Good Morning and Happy Friday!
I am over at BeHappyBeHealthyWellness and I hope you check out the short video we posted on how to make your own non-toxic cleaners from Shaklee.
We wanted to show you how quick and easy it is to make your own cleaners vs. buying traditional chemical brand name products.
The big bonus is how much money you can save and they are safe to use around our kids and pets!
Check out the video and blog post here.
Study links Roundup with Parkinsons, Cancer and Other Health Issues
Have you heard the saying April Showers bring May Flowers? I would argue that this year it should go... April Showers bring May Weeds. If you have flower beds in central Indiana, you know that we have received a lot of rain and that has resulted in our lawns growing like crazy and weeds popping up in our flower beds/gardens, well, like weeds.
For the last few years, I have avoided using chemicals like Preen and Round Up to eliminate weeds and have instead, relied on the old tradition of weeding by hand or with my hoe just like my parents have done for many years. I usually can get a head start and get the first weeding done without too much trouble but this year has been very different and my recommendation is if you haven't gotten out there in your flower beds yet, you better get started before the weeds take over...
I want to share a recent study that caught my eye about the common chemical Roundup causing Parkinsons, Cancer and other serious health concerns. I hope it will make us think twice before we use chemicals in our flowers and gardens!
Here is part of the article from Huffingtonpost...
Heavy use of the world's most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson's, infertility and cancers, according to a new study.
The peer-reviewed report, published last week in the scientific journal Entropy, said evidence indicates that residues of "glyphosate," the chief ingredient in Roundup weed killer, which is sprayed over millions of acres of crops, has been found in food.
Those residues enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease, according to the report, authored by Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Anthony Samsel, a retired science consultant from Arthur D. Little, Inc. Samsel is a former private environmental government contractor as well as a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
"Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body," the study says.
I believe we have become too dependent on chemicals and unfortunately we didn't think about the long term consequences they might have on our health and on our children. I admit I am a busy Mom and there are times I wish there was an easier way... an easy button like the commercial. However, the study shows what a lot of us have known all along... although some people are chemically sensitive, chemicals may not show affects on our bodies immediately; more often the harmful effects show up over a period of time of being exposed.
I hope you will take the pledge to eliminate or reduce chemicals in your flower beds/gardens and if you have some tips on keeping weeds away naturally, please share in the comments.
Celebrate Earth Day By Learning About Your Home Environment
A friend of mine, Brian Schutt, is the co-owner of Homesense Heating and Cooling. Brian and I have discovered we both have an interest in helping people learn about safe indoor air quality and we recently talked about how we could share both the challenges and solutions with you. Like most people, Brian's interest grew and became more personal after he and his wife recently had their first child. Our goal is to help people learn that there are things we can do in our homes that can help our environment and on a more personal level, create a safer home for our families and pets.
Brian shared some interesting statistics:
•Americans spend on average, 90% of their life indoors
•Indoor air is an estimated 2 – 5 times more polluted that outdoor air
•New home construction requires tighter insulation, which reduces utility costs but also reduces fresh air into home
•50 % of all illness is due to poor indoor air quality (Source: 1989 State of Mass. Study)
•Indoor air quality is one of the EPA’s top five environmental risks to public health.
•Air pollution contributes to lung disease, respiratory tract infections, asthma and lung cancer.
There are two major solutions that Brian suggested to improve our indoor air quality. The first is to proactively reduce pollutants in your home by purchasing non toxic products. Putting all the chemicals behind safety locks will keep them out of reach for an accidental poisoning but our families are still exposed to the chemicals in our air and this may be impacting in the increase in asthma, respiratory infections and even cancer. Switching to safe products is an easy step forward. The next step is important because we can't eliminate all indoor pollutants (consider just a few... VOCs in paint, carpet, furniture and stain resistant applications on carpet and furniture).
Most homeowners are familiar with the standard 1 inch filter your furnace comes equipped with, but according to Brian, these do not filter the air and their primary purpose is to prevent major debris from entering the mechanical parts of your HVAC system.
Next, Brian suggests:
"To make a noticeable impact on the filtration of your home, the first step is a 4 or 5 inch pleated filter. There are many brands that offer a pre-fabricated filter rack that will fit the dimensions of your system ductwork. Some conventional sizes are 16″ x 20″, 20″ x 20″, 20″ x 25″, but there are other sizes available as well.
To take another step in increased filtration, we recommend electro-static air cleaners. Carrier has two main product lines the Performance Series Air Cleaner, and the Infinity Series Air Purifier. These offer a great solution if you know you or a family member has issues with allergies or asthma. These systems capture 75% to 95% of particles and kill 95% to 99% of germs, respectively.
