Kris Carr discovered health, wellness, energy and vitality the way people typically do: by getting it wrong. At 31, she was living fast and hard as a “party hound and stress slut” until the day piercing abdominal cramps revealed she had a rare type of inoperable liver cancer.

But Carr’s battleship, or at least her attitude, is unsinkable. Thanks to her wicked sense of humor she kept her spirits up, shifted into research mode and switched to an anti-inflammatory vegetarian diet that incorporated loads of raw, fresh green foods to rebalance her body’s pH. Aside from full remission from a disease the doctors called terminal, she came out the other side feeling joy, lightness and renewed “sexy spark”.

Now her mission as a Wellness Warrior is to share her secrets with us.

Film footage of her treatments became the acclaimed TLC documentary Crazy, Sexy Cancer and she later married the film’s editor. Now she’s a motivational speaker, blogger, and New York Times bestselling author.

Her book Crazy, Sexy Diet is a charming and comprehensive manual on how to get your “god pod” into an optimum state of bliss. Aside from great recipes and fascinating scientific nuggets, the book includes a 21-day adventure cleanse.

It’s introduced by Dr. Dean Ornish, who says, “I love Kris Carr, she glows…. Consider this not a diet book, but a guide to living fully; not a meal plan, but a road map to self-empowerment, adorned with Kris’s unrivalled enthusiasm, humor, and compassion. By the time you finish this book, there’s a good chance you may love Kris, too.”

It’s a brilliant move to include brainfood from Ornish and 14 other superstar guest authors and doctors (and 40+ more on her website, including Vancouver’s own raw vegan Ultra Marathon champ Brendan Brazier.) These expert witnesses widen the breadth of knowledge and let us experience their expertise in their own words, which adds a nice variety to the book’s distinctive tone.

Her cheeky writing style makes this such a fun read that you forget your learning the secrets to vibrant health. Chapter 5, Go With Your Gut, starts with a warning that “we’re gonna talk shit” and follows with her twist on, you are what you eat: “…you’re also what you don’t poop. If you’re haluin’ around garbage in your cells, tissues, or colon, you’re literally waste-ing your vibrant potential.”

Not only does Carr teach you how to “dine with the divine” but covers sexy sleep, supplements, skin care, essential oils, meditation, the economics of eating animals, and how to deal with negative nellies who are threatened by your new-found success.

Get your keys to this very vivacious wellness Carr at http://crazysexylife.com/ – or pick up Crazy, Sexy Diet. Chances are good you won’t be able to put it down.

Do you celebrate your mastery and finesse?  Are you intimate with a posse? Do you rally and converse with your various parts (i.e., feelings, emotions, actions, words), regardless of their positivity? Recognizing your gifts, cultivating relationships and collaborating with all aspects of your human nature are just a few of the effective Tantric teachings that have invited more humour, dharma and love into my life.

It takes a lot of courage for me to remember and relish my unique flair. Once as I started to immerse my awareness and actions around my gifts, conditions in my life began to align. Life didn’t seem so edgy, or shall I say I didn’t seem so edgy? It was as if I stepped into my flow (i.e, dharma). Unfortunately I’m not in this flow 100% of the time…there are moments when I’m in the mud. But now I have the knowing to feel and see when I’m misaligned, and then I take steps to meet the flow. Whether they are baby steps or T-Rex steps I move toward my dharma.

It took a load of strength (and continuously demands a balance of sensitivity and muscle energy) to cultivate and sustain community (e.g., family, kula, sangha, posse, etc). Community has not only been shown to clinically improve health and well-being (Ornish, 2007), but historically and today lineages and families around the globe utilize relationships as a means to receive support and harness more potency. It is within these relationships that we can see the reflection of ourselves – all parts of ourselves. Over time I’ve learned to have a good laugh at certain aspects of myself, but simultaneously I’ve been overwhelmed by the compelling impact of the Tantric practices that are now part of my repertoire (e.g., visualizations, japa, meditation). These practices have invited me to unfold parts of myself that have never been revealed and transform patterns that don’t necessarily serve myself or those around me.

