Innocent Earth

The good ol’ days…

treehugger — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:29:37 +0000

I had a lovely older couple pick up some items for their grandson the other day. We started discussing the quality and manufacturing standards of the garments they had chosen along with the how + why I started retailing organic, fair-trade, oeko-tex certified clothing for kids. The Grandfather, sighed and recalled a time when they didn’t even think of such concerns, such as pesticide residues, heavy metals and other harmful substances when buying clothing. The Grandmother, who came from a family of farmers (in which DDT was a common household pesticide), mentioned that most of her family died from Lymphoma, and likely from exposure “…so we’re getting these clothes for our grandkids”

‘Nuf said.

The Story of Cosmetics

treehugger — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:40:06 +0000

A clever video explaining (and confirming) why we have known and potential toxic chemicals in Body Care products and what can be done.

Raising your awareness…so you can raise healthier children.

treehugger — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:14:20 +0000

Many people assume I am a tree-loving hippie trying to convert the world to reduce, reuse, recycle and upset comfortable habits/lifestyle choices everywhere. Although I might agree that I have the utmost respect for Nature and all her fruits, I am an urban Mom and my days can revolve around the moods of my family very easily. This is where the juggling begins. Blending a healthy respect for our Environment and providing the best for my family is a dance I have yet to master. My goal may be elusive, but my actions bring me closer and closer. And when I have treehugger’s guilt (ie. buying plastic whatever, failing to recycle something, or using dreaded chemicals), I watch this video to remind me of what it’s all about…

Sustainability

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:23:22 +0000

In reviewing the current findings on phthalates, dioxins and pesticides for my website, I stumbled upon a series of articles and findings that I found to be quite alarming for the time they were written in. The EPA and other organizations and individuals have long known the harmful effects of said substances and yet its prevalence in our environment still persists. Sure Canada was the first western country to halt the sale of BPA laden baby bottles, but what about the rest of it swimming in our environment? Its found in the air, soil, water. Even sewage sludge. What disturbs me most is its current mimicry as PCB–in the same way PCB bioaccumulates in our ecosystem. How it’s found in the breast milk of Inuit women. How like the drug DES (another dioxin) it leaves a horrid legacy in generations of women and children.

When I think of how I, along with my daughter, am so “sensitive” to lotions, textiles, foods, anything absorbed into my skin, anything I eat, anything I breathe…I wonder if I am not really reacting to the toxic soup innately found in my everyday life. Perhaps the rash I got after using yet another “natural” product was actually, my body saying “hey, we’re all full up on harmful chemicals still, can you try something else?”. Or maybe the reason why I’m having trouble losing those last 10 lbs, is because my body is using that fat to store all the phthalates I’ve been exposed to in my life thus far, and since I cannot metabolize them, to lose that fat would burden the rest of my organs and cause more toxicity.

What upsets me most is that these findings are from 1987-2001. Naturally, as one trained in the research and review of scientific journals, I would consider this to be more historical information as opposed to current findings and dismiss them as past conclusions, likely outdated. However, the rise of allergies, asthma, diabetes, cancer all of which have been found to be influenced by the exposure of phthalates, dioxins, pesticides, tells me these findings still hold great significance.

Could my daughters severe food allergies have anything to do with the fact that I heated/microwaved her milk in Avent bottles during her first two years of life? Or perhaps, it was the Malathion that was sprayed consistently to control mosquito populations in my younger years growing up in Winnipeg that has made me “sensitive”. Why did my daughter’s wheezing/coughing become unremarkable once I removed her PVC mattress cover (waterproof barrier), polyester filled pillow and duvet? Could my food aversion/allergy to bivalves and bottom feeders (clams, oysters, shrimp etc) really be my body saying “hey, we’re all full up on harmful chemicals still, can you try something else?” Yes, I am ranting. Yes, I am making assumptions based on semi-related findings. And yes, this is why, if I was given a choice to reduce my exposure to said ubiquitous chemicals and the exposure of my children and yours, as well as to reduce our society’s dependancy on such harmful substances, I would choose ORGANIC.

What does this have to do with sustainable fashion? Its six-degrees of separation to creating a world with considerably less harmful substances and hope for a better quality of life for us all.