The Toxic Tub Report: An Update
In case you missed the news over the Memorial Day weekend, take a look at this excellent reporting from the Associated Press on the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics continued efforts to get 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde out of baby products. Late last week the Campaign delivered a letter to Johnson & Johnson’s CEO asking that J&J reformulate its personal care products to ensure they are free of 1,4-dioxane, phase out phthalates from its products, reformulate its products to avoid the use of Quaternium-15 and other formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, and to switch to safer preservatives. (The last one shouldn’t be too hard since J&J is already selling formaldehyde-free versions of its products in Japan, where formaldehyde is banned in personal care products).
Click here to view the letter.
Back in April, the Green Moms Carnival blogged about this very issue – probable human carcinogens in children’s products. After that carnival, the industry spokespeople who somehow couldn’t find the time to directly answer our questions – even when we called and emailed – found the time to leave snarky comments on our blogs. You can read all about this here and here.
What’s happened since then?
– In late April, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Safe Baby Products Act, which directs the FDA to investigate and regulate hazardous contaminants in personal care products marketed to or used by children.
– A National Cancer Institute study reinforcing the link between cancer and formaldehyde was published in late May. Read more here.
No sooner was I done reading the great press coverage than I received an email from the Campaign, which reads in part:
“Normally a letter like this wouldn’t raise much interest, but clearly people are outraged that such a trusted product as Johnson’s Baby Shampoo could contain carcinogens. I think the Green Moms Carnival was really helpful in tipping parents off to this problem when we released the “Toxic Tub” report in March – thank you. We’re hopeful that the company will reconsider its position that “a little bit” of a carcinogen is nothing to worry about.
Thanks for your good work.”
Marisa Walker
Communications manager
Breast Cancer Fund
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
I was so thrilled to receive this note that I called Marisa to speak to her about the Campaign, and to thank her for taking the time to send this note to us. I’m very proud of the great work done by my friends at The Green Moms Carnival. Thanks again to all of you who participated in the Toxic Tub Carnival, which was hosted by Sommer at Green and Clean Mom. Thanks to: Jennifer our Smart Mama, Beth of Fake Plastic Fish, Jess from The Green Phone Booth, MaryAnne Conlin (aka @mcmilker) from EcoChild’s Play, Jennifer of The Green Parent, Katherine from the Safe Mama, Anna from Green Talk, Alicia from The Soft Landing, Karen from Best of Mother Earth, Micaela from Mindful Momma, Katy from Non-Toxic Kids, Diane from Big Green Purse, Alline of Passion for Green Business, Christine Gardner of moregreenmoms, Tiffany of Nature Moms, and of course, Sommer of Green and Clean Mom.
We’re not there yet, but what progress!
And that picture of J&J Baby Shampoo? How ironic that as I pulled up a stool at a neighbor’s home this afternoon, my view was of …well, what’s in that stuff anyway?
— Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (8) |To Be an Advocate for Your Child
What parent hasn’t heard these words? “Be an advocate for your child.” But what does it really mean?
When my 6-year-old started first grade, I kept hearing those words over and over again from parents with children in the public school system.
“Be an advocate for your child.”
And I wondered…what did people really mean when they said that?
Now I know. And I’m here to tell you, this is what it means:
– Talk to your child about his day at school.
– Visit the classroom.
– Ask questions.
– Follow-up.
– If something doesn’t seem quite right to you, talk to the teacher. Talk to other parents. Talk to the principal. Talk to the PTA. Explore the formal complaint process in your school district.
– Follow your gut.
– Use technology to your advantage: ask questions on listservs. Email your questions to other parents. Do research on-line.
By rights, I should have been blogging about gardening again, and sending my post off to my friend Sommer for this month’s Green Moms Carnival. But instead, I was learning what it meant to be an advocate for my child.
What’s been your experience with advocating for your child? Leave a comment and share!
