avoiding toxins

In the last hundred years, human beings have invented tons of synthetic chemicals which we, as a species have never before been exposed to in the history of the planet. The problems arising from this synthetic exposure are far more terrifying than global warming ever could be. It reminds me of fish swimming in a bowl which has never been cleaned. Eventually the fish inside will choke and die from their own waste, and is not so different than what we humans are doing to ourselves and life on this planet right now.

My goal is to eliminate toxins and synthetics from my home.

I may never fully achieve this goal, but will share with you this journey as I go. Perhaps as the years pass, we will eventually eliminate synthetics, or prove without question that they are safe. They are everywhere. They are in the air, earth, water, food....our furniture, clothing, building construction.....they are taxing our immune systems and damaging our environment.

The first major step I took was to tear apart my pantry and read the ingredient labels on all of the food within. I highlighted any ingredient which I didn't know know what it was, as well as highlighted ingredients I knew were part of the group of additives to avoid such as MSG, aspartame, BHT, among many others...(I will post on this topic later, since the information I have gathered on the subject mysteriously disappeared after I allowed a certain four year old to play PBS Kids on my laptop). It didn't take long before I decided that if I couldn't pronounce an additive, I really didn't want to eat it and divided the items in my pantry into three groups: "Okay to eat", "Eat only in moderation" and "never, ever eat again".

Now, we had already considered our diets to be healthy. We limited our junk food, cooked meals at home regularly, rarely ate "out of a box" or had fast food. I was surprised and highly disappointed in the majority of the food in my pantry. For example, there were additives, preservatives, colors and so on in our breakfast cereal, crackers, granola bars, bread, and so on.

Over the past few months, we have removed the all of the "never, ever eat again" list and cut out a majority of the "only in moderation" list. I've found suitable substitutes for all and by involving the kids in this experiment, I have done so with little fuss from them. By explaining to the kids why certain things are unhealthy and how synthetics impact them and the environment, I have found that their desire to live a healthier and greener lifestyle outweighs (most of the time) their desire for junk foods. The only exception is the above mentioned four year old who is still too young to understand much of this, but has a better grasp on the concept than I thought he would.

Next, I opted to stop storing food in plastic containers due to food absorbing some of the synthetic compounds in plastic. I purchased some glass containers as well as reuse glass jars. As my collection of glass jars grows, I have begun to transfer food (when possible) out of the original packaging when brought home.

There are many other aspects of living healthier which I either am already or intend to explore further such as cleaning products- I've experimented with vinegar and now prefer it over my "green" multi purpose cleaner and used it to replace fabric softener. I am looking into body care items now, which the majority of what one finds on the store shelves contain synthetics which may be harmful to the body and environment. There are many other areas of consideration: chemicals for use in flame retardants, paint, glue, furniture finish....

I will continue to post as I learn. I have not posted in quite some time due to the fact that adjusting our diet in such a way has consumed quite a bit of time. Thank you everyone, for your patience.

Plastic in the Pacific

We all know that littering is bad for the environment. But consider this excerpt from the book "The Hundred Year Lie" by Randall Fitzgerald:

"An area of the central Pacific Ocean about the size of Africa-around ten million square miles-has become a virtual museum for the debris of our civilization's synthetics paradigm. In this region circular winds produce circular ocean currents, and as a result, anything that floats and has washed down rivers into the sea ends up collecting here in the planet's largest garbage dump. Oceanographers who have visited and studied the region have discovered that this huge section of water, down to a depth of thirty meters, is choked with plastics.
....this plastic waste doesn't biodegrade and eventually disappear into the environment. Instead, plastic goes through a process called photo-degrading in which sunlight breaks it down into smaller pieces until it becomes individual molecules of plastic polymers.
...What makes this situation even more perilous is what plastic polymers attract. 'As these fragments float around,' says Moore [referencing Charles Moore, captain of the oceanographic research vessel Alguita, operated by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation in Long Beach, California.], they accumulate the poisons we manufacture that are not water soluble. It turns out that plastic polymers are sponges for DDT, PCB's and nonylphenols-oily toxics that don't dissolve in seawater. Plastic pellets have been found to accumulate up to one million times the level of these poisons that are floating in the water itself...Hormone receptors cannot distinguish these toxics from the natural estrogenic hormone, estradiol...our worst pollutants are being ingested by the most efficient natural vacuum cleaners nature ever invented...These organisms are in turn eaten by fish and then, in many cases, by humans...' "

Now we can clearly see how human impact comes full circle, even when thought to disappear to the bottom of the ocean.

