For Smart Green Moms: Top 5 Toxins In Public School

There is a whole new generation of Green Mom’s stepping up to the plate. The awareness of pesticides that pose greater dangers to our young children’s health and well being  is a the forefront of our minds. It seems there is a new surprise everyday as chemicals work their way into our lives. Staying on top and staying informed is the key to the Smart Green Mom’s success. Getting down to the nitty gritty in our child’s school is of the utmost importance because this is their home away from home for the next 9 months. Let’s take a look a some very important concerns as our children begin their new school year.

1. At the top of the list this year is bottled water. All of those plastic water bottles being bought at the supermarket are filling up our landfills at an extremely alarming rate. Only 3 out of every 4 are even recycled and they never disintegrate once they are packed down with all of the other trash. To make it worse we have bottled water being sold in vending machines in our schools.  It is also a fact that bottled water is not safer to drink than tap water. There are less regulations on bottled water companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi and Nestle by the USDA. They are not required to have certified workers and they are allowed to do all their own testing for harmful toxins, heavy metals and other contaminates. Your tap water is carefully monitored by certified and accredited workers as well as the EPA who places strong regulations on public water municipalities. Tap water also has no impact on our environment. You can easily get a report on what condition your local tap water is in or have it privately tested. There are many affordable water filtration systems designed to meet your specific needs. Today’s Green Mom’s are choosing eco-friendly containers and reusable water igloos for school events as well as a thermos and jugs to send their children to school with. It saves them money as well as insuring their child’s health and guarantee’s a bright and happy future for their children.

2. Second on the list is Anti-Bacterial Soap. This type of soap contains a chemical called Triclosan. This harmful chemical has reverse affects causing resistance to antibiotics, endocrine disruption and skin allergies. Many public schools uses anti-bacterial soap for our children to wash their hands. While washing hands with soap is high on the agenda at school and at home, it is not wise to wash them with chemicals. The healthiest thing for washing hands is good old fashion plain soap. To sum up the environmental effects of  what the chemical Triclosan is doing to our ground water is devastating as it is contaminating very fragile aquatic ecosystems. It is well advised to check on your child’s school to guarantee they are not having your child wash their hands with these chemicals.

3. Third on this list is school pest control. Everything from harmful chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers could possibly be used at your child’s school. Young children are much more susceptible to serious health effects to their developing organs than adults. There is no need for hazardous chemical exposure when so many organic alternatives are available and can actually cost your school less money. Smart Green Mom’s do not want their children’s playground drenched with chemicals. Some have worked towards developing an (IPM) Integrated Pest Management Policy and are working with their local schools to find better alternatives. This is a very serious issue for all families to take action on.

4. Fourth on the list is School Lunches. Being concerned about the adverse effects of eating processed foods being served in the school cafeteria warrants some huge respect. Everything from diabetes, allergies, obesity and worse has been well documented. Now with a push to put more fresh fruit and vegetables in our public schools raises new concerns as well. Is it organic or is it laced with herbicides and pesticides? It would be wonderful indeed if schools were buying their produce from local organic farmers. By not trucking produce from across the country or imported from overseas would reduces a tremendous footprint as well as give support to your local community. There is the hope of an increasing demand for school gardens across the nation. Not only are a few schools producing fresh organic vegetables for the lunch room, they are teaching children where their food comes from. The proud face of a child who has grown their own food is incredible to say the least. They are also learning about the importance of wildlife and natural habitats along the way in a diverse ecosystem. Life science leads the way to a healthier future by children who have been instilled with hands on experience. Many Green Mom’s are packing healthy lunches for their children to take to school these days and are finding eco-friendly lunch kits that are reusable as well as gorgeous. The children appear to be loving them and why not when mom’s are filling them with food from the heart.

5. Fifth on the list is your child’s curriculum. This may seem like an odd category in a list of toxins, but their are a couple of grave concerns. Green Mom’s must educate themselves on who is teaching their children in public schools. The first thing of great concern is that the huge manufacturers and mega corporations continue to work their way into the public school systems as they find greater profits at the benefit of your child’s well being. Nestle comes to mind first because they have created an entire curriculum being enacted across the nation on the subject of water and resources, while at the same time filling those vending machines on campus with their bottled water products. I suspect that most mom’s would prefer a more eco-friendly curriculum that teaches our children how to become good stewards of the earth, protecting our precious water resources and reducing our carbon footprint.

The second concern in public school programs is the 4H program. While this has always been a terrific program for our children in the past, we might want to take a peek at who is teaching your child these days. Some questions we may ask is are they being taught diversity and sustainability using organic methods or is their 4H program funded by the roundup kings of  GMO’s, Chemicals and Plastics by the Corporation Monsanto who is passing out grants across the nation to your local public school system. Smart Green Mom’s  should be looking for leaders with integrity who teach USDA National Organic programs that might include raising endangered heirloom’s and heritage livestock and protect them from extinction. They may also study organic land management to protect our dwindling ecosystems and promote diversity. They may also study protecting our precious aquatic water resources by finding new ways and technology. Green Mom’s rely on the best education for their children and for their futures.