It’s good to shop with heart. But the key is the heart, not the shopping.
This week, an international team of experts, in conjunction with the WHO and the UN Environment Programme, released a report declaring hormone-disrupting chemicals a “global threat” that should be addressed.
Back in 1979, the U.S. government banned Polychlorinated Biphenyls [PCBs] after adverse health effects, including cancer, heart disease, and adrenal and thyroid problems, were linked to the chemical compound. Three-and-a-half decades later it turns out that PCBs are even worse than scientists initially thought, and have demonstrated effects on fertility.
Natural disasters tend to make low income and poor people—the majority of whom are women—even more vulnerable to physical assault as well as to greater economic challenges in the years that follow.
The U.S. war ended in December 2011, but families in numerous Iraqi cities are living with a dramatic rise in birth defects and cancer from chemical weapons that were detonated near homes, schools, and playgrounds.
According to the NIH, research indicates that the number of babies born with birth defects in places where Atrazine is sprayed is consistently higher in the months following its use. And the danger of Atrazine extends beyond physical imperfections in newborns.
During meetings to finalize the Rio+20 document, Heads of State will adopt in the next few days at Rio+20, delegates agreed on a plan short on vision and big on compromises, including trading away women’s rights to placate the Vatican, Egypt, and Syria.
This week, Adimaimalaga (Adi) Tafuna’i, a Samoan entreprener, will receive a Global Leadership Award for Economic Empowerment from the NGO Vital Voices. Tafuna’i is leading the charge to revitaize Samoa’s local economy, and uplifting women along the way.
-187x125.jpg)
Although the 45th Session of the UN Commission on Population and Development just ended, it is already time to raise our voices in preparation for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development that will convene in Brazil in June.
![[img src]](http://rhrealitycheck.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/../../files/teaser-images/2012-05-18-moore-187x125.jpg)
Flame retardants are associated with reductions in fertility, poor sperm quality, neurodevelopment delays in children and cancer. And because the chemical industry has been so deceptive and successful, flame retardants are found in strollers, nursing pillows, couches, chairs, cell phones, TVs, computers, and automobile cushioning – just to name a few places.
