It's that time, to get ready for sending the kiddos back to school, if you haven't already. My little one is starting preschool this month, and it dawned on me that I'll need to get some things for him, like a lunch box and backpack (mini sized of course). Naturally, these items MUST be free of harmful chemicals like lead, pthalates, and other nasties. Also AVOID products with MICROBAN. Talk about greenwashing and only adding more chemicals to the mix. Oh, and the big one-PVC. Those squeaky shiny vinyl backpacks and lunch containers in a lot of stores often contain PVC, which is a huge no-no. It is one of the worst chemicals to produce because of its effects on the environment and the factory workers, not to mention off-gassing from the finished products. You want to be wary of prints and paints on the designs too-they may contain lead or other nasty chemicals, and you don't want your little ones breathing them, putting their hands on them and then putting their hands in their mouths or touching food and eating. Yuck.
Of even more concern is the containers that we use to pack our children's lunches-what do you use? Plastic sandwich bags that may or may not leach chemicals into the food, and then sit in a landfill? How many sandwich or snack bags do you go through in a month? In a year? Think of how much you spend on those little things. It's a complete waste. Buy reusable containers. I have sandwich containers from Tupperware (haven't checked the safety on those recently, oops) and they don't let the sandwich get smooshed, though they do take up a bit more space. (They're also good for packing cookies.) Wash and reuse the plastic bags? Um...yeah no. Those will start to break down, and how clean do they really get? I've made a relatively new discovery-reusable snack and sandwich bags. Sure we've used small plastic containers for snacks before, and those are good too (depending on what kind you use!), but these replace plastic snack and sandwich bags, and are washable. You pay, say between $5 and $10 for a bag or bags depending on the size, and that's your bag...until it happens to wear out. Months? Years? You pay about that price for a box of plastic ones you're going to throw away...and then pay for another box....and another...well it's not rocket science. AND they come in great colors and patterns!
Okay, what else? Other food containers. Replace plastic with glass or stainless steel (for example, Lunchbots makes stainless steel food containers, lunchbox size), or check on the safety of the plastic ones you're using or looking at. Some companies are very reputable and do quality work as well as test their products for safety. Same thing for drink containers-stainless steel. Thermos makes nice kid sized products, and even some with characters that they absolutely must have. Also, you will get a quality product that will last you longer.
For good references, check out one of my favorite sites Safemama.com for cheat sheets on which brands are safe to buy and recommendations on which products to get. The most recent is the lunch gear list and the backpack list. The Center for Health, Environment & Justice is another good reference place. Finally, definitely check out EWG's back to school guide- it contains great recommendations for greening up all of your school supplies. Classrooms and their supplies are a major pit of toxic chemicals, but we won't think about that right now.
These suggestions are not just for kids- they are relevant to big people too. Look at your food containers and the lunches you pack. What do you buy that's throwaway that can be replaced with a reusable item? What kinds of products are you using? This is a learning curve for me too. Things I never really thought about-like plastic straws and lunch/snack bags- are now an obvious thing to me. I'm ordering reusable snack bags and not buying any more plastic ones once mine are used up.
Small changes can make a big difference. Your health and the health of your child are worth it. Oh, and your earth will thank you.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Greenwashing, etc
Greenwashing: attempts by companies to make products appear "natural" or "healthy" or otherwise better for you/the environment than it actually may be. It's everywhere, like roaches or Walgreens. Greenwashing can happen to your food, beverages, cosmetics, skincare, shampoo, basic toiletries...anything. Companies know that people want to be "green" or environmentally friendly, whether it's for the environment, ingredientally (I made that up) superior food products, or a health cause. So, they do many things to make their products appear better in one or more of those ways. Some companies really do try; for example on some mainstream lotions you may see something like "95% natural!" which is a good start in bringing a product that really may be 95% "natural," or chemical-free, to regular store shelves where regular people can buy them. BUT - many companies are not so honest. How about putting a green-colored label on a bottle, or pictures of leaves on the label? That must mean it's all sticks, leaves, and dirt from the earth and totally pure, right? Or the words "all natural" are printed on the label, so of course it must be true. How many times have you ever actually read those ingredients lists? How does one define "natural"? The truth is, no one. That word has no definitive terms behind it that products must meet in order to be printed on a product label, so companies use it as they wish. To be labeled as organic, however, a product must meet certain regulated standards. The key term here is regulated- organic ingredients and products are regulated, but anyone can label a product as "natural."