The impact of synthetics on the environment and our bodies is astounding. I highly recommend everyone to read "The Hundred Year Lie", Fitzgerald has compiled a chronological cause and effect demonstrating the introduction of synthetic chemicals and the relationship to human ailments. I guarantee that these facts will scare the you know what out of you.

Jumping on the bandwagon

Don't be in a hurry to jump on the green bandwagon.

We have all turned more attention to environmental issues, the news is obsessing over CO2 emissions and global warming, and corporations are rushing to become more "environmentally responsible". Meanwhile, environmentalists can't decide if they are ecstatic that society is beginning to wake up and make some changes, or if they are to slap the mess out of everyone and say "I told you so".

So now that being green is cool, don't get your shorts in a knot to get behind the wheel of that new hybrid.

I'm not saying that hybrids are no good. It is an important step in the right direction. Unfortunately, the dependency upon oil will not die easily. This will be a long tiring process with no easy answers.

Going green means doing your homework. Because it is the latest and greatest thing, there will be many, many new products and ideas which come and go. Most will attempt to sell us on the notion that we are being environmentally friendly when purchasing this or that, but the fact of the matter is that being green and attempting to maintain our old lifestyles do not go hand in hand...

My concern, is that as time goes on, and as fads come and go, being green will fade away and people will go back to their old habits. I think that if fuel prices begin to drop, (analysts predict that it won't) the average American will gradually begin to fall back into old habits. Another concern, is that people will buy into some of these overly hyped fads, feel satisfied that they have done their part, and leave it at that.

The real point behind going green is to develop life long habits which are as low impact as possible. This goes so much deeper than just our transportation choices. Its got to do with the way we run our homes, the products we buy (or vow not to buy), how we manage our waste, what we eat and what we do for entertainment. Too many people are buying into "green" and comparing CO2 offsets as if comparing penis sizes. Its no different than keeping up with the Jones' with the biggest house, nicest lawn, fastest car and coolest toys. Sure, the effort is making a difference, regardless of motivation, so as long as the effort continues to be made, its good. And that's the point.

Going green doesn't do very much good if it is only temporary. The best thing we can each do to start is to adjust our lifestyles. Consume less. Simplify. Learn more. Make educated purchases. Everything we do has an environmental impact from buying a new car to scrubbing the kitchen floors. It is a lifestyle choice, one which takes many small steps in the right direction- not one which can be bought with the latest sales gimmicks.

Energy conservation

Conserving household electricity is equally as important as reducing CO2 emissions from cars. An interesting article at Greenpeace International explains that the average U. S. household burns 11,209 kWh of electricity per year. Compare this to the average European household which uses 4,667 kWh, and 5,945kWh in Japan. So what's the difference?

One's first thought may be in the way our homes are constructed, and although there may be something to this, the above article entitled "Your Energy Savings" clams that Americans tend to use twice as much electricity for refrigeration and three times more for lighting. Light and refrigeration do not nessicarily reflect the comfort level in a home. Consider the statement in this article that it is quite possible for an average home to run off of 1,300 kWh per year without any loss of comfort! If this is true, that means that Americans can save 9,909 kWh per year, per household! Now, say we give ourselves a pretty relaxed goal of saving 5,000 kWh per year, and 100,000 households achieve this goal. That is an overall savings of 500,000,000 kwh per year.

Visit the above link to learn how you can make your home run more energy efficiently. These are things we should all be working on simply because it is a good habit to get into. Even if you are supplied by 100% green power, conserving energy will save you money.

Mercury, teeth and the environment

The use of mercury fillings is controversial. There are many sources of information on the net which either support their use, or insist that they are destroying our health and the environment. With what seems to be legitimate information on both sides of the argument, what are we to believe?

The American Dental Association website states that amalgam (which contains mercury) is an important material due to its durability, strength, price and the fact that it can be used in areas with high moisture such as below the gum line. The ADA has also conducted a series of studies which compared children with and without amalgam fillings in the areas of kidney function and IQ. These studies showed no adverse effects.

