What do Cosmetics Have to do with Breast Cancer?

Only 11% of chemicals used in cosmetics, personal care products, and baby toys in the U.S. have been assessed for safety for human health and the environment.

A growing body of scientific research suggest that exposure to toxic chemicals—even very early in life—are contributing to high breast cancer rates, other cancers, reproductive harm, and other health problems.

The Women’s Lobby of Colorado and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics invite you to join us for a FREE EVENT to learn more!

Tuesday, October 27th @ 6pm

Panelists:
State Rep. Dianne Primavera (D-Broomfield & Boulder County), four-time
cancer survivor
Susan Roll, founding member of the National Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and
board member of the Women’s Lobby of Colorado
Robyn O’Brien, Founder of AllergyKids, author of The Unhealthy Truth and board
member of the Environmental Working Group
Josh Onysko, Founder & CEO of Boulder-based Pangea Organics

Location:
First Baptist Church
1237 Pine St.
Boulder, CO 80302

Parking is available in the Spruce Lots or on the street Light refreshments will be provided and get a free goodie bag! Meet local companies doing good work in Colorado…

RSVP by October 23 at coloradowomenslobby.org. The first 100 people to register will receive a free goodie bag of safe cosmetics from Colorado companies.

Colorado Run for Congo

My friend Jen started a Run For Congo in Colorado.  I have a deep respect for her and her dedication to making the world a better place.

Register for the Colorado run here.

I participated last year and aside from all the good it does for Women for Women, it was a great day, a beautiful hike!

Mothers Acting Up Events for Mother’s Day 2009

Mothers Acting Up Events for Mother’s Day 2009

Mothers Acting Up is shaking everything up this year. In this new era, we are turning are attention to more mother leadership and more action!!! We will not have our Mother’s Day Parade down Pearl Street, but hope you will join us on May 29th on a field trip to our Members of Congress! We’ll be riding on the New Era bus!!! Please check out the special events and gatherings that will happen all month long! To volunteer for any of these events, please email kelye_lotz@hotmail.com.

Friday May 1 (M)other presented by Beth Osnes followed by potluck dinner and the workshop: Empowering Mother Voices 5:30pm to 8:30pm Christ Church, 690 Colorado Boulevard, Denver (M)other explores how to get the people of one nation to authentically care about the children of other nations. It is an intimate, funny and provocative look at one mother’s personal transformation, moving from concern to action on behalf of the world’s children. Hosted by Christ Church United Methodist Church and The Gathering Place in partnership with Mothers Acting Up and Philanthropiece, this event will uniquely bring together groups of women who would normally never meet, breaking down stereotypes and reaching across class lines, reinforcing that each of us is part of a global community of mothers. Childcare will be provided; for more info, contact Louana George at westsidebirthservice@juno.com

Saturday, May 2 Celebrate Fair Trade and Mothers! 1 to 7pm Momentum 1625 Pearl Street, Boulder Come hear Peruvian artisans Ayde Riveros (finger puppet maven!) and Evangelina Pizaros’ compelling stories of their turbulent lives and how Fair Trade has helped them achieve economic and social stability. They will be at Momentum from 1-3pm creating crafts, selling products, and sharing their stories. Momentum will be honoring the work of Mothers Acting Up (MAU) with 10% of the day’s profits. This extra special May day at Momentum will conclude with a wine and fair trade chocolate reception from 3 to 7 pm for all who believe that each of us can make the world a better place one step at a time. Come celebrate with us!

Saturday, May 9 Longmont Moms Go Green for Mother’s Day! Homemade, organic potluck 6:30pm Contact Holly for to RSVP and for directions in Longmont: hollyaneff@hotmail.com Longmont Moms Go Green, a MAU Chapter, hosts speakers each month on topics such as: green investing and interior design, eco-cooking, permaculture, and zero waste home. Join in some Mother’s Day weekend renewal to the commitment to live a sustainable life for the health of the planet and the future of the world’s children. We’ll watch “The Eleventh Hour” with Leonardo DiCaprio and discuss ways to live more simply, consume less, and preserve nature.

