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February 03, 2016

Winter Garden Chronicle: What I’ve Learned from Winter Gardening

February 03, 2016/ Kelly Pemberton

If you read my post from last October 15, you’ll remember that I embarked on my second attempt at winter gardening this year. Happily, this attempt has been a lot more effective and (most of) my plants have so far survived the cold and snow outside. Although I’m far from confident in claiming this venture a success, it has taught me some valuable lessons about year-round gardening that I’d like to share with you.

December 17, 2015

Why Your Mattress May be Making You Sick

December 17, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

Chemical sensitivity affects an unknown number of sufferers worldwide. As I explained in a post that went live on November 27th, chemical sensitivity (also known by other names like multiple chemical sensitivity, idiopathic environmental intolerance, environmental illness, and environmental sensitivity) is the name given to a chronic medical condition in which the sufferer becomes sick or experiences one or more allergy-like reactions after being exposed to toxic chemicals at doses that have generally been deemed safe for humans.

Organizations now exist to help MCS sufferers find a physician who is experienced in diagnosing and treating this condition. However, there has generally been little support from doctors for patients who are suffering from the effects of their exposure to toxic chemicals. As the story of Anna[i], a woman I interviewed last September will show, MCS is poorly understood within the medical community, and it can take a sufferer months or years to figure out what is causing her ill health.

[i] a pseudonym

December 04, 2015

Why you should be optimistic about the Paris climate change conference (COP21)→

December 04, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

The 21st meeting of the Conference of Parties, which refers to the United Nations-sponsored climate change talks taking place in Paris this year, has renewed global discussions about the need for rapid action. Delegates are making global pleas for nations to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that threaten the long-term security of the planet, and to create the conditions for an alternative energy revolution. The goals of this year’s climate summit are lofty, and may even be achievable. Here are five things you should know about the 2015 Paris climate change conference that will have a major impact on the environment that should give you a reason to be hopeful about our collective ability to meet this challenge within the next decade and a half.

November 27, 2015

Are you chemically sensitive? Why MCS may be the answer to your unexplained illness.

November 27, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

While working on a blog post about one woman’s experience of debilitating illness after being exposed to toxic chemicals, I realized that at the heart of this story is an issue that is poorly understood, and under-discussed within the medical industry. It’s called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), and no one really knows how many people are affected by it. Basically, it is a chronic medical condition in which a person becomes sick, or exhibits allergy-like reactions to chemicals that he or she has become exposed to at doses that are generally considered safe for humans.

October 15, 2015

Winter Garden Chronicle: Keeping Your Thumbs Green in the Cold

October 15, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

It’s hard to acknowledge you’ve failed at something, especially if you’re a type “A” personality like me. But last winter I tried, and failed, to keep my winter container garden alive. Ok, the violas survived the cold and snow, but they don’t count, since they are by nature tolerant of winter weather. Everything else – the Japanese eggplants, the miniature peppers, the carrots, and the green beans, suffered miserably before finally wilting into pathetic looking, half-frozen messes.

October 01, 2015

Religion and Ecology: Alliance of Faith

October 01, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

Religion, to listen to its critics and skeptics, is one of the biggest causes of antagonism and violence in the world. With much of the world’s attention riveted on the devastating refugee crisis caused by Daesh (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria; the Pope’s call for global action on climate change; the stampede that killed over 700 Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia last week; and the role that evangelical Christianity plays in American politics, the pitfalls of institutionalized religion (and the perversion of religion) will remain a hot topic for the foreseeable future.

There is, however, another side to religion that is quietly being discussed by religious leaders, practitioners, and sympathizers. This side was encapsulated in Pope Francis’ address to the U.S. Congress on September 24th. It concerns the role of religion – specifically, its institutions and adherents acting in the name of religion – in the global environmental movement.

September 17, 2015

Going Solar: look before you leap (then leap!)

September 17, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

According to the “Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018” report published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Bloomberg New Energy Finance, and the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre, 2017 was the 8th year in a row that investment in renewables exceeded $200 billion. Most of this investment has been in solar and wind energy. As a result, the cost of solar energy has become cheaper and easier to implement by businesses and individuals alike.

