Think The Love Canal Disaster is Over? Think Again

Visit HERE to hear Will talk about the current Love Canal Disaster

This Seriously Cannot be Happening Again...Can It? 

My friend Mike Schade from Safer Chemicals Healthy Families was kind enough to refer Will Battersby, the producer of a documentary about the Love Canal to me and I am very happy he did.

I thought the whole Love Canal disaster ended decades ago but I found out from Will that it is an ongoing environmental disaster that is continuing to ruin the lives of families. Apparently the fix, a plastic sheeting placed over the ground where the chemicals were placed did not work (wow what a surprise) and the area was redeveloped drawing unsuspecting families back in to build their lives.

The sad thing is, those families are dealing with the very same thing that the Love Canal stay at home moms fought against years ago. Will's documentary is a story about the power of mothers who rose up in the 1970s to fight for their families when no one else would and it’s a story about the continuing need to protect our children and ourselves from the ever-increasing number of toxic chemicals in our everyday products and waste streams.

They have just started their crowd funding campaign to raise the money to finish the film and a shout out on social media and any donations to the cause would be extremely helpful. I made a small donation and was kind of embarrassed about how little it was but Will said every amount helps and he is absolutely right.   Here's the link to their Indiegogo campaign where you can see more about the documentary from Will himself. so please check it out.

This is just one more way you can work to make a difference. I know that "make a difference" is such an overused catch phrase but I don't know about you, I like it. I like to feel a little bit of power in this world where our children are being inundated with toxic chemicals that are killing them slowly.

You in?

 

Connect with Shane on Google+

P.S.- People always ask me where I get my organic food and personal care products and I love to tell them about The Green PolkaDot Box! Backed by the Organic Consumer's Association and EnvironmentalBooty.com, you can easily buy NonGMO organic groceries, including Harvest Fresh Organic produce, at wholesale pricing online.  It's like a Sam's club but focused on products for green, healthy living! You can even shop by dietary restrictions like gluten free, vegan or diabetic and it all comes right to your front door. Enjoy!

How to Be Green? Ditch Earth Day

Earth as Art- Florida Everglades. Description: Spanning the southern tip of the Florida Peninsula and most of Florida Bay, Everglades National Park is the only subtropical preserve in North America. It is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side.
http://eros.usgs.gov/imagegallery/collection.php?type=earth_as_art#12

Do We Really Need Earth Day Anymore?

This past Monday, Earth Day 2013, I was left with a feeling of, well, quite frankly, sadness in my heart.  What used to be one of my favorite days of the year, this year turned into a stream of emails into my inbox from the likes of Staples, American Eagle and too many PR firms to mention all touting their sales and promotions for Earth Day.  Now while I am a capitalist at heart and do not begrudge those trying to make a buck (believe me), this year it somehow left a bad taste in my mouth.

EPA Reports on US Rivers and Streams and It's Not Good

Lake Itasca, Mississippi

EPA Survey Says More Than 1/2 of the US River and Streams in Poor Condition

This week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the results of the first comprehensive
survey looking at the health of thousands of stream and river miles across the United States and the findings are not good.  The survey says more than half, or 55%, are in poor condition for aquatic life.

“The health of our Nation’s rivers, lakes, bays and coastal waters depends on the vast network of streams where they begin, and this new science shows that America’s streams and rivers are under significant pressure,” said Office of Water Acting Assistant Administrator Nancy Stoner. “We must continue to invest in protecting and restoring our nation’s streams and rivers as they are vital sources of our drinking water, provide many recreational opportunities, and play a critical role in the economy.”

Findings of the Assessment Tell Us:

How to Be Green? Start a Bag Ban in Your Hometown!

Click image to see a larger version or to grab the code to share on your website or blog

Do single use plastic bags get a bad rap? via Factory Direct Promos - Reusable Bags

Want to Go Green in a Big Way?  Start a Bag Ban in Your Hometown!

Who would have thought that a little single use plastic bag would cause so many problems?  From clogging drains and causing flooding and resulting deaths, to getting into our food chain, single use plastic bags are not only a waste of resources, they are detrimental to our health and the health of our environment.  If you are looking for a way to be green, starting a bag ban in your hometown could make an impact felt far beyond your community. 

