Every so often I like to give you a bulleted list of some recent “green” stories in the news and why half of the people are excited to hear about the news or study and the other half are super offended by it for some reason. DRAMA ENSUES. Almost 100% of the time, I am somewhere in the middle. I just figured that some of you might want to know what’s out there and read for yourselves. Just in case you aren’t already immersed in social media 24/7 like I am…
- CBS reports toxic levels of phthalates in childrens’ backpacks. See, I am not crazy for obsessively avoiding phthalates! Even CBS admits these chemicals are bad. A backpack is something your child breathes right next to and handles with his or her hands. Here is my suggestion: backpacks on Etsy.
- Toxic Baby blog report on toxic school supplies, a.k.a. the blog post that pre-dated the CBS article, a.k.a. I knew about this before CBS reported it. In case you might not remember, Toxic Baby was the movie I had a chance to screen at BlogHer in NYC this year.
- An article in the New York Times about Big Chemicals and the Safe Chemicals Act. As of now, chemical companies have absolutely no requirement to prove the safety of the chemicals they manufacture. This article goes into a little more detail about the scientific studies currently being published about the dangers of endocrine disruptors.
- The Safer Chemicals Act. This isn’t particularly new, as this bill is still currently on the Senate floor, but it has taken over a year for it to get there. You can read the contents of the bill and contact your Senator, all with a few clicks. PLEASE DO.
- Just today: Arctic sea ice hits record low levels. Sure, this summer didn’t “feel” as hot to us as last summer. But that’s not what the polar bears are thinking. This is not some political organization’s speculations, this is the findings of regular scientific measuring.
- Climate Change is not a political issue, but you need to know where the Presidential candidates stand (or DON’T, more realistically). I am voting with a high emphasis on climate conscientious-ness, as I always do. I don’t care how you vote, but this is one of my pet peeves. I want you to know what you are voting for, so please read this article.
There are other things, but my head is going to explode soon, so I’ll stop there. The important thing is for us to be aware of what ways we are not protected by laws, and protect ourselves. Remember, you can’t go wrong making your own {fill in the blank} or buying handmade {fill in the blank} from someone using natural ingredients. Let’s lean that way, in order to keep our earth and our kids safe!
*climbs down off soapbox*