The Quick Facts: Families and individuals do not get outside for fresh air often enough, all year long. We spend time inside working, eating, sleeping, and playing. Meanwhile, experts say that there are many human health benefits of spending time in the fresh air of outdoors.
Author Archive
Breathe It In: Fresh Air Does a Body (and Mind) Good
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
How Should You Wash Fruit and Veggies?
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
The Quick Facts: Unfortunately, the fruits and vegetables we eat every day contain pesticide residue and bacteria, even organic produce. It is recommended to wash produce before consuming. But, what is the best method of washing produce? Using just water? What about a fruit and vegetable wash? Ultimately, it is your preference, but plain old water goes a long way in reducing your family’s exposure to pesticides and other harmful things on your fruits and vegetables (and in saving you money).
Reduce Your Family’s Oil Consumption
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
The Quick Facts: Prior to the massive oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, most people probably did not think of how much oil they consume. It is projected that oil consumption in the United States will increase by 1.2 percent annually, reaching 24.7 million barrels per day by the year 2020. This increase in demand will put pressure on our resources and continue our addiction to fossil fuels. It’s a lot simpler than you think to reduce your oil consumption. In the end, it will save resources and money, and help your health and the earth.
Laundry: A Toxic Load on Your Family & the Environment
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
The Quick Facts: The clothes dryer is the second biggest household user of electricity, after the refrigerator. Besides the impact on your utility bill, people spend money on fabric softeners and dryer sheets to “fluff,” reduce static, and make their clothes smell better after drying. Studies have found that these products can make us sick and harm the environment. To save energy, lower utility bills, and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy and fuel use, opt for air drying — outside or inside — and skip the fabric softener and dryer sheets for a more healthy living.
You can smell it when you walk out the door of your home. You can smell it when you take your child for a walk in the neighborhood, house after house. What you smell is not the scent of fresh air, but “clean scent” or “fresh scent” dryer sheets. We all appreciate clean clothes, but studies have found that fabric softeners and dryer sheets can make us sick and harm the environment.
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Antibacterial Soap, Your Health, and the Environment
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010The Quick Facts: Experts recommend singing the “ABCs” song for effective hand-washing (20 seconds of vigorous washing with warm water). However, are we making the wrong choice to wash with? Antibacterial soaps have been found to be no more effective than using regular soap and do more harm than good to both human health and the environment.
More than ever, people are washing their hands with antibacterial soap, which experts say is harmful to our health and to the environment. More than three-quarters of soaps contain an “antibacterial” or “antimicrobial” ingredient. These ingredients are also found in cleaning products, laundry detergents, trash bags, and sponges, as well as toothpaste, socks, plastic kitchenware, cutting boards, and even toys. From 2000 to 2006, about 1,500 new antibacterial consumer products were introduced into the marketplace. However, antibacterial soaps have been found to be no more effective than using regular soap and do more harm than good.
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