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May 19, 2016

10 Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate this Memorial Day

May 19, 2016/ Kelly Pemberton

Memorial Day is coming in a little more than a week from now. if you’re preparing to fire up the grill, attend a parade, visit a cemetery or memorial, or get out and say welcome to the unofficial start of summer (here’s hoping you’ll have plenty of sunshine to enjoy), you’ll be joining the majority of over 300 million Americans who will be observing the holiday this year.

Memorial Day wouldn’t be quite complete without the usual round of recommendations and suggestions for how to enjoy the long weekend. This year, we’re joining the chorus and adding our voices with 10 fun, eco-friendly, and off-the-beaten track ways to celebrate this Memorial Day.

May 11, 2016

What’s in your drinking water and should you be concerned?

May 11, 2016/ Kelly Pemberton

#CleanWaterWednesday

Although news about the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan has waned in the face of the upcoming Presidential election, the water crisis is far from over. This water crisis was a wake-up call for many people and some of their elected representatives about the dangers of toxic lead (and other contaminants) that have leached into municipal water supplies, partly because of aging or flawed infrastructure.

But while Flint has become the poster child for lead poisoning in particular, and contaminated water systems in general, the attention that has been riveted on Flint by the mainstream media in the US has done little to inform – or alarm – us about the details of other ongoing water crises around the country.

May 04, 2016

The Health Dangers of Prolonged Mold Exposure

May 04, 2016/ Kelly Pemberton

guest post by R.S. Hall

Mold is a word used to describe an array of spore-producing fungi. Mildew is another term for certain types of mold and is generally associated with the growth in showers and tubs. These allergens pose a health risk, particularly with prolonged exposure.

While the mold growing in your shower may be obvious, there are many places in your home where you may have an undetected patch lurking, such as inside the walls. Although it prefers a warm, damp environment, the spores can survive in less hospitable conditions and wait to land in a moist area. You and your family may come in contact with the spores and begin to experience troubling symptoms before you realize what is causing these health challenges.

April 30, 2016

Do We Really Need Earth Day Anymore?

April 30, 2016/ Kelly Pemberton

Somehow, this past Earth Day felt different. I’m not sure why, but somehow it struck me as strange that neither of my kids’ schools mentioned it in announcements, let alone did anything special to commemorate the day. While the news cycle in the US was dominated by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the presidential election in France, the omission of anything more than brief mentions of Earth Day in the major media outlets, and even the online ones I regularly consult, felt odd.

Whether or not people were actually thinking much about Earth Day and its significance, there is one thing that made this Earth Day important, and perhaps different than any previous Earth Day. But it also underscores the main reason why the largest secular holiday in the world has become obsolete.

March 17, 2016

Are BPA-free plastics still poisoning you?

March 17, 2016/ Kelly Pemberton

In my book on toxic chemicals, I wrote about the health effects of Bisphenol-A (BPA) as being pervasive: this chemical compound, found in plastics and even in some cash register receipts, has been linked to problems with metabolism, behavior, reproduction, the development of placentas and stem cells, and the growth of cancerous tumors. BPA has been blamed (at least in part) for obesity, diabetes, asthma, infertility, and even…

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?