffee and tea can have more Styrene in them. Also to-go foods like soups and chowders will have a higher amount of Styrene in them. Branching out from our morning drinks and lunches on the go, you purchase items at the grocery store in Styrene containers. Meats and cheese will have higher amounts of Styrene leaked into them.
Here are some safer options to consider.
- Use ceramic cups and mugs. Or go with paper cups.
- If you work outside the home, share washing duties with your co-workers. This will save on hot water usage.
- Paper cups do create waste, but they are biodegradable, unlike Styrene cups.
- Consider transferring food items bought at the grocery store into non-plastic containers, until ready to be cooked.
- When getting take-out or "doggie bags" ask to have your food wrapped in foil.
Every where we go we are faced with Styrene containers. Limiting your exposure and making safer choices is the best way to go. Next time you head out to your favorite coffee shop, be safer and bring your own mug.Note to Self: Buy a ceramic to-go coffee mug.
Enjoy you next cup 'o joe!
~Trish
February 17, 2010
The "Dirty Dozen"
The top 12 cancer-causing products(called the “Dirty Dozen”) in the average home include the following:
Liquid dish soap is the leading cause of poisonings in the home for children under the age of six (over 2.1 million accidental poisonings per year). Most brands of liquid dish soap contain formaldehyde and ammonia.
The State of California recently passed legislation requiring a 45% reduction in the amount of toxins found in:
Just by reducing (not eliminating) environmental carcinogens alone, we would save at least 50,000 lives taken by cancer annually.
[Source: Dr. Lee Davis, former advisor to the Secretary of Health]
Most laundry detergent contains a form of NTA. NTA is a substance we may reasonably anticipate to be a carcinogen.
[Source: The Merck Index]
Diseases that used to occur later in life are now appearing at younger ages. Diseases that used to be rare are more frequent. For example: There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of pesticides into household products. Cancer is now the #2 killer of children – second only to accidental poisonings. Since 1977 the rate of cancer among American children has been steadily rising at a rate of nearly 1% each year.
[Source: National Cancer Institute]
Asthma was once a very rare disease. Now the condition is extremely common – the asthma rate has tripled in the last 20 years with nearly 30 million Americans currently afflicted.
[Source: Consumer Federation of America , 1997]
In one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma (29% for men, 82% for women). The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women’s longer exposure times to household chemicals.
[Source: Center for Disease Control]
Childhood asthma has increased by more than 40% since 1980.
[Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, June 1997; 105 (6)]
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in adults and children is also rising – in 1993, 4.5 million children took the drug Ritalin so they could sit still long enough to learn. By 1998, 11.4 million children were being drugged with this powerful Class-2 narcotic.
[Source: Your Children and Ritalin, The Detroit news (March 8. 1998)]
Developing cells in children’s bodies are more susceptible to damage than adult cells that have completed development, especially for the central nervous system. During the development of a child, from conception through adolescence, there are particular windows of vulnerability to environmental hazards. Most disturbing – until a child is approximately 13 months of age, they are virtually no ability to fight the biological and neurological effects of toxic chemicals.
[Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]
Formaldehyde is a highly toxic substance. It is a highly suspected cancer-causing agent. It damages the neurological connectors in the body. It is an irritant to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs and may cause:
One in five people are sensitive to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is commonly found in:
DO YOU STILL WANT TO USE PRODUCTS IN YOUR HOME THAT CONTAIN FORMALDEHYDE?
How many of these names would you have recognized as formaldehyde?
Warning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion; however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion. 90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.
Government regulations require that only the most EXTREMELY toxic substances must contain a warning label. Labels that say the following should be removed from your house immediately:
Phenol is an extremely caustic chemical that burns the skin. Absorption of phenol through the lungs or skin can cause:
- Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder w/Talc
- Crest Tartar Control Toothpaste
- VO5 Hair Conditioner
- Clairol Nice-n-Easy Hair Color
- Ajax Cleanser
- Lysol Disinfectant
Liquid dish soap is the leading cause of poisonings in the home for children under the age of six (over 2.1 million accidental poisonings per year). Most brands of liquid dish soap contain formaldehyde and ammonia.
The State of California recently passed legislation requiring a 45% reduction in the amount of toxins found in:
- Hairspray aerosols
- Furniture polish
- Window cleaners
- Air fresheners
- Shaving cream
- Laundry detergents
- Nail polish remover
- Insect repellent
- Hair styling gel and mousse
Just by reducing (not eliminating) environmental carcinogens alone, we would save at least 50,000 lives taken by cancer annually.