September 04, 2015

The (Green) Lunch Revolution: why forcing kids to eat healthy doesn’t work

September 04, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

Updated 7/31/2021

The Healthy Lunch campaign to deliver more nutritious meals in schools around the country has sparked a national debate over the role of government in dictating lifestyle choices for the nation’s public school students. Yet the movement for healthier, greener lifestyles did not begin with the US government, nor does it end there. In fact, there have been a number of drivers over the past few years that have pushed us, kicking and screaming, to this point of revolution as a nation.

August 26, 2015

Direct and Indirect Health Effects of Triclosan

August 26, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

Triclosan is an antibacterial chemical added to most commercial cleaning products that target bacteria. As mentioned here, long-term use of Triclosan may cause a disruption in the endocrine system. The direct and indirect effects of triclosan are important to understand for a healthier and sustainable lifestyle. The concept of “antibacterial” is particularly useful in a critical healthcare setting, but what happens when we over use this chemical in the comfort of our homes and our hormone levels are altered?

August 21, 2015

How the Growing Green Movement Will Benefit You

August 21, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

Green is good, and it’s getting even better.

You can’t help but notice. There seem to be more organic foods available at your favorite grocery or warehouse shopping store. The media is paying more attention to the development of renewable energy, and some governments and private businesses have begun to invest heavily in this industry. Everyone seems to be talking about climate change. Healthy living is a big buzz word these days: the obesity problem in the US, the farm-to-table movement brought into schools, the importance of eating fresh over processed foods, and the ways that people are being exposed to toxic chemicals in their flooring, child car seats, lotions, sunscreens, and other personal care products have all made major headlines within the past year...

So what does this mean for you, your family, and your wallet?

August 06, 2015

Regulating Carbon Pollution through the Climate Action Plan: Window Dressing or Pathway to an Energy Revolution?

August 06, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

On Monday, President Obama revealed the final details of his Climate Action Plan, partially fulfilling a campaign promise he made in the lead up to the 2008 elections. Some critics of the Plan claim that it will have a negative impact on the job market, especially in the major coal producing states. Other critics say that it does not go far enough to reduce toxic greenhouse gases and is still subject to being undermined by the judiciary...[T]he Plan does raise an interesting question for the long term: is the regulation of carbon emissions merely a form of political window dressing or can it be a lasting solution to counter the negative effects of climate change?

July 24, 2015

guest post on Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families website→

July 24, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

Green and Prosperous began as a vehicle for getting the word out about how toxic chemicals are routinely used in the products we buy. The Little Guidebook for Green Moms and Dads is the first ebook in a series of “Green Guidebooks” published by Kelly Pemberton, the face behind Green and Prosperous. AlthoughThe Little Guidebook focuses on children’s products, it has something to offer for everyone. The second edition of this ebook is available for download on Amazon.com...

June 23, 2015

The Green Revolution in the MENA: linking environmentalism and social justice one step at a time

June 23, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

Last month I was invited to give a lecture at the American University of Kuwait on Religion Gender, and Environmentalism in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa). Although environmentalism in the Middle East is a topic I don’t know much about, it was a chance to merge my professional expertise in the MENA region and my activism at Green and Prosperous. I just couldn’t resist...

May 12, 2015

The Chemicals We Live With

May 12, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

As a consumer, you should be aware of what toxic synthetic chemicals are in the products you purchase and use. The point here is not to scare or alarm you but to inform and equip you to minimize your exposure to harmful, disease-causing toxins as much as possible.

How can you make the transition to less exposure at a pace that suits you?

April 04, 2015

Formaldehyde: the hype and the facts

April 04, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

There was a predictable panic that followed a "60 Minutes" report that blamed Lumber Liquidators for offering laminate flooring, manufactured in China, which was tainted with larger-than-permitted levels of formaldehyde. While the company continues to do damage control, in part by offering buyers free home air quality test kits, many people who have purchased the tainted products have wondered whether the flooring has already done irreparable harm to their health. Formaldehyde is a known cancer-causing agent, and little bodies (which may like to squirm and crawl or lay on the floor) are especially vulnerable to its toxic effects.

In cases like these, it’s a good idea to separate the hype from the facts and think about the real risks, and what you can do about them, if you fear that you may have been exposed. And most likely, you and your children have already been exposed to formaldehyde many times over, even if you never purchased tainted laminate floors from Lumber Liquidators. That’s because formaldehyde is already in a lot of the ordinary, indispensable things that are in, or on your house, or on your body.