Growing Green and Living It! » health hazards

The Story of Cosmetics by Annie Leonard

OB — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:20:18 +0000

Another excellent video from The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard. The most important 8 minutes you’ll spend today.

Time for an INTERVENTION? Get Your Lawn Off DRUGS!

OB — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:02:39 +0000

Americans are in the love with their lawns. Read this great post on Garden Rant today. A Chemical Reaction is a documentary about the dangers of using pesticides and herbicides in your garden.

The time, energy and resources spent maintaining them can be harmful to your health and those around you. It is wasteful and definitely not sustainable. Spread the word and help support this compelling documentary.

What can you do to help? Start reducing your lawn square footage today. Plant perennial gardens, xeriscape using native plants, grow vegetables, anything but a lawn. Add more hardscapes, such as paths, boulders and gravel.

PLEASE DO NOT BUY HERBICIDES OR PESTICIDES… PERIOD! If we stop buying it, perhaps they’ll stop making it? CANCEL those toxic lawn treatment services. You know the ones that put the little signs in your yard to Stay off the lawn because it was just treated signs. If you must have a lawn, go organic. Get a copy of the Organic Lawn Care Manual and make some changes now. Visit the SAFE LAWNS blog to learn more.

More Concerns about products from China

OB — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:22:15 +0000

AP IMPACT: Chinese drywall poses potential risks Now it appears the drywall that was imported from CHINA, has health risks. If you bought drywall anytime after Hurricane Katrina, or bought a house that built after, better read this. Yet another … Continue reading →

Granite Countertops Emit Radon?

OB — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:15:54 +0000

Icestone made from recycled glass and concrete

This morning I read the newsletter from The Green Guide by National Geographic. The first article is about radon emitted from Granite countertops.

“Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas abundant in soil, water and hard rocks because it forms as naturally occurring uranium decays. It’s also the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. (the leading cause among non-smokers). If you’ve got granite countertops, it’s not a bad idea to test for radon in your home on an annual or semi-annual basis. And if you’re installing new countertops in the near future, you might want to buy something with a little less uranium, such as tiles, concrete or even Icestone, a product made from recycled glass and concrete.”

The Icestone product is very nice looking. Due to its high recycled content and Cradle to Cradle Certification, IceStone materials can be used towards LEED points. IceStone durable surfaces are made from 100% recycled glass and concrete.

Here is a link to the full article.