On another greenwashing front: food products. Commercials air frequently for products containing whole grains. Because whole grains are healthy for you (there's more to that story, but another time). A line of certain cereals, for example, including some very popular cereals marketed toward children, which will remain nameless, claim to have such a great amount of whole grains per serving that the amount of sugar in the cereals is apparently completely negated. Who wouldn't love to eat whole grains coated in layers of sugar? And it has whole grains! It's good for you! Some of the same cereal lines would like us to think that eating their cereals will make us thinner, because "people who eat whole grains tend to weigh less." Or could it be that people who eat "whole grains" tend to make healthier food choices overall? Nah.
See this article by the Environmental Working Group. It's shameful that companies market their products to appear better than they are, or just the fact that they make such junk and market them to be so appealing to kids. Wow, bright colors and loud noise with lots of stuff going on in the commercial, it must be GREAT! That's not to say it's all horrible (well okay it might be), I mean I definitely had my favorites, and I still see adults eating those kinds of cereals regularly for breakfast. Um, did you not notice that you were 25 years old? Or 30? Or 40? Sweetie, it's the real world now, time to have a real breakfast. Once in a while, okay. Everyday, not okay. I digress. Ultimately it is up to parents to make the right choices for their children. But being a kid is about having all those sweets and junk food! Just let kids be kids! Well, I call BS. Who said because they're kids they have a right to eat lots of junk food? Kids have a right to a safe home environment, having their basic needs met, adequate nutrition, parents who don't beat them, and safe schools. Here is not the place for me to go into nutrition, health, mental function and academic performance. Sure those treats are yummy and can be fun to have. Sometimes. Of course I remember eating that stuff quite frequently when I was a kid. That doesn't make it right or okay to let my child pig out on sweets and junk food on a daily basis, or even a weekly basis. It's my job to make sure he's eating the right kinds of healthy foods for his growing little body.
The point is, just pay attention to the products you are purchasing or considering purchasing, if you are concerned about ingredients or environmental impact. Is what you are buying really necessary? How about bottled water? Buy a (preferably glass or stainless steel) reusable water bottle and fill it up with filtered water or tap water if you're not concerned about your tap water. Trust me, you will save money, and the environmental impact of all of those plastic water bottles is frightening. What's even worse? How about organic bottled water? I've never heard of something so ridiculous.
Learn to read labels. If you can't pronounce an ingredient, you probably shouldn't be eating it or putting it on your skin. The less ingredients, the better. Most importantly, you should recognize each ingredient, and avoid most preservatives, but especially chemical preservatives. There are many companies who print the pink ribbon on their labels and state that proceeds will help fund breast cancer research...yet at the same time some of those companies are using the very ingredients that are linked to causing breast cancer.
If you are concerned about good company policies, buying from smaller companies and such, please see this article. I have mixed feelings about this and won't be discussing it now. If you want to read about pesticides on your produce, and I recommend that you do, go here.
Until next time...
On another greenwashing front: food products. Commercials air frequently for products containing whole grains. Because whole grains are healthy for you (there's more to that story, but another time). A line of certain cereals, for example, including some very popular cereals marketed toward children, which will remain nameless, claim to have such a great amount of whole grains per serving that the amount of sugar in the cereals is apparently completely negated. Who wouldn't love to eat whole grains coated in layers of sugar? And it has whole grains! It's good for you! Some of the same cereal lines would like us to think that eating their cereals will make us thinner, because "people who eat whole grains tend to weigh less." Or could it be that people who eat "whole grains" tend to make healthier food choices overall? Nah.
See this article by the Environmental Working Group. It's shameful that companies market their products to appear better than they are, or just the fact that they make such junk and market them to be so appealing to kids. Wow, bright colors and loud noise with lots of stuff going on in the commercial, it must be GREAT! That's not to say it's all horrible (well okay it might be), I mean I definitely had my favorites, and I still see adults eating those kinds of cereals regularly for breakfast. Um, did you not notice that you were 25 years old? Or 30? Or 40? Sweetie, it's the real world now, time to have a real breakfast. Once in a while, okay. Everyday, not okay. I digress. Ultimately it is up to parents to make the right choices for their children. But being a kid is about having all those sweets and junk food! Just let kids be kids! Well, I call BS. Who said because they're kids they have a right to eat lots of junk food? Kids have a right to a safe home environment, having their basic needs met, adequate nutrition, parents who don't beat them, and safe schools. Here is not the place for me to go into nutrition, health, mental function and academic performance. Sure those treats are yummy and can be fun to have. Sometimes. Of course I remember eating that stuff quite frequently when I was a kid. That doesn't make it right or okay to let my child pig out on sweets and junk food on a daily basis, or even a weekly basis. It's my job to make sure he's eating the right kinds of healthy foods for his growing little body.