As you can see from this interactive map from Factory Direct Promos, bag bans are catching on all over the world and you can help your city add a pin to the map too!

How to Be Green? Stand in Spirit with Rachel Carson in Her Fight Against a Silent Spring

The Book-of-the-Month Club edition of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring

How Rachel Carson's Silent Spring Ignited the Fight for Safer Chemicals

September marked the 50th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s influential book, Silent Spring, which introduced the idea of a synergy between humans, our planet and our health.  Carson's Silent Spring told Americans the story of the harmful effects of the pesticide DDT in the environment and food chain and it was the start of where we find ourselves today in the fight for safer chemicals.  As Carson saw it, the federal government was part of the problem and they still are today - but we can do something to change that.

Just How Far Have We Come in Fighting Toxic Chemicals in 50 Years?

Latest News on 9-11 First Responder's Health

I Remember Being On Top of The World

I remember being 14 years old and standing on top of the South Tower and feeling like I was literally on top of the world.  My girls ask me what it was like and it is very hard to put into words other then to say that it was invigorating and somehow hopeful to think that man could create such an unbelievable piece of architecture that I was able to be a part of.  I still remember it like it was yesterday.

First Responders Remember 9-11 Through the Eyes of Illness 

How to Be Green? Chat with Beth Terry, Author of Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too

Buy Now - with guaranteed plastic-free shipping materials!

Plastic Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too, by Beth Terry Helps Us All Be Green

I live in awe of Beth Terry and I think once you meet her, you will too.  If you don't know who she is, check out her blog, My Plastic Free Life and you will find a site that is dedicated to helping the rest of the world kick the petroleum based, lifetime of waste, killer plastic habit.  What you won't see is the woman I have come to know as a caring soul who was raised by a family that strengthened who she was meant to be from a very young age allowing her to make the impact she is making on mankind.

The Washington Post says Beth Terry's new book is "really, really, really earnest, and yet . . . it’s also practical and hopeful, with a kind of cheerleading charm."  I say it is a necessary read on the road to a greener lifestyle.

Come with me as I chat with Beth Terry and get a taste of a plastic free, greener lifestyle. 

A Chat with Beth Terry,  Author of Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too

How to Make Home for Baby a Safer, Greener Place

Post Powered by Baby Harmony

Wondering How to Make Your Home for Baby a Safer, Greener Place?
If you are a new mom, or have little ones still at home, you may be wondering just how to make your home for your children and baby a safer, greener place.  Well don't worry because I have the inside scoop on cleaning green for a safe clean home for your baby and children.

It's Time to Get a Safe Clean for Your Baby and Children-  Meet Baby Harmony!
I have had the pleasure of working with one of the few Green America approved, natural cleaning companies in the nation that has made its mission helping you create for your kids and your baby a safe clean home.  How do they do it?  I asked Sharron, Founder of Baby Harmony, a leading manufacturer of all natural cleaners that will keep your baby a safe baby,  and this is what she said -

Join Team ENERGY STAR and Start Speaking to the Trees with The Lorax and Me to Help Save the Climate

Be a Part of Team ENERGY STAR and Help Save the Climate!
Team ENERGY STAR launches today and I could not be more excited to be a part of the team.  And guess what my green friend?  You, your green family and even your eco-kids can easily be a part of Team ENERGY STAR and start speaking to the trees with the Lorax and me.  Team ENERGY STAR is the eco-inititaive from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program which is celebrating 20 years of helping consumers save nearly $230 billion on utility bills -  all while preventing more than 1.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

The eco-friendly, kid friendly and family friendly Team ENERGY STAR initiative was developed to engage and educate American youth and their families about saving energy in our homes and it is going to be a lot of fun!

4 Simple Steps to Asthma Control and an Active Lifestyle

We manage my daughter's asthma symptoms and watch for her triggers to help keep her participating in sports, dance and an active lifestyle

May is Asthma Awareness Month

Why are nearly 26 million Americans, including my daughter and more than 7 million children, affected by asthma? 

Although air quality has improved in the US, the chronic respiratory disease that is asthma is on the rise and it's affecting low income and minority populations at the highest rates.  The CDC is baffled but a study by the Silent Spring Institute and published in Environmental Health Perspectives this year finds that many consumer products have at least one chemical linked to hormone changes (endocrine disruption) or asthma.

