Non-Toxic Kids

World Read Aloud Day 2012

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Worldwide at least 793 million people remain illiterate.

Imagine a world where everyone can read...

World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.

By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.

It’s time to join the Global Literacy Movement.

Accomplished so far:
• Reached 35 countries and 40,000 participants on March 3, 2010
• Reached 60 countries and all 50 states and 200,000 participants on March 9, 2011
• Preparing for March 7, 2012: Let's make it a million participants or more!

Register for World Read Aloud Day 2012 here!

I'm happy to be the Vermont ambassador for World Read Aloud Day 2012. My class will be practicing reading aloud, reflecting on the importance of global literacy, and writing their thoughts about the power of reading in advance of World Read Aloud Day. Then, every child in my school will be read to during the day by my sixth grade students. We'll also make bookmarks and raise fund for LitWorld's global literacy efforts.

Want to join me?

Simply commit to reading aloud to a child (or many!) on March 7, 2012. Want to do more? There are fantastic resources to help you plan a small or large World Read Aloud Day event in your community. Together, we can promote literacy and change the world.

Support the Breastfeeding Promotion Act

2012-02-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

(Here is a guest post and green mama activism call from our friends at Momsrising. No mom should have to choose between breastfeeding her baby and her job. Please email Congress and show your support for the Breastfeeding Promotion Act today!)

Donnicia Venters, a mom from Houston, TX, lost her job in 2009 simply for following medical advice to breastfeed her infant. When Donnicia told her boss about her pregnancy, he assured her that her position would still be available for her after she returned from her short maternity leave. But once Donnicia informed her boss that she was breastfeeding her new baby and would need a place to pump milk while at work, he suddenly changed his mind and fired her. [1]

And yesterday, a Houston judge ruled that her firing was not a case of gender discrimination because "...lactation is not a pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition".[2]

Well, that's news to us!

Stand up for Donnicia and all new mothers. No one should have to choose between their job and breastfeeding.

*Ask your members of Congress to support the Breastfeeding Promotion Act today.

How would passing the Breastfeeding Promotion Act help moms like Donnicia?

The Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2011 (HR 2758) would help make breastfeeding more accessible to new mothers in the workforce by ensuring that all mothers who want to breastfeed can have unpaid time and private, clean spaces to express milk at work. If passed, the bill would also protect breastfeeding women from being fired or discriminated against in the workplace.[3]

While we are making progress in supporting nursing mothers, we're not moving fast enough. Thanks to new protections included in the Affordable Care Act (health care reform), Donnicia’s employer would have been required to provide unpaid break time and a clean space for pumping if she had had her baby today.

However, these new rules in the Affordable Care Act only cover "non-exempt" workers (generally those paid hourly wages), rather than those who have salaried positions.[4] As a result, approximately half of new mothers in the workforce are unprotected, which is why we need Congress to pass the Breastfeeding Promotion Act.[5]

Approximately 56% of new mothers in our country are now in the paid labor force and Donnicia's case is a clear example of why we need uniform workplace policies to provide all mothers with the option to continue to breastfeed their babies.[6]

Many working mothers who choose to breastfeed their babies, as is recommended by doctors, report that they had to stop because it was not possible to pump breast milk while at work. While 3 out of 4 women in the U.S. breastfeed their infants at birth, only 13% are exclusively breastfeeding at six months as recommended by every major national and international medical authority.[7] In fact, breastfeeding rates for employed mothers are 15% lower than among non-employed mothers.[8]

Women who want to and can breastfeed deserve support for doing what doctors recommend. And we all have a stake in supporting new mothers who wish to breastfeed. Nationally, we could save $2.2 billion per year in health care costs if 90% of women breastfed their infants exclusively for at least the first six months as pediatricians recommend.[9] Individual employers who have actively supported workplace lactation programs have saved money through lower health care costs and reduced absenteeism.[10]

*Use our one-click tool to ask your Member of Congress to co-sponsor the Breastfeeding Promotion Act!

Congress needs to hear from moms! We understand how terrible it is to have to choose between the job you need and the health of the child you love. Your letters to Congress will demonstrate strong support for this pending bill and help educate our elected officials about a critical way to support new mothers, give guidance to employers and help curb rising medical costs in our country.

Please take a moment to share Donnicia's story with your friends and urge them to stand up for her and all new mothers who are like her by forwarding this email and posting this action on Facebook (we’ll give you a handy link after you take action).

Together, we are a powerful force for mothers and families!

- Ashley, Monifa, Kristin, Ruth and the whole MomsRising Team

[1] ABC News, "Judge Backs Firing of Breastpumping Worker," Feburary 8, 2012

[2] Ibid.

[3] HR 2758

[4] Deparment of Labor Fact Sheet, "Break Time for Nursing Mothers," December 2010

[5] Institute for Women’s Policy Research, December 2010

[6] Department of Labor, Employment Characteristics of Families – 2010

[7] U.S. Surgeon General, Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, FAQ

[8] Institute for Women’s Policy Research, December 2010

[9] Pediatrics, April 2010

[10] CIGNA, Press Release, June 2000

New Post at Moms Clean Air Force: State of the Union (mercury, moms and hope)

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Woodle from the State of the Union 2012

Did you watch the State of the Union? I sat there, computer by my side, tweeting with people from all over the country about the speech. Using Twitter, it is fun to feel connected to a wider conversation, especially when you live out in the woods on a stormy Vermont night, feeling isolated.

Two parts of President Obama’s State of the Union speech stuck out for me as great progress in the area of keeping kids safe from industrial pollutants and chemicals. I’ve been watching State of the Union speeches my whole adult life, and I have never heard statements like these from a president…

“I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution.”

Hooray! We have a president in office saying he won’t back down to billionaire polluting lobbyists who want to scale back or tear down the EPA’s new Mercury Air Toxics rule.

Now this is progress.

Please read the rest of this post over at Moms Clean Air Force and join me on the force to fight for clean air!

image: by KJGarbutt on Flickr under CC

6 Ways to Get Your Family Eating more Veggies

2012-02-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

Oh, the constant battle of getting kids to eat healthy food! For my oldest, she'll eat any leafy green. Not my youngest, no sir. She loves the crunchy, salty treats, and the sweet stuff. Loves. It.

So, I've devised a few ways to get her eating more vegetables. I'll tell you my secrets, then you tell me yours!

1. Show more.

Always present vegetables, taking up at least 1/4 of the plate. In different forms, colors, with dressing, without, just so they are always available and always interesting. Even though many of them may end up in the compost, at least you are developed a habit sharing them, and teaching your kids they should be part of every meal.

And hey, they may just eat them.

2. Hide them.

Have you seen the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld? It's packed with great ways to "hide" more veggies in your meals. You can puree squash into marconi and cheese, for example. One of my favorite ways is to make a pesto out of spinach or kale for pastas, pizzas, and sandwiches. This is a great way to get more vegetables in your child's diet, especially when combined with tip number one, to showcase the actual whole vegetable.

3. Dip them.

Kids love to dip! Add choices for dipping to any vegetable side. A few types of dressing will jazz up the taste and kids love to be active while eating. And with their own small pool of dressing, double dipping will be no problem.

4. Talk about them.

Say what vegetables do. Carrots make you see better! Spinach makes you strong (maybe I watched too much Popeye growing up...). Talk about how strong and healthy you can be if you eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day.

Talk about the farmers, too, how they worked hard to grow and harvest the vegetables for us.

5. Make them into faces.

You can make some sweet designs of your child's plate to motivate and inspire more vegetable eating. Spiky orange carrot hair, banana eyes, pea mouths... surprise the kids and they may surprise you with a clean plate.

6. Appetizers, anyone?

You know the drill. It's 5:30 and dinner is not ready. Grab some appetizer veggies and watch them disappear. An appetizer vegetable can be anything-- just plunk it down before dinner.

What are your tips for getting your kids to eat healthy?

3 Books to Promote Healthy Eating

2012-02-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted at Almost the Truth)

There are so many mixed messages out there that our children see and hear about food. They are bombarded with messages about their bodies, food, and values by the media, schools, family, and books.

Just take these few examples as message that maybe be confusing to kids, and undermine the goal of eating healthy, whole, and nutritious foods:

*A sleeper with cupcakes all over it (in the design, not crumbs...).

* Toys in fast food! Message: This food must be good for me, it comes with a toy and has cartoons on the box.

*Well meaning friends and family say things like, "Ohhh, you are having a treat! How yummy!" How many people say that about carrots?

*Commercials with happy families at Applebee's, KFC, or other fast and highly processed foods.

It is confusing for kids building their knowledge of eating, living, and being healthy. In the positive message territory, good references can be few and far between. Here are a few great books for showing kids how to eat and live healthy.

1. Eat the Alphabet by Eric Carle

Did you see Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution awhile ago? He held up vegetable and many schoolkids had NO IDEA what they were. Honestly. It was deeply troubling. Give your child a vegetable ID lesson with this book by the beloved Eric Carle.

2. Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

There is nothing to connect children to their food like growing a garden. This board book takes kids through the growing of vegetables to the making of a great big pot of vegetable soup. Simple and delicious!

3. You Are Healthy by Todd Snow

The positive messages in this book abound. You are healthy when you take a nap, and wake up rested. How lovely! We all love rested kids. This book is packed with healthy messages for your kids to take to heart and fend off the many negative ones they encounter every day.

What children's books do you read that support your ideas about healthy eating?

Fired for Being Pregnant?

2012-02-04T05:31:00.000-08:00

Being pregnant and working full time is no picnic. I remember the frequent bathroom breaks (which were hard to find time and coverage for as a teacher!) and at the end, the need to sit down. Teachers are constantly on the floor, working with students, and on their feet, teaching and assisting students. In the final weeks, though, I needed to sit and have students come to me. I stopped lifting heavy classroom materials and was a bit slower on recess duty.

Not all pregnant women have that luxury, and surprisingly, pregnant women are not protected in their employment by law, according to this opinion piece from the New York Times by Dina Bakst, a lawyer and president of A Better Balance: The Work and Family Legal Center.

There have been several cases of women being fired because they asked for more bathroom breaks, or limits on how much they can do, physically. How is this possible?

The New York Times says, "But because pregnancy itself is not considered a disability, employers are not obligated to accommodate most pregnant workers in any way."

Not obligated to accommodate pregnant workers in any way? In 2012?

The article goes on to say, " thousands of pregnant women are pushed out of jobs that they are perfectly capable of performing — either put on unpaid leave or simply fired — when they request an accommodation to help maintain a healthy pregnancy."

How is this possible in America today? When we protect the rights of workers from discrimination bases on gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, age, and religion? Did lawmakers just forget about pregnant women?

And like most problems in our society, lower income families and single mothers are hurt the most by this gap in our worker protections laws.

Thankfully, according to Women's Health Policy Report, "Senator Liz Krueger (D) and Representative Aileen Gunther (D) of New York have introduced legislation (S 6273, A 9114) that would require employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant women -- such as more frequent bathroom breaks or limits on heavy lifting -- if their doctors say they need them and the changes would not cause a hardship for the employer. She notes that at least seven states have passed similar laws, which "have been used countless times to help pregnant women keep their jobs.""

Which leaves me wondering, why are the states having to tackle this issue on their own? Why is there no federal law protecting the employment and rights of pregnant women workers?

Taking care of pregnant women in the workplace isn't only the right thing to do, it's financially prudent, which is all many people care about these days. Companies will save money on hiring by making some accommodations, and the employee will more likely return to the position after having her baby. In addition, companies might find themselves responsible for much higher medical costs if an employee continues working and has health trouble.

More importantly, protecting pregnant women is good for public health, families, and our society in general.

Right now in our political discourse, many are forgetting the mothers they came from-- and the mothers in our country right now, who need our support and protection.

What do you think? Did you feel protected in your job when you were pregnant? Or have you heard of pregnancy discrimination happening to any of your friends?

image: by FaceMePLS on Flickr

Sh*t Crunchy Mamas Say (can you relate?)

2012-02-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

This is so funny. How many of these phrases have you said recently? Or are topics I have written about here at Non-Toxic Kids in the last 4 years? Many! People talk like this all the time in Vermont.

The sound of the pump cracked me up. I'll never forget that sound. And doing in a public bathroom, while sitting on the floor, while leading a field trip. I held the door closed with my foot for privacy. Fun stuff!

Which comment did you relate to or made you laugh out loud? Or, what would you add to the video?

Thanks to Green Child magazine for sharing this video!

Meet a School Nurse (an interview with health tips for parents)

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Meet Martha Israel - This mom, school nurse, and health advocate is full of ideas for how to help keep school aged children healthy. Usually, she is tending to kids’ tummy aches, headaches, sneezes and coughs. She took a minute out from her busy school day to share her tips learned through 24 yrs of school nursing experience, parenting, and learning with me.

1. What kind of breathing issues do students frequently have in schools?

I mostly see allergic and post viral illness breathing issues. Reactive breathing issues are usually the result of molds and mildews, Dust is a major issue in school. Any soft things in a classroom really gather dute mites: rugs, pillows, sofas and soft furniture - even old books sitting on shelves - contain dust and sometimes mold and can be harmful to children. Routine classroom cleaning procedures miss many of these irritants.

Another problem in schools can be poor ventilation. A good ventilation system can be the difference between healthy air quality and air filled with not only dust and mold, but harmful art, academic and cleaning supplies.

I also want to mention perfumes and other cosmetic smells. Many (not all) adults use nice smelling soaps, lotions, oils and perfumes. Many have chemical additives and are not only irritating to the lungs (esp. young …) and many people have allergic reactions. Even organic, natural products can be irritating to others, causing headaches as well as breathing problems.

2. What tips do you have for parents and school staff to improve the air quality in schools?

First look at the overall cleanliness of the school and understand the custodial practices. It is the places that they don’t clean that are a problem—under tables, between cabinets, bookshelves. Especially look at places that you don’t see at first glance. This is the easiest and most cost effective way to make improvements.

Encourage all staff to use only safe, eco-friendly, and non-toxic materials..

Encourage the school to use non toxic academic supplies and cleaning products, including soaps and hand sanitizers.

Assess the ventilation systems. I encourage people to not only assure that the heating, cooling and ventilation systems work well, but that school staff knows how to use the systems correctly.

Make sure that your school has an auto and bus NO-IDLE policy if parking is located near the school. This can be a regular and significant pollutant that school children are exposed to. Some states have laws prohibiting engine idling near school - all should.

3. What other factors contribute to breathing difficulties in children, in your experience?

Besides medical problems like untreated allergies and post viral respiratory problems, I would say it is difficulties related to exposure to cigarette smoking - and illegal drug smoke.

Exposure to auto emissions - in closed garages, idling cars and in urban areas. Industrial pollution is also very harmful to children.

Another rarely identified source is air issues in commercial buildings, for example: dry cleaners (cleaning chemicals), photo shops (developing chemical), candle stores (additives to make strong scents) and beauty salons (hair dyes, straighteners and other beauty products).

3. What can parents be doing to help children avoid or treat their asthma and other breathing difficulties and concerns?

Keep your children away from all smells that are chemically based, like the ones mentioned above.

If your child has an allergy, take him or her out of the environment. and get rid of the irritants. I see many students who are constantly symptomatic because of family pets, down comforters/pillows and dusty furniture .

Drink at lot of water, not bottled water—good, healthy tap water.

Make sure your children are physically fit, engaged in regular aerobic activity, so that their lungs are in optimal condition to respond to the irritants that are inevitably in our air.

4. What other issues is related to children's health in general, and linked to asthma?

Definitely obesity. Children that are overweight are more likely to have Asthma, Type 2 Diabetes and numerous other health problems. Related to this problem are children who are generally inactive and unfit, regardless of weight.

5. What do you think doctors should be doing to better help children concerning asthma, obesity, and diabetes?

From the day a child is born (actually even before), health care providers should be educating parents about the importance of good nutrition and an active lifestyle as necessary components of good parenting. Providers should be engaged in health education throughout the child’s lifespan and should be able to provide services BEFORE there is a medical problem. This issue of insurance reimbursement for preventative care is an important and complex barrier to optimal health care.

7. What steps (if any) do you think our government should take to better protect child health generally, and specifically around the area of asthma?

There should be tougher regulations on the car and industrial emissions. That is why it is so important to support the work of the Moms Clean Air Force and new clean air proposals outlined by the EPA.

I’m thankful that my little girl has Martha there to keep her healthy. But she can’t do it alone. We need to work together to make our schools healthier and greener places for everyone.

What would you like to ask Martha?

No Recipe, Healthy, Veggie Filled, and Local Mac and Cheese

2012-01-29T07:44:00.000-08:00

(You can find more tips for safer, greener, and healthier eating in my newest ebook, Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents, that was released in October and is available now here at Non-Toxic Kids.)

Is there nothing kids love more than macaroni and cheese? Such lovely melted goodness, especially the homemade kind.

And kids should really only eat the homemade kind. Conventional Kraft and other mainstream brands are packed with artificial food coloring, questionable cheese sources from factory farms, and other ingredients I can't pronounce, but I know can't be good.

Even the FDA was considering putting warning labels on foods that contain artificial food colorings. Why? Because children who eat food containing these dyes often see a marked improvement in behavior once they stop eating it. What parent couldn't use better behavior in their kids?

So, it's not too hard to whip together homemade mac n cheese, and even to sneak some quality, local and organic veggies in there too.

I don't like recipes. They are so confining! What if I don't have that particular ingredient? I like to freelance. Here's how to freelance homemade mac n cheese (stacked with veggies). Keep in mind, these are just suggestions, you do what comes naturally to you.

Boil some water, and add a little salt. Add the noodles. Par boil.

Steam up some squash, or cook it in the oven for about an hour. Scoop it out and mash it up. You can also saute some veggies like onions and garlic to add if you like.

In a saucepan, add a couple cups of milk, some spices (I like a dash of paprika), salt and pepper, a little butter, and put it on low heat. After its a bit warm, stir in some flour, just a palm full. Stir until blended.

Add a few good handfuls of cheese and keep on low heat. Any kind will do, really. Cheddar and Parmesan work well.

Take your mashed squash and blend it with the cheese sauce. Viola! It's invisible vegetables.

Next, mix your noodles and sauce in an oven safe dish. I like to mix in little pieces of spinach at this stage too, a cup or so. Stir completely. Cover with bread crumbs (or crumbled crackers) and a little dash of olive oil. Bake until crispy and bubbly.

Homemade cheesy veggie goodness. Does it get any better than that?? What is your favorite no recipe go to meal? Please share in the comments.

School Lunch Blues (tips for teaching your child about healthy eating at school)

2012-01-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

(Here is a guest post from writer and fitness expert Denis Faye. I'm afraid I have one of those "weird health food kids" he describes but luckily they are common in Vermont! I agree with Denis's take on moderation-- I've seen a kid who has only eaten seasonal, organic vegetables, and whole foods gorge on chips, brownies and juice and become ill. )

If you found your way to Non-Toxic Kids, you probably already know the numbers I'm about to throw at you. According to the Center for Disease Control, 17% of children and adolescents aged 2-19 are obese. Not just a little chubby, but obese. It's a number that's tripled since 1980. Incidents of childhood type-2 diabetes and hypertension are also on the rise. The CDC gives many reasons for this, but high on the list you'll find "sugar drinks and less healthy foods on school campuses."

And we're not just talking access to vending machines. In April of 2011, a Penn State study showed that low-income girls on school lunch programs across the country gained weight faster than girls who didn't partake in school lunch. Take the time to peruse your local school's menu (usually available online). Odds are, you'll find mainstays such as macaroni & cheese, fried bits o' mystery chicken, and pizza which, thanks to the 1/8 cup of tomato paste on top, is counted as a vegetable by the federal government. To put it plainly, school lunches are making our children sick.