The point is, just pay attention to the products you are purchasing or considering purchasing, if you are concerned about ingredients or environmental impact. Is what you are buying really necessary? How about bottled water? Buy a (preferably glass or stainless steel) reusable water bottle and fill it up with filtered water or tap water if you're not concerned about your tap water. Trust me, you will save money, and the environmental impact of all of those plastic water bottles is frightening. What's even worse? How about organic bottled water? I've never heard of something so ridiculous.
Learn to read labels. If you can't pronounce an ingredient, you probably shouldn't be eating it or putting it on your skin. The less ingredients, the better. Most importantly, you should recognize each ingredient, and avoid most preservatives, but especially chemical preservatives. There are many companies who print the pink ribbon on their labels and state that proceeds will help fund breast cancer research...yet at the same time some of those companies are using the very ingredients that are linked to causing breast cancer.
If you are concerned about good company policies, buying from smaller companies and such, please see this article. I have mixed feelings about this and won't be discussing it now. If you want to read about pesticides on your produce, and I recommend that you do, go here.
Until next time...
Friday, July 15, 2011
Becoming Green, Part 2
I don't mean to keep waiting a month in between posts. The time just seems to slip by.
I have been thinking about my last post and felt the need to expand upon the thoughts expressed therein. I'm not sure if I expressed myself fully. I began to read through my last post to see what I should edit or add. And you know, I feel like I did say just about everything without going into lots of details. The thing is, just because something is sold on a store shelf, or has pretty words on the label or cool pictures, doesn't make it a good product. Just because something isn't on your evening news doesn't mean it's not news and should be ignored. The media IS controlled by corporations; TV and radio stations are owned by bigger companies and individuals, and those owners govern at least to some extent, what gets aired on those stations. Remember when we only just started hearing about BPA? People worked very hard and diligently to keep pushing companies and institutions to do more research and to get the word out about its potential harmfulness, long before we even heard about it on the news.
Crazy or not, we as a society need to be more accountable for ourselves and the world we live in. I'd like to reiterate that I'm not a crunchy, granola-eating, Birkenstock-wearing tree-hugger. I don't practice all of these things perfectly that I'm talking about. It takes time to open your eyes to everything around you and really see what you have, what you can change, from the big things to the smallest things. Habits are very difficult to change, but they're not impossible.
Let me hear from you, people. Am I crazy? Do you get what I'm saying?
I have been thinking about my last post and felt the need to expand upon the thoughts expressed therein. I'm not sure if I expressed myself fully. I began to read through my last post to see what I should edit or add. And you know, I feel like I did say just about everything without going into lots of details. The thing is, just because something is sold on a store shelf, or has pretty words on the label or cool pictures, doesn't make it a good product. Just because something isn't on your evening news doesn't mean it's not news and should be ignored. The media IS controlled by corporations; TV and radio stations are owned by bigger companies and individuals, and those owners govern at least to some extent, what gets aired on those stations. Remember when we only just started hearing about BPA? People worked very hard and diligently to keep pushing companies and institutions to do more research and to get the word out about its potential harmfulness, long before we even heard about it on the news.
Crazy or not, we as a society need to be more accountable for ourselves and the world we live in. I'd like to reiterate that I'm not a crunchy, granola-eating, Birkenstock-wearing tree-hugger. I don't practice all of these things perfectly that I'm talking about. It takes time to open your eyes to everything around you and really see what you have, what you can change, from the big things to the smallest things. Habits are very difficult to change, but they're not impossible.
Let me hear from you, people. Am I crazy? Do you get what I'm saying?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
How it all started: when I began turning green and why you should too
What exactly does it mean to be "green?" Why do people make such a decision? How does one even begin to live a "cleaner" or "greener" life?
I think "being green" is a very vague term and can refer to anything from car emissions to recycling to water or energy consumption, bringing your own bags to the grocery store, using sustainable products, buying organic or especially locally-grown food, not using any petroleum-based products, using reusable things rather than their disposable counterparts...the list goes on. Many companies make one small improvement in efficiency, and they jump on the bandwagon and call their products green or "greener," thinking it makes them heroes for the environment. But basically it means being a mindful consumer and member of society. After all, we share this earth with everyone else, and we only have one of it.