On the other hand, many dentists refuse to use mercury amalgam for many reasons. Check out the blog Evidence Based Dentistry where you can view a video called "smoking teeth". This popular video is also available on YouTube. David Kennedy DDS is a retired dentist who formed IAOMT, the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. Through the IAOMT website, his blog and You Tube videos, you can learn about how mercury toxicity may actually be damaging to our health, as well as the environment.

In Kennedy's videos, a demonstration is provided using a 25 year old and a 50 year old extracted teeth with amalgam fillings. With the use of specific light, mercury gas can be seen rising from these teeth when minimal friction is applied. In the mouth, this gas can be released through chewing, drinking hot liquids, cleaning and drilling.

Perhaps on an individual basis, mercury fillings are safe to use. But consider the professionals who are routinely exposed to this mercury gas throughout their work day.

Another consideration is Kennedy's claim that mercury exposure can cause Autism, Alzheimer's, lowered IQ in children, and damage to every organ in the body. Although the ADA has completed studies showing that children do not have negative effects of IQ or kidney function from amalgam fillings, these studies do not extend to immunizations containing mercury, nor do they measure the life long effects of amalgam use.

The root problem with the conflicting information, in my opinion, is partially due to the fact that dental care is treated as a separate entity from medical care. What happens in your mouth directly affects the rest of your body, and as all dental and medical professionals are aware. Likewise, what happens within the body can affect dental health. For example, people suffering from TMJ, or TMJD (Temporal Mandibular Joint Dysfunction, a disorder of the jaw joint) know all too well of this issue. Their doctors can offer little help and refer the patient to a dentist. Dental professionals have made many failed attempts at helping patients and are now coming to the conclusion that TMJ is related more to nerves. In other words, it is often psychological (with the exception of individuals who develop TMJ from injuries or other trauma). Anyone who has experienced TMJ symptoms will definitely argue that there is far more going on in there than mere psychological concerns, such as severe pain, popping of the jaw joint, abnormal tract of motion of the jaw, headaches, grinding or clenching of teeth, lockjaw, and often, fractured teeth.

The facts remain the same. Sometimes a problem is not solely dental or medical, and professionals need to work more closely with each other to solve them. We know that mercury exposure is toxic, in fact, miners at the turn of the century were dying from exposure to high levels of mercury. So why then, are we putting it in our mouths? And what does this have to do with the environment?

Environmentally speaking, when old mercury fillings are improperly disposed of, they return to the environment. A patient who has had a mercury filling replaced rinses his or her mouth and spits into the sink, leaking traces of mercury into the water. It is only logical to assume that this returns to the water supply and into the bodies of fish, which we now know that eating too much fish can lead to mercury poisoning.

Kennedy points out in his blog that after the city of San Fransisco required dental offices to install mercury separators, mercury levels in local waterways began to lower.

This is a topic in serious need of research conducted by individuals outside of special interest groups such as the ADA and dental communities. For the time being, we should all learn more and make careful considerations when it comes to our health. If you wish to avoid mercury fillings or immunizations containing mercury, ask questions! Alternative fillings can be used, and special procedures can be used to lower your exposure while removing old amalgam fillings. This is a controversial topic and one professional opinion may be completely opposite of that of another professional opinion. The best we can do for now is to educate and decide for ourselves, before having dental work done.

Extensive Source of Information for all Things Organic

One of the most extensive collections of information for anything organic which I have found yet is at the Organic Consumers Association. They explain in their website that they are "an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children's health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics. We are the only organization in the US focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation's estimated 50 million organic and socially responsible consumers."

I strongly suggest to bookmark the Organic Consumers Association for easy reference. Better yet, become a subscriber, member or volunteer. This organization is such a wonderful source of information, leadership and support for you and I (the every day consumer) as well as grass roots programs, organic farmers and many others. Visit them here to start learning more.

Nicodemus Wilderness Project

The Nicodemus Wilderness Project is a nonprofit organization based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The goal is to inspire volunteers world wide to get involved in conservation activities such as litter removal, trail and wildlife habitat restoration, invasive plant removal and native tree planing in their area.

The project's main focus is on encouraging, inspiring and involving kids in these projects, especially at risk youth. By involving young people in conservation efforts, this program is helping to educate kids on environmental issues with hands on experience. This experience in turn can benefit those involved in countless ways.

The Nicodemus Wilderness Project is a great program which reaches out to people world wide. Visit their website via the link above to learn more.