News and information

E Magazine special feature:  "Our Children at Risk"

http://www.emagazine.com/september-october_2001/0901feat1.html

National Conference of State Legislatures Environmental Health Legislation Database

www.ncsl.org/programs/ESNR/cehdb.htm

Healthy Home Web Tool

www1.uwex.edu/healthyhome/tool/

Recent news articles on children's environmental health

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/children/

Effect change through smart product purchasing

The organizations below can help you exercise your power as a consumer.  Incorporate environmentally safe/toxin free decisions into your daily life.

Green Seal is a nonprofit group that encourages the use of environmentally responsible products and services by awarding its "Green Seal" of approval to products that cause significantly less harm to the environment than similar products. To date over 300 products have been awarded the Green Seal, including Safety-Kleen motor oil, Andersen windows, Sherwin-Williams paint, Carrier air conditioners, Mohawk paper, Pansonic heat pumps and Trane chillers. Certified products are monitored each year to ensure their on-going compliance with Green Seal standards.

The Three R's: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Reduce your use of batteries.  Try one of the battery free radios from Freeplay Freeplay Radio.  The toxic metals in batteries are widely dispersed through the environment and the food chain.
Reuse computer parts.  Motherboard Enterprises offers a beautiful selection of executive, office and home accessories made from computer circuit boards. 
Recycle.  As important as recycling is, it is equally important to buy recycled items.  Recycled Office Products offers a wide range of recycled office and school supplies -- everything from paper products, wooden rulers and plastic notebooks. Tom's of Maine uses recycled plastic for their containers. 

Natural Ingredients
The last 50 years have marked a tremendous rise in the use of petrochemicals and other synthetics that are cheaper for mass manufacturers and easier for them to use.  But the long term effects of many of these harsh chemicals on the body and the environment are still unknown. Tom's of Maine, Aubrey Organics, and The Body Shop  use only natural ingredients in their personal care products. Ben and Jerry's Homemade only uses natural ingredients in their ice cream.  Their ice cream is produced without using the growth hormone rBGH. 

Chlorine Free Products
One of the byproducts of chlorine is the deadly chemical dioxin.  Exposure to dioxin has been linked to cancer as well as developmental and reproductive problems.  Using chlorine-free products helps reduce dioxin. Recycled Office Products offers a range of chlorine-free paper products. Ben and Jerry's Homemade is switching to chlorine-free paper ice cream containers.  PVC plastic is the most common plastic made from chlorine. The Body Shop is one of the few companies to eliminate PVC from all of their packaging. 

Pesticide Reduction
The use of organic food will reduce your family's direct exposure to pesticides.  When thinking "organic" most people only consider fruit and vegetables.  But pesticides are used in many different food products. Grandma Millina's Kitchen offers a number of organically grown prepared foods especially for children.  "Organic" also applies to dairy products. Organic dairy products contain no pesticides or chemicals.  Cows are fed 100% organically grown feed.  No growth hormones or antibiotics are used.  Horizon Organic  and Stonyfield Farm offer a wide range of organic dairy products. 

"Organic" goes beyond food products.  Blue Fish uses only organically grown cotton in its clothing.  Aubrey Organics makes some of their Hair and Skin Care Products from organic ingredients. 

Environmental Audits
Both The Body Shop and Stonyfield Farms have independent firms complete environmental audits.  These audits evaluate the impact of every aspect of their operations on the environment, evaluate their performance against stated goals, improve operations and identify new goals.