Home Sweet Home are you in one of America's most Toxic Cities

Where we decide to hang our hat at night is really ultimately our choice. I feel very blessed to live in Rural America. Sometimes we must deal with crop spraying from neighboring farms, but for the most part the air we breath is clean, crisp, and fresh.

Here's a listing where you don't want to be No. 1. Forbes.com, which is fond of doing lists, has come up with "America's most toxic cities." The business news site has ranked the nation's 40 largest metro areas by the dirtiness of their air and water, the number of places spewing toxic pollution and the number of Superfund hazardous waste dumps.

Atlanta earns the dubious distinction as forbes.com's most toxic city. It lacks the smokestack industries one might typically associate with pollution, but the sprawl capital of America has some of the worst air quality, thanks to all the motor vehicles cruising its spaghetti bowl of pavement.

Following Atlanta are Detroit, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Los Angeles.

Everyone needs a safe haven away from the toxins in this world if your in one of the more toxic places in america, you really should do what you can to clean up your home and make a safe environment indoors at least.

A Get Clean Healthy Home Pack from Shaklee will help you get this task accomplished.

Blue Butterfly Program - Raises Awarness for Healthy Children

This is a great video that raises awareness for growing healthy kids.



Order Kids Safe Cleaner: http://greenclean.barefootmom.com

Why are Bees are Vanishing?

According to a new film soon to be released in Britain next month, the culprit is the latest generation of pesticides. Read the whole story

I don't know about you but my heart sunk a little deeper when I read this startling discovery. Listen to this video and think about our future generations.



Every one of us can take small steps to make a difference in the outcome. What can you do today to prevent this from getting worse?

Discover how you can make a difference

Is Your Home Poisoning You?

Our home should be a safe heaven a place to relax, kick off our shoes and breathe easy.

Find out whether disease-causing agents are lurking behind your front door

Take the Quiz over at Real Age to sniff out the culprits and healthy-up your home.

We believe the small act of scouring the sink can be a giant act of changing the world. When you use Get Clean you're never simply cleaning. While you make your home cleaner you make your family healthier. You also make the planet healthier for other families as well.
And if you think like we do Get Clean works great and tell others imagine the ripples you can create just by scouring the sink.

One of the nice things about using Get Clean is that once you get rid of all those undesirable cleaners you may have in your home, you won’t have to replace them with 27 more. This multi-talented set is all you need to start cleaning your way to a healthier home. With our 100% money back guarantee, you have nothing to lose.
Except dirt and a whole lot of toxins.

Top 5 Reasons to Grow your Own Organic Food

1. GET THE NUTRITION YOU NEED & ENJOY TASTIER FOOD!
Many studies have shown that organically grown food has more minerals and nutrients that we need than food grown with synthetic pesticides. There’s a good reason why many chefs use organic foods in their recipes—they taste better. Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, which eventually leads to the nourishment of the plant and, ultimately our bodies.

2. SAVE MONEY
Growing your own food can help cut the cost of the grocery bill. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars and month at the grocery store on foods that don’t really nourish you, spend time in the garden, outside, exercising, learning to grow your own food.

3. PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS
The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. Food choices you make now will impact your child’s future health.

“We have not inherited the Earth from our fathers,
we are borrowing it from our children.”
– Lester Brown

4. PROTECT WATER QUALITY
Water makes up two-thirds of our body mass and covers three-fourths of the planet. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates pesticides - some cancer causing - contaminate the groundwater in 38 states, polluting the primary source of drinking water for more than half the country’s population.

5. KEEP CHEMICALS OFF YOUR PLATE
Many pesticides approved for use by the EPA were registered long before extensive research linking these chemicals to cancer and other diseases had been established. Now the EPA considers 60 percent of all herbicides, 90 percent of all fungicides and 30 percent of all insecticides carcinogenic. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences report estimated that pesticides might cause an extra 4 million cancer cases among Americans. If you are growing your own food, you have control over what does, or doesn’t, go into it. The bottom line is that pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms and can also harm humans. In addition to cancer, pesticides are implicated in birth defects, nerve damage and genetic mutations.

5 Home Remedies for Natural Garden Care

Our garden is flourishing this year between ideal weather conditions and my secret Shaklee formula I use to feed my plants with. Being a Shaklee distributor has it benefits if you follow how I have built my business you would have on hand both products I use in my secret formula. Basic H and Liquid Lea.

