Going Green

Written By: Gina

I am excited and amazed at how "Green" everything is becoming! I have never been a self-professed "greeney" but I have certainly made some changes in behavior over the last couple of years. I feel it is my responsibility- as I educate myself about this subject, I know I can make better choices for the environment and for my family. If I know I have been wasteful in the past in my use of some things, and I now cannot ignore better ways of doing things.

As you know, Alicia and I have written a book about possible causes of Infertility. We discovered how a lot of the personal care and cleaning products you might use and have in your home can help prevent pregnancy. I was never a holistic or environmental person until having kids. I thought the world revolved around me and if I used a box of tissues a day, it was my choice and business to do so. When my household went from 2 to 4 individuals, it was hard not to notice how wasteful I had been!

The reason I am so excited is because I am used to doing my shopping for food and household products at about 5 different stores a week, plus certain items have to be ordered on-line. This is time consuming and inconvenient to say the least. This is soon going to change! I am noticing more and more eco-friendly products being sold at major retailers. It is only a matter of time before I can do one-stop (OK- maybe two-stop) shopping!

I opened up my Sunday paper to discover a "Green" section in my Target catalog. I actually got tingles! Target now carries eco-friendly personal care products and water filters. Organic sheets and laundry detergent. I used to spend a lot on shipping fees alone through on-line shopping and now I can run to Target to get the products I use. They even now carry Dr. Bronner's! The thrill!

For now, I still go to specialty grocery stores. However, my neighborhood grocery store chain has now set up an entire organics section. Even Wal-Mart has dedicated itself to providing organic options, while listing Gluten, sugar and dairy free options as well as low-fat and kosher items on their website.

When purchasing Organic products, you should know what to look for. If you do not see the USDA Certified Organic Seal on a product, the word “organic” doesn’t mean a thing!



100% Organic- USDA Organic labeled foods are under stricter standards than other foods and may contain only organically produced ingredients. This means that the foods are processed in an organic environment, not touching or being packaged on a surface with non-organic foods and packaged in their original, organic form.

Organic- 95% of these ingredients must be organically grown. The remaining 5% of ingredients must be from an approved National list of non-organic approved foods. These products can also display the USDA Organic seal on the product or a certified logo. (An example of a state certified logo for CA).



Made With Organic Ingredients- At least 70% of the ingredients must be organic and they must be listed on the package. The remaining 30% of ingredients must be from the National approved list. These products may display a certifier’s logo but not a USDA Organic Seal.

When purchasing Green products, read the labels to make sure the following toxins are not listed on the labels:

DEA; Diethanolamine, Cocamide DEA, Cocamide MEA, DEA-Cetyl Phosphate, DEA- Oleth-3 Phosphate, Lauramide DEA, monoethanolamine MEA, Myristamide DEA, Oleamide DEA, Stearamide MEA, TEA- Lauryl Sulfate, Triethanolamine: Used as emulsifiers and foaming agents. Repeated use and absorbtion into skin can cause a major increase of liver and kidney cancers as found in mice and rats. It can also accumulate in the brain and produce toxic effects.

Phthalates, DEP- Diethyl Phthalate (MEP- derived from DEP): used as plasticizing ingredients which have been linked to birth defects in the reproductive system of boys and can cause lower sperm mobility in adult males

TEA; Triethanolamine: Can cause allergic reactions.

TCC- triclocarban; TCC 3 or 4, trichlorocarbanilide’s: cause endocrine disruption (increase the levels of hormones to a dangerous level).

PEG, Propylene Glycol, Ethylene Glycol, Polyethelylene Glycol: Used as an emulsifier and keeps products moist. Petroleum derivative used in anti-freeze and hydraulic brake fluid. Alters cell membranes and can cause cardiac arrest. Shown to cause dermatitis, kidney or liver abnormalities and skin irritation.

PVP; Polyvinyl pyrrolodene, Copolymer: Petroleum derived. Suspected human carcinogen.

Formaldehyde: used as a preservative and disinfectant. Can cause eye, nose and throat irritations including coughing, asthma attacks, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, nose bleeds, headaches and dizziness. Known to cause weakening of the immune system.
Butylated hydroxianisole (BHA)/Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT): Contains Toulene. BHT is a suspected human carcinogen and is made from coal tar. Can cause metabolic stress, depression of growth rate, weight loss, damage to liver and/or kidneys, baldness and fetal abnormalities, anemia and lower blood cell counts. BHA & BHT cause allergic contact dermatitis. Both substances slowly corrode metal and up to 13% of BHT is absorbed through the skin.

Some important links:
http://www.traderjoes.com/
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/
http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/ref=sc_iw_r_1_0_2_2/?node=357202011
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/Sustainability.aspx?povid=cat14503-env172199-module032709-lLink1_DDM2
http://www.ralphs.com/healthy_living/Pages/earth_day.aspx

Happy shopping!
Gina