10 Ways to Save the World and Your Health - How to Get Green!

Interview with Charlene Day – Author of The Immune System Handbook.

1. Natural Cleaners

Typical household cleaners might cut the grease and get the grime out, but chances are you’re also breathing in harsh chemicals including ammonia, bleach, petroleum distillates, and formaldehyde. Check out www.shaklee.net/daydesigns/prodHou to get recommendations for natural cleaners free from petrochemical volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as Shaklee’s Get Clean products that have been featured on Oprah five times in the last year and one of "Oprah's favorite things."

You can also make your own cleaning supplies:

Window cleaner: one part distilled white or apple cider vinegar and one part water, mixed in a spray bottle. (Wiping the windows clean with recycled newspaper makes for a streak-free shine.)

Laundry detergent: washing soda (sodium carbonate or sodium hydroxide)

Fabric softener: baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

Grease cutter and furniture polish: washing soda

Silver polish: toothpaste, salt or baking soda

Toilet cleaner: lemon juice

Dusting: olive oil or washing soda

2. Pure Water

Install a water filter. Fifty percent of our daily chlorine intake comes from bathing, according to Charlene Day. Not only is it absorbed through the skin, but as chlorine vaporizes in a hot environment we breathe it into our lungs, and that can result in upper respiratory tract irritation. A quick, inexpensive and easy solution is to buy a shower filter or bath ball. The cost is low around $30 each, shower filters can be found at most hardware stores and are installed easily without any tools.

Also, invest in a filter for your drinking water. By installing a filter on your faucet, you’ll be able to drink clear, clean water and stop contributing to the over-abundance of water bottles in landfills. "It will take 500 plus years for a single bottle to biodegrade," Charlene Day says. "A drinking water filter is a must."

3. Breathe Easy

Buy an air purifier. The Days put an air filter at the top of the list for anyone who wants to combat toxins in the home. "You are reducing mold, spores and also formaldehyde and other gases from chemicals in paint and carpeting," Charlene says. Now that’s something to breathe easy about. Models range in price from $100 to several hundred dollars and can be found at most home improvement stores and online. But remember you get what you pay for, so do your homework.

4. Sleep Tight

Millions of people suffer from insomnia. Environmental health experts speculate that toxins in the bedroom, where we spend about one-third of our lives, might have something to do with the problem. There are many healthy changes you can make.

Organic sheets: Polyester/cotton sheets and no-iron cotton sheets are coated with formaldehyde to reduce wrinkling. Alternatives include organic cotton sheets, which are free from pesticides, cotton flannel sheets or untreated cotton percale sheets. All are available at most major department stores and online.

Barrier cover: An organic cotton barrier cover shields your mattress and pillow from exposure to bacteria, mold and dust mites and other allergens.

Organic mattress: To truly combat exposure to toxins in the bedroom, organic beds offer a variety of mattresses without a chemically-based fire retardant. But not to worry, organic beds are made with organic wool that acts as a natural flame retardant and meets federal standards. Various models can be found online ranging from $600 to several thousand dollars.

Move the clock: Even in the "off" mode, electric alarm clocks and other appliances such as televisions and radios emit electromagnetic fields, which studies suggest are connected to cancer, DNA damage and Alzheimer’s disease. At the very least, keep anything powered by electricity away from the head of your bed, or move these appliances out of the bedroom. Also, consider switching to a battery-powered alarm clock. For those looking for a more comprehensive approach, an automatic demand switch (which turns off electricity at the fuse box to a particular wiring circuit, such as the bedroom) can be installed to completely shut power off to the bedroom while sleeping.

5. Eat Organic

Most produce sold in supermarkets is sprayed heavily with pesticides. Eating organic will ensure your strawberries aren’t laced with toxic chemicals. Plus, it tastes better. Buying locally grown fruit and vegetables that are in season cuts back on emissions and pollution from transporting produce across the country. Organic produce can be found at your local farmer’s market. Most major grocery stores even offer an organic selection, and it’s not much more expensive. Remember to look for the USDA Organic seal.

6. Safe Decorating & House Maintenance

Thinking of sprucing up the living room with a fresh coat of paint or remodeling the kitchen? Consider remodeling with materials that are better for you and the environment. Low- and zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint, such as SafeCoat and Green Planet Paints, emit fewer VOCs known to cause respiratory irritation, headaches, nausea, and liver and central nervous system damage.

Off-gassing (evaporating VOCs) also occurs with thousands of other products including lacquers, paint strippers, pesticides, building materials, glues, adhesives, and permanent markers. Alternatives, including bio-degradable hemp and wool carpets and natural finishes, can be found online.

7. Baby Safe Products

Many plastic baby bottles leach potentially harmful chemicals, especially when in contact with hot liquid, Charlene Day says. Look for baby bottles made without bisphenol-A, with a chemical that has been linked to developmental, neural and reproductive problems.

More green alternatives to common baby products include toys made from sustainable wood instead of plastic, organic plush toys, organic baby clothes and blankets, and organic bedding and crib mattresses.

8. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

One of the simplest ways to make your life a little greener is to remember the adage "reduce, reuse, recycle." Go with cloth instead of paper napkins, cut up used paper and use the backside for notes instead of buying message pads, and hold garage sales to keep cast-off appliances, clothing, books, and toys in circulation.

"I’m always looking to see what I can do to reuse something or help someone else reuse," Charlene says. You end up saving a tremendous amount of money, as well."

9. Skip the Scented Candles

That Vanilla scented candle may evoke freshness and air purity, but that sweet scent is a toxic concoction of chemicals. "Paraffin Candles are not good for you, a single scent can be made up of thousands of chemicals."

Unscented is better, but it is best to go with petroleum-free soy, vegetable-based & bees wax candles. To achieve a healthy scent, look for 100% essential oils. Or go directly the source and buy organic flowers at your local farmer’s market to freshen up your home.

10. Flip the Switch

You heard it from your parents, and now you’re saying it to your own kids. Turn off the lights. Not only will it lower your electricity bill, but flipping the light switch off conserves energy. If you must have the lights on, make sure you replace old bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use less electricity, must make sure to recycle them properly as they contain small amounts of the toxic substance mercury. The best alternative would be LED lights.

According to ENERGY STAR (a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy), if every North American replaced just one regular light bulb with an approved compact fluorescent light bulb it would conserve enough energy to light more than 4 million homes for a year. It would save more than $600 million in annual energy costs and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

Want to learn more? Contact Cherie Ann Day for more resources & information.