For the rest who haven't discovered Shaklee here are 5 remedies that you can use.

Here's common household items you would find in your pantry that can help maintain a beautiful blossoming green garden without using harmful and expensive chemicals from the store.


1. Grubby Gardening Hands: no matter how hard you scrub, do your hands still look like you’ve been digging in the dirt all weekend long? Try rubbing some olive oil and sugar between your palms which can get rid of those soil stained hands.

2. Flower Fertilizer: tired of harmful chemicals? Why not make sure of your own banana peels by sticking them just below the surface of the soil. They will rot quickly and provide your plants with magnesium, calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, sodium and silica.

3. Another great at home fertilizer is ground coffee. Coffee is high in nitrogen and can particularly help with your rose bush care. Still a small sprinkle is all your garden needs.

4. Indoor Garden Care: If you have an indoor garden and are worried about the state of your indoor plants, try using castor or mineral oil as a massaging lotion on their leaves. This will leave them looking green and healthy.

5. Brown Be Gone: gardenias and camellia’s are beautiful flowers for your garden. However, in many instances the leaves will turn brown leaving your garden looking a little dull and uncared for. A simple solution to this is table salt. That’s right, just sprinkle a little bit on the plants and the brown will go away.


BUY Shaklee Products Online

For a limited time only free membership (15%-25% Savings) Call Cindy for details 888.272.6701

Shaklee in the News: Acterra's 2009 Business Environmental Award

Have we become too Clean?

It seems the more advanced our society becomes and the
cleaner we get, the more prevalent food and other
allergies become.

The occurrences of common allergies are much higher in
more developed countries than in their lesser
developed counter parts. And the numbers are
increasing as industrialization spreads through out
the world.

According to the hygiene hypothesis, the modern
methods of cleaning and sanitizing get rid of too many
germs. The body’s natural immune system doesn’t have
enough to do.

In children, it doesn’t develop the way it should. And
since allergies are an incorrect response of the
immune system, childhood and adult allergies have
become more prevalent.

Studies also show that common allergic diseases like
hay fever, eczema and food allergies are found less
often in children from large families.

Apparently being exposed to infectious agents (germs)
by brothers and sisters is a good thing. It helps the
immune system learn what it’s supposed to protect our
bodies from.

Antibiotic usage during a baby’s first year and the
growing use of antibacterial cleaning products has
also been linked to an increase in asthma and other
allergies.

The hygiene hypothesis explains that the antibacterial
cleaning products and antibiotic drugs limit our
immune system’s exposure to infectious diseases,
parasites and other bacteria.

This limits the immune systems development. Because of
the lack of dirt and germs, the immune system doesn’t
learn what it’s supposed to be protecting the body
from and goes after the wrong things.

Toxins the Silent Killer

The future of a strong healthy family must start with us controling the toxins in our environment right now. Many times folks don't think about the issue's that may arise in their health or family's future health because of toxic chemicals they were exposed to many years ago.

This is an educational video that explains a few way's we may be exposed to toxins and not even know it.



Bottom line there is so much we can do to get the toxins out of our body and environment now that we know what's causing the overload.

Simple detox and cleanse system to remove toxins from the body.

Keep as many toxins as possible out of your environment by educating your self about common household toxins visit: http://greenclean.barefootmom.com

How to Control Weeds and Pests without using Chemicals

Would you like to know what one of the best ways is to
get rid of pesky weeds and pests and some diseases as
well? It is to solarize your soil.

This technique is largely used in areas that have
abundant sunshine and high temperatures. However, it
can be adapted for cooler areas as well. The results
may not be quite as effective, but it can do wonders
in your battle against weeds.

What exactly is solarization? It is a technique that
does not use chemicals, but it captures the sun’s
radiant heat and energy which, in turn, causes
physical, biological and chemical changes in the soil.

These changes are able to control or eliminate soil
borne plant pathogens including bacteria, fungi,
pests, and nematodes along with weeds.

In order to solarize the soil, you must cover it with
a clear plastic tarp for approximately 4 to 6 weeks
during a time of the year when it is very hot and when
the soil will be able to receive maximum direct
sunlight.

