Sierra Club Green Home

Bed bugs have become a reality in such diverse places as luxury hotels, well-known department stores, and in many homes. There is a proven, natural remedy using cedar as a natural pest deterrent.

Online retailers generally are not known for great customer service. Instead, they build their reputation on offering quality products and prompt delivery, and many carry a variety of eco-friendly or sustainable products.

One online retailer has figured out how to put all this together. Bucking the norm, Greenfeet strives to offer online shopping that is easy, fun, and steeped in customer service. (Photo courtesy of Greenfeet)

Children often put toys in their mouths, and yet many on the shelves today are made with toxic materials. Natural toys, on the other hand, are made from materials that are safe for the child and the environment. They can also be one of a child’s first connections to nature. A wooden rattle in a child’s hand comes from a living tree and feels familiar and nurturing in a way that man-made materials can’t match.

You’d think a newborn baby would have a fresh start when it comes to toxic chemicals. But chemicals move across the placenta, so a baby emerges with some of the same pollution in its system as its mother. Tests of umbilical blood have detected chemicals that cause cancer and birth defects as well as those that are toxic to the brain and nervous system…

Yes we know, everything causes cancer, nothing is safe for our kids, a lot of paranoia, right?

Sometimes these concerns are for real. A chemical of significant importance to parents and scientists these days is Bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is a common chemical used in plastics for increased flexibility and molding.

The rubber ducky is a bath time icon for many nostalgic parents and splashing kids. The reason your favorite bath toy is squeaky and soft is because of phthalates. In addition, phthalates are used as lubricants in lotions, fragrances, adhesives, and the main component in anti-chipping nail polishes.

If you have a baby, whether you breast feed or use infant formula, you will probably use a baby bottle at some point. And probably quite a few baby bottles. If you have a toddler, “sippy cups”–those no-spill cups with lids and a spout–are de rigueur to avoid disasters. But some scientists suspect that the material commonly used for baby bottles and some sippy cups, polycarbonate plastic, could be harmful to your baby’s health.

The big cloth-versus-disposable debate The average diaper-wearing child will need more than 6,000 diaper changes. If you choose re-usable cloth diapers, you’ll have to buy, say, three to five dozen cotton diapers-and all the energy, soap, and hot water it takes to keep them clean. If you use disposable diapers, on the other hand, you’ll [...]