Mommy Goes Green

Listen to Melissa Weiss, an ovarian cancer survivor and mama, tell her story.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and Seventh Generation has started a website, Let’s Talk Period, to educate women about ovarian cancer.

Did you know that 22,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer JUST THIS YEAR, it’s the 5th leading cause of cancer death in women in the U.S.  Risk factors include: peri or post-menopause, family or personal history of breast or ovarian cancer, uninterrupted ovulation ( no pregnancies, or no prior use of oral contraceptives ), and presence of BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations.

In support of women and ovarian cancer, Seventh Generation is donating up to $22,000 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund – $1 for every person that registers on the site.  In addition, as a thank you for participating, Seventh Generation will give each registrant a coupon for their organic cotton tampons that are not bleached with chlorine, free of rayon and don’t contain added perfumes or dyes.

Why organic cotton tampons?  Listen to what Dr. Greene has to say.

I’ve been using organic cotton, chlorine free tampons for two years and have found them to be equally effective as anything else I’ve used and while slightly more expensive, over the course of a year – it’s not much, less than $20 a year!  It’s worth your health

Register right now!

Antibiotic-free, biodegradable, grass fed, SLS free.  Claims we see all the time on products, yet we’re not exactly sure what it means or if it’s even TRUE!  Unfortunately, all of these claims are just that – claims by the manufacturer and not regulated or verified. GreenerChoiceshas a  great database of eco labels that you can use to find out what the labels on your favorite products really mean or DON’T mean!

For example, antibiotic-free is considered ‘unproveable’ by the USDA and cannot be used on meat products. However, the USDA does allow producers to label meat and poultry products with the claims “no antibiotics administered” or “raised without antibiotics.”   Although the USDA is accountable for proper use of these terms, there is no system in place to verify they are used correctly.

Biodegradable is a term loosely defined by the FTC – it should mean that a product is degradable when exposed to air, moisture, bacteria or other organisms and that the materials will break down and return to nature within a reasonably short time after customary disposal.  However, there is no timeline or location assigned with the guidelines.  If something is deposited in a landfill, it will take a longer time to biodegrade (if it ever does) then something that is compostable (and IS composted), for instance.  Also, just because it’s biodegradable, doesn’t mean it’s good for you or the environment.   According to GreenerChoices,  DDT biodegrades to the compounds DDD and DDE, both of which are more toxic and more dangerous than the original DDT.  Again, the use of the term ‘biodegradeable’ is not regularly monitored or verified by the FTC.

The claim, ‘grass fed’, should mean that the animal was was raised on a lifetime diet of 100% grass and forage (with the exception consumed prior to weaning), including legumes and cereal grain crops.  Animals must have access to pasture during most of the growing season, and cannot be fed grain or grain products, which can diminish the nutritive benefits of grass feeding. The standard does not exclude the use of antibiotics and hormones, which are covered under separate standards.  Verification of ‘grass fed’ is only voluntary so the only way to make sure you are purchasing grass fed products is to buy one that has been ‘USDA Process Verified’ and ‘US Grass-fed’ indicating the farm has been inspected and verified to meet grass-fed standards.

You’ll find ‘SLS free’ (sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate) labeling on a lot of cleaning and personal care products as SLS is known for its ability to foam.  The claim is not monitored or verified by any organization so it’s up to the word of the manufacturer.  Why should you care?  A specific form of SLS – sodium laureth sulfate – can have 1,4 dioxane,  a known carcinogen and one that causes cancer.  There has been a lot of media about SLS and 1,4 dioxanein the past year so I think we’ll start seeing a lot more cleaning and personal care products without SLS – good riddens!

These 4 eco labels are just a few in a long list of labels you see when shopping – I encourage to review the ones that you look for in products to find out EXACTLY what it means, what it’s supposed to mean and how to make sure it’s actually true.  I, for one, will be paying closer attention to all the labels on the products I purchase.

