If you’re still drinking from a plastic throwaway bottle, some kind of home water filter system should definitely be in your future. Why?

First, you’re spending way too much money on bottled water. Consumer Reports estimates that filling a 16.9-ounce bottle with tap water in New York City costs about 1.3 tenths of a cent. Buy that same bottle already full of water at a convenience store and, with the deposit, it will run you $1.00. If you refill that bottle from you tap every day for a year, you’d be out only 48 cents. Buy a bottle of water a day? It’ll drain you a whopping $365. Duh!

Second, you could be making yourself sick. Plastic bottles that contain (BPA) bisphenol A – or its alternative — may be toxic to your health . Some studies show that BPA may contribute to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, birth defects and Attention Deficit Disorder.

Third, you’re trashing the planet. Plastic bottles are made from petroleum, then packaged, shipped out, and ultimately end up as trash or litter along the road or in a river or stream.

Fourth, even when you buy bottled water, you’re probably drinking tap water, since that’s what many bottlers use to fill their bottles. So…why pay for someone else’s bottle, bottle top, filling process, and all the rest?

Fifth, you can filter tap water at home to get the quality of water that you want to drink. There are many affordable counter-top filter pitchers that do a pretty good job of filtering out some of the contaminants that might be in water.

But to do the most thorough job, consider a whole house water filtration system. One big benefit of such a system is that it filters your entire home water supply so that the water you have in the shower or at the bathroom sink is just as clean as the water you tap in the kitchen. For example, the PelicanWater whole house water filtration system leaves in beneficial minerals while removing other contaminants that are regularly found in tap water, ultimately creating better tasting water.

When choosing a whole house system, consider the following:

1. Contaminants Filtered Check the National Drinking Water Database maintained by the Environmental Working Group. It should be able to tell you what, if any, contaminants are present in the water coming out of your tap. When you choose a filter, make sure it will trap the contaminants local to you.

2. Performance Features Water Filter Systems Review says that under-the-counter water filters will reduce contaminants in different stages. They recommend that you look for a filter that provides at least three separate stages to reduce pollutants from the water. Each stage will remove a different type of contaminant such as sediment, chemicals and residue. Also, be aware that some filters can affect water pressure. Look for systems that have a water pressure range of 55 to 65 psi.

3. Maintenance At some point, the filters on the system will need to be replaced. It’s helpful if your system has an automatic notification system to alert you to when you should change a cartridge.

4. Installation and Fit Make sure your system fits in the space you have allocated for it. And before you buy, check to see if it is something you can install yourself, or will require professional assistance. You want to make sure you can change the filters or cartridges yourself.

Sponsored by Pelican Water

The post 5 Reasons Why a Home Water Filter System Makes Sense appeared first on Big Green Purse.

It is time to ban Bisphenyl-A. In fact, banning Bisphenyl-A is long overdue.

This toxic chemical, also known as BPA, can make kids sick. Previous studies have indicated that BPA can cause baby boys to be born with short penises that could ultimately make reproduction difficult when the boys become men. A study released yesterday in the journal Pediatrics links the toxin to behavioral and emotional problems in toddler girls.

That study tracked 244 moms in Cincinnati and their 3-year old children. The study concluded that children of mothers whose urine contained high levels of BPA were more likely to be hyperactive, aggressive, anxious, or depressed. The behavior of girls appears to be more affected than the behavior of boys in this case, perhaps because BPA mimics the female hormone estrogen, which is thought to influence behavioral development.

Moms, pediatricians, and many consumer groups have been up in arms against BPA for years. The toxin, which helps harden plastic like the kind used for baby bottles and no-spill sippy cups, is also used to line the inside of food and soda cans. Women, using the power of their purse, were able to successfully pressure the manufacturers of baby bottles and sippy cups to eliminate BPA; many reusable water bottle makers have followed suit.

Unfortunately, most canned foods and drinks still come in cans tainted with BPA.

It’s time to rid all food packaging of this dangerous chemical. BPA should not be allowed in food packages produced in the U.S., and it should not be allowed in food packages imported into the U.S., either.

Eleven states, including California, Minnesota and Maryland, have already put their own bans in place, while France has prohibited BPA use in food packaging, as well. The U.S. should institute a nationwide ban as soon as possible.

That decision is up to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA is already in the process of determining whether BPA should be eliminated from baby bottles – even though industry, in response to consumer pressure, has already taken that step. FDA should widen its focus to include any container used to package food and drinks.

