The Dirty Truth about Cleaning Products

Interesting segment on this mornings NBC's Today Show. Consumer reporter Sloan Barnett, author of the new book "Green Goes with Everything" was interviewed by Matt Lauer, about household cleaning products in a segment called The Dirty Truth about Cleaning Products.

In the interview, Sloan talks about what lead her to write the book, as Lauer points out that Barnetts' husband runs the largest natural nutritional company in the USA. Lauer comments that of course she wants them to go green, it's good for the family business. Barnett counters that it's the family mission to tell others about the links between cleaners and children's health and that as mothers we are running to make changes that protect our children. She points out that only 7% of the more than 3000 chemicals on the market have been fully tested, so do we really want to subject our families to chemicals unecessarily - see August 15th post.

Arizona man builds his own solar panel for $105.

Wow, what an inspiring story. Mike owns property in a remote area of Arizona which is perfect for his astronomy hobby, but a little less so since there's no electricity there! Wanting a few 21st century conveniences, Mike built his own solar panel using parts he bought on E-bay and a few items from his local hardware store -- and he did it for $105!

You can read a bit more on his story, and find complete directions at How I built an electricity producing solar panel

While you're on Mike's site, click the link to see the wind turbine Mike built for only $141 - he's got complete directions for that as well.

Do you know your "Body Burden" score?

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has alerted us to our "Body Burden." By testing the blood of adults and babies, the EWG was able to see just how polluted our bodies are -- and the numbers are not pretty. Even the blood of the new-born babies had an amazing array of chemicals.

The products we use and are exposed to every day are loaded with chemicals. Think skin care, make-up, anti-bacterial soaps, household cleaners, carpeting, furniture, even our kids toys! The list is endless!

So are you curious what all this is doing to you and your family? Take the Body Burden test and see where you score. Then figure out what changes you can make to score better next time.

Being green is not just about the planet and the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) it's also about our health and the choices we make every time we purchase a product.

Begining thoughts...

These days it seems "going green" is all the rage. Mainstream magazines have page after page on living green. Newspapers have articles on people incorporating green technology into their homes. Even HGTV has a green show called Carter Can for the do-it-yourselfer that wants to tread more lightly on the earth.

They all make it sound so easy -- but is it really? Can changing a few lightbulbs and bringing your own bag to the grocery store really make a difference?

What about all those "green cleaners" at your favorite discount store. Are they really safe? Are they really green?

What about solar -- is it worth the investment? Or a hybrid?