As my teacher Dr. Douglas Brooks reminds me, there is nothing more divine than to dwell deeply in the elements of nature, society and humanity, and that our flawed and vulnerable human qualities are nothing more nor less than the Divine being revealed (Srividyalaya, 2011). These teachings not only invite me to love myself more, but also to love others.

Tantra is a Sanskrit word translated in some texts to be ‘doctrine’,‘theory’ or ‘system of practice’ (Wallis, 2012). Tantra has also been associated with definitions such as ‘loom’  or ‘weave’. According to Wallis, the Tantrik practice is learned from someone aged in the tradition and who has received not only blessings from the practices but has also experienced some of the snags. Southern and Northern India embrace different Tantric traditions, scriptures and practices. To define Tantric Yoga in a brief statement like this would only diminish the auspiciousness of this beautiful tradition. Instead, I invite you to explore and learn more about the accessibility and practicality of this yoga tradition. Visit http://rajanaka.com/  OR http://mattamayura.org.

For me, Tantric Yoga is a remembrance that my embodiment as a human is a playful, intentional and powerful experience that requires collaboration, cooperation, and cohabitation with conditions, circumstances and people surrounding me. The more I embark on the Tantrik path, the more I realize that there is so much more to discover about myself and everyone around me. Due to the vastness within myself and others, I’m immensely curious to explore and discover life.

Douglas Brooks (2011): Srividyalaya, Ganesha Puja, Crossing the Threshold of Tantric Understanding and Practice.

Wallis, Christopher Hareesh, (2012): Tantra Illuminated, Anusara Press, Texas, USA.

Ornish, Dean (2007): The Spectrum, Ballantine Books, NY, NY.

Do you believe in Valentine’s Day?

This is a question I’ve heard many times before, have always known my answer but never known why.  Yes, I always say, and last night I realized why…

Whilst twisted up in my least favourite yoga pose, our teacher told us to smile and open our hearts.  Easy for you to say, I wanted to retort.  Then she continued.  What she said was very simple and shut my ego up right away. “If we’re not here to give love and receive love, what are we doing?” Well that’s the best question I’ve been asked in a long time, and that question turned into my reason for believing very wholeheartedly in Valentine’s Day.

“It’s a event that Hallmark made up!” or “men should be nice to women every day of the year!”  These are the two common phrases that I hear in the “down with Valentine’s Day” argument.  Are they valid? Absolutely!  Both of those statements are true.  But I say, so what?  Why not use today as a reminder or excuse to give extra love?  I’ve never seen someone receive a Valentine and be mad … I’ve only ever seen smiles.  Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural painkillers, and serotonin.  Together these three are a natural drug.  Well, who would say no to that?!  Certainly not me.

So I say, soak it all up.  Enjoy giving love and receiving love.

Happy Heart Day!

How to easily improve everything in your life this year…in ONE step!

The New Year arrives in a flash of optimism and a renewed commitment to my best health.  Suddenly it’s February, I’m clicking “Play Next Episode” and having ice cream for dinner.  Hmm.

What happened?  Why is it so fun to break our own rules?  Why is it so tricky to make Resolutions that stick?

If we combine intentions with habit, we can transform our lives beyond recognition.  Resolutions usually come from a soul-desire to improve our lives, but we express them with thoughts and judgments that come from the mind.  Resolving to lose weight or work out more because we ‘should’ doesn’t bring success.

A weight-loss study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine is very revealing:  Of a group of women ages 30-50, half were asked to focus on the affirmation “I am making these changes for better health.”  The others used the affirmation “I wish I had the body I did when I was 20”,  which is really a negative self-judgment, and the women in this group lost 10-20 lbs less  than the women affirming a message of self-care.

