Saturday, June 30, 2012

Please sign! Let's keep our parks and green spaces free of harmful toxins!

I recently returned home to Calgary for a visit, and was welcomed with warning signs about herbicide application in my neighboorhood. I was so happy to be back home, but seeing that just broke my heart and a feeling of apprehension ensued. I was looking forward to gong for a run, being outside, and enjoying the warm summer air...and now all I can think about is the toxins I'll be inhaleing, and ingesting, and all those innocent, unknowing kids playing around in the grass - a very natural thing to do! Whether you live in right in Strathcona, Calgary, or elsewhere, a ban on pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and all other "cides", will keep our world healthy, clean, and safe for all to enjoy. Please sign the petition I have started, and help make this ban a reality! We all deserve clean parks and play areas for ourselves, our children, and our animals to enjoy. Please click here: http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-calgary-ward-6-alderman-richard-pootmans-ban-the-application-pesticides-and-herbicides-in-strathcona-community With tremendous gratitude, I thank you.

Monday, June 25, 2012

A Tremendously Important Read

I've recently been reminded of one of my most influential reads - if not the most. It's a quick read too, and very hand to just reference to later, or as you make your journey to reduce the toxins in your life.....the book;




Slow Death by Rubber Duck by Rick Smith & Bruce Lourie






...which I see has now been translated into French, Polish, Sweedish, and Korean. I quite like the french title "Vilain petit canard".


I read this in 2010 when I came back from travelling, before moving to Vancouver, it was definitely the book that changed the way I think about my everyday life and what I was using, putting on my skin, interacting with. 


I highly recommend this to everyone it's absolutely perplexing to me, the amount of items we interact with that have a negative effect on our health, and yet they are continually shelved, and people continually buy them, without concern - largely because they just don't know! 


However, don't be scared away by the title, and by what you don't know - knowing is better than avoidance, and this book does a great way of teaching, without having you feel completely stressed and overwhelmed. 


This is a informative book, that gives you bulleted lists at the end of each chapter, to help you recap and choose your next steps, and providing healthy alternatives, along with tips and tricks along the way (ingredients and/or items to look out for, and avoid etc). It's basically the two authors, who test their blood at the beginning, and each chapter they expose themselves to an everyday item - cooking with Teflon pans, shaving their face with face cream and using shampoos - all very typical items you or I would come into contact with - they then test their blood after, among other things - very very interesting!


Please find it at your library or used bookstore (to continue with your zero-waste lifestyle), or buy it new (and then share it with others!), and have a read! 


It's so important for people to read this and understand how our bodies, specifically our skin, absorb everything we put on them, and how little is done by those who are suppose to be looking out for us, to actually make products on the market safe for our use... it's the old...until you prove it's for sure not safe, well keep it on the market, even if there is reason to believe its not.... Why should you have to prove it is not safe before taking it off, what happened to making sure it is absolutely safe before putting it on the market in the first place!! As a result - we all need to take responsibility, and be more aware of what we use each day!


Be aware of what you buy, make the right decisions, and live toxin free! (and believe me, there are many alternatives, it's not like you have to just give up everything you enjoy in life - plus, as you start to learn more about the stuff you once enjoyed, you'll realize that your preferences tend to shift - but it's okay, change is good, it's healthy!)


We are the ones with the power, because we are the one with the money buying the products! We need to be aware and responsible, because no one else is looking out for our health but us - and to be honest, I trust myself more to know what's good for my body, than any large corporation - even if they do have my best interest at heart - we are all such different beings, different products will effect each of us very differently - know yourself, know your body! 


Your body is a sacred place, what you use on it should be, too.






Side Note: I posted something simliar on FB but realizing that there are many individuals who are not on facebook, I thought it was important to do both - in the mean time, I'm trying to decide how best to address that issue - because most of my posts are on facebook - as such, please add me as a friend on there if you wish to see more frequent information! I will try to keep both updated though, facebook usually is the quicker, more effective medium - both have their pros)


Jocelynn NoEnbridge Rodrigues (I do believe I am searchable, if not let me know! - leave me a comment and I can add you, too!) THANKS for taking an interest and caring for our earth :)