Environmental Working Group -- Email

Sometimes I just like to pass on an Email about something I really think matters.

Environmental Working Group or EWG is a group I am involved in and care about. Check out the email below and let me know your thoughts and ideas. Do you belong to this group?

Dear shari,

Over the last several months EWG has made some waves and drawn a lot of attention to the issues you and I care about. I want to make sure you know what EWG has achieved in just the last few months.

We all agree that influencing public policy has a lot to do with being heard by the right people at the right time. At EWG, we've got a knack for just that. Our unique investigations, skilled team of researchers and effective advocacy work well together to catch the attention of decision makers - right when it matters.

We've told decision makers what you want. . . and they're listening.

* We caught food industry giants plotting to mislead mothers and minority parents about the hazards of bisphenol-A (BPA) and spurred grassroots pressure to find a safe alternative.

* Some 14,000 members of EWG's burgeoning online community joined us to ask U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to oppose uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. And he did. Nearly a million acres of public land has been set aside, preventing the mining industry from staking any claims for at least two years, and possibly as many as 20 years.

* Congressional insiders picked EWG and myself as top grassroots advocates on biofuels for our ability to combine lobbying and research with grassroots power effectively.

* The California State Senate passed the Toxics-Free Babies & Toddlers Act, which we sponsored, to ban BPA in children's food products. If the State Assembly approves the bill, the largest market in the country will join Connecticut and Minnesota whose state legislatures enacted partial BPA Bans earlier this year.

* We asked the EPA to consider the full impact of over-subsidized biofuels on greenhouse gas emissions and penned an Op-Ed published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

* Five environmental justice leaders joined us for an extensive two-year study that tested them for 75 chemical contaminants. They took their results directly to Congress as a compelling argument for reform of the failed federal toxics law.

We researched, reported and testified for better public policies.

* We released our third annual sunscreen report to help consumers identify safe, effective products and better understand the ingredients in sunscreen. We found that sunscreen companies are reformulating many products to be safer and more effective as a result of our three-year campaign.

* We expanded our ground-breaking work on bottled water safety by reviewing labels, provided by our fabulous fans, and released a report rating manufacturers on their (lack of) transparency. We took this research to Congress where Jane Houlihan, our head of research, testified in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

We created and shared important, useful information.

* Our Editor-in-Chief, Elaine Shannon, began writing for the Huffington Post so that we can take our message to millions of readers. Here's an exciting post discussing a ground-breaking study about infertility and bisphenol-A.

* We launched a new blog on Kid-Safe Chemicals where EWG staff and outside experts are discussing emerging science and the need for toxics policy reform.

* I presented our 10 Americans talk to hundreds in California, Georgia, Canada, Wisconsin and Washington D.C. You can watch a short version on our site.

* We launched a monthly informational email series based on our popular Healthy Home Tips guide.

* We won two Treehugger awards for best health and beauty information and best natural health news web sites.

As you can see, we've been busy. All of the staff at EWG is grateful for your support, which we know makes our work possible. With your help, we're doing the hard work it takes to achieve our shared goal: healthy people and a healthy planet.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group

Killing Your Brain, The Aspartame Way

Brain damage, decreased nervous system formation and endocrine problems in children. Brain tumors and lesions. (They (Science) knew it caused brain tumors in rats way back in the 1970's.)

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, etc.

Increased medical problems if you have ever suffer a stroke, brain injury, or seizure. Or maybe have dealt with hypertension, diabetes, meningitis or viral encephalitis.

Headaches, memory loss, nausea, PMS, dizziness, mood changes, hallucinations, heart arrhythmias, joint pain and more.

WHAT COULD THESE MEDICAL PROBLEMS ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

The answer is easy, but you may not want to hear it. You may not even realize that it is everywhere.

It's the Artificial Sweetener Aspartame, or better know as NutraSweet, Equal, or Spoonful.

The FDA has had more complaints about Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, Canderel, NatraSweet, Spoonfuls, DiabetiSweet) than any other food additive, and yet it is still on the GRAS list (Generally Regarded As Safe) despite its strong association with brain tumours and seizures. It is a synthetic compound made up of Phenylalanine and Aspartic Acid held in a chemical bond by Methanol, which breaks down into Formic Acid, Formaldehyde and Diketopiperazine (DKP). Rest of the Story...

So, now that we know we shouldn't eat or drink it. Where can we find it, or what all is it put in?

Currently, aspartame is consumed by over 200 million people around the world and is found in more than 6,000 products including carbonated soft drinks, powdered soft drinks, chewing gum, confections, gelatin's, dessert mixes, puddings and fillings, frozen desserts, yogurt, tabletop sweeteners, and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops. In the United States, all food ingredients, including aspartame, must be listed in the ingredient statement on the food label.
The Aspartame Information Center

Read the labels on what you eat and drink. Get off the diet soda or pop. Switch to something better for you. And if you need a sweetener, we can talk about stevia.

Let me know if you have a sweetener story, I would love to hear it.

Locally Grown (and produced) vs. Organic

As I thought about this weeks challenge from;
Reduce Footprints: Change The World Wednesdays I began to think about what I eat and where it comes from, is it locally grown and is it organic. I always do this when shopping, but in yesterdays post; All Natural Help for Gastritis I encouraged my friend to eat organic.

So living in the middle of the desert I know we can't always eat locally grown foods. In fact, when I think of the price difference between organic and non-organic I know a lot of people have trouble with this too.