So what's a parent to do? The obvious fix is to ban your kid from the school lunch line without explanation. However, as James Dean, Elvis Presley, and Kevin Bacon have all taught us, categorically outlawing children from fun, yummy, or rhythmic things is about as effective as a land war in Asia, so I'd like to suggest a few other strategies.

Explain the situation. Although I don't eat meat, I will oftentimes oblige my daughter when she requests it. However, I'll only buy the stuff from high-quality, ethically raised animals. I've explained to her my reasons for doing this many times. Given she's sensitive and bright as many 7-year-olds are and she completely understands that cows shouldn't be fed a bunch of drugs so they won't get sick living in their own feces or that salmon shouldn't be made to eat other salmon. Along these lines, I explained to her that the chicken on many school lunch menus comes from battery hens who lived their entire lives in shoe box-sized cages until they were too old to produce eggs, at which point they were diced up, breaded, frozen, and sold as nuggets. Oddly enough, she lost her taste for school lunch chicken.

Lead by example. If you expect your kid to carb-up on carrots and apples and hydrate with water, you need to do the same. I can't tell you how many times I've had to bite my tongue while standing outside my daughter's classroom, discussing nutrition with a pack of Diet Pepsi or mochachino totin' mammas. Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk.

Have a garbage day. A constant menu of rubbish is a bad thing, but the occasional bad meal isn't going to kill your kid. Let your son or daughter have school lunches one day a week. It'll help demystify junk food and prevent your brood from being viewed as one of those weird health food kids. Furthermore, it will impress moderation upon them so that when they head off to college, all the sudden access to cafeteria food and late-night vending machines won't blow their minds and and their waistlines.

Glam up the lunch box. I recently branched out and bought my daughter a bento box-style lunchbox, complete with several different compartments. While I did it for environmental reasons and to cut back on Ziploc and aluminum waste, I was amazed to discover how my daughter embraced the thing like some kind of fashion accessory.

Give them some choices. As much as I'm an advocate of "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit," I shun that philosophy in this particular situation. You're trying to teach you children why pizza and mac and cheese are bad things. That's already a herculean task without being a jerk about it. Ask your daughter or son, "What would you like in your lunchbox?" and negotiate a middle ground if necessary. Better still, make (reasonably) healthy versions of the junk food served at school. My mac and cheese, made with whole grain pasta and real cheese, is always a hit.

But if you're going to do this, here's a trick; don't make it on the same day it's being served at school. Your kid will be more prone to notice the difference. Also, when it's chicken finger day at school, see to it that your kid busts out a homemade, super-healthy pizza. Junior will look like a rock star.

Ultimately, I'd like to see a massive shift in our nation's school nutrition programs and I commend the politicians and activists who are working hard to make that change. One day, I hope my kid's kids will have access to healthy, nutritious foods at school. But while we work towards that change, we need to look after our own. Apparently, my daughter has lead a few lunch-time lectures on the negative aspects of eating old, tired, abused egg hens. Sometimes leading by example can affect positive change or at least it can gross out a bunch of second graders in the name of social action.

image: by bookgrl on Flickr under CC

Denis Faye been a professional journalist for 20 years, writing for Surfer, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Outside, Wired, Men's Health, Men's Journal, GQ, Surfer, and Pacific Longboarder. Denis now writes for Beachbody.

New Book: Vegan Yum Yum

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

At dinner the other night with our dear friends, who are vegan, I asked for their top 5 go to recipes. I was in a food rut (can you say pizza, pasta, Mexican, repeat?), and had made a resolution to eat more vegan meals.

I want tasty, simple, fast vegan meals. She handed me a new book she had recently found called Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm.

Immediately, I loved the pictures, the disarming bloggy tone, and what looked like the relative ease of the recipes. With our CSA share, we often have loads of veggies, and I am always looking for ways to use them.

This book is full of great ways to dress up and eat your veggies without loading them with cheese (which is what we do much of the time). The soup section alone is totally worth the cost of the book. I can whip up some vegan soup no problem, anytime now. I like that I don't have to get my computer out while cooking too-- I do love working from actual cookbooks. Doing so cuts down on radiation while in the kitchen, which is something I am working on.

I'll update this post with my favorite recipes as I try them. One thing to note, though, for parents of children with nut allergies: many of the recipes in Vegan Yum Yum have cashews as a sauce thickener. I love them myself, but my daughter is allergic to them. So-- I'll be looking for a replacement for that. Any ideas? What is your favorite cookbook?

California Baby Reformulation Trouble: In the Age of Social Media, Don't Make Moms Mad

2012-01-23T20:21:00.000-08:00

My youngest daughter used to have terrible, painful eczema. Her baby skin was racked with cracks and red blotches around her ankles, elbows, and neck. This didn't help her colicky disposition. In those days, she would cry for hours on end. And I would walk around the house in my pajamas, carrying her, looking desperately out the window, barely able to shower, brush my teeth, or go to the bathroom.

I searched and searched for cream to help her. I found a few that did: California Baby's Calendula cream, Badger Balm, and Eucrein.

So last night while at the Green Mom's Carnival Twitter party, I heard that there had been some drama about California Baby products. They'd gotten themselves in some HOT water with the parent community.

What!?

I have been touting California Baby as a solid non-toxic brand for years. It was started by a concerned mom, and is now available in Target and other mainstream places. I'd been happy to see their success, and feel like their products were clean, safe, and trustworthy.

I also loved that CA Baby products rated well on the Environmental Working Group's database-- scoring mostly ones for safety (a good score).

Once you have a strong green mom following, companies, don't mess it up.

Turns out, many moms had been complaining about reactions their babies were having from CA Baby products recently, especially about the California Baby Calendula cream. Lots of parents (in the order of 60-75) had apparently been making complaints on the California Baby Facebook page and were told there had been no reformulations of the product.

After more complaints, CA Baby reps said that there had been small changes to the formulations. So, they went from saying there were no changes, to yes, there were "small" changes. Not exactly truthful.

Next, a dialogue happens about what changes, including the addition of a questionable ingredient, sodium benzoate. Notably, this is a preservative most of us are buying brands like California Baby to avoid. It looks like there is not a lot of information about this chemical or if it is safe. EWG lists it as a one, of very little concern, but lists more research needs to be done.

In response to the flood of complaints, and the denying of reformulation, then admitting to it, California Baby puts out an apology.

And then they apparently deleted everything from their Facbook page. Complaints, responses, and the apology. Gone.

Wow. Did they not realize that the majority of women in this country are social media users, and hold the purse strings? In an era of connectivity, where trust and word of mouth (twitter, Facebook, blogs, and comments) means everything, how did they think that would play?

We are the green parents-- the ones that look for transparency. You know, listing all the ingredients in products not because you have to, but because it is the right thing to do, and we should know what we are putting on our kids. By the way, I think everyone should have to list the ingredients in just about everything-- for cases like this and many, many others.

We rely on each other's advice-- what works, mom to mom. The boots on the ground mean the most. That's why so many mom blogs are so successful!

And we don't like our voices silenced, or in this case deleted.

So, social media and mom-management 101: Respond kindly. Be open and honest. Apologize. And mean it.

Sound familiar? It's what we teach our kids everyday.

This post is based on the great writing of fellow mom-sleuth bloggers who brought this whole issue to my attention.

*The Safe Mama has an excellent post about which products are affected, and an overview of what happened. This post is loaded with insightful comments from consumers too.

*Retro Housewife Gone Green sums it up and explains why sodium benzoate was added, and its 1 rating on EWG.

What to use instead, if you want to switch? Or if you little one is having a reaction to the reformulation?

*Earth Mama Angel Baby products

*Badger Balm products

*Dolphin Organics Products

If you are having trouble with a California Baby product, or would like to learn more about this issue, you can visit this Facebook page.

Some parents have had success bringing products back to Whole Foods, if a CA Baby product is causing a reaction on your little sweetie. Please let me know if you have noticed the reformulation, or if you have any questions, and I will try to point you in the right direction.

How to Reduce Your Radiation Exposure

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

(Here is a guest post I requested from author, parent and neighbor Woden Teachout. She's been researching the issue of radiation in wireless systems, from cell phones, and cordless phones. She assembled a helpful list for how people can reduce their exposure to radiation. In the spirit of precaution, I wanted to share it here. I found them very helpful. Recently, I bought the Siemen's Gigaset C385, Eco-Dect phone for our home. This phone "only" radiates when in use, unlike the DECT phone we have now, which constantly radiates, as Woden explains below. Thanks to Woden for sharing this tip sheet. Please add your tips and questions in the comments, we all can benefit from learning and sharing with each other.)

I've been learning a lot more about the research on radiation exposure and put together a list of a list of what we can do to protect children at home. Every family's exposure is different and depending on what you do, you can cut your exposure by up to 95%. I'll attach the list as a document too, so you can print if you want.

Aside from microwave ovens, there are 3-4 major sources of radiation in most homes: cell phones, Wi-Fi, cordless phones and wireless baby monitors. If it sends information through the air, it is likely using microwave radiation. Here’s how to reduce your exposure:

Cell phones:

Cell phones emit radiation when they are on, but not when they are turned off. They emit most radiation when they are struggling to pick up a signal. Different cell phones have different SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) levels.

To minimize your exposure:

1) Do not allow children to use a cell phone except in an emergency.

2) Keep the cell phone as far away from your body as possible. Consider using an Air Tube headset.

3) Keep your phone turned off whenever possible.

4) Keep your phone away from your body, not in a pocket or tucked into a belt or bra or baby sling. Even one inch makes a significant difference.

5) Choose a phone with a low SAR. See the Environmental Working Group ratings online:

6) Poor reception requires the phone to work harder to communicate; this means higher radiation levels.

Cordless phones and baby monitors:

These are actually the highest sources of radiation in most homes, and studies from Sweden showed the same increased cancer risks from cordless phones as cell phones. The highest emission cordless phones are called DECT phones. These constantly emit radiation into the room, all the time, not just when the phone is in use. They emit up to 15x the radiation of cell phones. Getting rid of this technology is the single most effective way to reduce your radiation exposure.

1) Purchase a corded telephone (they do still make them, even with answering machines).

2) If you really want to keep a cordless phone, buy an ECO DECT phone from Siemens, or use the older, 2.4 Ghz models, although these may or may not constantly radiate.

3) Avoid wireless baby monitors. Used a wired intercom system.

4) If you must use a DECT phone, it should be in a room away from living and sleeping quarters. These phones should not be next to a bed or in a main living space.

Wireless Internet:

Wireless radiation levels are highest next to the router and drop off as you move away, picking up and becoming very high again in the vicinity of a laptop using wireless. The more data that is being communicated (eg. streaming video), the higher the levels will be. The simple solution is just to plug in using a network connection: this eliminates the radiation. If you must use wireless, you can buy a computer with a relatively low SAR rate.

To eliminate wireless internet:

1) Plug in to the network using a network connection cord.

2) Call Fairpoint and ask them to turn off the wireless transmitters in the modem and computer.

3) Make sure that the wireless light on the installed hardware is off.

To keep wireless internet but minimize radiation:

1) Turn off the modem/router when not in use.

2) Locate your router away from living and sleeping quarters.

3) Turn off your wireless button when you don’t need it.

4) Buy a computer with a low SAR.

See Woden's book, Capture the Flag: A Political History of American Patriotism

**I'm an Amazon affiliate, so buying something with these Amazon links sends a few pennies to Non-Toxic Kids. Thanks for your support!**

How To Limit Your Child's Exposure To Cell Phone Radiation

2012-01-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

(This is an issue I can't seem to get away from. We've been discussing EMF exposure from the laptops and the wireless server in our local elementary school. I've been reminding my students to turn off their wireless if they are using Word to type a document to reduce exposure. I recently read an article in Time magazine about how the International Agency for Research on Cancer labeled cell phones as "possibly carcinogenic" which put them in the same category as DDT and gas exhaust. Confusingly, also in that category are mundane items like pickles and coffee. No wonder people are confused!

Another Time blog post showcases the differing points of view and studies on this issue. Nonetheless, if you prescribe to the precautionary principle as I do, it makes sense to limit EMF exposures for children until we know more. Lloyd Burell shares some tips for how to do just that below. My intention is not to provoke fear by publishing this post-- but to provide tips for how concerned parents can limit their child's EMF exposures. I'll have more on this topic soon, too.)

Can you hear it? Can you see it? Can you smell it? Move a little closer! No matter how close you get to your cell phone, or similar wireless device, its unlikely you’ll ever feel the Electromagnetic Field (EMF) pollution that it emits and that is all around us.

Because you can't tell that the EMFs are there, unless you have an EMF detector, you tend to forget about them. But don't be deceived, the dangers are real, particularly for our children.

People are increasingly waking up to this fact. In May of last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) cited cell phone radiation as a possible carcinogen. There are thousands of scientific studies that have revealed the hidden dangers of EMF pollution. In Denmark a study revealed that 54% of children born of mothers who were cell phone users had behavioral issues. If the children grew up to be frequent cell phone users, that percentage rose to 80%. That’s 4 out of 5 children. Interestingly brain tumors have now taken over from leukemia as the biggest cause of death amongst children. This is consistent with findings in Europe and the UK where there has been a 40% increase across the board of brain tumors over the last 20 years.

In simplistic terms EMFs are an energy wave. These waves penetrate pretty much everything, including our bodies. They have many uses. We use them to enable communicate via our cell phones and our computers. We use them to heat our food in microwaves. As we use these technologies more, so the pollution grows more. The WHO considers EMF pollution to be the most common and fastest growing environmental concern.

The fact is our kids are going to be the first generation of humans to experience EMF pollution throughout their whole lives. 75% of teenagers in the US are now using cell phones, up 45% since 2004. Here is another scientific fact: your child is at a higher risk because they absorb more EMF radiation from their cell phone than you. Their bodies have a higher water content, which makes them more conductive. They are also more vulnerable because; they have thinner skulls, their brains are still growing, and their immune systems are not fully developed.

Your kids might already be reacting to the EMFs they are being increasingly exposed to. Notice any stranger headaches or earaches when they are on their favorite (wireless) video game? Or maybe, no matter how much sleep they get they are just more tired than they used to be.

What about the effects on a child who has been exposed to EMFs and cell phone radiation all their lives? Studies show that the health effects of EMFs are cumulative. After 3 or 4 decades of exposure, the health effects could be devastating if you do not take action.

How To Limit Your Kids Exposure To Cell Phone Radiation

Clearly EMFs are here to stay. What can you do? Here are a few easy tips on how you can limit your child’s EMF exposure from their cell phone use.

1. Limit the time they spend on a cell phone

Your child’s exposure to cell phone radiation is dependent on the incidence and duration of the call. So, endeavor to restrict the duration and frequency of the time they spend on their cell phone. Give them access to a regular phone. Installing a corded phone in their bedroom is great way to get them off their cell phone. Though convenient, their cell phone should not be the primary means of staying in touch. Ideally it should only be used by your child as a last resort. Incidentally cordless phones are NOT a healthier alternative: they also emit EMF radiation.

2. Encourage them to text instead of talk

Children love to text. Texting also exposes them to EMFs but less. When they’re texting they have a much lower exposure to EMF radiation comparatively to when they have their cell phone close to their head. SMS, Tweeting and Facebook are healthier ways for them to communicate and stay in touch with their friends than talking on their cell phone.

3. Keep their mobile away from their bodies

The further away the cell phone is from your child’s body the better. Persuade your child to use the speaker phone or an air-tube type hands-free-set when calling. Bluetooth wireless devices actually emit low doses of EMF radiation which add to overall exposure and are thus not recommended. While on standby, cell phones still emit radiation. Better for them to keep their cell phone in a bag away from their body if it is switched on, or better still, get into the habit of switching it off when they are not using it.

4. Teach them to call only when they have optimum reception

The signal bars on cell phones are an indicator of signal strength. Encourage your child to use their cell phone only when all the bars are showing. Basements, underground stations, elevators etc tend to be places where cell tower coverage is poorer thereby causing your phone to emit more EMFs to maintain the signal. The best place to use a mobile phone is while outside or near a window.

Mobile devices are so in vogue these days that it’s near impossible to prevent your child from owning a cell phone. Use these 4 easy tips to help you limit your child’s exposure to EMF radiation from their cell phone. Remember, the best way to instruct your child is by example.

Lloyd Burrell was only a moderate cell phone user when he became electrically sensitive in 2002 . He nows brings awareness to this issue by writing about it on the Internet and through his own EMF protection website, to inform people of the dangers and also advise what they can do to minimize their exposure to EMFs

image: by Tedd Santana on Flickr under CC

The Chickadees: The Froggy Hop (music review and giveaway)

2012-01-17T17:38:00.000-08:00

My kids (4 and 6 years old) absolutely love The Chickadees! The music is cheery, funny, and the lyrics teach environmental and science themes without being preachy or stilted. I was sent their new album, called The Froggy Hop, and it didn't leave the CD player for weeks. Believe me, I tried to switch it up, but my girls begged for it to stay on.

The women of the Chikadees are on a mission to educate kids about science and the environment. “The Froggy Hop” is aimed at entertaining and enlightening children in their first few years of school. “Science was so boring for me as a kid and it made it hard for me to focus.” Lead singer Mary Karlzen explains. “I think a lot of kids have a hard time listening and learning basic facts. So why not make it fun? Learn the life cycle of a frog – and dance to it!”

You've got to love that. As a science teacher, that is music to my ears. And the Chickadees make learning science fun, lively and totally danceable.

I found my 4 year old asking me questions about hibernation, and explaining metamorphosis. The songs have addicting and singable choruses, and will get your kids up and dancing. The music ranges from a little country, pop, folk and a little bit of jazz.

The Froggy Hop Songs

*The Tadpole Wiggle
*The Hiking Song
*Hibernation
*Animal babies
*Nocturnal
*Reduce, Recycle and Reuse
*Goldfinches
*The Cardinal Song
*Maple Syrup Time
*Tiny Little Caterpillar
*Planet Protectors

I love that there is a song about maple sugar season, as that is so big here in Vermont. The CD takes the listener on a tour of nature with an emphasis on life cycles, adaptation, hibernation, habitat, bird life, being active, and protecting the earth.

Before you know it, you'll hear your kids singing about adaptation as they build with legos. It will happen naturally, as learning should.

Be warned, however, sleep deprived parents. When you wake up at 3am, wondering if you returned some email, paid a bill, or whatever you worry about late at night, these songs will start running in your mind. I have not found a way to stop them.

Keep in mind, though, we are raising the generation that will have to solve our most vexing environmental problems, and having more knowledge, earlier, and a sense of responsibility about caring for the earth, well, that is worth the late night auto repeats. I'm sure of it.

Okay, readers! Leave a comment on this post and let me know why you want this CD. One winner will be picked at random by a 4 year old to win a copy of The Froggy Hop. Good luck!

Extra entries for:
*tweeting this post
*sharing it in other ways
*signing up for weekly or monthly updates from Non-Toxic Kids
*posting about this giveaway on your blog

Just let me know in the comments!

Good luck. Now do the bunny hop, or the tadpole wiggle....it's never gonna stop.

** FCC guidelines: I did receive a review copy of this CD. The review committee's opinion is solely our own, and is based on our experience.

Lego: Ditch the Gender Stereotyping and Limiting "Friends" Line for Girls

2012-01-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

Lego CEO: This is a real girl from one of your ads. She doesn't need pink and purple legos with a fashion and beauty shop to limit her imagination.