It happens almost every time I get a prescription medication – I have a couple pills leftover.  I am TERRIBLE at remembering to take medication more than once per day. I can’t remember what I’ve done with these leftover pills in the past ( maybe thrown them in the trash ) but for the last two years, I’ve held on to any extra pills planning to “dispose of them properly”.  Well, now is the time.  

SmarXt Disposalis a partnership between Fish and Wildlife Service,  the American Pharmacists Association, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.  It is a campaign to educate the public on the most responsible way to dispose of medication – safeguarding lives and protecting the environment.

Pharmaceuticals enter our water from three sources:

1. medicine that has passed through someone without completely metabolizing
2. flushing unused medication down the toilet
3. pouring unused medication down the drain

According to SmarXt Disposal, most scientists have concluded that there is no short-term aquatic life effects due to medication in the environment but work is continuing on evaluation the long-term effects.  The studies also suggest that it is unlikely that the current quantities of medications in the environment are harmful to human health.

Still, I’m not comfortable ingesting even small amounts of medication, regardless of what the ‘current studies show’.  We all know how frequently research changes.

There are a couple ways to dispose of unused medication properly ( prescription or OTC ).  First, see if there is a drug Take Back program in your community, currently 18 states have programs.   Second, contact your local hazardous waste program as they may have organized hazardous waste collection sites or events and take unused medications.  If none of these options exist, dispose of any extra medication ( prescription or not ) in the following way:

1. pour medication into a sealable plastic bag – if the medication is solid (pill or liquid capsule), crush it or add water to dissolve it
2. add kitty litter, sawdust, or coffee grounds (for example) to the plastic bag to make it less appealing to children and pets
3. seal the plastic bag and put it into the trash
4. remove and destroy all personal information on medication containers and recycle them

While sending unused medication to the landfill doesn’t seem like a great choice, it is definitely a better alternative to putting them down the drain or toilet.

As you know, I have a sensitive sniffer and can’t handle a lot of strong smells, particularly anything chemical smelling. Oftentimes, if a product has a “fragrance”, it’s not derived of natural elements, it’s created from synthetic materials. According to the EWG, fragrance is one of the top five allergens known to cause and trigger asthma attacks and neurotoxins are chemicals that are toxic to the brain. I often choose unscented products or something scented with essential oils. One of the unique products I’ve come across recently is a replacement for the can of bathroom air freshener necessary in the guest bathroom. Nature’s Call Organic Before-You-Go spray is a unique way to keep the stink down in your powder room. Just spray Nature’s Call Organic “before you go” and its blend of organic essential oils (lemongrass, orange and grapefruit) will create a film on the surface on the water, trapping odors. Brilliant!

If you use cloth or plastic diapers at home, you should try the Poo Pourri Jr. Lil’ Stinker. It’s designed to keep the stink down in your diaper pail! After removing any waste from the diaper, spray Lil’ Stinker on the soiled diaper and put in the diaper pail. Using natural anti-bacterial essential oils such as Bergamot, Lemongrass and Grapefruit, Lil’ Stinker will deodorize the diaper and pail.

FREE STUFF: 2 lucky winners will get a 4oz. bottle of Nature’s Call AND a 4 oz. bottle of Poo Pourri Jr. Lil’ Stinker! To enter, tell us what smell you can’t stand! Leave your comment by Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 11:59pm PST. Contest open to all U.S. and Canadian residents, ages 18+. We will choose 2 winners, at random, and notify them by email. Privacy Policy.

In the last couple years, I’ve become really sensitive to smell and while I’m pregnant, it just gets worse.  The upside is that I stay away from a lot of chemicals that probably aren’t good for me (or the baby) anyway.  The downside is that a lot of products have yucky chemical smells to them! 

One of my favorite “get out of jail free cards” is to run out for an hour to get a pedicure.  Unfortunately, the nail salon is one of those places that just wreaks of chemicals and while I tolerate it once in awhile, I’ve been staying away while I’m pregnant.  In the meantime, I’ve found some great products to give myself a pedicure (until my belly gets too big to touch my toes!).

