Legos Pledges $150 m. to Green Building
Want to promote green building? Soon, you could start with your Legos. The company just announced they’ll sink $150 million into sustainable initiatives over the next 15 years. But are the iconic toys recyclable?
Mommy Greenest Approved: UKonserve Waste Free Food Storage
You’ve heard it so many times: Don’t heat or store food or drinks in plastic. But did you ever stop to think about why? It’s pretty simple: Most plastics contain phthalates like BPA, which mess up our hormones and are suspected to cause cancer. Especially when they’re warmed—whether it’s in the microwave or because of hot food inside—plastic containers leach these phthalates into food. Not good! Still, you need to be able heat and store food and drinks safely—even on the go. So what’s the solution? Enter UKonserve, an amazing new line of durable, waste free silicone-enhanced glass storage boxes and water bottles—perfect for the fridge or lunchbox!
Mommy Greenest Approved: Sneakz Organic Healthy Chocolate Milkshakes
Okay here’s a genius idea: Create a healthy chocolate milkshake, cram it full of organic vegetables, and package it in a way that’s lunchbox-friendly—for kids and adults. That’s the genius behind Sneakz Organic healthy chocolate milkshakes, which combine USDA Certified Organic milk, sweet potatoes, broccoli and carrots into a delicious drink that delivers more fiber and less sugar than chocolate milk—as well as a full serving of veggies, plus their vitamins (from food, not fortification). How do I know this GMO- and pesticide-free shake is delicious? I personally taste-tested it, and am now giving away FOUR CASES to Mommy Greenest readers!
Air Fresheners Don’t Make Scents!
From plug-ins to sprays, synthetic air fresheners are bad news. Chock-full of toxic ingredients, they typically contain phthalates linked to obesity and other problems, as well as potent allergens that lead to fragrance allergies—a condition that affects 34 million people in the U.S. That’s why when I heard about this new campaign from Women’s Voices for the Earth, I knew I had to share. The campaign targets Glade air fresheners and employs some of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen as messengers. If SC Johnson can use cute babies to sell products, why can’t we use them to let people know about the air-polluting fragrances that are in their products?
5 Rules to a Healthy Eating Habit
My kids are sick of healthy eating. They don’t want organic soybean butter and Farmer’s Market fig jam sandwiches, they want Lunchables: crackers, processed cheese, salty disks that pass for lunch meat and a whole lot of chemicals wrapped up in a plastic box. My younger daughter confessed she dumps the organic carrot sticks the trash (and I thought the ranch dip was decadent). My oldest has been trading her edamame for candy. Forget the veggie chips I carefully stowed in wax paper bags—heaven for these children would be to open up their lunch boxes and spy a bright-orange bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
3 Steps to Avoid Flame Retardants
This could be the end of the line for flame retardants. As the EPA launched an investigation into the chemicals, Washington state banned flame retardants from kids’ products, and California announced a move to update the state’s flammability standards, pressured by those concerned about a policy that had exposed millions of people to toxic flame retardants—also known as PBDEs—in our homes. What’s the big deal about California? Because the state represents such a large market, California’s flammability standards—governed by TB117, which was adopted by the state 40 years ago—have become a national standard, essentially forcing furniture and baby product manufacturers throughout North America to add chemical flame retardants to their…
What is Teflon: The Infertility Connection
We all do it. The minute we decide to move out to a home of our own, we’re imagining creating the perfect meal in the perfect kitchen outfitted with the perfect pots and pans. For most of us—myself included—that means a 10-piece set that includes everything from a giant roasting pan to a teeny-tiny frying pan, which goes from the box to the cupboard and never sees the light of day after that. Typically, these inexpensive cooking sets are coated with a nonstick surface like Teflon. And we love them because we can make an egg and it’ll slide right off the pan onto the plate. But there’s something else that…
What is Fracking? 4 Facts You Should Know
What is fracking? Here’s the short answer: Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a drilling practice that calls for injecting millions of gallons of a toxic mixture of chemicals, water and sand into the earth in order to create enough pressure to cracks open rocks and release oil or natural gas. And here’s what you need to know: 1. The nearly 600 chemicals used in fracking include known carcinogens such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene, among others, which can leach into drinking water.