Finally, if you’re aware of issues related to mold or mildew in your home and you’re having a reaction to that, there are two primary methods that we recommend to target that issue. First is a germicidal ultraviolet light. This system is designed to kill mold and other organisms that can grow inside your evaporator coil and in the moist environment created by your HVAC system. The newest method we have to target is from Global Plasma Solutions."
You can read Brian's full article here, including a video on the system to kill mold and other organisms.
The Real Dirt on Clean Water
Everyone knows that water is essential to life. But what's coming out of your tap or bottle may not really be your healthiest choice.
The Real Dirt on Clean Water
Sure, your water may look clean but is it?
Most people think that governmental agencies ensure that our water's clean. And while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Clean Water Act to safeguard our water supply, it only set standards and testing requirements in our municipal water treatment facilities for 114 different contaminants out of literally hundreds more.
In fact, the Environmental Working Group obtained test results from a database of over 20 million records from state water officials to determine the quality of drinking water in 45 states. The results revealed 316 contaminants were present in our water supplies. Among them were 202 chemicals that aren't regulated by any safe water standards.i
Checking the quality of your local water is easy to do. Just visit the National Drinking Water Database or EWG's Tap Water Database and enter your zip code to look up your area.
So yes, your water looks clean. But really, it's not.
I looked up the Water in Noblesville, IN on the EWG database and below is a snapshot of contaminants found; you can click here for the link to the full report.
Why Filtration?
The simple answer? You either use a filter or you are the filter.
Only 2% of all treated water is used for drinking water. The rest is used on your lawn, shower, laundry, or used for farms or industry. It's simply too time-consuming and expensive to test and remove the thousands of chemicals that may be present in any particular water source.
And even if your water was perfectly clean before it left your municipality, it still has miles to travel in pipes before it gets to your home. Who knows what it runs into along the way?
What are you really drinking?
Here's what may be in your water, and some of its hazardous effects:
Industrial Pollutants (such as benzene, nitrates, and petrochemicals): Long-term exposure may cause increased risk of cancer, as well as blood, nervous system, kidney, and liver problems.
Agricultural Pollutants (pesticides such as atrazine, lindane, alachlor, and others): Long-term exposure may cause increased risk of cancer, as well as eye, liver, kidney, spleen, blood, and nervous system problems.
Heavy Metals (such as lead, copper, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium): Even at low levels, long-term exposure may cause behavioral problems and learning disabilities. The EPA estimates that between 10 and 20% of total lead exposure in young children comes from drinking water.ii
Disinfection By-products (such as: trihalomethanes, chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane,and bromoform): Long-term exposure may cause increased risk of cancer, as well as liver, kidney, or central nervous system problems.
With all these problems with tap water, you might think that bottled water is the answer—but you're wrong. What most people don't know is that there're no regulations regarding the quality of bottled water. That's right, none. Bottling companies don't even have the same regulations to follow that your local municipal water supply does. That means that despite the clean look of your bottle, in many cases the water it contains isn't any better than tap water.
The bottom line is that you can't control what happens to your water before it gets to your house. But you can control what happens after. If you want to make sure you have really clean drinking water, you really have to use a filter—a good one.
Only 2% of all treated water is used for drinking water. The rest is used on your lawn, shower, laundry, or used for farms or industry. It's simply too time-consuming and expensive to test and remove the thousands of chemicals that may be present in any particular water source.
And even if your water was perfectly clean before it left your municipality, it still has miles to travel in pipes before it gets to your home. Who knows what it runs into along the way?
What are you really drinking?
Here's what may be in your water, and some of its hazardous effects:
Industrial Pollutants (such as benzene, nitrates, and petrochemicals): Long-term exposure may cause increased risk of cancer, as well as blood, nervous system, kidney, and liver problems.
Agricultural Pollutants (pesticides such as atrazine, lindane, alachlor, and others): Long-term exposure may cause increased risk of cancer, as well as eye, liver, kidney, spleen, blood, and nervous system problems.
Heavy Metals (such as lead, copper, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium): Even at low levels, long-term exposure may cause behavioral problems and learning disabilities. The EPA estimates that between 10 and 20% of total lead exposure in young children comes from drinking water.ii
Disinfection By-products (such as: trihalomethanes, chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane,and bromoform): Long-term exposure may cause increased risk of cancer, as well as liver, kidney, or central nervous system problems.
With all these problems with tap water, you might think that bottled water is the answer—but you're wrong. What most people don't know is that there're no regulations regarding the quality of bottled water. That's right, none. Bottling companies don't even have the same regulations to follow that your local municipal water supply does. That means that despite the clean look of your bottle, in many cases the water it contains isn't any better than tap water.
