What can we do to ensure the safety of our drinking water?

Clean Drinking WaterClean Drinking Water  Clean Drinking Water

What can we do to ensure the safety of our Drinking water?

5 helpful tips that YOU can do today to ensure that you & your family clean drinking water

  1. Proper disposal of Prescription drugs. 

The US govt put out a fact sheet on how to properly dispose of RX drugs.  Read it and apply the steps.

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/factsht/proper_disposal.html   

 2.  Be aware of the type of Personal Care products that you are using this includes:

Make sure that they contain paraben free, sulfate free ingredients. It stinks, but read the label.

3.      Check out the Safety of your Local drinking water here

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/  

4.      Use filter water whenever possible.  

  If it’s more feasible buy, the Corn water bottles with filters so that when you fill  up at a water filter at least it’s safer.

•5.      Oh, yeah and use less prescription medicine if possible. 

Do your part to ensure that we have clean drinking water

~ Melody

Posted in Green Living Tips, Health News by Melody B

Disgusting- RX Drugs in our drinking water

Is American Drinking Water Safe?  

Recently, there was an article done on our American drinking water supplies containing a wide variety of pharmaceutical drugs, caffeine, sex hormone and other prescription medicines that American’s routinely ingest.  

Read the Full Article below:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-10-drugs-tap-water_N.htm?csp=34

 

As an obsessive water drinker and concerned Mom, this article made me concerned.

The Question: How do PPCP’s Get in our drinking water-making it unsafe?

The Answer:

1.    Through human waste, when the medication passes out of our bodies into the sewer lines.

2.    When all of our shampoos, conditioners, body wash, hair colors, and other personal care products are washed down the shower drain they enter the sewer line

3.    Discarded or expired medications thrown away in the trash.

4.    Poor Manufacturing practices from Cosmetic manufacturers

And that there are many types of drugs to be concerned about,

Read below from a list from the EPA’s site: 

There are many drug classes of concern:

  •  antibiotics which are actively being researched
  • antimicrobials
  • estrogenic steroids
  • antidepressants. Profound effects on spawning and other behaviors in shellfish can occur with antidepressant selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
  • calcium-channel blockers. Dramatic inhibition of sperm activity in certain aquatic organisms can be effected by calcium-channel blockers.
  • antiepileptic drugs (e.g., phenytoin, valproate, carbamazepine) have potential as human neuroteratogens, triggering extensive apoptosis in the developing brain, leading to neurodegeneration.
  • multi-drug transporters (efflux pumps). Possible significance of efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) in compromising aquatic health.
  • musk fragrances are bioaccumulative and persistent
  • genotoxic drugs (primarily used at hospitals)

The EPA states that our Sewage systems are not equipped to remove the PPCP’s ( see below for definition) drugs from our water.

  • Sewage systems are not equipped for PPCP removal. Currently, there are no municipal sewage treatment plants that are engineered specifically for PPCP removal or for other unregulated contaminants. Effective removal of PPCPs from treatment plants varies based on the type of chemical and on the individual sewage treatment facilities.

What are “PPCPs”?

As Defined by the EPA A PPCPs is “ Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products as Pollutants (PPCPs) refers, in general, to any product used by individuals for personal health or cosmetic reasons or used by agribusiness to enhance growth or health of livestock. PPCPs comprise a diverse collection of thousands of chemical substances, including prescription and over-the-counter therapeutic drugs, veterinary drugs, fragrances, lotions, and cosmetics” http://epa.gov/ppcp/faq.html#define

What Can we do to ensure the safety of our Drinking water?  

  1. Proper disposal of Prescription drugs.  The US govt put out a fact sheet on how to properly dispose of RX drugs.  Read it and apply the steps.

 

  1. Be aware of the type of Personal Care products that you are using, shampoos, conditioner, etc. Make sure that they contain paraben free, sulfate free ingredients.  It stinks, but read the label.