What you can do now:

You can protect yourself and your family by:

* choosing fresh food or food and drinks packaged in glass bottles, not cans or plastic bottles

* use reusable water bottles that clearly say “BPA free”

* make sure your kids only use cups, bottles, and toys clearly marked “BPA free”

Also: Sign this petition from MomsRising asking the Food and Drug Administration to ban BPA in infant formula packaging.

Related Posts:

How to Protect Your Family from Bisphenyl-A

BPA Banned from Baby Bottles. What About Other Chemicals and Other Products?

Fresh Food Wins Again

Little Girls Are Worrying About Bras When They Should Still be Playing with Play Dough

The post It’s Time to Ban BPA appeared first on Big Green Purse.

1) Don’t buy anything that requires a throwaway battery. Batteries leak cadmium, lead and other heavy metals when they’re thrown away. They usually come wrapped in plastic and cardboard, creating more trash as soon as you buy them. Plus, you have to keep replacing them; in some cases, the cost of batteries over the life of a product ends up amounting to more than the product itself.  Avoid toys, gadgets and appliances that require short-lived, throwaway batteries. If you must give a battery-powered gift, include rechargeable batteries and the recharger to go with it. One of my favorites is a reuseable AAA battery you can recharge in the USB port of your computer.

2) Green Shopping Solution: Buy solar- or hand-powered. Among your options: hand-cranked flashlights, coffee grinders, blenders and juicers. Vintage-style razors with replaceable razor blades. A French-press coffee pot. More interested in solar? Try solar-powered chargers for cell phones, flash drives, and radios.

3) Don’t buy synthetic fragrances and air fresheners. Ironically, even though these products are supposed to make things smell better, they actually make it more difficult for many people to breathe, especially those who suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems. Want your home to waft Christmas? Simmer a small pot of water, cloves and cinnamon sticks over the stove. Need to smell better yourself? Dab a drop of essential oil from your favorite flower (mine is lavender) behind each ear and on the inside of each wrist.

4) Green Shopping Solution: Buy phthalate-free. Phthalates are often the building blocks for synthetic fragrances. They’re also found in nail polish and many other personal care products. The downside? They’re nasty chemicals considered a reproductive hazard in Europe and the state of California. Luckily, you can find a wonderful variety of phthalate-free nail polishes, perfumes, make-up and other personal care products in stores like Whole Foods and the Body Shop or online here.

5) Don’t buy BPA specifically and plastic generally. Bisphenol A, or BPA, is like phthalates – an “endocrine disruptor” that could be toxic to your reproductive system. It’s usually found in plastic, especially plastic water bottles, some baby bottles and nipples, and rubber and plastic toys. If what you want to buy is plastic or rubber, check the label for the words “BPA Free.” Better yet…

6) Green Shopping Solution: Buy stainless steel, aluminum, glass, or wood. Instead of plastic water bottles, choose stainless steel, aluminum, or glass bottles that come with a protective sleeve to reduce the chances of breaking. Choose glass or stainless steel food serving and storage containers, too. You can find wonderful toys made from wood and decorated with lead-free paint from many American companies.

7) Don’t buy wrapping paper, even if it’s recycled. Why does it matter? Because Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than at any other time of year, reports the Stanford Recycling Center. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week! If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. Plus, if every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

8) Green Shopping Solution: Buy reusables. Can you wrap it in cloth? Try decorative towels, large napkins, festive scarves and bandanas, tied up with shoelaces or ribbons. Use reusable shopping bags, lunch boxes, and cookie tins, too.

9) Don’t buy “natural.” Everybody likes the idea of “natural” – which is why marketers slap the words on products that couldn’t be farther from their natural state. Don’t get sucked into buying something just because the packaging claims it’s “natural.”

10) Green Shopping Solution: Buy certified. While “natural” doesn’t mean much, products whose environmental attributes have been certified to meet rigorous standards by organizations independent of the manufacturer can more readily be trusted. Look for companies whose claims that their goods are organic, Fair Trade, humane, non-toxic, or designed to help protect forests and wildlife have been independently certified. You can find a list of labels you can trust here.