"Some products that contained high concentrations of chemicals of concern include vinyl products like shower curtains and pillow protectors; products with fragrance, like dryer sheets; and sunscreens, including some marketed for children and babies." - Daily Green

The Easy, Green, No Rinse Way to Wash Your Car? Eco-Friendly Washdrops [VIDEO]

The Easy, Green, No Rinse Way to Wash Your Car? Eco-Friendly Washdrops

We have a brand new sponsor on EnvironmentalBooty.com and I am really excited because to me, they are just like an old friend.  Washdrops eco-friendly, no rinse car wash solution has been on my radar for a few years now and I am more than happy to welcome them to EB and introduce one of my favorite green living brands to you. 

Are Natural Pesticides Based on Flowers Safe to Use Around Your Family?

You'd think a pesticide based on flowers would be safe to use around your family and especially your kids, right?  Wrong. What was supposed to be a safer generation of pesticides for consumers, synthetic pyrethroids, have turned out to cause more harm to humans, and especially kids, than was originally thought.  Synthetic pyrethroids mimic the natural pyrethrum extracted from chrysanthemums but they have been linked to developmental delays, endocrine disruption and immune system suppression.

Unfortunately, the EPA seems to be having a hard time catching on to the dangers posed to consumers.  Currently they are ready to allow even more  products and uses!  We must take action now to let mom and leader of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, know the true risks to consumers from pyrethroids!

Send a message to Lisa Jackson at the EPA telling her that it is time to halt the use of more pyrethroids.  Already more than 70% of us have been exposed to the harmful chemical, with children facing the highest exposure levels. Now is the time to take action.

11 Year Old Birke Baehr On What's Wrong With Our Food and What We Can Do About It - TEDx Next Generation

At the time this video was recorded, in September of 2010, Birke Baehr was just 11 years old.  He talks about things that are wrong with our food that most folks much older than he is, are not even aware of.  In his 5 minute speech, Birke warns his audience of the dark side of industrialized food system: advertising, GMO's (genetically modified organisms) CAFO's (confined feeding operations, petroleum based chemical pesticides and irradiation.  The twist is that Birke tells us how he plans to fight against the dark side of food and actually gives us a call to action. 

Enjoy the five minutes of the video below, it is definitely worth your time.  But don't just watch and think how cute and brave little Birke is.  Watch and think how you can be one piece of the puzzle that changes the health of self, people and planet.

1 in 15 Homes Have Elevated Levels of This Cancer Causer. Is Your Family at Risk?

Check the map to see if your state in a high risk area for the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States

During the month of January, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is promoting National Radon Action Month and encouraging Americans to take affordable and simple steps to protect their families from the second leading cause of lung cancer.  Radon is a colorless and odorless gas and is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon can seep into a home from underground and if it is left to accumulate, high levels of radon can cause lung cancer.

Value VS. Expense of Buying Organic. Latest News Offers Two More Reasons to Spend More on Organic

Value VS. Expense of Buying Organic. Latest News Offers Two More Reasons to Spend More on Organic

Image via Wikipedia

Last weekend when we were at our local health food store, my husband got into it with the saleslady about the value versus expense of buying organic.  I couldn't have been more pleased as she repeated to him the same information about the benefits of buying and eating organic that I have been telling him for the last few years: no GMO toxins ingested, longer shelf life, no toxic pesticides etc.  As we left the store, she said to my daughters, "You girls sure are lucky to have a mom who cares so much about what you put into your bodies."  Then she turned to my husband and said, "And you sir, sure are lucky to have such a beautiful wife who takes such good care of your daughters and you."  I really didn't add the beautiful part. 

Coming Out of the Closet on Global Warming, Climate Change or Whatever They Are Calling It Today

I feel that it is finally time to come out of the closet, so to speak, on my thoughts about Global Warming in the hope that other eco-friendly types like me will begin to emerge from hiding as well.  There must be intelligent, greenies out there who have doubts about not only man being the cause of Global Warming/Climate Change or whatever it is being called today, but also doubts as to whether or not it is occurring as well.

