Beware the dust bunnies!

Those balls of dust living under your bed aren't just unsightly, they can be toxic, too! Chemicals from around your home and from the outdoors wind up in your indoor dust when they resettle from home products and come in our your shoes and through windows and doors. Dust is made up of all sorts of yucky stuff, like human hair and skin, pet dander, fungal spores, tiny particles and fibers. To make those dust bunnies even grosser, studies have found that 66 different endocrine disrupting compounds have been found in house dust. The worst among these are fire retardants, phthalates, and home use pesticides. EEK!!! Sounds pretty awful right? They are indeed--when you are exposed to toxic chemicals, even low doses, your health can be compromised. This is especially of concern for small children, who often play on the floor and put objects in their mouths. Small amounts of PBDE's (fire retardant) can cause damage to the reproductive system, deficits in motor skills, learning, memory and hearing as well as behavioral changes.

So where do these toxic chemicals come from and how do the end up in a dust ball under your furniture? Products such as furniture, electronics, shoes, plastics, fabrics and food shed chemicals over time. Outdoor pollutants travel inside on your shoes or through a cracked window.

What you can do:

-Vacuum regularly with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter to trap small particles. Don't forget to vacuum upholstered furniture and under those couch cushions!

-Wet mop uncarpeted floors regularly.

-Buy wooden furniture or furniture filled with cotton, down, wool or polyester as it is less likely to contain PBDE's.

-Wipe furniture with a microfiber cloth or a wet cotton cloth to get those tiny particles. Skip the sprays and wipes, they only add more chemicals to your home.

-Keep electronic equipment dust free by wiping with a damp cloth.

-Change the filters frequently on your forced air heating or cooling system.

For more information on toxic dust and how to protect yourself and your family from other toxins, visit the Environmental Working Group website.

NRDC Action Fund: Mobilizing America for a Sustainable Future: This Is Our Moment

NRDC Action Fund: Mobilizing America for a Sustainable Future: This Is Our Moment

Wisdom of the Wild

Anybody that has ever had a pet understands that there is a sacred bond between human beings and animals. Although we may think of ourselves as the most intelligent creatures on Earth, there is much we can learn from from the animal kingdom. Wisdom of the Wild is a terrific PBS documentary that sheds some light on our remarkable connection with our fellow creatures, including what they can teach us about the world, and about ourselves.

Click here to view the full documentary: Video: Full Episode - Wisdom of the Wild | Nature

The living reef...Here today, gone tomorrow?

Coral reefs are home to the greatest diversity of life on Earth. They protect our shores, contribute to our food chain, and provide us with medicines to keep us alive and healthy. Despite how important the coral reefs are to life on Earth, they maybe gone in less than 30 years due to global warming, over fishing, and the acidification of the oceans.

The reefs need your help! Read NOAA's 25 Things You Can Do to learn how you can help the reef.

Give to be green

This time of year the fun and excitement of giving and receiving gifts is often overshadowed by a certain amount of guilt over mass consumption and wastefulness. And it’s not all in our heads; holiday waste increases by 25% from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. That’s an additional 1 million tons a week dumped in our landfills. So how do you reconcile this concern and set an example for your kids while maintaining the tradition of holiday giving? Well, for a start, you and your kids can gather used books, toys and clothing to give to local charities, hospitals, schools or libraries.

Rummage through that closet or toy bin with your child and pick out gently used items that you don't need anymore. Find places around town like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, and Habitat for Humanity that would benefit from your items or pass them on to neighbors in need. Holding a rummage sale is another option. Earning hard cash will help kids realize that their castaway toys and books still have real value.

Passing on unwanted items to those who can use them is crucial for keeping our lifestyles sustainable. Everything we buy is made from valuable materials from the earth. Harvesting these materials, manufacturing them into products and shipping them around the world take a tremendous toll on our planet both in terms of resources wasted and energy consumed. Giving those items a second chance at life will go a long way in protecting the planet and remembering what the holidays are really about.

check out my non-material gift guides for more great holiday ideas...

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Over at the Little Green Blog we are discussing green Christmas trees! And by green I mean eco-green!

"Nothing says Christmas like a beautiful tree covered in chemicals, right? Wrong! Sadly, many trees, that timeless symbol of Christmas, are dangerous to your child’s health." read more

what if...

Have you ever wondered what Washington D.C. would look like if the Greenland ice sheet completely melted? Would politicians be able to ignore the threat of global warming anymore? What would happen to New York City, home to the world's largest financial institutions, world class museums, Broadway shows and home to over 8 million people, if see levels continued to rise?

Let's not let leaders and neighbors ignore the problem any longer. Add your voice to the millions around the world demanding real solutions at the Copenhagen Climate Summit this week. Join the movement at Hopenhagen.org.

**images copyright Vanity Fair Magazine, 2006