Wow, been a while since I’ve posted. No excuses.
But I don’t eat my cosmetics, even though sometimes they smell yummy enough to eat. So how do the parabens actually get in my body to harm me?
They soak right through our skin and into our bloodstream! And, since the parabens aren’t being ingested and consequently broken down somewhat by our livers, the chemicals are entering our body at full effect. The FDA claims that the small percentage of parabens contained in cosmetics is not enough to cause any ill effects on the human body. And while this may even be true, the paraben problem is not just about the cosmetics we use on ourselves. Parabens go down the bathroom drain and straight into the water supply. Water treatment plants are unable to remove the parabens from our water, so we just re-ingest these icky chemicals. Over time, it would make sense that the concentration of parabens in our lives and bloodstreams will increase exponentially and eventually reach a level that the FDA will deem harmful.
A thought to leave you with (from my growing collection of powerful song lyrics)…
“Am I part of the cure, or am i part of the disease?”
-Coldplay, “Clocks”
Today I made my first organic cotton purchase: a bag of organic cotton pads (the kind you would use to apply toner to your face or remove nail polish). I have been promising myself that this year I will start to buy organic cotton more often. So this is my first step. Although it may be small, in the form of a $2.99 bag of 100 count “Quilted Organic Cotton Rounds”, it feels good to get going on my promise.
And why have I made this organic cotton promise, and why cotton pads instead of organic cotton clothing? Of course, I heard some disturbing statistics regarding pesticide use on conventional cotton. And also, I have increasingly come to believe that the chemicals in pesticides are causing many of the cancers that are so widespread these days. (Now this is a very debatable point, and not necessarily proven with scientific evidence. But since this is my blog, I’m sharing my belief.) Skin cancer is an unfortunately popular disease in my family. I really do fear that some day soon I will find a spot on my skin that is cancerous. So I try and do all I can in the prevention department. For me, this has included changing most of the cosmetics I use on my skin over to organic alternatives. The next logical step seemed to be the cotton pads I use on my face everynight to remove my eye make up. Hence, the organic cotton pad purchase. I am sure that organic cotton clothing purchases will come soon for me, but I have embraced my mantra to start slow and small.
I don’t want to write a long diatribe about organic cotton quite yet, but here’s one of the scary stats:
“Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of insecticides on 3% of our arable land; that’s more than any other crop per unit. That adds up to 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for a t-shirt, and 3/4 of a pound for a pair of jeans. And that’s just not bad for the planet; 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries, many of these from cotton farming, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).”
–stat from www.treehugger.com
Have a wonderful week!
A. Paper Bags
When faced with the inevitable grocery store check out question of “paper or plastic?”, I would always pick paper. Logically, paper bags seem like a safe choice, right? Paper bags are made from a natural resource (trees), and they only take a few months to biodegrade. Unfortunately, it turns out, the process of manufacturing a paper bag takes four times more energy than it would to make a plastic bag, produces 70% more air pollutants and 50% more water pollutants. And to throw another statistic into the mix: 14 million trees need to be cut down per year to keep up with the American demand for paper bags. Next option please…
B. Plastic Bags
Plastic shopping bags are made from polyethylene, which is made using petroleum. Yes, those plastic bags that you are given at any grocery, bargain or shopping mall store are made from oil; that non-renewable, ever talked about, ever argued about fossil fuel. Furthermore, the chemicals used to make plastic bags appear in the EPA’s list of the 20 top chemicals that produce hazardous and toxic waste. The EPA also reports that the U.S. uses nearly one hundred billion plastic bags a year. That calculates to about 1000 plastic bags per U.S. household per year! So you’re doing some spring cleaning and you notice a huge bag of plastic bags under your kitchen sink, or piled high in a cabinet. This year, instead of throwing them out, sentencing them to a few hundred years of biodegradation in a smelly landfill, you want to recycle them. But in most cities you can’t put plastic bags in your recycling bin, and finding a place to take them to be recycled will prove difficult as well. Turns out, recycling plastic bags is more expensive than just making new ones. Roughly, it costs $4000 to recycle 1ton of plastic bags, which can then only be resold for $32. No wonder the recycling industry isn’t jumping to accept your bag of bags.
C. None of the Above
If you haven’t figured it out yet, “None of the Above”, the always risky option on a multiple choice test, is the one to pick in this case. Bring your own bags along any time you go shopping! And not just to the grocery store, but to the mall, or to Target, or even to Neiman Marcus. Keep one in your car just in case you decide to make a sponatenous shopping stop. Recently, tote bags have become my latest collection craze. I’ve acquired them in all sizes, some with cute graphics, and some that are more functional than stylish. Most grocery stores sell them now, and for only a few bucks a piece. I can definitley recommend the Trader Joe’s canvas bags. I bought 2 of them a few years ago and they’re still as good as new. For more stylish totes, check Target or your favorite mall store. I was in Forever 21 a few weeks ago and they had some really cute canvas bags with eco-sayings and graphics on them. Or, you can go a step further and invest in organic or fair trade bags. A few friends of mine in LA started an eco-friendly goods company called Hybrid Roots. They sell fabulous organic hemp and cotton tote bags, on their website, http://hybridroots.com/greengoods/
So from now on, don’t get caught in the paper or plastic conundrum. Bring your own bags and leave with a smile 
And here’s some Bacon (the dog) and her new hair cut to make you smile right now. Took these pics with my Polaroid camera today. Feel like I have to get my fill before Polaroid goes bye bye.