"The claim … is that the temperature has changed from ~288.0 to ~288.8 degree Kelvin in about 150 years, which (if true) means to me is that the temperature has been amazingly stable, and both human health and happiness have definitely improved in this 'warming' period." - Nobel prize winner for physics in 1973 Dr. Ivar Giaever resigned as a Fellow from the American Physical Society (APS) on September 13, 2011 in disgust over the group's promotion of man-made global warming fears

Wondering About the Safe Disposal of Expired and Unused Medications and Prescriptions? It's Easy and Safe to Dispose of Old Medicines with the Totally FREE Sharps TakeAway Environmental Return System Available at Walgreens, CVS and Community Pharmacies

Wondering About the Safe Disposal of Expired and Unused Medications and Prescriptions?  It's Easy and Safe to Dispose of Old Medicines with the Totally FREE Sharps TakeAway Environmental Return System Available at Walgreens,  CVS and Community Pharmacies

The Sharp's TakeAway Environmental Return System is free, easy to use and comes with instructions in case you have any questions.

Yesterday when I was at CVS, because I have tons of unused medication I need to properly dispose of, on a whim I asked the pharmacist if they took old and unused medications for safe disposal.  Was I ever surprised when she told me that they had just started working with the Sharps TakeAway Environmental Return System.  When she handed me a big envelope to ship my unused medications to a Sharp's facility for safe disposal, with FREE shipping included, I just about squealed with joy.  I cannot believe that it is now forever going to be super easy and super safe to dispose of old medicines with the Sharps TakeAway Environmental Return System.

5 Hilarious Environmental Videos to Tickle Your Eco-Friendly Funny Bone, Give You the Green Giggles and Change The World

5 Hilarious Environmental Videos to Tickle Your Eco-Friendly Funny Bone, Give You the Green Giggles and Change the World

I don't know about you, but these days I can use all of the green giggles I can get.  Not only is trying to live an eco-friendly, green lifestyle sometimes difficult - my family wants to hide under tables at restaurants as I pull my eco-friendly containers out of my purse for my leftovers, my husband wonders why we have to pay three times as much to eat eggs from chickens who are allowed to run free and my girlfriends are still left wondering why I won't allow my kids to eat Skittles - but if you haven't noticed, the world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket.  Looking outside of our little corner of the world here in Mickey's Magical Kingdom, that is Orlando, I am reminded of how many people are hungry, homeless and alone.  I think many of us are left wondering...

Where are the answers to the most pressing social, economic and environmental concerns of our time?

Perhaps the answers are quite simple.  Perhaps the changes we desire to create on a large, worldwide scale could begin with a smile.  Take a few minutes to put down the stress, unpack your worries and laugh a little with me.  Just press play, giggle a little and then pass your smile on.  Find as many ways as you possibly can to create a happier, better corner of your world.  Who knows, it might be contagious enough to catch on and create not only a better you, but a better me too.

Now go get your smile on...

Environmental Booty Live Green & Save Series - LADIES ONLY EDITION - Save Big on HTnaturals LuLu Island Organic Panties

A Clothing Manufacturer that Cares About What They Do & How They Do It?

Environmental Booty and BuyGreen Bring You HTnaturals and Their Perfect Organic Panty...Great Design, Great fit, Affordable Price, Made By a Great Company!

Lulu Island Pantie
Offered in Army, Lake and Plum
Retail Price: 15.00
BUY GREEN Wholesale Price: 12.00

OUR Sale Price: $8.40
BUY NOW

For this edition of the Environmental Booty Live Green & Save Series, we are inviting ladies only in to view this green deal!  Thanks to my friends at BuyGreen, I am able to offer these HTnatural panties at a price that makes it easy and ethical to support fair trade and wear your commitment to green.  Made from a blend of 47% soy, 47% organic cotton and 6% spandex for a soft and comfortable fit, this panty is the perfect mix of eco-friendly meets sexy comfortable design.

Go Green with NewGrass! My Review of the Best Eco-friendly, Synthetic Grass and Turf Lawn Product Made

 Go Green with NewGrass®! 

My Review of the Best Eco-friendly, Synthetic Grass and 

Turf Lawn Product Made

NewGrass® … From a Company Built on Experience

I have known the eco-friendly folks at NewGrass® for about a year and one thing that has always impressed me is their reliability.  If ever I have a question, they reply quickly and have an endearing way of making me feel that they really care about what I need.   Maybe it's because these green living folks are old school.