In Illinois, Tricia Krause isn’t the most popular mom in the neighborhood. But she couldn’t care less. She’s fighting against the town of Crestwood, claiming its water made her family ill.
The single mom of 3 has 2 kids with health problems and a small business to run. Her son had leukemia and her daughter had a brain tumor. She’s got her hands full, but she’s still fighting against her former hometown, where all three kids were born.
I’m so sad and angry and disappointed about this.
The Chicago Tribune reported on the Crestwood problem just the day before Earth Day. Their story claims that the village, population 11,000, served residents tainted water for 20 years. While Crestwood officials boasted that they had the cheapest water in the county–”Good to taste but not to waste!”–they were giving residents a “taste” of carcinogens.
Krause says her kids were directly affected by the cost-saving measures. She’s now suing the city of Crestwood. [read the full article...]
I’ve been poor, dirt poor, caretaking a small cabin in the woods working on a basil farm. During these slim economic times, I discovered that water, just water, was an effective cleaner. Now that I am a little more affluent and have stainless steel appliances, water is once again my favorite cleaning product! But what about the smears….enter E-cloth!
Jessica has already shared with our readers her love affair with microfiber, and I have to agree I’m in love with E-cloths.
E-cloth® uses microfiber technology to pull and capture dirt, dust, grease, oil and more from hard surfaces without the need for chemicals. Perfect to have on hand in the kitchen to clean in between courses. E-cloth® is made to clean hard surfaces from kitchen countertops to wood shelves to stainless steel appliances and glass (leaving no discoloration, streaks or smudges) all without a single chemical cleaner. Specially cut fibers utilize pure tap water to clean at the microbial level, saving your family from having to choose between a dirty home and harmful chemicals.
[read the full article...]
by Derek Markham on February 20, 2009 · 3 comments
A class action lawsuit seeking $200 million was filed against the Washington D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) by the single father of twin boys who were poisoned as infants by lead contaminated tap water. John Parkhurst filed the suit on behalf of himself and other parents in D.C. whose children were poisoned due to extremely high levels of lead in the municipal water supply from 2001 to 2004.
“In June 2001, WASA discovered that that toxic levels of lead were leaching into the District’s drinking water. Not only did the Authority fail to eliminate this danger, it actually took affirmative steps to hide the lead contamination from its customers and federal authorities. At the same time, WASA encouraged the public to consume this dangerous product. As a result, tens of thousands of children and pregnant mothers faced elevated risks for years longer than they should have. WASA’s actions endangered thousands of children living in the District between 2001 and 2004, many of whom, like Jonathan and Joshua Parkhurst, are now profoundly affected by their ingestion of this highly poisonous element.” – Stefanie Roemer, Sanford Wittels & Heisler.
[read the full article...]
by Jennifer Lance on November 21, 2008 · 0 comments
Let’s talk about energy. Been there, done that you say. We all know to turn lights off when we leave the room, to unplug all cords when not in use (tv, cell phone charges, computer, etc…) and to replace every light bulb in the house with a CFL. Hopefully, we’ve all taken these tips to heart.
Our family is a single income family. This is harder to do in todays economy than it used to be. With increasing costs of feeding and clothing our clan (of which there are SEVEN) and the higher gas prices, we really have to watch our spending. There are areas I can save in (groceries, household supplies, utility costs) and areas that are fixed (mortgage, student loan payments, medical insurance). A favorite way for our family to think about being greener and saving money is to have family discussions. I love to watch and listen as the kiddos brainstorm on things we can do to help our environment (these are some smart kids) and to hear their ideas on good stewardship (of our Earth and finances). Here are some fun and easy ways to save energy (which is way good for Mother Earth and will result in a lower power bill for you). [read the full article...]
I was standing at the refrigerator door, pouring filtered water into my son’s sippy cup when a terrifying news story from a few weeks ago flashed through my head: “Pharmaceuticals Found in Tap Water” the headlines had screamed. According to the AP report: trace concentrations of heart medicine, infection fighters, estrogen, anti-convulsants, a mood stabilizer and a tranquilizer were found. And a study released by Medco Health Solutions Inc. reported that HALF of all insured Americans were on medications for chronic health conditions. Are you kidding me?
That’s an awful lot of chemically-laced poop and pee (as we say in my house) being flushed each year. For some reason when the story broke it didn’t hit home to me. I don’t live in a metropolis, but as I stood there with that sippy cup I realized I don’t want my son drinking birth control pills, no matter what the dosage level. And what if he had been exposed to this when he was an infant? [read the full article...]
Like many of you, I’m very aware that what goes on my skin, in my hair and on my floors and countertops, also goes down the drain and into the world! I distinctly remember a moment, while congratulating myself for using a great, organic body care product, that I looked at the label and realized that bottle had traveled about 3000 miles! Then I squinted and saw that Unilever was distributing the product and I was no longer giving my money to the small, eco-friendly company that I thought I was!
This New York Times article has me again pondering the crossroads of eco-friendly products and economies of scale.
While I’m a big fan of the cleaning power of baking soda, vinegar, Borax and lemons …a decent homemade shampoo is still beyond me! It took me a while, but I found a skin care line that I like; not only because the ingrediants are simple and organic, but because the packaging is recycleble. [read the full article...]
by Derek Markham on December 20, 2007 · 5 comments
Now that we are, for the most, part spending more and more of the day inside, dry skin is plaguing both adults and children. A recent article at Ask Dr. Sears, discusses what causes this dry skin and steps to take to combat it.
Best known as THE name in attachment parenting and author of a variety of parenting books, Dr. Sears provides tips for healthy families that often include natural healing and an eco friendly approach.
Since extensive exposure to central heating in homes can severely dry out skin Dr. Sears Tips include:
- Vaporize the air. Put a vaporizer in your bedroom. Vaporizers have a double health benefit. They not only increase the humidity in the bedroom and help prevent winter skin from drying out, but the steam also acts like a heat source. …The more humid air allows you to turn the central heating down and save fuel costs. [read the full article...]
In Illinois, Tricia Krause isn’t the most popular mom in the neighborhood. But she couldn’t care less. She’s fighting against the town of Crestwood, claiming its water made her family ill.
