Keeping a Healthy Family Home / Seventh Generation Giveaway
March 25, 2009 by Kimberly · 179 Comments
Last Wednesday, I attended a lunch at Riverhouse, a green technology condominium in the city. During lunch, I had the opportunity to listen to several speakers regarding keeping an eco-friendly, healthy home. Let’s just say that by the time the (delicious) lunch ended, my brain was spinning trying to absorb all of the information that I had just learned.
Fortunately (for you) I’m not going to share all of the frightening statistics regarding indoor pollution that I learned. Suffice it to say, it is very important that we as parents are careful to monitor the things (that are within our control) that come into contact with our children.
Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of Seventh Generation spoke briefly about his company’s background and its commitment to safe and environmentally responsible products for a healthy home. (Did you know that the company’s name comes from the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations?)
Next, Dr. Greene, a pediatrician (and father of four) shared information regarding the effect that toxins in common household items have on kids. A light bulb went off in my brain as he was reading the ingredients and warnings on some of the products. Yes, I have some natural cleaners (like from method, one of my favorite companies), but I still had some that were not green. Immediately, I thought of the oven cleaner that I had used a couple of weeks ago after having a big spill in my oven. (I vowed to throw it away immediately!) Dr. Greene shared a lot of other information (like chemicals in diapers and such) but at a certain point, my brain started screaming “TMI” – too much information. Rather, I chose to focus on the simple changes that we could make in order to make the air in our home less toxic. Three simple ones were to open your windows, to buy some household plants and to use natural products as much as possible. Those are pretty easy.
After that, Christopher Gavigan, CEO & Executive Director of Healthy Child Healthy World introduced us to the Health eHome. The site is a partnership between WebMD, a leader in online health information and Healthy Child Healthy World, a nonprofit which focuses on protecting the health and well-being of children from harmful environmental exposures. I like that this program is interactive and offers tips and information about healthy, safe, green living in “bite-sized pieces”. You can choose how much (or little) to learn and apply at a time. (I plan on “tackling” a different area of my home each month to make it as healthy as possible without exasperating myself!)
Lastly, pregnant Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford was also on the panel. Already, a mother of a son (2), Ms. Rutherford was very passionate and outspoken regarding the value of making her home as healthy as possible for her family.
At the end of the event, we were each given a bag filled with Seventh Generation products to jumpstart our healthy home makeovers. I gave the organic paper towels and napkins to my son’s pre-k class (hint, hint schools!) but kept the cleaners for myself. (I tried to give those to the school too, but they wouldn’t accept them. Darn!)
Here’s the best part…
To celebrate “National Cleaning Week” (March 23-29), I’m doing an “Under the Kitchen Sink Makeover”, similar to what Dr. Greene and Kelly walked us through at the event. One lucky Mom in the City reader will receive a reusable gift bag filled with Seventh Generation products (one each of a dishwasher, laundry, spray clean and paper product) to kick-start your own eco-friendly “Under the Kitchen Sink Makeover.”
To enter this special one week giveaway, please tell me why you think that you need an “Under the Kitchen Sink Makeover” in the “Comments” section below by Wednesday, April 1st. (Additionally even though there will only be one winner, I encourage you to join the free Seventh Generation Nation in order to receive monthly coupons for products, special offers, etc. They really do have a large range of eco-friendly products from cleaners to baby products to feminine care, etc.) As an added incentive, you get a bonus entry in this “Under the Kitchen Sink Makeover” contest for joining the Seventh Generation Nation. Good luck!
I need an over the fridge make over. I keep my 2 bottles of cleaner over the fridge. I have a bottle of windex and a bottle of 409. I need some earth safe cleaners in my cabnet.
I have alot of toxic stuff under there and things I haven’t used in years.
enter me
I need an ‘under the sink makeover’ cause under my sink is too many chemicals and I want them gone!!
i need a whole house makeover lol!!
I need an under the sink make over because right now our grandbaby and family are living here for awhile and I need to have a safe place.
I need an under the sink makeover b/c I lot of bad things with bad chemicals in it. Thank you.
need an under the sink make over because the cleaners I have are harsh and the aroma of them flare up my bronchular asthma,..I have coughing fits when I clean.
Thanks for the giveway
I would love an under the sink makeover as I have started “going green” and my cleaning supplies seem to be what I have the hardest letting go. If I could find great “green” cleaning solutions, I would be completely won over!
need a makeover too many products with chemicalls
I could really use one because my cat has become too smart and opens the cabinet herself. I worry about her getting a taste of something bad for her!!
an under the sink make over
I’d love to get rid of old products that I know I haven’t used in years.
thanks..
I want to feel good about what I am leaving for my children.
I have so many half-used products under my sink. I keep trying new things, and when they don’t work, under the sink they go! Thanks for the great giveaway! I am so glad companies are making “green” products.
would like to try these, thanks
because I want to be more ecologically aware and use safe cleaners…thanks for the giveaway
I would love an under the sink makeover as I don’t have any natural cleaners.
Because we need safer products for our kids
My cabinet is crammed with cleaners that I know longer want to use. I want to clean more green friendly. This giveaway would help me to be able to throw away all those useless bad products and clean green.
My sink cabinent is full or old and outdated stuff. Need to clean it out for saftey of kids and pets for sure
I need a makeover becauseim very unorganized and its a shabby thing to begin with, ugh. skyxsky27(at)gmail.com
I need an under the sink makeover because our family is trying to continue to live an eco-friendly lifestyle even though my husband has been laid off and green cleaners are not in the budget right now!
Thanks! foxsquirrelrabbit at gmail dot com
I need an Under the Kitchen Sink Makeover because I would like to go green and use eco-friendly cleaning products.
I joined the Seventh Generation Nation.
It would be wonderful to have a makeover under my sink !!!!! Went to doctors and found out that I have all kind of severe allergies.From indoor to outdoor allergies to cats and dogs and also any kind of feathers.Hair spray is even bad for me.Dust,and dust mites came out # 1 VERY VERY BAD !!!! ( PLEASE HELP ME GET BETTER SOME HOW ) THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i would love to win this, because my Seventh generation all purpose cleaner is almost empty! i love their products.
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