Earth Day Is Time to Focus on the Next Generation(s)

Earth Day has morphed into Earth Month. Hallmark must be taking note. Some might be disturbed by the surreal commercialism. If it motivates anyone down a greener path, I’m all for it. One thing that has been thrilling me about all of the press releases I’ve been getting (via email – no wasted paper) is how much of it is related to kids. I greened myself when I was pregnant so my daughter would have a pure place to grow, but also so as not to contribute any more toxins/chemicals/what-have-you into this world she was about to inherit. The whole 7th generation concept (I’m not referring to the cleaning products but rather what they’re named after) doesn’t quite hit home the same way (for me anyway) when you don’t have children. I now can imagine how wonderful it will be to have grandchildren and really wonder what their world will be like.

Instead of veering off on that depressing tangent, I want to share some good news that has popped up in my inbox lately. The following tidbits all point to a growing understanding of how crucial living green is for children, as well as a true commitment to making it a reality.

1. First up, National Environmental Education Week is in its 4th year (!). It takes place April 13th to 19th this year. The goal is to create a full week of environmental education (both through lessons and activities) in all K to 12 classrooms, as well as in more obvious venues like zoos and nature centers. The theme this year is carbon footprints.
   
2. Next, the battle against hormone-disrupting/lung-irritating fragrance is getting bigger. U.S schools are starting to agitate about going scent-free! Someone emailed me an AP article about a Minnesota lawmaker (Rep. Karen Clark, a Democrat), who introduced a bill "urging a fragrance-free educational campaign" to discourage students from dousing themselves in scents that aggravate classmates with asthma and other health problems. I must admit II always think girls in general wear more scents than boys, but the article goes on to single out boys who coat themselves in body sprays like something called Axe. Then again I have a (very sweet!) doorman in my building who wears so much cologne I can smell when he comes on duty before I see him (we live on the first floor). Truly disgusting. But back to Minnesota: apparently school nurses have treated students for fragrance-induced wheezing and headaches. Meanwhile, our environmentally progressive Canadian neighbors are of course ahead of us. They just got a scent-free high school – Bow Valley High School -- at the end of March, a reaction to students and staff who reacted badly to others’ scents. Even visitors to that school are asked not to wear any sort of scented stuff while in the building. Apparently several Canadian universities including University of Calgary, Dalhousie University, the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo, and the University of Guelph are also working on scent-free initiatives. It will be very interesting to see where this will lead. Certainly it will educate others. And with education will come more change.
   
3. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that moms do not like to give up their harsh cleaning products when pregnant or when caring for little babies, no matter how many studies I show them explaining the harms, or how many doctors I quote saying chlorine bleach just isn’t needed to keep a home clean. Cleaners are bizarrely ingrained in people’s heads and hearts. Which is why I’m always thrilled to read of more studies linking the gunk to medical problems so I can turn around and pass the information on to readers. Like now: I was recently forwarded information about a study linking asthma in children to cleaning products and air freshener use during pregnancy. It was researched by J Henderson from the University of Bath and colleagues from Brunel University and the University of Aberdeen, and published in the peer-reviewed European Respiratory Journal (ERJ).
4. Finally, There’s going to be a first-of-its-kind Student Conservation Association Summit at the Department of Interior on April 25th! It’s called EarthVision . Thousands of college students are expected to attend. Environmental leaders like Simran Sethi (Sundance/NBC) and Dr. James Hansen (NASA) will be there. I imagine the energy (no pun intended) in that room would really make me happy, no matter how depressing the subject matter. All of these young minds put together will absolutely equal change for the better.

Ok, those are some of the things I “marked as new” in my inbox of late. While I’m clearly happy to type all day long about this kind of stuff, the name of the blog is Ask An Organic Mom. I’ve gotten a lot of follow up emails to things I've written lately but not so many questions. Got any? Send them my way.