[Source: Dr. Lee Davis, former advisor to the Secretary of Health]
Most laundry detergent contains a form of NTA. NTA is a substance we may reasonably anticipate to be a carcinogen.
[Source: The Merck Index]
Diseases that used to occur later in life are now appearing at younger ages. Diseases that used to be rare are more frequent. For example: There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of pesticides into household products. Cancer is now the #2 killer of children – second only to accidental poisonings. Since 1977 the rate of cancer among American children has been steadily rising at a rate of nearly 1% each year.
[Source: National Cancer Institute]
Asthma was once a very rare disease. Now the condition is extremely common – the asthma rate has tripled in the last 20 years with nearly 30 million Americans currently afflicted.
[Source: Consumer Federation of America , 1997]
In one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma (29% for men, 82% for women). The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women’s longer exposure times to household chemicals.
[Source: Center for Disease Control]
Childhood asthma has increased by more than 40% since 1980.
[Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, June 1997; 105 (6)]
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in adults and children is also rising – in 1993, 4.5 million children took the drug Ritalin so they could sit still long enough to learn. By 1998, 11.4 million children were being drugged with this powerful Class-2 narcotic.
[Source: Your Children and Ritalin, The Detroit news (March 8. 1998)]
Developing cells in children’s bodies are more susceptible to damage than adult cells that have completed development, especially for the central nervous system. During the development of a child, from conception through adolescence, there are particular windows of vulnerability to environmental hazards. Most disturbing – until a child is approximately 13 months of age, they are virtually no ability to fight the biological and neurological effects of toxic chemicals.
[Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]
Formaldehyde is a highly toxic substance. It is a highly suspected cancer-causing agent. It damages the neurological connectors in the body. It is an irritant to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs and may cause:
- skin reactions
- ear infections
- headaches
- depression
- asthma
- joint pain
- dizziness
- mental confusion
- nausea
- disorientation
- phlebitis
- fatigue
- vomiting
- sleep disturbances
- laryngitis
One in five people are sensitive to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is commonly found in:
- drugs
- mouthwash
- hairspray
- cosmetics
- cleaning products
- perfumes
- waxes
- hair setting lotions
- shampoo
- air fresheners
- fungicides
- fingernail polish
- floor polishes
- dry cleaning solvents
- toothpaste
- laundry spray starch
- antiperspirants
DO YOU STILL WANT TO USE PRODUCTS IN YOUR HOME THAT CONTAIN FORMALDEHYDE?
How many of these names would you have recognized as formaldehyde?
- Formalin
- Methanal
- Methyl Aldehyde
- Methylene Oxide
- Oxymethylene
- Bfv*
- Fannoform*
- Formol*
- Fyde*
- Karsan*
- Methaldehyde
- Formalith*
- Methylene Glycol
- Ivalon*
- Oxomethane
- Formalin 40
- Formalin
- Formic Aldehyde
- Hoch
- Paraform
- Lysoform*
- Morbocid
- Trioxane
- Polyoxmethylene
Warning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion; however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion. 90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.
Government regulations require that only the most EXTREMELY toxic substances must contain a warning label. Labels that say the following should be removed from your house immediately:
- “Do not induce vomiting”
- “Corrosive – rinse from skin immediately”
- “Harmful or fatal if swallowed”
- “Call physician immediately”
- “Warning!” (may mean that as little as 1 teaspoon of product can harm or kill adult)
- “Danger!” (means that as little as 5 drops can harm or kill an adult)
Phenol is an extremely caustic chemical that burns the skin. Absorption of phenol through the lungs or skin can cause:
- central nervous system damage
- pneumonia
- respiratory tract infection
- heart-rate irregularities
- skin irritation
- kidney and liver damage
- numbness
- vomiting
- and can be fatal
Phenol is a very common chemical and is regularly found in the following common products:
- air fresheners
- aftershave
- bronchial mists
- chloroseptic throat spray
- deodorants
- feminine powders & sprays
- hair spray
- decongestants
- mouthwash
- aspirin
- solvents
- acne medications
- antiseptics
- calamine lotions
- cleaning products
- detergents
- furniture polish
- hair setting lotions
- lice shampoo
- polishes
- cold capsules
- all-purpose cleaners
- aerosol disinfectants
- anti-itching lotions
- carnex
- cosmetics
- disinfectant cleaners
- hand lotions
- lip balms
- sunscreen and lotions
- insecticides
- cough syrups
- … just to name a few
Contact me to find out how you can make your home safer
Website: http://www.livingwell2010.com/
Email: LivingWell2010@live.com
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