Male Speaker: Cynthia and Brian Hicks, like most of us, know that they could healthier more organic lives but have yet to find a manageable way to get there.
Brian: New features that we have it its so hard to get into a new routine
Cynthia: I understand that toxins with children can be more lethal to them.
Male Speaker: Maria Rodale founding editor of Organic Style magazine has come to the rescue.
Maria Rodale: Thank you so much for doing this
Male Speaker: She is here to give the Hicks home an organic make over; from the kitchen to the bathroom to the backyard. Maria is here to show the family simple things they can do to live a much healthier life. Maria says the best place to start is in the refrigerator.
Maria Rodale: This is great you already have healthy diet to begin with, but there is a lot we can do here starting with organic dairy and maybe some more organic produce some fruits and vegetables.
Male Speaker: Maria took Cynthia to the supermarket to show her what organic products to look for.
Maria Rodale: The term organic means to grow fruits and vegetables without any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. So I heard you guys really like strawberries
Cynthia: We love them, we eat lots of those.
Maria Rodale: Strawberries are great food for kids but so much better to buy the organic ones. And they are not that much more expensive. So buying organic dairy is one of the most important things you can do for your growing kids. Organic milk and dairy is made without antibiotics or growth hormones.
So therefore that stuff doesn't go right to your kids. Recycled paper saves tress. It saves landfill space and it also saves chemicals from the bleaching process. Now if you prefer white paper products you can still get white paper products that are better for the environment.
But if you notice they don't use chlorine bleach. The problem with chlorine bleach is that when you make chlorine bleach, it creates dioxins and PCB's, which are known carcinogens and have caused dramatic pollution in our water ways. Okay now we are at cleaning. I notice you have real love affair with bleach.
Cynthia: Right. It makes things smell really clean.
Maria Rodale: There is products that you grew up with. And you feel comfortable with and the smell of them evokes the sense of cleanliness that is important to all of us, and we almost have to retrain ourselves to think of cleanliness in a new way. And to get used to new smells and to new products.
Male Speaker: Organic doesn't end with the food you purchase. It can also apply for the way you clean your clothes.
Maria Rodale: So you are happy with your washing machine. When you are ready to get a new one if this breaks down or you just are ready I really would recommend getting a front-loader washing machine, because its saves up to 40% a year on energy and water.
Male Speaker: Maria explained that the bathroom is a prime area for the use of toxic ingredients.
Cynthia: This drain in the tub it is constantly clogging and I am sure that some of the chemicals that we use aren't really great for the children to soak in.
Maria Rodale: The first line of defense is the plunger. And if that doesn't work then you can try this concoction. You take about a cup of baking soda, pour it down the drain, a cup of white vinegar pour it down the drain and then wait ten minutes to you know as long as you want 20 minutes, and then run hot water from the tap down the drain and if it's still clogged you can then try the plunger again. And just keep plunging till it goes down and really it'll work and its completely non-toxic.
Male Speaker: Organic doesn't stop indoors. Maria shared secrets to a healthier backyard.
Maria Rodale: Cynthia and Brian are already doing something's that are right. They are not using chemicals which is a fabulous, fabulous first step. But let's say they would want to green up their grass or feed their perennial beds, the best way to do that is to use organic compost.
Male Speaker: All in all, if you give organic products a chance the experts say you could be healthier and so will Mother Earth.
Cynthia: It goes back to my kids I want to get them off to a good start. I feel that if I start now I am giving them healthier choices that in a long run that they are going to pass that on to their children.
Maria Rodale: We want our kinds to grow up and be healthy and strong and for there to be a planet for them that is healthy and strong for them.
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