Kid-Safe Chemicals Act

The evidence is clear. We are 'pre-polluting' our children.
Flame-retardants, BPA, rocket fuel, pesticides, herbicides, PFOA (Teflon), mercury, and the list goes on. These and over 200 other chemicals were found in samples of umbilical cord blood of 10 babies in 2004. What's even more disturbing is that many of the chemicals found had been banned 30+ years before these babies were born. Yet they were given the 'gift' of such a huge body burden before they were held in their parent's arms. And they will continue to receive a whole host of chemicals from mom's breastmilk and then of course from the air they breathe and water they will drink.

It's time to act. Of course it has been time to act for too long, but now we have new legislation on the horizon that may actually turn this around and prevent this from happening to the grandbabies of these 10 babies who were tested. It may already be too late for their babies. But it doesn't mean we stand in our tracks and feel helpless.

Sign the declaration to put pressure on congress to push the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act forward. It's really frighteningly simple in what it's calling for: require that new chemicals are not put on the market until proven safe for children. It is what we would hope is happening already. But it is not. That is why this piece of legislation needs you behind it. On the Environmental Working Group's website (such a fantastic organization! If you have the time, check out all the other amazing resources they have available) they have a powerful 20 minute video of Ken Cook's talk on the research and results of the cord blood samples, a factsheet on the bill, status of the bill and a letter to congress.

Please spread the word on this. As Ken Cook says in conclusion to his talk, "we need a thunderstorm to roll into Washington to let them know that all babies deserve to be born toxic-free." You and I are that thunderstom.

A sense of Wonder

On March 1st, a new documentary on Rachel Carson's life will be released. You can view the trailer on the the film's website. Her words began a movement. Yet what astounds me, and was one major reason I even began Eco-Mamas and Papas, is how prevalent the use of lawn chemicals still is in this country. What have we learned from her words? Outlawing DDT is not the end of it. A fantastic question from the trailer is:

"Is it possible to lay down this barrage of poisons on the surface of the earth without making the earth unfit for ALL life?"

If we could see the interconnectedness of all things more clearly, we would never lay down these poisons on the earth.

I recently read that one in three people in North America will get cancer. A friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer last month.

Can we just learn to love dandelions? Maybe make some tea or wine from them? It just seems so much easier to develop a sense of wonder for nature instead of trying to control it.

The Great Chain of Being

If you have 2.5 minutes, check out this quick clip from Richard Rohr and the "Great Chain of Being" conference.



If you have more than 2.5 minutes, check out the Center for Action and Contemplation's site for more.

From their site:
"Right relationship means to us that we at the CAC are committing to more sensitivity to this earthly household we share and how we mindfully impact all living things. This means paying attention to how we share land, water and air with all creation and return it unsullied for this generation and seven generations hence."

Awake to beauty

This image greets me every morning (after the voices and faces of my beautiful family and a large cup of coffee!). This calender comes from Ministry of the Arts. I have had one every year since just after college (thanks Mom!). These women are amazing. Their artwork, their poetry, their awareness of the sacredness of this earth. They are Sisters of St. Joseph in LaGrange IL. (with contributing artists and writers). Each day there are little messages and suggestions to take with you throughout the day (from "Draw your favorite flower" to "Be awake to the divine unfolding") along with recognitions of people not often celebrated on other calenders. I encourage you to check to check out their site. The beauty alone is a treat, but the underlying message encourages all of us (of all faiths) to renew our connection to this treasured universe.

This year's theme is taken from the Universe Story (from the work of Thomas Berry - see "The Dream of the Earth" link under books). I will write more about the Universe Story another day, but for now will leave you with a little taste of what they have to say in this beautiful work of art:

"Everything we are, have ever been, or hope to be is rooted in the moment when time and space began...because all life is part of this single cosmic event, all life is connected at its most basic level."

-Judy Cannato (Used with permission of Ministry of the Arts)

Mmmmm, Compost

We love compost. We don't have the most sophisticated system, but we just could not bear with throwing food scraps out. Hope to try vermiculture (worms) soon (ideas for how to do that here), but for now in our teeny tiny backyard we are choosing this method. Metal garbage can with holes drilled in for drainage and oxygen. We are pretty maxed out with this one and need another. Hoping at the bottom will be some soil we can use for this year's garden. But since we're pretty lazy about the turning, it may take longer. In the meantime, the bugs love us, we've had no problems with critters getting in (or annoying neighbors), and it's great for Nuala to see us bringing our food out for something else to eat what we don't. The cutest thing ever is when she said (shortly after getting it up and running), "Mom, you can't throw that in the garbage! It goes in the compost!"For many inspiring ideas like this and other such projects, definitely check out this book. It's so exciting! I think I might run out now and get the 5 gallon bucket for humanure!!! Ok, maybe not yet, but at least we are going to start looking into using the grey water from our washing machine for the garden!