I think for me it started with plastic containers. Gladware, Tupperware, you know the stuff. My memory is rather fuzzy. Of course recycling has been around for years, if you have been lucky enough to have a program in your area. In good ol' Chi-town, you have to live in one of the lucky neighborhoods that the city decided to grace with a recycling program, or take it to a drop off location yourself. Put it in those blue bags with the rest of the trash and they'll sort it? ...Yeah probably not. Who remembers "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle?" I honestly think this should come back. As a society we are used to disposable this, disposable that, use something once and throw it away. We've become lazy for convenience. Who wants to wash another dish? Get paper plates! (And before anyone brings up the wasting water debate, a good dishwasher can actually be more energy-efficient than washing by hand.)
But the plastic containers for me were more than that. In fact they didn't start out that way. Of course they're reusable. They're great for bringing home Thanksgiving leftovers. No, it was the chemicals. The plastic containers and nonstick cookware. They're loaded with chemicals. I began hearing that plastic containers should not be used to heat certain things in the microwave, partially because certain foods can react with the plastic (think tomato sauce) and partially because they start to melt when you leave them in there too long. How many of you have some of those containers that look like they've been through it all? Scratched to hell, you think it's food so you keep trying to scrub it off, but it doesn't. Yeah, do you really want to eat that? Nonstick cookware is awesome. Sure, they said it was safe. But how many people read the instructions where it says to NOT heat over high heat? Nonstick cookware was "safe" as long as heat was kept to a medium. Then it was questioned if that was even safe. Nonstick cookware, or as most people call it, Teflon, is made from Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which begins to break down when heated. A study referenced at the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), which I can't find now, showed that Teflon begins to heat quickly and off-gasses even if the heat source is not on the high setting. That was enough for us to get rid of our nonstick cookware. All of it. And we had Calphalon nonstick cookware. I have one thing that is nonstick still, a giant wok-skillet thing that I use rarely. Everything else is stainless steel or cast iron. Expensive, yes, but worth it in the end, to not breathe or eat chemicals and have cookware that will last and not scratch.
Back to the plastic containers. It was one of those things where I thought, well, I'll just be careful with what I'm heating in them. But the more I read, the more I started to think maybe I should look for at least a more reliable type of container. Like glass. Doesn't stain. Doesn't retain odors. Easy to clean. Doesn't melt if overheated in the microwave. They also last longer than gladware. Pyrex anyone? Anyway from there my memory jumps to BPA. I blame the pregnancy for the lack of memory and for the heightened wariness of chemicals. Growing life inside your body really makes you think about what other things you are putting into your body. I got a BPA-free water bottle. I bought BPA-free bottles and every other plastic thing I could think of replacing. I got rid of my #7 hard, clear plastic Rubbermaid containers. It just goes down hill from there. I kept reading more and more about how all plastics can leach chemicals- even bottled water. Of course that's only one small reason to not buy bottled water, the environmental impact of plastic bottles being much worse. I have been slowly making the switch to other materials. I now have my BPA-free water bottle, an insulated (giant) stainless steel water bottle, and a glass water bottle. I still have plastic food containers but they get used less, and will eventually get replaced.
The chemical awareness grew from there. I began reading how pretty much all of our mainstream, commercial products have unnecessary chemicals in them, even J&J's baby shampoo which CAN cause an allergic reaction. I refused to put anything but safe things on my baby. No chemicals, only actual natural ingredients. Don't be fooled- Aveeno is not a natural product. Putting leaves on packaging does not make something better for you. Yes, there were times I used regular things, when I needed something or what I was looking for was just too expensive at the time or too hard to find, or I didn't know enough yet. He was fed only organic baby food. No commercial lotions, shampoos, sunscreen, anything. He had an organic crib mattress because mattresses are also made with nasty chemicals because the law states they must be flame retardant, but guess what? There are other ways.
From there I started branching out. Febreeze is terrible for you to breathe. It might smell nice, but do you know what goes into making that smell? I don't and am somewhat afraid to go looking for the answer. Electronics are some of the worst offenders- they are usually coated in fire retardants and these chemicals can be found in the dust lying around your home. Electric cords and cables? Coated in lead. Ever see that disclaimer- or should I say warning- on Christmas lights? Those big tags we ignore? They tell you to keep out of reach of children and pets and to wash your hands after handling. Fabrics? Treated with formaldehyde and other chemicals to prevent wrinkling and deter bugs. Lysol and Clorox? No thank you. There are plenty of other options for household cleaning products-you can even make your own. Vinegar works wonders on stains and also softens clothes and helps rinse out detergent residue. And you know what else? Vinegar is CHEAP.
