The EssentiaList

by Catherine Haug, March 2, 2011 (photo from NPR article)

We’ve all heard that BPA, the plastic used in water bottles, is toxic because it mimics estrogen, and is classified as an endocrine disrupter. Because of this, most of us avoid food and water products in containers containing BPA: soda bottles, water bottles, canned foods, and traditional home canning lids.

In response, you’ve probably heard me say that all plastics are toxic, even if the media hasn’t reported it, or science hasn’t proved it yet. Furthermore, the production of plastic is not sustainable, whether it is made from petroleum or food crops.

Today, National Public Radio (NPR) released a story by Jon Hamilton: Study: Most Plastics Leach Hormone-Like Chemicals (1) that vindicates my belief for ‘most’ plastics.

This study only looked at hormone-like activity. There are also other ways in which plastics can be toxic; will the remaining ‘safe’ plastics someday be found to be unsafe too?

What about those you use in your home?

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by Catherine Haug (originally published on 7/9/2009; updated and republished Jan 29, 2010)

When we find empty shelves at the grocer and chain stores (due to unavailability or high expense of fuel), what will we do?

As ESP pursues healthful and local sources for essentials, we wonder about shampoo and rinse for cleaning hair.  Most shampoos available in the American marketplace are synthetic cleansers, technically termed ‘detergents,’ and cannot be made in your kitchen.

Even Organic brands, such as Avalon, are synthetic, albeit synthesized from natural organic substances (like coconut oil), and cannot be made in your kitchen. (For more on this, refer to the Coming Clean Info Sheet by the Organic Consumers Association).

So what’s an essentials-minded person to do?

The answer is soap and vinegar, both of which can be made in your kitchen!  How cool is that? (more…)