Happy St. Brigid's Day

In the Irish/Celtic tradition, this day marks the first day of spring. Hard to believe when the snowbanks are towering higher than the cars and the sidewalks are coated with a thick layer of ice! As a family we are embarking on a journey with our children to reinstate older traditions which aim to connect us to the rhythm of the day and year. Closely linked with seasons, feast days and festivals. Celebrating both the significant and mundane in life.

This book has fantastic ideas/recipes/songs and stories for guiding us in the ways of those who went before us. Today we made crosses of St. Brigid, a doll, and will tonight feast on traditional Irish foods of colcannan, boxty and dumplings. Though the kids are pretty small still, and maybe not all that aware of what's going on, it is helping mama and papa to look more deeply at what makes us human and how we are connected to the earth and each other through ancient (and newer) traditions.

Happy Imbolc and St. Brigid's Day!!!

Environmental Health: A Human Rights issue, not just a personal one

Sandra Steingraber, ecologist and professor at Ithaca College says it so much better, so check out her full article here. But if you don't have time, here is the basic gist:

Individual action to better the earth and our lives is important. But it's not enough. Environmental health issues are public health issues. We can not just insulate ourselves and believe we are living in a 'toxic-free' environment. Changes have to happen all around us. A goal of EM&P is to educate ourselves about changes we can make in our lives, but that is just the beginning. Change needs to spread into the community. Political action will be needed. Campaigns and citizen action will be needed.

I see this not as a discouragement but as a call to action.

Overview of the group

Eco-Mamas and Papas is a group that writes online and meets in person (if you live in or near Albany, NY). We will share ideas about how to parent sustainably and reduce our impact on the earth. We will work together to educate/raise awareness about the dangers of pesticides, toxic cleaners, run-off, etc. And we will incorporate our faith and the Catholic Church’s call to Care for Creation and translate that into relevant daily practice for family life.

Our group meets once a week and will discuss such topics as:

-Eating locally
-Cloth diapering
-Buying sustainable, fair trade products
-Household changes – compact fluorescent lights, recycling, composting, etc.
-Community supported agriculture (CSA)
-Local environmental justice issues and our response as families
-Eco-spirituality in everyday life
-Alternative energy use
-Environmental health Safe household cleaning products
-Consumerism and resource depletion
-The Catholic church’s response to current environmental issues
-Activism/campaigning around issues such as pesticides
-Our family’s ecological footprint
-Eco-prayers and prayer services to do with the family
-Learning from each other – tips and ideas for a greener home

Group members will contribute their ideas, musings and tips about green parenting on this blog. We hope to be a resource to you and to learn from you. So please feel free to leave comments and suggestions (or constructive criticism!)

If you do live in Albany (or nearby) and want to attend a group, please leave a comment. (Still gifureing out how to set-up a 'contact me' section!)

The ideas that fueled EM&P

How do I reduce my footprint on this earth? It's time I start living that way all the time rather than looking to others (though more and more I am finding that people are making the switch in part due to An Inconvenient Truth and other great Green organizations) Always seeking inspiration I decided maybe as parents, we need to be the inspiration.

Here's what our family does:

-Buy local
-Buy organic
-compost
-converting to CF lightbulbs
-grow some of our own veggies
-use cloth diaper and cloth wipes
-breastfeed and advocate for clearing the chemicals out of breastmilk
-involved in local, state and fed. politics to cut carbon emissions 80% by 2050
-converting to cloth tissues, cloth paper towels
-buy sustainable wooden toys
-cutting out plastic use as much as possible
-use cloth grocery bags -buy grains, nuts, etc. in bulk and bring my own containers to reduce packaging waste
-shop at our local food co-op -get veggies from a CSA (community supported agriculture)
-avoid big box store when possible and shop at local small businesses (though this is hard because choices are less and less)
-shop at thrift stores, buy second-hand
-walk/bike to get places when possible
-saving for a Hybrid!!
-recycle

Still need to work on:

-reducing water usage by taking shorter showers (that aren't as hot! But I love hot showers!)
-not flushing every time (when i was in college, I visited a place that had a sign in the bathroom that said each flush uses 3-6 gallons of water so 'if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down!'
-using grey water (left over water from washing dishes) to water plants
-taking the bus more for local trips to the store
-car pooling

All around me, industries, businesses, hospitals, schools, etc. are producing so much waste, using so much water, eating non-local, non-organic foods, consuming more and more and more stuff, and WE think we are making a difference? Oh, it can be so overwhelming and disappointing, but that's not why I am here. I am here to show what CAN be done and to be hopeful about the future while also being realistic about our impact on this earth. Maybe someone, somewhere will get inspired.

If moms and dads, grandparents and other people who love kids and care about the generations to come began to work together to live more sustainably and to demand that our communities do to, I believe we can change the tides of consumerism and waste and leave a planet worth inheriting.