 

  1. Check out the Safety of your Local drinking water here

 http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ 

  1. Use filter water whenever possible, if it’s more feasible buy the Corn water bottles with filters so that when you fill up at a water filter at least it’s safer.
  2. Oh, yeah and use less prescription medicine if possible J

 Let’s work together to ensure safe drinking water! ~ Melody

   

Posted in Green Living Tips, Health News by Melody B

Why using Plastic Bags is dangerous to the planet-

Recently, I read an article regarding the exurbanite use of plastic bags that we as a world consume and it’s mind boggling-somewhere in the vicinity of 900 per person a year- unbelievable!

 Did you know that plastic bags take up to 1000 years to decompose on land and 450 in the water ?

Speaking of Water- there are more than 100,000 marine animals dying from our plastic bag fetish er uh..convenience.

 Let’s make a change-let’s stop using plastic bags, there are several viable alternatives.

1. Paper- paper is an option that seems viable and easy to do.  Most paper bags are made from recycled paper.  The benefits are that paper bags can be reused and hold more than plastic bags. 

2.  Switch to carrying re-usable canvases/mesh bags.  While I understand that it’s difficult to shop w/kisd and bring your own bags- I think that its a good start. 

Here is My Personal Challenge:  Use Canvas bags for Grocery shopping!

So here is my thought- I am going to try using canvas bags to carry my grocery for 30 day or 4 trips to the grocery store. 

I think that I will need at least 4 large canvas bags to take with my to the store.  Now remember, I have a 2yr  old-so shopping should be a fun experience! I will blog how my alternative to plastics trial goes.

Wish our planet well, one bag at a time! ~Melody

Posted in Green Living Tips by Melody B

Why do you have to work so hard at eating healthy?

This is my rant.  Why do we have to work so hard at being healthy? Reading labels, checking recall post, and hoping that the manufactures didn’t add ‘hidden’ ingredients.

It’s almost like fighting a battle at the grocery store.  Even if you try to eat healthy buying fresh fruits and veggies-you have to hope that they don’t have dangerous bacteria on them.  Why do we as American consumers allow this to go on?

Eating fresh, healthy foods should be our right.  And it’s a shame that we have spend extra time sorting out what’s good for us and what’s going to cause cancer, hormone deficiencies, diabetes, etc.  It’s wrong really.

Never in our lifetime have so many Americans been on on medicine for diseases that are treatable with Gulp-diet and exercise.

What are the solutions? For the lucky few that live near organic farms, or have markets we can shop there. Others can shop at Whole foods or Wild Oats or other large healthier grocery stores.

 But what about the rest of us? those who are on a budget or live in the boonies (like we do) what are we to do?

 I’d like to hear from you-how do you think that we can get our grocery stores to only carry healthy foods?  That won’t cost you an arm & a leg?

Here are some cool links: http://www.thefutureisorganic.net/index.html

http://www.organicconsumers.org/

Posted in Diet & Fitness, Green Living Tips by Melody B

Giving

I am a conscious (and sometimes unconscious) mom of two wonderful children who, like most kids, love the holiday season.

In an effort to help my little guys focus on giving, not just receiving, we usually try to do a family project. This year we chose to donate to worldvision.org. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization that demonstrates God’s love to children and their families all over the world.

This wonderful organization helps with basic needs such as food, water and clothing or bigger projects like  community development and disaster relief. For a 6 and 7 year old, seeing the pictures of less fortunate children in other parts of the world made a big impact on their little hearts.

We decided to give a unique gift that could really benefit a family in need. Through World Vision’s gift catalog we found that giving an animal to a family is a lasting gift that will be a benefit for months to come. Based on our budget, we narrowed our choices down to: chickens, fish, share of a cow, sheep, share of a goat, or five ducks.

We discussed each animal and the benefits they would bring to the receiving family. We prayed about it and decided on five ducks. With five ducks, a family will have plenty of protein-rich eggs to eat plus the extra eggs and hatched ducklings can be sold at the market to buy medicine and help pay for children’s school tuition. It was an exciting time for my children to learn about and experience the blessing of giving.

I was a very (consciously) proud mom when they both ran to their rooms to gather change from their piggy banks because they now want to save enough to buy a whole pig for a family next. After all, as my daughter pointed out, giving doesn’t have to only be at Christmas!

Posted in Family Time, Giving, Green Living Tips by charli