Green Days

GREEN DAYS: START ME UP
ENVIRONMENTALIST AND NEW MOM HEATHER WOLFSON GIVES YOU
FIVE WAYS TO GET BACK TO NATURE

Being eco-friendly has been my way of life since I was a little girl. I was always concerned about the
environment and the animals that share it with us. I also never could understand why we had to use
gasoline to fuel cars or spray vegetables with chemicals that would end up on our dinner plates. Now
at 32, I am a new mom, a chiropractor and co-owner of an all organic, eco-friendly boutique in Scottsdale,
Arizona. Even though the idea of being environmentally conscious always came naturally to me, the
lifestyle didn't happen overnight. Going au naturale is a constant evolution—not to mention dedication and
work. For many, the most difficult part about going green is getting started. I began my quest by simply
buying organic food and then worked my way up to wearing organic cotton clothing, driving a hybrid car and so on. It is an evolution that begets itself—and one that inspires most to go deeper and deeper into the green. Here are my five tips that will launch your own journey of becoming a lean, clean, green machine.

WATCH WHAT YOU EAT
Eating organic food is one of the easiest—and best—ways to go green. Organic food not only contains more vitamins and minerals than conventional food, it tastes better, too. Grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, which have been shown to cause everything from cancer to infertility, organic food typically comes from farms that practice sustainable agriculture and leave less of a carbon footprint on the earth. Organic farms give back as much as they take by not only feeding people healthier food, but by practicing smarter and safer farming techniques that leave the soil richer (their methods don't deplete the soil of minerals) and the animals healthier.

LOOK BETTER
It's just as important to make sure that the products you put on your body are as healthy as the foods you put in your body. We use Aubrey Organics (www.aubreyorganics.com) for our shampoo, conditioner, face cleanser and deodorant. There are so many rich, luxe organic beauty products on the market to choose from. I love the bar soap from Moon Valley Organics (www.twigandtwill.com) because it feels like velvet on your skin. And speaking of velvet, an easy way to go green is to wear organic clothing whenever possible. Nowadays, even undergarments are made from organic fabrics.

CLEAN UP YOUR ACT
Everyday household cleaners are very dangerous to your health and the health of your family. The noxious chemicals emitted by many products in the home can cause health ailments like asthma, ADHD and cancer. Try the Seventh Generation line of products for everything from laundry detergent to kitchen and bath cleaners (www.seventhgeneration.com). Cleaning without chemicals is going to be one of the best things you've ever done for your family, not to mention what you're doing for the environment. If every household in the US replaced just one bottle (100 ounces) of ultra petroleum-based liquid laundry detergent with a 100 ounce-bottle of Seventh Generation’s vegetable-based detergent, the country would save 200,000 barrels of oil—enough to heat and cool 11,400 US homes for a year.

DRIVE THE MESSAGE HOME
This year we purchased a hybrid car. Our car gets great gas mileage, which saves us money, and emits fewer toxins. My husband and I also purchased natural furniture made from reclaimed coconut palms produced without the use of toxic glues or chemicals. In my home, we use organic cotton towels and linens and use a water filter instead of purchasing plastic bottles. These healthy additions to our lives didn't happen all at once. We slowly but surely swapped out our chemical-laden possessions for ones that were green.

GET UP, STAND UP
As consumers, it is our right to demand that the marketplace provide more ways to have and maintain a chemical-free lifestyle. Some ways you can do so are: ask your grocer about organic and local foods and inquire at restaurants if their food is natural and without toxins. You can also ask your boss to get rid of items that reduce air quality like pest control and toxic cleaning supplies and support businesses that adhere to eco-friendly practices. Voting for political candidates who share your green values is also a big factor—but the most important thing you can do is to educate your family and friends about the benefits of being eco-friendly by explaining the virtues of organic food and teaching them about environmental toxins. Green living can be a little more expensive, but your health and the health of the planet are worth it. We've all got to do whatever it takes to afford the benefits of eating and living naturally.

Heather Wolfson D.C. is the owner of Twig and Twill (www.twigandtwill.com), a chiropractor and in-demand speaker who speaks around the country on health and well-being. Wolfson lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her husband and young son.