“Look both ways before you cross the street.” That’s the Precautionary Principle in a nutshell. The Precautionary Principle was hammered out at the historic Wisconsin Wingspread conference in 1998 by scientists, researchers, and citizens. The principle is grounded in the simple belief that we should not wait to protect ourselves or the environment until we […]
Archive | Health & Beauty
New Book Highlights Environmental, Health Threats from Toxic Chemicals
Investigative journalist Nena Baker is the author of The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Well-being (North Point Press/Farrar, Straus and Giroux). I first met Nena when we both spoke at the Women, Health & Environment Conference sponsored by the Heinz Endowment in 2008. Since then, I’ve been a fan […]
Toxic Dust Bunnies: Environmental Health, Safety Threats from PBDEs
Part 2 – by Nena Baker, author, The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Well-being (North Point Press/Farrar, Straus and Giroux “Thirty years ago, about the time that PBDEs were introduced, veterinarians began noticing an uptick in feline hyperthyroidism, the most common endocrine disorder in cats. It causes […]
Be Safer and Smarter When Dyeing You’re Latest Do
453viewsDo you color your hair but worry about the impact hair dye could have on the environment as well as your own health and safety? I wish the information provided were more reassuring, but the truth is– we don’t know much about hair dye. It’s likely that when you dye your hair, a small amount […]
Protecting the Environment is a Health Care Issue
The current debate about health care seems seriously lacking in one important way: there’s no focus on the environmental problems that make so many of us sick. Just scan the front pages of this week’s New York Times if you need to be convinced. “Health Ills Abound as Farm Runoff Fouls Wells,” documents instances of children contracting […]
Tampons- The Planet’s Most Extreme Case of PMS
If you’re like most women, you’ll use as many as 11,000 tampons during your lifetime. Add to that a couple of thousand pads and panty liners, and the ecological impact of your monthly cycle really starts to add up. Particularly egregious are the plastic applicators that come with some tampons. They can escape from any landfill- […]
Lunch Boxes Should be Safe & Environmentally Friendly
As if we parents didn’t have enough to worry about! Not even the kids’ lunch boxes are safe!! What do you need to know — and what’s my secret tip for getting kids to actually reuse a safe, environmentally friendly lunch box like the one pictured here? What You Need to Know: Research commissioned by the Center […]
Environmental In-Box: Softlips Pure Organic Lip Conditioner
Are you paying attention to your lips? Considering how many times you lick them each day, maybe you should. Many conventional lip products are made from ingredients you’d never DREAM of wiping your tongue on, like pesticides, dyes, and parabens. Lipstick may even contain lead. Ewww! Good news: Conventional cosmetic companies like Softlips are extending their product lines […]