What up, weekend? Any good plans? Let me guess, something that involves green beer. Me, I'm kicking things off right with a really fun breast MRI. Because I just LOVE getting IVs. And this raging head cold I have will make lying face down while the jackhammer goes off around me for 40 minutes extra awesome.
But hey, that doesn't mean we can't end our week on a high note here at SMACK! We're back, you're back, it's a crazy love fest. And after Wednesday's legislative debacle over the 'reform' of the Toxic Substances Control Act, we get some good news from the State of California. The story broke yesterday that the California Department of Toxic Substances Control will begin asking manufacturers to eliminate carcinogenic and other harmful chemicals from consumer goods.
The San Jose Mercury News covered the story here. According to the LA Times' coverage, regulators also issued a first list of items containing toxic chemicals that need reformulation or face being pulled from retail shelves. Then Bloomberg picked it up, meaning the news should spread pretty quickly. Chicago Tribune grabbed it last night, and I'm going to keep an eye on other media who use the story to round out their Friday news feed.
I mean, it is pretty big news. California has managed to do what the Fed won't -- enact a program that actually protects consumers instead of insulation chemical companies from the scrutiny of education consumers. I'm a little curious to see if other states borrow a page from Cali's playbook to help lead the way to real reform. Wouldn't that be great? To see the states step up and fill in where our federal regulators have totally dropped the ball?
Love it. Let's get on that.
Happy weekend!
Jazzy
Friday, March 14, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Trash day
We recycle a lot in our house. It's something I'm especially proud of, when on pickup day the trash bin has just a couple bags in it but the recycle bin is positively overflowing and I'm putting out paper bags next to it filled with even more recyclables.
In this week's collection, some old cosmetics that I found as I try to get a jump start on some spring cleaning. Can I call it spring purging?
All this came just from a basket on my bathroom counter. No joke, some of that stuff goes back to the late 80s. Like my first-ever blush and a Clinique lipstick that's rusty. Gross.
I still have to go through my entire vanity, where two bigger plastic storage bins are filled with even more crap that I hardly ever used, even before I knew how toxic some of it is. I won't lie -- it was hugely satisfying and cathartic to pitch the stuff. A small act that helps me simplify my life, helps me keep my body a smidge healthier.
I absolutely encourage you to expand whatever your spring cleaning rituals are to include what you use in your daily routines. Think about how many steps you take to ready yourself, how many products you use. Is there a better way? Are there better products? What's in that eye shadow I've been using since 2005? Can I use a gentler body wash? Do I really need 17 lipsticks?
Even cleaning out one small drawer or cabinet will make a huge difference. See, it's not just getting rid of the stuff, but the change in thinking that brings on real results. You can do it!
Yours in parsing down,
Jazzy
In this week's collection, some old cosmetics that I found as I try to get a jump start on some spring cleaning. Can I call it spring purging?
All this came just from a basket on my bathroom counter. No joke, some of that stuff goes back to the late 80s. Like my first-ever blush and a Clinique lipstick that's rusty. Gross.
I still have to go through my entire vanity, where two bigger plastic storage bins are filled with even more crap that I hardly ever used, even before I knew how toxic some of it is. I won't lie -- it was hugely satisfying and cathartic to pitch the stuff. A small act that helps me simplify my life, helps me keep my body a smidge healthier.
I absolutely encourage you to expand whatever your spring cleaning rituals are to include what you use in your daily routines. Think about how many steps you take to ready yourself, how many products you use. Is there a better way? Are there better products? What's in that eye shadow I've been using since 2005? Can I use a gentler body wash? Do I really need 17 lipsticks?
Even cleaning out one small drawer or cabinet will make a huge difference. See, it's not just getting rid of the stuff, but the change in thinking that brings on real results. You can do it!
Yours in parsing down,
Jazzy
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Regularly scheduled programming
Let's just chalk up the last month to seasonal affective disorder, shall we? SMACK! was offline for a whole month, for which I apologize profusely, but you're not here to see me grovel. So let's move on, and dive back in.
LOADS to catch up on! Most urgently, some sh*t going down today in Congress, where a subcommittee is considering the Chemicals in Commerce Act. The who in what? It's draft legislation that would replace the woefully out-of-date Toxic Substances Control Act. Now, does it stand to reason that if the name of the bill is less assertive than the one it's replacing, that the actual legislation is less assertive too?
In this case, yes. The CICA is considered a major setback by those who care about such things as chemicals hiding in our everyday lives. As out-of-touch and ineffective as the TSCA is, the newer CICA does little to benefit consumers, but plenty to benefit industry.
Here's a very, very telling synopsis straight from the horse's mouth (by that I mean the Environment and the Economy Subcommittee). My favorite line by far:
Well done, Rep. Shimkus (R-Illinois and chairman of the subcommittee). You've managed to take legislation that was supposed to prioritize the health of consumers over corporate interests and completely flip it around. The safety of chemicals never comes into question; rather, it's the public's mistrust of those chemicals that is on the line here.
Bullcrap!! Decades upon decades of American consumers being poisoned, and we're wrong to question it? How naive of me to think that our elected officials would use their positions to benefit the very people who vote them into office.
So let's make some noise!!! The Breast Cancer Fund has created this online form through which consumers can voice their opposition to the CICA. Use it. Share it. Tell your friends. This is how real reform happens. Consumers have power. Not just with their wallets, but with their voices. Their influence. Use YOURS to support change that will mean healthier lives, now and for future generations.
Glad to be back,
Jazzy
LOADS to catch up on! Most urgently, some sh*t going down today in Congress, where a subcommittee is considering the Chemicals in Commerce Act. The who in what? It's draft legislation that would replace the woefully out-of-date Toxic Substances Control Act. Now, does it stand to reason that if the name of the bill is less assertive than the one it's replacing, that the actual legislation is less assertive too?
In this case, yes. The CICA is considered a major setback by those who care about such things as chemicals hiding in our everyday lives. As out-of-touch and ineffective as the TSCA is, the newer CICA does little to benefit consumers, but plenty to benefit industry.
Here's a very, very telling synopsis straight from the horse's mouth (by that I mean the Environment and the Economy Subcommittee). My favorite line by far:
"This is a commerce bill, not just a chemical safety bill."Anyone else hear that 'cha-ching'? No, seriously. I mean, the very objective is to "improve public confidence in the safety of chemicals produced and used in the United States, and to facilitate interstate commerce in American-made chemicals and the products that contain them."
Well done, Rep. Shimkus (R-Illinois and chairman of the subcommittee). You've managed to take legislation that was supposed to prioritize the health of consumers over corporate interests and completely flip it around. The safety of chemicals never comes into question; rather, it's the public's mistrust of those chemicals that is on the line here.
Bullcrap!! Decades upon decades of American consumers being poisoned, and we're wrong to question it? How naive of me to think that our elected officials would use their positions to benefit the very people who vote them into office.
So let's make some noise!!! The Breast Cancer Fund has created this online form through which consumers can voice their opposition to the CICA. Use it. Share it. Tell your friends. This is how real reform happens. Consumers have power. Not just with their wallets, but with their voices. Their influence. Use YOURS to support change that will mean healthier lives, now and for future generations.
Glad to be back,
Jazzy
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