(Here is a guest post from an author and reader Carolyn Costin about the new line of Legos for girls. I was outraged to read about this newest stereotyping toy-- in this case taking legos, good for all kids to build and use their imaginations, and focus on shallow and confining roles, shapes and colors for girls. I agree wholeheartedly with Carolyn. That's why I signed her letter and petition here, and I urge you to join me.)

Dear LEGO:

LEGO used to stand out as an exceptional toy maker who stood apart from the other shameless and reckless manufacturers who make and market gender stereotypic toys devoid of imagination and skill building. Your "Friends" line for "girls" challenges this reputation and puts both professionals and parents on alert.

We are horrified and outraged to see how the "Friends" line for girls promotes damaging gender stereotypes and limits creativity and healthy role development.

For starters presenting slimmer, more fashion oriented LEGO people for girls falls right into the pervasive cultural messages for them to focus solely on their appearance and being thin. Your Fashion Design Workshop and Butterfly Beauty Shop also convey the message of focusing on appearance, and promotes negativity, as evidenced in your advertisements for this line, such as saying that [Butterfly Beauty Shop] is a place where girls can "get primped and pretty" and "gossip out on the bench." Are you serious?

Research and experience tell us that encouraging girls to focus on appearance and thinness contributes to their belief that external validation is more important than internal validation. That being thin and pretty is more important than who you are or what you can do. The internalization of these values leads to body dissatisfaction and to disordered eating, which may lead to full blown eating disorders.

Lego - save your reputation and remove or modify this new "Friends" line. We for sure are going to get the word out:

Don't buy the new LEGO "Friends" line. It will make you feel bad about yourself and others......with friends like that who needs enemies.

Carolyn Costin, MFT
Eating Disorder and Body Image Specialist
Founder Monte Nido Treatment Center

Author: Your Dieting Daughter, The Eating Disorder Sourcebook, 100 Questions and Answers About Eating Disorders and 8 Keys To recovery From an Eating Disorder.

Readers:

Please spread the word about this petition by sharing it on Facebook, and Tweet this:

Don't buy the new LEGO "Friends" line. It will make you feel bad about yourself and others......with friends like that who needs enemies. http://www.change.org/petitions/lego-stop-production-of-friends-line-for-girls

What do you think about this new line from Lego?

Green Parent News Roundup (antibiotics and cruelty in factory farms)

2012-01-14T17:02:00.000-08:00

Here's what I have been following this week.

First is this shocking undercover video about the abuse and mistreatment of baby chicks at Cal-Cruz Hatcheries in California. The video is not for the faint of heart, and is just the latest example of animal cruelty in large scale meat factory farms. If are you looking for another reason to go vegetarian, or to buy meat only from local, trusted farmers who treat animals humanely, watch the video. Cal-Cruz is being being sued by Compassion Over Killing, represented by Animal Legal Defense Fund attorneys, according to the Huffington Post.

Swiftly, Whole Foods severed any ties to Cal-Cruz, which it was connected to at one point through its network of distributors and farms. I was glad to read that Whole Foods has standards of quality which prohibit animal abuse. According to the Huffington Post, and Beth Krauss, spokeswoman for Whole Foods:

"Last year, the chain implemented a rating system for how well pigs, chickens and cattle are treated prior to slaughter. The non-profit Global Animal Partnership, which runs the rating program, plans to develop standards for hatcheries within two years, said Miyun Park, executive director.

"The point of that was to encourage ranchers to improve their welfare practices and also better inform our customers about how the animals are raised," Krauss said. "We're one of the few retailers directly addressing animal welfare. Issues like this just prove how important that 5-step program is. But it's a work in progress."

This is good news and a giant step in the right direction toward the humane treatment of animals in farming.

Next up is the news about the FDA finally regulating a specific kind of antibiotic used in factory farms, called cephalosporins. Cephalosporins, according to the LA Times, "are used to treat people for food-borne pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli. Drug-resistant salmonella already was being found more commonly in livestock. The antibiotics also are important in treating infections in children and cancer patients."

While this is another good step in the right direction, it is woefully late, and limited in scope. We need the FDA to restrict the use of all antibiotics food animal production so we can save these important medications for when they are really needed in healthcare for humans. That's why I joined Moms for Antibiotic Awareness, and I hope you will join me.

What are you reading this weekend?

5 Ways to Avoid Spreading and Absorbing BPA

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

You've undoubtedly heard about BPA in water bottles, canned food, even in receipts. Now, a new study reveals that BPA is ending in up napkins, paper towels, toilet paper and business cards.

How? Thermal receipts are often recycled and then BPA ends up in new products with the recycled content. This chemical is everywhere! No wonder 93 percent of Americans contain this endocrine disrupting substance.

Here's how you can stop the spread of BPA from receipts.

1. Don't keep receipts in your reusable grocery bags, or you'll spread the chemical to your food, especially produce. I had been doing this for awhile, and now realize that my food had been coming in direct contact with my organic, fresh vegetables.

2. In fact, refuse receipts when making purchases. Most of us do our banking online now, or you can use credit card statements to track your purchases. Or if you must get a receipt, place it in an envelope, where the BPA will not spread to other items.

3. Throw out receipts from your purse or wallet. Clean it out regularly. Wipe down credit cards and other contents to remove the chemical as much as possible.

And here is a great tip I found from Rodale:

4. Wash your hands—but avoid hand sanitizers. A recent Swiss study found that people who used those sanitizers then handled receipts absorbed more BPA into their skin than people who washed their hands before handling receipts.

Yikes! A protective approach backfiring. That blasted hand sanitizer can have harmful chemicals (tricolsan) and increase BPA amounts.

5. Wash your hands ESPECIALLY after handling money and before you eat, so you can avoid the transfer of BPA from your hands to your food.

And look how regulation can work, and reduce exposures.

"Ninety-four percent of the thermal receipts – except those from Japan – had measurable levels of BPA. Undetectable levels in Japanese receipts are related to the 2001 BPA phase-out in that country. Measurable amounts were also found in receipts claiming to be “BPA-free.”

So, what are we waiting for? Banning BPA will have clear and measurable results, just like in Japan. Look out how successful removing leaded gas and lead paint have been. Let's get BPA out of our food, everyday items, and our bodies!

These dermal exposures are significantly less than food exposures, so be sure to reduce those exposures too.

The Chemicals in Us: And What To Do About it

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hello, readers. I hope you had a good weekend.

I wanted to let you know about a new feature article that I just published. It's called The Chemicals in Us: And What To Do About It. The full feature article details my experience participating in a body burden study done in my home state of Vermont. Study authors selected 10 Vermonters from a variety of ages and professions and took samples of hair, blood and urine to test for several different types of chemicals, including BPA, mercury, Deca (flame retardant), and a range of pesticides.

You'll find out the process I went through, my predictions (wrong-o!) and my results. The most important section, I think, is how to reduce your family's exposures to the chemicals I was tested for. In addition, you'll see where to go for more information and how to get active about supporting better protections against toxins and chemicals in our everyday products, food, and water.

It's free for newsletter subscribers. If you have never noticed (as a busy parent, I know you barely have time to brush your teeth--), there are two ways to subscribe to Non-Toxic Kids.

There's the weekly post roundup email, available from Feedblitz. It's labeled as such and you will receive all the posts on one email on Fridays. I heard some feedback that emails with every post were too much, so I went to the email roundup once a week. Of course, for the most current posts, just visit us everyday (in between brushing teeth, cooking, working, playing, etc. etc).

For the free ebook/article, subscribe to our monthly newsletter. You can do this two ways. One by clicking on the picture in the right sidebar of me getting 10 vials (yes, 10) of blood taken as part of the study. There you can enter your email address. You'll then get an email with a link that tells you how to download the article. Monthly newsletter receive additional content (like this article/ebook!), updates about new releases, and sometimes, information about eco-friendly products and resources. The other way is to click the "Free Monthly Newsletter here" button on your right. You'll get the same welcome email with a link to where to find the article.

Thanks for signing up and I hope you find the article helpful! Please let me know your thoughts, I'd love to hear what you think of the article/ebook.

The Eat To Breathe Diet: 5 Simple Changes

2012-01-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

BPA, pesticides, growth hormones, artificial food colorings, meat and vegetable recalls….so many problems with our food supply, and so much to keep up with! The news is endless and always changing.

I set out to write the ebook, Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents, to help moms and dads limit their kids’ exposures to the chemicals in food, and feeding and drinking gear. It’s packed with helpful tips, resources, recipes, and information to make feeding your family easier, healthier, and better for the environment.

Below are 5 simple changes in the way you can feed your family safer and healthier foods, and what you can do to limit toxic exposures from air and other pollutants. Keep in mind we can’t shop (or eat) our way out of these problems– according to Time magazine: 93% of us have BPA in our blood, no matter what we eat, this chemical is ubiquitous. But we can decrease our exposures to toxins, and work for regulatory changes to clean up the air, water and land to better protect our families.

Read the rest over at Moms Clean Air Force and please tell me what is part of your clean air diet!

2012 is the Year for the Safe Chemicals Act!

2012-01-05T10:01:00.001-08:00

(Here is a guest post and green mama activism request from our friends at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. By working together, we can make sure 2012 is finally the year for the Safe Chemicals Act. Please send your message of support today!)

Will Congress pass the Safe Chemicals Act in 2012?

If only we had a crystal ball! Yes, things are tough in Washington DC these days, but with your help we are breaking through the partisan banter.

Thanks to the 300+ of you who submitted photos and comments, our online Holiday Card to Congress was a fun change of pace and has already caught the attention of key staff on Capitol Hill.

Now we want to be sure every Congressional office sees it--will you help us?

Will you email a New Year's Wish and our Holiday Card to your Members of Congress?

We need you to help make sure your Members get the message loud and clear: We want them to pass the Safe Chemicals Act in 2012. Send your email to Congress now.

Last year was incredible, we met and and connected with many of you online and in person at events across the country.

We look forward to meeting even more of you in 2012!

Send your New Year's wish for the Safe Chemicals Act now.

Cabot Cheese: Read the labels (not rBGH free after all!)

2012-01-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

Oh, say it isn't so!

My lovely Cabot New York Cheddar. Sharp. Lovely. Tasty. And apparently, still containing recumbent growth hormones. Sometimes.

This issue goes on. And on.

Back in 2009 I happily wrote that Cabot pledged to stop using the growth hormone in its dairy products. Yay! The post said, the people spoke, and Cabot listened!

Well, turns out things were not so clear, and the state of Vermont figured it out. Cabot apparently was claiming to be rBGH free, but they were not able to support that claim. In fact, many of their cheeses still contained the growth hormone, even as public health advocates cheered Cabot's stated ban on the chemical.

Why? Cabot, owned by Agrimark, accepts milk from several surrounding states. Many of these farms have not committed to removing rBGH from their farms. Vermont farmers have made the rBGH free commitment-- if only all the milk was sourced here!

So the state fined Agrimark for essentially false advertising. They had to pay a fine and donate lots of cheese to the Vermont Foodbank. According to VT Digger:

"The settlement requires Agri-Mark to pay $65,000 to the State of Vermont, to donate $75,000 worth of dairy products to local food banks, and to take steps to prevent misrepresentations in the future and accurately inform the public as to the rBST status of its products."

As a result Cabot is required to list on their website which cheeses are guaranteed rBGH free, and which aren't. The chart itself is useless, because it says that any of it's cheese could contain growth hormones. You have to look at individual packages to find out.

Look on the package, to see if it says, "growth hormone free". It is doesn't say that in the little green box, there is no way to know if the cheese contains it.

Notice the label of "No Artificial Growth Hormone"

The Pepper Jack cheese has no label of "No Artificial Growth Hormone" and therefore could contain it.

I really just want to be able to trust Vermont based Cabot on this one, without having to look each time. I guess that is too much to ask. Soon, I'll need my laptop and several hours to go grocery shopping. I'm thinking of converting to only locally made, organic cheeses for my family, and I am hoping to eat and cook with less of it.

I am disturbed by Cabot's misleading consumers of because here on Non-Toxic Kids, I encouraged readers to buy Cabot cheeses after they proclaimed in 2009 they would no longer use rBGH. I also have fed these cheeses to my children for years, and am concerned about the effects of these hormones on their little growing bodies. Why worry? rBGH has been linked to increased rates of breast cancer and prostate cancer in this study published in the Lancet.

The Organic Consumers Association has been out in front of this issue, working to protect people from hormones in milk products. There has been major progress in this area, such as Dannon and Yoplait going hormone free in their production. Several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and the European Union have banned rbGH because of its impacts on human and animal health.

Cabot, how about taking a leadership role on this issue: refuse to accept milk from farms that continue to use growth hormones. We all learn from our mistakes-- and this would show consumers you take their wishes and safety seriously, so we don't have to worry which bar of cheese we pick up, as long as it's Cabot.

5 Most Talked about Posts on Non-Toxic Kids of 2011

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Many of Non-Toxic Kids readers are busy parents without time to comment (much less go to the bathroom, take a shower, or brush their teeth). I know this because of my page visit stats versus my comments, and because like many of you, I am a lurker on certain blogs as well. Rarely am I moved to comment-- and it is not because I don't appreciate the post, or it hasn't caused me to think, it's just I have other things to get to, as in, 5 minutes ago.

But these posts for some reason gained the most comments-- probably because I asked you to share something, and being such snazzy and wise parents, you kindly did. Other posts clearly were fodder on other blogs (can you say Walmart's Tween makeup line?) for disagreement. In any case, thank you for visiting and for commenting here at Non-Toxic Kids. I love when you share your ideas, thoughts, and feelings on any posts. Doing so forwards the conversation and helps fellow parents. Here are the most commented on posts of 2011 at Non-Toxic Kids.

#5 Pajamas without Flame Retardants.

This post helps people find chemical flame retardant free pajamas-- and links up to a recent giveaway with Lullaby Organics. The many comments list where else to find chemical free pjs, and folks entering the giveaway.

#4 Toxic Foam Mats and Puzzles.

I received an email question about the safety of foam play mats for babies, which prompted this post on the issue. My research certainly made me relegate our foam toys into the basement!

#3 Eat Non-Toxic Released.

This year I released Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents. It is a guide to parents looking to limit toxic chemicals from food, feeding and drinking gear. The ebook was well received and had a great launch. Thanks to folks who have bought the ebook and please check it out if you haven't already.

#2 Boycott Walmart's New "Tween" Makeup Line: Geogirl.

Boy did I tick some people off when I wrote about Walmart's new line of "eco-friendly" cosmetics geared to tween girls (starting at age 7). I am happy that Walmart is supplying some products with less toxins than other cosmetic lines, but I am deeply troubled by the targeted marketing to young girls for beauty products. Yes, I know parents buy for their kids, and it is up to them to set limits. I want my daughters and my students to feel beautiful without makeup. Play makeup, and makeup for teenagers is a different story, and a safer version of already used makeup is good, generally-- but I am not comfortable with the message that young girls need makeup. This line is marketed through the use of texting language in the packaging, so it feels cool to young children and preadolescents they are trying to target. This of course is no accident.

People still comment regularly on this post-- extolling the benefits of this line, that it is a-okay for girls of any age to wear makeup, and how parents of course are in charge of purchasing decisions. I have no way of knowing how many of them are marketing interns working for Walmart, but I have a hunch.

#1 Catamount Glass Corn Popper

This post was a giveaway post (you readers love giveaways!) for a neat new glass microwave popcorn popper. I love how people can avoid toxic chemicals in microwave popcorn bags with this popper from MightyNest.

image: by saaam on Flickr under CC

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The Mercury and Air Toxics Rule Released by the EPA Today!

2011-12-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

Can you hear it? If you listen very, very closely, you might hear a huge sigh of relief from parents everywhere, across America.

Parents of children with asthma. They will likely have to take fewer trips to the emergency room.

Pregnant mothers, trying to make the right choices to limit their exposures to harmful mercury and other toxins.

Parents of all children, everywhere, who think about the power plant in the next town, or the next state. Parents worrying about the air where they work, or nearby where their children go to school, and the exposures their family faces everyday from just living.

Today was a monumental day in the fight for clean air. According to the EPA:

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, the first national standards to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic air pollution like arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium, and cyanide. The standards will slash emissions of these dangerous pollutants by relying on widely available, proven pollution controls that are already in use at more than half of the nation’s coal-fired power plants.

EPA estimates that the new safeguards will prevent as many as 11,000 premature deaths and 4,700 heart attacks a year. The standards will also help America’s children grow up healthier – preventing 130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and about 6,300 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year."

Can you hear the sigh of relief now? I know that I am deeply thankful that this long awaited rule will have such positive health outcomes for our nation's children, for our economy, and for our collective future. Tonight I am thankful for each and every person who worked on this issue: President Obama, Lisa Jackson, the EPA, but also every member of the Moms Clean Air Force, and the deep and wide coalition of environmental, public health, business, religious and medical groups who supported this important new rule.

Luckily, due to an early release day at school, I had the chance to watch the press conference live. I learned that Lisa Jackson herself has two sons who struggle with asthma. She shared how she spent a Christmas, 15 years ago, in the hospital with her son after an asthma attack. There are real people behind these statistics whose lives are dramatically altered by preventable air pollution.

We know the devastating effects of these toxins on developing bodies, but let's review it. According to the Environmental Defense Fund:

"Mercury exposure can cause brain damage in infants, and can affect children’s ability to walk, talk, read and learn. Experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of babies are born each year with potentially unsafe levels of mercury in their blood.

Many of the other toxic pollutants also controlled by the new rules — such as chromium, arsenic, dioxin and acid gases — are known or probable carcinogens and can attack the brain, lungs, liver, and kidneys."

The Mercury and Air Toxics Rule is a giant leap toward protecting America's families from pollution and toxins in our air. I couldn't think of a better holiday present. Tonight, I am thankful and hopeful. What about you?

Please join me in thanking Lisa Jackson for standing up to polluters and protecting the health of our children and families.

10 Ways Children Can Volunteer in their Communities (share the spirit of giving)

2011-12-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

(Here is a guest post from author Linda Cohen about how to get kids volunteering in their communities. What a great way to teach children about citizenship, empathy, and compassion. This is lovely post for the holiday season to remind us all to give back to our own communities and model this important work with our kids.)

Volunteerism can teach young children important life-lessons, such as gratitude, compassion, respect, and can instill in them a commitment to their community and the world around them. However, many parents who want to volunteer with their children might find that there are time-limitations, kid-limitations, or criteria with organizations that make it challenging.

As a life-long volunteer devoted to child-centered organizations, Linda Cohen, author of the upcoming inspirational book, 1000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your Life (Seal Press/ November 2011/ $16.00), provides her top ten tips for volunteering with your children in prep for the holidays:

1. If you child loves being in the car, deliver something. It could be food to seniors, special events like Valentine-o-grams, or picking up perishable foods from a school or restaurant and delivering it to a local food pantry.

2. Have a lemonade stand or bake sale and give the proceeds to a non profit that your kids might know, for example The Humane Society or a local food bank or to help after a natural disaster. There are many great stories of children organizing extraordinary volunteer projects after the Haiti earthquake and the recent earthquake in Japan. If donating locally, they can help deliver the money in person and maybe even get a tour of the place you have donated.

3. Collect cans for a food bank. Even the littlest children can help do this. My kids were 6 and 9 when we took a wagon through a neighborhood near our synagogue to collect cans for a synagogue sponsored event. We discovered it was like trick or treating with a twist and the kids really enjoyed it. You could even let them choose a few items each week at the supermarket to donate.

4. Volunteer to collect children's books. We have an organization called the Children's Book Bank in Portland, maybe there is one in your town that collects children's books and gives them to needy children.

