The other day I was at a hotel and I flipped through the channels.   The movie Erin Brokovich was showing and I watched a little.  It’s a true story about toxic chemical waste dumping. (click here for more information about her, she is still fighting for our well-being).  In The New Yorker this week, there is an article titled Strangers on the Mountain, about a group of people who have lived in the Ramapo Mountains for centuries.  I grew up, for the most part, in Rockland county, near those mountains, and I am familiar with their story.  I hadn’t realized that they also suffer from the effects of toxic chemical dumping by Ford.

And there is a new book out titled About a Mountain by John D’Agata about the government plan to store nuclear waste, 77,000 tons of it, in Yucca Mountain in Nevada.  According to calculations, it needs to be stored for a million years at least, but the government, in order to make the number more friendly, has reduced that time to 10,000 years.

There are these big stories of toxic chemicals that wreak havoc to our waterways and mountain ranges, to our health and to the health of the earth, and there are the little stories too.  The bottle of water swigged after school that contains chemical leached from the plastic container.  The dish washing soap which leaves a toxic residue on our plates.  The floor cleaner with warnings on its label that, if read, would cause a grown man to weep, as his baby rolls around on the floor.

Chemicals in food, in water, and in our household products have real consequences for each of us.  A recent piece in the  New York Times talks about the effects of toxic chemicals on our health.

Each decision we make on a household level has an effect on our well being, and the earth’s too.

A few simple tips for avoiding toxic chemicals in your home:

• Buy (or grow) organic or biodynamic food;
• Avoid processed food and all the chemicals it contains;
• Filter your water;
• Choose non toxic household products for cleaning or make your own –water,  vinegar, baking soda and essential oils are pretty much all you need;
• Choose non toxic personal products – shampoo, toothpaste, makeup, and so on.

I loved reading this recipe for biscotti using Weleda’s Pomegranate Body Oil (I haven’t tried cooking with it yet, but the oil is wonderful for the skin, with a lovely light scent; plus, sign up here to win a Weleda Spa Trip).  This is how it should be, products so pure that you can eat them.

HealthyChild.org has created this video, to help spread the word about creating toxic free homes for our children.

How do you avoid exposing your family to toxic chemicals?