by Sarah Lane
The Natural Defenses Resource Council, in its article “Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype,” reports that more than half of all Americans drink bottled water and about one-third of the population drinks it regularly. So Americans are thirsty. Why is this a problem?
1. What’s in the Bottles
One problem has to do with what’s in the bottles themselves. The Earth Policy Institute reports that 1.5 million barrels of oil per year, which is enough to fuel 100,000 cars for that same year, are required to satisfy …

What follows are resources to help you provide a healthier (toxin-free), zero-waste lunch for your child. If you’re just beginning this process, don’t get discouraged. Even by changing a few things you do, you are taking worthwhile steps. As Voltaire says, don’t allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good!

Specifically, you want to avoid the following:

1. Toxins
For the health of your family

Lead. Lead affects the brain and behavior and is especially dangerous to young children still in early developmental stages. Read about lead in children’s …

by Sarah Townsend
I’m scheduled to pick grape leaves tomorrow for a meal that will celebrate locally grown wine and produce. I have been instructed to pick the leaves that are both large enough to stuff and not tough. I know to feel the veins and note the curvature of the leaves. I also know not to strip all the leaves from any one branch which may cause it to wither—a reminder that no one individual can carry the weight of community. These leaves will be rolled into dolmas for our …

by the Staff at Blue Planet Run
Consider these facts about water:

One out of 6 people on the planet lack access to safe drinking water.
Each year 1.8 million children die from waterborne diseases (1 every 15 seconds).
Women and children walk on average 6K, almost 4 miles, to collect water each day.
One quart of wastewater can pollute 8 quarts of fresh water.
Half of the world’s 500 major rivers are seriously depleted or polluted.
Four quarts of oil discarded can contaminate 1 million gallons of water.
Poor sanitation …

by Julie Hall and Sarah Lane
With the launch of ProgressiveKid Reader, we are taking the next logical step in the progression of ProgressiveKid. Five years ago, at a time when people were still catching on to recycling, we opened PK as a way to connect people with a more mindful way of life. We offered Earth-friendly alternatives to conventional products, information for socially aware living, and affirming messages for a happier and healthier generation of kids. We alerted parents about lead in children’s lunchboxes before it hit the mass media. …

by Sarah Lane
A new study at the University of Queensland exposed as a myth the idea that men, unlike women, have all the time in the world to reproduce. Researchers analyzed data gathered about more than 33,000 American children and found a correlation between advanced father age and slightly lower IQ in the children. The older a man was at conception, the lower his offpsring’s score on tests of memory, reasoning, reading skills, and concentration through the age of seven. The difference was small: only several points between the children …

by the Staff at Blue Planet Run
For each of us who cares about the environment, one of the most important lessons we can teach our children is that small changes we make can positively impact even large problems—like the global water crisis.
Something as basic as clean water is unavailable to over a billion people (that’s 1 of 6 of us). Because hours are spent walking long distances to fetch and carry water back home, many women and children are unable to go to school or get a job. Even here …

by Sarah Lane
A new study conducted by the Mayo Clinic finds a link between multiple surgeries by the age of four and a higher risk for developing learning disabilities in reading, written language, and mathematics. Recent research indicating that anesthesia given at a young age can kill brain cells prompted Dr. Robert Wilder, an anesthesiologist at the Rochester, Minnesota, hospital to scour the records of more than 5,000 children who had been patients at Mayo or other facilities in Olmsted County, home of Mayo. Approximately 600 of those patients had …

by Julie Hall
These days even the moderately well-informed among us are aware of the compelling reasons to buy organic produce: avoiding pesticides and encouraging a more sustainable food system. However, even diehard organic supporters may at times find that good, local, and/or affordable organic produce options are not available. In these situations it helps to be aware of which conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables are most and least contaminated with pesticides. As spring approaches and nature works its wonders, it’s a good idea to reacquaint yourself with the produce top …

by Sarah Lane
The Natural Defenses Resource Council, in its article “Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype,” reports that more than half of all Americans drink bottled water and about one-third of the population drinks it regularly. So Americans are thirsty. Why is this a problem?
1. What’s in the Bottles
One problem has to do with what’s in the bottles themselves. The Earth Policy Institute reports that 1.5 million barrels of oil per year, which is enough to fuel 100,000 cars for that same year, are required to satisfy Americans’ demand …