Congress Bans Some Phthalates from Children’s Toys

Earlier this week, Congress agreed to ban several types of phthalates from children’s toys as well as to consider a future ban on other phthalates after further study into their health effects on children and pregnant women. (The above link leads to the Washington Post, which is a free site requiring registration.)
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Thinking about a Scooter?

If you are thinking about purchasing a scooter to lower your gas bills, or for any other reason, check out “Is a scooter the answer?” at MSN Money.
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Cell Phones and Cancer

My husband and I have been concerned about the research suggesting there might be a link between cell phone use and cancer. He has a strong family history of cancer so we’ve worked hard to limit the exposure our family, especially our children, have to possible carcinogens. We both have cell phones so one option I had been considering was purchasing headsets to use with our cell phones. However, I had hesitated to spend the money since the research is currently inconclusive.
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A Good Home for Used Books

As our children have become older, they have outgrown not just their clothes but also their books. Now I know exactly where we should send the books that no longer fit – to the Reader to Reader program.

Profiled in today’s The Christian Science Monitor, this organization collects gently used and new books for children and teens and then distributes them, free of charge, to school and public libraries in the countries’ poorest communities. When I learned Reader to Reader also sponsors mentoring programs to help young people learn to love reading, I was completely hooked. Read more

Venture Capital Turns Towards Alternative Energy

Fortune Magazine recently profiled Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a prestigious venture capital firm in Silicon Valley which provided funding for companies like Netscape, Amazon, and Google. Apparently Kleiner Perkins has been concentrating their new investments in alternative energy rather than technology.

The article quotes John Doerr, an influencial partner at Kleiner Perkins: “We made a very deliberate and strategic decision,” he says with the baritone of a deejay, which he was in college. “We could’ve doubled down on Web 2.0, whatever that is. We didn’t.” Read more

Upcoming Changes at Ford

Today’s edition of The New York Times contained an article about changes the Ford Motor Company has planned. Apparently they are shifting their focus from large SUVs and trucks to smaller cars.

My favorite part of the article was this quote from Alan Mullaly, Ford’s president and chief executive officer:
“We don’t have a sustainable company if we don’t do this,” Mr. Mulally recently told members of his management team. Read more

Aspartame as Ant Poison

Those of you who have lived in areas with fire ants will understand my animosity towards these insects. I’m thrilled to find spiders, wasps, bees, and other bugs in our yard but fire ants are not welcome. Fire ants are aptly named – the bites burn and sting for a week or more – and they are very aggressive. This year our yard was home to more than usual, which meant we ended up with more bites than usual. With two small children and a dog, we couldn’t just let them stay. Read more

Product Review for Simple Shoes

The heat of summer arrived with a vengeance this year! As a result, I’ve been seeking ways to stay cool. My favorite pair of sandals fell apart last fall so finding a new pair was high on my to do list.

We can’t afford to replace all our possessions with eco-friendly options, and don’t think that would be particularly green either, but are trying to make sure our purchases are eco-friendly whenever we can. I wasn’t sure if there were affordable and comfortable and attractive eco-friendly shoes but decided to see what the options were. Read more

Twelve Products You May Want to Avoid

Many people have seen the “Dirty Dozen” food listing created by the Environmental Working Group. (If not, you can see the full list and print a handy wallet-sized guide at http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php.) I just came across a similar listing for the “Dirty Dozen Consumer Products” published by the Cancer Prevention Coalition so wanted to share it as a follow-on to both the Book Review for “Clean House, Clean Planet” and What Does ‘Body Burden’ Mean and How Does this Affect My Family?

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Green Car Guide

Many families are growing increasingly concerned with the cost of gas. That plus concerns about global warming and air quality makes for lots of families seeking to learn more about greener transportation options.

To help, Consumer Reports has created a Green Car Guide.  With information ranging from improving the fuel efficiency of your current car to listings of fuel efficient gas cars to details on how hybrid cars work, a lot of ground is covered.

Best of all, the vast majority of this information is open to all. Only a couple of sections are reserved for Consumer Report subscribers so happy reading!

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