So much interesting content to choose from today, especially in this week of emotional days and angry weather. Here are some posts that caught our eye:
The Simply Green channel at Sparkplugging is talking about the possibility of doing laundry without water. Be still my heart…
Green Mom Finds told us about a green socializing site where we can all go find people as crazy as we are.
I wrote about a way to help you clean up your indoor air over at Mama Speaks.
Green Me alerts us to the issue of flame retardants in pj’s.
And this one isn’t from this past week, but it’s important and awesome and should be read by all.
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In recent years there have been studies and news stories about the danger inherent in our bed mattresses. Conventional mattresses contain toxic chemicals which leach out into the air over time (off-gassing).
Mattresses today are required by law to have fire retardant materials in them to allow consumers more time to get out of their homes in the even that there is a mattress fire. While that is the goal, the exposure that consumers may have to fire retardant materials in the mattress may be leading to the same potentially lethal outcome.
Boric acid, a household product often used to kill roaches is now being added to some mattresses to help them pass the government’s flammability test.
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We love finding fabulous links from around the web for you each week, and this week they are all from the personal blogs of our awesome Green Team here at 5M4GG. Enjoy!
Sommer from Nature Moms is sharing about her success with homeschooling, and making me realize how fun it could be.
Jennifer from The Smart Mama spreads the word about the potential for chemical burns from tagless labels.
Green Mamma, Jessica, started a great series on trash that continues our quest for reducing waste and safely getting rid of the rest.
Sommer from Green & Clean Mom gives us tips on green camping (I adore fall camping!)
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While those of us living a green lifestyle are committed to practicing the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle), every now and again even the greeniest of us may need to discard of items that our community trash collection does not accept at the curb (or is inappropriate for reuse and donation). What to do? Here are a few suggestions for safe and environmentally friendly disposal of a few tricky items from around the house:
In the medicine cabinet
To safely get rid of old and unused prescription medications, the Office of National Drug Control Policy recommends the following:
1. Remove medication from its container and place pills in the trash.
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Written on
September 4, 2008 by
SusanC
It seems like every home has a “home office” these days. For some, it’s their sole place of employment, for others it’s simply a place to pay the bills, surf the computer, and help the kids with homework. But whether yours is a dedicated room, a corner of the kitchen table, or just a state of mind, there are lots of things you can do to make it a greener and cleaner place to take care of business. Here’s how to green your home office:
Install CFLs: Replace traditional light bulbs with long-lasting and money-saving compact fluorescents that are better for the planet and better for your wallet.
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Pressure Canning…..does that cause fear to run it’s icy fingers down your back? The idea of something sitting on your stove boiling to un-godly temperatures with pressures that exceed normal atmospheric levels? It did for me. The thought of pressure canning made me nervous and scared. I’m not really sure why I was nervous about it. I’ve never had any bad experiences with pressure canners in my past. I think it was the fact that I’d NEVER used one, nor had I ever seen anyone use one, that caused me to fear the unknown.
Now, please know that I am not talking about pressure cookers.
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Man’s best friends need some love and advocacy from their human friends. Fortunately, there are a number of ways human moms and dads (or owners if you must) can look out for and take action on behalf of their pets. Eddie and the Pets for the Environment, a dog on a mission to educate humans and the government about toxic chemical reform legislation, shares a long list of ways that pet owners can help reduce their animal friends’ exposure to dangerous chemicals and potential disease; some notable changes include:
1. Feed Fido Organic Foods. Go organic and choose pet food that is free of BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin.
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Most of us think that toxic chemical exposures can’t be very good for us. Yet, it seems that we go about our busy days blissfully unaware of the alphabet soup of toxic chemicals to which we expose ourselves each day. If you think about it, you start to wonder whether you should have a hazardous chemical warning label inked on your chest.
Before you read any more, let me just be clear that just because we are a exposed to a chemical, doesn’t mean that we are going to get sick. A particular chemical may cause an increased risk of cancer in a laboratory animal.
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Believe in yourself and there will come a day when others will have no choice but to believe with you. -Cynthia Kersey
Do you remember as a child when there was no such thing as obstacles? I remember always asking my parents “why not?”. It was inconceivable to imagine that I could not Do or Be anything I wanted. Do you remember that feeling as a child? The sense you had that all things were possible? Take five minutes and have some fun with me because today we are going to do some dreaming!
In the last couple of years I have really come to appreciate the dreaming side of myself.
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