Being green means sometimes spending more money for better products. Or using some elbow grease vs quick and easy chemicals. In a sense, it means don't be selfish. Your health is not worth it. The health of your children is not worth it. The earth is bigger than your little issues or your laziness; our children have to grow up and have children in this world and we need to keep it nice. Okay enough of the soapbox.
Of course I'm not perfect- I'm extremely far from it. These little habits we grew up with are so ingrained into our heads that it's difficult to see any differently. But little things here and there can make a difference, and I'm trying to learn new ones all the time. I just recently learned about glass straws. My son loves straws. Imagine all of those little things sitting in the landfill. I suppose they might be recycleable, but it's another thing that is really unnecessary, and we could really do without.
So began my long journey, and why I am the Alternative Lemming. I just assume everyone thinks I'm crazy.
I think "being green" is a very vague term and can refer to anything from car emissions to recycling to water or energy consumption, bringing your own bags to the grocery store, using sustainable products, buying organic or especially locally-grown food, not using any petroleum-based products, using reusable things rather than their disposable counterparts...the list goes on. Many companies make one small improvement in efficiency, and they jump on the bandwagon and call their products green or "greener," thinking it makes them heroes for the environment. But basically it means being a mindful consumer and member of society. After all, we share this earth with everyone else, and we only have one of it.
I think for me it started with plastic containers. Gladware, Tupperware, you know the stuff. My memory is rather fuzzy. Of course recycling has been around for years, if you have been lucky enough to have a program in your area. In good ol' Chi-town, you have to live in one of the lucky neighborhoods that the city decided to grace with a recycling program, or take it to a drop off location yourself. Put it in those blue bags with the rest of the trash and they'll sort it? ...Yeah probably not. Who remembers "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle?" I honestly think this should come back. As a society we are used to disposable this, disposable that, use something once and throw it away. We've become lazy for convenience. Who wants to wash another dish? Get paper plates! (And before anyone brings up the wasting water debate, a good dishwasher can actually be more energy-efficient than washing by hand.)
But the plastic containers for me were more than that. In fact they didn't start out that way. Of course they're reusable. They're great for bringing home Thanksgiving leftovers. No, it was the chemicals. The plastic containers and nonstick cookware. They're loaded with chemicals. I began hearing that plastic containers should not be used to heat certain things in the microwave, partially because certain foods can react with the plastic (think tomato sauce) and partially because they start to melt when you leave them in there too long. How many of you have some of those containers that look like they've been through it all? Scratched to hell, you think it's food so you keep trying to scrub it off, but it doesn't. Yeah, do you really want to eat that? Nonstick cookware is awesome. Sure, they said it was safe. But how many people read the instructions where it says to NOT heat over high heat? Nonstick cookware was "safe" as long as heat was kept to a medium. Then it was questioned if that was even safe. Nonstick cookware, or as most people call it, Teflon, is made from Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which begins to break down when heated. A study referenced at the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), which I can't find now, showed that Teflon begins to heat quickly and off-gasses even if the heat source is not on the high setting. That was enough for us to get rid of our nonstick cookware. All of it. And we had Calphalon nonstick cookware. I have one thing that is nonstick still, a giant wok-skillet thing that I use rarely. Everything else is stainless steel or cast iron. Expensive, yes, but worth it in the end, to not breathe or eat chemicals and have cookware that will last and not scratch.
Back to the plastic containers. It was one of those things where I thought, well, I'll just be careful with what I'm heating in them. But the more I read, the more I started to think maybe I should look for at least a more reliable type of container. Like glass. Doesn't stain. Doesn't retain odors. Easy to clean. Doesn't melt if overheated in the microwave. They also last longer than gladware. Pyrex anyone? Anyway from there my memory jumps to BPA. I blame the pregnancy for the lack of memory and for the heightened wariness of chemicals. Growing life inside your body really makes you think about what other things you are putting into your body. I got a BPA-free water bottle. I bought BPA-free bottles and every other plastic thing I could think of replacing. I got rid of my #7 hard, clear plastic Rubbermaid containers. It just goes down hill from there. I kept reading more and more about how all plastics can leach chemicals- even bottled water. Of course that's only one small reason to not buy bottled water, the environmental impact of plastic bottles being much worse. I have been slowly making the switch to other materials. I now have my BPA-free water bottle, an insulated (giant) stainless steel water bottle, and a glass water bottle. I still have plastic food containers but they get used less, and will eventually get replaced.
