Whats good for your self is good for the planet: it doesnt need to get any more complicated than that. As we celebrate Earth Day, here are a few ways you can take care of your own health while benefiting the glorious planet we call home.

Even if you cant spell it, youve probably heard of phthalates, chemical substances that are used to make plastics flexible. There are several different forms, and they can be found in everything from food and beverage containers to vinyl floors, shower curtains, and cosmetics. Turns out theyre also found in many sex toys.

The problem?

Phthalates contaminate the environment during product use and storage through leaching and other means. Their presence has been detected in air, drinking water, rivers, sewage, and soil.

One phthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), is an endocrine disruptor and can cause cancer, according to the U.S.-based National Institutes of Health. Certain types may adversely affect human and animal reproduction. It is believed that dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is responsible for a steady decrease in the number of reptile species worldwide, according to a study published in Ecological Chemistry and Engineering.

Some countries, including Canada, have restrictions in place around the use of certain phthalates in childrens toys. But the same doesnt go for adult toys. A German study of jelly-rubber sex toys found extremely high concentrations of phthalates due to off-gassing (releasing trapped or absorbed volatile organic compounds in the form of gas).

Womyns Ware prides itselfon being a leader ineliminating phthalate-leaching products from its inventory. A perennial favourite in the Georgia Straights Best of Vancouver awards, the Commercial Drive shop only carries toys made of silicone, hypoallergenic elastomer, and food-grade vinyl. Among the brands it promotes is Swedens Lelo, which includes fair labour practices, employee health and safety requirements, and environmental accountability in its code of conduct.

The good news is you can still have fun in the bedroom while protecting the planet with some dildo due diligence.

Our dietary choices have enormous ramifications for the environment. (Seeour Earth Day Food storyfor more.) Fish deserves its own mention. We know its one of the healthiest foods out there: its lean and a terrific source of protein and vitamin D; fish is also abundant in brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids. Some studies suggest that eating fish might improve sleep and even prevent depression.

However, our oceans and its inhabitants face dire threats due to pollution and overfishing.

Some fish stocks are being dangerously depleted. Other species are contaminated with pollutants such as mercury or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), both of which are highly toxic. Although Canada stopped the import, manufacturing, and release of PCBs into the environment decades ago, the industrial organic compounds still enter the environment from certain hazardous-waste sites, fires, leaks, and spills. The substances do not readily break down and can remain in air, water, and soil for extremely long periods of time. Small ocean organisms and fish (and other animals that eat them) can take them up, accumulating PCBs to hazardous effect.

PCBs have probable negative effects on immune, endocrine, and reproductive systems, and are probable causers of cancer in humans. Birth defects have been linked to mothers who have been exposed to PCBs.

Not very appetizing.

With C Restaurant as its founding restaurant partner, the Vancouver Aquariums Ocean Wise program released its first dining guide on Earth Day 15 years ago. It consisted of 16 participating businesses; now the program has more than 750 restaurants promoting sustainable seafood across Canada.

The program defines sustainable seafood as species that are caught or farmed in a way that ensures the long-term health and stability of that species, as well as the greater marine ecosystem. This includes limiting bycatch of endangered species and using harvesting methods that minimize damage to marine and aquatic habitats.

Examples of Ocean Wiserecommended sustainable seafood include Arctic char, Pacific cod, Alaska and B.C. sablefish (black cod), Pacific halibut, and albacore tuna (B.C. and Atlantic).

You can download a free printable guide from the Ocean Wise.

Its a no-brainer that using cars less means fewer CO2 emissions. If theres one sliver of a silver lining that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, its a global reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions and an improvement in air quality, with travel of many forms coming to a halt.

Now that were staying closer to home and not driving to work, opportunities to walk, run, and ride our bikes are way up. We know that exercise is crucial to our well-being: it reduces blood pressure, cholesterol, and stress; it improves circulation and energy; and it diminishes the risk of diseases like cancer and Type 2 diabetes, to name just a few of its benefits. Using your own power to get around town helps the Earth itself breathe.

See the original post here:
Earth Day: 3 ways to care for your own health while boosting the planet's well-being - Straight.com