BlogHers ACT Canada

A letter of congratulations.

Dear Mountain Equipment Co-op,

Congratulations!  You've made such a wonderful decision and in the process, put yourself up on a pedestal, above all other retail corporations that refuse to acknowledge the danger their consumers are risking when they purchase plastic containers containing Bisphenol A.

By pulling your products from the shelves, you are showing that you really care about your customers and their health.  You're being very reasonable by saying that you will pull potentially unhealthy products from your store's shelves until the federal government provides some official guidance to Canadian retailers when it comes to Bisphenol A.

Thank you for being brave enough to lead the way.

Sincerely,

BlogHers ACT Canada.

See also:

• Bottles pulled from sale, courtesy of the Toronto Star.

• Mountain Equipment Co-op drops products with Bisphenol A, waits for fed study, courtesy of Canadian Business online.

• Mountain Equipment Co-op halts sales of plastic containers with BPA, courtesy of CBC.

add formula to the (growing) Bisphenol A exposure list

by motherbumper

Earlier today, over at The League of Maternal Justice, I learned about a press release concerning Bisphenol A exposure which has been published on the Environmental Working Group's guide to bottle and formula safety.  EWG is a group with an important mission: "to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment".

I can't help but love a group that "shames and shakes up polluters and their lobbyists" and "rattles politicians and shapes policy".  A group after my own heart.

They have created a Guide to Infant Formula: Guide to Baby-Safe Bottles & Formula and this guide contains a truck load of important information for parents using formula.  Packaging on some brands of formula may expose the contents to Bisphenol A (BPA) contamination.  BPA is an industrial chemical used to make plastic.  BPA has been proven to have hormone disrupting and carcinogenic effects and EWG wants to get the word out about the harmful effects of BPA exposure.  This is scary sh*t.

So many parents use formula.  We did in the super early days and while I did end up breast feed Bumper, there were a few times I tried to wean her to formula for personal reasons.

It is scary to think of the exposure risks from lining formula bottles with Bisphenol A.  Isn't it bad enough that the baby bottles are BPA laden too?

Earlier today, some familiar bloggers sat in on a conference call with Sonya Lunder, an Environmental Working Group Senior Analyst.  Below are links to some of today's posts about the formula warnings.  These posts have information about which brands are safe/unsafe, the effects of BPA exposure, and what can be done about it. 

During the call with EWA, The League of Maternal Justice blogged live, getting the information out super fast.  A transcript of the call is there, along with important info, and links to find out more.

Over at Mommy off the Record details, like which formula brands are safe and which are not, what parents can do, and details on the exposure and effects of BPA.

These are the posts I've read so far today, I'm sure many more are to come.  Spread the word.  Baby products need to be safe - parenting is already complicated enough.

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Just 21 days until Christmas...that's just three weeks!  There’s a fairly thick blanket of snow on the ground.  Many Canadians will be spending at least part of this weekend decorating their homes and almost certainly shopping for the upcoming holiday season.

Here at BlogHers Act Canada, December’s challenge is “Greening up the Holiday Season”. This month, we invite you all to join in the effort, blogging about your family’s attempts to stay green, in spite of the inevitable tempting piles of tinsel and plastic ornaments.

To get you started, here are a few ideas for green living this holiday season.

• Reuse gift wrap. Wrapping paper saved from last Christmas can be used again this year. Try to save as much paper and packaging this season for use next year.

• Buy handmade! Take the online pledge and buy locally-created and hand made gifts for your loved ones.  Shop online at sites such as Etsy or Craftster.
  

• Buy gifts that are packaged using the least possible amount of packaging.

• Freecycle or donate ornaments and decorations you aren’t planning to use, rather than throwing them in the garbage.  Use glass tree ornaments instead of plastic.

How will you be greening up your family's traditions this holiday season?  Leave a comment containing a link to your blog post on this topic for a post round-up closer to Christmas.

Happy Holidays!