I was totally going to wait until next week to blog again, but this morning I got 8 (EIGHT!!) Google Alerts on cats being poisoned by (get the dictionary out this is going to be a really big word) polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Alright, I'll get the dictionary out for you.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers: or PBDEs, are a group of chemicals that are used as flame retardants in a variety of polymer resins and plastics. They are found in many products in most homes and businesses, including furniture, TVs, stereos, computers, carpets, and curtains.

PBDEs are also used, to a lesser degree, in some textiles, adhesives, sealants and coatings.

So flame retardants. I think I talked a little about them when I was out in Silicon Valley running around with that giant skull made out of e-waste. Yes, this is actually my job. I know your jealous!

One more vocabulary word before I move onto the meat of this issue and why I got so many Google Alerts on this thing. I'm not spokeswoman for many things, but Google Alerts --- awesome! 

Feline hyperthyroidism (You have to see the little cat (ha ha) scans of these cats: is the most common endocrine disorder. Some of the signs are rapid weight loss, hyperactivity, and increased appetite as well as increased water consumption.

Ok, so, it turns out feline hyperthroidism was almost unknown until the 1970's and now its a total epidemic. The EPA is calling cats the canary in the coal mine for toxic chemicals in our homes. Scary.  And if your cat is getting sick from the unnecessarily dangerous and deadly chemicals in your furniture, think about your kids.  Young children have a higher propensity of putting random household items in their mouths and because of their smaller bodies chemicals accumulate at a faster rate.

In 2004 the European Union banned two types of PBDEs and this past spring Washington state became the first in the country to ban all uses of PBDEs.  

Keep up the pressure all you cat-lovers! and people lovers! We all deserve better a toxic free home.

Holla.  

And can you make it toxic free? 

A good friend of mine bought some junk of a house in NE (a lower income quadrant of the District of Columbia that is quickly becoming the IT area) two years ago and decided to gut the entire place and rebuild his very own house. Sounds fun, time consuming, and exhausting. It is. In the winter it's really cold and in the summer you have to stand directly in front of the air conditioner to cool down. Needless to say we usually hang out at my house.

Ben and I have been friends for about 5 years. He has slowly come around that non-violent direct action makes change and now I've moved on to the discussion that his new house should be green in design. He gives me the same old excuses that big companies like Kimberly Clark say, "it's too expensive and difficult to go green". I call Bullsh****.

And I'm out to prove it. So is Brad Pitt with Global Green and the New Orleans chapter of Habitat for Humanity by building their Musicians Village pvc-free.

Maybe you're asking yourself, what the hell is a 'green building'? And that's cool. I'm not a building expert or even an environmental expert of any kind (I just work here people).  So I did some research. Here's what I found:

Global Green defines a green building as a building that "saves energy, conserves water, protects natural resources, contributes to a healthy indoor environment, and reduces the building's impact on the community." Makes sense.

Now, how do you that?

My House is Your House is an organization that talks about this. It is a consumer education advocacy campaign that is tied to the award-winning documentary Blue Vinyl (our very own Toxics Campaigner Rick Hind is featured in the movie).

The Healthy Building Network says, "Green design and construction standards, materials policies and operating practices are an opportunity to decrease - and even reverse - the profound impacts of the contemporary building industry on the environment and human health" and is using their influence to help keep green builders true to their mission and stand tall against the toxic industry's bullying ways.

The Natural Resources Defense Council has an entire site dedicated to "Building Green: From Principle to Practice". 

I know this isn't that in depth, but it's a good starting point for you to do some additional research on your own. So there you go. Homework!

Alright Ben, let's do this!  

Holla . . .  

I'm admitting it. I'm a slave to fashion. I love shopping. I love shoes and bags and makeup. I'm the best target for marketing people. Yes, I work on issues that usually go against this type of consumerism, but the reality is in my personal life I love shopping.

So besides the whole toxics part of this, I'm loving the whole banning of plastic bags in cities. There are already bags being designed specifically for this issue and they are selling out everywhere. This cute one once sold for $10 and now aggressive shoppers might be able to get their hands on it for anywhere between $600-$1000!

I totally want to get my grimmy paws on one of those. Or maybe I can make my own, though I doubt that will actually happen. However, I was super creative this weekend when I turned all my hat boxes into my drafting table legs. So I guess you never know where a slow weekend will take you.

Besides seeing hippies take on more fashionable ways to shop for GMO-free, organic food (which is always nice), mainstream media has taken on this issue as well.

Here are some interesting articles:

NY Times 

Christina Science Monitor  

USA Today 

Here is some more information on what our office in Amsterdam is saying about chemicals in our homes.  

Holla.  

A new report came out this week about Matell, Inc (the largest toy maker in the world) recalling 1.5 million toys because of high levels of lead.

LEAD!

Who thinks it's ok for children to play with lead? I've seen the after school specials and the epsiodes of ER, where kids develop serious health issues related to interacting with lead in paint. And that's paint in lower income housing areas that were slapped up years before tighter regulation.

Come on, people! The dangers of lead is no longer a secret! I'm not from New York but for some reason I just felt a Brooklyn accent come through in that last thought.

In news articles galore, Mattell is saying that they are leaders in product safety. I'm not the expert in this subject, but it does make me think about the significance of supply chains. Look, I didn't study Finance and Economics either so stay with me.

Mattell is one of the most recognizable brands out there. I grew up watching Seseame Street, I know who Elmo is and so do millions of kids playing with their toys today. If this company, who has a public spotlight on them, isn't paying very close attention to their supply chain, I'm scared to think about what poisonous products are also on the market from lesser known companies.

So I did some digging and I found an interesting campaign where you can do something about all this shady-ness in our little people's play things. 

Remember Lois Gibbs -- the mother turned activists from New York (maybe that's who I was just channeling)? After she made enormous strives for her family and neighbors, she started this organization with a bunch of other passionate toxics activists.  

Center for Health, Environment and Justice: Check out this site and learn about how PVC packaging is breaking state laws and how it's not only lead but it is also PVC being found your children's toys. (maybe you don't have a child, but if you take my friends actions as a national trend, we have officially entered baby AND marriage season - stay safe!)  

Hope this blog thingy gives you some interesting reads and good information to be an educated consumer.

Holla.

Renee.