Women exposed to pesticides and plasticizers are more likely to have fertility problems and lower birth-weight babies, says a new study.

Plasticizers (or phthalates) are chemical additives used to increase plasticity and softness of materials like plastic, clay, cement, and concrete. Bisphenol A - notoriously known as BPA - is found in some plasticizers.

You can find a lot of nasty stuff in plastics used to package our foods, such as water bottles. The most notorious is BPA - short for Bisphenol A - a compound used to make plastic, which has been linked to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and neurological disorders in fetuses, infants, and young children.

Not to mention all this plastic is polluting our planet by clogging up landfills and floating around our ocean, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch; a giant island of trash and plastic roughly the size of Texas in the North Pacific Ocean.

But one Washington, DC supermarket is doing its part to cut out plastic, banning water bottles from sale in its six regional supermarkets.

MOM's Organic Market has launched its “Battle the Bottle” campaign, kicking plastic water bottles out of stores. And instead MOM's will be installing water filtration machines in stores, allowing shoppers to refill their own bottles for free, but only up to one gallon. The filters will be up and running in a few weeks.

A spokesperson for MOM's said, “Societies are truly addicted to plastic, much in the way we are addicted to oil.

MOM's campaign is in support of DC's anti-plastic push. The city already adds a 5-cent tax on plastic bags, which has slashed their use dramatically.

I shop with the reusable bags and when I moved I used any plastic bags I did have for box stuffing. I'm a genius!

Image credit: Ozville

Today is World Water Day, and if you live along one of the nation’s coastlines, you’ve probably noticed that you’re not alone when going for a swim. 

Ocean pollution is a major problem, and litter is a primary culprit. While laws have been designed to prevent people from dumping their trash into the sea, they haven’t eradicated the problem. Garbage still finds its way into our oceans and threatens marine life. 

After last year’s annual Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup, volunteers in more than 100 countries and 42 U.S. states had removed more than 6.8 million pounds of trash. As Greenpeace notes, only a fraction of the 300 billion pounds of plastic produced globally is recycled, with massive quantities dumped in landfills or oceans. 

When exposed to the sun, wind and ocean currents, plastic degrades and is often mistaken for food. Dolphins, sharks, whales and other marine animals die painful suffocation deaths when carelessly discarded plastics become lodged in their throats or digestive systems. Seemingly innocuous pop tabs from aluminum cans and plastic six-pack wrappers are common killers. Simply cutting up your six-pack wrappers before discarding them is one small step toward protecting sea life. 

You’re not off the hook if you live in a landlocked state, as litter along streets often ends up in storm drains and rivers, eventually navigating its way into the ocean. Once there, it can survive for decades. 

Reducing litter and volunteering for cleanup programs are highly effective ways to safeguard our oceans. Click here to volunteer for a coastal cleanup program. 

Free Online Resource: Guide to Marine Debris 

For Your Organic Bookshelf: Seasick: Ocean Change and the Extinction of Life on Earth 

Photo: Hans Sautter/Aurora Photos, courtesy of Ocean Conservancy

Luckily, more and more people are using those reusable shopping bags, but according to a new survey, in the U.K. excess packaging at the supermarket is a still a major problem.

Roughly 94% of respondents said they thought there was too much packaging and one-third of people to refused to buy a product because of all the packaging.

The study compared 27 everyday items, like bacon and ice cream, from six major supermarkets in the United Kingdom. The average weight of packaging—plastic or carton—came out to 392 grams, or 13.8 ounces.

Now, I’m not sure what those numbers mean, but the point the report makes is even though many U.K. supermarkets have attempted to reduce packaging and incorporate more recycled materials, experts say they can do more.

It’s simple. Improving packaging lowers cost to the consumer and helps the environment.

Via Food Navigator.