I'm a frequent visitor (as well as member) of the Environmental Working Group (EWG.org) and have found their website to be a really great source of information on helping my family go green, one step at a time.
At least, for our family, it isn't always easy going green and I believe that being aware of the ways in which we may be harming our environment is an ongoing process of educating ourselves, as best we can.
Then again, there is such a thing as a little too much information, right?
That's why, I was very happy to receive their Healthy Home Tips for Parents email series and wanted to share 10 really easy tips and quick articles on fighting pollution that folks (like me) can use, every day!
- Use cast iron pans instead of nonstick. Read about Teflon health concerns.
- To avoid chemicals leaching into food, go easy on processed, canned or fast foods and never microwave plastic. Read about Bisphenol A, a toxic food-can lining ingredient associated with birth defects.
- Buy organic, or eat vegetables and fruit from the "Clean 15" list. Find out more about the "Dirty Dozen."
- Pregnant women should use iodized salt to combat chemical interference from the thyroid. Read about rocket fuel's effect on the thyroid.
- Seal outdoor wooden structures. Order a test kit to find out if your wooden deck, picnic table, or playset is leaching arsenic.
- Leave your shoes at the door. This cuts down on dust-bound pollutants in the home.
- Avoid perfume, cologne and products with added fragrance. Search for personal care products that are fragrance-free, or check the products you're already using.
- Buy products with natural fibers, like cotton and wool, that are naturally fire resistant. Use our list of products and manufacturers to avoid the chemical flame retardant PBDE.
- Eat low-mercury fish like tilapia & pollock, rather than high-mercury choices like tuna & swordfish. Check our Safe Fish List to see which fish to avoid and what's safe to eat.
- Filter your water for drinking and cooking. How does your tap water stack up? Search our tap water database to see what you're drinking.
- Learn your personal body burden. Take a step-by-step tour of your home to learn the toxic truth about how household products contribute to your body burden of industrial chemicals.
Okay, there's really 11 tips listed, but -- when it comes to finding ways to help educate our kids about taking care of our environment, as well as ourselves -- who's counting, anyway?
FIND IT HERE: Enviroblog (http://www.enviroblog.org) and EWG for Parents Webpage (http://www.ewg.org/forparents?utm_source=Tips_toxics&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=Second_link&utm_campaign=Kid_health)
Besides, didn't anyone ever tell you? Green looks really good on you...you're welcome!
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