It’s school time again; and in every school bathroom in North America you can hear the “splat, splat” sound of anti-bacterial soap squirting onto the hands of school children everywhere. So, what does the science tell us about anti-bacterial products and just how bad are they for our children’s health?

Skincare Toxins to Know & Avoid We are swimming in chemicals, many that are known to negatively effect our bodies. So much so that now a newborn baby born in North America has over 100 known or suspected toxins already in his body at birth. Many of these chemicals can cause profound and lasting effect…
Read More

I’d been pouring over labels for years and considered myself a savvy shopper, but the skincare aisle almost had me duped.  I’m one of those people: the kind that stands in the Whole Foods aisle obsessively scanning every label.   I am not appeased by claims of Natural! Kid Safe! or Hypoallergenic. What I’m looking for are the ingredients. The rest, as far as I am concerned, is just fancy PR. I want to know what I’m putting in and on my body.

Time for Spring Cleaning? Here’s The Green Mama’s Tips for a safe, healthy, “green” clean

We are all afraid of the green police. You know, those people who go around being more righteous than thou and shaming us lesser mortals for our shortcomings. At The Green Mama, we implore people to judge less (especially themselves): just start somewhere, just do something, and, gosh, have a little fun along the way….
Read More

“A beautiful, safe, healthy product with options for baby, teens, mama, papa, and even the dog.”

All-purpose cleaner Mix a really gentle castile soap, like Dr. Bronner’s, with warm water. Use a clean sponge, rags, or a brush, and scrub! One cup of soap in 3.8 litres (1 gallon) of water is a good concentration for walls, floors, and counters. One part castile soap to one part water in a foaming…
Read More

What’s the truth about organics? Simplified. Here’s what people say: “It’s too expensive.” “Well, I eat some things organic.” “My doctor says organic isn’t proven to make a difference.” “I just want my kids to eat!” How can I eat organic on a budget? I’m not going to lie. Eating organic on a budget is…
Read More

We are all afraid of the green police. You know, those people who go around being more righteous than thou and shaming us lesser mortals for our shortcomings. At The Green Mama, we implore people to judge less (especially themselves): just start somewhere, just do something, and, gosh, have a little fun along the way….
Read More

Watch this amazing video to feel as smart as the best scientist in less than 5 minutes. Do little things matter when it comes to your child’s brain? When I say little–I mean so tiny we couldn’t see with a human eye, on drop in a swimming pool type exposures? The unfortunate answer is YES…
Read More

One of the most important aspects of eating healthy or what makes food “real” is avoiding dangerous food additives. The 7 most dangerous food additives in my research are: artificial sweeteners, artificial food colouring, carrageenan, MSG, Trans fat, sodium nitrate/nitrite, and fructose. Food Additives to Always Avoid Aspartame (Nutra-Sweet, Equal) and Saccharin These are used…
Read More

The Green Mama speaks with the CBC on the dangers of traditional drycleaning and the benefits of the greener alternatives

I was interviewed for a show on PERC done by the CBC and I am using this opportunity to finally do a blog about the problems of drycleaning and the healtheir alternatives. Thank you CBC for taking on this interesting issue.

I’ve had a slew of Ask the Green Mama questions recently that boil down to this: What are real dangers and what are the imagined dangers of parenting? This is at the heart of most questions, isn’t it? What will really kill my baby and what is actually not worth the stress of the worry. 

Of course, much of this we just don’t know. Parenting is risky, because life is full of unknowns. Today’s science, however, is telling us much about where our worry line should be.

Here’s what we do know.

If we use chemicals that are known or suspected carcinogens in our daily lives (e.g. consumer products, food we eat, etc.) we are increasing our risk for developing cancer.

When I was growing up my hair was a mess: frizzy, bushy and permanently dented from being tied in a ponytail. Part of this was due to era, the late 80s/early 90s, but a lot of it was because my hair was addicted.

I’d been pouring over labels for years and considered myself a savvy shopper, but the skincare aisle almost had me duped.  I’m one of those people: the kind that stands in the Whole Foods aisle obsessively scanning every label.   I am not appeased by claims of Natural! Kid Safe! or Hypoallergenic. What I’m looking for are the ingredients. The rest, as far as I am concerned, is just fancy PR. I want to know what I’m putting in and on my body.