You know that good, healthy feeling you get when you've just cleaned house? Sorry to spoil it, but
you may have just made your home dirtier. Think of it this way. You wouldn't let your kids play
with toxic chemicals, so why would you let the baby crawl over a floor that's just been wiped with them? That's
much more dangerous than the orange juice that was just there.
How dangerous? Just take a look at these statistics.
Over 90% of
poison exposures happen at home.
Common bleach is the #1 household chemical
involved in poisoning.
Organic pollutants, found in many common cleaners and even air
fresheners, are 2 to 5 times higher inside your home than out.
A person
who spends 15 minutes cleaning scale off shower walls could inhale three times the "acute one-hour exposure
limit" for glycol ether-containing products set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
Common cleaners give off fumes that have been linked to increasing the risk of your
kids developing asthma, the most common serious chronic childhood disease.
1
in 13 school-aged children has asthma. Rates in children under five have increased more than 160%
from 1980 – 1994.
Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound
for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this
is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present in water, food or
air.
If your home is anything like the average North American home, you generate
more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste each year (the EPA designates toilet cleaners, tub and tile
cleaners, oven cleaners, and bleach as hazardous waste).
Plant a tree. Change a light bulb. Drive
less. Everyone can make a difference and everyone can do their part.
Here
are some ways you can help:
Walk this Way Consolidate
errands so you complete them all in one car journey or if possible, ride a bike or walk to your destination.
See the Light Switch from traditional to energy-efficient, compact
fluorescent light bulbs or LED.
Offset your Carbon Footprint Visit AmericanForests.org to complete the short survey to tally your CO2 emissions and then donate enough trees to offset your carbon
footprint. It's so easy!
Clean Up Your Act Use
nontoxic, concentrated cleaners. Try Get Clean™ the new natural line of household cleaners from Shaklee that are safe
for you, your home and your planet. At Shaklee we believe that the small act of scouring the sink can be part of the giant
act of changing the world. You can make an incredible difference by switching from conventional brands to the Get Clean Starter
Kit. You'll eliminate 108 pounds of packaging waste from landfills, 248 pounds of greenhouse gases and have the environmental
equivalent of planting 10 trees. To date, consumers who've bought Get Clean Starter Kits have eliminated 4,247,248 pounds
of greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more go to ShakleeGetClean.com.
Remember the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) Reduce your consumption
of natural resources by reusing and recycling as much as possible. Consider the garbage can a last-resort option to be used
sparingly.
BYOB (Bring your own bag) Whether
you're shopping at a grocery or department store, bring your own bag. There is enough petroleum in 14 plastic bags
to drive a car one mile. Keep it for the car by bringing your own bag.
Got a Green Tip? Send your environmental tips to cherie at daydesigns dot ca
Shaklee Get Clean on Building Green
Choose environmentally safe products for your family and the planet. Get your Free Sample of Green Products today!
