Green Options

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and will be filled with fundraisers, galas, fun-walks and other awareness raising events, with, yes, promotional items. Luckily the Ecopreneurist does have green options when it comes to going pink.

Renowned researcher Michael Kramer, who has advised the World Health Organization and Unicef, said that he was misquoted after being interviewed regarding supposed benefits of breastmilk.

You may remember the post regarding feminist Joan Wolf, who believes there are very few benefits of breastfeeding, very much in the same style of Hanna Rosin.

In the same Times article, Dr. Michael Kramer was “grossly misrepresented”. He said that the Times completely misquoted him and that he still very much believes in the benefits of breastmilk. He is quite angry at being put on the other side of what he sees as part of his life work. From the Independent:

There really isn’t any controversy about which mode of feeding is more beneficial for the baby and the mother, but when you read the article in The Times it sounds like there is. I’m not aware of any studies that have observed any health benefits of formula feeding. That’s important, and any mother weighing the benefits of breastfeeding vs formula feeding needs to know that.

The Endocrine Society, a medical group representing the research of hormones, issued an intake warning at their annual meeting earlier this month.

The group is concerned over bisphenol-A and similar hormone-disrupting chemicals, found in plastics, pesticides, and other products. It said in a statement that bisphenol-A is a

’significant concern for public health’ and that it’s important for consumers to take a ‘precautionary approach’ to limit their exposure.

This follows on the heels of a few more studies regarding BPA. First–and most worrisome–is the recent study that showed that human exposure to BPA is likely much higher than previously thought and much higher than deemed “safe” by the FDA. That study’s author, Dr. Frederick vom Saal, who presented his study’s findings at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, said of the chemical:

BPA is now known to be a potent estrogen.

Human and animal studies indicate it could be related to diabetes, heart disease, liver abnormalities, miscarriage and other reproductive abnormalities, as well as prostate and breast cancer

Other recent studies should have us all cutting out the polycarbonate plastic.

For the first time, a study proved that using polycarbonate plastic increases your blood levels of bisphenol-A. And not just a little bit, either. After a week of using these materials for beverages, study participants had a 60 percent increase in the level of BPA in their blood.

Bisphenol-A has been linked to early onset of puberty, low sperm count and infertility, and its carcinogenic effects may include breast cancer. It has also been linked to heart disease and diabetes. You’ve heard all of this, I’m sure.

But how ’bout this? Bisphenol-A was first developed as a synthetic hormone. It’s an endocrine disruptor. It affects our children. It affects our adults. And the FDA still refuses to require removal from food contact materials?!

In the first law of its kind in the States, the Suffolk County Legislature voted Tuesday to ban polycarbonate baby bottles. BPA would have to be removed from sippys and bottles intended for children under 3, or those products would have to be removed from store shelves.

Says bill sponsor Legis. Steve Stern,

There are plenty of viable, cost-effective and safe alternatives.

The county now says they’re evaluating the impact of the law pending an upcoming public hearing.

We’ve reviewed other organic baby leg warmers before on Eco Child’s Play, and I really do love the concept.  I especially like how easy baby leg warmers make diaper changes during the cold winter months without fully undressing a child.  Recently, I have discovered another baby leg warmer company with a great mom solution behind its inception: BabyLegs.

How BabyLegs got its first legs?
Once extreme snowboarder Nicole Donnelly decided to come down from the mountain she chose Seattle, Washington for her next adventure. She settled in the lush campgrounds of Saratoga Passage and soon began her family. Sara, a delightful sparkplug of a child with her mom’s penchant for exploring the world, was dealing with a diaper rash that would not quit. Nicole applied her baby-brains and came up with an ingenious invention.

She cut off the feet to a pair of snowboarding socks and fitted Sara, from hip to ankle, with the coolest set of legwarmers. Now she could be diaper-free, rash-less, crawl safely on her knees and parade around in what was to become the latest in fashion accessories.

I love it!  Cutoff snowboard socks allowed Sara to be diaper-free to heal that rash but still remain warm and protected while crawling. 

Healthy Child Healthy World contributor, Stop Global Warming campaigner, breast cancer survivor, new single mom, and now fashion designer, Sheryl Crow is teaming up with Western Glove Works (aka Silver Jeans) to create casual eco-chic looks that are both eco-friendly and affordable. It comes as no surprise that this country-girl-at-heart will focus the line around denim, while integrating organic cotton and fair trade materials.

The collection is said to be vintage-inspired and will be named “Bootheel Trading Co. by Sheryl Crow”. No launch date has been announced, but rumor has it she’s flying to Australia this October to meet with her partners about the line.

Editor’s note: We’re pleased to welcome Max Gladwell, of MaxGladwell.com, as a regular guest writer on sustainablog. Max Gladwell covers the nexus of social media and green living. We feel that these two trends and technological developments hold tremendous promise for improving quality of life for everyone on the planet.

If you’re reading this blog, then you’re on board with social media. There’s a good chance you belong to social networks like Facebook or MySpace. It’s likely that you Digg stories and even possible that you Twitter. These technologies and services, together with a growing number of others, make up the social web. It’s much like the regular web, but more interactive. More…social. It invites and even demands active participation from everyone. It has a global reach with viral capacity, and yet it’s bringing local communities closer together. It enables people to connect, organize, and make a difference as never before. Indeed, social media is a powerful force, one that the world’s CEOs are starting to acknowledge and take seriously.

Many entrepreneurs, activists, and marketers are leveraging the social web for positive change. In the process and by its very nature, they are giving each of us the tools to change the world and make it a better place. There are thousands of examples, which is precisely why Max Gladwell exists. Here are 10 worth exploring.