5. Visit a senior center/retirement home. Contact the activities director and see if you can bring the kids in to visit during a meal or a game time.

6. Bake something and give it to someone in need. My daughter loves to bake and I have enlisted her several times now to bake for a Shiva call (the period of Jewish observance after the death of a loved one). Children could also bring something they have baked to elderly neighbors or relatives.

7. Visit someone in the hospital. Do you know of anyone who is in need of a visit? Children can often be the best medicine.

8. Volunteer at school. Often younger siblings can come and help when there are opportunities to volunteer at school. My children have come along to collect auction items, give out fundraising material, set up for a school related event and even to stuff mailers.

9. Pull weeds. We helped at our school garden. My kids loved getting dirty and muddy more than I did. There is probably somewhere in your city that would love your gardening help.

10. Still not sure where to volunteer check out: www.handson.org. If you have this organization in your community, it is a great place to start. Handson.org keeps a calendar of volunteer opportunities and what specific ages can volunteer in hundreds of cities across the US.

8 Household Items You Can Make Yourself

2011-12-19T05:10:00.000-08:00

(Here is a guest post by Adam at the Frugal Dad. Get ready to be inspired! I hope to try these in the new year.)

Given the rising costs of just about everything these days, keeping your house stocked with everyday items can get pretty expensive. Fortunately there are many household items that you can make yourself. Not only will you save money by doing so, but you will have peace of mind knowing exactly what is going into your products. Once you see how easy it can be to make your own household items, you may never purchase them at a store again.

1. Glass Cleaner

Glass cleaner is a very popular household item that gets used frequently in most households. The problem is most glass cleaners on the market are pricey and contain harsh chemicals that can be irritating. You can easily make your own glass cleaner by combining 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar with 1 quart of warm water. Vinegar has excellent cleaning properties that can leave surfaces sparkling. Be sure to use old newspapers to wipe away glass cleaner, as paper towels can leave streaks.

2. Multi-Purpose Cleaner

Multi-purpose cleaners are great because they can be used to clean just about anything, besides wood. Many multi-purpose cleaners are antibacterial, which means they also kill germs and bacteria on surfaces. The good news is you can make antibacterial multi-purpose cleaner yourself, using simple ingredients that are not harmful. All you need is 2 cups water, 3 tablespoons liquid castile soap, and 20 drops tea tree essential oil. Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle and use on anything that needs to be clean and germ free. Tea tree oil is a natural germ killer that also has a fresh scent.

3. Laundry Detergent

We all need clean clothes, but laundry detergent can be quite expensive. Luckily it is relatively simple to make yourself. All you need are some basic ingredients and a little time. For a good powdered laundry detergent, you will need 1 bar of soap (any will do), 1 cup borax, and 1 cup washing soda. First you will need to shred the bar of soap into a large bowl. A cheese grater works well for this step. Next, add the borax and washing soda to the bowl and stir the mixture for a few minutes, until it is powdery and uniform in appearance. It is that simple. Store your detergent in a lidded container and use 1-2 tablespoons per load, depending on your needs.

4. Fabric Softener

Most folks like to use fabric softener along with their laundry detergent to add softness and a fresh scent. To make your own, you will need 1 cup baking soda, 6 cups white vinegar, 8 cups water, and 20 drops essential oil. Put the baking soda in a medium-sized bucket and add 1 cup of the water. Add the vinegar slowly to minimize fizzing, then mix in the rest of the water and essential oil. Stir everything very well and transfer it to smaller lidded containers or a gallon jug. Use 1/2 to 1 cup of fabric softener for each load of laundry.

5. Shampoo

Shampoo is necessary for clean hair, but it can often contain harsh ingredients and cost a lot. To make your own shampoo at home, all you need is 4 ounces liquid castile soap, 1/4 cup distilled water, and 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oils. Combine your ingredients in an 8 ounce capped bottle and shake before using. Lemon, carrot, lavender, and rosemary essential oils are all good choices to add to shampoo.

6. Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizer is a great alternative to traditional hand washing because it cleans and kills germs without water. You can easily make your own hand sanitizer using common ingredients. Combine 2/3 cup rubbing alcohol, 1/3 cup aloe gel, and 10 drops of your favorite essential oil in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir the mixture until it is uniform in appearance, then use a funnel to pour it into an old hand soap or hand sanitizer bottle. Use as needed.

7. Body Wash

Some people prefer body wash over bar soap, but it often costs a lot more. Making your own body wash at home is a fun, simple process. All you need is 1 cup liquid castile soap, 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (a thickener), and 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil. Combine everything in a capped bottle and shake well before each use.

8. Acne Treatment

Most people suffer from at least one acne breakout during their lives. Store-bought acne treatments usually contain harsh chemicals that can dry out your skin and cause irritation. An easy acne treatment to make at home uses only tea tree oil and water. Mix 1 teaspoon oil with 2 teaspoons of water and apply directly to troublesome areas using a cotton ball or swab. Tea tree oil has blemish fighting properties that kill germs and help heal skin.

Although all of these household items can be purchased at a store, making them yourself will save you money and time. You will also feel good knowing exactly what is going into your products. Give these easy recipes a try today.

Guest post from Adam. Adam shares many coupons through FrugalDad.com.

Tell President Obama and the EPA to get mercury and arsenic out of our air (and our juice)!

2011-12-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

(Here's a guest post from our friends at Momsrising about this incredibly important issue. With your support we have the chance to save thousands of lives with Mercury and Air Toxics rule! Please take action to support this rule today.)

I am ready to pluck that juice box out of my kid’s sticky little hands, no matter how big the juice-splosion.

It’s not about the sugar this time – oh, no – it's because of the arsenic! A Consumer Reports study just informed me that apple and grape juice constitute a significant source of dietary exposure to arsenic. [1]

What!? Arsenic in juice?! How could this be? You see, arsenic and mercury residues from power plant air pollution end up on our fruits (and in our juice!), in our water ways, and in our fish. [2], [3]. These toxins, in turn, end up in consumer products like the apple juice boxes that we give our kids.

Tell President Obama and the EPA to move forward with the Mercury and Air Toxics rule, to defend public health and protect children from toxic arsenic and mercury ASAP:

http://action.momsrising.org/go/1438?akid=3036.198352.o0qAcC&t=4/

Let's face it -- it would be pretty hard to get all the apple juice out of childhood, so we have to get the arsenic out of juice! It’s up to our leaders to do their duty to keep kids--and us all--safe.

Why should President Obama and the EPA move forward with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants?

Mercury can harm children's developing brains, affecting memory, attention and skills. Other toxic metals such as arsenic, chromium and nickel can cause cancer.[3],[4]

If the EPA and the Administration move forward with this important rule it, it would reduce the amount of arsenic and mercury in our air and water. [5]

The new rule would prevent thousands of premature deaths and tens of thousands of heart attacks, bronchitis cases and asthma attacks. THE EPA estimates that "the value of the improvements to health alone total $59 billion to $140 billion in 2016. This means that for every dollar spent to reduce pollution from power plants, we get $5 to $13 in health benefits." [6]

*Don't forget to send your message in support of getting arsenic and mercury out of our air (and our juice)! Contact President Obama and the EPA today:

http://action.momsrising.org/go/1437?akid=3036.198352.o0qAcC&t=6

And please pass this link along to your friends and family by forwarding this email or sharing this link on Facebook.

Together we are a powerful voice for children and families,

--Sarah, Gloria, Claire, Kristin, and the whole MomsRising.org team

P.S. Huge thanks to the Clean Air Defense Campaign for all the work they do on this issue!

Holiday Gift Guide 2011

2011-12-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Most of you savvy moms and dads have already secured your holiday presents, I'm sure. Just in case you are making your orders this week, here are a few trusted sources for safe, healthy, green and educational gifts for your little ones and family.

1. Here are my favorite online retailers for safe and environmentally friendly toys. Many are having sales and shipping deals this week, so hustle on over!

2. Check out the lovely books here at Barefoot Books. You can find sweet gift books that feature the earth, multi-culturism, and quality literature. Free shipping until December 15th!

3. Here is a gift guide from our friends at Mightynest. You can find anything you need for a family member at this site-- and know that it is safe, healthy and green. From toys, to kitchen gear, to non-toxic art supplies, Mightynest is loaded with great ideas.

4. Please visit the supporters of Non-Toxic Kids, including:

* Lullaby Organics (safe, flame retardant free pjs for the family)

*Little Green Pumpkin (formerly known as Little Green Shop) for greener baby care

*Caterpillar Baby for cloth diapers and more

*Baby UR Precious for yummy soft bamboo baby towels and more

*Good Things, Green Things, for a lovely selection of handmade green goodies

*and Ava Anderson Non-Toxic for all your beauty and bath products. Here's an Ava Anderson deal for this week: In time for the holiday until DECEMBER 30th: Try any Ava product for 20% off! Must order through emailing Ashlee ashlee@nontoxicga.com.

5. Please also see my hand selected non-toxic picks at the shop page, listed above. There I have listed a few more of my favorites, and there is an Amazon page with my safe picks listed as well. Ordering through this links supports the writing here at Non-Toxic Kids, as I am an affiliate.

Enjoy the hustle and bustle. Be sure to take some down time to enjoy the quiet, reflective and lovely side of the holiday season too.

Santa Songs: Hullabaloo

2011-12-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of most canned, overly produced holiday music. I've only grown into liking (sometimes barely tolerating) holiday songs again after having kids. What I like the most are acoustic tunes, with non-offending voices, and these are few and far between.

Enter Hullabaloo's Santa Songs. I've reviewed their music before, here. The band refers to themselves on their website:

"Hullabaloo is farm-fresh, free-range, organic kid-folk in a genre filled with musical Twinkies and Ding-Dongs. Don’t get us wrong (and please don’t sue us Hostess Foods Inc.), Twinkies and Ding-Dongs are great (in small doses). But, after a while, you need something with a little more substance—something that won’t induce an insulin coma."

Especially in a world of synthesized, repetitive and obnoxious Christmas music, Hullabaloo's Santa Songs really sticks out as delightfully real and authentic. It's all acoustic, and as the title suggests, all about Santa. What fun! These are the kid's favorite tunes anyway.

My favorite song on this CD is a new classic, All of the Above. This song features the names of all sorts of holiday celebrations from across religions and the globe, promoting tolerance and multi-culturalism. All of the Above also showcases all different languages saying the word peace. The chorus shares, "We're all celebrating peace, happiness and love," which is exactly what I want my children to grow up remembering about the holidays.

You really can't go wrong with this CD. It's place is firmly affixed in our CD player until after the holidays. Santa Songs are also a great way to teach kids these timeless carols-- already mine are humming and singing these tunes around the house. This only lends to holiday cheer and the possibility of going caroling, where the kids actually know all the words!

*I did receive a review copy of this CD, but my opinions remain my own and independent.

Mrs. Moon: Lullabies for Bedtime (all time favorite)

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Do you have a little one on your holiday list?

Mrs. Moon: Lullabies for Bedtime is a timeless, beautiful book, which includes lovely cloth collage illustrations to go along with each lullaby or poem, and a gorgeous CD of the same lullabies. These are the classics, some familiar, others not so, but each are dreamy, vivid, comforting, and calming.

This CD has not left my daughter's CD player for the last 5 years (she is 6). I am not kidding. She loves these lullabies so very much and has since she could barely walk. I am amazed that neither of us is sick of them-- the music and voice of Dana Kletter is soothing and lovely.

My daughter also now loves to go through the book and sing each lullaby, as do I. This book is part of our family and I know that we will keep it forever. When it falls apart, I'll be ordering a new one.

I love Barefoot Books. They feature non-mass marketed characters, cultural and environmental elements and themes, incredible artwork, non-stereotyping and quality literature.

I just ordered The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales, and The Barefoot Book of Dance Stories, and The Barefoot Book of Mothers and Daughter Tales. I can't wait to give my daughters these beautiful and meaningful books for this Christmas.

Mrs. Moon would make a lovely new baby gift, a gift for a toddler, and even for a prekindergarten or kindergarten child.

PS- Barefoot Books has free shipping until December 15th on orders over $60!

*I am an affiliate for Barefoot Books. Buying books through the links above helps support the writing on this site. I did not receive any review books.

Easy Holiday Decoration: Make it with your kids

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

I love slow weekend mornings. After rushing around every morning getting ready for work, trying to feed the girls breakfast, and remember everything for my day, a mellow morning is a welcome reprieve. Listening to music, having a second cup of coffee, and doing a craft with my daughters is the beginning to a fine, fine day.

This Saturday with a few inches of snow on the ground, we started making a holiday decoration. For me, crafts have to be simple, natural looking, and doable for and with kids. It has to be something I actually would hang up, too.

This decoration features doves, hearts and stars-- showcasing nondenominational and universal themes (peace, love, inspiration) for the holiday season.

All you need is some felt, some ribbon, a sewing kit, and some sequins or other small detail decorations. Cut a piece of ribbon long enough to hang loosely across the top of a window, two windows or over a pass through in your house.

Trace a dove with pencil on felt. You can use any color, but white looks lovely.

Then your kids' can decorate them with sequins, glitter, ribbons, or anything you like.

You can make any shapes you want: snowmen, ginger bread boys and girls, wreaths, or Santas. We made doves, hearts, and stars.

Next you attach the decorated shapes equidistant from each other on the ribbon. You can use a hot glue gun to do this, or a few stitches. I stitched these shapes on. Be sure to keep the shapes attached to the same side of the ribbon-- double check every so often that it did not twist.

Then you can hang it up anywhere you want to feature it and bring a little homemade holiday cheer.

Let me know if you try it and how it comes out-- I'd love to hear.

President Obama: Don't Weaken the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards!

2011-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

(Here is an important guest post from our friend Dominique Browning, co-founder and lead blogger for the Moms Clean Air Force.)

The polluter lobby is now pressuring the White House to fundamentally weaken–or add gaping loopholes to–the urgently needed Mercury and Air Toxics Standards—just as this rule is about to be posted.

I urge moms–and dads–to rally: Please tell President Obama that you support this important clean air rule.

This is so urgent that we will hand-deliver your petitions to the White House ourselves.

Mercury is a terrible neurotoxin. Fetuses, infants and toddlers are especially vulnerable to mercury poisoning, which harms hearts, lungs, and brains. The rule to eliminate this poison has been in the making 21 years. Coal plants have had plenty of time to adjust–and many have. Our children have waited long enough for EPA action. If we don’t fight for our children, who will?

It is time to put our children’s health above politics and polluter lobbyists.

Coal-fired power plants emit half of all toxic mercury pollution in the U.S. and over 386,000 tons of other hazardous air pollution every year.

The 1990 Clean Air Act—signed into law by Republican President George H. W. Bush—explicitly called for the EPA to address mercury and other dangerous air pollutants.

The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule is one of the most important clean air regulations to ever come out of the EPA. It would reduce mercury, arsenic, acid gases, and other hazardous air pollution from America’s oldest and most polluting coal-fired power plants.

Many utility executives have already brought their electricity plants up to standards—and they have written in public support of this rule! We know it can be done—using American engineering, and creating jobs—without harming the economy.

But now a handful of coal utility companies, armed with powerful polluter lobbyists, is urging that clean-up be delayed—and is fighting to weaken clean air standards for the most toxic pollutants.

The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards would prevent 17,000 premature deaths every year. We must make sure President Obama hears from us!

Please act now: Please tell President Obama that you support the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.

Vermont Governor Shumlin supports Eat More Kale (local eating, small businesses, and jobs)!

2011-12-05T18:38:00.001-08:00

Yeah, that's my governor. Telling Chik-fil-A, don't mess with Vermont, don't mess with Kale, and don't mess with small businesses and local farms.

In his words to Chik-fil-A today, "Don't interfere with buy local, don't interfere with our agricultural renaissance, because more and more Vermonters care about where their food comes from, what's in it, and who grew it. And don't mess with our effort to grow jobs one job at a time."

Hooray! Oh how I love to hear a politician speak this way-- about local eating, caring where and how our food is produced-- if only more leaders would talk about these critically fundamental and important issues so broken in the industrial and corporate run food supply.

I am proud that Governor Shumlin is taking a stand on the ridiculousness of this effort of Chik-fil-A to close down Bo's Eat More Kale business.

You can support the Bo's legal defense fund against Chik-fil-A here, and get that sweet Team Kale shirt, in addition to some groovy stickers.

The Consolidation of American Food in Pictures

2011-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

One can only write about local foods and the dangers of our factory farmed, mega corporate food production system for so long. Sometimes you have to actually see the information. Prepare yourself-- you'll be motivated to find your nearest CSA and nab your share of local food to fight consolidation, corporate excess and control, waste (and the often terrible quality) of Big Food. Also, get ready to see astronomical amounts of meat (thank goodness it's a cartoon!).

We know they have money. And power. Just look at last week's declaration of pizza as a vegetable and the lessening of school lunch standards. See this-- visual learners-- and pledge to find locally grown, humanely raised food from your neighbors instead this holiday. Thanks to the Frugal Dad for this amazing infographic. What do you think of it?

Source: Frugal dad

Holiday Cards from Tiny Prints

2011-12-01T18:21:00.001-08:00

I stayed up late last night going through the lovely holiday card designs at Tiny Prints. They have so many cute designs I had to rein myself in and pick one quickly before heading to bed.

You can browse through a variety of unique cards, including Laura’s Picks. Tiny Prints is perfect for families on a budget (like mine) because you can find adorable and personal Holiday Cards with the Studio Basic Line starting at $.79. That's the collection I usually pick from, and I did this year too.

Do you already know exactly what you want your holiday card to look? You can use Tiny Prints’ new DIY Holiday Card tool to build your card and customize to your heart’s content. Want something unique, but not quite DIY? You can pick Rounded Corner Cards, Cards with Back Designs and Cards with Unique Formats for a custom look without starting from scratch.

Tiny Prints reviews (with an actual human being!) each order for any issues, so you’re guaranteed to receive high-quality cards. There are lots of great deals happening at Tiny Prints too, make sure to check out all of the latest coupons from Tiny Prints before ordering your holiday cards.

Good luck. Now if the cards would only fill themselves out! Truly, this is such a great time to re-connect with family and friends and to share a piece of your family with them.

*I'm an affiliate of Tiny Prints and do shop with them. This post is based on my experience. I know there is an environmental impact to these cards, but I do feel it is an important way for me to stay in touch with my friends and family.

Chik-fil-A Makes Anderson Cooper's RidicuList!

2011-11-30T17:40:00.001-08:00

Hoorah! Anderson Cooper of CNN thinks Chik-fil-A's attack on a small Vermont business is as ridiculous as we do. As I reported earlier this week, Vermonter Bo Muller-Moore's business is being threatened by an uber religious, factory farm supporting mega corporation, because Chik-fil-A thinks people will confuse Kale and Chicken. They think they are the only ones who can use the words "Eat More" or, "Eat Mor" in commerce.

Can you say ridiculous?

And come on, Anderson, try some tasty local kale. Make some kale chips, or a kale and broccoli pesto calzone. Branch out a little!

I think David is gathering steam....(and Goliath is getting a bad name).

5 Tips for Non-Toxic Holidays

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

(originally posted at Momsrising)

The holiday season is almost upon us. And oh, how things seem to speed up, and expectations fall like rain. Family meals, holiday parties, school events and fundraisers, gifts for friends and family.... it can get overwhelming even for the most zen like among us.

It is even easier to grab processed foods for eating on the go during this season, and to do a speed shop at the grocery store without much rhyme or reason. But with a deep breath and some of these tips in mind, you can cut your family's exposure to harmful chemicals this holiday. While doing that (the multi-taskers that we are) we should encourage our senators to pass the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011, making future holiday seasons less stressful and considerably less toxic for American families everywhere.

