I’m passionate about a lot of things; children, the enviroment, giving…to name a few. I work with and support many worthy causes and organizations. Environmental Defence is one of them. They inspire change by connecting people with environmental issues that affect their daily lives in their homes, workplaces, and neighbourhoods.
Here is my interview with Environmental Defence:
1. What is Environmental Defence?
Environmental Defence is Canada’s most effective environmental action organization. We challenge, and inspire change in government, business and people to ensure a greener, healthier and prosperous life for all. Since 1984, we’ve been connecting people with environmental issues that affect their daily lives in their homes, workplaces and neighbourhoods.
We’ve been working to protect Canadians from pollution in people for years. We have conducted body burden studies, which found that Canadians have unhealthy levels of chemicals such as lead, flame retardants, pesticides and stain repellents in their bodies. In 2008, we led the successful charge to get toxic bisphenol A (BPA) out of baby bottles in Canada, and this chemical has since been declared a toxic substance. We also had a hand in upgrading Canada’s consumer product safety legislation in 2010.
2. Tell us more about the “Just Beautiful” campaign?
The Just Beautiful Campaign is hoping to help push Canada to ban the known-to-be-harmful ingredients in our products and demand full disclosure of what’s in the products on Canadian shelves. We’re asking the federal government to ban the worst substances and make sure we know all of the ingredients in our cosmetics so that we can all be Just Beautiful.
We conduct chemical research and report on our findings to raise awareness about what Canadians are putting in their bodies. We also form partnerships with personal care manufacturers and retailers to help provide products that people can use with confidence.
3. Why should parents care what is in their cosmetics?
Parents should care what’s in their cosmetics as much as they care what’s in their food– because they eat them. Many cosmetics contain heavy metals and chemicals that enter our organs and skin, accumulating in our bodies over our lifetime. Some of these chemicals can be passed on to babies in the womb and during breast feeding. Ingredients in fragrances, shampoos, lotions and makeup have been found to disrupt our hormonal systems, cause cancer, and damage our skin, eyes, and sinuses. Sometimes these chemicals are not even listed. When you wash your child’s hair, or smother them in sunscreen, you want them to be clean, and protected from disease. So do we.
4. How can consumers find out what toxins are in our cosmetics?
Visit www.justbeautiful.ca to download our Pocket Shopping Guide to avoid the Toxic Ten ingredients when you’re shopping (or even in the stuff you have at home!).
5. What can the public do to help get these toxins out?
Our website includes a petition to the Canadian Minister of Health, The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq. You can also call the phone numbers on your packaging to let companies know directly that you deserve better. And use our Pocket Shopping Guide to help you avoid the Toxic Ten when buying new products.
For more information visit Environmental Defence online or connect on Facebook and Twitter.