We also LOVE to break our own rules, and will often make a Resolution based on unrealistic expectations simply to sabotage ourselves.  Drastic changes to lifestyle are hard on the system in many ways, from something as basic as being sore after working out a lot after a period of inactivity, all the way to deepening depression when we set ourselves up to fail.  In a study at the University of California at Davis, people who made small, evolutionary changes to their lifestyles experienced 75% greater success than those who made dramatic changes, like completely removing sugar from their diets.  When we deny ourselves comforts (even if those comforts are not great for us), we feel deprived, and this can lead to a feast-or-famine way of thinking and feeling.

What are the top Resolutions?  Weight-loss, better fitness, greater happiness, being ‘greener’,  increased productivity, release from addictions, being kinder to others…these are all worthy goals, so let’s make it simple, and do them all at once with one easy step.  Ready?

100% natural products based on true, medical-grade Essential Oils will effortlessly support healthy changes.  You don’t have to do ANYTHING extra, just switch your synthetic antiperspirant, soap, skin care and lotions to truly 100% natural products.

Weight-loss:  Aromatherapy can be used to reduce cravings, break up stubborn fat, and speed metabolism.  Using Essential Oils also helps us to feel more emotionally balanced so we don’t need as much ‘comfort’ food.

Better fitness:  Using safe, effective natural pain-relievers for sports injuries and workout strain improves the body’s ability to heal and can stimulate production of new muscle tissue.

Happiness:  Many Essential Oil’s have antidepressant actions, and can gently relieve anxiety, grief and low self-esteem while naturally balancing stress levels.  It’s a lot easier to make good choices when we’re feeling good!

Being ‘greener’:  Natural products are better for us and better for the environment!  Using Essential Oil’s in home and body care means we are choosing ethical, sustainable products that smell great and work wonderfully.

Release from addictions:  Aromatherapy is unique in its ability to stimulate the mind and body simultaneously to produce feelings of wellness.  While there are specific products connected to individual addictions, use of natural body care and Aromatherapy is generally detoxifying and rebalancing.

Being kinder to others?  It’s so much easier to keep that Resolution when we’re being kind to ourselves.  Take a look at the products under your kitchen sink and on your bathroom shelves.  Read some ingredients.  Look them up.  Gasp in horror.  Those synthetic chemicals are actively undermining your well-being!  Some of them are xenoestrogens and harm our endocrine balances, causing anxiety and hormonal problems.  Some of them are ‘natural’ parabens derived from petroleum manufacture, linked to many kind s of cancers!

When you choose to go natural, as much as possible, you are saying NO to harmful ingredients found in all aspects of home and body care products.  You’re saying YES to health and happiness this year, and many more to come.

Thanks for reading, as always I welcome your comments, and Happy New Year!

Co-Founders :: Excited!

What inspired you to start One Yoga for the People?

“I was living in Los Angeles and that is where I was first exposed to a donation based yoga model. I wanted a studio that was out of the box and had alternative payment options to make yoga accessible to everybody. I wanted to see change and evolution in our communities and I thought that offering yoga would be a great place to begin seeing that change. I felt that even if I were just serving a few people it would ripple out and impact the larger community.”

What has been the biggest benefit of having yoga in your life?

“There’s so many! One primary benefit is that I feel I’m able to see more beauty because of the practice of yoga. It allows me to have a lens that allows me to see clearly. I feel I’m able to see more beauty in everything around me whether it’s people I don’t know, people that are in my life, in art or in food.“

I’ve heard a lot of opinions on how often one needs to go to yoga, walk me through your opinion.

“Each tradition may tell you different things. Many if not most of my teachers have told me that I should practice every day….whether it is asana, pranayama, meditation or mantra. This I still do. But I feel that people can acknowledge that yoga is so much more than just the Asana. That a lot of it has to do with allowing yourself to drop in to a certain moment in time and that, in and of itself, can be a really strong practice. Don’t get me wrong, practicing Asana 2, 3, 4, 5 times a week or practicing everyday will provide enormous openings in the mind, body and heart, but there are so many people that can’t practice everyday and so I find that they get overwhelmed by the idea of practicing everyday and give up all together. That’s not what I want. I want people to acknowledge that if you can only make it to the mat 1-day a week and practice on really connecting to your breath and to each moment…then that is an amazing yoga practice.