1. For Special Holiday Meals:

*Avoid canned foods. Most of these contain BPA, an hormone mimicking chemical, in the lining. BPA has been linked to several types of cancer, reproductive problems, early puberty, interference with chemotherapy, and most recently, learning and behavior problems.

*Avoid the dirty dozen. Remember when shopping for the ingredients for your favorite holiday dishes to buy produce organic that is listed on the Environmental Working Group's dirty dozen list. These are the fruits and vegetables that carry the highest pesticide load and will cause the greatest exposure. We are learning that pesticides (and other industrial chemicals) may be contributing to the epidemics of learning disabilities that are increasing exponentially.

2. When Making Baked Goods:

*Avoid conventional food coloring. Oh, I know the lure of bright colors, especially for holiday cookies. For awhile, I took the law of averages approach and used food coloring once at year during the holidays. But after learning that the FDA almost placed warnings on all food with artificial colorings based on the studies showing improved behavior in children when they DO NOT eat them, I figured it is time to go cold turkey. I'll be using natural food coloring this year.

3. For Gifts:

*Buy Safe: How to avoid unsafe toys? Buy wood, sustainably made, and U.S. or European made toys from trusted retailers. Check out healthystuff.org before buying a toy from a mainstream store to see how they are rated for safety.

*Buy Green: Support your green ideals when gift giving. Travel mugs, safe water bottles, snack and sandwich taxis, and cute reusable bags make great friend and family gifts.

*Give Fair Trade: Seek out fairly traded gifts from around the world. There are many nonprofits online and other international festivals during the holiday season that you can visit. There are several happening in our area of Vermont-- I always attend with my daughters and they pick out unique teacher gifts.

*Give Meaning: Here is a great post about holiday gift ideas of charitable donations. They are listed by subject area and show us that giving doesn't have to be about stuff, stuff and more stuff. You can find a charity that your loved one is interested in and give a donation in their name.

4. For Road Trips:

*Avoid fast food stops by packing meals and snacks in reusable BPA free containers. Remember to bring napkins, water bottles, travel mugs and utensils so your trip is green and healthy.

5. For Food Gifts:

*Make special holiday breads, sauces, mixes, and cookies and other treats with local, organic ingredients and store them in glass or stainless steel containers. You can decorate a glass ball jar with ribbons and fabric for a safe and beautiful food gift container.

image: Kurt Budliger Photography

Chik-fil-A versus Eat More Kale (help fight corporate bullying and protect a Vermont small business!)

2011-11-28T04:05:00.000-08:00

Readers will know I have recently developed an affinity for kale chips. At first I was a bit afraid of the big, poky, dark green bunches of kale that came with our weekly CSA share. I'd been seeing my friends and fellow Vermonters with their Eat More Kale shirts and stickers, had met the maker of these shirts, and felt emboldened to bring kale into my family's diet.

And I'm a convert, as you can see here.

Now I've never set foot in a Chik-fil-A. Not once. I actually had to check to spell the name. No matter that Chik-fil-A sold $3.5 billion worth of chicken sandwiches in 1,500 locations nationwide in 2010.

I'm sure that's factory farmed, super processed, and oh-so-unhealthy chicken being doled out to America by this massive corporation. Being a vegetarian and advocate for local foods, I don't plan on going there ever in this lifetime unless there is a bathroom emergency of some sort.

Right now they are being threatened. You read that right-- this multi-billion dollar company is being threatened by Vermont's own Bo Muller-Moore. What does he do?

He makes these sweet Eat More Kale T-shirts. And apparently, Chik-fil-A thinks no one else should use the words "Eat More" in commerce. Don't you think America could use a little more of an "Eat Less" mentality, with one third of our adult population obese?

Anyway, Chik-fil-A thinks that Bo using the saying Eat More Kale on his shirts devalues Chik-fil-A in some way. During Bo's application process for a trademark, Chik-fil-A has asked him to, you know, just shut down his entire business and give his inventory to them.

They apparently tried this back in 2006. Bo got some help from a local lawyer with the Vermont Arts Council. Chik-fil-A backed down and he thought the problem was in the past.

Oh no, here they came again in October 2011, with long letter from Chik-fil-A's lawyer, demanding, among other things (according to the Burlington Free Press):

"Muller-Moore is to immediately abandon his application for a U.S. trademark. He is to "cease and forever desist" all plans to use the phrase "Eat More Kale" for his business. And he is to arrange for the transfer of the eatmorekale.com domain name to Chick-fil-A.

"We note that Chick-fil-A would not object to your client's uses of "Eat Kale" or eatkale.com," Reggy writes, giving Muller-Moore seven days to comply or face "all available remedies," including opposition to Muller-Moore's application for a U.S. trademark.

They are actually suggesting that people will confuse the phrase Eat More Kale with Eat Mor Chikin. Seriously. How stupid do they think Americans are? Wait, don't answer that, think about this:

the nearest Chik-fil-A is 120 miles away and not in Vermont
the actual words of the two sayings are not the same at all (apparently there is some oh so clever ad with "semi-literate" cows writing the "Eat Mor Chikin" saying on billboards)
Eat More Kale represents local agriculture, farmer's markets, and whole foods-- um, not fast food. Hard to confuse, even for the brightest of we Americans!

We in Vermont like to keep it local. We are perpetual underdogs, being a state with such a small population, and progressive politics. For underdogs, creative types, for those who believe people are people, not corporations, Bo needs your help to fight this corporate giant.

Here is a petition for you to sign to help him call out corporate bullying and stay in business. Motivated even further? Buy one (or many!) of his sweet Eat More Kale shirts for unique presents with a mission and back story.

This story has legs. CBS and the Daily Kos just picked it up. My friend and local food systems advocate Rob Smart has catapulted this story into the stratosphere.

Chik-fil-A: sometimes David wins. More and more Americans are tired of corporate bullies and are turning to local businesses, foods, and community. Maybe that is the real threat to your business model.

What do you think about this, readers?

Flame Retardant Free Pajamas from Lullaby Organics (one day sale and giveaway!)

2011-11-26T04:52:00.001-08:00

Today is small business Saturday. I am NOT interested in anything to do with Black Friday-- lines, box stores, unsafe, unsustainable products... but today? Small businesses are right up my alley. Here at Non-Toxic Kids we love supporting eco-friendly businesses run by thoughtful, creative and enterprising parents.

In the spirit of small family run businesses, and protecting our little ones from harmful chemicals in sleepwear, I've decided to team with one of our sponsors, Lullaby Organics, for their 12 Days of Holi-Daily Deals.

And today's deal is........for this weekend only, you can grab comfy, organic cotton pjs for 20 percent off!

One set of pjs you can purchase on sale is from Under the Nile. I've loved this organic cotton brand for years. Why should parents buy organic cotton pajamas without flame retardant chemicals?

I have written about flame retardants in sleepwear before, back in 2008. I'm very much concerned about the chemicals used to create flame retardancy and how they accumulate in the body and our environment. According to this great post from Jennifer at the Smart Mama, and posted on 5 Minutes for Mom:

"Chemicals used on pajamas or pajama fabrics include chlorinated and brominated flame retardants, inorganic flame retardants such as antimony oxides, and phosphate-based compounds. Chlorinated and brominated flame retardants are contaminating the environment and accumulating in the human body. For example, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been linked to doing damage to the nervous and reproductive systems and impairing thyroid function. North Americans have the highest body burden of PBDEs in the world."

I've also read about this accumulating chemical in The Body Toxic by Nena Baker. It makes sense to avoid it and buy all cotton, snug fitting sleepwear for kids. Back to small business day....

So check out these sweet pajamas from Under the Nile organics. They are perfect for the holiday season with bright red stripes. Your child will look like a little candy cane (minus the red dye number 3!). They are super soft and cozy and are available for ages 12 months- 6 years.

You can feel good about supporting this company, too. All Under the Nile products are made from 100% handpicked organic Egyptian cotton, without the use of pesticides or chemicals throughout the entire production process.

Under the Nile has built a philosophy based on families. By cultivating organic cotton, they cultivate the community and the environment that make it possible. Under the Nile believe that providing work, as well as education and health care, are necessary to help impoverished communities become self-sustaining.

Today only you can get:

*All organics pajamas (size newborn thru adult) are on sale for 20% off all weekend long (11/25-11/28). Saturday only deal: use coupon code SMALLBIZSAT for an EXTRA 20% off pajamas (for a total discount of 36%!).

12 Days of Holi-Daily Deals Event Details:

*Each day for 12 days, starting Friday, 11/25, and running thru Tuesday, 12/6, a different eco-fabulous blogger (or sometimes two!) will post a review and giveaway from Lullaby Organics.

*In each day's post, the blogger of the day will "REVEAL THE DEAL" for that day.

*Each deal might be on a single item or a collection of items, but when the deal of the day is sold out, that daily deal is over and there will be a different deal the next day!

And you can win a free pair of non-toxic pajamas for your little one today!

To enter:

· visit the store and leave me a comment on this post about your favorite pajama design

· Bonus Entry Ideas:

o Sign up for Lullaby Organics’ Newsletter (my favorite)

o Subscribe to Lullaby Organics’ Blog

o Follow @lullabyorganics on Twitter

o Post about review/giveaway and/or 12 Days of Holi-Daily Deals Event on Facebook

o Tweet about your own review/giveaway and/or 12 Days of Holi-Daily Deals Event (sample tweets):

· Action Entry Idea

o The Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 needs your support! Our current chemical safety laws (enacted in 1976) are severely out-of-date and leaving parents without the tools and information we need to protect our families. Please ask your representative to support this legislation so chemical companies will be responsible for proving their compounds are safe BEFORE they can be used in products we buy for our families, schools and workplaces!

Just let me know about your entries in the comments on this post. One random winner will be selected tomorrow and notified in 24 hours.

Good luck and I hope you can support your favorite small businesses today!

Take in the Good This Holiday Season

2011-11-24T14:27:00.000-08:00

A sweet Thanksgiving craft: have your guests fill in what they are thankful for on colorful leaf cut-outs.

(Happy Thanksgiving, readers! Wishing you and your family a safe, healthy, and fulfilling holiday and long weekend. Here is a lovely guest post by Dr. Rick Hanson helping us slow down, be mindful, and to enjoy daily experiences as much as we can. Enjoy!)

In your own mind, as you and your family reflect on the past year, what do you usually think about at? The hundreds of things that went right, or the one that went wrong?

In effect, the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones. However, by tilting toward the good—toward that which brings more happiness and benefit to oneself and others—you merely level the playing field. You’ll still see the tough parts of life. You’ll become more able to change them or bear them if you take in the good, since that will help put challenges in perspective, lift your energy and spirits, highlight useful resources, and fill up your own cup so you have more to offer to others. Here’s how:

1. Look for good facts, and turn them into good experiences.

Good facts include positive events—like finishing a batch of e-mails or getting a compliment—and positive aspects of the world and yourself. Most good facts are ordinary and relatively minor—but they are still real. You are not looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, but simply recognizing something that is actual and true. Then, when you’re aware of a good fact—either something that currently exists or has happened in the past—let yourself feel good about it. So often in life a good thing happens—flowers are blooming, someone is nice, a goal’s been attained—and you know it, but you don’t feel it. This time let the good fact affect you.

2. Really enjoy the experience.

Most of the time, a good experience is pretty mild, and that’s fine. Simply stay with it for ten, twenty, even thirty seconds in a row—instead of getting distracted by something else. Soften and open around the experience; let it fill your mind; give over to it in your body. (From a meditative perspective, this is a kind of concentration practice—for a dozen seconds or more—in which you become absorbed in a positive experience.) The longer that something is held in awareness and the more emotionally stimulating it is, the more neurons that fire and thus wire together, and the stronger the trace in implicit memory.

In this practice, you are not clinging to positive experiences, since that would lead to tension and disappointment. Actually, you are doing the opposite: by taking them in, you will feel better fed inside, and less fragile or needy. Your happiness will become more unconditional, increasingly based on an inner fullness rather than on external conditions.

3. Intend and sense that the good experience is sinking in to you.

People do this in different ways. Some feel it in the body as a warm glow spreading through the chest like the warmth of a cup of hot cocoa on a cold wintry day. Others visualize things like a golden syrup sinking down inside; And some might simply know that while this good experience is held in awareness, its related neural networks are busily firing and wiring together.

Try to do this steps at least a half dozen times a day. When you do this, it usually takes only half a minute or so—there is always time to take in the good! You can do it on the fly in daily life, or at special times of reflection, like just before falling asleep (when the brain is especially receptive to new learning). Over time these steps will add up, gradually weaving positive experiences into the fabric of your brain and your whole being.

Dr. Rick Hanson is a neuropsychologist and author of Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time. Founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, and Affiliate of The Greater Good Science Center of the University of California, he’s taught at Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard, and in meditation centers in Europe, North America, and Australia. For more information, please visit, www.RickHanson.net.

Vermonters: Tell Cabot Not to Pollute our State

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

(Last night, I spoke on the phone with Jill Alexander, founder of Whey to Go, and activist working to protect Vermont from industrial wastewater pollutants in our wells, waterways, and foods. Here is a guest post about an event they are planning for Black Friday. Stay tuned for more information and posting about Cabot, rBGH, and wastewater pollutants in Vermont.)

I just wanted to let you know that our little grassroots organization, called Whey to Go, has been trying to force Agri-Mark, doing business as Cabot Creamery, to stop spraying its industrial wastewater on Vermont fields. This huge Delaware based corporation have a practice of spraying 185,000 gallons of wastewater, enough to fill about half the septic tanks in Vermont DAILY, onto fields from Newport to Randolph Vermont. The wastewater includes industrial sanitizers/cleaners that Cabot Creamery uses to clean its plant and polish the stainless steel vats.

We are concerned about where the chemicals end up - in manure pits, in streams, on feed that's fed to meat and dairy animals. In addition, Agri-Mark, aka Cabot Creamery, was recently penalized by the State of Vermont Attorney General for having growth hormones in most of its products. You may not think that this affects you directly but keep in mind that Agri-Mark has secured a contract with the Vermont Hot Lunch Program. Your children/grandchildren may be consuming these very products.

Right now we are trying to get the message out to tourists and shoppers nationwide that might be purchasing "Cabot" products as part of their holiday celebration/gift giving. Truly we think that toxins are the gift not worth giving. We need to give Agri-Mark/Cabot Creamery a clear message. They need to stop polluting Vermont. If they don't stop...we won't shop!

Can you help us? We are planning a honk and wave on Black Friday, Nov. 25th, in Waterbury, Vermont across from the Cabot Annex from 10:00am to 4:00pm. We are trying to get as many supporters out to hold signs and help us stop this pollution and possibly help consumers avoid purchasing possible "toxins in your stockings" this season.

Once again:

When: Black Friday, Nov. 25th
Where: The Cabot Annex, 2657 Waterbury/Stowe Rd., Route 100 N. Directions: Go to the Waterbury exit on I89, take exit, drive on Rt. 100 NORTH for about two miles. (Same complex as Danforth Pewters) We will be parking along East Wind Drive, which is located right across from the Cabot Annex.

Can you bring along some help?

We also would like folks to sign our petition in person or you can go to our newly constructed website.

Thank you,
Jill Alexander, Co-president, Co-founder
Whey to Go

Good Reading (factory farmed turkeys, plastics in the kitchen and pizza is a vegetable?)

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

As we head into Thanksgiving next week, you have to check out this post from the PEW research center about turkeys in factory farms. I learned this charming fact:

"The 271 million turkeys that the National Turkey Federation projects will be sold this year will produce more than 229 million cubic feet of litter (PDF) (a mixture of bedding and manure)—enough to fill 9,200 semitrailers. Much of this litter is applied to nearby land, contributing to the growing problem of excessive nutrients in agricultural runoff."

If that doesn't have you looking for a local, organic, humanely raised turkey (or having a vegetarian feast) maybe this will:

"Thousands of birds are concentrated in cramped production facilities, typically providing just 2.5 to 3.5 square feet of space per turkey (PDF)."

Would you like to live in an elevator?

Here is a great post about how and why to avoid plastics in the kitchen. There are some new ideas here and more evidence why we should avoid plastics, even BPA free ones.

For more tips about how to avoid BPA please nab your copy of my new ebook, Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents.

And how about this news: Pizza is now a vegetable. No matter if that pizza is loaded with cheese and white bread, and slicked with grease, it is now a vegetable! Forget the 12.5 million kids that are obese in our country. No one will tell us what to feed our kids in schools! Oh wait, they already do-- by sending us BPA laden canned foods, GMO and factory farmed beef, and white bread products. Sweet!

Schools can and are making a difference. At my local public school they are doing everything they can in making their food healthy and local. But they can't do it alone! Not when leaders are defying common sense and good nutrition like they did this week.

That's what I am reading this week. How about you?

Holiday Deals for You (smart people start early!)

2011-11-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a few deals I just had to pass along to you, readers. They seem like great early presents to cross off your list.

Canvas People: Sweet 18 by 24 photo canvases on a serious discount from Canvas People. 69% off at fjust $38. These canvases make picture perfect holiday presents for anyone on your list. Free shipping too. A nice gift for grandparents of the latest best shots of your little ones.

I Declare Customized Jewelry: Sweet silver customized jewelry for mom, sisters, and friends. You can add a child's name, birthstones, or a word to two to express anything you want. This makes a lovely mama jewelry piece with the kids' names and birthstones.

Ava Non-Toxic Special: Our friend and sponsor, Ashlee, has a deal to share on the safest product line around. 20% of all purchases over $30 now through November 30! They have great gift sets for the holidays.

View the product line at nontoxicga.com and email Ashlee to place your order at the discount at: Ava ashlee@nontoxicga.com

**The first two links are from a site called Eversave. I post deals I think my readers would like and if you buy one a few pennies come back to Non-Toxic Kids to support this site. Thank you!**

Don't Serve BPA with your Thanksgiving Dinner!

2011-11-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

(Here is a guest post from our friends at the Breast Cancer Fund. This new report highlights how BPA in canned foods can add up to troubling exposures to this hormone mimicking chemical. For a safer Thanksgiving and beyond, steer clear of canned foods, and find more tips for how to avoid BPA in my new ebook, Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents. Please join the Breast Cancer Fund's Cans Not Cancer campaign to work for legislation banning BPA in food and beverage containers.)

A new report released today by the Breast Cancer Fund documents the presence of the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in canned foods used to prepare a typical Thanksgiving meal.

The report, "BPA in Thanksgiving Canned Food," tested Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, Campbell's Turkey Gravy, Carnation Evaporated Milk (by Nestle), Del Monte Fresh Cut Sweet Corn (Cream Style), Green Giant Cut Green Beans (by General Mills), Libby's Pumpkin (by Nestle), and Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce. Single servings of almost half of the products tested had levels of BPA comparable to levels that laboratory studies have linked to adverse health effects.

"Preparing your Thanksgiving dinner with these products can deliver a concerning level of BPA," said Jeanne Rizzo, president and CEO of the Breast Cancer Fund. "How many more Thanksgivings will families have to worry about this uninvited guest before manufacturers finally decide to take it out of cans?"

BPA is used to make, among other things, the epoxy-resin linings of metal food cans. The lining forms a barrier between the metal and the food which helps to prevent bacterial contamination. However, the toxic chemical can leach from the resin and make its way into food. BPA has been linked in laboratory studies to adverse health effects such as breast and prostate cancer, infertility, early puberty in girls, type-2 diabetes, obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

For this report, the Breast Cancer Fund sent 28 canned food items - four cans of each product tested - to Anresco Laboratories, an independent testing laboratory in San Francisco. The testing revealed tremendous variability among cans of the same product made by the same company, which is consistent with other product testing data.