The bottom line is that you can't control what happens to your water before it gets to your house. But you can control what happens after. If you want to make sure you have really clean drinking water, you really have to use a filter—a good one.
I use the Shaklee Get Clean Water Pitcher and get a year of clean filtered water, more than 5,000 8 oz. glasses and save more than 2,400 plastic bottles from the landfill. More importantly, it reduces 59 harmful contaminants (more than the other leading brands - including up to 99% of water-borne lead. The Get Clean pitcher also features a smart meter that lets me know exactly when I need to replace my filter so I don't have to guess anymore and it costs just a little over a penny a glass.
Make a green and healthy decision .... Consider filtering your water at home and keep more green in your pocket vs. buying bottled.
What is Your Green Personality?
Take this fun quiz to find out your GREEN personality.
What was my GREEN personality? ......
Green Academic
You self identify with the health of the earth, as well as the health of your family. You try to keep informed and learn the ins and outs of the issues so you can make informed decisions that have the least impact possible. You think it is important to exercise caution in protecting ecosystems and future generations.
...... I do make a lot of "green" choices for myself, my family and our home. I believe I make the majority of them based on improving our health. Although it is important to be responsible and leave the planet as good or better for our children and grandchildren, I believe the issues around our food and chemicals are the most urgent to our health.
What was your GREEN personality?
If picture link didn't launch, copy this website address into your browser: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/personality-quiz-going-green-460109
Happy Earth Day!
Earth Day began on April 22 1970 and over 20 million people across the U.S. participated.
Earth Day should be every day, but at the very least let’s each take this one day to inspire and encourage others to take care of our planet and our homes for a healthier and brighter future. Below are four fun and easy ways you can observe Earth Day 2013:
1. Support the Arbor Day Foundation. With each membership you’ll receive 10 free trees to plant. One recommendation is to plant these trees in honor of a local organization. Look for events being held in your area ... Here are links to two local events in my area... Noblesville, IN and Indianapolis, IN, both next weekend. You’ll not only feel good doing good but can also network with others who share the same cause.
2. Pledge an act of green and encourage your online friends to do the same! It’s easy to do at EarthDay.org with pre-generated ideas or creating an original idea to show your commitment to going green. We can only hope that one small ripple turns into a wave.
3. Send a free tree e-card to remind friends, family, and co-workers about the importance of taking care of our planet. These e-cards offer interesting facts to help the recipient learn more about the environment, endangered animals, and pollution. An excellent and free activity that you can do virtually with students or children!
4. Plan an outing with friends, family, and work colleagues! There are plenty of parks, roadsides, and nursing home facilities that could use some tender loving care. Picking up trash, planting trees and flowers, or simply raking up the lawn and composting leaves as a group it is a great way to bond with others and show your commitment to protecting the environment!
I encourage everyone to take time today to go outside and plan or do something "green".
Americans Dying Younger Compared to Other Peer Countries
I recently heard about a report on longevity in the United States by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine and was surprised with what they found.
The report said that the United States ranks around 40th in the developed world for longevity (that means people in places such as Cuba, South Korea, and Hong Kong can expect to live longer than us).
Even more surprising is that the gap between the U.S. and other developed countries is getting LARGER, according to the report. The reason the U.S. is falling behind is because younger people (people under 50) are dying at a faster rate than their peers in other developed countries–this is despite the fact that the U.S. spends more on health care than any other country (by a long shot).
There is a video that summarizes the findings that you can watch here: U.S. Health in International Perspective. So, what is going on?
When compared with the average of peer countries, Americans fare worse in at least nine health areas:
- Infant mortality and low birth weight
- Injuries and homicides
- Adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases
- Infections
- HIV and AIDS
- Drug-related deaths
- Obesity and diabetes
- Heart disease
- Chronic lung diseases
Many of these conditions have a particularly profound effect on young people and reduce the odds that they will live to age 50.
While there are many things on this list that we can work to change, the one area that jumps off the page at me is obesity and diabetes. Diabetes alone is associated with around 230, 000 deaths every year and costs around $174 billion dollars. Not to be outdone, obesity is estimated to cost around $147 billion.
Why are obesity and diabetes such a problem? Because most people don’t actually die from either condition but from the diseases associated with these conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and certain cancers—and these numbers are even more shocking.
However, I believe the biggest take away is that both obesity and type 2 diabetes are almost completely avoidable if we eat right, are at a healthy weight, and exercise regularly.
We are moving into Spring and Spring brings new beginnings so let's set our goals to make healthier choices starting today. Put on your walking shoes—and take an apple along for your snack.
I don’t like being last in anything—how about you?
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