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Friday, February 15, 2008

Environmental Products: Keep it clean and safe!

Could your housecleaning actually be dirtying the environment and harming you and your pets? Here are some tips on choosing household cleansers that will help keep your home both clean and “green,” from the Union of Concerned Scientists!
Avoid harmful ingredients. Though they might not bear a warning label, many household cleansers contain ingredients that pose problems for the environment and public health.
  • Petroleum: Many conventional detergents (“surfactants”), solvents, and polishes contain paraffin, mineral oil, diethylene glycol, perchloroethylene, or butyl cellosolve—all of which are derived from petroleum. Extraction and refinement of this nonrenewable resource contribute to air and water pollution.
  • Phosphates/EDTA: Phosphates, which have traditionally been used in detergents to soften water and increase cleaning power, encourage algae growth in waterways, depriving marine life of oxygen. EDTA, a common substitute for phosphates, degrades slowly in the environment.
  • Phthalates: Manufacturers of many cleaning products use phthalates to prolong their products’ scent. However, these chemicals have been linked to cancer and disease of the reproductive system in laboratory animals.
  • Antibacterial agents: The use of cleansers containing antibacterials such as triclosan and benzalkonium chloride could be contributing to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, resulting in human illnesses that are more difficult to treat.
  • Chlorine bleach: This popular whitener and disinfectant can harm the environment by contributing to the formation of organochlorines (chlorine-carbon compounds) such as the chlorofluorocarbons that damage Earth’s ozone layer.
Choose “greener” alternatives. It’s possible to give your house an adequate cleaning without harmful chemicals. Look for products that contain environmentally friendly ingredients such as:
  • Citrus- and plant-based oils. Natural oils can be used as degreasers (orange, lemon), disinfectants (tea tree, eucalyptus), and polishes (olive). They also freshen the air at the same time.
  • Sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, and sodium silicate. These compounds work like phosphates and EDTA to soften water, but without the harmful impact.
  • Enzymes. Natural drain openers use digesting bacteria and enzymes to eat through most clogs.
  • Non-chlorine bleach. These products use oxygen to whiten and brighten clothes.
Make your own. Items on your kitchen shelves can serve as effective cleansers—at a fraction of the cost of brand-name products. A paste of baking soda and water, for example, is good for scouring, while diluted white vinegar will clean windows and kill bacteria, mold, and viruses.
If you would like to check out the safety of those items under your kitchen sink, visit this website from the National Library of Medicine, and search to see if your household cleaner is safe. And if you are looking for some wonderful all natural cleaning products, visit OnlyNaturalPet.com for some great ones!

Monday, February 4, 2008

News: Where do the Presidential candidates stand on the environment?

AlterNet, an award-winning news magazine and online community that creates original journalism and amplifies the best of dozens of other independent media sources, has put together a great article highlighting where the Presidential candidates stand on the environment. AlterNet's aim is to inspire citizen action and advocacy on the environment, human rights and civil liberties, social justice, media, and health care issues.
Which candidates support nuclear and coal? Who's fighting climate change and supports renewables? Here's the scoop. If you're not sure where presidential contenders, Democratic or Republican, stand on environmental issues -- it's not surprising. There has been little discussion in the debates. According to the Natural Resources Defense Action Fund, you're more likely to know what a candidate thinks of UFOs than their position on what we should do about global warming. On Tim Russert's Meet the Press there have been 827 questions to candidates and zero mentioned global warming. Same for George Stephanopoulus on ABC's This Week and Bob Schiefffer on CBS's Face the Nation. CNN's Wolf Blitzer had two questions out of 402 and Chris Wallace on Fox also had two out of 563. Despite mainstream media's coverage, where candidates stand on global warming and our energy future should be a pressing concern for voters. And there are differences between the candidates. What are the main issues? Read more and find out!
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