I had one of my teachers say to me, “An advanced yoga practice is one where you can sustain your awareness on your breath and your body for an extended period of time.” There are students who flow through an Asana practice but they don’t really have sustained awareness— so is that advanced? I don’t know. There are teachers that may beg to differ but I have a hard time telling a student that in order for them to advance they must be on the mat practicing 5 or 6 times a week or some other arbitrary amount. Obviously the more you can get to the mat the better and you’ll see huge wide openings in the body, mind, heart and energetically. When we open to receive and unite mind and body, then there is an energetic alignment which allows a cultivation of joy that really comes from the heart.”

How long have you been doing yoga and what brought you to start?

“I started gymnastics at a very young age and continued through my adolescence. I started running marathons and triathlons after my undergraduate degree. I took several Pranayama practices and Restorative classes to balance what I was doing and that’s where I found some crazy openings with my running and gymnastic practice. After that I started practicing Asana. So I am going on 15 years of practicing yoga.”

Where is your favorite outdoor place to practice Yoga?

“Bowen Island beaches are phenomenal— so beautiful. But if I’m on top of Lions Peak, that’s really mind blowing! However I have two kids and hiking with a 6 month old and a 3 year old isn’t as accessible so I find we’re at the beach a lot more, even if it’s the winter, that’s our hike!”

For someone starting out at Yoga, what are your words of advise?

“The more intimacy you can cultivate with your breath the more you will be able to drop into you and everything around you. I really think that breath is the primary connection to you, your practice and everything around you.”

Kit bags made from recycled water bottles? It’s true!

This holiday season we’re stepping up our commitment to nurturing wellness within and without by offering a gorgeous selection of gifts that are good for you and good for the Earth!

Soon you’ll get a first peek at our fabulous new natural healing kits, gift boxes, skin care sets, pampering kits and so much more (we can’t wait to show you some of our gorgeous new candle diffusers and nebulizers!)

And here’s why it will feel so good to Give Green this year: Saje has a whole lineup of products featuring:

- packaging made from recycled or recyclable materials,
- 100% vegan products,
- no harmful toxins or dyes,
- biodegradable materials,
- sustainable wood packaging,
- AND of course, all Saje products are 100% natural and never tested on animals.

Keep an eye out for some new kit bags made from — of all things — recycled plastic bottles! Your go-to, must-have remedies, mists and roll-ons are bundled in this gorgeous PET fabric that’s given tossed plastic bottles a new life!

We hope you’ll join us to Give Green this Holiday season with Saje and give gifts that show your friends, family, and the Earth a lot of love.

Saje Southgate is built!

The nerves kicks in, will it be everything we want it to be?! A brand new design, a fresh look and the day is finally here: it is ready. We arrive at the mall, run to the hoarding, punch in the key code and swing open the door. Thrilled doesn’t begin to describe the feeling: it is clean, it is done, it is everything we wanted.

The next 4 days were a flurry of painting murals, unpacking boxes, late night tap dancing and playing with our new AromaFriends! Take a look at the journey and let us know what you think of it!

Day 1 || Hoarding

Day 1 || The Calm Before the Storm

Day 1 || Old -> New

Day 2 || The Plans Begin

Day 2 || The Merchandising Master

Day 2 || Kate’s Faves gets her scissor on

Day 2 || Saje Wellness Trainer keeps us calm

Day 3 || Hoarding Down TA DAA

Day 3 || The Whole Gang

Day 3 || Open for Business

Day 3 || A World of Wellness

Day 3 || Kate’s Faves loves her new store!

