The nation's toxic chemical regulatory law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), is in drastic need of reform. Passed in 1976 and never amended since, TSCA is widely regarded as the weakest of all major environmental laws on the books today.

When passed, the Act declared safe some 62,000 chemicals already on the market, even though there were little or no data to support this policy. Since that time another 20,000 chemicals have been put into commerce in the United States, also with little or no data to support their safety.

The human race is now polluted with hundreds of industrial chemicals with little or no understanding of the consequences. Babies are born pre-polluted with as many as 300 industrial chemicals in their bodies when they enter the world. Testing by Environmental Working Group has identified 455 chemicals in people, and again, no one has any idea if these exposures are safe.

We are at a tipping point, where the pollution in people is increasingly associated with a range of serious diseases and conditions from childhood cancer, to autism, ADHD, learning deficits, infertility, and birth defects. Yet even as our knowledge about the link between chemical exposure and human disease grows, the government has almost no authority to protect people from even the most hazardous chemicals on the market.

Please check out this 22-minute video called "10 Americans: 'An Inconvenient Truth' for Toxic Chemicals and Health." It's full of facts and statistics that will shock and surprise even the most informed people!


The Campaign: Pass the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act

This pollution in people is the direct result of a statute that does not require chemicals to be proven safe to get on the market, or stay on the market. Under federal law EPA does not have the authority to demand the information it needs to evaluate a chemical's risk, and neither manufacturers nor the EPA are required to prove a chemical's safety as a condition of use.

The Kid-Safe Chemical Act will change all this through a fundamental overhaul of our nation's chemical regulatory law. Specifically, the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act:

* requires that industrial chemicals be safe for infants, kids and other vulnerable groups;

* requires that new chemicals be safety tested before they are sold;

* requires chemical manufacturers to test and prove that the 62,000 chemicals already on the market that have never been tested are safe in order for them to remain in commerce;

* requires EPA to review "priority" chemicals, those which are found in people, on an expedited schedule;

* requires regular biomonitoring to determine what chemicals are in people and in what amounts;

* requires regular updates of health and safety data and provides EPA with clear authority to request additional information and tests;

* provides incentives for manufacturers to further reduce health hazards;

* requires EPA to promote safer alternatives and alternatives to animal testing;

* protects state and local rights; and

* requires that this information be publicly available.

Through the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act we can give our children a safer and healthier future. You can help by spreading the word and taking action now!

And while major reforms require the government to step in, you don't have to wait for this Act to pass before protecting yourself and your family. The best thing you can do is to be an educated consumer. There are simple things you start now to help -- avoid nonstick pans, try to buy organic when possible, never microwave plastic, filter your water for drinking and cooking, and many more. Just contact me to get more tips and advice.

Source: The Environmental Working Group 

On this past trip back to NYC, I had a serious heart-to-heart with my good girlfriend, A. We talked about our goals and what makes us happy. I've thought about many times before, but discovered more about myself as by discussing it out loud with A.

If you talked to me a few years ago, I would have had a very different definition of happiness. It would not have included having kids or being my own boss. At the time, I was content with 'working for the man' and just enjoying life with E. Without kids, we could still go on our travel adventures, go out to eat every day without thinking about finances or babysitters, and have friends over for poker nights without dealing with bedtimes and such. It seemed like a great version of happiness.

Somehow, as I got older, I started to think about children more. I'm not sure if it was my biological clock ticking or the fact that I worked at Scholastic and was surrounded by mothers, expecting mothers, and tons of kids's stuff. Either way, the idea of having kids now seemed like it would be kinda fun.

Around the same time, a new and exciting entrepreneurial spirit started to grow inside of me. Yeah, it's nice to work for someone else and not have to worry about hiring, firing, accounting, etc. but there was something really intriguing about working on something was entirely your own. Something that you created and had complete control over.

In 2006, I started a handmade greeting card company and was up all hours of the night working on new designs, logos, a website... and it didn't feel like work at all. It was something that I was passionate about and enjoyed doing. At first, I made custom-designed cards for friends and family to celebrate their birthdays, new babies, weddings, promotions, etc. Then I started selling my cards in a small shop in the L.E.S.

Fast forward to the present, and I now live in Florida with E. My handmade greeting card business was put on hold when we were wedding planning and then moving, and now it has morphed into a new business. I loved making cards because I saw the delight and joy it brought to each recipient. I still love to make cards, so I am developing a line of designs that I can print so that more people can enjoy them. I have also expanded my product line to include a wider spectrum of wellness. It's great combination because my cards promote personal wellness, while my other products help people to achieve physical and environmental wellness!  

Before I moved to Florida, I had thought about looking for a regular 9 to 5 job. Then, I thought about how I'd like to have kids in the near future and how I'd like to be able to stay home with them -- to watch them grow, to teach them, and of course to play with them! Spending 8 hours away from my kids each day to work in an office (plus commuting time!) was just not going to fly.

I'm now working hard to build my business, but I'm happy because it gives me the flexibility to still travel home to NY because I can work remotely and set my own hours. I also know that when I do have kids, I'll be able to be there for them. It will still be a juggling act to balance a business with kids, but at least it's doable. (I heard about a woman who I used to work with that had to quit her job because they would not allow flexible work hours for her to be with her children!)

In addition to flexibility, another huge plus for my business is that I'm helping to make the world a safer and healthier place for future generations. I know that I will be providing my family with a safe environment and take great pride in knowing that I'm helping others do the same.