Buy:                                                                       Don’t  Buy:

Solar- or Hand Powered                                           Battery Powered

Phthalate-Free                                                       Synthetic Fragrances & Air Fresheners

Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Glass                             BPA specifically, Plastic generally

Reusable towels, scarves, bags                              Throwaway wrapping

Certified                                                                Natural

Want more holiday tips? Look here for info on …

Eco-Frirendly Christmas Trees

Energy-Saving Holiday Lights/LED Holiday Lights

Holiday Candles Made From Soy and Beeswax

Safe Toys

The post Ten “Buy/Don’t Buy” Rules for Green Shopping appeared first on Big Green Purse.

BPA, an artificial sex hormone, has produced irreversible damage in test animals. It has been under fire from environmentalists, scientists, and, increasingly, concerned moms.

FDA, the federal agency charged with regulating food safety, has argued that BPA can continue to be used in consumer products. The agency cites 2 studies indicating that the chemical is safe, despite the fact that both studies were funded by the chemical industry.

Environmental Working Group, the consumer watchdog research institute, says, “The FDA has refused to take into serious consideration more than 100 independent animal studies suggesting the toxic chemical could be linked to serious disorders in humans, including prostate cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, early puberty, obesity and learning and behavioral problems.”

University of Missouri research scientist Frederick Vom Saal today released one of the most comprehensive studies ever published on BPA. The study links heart disease and diabetes to continual, low-dose exposure to BPA — exactly the kind of exposure you would get from drinking canned sodas regularly or drinking regularly from plastic bottles.

In an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, scientists report a strong correlation between levels of BPA in American adults and these diseases, both of which are increasing.

“These startling results only increase the urgency of removing BPA from products used by young children,” said EWG senior scientist Anila Jacob M.D. M.P.H. “If the adult population in the U.S. is seeing links between this toxic chemical and heart disease and diabetes, imagine what impact much higher exposure levels are having on babies whose bodies are just developing.”

The National Toxicology Program, an arm of the National Institutes of Health, has asserted that it has “some concern” for BPA¹s negative impact on “development of the prostate gland and brain and for behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children.”

“If this weren¹t so serious, it would be laughable,” said EWG VP for Research, Jane Houlihan. “Here we have an agency that time and again makes the wrong call on everything from pharmaceuticals, tomatoes and toothpaste, and we¹re supposed to take them at their word over a toxic sex hormone found in baby products.”

Until state or federal laws pass outlawing BPA in consumer products, you can protect yourself by:

* minimizing your consumption of canned food and canned beverages, as BPA may be used to line the cans; choose fresh or frozen food and bottled juices instead

* buy only water bottles or baby bottles that explicitly say they are BPA-Free

* use glass baby bottles and reusable water bottles made from stainless steel or aluminum

* avoid plastic food and beverage containers that are made with #7 plastic; you should see the number in a triangle on the bottom of the bottle.

The post How to Protect Your Family From Bisphenol A appeared first on Big Green Purse.

A new study by Environmental Working Group has found a toxic ingredient associated with birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems in the lining of over half of 97 cans of name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda and other commonly eaten canned goods.

The chemical is bisphenol A (BPA), a plastic and resin ingredient used to line metal food and drink cans. BPA is also found in plastic bottles, even baby bottles, and plastic food containers.

EWG’s lab tested nearly 28 different types of food. Chicken soup, infant formula and ravioli had BPA levels of highest concern. For 1 in 10 cans of all food tested, and 1 in 3 cans of infant formula, a single serving contained enough BPA to expose a woman or infant to BPA levels more than 200 times the government’s traditional safe level of exposure for industrial chemicals. Pregnant women and formula-fed infants may be at particular risk if they’re eating or drinking canned foods or beverages.

BPA is associated with several health problems and diseases that are increasing among Americans, including breast and prostate cancer and infertility. Given that almost 20% of our diet comes from canned food, the issue is not one we can afford to ignore.

What to do?

* Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

* Buy pre-packaged food in glass jars, not cans.

* Eat a varied diet, reducing the amount of canned food overall.

* Breast-feed children as long as possible; use powdered formula rather than pre-mixed formula from a can.

* BPA is often found in #7 polycarbonate plastic.  Choose #1,2 or 4 plastic instead. Never microwave in plastic, especially food for kids. Use ceramic, glass or microwavable dishware.

* Use baby bottles made from glass, polyethylene or polypropylene plastic.

* Throw out old, scratched plastic bottles or food containers.

* Replace plastic wrap with paper, cloth, glass or stainless steel.

For more recommendations, read the full Environmental Working Group study.

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