Green up!

I just recently came across an article from an old edition of the Ode magazine (Ode, January/February 2007). The article is entitled, “Raging hormones,” and explored how our children are exposed to estrogen mimicking chemicals causing “precocious puberty.” These chemicals are present in “food, water, personal care products, some plastics and many consumer goods.” These are potential threats to children, causing the majority to reach puberty much earlier than past generations. What’s a parent to do? My answer is GREEN UP!
It’s about time that I started to pay attention to the range of Green products on the market. I cannot afford not to anymore. As a parent, I need to protect my children from the dangers out there. So in response, I threw out all of our bad plastic cups, plates, etc. I am particularly afraid of plastic products purchased on the Ghanaian market. Due to weak borders and a Food and Health Board that is understaffed and not as effective as they could be, I cannot take risks buying such products in Ghana. Inferior Chinese made products are dumped in Ghana quite frequently. From fake drugs to counterfeit cigarettes, the Chinese market finds a way to bypass the authorities. Our children pay for those mistakes with their lives, as the case of Nigerian children given fake drugs led to the death of at least 80. I define “third world” as market for inferior products.
If you are anxious to raise healthy children for a better future, then you have no other choice than to Green up! Here are some suggestions as to what you can do by virtue of being in Ghana or Africa.
• Befriend an organic farmer.
• Eat organic vegetables. Better yet, grow your own. It’s a science project in itself.
• Use the Black soap also as hand washing soap.
• Stop buying plastic toys, cups, etc. In fact, the calabash bowl/cup is looking even more attractive right about now. You can get plates made as well.
• Buy green household products, or make your own….lemon cleans everything.

The article adds:
• To stop eating meat, milk and dairy products containing growth hormones.
• Reduce soy, which mimics estrogen.
• Avoid products that contain PVC, including vinyl shower curtains and toys with packaging that reads “3” also known as PVC.
There are lots that can be done to make our homes even safer for our children. The first step is thinking about what you can do…and then the revolution begins.