I participated in a campaign on behalf of Millennial Central for Seventh Generation. I received a promotional item and product samples as a thank you for participating.
This month I’m teaming up with Seventh Generation to help spread awareness about the importance of chemical reform in the United States.
When I started prioritizing my health and wellness years ago, it was a one-dimensional effort focused on food. But now I know a green, eco-friendly lifestyle is about a lot more than eating broccoli. There’s so much toxicity that surrounds us not just on and in food but in the products we put on our bodies and use to clean our homes. Long-term exposure to toxicity causes inflammation which is what makes us sick.
There are more than 80,000 chemicals in the US that have never been fully tested for their toxic effects on health and environments. That’s scary. And what’s even scarier is that scientists have linked exposure to these chemicals to health issues like cancer, Alzheimer’s, learning disabilities, asthma, birth defects and reproductive problems.
This is why David and I are committed to creating a healthy home not just for our sake but for our future family. If you’ve been navigating the world of healthy eating, you know it can seem daunting at times; and now here I am telling you to start worrying about your beauty and cleaning products, too? Don’t stress because it’s a lot easier than you think. All it takes is a little thought.
Here are some simple steps you can take to cultivate a healthier home:
- Open your windows to let fresh air into your home
- Unwrap dry cleaning from plastic and store it in a ventilated room for up to two days or launder “dry clean only” clothing at home after it they have been dry cleaned once
- Use a cast iron skillet
- Use incandescent light bulbs or rely on natural light during daytime hours
- Trade aerosol room sprays for spray bottles of water infused with citrus-scented essential oil
- Choose a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter
- Read labels and eliminate beauty products with parabens, phthalates and formldehyde
- When you wash your sheets, leave your mattress bare for up to a day with the window open to let it air out and “off-gas”
And there’s more!
Congress passed The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in 1976, and unlike other major environmental laws, it has never been updated. As it is right now, tens of thousands of potentially harmful chemicals continue to be used in the marketplace (since the 1970’s) without proper testing and without disclosure by the companies that produce them.
- Become a Toxin Freedom Fighter: Click the badge above to sign Seventh Generation’s petition to urge Congress to reevaluate the Toxic Substances Control Act for the first time since 1976. The goal is to collect 100,000 signatures by April 24.
- Spread the Word: Urge others to do the same by sharing this blog post on Twitter and Facebook using the social share buttons below and hashtag #FighToxins
- Be Vocal: Once you’ve signed the petition and shared this post, leave a comment below to let others know you support this effort to #FightToxins
Want to learn more? Go to the Natural Resources Defense Council website.
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