Congress Makes Move to Protect Children

It is reassuring to see some in Congress making moves to protect our children from the wash of chemicals found in our consumer products. The Kid Safe Chemicals Act introduced Tuesday, would require chemical companies to prove that chemicals are safe before they can be added to consumer products. This is definitely a move in the right direction.

Just a few years ago EWG tested the umbilical cord blood of ten unborn babies and found an average of 287 industrial chemicals. If you are asking how babies can be exposed to chemicals before birth... most new chemicals under go little or no safety testing before being added to the array of products we use in our homes . The Toxic Substances Control Act, the current governing law, remains unchanged since 1976. EWG reports that more than 62,000 existing chemicals have remained on the market for three decades despite evidence that some pose serious health risks.

I hope that you will share this information with those you care about. You can also contact your Congressional Representative and ask for their support on this important issue. You can find your Member of Congress at the online congressional directory at Congress.org.

Ride Your Bike To Work Week

May is national Bike month and this week was ride your bike to work week. My husband started riding his bike to work last summer and fall. We had started riding casually as a family and then my husband took it to the next level and began making that 30+ mile round trip ride 3 or 4 days a week. He was very excited when the weather finally broke enough for him and a friend to begin riding again a few weeks ago. With high gas prices and the stronger focus on the environment, riding to work, stores and town may become more common. As for family rides, we are getting the bike trailer out of the attic this weekend and setting out for our first family ride of the season.

National Asthma Awareness Month

May is National Asthma Awareness Month and you don't have to look far to find someone with asthma. When I was growing up, I don't remember anyone using an inhaler in school or giving their babies or toddlers breathing treatments with a cute little plastic mask.

However, today more than ever, asthma rates have skyrocketed! In 1998, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that asthma increased 75% from 1980-1994 and in 2007, the EPA reported that an average of one out of every 13 school-age children suffers from asthma. In fact, “asthma has become the most common serious disease of childhood,and there are at least several well-designed epidemiologic studies that have documented a strong link between use of domestic and industrial cleaning products and risk of asthma,” says Dr. John Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Department of Environmental Health at Harvard University. "

With asthma rates increasing at such rapid rates, I believe researchers and doctors are beginning to see the link between environmental indoor pollution and our health. I have friends whose children have asthma and they have told me that traditional household cleaning products often triggered an asthma attack in their children and I believe it. Just walk down the cleaning product isle of your local market... you can smell the out gassing of the chemicals and all the bottles are sealed. Amazing.

I hope you will pledge to swap out your toxic household cleaners (dispose of them safely and responsibly at a toxic waste facility near you - find a local source at http://earth911.org/) and choose safer alternatives for your family and pets.

"Moms already know household cleaners can be hazardous if swallowed or spilled directly on your skin, but most don't make the connection that when these products are used as directed on floors, sinks and tubs, their families are exposed 24 hours a day." - Jane Houlihan, VP for Research at Environmental Working Group in Washington, D.C.

Happy Earth Day!

I want to wish you Happy Earth Day!

Not everyone can buy a Hybrid but everyone can make a difference and everyone can do their part ... even changing a light bulb and driving less.

Here are some ways we can help:

Walk this Way
Consolidate errands so you complete them all in one car journey or if possible, ride a bike or walk to your destination.

See the Light
Switch from traditional to energy-efficient, compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Offset your Carbon Footprint
Visit AmericanForests.org to complete a short survey to tally your CO2 emissions and then donate enough trees to offset your carbon footprint.

It’s so easy! Clean Up Your Act
If you are like me, I used to think by adding child safety locks on our cabinets and keeping cleaning products out of reach of my children, I was keeping my family safe. However, we know now that every day exposure to chemicals in traditional cleaning products may be responsible for the rise in asthma, allergies and other childhood diseases. There are safe non-toxic alternatives for our families that also have a positive impact on our planet. I can now relax when my 4 year old grabs the spray bottle I am using to clean his hand prints off my screen door. He can help me and I know it is safe.

Remember the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle)
Reduce your consumption of natural resources by reusing and recycling as much as possible. Consider the garbage can a last-resort option to be used sparingly.

BYOB (Bring your own bag)
Whether you’re shopping at a grocery or department store, bring your own bag. There is enough petroleum in 14 plastic bags to drive a car one mile. Keep it for the car by bringing your own bag.

If you need some inspiration or new "going green" ideas... go to http://www.signthecard.com/ - you can also make your Earth Day pledge and help inspire others.

Also, if you are in the Indianapolis area... Earth Day Indiana is this Saturday 4/26. The event is 11 am – 4 pm and includes over 100 environmental and conservation exhibits, live entertainment, children's activities and food vendors. Earth Day Indiana will be held at the American Legion Mall and Veterans Memorial Plaza in Indianapolis. You can find out more at http://www.earthdayindiana.org/ – volunteer information also available.

If you live within bicycling distance of downtown or can park at a trail head, consider taking an Indy Greenways Trail (http://www.greenwaysfoundation.org/). A pedal & park bicycle corral will be located at the south end of the American Legion Mall, at the intersection of Meridian and North Streets.