Nail Polish- a lot of manufacturers have removed the three ‘big’ toxic ingredients ( formaldehyde, tolulene and DBP ) in the recent past but not all of them have so make sure you check on your favorite polish to see if it makes the cut.  I’ve been using Earthly Delights in Halcyon this summer, and have found that it works just as well as some of the products I’ve used in the past like OPI or L’Oreal.  I’ll be trying out Suncoat next, it’s water based and they’ve removed more chemicals than most other polishes.  I have to mention the cool feature of Sula polishes – they are paint and peel – ditch the nail polish remover!

Polish Remover – look for polish remover without acetone – that’s the ingredient in conventional removers.  Good brands include: PeaceKeeper Eco-Easy Nail Polish Remover, Priti Soy Remover and Suncoat Natural Nail Polish Remover.  With water based nail polishes ( like Suncoat or Honeybee ), you can try putting your fingertips in water for a few minutes and then scraping off the polish.

Tools – EcoTools has a bamboo nail file and recycled steel nail file.  I’m a fan of EcoTools not only for their eco-friendly efforts but because you can easily find their products at places like Walgreens and Target.

Earth Mama Angel Baby is a line of products you can trust. You don’t need to comb the back of their products for their ingredient list to make sure there are no harmful chemicals. Their products are formulated without harsh chemicals, toxins or preservatives, and have the best safety ratings in the exceptional Skin Deep toxicity database. In fact, ALL of their products are rated 0 in the Skip Deep database, an accomplishment that no other company can claim.

Earth Mama Angel Baby was founded by nurse, herbalist, and concerned mother Melinda Olson. Her mission is to treat the common symptoms of pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and baby care with pure, safe herbal remedies. Her knowledge of traditional herb medicine combines with evidence based research to help soothe and comfort mamas and babies naturally.

A little sample of their wonderful products:

Pregnancy, Labor and Postpartum

Natural Stretch Oil – deter stretch marks and relieve itchy pregnant bellies
Earth Mama Body Butter – moisturize your belly, breasts and beyond
Happy Mama Spray – uplifting aromatherapy spray for morning sickness, baby blues and to tolerate toddler rampage
Earth Mama Bottom Balm – soothe and cool prenatal and postpartum hemorrhoids, postpartum vaginal swelling and bruising, and episiotomies
Happy Feet – make swollen feet happy with this soothing organic herbal foot soak
C-Mama Healing Salve – healing salve formulated especially for cesarean section and other surgical wounds, old c-section scars and stretch marks, and inflamed rashes and burns

Breastfeeding

Natural Nipple Butter – organic nipple cream safe for nursing mamas and babies
Milkmaid Tea – blend of organic herbs traditionally used to help support healthy breast milk production.
Bosom Buddies – herbal breast compresses during that adjustment period of engorgement, clogged milk ducts, and sore, cracked nipples
Booby Tubes – gel-free breast pack made with a 100% organic cotton shell and filled with all-natural flax seed, freeze to reduce swelling and tenderness or heat to deliver warm, moist heat to tender breasts

Baby

Angel Baby Shampoo and Body Wash – pure, clean baby wash
Angel Baby Lotion – all natural lotion for baby’s tender skin
Angel Baby Oil – perfect for baby massages, made with a grape seed oil blend
Angel Baby Bottom Balm – safely battles existing diaper rash and protects against flare ups. It also soothes itchy cradle cap, bug bites, scrapes, chicken pox, minor rashes, and burns
Angel Baby Bath Blossoms – USDA organic sweet herbal bath blend for fussy babies
Angel Baby Diaper Rash Soap – like Bottom Balm in a bar, tough on diaper rash but gentle on tender bottoms

The Earth Mama Angel Baby website is a wealth of information on pregnancy, breastfeeding, and personal care product ingredients and safety. They have a great tool for building a birth plan  and one for building a gift registry.