More later –
Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Green moms, Parenting, Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (8) |GreenHour Moms
Have you heard of GreenHour? It’s a program by the National Wildlife Federation designed to encourage parents to give their kids some outside time each day. They’ve got a cool website with all kinds of resources for parents, where they’ve been featuring a bunch of Green Moms on their site. Last week was Mary Quattlebaum, one of my favorite children’s book authors; the week prior featured an interview with fellow Green Moms Carnival members Renee Limon and Heather Hawkins of Enviromom, and this week is yours truly!
Check it out and get outside today! (Yes, even with the rain…just pretend you’re in London!)
Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (2) |Kids’ Birthday Parties: Eco-Green versus Eco-Cheap?
Kids’ birthday parties always seem to pose a dilemma, whether you’re hosting them or attending them. These days, parents send out invites with everything from “Amazon Wish Lists” to “Please No Gifts” directives.
It’s Saturday today, which means I’ve got plenty of company as parents everywhere negotiate party drop-off times and gifts.
After my 4th cup of latte this morning, it occurred to me that Big Boy didn’t have a present to bring to his first grade classmate’s Pokemon Birthday Party this afternoon.
“No problem!” exclaimed Big Boy.
He disappeared into his room, reappearing several minutes later with two Pokemon cards.
“I’ll give him these! Two of my Pokemon cards!”
At our house, we treasure the concept of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Obviously, Big Boy has this down pat. But what about the Birthday Boy and his family?
Immediately I wondered… will we look cheap? Is this strange to bring old Pokemon cards to a party? Or is this a great opportunity to put our core beliefs into practice? Is this a gift from the heart? Is Big Boy really parting with a cherished Pokemon card, or is he simply passing along something that doesn’t have a good HP?
On the flip side, if I insist that we buy a new present, what does that teach my son? I can imagine my words coming back to haunt me through Big Boy. “Well, Mama, if we have to drive to get a present for him, that’s not really eco-green is it? Because then you’re wasting gas, and that’s not eco-green, is it? Huh? HUH?”
So…here we go….here’s hoping the birthday boy’s family cherishes the 3Rs too….or can put up with some slightly strange new friends!
What’s been your experience with the whole birthday party dance?
Leave a comment and share!
— Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (13) |There’s No Excuse Now: Great Resources for Bike To Work Day
Friday the 15th is National Bike to Work Day, and if you’ve been thinking that you can’t possibly figure out how to bike to work, you might want to skip reading this post, because soon you’ll have no more excuses!
Here are just a few reasons to bike to work: you’ll do your part to help ease traffic and parking congestion, and to improve air quality. You’ll find it an easy way to work off stress and calories. And it’s less expensive than driving or taking mass transit! What could be greener, healthier or cheaper than that?
If you live or work in Bethesda, you’re in for a real treat. Friday morning from 6:30 am. to 8:30 a.m. there is a Bike-to-Work Day celebration at the corner of Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues, complete with free breakfast treats, entertainment, and even a chance to win a new bicycle! But be sure to register here.
| Bike to Work Day |
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Did you know you can bike to work in Bethesda in under 30 minutes from as far away as Dupont Circle, Silver Spring, Potomac, Rockville, or Takoma Park? Check out this chart of approximate cycling distance and time from these and other locations in the DC region.
Wondering where to park your bike? Again, no excuses! Did you know that there are more than 80 bike racks located throughout downtown Bethesda? Check out this map to find one closest to your office.
Did this post help encourage you to bike to work? Leave a comment and share!
— Lynn
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comment (0) |The Carnival of the Green #179
Welcome to the Carnival of the Green! This is my first time hosting, and already I have two lessons learned:
1) Don’t sign-up to host a carnival on the Monday after a holiday weekend unless you want to spend all weekend working on the submissions you’ll start receiving on Friday; and
2) Don’t let anyone convince you to put in an “easy” WordPress upgrade right before your post is due!
So apologies for not getting this up earlier, but yes, I did enjoy the weekend, and yes, I need to learn more about WordPress!
But seriously, if you are interested in hosting some time, you can check out the master calendar at Treehugger here. And thanks again to the host of last week’s carnival, Go Green Travel Green, and to the host of the next carnival, which will run on May 18th at Ethical Superstore.
What a week for a carnival! We had a ton of submissions! So grab a cup of organic tea, coffee, juice, beer or wine – your pleasure – and kick back, and relax!
