A Personal Experience Accepting the Mind the Store Campaign's Call to Action

Mind the Store was looking for volunteers for their paint stripper campaign. This much I knew from reading Savvy’s blog post on the issue. They were calling for people to visit specific stores in their area and check the shelves for paint strippers containing the dangerous chemicals methylene chloride and NMP.

Mind the Store made visiting my store very easy by providing an informative kit. There were photos of the brands to look for, and they provided a letter to hand to the manager in case the offending products were still on the shelves.

I visited two Sherwin Williams paint stores, which to my slight disappointment, were very small stores, i.e., ‘Hello, welcome to Sherwin Williams, can I help you find anything?’ as soon as I walked in the door.

When choosing a gift for that special man in your life, we hope that you will consider giving the gift of health and wellness. Make the switch and give toxins the ditch when gifting by choosing to partner and purchase from companies that follow Savvy Women’s Alliance’s Four Key Principles.

Wouldn't You Love To Have Her Knowledge? 

Mia Davis is a clean beauty guru with a wealth of knowledge for those seeking to learn more about detoxing their makeup bag. Industry leaders go to her for guidance in making safer and more sustainable skin care and cosmetics. Her journey in clean beauty began at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, then as the first hire at Beautycounter, where she was Head of Environmental Health & Safety for five years.  As the current Director of Mission at Credo Beauty, a clean beauty retailer, she oversees mission-related work for the nation's largest assortment of clean beauty products (over 110 different clean beauty brands).

The Medfield Chapter of Savvy Women’s Alliance, formerly known as Medfield Green, began making changes in their community simply enough. Four women came together with different interests but with the same goal: to change the community around them. From legislation on safer alternatives to banning harmful chemicals, from renewable and recycling efforts to food awareness, these women set out to educate their friends, family, neighbors and beyond on how to create a cleaner, greener Earth and a safer environment in which to live. 

“All of our efforts – including programs on organic landscaping, cooking classes, movie nights, book clubs and trips to local stores with various youth groups to advocate for safer food or products – have led to our evolution from Medfield Green to the Medfield Chapter of the Savvy Women’s Alliance, a national non-profit dedicated to all of the issues we care about!"

How did they do it? Helen Dewey, current co-ambassador of the Medfield Chapter (along with Erica Reilly),  shared some of the ways she and her like-minded friends made their mark, and changed many lives along the way. In doing so they have become the Savvy Women's Alliance 2018 Chapter of the Year.

CALL FOR WRITERS

Our Writing Team is a key  piece of the Savvy Women's Alliance; it gives our voice a "friendly face" as we  simplify the nontoxic living learning curve.  Our volunteer writers love to write, they are valued, and deep down, they know their heart's work is making a difference.  

We're Looking For Volunteers For:

• Hobbyists who have a passion for the written word 
• Technical writers 
• Rising influencers who would like to build their presence 
• Project launchers
• Storytellers 
• Interviewers

You make sure to buy the cleanest beauty products, food, and cleaning products but have you ever considered the chemicals you may be exposed to sleeping on your mattress?

If you ask Barry Cik how he entered the mattress business, he’ll tell you it was an accident. The long-time environmental engineer set out on the task of creating the perfect organic mattresses and cribs after searching for a crib for his first grandchild. He faced several options made with toxic chemicals he was inclined to avoid after years of experience in the engineering industry, and none of the organic cribs fit his liking. Frustrated but inspired, he set out on the valiant task of producing his own. If you ask us, Barry’s decision to found Naturepedic, a nontoxic, organic mattress manufacturing company, was more fate than accident.

“Look, Mommy!” Your four-year old rounds the corner carrying a lit votive candle that had been scenting the room from a seemingly safe spot. Surprised by your immediate yelp, she drops the candle on the couch.  Potential crisis now averted through quick thinking, you take the time to talk about fire with your child, and breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn’t worse.  It brings to mind headlines you have seen recently on flame-retardant chemicals.  The slow steady release of chemicals into the air, our homes and places where we sleep have been under heavy scrutiny for years,  because of the long-term damage they may cause. Now,  finally, they are coming to light in more mainstream media. As is often the case with products that contain multiple chemicals, from cleaners to pharmaceuticals, teasing out our understanding of the impacts on our health takes good scientists and sound science."

It's less about fire-fighting and more about fighting an industry.   

The days are longer, the birds are chirping and the trees are starting to bud. It can only mean one thing – Spring is here! While we all enjoy the extra hours of daylight and the warmer temperatures, not all of us look forward to another thing that happens around this time of year – spring cleaning.

But what if there was a way to make spring cleaning easier, fun and, best of all, nontoxic?

 The Savvy Women’s Alliance is delighted to partner with Women’s Voices for the Earth to provide a Green Cleaning Party Kit. Our Gatherings embody Savvy’s heart – the belief that nontoxic living is easier and more fun to tackle when we do it together.  Your job is to focus on your friends. Our job is to make this easy.  Take a look at what can happen in your home...

How Can I Make A Difference In My Child's School?

A question we hear often at the Savvy Women's Alliance. It's not easy, but it can be done. We see it happen often and when we do, it is worth celebrating.  Mesmerized by Janna Said's safer wipes initiative in her school,  we are delighted to share her success and approach.

Before Janna had her children, she was an elementary school teacher, educating little people. Her nontoxic journey began when she was pregnant with her first child. She stopped wearing nail polish and stopped cleaning bathrooms at her husband’s insistence. She bought organic milk and eggs.  And now her journey has found roots in one of her biggest campaigns yet: a safer wipes initiative. Little things added up. Now, she’s educating adults. 

Step One: Learn From Janna

• Meet Your Farmer: Regional Event 
• Meet & Greet with Kristi Marsh
• Tackle Cleaning Products 
• Meet Beth Conway, Women's Voice for the Earth | Communications Director

• Looking for a Chapter near you?   Find A Chapter

We’re indoors more than ever and in buildings that are sealed tightly for ultimate climate control. So that stretch and deep breath that we take each morning may not be quite as good for us as we assume.  Our homes can be 2-5 times more polluted than the outside air and this pollution is  created from everyday products.  A single exposure, or exposure over time,  can present a range of symptoms from irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat; headaches; dizziness; and fatigue. As many know, indoor air at home or work can aggravate chronic asthma or migraines. 

The good news? This is an area where we can create an easy and positive impact. 

Everyone wants a clean and healthy kitchen. If you're looking to achieve both without introducing unhealthy chemicals, here are some simple Do’s and Don’ts.