Green Options

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As I washed dishes in a house we rented with friends in Maine this summer, I pondered the dish soap (yes, I know many of you are avid label readers, too– what else is there to do when you wash dishes?).

It was Dawn dish soap, and on the label it had a picture of a mallard duck flying. It read, “Rescuing Wildlife for 25 years.” As I searched the label, I found no information about exactly what wildlife they were supposedly saving. Not even a link to a website for more information.

Apparently, us consumers are just supposed to see the wildlife, sigh, and think happy thoughts as we buy Dawn soap to use on our dishes. When in reality, Dawn dish soap is poisoning the very wildlife it is supposedly saving.

How? Dawn antibacterial dish soap contains the chemical Tricolsan, which is in everything from toothpaste, to hand soap, and many, many other household and personal care items, is toxic to both humans and the environment (according the Environmental Working Group).

I feel the consumerism of back to school season like a stiff wind in my face. I’m sending my oldest off to preschool, and after 3 years of not caring what she is wearing except for holidays and birthdays, forgetting to brush her hair for days on end, and rarely buying things new for her, I am a bit swept up in how to get her ready.

I’ve been obsessing about backpacks. Really, there is a lot to think about: No PVC (vinyl), lead, no or not much plastic, preferably made in the U.S. with sustainable materials. And all this for under 50 bucks.

I can tell you for preschoolers, it doesn’t exist. (Mama entrepreneurs, take note!). After searching each link on the Center for Health and Justice’s list of back to school items without PVC, I found nothing that would work. I’ve also searched some great resources posted recently on Enviroblog.

I think the search for the backpack is really a front for feeling anxious about letting her go. She is beginning that journey, up up and away, and while that is beautiful and exhilarating, it is also painful and sad for me.

I’m a big fan of California. I’m almost as far from the state as I could be, here in Vermont, but I usually wholeheartedly agree with the environmental and public health decisions made by the California legislature to protect their citizens.

The ban on phthalates for one. The chemical and toxin labeling law (hence all those “May Cause Cancer in the State of California” labels you see all over cheap goods from China). And the higher fuel efficiency standards, which have considerably reduced smog. Then, they were poised to ban BPA (bisphenol A and PFOA (a chemical in food wrapping). No dice.

What happened? In a close vote, the California legisture voted not to ban BPA and PFOA.

We are spending the week with friends in Maine, and they have a beautiful 6 month old baby boy who is getting his two front teeth. He is suffering so, and reminding me of the same process with my two little girls.

I would give them frozen bagels, organic cotton rattles and lovely little wooden teethers. Most of the time, they threw them down in 2 seconds, found the limited plastic in the house, and bit that. No matter how hard I tried. I eyed those chewy plastic teethers in the grocery store, you know, the ones laced with phthalates, vinyl (the poision plastic) and other chemicals? When your child is in pain, it is hard to resist something that might help. But I did, and they cried and cried (and sometimes so did I).

For many women, there are many obstacles to be overcome about nursing, including personal and social issues. These can be overwhelming, in the emotional and physical roller coaster after giving birth, and can ultimately cause many women to quit nursing in the first few weeks or months after starting.

I was talking with my mother, and she mentioned a few of her friend’s daughters, and daughter in laws who quit nursing quickly after giving birth. Here are some of the challenges they gave as reasons for quitting, and why they don’t have to be reasons to stop nursing altogether. I’m pretty insulated from this up here in Vermont, where nursing is highly encouraged. My mom often helps me understand what is going on in the rest of the world.

I’m not a big fan of nursery rhymes with synthesizers and other canned music in the background, you know, the ones that enter your cranium, and stay for days, even in the middle of the night?

We’ve all experienced them somehow, from a well meaning friend or a grandparent. And for me, there is something truly offensive about cheery, annoying, repetitive music before 8am. It makes me drink coffee. Fast.

But it is shockingly not all about me, no. My daughters love music and love to dance, and of course I want to encourage this. I’m also eager to encourage in them a love of other cultures, language and musical heritage. I want their taste in music to be open and diverse, not always expecting the same kind of forced glee or silly lyrics found in many of today’s kid’s music.

This week there’s been more news about various chemicals in products we all use everyday with our families. Of course, a thrust of this blog is how to limit this exposure as much as possible. But it is moving target, one with daily discoveries and an ever changing landscape of news and new research.

Over at Non-Toxic Kids I posted about Triclosan, a chemical in all those antibacterial products you see everywhere, ranging from toothpaste, to soap, keyboards, cosmetics, bedding, you name it. The Environmental Working Group just released an extensive report about Triclosan, and it the many health and environmental problems associated with it.

I was happy to hear about the launch of a new magazine for mamas who care about the environment and healthful living, called Mindful Mama Magazine.

The magazine, which will be available through health care practitioners, at bookstores, boutiques and natural food stores in July, will actively promote (according to a recent press release):

o Simplicity
o Products that are non-toxic to mom and baby
o Products and services produced using sustainable practices
o Companies that make efforts to green their workspace
o Companies that actively work to reduce their carbon footprint
o Companies that donate a portion of profits to a good cause
o Mother-owned businesses or parent-friendly workplaces

We are doing a massive renovation at our house. Right now, we are living in a one room cabin with an outhouse, resident mouse, and possibly a bat (and oh, a one and a three year old) while our house is gutted.

Part of keeping the cost down is that we will do all our own painting and finishing of any wood.

So, we are on the lookout for low and no VOC paints and finishes to use. What are VOCs? Jessica shares about them earlier today and the virtues of new no VOC Mythic paint. Paints, finishes, primers and stains can all contain VOCs which causes indoor air quality to decline, putting little children at a greater risk of many health problems. According to Enviroblog:

A few weeks ago I posted over at Non-Toxic Kids about the new Kid-Safe Chemical Act. This promising legislation would update a 30 year old law that has allowed thousands of chemicals to be used in countless everyday products from baby lotions, shampoos, cosmetics and toothpastes with no research or testing of their safety.

The Environmental Working Group listed these important provisions for the bill, all aimed at making products safer for our kids.

The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act: