Oven cleaners are one of THE most dangerous cleaning products ever. 

What if you could clean off burnt on food in your oven without losing nose hairs in the process? 

With the holiday season upon us perhaps that oven is in need of a good cleaning.

Allow me to share a green clean nugget, a moment of greenness – just you, me and that darn oven. 

Consider trying a green clean scouring paste that smells a little like something between bubble gum and cherry Kool-Aid. 

Gentle in that it won’t scratch, but mighty in that it works really well !! 

And it’s NON-TOXIC? oh and it’s bio-degradable too!

Certainly not something one thinks of as an oven cleaner.  How many folks do you know who believe it needs to be toxic or chemical to get the job done? 

Try again.  Pick your very toughest stain or oven and let this green alternative scouring paste   and a little elbow grease take it on!!

circa 1967self-cleaning flickr image

K a r e n     H a n r a h a n
Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant
Mentoring YOU to Health Success
708.482.0678

Note the small amounts needed. Very concentrated products. Very Cool. Wonderfully Non-Toxic

I have the sense that I have written about this before but couldn’t find it to repost via my blog. If I am repeating myself just be patient with me.  Memory moments are natural and very mother earthy.

With each recipe always comes a little story…
 
Pregnant with my first child, I asked my husband to rent one of those machines and clean our bedroom carpet. It was the only carpet we had, and I wanted everything spit spot.  Nesting mothers in my opinion clean like mad because the truth is once the little ones are around you seemingly can’t ever clean the way you use to!  

The cost of the products and the machine seemed to me to be very high. Like $50.00 – this was in the late 80′s so bear with me if I don’t actually recall.  We used like 3 bottles of the cleaning stuff.  Doesn’t that seem like alot ? This was before my green cleaning days.  The smell of these products was just horrific.  The residue it left on my carpet was almost grease like.  My husband had to clean it water only like three more times to get rid of that grease like feeling. ICK!

I felt like it was a huge waste of time.  I admit that I had carpet eebie jeebies in the first place. All that dirt left behind from your shoes, your husband’s shoes and whoever else goes in that room shoes, not to mention the synthetic fibers, or all those dust mites – or whatever else finds it’s way onto carpet.

Give me hard wood floors over carpet anytime

Our first home had wall to wall carpet. I felt like it was never clean enough. You could always see the path of use from the front door to the kitchen. Drove me crazy.

My lovely daughter had a bit of a graffiti problem, she liked to write her name on everything, add smiley faces and especially liked to use the color green. One day she made a HUGE smiley happy face on the carpet.

WHY did you do that????   

UGH

I had just started using this green clean non-toxic product line and decided to try this recipe. I was skeptic, the vinegar, baking soda, murphy’s oil soap days had me feel like the only way to clean green was to put forth alot of elbow grease…one had to suffer to be green. When exploring those ” green brands ” available at my local health food store, over and over I found them VERYlow performing and pricey

This better work was all I could say. 

Not only did it work in getting the marker out of the carpet. It worked remarkably well on the dirt. It left not one ounce of residue and the defoamer scent was very very light and lovely. I was positively delighted

I have used this recipe repeatedly, even used it on upholstery…can’t say enough good things about it

For a 4 Gallon Machine

Use 1/8 C of Germicide – epa registered – makes 64 Gallons of Germicide
1/8 of C of All Purpose Cleaner

( very concentrated – organic, the gallon size is green seal certified )

In the defoamer section add 1/4 C of Liquid Fabric Softener

For your 1 Gallon machine

2 teas of Germicide
1/2 T of All Purpose Cleaner

In the defoamer section add 1 T of Liquid Fabric Softener

upright carpet cleaning flickr image credit

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean 

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean 

I have never participated in a blog carnival before, so bear with me as I venture into this project.  Some of these moms I am very excited to get to know better, support their green bloggy efforts and to share the sisterhood we all have as moms.

For those of you visiting Best of Mother Earth for the first time – welcome!

This month’s topic is Global Warming. My thoughts follow:

Imagine yourself in the woods, surrounded by silence, sprinkled with light as it peeks through the trees.  The hush envelops you, and you are reminded of peace and harmony. Nature does that.  I have such an awe for the way nature speaks to us. It reminds us. It calms us. Nurtures us. Nature nurtures me.  I was taught to respect nature, to leave the campground as we found it as they say, or better. 

In the woods we find ways to use sticks, berries, and tree stumps.  Look around, make do with what you have. Improvise. Be resourceful. How inspirational nature is!

The fall after my first divorce had us switch to a new school.  That first morning on the playground I was desperate.  I had just landed a new job and I had noone to watch my kids after school. Hi – my name is Karen – I’m new, can you watch my kid ?   I so hated the way that felt.

Later in the year I took on my first project as a school mom and volunteer. The project was about creating something bigger than us, something that left a deep footprint. Something ever lasting. The image of that footprint really meant something to me. I wanted to be remembered for the good I brought to the world. My project 12 years later is still a function of 5 grammar schools in the district.  Kindof cool.

Global warming and nature tell me something different. They inspire me to tread lightly. They warn me that it’s better to leave not a single thing behind. They shout at me and says leave the campground as we found it – or better.  No footprints.

An article in national geographic years ago took all the plastics found in a typical american home and put it all out on the front lawn. It was a 2 page spread of junk, or things at the time I didn’t even know were plastic or petroleum derived. I was shocked.

Ever since then I have had this silly image in my head. What if graveyards instead of marking our resting place with a headstone, stacked the remains of our household instead?  Can you imagine what that would even look like?  Here rests Jane Doe with enough plastic stuff to float someone around the world. Here’s Jane Doe with a paper stack as tall as the sears tower.  Here’s Jane Doe with more chemicals than a chemical factory. Here is Jane Doe with enough food in her fridge to feed a family of 12 and then some.  

The mere thought of this has had me reconsider not only my demise - death by plastic or global warming.  It’s also had me reconsider my consumption, my needs, my wants. The shift is slow and frustrating.  An entire society does things the way they always have.  Me? I am learning. I am deciding otherwise.

I personally want to be remembered for the footprint I don’t leave behind.  I want the peace and harmony of the woods to still be there for others to enjoy. I want my resting place to have a very small stack.

What about you ?

earthy footprints collage flickr image credit

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Author
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition Weight Loss, and Green Clean

I recently found these alarming Toxic Chemical Facts and Statistics.

Thank you to Cynthia Latham VP of research and development, for this very compelling sourced data.

Since 1950, at least 70,000 new chemical compounds have been invented and dispersed into our environment. Only a fraction of these have been tested for human toxicity. We are, by default, conducting a massive clinical toxicology trial, and our children and their children are the experimental animals.

[Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]

150 chemicals found in the home are connected to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders.

[Source: Consumer Protection Agency (CPA)]

3 groups of people are primarily affected by indoor chemical concentrations because they spend more time indoors and their immune systems are weaker. The 3 groups are: Infants and toddlers, Chronically ill, Elderly

[Source: 1988 EPA, 5-year study]

Liquid dish soap is the leading cause of poisonings in the home for children under the age of six (over 2.1 million accidental poisonings per year). Most brands of liquid dish soap contain Formaldehyde and ammonia.

Of the chemicals found in personal care products: 884 are toxic, 146 cause tumors, 218 cause reproductive complications, 778 cause acute toxicity, 314 cause biological mutations, 376 cause skin and eye irritations

[Source: United States House of Representatives Report, 1989]

Out of 2,435 pesticide poisonings in a one-year period, over 40% were due to exposure to disinfectants and similar cleaning products in the home.

[Source: State of California Study]

Most laundry detergent contains a form of NTA. NTA is a substance we may reasonably anticipate to be a carcinogen.

[Source: The Merck Index]

Household Chlorine bleaches which claim to disinfect are classified as pesticides under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. Inadvertently mixing bleach with other cleaners that contain ammonia produces a toxic chloramines gas. These toxic gases can cause coughing, loss of voice, a feeling of burning or suffocation, and even death.

[Source: Guide to Hazardous Products Around the Home, Household Hazardous Waste Project, 1989]

Women who work in the home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside of the home.

[Source: 17- year EPA study]

As more toxic chemicals have been introduced to our everyday environment in greater amounts over the last 20 to 30 years, the level of toxins stored in dipose tissues (fat cells) of our bodies have risen. Bioaccumulation studies have shown that some toxins store in our bodies for life. Greater and greater amounts are being stored at younger ages. One study showed that in the fat of 100% of the people tested was 1,4-Dichlorobenzene, a chemical found in most household deodorizers and room fresheners. Some products release contaminants into the air right away, others do so gradually over a period of time. Some stay in the air up to a year. These contaminants, found in many household and personal care products can cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, eye/skin/respiratory tract irritations and some cause cancer.

[American Lung Association]

Asthma was once a very rare disease. Now the condition is extremely common, the asthma rate has tripled in the last 20 years with nearly 30 million Americans currently afflicted.

[Source: Consumer Federation of America, 1997]

In one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma (29% for men, 82% for women). The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women’s longer exposure times to household chemicals.

[Source: Center for Disease Control]

Childhood asthma has increased by more than 40% since 1980.

[Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, June 1997; 105 (6)]

Asthma death in children and young people increased by a dramatic 118% between 1980 and 1993.

[Source: Environmental Health Threats to Children, Environmental Protection Agency 175-F-96-001, September 1996]

The average child visits the doctor 23 times in the 1st 4 years of life, with the most common complaint being respiratory ailment.

[Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1997]

Developing cells in children’s bodies are more susceptible to damage than adult cells that have completed development, especially for the central nervous system. During the development of a child, from conception through adolescence, there are particular windows of vulnerability to environmental hazards. Most disturbing until a child is approximately 13 months of age, they are virtually no ability to fight the biological and neurological effects of toxic chemicals.

[Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]

Today, children have chemical exposures from birth that their parents didn’t have until they were adults. Because children are exposed to toxins at an earlier age than adults, they have more time to develop environmentally triggered diseases, with long latency periods, such as cancer.

[Source: Environmental Policy and Children's Health, Future of Children, Summer/Fall 1995; 5(2): 34-52]

Formaldehyde is a highly toxic substance. It is a known cancer-causing agent. It damages the neurological connectors in the body. It is an irritant to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs and may cause: skin reactions, ear infections, headaches , depression, asthma, joint pain, dizziness, mental confusion, nausea, disorientation , phlebitis , fatigue, Vomiting, sleep disturbances, laryngitis

One in five people are sensitive to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is commonly found in: drugs, mouthwash, hairspray, cosmetics, cleaning products , perfumes , waxes, hair setting lotions, shampoo, air fresheners, fungicides, fingernail polish, floor polishes, dry cleaning solvents, toothpaste, laundry spray starch, Anti-perspirants, just to name a few…

Due to the increase in toxic buildup in our bodies, including the toxic buildup of formaldehyde, dead bodies are not decomposing as fast as they used to. Bodies now start to decompose within 7 to 10 days after death. During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese bodies started to decompose within 24 to 48 hours. However, Americans didn’t start to decompose for 4 to 5 days. Twice as much formaldehyde was needed to embalm a person 20 years ago compared to today.

How many of these names would you have recognized as formaldehyde? Formalin, Methanal, Methyl Aldehyde, Methylene Oxide, Oxymethylene, Bfv*, Fannoform*, Formol*, Fyde*, Karsan*, Methaldehyde, Formalith*, Methylene Glycol, Ivalon*, Oxomethane, Formalin 40, Formalin, Formic Aldehyde, Hoch, Paraform, Lysoform*, Morbocid, Trioxane, Polyoxmethylene, * denotes trade name

Warning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion; however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion. 90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.

Do you still want to use products in your home that contain formaldehyde?

Phenol is an extremely caustic chemical that burns the skin. Absorption of phenol through the lungs or skin can cause: central nervous system damage, pneumonia, respiratory tract infection, heart-rate irregularities, skin irritation, kidney and liver damage, numbness, vomiting, and can be fatal

Phenol is a very common chemical and is regularly found in the following common products: air fresheners, aftershave, bronchial mists, chloroseptic throat spray, deodorants, feminine powders & sprays, hair spray, decongestants, mouthwash, aspirin, solvents, acne medications, antiseptics, calamine lotions, cleaning products, detergents, furniture polish, hair setting lotions, lice shampoo, polishes, cold capsules, all-purpose cleaners, aerosol disinfectants, anti-itching lotions , carnex , cosmetics, disinfectant cleaners, hand lotions, lip balms, sunscreen and lotions, insecticides, cough syrups, just to name a few…

Do you still want to use products in your home that contain Phenol ?

Alternative Cleaning Products

Plant Based Personal Care Products

Plant Based Skin Care

Mineral Based Cosmetics

me ….thinking green

image sourced from flickr.com – thanks ever so much

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean

She ended up purchasing both. Thank you!

Our germicidal product is effective at disinfecting and deodorizing inanimate environmental surfaces against bacteria, virus and fungi responsible for infections.

Among these are Pseudomonas aeruginosa (associated w/ pneumonia), Staphylococcus aureus ( nursery infections), Salmonella Choleraesius ( gastro entritis) , and Trichophyton interdigitale ( foot fungus ).

This product is virucidal against Herpes Simplex (a member of the virus family that causes infectious mononucleosis), Vaccinia ( representative of the pox virus ) and influenza A2 as represented by the strains commonly called Hong Kong Flu and London Flu virus

The broad spectrum of disinfectant effectiveness is shown by its germicidal action against the following organisms:

Escherichia coli

Salmonella schottmuellen

Klesbiella pneumoniae

Brevibacterium ammoniagenes

Aerobactoe aerogenes ( enterobacter )

Streptococcus faecalis

Shigella dysentariae

By following the simple use instructions found on this non-toxic germicidal label; homemakers, childcare facilities, animal care facilities, schools, hotels, those who work in food preparation, medical practitioners and more, can provide real disinfection at just pennies per gallon of solution.

General Uses and How to Mix: Mix ½ ounce (tablespoon) per gallon of water when using mop, cloth or sponge or Dilute ½ teas per 16 oz spray bottle in water – spray surfaces and wipe dry (change this solution every 30 days )

Bathroom – Floor, tub, shower, exterior of toilet bowl, toilet seat, faucet and wastebasket

Kitchen - Sink, floors and walls, electrical appliances, cupboards, drawers, garbage pails, refrigerators and freezer to eliminate food odors, rinse any surface that comes in contact w/ food.

Family Room – Door handles, computer keys, telephone mouthpiece and working areas

Playroom – counters, toys (rinse), table tops, floors and walls

Pets – feeding, sleeping quarters, litter boxes

Nursery – beds, changing table, diaper pails, toys (rinse)

Humidifier – just a few drops added to the water to keep it clean

This Germicide is EPA registered, it’s residual effectiveness is up to 3 days after application ( tested in undisturbed laboratory conditions using E.Coli, one of the more resistant organisms in fecal material on linoleum tile ) This product is also Kosher certified.

It’s shelf life is up to 3 years. It’s scent is fresh and clean. One quart makes 64 gallons of cleaning solution, it is safe to use with other cleaning products and it’s non corrosive when diluted.

Note the astounding cost savings and the remarkable concentration: 

Toilet Bowl Cleaners:

Lysol .41
Clorox .49
Seventh Generation .69
Our Germicide .26

per use price
varied 4 – 6 oz per toilet, ours used 1 TBLS
4, 6, 8 per container – ours 64 uses

Disinfectants:

Lysol 44.69
Clorox 13.96
Seventh Generation 21.96
Our Germicide  .27

cost per gallon comparison
usage is straight – ours is concentrate uses 3/8 of a tsp per 6 oz of water
theirs makes 1/4 -1/10 of a gallon – ours makes 64 gallons

More Green Clean Cost Comparisons

Bleach is often not EPA registered. It’s residual effect is no more than an hour. It’s shelf life varies up to one year, and has pungent, noxious fumes. One quart makes 7.5 gallons of cleaning solution. Mixing with other cleaning compounds creates harmful gases

*Prior to the introduction of our germicide, chlorine bleach has been used by pet care professionals to disinfect hard surfaces against canine parvovirus and feline leukemia – now there is an alternative for animal care too

*A word about Lysol, besides not being a very good germicide it’s extremely flammable – a fireman can actually tell where a homeowner has sprayed Lysol by the trail it left after a fire. When demonstrating our germicide we would actually ignite lysol – again very flammable, and put out the fire out with our germicide. Not flammable.

Hmmmmm which product would you prefer to use around your children?

This product also comes in a handy dandy wipes also.

pipecleaner man flickr image credit

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Green Clean 

I have heard many folks say that they think our non-toxic biodegradable cleaning products are expensive. I often say to myself compared to what?  They are truly the best deal in town.

I stumbled across this fabulous and informative cost comparison sheet the other day which was graciously created by Stan and Joanne Putnam from Georgia.  Thank you!

( I happen to know that this woman is very devoted to accuracy and literally hand measured and re-measured some of these products)

When it comes to purchasing anything the first question any discerning or potential consumer would ask is – How much ?

Do we really ever think how much it costs to do our laundry or wash our dishes – per load or per wash? Not to mention the cost to the enviroment?

Some of the pricing differences are rather shocking, especially amongst our green competitors 

* comparisons are based on manufacturers usage directions and or actual measurements to determine uses per container
* conventional prices obtained from Kroger
* green products obtained from local natural supermarket
* May 2007

Because this is in a formatted grid I am just going to bottom line it and make comments along the way
 
Should you want an electronic copy – please email me and I will gladly send it to you.

All Purpose Cleaning:  

Fantastic  11.16 per gallon
409  11.16 per gallon
Seventh Generation  21.96 per gallon
Our Signature All Purpose Product  .21 per gallon

all products above are used straight from the bottle and offer 1/4 gallon of solution 
ours is a concentrate and makes 48 gallons of all purpose cleaning solution

Window Solution:

Windex  12.56
Glass Plus 9.96
Seventh Generation 21.96
Our Signature All Purpose Product – less than a penny

all products above are used straight from the bottle and offer 1/4 gallon of solution 
ours is a concentrate and makes 1456 gallons of window cleaning solution – WOW!!

Automatic Dishwasher:

Cascade  .20
Seventh Generation  .38
Our Automatic Dishwasher Product  .19

above is a cost per load comparison
cascade and seventh generation fill both dispenser cups
ours uses 4 teas per load and is phosphate free - the first ever, 1 box of ours = 2 1/2 boxes of Cascade

Laundry Stain Remover:

Shout  17.02
BioKleen  33.96
Our natural brightener  2.29

cost per gallon comparison
products above are used straight from the bottle and offer varied gallons of solution 
BioKleen is for 1/4 gallon of product – Boy is this product expensive to use.
ours is a concentrate/ use 2 tsp diluted w/ water - and gives you 4 gallons of product

Laundry Powder:

Tide  .18
Seventh Generation  .35
Our Laundry Powder  .17

per load comparison
tide 80 loads, seventh generation 42 loads, ours 224 loads

Chlorine Free Brighteners:
 
Clorox 2  .30
Seventh Generation  .26
our natural whitener  .14

per load comparison
Clorox 2 - 27 loads, seventh generation 21 loads, ours 64 loads
usage 2/5 of a cup, 3/8 of a cup – ours  1 TB

Fabric Softeners:

Seventh Generation  .14
Our Fabric Softener  .13

per load comparison
seventh generation 40 loads, ours 64
usage 1 oz vs 1/2 oz

Fine Washables:

Woolite  .06
Our Signatue All Purpose Product .05

per use price
Woolite uses 1 TBLS, ours uses 1/2 teas
100 uses vs ours 192  

Toilet Bowl Cleaners:

Lysol .41
Clorox .49
Seventh Generation .69
Our Germicide .26

per use price
varied 4 – 6 oz per toilet, ours used 1 TBLS
4, 6, 8 per container – ours 64 uses

Disinfectants:

Lysol 44.69
Clorox 13.96
Seventh Generation 21.96
Our Germicide  .27

cost per gallon comparison
usage is straight – ours is concentrate uses 3/8 of a tsp per 6 oz of water
theirs makes 1/4 -1/10 of a gallon – ours makes 64 gallons

Conclusion:  From a cost comparison and usage perspective our products are the totally the least expensive. 

Additionally:

they are non-toxic
they do not pollute
they leave no harmful residue
are completely safe around children and sensitive adults
are biodegradable
they outperfom many other leading national brands

Ladies (and gents for those of you who come visit Mother Earth here) , which non-toxic biodegradable green cleaning products would you prefer to use ? 

delightful bubble flickr image credit

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Publisher
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition Weight Loss, and Green Clean 

Are You Trying to Clean Your Home … or Kill It?

A National Poll Finds 95% of American Mothers Believe Household Cleaning Products can be Toxic, yet only half believe their kids are being exposed to household toxins.

Seriously?

The EPA says that the average household generates over 20 lbs of hazardous waste each year. That’s 1.6 million tons or 3.2 million pounds. 176, 000 tons of which comes from cleaning products. 

My company – the #1 Nutritional Company in the US, recently enlisted Harris Interactive to do a poll. 

…a telephone survey of 1,108 moms across the U.S. with children under the age of 18 living in their households, were asked about home cleaners and safety. The poll results revealing misconceptions, contradictions and the need for more education. 

Our company urges Americans to look at what’s under their own kitchen sinks. “Many people seeking cleaner, greener lifestyles consider the impact of climate change, but very few think about the chemicals we are exposing ourselves to every day in our own homes,” says Roger Barnett, Owner and CEO.

Following are some key contradicting poll results and some expert implications:

Almost all moms — 95% — agreed that household cleaning products can be toxic.

“Moms already know household cleaners can be hazardous if swallowed or spilled directly on your skin,” said Jane Houlihan, VP for Research at Environmental Working Group in Washington, D.C. “But most don’t make the connection that when these products are used as directed on floors, sinks and tubs, their families are exposed to them 24 hours a day.”

Acute Asthma Awareness: 81% of the respondents agreed that household cleaning products may trigger asthma in children and adults, reflecting high awareness of the suspected link between chemicals and what many call an epidemic. “Unfortunately asthma has become a common serious disease of childhood,” says John Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Department of Environmental Health at Harvard University. “When reviewing the rapid increases of asthma rates in America, it is critical to recognize the link between pollution and human health, including chemical and biological pollutants in indoor environments.” In 1998, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that asthma increased 75% from 1980-1994(2) and in 2007, the EPA reported that an average of one out of every 13 school-age children suffers from asthma.(3)

Murky on Indoor vs. Outdoor Air Pollution: Only a little more than one-third (38%) of respondents agreed that the air inside their homes is more toxic than the air outside their homes, despite the proven fact. A five-year study by the EPA found that the organic pollutants inside the typical American home are two-to-five times higher than the air outdoors, caused by pollutants from common household products, including cleaners such as solvents, wood preservatives, aerosol sprays, cleansers and disinfectants, air fresheners and more. According to the EPA, health effects of organic pollutants include eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, loss of coordination, nausea, liver, kidney and central nervous system damage. The fumes given off by carpet cleaners can cause cancer and liver damage.(4) Additionally, many cleaning agents yield high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including glycol ethers, which are regulated toxic air containments, and terpenes that can react with ozone to form secondary pollutants including formaldehyde and ultra-fine particles.(5)

Kidding Themselves about the Kids: Only half (49%) are concerned about their children coming in contact with the chemicals they use to clean their floors, and only about one-third (35%) believe that some rashes on their children’s skin are reactions to chemicals in the products they use. Only a small fraction of the more than 80,000 registered chemicals have been tested for human health concerns.(6) “We are conducting a vast toxicologic experiment in our society, in which our children and our children’s children are the experimental subjects,” says Dr. Herbert L. Needleman, University of Pittsburgh pediatrician and co-author with Philip Landrigan, MD MSc, Ethel H. Wise Professor of Pediatrics — Chair of Community and Preventative Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Healthy Child Healthy World Board of Directors Member, of Raising Children Toxic Free: How to Keep Your Child Safe from Lead, Asbestos, Pesticides, and Other Environmental Hazards.

Seeking a Safe Clean: “94% of moms said they would stop using their favorite cleaning product if they found out it may be harmful to their families’ health,” notes Barnett. “To become educated, go to the National Institute of Health Household Products Database to search by chemical, find out which brands contain it, and uncover its links to health effects.”

Full article and references.
Toxic Household Chemical Facts and Statistics
Best of Mother Earth “Earth Month” Recap

I have been setting aside my nutritional supplemental advocacy for green awareness throughout the month of April now since 1997. This year I noticed that Earth Day in some circles has turned into Earth Month, and that makes me wonderfully happy.

From a business perspective selling and sharing green clean is a different beat, a different focus and truthfully not nearly as lucrative as the nutritional side of my consulting. See, I work for points. One bottle of remarkable all purpose cleaner that has 1001 uses and will last you approx 4 years gives me about 5 points.  My bonus and profit = something like $6. It’s not going to feed my family, provide a vacation, or prepare me for retirement. Heck it can barely buy me 2 Starbucks latte’s. With the turn around or potential for a repeat sale of 4 years, now that the products has been remarkably doubled in it’s concentration, it means my follow up has to be pretty darn superb. ( not to worry, I am darn good at follow up!) I vow to continue to introduce the line, one person and one household at a time - just like the founder of our very fine company did when he created this product in 1956  

In my world we’ve been celebrating earth day every day for some time, the flux of eco friendly, green marketing this and that, green washing has me very frustrated, the message is mixed and the trends arising and misconception make me wish we could just go back to being hippies and sing kumbaya 

At the same time the awareness is rising and the messages are perculating and people are beginning to shift their ideas about what it means to really be green. For that I am also happy.

I tried to share as much information as I could this month to offer you a breadth of ideas to assist you with your very own greenness – I admit that the pile of ” to write ” in my green file is still bursting and so I will continue to share when I can. In the meantime I thought a great way to bring closure to April would be to provide you with a recap:

Five Ways to Go Green

Vinegar vs Organic Green Cleaner

Rachel Ray Says…

The Self Cleaning Bathtub

Gatorade or Pine Sol

Illinois Green Clean Schools Act

Green Fundraising

All Things Bridal – Green Gifting

Thank You for Our Trees

How Green is Your Village?

Natural Pest Control Rocks

Scour Naturally and Phosphate Free Dishwasher Powder

I am also would like to mention a group of green bloggers that I have befriended. This mention is long overdue, especially as we have continued to get to know each other.

Through an initial invitation from La Marguerite, one of my first bloggy friends, we are now all working together to share the green message.  Each of us has a different approach, message or style.  I am deeply privledged to say that I am part of this think tank and devoted green messengers.  I am incredibly proud of all of them. I am also very clear that the reach would not be nearly as viral if it weren’t for the blogging medium. Most of us started blogging as a hobby are completely hooked!!  Besides being huge advocates for the planet we are all part of pioneering this 21st Century method of communicating. 

In Woman We Trust
Green Talk
Talk Climate Change
Greenadine’s Weblog
Organic Mania
Scream to be Green
Philly Eco City

* note my dear green friends that there is a section now in my blog role that will highlight just you…soon. I promise.
( Did I miss anyone? )

ME …. writing green 

Karen Hanrahan ~ Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant/Blog Author
708.482.0678 ~ Websites: Nutrition Weight Loss, and Green Clean
 
How do you celebrate Earth Day?
If you’re not cleaning green – what’s stopping you?