Again, Happy Earth Day!

Cub Scout Recycling Tour

In honor of Earth Day, I organized a recycling tour at our local recycling center for my son's Cub Scout Den. It was very cool to see how much they collect on a weekly basis! I think it was educational for the parents as much as for the boys. Here are some interesting facts we were given:

Time it takes for debris to decompose:

Glass Bottle: 1,000,000 years
Monofilament Line: 600 years
Plastic Beverage Bottles: 450 years
Disposable Diapers: 450 years
Aluminum Cans: 80-200 years
Foam Plastic Buoy: 80 years
Foam Plastic Cup: 50 years
Tin Can: 50 years
Leather: 50 years
Nylon Fabric: 30-40 years
Plastic Film Canister: 20-30 years
Plastic Bag: 10-20 years
Cigarette Filter: 1-5 years
Wool Sock: 1-5 years
Plywood: 1-3 years
Waxed Milk Carton: 3 months
Apple Core: 2 months
Newspaper: 6 weeks
Orange or Banana Peel: 2-5 weeks
Paper Towel: 2-4 weeks

If you would like to learn more about recycling in your area, go to http://earth911.org/

My Eyes Opened

A couple years ago, I thought I was doing pretty good... I was recycling, I composted kitchen scraps and I made sure my family ate healthy whole grains. Then, a close friend I grew up with went through cancer treatment with their 5 year old son and I began to look at things differently. I began researching and learned that my children are growing up in a world very different than I did. It also began to make sense as to why I would get a terrible headache when I cleaned the bathrooms - which I couldn't shake all day. I was also experiencing problems remembering things which wasn’t normal for someone my age (I won’t say how old but young enough). I realized I was being affected by the chemicals in the cleaning products and it really hit me what it could be doing to my family.

Today there are more than 80,000 chemicals registered for use in the U.S. and most of these did not exist 50 years ago. They also estimate that 2,000 new chemicals are introduced each year. Previously when I thought of chemicals... I imagined industrial companies but the reality is that we are exposed to these chemicals every day in foods, household cleaners, shampoos/lotions, cosmetics, toys, furniture, lawn care products and much more. Unfortunately, federal law does not require safety testing prior to releasing products on the market and of the 15,000 most common chemicals, more than 80% have not been tested for health effects on children. Those that have been tested, are only tested one at a time, but that is not how we are exposed, we are exposed to numerous chemicals at a time and there is no clear idea of how they ultimately interact with each other in our bodies. However, many believe we are conducting a huge experiment – especially on our children. Many specialists agree that the unexplained rise in childhood disease and learning disabilities are linked to toxic exposures.

My eyes opened to the need to protect my family from the invisible dangers. We bring our children home in a car seat, we purchase safe cribs, put locks on our cabinets ... all to protect our children. Then traditional manufacturers feed us commercials to feed our instinct to protect our children... unfortunately by using Clorox, Lysol and many other traditional chemical products, we are doing more harm that the germs and dirt that we want to remove.

Since then, I have switched to safe non-toxic cleaning products, shampoos and other skin care products and we are also trying to make more healthy food choices. I feel good about the choices we are making and hope that my children will learn good healthy habits that they are able to pass along to their children.

Country Roots

I grew up in a country area near Ann Arbor Michigan. My family had 5 acres and about 3 to 4 of those were planted with vegetables, fruits (like strawberries, red and black raspberries which are my favorites) and apple trees, cherry trees, pear trees, wild grapes and more. We also had several large strawberry farms within a mile of us. I grew up helping plant, weed and pick in the garden. It was the best when there wasn't enough rain because that meant that my Dad would need to get out the irrigation pipes and I loved to run through the garden under the water. Just last summer, my Dad had the irrigation going and I had the fun of watching my three children running in the water, swishing their toes in the sandy dirt and having a ball. They asked every day if Papa would turn the irrigation on again so they could go out and play.



When I was young I didn't appreciate living in the country, having so many fresh foods to eat ... often right off the vine or tree. It wasn't until I moved away that I realized how fortunate I was growing up. I learned to appreciate growing my own food and a love for nature. I love going back home to Michigan. My parents are 79 and 81 and my Dad still grows his garden, works on his apple trees and takes his items to the local farmer markets. I joke with them that they instilled a little bit of green in me before we new what that meant. They have composted their food scrapes into their soil as long as I can remember and I think that must be where I get the reduce, reuse, recycle gene ... my Dad will fix things that everyone else would throw away and he uses many common things over and over for other uses.



Even though I live in a suburban neighborhood in Indianapolis, I have a little of that green thumb instilled in me. When I have time, I enjoy working outside in my flowers or the small area where I grow vegetables for my family. We have a few black raspberry bushes that get eaten way to quickly between the 3 kids, rhubarb which I love for the strawberry/rhubarb pies that are so good and the usual tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs and hot peppers for making salsa.



I love going back home to Michigan and reconnecting - It was there that I learned to love being outside and connecting with nature. I hope that I can continue to pass along that love and respect for nature to my children.