Published on July 22nd, 2009
A 10 year old created clean up and recycling programs in her area, an 8 year old wrote and illustrated a book about butterflies that he sold then donated the money to the World Wildlife Fund, a 12 year old in Abu Dhabi created an awareness campaign about camels who die because of trash in the desert, a 15 helped create a garden and open air classroom that produced over 1000 pounds of organic produce that was used for school lunches and donated to needy families in the area. Another 15 year old in California devised tests for air purifiers that changed California legislation.
And that’s just a sample of what the winners of AFN’s 2009 Young Eco-Heroes Awards have done.
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Published on July 15th, 2009
Last week here I wrote about the new food safety bill, and how the Organic Consumer’s Association is calling for it to include limitations on factory farming.
We all know factory farming is dangerous for the environment, and more and more now, for our health. MSNBC just did a piece about the superbugs in meat, causing dangerous and sometimes lethal viruses in the people who work in slaughterhouses and meat processing plants, and in surrounding areas. Read the article for the full story.
I was shocked to read that anyone can buy antibiotics without a prescription and add them to feed for farm animals. Often, these are the same ones we take when we are sick. Is it any wonder viruses are becoming resistant to these very same, overused antibiotics?
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Published on July 14th, 2009
I became interested in green living before I had my first child, but since the birth of my daughter; I realized the even great impact for the need to protect our environment and our planet. As parents, we are given the enormous responsibility in rearing of our child to raise a compassionate, fulfilled individual, but what’s more important is our role as the guardian of this planet we are entrusted with. Although we as a society might put that care aside or even completely abandon it; I truly believe that we DO and CAN make a difference. Fortunately, I am not the only one who feels this way. A mother and a geneticist, Maggie Zhou headed to Washington, DC to attend Monday’s U.S. Senate hearing on climate change policy. Zhou is paying for the trip with her own money because “I felt I had to be in the same room with the people who are going to make a decision that will determine the kind of world my daughter will live in.”
Zhou is a mother of five year old daughter, but not only is she a mother; she is a scientist as well. Trained as a geneticist, Zhou began digging dipper into the Climate issue by researching scientific reports and discussing her findings with colleagues who specialized in Climate Change. With further exploration, she was convinced that much more had to be done to protect the Earth’s climate. In a press release by Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities, Zhou used the scientific understanding she acquired to open a dialogue with national environmental groups and some of the leaders of the climate protection movement.
“The science shows that we may have a critical window of only a few years to take action before planetary processes take the matter out of humanity’s control and bring on catastrophic warming. Congress needs to get this right now if children like my own are to have a future.”
According to Zhou, the recently passed energy bill in Washington, The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) is an insufficient solution to the quickly escalating energy crisis that we as a nation will soon face. “This bill does as much harm as good, and in many ways it ties our hands by doing so many favors for the fossil fuel lobby.”
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Published on July 3rd, 2009
It’s summer vacation, and one thing parents often hear from children used to being stimulated by school all year is, “I’m bored!”. Personally, I am never bored, so I have little compassion when I hear my daughter issue this utterance, but I have found a new book that I think will help her overcome the doldrums. Let’s Go Outside!: Outdoor Activities and Projects to Get You and Your Kids Closer to Nature is a great resource for bored children.
Just as I have little understanding of boredom, I also never find myself needing an activity while experiencing nature beyond hiking and observing; however, children are a different breed. They sometimes need help focusing their energy. Author Jennifer Ward provides 52 outdoor activities. From “Playground for Poets” to “Five Fine Forts”, the summer boredom crisis is solved (and these activities are limited to warm summer months). Furthermore, these games and projects are designed for children ages 8-12. Here’s an example: Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 24th, 2009
The Endocrine Society, a medical group representing the research of hormones, issued an intake warning at their annual meeting earlier this month.