For my first real, informational post I am starting with the basics …What is organic produce and why should you buy it?
What does organic mean??
organic (adj.)
1. term that refers to how agricultural products are grown, cultivated and processed
2. To be considered truly organic, the plants must be grown without any chemical pesticides or fertilizers, genetically engineered seeds or irradiation.
Of course, there are many complicated government standards that must be adhered to in order to label a product as organic, more on that to come in later posts. But in the most basic of terms, organic fruits and veggies are grown without the use of harsh chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Why should you choose organic produce over conventionally grown?
Pesticides, pesticides and more pesticides. Conventionally grown fruits and veggies are grown using chemical pesticides that are toxic and leave residue on the produce. Then we eat the produce, including the chemical residue that will remain in our blood stream. Even washing your produce before eating cannot clean off all of the pesticide residue. And, even if you don’t like fruits and veggies and avoid them at all costs, you are still being exposed to pesticide residue because of ground water contamination and the pesticide chemicals that are stuck in the earth’s atmosphere, the air we all breathe. Bad news bears. Pesticides are designed to kill living organisms. Really, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that these chemicals can do harm to humans. Pesticides have been scientifically proven to harm human health. Here are just a few of the problems they cause:
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neurological problems
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a variety of cancers, such as leukemia, kidney cancer, brain cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
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disrupt hormone function
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low birth weight and birth defects
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interfere with child development and cognitive ability
Children are especially suceptible to problems caused by pesticides because their bodily systems are still developing and they cannot detoxify from these chemicals as quickly as adults. Unborn fetuses are worse off yet; their exposure to pesticides can cause lifelong problems. If you want to read more about the icky things that pesticides can do to your body, check out this article I found written by the Environmental Working Group…
http://www.foodnews.org/reduce.php
If scientists have proven how bad the effects of pesticides can be, then why are they still in use? There is such a debate on this topic, really, it’s like a whole other blog post. The government is regulating the use of pesticides in conventional foods, but at an extremely slow pace. It seems to me the easiest way to understand it is…Farmers use pesticides to get ride of bugs and other pests that ruin otherwise salable crop. It’s all about high productivity and money for them. And the chemical companies that make pesticide products delay regulatory action even further by demanding complex scientific arguments and studies.
Ok, enough of the bad. The good news is that organic produce (produce that is free of these toxic pesticides) exists. Yeah! Organic alternatives for frozen produce and canned goods are also available. Fortunately, for some of us, organic produce is available all around us, at both local grocery stores and farmers markets. If you don’t know where to buy organic produce in your neighborhood, this website will tell you, just type in your zip:
http://www.localharvest.org/
Even though organic produce may be physically available to us, there is definitley a price barrier that keeps some of us from indulging in an all organic, all the time habit. There are some fruits and veggies that are actually more contaminated by pesticides than others. These are commonly called the “Dirty Dozen”. Here they are:
peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes, pears, spinach and potatoes
So if you can only afford to buy some organic groceries, go for the “Dirty Dozen”. You can reduce your pesticide exposure by almost 90% if you avoid conventionally grown produce on that dirty list. Here is a PDF file (Dirty Dozen List) that contains a little cut out shopping list noting the “Dirty Dozen”, as well as a list of the cleanest (lowest in pesticides) produce. It’s a nice reference to carry along with you to the grocery store or market. I got this handy list from the Environmental Working Group, http://www.foodnews.org/index.php
Ok, so now for the daily dose of eco-guilt. It’ll be quick, I promise. I definitely do refer to the “Dirty Dozen” list often, but I find more and more that I will completely avoid buying conventional produce. Aside from protecting my own health, I do not want to support the farms that are putting those ugly pesticides out into our earth’s atmosphere and contaminating our water supply. I feel much better about supporting organic farming, in an effort to help create more demand for organic produce and eventually drive down the price.
Here is what I bought at the farmers market today…
Greenberg Manifesto:
I am blogging because I would like to provide a place for my family and friends to go to and make sense of all the eco mumbo jumbo. You should do this, it’s good for the environment. You shouldn’t use that, it’s contains toxins. Don’t eat this…. But why? And if you happen to hear the reason why, or read it somewhere, can you trust that information? Well I hope you can read this blog and trust me. I promise to research my posts and provide you with facts and sources that I’m not making up. And if you ever think I’m fibbing, call me out, send me a comment. We’ll work it out. Oh, and if there’s some eco topic you want to know more about, let me know and I’ll research and write about it.
I am not blogging to force or scare you into sacrificing your comfortable lifestyle for the environment. In fact, I actually subscribe to a more self-centric greening approach. Start with small changes that are good for you and your body. Changes that will make you feel better and more refreshed. Really, there are so many things I want to write about that effect human health, let alone the health of the planet. In my life, it has been easier to focus on the small greening efforts that I know are good for my own health. Solar power, wind power, oil conservation, carbon offsets, these are all great things, but so overwhelming to make a part of everyday life. My mantra has been, commit to small changes first and then focus on the larger picture.
And 1 more thing that I think is important to mention…
This year we are going to be hit with a big wave of “green” advertising. Being green is in, it’s trendy finally. I think this is wonderful news. But at the same time I am nervous that ad campaigns will attempt to “greenwash” us. We must combat this greenwashing and become well informed eco-consumers; arm ourselves with knowledge.
I hope to share with you the knowledge I have gained so far in my eco-journey. And at the same time, I am eager to learn more as well. Here we go….