For instance, BPA levels in Del Monte creamed corn ranged from non-detectable to 221 parts per billion, and levels in Campbell's Turkey Gravy ranged from 5 to 125 ppb. According to scientists at the Breast Cancer Fund, these inconsistencies might be explained by variations in the canning processes across facilities and batches, as well as storage and transportation conditions.

"Consumers have no way of assessing BPA levels just by looking at cans on supermarket shelves," said Gretchen Lee Salter, policy manager at the Breast Cancer Fund. "The findings of this report highlight the urgent need to remove BPA from food packaging so that shoppers can be confident that the food they are purchasing is safe for their families—not only on Thanksgiving, but every day."

The tests detected no BPA in any of the four cans of Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce. The company has stated that while it does use BPA in its cans, independent tests also indicate no leaching of BPA into the food.

"We know from recent research that a BPA meal creates a spike of this estrogenic chemical in the blood," said William Goodson, M.D., a breast cancer surgeon and senior clinical research scientist at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, who in September published a study showing that BPA causes non-cancerous cells to grow and survive like cancer cells. "Natural hormones work by spikes, so this is exactly what you don't want, especially in young kids, who shouldn't have any estrogenic spikes at all."

As part of the Breast Cancer Fund's Cans Not Cancer campaign, consumers have sent more than 50,000 letters to canned food manufacturers urging them to get BPA out of canned foods and replaced with a safer alternative, and many are beginning to pay attention. A number of companies including some of the can manufacturers featured in this report, such as General Mills and Nestle, have announced that they are working toward alternatives to BPA in canned foods. However, not all of the manufacturers are disclosing the alternative they are exploring. It is imperative that manufacturers are transparent about these alternatives and ensure they are safe.

At the public policy level, 11 states have banned BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups, and three of those states have also banned it from infant formula and baby food. The Breast Cancer Fund is also supporting pending federal legislation authored by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., that would ban BPA from all food and beverage containers including canned foods.

The immediate solution for those preparing Thanksgiving dinner is to seek alternatives to canned foods. Visit www.breastcancerfund.org/thanksgiving for easy recipes for a can-free Thanksgiving meal.

Also available at www.breastcancerfund.org/thanksgiving are the full report and Myths and Facts about BPA in Canned Foods, combating the common industry arguments in favor of BPA.

Upcycled xob hats (soooo cute)

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

The temperature is falling. Actually, here in Vermont we have seen the warmest temperatures in November than I can remember. But I know it is coming. The long, cold, dark winter season.

Last winter, my husband bought two hats for my girls, and dang, are they cute. I just love them and want one myself.

Icebox Knitting has a line called xob, which is made from pieces and parts of recycled wool blend sweaters and suit jackets. What you have in the end are fun, funky and original hats as a result.

The company has several sustainable business practices listed at their site as well such as:

* Xob hangtags are 100% recycled post consumer waste printed with soy based ink.

* Dohm Hangtags are 50% recycled post consumer waste printed with veggie based ink.

* Catalogs are printed on mixed sources and certified by FSC.

* Micro-weave labels contain 35% of recycled milk jugs.

*Boxes are purchased locally and conform to the Sustainable Forest Initiative for Certified Fiber Sourcing.

*Eco-TapeTM is used for all our box sealing needs, made with 25% recycled resin and a 100% recycled core

*Upcycled buttons on the Xob Peace Pouch

They have a lovely line for adults too. Looking for hats as presents and want a sustainable, original, and unique option? Check out these fun and funky xob hats!

American Moms are Watching (Congress has a chance to make products safer)

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday is a big—and long overdue—day. If fact, I have been waiting for it for years. And many American moms, like me, will be tuned in and watching, or following the news stream from twitter and Facebook. Usually, hearings in Congress get little attention from the general public, let alone busy moms. But this Thursday is a big day for those of us who care about protecting American families from toxic chemicals.

The U.S. Senate will be holding a hearing on “The Safe Chemicals Act,” a bill sponsored by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). It's also co-sponsored by MY senator from the great state of Vermont, Bernie Sanders. The bill, a much-needed overhaul of our antiquated laws, will help us all protect our families from toxic chemicals.

Many moms and dads believe that our government is making sure there aren’t toxic chemicals in our products. And for a long time, I thought the same thing. However, nothing could be further from the truth. It is still legal to use lead, mercury, asbestos and formaldehyde in many common household products. Even worse, there are thousands of other chemicals in use that have never been tested for safety at all, as I have been sharing here on Non-Toxic Kids for years.

We require all kinds of companies to make sure that their products are safe before they’re sold, from food (somewhat) to pharmaceuticals to pickup trucks. And yet there is no requirement that the chemicals used in consumer products be tested for safety, even if they’re used in products made for children.

Parents are often shocked to find out that there are dangerous chemicals in their child’s plastic baby bottles, toys, baby soap, shower curtains, and even in their crib mattresses. The news is scattered with reports about how certain chemicals are unsafe and harming our children. That’s why parents are demanding action from Congress now. That’s why we need the Safe Chemicals Act.

I am hopeful that members of both parties will see this as an issue of basic common sense—for the health of their kids and grandkids and those of their constituents. And I am encouraged by bipartisan efforts to make progress on this issue.

Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the lead Republican on the committee hearing this bill, has joined with Senator Lautenberg to seek common ground on this issue. I hope the companies that make chemicals and household products will step up, too, and become partners in passing this important legislation. The Safe Chemicals Act will help their businesses, and, most importantly, serve their customers well—especially their tiniest ones.

Moms (and dads!) across the country are busy people. They are trying to raise their kids and support their families. But on Thursday, lots of us moms will be watching online on behalf of parents across the country. Follow along at the Safer Chemicals Facebook page where they will be streaming the hearing live. You can also follow along via twitter by using the hashtag #safechemicalsact.

Every kid has the right to be safe in her home. Every mom has the right to know that the products she buys for her child are free of toxic chemicals.

We are counting on our U.S. Senators fix this problem and protect our families from harmful and unnecessary chemical exposures. For the sake of our kids, do not let us down.

(This post was written with support from our friends at Safer Chemicals.)

image: by sean dreilinger on Flickr under CC

3 Ways Farms Contribute to Air Pollution: New post at Moms Clean Air Force

2011-11-10T17:06:00.001-08:00

(first posted at the Moms Clean Air Force)

Last week over at my blog, Non-Toxic Kids, I released a new ebook about called Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents. For months now, I have been writing this book and thinking about how parents can limit toxic exposures from harmful chemicals in food and feeding and drinking gear.

While researching the problems of factory farms, I came across some information that reminded me how powerful our food choices can be, not only for our bodies, but for the health and welfare of our communities.

Moms Clean Air Force was a Blog Action Day partner, and I wrote about Food Activism–how the choices we make everyday, where to get our food, what we buy and eat, affect our lives, communities, health, and environment in profound ways.

In my research I learned about the connections between factory farming and air pollution. Not only does industrial factory farming increase global warming, pollute ecosystems, and drinking water, it harms our air quality in significant ways.

Factory farms are defined in different ways, and the term is used loosely. They are also known as Concentrated (or Confined) Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), and are defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as “New and existing operations which stable or confine and feed or maintain for a total of 45 days or more in any 12-month period more than the number of animals specified. There is no grass or other vegetation in the confinement area during the normal growing season.”

Read the rest of this post at Moms Clean Air Force and join us in the fight for clean air!

New Interview and Podcast at Strocel.com

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the delightful opportunity to speak with the ever inspiring and humorous Amber Strocel of Strocel.com. Her recent post, and series called Crafting my Life, is inspiring. It led me, right before the interview, to start working on my life list of things I want to do and places I want to go. This was a lovely distraction and refocusing activity that has actually given me much more clarity recently.

I love how Amber helps moms learn to take time for themselves, to reflect on their goals, and to live their ideas and ideals.

That's Beth on the left and Amber on the right with those blasted plates!

Luckily, I had the chance to meet Amber at Blogher, however briefly. I loved that she and Beth Terry were saving their plastic plates to use during the whole conference at every meal. We weren't sure that these plates would be reused, or recycled, so this brave duo cleaned and brought their plates to every meal. I, however, did not. I barely kept up with all my other stuff and the 10 block walk to my hotel!

Here is the interview where Amber and I discuss how to protect kids from toxins in food, with specific and realistic steps for parents. She reviewed my new ebook, Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents, and said, "...it is a basic, easy-to-understand guide that can help you take concrete steps towards reducing the toxins you’re exposed to in your food. And, of course, the toxins your kids are exposed to, as well. Once again, all parents want the best possible future for our kids, and I can’t imagine anyone would include mercury-laden fish in their definition of “best possible future”."

Thanks, Amber for the opportunity and for inspiring moms everywhere to craft their lives.

Curious Critters by David FitzSimmons: Book Review

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Bring nature into your home with full color, interesting and super vivid images and lively, educational text with the new book Curious Critters by David FitzSimmons.

You just have to love the picture of the gray tree frog on the cover, so intricate in detail, larger than life, and absolutely endearing. Each image in this book will blow you away with the animal's color, natural pose, gorgeous design, and unique beauty.

Then there is the text! The author takes the voice of each animal, in very kid-like accessible text. Readers will learn a few tidbits about the animal's habitat, adaptations, and predators. The tone is conversational, humorous, and immediately likable. Nothing like any boring textbook or other dry non-fiction.

My daughters loved this book, especially when I used different voices for each animal.

Special sections include life sized silhouettes so children know how large each animal is in real life, a short natural history of each animal for further exploration, and a glossary of terms. All very helpful, indeed!

This book makes a perfect gift for the holidays for any child, but specifically for a child that loves animals, or nature (ahem-- most kids!). It will foster a deep appreciation for the biodiversity of our planet and inspire kids to learn more about curious critters and the nature to which they belong. Thanks to David for this beautiful book to share with children.

** FCC rules: This book was sent to me as a review copy. My opinions are my own and are based solely on my experience. I am also an Amazon affiliate, so if you buy a copy from this link a few pennies will come to Non-Toxic Kids to support the writing and activism on this site.

Guest Posts (Green and Healthy Thanksgiving, 6 Ways to Avoid Toxins in Public Schools)

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to be an invited guest poster on Dr. Greene's Perspectives Blog this week. Each day, I've posted about how to have a safe, green and healthy Thanksgiving.

So far, I've posted about Vegetarian Thanksgiving ideas, for those going turkey-less, or have vegetarian guests.

Yesterday I posted recipes and ideas about serving local, organic and healthy side dishes.

Today's post was about creative ideas to use those Thanksgiving leftovers. Tomorrow, the last day, will feature an eco-friendly Thanksgiving craft idea.

Last week, I guest posted over at the beloved Soft Landing blog. The post was about a topic near and dear to my heart-- public schools. As a teacher, a parent, and an environmental health advocate, I offer the 6 Ways to Avoid Toxic Chemicals in Public Schools.

Whew! I'm on a guest posting roll. The release of Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents caused me to reach out and connect with so many great bloggers and authors, it's been quite a ride.

Happy Friday!

Image: firepile on Flickr under CC

How Can Pregnant Women Avoid Dangerous Everyday Chemicals?

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

(This is a guest post from author and doctor, Doris Rapp. Her recent book is called 32 Tips that Could Save your Life.)

Pregnant women are trying to be healthier. Many take all the right steps to promote the birth of a healthy baby, including eating right, taking vitamins and eliminating alcohol and nicotine from their lives.

Unfortunately, all those efforts may be for naught if they are still being exposed to unseen chemicals in their daily lives. Dr. Doris Rapp, an experienced physician and expert on all the hidden household and environmental hazards, wants women to know about the many insidious and dangerous threats to their unborn babies. The harmful exposures can cause serious harm and damaging birth defects to babies in the womb, and they are right under our noses.

“One of the most dangerous groups of chemicals to pregnant women is known as PCBs,” said Rapp, author of 32 Tips That Could Save Your Life (www.dorisrappmd.com). “PCB stands for polychlorinated biphenyls, and they are commonly used in industrial pesticides. While they may not be in your house, they may exist in your office, your water or your food, especially if you live near the Great Lakes or consume seafood caught there. These chemicals pass through the placenta into the unborn, and some exposures have been known to cause devastating birth defects. These chemicals have also been found in the breast milk of women.”

According to Rapp, some of the dangers of these pesticides include, but are not limited to:
Lower birth weight

*Smaller head size and developmental delays

*Movement, mental, and behavioral problems

*Increased or decreased activity levels

*Slowed thought processing and “less bright” appearance

*Lower reaction times

*Compromised nervous systems

“Moreover, a group of pesticides known as organophosphates also poses a high risk for pregnant women,” Rapp added.

“These include Bisphenol-A and phthalates,” she said. “They are derived from World War II nerve agents and are highly toxic. Even at low levels, organophosphates can be toxic to the developing brain, and studies show that they can affect brain and reproductive development in unborn animals. While most pesticides categorized as organophosphates have been banned for household use, they are still permitted for commercial use, including in fumigation for mosquitoes. Malathion, a common toxic organophosphate, is still allowed for use as an industrial and household insecticide. In the US, approximately 15 million pounds of Malathion are used each year by the government, as well as by businesses and homeowners.”

Her advice for women is to do all they can to avoid contact with these chemicals, starting before conception.

“Stay as far away as possible from pesticide-treated areas,” Rapp said. “Do not eat pesticide-laden food or any fish from the Great Lakes. Try to eat only organic foods. Further, if your job requires you to be in contact with any chemicals or pesticides, insist that other tasks be given to you for the duration of your pregnancy. Half the battle is knowing these dangers exist, but the other half is being informed and conscientious enough to be able to avoid contact with these dangerous and toxic agents.”

Winners of the Eat Non-Toxic giveaways!

2011-11-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Without further delay, here are the winners of the giveaways last week during the launch of Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents by Katy Farber. Did you miss the launch? No worries, you can still nab your copy at the book page above this post.

Winner: Free copy of the new ebook Eat Non-Toxic Kids: a manual for busy parents......Bridget

Winner: The Fuel Wet & Dry Thermal Snack Container by Trudeau from the Soft Landing...... DynamiteMama.

Winner: Glass bowl from MightyNest......Britanny T.

Congrats, winners! I'll be emailing you for details so I can get you your prize. Thanks everyone for commenting and entering!

Johnson & Johnson Double Standard

2011-11-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

(Here's a guest post from our friends at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. This is such an important issue I thought I'd get it out to you as soon as it came into my inbox. It is outrageous that the U.S. and other countries continue to be dumping grounds for chemically laden and unsafe baby skin care products. Please take action below!)

Why are babies in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China and Indonesia being exposed to a carcinogen in Johnson's Baby Shampoo when safer alternatives are available in other countries? We'd like to know!

More than two years ago, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released the groundbreaking report, No More Toxic Tub, which revealed that popular kids' bath products – including Johnson's Baby Shampoo – contained chemicals linked to cancer. We promptly asked Johnson & Johnson to reformulate its iconic baby shampoo and specifically to remove the formaldehyde-releasing chemical quaternium-15, and we've kept up the pressure on Johnson & Johnson through letters and meetings.

Fast-forward to now. Johnson’s Baby Shampoo in the U.S. and some other countries still has not been reformulated. But the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics recently discovered that J&J is selling non-formaldehyde versions of the shampoo in Denmark, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the U.K.

We know J&J can do better. Every baby – regardless of where she or he lives – should be protected from unnecessary exposure to carcinogens.

Read our new report, Baby’s Tub Is Still Toxic, for the full story on the Johnson & Johnson double standard.

And please, help us spread the word! We need your help in letting consumers know that “pure and gentle” baby shampoo isn’t the purest or gentlest choice for babies. Forward this email and share the news on Facebook and Twitter.

We demand safe products for all babies, in every market, at every price point. If you agree, please write to J&J today!

For healthy babies and safer products,

Stacy, Lisa, Mia, Marisa, Janet, Heather and all of us at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

image: by Sara Alfred on flickr under CC

BPA News (toddler behavior, Campbell's Soup Petition)

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

BPA is back in the news (not that it ever really left). As if we need another reason for it to be banned, and for us to avoid it in our food, food storage and water bottles.

If you weren't convinced by the numerous studies indicating that the endocrine disrupting chemical BPA causes early puberty in girls, and increases in heart disease, certain cancers, and reproductive system disorders, along with interference with breast cancer treatment, maybe this latest study will sway you.

Just last week a new study came out linking BPA exposure during pregnancy to certain negative behavior in toddler girls. According to the study, in Medscape,

"New research suggests an association between gestational exposure to the widely used industrial chemical BPA and increased anxious, depressive, and hyperactive behaviors at age 3 years, particularly in girls."

Study authors are cautious to say that more studies are needed to determine if these behaviors are in the clinical range, and if the results can be replicated. The same study authors had reported an increase in aggressive and hyperactive behavior of 2 year old girls. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Of course, there are detractors, including Henry Miller, who reports in Forbes that the study authors didn't control for other factors. I'm not sure about that-- why would the study appear in Pediatrics, be funded by the National Institutes of Health, and led by doctors from the Harvard School of Public Health if they were not valid and based on sound science?

In any case, even if the research is preliminary, shouldn't we react in a precautionary way, using the "do the least harm" mindset? We have ample data pointing to the healthy problems with this chemical. Why is it still used when exposing millions of children to harmful health conditions and problems?

Last week I also heard of this petition from Healthy Child, Healthy World and Change.org to Campbell's soup asking them to remove BPA from their cans. Campbell's expressly markets many canned food items for children: Spaghettios, (oh, how I loved these), Disney Princess Noodles, and Chicken Alphabet Soup.

I'm signing it-- the sooner we can get BPA out of mainstream, popular brands widely fed to kids, the sooner we can reduce exposures for thousands and thousands of kids. Please join me!

How can you avoid BPA in food, feeding and drinking gear? You can learn how in my new ebook Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents. Also, this post from The Breast Cancer Fund lists the top 10 canned foods to avoid. Momsrising also has a great post about how to avoid BPA in the grocery store with lots of informative links.

image: The Breast Cancer Fund

New Post at Moms Clean Air Force: Obesity and Diabetes worsened by Air Pollution

2011-10-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

As an environmental educator, I lead an activity that teaches kids about ecology. It is called the Web of Life.

Here’s how it works: Each student is assigned the role of one member of a forest, aquatic, or other ecological community. They are given a note card which states this role. After doing some research, the children come together in a circle with their note cards taped to their shirts. Using a ball of string or yarn, each student holds a part of the string that corresponds with his or her place in the ecosystem. Soon, a large web of yarn emerges. The students swiftly see how interconnected ecosystems are, and how devastating it can be to lose one part of it. To illustrate this, one student lets go of the yarn, and we watch as the web unravels.

When I read this week in Forbes magazine about the link between air pollution and the epidemics of obesity and diabetes, I wasn’t surprised. I immediately thought how intricately we are connected to our environment–just like in the Web of Life activity. But oh, how we forget.

We’ve known for a long time that air pollution has devastating health effects such as:asthma, bronchitis, and heart attacks. These conditions profoundly affect children in low-income communities.

Now, new research is showing the link between air pollution and our country’s most expensive health conditions: obesity and diabetes.

According to the Forbes article,

Read the rest here at the Moms Clean Air Force and please join us!

Photo: by luc.viatour on Flickr under CC

image:

Pumpkins, Reviews, a Book Trailer (last day of launch price on Eat Non-Toxic!)

