Going Green and Toxic Free

Sorta . . . I have these grand ambitions. But, when reality sets in, I know that the best I can do is try.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how much we are exposed to. Now, before you go thinking I've hopped upon the crazy train and think that EVERYTHING is poison and that there is a HUGE, WHOPPING hole in our ozone, I don't. I'm not one for extremes. You won't catch me living in a cave, riding my bike everywhere, marching on Washington, burning my bra . . . you get my drift. I just ate a Twinkie (yummy), there is a dust monster (seriously, I live in fear of it) living in the corner of my dining room, I don't drive a hybrid, and I just used a gallon of Lysol to "freshen" the Diaper Genie (damn rice cereal!), so clearly I'm not a tree-hugging health nut (nothing against trees or nuts--both of which I like, a lot).

Anyway, with a new baby and a lot of spare time on my hands (not really, but there are only so many blog posts you can write and dishes you can wash --yeah, right-- while your little one is napping--and I WILL NOT watch soaps--I can't, I won't, I tell ya, I just won't) I've been doing some reading and researching. There is so much in the news regarding the chemicals we are exposed to and how many of these chemicals are toxic to both our bodies and environment. I mean, you all heard the news about how babies absorb phthalates from baby products, right? And then there has been talk for a long time, and garnering even more attention recently, about potential environmental causes/triggers/links to autism and autism spectrum as well as a number of other disorders. It just makes you go "hmmm..." A lot.

I think back to this old, old movie The Incredible Shrinking Woman with Lily Tomlin as a housewife who shrinks (down to microscopic size) due to exposure to a bunch of household chemicals. I mean, this was in 1981 (FOREVER ago) cheesy sci fi/comedy that could obviously NEVER happen, but I can't help but think about what COULD happen when I look around at all the stuff. There are lotions, cleaners, sprays, polishes, mousse, gels, pastes--not including the stuff on toys (lead), in the air, our water, our food, our carpets, the "new car smell", Andy Dick, the rays from the sun, the TV, cell phones, computers--UGH. I mean, alone it all seems so harmless, but together--a nasty concoction of who knows what might be brewing.

As I said before, to avoid all this basically means you would have to be shipped off to space . . . naked and starving, with really bad hair. That is unacceptable. So, I'm thinking of taking it slow, taking baby steps. Maybe cutting back or eliminating what I can--choosing organic more often, going fragrance free/(bad) chemical free when the options exist, using a mesh grocery bag (I have way too many of those plastic bags anyway), switching to those funky lightbulbs . . . just a little, here and there.

How to do this? Well, I'm not so sure, being as I am starting, well, today (though I did buy some California Baby Shampoo/Body Wash--doesn't smell pretty, but works). During the course of my research, here are some of the resources I've come across that I'll be using/have used:

ReusableBags.com--I have a different kind (that is currently being used to store gloves/mittens/scarves), but these are fairly inexpensive.

HealthyToys.org--This is the product search page. I started using this before buying J's toys/baby products. It is a decent database and is growing all the time.

Skin Deep--a cosmetic product safety database. I almost wish I hadn't looked here . . .This covers make-up, hair, skin, nails, baby products, teeth, and fragrances--comprehensive.

The Daily Green--a "consumer's guide to the green revolution."

The Soft Landing Baby Blog--non-toxic baby gear news and reviews. She has a good blogroll, too.

The Green Parent--another awesome blogger who has taken to the cause for healthier kiddies. Because of blogs like this one and Soft Landing, I can stick with writing about poopy diapers, my nutty family, and American Idol.


There are so many more resources, but these are just a few that I've found useful.

Well, as for going green and toxic free . . . 'nuff said, for now! I gotta go--I hear a bag of sea salt "natural" potato chips calling my name.