Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/142672
your environmental impact such as Annie Berthold-Bond's Clean and Green offer recipes using products such as baking soda, vinegar, and essential oils. Dispose of toxic products properly. Contact your local department of solid waste to determine how and where to dispose of cleaning products, solvents, and paints. Eliminate use of antibacterial cleaning products. Based on triclosan, a pesticide the EPA labels as a risk to humans and the environment, these products offer a host of problems. Similar to Washing hands thoroughly with soap and hot water for at least 10–15 seconds works equally as well at killing harmful bacteria without the negative repercussions. Antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral essential oils, such as lemon and tea tree, are effective for cleaning and do not cause the same problems as the synthetic antibacterial products. And they smell better, too. When using essential oils, make sure they are not synthetic and that their shelf life has not expired. Follow the proper safety precautions dixion, PCBs, and Agent Orange, accumulation of this substance in fatty tissues at levels considered toxic is one of the potential hazards. The antibacterial agents randomly kill microscopic organisms, both the beneficial and harmful ones. Additionally, antibiotic products have been implicated as part of the cause of the emergence of "super bugs," bacteria resistant to antibiotics. and contraindications, like diluting the oils before contact with skin. Wash only full loads of laundry to save energy and use biodegradable and natural detergents. Dispense with fabric softeners and dryer sheets as they contain a host of chemicals such as chloroform, pentane, and benzyl alcohol. If a laundry service washes your linens, get creative. Arends convinced her service to deliver the clean linens in cloth bags rather than the plastic they were using. Every choice we make has an environmental impact. Licensing boards dictate some choices, such as use of disposable cups. Sometimes a perfect choice does not exist (e.g., do we fill our clients' water bottles with chemically laden tap water or with water from a filtration system with disposable filters?). Other times an environmentally positive action may feel cost prohibitive (e.g., organic cotton sheets can cost three to five times as much as standard sheets). But anything we do to lessen our negative impact is moving in a positive and more sustainable direction. As the bumper sticker reads, "Not contributing to the problem is part of the solution." Most of us will not build an environmentally friendly straw bale office, as one bodyworker in Washington did. However, by educating ourselves about options and choosing consciously, we can provide a healthier environment for ourselves and our clients, now and in the future. SPH Sharon Roemmel, BSW, LMT, RA, is an Oregon-based freelance writer and practitioner with interests in bodywork, yoga, environmental concerns, and aromatherapy. She's been practicing massage since 1991 and teaches at the Oregon School of Massage.