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Wondering what to do with your pumpkins once they are done gracing your table, or after you scoop them out? At the fantastic Mothertalkers blog (such good fun, daily) you can read my guest post all about preparing and preserving pumpkins. I share a super tasty chocolate chip muffin recipe (so very yummy). Here is a picture my 4 year old took while we were making them.

Yes, I do realize now that the spoon full of pumpkin goo was dangerously close to my hair.

Next up here is a lovely review from our friend Lori at Groovy Green Livin. You've got to check out her inspired blog where she shares tips for how to go green and have fun while doing it.

So, you've got one day left to get the screaming deal on my new ebook, Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents. Maybe you are a procrastinator. If so, today is your last to get the ebook at 25% off of the 9.99 retail price. It ends up being 7.50, for 61 pages of non toxic eating goodness.

And if you want to see my video making skills that are roughly equivalent to one of my sixth grade students, by all means, check this out. But don't say I didn't warn you. I don't think I have a future in film....

There are still a few more days to enter the contests from this week. Comment here to win a copy of Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents; here to win a safe glass bowl from MightyNest; and here to win a thermal snack container from the Soft Landing.

I'll announce the winners on Monday. Good luck!

Eat Non-Toxic Post Roundup (reviews, posts, giveaway, tweets, oh my!)

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Keep reading for another great non-toxic, safer product giveaway...

Word's getting around! Here is a new review from Micaela of Mindful Momma about my new ebook: Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents.

Next up, check out my new post about making no recipe, veggie packed macaroni and cheese at Eco-Novice. I'm a big fan of taking what you have in the kitchen at any particular moment and make it into something healthy and enjoyable for the whole family. Hopefully this post will be another tool (and inspiration) for you in kitchen!

Here is a guest post on MightyNest's blog about a tasty, quick and healthy dinner idea: Vegetarian Stromboli. This is a staple at our house and I vary the ingredients based on what is fresh and available.

Here's some tweets we've received about the book so far:

@sian_i_am Sian Wu
@non_toxic_kids what a great deal; I've forwarded your email around to all my coworkers with kids! ow.ly/79Apu

@AmberStrocel Amber Strocel
I'm prepping for an interview with @Non_Toxic_Kids this week - she has a new e-book out, did you know? katyfarber.com

@Jambutter Rob Smart
.@Non_Toxic_Kids You're the one doing the help by offering busy parents a manual to avoid toxins in food they eat! non-toxickids.net/2011/10/eat-no…

Also this week, here's a post at the Moms Clean Air Force about how air pollution is increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Everything is interconnected, as we often forget.

Wondering what is in the ebook? Here's the table of contents.

1. Introduction

2. Breastfeeding

(a healthy start to life)

3. Safer Formula Feeding

(minus the BPA)

4. Bottoms Up

(Safe Drinking for Toddlers and Kids)

a. Tired Parents Cliff Notes

5. Toxic Free Dining

Bad, Bad Baby Bibs

Eating Gear

a.Tired Parents Cliff Notes

6. Eat Organic

At Least the Dirty Dozen

7. Make Your Own Baby Food

8. Eat Lower on the Food Chain Finding Safer Fish

9. Eat Hormone Free Foods

a. rBgh

b. Tired Parents Cliff Notes

10. Limit Canned Foods

a. Tired Parents Cliff Notes

11. The Trouble with Factory Farms

12. Eat Local, Organic, and Humanely Raised Meats

13. Cooking and Food Storage

a. Limit or Eliminate Plastic in the kitchen

14. No Plastic in the Microwave

15. Ta, ta, Teflon

a.Tired Parents Cliff Notes

16. Eat More Whole Foods

17. Cook in Bulk and Plan Meals

18. Avoid Artificial Food Coloring

19. Green Up School Lunches

a.Tired Parents Cliff Notes

20. About the Author

Only 2 more days to nab the book at 25% off!

Late breaking: Another giveaway! Thanks to our friends at the Soft Landing.

The Fuel Wet & Dry Thermal Snack Container by Trudeau is great for taking a snack and drink on the go. There are three different compartments including the bottom thermal container which is leak-proof for drinks, soup or yogurt; the middle compartment for holding dry snacks and the top which can be used as a cup.

Features

*Capacity: 9 oz
*Both snack and beverage container
*Single wall upper parts are top rack dishwasher safe; the lower double wall insulated section retains *seal longer if hand washed
*Reusable and eco-friendly

Just leave a comment to be entered to win. Extra entries for tweeting about the book and giveaway and spreading the word. Tell me about it in the comments! And be sure to leave your spam unfriendly email so I can notify you if you win. I'll reveal all the winners Friday at the end of launch week.

Good luck!

image: by saaam on Flickr under CC

Eat Non-Toxic Reviews (and MightyNest giveaway of safe glass container!)

2011-10-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to folks who've purchased the ebook, left comments, and shared about it. I really appreciate it and hope you find it helpful.

If this is your first ebook, then you are in for a treat. All you do is buy it though the button below, and the PDF will be downloaded to your computer for reading. That's it!

Here are some recent reviews of the book:

“Being a new Mom, this is a fabulous resource to make sure I am making the best choices to raise my baby and my family healthy and toxic free. Your book is filled with eye opening research, great ideas to reduce exposure, helpful online resources, and I especially loved the Tired Parents Cliff Notes! You are truly passionate about making sure our children are raised non-toxic! Thank you!”

--Jen Donovan, Teacher and mother of 5 month old

“Katy makes it easy for tired, overworked and time strapped parents to know why they should care about toxins in food and feeding gear, what they should do, and how to do it in the easiest way possible. Reading this book makes me feel not so alone, and able to take small steps towards raising my family in a green and toxin free way, instead of heading to the nearest fast food restaurant.”

--Julie Smart, Special Educator and mother of a 6 year old and a 9 year old

"This book is the best guide for parents I have ever read. It is short and packed full of all the information our families need to live healthy and safe lives in this day and age. Most parenting books are about 200 pages long; who has time for all of that! This one is interesting, engaging, full of great info and - QUICK!"

--Lila Bennet, Owner of Tangletown Farms, and mother of 4, 6, and 9 year old children.

In the book, I point out how important it is to use glass containers to store food instead of plastic. Our friends at MightyNest have donated a sweet prize to Non-Toxic Kids readers to help them replace plastic with glass in food storage. They have have a wide variety of glass storage containers and will give one to a lucky reader who comments on this post.

Just leave a comment below about changes you are trying to make in your kitchen to enter. Extra entries for tweeting about this and linking it up. Thanks to MightyNest for the prize. Good luck!

Eat Non-Toxic: A manual for busy parents (launch and giveaway!)

2011-10-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

We all want to keep our kids safe from toxins and chemicals in food and feeding gear. Every day there seems to be a new report about what to eat, what not to eat, what to buy, what to avoid. It’s overwhelming for many new and tired parents!

Many of you don’t want to read scientific studies or lengthly articles. Who has time? You just want to know what to do keep your kids safe and healthy. Now. Yesterday, actually.

That’s what you’ll find in the new eBook, Eat Non-Toxic: A manual for busy parents, written by author, teacher, and the founder of the blog, Non-Toxic Kids, Katy Farber. In this book, you’ll find clear, useable, helpful steps for how to protect your family and the earth from the toxins and chemicals from food and feeding gear.

From Eat Non-Toxic, readers will:

1. Discover why you should avoid toxins in food and eating gear.

2. Learn the essentials for cutting your family’s exposure to chemicals.

3. Find real, practical, and usable tips and ideas feeding your family in a safe and healthy way.

4. Discover credible resources for more information.

5. Find trusted online retailers that feature safer, greener products for families.

6. Receive recipes and ideas for using more whole foods in your cooking.

7. Find background information about important environmental and safety issues.

8. Learn how to limit toxins in your family’s diet without huge costs, effort, or time.

This is officially launch day! Woot! For the next 4 days only, the manual will be priced at 25% off its regular price of 9.99.

This manual will help you simplify meal times, protect your children from unnecessary toxic exposures, eat healthier and lighter on the earth.

What is your best tip for eating non-toxic, bright and shiny readers? Leave your best tips in the comments (click the title to leave a comment) and I'll pick one reader to receive Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents on the house.

Extra entries for:

*tweeting about Eat Non-Toxic and linking to this post
*sharing about this book wherever you can!

Just tell me about it in the comments. Good luck!

Food Day Activism

2011-10-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

What a great week for the release of my new ebook, Eat Non-Toxic: a manual for busy parents. It officially launches tomorrow, with a limited time launch price at 25 percent off the retail of 9.99. I'll be featuring lots of food related posts, along with a sweet giveaway, so please come back and visit again this week.

But for today, it is officially Food Day. Here are a few links, articles and opportunities for activism around the issue of sustainable food and feeding everyone.

Check out this in from Momsrising today. It's the Eat Real agenda, and in my view, it's fabulous! You can tell Congress to support this agenda and take on these issues of vital importance to American families:

The Eat Real Agenda is a solution for fixing America's broken food system by:

1. Reducing diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
2. Supporting sustainable farms and limiting subsidies to big agribusiness
3. Expanding access to food and alleviating hunger
4. Protecting the environment and animals by reforming factory farms
5. Promoting health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
6. Supporting fair conditions for food and farm workers

You can learn more about the agenda's details at FoodDay.org and can offer your support by emailing Congress here.

Next up is an online photo petition to McDonald's asking them to retire Ronald McDonald and their predatory marketing to children. You can send your photo and learn more about the campaign here.

Clearly, we have to work together to fight the epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes, and promote safe, humane, and environmentally responsible farming and food production.

Eat Non-Toxic is Coming!

2011-10-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

“Mom, what’s for dinner?”

How many times have you heard that and thought, “I have no#$%* idea!”

Between news reports of meat recalls, chemicals in cans andwaterbottles, and polluted fish, it can be ovewhelming to cook safe and healthyfood for your family.

I have been blogging for many years now, and I was looking for away to share the themes of my blogin a more cohesive, helpful way for parents. I wanted to extend my posts and research so readers can find exactlywhat they need and have a comprehensive parenting guide in a particulararea.

So I began writing about the theme of feeding our familes ina safe, healthy and green way.

I wrote Eat Non-Toxic: A manual for Busy Parents based on all that I have learned whileblogging, researching, cooking, and parenting. It’s a guide for busy parents looking to limit their family’sexposure to chemicals and toxins in food and feeding gear. The manual is packedwith practical and quick tips for parents, recipes, where to go for moreinformation, and Cliff Notes (now adays they are called Spark Notes) for the mostsleep deprived among us.

And it's coming soon, next week, in fact. I'm currently wrestling with the last edits and making plans to share it. Stay tuned, because when I launch this puppy, there will be a massive sale price during the 4 day period, including a giveaway and some surprises.

What do you think of the cover?

Act Now to Protect Kids from Toxic Toys

2011-10-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

(Here's a post from our friends at Momsrising. We only have one day to let the CPSC know we want toys tested for toxins BEFORE they are sold. That's the precautionary principle, and making manufacturers accountable and responsible for the products they sell. They've got to hear from moms now before it is too late.)

We’re down to the finish line: In less than 24 hours, this Wednesday, October 19th, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will vote on whether or not independent testing for toxics like lead in paint, lead content, and phthalates in products for children under the age of 12 should be done before toys hit the store shelves.

Tell the CPSC to vote YES on October 19th for testing kids' toys for toxics BEFORE they reach the stores.

*If you've already contacted the CPSC thank you! Now can you spread the word? The CPSC rarely hears directly from families so the more people who speak out for toy testing the bigger impact we'll have.

Taking one moment to click the above link will help stop toxic products before they hit the shelves! This type of testing is sorely needed. Independent third party testing before products go on the market would help insure the quality and safety of the products our kids interact with daily. These tests would include tests for lead and tests for phthalates. (1)

What's the lowdown? The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was passed in 2008, and it specified the world’s lowest lead limits and strictest crib safety standards. It also sets limits on dangerous phthalates and mandates important, strong new standards for toys and other products. But if manufacturers are not required to have these products tested before they are sold, then there is no guarantee that the products will meet the exacting safety standards.

These are crucial tests. Lead is a poison. Even low levels of lead exposure can harm a child's mental development.(2) Phthalates, a chemical used to soften plastics, can impair reproduction and development, alter liver and kidney function, damage the heart and lungs, and affect blood clotting. (3)

If the CPSC votes YES on this new rule and requires independent third party testing, then it would have the added bonus of reducing the amount of product recalls that parents have to juggle by making the toys safer before they hit the toy stores. Fewer recalls are a win-win for businesses and families because that means less returning of items to the manufacturer, less post-recall inconveniences, and fewer unhappy surprises when it comes to products in our homes. Fewer recalls would save businesses money, and save children from tears as favorite toys have to be returned.

Make a difference for kids. Tell the Commissioners at the CPSC to vote YES for testing kids' toys for toxics BEFORE they reach the stores.

*The Commissioners of the CPSC rarely hear directly from families, so your message today will have a big impact. Please forward this email to friends and family--and also post the action link on Facebook. The more voices, the stronger our message.

Thank you for everything you do to protect our kids.

--Claire, Sarah, Kristin, Ashley, and the whole MomsRising team

P.S. Concerned about small businesses? This proposed rule takes small manufacturers into account. If the testing rule passes, then the Commission will design an alternative testing plan that works with not against small businesses. For more information on how the Commission will design the plan for small businesses, please go here. We all support small toy manufacturers, and we also can all agree that we don't want our kids to be the first tester for any toxic chemicals.

P&G: No more pinkwashing (take cancer causing chemicals out of your products)

2011-10-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

(Here is a guest post from our friends at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Breast cancer, and pinkwashing, is a very personal issue for me, as one of my dear friends is battling breast cancer right now. Please take a minute to ask P&G to truly fight cancer-- by removing harmful chemicals from their products.)

October is breast cancer awareness month. We're sure you noticed; you can't miss the deluge of pink ribbons everywhere, including the cosmetics aisle.

We agree that it's important to draw attention to this disease. For us, that means getting rid of the toxic chemicals linked to breast cancer, and urging companies to think in terms of prevention.

Which brings us to this: Last month, Procter & Gamble announced that it will give 10 cents to early breast cancer detection efforts for every new person who joins the company on Facebook. We agree that early detection is important. But we think P&G should start at square one, and promise to stop using chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and interference with cancer drugs.

According to the Skin Deep database, P&G still uses parabens – in particular, methylparaben – in hundreds of its Cover Girl, Max Factor, Infusium and other cosmetics products.

Parabens are compounds widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in cosmetics products, including underarm deodorants. They're also estrogen mimickers, and have been found in breast tumors.

A new study from California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco found that methylparaben (as well as the chemical BPA, used in food can linings and other applications) can not only cause healthy breast cells to behave like cancer cells, but also interfere with the effectiveness of tamoxifen, an important breast cancer drug.

Tell P&G that if the company really wants to do something about breast cancer, it should stop using methylparaben and other chemicals linked to cancer or hormone disruption in any of its products. That's the kind of commitment that will really indicate the company is working to protect women's health.

Thanks for all you do to spread the word about this important issue and to help us end pinkwashing.

Best,

Mia, Stacy, Lisa, Marisa, Cassidy, Janet and all of us at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

image: from The Story of Cosmetics

Food Activism: Change the world one meal at a time

2011-10-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Everyday we make choices that effect the world for the better or worse. Of course, these choices also effect our health and the health of our families.

It is so easy to forget this with food-- especially in our convenience oriented, fast paced world. But what we eat profoundly effects our landscape, our bodies, and our future.

When you consider what you value-- what is truly important to you-- then push those feelings into the choices you make about food, you are using food, the very sustaining force in your life, as activism.

I finally did this by joining a localvore CSA. I've been talking about eating local for years, but I had trouble living that value. With two young kids, I didn't always want to schlep down to the farmer's market, searching for local food. I wanted to make a quick trip. Thankfully, my weekly CSA share has lessened my trips to the grocery store, and I feel good about eating and feeding my family this local, healthy food.

Food activism can also be done by making specific dietary choices, such as participating in Meatless Mondays, becoming a vegetarian, or even pledging to eat only local, humanely raised meat. The devastating effects of factory farms have been well documented, but here is a summary of just a few: factory farming increases global warming, air pollution, hormones in food, pollution in local communities, and risks of dangerous bacterial infections and diseases such as E-coli, salmonella, and Mad Cow.

Unfortunately, sometimes it is hard financially to live your values with food, but thankfully, this is improving. Organic food is getting cheaper, and using a CSA cuts down on grocery trips-- and those tempting convenience foods that come along with those trips.

Food activism can inspire amazing changes for the better, such as in schools. A sea tide of changes has been accumulating slowly at our local elementary school, led by our chefs and a nutrition committee. We have local grass fed beef, composting, whole what flour, only white milk, and local salads. These are changes are significant, and praiseworthy, but we are not finished. Kids are still eating canned fruit laced with BPA, and white rolls with regular hot dogs on occasion. There is much room for improvement, but changes happens slowly, and adds up.

Food activism is changing the landscape of our communities-- with more working family farms, more local food based events, and restaurants that pledge to use as much local food as possible. Hand in hand, downtowns can flourish with independent restaurants selling locally created products and food.

I have to remind myself that activism need not be all about online organizing, rallies, phone banks and meetings. It's about the decisions you make everyday, where to get your food, what to buy, and how to make it, that leads to change. As much as possible, I pledge to participate in food activism, by choosing to eat local, organic, vegetarian, whole foods. And then to extend this into my school and community.

What about you? What is your food activism? How do you use food to support your values and changes you want to see in the world?

This post is part of Blog Action Day 2011, a day of blogging across the globe centered on the theme of food. Welcome, Blog Action Day readers, please leave a comment and check out some other posts happening here at Non-Toxic Kids.

Equal Exchange Reverse Trick or Treating this Halloween

2011-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

(Here is a guest post from Equal Exchange, a nationwide provider of high quality organic coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, healthy snacks and bananas. I love Equal Exchange coffee in the morning, especially because the bags they come in are compostable and recyclable. How great is that? I am just learning about the child labor problem in cocoa supply for major candy companies. I applaud this effort from Equal Exchange to bring this issue to many families on Halloween.)

This Halloween, children, organizations, and businesses across the U.S. will help children forced to labor on African cocoa farms by participating in the 5th annual “Reverse Trick-or-Treating” campaign. By handing out informational cards along with organic, Fair Trade chocolates from West Bridgewater, MA-based Equal Exchange when they go trick-or-treating, participants bring attention to the thousands of children who have been trafficked and forced to work in exploitative conditions on West African cocoa farms.

To order Reverse Trick-or-Treating kits of 150 chocolates and cards, non-profit organizations, schools, businesses, congregations, youth groups, and other group participants should place orders by mid-October so they arrive on time for Halloween from www.equalexchange.coop/rtt. The information card may also be viewed or downloaded from that website. Individual participants or families can participate by visiting www.reversetrickortreating.org.

This year’s Reverse Trick-or-Treating program marks the 10th anniversary of the September, 2011, signing of the Harkin-Engel Protocol that called for an end to the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa supply chains of the major chocolate companies. The campaign to raise awareness that there is a Fair Trade alternative to child labor is a join initiative of the San Francisco, CA-based human rights advocacy group Global Exchange and Equal Exchange and was launched in 2005, the year after the original Harkin-Engel deadline by when all signatories were to have ended the worst forms of child labor. Ten years after the protocol’s signing, most of its conditions have still not been met. In contrast, Equal Exchange sources its Fair Trade and organic cocoa from farms in the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, and Ecuador. The vanilla from Madagascar and sugar from Paraguay for Equal Exchange’s chocolate are also certified Fair Trade and organic.

