Blog

    Introducing Janna Said | Our Pioneer of The Year

     

    It Is With Great Pride We Share Janna's Story With You...

     
    Janna Said’s passion for nontoxic living is part of her DNA. As she tells it, “My father was recycling back in the 1970s before people even really knew what recycling was.” Janna’s dad would collect and save newspapers and aluminum cans and turn them in at a sorting station in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he would only receive pennies per pound. But he didn’t do it for the money – it was just really important to him that these items didn’t go to the landfill. “As a kid, I did think he was crazy. We’d stop at rest stops along the highway and collect cans that had been left there. It’s not something any kid wants to do but that instilled in me from a young age to care for the environment.”
     
    Fast forward many years to when Janna started thinking about becoming pregnant.
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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Feb 2, 2019 12:12:18 PM [fa icon="user"] Amanda Griffith [fa icon="folder-open'] Cleaning, Household, Food, Environment, About Our Chapters, Glyphosate

    6 Actionable Ideas To Create Change in Your Community


    The Medfield Chapter of Savvy Women’s Alliance, formerly known as Medfield Green, began making changes in their community simply enough. Four women came together with different interests but with the same goal: to change the community around them. From legislation on safer alternatives to banning harmful chemicals, from renewable and recycling efforts to food awareness, these women set out to educate their friends, family, neighbors and beyond on how to create a cleaner, greener Earth and a safer environment in which to live. 

    “All of our efforts – including programs on organic landscaping, cooking classes, movie nights, book clubs and trips to local stores with various youth groups to advocate for safer food or products – have led to our evolution from Medfield Green to the Medfield Chapter of the Savvy Women’s Alliance, a national non-profit dedicated to all of the issues we care about!"

    How did they do it? Helen Dewey, current co-ambassador of the Medfield Chapter (along with Erica Reilly),  shared some of the ways she and her like-minded friends made their mark, and changed many lives along the way. In doing so they have become the Savvy Women's Alliance 2018 Chapter of the Year.

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Feb 2, 2019 11:39:06 AM [fa icon="user"] Amanda Griffith [fa icon="folder-open'] Gatherings, About Our Chapters

    Five Retailers Pull Products Containing Paint Strippers

     

    Paint strippers containing the dangerous chemicals methylene chloride and NMP have made a lot of headlines lately – most of them negative. However, thanks in part to the Mind the Store Campaign, there is positive news to report. Effective January 1, 2019, a host of national retailers have agreed to pull products containing these harmful chemicals from their shelves. Read More »

    [fa icon="clock-o"] Feb 2, 2019 11:22:15 AM [fa icon="user"] Jenny Pergola [fa icon="folder-open'] Cleaning Products, Mind the Store, Household, Environment

    Love To Write? We Have a Special Place For You

    CALL FOR WRITERS

    Our Writing Team is a key  piece of the Savvy Women's Alliance; it gives our voice a "friendly face" as we  simplify the nontoxic living learning curve.  Our volunteer writers love to write, they are valued, and deep down, they know their heart's work is making a difference.  

    We're Looking For Volunteers For:

    • Hobbyists who have a passion for the written word 
    • Technical writers 
    • Rising influencers who would like to build their presence 
    • Project launchers
    • Storytellers 
    • Interviewers
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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Sep 19, 2018 10:04:09 AM [fa icon="user"] Team Savvy [fa icon="folder-open'] Announcements

    Our Quest For The Perfect Organic Mattress

     

    You make sure to buy the cleanest beauty products, food, and cleaning products but have you ever considered the chemicals you may be exposed to sleeping on your mattress?

    If you ask Barry Cik how he entered the mattress business, he’ll tell you it was an accident. The long-time environmental engineer set out on the task of creating the perfect organic mattresses and cribs after searching for a crib for his first grandchild. He faced several options made with toxic chemicals he was inclined to avoid after years of experience in the engineering industry, and none of the organic cribs fit his liking. Frustrated but inspired, he set out on the valiant task of producing his own. If you ask us, Barry’s decision to found Naturepedic, a nontoxic, organic mattress manufacturing company, was more fate than accident.

