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If you look up the etymology of the word “democracy,” you will find out that it translates from the ancient Greek meaning “people rule” or “people power.” Despite our power, not so many of us choose to exercise it. In the midterm elections of 2018, according to NPR, over 100 million of us voted - hitting a new record. NPR called the turnout “massive” with a 47+% turnout. That means that approximately 53% of us who were eligible to vote didn’t. WOW! We can do better. More people - everyone who can vote - should vote. At Moms Across America we believe that it is important for everyone to participate in the future of our towns, country, and planet. We want you to vote. If you need some motivation, here are 10 reasons. We’re sure you can think of even more.

Reprinted with permission from our friends at Grow Food Nation.

by By Jessica Smith | enero 15, 2019

In the mid-1940s the United States government asked the people to plant edible gardens to help support the downwardly spiraling economy and the war effort. During that time millions of people all over the country planted gardens called “Victory Gardens” and harvested nearly one-third of all the vegetables consumed in the country. That means 33% of all our vegetables came from small-scale gardens! Gardening became a popular family or community effort planting vegetables, herbs and fruit trees.

Valentine’s is not just a day for greeting card companies to make money. It is...but it does not have to be ONLY that. Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to remind the people you love how special they are. But you don’t have to have a partner to love you...remember it’s about YOU feeling and giving love. You can volunteer at a homeless shelter and feel love for your fellow human beings as you serve them. You can buy some organic chocolate bars and give them out on Valentine’s Day to lonely seniors in your local senior center. You can forgive your mother or father and simply give them a hug. You can call someone you haven’t talked to in a long time and just tell them you love them.

You may find yourself in difficult times....without a partner or in conflict with family or friends, and consider that these are the times when it is most important ...for your health...to generate love. As someone who has, through life, fallen “out of love” with many people or entities...government, people, family members, I know it is not always easy. I have learned that feeling love is a choice, a generating of respect, acceptance, wonder, and delight. When I choose love, everything aligns, feels clear and peaceful.

Look into your life and out in the world...what can you find that you respect, cherish, or enjoy about someone?

It’s good for them and it’s good for you! As our friends at Natural Healers remind us - love comes with many health-related benefits!

Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
George Orwell, Animal Farm

February is national Responsible Pet Owners Month. There are many ways to take good care of your best friends, but topping the list is protecting them from the toxins found inside and outside of our homes. The good people at the ASPCA have been putting out a list of the Top 10 Pet Toxins each year. This most recent list is filled with things that you might not think about when it comes to your fur baby.

Climate change is not the problem. Climate change is the expression of the problem. It is the feedback of the system of the planet telling us what’s going on. The problem is global warming, provoked by the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases caused by human activity. So how do we solve the problem? How do we begin the process of reversing global warming? The only way we know how is to draw down, to avoid putting greenhouse gases up and to pull down what's already there.

Chad Frischman, Vice President & Research Director,
Project Drawdown TED Talk

febrero 7 is Heart Health Day as established by the American Heart Association. While we should all be wearing red to raise awareness about heart health, we at Moms Across America are also seeing red because of how angry we are that corporations like Cargill, Kraft, PepsiCo, Perdue, and others are allowed to sponsor a nonprofit like the American Heart Association. According to Healthy Eating Politics the American Heart Association makes huge sums of money each year from food manufacturers like Kellogg’s and General Mills. By endorsing more than 630 food industry products including chocolate milk, high sugar breakfast cereals, and processed meat products among other unhealthy products, the AHA, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) makes over $2 million dollars each year.

The EPA's finding that glyphosate exposure does not cause any health risks is a blatant act of reckless endangerment to public health. Americans should be outraged, not just because our EPA is not protecting us, but because our government is allowing the collapse of democracy by pandering to corporate greed. 

Summary

• The EPA assessed risks to humans from exposure to glyphosate from all registered uses and all routes of exposure and did not identify any risks of concern, including cancer. 
• The EPA did not review any cumulative health impacts of glyphosate.
• The EPA did reduce the list of crop types with allowable levels of glyphosate residues from 160 to 15, however the crops removed likely did not utilize glyphosate, and the list is not complete.
• The EPA still has not responded to the EWG et al petition about discontinuing the use of glyphosate on oats and wheat as a desiccant or made a determination on residue levels.
• The EPA will do further assessments on the impact of glyphosate on bees and endangered species due to the Center for Biological Diversity mitigation.
• The EPA is limiting the amount of glyphosate used per acre, by category of use, in order to prevent further weed resistance.
• The EPA is requiring additional labeling for aquatic use which warns of fish kill from the lack of oxygen from dead water vegetation (note: not from glyphosate).
• A final decision will be made after a decision about the desiccation of wheat and oats, endangered species review, and an assessment of endocrine disruption. Decisions could be in 2020 for some and agosto 2021 for others.

On enero 16, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released findings concerning a children’s makeup palette containing a staggering amount of asbestos. Manufactured by IQ Toys, the makeup was marketed for young girls ages three and up and found to contain more than four million asbestos fibers per gram of eye shadow. Sold across a variety of retailers including Amazon and eBay, the product has since been removed from all online platforms.

The start of the new year, a new decade, has put one thing at the forefront of our minds here at MAA - we want to get to know you better. As our support base grows (tremendously, we might add..thank you!) it remains very important to us to stay in touch with you. We want to know what you are thinking, doing, interested in reading about and learning about, and what is currently keeping you up at night regarding the health of your family or community. By knowing this we can work together and support each-other. The best way - the only real way - to get that information is to ask you directly. So here we are.

Are you pregnant? Are you concerned about what foods to avoid?

Our Moms Across America number 1 recommendation is to eat 100% organic. Commit yourself to providing toxin free food to your baby while pregnant and breastfeeding. Now is the time to think of “treating” you and your baby with healthy organic strawberries instead of conventional ice cream, nutritious fermented foods instead of processed chips, and lots of green leafy vegetables instead of fried foods. You can do it. Your baby will thank you (well, not really) but you will feel better and the health of your baby will most likely be better....leading to better sleep and happier days to come.
Our friends at ChildMode have compiled a great list for other foods to avoid. We hope this resource is of value to you and that you have a healthy, happy pregnancy.