The soil heats up to temperatures that are hot enough
to kill some soil inhabiting pests including root rot
fungi, wilt, noxious weed seed and root knot
nematodes.

Soil solarization also stimulates the releasing of
nutrients from organic matter that is present in the
soil. It is very effective in treating garden soils
where it is intended to plant herbs, vegetables and
flowers.

Now that you know what soil solarization is, you may
want to give it a try to your soil rather than using
different chemicals to control weeds and other pesky
little critters!

Non-Toxic Tip

You can protect yourself and your family from the harmful effects of lead with proper nutrition. Since lead mimics calcium, it tricks our bodies to store it as such. Some lead leaves the body via the bladder and bowels. What remains enters the blood system and ends up stored in the brain tissue and bones.

Eating right reduces the amount of lead that gets stored in the system. Some lead-smart eating guidelines include:

eating regular healthy meals (lead is more readily absorbed on an empty stomach)
eating foods rich in iron vitamin C, and calcium
avoiding fatty foods
avoiding canned foods from foreign

Learn more about the harmful effects of LEAD from the book:

Lead Babies: Breaking the Cycle of Learning Disabilities, Declining IQ, ADHD, Behavior Problems, and Autism (available at amazon.com)

Earth Day 2009: Shaklee Plants One Million Trees!

Listen to Presentation

Shaklee Chairman & CEO Roger Barnett, the Honorable Arnold Scharzenegger, Governor of the State of California and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai pitched in to plant the millionth tree in Shaklee's Million Trees. Million Dreams. campaign!

Hundreds of Shaklee Distributors from California and surrounding states, along with local dignitaries, environmental leaders, and eco-entrepreneurs, witnessed and celebrated this milestone event.

Gov. Schwarzenegger praised the efforts of the Shaklee Family, "It is wonderful that you have taken on the leadership here in planting this million trees and continue inspiring so many people," acknowledging the incredible accomplishment of having planted enough trees to "fill up Disneyland 18 times!"  In addition to his familiarity with the quality of Shaklee nutritional supplements from his days as a professional body builder, Gov. Schwarzenegger expressed that "Shaklee is about inspiring others," uniting people in a common cause. He mused, "How many schools had to participate, how many neighborhoods had to participate, groups and individuals, parks? It's great when people come together."

Dr. Maathai congratulated the Shaklee Family on the success of this campaign, and the power of Social Marketing to make a difference:

"Shaklee led the way in achieving carbon neutrality in 2000 and has mobilized its networks to plant a million trees for the planet, which is not only a great achievement, but an inspiration to all of us."

In addition to the historic millionth tree, 11 more trees were planted by Shaklee employees and Distributors, as well as 32 plants in their demonstration gardens, representing botanicals used in Shaklee products.

A New Commitment A Million Healthier Lives in 2009

As part of the company's continuing efforts to improve the health of people and the planet, Roger Barnett CEO announced the company's newest campaign to create A Million Healthier Lives in 2009. He also announced that, because of the current economic crisis, for the next 30 days through May 22nd, Shaklee will continue to offer free membership in Shaklee, so folks may start their own business today, in an effort to provide an economic opportunity for one million Americans to provide for their families while also taking care of our planet.

"Shaklee has tried to show the world that companies can build long term successful businesses by helping millions of people have better health and more income, while making a meaningful impact on the world. Shaklee is very proud to provide more than 750,000 members and distributors with an opportunity to do well by doing good which has helped them not just survive, but thrive through every single recession in the last 50 years."

Green Clean: How Clean are Your Products?

When it comes to the most common brands of household cleaners, you may ask yourself how safe are these products for your home, your family, and your environment?

The answer is "not very." Even "simple" cleaners like bleach contain harmful chemicals that are dangerous for you and your family to inhale, even while you're just cleaning. Bleach is the #1 most common chemical involved in household poisoning. Keeping a clean home is an act of love for your family, but in the same way, you should use cleaning products that won't harm you or your loved ones. With Shaklee's all natural cleaning products, you can clean with confidence, keeping you and your family away from breathing in the noxious fumes that have been linked to the rising rate of asthma in children.

