Small actions make a BIG difference.
One of my personal resolutions for the New Year is to make a conscious effort to use cleaning products that are safer for both the environment and my family’s health. Lucky for me there’s an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program called Design for the Environment (DfE) that makes it easier to identify these products right on the grocery store
shelf.
When a product sports the DfE label it means that an EPA scientific review team has screened each ingredient for potential human health and environmental effects and that—based on the best currently available information, EPA predictive models, and expert judgment—the product contains only those ingredients that pose the least concern among chemicals in their class. The DfE website has a handy consumer page with a link to a list of approved products and their manufacturers.
The DfE website is a great place to start, but for me seeing the actual label on the product at the store will most influence my choices. Of course I will also continue to look to HRWC’s recommendations on River Friendly Home Care, and I will dispose of home toxics in ways that are safe for the river and our fresh water by carefully reading the manufacturer’s recommendations on the label and by using my County’s drop off program.
Won’t you join me in making a BIG difference?