moregreenmoms.com

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy.....

My email was sparked with outrage this morning from a friend in North Carolina who is a devoted TODAY show watcher. (I think she has a little crush on Matt Lauer, but who doesn’t….) She has also become a dedicated green mom. 

The source of her dismay was a segment hosted by handsome Matt and featuring Dr. Nancy Snyderman which highlighted a recent study conducted by Consumer Reports rating sunscreens’ effectiveness at blocking UVA and UVB radiation. 

If I’ve read the WebMD excerpt of the report correctly, apparently the lab methodology was to check “product claims of how well their sun protection factor, or SPF, lasted on volunteers who soaked in water for 80 minutes.”

And from that data, the “top four” products were selected.  Wow, now that is some awesome science!  I’m wondering who paid for this study – the American Chemistry Council?

The products that the TODAY show experts recommended to millions of viewers this morning may very well stay on skin, even in water, but they are also loaded with toxic chemicals and I would not consider purchasing any of them to protect myself or more importantly, my children.

Here is why.  The second I read that list, which includes Up & Up Sport SPF 30 by Target, Walgreens Sport Continuous SPF 50, Banana Boat Sport Continuous SPF 30 and Aveeno Continuous Protection SPF 50, I clicked right to EWG’s Cosmetics Database to check their ratings.

As reference, the EWG published an exhaustive investigation on sunscreen in 2009.  If you want to become a junior expert like me, I highly recommend you take a look at what this 9-part piece reveals.  That goes for you too, Dr. Snyderman ;-)

I consider the Cosmetics Database to be the most trustworthy resource consumers can reference to explore precautionary concerns about ingredients in our cosmetic and personal care products.

Unfortunately neither the Walgreens nor the Target brand was scored, which was not a helpful start.  An exhaustive search online did not turn up a list of their ingredients.  But let’s just assume that if these are private label, low-cost products manufactured by a mass retailer, cost-effective chemicals are the foundation for each formulation.  I would be happy to be proven wrong on this one.

The low price of these products was mentioned three times in this segment and it was the deciding factor on naming the Target brand #1.  You know the adage, “you get what you pay for….”

Of the remaining two brands, neither of them scored lower than a 5 (on a hazard scale from 0-10) and many ingredients in both in the 7 range.  Red flag.  I don’t buy any products for my own family that rate higher than a 3, which is my personal (subjective) benchmark for safety.

Referencing an article I wrote in May of 2008, which I highly recommend you read, an ingredient of particular concern in sunscreen products is oxybenzone – or any derivative in the benzone chemical family.

I wrote, “Oxybenzone is a UV filtering agent, but it is also a penetration enhancer and it absorbs through the skin. Very significantly the sunlight can cause oxybenzone to trigger free radical chemicals to damage skin cells and components of the skin’s extra cellular support system like collagen and elastin.”

And perhaps more importantly, it is a hormone disruptor and behaves as a synthetic estrogen in our bodies.

But if you don’t trust me, how about reading the EWG’s list of “9 Surprising Truths” in their 2010 Sunscreen Guide.  And even more delicious is their “Hall of Shame.”  Do any of these products look familiar?

One newer data point that I am interested in exploring further is the concern that researchers are expressing about nano-particles as ingredients in our skin protection.  Titanium dioxide on the ingredients list can be an indicator that nano-particles are in a product.

An excellent reference on this issue is Hillary Peterson, CEO of Marie-Veronique Organics, a company with a top-rated sunscreen, my product of choice for everyday wear.  After beating thyroid cancer and weathering two melanomas, she is passionate about creating the safest and most effective products on the market.

I recently sat next to her on a 5 hour plane ride and we talked about nano-particles from Pittsburgh to San Francisco.  Believe me, when I say that she is passionate about the subject.  Her primary concern is that researchers have not studied the impact of these micronized particles so cavalierly cruising through our bodies, settling into our organs and our unborn children.  We are in need of more data about how nano-particles from our cosmetics behave once they easily penetrate our skin or are inhaled.

I am very excited to know that her company just launched their Kid Safe Screen and I just purchased a dozen bottles for our summer supply.  (No, I’m not a paid spokesperson for MVO.)

But I am an informed consumer, which is probably more than I can say for most of the TODAY show viewers scrambling out the door to Target this morning to buy their VERY waterproof, cheap sun protection.

Experts on shows like TODAY wield such tremendous influence on consumer behavior.  I dream of a day when the wisdom imparted upon the masses stems from a deeper source than the deepest pockets of our society.

A girl can only dream….

To close, reading my last post on sunscreen reminded me that I love song lyrics so how about a little John Denver to brighten your day!