Did you know that over 90 percent of exposures to poison happen at home? Just as you monitor the foods your family eats, taking all the necessary precautions to make sure you're cleaning with safe cleaning products is just as important, if not more so. In fact, children are even more vulnerable than adults when it comes to the toxins in the water they drink, the foods they drink, and the air they breathe.

Shaklee offers products you can feel good about- they contain no hazardous chemicals or harmful cleaning compounds, and they're even hypoallergenic. Whether you're using Shaklee Dish Wash Concentrate to wash the dishes from your dinner party, using Fresh Laundry Concentrate to wash your bed sheets, or using any other Shaklee cleaning product, you can clean knowing that the safe, conscientious products you are using are brightening and cleaning without undoing all the good you've done. Guaranteed!

5 Simple Ways to Go Green

Going green doesn’t need to be difficult or complicated. Even small steps count, and what you do every day can help keep your family and the planet healthy.Thanks to the thousands who have chosen Get Clean, look at the difference made over the past 12 months!

Kept 10,230,732 pounds of packaging waste out of landfills.
Eliminated 23,492,792 pounds of greenhouse gas.

1. Clean Up Your Cleaning Products

Some conventional cleaning products can contain questionable chemicals like phthalates, butyl cellosolve, sodium hydroxide, ammonia, or formaldehyde. Why would you endanger your health or the health of the planet with harsh chemicals and toxic substances when you can choose natural and healthier alternatives?

Switch to Get Clean®. Get Clean offers choices that are safe, nontoxic, and natural, and they work wonderfully. Many Get Clean products are formulated using sustainably sourced ingredients from natural sources, like activated enzymes or biodegradable cleaning agents derived from corn and coconuts. When you welcome Get Clean products into your home, you’re not exposing your family to many of the dangerous chemicals found in conventional cleaners.

A great way to start is with the Get Clean Starter Kit—everything you need to clean your home. To order yours, contact Cindy McAsey visit us at barefootmom.com, or call 1.888.272.6701.

2. Start Using your Dishwasher!

Using the dishwasher is actually better for the planet than washing dishes by hand. The average energy-efficient dishwasher uses just 4 gallons of water per cycle, saving nearly 5,000 gallons of water per year compared with hand washing—as well as $40 in energy costs and 230 hours of washing time, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Make sure to use a phosphate-free detergent. Phosphates spur algae blooms and are a major source of water pollution.

Get Clean Dish Wash Automatic Concentrate is one of the first phosphate-free automatic dish wash detergents. Learn more

3. Ditch the Anti-bacterial Hand Soap

Triclosan, a common ingredient in antibacterial soap that kills microbes, ends up in our water sources and, at specific levels, is acutely and chronically toxic to aquatic life. Moreover, overuse of antibacterial and antimicrobial soap can help create antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which may weaken the effectiveness of currently useful antibiotics. Antibacterial soap doesn’t offer any better protection against illness than vigorous hand washing with plain soap and warm water.
Get Clean Hand Wash Concentrate is a great antibacterial-free alternative. It’s soap free, pH balanced, hypoallergenic, and has biodegradable surfactants. Learn More

4. Bring your own Bag

Okay, we’ve all heard this one, but it’s true. Neither paper nor plastic is the ideal choice. Paper is accepted in more recycling programs, but only approximately 20% is recycled, and most bags can end up in landfills. Plastic bags not only can take a thousand years to decompose and but use up nonrenewable resources. The best choice? Bring your own reusable bag. A sturdy, reusable one can take the place of hundreds or maybe even thousands of single-use bags over its lifetime.

5. Buy from Socially Responsible Companies

Buy from Socially Responsible Companies

Use your consumer power to support companies that are environmentally responsible and offer products that are safe for you and the environment. Shaklee has a long history of environmental responsibility, including introducing one of the first biodegradable cleaners in 1960.

Shaklee is the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral™ certification and totally offset its greenhouse gas emissions.

Green Stimulus: How to Retrofit Your Home and Receive Big Tax Credits

President Obama's new stimulus package is now signed into law. Here's how it affects the green-minded home owner:

1) New incentives and tax credits are now available for households for energy conservation and alternative energy. Homeowners investing in energy-saving insulation, replacement windows, duct seals, or high-efficiency heating and cooling systems can now receive a tax credit worth 30 percent of the upgrade cost (maximum credit value: $1,500). The previous tax credit was 10 percent of an upgrade cost, up to a maximum of $500.