Sunday, May 10 Mother’s Day Walk in Niwot! 9am Beginning at Left Hand Grange Park to Niwot Market, Niwot Join us for a festive morning walk to Stand for the World’s Children, with moms, dads, kids, dogs, friends and neighbors. At the end of the walk we’ll sign and decorate messages to Congress, asking lawmakers to prioritize kids. There’ll be opportunities to help a school in Uganda, ideas for inspiring kids to service, and plenty of coffee & MAU Mother’s Day cake. See you there! For more information email Kathy, Michelle or Linda at niwot@mothersactingup.org

Monday, May 11 Big Screen Premiere The Moment local action . . . global change Monday ~ May 11th 6:30 pm Main Boulder Public Library Gallery, Auditorium & the Channel 8 studio 1000 Canyon Boulevard, Boulder Mothers Acting Up, The City of Boulder’s Office of Environmental Affairs & Channel 8 invite you to celebrate the premiere of our new TV show The Moment The debut of The Moment will be accompanied by comedian Jeff Wozer and the fabulous Beth Osnes, appetizers & dessert, information & door prizes, and live taping in Channel 8 studios. Come celebrate this new show with your kids, grandparents & neighbors and this zero waste reception & event. Get your dose of good news and inspirations for the week!

Sunday, May 17 Awakening the Dreamer Symposium 1 to 5 pm (Limited space available) Center for Conscious Living, 1637 28th Street, just west of the Q’doba in Boulder To RSVP or for more information contact: Register online at www.awakeningthedreamer.org For questions, contact: Erica Shafroth at 303-473-0108 Mothers Acting Up is teaming up with a very exciting grass roots, social/political movement gaining momentum across the country and across the globe. The mission for the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium is to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on the planet. View the introductory video at http://awakeningthedreamer.org/content/view/115/135/

Tuesday, May 19 10:00am Jewelry Show to Benefit MAU! Join Janna for a morning playdate and Silpada show to benefit MAU! Sparrow Gabriel has generously offered to hold this show and donate 10% of all sales this day to MAU!!! Stop by anytime between 10 and noon. You may also check out the catalog on the web at http://www.mysilpada.com/sparrow.gabriel and email orders to Janna. We will also be collecting signature post cards to be delivered to our members of congress on May 29. Please stop by to sign a card if you have not signed one already! These cards will ask our M.O.C. to put children first in public policy! Please also visit the site http://www.standfortheworldschildren.org and sign the online pledge. We will also have some great FREE Mothers Acting Up stuff to give away! Don’t miss it! Email jannavance at gmail dot com for directions!

Friday, May 29 STAND FOR THE WORLD’S CHILDREN: A field trip to our Members of Congress 9:30 to 3:30 pm (possible to join the trip for half a day) Meet at 2025 16th Street, Boulder Get on the BUS with Mothers Acting Up, New Era Colorado, and the local High School Peace Jam Groups as we visit Rep. Betsy Markey and Jared Polis AND Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall. Be a part of presenting this year’s agenda on behalf of the world’s children. Lunch will be provided, bring snacks and a reusable water bottle. Read about the campaign and RSVP for the trip at www.standfortheworldschildren.org.

Mothers Acting Up (MAU) is a locally grown organization uniting 1 million mothers to advocate on behalf of the world’s children. MAU inspires, educates and engages mothers – a gigantic force to be reckoned with – to prioritize children in our corporate and public policies. MAU believes that when mothers lead, generations of global citizens will follow. For more info visit www.mothersactingup.org

Thoughts on Mothers Day

I love Mother’s Day. I can’t wait for the homemade gifts, the special breakfast crafted with the help of tiny hands and served with sticky kisses. It is a time when I contemplate my own motherhood and the value of close family.

But a few years ago, Mother’s Day became so much more than those wonderful sticky kisses – it became a day that I work to demand a safe, bountiful and meaningful life for all the world’s children.

Julia Ward Howe penned the Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870. She called on women to “arise,” and wrote, “let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace…”

So, as I am enveloped by the sweetness of Mother’s Day, I will also raise my voice to bring dignity to all mothers and remember the original intent of this auspicious day.

This spring, Mothers Acting Up is joining with Stand for the World’s Children. As a Mother Leader, I am collecting signatures on pledge post cards and delivering them to our members of congress later this month. I am also standing with mothers from Longmont, Niwot and Boulder at a variety of local events all month long. Over 90 Mother Leaders across the country will join us to simultaneously and joyfully demand a more just and equitable world for all. To add your voice to this beautiful collaboration of mothers, join us at one of the events you can find on this page.

Resources: Responsible Shopper Updates

Resources: Responsible Shopper Updates

Check out our Responsible Shopper Web site for our most recently added profile, of clothing retailer H & M.  On our comparison page, find out how H & M matches up against other clothing stores, and check the “Go Green” section for suggestions on your greenest options for building a sustainable wardrobe.

Visit Responsible Shopper often, for the latest developments at some of the country’s largest companies, in categories like supermarkets, home improvements, appliances, oil and gas, and more.