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy

Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely

Sunshine almost always makes me high

 

If I had a day that I could give you

I'd give to you a day just like today

If I had a song that I could sing for you

I'd sing a song to make you feel this way

 

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy

Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely

Sunshine almost always makes me high

 

If I had a tale that I could tell you

I'd tell a tale sure to make you smile

If I had a wish that I could wish for you

I'd make a wish for sunshine all the while

 

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy

Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely

Sunshine almost always makes me high

Sunshine almost all the time makes me high

Sunshine almost always

And no, that’s not a typo.  The song ends with “always.”  Guess that Rocky Mountain sun must have been a little too hot…  Don't forget your sunscreen!

 

 

 

Let's play ball!

Anyone know a kid who plays soccer?

Now raise your hand if your child’s game has ever been cancelled to protect a muddy field.

How about a wave from a parent who has nervously watched a little one dodge a gopher hole – or worse yet, land in one.

In San Francisco, and cities across America, we face a dearth of available high quality recreation space.  And the fields we do have are often rendered unusable by the elements, intrusive rodents or maintenance cycles over which we have limited – and sometimes no – control.

We need more athletic fields, not only for the children of our cities, but for all sports enthusiasts participating in a multitude of evening and week-end rec leagues throughout urban America.

Fortunately in our foggy hometown, we have a solution which comes in the form of City Fields, a non-profit organization dedicated to renovating existing fields with a new generation of synthetic turf that is playable year-round, level, affordable and easy to maintain. 

As you can imagine, the word “synthetic” is not a favorite of mine.

So of course, my initial reaction was to doubt the safety and environmental sanctity of these proposed installations. 

Where is the data about what these fields might off-gas to my little heavy-breathing soccer star?  What might leech into our groundwater from the materials in these “grasses?”  What about staph infections lurking in the matting?  And well, one must always worry about where the worms will have to relocate when their muddy territory is compromised.

Never mind that it’s good enough for the athletes at Stanford and Cal to play on these same surfaces, we are talking about MY kids playing in “MY” park, which is essentially our backyard.

So like any self-respecting enviro-neruotica mama, I set up a meeting with the new GM of our Recreation and Park Department, Phil Ginsburg, to get his take on the issue.  As you can imagine, for all the reasons listed above, he is all for building these next-gen sports surfaces.

But what’s interesting to me is that if they get it wrong, he has the most to lose.  Imagine the political fall-out.  Imagine the personal responsibility one might feel for not properly caretaking our precious green spaces, which include one of the crown jewels of our nation’s city park system.  Imagine watching one’s own children play sports on a field that could compromise their health.

Our GM seemed ready and more than willing to endorse this effort because he trusts the data that supports it.  And knowing that I’d want to see it, he sent me to City Fields to learn for myself.

I was over my skis once again pretending to be a toxicology expert.  Notebook ready, I dug into every question that I could think of, referencing articles I had read about troubles in other cities, alternate infill options, pesticide reduction, water use and the impact of heat on synthetic materials.  Scintillating stuff.

And there was a satisfactory answer for EVERYTHING.  Turns out, I’m just one pesky mom amidst a cacophony of highly educated, visibly empowered residents who share my concerns – or may simply feel compelled to stand up for the embattled gopher community. 

Whatever their motivation, naysayers have had an opportunity to speak up and City Fields has responded with research, with persistence and with its gracious offer to fulfill a mission to provide enough space “so every San Francisco child has a place to play.”

Sitting on my desk is a pile 2 inches high of scientific research exploring the potential environmental impact of these fields.  It’s probably a lot more data than most communities would require from a commercial venture that is guaranteed to leave a far greater trail of destruction in its wake.

The founders of City Fields, the Fisher brothers, are all fathers and native San Franciscans.  It is in their blood to give back to their community.  There is no commercial agenda attached to their philanthropic effort.  I truly believe that they, and their supporters, genuinely care about the quality of what their organization proposes to build for our children and all citizens who enjoy exercising and playing outdoors.

A few of these next-gen fields now dot neighborhoods throughout our town.  But the BIG vote on whether to move forward with the renovations at the Beach Chalet happens next week on January 21^st at the Recreation and Park Commission meeting.

With no glaring red flags waving in the off-shore breezes, I want to turn our focus on the upside to this story – to begin with, fighting obesity with exercise, saving six million gallons of water a year, wiping clean our deficit of playing fields and sending less pesticide to seep into the glorious Pacific.

Come on fellow soccer moms – and dads, fellow green moms – and dads.  Join me in supporting the only synthetics I can imagine championing in 2010.

As with anything important in my life, once the analysis is complete I head straight for my gut.  And on this one, my gut truly does say that this is a risk worth taking.  Let’s play ball!