The program has been popular thanks to the increasing awareness of, and concern about, child labor on cocoa farms. Indeed, in 2010 alone, participants reached over 200,000 households. It has been most popular (by order of participant numbers) in New York, California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Illinois, as well as in Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington.

“When the leading chocolate companies signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol 10 years ago, many of today’s Trick-of-Treaters hadn’t even been born, yet child slavery in the cocoa fields continues,” said Kelsie Evans, Equal Exchange Chocolate Products Coordinator. “With Equal Exchange’s Reverse Trick-or-Treating program, today’s children can say ‘enough is enough’ and let consumers nationwide know that Fair Trade chocolate prohibits child or forced labor and trafficking and ensures farmers receive fair wages.”

Many Fair Trade advocacy organizations and religious denominations are actively pressing chocolate companies to adopt Fair Trade sourcing practices. In September, 2011, Global Exchange, Green America, and the International Labor Rights Forum, released “STILL Time to Raise the Bar: The Real Corporate Social Responsibility Report for the Hershey Company” as the company has been the least involved of the leading chocolate companies in adopting changes to its sourcing practices.

For more information, see:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/equalexchange?sk=app_208195102528120

Background information - http://www.equalexchange.coop/child-labor-in-the-cocoa-industry.

Global Exchange - www.reversetrickortreating.org

STILL Time to Raise the Bar - http://ilrf.org/stop-child-forced-labor/cocoa-campaign/news/as-profits-soar-chocolate-industry-fails-to-deliver-on-p

The Clean Air Act State by State

2011-10-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

(Here's a new post at the Moms Clean Air Force. Check out what the Clean Air Act can do for your state. And please join the Moms Clean Air Force to help us protect families, friends, and neighbors from polluted air. We need you! Together we are powerful. )

Have you ever wondered how the Clean Air Act protects the health of the people in your state? Find out with this tool from the EPA. You’ll see why the Clean Air Act is so important to the health of your friends, neighbors and family.

The Clean Air Act is one of the most successful public health policies of all time.

This is legislation that literally saves lives. It promotes public health – lessening the spending of health care dollars, and increasing human productivity. Imagine that.

In 2010 alone, reductions in fine particle and ozone pollution under the Clean Air Act prevented an estimated:

*160,000 cases of premature mortality

*130,000 heart attacks

*86,000 hospital visits

*13 million lost work days

*1.7 million asthma attacks

Those numbers can be a lot to take in…and a lot to imagine. Bringing these facts and data home can make it more meaningful in terms of how the actions of our leaders are fundamentally affecting the health of our fellow Americans.

In Green Child Magazine: Reduce Your Family's Body Burden

2011-10-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Here's the beginning of an article I wrote for Green Child Magazine. This is a lovely publication full of helpful articles, eco-crafts, eco-friendly product reviews and news. I'm happy to be a part of it!

What chemicals are lurking deep in your body? Sure, you eat organic food, limit processed foods, and try to buy more natural body care products. But have you ever wondered what your toxic chemical load, or body burden is? Do you shudder to think about all the food you ate and the products you used in the 80s and 90s? I sure do.

It was much safer to simply wonder about this.

I had to do it. Really. I’d been writing about toxins in everyday products such as baby lotion, antibacterial soap, sunscreen, and in our food, water and air intensively for 3 years on my blog, Non-Toxic Kids. When a friend from the Vermont Public Interest Research Group asked me if she could forward my name to participate in a body burden study, I thought, I have to do this.

It was time to put my body where my mouth is, so to speak. The study was a long process involving a chunk of hair, a urine sample, and lots (lots!) of blood. In the end, I learned that lifestyle alone can’t protect us from chemical exposures, but certain changes can help.

Here’s how to reduce your family’s chemical body burden:

Read the rest of this post at Green Child Magazine.

Rick Perry Wants to Fight Cancer: 4 Ways to Start

2011-10-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Governor Rick Perry,

I was reading an interview with you in Time magazine. You were responding to a question about your mandating the HPV vaccine for all Texan preadolescents. You said:

"I think anything that a state can do to fight cancer is a wise and a thoughtful approach."

For the first time, ever, I totally agree with you. Let's discuss what you could be doing, as a governor, to prevent cancer in your state and beyond. Here are a few ideas about how to better protect the citizens of your state from cancer and save lives.

1. Promote and support the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011: This bill would require manufacturers test the chemicals they use in products for safety BEFORE they are sold. Did you know that over 85,000 chemicals in everyday products have never been tested for safety? And that many chemicals in mainstream, conventional, and widely used products can ingredients linked to many kinds of cancers? Supporting this act would protect the citizens of your state from unecessary exposures to cancer causing ingredients.

2. Oppose the TRAIN Act. The TRAIN Act could put millions of Texas citizens at risk. Its goal is to stop the Environmental Protection Agency dead in its tracks from moving forward with both the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. If these protective measures are stopped then thousands more Texans will die, miss work, and suffer as a result.

3. Support the ozone standards recommended by the EPA. Yes, these standards were halted by the Obama administration. But they would have saved lives in our cities with high levels of ozone, or smog, such as Houston, ranked number 4 in the worst smog cities by WebMD.

4. Oppose all efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act. This is one of the most successful public health protection legislation ever. If you check out the state by state analysis of the benefits of the Clean Air Act, you'll learn that new proposed rules will improve air quality in Texas, including preventing up to 1,700 deaths each year. The state’s total health benefits as a result of the final rule will be between $5.8 billion and $14 billion each year. 1,700 Texans spared, and billions saved for your state-- how could you be against this?

4. Mandate transparency and disclosure. Thankfully, you signed a bill mandating that companies disclose the chemicals used in the fracking process. Thank you mandating this transparency. Take this logic, and apply it to all products. Everyone should disclose all ingredients in food, products, and our air and water. These companies should be held responsible for polluting our commuities, and prevented from doing so in the first place. That way, you can avoid cancer causing chemical exposures across many arenas.

There are many things you can do to fight cancer in your state, Mr. Perry, these are just a few. If you stand by your pledge to battle cancer, do it across all fronts, and fight it for your citizens.

What do you think Governor Perry should know about fighting cancer?

James and the Giant Peach: Awesome Read Aloud for PreK-Grade 4 Kids

2011-10-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the pure awesomeness and super silliness of Roald Dahl. As a teacher, I've read aloud some of his classic, timeless, and wonderfully joyful books with my fifth and sixth grade students.

Right now, I am teaching a literacy unit based on the theme, I Won't Grow Up, featuring books at different reading levels. These include the original Peter Pan, Peter and the Starcatchers, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach.

I hadn't read James and the Giant Peach in a long, long, time, so I started reading aloud to my 4 and 6 year old daughters.

I wasn't sure it would be a good fit (Roald Dahl can be a touch gruesome at times), but I was delightfully surprised. The demise of two evil characters was dealt with quickly and with Dahl's signature humor. Certainly not the stuff of nightmares. My girls, who scare very easily, and wear their emotions on their sleeves, moved right along with this and showed no sign of upset.

The whole book is masterfully creative, surprising, colorful and vivid, and full of rich vocabulary. It's also full of such nonsensical humor and far fetched story lines, that it is perfect for young children. Also, themes of courage, joy, and perseverance emerge throughout the story line. There is no real stereotyping, other than the two evil aunts, who happen to both be ugly and seriously mean.

Reading a chapter book like this aloud allows opportunities for children to extend and stretch their imaginations, to be exposed to changing settings, developing plots, and multiple characters. James and the Giant Peach makes a great read aloud for children ages 4 and up, and they will love (as did I) the happy ending.

What are you reading with your child?

Please Vote for Non-Toxic Kids!

2011-10-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

Happy weekend to you.

Non-Toxic Kids was nominated for a Parents magazine blog award, yay! Unfortunately, we only have 9 votes so far.

Please oh please take a moment and add your vote for Non-Toxic Kids, in the children's health category. If you enjoy reading this blog and find the information useful, I'd surely appreciate it!

All it takes is a quick register at their website (it's not hard) and you can opt out of any future emails. Just click on the button below to cast your vote. Voting ends soon-- October 15th.

Thanks so much for your support!

Congress: Save the Children

2011-10-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

(Here is a guest post from our friends at Save the Children. We must act to save and support babies, children, and pregnant mothers worldwide.)

U.S. foreign assistance is an investment in a more prosperous, secure world – which our own future depends on – and it only accounts for about 1 % of the federal budget. But right now Congress is poised to make disproportionate cuts to programs helping the world’s poor and vulnerable children and their families.

We’ll never be able to balance the budget on the backs of these children, but we may deny many a chance to survive drought, hunger and very basic childhood diseases that still kill millions of children a year. The U.S. has been a leader in helping reduce annual child deaths from around 12 million to 7.6 million in the last 20 years. Let’s not give up on these children now!

Green Mama Activism: Stop the Devastating Famine in Somalia

2011-10-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

Check out this clever video and the petition to stop the devastating famine in Somalia. We've lost 30,000 kids there in the last 3 months, and it has to stop. I'm so glad to see this video and hope it raises awareness and attention so our world leaders take action to save lives.

Frugi Pajamas from Lullaby Organics

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about some of the concerns about toxic flame retardant chemicals in children's pajamas. Luckily, there are some adorable options in a new line from Frugi Pajamas and on sale at one of our sweet sponsors, Lullaby Organics.

There is a LOT to love about the company Frugi. Seriously:

*They are members of 1% for the Planet, which means they donate 1% of their total turnover to environmental charities.

*The pajamas contain NO flame retardant chemicals.

*Their pajamas are made from 100% organic cotton.

The pajamas themselves are thick, long lasting, and super cozy and gloriously soft. The designs are sweet, but not gender stereotyping, mass-media marketed, or too cutesy. Simple, sturdy, and lovely organic goodness right next to you child's skin. My girls love, love them.

And, you can win a set here! They have some lovely new designs for fall, including our new fav, cats. Just leave a comment on this post by October 7nd to be entered.

Extra entries for (just tell me about it in the comments!):

*liking Non-Toxic Kids on Facebook
*following non_toxic_kids on Twitter and/or tweeting about it
*link up this post on Facebook or in your own blog post
*sign up for the Non-Toxic Kids newsletter

Good luck readers! A random winner will be selected from the comments.

7 Toxins to Avoid as a Consumer and Parent

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

(Here is a guest post from reader Amy Lizee, who writes for Environment911.)

There are many products on the market in today’s society from natural and green to synthetic to chemical versions. The goal as a consumer is to separate out the differences in order to continue with your green living goals.

When considering a product, you not only want to consider your health and those of your family members exposed to it, but you also want to take the environment into consideration, which is why a lot of consumers are switching over to green or eco-friendly products.

But be careful! Many products are ‘green-washed’ to appear eco-friendly when they are in fact, not. In order to avoid toxic products, you need to know which ingredients and chemicals to steer clear of.

The following is a list of chemicals that you should avoid in any products that you can. Always try and get a natural or organic version of the product if possible.

1. Phthalates are synthetic chemicals that are used as softening agents for plastic. Various studies have found that these chemicals may alter development. If possible, avoid products that have phthalates listed as an ingredient or look for phthalate-free products, especially when it comes to children’s products, which are often made of phthalate-softened vinyl.

2. Sulfates are often found in cleansers, soaps and shampoos. These sulfates are often disguised as ‘sodium lauryl’ and ‘sodium laureth’. They are what give soaps their latherability. While they can come from coconut and other vegetable oils, these can be contaminated with pesticides and thereby cause skin rashes and irritation.

3. Petrochemicals and other petroleum-based chemicals such as mineral oil, and paraffin are derived from crude oil and other non-renewable resources. Sodium polyacrylate and carbomer are other petroleum-based chemicals that also create toxic by-products.

4. Oxybenzone and octyl methoxycinnamate are used in many chemical sunscreens and have a toxic effect on endocrine activity. To avoid these chemicals, try looking for titanium dioxide and zinc oxide products, which are much safer options.

5. Parabens, ubiquitous in skincare, preserve other ingredients and extend a product’s shelf life–but these antimicrobial chemicals also have hormone-disrupting effects.

6. Triclosan and chlorphenesin are chemicals to avoid for the sake of the environment as they do not break down easily.

7. Ureas are the final chemicals on our list. They are extremely dangerous because they can release formaldehyde. Exposure to formaldehyde is known to have many side effects including difficulty breathing, headaches, nausea and other irritations. It is best to avoid this altogether if possible.

Now that you are aware of some of the dangerous chemicals that appear in many skin and body care products as well as toys and household objects, you are more able to make informed decisions as a consumer to avoid them.

This is especially important for those of you who are parents of children, at any age. We all want our future generations to grow up healthy and avoiding harmful chemicals is one of the best ways to do that! Plus, it helps save the environment!

Environment911.org is an interactive website for individuals to come and discuss the environment from green business to natural disasters. We feel it is important for people to come together and share their thoughts, ideas and visions for the future. The more we can communicate what is happening in our world, the more people can be educated and the more we can progress. Beyond Environment911.org you can find us on Facebook and Twitter where we are continuing to spread the message about our global environment and the impact that we have on it every day. www.environment911.org

Blissmobox: green, safer, high quality products delivered right to your door monthly

2011-09-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a grab bag?

Oh how excited I was as a kid, when I had a few bucks allowance burning a hole in my pocket. I could buy a bag of colorful treats at the candy shop (yes, I am old enough to remember actual candy stores), or I could get a grab bag at the department store. These small bags held mysteries I wanted. Usually it was just some costume jewelry, but I loved the surprise, and remember that sweet feeling of anticipation.

Fast forward about 20 or 30 years (ahem) and now the same idea makes me cringe, because most gift bags at children's parties are chock full of plastic trinkets, chemically laden kid's tattoos, and candy with food dye and high fructose corn syrup (am I a party pooper or what?). When I think of those same grab bags at stores, I imagine them full of lead or PVC containing jewelry.

Now thankfully, things can be different. If you love surprises, or simply, love getting packages, or you love not shopping (as I do), I have a delightful plan for you. The blissmobox.

Now, this brilliant idea is sweet and simple. Every month, the good folks at blissmo have a green expert curate a box, meaning, pick out several lovely eco-friendly, healthy, and delightful products, and send it to you. The boxes usually have a theme, such as the one I received to review, which was called "morning bliss". You can select from different monthly themes, or have the folks at blissmo pick one for you.

Mine was packed full of morning goodness, and I'm not a big fan of mornings, generally. Check out everything it held:

*a preserve toothbrush: These are made from recycled yogurt cups, are BPA free, and as I have written about here before, you can get a toothbrush subscription so you don't have to remember to get a new brush every three months.

*3 tasty Luna bars. Love these for early morning meetings when there is no time for breakfast.

*Purely Elizabeth granola: Vegan and gluten free, organic ingredients, no artificial colors, and tasty.

*Slice of life vitamins: Yummy gummy vitamins for adults. These come in handy because my regular ones have been making my stomach upset lately.

*A taste of Walnut butter: Lots of Omegas, no added salt, sugar or preservatives

*St. Claire's organic breath mints. Helpful for right after lunch, for sure.

*A big bag of Grounds for Change coffee. 100 percent fair trade and organic from a women owned co-op in Mexico.

All this in one box! I love this idea. You don't have to go shopping-- it just comes. Also, it is a great way to discover new green, safe and specialty brands and it is pretty affordable at $19 a month.

Please write Non-Toxic Kids in the referral box when signing up to support this site. I just signed on as an affiliate for the blissmobox.

FCC regs: I did receive a sample blissmobox to try out. My post reflects my experience only, I don't write paid posts (never have, never will). I objectively review items and seek guidance from my strict and fickle reviewers, ages 4 and 6.

Does Eating Peanuts While Pregnant Cause Nut Allergies in Children?

2011-09-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

video platform video management video solutions video player

To eat peanuts in pregnancy or not, that is the question. It's certainly the question I asked myself, especially after I found out my one year old daughter had a life threatening allergy to peanuts.

During my first pregnancy I ate copious amounts of peanuts. Great big heaping handfuls from large snack mixes, on and off all day, while teaching.

I felt better after I read an article a few years ago, saying there was no connection between eating nuts during pregnancy and nut allergies in children. Ta-da! I felt happy to have this connection bunked. This article from CNN is similar, coming to the conclusion that there is not enough evidence either way.

Just to be sure, though, for my second pregnancy I ate NO NUTS. This was easy, because we can't have them around the house at all, because of my oldest daughter's severe allergy. My second daughter was born without any allergies.

If there is one thing to gain from this video, it's that mothers with existing allergies might want to avoid eating peanuts while pregnant so as to avoid passing the allergy along to their babies. There seems to be a connection between women with existing allergies (no clarity as to what kind), eating peanuts, and the rate of nut allergies in children. For folks with no allergies, there seems to be no connection.

Any of this is far from certain! The best pregnant women can do is make the wisest choice for their background and situation.

As for me, I have bad seasonal allergies, which might have predisposed my daughter to allergies, and my consumption of nuts may have tipped her over the edge towards this condition.

Great! Add it to my list of things to feel guilty about. As if we moms don't have enough! Did you eat peanuts or other nuts when you were pregnant?

Ozone Threats: 5 Things You Need to Know

2011-09-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Many of you have heard about President Obama’s recent decision to pull new EPA regulations on ozone, or smog, in America.

EPA head administrator, Lisa Jackson, and her agency supported and hoped to move forward on these regulations to protect the public health. They would have saved 1,500 to 12,000 lives, prevented thousands of cases of respiratory infections, asthma attacks and cases of bronchitis per year.

Do you disagree with Obama’s decision? I do…and many, many other organizations do too. But bashing President Obama won’t help us solve the problem.

5 Things You Need To Know About Ozone:

1. Ozone, at ground level, is also known as smog. According to the EPA, it consists of “…motor vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents as well as natural sources emit NOx and VOC that help form ozone.”

Read the rest of this post at the Moms Clean Air Force

CSA Chronicles: Kale and Broccoli Pesto and Calzone

2011-09-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Lots of Kale and Broccoli came in this week's localvore CSA bag. We ate Kale chips, but had some left over. I was pondering what to make with it.

Then at school, on healthy snack Friday, our chefs served the students a calzone---hot, crispy bread stuffed with cheese and veggies. It was super tasty, all the kids loved it. Thankfully they will add this to the school menu.

I asked how she did it. She steamed the veggies together for 8 minutes or so, then processed them into tiny pieces. She added this to the ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses to make the stuffing. Brilliant and totally kid friendly.

Here is the recipe below:

Broccoli (and Kale) Calzone

ingredients:

1 lb pizza dough

1 head broccoli

1 bunch kale

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 pint part skin ricotta cheese

1 egg beaten

1 lb shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

basil, oregano

salt and pepper

pizza sauce

Directions (serves 8)

1. Steam broccoli and kale and chop fine. Saute onion and girls in a little olive oil until translucent.

2. Mix ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan in a bowl. Add broccoli, kale, and onion/garlic mixture.

3. Season to taste with fresh basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

4. Mix in beaten egg.

5. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll each into a 6 inch circle.

6. Put 1/8 mix on each calzone. Fold moisten edges and crimp to seal with a fork.

7. Pierce the tops to vent. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

8. Serve with heated sauce.

*adapted from Rumney School chefs

Tonight, I didn't have any ricotta, so I blended steamed kale and broccoli with Parmesan, olive oil and garlic, and used it as pesto sauce on pizza. It was absolutely packed with veggies and the kids didn't even know. I also served fresh green beans in a rainbow of colors on the side, so they could see some vegetables they were eating too.

CSA sweetness! I have easily doubled the amount of vegetables my family is eating (and lessened grocery store trips) from joining our localvore CSA.

What do you make with kale? It might be in this week's CSA again, so I better find another way to serve it!