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With the 4th of July tomorrow, I know many of you (or at least our American readers) are planning on seeing some fireworks. I'm sure, too, that you all know fireworks are... well, unhealthy for us and the environment. Besides the smoke and nasty chemicals released by the fireworks, they can also leave a lot of litter. Among common chemicals in fireworks are potassium and ammonium perchlorate, which can contaminate ground and surface waters and cause thyroid damage in humans as well as animals. According ...

This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series all things eco

Welcome to the June 30 (or should I say July 1?), 2008 edition of All Things Eco.

Be sure to Stumble the posts you like, or submit them to other social bookmarking services. Let's promote each other, as well as this blog carnival, because I want to see more posts coming in! I apologize (!) for getting this up so late. I am visiting family in Connecticut, and couldn't access ...

This is a scary thought, but did you know that the paraffin wax that is in most candles consumed by American households is a by product of oil refining? Paraffin comes from the sludge at the bottom of the barrel of oil. That sludge then goes through a chemical and bleaching process to create the paraffin wax that is used in the manufacture of paraffin candles. Fragrance and dye are added, then the mixture is poured into a jar, wicks are added, and presto, you have a candle. Since paraffin is ...

Newborns spend a large portion of their early life in their nursery, so keeping it as healthy as possible is an important task. Creating a non-toxic environment for your baby can help to reduce their exposure to chemicals. Furniture: Over 90% of new bedroom furniture is made from MDF, which slowly releases toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde for years. Choose toxin free furniture that is unfinished or low and no VOC paints and stains. If you are not able to do this, allow the furniture to air outside or ...

With the weather warming up (at least on most days), I've started thinking about finally getting into the necessary spring cleaning. I've been procrastinating far too long, and it's beginning to get out of hand! Some days have been to rainy and cold to open up the windows and let in the fresh air that I love so much while cleaning, other days I've just been plain lazy. When it warmed up a bit yesterday and the clouds finally started to clear, I decided to push myself into starting the ...