What exactly do I blame plastics for? Things I don't even know about yet. Things that scare me. The unknown and known.
I grew up on plastics. Remember Tupperware parties? Little People? Plastic dolls? I had jellies on my feet, plastic head bands for my long locks, and those clear plastic purses popular in the early 80's. During my college years, my caffeine of choice was diet coke delivered in an Arco AM/PM plastic 32oz sipper cup that went thru the dishwasher daily (those were meant to be heated up to the point that the shape gets distorted, right?).
My life wasn't all plastic though. Starting in high school, I wore cheap drug store makeup, frequented fast food and never heard of organic food until the last decade. We used the usual chemical-laden cleaners in our the house, raid to kill our annual visits of summer-rain ants, and played outdoors in Southern California until our lungs hurt when we took a deep breath.
Don't get me wrong - I had a wonderful childhood and have many special memories with my loving parents. My childhood was probably pretty similar to most children of the 70's. I know that if my parents knew then, what we know today, things would have been a lot different.
If my parents knew that exposure to all that BPA (bisphenolA) found in many plastics would prevent me from ovulating, and cost my husband and I thousands of dollars trying to conceive our son, my childhood would have looked different. Our toy box would have been filled with wooden, glass or cloth toys from companies who have proven to make high quality toys for children.
If we knew then that exposure to chemicals in cleaners, foods and personal products could affect my immune and reproductive system function, lead to cancer, or negatively affect my nervous system, I am certain that we would've used baking soda and vinegar to clean our house, sought out pesticide-free food options, and avoided slathering petroleum from a tub all over ourselves (you know, the "V" brand we used to remove eye makeup & moisten chapped lips).
But they didn't know. Knowledge and awareness of these issues weren't where they are today. Options weren't what they are now. Today, we know better. We have options. We get to make informed choices for our children's health and future.
Because we know, we keep chemicals out of our house, buy organic foods as much as possible and certainly the "dirty dozen" fruits and vegetables, buy toys and other items for our children only from trusted brands, and have fallen in love with glass, stainless steel and other BPA-free food containers.
So, now that you know the dangers and risks with chemicals, what changes will you make? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts with us.
To learn more about the dangers of chemicals, please visit the Environmental Working Group HERE. And discover safe, green toys for your children from Healthy Child Healthy World HERE.
I grew up on plastics. Remember Tupperware parties? Little People? Plastic dolls? I had jellies on my feet, plastic head bands for my long locks, and those clear plastic purses popular in the early 80's. During my college years, my caffeine of choice was diet coke delivered in an Arco AM/PM plastic 32oz sipper cup that went thru the dishwasher daily (those were meant to be heated up to the point that the shape gets distorted, right?).
My life wasn't all plastic though. Starting in high school, I wore cheap drug store makeup, frequented fast food and never heard of organic food until the last decade. We used the usual chemical-laden cleaners in our the house, raid to kill our annual visits of summer-rain ants, and played outdoors in Southern California until our lungs hurt when we took a deep breath.
Don't get me wrong - I had a wonderful childhood and have many special memories with my loving parents. My childhood was probably pretty similar to most children of the 70's. I know that if my parents knew then, what we know today, things would have been a lot different.
If my parents knew that exposure to all that BPA (bisphenolA) found in many plastics would prevent me from ovulating, and cost my husband and I thousands of dollars trying to conceive our son, my childhood would have looked different. Our toy box would have been filled with wooden, glass or cloth toys from companies who have proven to make high quality toys for children.
If we knew then that exposure to chemicals in cleaners, foods and personal products could affect my immune and reproductive system function, lead to cancer, or negatively affect my nervous system, I am certain that we would've used baking soda and vinegar to clean our house, sought out pesticide-free food options, and avoided slathering petroleum from a tub all over ourselves (you know, the "V" brand we used to remove eye makeup & moisten chapped lips).
But they didn't know. Knowledge and awareness of these issues weren't where they are today. Options weren't what they are now. Today, we know better. We have options. We get to make informed choices for our children's health and future.
Because we know, we keep chemicals out of our house, buy organic foods as much as possible and certainly the "dirty dozen" fruits and vegetables, buy toys and other items for our children only from trusted brands, and have fallen in love with glass, stainless steel and other BPA-free food containers.
So, now that you know the dangers and risks with chemicals, what changes will you make? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts with us.
To learn more about the dangers of chemicals, please visit the Environmental Working Group HERE. And discover safe, green toys for your children from Healthy Child Healthy World HERE.
Wow, Gina - this is a powerful post. It is very sad...but true for all of us in that generation. People are like lemmings - do as the others do. I can only hope that our children will be the leaders of the lemmings of the next generation. Think. Learn. Choose carefully. Plan ahead...
My fingers are crossed.
Posted by: Michelle (What's Cooking) | January 28, 2010 at 01:24 PM
You've said it perfectly. Plastic has consumed our lives and even with all the knowledge in the world, it is still difficult to control our addiction to plastic. A few months ago, I emptied out the kitchen cupboards to remove as much plastic as possible including most of the sippy cups. I also started removing all the "junk" plastic toys that have been piling up. When I thought I had some control, my children received gifts of more plastic cups and toys. It's hard to tell loved ones to stop buying this stuff and some people just don't get it. Thank you for sharing this post with us. I enjoy reading your blog, just subscribed, and look forward to learning more from you.
Posted by: Danielle @ecoscrapbook | August 23, 2010 at 09:00 PM
Thanks for your comment and for sharing here, Danielle. We did a similar "purge" to yours many years ago and still have to repeat the process a few times each year. Recalls of trusted brands don't help!
It's frustrating, for sure, but we just keep our eye out for product safety information and make sure we're keeping the bad stuff out of our house.
Two things that have helped us:
1. Amazon wish lists for the kids - not everyone buys off the list but family does and that helps a lot!
2. Leading a simply life. We simply don't have an over-abundance of toys and stuff in our house.
Best of luck to you...and thanks for subscribing!
Posted by: Gina | August 23, 2010 at 09:04 PM