So I encourage locally grown food. For me it includes about a 200 mile radius. My all natural Bison comes from northern Arizona. There are also local food markets that sell; Locally Grown, Organic & All Natural produce.

We have a bread company (Alpine Valley Breads) that makes all natural bread with organic ingredients. They are here in Mesa, Arizona and service the surrounding states. But even though it's made within 10 mile of my home, where does the wheat come from. We do grow some wheat here but is that where it come from. I doubt it and I didn't call to find out.

We also have a beer brewery (Four Peaks Brewing Co.)close by, within five miles. But again, where do the Hops come from. Are they locally grown, I doubt it.

I could go on about locally grown produce and products but, I think you get my point. If I are looking for a locally raised, all natural & organic chicken or bison it may be easy. If I have a choice between an organic orange grown in Arizona and one grown in Texas, I'll pick from Arizona. But, if I have to chose between a non-organic orange from AZ and a organic one grown in TX, I'll take the organic one from TX.

So, with that being said; I still encourage organic over locally grown. Locally grown may leave us with a toxic overload and lacking variety. There are foods to think about though, ones that should always be eaten organic and ones that contain a lessor toxic burden.

Below the Environmental Working Group (EWG) lists a shopping guide. And if you are trying to save money, hit the local farmers markets and buy organic when needed according to the list below.

Buy these Organic
Peach
Apple
Bell Pepper
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes (Imported)
Carrot
Pear

Lowest in Pesticides (non-organic may be used)
Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potato

One last thought (from the Mayo Clinic);

If a food bears a USDA Organic label, it means it's produced and processed according to the USDA standards and that at least 95 percent of the food's ingredients are organically produced. The seal is voluntary, but many organic producers use it.


Products certified 95 percent or more organic display this USDA seal.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Products that are completely organic — such as fruits, vegetables, eggs or other single-ingredient foods — are labeled 100 percent organic and can carry a small USDA seal. Foods that have more than one ingredient, such as breakfast cereal, can use the USDA organic seal or the following wording on their package labels, depending on the number of organic ingredients:

■100 percent organic. Products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.
■Organic. Products that are at least 95 percent organic.
■Made with organic ingredients. These are products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The organic seal can't be used on these packages.
Foods containing less than 70 percent organic ingredients can't use the organic seal or the word "organic" on their product label. They can include the organic items in their ingredient list, however.

A Little Pill and it's BIG Toxic Effect

The planet Earth is becoming a toxic dump. We see it when we look across the evening sky or over any near-by city. It’s there as we drive down the street and a gust of wind blows trash across our path or the semi next to us belches out a cloud of nauseas fumes. It even meats me at the door because Mr. Pest control man has sprayed his beautiful yellow toxin around my townhouse. I know, I know, the association believes this will keep me safe from scorpions, spiders and all the rest of our desert creatures. Little do they care that I keep my place clean, have a cat (who can tolerate eating scorpions), use ALL Natural pest control and the smell of Mr. Pest man makes me GAG!!

This makes me wonder. How can anyone hope to clean up the Toxic Planet when a large majority of the people can’t even take care of their own Toxic bodies. Chemicals, Toxins and Environmental Hazards are everywhere and some we may not be able to get away from. The Off-Gassing of fumes from the carpet and paint where you work, the dry cleaners that opened across the street from your home and other things that would make you have to live in a bubble.

There are things though that we can do. Things that may seem like they are for our good or our health, but in the end also help the environment. You stop using the micro wave because it’s bad for you health and decrease energy used. You stop using Teflon pans because they cause cancer and you improve air quality.

You can also think about what you put in your body. Remember what goes in, must also come out.

Science News reported in December 2008 that, “At least one in 25 older adults, about 2.2 million people in the United States, take multiple drugs in combinations that can produce a harmful drug-drug interaction, and half of these interactions involve a non-prescription medication”.

Now once again Science News is reporting that, “more than 80 percent of adults age 57 and older take at least one prescription drug a day and that about half of them regularly mix drugs with over-the-counter medications and supplements”.

An older Gallop Poll from December 2005 reported that about half of Americans were currently taking prescription medication. They also reported that they were, “more likely to take medication for a long-term rather than short-term medical condition, and to take it for a physical rather than psychological or emotional condition”.

With that being said, we have to remember that expired medications that are sent to the landfill leach into our ground water. Medication flushed down the toilet end up in our water system, whether it be dumped there or from the bodies own form of excretion. The media has also reported that tiny amounts of pharmaceuticals; including antibiotics, hormones, mood stabilizers, and other drugs have been found in our drinking water supplies.

My goal for today is for you to stop thinking about saving the Planet. I want you to think about saving yourself. Now don’t get all excited or angry because what you do for your self will in the end affect others. Think about what you put in your mouth, in the form of pills.

Can that cold or flu be shortened by taking Vitamin C, Zinc, drinking extra fluids and rest instead of Over The Counter Meds and Antibiotics? Can you get rid of that head ache by taking a 15 min. nap/walk or listening to relaxing music instead of popping Ibuprofen? Can those aches and pains be dealt with by taking (or eating) an all natural anti-inflammatory like an Omega 3? Can you reduce your cholesterol or your blood pressure with diet instead of meds?

Try not to be one of the statistics above. Work on saving your self. In the end, the neighbor kids next door that dink the city water will thank you. In fact the wild life that picks through the landfill will thank you and even the plants and animals that you eat which are nourished by the ground water will thank you.

What a big roll that little pill, has on EVERY THING!!