Save (a little bit) of the World is a post that can be hard to read at times, but the author speaks the truth about what’s wrong with today’s society. She also offers some concrete suggestions for change, an approach that was echoed by several other submissions for this week’s carnival. The Tao of Simplicity shares 10 Ways to Go Green to Help the Environment. Five Cent Nickel shares his tips for Going off the Grid – a very thought provoking post. And J to the izoe shares the secret we’ve all been looking for: how to finally stop “The Talking Phone Book” from being delivered to your house year after year. What a waste of paper, ink, and time! My new pal Condo Blues shares some simple gardening tips and great photos in: Can’t Compost? Use Coffee and Eggs Instead! Elena EcoDiva shares six ways to get green and gorgeous for under $20.
Following up last week’s post about factory farms and swine flu, Sally Kneidel has a new post about swine flu. Experts say swine flu is likely to return this winter, and perhaps spread much more aggressively then. Why? Because we’re all cooped up together in buildings? Nope. Recent research has revealed just why serious flu outbreaks are almost all in cold weather. Has nothing to do with being crowded inside! What is it, then? Read and see .
Did you know May is National Bike Month? My friend Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish wants you to try biking this month! Beth’s favorite method of transit is riding her bike. While bike riding is “green” in and of itself, this post includes resources for lowering your bike’s impact even further. And if you find that biking suits you, why not start using your bike for your morning and evening commute? True Adventures in Money Hacking shares commuter tips in: How to Commute by Bike.
Well, you can be excused if you didn’t know May was National Bike Month. But tell me you didn’t know it was time to put in the garden! Let The Happy Redneck show you How Gardening Can Be A Snap! And once you get out in the garden, you may have to put up with some bugs. Alex from HomeLifeWeekly.com shares a “recipe” for natural ant killing spray.
After reading HomesteaderBelle’s submission about the joys of goat milk and simple living, I had a craving for goat milk ice cream!
The Parade of Homes recently kicked off in Orlando. Running from May 3-17, six of the 70 homes showcased this year are totally green! Not only that, dozens have green features! This is fantastic, because it means green is no longer a trend – it is here to stay & be integrated into home building for years to come!
All of us greenies know that low-flow showerheads are the eco-savvy choice. But this post from moolanomy.com makes a good case for how they can save the other kind of green too — your hard earned money.
Perhaps you can use the green you save from going green to travel to far off lands (if you travel sustainably, natch!) This week, we received two interesting posts about international environmental issues – the first, Pollution in a Promised Land, runs on the Jewish Climate Initiative blog, and the second, from The Travel Expert, is about sustainability certification programs in Costa Rica.Fortunately, if you’re thinking of taking off for parts unknown, you can check out this Go Green Travel Green review of Kleen Kanteen stainless steel water bottles. Added bonus for travel: they now make a wine carafe! Who knew?
Thanks for hosting!
I know plenty of women named Cindy, but no one named “Recycled Cindy,” at least until now! “Recycled Cindy” shares a recycled crafting project – how-to instructions to make a recycled plastic bracelet crocheted from plastic bags and other upcycled plastic materials.
From the safety and security of crafting to the dangers of sharks – it’s a crazy green carnival this time ’round! Check out this post from David of Southern Friend Science. Did you know that there are four things everyone needs to know about sharks? Actually, I did. The “Green Moms and Dads” of elementary school age children probably all passed the four question test with flying colors, but for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of reading 100 or so shark books in the last year, please check it out! Seriously, it’s a great post!
Hope you enjoyed the Carnival!
— Lynn
Monday Just Got a Whole Lot Better for Greenies: #EcoMonday is Here!
It seems nearly everyone is on Twitter these days, which means that finding people you care about amidst all the din can be …well, challenging to say the least. This is where hashtags come in – those # marks that appear at the end of some tweets, like this one.
Commonly used at conferences, and for the popular Follow Friday meme, the new hashtag #EcoMonday is being used by the twitterati to point out recommended greenies to follow, as well as to spread tips and links about sustainable practices, green biz and green living. EcoMonday is the brainchild of Rob Reed of Max Gladwell. He’s put a real-time feed of EcoMonday tweets up here. This new meme is already one of the hot “trending topics” on Twitter.
