Honor Thy Mother with Gifts of Environmental Health

This weekend we will celebrate Mother's Day.  The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program is offering a couple of ways to celebrate Mother's Day.

A material environmental health gift for Mom:

If you are looking for ideas for a homemade gift for your mother, consider making a non-toxic cosmetic with recipes from the NCC Eco-Justice Program's "Healthy Spa" resource.  (Choose from several recipes including honey tonic, lip balm, and coffee scrub.)

An environmental health gift of advocacy for Mom:

May 5-6 are "National Call-In Days to Honor Moms' Work for Healthy Families."  Take a few minutes to call your Senators to ask for meaningful reforms to our country's chemical policy – the Toxic Substances Control Act – to ensure health of mothers and families throughout our country.

The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program's action alert reads in part:

"Everyday products such as cleaning supplies, toys, food packaging, and furniture contain toxic chemicals that get into our bodies.  In fact, despite pregnant mothers' best efforts to abstain from potentially harmful foods, drinks, and activities, we know toxic chemicals trespass on 99 percent of mothers' wombs and breastmilk.1  These chemicals are linked to an array of health problems, including pre-term delivery, miscarriage, birth defects, developmental disabilities, pre-disposition to diabetes, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and breast cancer.

Find a list of target Senators and call-in information, including a script on the NCC Eco-Justice website.

Read the full Mother's Day edition of the NCC Eco-Justice e-newsletter.

1 Source: Environmental Chemicals in Pregnant Women in the U.S.: NHANES 2003-2004