A Healthy World is Possible

I've been waiting for a book like Healthy Child Healthy World. Granted, something similar may have already existed and I just didn't know about it, but this book practically hit me on the head - and when I got the chance to read and review it, I knew I couldn't pass it up.

I think many parents have been waiting for a reference book like this. Written by Christopher Gavigan, Executive Director/CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World, an organization dedicated to protecting children from environmental hazards.

The book is a resource of useful information on a wide variety of topics that affect our health and well-being. It is educational in the facts it provides but uiseful because it tells you what you can do to lead a healthier life. From the water we drink to the products we use to clean to the energy we use - everything is covered here.

The book also features short articles by celebrities on topics close to them (like Tobey Maguire on finding safe, non-toxic interior paint for his house or Vanessa Williams sharing her mission to use chemical-free beauty products). There are also pieces by experts on more specific matters to expand on a point made in a given chapter.

There are a few thoughts about the content in this book I want to share. First, my advice to anyone who reads this is to NOT sit down and read it all at once, all the way through. Not if you're a parent, anyway. It's too overwhelming, and if you have any propensity towards anxiety, excessive worrying, etc., you'll end up freaked-out at some point. It's not the book itself is alarmist, it's just that there's so much in our lives that's affected by this matter that you can go crazy thinking of all the ways you're exposed to harmful toxins and chemicals and pesitcides, as well as how far our government and society have to go to foster a healthier world. I suggest skimming it first and then reading chapters as you need to or feel it pertinent to your current situation.

Another thought I had as I read the book is that for now, the world or organic food and natural, chemical-free products remains predominantly within reach of those higher on the economic ladder. Many of these suggestions and many of the food and products that are safe are out of reach of the working poor, and, to a large degree, minority communities. Not that this is the book's fault or that I want to get political about it, but I keep picturing families who live 10 miles north of me, and they are in no situation to spend $7 on a bathroom cleaner or $20 on an organic t-shirt.

What that means to me, then, is that something has to change so that producing these products is not so expensive so as to exclude the majority of the population. The idea of organic foods and chemical-free products remaining the privilege of the wealthy (or better-off) is unacceptable to me. We should all be able to create healthy, substainable lives.

All right, rant over. Back to the book.

The best, best feature of the book for me was the resource section at the end that lists the companies that provide these products and services. I don't think it's a comprehensive list, but it's a good start.

Most definitely, Healthy Child Healthy World sheds some much-needed light on the prevalence of harmful substances in our food and environment, and offers steps we can take to provide a healthier world for our children. It's a must on every conscious parent's bookshelf.