*Fun Fact about Saje Southgate: The wood you see Kate leaning on is reclaimed Saskatchewan barn wood

Back to the regular routine of work and school? Here are some helpful tips to keep your spirits high and your shoulders relaxed! Feeling like there’s too much task and not enough day, or struggling with stres. These are my 5  favourite stressbusters!

1)     Top of the list, Peppermint Halo.  This world-famous Saje Remedy is an astonishing blend of Essential Oils which reduce muscular tension and pain. Though traditionally a headache and migraine remedy, it can be applied quickly on shoulders, neck, lower back – any spot that needs a fast-acting pain reliever. As a huge plus, inhaling Peppermint Halo, triggers feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain.  All this naturally with no nasty side effects!

2)    Almost as great as Aromatherapy:  Saying NO.  This one’s tough, especially for all you SuperMoms and awesome Dads out there, however, demonstrating healthy boundaries will help your budding Gretzky or prima ballerina, as well as keep you much saner.  Yes, 5 AM practice is important.  Car pooling can get you some equally-important extra sleep.  In an office?  Do you know why they call it a deadline?  Taking on a healthy workload allows you to really do your best.  Practice saying YES to what you want, and NO to what you don’t want. Deepak Chopra recommends feeling how the choice sits within us.  A healthy, positive choice usually gives the body a feeling of contentment.

3)     Puripatches.  Based on traditional Chinese medicinal use of herbal compresses and ionic detoxification, this 21^st Century upgrade comes in the form of easy-to-use patches that adhere to the soles of the feet.  Detoxifying while you sleep is truly the way to go. The herbs and minerals help to absorb toxins through the large pores of the feet.  As stress stimulates the body to produce adrenalin and cortisol, which are toxic in high quantities, Puripatches help relieve stress and support a healthy immune system.

4)    H2O and O2.  Every part of your body, including your brain, runs on water and oxygen.   If we’re getting the right amount of water for our size, then the skin looks great.  Our muscles and joints are lubricated and flexible, digestion is improved and weight management is much easier!  When brains have enough water they don’t pump our anxiety neurotransmitters based on dehydration!  Try drinking water first thing in the morning for a brain boost.  When it comes to mental function, a deep breath makes a big difference too!  Shallow breathing causes stress, deep breathing calms stress. Improve your air quality with a Nebulizer or diffuser, and practice deep breathing whenever you’re feeling a bit boggled!

5)    Be good to yourself.  Studies show that negative criticism reduces our ability to do anything effectively, and can often be stored in the subconscious; this enemy within can nag us and even cause us to sabotage our own success!  Retraining the subconscious for happiness with affirmations and constructive, positive speaking can turn stressors into powerful, healthy learning experiences.   Wonderful tools for building the emotional immune system can include affirmations, Laughter Yoga, participating in playful activities – anything that brings more fun to your life.

Thanks for reading, as always I welcome your comments!

Dear Green Mama: We are in the process of renovating a room for our baby.  We want everything to be beautiful, safe, and of course, healthy. Of course we don’t have an unlimited budget so where do we begin?

Dear Green Nursery on a Budget:

Hooray for the fun part: planning the nursery. And Hooray for you because you can save A LOT of money by buying green the first time. While there are many reasons to go green, health is the reason given by most of the moms we work with at The Green Mama so that is the focus in my Top 6 Nursery Items To Buy Green tips below. As usual, you can learn more at www.thegreenmama.com.

Mattresses

Infants sleep 12 to 18 hours a day so it’s important to consider what they’re sleeping on. The average mattress is made with polyurethane foam (petroleum-based) and treated with a variety of chemicals such as brominated flame retardants (also known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers – PBDEs) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) for stain and water resistance. Both the materials used and the chemicals they are treated with can off-gas (release chemicals into the air) to create unhealthy indoor air quality. There is some research to suggest that this contributes to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Either way, it is extremely unhealthy.

Crib mattresses are also often wrapped in polyvinylchloride plastic (PVC), which both off-gasses and contains phthalates. If complete waterproofing is necessary (it can be less than ideal because of mold issues), find one that uses polyethylene plastic instead.