The group is concerned over bisphenol-A and similar hormone-disrupting chemicals, found in plastics, pesticides, and other products. It said in a statement that bisphenol-A is a
’significant concern for public health’ and that it’s important for consumers to take a ‘precautionary approach’ to limit their exposure.
This follows on the heels of a few more studies regarding BPA. First–and most worrisome–is the recent study that showed that human exposure to BPA is likely much higher than previously thought and much higher than deemed “safe” by the FDA. That study’s author, Dr. Frederick vom Saal, who presented his study’s findings at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, said of the chemical:
BPA is now known to be a potent estrogen.
Human and animal studies indicate it could be related to diabetes, heart disease, liver abnormalities, miscarriage and other reproductive abnormalities, as well as prostate and breast cancer
Other recent studies should have us all cutting out the polycarbonate plastic.
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Tags:
American Chemistry Council,
American Council on Science and Health,
bisphenol A,
bpa,
Breast Cancer,
diabetes,
early onset of puberty,
endocrine disruptor,
Endocrine Society,
estrogen,
fertility,
heart disease,
plastic water bottles,
polycarbonate,
reproduction,
synthetic hormone
Published on May 27th, 2009
Kid Guides is a television show hosted by two kids, Matt and Brittney, who travel to exciting locations and give kids a behind the scenes look at aquariums, museums, zoos and camps. And now the shows are on DVD so you can have them at home and available for your kids to watch anytime they want.
I have two copies of Kid Guides Aquariums to give away to two lucky winners. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 27th, 2009
For the first time, a study proved that using polycarbonate plastic increases your blood levels of bisphenol-A. And not just a little bit, either. After a week of using these materials for beverages, study participants had a 60 percent increase in the level of BPA in their blood.
Bisphenol-A has been linked to early onset of puberty, low sperm count and infertility, and its carcinogenic effects may include breast cancer. It has also been linked to heart disease and diabetes. You’ve heard all of this, I’m sure.
But how ’bout this? Bisphenol-A was first developed as a synthetic hormone. It’s an endocrine disruptor. It affects our children. It affects our adults. And the FDA still refuses to require removal from food contact materials?!
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Published on May 12th, 2009
Is there really the threat of a swine flu pandemic, or is it just a cash cow for big pharma?
The media has been having a heyday with the fear of a “swine flu” pandemic, and rumors and fear-mongering have taken the stage. One doctor tries to cut through the crap with his article, “Swine Flu: New Pandemic or Just Makin’ Bacon?” Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 29th, 2009
Energy drinks such as Red Bull, Rockstar, and Monster — laced with high doses of caffeine (up to seven times the amount in a cup of strong coffee, or 14 cans of cola) and other stimulants — have been shown to increase blood pressure, cause heart racing, and increase anxiety, in a study published last fall by Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Another study by Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, published this March, found similar concerns:
The researchers found that healthy adults who drank two cans a day of a popular energy drink experienced a 10-point increase in their blood pressure and a five- to seven-beat increase in heart rate. The study is published in March in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy.
These are “healthy adults” being affected this way. But our children are also downing energy drinks in record numbers, looking for a quick after-school pick-me-up, or as a sports booster, without understanding the real risks. With their smaller bodies, the 50 to 500mg of caffeine typically found in one can will have much greater effects on children. There is also a concern that children are becoming addicted to caffeine because of energy drinks.
In the study, Griffiths highlights the cases of nine patients treated by a US poisons unit after having an energy drink called Redline, which contains 250mg caffeine. Eight of the nine were boys, with the youngest aged 13. Their symptoms ranged from nausea and vomiting to tremors, chest pain and a racing pulse. (guardian.co.uk)
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Published on April 9th, 2009
A Swedish study found that the rate of autism is higher for children in houses that have PVC vinyl flooring. The children in the study were apparently affected by the phthalates that are emitted from the material.
Infants and toddlers who had vinyl floors in their rooms were twice as likely to develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than those with wood or aluminum floors.
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