The US-run study was performed in India, where the average height for women is less than that of Westernized freaks like me women. Researchers found that across a sampling of households, including 50,000 children,

Children of mothers shorter than 4 foot 9 inches were 70 percent more likely to die by age 5 than those whose mothers were at least 5 foot 3 inches tall.

The average height for Indian women is 150 cm, or 4′11″. For women in the United States, the average height is 163.7 cm, or almost 5′4″.  So, Indian women just below average height had children with a higher infant mortality rate than taller women.

For my friends who I used as armrests when we were growing up are a little less that average in the height department, never fear. This isn’t a warning to women worldwide, researchers say.

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This does not bode well for them or our planet.

As Senegalese poet and naturalist Baba Dioum said,

We will protect only what we love, we will love only what we understand, we will understand only what we are taught.

If today’s children do not get outside to play in nature, with nature, they will have little reason or desire to protect the environment when they are adults.

Parents have the power to change this! Inspire play. Make active choices. Make TV the dessert of your child’s at home time, not the main dish.

Children will fight this (especially if they are use to spending the majority of the day in front of the TV).

Fight back!

Fight with patience. Fight with opportunity. Fight with love, knowing that what you are doing is for the good of your child and the planet.

TURN OFF THE TV!

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Well yes, easy access but not so great for your children’s health. Research studies have shown that environmental pollution, like exhaust particles, can leave school age children more susceptible to respiratory illnesses.

“This is a major public health concern that should be given serious consideration in future urban development, transportation planning and environmental policies,” says Sergey Grinshpun, PhD, principal investigator of the study and professor of environmental health at UC. To protect the health of young children with developing lungs, he says new schools should be built further from major highways.

This research examined 8000 schools serving 6 million school age children across the country, in Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Denver, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis and San Antonio and indicates that the problem is far more widespread than was previously thought. Asthma is at epidemic levels in this country and part of the reason, especially for children is homes and schools built in increasing proximity to highways.

Close to 6.3 million children in the U.S. under 18 currently have asthma!

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Of course, I helpfully passed it on to my son. After I stop by the pharmacy today to fill his prescription, I’ll pop into my local health market and pick up some probiotics for him as well.

Long used in the alternative health community, interest in probiotics by western medicine practitioners is growing. An American Academy of Pediatrics article states:

Probiotics, have shown particular promise in the treatment of acute infectious diarrhea and the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

Probiotics are microbes that can protect and prevent disease. The best known is Lactobacillus acidophilus, which is found in yogurt and acidophilus milk. As well as, supplements.

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Part trade show, part educational seminar, and part family-themed festival, the Naturally Healthy Children’s Expo is a two-day event focused on exposing families with children to all the tools they have available for achieving a more natural, holistic, and sustainable lifestyle. Mixed in among more than 70 exhibitors at this year’s expo were five different stages featuring dozens of presentations by speakers covering topics like healthy eating, holistic medical approaches to pediatric conditions, and raising kids with a concern for the natural world. There were also a few activities geared at the kiddos themselves, including a hands-on music stage, coloring wall, and various small creatures of the household pet variety available for the petting.

As you might expect in a LOHAS-themed event, a large proportion of the booths were devoted to healthy food products and alternative medical services. But I wound up spending most of my time at booths that fell into other categories. These included book and magazine publishers, household product makers (hawking wares like truly portable nylon tote bags, safe cleaning products, and sustainable toys), and nonprofit educational institutions such the Shedd Aquarium and Chicago Wilderness. I basically focused exclusively on exhibitors with a direct focus on environmental sustainability, and I still didn’t cover everything after a couple of hours. Here’s a sample of some of my favorite discoveries:

• The Chico Bag: A really handy way to keep reusable shopping bags at the ready. The nylon is guaranteed strong and durable, and the bag can be recycled at the end of its life.
• Me Go Green: A Chicago-focused green search engine, savings/coupon book, business directory, and resource for school fundraisers.
• Leave No Child Inside: A public awareness initiative launched by the Chicago Wilderness consortium based on a national movement popularized by Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder.
• Naked Juice: I found out from another exhibitor that this brand is owned by Pepsi, but I’m still sold on their gross-looking Green Machine smoothie made from apple, kiwi, and other assorted nutrient-rich produce. Anything this green that can make a preschooler ask for seconds (and thirds!) without added sugar is some kind of miracle elixir.
• Zota Soda: It ain’t exactly health food, but I predict this delicious soft drink made from organic green tea will be all the rage in a couple years. After just a few samples, I’m hooked on the gently fizzy, lightly sweet, totally thirst-quenching beverage — it’s just that good. Zota comes in six flavors, and I can vouch for lemon, orange, and raspberry. I may never go back to Dr. Pepper.

