Exposed: A TEDx Talk with MADE SAFE Founder Amy Ziff

BY AMY ZIFF

I recently gave a TEDx talk in the Berkshires speaking about environmentally-induced illness and disease. Did you know that one quarter of all deaths worldwide could be prevented if we mitigated environmental exposures?

If you want to learn more about how exposures to endocrine-disrupting and other toxic chemicals in our everyday lives rob us of our health and wellbeing, then watch my full talk (scroll to bottom of page). In the meantime, here are five things I would urge you to start doing now to reduce your exposure to harmful substances:

1. Eat consciously.

Choose real food, not synthetic chemicals, to feed your body. Eat organic whenever possible and prioritize purchasing organic for the most heavily-sprayed crops such as berries, leafy greens, and potatoes.

2. Educate yourself on chemicals.

You’ve come the right place, as MADE SAFE^® helps people learn about environmental exposures and how to protect themselves. After reading this blog:

• • Check out our guides, chemical profiles, and product profiles for more information.
  • Have questions about an ingredient in your favorite product? Search our MADE SAFE Banned List^SM, which identifies over 6,500 substances prohibited from use in MADE SAFE certified products. This massive list represents the first step in the MADE SAFE certification process (further ingredient restrictions apply to certified products via our ecosystem screening).
  • Stay up-to-date on our latest product announcements and blogs by signing up for our bi-weekly newsletter.
  • And if you’re a company, we’ve also pioneered a way to evaluate the safety of chemicals in formulations – reach out to info@madesafe.org, our parent organization, for more information.

3. Call your legislators.

Get in touch at the local, state, and federal level to demand protective chemical legislation.

4. Vote with your dollar.

Ask every company you purchase from if they are transparent about chemicals in products/production and how they evaluate them prior to use. Ask them if they work with MADE SAFE, Nontoxic Certified’s Transformation Partners program, or another entity to help them oversee this process. In the absence of legislation, third-party guidance is imperative.

5. Spread the word.

Share this information with anyone who will listen.

Anyone can start cultivating better health and a less toxic environment. Every step taken towards ingredient safety and transparency is a step towards better health, improved well-being, and a vibrant ecosystem.