I follow nearly 2,000 people on Twitter, all of whom I’d recommend as a “follow,” and most of whom are somehow connected to the green world – green Moms, green businesspeople, green marketing folks, and more… So I could stay busy with EcoMonday for months, if not years, to come! Come join in on the EcoMonday fun! Are you on Twitter yet? Leave a comment and share!
— Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2009
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (3) |National Healthy Schools Day: April 27th
This is a Guest Post from Janelle Sorenson, Senior Writer and Health Consultant for Healthy Child Healthy World. Janelle is a big supporter of the Green Moms Carnival – that’s how I’ve come to know her. She is an amazing woman, and I’m thrilled to share her wise counsel to help all of us parents and educators make our schools healthier for the children we love. — Lynn
When my husband and I first toured schools to find the one we wanted to enroll our daughter in, I’m sure I was silently voted one of the strangest parents ever. Why do I feel I was secretly endowed with this title? Because every room and hallway we were taken through, I sniffed. A lot. And, according to my husband, I wasn’t terribly discreet.
I didn’t have a cold or postnasal drip. And, I’m not part bloodhound. I was simply concerned about the indoor air quality. My daughter was (and still is) prone to respiratory illnesses and I wanted to be sure the school she would be attending would support and protect her growing lungs (in addition to her brain). For many air quality issues, your nose knows, so I was using the easiest tool I had to gauge how healthy the environment was.
While air quality is a significant issue in schools (the EPA estimates that at least half of our nation’s 120,000 schools have problems), parents are also increasingly concerned about other school health issues like nutrition and the use of toxic pesticides. Many schools are making the switch to healthier and more sustainable practices like green cleaning, least toxic pest management, and even school gardening. What they’re finding is that greening their school improves the health and performance of students and personnel, saves money (from using less energy, buying fewer products, and having fewer worker injuries among other things), and also helps protect the planet. It’s truly win, win, win.
To highlight the issue, the Healthy Schools Network coordinates National Healthy Schools Day. This year, over three dozen events will be held across the country (and more in Canada) on April 27th to promote and celebrate healthy school environments.
What can you do? Healthy Schools Network recommends simple activities such as:
• Adopting Guiding Principles of School Environmental Quality as a policy for your School;
• Distributing information related to Green Cleaning or Indoor Air Quality (IAQ);
• Writing a letter or visiting your Principal or Facility Director to ask about cleaning products or pest control products;
• Walking around your school: looking for water stains, cracks in outside walls, broken windows or steps, and overflowing dumpsters that are health & safety problems that need attention. Use this checklist.
• Writing a Letter to the Editor of your local paper on the importance of a healthy school to all children and personnel.
You can also help support the efforts of states trying to pass policies requiring schools to use safer cleaners. (Or, initiate your own effort!) There are good bills pending in Connecticut, Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, and Oregon. According to Claire Barnett, Executive Director of the Healthy Schools Network, the key pieces to promote on green cleaning in schools are:
• Not being fooled by ‘green washing’ claims—commercial products must be third-party certified as green (to verify claims);
• Understanding that green products are cost-neutral and they work; and,
• Learning that “Clean doesn’t have an odor.”
Claire encourages parents and personnel to tune into one of the archived webinars on green cleaning (like the first module for general audiences) here.
The fact of the matter is that whether you’re concerned about the quality of food, cleaning chemicals, recycling, or energy use – schools need our help and support. Instead of complaining about what’s wrong, it’s time to help do what’s right – for our children, our schools, and our planet.
What are you going to do? There are so many ideas and resources. Find your passion and get active on April 27th – National Healthy Schools Day.
Additional Resources:
• Creating Healthy Environments for Children (DVD): A short video with easy tips for schools and a variety of handouts to download and print.
• Getting Your Child’s School to Clean Green: Here’s a blog I wrote last year with advice based on my experience working with schools.