When shopping for bedding, especially mattresses, look for natural materials such as wool, organic cotton, or natural rubber (not synthetic latex which is also treated with chemicals). Wool wicks away moisture from the skin and helps to regulate body temperature keeping baby dry and more comfortable. It also resists dust mites better than any other fabric. A sleep study by the Woolmark Company and the University of Sydney showed that wool breathes better than synthetics, increases the length of REM sleep, and gets the body to a comfortable sleeping temperature quicker and maintains it for a longer period of time.

Make sure to avoid chemicals such as toluene, benzene, chemical flame retardants (PBDEs), stain-resistant coatings (such as Teflon and Scotchguard), phthalates, or PVC. Ask specifically about how the mattress is made flame retardant.  Most conventional mattresses use harmful chemicals, such as PBDEs, as a cheap way of meeting flame retardancy standards.  Instead, look for mattresses or futons that use wool for flame retardancy.

Pajamas and Clothes

Children’s clothes (and bedding) can be treated with chemicals to make them water and stain-resistant and pajamas can contain fire resistant additives. According to Environmental Working Group (EWG), pajamas are often made with a chemical additive to make them fire resistant. These chemicals used in sleepwear labeled “fire resistant” will remain in the fabric for at least 50 washes. The Products Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations require that the pajamas self extinguish if exposed to an open flame for 3 seconds. To avoid harmful chemicals and meet the requirement, look for 100% cotton that is snug-fitting, preferably organic cotton. Also, read labels carefully and avoid clothing that says: permanent press; crease resistant; no-iron; shrink-, stretch-, stain-, or water-proofed; water repellent; and flame retardant as all of these are code for harmful chemical additives.

Diapers

Most disposable diapers are made of bleached tree pulp and petroleum-based man-made materials such as polypropylene and polyethylene. They also contain chlorine bleach and SAP (sodium polyacrylate – the absorbent gel). Chlorine-bleached materials may contain traces of dioxin which is a cancer-causing chemical and an environmental toxin. SAP is possibly a contributing factor in the increased scrotal temperature of boys who wear disposables versus cloth. Increased scrotal temperature is considered a possible link to male infertility. SAP also used to be in tampons but was banned after it was linked to toxic shock syndrome.

Alternatives include non-chlorine bleached options (e.g. Seventh Generation), non-SAP options (Tushies), or cloth diapers. Cloth diapers are easier and cuter than ever. Learn more about why you might choose cloth, how to maintain cloth with the least impact, and where to buy (or try on) the newest options at www.thegreenmama.com.

Baby Care Products: Creams, Wipes and Powders

These are things that get smeared all over babies’ skin. The skin is our largest organ and some chemicals can pass through and enter the bloodstream where potential health hazards are limitless. Other chemicals can cause skin irritations, which in turn make it easier for chemicals to get through and into the blood stream. The body care and cosmetics industries are almost entirely not regulated, not by the FDA or any independent certifying organization. This is true, even, for products marketed especially for babies and children. Children are particularly vulnerable because their skin is more porous and their ability to detoxify is limited.

A few Green Mama guidelines for helping to find better baby care products:

1. Less is more. Babies don’t really get dirty, a very gentle soap and water is usually all t hat is needed and is the healthiest option.

2. Avoid powders. The tiny particles can become airborne and then inhaled, which can do damage to babies’ delicate respiratory systems

3. If you wouldn’t eat it (or at least recognize and can pronounce the ingredients) don’t put it on your baby. Triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, and “methyl”, “propyl”, “butyl” and “ethyl” parabens aren’t just hard to pronounce they are harsh (and even toxic) additives routinely found in skincare products.

