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n Purify it. Several types of water purification systems, including tapmounted, under-sink and pitchers, are effective and affordable, ranging from $20 to $300. Seek filters certified by the National Sanitation Foundation testing agency that address contaminants identified by the water test.
Clean Food
n Buy organic when possible. “Swapping to mostly organic foods is a good way to reduce your child’s daily toxic burden and reduce their risk of developing gut issues, autoimmune diseases, and food sensitivities and allergies,” says Caitlin Self, a licensed dietitian and functional nutritionist in Baltimore who blogs at FrugalNutrition.com. Using the list of the Dirty Dozen pesticide-laden produce compiled by the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org/foodnews) as well as its recommended Clean 15 makes shopping organic easier. n Clean produce of pesticides. Simply rinsing produce under cold water for 30 seconds reduces pesticide residues for nine of 12 pesticides, a study by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station found. Saltwater or vinegar rinses also remove pesticides effectively, and in a recent Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry study, soaking apples in one ounce of baking soda to 100 ounces of water for 15 minutes removed 80 and 96 percent of two pesticides, respectively, even under the skin of the fruit. n Stock up on healthy snacks. Afterschool munchies are not only natural, but healthy. “Kids’ little tummies tend to need more frequent feedings than fully formed adults to ensure they have stable blood sugar,” says Self. Rather than highly processed crackers, pudding and most granola bars, offer combos like grapes with cheese, celery with peanut butter or hummus on whole-wheat bread. “Some parents will need to rely on some more packaged snacks to get through,” says Self, who recommends trail mix, fresh fruit or crispy chickpeas. Ronica A. O’Hara is a Denver-based health writer. Connect at OHaraRonica@gmail.com. 18
North Central FL Edition
50th EARTH DAY TAKES ON CLIMATE CHANGE Golden Anniversary Marks Call to Action
O
n April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans—10 percent of the nation—took to the streets and campuses to protest environmental degradation so severe that rivers were literally catching on fire. That groundswell was followed by the passage of landmark environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, laws soon adopted by many other countries. Half a century later, as temperatures approach 70 degrees in Antarctica, catastrophic wildfires race through Australia and species die off around the world, the planet’s status seems anything but golden. On this Earth Day, the climate crisis that precipitated these events and trends take center stage: The goal is to mobilize millions, perhaps billions, of Earth’s human inhabitants to rise up in its defense.
“The urgency has never been greater and the stakes have never been higher,” say the organizers of the Earth Day Network. “We are now in an environmental emergency and a climate breakdown. The world needs you—and your actions—for Earth Day 2020.” To learn about personal actions, including step-by-step instructions on how to organize an event, consult EarthDay.org. Participants can join in a cleanup of trash from rivers, beaches, streets and forests; host a teach-in; take part in a climate strike or campus rally to show united action; join the world’s largest citizen science initiative to document declining environmental conditions and participate in social media campaigns to raise awareness. Help North Central Florida celebrate victories and support future progress by participating in these local Earth Day 2020 events shown on the next page.
Climate change is a terrible problem, and it absolutely needs to be solved. It deserves to be a huge priority.
GoNaturalAwakenings.com
~Bill Gates