• Healthy Community Toolkit: Healthy Child Healthy World’s tips and tools for being a successful community advocate and some of our favorite organizations working on improving child care and school environments and beyond.
• The Everything Green Classroom Book: The ultimate guide to teaching and living green and healthy.
Janelle Sorensen is the Senior Writer and Health Consultant for Healthy Child Healthy World (www.healthychild.org). You can also find her on Twitter as @greenandhealthy.
Copyright 2009
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (2) |National Recycling Week and kajeet
Today marks the start of National Cell Phone Recycling Week, an EPA initiative to increase the rate of cell phone recycling, which stood at an abysmal 10% level when last measured in ’07. Did you know that it is so easy to recycle that you can download a free shipping label and mail in your old phones? Check out kajeetrecycles which is a free program run by one of my newest clients, kajeet, the cell phone service made 4 kids.™
It’s my policy to disclose my clients on this blog and on my Linked In page whenever I blog or tweet about anything that might touch upon my business relationships.
And today I’m happy to announce that I’ve returned to my roots in the wireless industry through my contract with kajeet. About a year ago I switched the focus of my tech marketing business to a focus on environmentally aware companies. My first clients were traditionally “green” companies: an organic food company, a manufacturer of energy-efficient LED lights, a company that develops community-based sustainability initiatives, and an eco-friendly organic cotton t-shirt purveyor among them.
So some might wonder…hmmm…cell phones? How are they related to environmental concerns? Well, that’s just it. I believe that every company can make improvements in their environmental stewardship initiatives, just like all of us can take steps to lighten our impact on Mother Earth.
I’ve found it incredibly rewarding to work with kajeet to trace back their recycling path, and to develop new programs to encourage people to purchase refurbished cell phones rather than new cell phones. When most people think of refurbished cell phones, they think of them simply as a cheaper option than new, rather than a more environmentally friendly choice than buying new. Buying refurbished phones eliminates the need to use up more resources to produce new phones, and may keep phones out of landfills.
Now, when you purchase a refurbished phone through this page and using the code “reuse” you’ll save 10% off the price of the phone and kajeet will plant a tree for you through a partnership with mokugift and the UN Environment Program’s Billion Tree Campaign. The mokugift site and the kajeet tree island are so beautiful – I can’t wait to see it grow as more trees are planted!
And because kajeet phones are specially designed for Moms and their kids, they come with parental controls that really help families to manage cell phone usage. We even added a special “Green Tips for Teens” channel to the phone, featuring tips from my fellow Green Moms Carnival friend and author Jenn Savedge, also known as “The Green Parent.” Her new book, “The Green Teen,” will be released in May.
Thanks so much to all of you who have supported me through this incredible green blogging and business journey and please let me know if you have any questions for me!
— Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (3) |Something to Listen To…Green Blogosphere.com Interview
I’ve blogged a few times about “better late than never.” Well, this is one of those times. So bear with me as I post this podcast interview conducted by the wonderful Tom Tucker of Green Blogosphere.com. The interview was recorded some time ago (you’ll have to listen to it to figure out when!) and in it, I discuss tips for making the most of your organic shopping budget, my life as a green marketing consultant, how I got started in the Green Blogosphere, and the wonderful Green Moms of the Green Moms Carnival.
Poor Tom Tucker has probably been scratching his head wondering why I didn’t post this sooner – so my very public apologies to you, Tom. Thank you again for a delightful interview.
What has finally motivated me to post this interview? Well, I have another radio interview tomorrow – this time with community radio station KVMR’s See Jane Do program which is “a social change multimedia program, capturing the stories of everyday women doing extraordinary things for the planet.” The Corporation for Public Broadcasting-funded program will be webcast here at 4:20 p.m. EST Wednesday – and it’s a call-in show. I invited fellow Green Moms Carnival member Jennifer Taggert aka The Smart Mama, to join me, along with Lisa Frack, online parent outreach coordinator for The Environmental Working Group.
In prepping for my interview tomorrow, I listened to the Green Blogosphere interview again. My verdict? I think I shared a lot of good information, but said “um..” too often! And can you tell I’m from New Jersey?
Please let me know what you think!
Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (3) |
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