Footprints, Toxins, & Garbage in General

Recently on the news I saw a story called Is It In Us about a study that was done regarding the toxin levels found in different people. I Googled this and found the website www.isitinus.org. I began to read about all the different toxins not just in food and shampoo but in so many other almost unavoidable things like couch cushions, shower curtains, car interiors, etc. I am very alarmed that everybody they checked in this study has toxins in their systems.

I have over the last few years tried to make more and more of an effort to be better about recycling, reusing, buying organic foods and soaps when I can. I started this year with a sense of urgency about trying to be more efficient and less wasteful in as many areas of my life as possible. In remodeling our house we bought all new appliances which surprisingly cut way down on our energy consumption. We installed all new faucets and shower heads that are low flow (apparently, most are made pretty low now as a standard . . . . had no idea). I am working my way through our old light bulbs and will eventually buy all energy-saving light bulbs. I buy many things for our family/home at the thrift store so I am reusing and cutting way back on our consumption in that department. I also began recycling all plastic bags, unfortunately these can't go in the recycle bin, it's amazing how much plastic there is. I used to throw out plastic utensils and extra napkins years back, now they get used or put in a large box in our party drawer for company. This may sound like small potatoes to many of you who are way more efficient, but the sad truth is that the majority of the people I have known, am related to, worked with, etc. could care less and do NONE of this stuff. I also pick up trash as often as I can. Some people are such pigs.

We live in an area that charges to pick up your garbage but the recycling pickup is free and you can put as much on the curb or in the bin as you want. It is totally beyond me in this day and age in the state of our economy and all the foreclosures and unemployment why people don't try a little harder to save their money. Ultimately they should be concerned about the environment but I would hope that it would at least come next for a priority. There are a lot of things I would change if I had a little more money. For example I would love to get a high efficiency washer and dryer and start using cloth diapers. Without the high efficiency washer and dryer it is almost pointless to use the cloth with how much energy, soap, water, etc. it takes to clean them. The diaper thing really bothers me. It would be better to use non-chlorinated disposables for baby and planet but the breakdown is comparable in the landfill. I am going to use up the diapers we have and look into the non-chlorinated ones for the health of baby and planet anyway.

It is mind boggling to know that even the healthy vegetarian in the study that exercises and uses organic had some of the highest levels in the whole study. These toxins are everywhere. If it's in my body, which I'm sure it is then it's in my breast milk which my son drinks. Why are these harmful toxins still legally used in the manufacturing of all these items that are used by so many? I believe that so many people truly feel that ignorance is bliss. The less they know, the less they have to care/do about it. They probably also feel that if they were so harmful they wouldn't be so easily available to us, for God sakes they use it in baby bottles. I will have to try to do as much as possible and that means spending more money and taking more time to research stuff I want to consume.