4. Fragrance is a big no-no. Fragrances are a concern in baby products where they routinely hide, often even in products labeled as “unscented.” Since scents become airborne, they are a danger for babies anywhere in the house. The large majority of fragrances (those not specifically stated as coming from 100% essential oils) are synthetic and created with a combination of chemicals that are not required to be listed in the ingredients. Most contain phthalates, which are suspected to cause cancer, disrupt hormones, and cause reproductive system birth defects.

5. Check out EWG’s Parent’s Buying Guide database for product recommendations and specific chemicals to avoid and visit their SkinDeep database to look up the safety of your favorite product.

Learn more Green Mama tips about how to find healthier skincare products and do-it-yourself alternatives online.

Things baby mouth: Bottles, teething toys, and pacifiers

Plastic can seem even more ubiquitous once a baby enters a household. In general, we worry about plastic more when it is something the baby will routine put in his or her mouth.  Plastic is associated with an alphabet soup of chemicals, many that are known endocrine disruptors, irritants, or even toxins. Thus when limiting plastic we recommend starting  with bottles, teething toys, and pacifiers.

The concern with baby bottles is bisphenol A (BPA), a common plasticizer found in hard plastics that has been linked to endocrine disruption, acting similar to estrogen in the body. One government-funded panel of experts linked the chemical to increased risk of reproductive problems, obesity, and breast and prostate cancer. A second panel wasn’t so sure, but both agreed that there might be behavioral impacts, such as ADHD.

Check out these real world options for safe and easy solutions. It’s best to avoid plastic and go for glass or stainless steel. But if you do use plastic, look for BPA-free or at least make sure to not put them in the dishwasher or heat them up. This increases the likelihood that they will leach toxins into the milk.

Many soft plastic toys and teethers are made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC/vinyl) and often contain phthalates (mentioned above). Look for chew toys and teethers that are made from natural materials instead. Some Green Mama favorites include wood with all-natural finishes and organic cotton.

Pacifier nipples are made of rubber or silicone. It’s best to avoid synthetic rubber (latex) as it can contain nitrosamines, a known carcinogen. 100% natural rubber, for those without a family history of latex allergies, or silicone are safer alternatives.

Design Materials: Furniture, Paint, Flooring, etc.

Everyone wants a pretty nursery and for the first baby, you’ll need new stuff to create that nursery. This often means bringing in brand new materials, painting, and buying new furniture. And with that usually comes a host of toxic chemicals. New products are the worst when it comes to off-gassing. They release VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and HAPs (hazardous air pollutants) that are harmful when inhaled. Often they continue to off-gas even after the smell is gone.

One of the worst and most pervasive toxins is formaldehyde. This is found in glues and adhesives in pressed wood that is used in furniture, cabinetry, and laminate flooring. Buy solid wood when you can and used furniture that has already off-gassed. Also, look for furniture and flooring that has been finished with non-toxic stains and coatings. If you’re buying new hardwood floors, buy them pre-finished. If you’re re-finishing your existing floors, make sure to use a low-VOC polyurethane or a natural alternative like wax or oil. Polyurethane is extremely smelly and toxic and takes weeks to get the smell out. When it comes to carpet, look for the Green Carpet Plus label to guarantee it is low-VOC. That new carpet smell comes from an array of harsh chemicals, some of the worst found in the glues.  Avoid wall-to-wall carpet and glues, but if you have to use them make sure to find low-VOC options.

Luckily, for paints there are now many no-VOC options now available. (No VOC is a designation and doesn’t usually mean no VOCs but simply below a certain level). Buy No-VOC when you can and also check to see if it contains formaldehyde. Then ask if the tint that is added for color contains VOCs. If it does, use a light color because darker colors use more tint.

Learn more about ways to green your home and limit you and your baby’s exposure to harmful chemicals at www.thegreenmama.com.

Other ways to get involved and informed:

• Support the Safe Chemicals Act for testing and stricter regulation of the 82,000 chemicals in use in the United States.
• Watch the video “10 Americans” about toxic umbilical cord blood.
• Visit the Environmental Working Group for regular research on chemicals in our daily lives.