Hello Everyone!
Getting super excited about the Podcast and the people I am interviewing. If you have any interests or people that you want to hear from let me know! Would love to provide as much value as possible!
Any topics in the three areas of business stories, daily practices, and spirituality? I am slowly creating all the structure for the episodes will be simple from the editing, to the pre-recording, to the launching and posting process. It‘s a process, and I am happy to take it step by step because it‘s real and my authentic way of going about it.
At the moment I have the intro now set up, recorded, choosing the music is next, and then making outlines for how I want to close episodes.
Thursday is a Holiday though in Hamburg. Reformations Day, religious holiday, therefore day off for all workers. Honestly, it’s still surprising to me how many holidays Germany has… I think it helps keep people from burning out.. Employee’s, parents have time to see family, have small long weekends from time to time to see the grandparents, go to the Sea and get fresh air… I think it‘s really nice.
What am I using it on???
CREATIVE ENERGY TIME. I am spending the morning for my editing and creating. Have my line up of podcast recordings, and now have a way to do it online in a clean way. And then later, I am going on a ‚coffee/waffle/brunch‘ hop with buddies :) Then spend some time at the gym and get my flow going. Need some yoga, stretching, stability, mobility exercises. I have been feeling a bit under the weather the past few days so this will be good for me!
I recently subscribed to a 30 day newsletter that is giving me tips on how to create a Eco Friendly Home. Since I am starting from Scratch I thought why not try it out and post about it! When I get the chance, I read through the emails they send and make some time for my household! Being mindful when shopping for my home. Taking my time! No rush! Intentional with every piece. One of them being my new Aloe Vera plant! She‘s chilling in my window seal, and getting some good sun throughout the day and creating some lovely calm energy. Super happy that I waited and found a good store in the center of Hamburg. The two women working there were a huge support. I need to find the name of the store and then can post it here if you are ever in the area looking for a plant!!!
what do you have in your drawers? Using to wash your clothes? Using to clean the Dishes? The Floors where you walk Barefoot?
This article is a mix of my commentaries and the tips from the EcoHub Newsletter:
GREENWASHING ALERT:
It seems pretty green when you see the word biodegradable on a bottle. But it means absolutely NOTHING. There is no law in place defining what this term means.
Being biodegradable is good but you need to ask, how long does this item take to breakdown? six weeks or six years? that’s a big difference.
Will it break down in landfill? What if it’s covered and in the dark? will it still breakdown?
Does it need light and oxygen to break down completely? And what will it breakdown into too?
These are important questions to keep in mind when you see the term “biodegradable”, and don’t confuse biodegradable with being natural, non-toxic or eco. They are not related at all.
Look for products that are 3rd party certified biodegradable by The Scientific Certification System, this will ensure the product meets the standards of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Does it tell you on the bottle how long and how much it breaks down: eg: 98% biodegradable in 28 days.
Many conventional cleaning products use the term “biodegradable surfactants” on the ingredient list, which makes us think its eco, but all that means is that it's sudsy.
Look for plant- and animal-based ingredients, instead of petroleum-based;
Less is more! You don’t need a different cleaning product for each job in the home
Be very careful of greenwashing – a lot of companies claim to be green even with all those warnings on the bottle;
14 TOXIC CHEMICALS TO AVOID IN YOUR CLEANING PRODUCTS:
Ingredient: 2-BUTOXYETHANOL (2-BE, ALSO KNOWN AS BUTYL CELLOSOLVE)
Found in: Glass cleaners, laundry stain removers, carpet cleaners, automobile cleaners, windshield wiper fluid, degreasers, oven cleaners, and rust removers.
Why you want to avoid it: A skin and eye irritant also associated with blood disorders
Ingredient: ALKYLPHENOL ETHOXYLATES (APES)/NONYLPHENOL ETHOXYLATES (NPES)
Found in: liquid laundry detergents, stain removers, all-purpose cleaners, air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, degreasers, and car wash products.
Why you want to avoid it: Can mimic estrogen and have reproductive effects on aquatic organisms.
Ingredient: AMMONIA
Found in: window cleaners, drain cleaners, toilet cleaners, bathroom cleaners, oven cleaners, stainless-steel cleaners, car polish, and all-purpose cleaners.
Why you want to avoid it: Vapours may irritate the skin, eyes, throat, and lungs. People with asthma may be particularly sensitive to the effects of breathing ammonia. May also cause kidney and liver damage.
Ingredient: COAL TAR DYES
Found in: most types of cleaning products.
Why you want to avoid it: Concern that synthetic dyes may cause cancer and that heavy metals can harm the nervous system.
Ingredient: FRAGRANCE CHEMICALS/SYNTHETIC MUSKS/PHTHALATES
Found in most types of cleaning products.
Why you want to avoid it: Irritants that can trigger allergies, migraines, and asthma symptoms. Can build up in the environment and can be toxic to aquatic organisms. Suspected endocrine disrupters.
Ingredient: MONOETHANALOMINE (MEA), DIETHANOLAMINE (DEA) AND TRIETHANOLAMINE (TEA)
Found in liquid laundry detergents, all-purpose cleaners, floor cleaners, car wash products, degreasers, dishes soap, oven cleaners, and glass and surface cleaners.