Their products are in retail stores all over the U.S., Canada and some International locations. In addition, you can find them online by clicking on any of the product links above or by visiting the Earth Mama Angel Baby website.

Take comfort in SAFE products for both mama and baby.

Last week, we talked about The Natural Dentist, oral care products easy on your gums and the environment.  Since then, I stumbled upon the Eco Dentistry Association (EDA), a group created to support dental professionals in making the transition to green practices and and to connect dental patients to dental professionals who share their commitment to a healthy lifestyle and a healthy planet.

I hadn’t thought much about greening my choice in dentists except for the day that my daughter might need sealants ( some contain BPA ) but the list below provided by the EDA made me rethink my decision.  I’m not a big fan of radiation or chemicals.

Questions to Ask Your Dentist:

• Are you a member of the EDA?
• Do you offer digital x-rays that have 75-90% less radiation?
• Are you a paperless office or do you use paper billing and paper patient charting? (A paperless dental office can save over 50,000 sheets of paper a year!)
• Do you use disposable or reusable cloth patient bibs?
• Do you use disposable paper cups, paper lab coats, or plastic chair barriers? Have you considered switching to reusable cups or mugs and washable cloth lab coats and chair barriers?
• How do you dispose of mercury-containing silver fillings? Do you have an amalgam separator installed to protect our water supply?
• Do you have a recycling program in your office?
• Do you use steam sterilization methods instead of chemical sterilization?  

Fortunately, I’m still a month away from my daughter’s first dental cleaning – in the meantime, I can talk to the dentist about the methods he uses and decide whether or not the office is a good fit for our family.

Find an Eco-Dentist in your area!

Now that you are purchasing more organic and nontoxic products for your family, you might consider looking into the products you put in your mouth, too – those that keep your teeth healthy.  If you look on the label on many mainstream oral care products, you’ll notice a nice mixture of chemicals, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and dyes. 

The Natural Dentist is a 13 year old all-natural oral care company and all products are created from plants and minerals, in their purest possible forms. 

• No Artificial Dyes – mainstream products use artifical additives such as Blue #1, Yelow #5 and other FD&C colorants.  The Natural Dentist uses vegetable juices such as red cabbage, purple carrot, beet, tomato, and annatto.
• No Detergents - none of the products contain SLS ( sodium lauryl sulfate ), a common ingredient in toothpaste and products that foam.  It can be an irritant and you should avoid SLS if you get canker sores. 
• No Petroleum Byproducts
• Both flouride and flouride-free options – your choice as use of flouride can be a controversial topic. 

The Natural Dentist uses environmentally friendly packaging practices as well by selling their toothpaste without a box ( reducing packaging waste ) and packaging all of their mouth rinses in recyclable bottles.  All product labels and printed materials are produced with soy and low VOC inks and all products are manufactured in the good ol’ U.S. of A.

We’ve been using The Natural Dentist products and couldn’t be happier!  My husband is not always a fan of my newest non-toxic concoction but he’s happy to use The Natural Dentist products. 

The good news is that YOU can try out The Natural Dentist products too!  Enter the sweepstakes below for a free set of mouthwash and toothpaste or download a coupon for $2.00 off ANY Natural Dentist product.  You can find local and online stores that carry The Natural Dentist products here - I found that both RiteAid and Walgreens carry them in our neck of the woods.

FREE STUFF: 2 lucky winners will get a set of mouthwash and toothpaste from The Natural Dentist! To enter, visit The Natural Dentist website and tell us what product you would like to try. Leave your comment by Sunday, June 14, 2009 at 11:59pm PST. Contest open to all U.S. and Canadian residents, ages 18+. We will choose 2 winners, at random, and notify them by email. Privacy Policy.

Congratulations to the winners: Jesse from Sherman, TX and Bobette from Bellevue, OH!

Summer is here although I don’t know if it will stick around here, in the Northwest.  But we’ve been teased with beautiful weather for the past two weeks and it looks as if that will continue for another couple days.  Sun brings with it all kinds of new needs – sprinklers, gardening, swimming, flip flops and SUNSCREEN.  The dreaded sunscreen.  I don’t know why but it’s not my favorite part of summer. 

