Perfect Weight America: Component 9: Take Weight off the World

Well, we're wrapping up our Perfect Weight America series! We've looked at many ways you can achieve your perfect weight, and this week we'll be announcing another exciting giveaway to help you do just that! Today let's look at the final component of the program:

Take Weight off the World

In Perfect Weight America, Jordan Rubin gives a list of a dozen ideas for a "greener" home- the idea behind taking weight off the world. The great part is that when we all do a little, it can add up to a lot! Check out this list to see how many you can do:

(Taken from page 203 of Perfect Weight America by Jordan Rubin)

• Change your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent. Fluorescent light bulbs burn twelve times as long as regular light bulbs and consume 50 to 80 percent less energy.

• Bring your own shopping bags or reusable canvas bags to the health food store or grocery store. Plastic bags, made from toxic polyethylene, are not biodegradable and litter the landscape whenever the wind kicks in.

• Use rechargeable batteries. Did you know that you're not supposed to throw your old batteries in the trash? Batteries contain a high concentration of metals that seep into the ground when the casing erodes. Used batteries are considered "e-waste" just like old computers and TV sets.

• Recycle your newspapers, junk mail, and plastic bottles.

• Watch the thermostat.

• Clean out the bathroom cabinet, full of toxic personal care products containing parabens, phthalates, and other synthetic chemicals.

• Unplug cell phone chargers when not in use. Electrical devices continue to draw electricity when plugged in.

• Think green in the laundry room. Conventional fabric softeners and static cling products use formaldehyde to make cloths softer. You can substitute a half-cup of vinegar to your wash or drip your favorite essential oil on a cloth and dry with your clothes.

• check your cookware. Nonstick pans are coated with perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, which has shown up in trace amounts in blood samples taken from people across the country. The CDC estimates that PFOA is in the blood of 95 percent of Americans, and the EPA has labeled PFOA as a likely carcinogen in humans. (Causes cancer) Environmentally acceptable cookware is stainless steel, ceramic coated, or stoneware.

• Choose paper products from recycled ingredients.

• Use air filters.

• Start your own compost pile.
  

I hope this gives you some great ideas on how to get started taking "weight off the world." Check back tomorrow for details about an exciting giveaway!