Why be Green?

The way I see it, there are two main motivations for living a green lifestyle.

1) The Recycle, Stop Global Warming & Preserve the Planet Motivation

and

2) The Avoid Toxins & Eat Organic Motivation

My Motivation Journey

I’ve always been passionate about “Saving the Planet.”  At a young age I was concerned about the rainforest and pleased to recycle.  I would even use sidewalk chalk to write “SAVE THE EARTH” in the middle of the road outside my house so drivers would feel inspired.  I had many daydreams about painting a mural on my parents silo with the same message.

As I got older I knew that eating organic was suppose to be better, but I had my doubts that it was really necessary.  I still don’t eat a ton of organic food, but my desire to avoid toxins is increasing everyday.

I really became concerened with toxins & chemicals that can be found in everyday products when Grace was born.  Suddenly, I was responsible for this little body and I didn’t want anything harmful going into it!  Still, I had some doubts that there truly was harmful stuff in my everyday products until I learned why there are toxins in our products.

Why There Are Toxins

The law that currently controls the testing for chemicals in our products is called the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.  Under this law chemicals are generally considered safe until proven otherwise.  Not cool.

Remember lead paint?  Everyone used it.  It was the standard.  At least until people realized how dangerous it was!

The harmful chemical BPA is a good current day example.  This chemical used to be found in all kind of products made out of hard plastic such as water bottles and baby bottles.  Many manufacturers are voluntarily stopping production that involves BPA, but laws are still being debated.

What else is in our products waiting for us to realize how nasty it is?  Currently, there are major red flags being raised for commonly used chemicals called sulfates, parabens and phthalates.  In a future post I’ll tell you all about a great website that will help you figure out if these things are in the products that you use.

What Can We Do About It?

If you are concerned about the effectiveness of the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, visit this link to learn how you can support the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010.

Until the laws are changed to protect us better, I encourage you to think just a little bit more about what is in your products. It can easily get overwhelming and frustrating to think that all your personal products could be doing your family harm.  Instead, focus on taking one step at a time.

Now that I’ve explained to you my feelings on both motivations for being green, I’m excited to start sharing with you some of the earth friendly and nontoxic products that I’ve tested out.

Are you a Recycling Queen or an Organic Lover?  What is your green motivation?  Plus, I’d love to hear your thoughts on avoiding toxins!