Email your support of City Fields to the Recreation and Park Commission now! [email protected]

 

 

A Trashy Topic

I thought that title might get your attention!  In San Francisco, trash has become the talk of the town.  Overflowing black garbage bins are so passé.  Multi-material recycling containers are entirely de rigueur.  And now it is not only cool to compost, it is the law! 

On October 21^st 2009, the San Francisco Universal Recycling and Composting Ordinance began requiring all businesses and residents of our city to separate refuse into recyclables, compost and trash.  Those who do not comply will be subject to fines, fees or liens on their property or business. 

Watch out, ye citizens of our fair city, the garbage police have arrived.  I wholeheartedly welcome their posse and endorse their proliferation across our once-fair land.

In May of 2008, after touring San Francisco transfer facility, which used to be called the dump before its sexy makeover by Recology, I commented, “Everyone needs a compost container in the kitchen.  If we really want to contribute to reducing the stress on our environment and to safeguarding the health of our planet’s creatures and organisms, we all have to learn why it should be against the law to throw an apple core in the trash.”

I was kidding. 

And while I doubt that anyone from City Hall read that post, I am very happy to live in a place where the people who are in a position to empower citizens to respect our environment have taken that responsibility seriously.

Now, let’s not fool ourselves.  There are PLENTY of people who would not agree.

Certainly there will be a disgruntled and inconvenienced local population of taxpayers who do not appreciate being micro-managed by our green Mayor, his can-do Department of the Environment and our progressive Board of Supervisors.

No doubt our civic leaders will hear from these irate citizens, telling them where they can stick their rotten banana peels.

But months from now, when our green bin protocols become a seamless - and painless - matter of routine these naysayers may wonder what the fuss was all about.

We are spoiled in San Francisco.  Our waste management infrastructure is world class and our only task as residents is to put it to good use. 

Mayor Newsom and his team are working against a set of metrics that include reaching a goal of zero waste by 2020.  What that means is that over the next decade, we will not only have to amend our disposal habits, but also take a hard look at our consumption volumes and our commitment to reuse many items we would normally pitch into our blue or black collection bins. 

Just because a glass pickle jar can be recycled doesn’t mean it should skip becoming a soup container or a piggy bank.  We win when we discover the utility in everyday objects that were once thrown away without a second glance. 

More than anything a state of mind has to accompany the shift.  It is a point of personal pride that my huge black garbage can is less than half full at the end of every week.  At the same time my compost container, of equal 32-gallon size, brims with Biobags up to the lid. 

I am a rookie.  Less than two years ago, I thought composting was for farmers, not city moms with small kitchens and weekly trash pick-up.  But once I understood how harmful the organic matter from our household becomes in the landfill, I simply shifted some long-standing habits and now it pains me to toss food in the trash.

My kids roll their eyes in unison when I politely ask the counter girls at our favorite yogurt shops where I can compost my cup.  I mean really, if you go to the trouble to serve organic dairy products with compostable utensils, why in the world would you forget the green bin at the door?  It is so very simple.  And I figure that if I keep asking, one day it will happen.

The same psychology holds true as we attempt to make San Francisco THE example the rest of our country should follow.  We need to raise our own bar and pepper our tourist areas with the enabling services we enjoy in our homes.  

Hello...where are the recycling and composting receptacles in Fisherman’s Wharf?  We have the awesome potential to inspire millions of tourists to demand a similar commitment from their own hometowns from Bombay to Birmingham. Clearly our infrastructure can deliver so hopefully our parks and public spaces are soon to be outfitted with state of the art collection capabilities.

While we are on the subject of responsible disposition, SF Environment launched a pilot drug mail-back program that I recently used and it is fantastic.  After ridding our shelves of expired Sudafed, Tylenol and prescription medications, I deposited everything into envelopes provided by Sharps Rx Takeaway and simply dropped them at our local post office.  For free.  Yes, for free.

The process is simple and critical to perform.  When we toss our medications in the trash, or wash them through our water system, they make their way back into our environment.  They are causing significant harm to the integrity of our natural resources and they are powerfully circling back to our very own faucets and food supply.

I applaud our city for not only enabling healthier habits, but for demanding them in the first place.  

Wendell Berry, one of our country's much-lauded agrarian voices, wrote, "The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility.  To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope."  

It took a trip to the dump to teach me how to take ownership of my family's refuse.  For others, it might require a hefty fine.  Or a reduced garbage bill.  Or maybe a walk along Crissy Field as the ruby sky melts into our gorgeous Bay.

The motivation is irrelevant.  The action is essential.  So bring on the compost buckets, worm bins and Biobags!  Let’s step up and show our country how it’s done.