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Protecting Your Children from Common Environmental Toxins

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While environmental toxins are a concern for all of us, babies, toddlers and children are especially vulnerable to the damaging effects. As parents, we don’t always know when things in our everyday environment may expose our kids to potential harm. Photo Credit: Prospectpark.org The Coop’s Environmental Committee has compiled the information below to help you protect your family’s health. Protecting kids from sunburn is really important but choose sunscreens without oxybenzone or retinyl palmitate. The first gets into the bloodstream and acts like estrogen in the body; the latter promotes skin tumors. Sunscreens with zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide are considered safe. >> Sun Screen Guide The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that children are uniquely susceptibility to pesticides’ toxicity . If you cannot buy all-organic produce, consult the EWG’s “ dirty dozen ” and “ c lean 15 ” lists , which are revised every year, to make smart choices about which kinds of produce are ...
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TIPS OF THE MONTH: Cleaners, drugs and pesticides, how to keep our water and gardens clean?

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New York City has some of the best water in the country but we can’t afford to take it for granted. Rather than sending toxic chemicals down the drain, use non-hazardous alternatives like lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda and plant oils for household cleaning, or buy nontoxic cleaning products from the coop.  Prescription and non-prescription drugs are released into the environment when flushed down toilets and sinks. Water from the Croton watershed, which supplies New York City with drinking water, contains detectable levels of pharmaceuticals. To find out how to dispose of drugs without polluting our water, visit www.Riverkeeper.org Nobody wants bugs devouring their butternut squash, beetles killing their roses or poison ivy savaging their skin. That said, Roundup and similar pesticides poison our soil, water and air – while supporting the world’s worst agribusinesses. Plant pest-resistant, native species and hand pull weeds. Think of it as exercise!
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News and Updates: TerraCycle Vote at May 30th GM /Change of Collection dates/ Collection guidelines

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Hello Coop Members and Friends of The Environmental Committee,  Those in support of TerraCycle please make an effort to go to the GM on MAY 30th and vote in favor on continuing this project.  Here is the wording of the proposal to be voted on.  Given the success, popularity, and continued requests for the plastic film collection we are making the following VOTE PROPOSAL: —Establish a baseline annual budget of $5000 to continue an ongoing TerraCycle Fee Based Zero Waste Plastic Film collection with a caveat of up to an additional $1500 in  bridge money as approved by the General Coordinators dependent on growth of the collection.  —Any permanent increase in the yearly budget will be taken up with the membership as needed given use, demand, and/or expansion of the Plastic Film collection. *Please Make Note: Schedule Of Collection Change: the Saturday May 27th TerraCycle collection has been moved up to Saturday the 20th due to the Memorial Day weekend.  ...
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Coop Environmental Committee is joining the “Stop Climate Change” rally in New York 4/22

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Hello and Welcome to the Environmental Committee Blog.  It's spring time and EARTH DAY is approaching.  Due to the emergency nature of U.S. threats to the world’s efforts to reduce climate change, rather than do educational tabling for Earth Day, this year the Coop Environmental Committee is joining the “Stop Climate Change” rally in New York and asking all interested Coop members to stand with us behind the Environmental Committee banner. If you would like to be part of our presence at the Earth Day Climate Change Rally, please meet us in front of the Coop at 11:15 on Saturday, April 22 so we can travel together to Folly Square.
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Re: Tip of The Month (Reusable/Recyclable)

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Happy New Year! It's 2017 and time to look at how we can make our shopping trips more Eco friendly to the planet. From the "Form Healthy Habits" website :  Opt for Reusable Products Reusable products are less likely to end up in landfills, reducing your impact on the environment. Plus, despite their upfront cost being slightly higher, this type of product will save you money in the long-run. Ditch the paper plates, plastic cups, and disposable grocery bags and opt for reusable items instead. Look for Recyclable Packaging    You can, of course, make your shopping trips greener by looking for products packaged in recyclable or reusable packages. As far as recycling goes, take a look at the packages you are buying and look for the “recyclable” icons on the plastic or can– then make sure you actually remember to recycle when you're finished with the product. In terms of reuse, glass jars and plastic containers can be used to store buttons, craft supplies, and ...
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Video: Why Plastic Bags Can’t Go with the Regular Recycling

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Environmental Committee's Tip of the Month!

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Hello Coop Members! Environmental Committee's Tip of the Month:  Try Non-Toxic Cleaning Products Combine baking soda and vinegar for kitchen and bathroom cleaning.   Vinegar alone is great for cleaning glass windows and mirrors, as well as for getting cat odors out of fabric, wood floors or anything else. Go online for tons of tips on cheap, nontoxic cleaning.
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