Why you want to avoid it: Can react with nitrites (present as preservatives or contaminants in other products) to form cancer-causing nitrosamines. MEA is also known to induce asthma. Harmful to fish and other wildlife.
Ingredient: PHOSPHATES
Found in dishwasher detergents, laundry detergents, and bathroom cleaners.
Why you want to avoid it: High concentrations in bodies of water can promote harmful algal bloom, increase weed growth and kill fish.
Ingredient: QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS (QUATS)
Found in bathroom cleaning products, all-purpose cleaners, fabric softeners, and degreasers.
Why you want to avoid it: Irritate and sensitize skin, cause allergies, and trigger asthma. Don’t readily degrade in the environment. Toxic to fish.
Ingredient: SILICA POWDER
Found in abrasive cleaning powders.
Why you want to avoid it: Rated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a known human carcinogen. This natural ingredient (made from finely ground quartz) is hazardous as dust if inhaled.
Ingredient: SODIUM DICHLOROISOCYANURATE DIHYDRATE
Found in: toilet bowl cleaners, deodorizers, surface cleaners, and disinfectants.
Why you want to avoid it: Corrosive; severe eye, skin and respiratory irritant. High doses of this chemical cause kidney damage. Very toxic to aquatic organisms and may cause long-term effects in aquatic ecosystems.
Ingredient: SODIUM HYDROXIDE (ALSO KNOWN AS LYE AND CAUSTIC SODA)
Found in oven cleaners, bathroom cleaners, disinfectants, drain openers, and toilet bowl cleaners.
Why you want to avoid it: Highly corrosive; can burn the eyes, skin, and lungs and is a respiratory irritant. Long-term exposure in the air may lead to ulceration of the nasal passages and chronic skin irritation. If discharged in large quantities, can alter the pH of water.
Ingredient: SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE
Found in dish soap, with other ethoxylated alcohols (look for “eth” in the chemical name, liquid laundry detergents, cleaning towelettes, and toilet bowl cleaners (as well as sudsy cosmetics).
Why you want to avoid it: Can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, which may cause cancer, and is persistent in the environment.
Ingredient: TRICLOSAN
Found in dish soaps and disinfectants, as well as a wide range of other household products. Look for it listed as an active ingredient in antibacterial products.
Why you want to avoid it: May interfere with hormone function and contribute to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Harmful to fish and other wildlife.
Ingredient: TRISODIUM NITRILOTRIACETATE
Found in bathroom cleaners and possibly some laundry detergents (more common in industrial formulations).
Why you want to avoid it: A possible human carcinogen. In aquatic ecosystems, can also cause heavy metals in sediment to redissolve and these metals are toxic to fish and other wildlife.
WHEN SHOPPING KEEP THESE TIPS IN MIND:
If the bottle has a warning on it (listed above), avoid it;
Shop for products/brands that do have a full list of ingredients;
-Don’t buy any products that contain “fragrance” or “parfum” or “perfume”, companies are allowed to use these terms to hide a ton of chemicals that have never been tested;
Watch out for “unscented” products too, sometimes chemical are used to mask odors;
Avoid anti-bacterial soaps;
Look for “dioxin free” products, 1,4 Dioxin is a by-product of SLS and is a known carcinogen.
To avoid 1,4 dioxane, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) recommends avoiding products with indications of ethoxylation. Look for the following suffixes in the ingredient list: “Myreth,” “oleth,” “laureth,” “ceteareth,” any other “eth”, “PEG”, “Polyethylene,” “polyethylene glycol,” or “polyoxyethylene”, “Oxynol”;
When shopping look for the following: “no bleach,” “SLE free” and “NPE free”;
Look for “biodegradable” detergents since those often do not contain the harmful ingredients listed above.
GREENWASHING ALERT: if the bottle says “phosphate free” on a laundry product you use, it’s a meaningless claim as most manufactures eliminated this mineral years ago;
“cold water” only refers to the energy used to wash, it has nothing to do with the ingredients.
Buy concentrated detergents & Cleaners. These have reduced packaging and a smaller carbon footprint (requiring less space and fuel for shipping).
HOMEWORK FOR THIS WEEK:
Look at the cleaning products in your home, read the labels, are there any warning signs on the bottle? If so, it’s time to toss them. Yep. I am serious, and if you are serious about detoxing your home, you need to do it! [At the end of this post I have some info on how to discard these properly]
- Try a DIY recipe like any of these.
Replace three of your cleaners with any of my top picks, you can find them here.
Purchase wool dryer balls and stop using toxic dryer sheets
The Newsletter shared a Check list for the Week:
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
Hard plastic reusable balls you can toss in the dryer, they are made from PVC, a type of plastic that is harmful to our health, it contains phthalates.
Static guard - it's basically a concoction of nasties like butane and toluene (see above under toxic ingredients to avoid)
Other Resources:
Take a look at EWG’s guide to cleaners.
The Good Guide offers a ton of info on companies too.