The chemical awareness grew from there. I began reading how pretty much all of our mainstream, commercial products have unnecessary chemicals in them, even J&J's baby shampoo which CAN cause an allergic reaction. I refused to put anything but safe things on my baby. No chemicals, only actual natural ingredients. Don't be fooled- Aveeno is not a natural product. Putting leaves on packaging does not make something better for you. Yes, there were times I used regular things, when I needed something or what I was looking for was just too expensive at the time or too hard to find, or I didn't know enough yet. He was fed only organic baby food. No commercial lotions, shampoos, sunscreen, anything. He had an organic crib mattress because mattresses are also made with nasty chemicals because the law states they must be flame retardant, but guess what? There are other ways.
From there I started branching out. Febreeze is terrible for you to breathe. It might smell nice, but do you know what goes into making that smell? I don't and am somewhat afraid to go looking for the answer. Electronics are some of the worst offenders- they are usually coated in fire retardants and these chemicals can be found in the dust lying around your home. Electric cords and cables? Coated in lead. Ever see that disclaimer- or should I say warning- on Christmas lights? Those big tags we ignore? They tell you to keep out of reach of children and pets and to wash your hands after handling. Fabrics? Treated with formaldehyde and other chemicals to prevent wrinkling and deter bugs. Lysol and Clorox? No thank you. There are plenty of other options for household cleaning products-you can even make your own. Vinegar works wonders on stains and also softens clothes and helps rinse out detergent residue. And you know what else? Vinegar is CHEAP.
Being green means sometimes spending more money for better products. Or using some elbow grease vs quick and easy chemicals. In a sense, it means don't be selfish. Your health is not worth it. The health of your children is not worth it. The earth is bigger than your little issues or your laziness; our children have to grow up and have children in this world and we need to keep it nice. Okay enough of the soapbox.
Of course I'm not perfect- I'm extremely far from it. These little habits we grew up with are so ingrained into our heads that it's difficult to see any differently. But little things here and there can make a difference, and I'm trying to learn new ones all the time. I just recently learned about glass straws. My son loves straws. Imagine all of those little things sitting in the landfill. I suppose they might be recycleable, but it's another thing that is really unnecessary, and we could really do without.
So began my long journey, and why I am the Alternative Lemming. I just assume everyone thinks I'm crazy.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Why Am I Blogging?
Blogging. It sounds like something a drunk person is trying to do. Well, I hope to express things a little more clearly than a drunk person would, anyway. So, why am I blogging? Why does anyone blog? I have something to say, that I feel like I need to share publicly? I suppose.
The other day, some random thoughts were running through my head, as they usually do, and a little voice jumped out and said, "why don't you try blogging some of this?" "Some of what?" I asked back. No answer. "Besides, who will listen? Or read, for that matter?" After a pause I sort of pushed the thought to the back of my mind. Either that, or something else pushed its way forward. So a few days later, I received a wonderful compliment. Someone cares about what I have to say, about my opinions, and asks for my advice on things, and thinks I have some valuable information. She got the idea of doing this in my head again. Hmmm...
Well, I do like to help people and share information. What information might that be? I'm trying to go more "natural" in my life...healthier, cleaner food, personal products, household products, etc. I know, not so revelational (I made that word up just now). Organic food- yeah, expensive and only for hippie food snobs, right? I have to think back to what it was like before I opened my eyes (brain) to this kind of thinking. What, everything on store shelves isn't perfectly okay to use? You must be crazy to think it might not be. The government is there to regulate everything that is allowed to be sold to the general public. Right? Right?? The answer is really not so simple. Back to my point, I've done some research and reading over the past few years, learned a few things, tried some things, and feel that it is something worth sharing with others. I realize that some people, like I have done, take many things for granted and just don't think about these things, or may not be aware of them. So, in the coming posts, I will attempt to put some of this information, which includes my thoughts and opinions, into some kind of coherent compilations for people to read and kindly respond with feedback via the comments.
I know I have some like-minded friends out there and I always welcome your input. It is comforting to know I'm not the only crazy one, and we learn from each other. Lady Niblet's Mama, Little E's Mommy, and "Aunt Stephanie," thank you for your inspiration and support. This is for you.
Coming soon...How it all started
Coming soon...How it all started
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