You probably think of air pollution is something outside. When I say air pollution, you picture what comes out of your tail pipes or the smoke stacks we passed on the highway. But in fact, the most dangerous air pollution we face every day is indoors. Right here inside our homes where most of us spend 90% of our time. Our homes can actually make us sick because they are filled with invisible poisons, toxic air. The stuff we use to wash our clothes and dishes, clean our teeth and floors can shorten our lives. Even the things we buy to eat can put our kids at risk because they are often coated with pesticides and other invisible chemicals.
I am Solan Barnett, I am generalist to Today Show Contributor, a wife and a mother. And it was my son Spencer who made me aware of the dangers we faced in our homes. Four years ago when my son was just three years old he suddenly couldn't breathe. We rushed into the hospital, where he spent two nights put to machines in the ICU. The reason something doctors called Respiratory Airway disease or Asthma. Asthma I didn't understand there was no Asthma in my family or my husband's family, none. How did it come from nowhere?
So like any generalist, like any mom, I started hunting for answers. I learned that Spencer was not the only one. One in thirteen school age kids in the U.S has Asthma and then I learned something even scarier. Scientists have found a link between the use of conventional cleaning products and rise in Asthma rates, meaning the cause of my son's asthma made by me. I was poisoning my own son so I did what any of you would have done. I jumped in head first and changed the way I was living. I also wrote a book to help me direct you. ‘Green Goes With Everything’ it’s an easy to understand guide for living a healthiest life.
It's about solutions not doom and gloom we have all had enough of that. It's straight talk and recommendations that will save you money and may save your life. I started my book where I start most days in the kitchen. I want to show you the good and the bad. Let's start with bad, soda, bottled water, sugary yogurts, fruits and veggies that you think you are part of but it actually is sprayed with all kinds of chemicals, processed meats, so we don't get me started and the dreaded white bread.
So let's go to the good side. Your new life, check out these organic fruits and veggies nothing but vitamins pulls the pesticides, organic milk three different kinds because everyone in my house need something different. Organic cheese, organic egg and my beloved organic chicken, I am proud of this fridge that makes a statement and yours can too. Again get out your garbage bag toss out the junk, toss out synthetic fertilizers stay away with bovine growth hormones. These things are horrible and when you sweep them away you will not only see the difference, you will feel it.
I forget one important thing your water. Please take a stand and vow with me ones in for all to stop drinking bottled water. Plastic is filling up our landfills and filtered tap water is often better to you anyway. But it's a whole lot less expensive get yourself a few filtered water pitcher and install filters under your sink. Then toast the drink way and celebrate while your carbon footprint goes down a half time.
Well if you want to make your kitchen safe, really safe have a look under your sink. Recognize any of these, I know you do, they are big and they can be very bad take a look at what's in them. What a witch's brew? Many of these words you can’t pronounce you shouldn't ingest, absorb or inhale. These are toxins that have caused illness within animals from a human and many have not been tested at all. And these chemicals are inside us, in our blood stream. My book shows you how they are impacting your family and your health.
So here is where you get involved, grab a big black garbage bag and get rid off them once and for all. Then go out and get yourself the non-toxic biodegradable cleaning products and start your new life. Now congratulate yourself, you have taken a major step to being healthier and helping the planet. One last tip there that nourishing you keep by your sink, the one that keeps your hand feel silky smooth has got some bad stuff in it too. Go out and get some green lotion or use olive oil you will be healthier from the inside out.
It’s one of many simple solutions you will find in my book, I know, I know, this is a lot of change, but it's easier than it sounds. Once you start trusting me you won't be able to stop. Look I don't live in a long cabin, I don't bring my own food and I am not perfect when it comes to being green. I like think of myself is different shades of green someday palely, someday contour, some days a selfish line, but I am trying to make greener safer choices for my family. I am hoping my book will help you to do the same and by the way since, I started making greener choices my son Spencer is not being back the emergency room and there will be more powerful argument for buying my book and getting started.
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