The aspect of the expo that had the greatest unrealized potential, though, was the extensive series of speakers and panel discussions. These sessions were free of the commercial aspect of the trade show and offered the chance for attendees to hear from passionate experts in many fields in an intimate setting. Unfortunately, these sessions seemed sparsely attended, with just a handful of people stopping to sit and listen to most presentations. Perhaps this was because there wasn’t much in the way of drop-off activities for the younger kids, and the speaking sessions required at least a middle-school attention span.

The few speakers that I did catch seemed to have some thought-provoking things to say about the challenges facing families in the age of electronic personal media and a convenience-driven, throwaway society. More importantly, they were offering practical ideas for meeting those challenges. But without much of an audience (at least on Saturday) I think there were some missed opportunities for information sharing. Hopefully next year’s expo (already scheduled for September 20-21, 2008 — mark your calendars) will concentrate the presentations into fewer stages with better attendance. In the meantime, parents interested in getting free practical advice from the folks who put together the expo can sign up for a monthly e-newsletter that will go out in November.

In all, the Naturally Healthy Children’s Expo seems like it’s just getting started. It appears to be filling a niche for people who want to make better choices for their kids, and who want to learn from other parents or caregivers. Since most new parents enter the world of raising children woefully unprepared, and stumble along figuring it out for themselves, occasionally getting word-of-mouth advice from other parents with similar-aged kids on the playground, it was great to see some young couples expecting their first child educating themselves about their alternatives. (As veteran parents know, once the whirlwind of life with baby hits, things can quickly devolve to the path of least resistance.) Hopefully the word will spread to other mindful parents around the country, and next year some of the families of tourists on Navy Pier next fall will be able to walk away with more than a memory of ride on a Ferris wheel.

The Naturally Healthy Children’s Expo will be coming to San Francisco and Seattle in 2008. Click here for details.

My Body My House begins with a man living in a healthy home, surrounded by trees, heated with wood, and providing a garden with fresh vegetables. Soon, the Body (man) begins to notice his neighbors and feel the need to "keep up with the Jones's". He begins to remodel his home, wanting to do so cheaply and not concerned with the toxicity of the buidling materials. He replaces hardwood floors with carpeting, seals the windows, uses insecticides to kill bugs, etc. The House continues to warn the Body he is creating an unhealthy environment, but the Body continues to remodel. "'But you don't understand,' the House started to gush. 'My air now contains pollution and dust. You've added new things. I'm no longer the same. Look in the mirror, only YOU are to blame.'" The Body continues to become ill from the indoor air quality, until he eventually opens a window, breathes in fresh air, and discovers the error of his ways. "He reached his arms out and hugged his dear friend. 'Don't worry, wise House, these problems I'll mend!' Then he skipped out the door, not a minute to spare, spotting all of his friends as he leaped in the air. Butterflies, trees, birds, bugs-everyone. And the Body now realized we are woven in one."

Inside the BookMy almost six-year old daughter enjoyed My Body My House; however, there were a few aspects of the book she said she would have changed. First, the text does not follow a consistent rhyming pattern. Some lines rhyme, some do not. When reading orally, a rhythm begins to develop on some passages, only to be abruptly changed a few lines later. In addition, it bothered her that the character was referred to as the Body throughout the book. I understand the author's choice of the Body to reinforce the parallels between our homes and our bodies; however, this choice created an awkard storytelling experience. The goal of the story to educate parents and children about the relationship of our homes to our health and the environment is good, yet the awkardness of the text makes me think this book will not stand the test of time as a great environmental children's book. The illustrations match the light, whimisical text well.

Green NestAuthor Lisa Beres is the owner and cofounder of Green Nest, a site devoted to creating healthy homes. Green Nest informs us that, "According to the EPA research, on average, the air inside our 'Nests' typically contain levels of pollutants 2-5 times higher than the air outside and in extreme cases can be 100 times more contaminated. The average American spends about 90% of their time inside. It is no wonder the EPA ranked indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental risks to public health." Choosing safer cleaning products, air purifiers, green building materials, etc. are all ways we can minimize our exposure to indoor air pollutants.

Although I can not give high praises to My Body My House, I appreciate the message and believe it is an important one. This book is the first in series The Body Series: Big Lessons for Little People. Teaching our children about and protecting them from the dangerous chemicals in our homes is an important green family value, and I appreaciate Lisa's efforts. In addition, a portion of all book proceeds are donated to the Children's Health Environmental Coalition: Healthy Child, Healthy World. This nonprofit organization is devoted protecting children and educating parents about harmful environmental exposures. It is an incredible resource that every parent should visit and support often.

Amazon link: My Body My House