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Sep 17, 2018 9:26:07 PM [fa icon="user"] Julia Condon [fa icon="folder-open'] Home Health, Shopping, Interior Design, 1% for the Planet, Made Safe Certified Products, Flame Retardants, Mattresses

    Meet Hannah Gardener | Science, Legislation & Flame Retardants

     

    “Look, Mommy!” Your four-year old rounds the corner carrying a lit votive candle that had been scenting the room from a seemingly safe spot. Surprised by your immediate yelp, she drops the candle on the couch.  Potential crisis now averted through quick thinking, you take the time to talk about fire with your child, and breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn’t worse.  It brings to mind headlines you have seen recently on flame-retardant chemicals.  The slow steady release of chemicals into the air, our homes and places where we sleep have been under heavy scrutiny for years,  because of the long-term damage they may cause. Now,  finally, they are coming to light in more mainstream media. As is often the case with products that contain multiple chemicals, from cleaners to pharmaceuticals, teasing out our understanding of the impacts on our health takes good scientists and sound science."

    It's less about fire-fighting and more about fighting an industry.   

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Aug 24, 2018 6:02:00 AM [fa icon="user"] Janice Sina [fa icon="folder-open'] Featured Member, Legislation, Flame Retardants

    Announcing: A Green Cleaning Party Kit

    The days are longer, the birds are chirping and the trees are starting to bud. It can only mean one thing – Spring is here! While we all enjoy the extra hours of daylight and the warmer temperatures, not all of us look forward to another thing that happens around this time of year – spring cleaning.

    But what if there was a way to make spring cleaning easier, fun and, best of all, nontoxic?

     The Savvy Women’s Alliance is delighted to partner with Women’s Voices for the Earth to provide a Green Cleaning Party Kit. Our Gatherings embody Savvy’s heart – the belief that nontoxic living is easier and more fun to tackle when we do it together.  Your job is to focus on your friends. Our job is to make this easy.  Take a look at what can happen in your home...

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] May 3, 2018 4:11:48 PM [fa icon="user"] Diana Alexander [fa icon="folder-open'] Gatherings, Cleaning

    How-To: Safer Wipes For Schools

    How Can I Make A Difference In My Child's School?

    A question we hear often at the Savvy Women's Alliance. It's not easy, but it can be done. We see it happen often and when we do, it is worth celebrating.  Mesmerized by Janna Said's safer wipes initiative in her school,  we are delighted to share her success and approach.

    Before Janna had her children, she was an elementary school teacher, educating little people. Her nontoxic journey began when she was pregnant with her first child. She stopped wearing nail polish and stopped cleaning bathrooms at her husband’s insistence. She bought organic milk and eggs.  And now her journey has found roots in one of her biggest campaigns yet: a safer wipes initiative. Little things added up. Now, she’s educating adults. 

    Step One: Learn From Janna

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] May 3, 2018 3:07:25 PM [fa icon="user"] Janice Sina [fa icon="folder-open'] schools, Kids, Cleaning, Cleaning Products

    March | April 2018 Events

     

     

    • Meet Your Farmer: Regional Event 
    • Meet & Greet with Kristi Marsh
    • Tackle Cleaning Products 
    • Meet Beth Conway, Women's Voice for the Earth | Communications Director

    • Looking for a Chapter near you?   Find A Chapter

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Mar 14, 2018 6:22:00 PM [fa icon="user"] Team Savvy [fa icon="folder-open'] Announcements

    Start With The Air In Your Home

    We’re indoors more than ever and in buildings that are sealed tightly for ultimate climate control. So that stretch and deep breath that we take each morning may not be quite as good for us as we assume.  Our homes can be 2-5 times more polluted than the outside air and this pollution is  created from everyday products.  A single exposure, or exposure over time,  can present a range of symptoms from irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat; headaches; dizziness; and fatigue. As many know, indoor air at home or work can aggravate chronic asthma or migraines. 