Regardless, use it we must so we do. 

Like every other personal care product, sunscreen can contain chemicals you don’t want to smother all over your child’s body ( or yours ), these include:

• PABA
• Benzophenone (benzophenone-3), homosalate, and octy-methoxycinnamate (octinoxate), Oxybenzone
• Parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-)
• Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone)
• Phthalates (often hiding in “fragrance”)

If your sunscreen contains one or more of these, dump it for a safer one.  I can’t do justice to all of the time and effort that SafeMama has put into sunscreen testing and review so I direct you to their ‘Safer Sunscreen Cheat Sheet‘ for a list of their favorite safe sunscreens.

Personally, we are using Vivesana’s Solar to Polar line, one for my daughter and one for myself.  I like that I can pronounce all the ingredients ( no parabens, phthalates, or sodium lauryl sulfate ) and my daughter hasn’t gotten any of the icky rashes on her face that other sunscreens have giver her.   In fact, when Vivesana did clinical hypoallergenic testing, they had NO reactions in 8 weeks of testing.  This is the product for you if you’re kid has sensitive skin.  I’ve also used Badger and California Baby sunscreen products and have liked both.  All of these products require a little extra rubbing in but it doesn’t bother me - seeing the white on my daughter’s skin helps me to make sure I’ve covered every nook and cranny. 

Also, a quick reminder on good sunscreen use :

• apply 30 minutes before going outside
• reapply EVERY 2 hours
• reapply after swimming
• don’t skimp – 1 ounce to exposed skin ( about a palm full )

Enjoy your SAFE SUMMER!

The next time you need a new cosmetic brush, get yourself EcoTools.  I’m super impressed by the quality of the products I’ve used and the affordable price tag.

The Recycled Retractable Kabuki brush has the SOFTEST touch on my face.  I seriously look forward to using that on my face everyday, it’s a delight.   Besides the heaven on earth feeling, the case is made from recycled aluminum and the bristles are 100% cruelty free.  $7.99

Fortunately, I have pretty tame brows but with all the great tools in the Recycled Brow Grooming kit, I’ve managed to pump up my tweezing ability.  I love the travel size as it doesn’t take up much space in my makeup bag.  I originally thought the tweezers would be too small to manage but they work great!  The mirror that is included has suction cups to stick to onto another surface for close up tweezing.  The kit also comes with spoolie brush, brow brush and safety scissors.  The tweezer and scissors are made from recycled aluminum and the brush handles are bamboo.  $9.99

What I like most about the Cleansing Sponges is that they are reusable, just rinse and air dry.  It’s recommended that you replace monthly.  With 12 to a package, you’ll be buying these 1x per year - at $2.99 per package, SUPER affordable. They are made with natural soybean oil ( instead of petroleum-based foam ) and 100% cotton.  $2.99

The 5 piece Bamboo Brush Set comes with a mineral powder brush, concealer brush, eye shading brush, baby kabuki and hemp linen/cotton bag to carry them in. While the bristles were not as heavenly soft as the big kabuki, I think that can only be attributed to the smaller brush size ( shorter and fewer bristles ) as they are constructed with the same bristles.  All handles are made with bamboo and the ferrule is recycled aluminum. $9.99

You can find EcoTools are many local drugstores and grocery stores including RiteAid, Safeway, Target, Ulta and Walgreens.  

The best part is that I get to give them away and get you HOOKED, too!

FREE STUFF: 3 Lucky Winners will get a set of their own EcoTools!  To enter, check out the EcoTools website and tell me what your favorite product is.  Leave your comment by Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:59pm PST.  Contest open to all U.S. and Canadian residents, ages 18+.  We will choose 3 winners, at random, and notify them by email.  Privacy Policy.

Congratulations to Amanda from Minneapolis, Tamara from Pensacola and Mona from New York for winning!