For example, on Responsible Shopper’s “recent developments” page, you can find out:

1. Which utility company just canceled five coal-fired power plants across the country. (Hint: If you’ve been reading your e-newsletter, you already know.  Green Americans have been sounding the alarm against these plants for the past year.  Thanks for keeping the pressure on – that’s how we change corporate America!)

Read more here.

7 Fixes from the Green Economy

Bold solutions from the green economy are the antidote to the broken economy—and can repair the damage and create a world that works for all.

Everyone now understands that the economy is broken. What our members and readers have known for years— that the economy is not working for people and the planet—is now playing out on Wall Street and Main Street every day.

Read more here.

Vicks for babies? No thanks.

If you have children under age 2, have you seen this news?  I’ve only heard recommendations to put it on kids feet.  But overall, this just solidifies my beliefs that something at the natural foods store is better.  Have you seen all the products at Vitamin Cottage lately?  WOW!  I went to buy a new toothbrush and toothpaste there they other day and there were so many choices I could barely decide which one to get!  To your health…

My New Quest

A couple of weeks ago I attended a talk by a local, Boulder nutritionist, Amy Keller.  I came away with a new mission to eliminate as much MSG and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) from my family’s lives.

It is hard!

One of my favorite things that Amy said was, “The FDA does not exist to keep our food safe or healthy.”  Boy, was she right!

I’ve been conscientiously working on my mission and feeling a little bit better about my level of education on these two items…  Then, last night, while watching HGTV, I saw this:

I was appalled! Andy said, “Oh snap! HFCS just did you like that.” My jaw just hung open. Wow. Did you notice that it was “made possible” by the Corn Refiners? I’m sure they don’t have any stake in skewing the truth… NOT!

Like the man in the commercial, I couldn’t exactly explain to Andy what it was that was SO bad about HFCS. I said, “It confuses your body and turns off your ability to say ‘I’m full’ which can lead to obesity.” Andy said, “I thought that was MSG?” I said, “I think both do it, but MSG is also a neuro-toxin.”

Then I got really hot, “And it’s ok in MODERATION??? How can you possibly have HFCS in moderation when it’s one of the FIRST ingredients in almost EVERYTHING!” As I said this, I was sipping a rum and coke. So, I continued, “I feel like in order to have any kind of MODERATION, I have to eliminate absolutely everything else with HFCS from my diet just so I can have a rum and coke once a week.”

What disturbs me most about this whole issue is that rather than provide healthy and nutritious foods for us to eat and feed to our families, these companies would rather serve their bottom line. They’d rather use HFCS because sugar is too expensive. They’d rather produce products that gel together better and are shelf stable for YEARS. And if there is evidence that these ingredients will deteriorate your health, they act so deceptively!

Case in point: did you know that food processors petitioned the FDA to list MSG on food labels as “spices” or “seasonings” or “natural flavorings”???? If that’s not deceptive, I don’t know what is.

In fact, I’ve recently had a revelation. Some of you know I am prone to terrible migraines. Now I’m reading that:
1 – MSG triggers migraines
2 – MSG can cause numbness in the face and neck area (this usually happens when I get a migraine – which really freaks me out)

In fact, Andy and I went out to see a movie on Sunday night. After a couple handfuls of popcorn, my tongue went numb and I was having trouble focusing. This really freaks me out because when it happens I think I have a serious neurological disorder. I usually get this fear that I’m going to have a stroke in the very near future. I’m a little reassured to self-diagnose that it’s an effect of the MSG…  at least that is something I can avoid.  I don’t know how I would avoid using my own brain.

Anyway, back to HFCS, I was encouraged to find this ad on YouTube today:

Ok, enough with the negativity. I don’t want to bring you down, I want to inspire you to make more conscious decisions in your life. So, what’s the easiest way to avoid 99% of this crap? Buy organic and make it from scratch! Added bonus: save the planet!

MAU Action

From the MAU Handbook, this week’s action is:

Write a letter urging the new U.S. President to create true security by ensuring the health, education and safety of the world’s children:

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Co-Op America

Co-Op America, soon to be Green America, just sent a fundraising email to me.  Did you get it?

A group of especially generous Co-op America members has stepped forward to underwrite a Matching Challenge Fund to power our work together in 2009—a matching fund that will DOUBLE your gift to Co-op America.

Working together, we can transform our society into a place where all people have enough, where all communities are safe and vibrant, and where the health of the Earth is restored for all generations to come.

Co-Op America is one of my favorite resources for all things green.  It’s where I found my rad new cell phone company, CREDO!  So, check ‘em out!