    The good news? This is an area where we can create an easy and positive impact. 

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Mar 14, 2018 5:19:00 PM [fa icon="user"] Janice Sina [fa icon="folder-open'] Cleaning

    10 Quick Nontoxic Kitchen Cleaning Tips

    Everyone wants a clean and healthy kitchen. If you're looking to achieve both without introducing unhealthy chemicals, here are some simple Do’s and Don’ts.

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Mar 14, 2018 4:45:00 PM [fa icon="user"] Hannah Gardener [fa icon="folder-open'] Vinegar, Cleaning, Kitchen

    Four Ways To Find Your Happy (Meat) Place

     

    Happy Meat (adjective): Meat that comes from an animal that has been humanely raised in as close to its natural environment as possible without unnecessary antibiotics and hormones. Tasty and even more exciting when discovering a deal.

    As we become increasingly aware of the environmental and health issues that come with commercially raised meat, there comes a desire to purchase 'better' meat (or “Happy Meat” as casually defined above.)  If you choose to eat meat, we encourage you to find your Happy Meat source.  Although, if only a lucky few have a farmer down the road to ask the hard questions, how does one find sustainably raised meat at a reasonable price? 

    Here are our four favorite starting points on how to choose wiser to bring Happy Meat to your dinner plate:

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Feb 21, 2018 4:38:00 PM [fa icon="user"] Diana Alexander [fa icon="folder-open'] Fresh Food, Shopping, Organic, Food, Meat & Veggies

    Love To Write? We Have a Special Place For You 

    CALL FOR WRITERS

    Our Writing Team is a key  piece of the Savvy Women's Alliance; it gives our voice a "friendly face" as we  simplify the nontoxic living learning curve.  Our volunteer writers love to write, they are valued, and deep down, they know their heart's work is making a difference.  

    We're Looking For:

    • Hobbyists who have a passion for the written word 
    • Technical writers 
    • Rising influencers who would like to build their presence 
    • Project launchers
    • Storytellers 
    • Interviewers
    Read More »

    [fa icon="clock-o"] Feb 19, 2018 11:27:01 AM [fa icon="user"] Team Savvy [fa icon="folder-open'] Announcements

    Protective Legislation: How To Find & Support Efforts In Your State 

     

    Me: If I was to invest my limited time and actively support protective legislation that enforced transparency and restricted the worst-of-the-worst chemicals, wouldn't I want to focus on federal legislation? An across-the-country approach that applies to all? 

    Learning Moment: State legislation can be a powerful tool to directly protect local residents and to create momentum for other states, and ultimately federal change. Right now, federal progress is highly unlikely.  Instead, our big sister nonprofits are working to defend current long standing protection such as the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, and many others.

    In fact, it's highly likely that you have policy unfolding right now your state. Here is what we need to know and what we can do:

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Feb 16, 2018 6:55:00 AM [fa icon="user"] Kristi Marsh [fa icon="folder-open'] Become a Leader, Legislation, Volunteer, Change Makers

    Romance at the Meat Counter: My Quest for Beefy Choices

    Seeking Evening Companionship

    I am fed up with bringing home deceptive groceries, possibly hiding unwanted antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones. Can I rekindle my love, trust, and simple enjoyment with quality, happy meat? Is it possible you are out there, not overpriced? Do you exist?

    ~ Signed, Ima B. Leever 

    With no one replying to my want ad, I headed out on my own. While shopping at my local Whole Foods market, a grocery store dedicated to “selling the highest quality natural and organic products,” I rounded the grocery aisle between dairy and seafood and gasped at what I saw in the meat section. With giddy excitement, I thought perhaps I might have found my soul meat.

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    [fa icon="clock-o"] Feb 7, 2018 8:16:00 PM [fa icon="user"] Kristi Marsh [fa icon="folder-open'] Parenting, Healthy Eating, Spouses, Budget Friendly, Husbands, Organic, Food, Meat & Veggies

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