Cutting back on plastic bags

Feeling bad about all the plastic bags you use each day? I totally do. I always refuse plastic bags when I buy things. I politely tell the cashier that I’ll just carry whatever it is I’m buying because putting it in a plastic bag would be a waste of plastic. I bring my own bags (okay…you caught me… sometimes I forget them) to the grocery store, I get paper when I don’t have them and I reuse the plastic ones that manage to make their way into my home.

Changes have to happen around the world because plastic bags are littering our streets and filling up our landfills. Did you hear about what’s happening in China? China recently banned grocery stores from giving out plastic bags to try to cut waste and conserve resources and plastic bags which are more sturdy will be available for consumers purchase. The idea is that consumers will bring their own reusable bags or reuse the sturdy bags they have to purchase. Due to the ban, factories like Suiping Huaqiang Plastic Co, in southern China who reportedly produced 250,000 tons of plastic bags a year, are closing their doors. Crazy, huh? This is a major change. Hmmm…I wonder what would happen if the US did this? Would people be up in arms or would they just get reusable bags and keep on living?

Have a Diaper Dekor and feel bad about the plastic you wrap your compostable diapers in? Check it out…Diapers.com has biodegradable refill bags for you! Hey…it’s a step in the right direction and every step counts, right?

**Here is a website with a bunch of ideas about how to reuse plastic bags **

Are all Sassy products BPA and phthalate free?

This was the question I ask the people at Sassy and this was the response I got….

Hello and thank you for visiting our website. All of our products are Phthalate free and all of our feeding items such as bowls, spoons, plates, snack cups, formula dispensers, MAM Bottles etc are BPA free. We have changed a number of our teethers/rattles to other alternatives and are still in the process of changing the remaining ones. If you have a few in question I would be happy to look those up for you. Thanks and have a great day!

Shannon Novak

Consumer Relations

Good to know, right? I thought they were all phthalate AND BPA free, but I guess that isn’t the case. I continued back and forth with Shannon a bit giving her names of teethers and asking where or not they were BPA free. I deleted those that had BPA (disappointingly including a very cute one called “monkey see monkey chew”) from my webstore. So…short story long….the Sassy teethers in my webstore are BPA and phthalate free!!

Are plastic food storage containers safe?

There is a lot of chatter and concern about the safety of plastic storage containers these days. It seems that there have been some recent studies suggesting that when plastic comes in contact with certain foods, molecules of the chemicals in the plastic can leach into the food. Some sources swear plastic is safe….some are convinced dangerous substances like BPA and phthalate are leaching into our food, and some sources think select types of plastic are okay while others are harmful. Ahh!!

It’s a little scary and confusing, huh? Well…thankfully there IS an alternative! I’m transitioning to Pyrex glass storage containers. I think they’re great. I don’t have to worry about chemicals leaching into my food and heating up leftovers is a cinch! Depending on the type of leftovers, I either take the lid off (the lids are plastic and microwaving plastic=bad) and microwave with a piece of parchment paper on top, or pop it in the toaster oven on bake. They even make tiny ones which would be great to store small portions for the small people in your house.

Earth Mama Angel Baby fabulous and phthalate free!!

I contacted Earth Mama Angel Baby to ask if they could provide me with sample products since they get such low numbers on the Environmental Working Group website, Skin Deep. Unlike the SATs a low number is a GOOD thing in this case! The person, Suzanne, I emailed with was SO nice and sent me some products which I can’t wait to try out!! Their website is beautiful and cozy and their products are innovative and fun! I just got the products in the mail yesterday so I’ll be reporting on them soon, but they forwarded me this recent press release about their products being phthalate free which I wanted to share.

NO PHTHALATES IN ANY EARTH MAMA ANGEL BABY® PRODUCTS

Founder Melinda Olson Pledges Not Now, Not Ever to Dangerous Chemicals
February 4, 2008 – Clackamas, OR – Representatives from Earth Mama Angel Baby®
announced today that none of their products has ever included phthalates and pledged
that the company would never include phthalates in the future. “Due to the study
released today by Pediatrics, I wanted to reassure all of my customers that Earth Mama
Angel Baby® has never used any ingredient containing phthalates. And I promise you,
we never will,” said Melinda Olson, founder of Earth Mama Angel Baby®, a
manufacturer of organic, all natural products for pregnancy, delivery and baby care.
Olson added that evidence that phthalates are harmful has been out for some time.
“Phthalates are often hidden on ingredient lists,” explained Olson. “Artificial fragrances,
which often contain phthalates, are exactly the type of ingredient that we would never
consider using. We publish on our web site and on every label a complete list of every
ingredient. I believe that our mamas should be able to buy our products and feel safe
using them on their biggest miracles – their angel babies.”
The study in question was released in the February issue of Pediatrics, and is available
online at the publication’s website. The research concluded that phthalate exposure was
detected in every baby studied, and that over 80 percent of the babies studied had
exposure to seven or more phthalates. In addition, those performing the study pointed
to use of baby shampoo, lotion and baby powder as the source of higher concentrations
of phthalates in the babies’ systems. Even more alarming, the findings were strongest
for babies younger than eight months who may be more susceptible to developmental
and reproductive toxins.
Phthalates are synthetic chemicals commonly found in PVC plastics, cosmetics,
personal care products (as fixatives, binders and solvents) and plastic toys. Most major
retailers have now banned the use of phthalates in toys and other products sold for
children, because of the exposure as children suck on teething rings and other toys with
the chemicals.
“This study specifically points the finger at artificial fragrances in personal care
products,” said Olson. “Artificial fragrances stay on your skin much longer than pure
essential oils – in part because of the presence of chemical additives such as
phthalates. These are on a long list of ingredients that our company has never, and will
never, use in our products. Manufacturing pure, safe, organic products for mamas and
babies has always been our #1 concern. We encourage everyone to be educated about
what they put in and on their bodies, especially when carrying a precious new baby.”

Phthalates are everywhere (not just teethers!) and it’s awesome to know that Earth Mama Angel Baby is committed to  keeping them OUT of their products.

Why should I spend more for organic cotton??

Not that my wardrobe (or Madeleine’s) contains many articles of clothing made from organic fibers YET (baby steps baby steps), but I am realizing that we should all start paying a bit more attention to how the fabrics we wear are made. I always like a quick read with bullet points so thats how I’m going to do this.

Here are some reasons I found on the web to buy organic cotton clothes:

• natural and organic fiber fabrics use fewer chemicals
• organic cloth creates less of a negative impact on the environment
• buying these natural and organic fibers supports environmental causes
• 84 million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on the 14.4 million acres of cotton grown in the U.S in 2000
• one pound of conventional cotton has been sprayed with an average of 1 1/4 pounds of pesticide
• Seven of the top fifteen pesticides used on cotton crops in the USA have been classified by the EPA as probable human carcinogens
• it takes 1/3 pound of pesticides to produce just enough cotton to make ONE 100% conventional cotton T-Shirt

Check out the adorable organic cotton toys at Essere Organics or the organic cotton sheets at Baby Center!!