2) If you have been thinking about switching to sustainable energy, now is the time. Solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, and windmills also qualify for a 30 percent tax credit. For example, a $24,000 investment to make a home solar-powered would generate a federal tax credit worth $7,200. Previously, the cap was $2,000 for geothermal and solar; $4,000 for wind. Add state and utility credits to this and consumers will see significant discounts in these purchases.

3) New hybrid cars now qualify for tax credits worth anywhere from $2,500 to $7,500, while plug-in conversion kits for old hybrids, now generate tax credits worth 10 percent of the kit's cost (maximum credit value: $4,000).

For questions about home energy conservation and renewable energy options, you can contact a contractor trained by the federal Home Performance with Energy Star Program

Green to Gold Author Dan Esty Speaks about Shaklee

Dan Esty of Yale University shares a great testimonial for Shaklee Corporation. When we have authors speaking for us it kind of turns heads doesn't it.



Bottomline Shaklee has been around and stood the test of time. A company doesn't stay in business over 50 years if they aren't doing something right. There is a reason the average Shaklee user uses the products 17.5 years. Yes you that number is a fact that came from Shaklee Corporate itself. What's more Shaklee product users re-order the product 80% of the time.

I've personally use all the Shaklee products and have for over 12 years now. My focus on this blog is on the environment and using safe products that won't harm the environment. The Shaklee cleaners are the top of the line. If you look through some of the articles posted on this site you will find many testimonials, uses, and great content about the Shaklee "Green Cleaning" products.

Buy Green Cleaners Online go to: http://greenclean.barefootmom.com

While Everything Else Stops, Green Still Means Go

The tide has turned, and I believe virtually every sector of society is waking up to the fact that being green means greater efficiency, greater prosperity, all moving toward a world where our lifestyles become far more sustainable.

This is an excellent article from http://www.greenbiz.com documenting the fact going green does effect you bottomline. http://www.greenbiz.com/feature/2009/01/19/green-still-means-go

This change in public perception was far pre-dated by Dr. Shaklee's vision of a company in harmony with nature. I think all Shaklee Distributors can be very proud to have been leading the way for this shift toward greater sustainability.

We have a lot of work to do... I like the idea of spreading the word and sharing ideas with others. For a comprehensive view of where we are and where we need to go, I highly recommend Thomas Friedman's Hot Flat and Crowded. Here's a Cliff Notes version: http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/files/hot_flat_and_crowded_guide.pdf

Are you ready to make a difference? Call me Cindy McAsey 888-272-6701 Let's Talk!

Goin Green in 2009

Twas the Season to consume. More than any time of year, we use and consume massive amounts of disposable items, from party supplies to wrapping paper, to buying the take-out meal for the family on the way home from the mall over the holidays. It's the time to party and celebrate, but now it’s also a time for making resolutions for the future. And in tough economic times, it’s a great time to look for ways we can consume less and save the environment at the same time.

Pick a green resolution to focus on in the New Year. Here is a quick list of a some small changes to get you thinking.


1. Change your trip to the coffee bar by bringing your own mug or using an in-house mug. If you make 3-4 trips to the coffee shop a week, you’re saving 200 cups and lids a year. It’s a small change that makes a difference (I hear Starbucks gives a nice little discount for bringing your own mug!).

2. Refuse to use the disposable cups, bowls and utensils at your business. Buy a cheap set of dishes at the grocery store and use em again and again instead of the paper plates, cups and utensils you may have been using. You’ll save your company money in the process.

3. Cut down on drives around town. Buy a bike if you live in a bike-friendly community and refuse to drive anywhere that is closer than 2 or 3 miles. It’s a fact... a bike ride within short distances is generly as fast as driving your car.

4. Turn off your lights when you’re not in the room, unplug appliances and electronics that aren’t in use. Nearly half the nation’s CO2 emissions come from the energy we consume at home and work (via our power plant system), so wasting less unnecessary electricity at home is a tiny change that can have a massive effect.

Thanks again for reading. We hope you’ve enjoy our green tips and that 2009 is your greenest year ever.


Always Save, Always Green, Buy Green Cleaners Online ~ http://greenclean.barefootmom.com