The Holy Trinity of Modern Day Housing: Environmentally Friendly, Sustainable, and Energy Efficient Houses

We no longer worry about whether our home is keeping up with the Joneses. These days we are more concerned with our impact on the planet and future generations.

The environmentally friendly home that’s sustainable and energy efficient has become the sought after ideal. But finding or creating the “holy trinity” (environmentally friendly, sustainable, and energy efficient) house isn’t a simple matter. This guide will help steer you in the right direction. To give you a kick start of inspiration, I’ve also included a couple of examples of funky and stylish houses that tick the green boxes.

Choose Your Location Wisely

“Location, location, location,” is an apt usage of the phrase when it comes to building an environmentally friendly home. A wrong choice can have catastrophic consequences for your dreams of an environmentally friendly and energy efficient home.

For example, think about whether there will be a place for solar panels to get plenty of sunlight. Consider air drainage and wind currents if you’re thinking about wind turbines and your gardening options. If you plan to have a plot of organic veggies, select a site that will be suitable for growing foods.

Install Solar Panels

Don’t think that just because you’re making your home environmentally friendly you’re going to be losing out financially. These days, you can actually save money by going green.

Solar panels are a perfect example. They used to be prohibitively expensive, but it’s now cheaper to install solar panels than it is to buy the average car. Solar can provide as much as 85% of your home’s energy. It’s a no-brainer for those looking to be a little more eco-friendly.

Focus on the Roof

When it comes to the roof of a green home, most people limit their thoughts to the aforementioned solar panels. But making your roof green goes beyond that. For example, did you know that white roofs are the most energy efficient? This all goes back to the lesson you probably had while in grade school. White is a reflective color, which means the hot sun rays won’t impact your home as much. This in turn keeps down air conditioning costs by keeping your home cooler during the summer.

Insulating Your Home

If you want to get close to net-zero performance, insulation is a key factor. You can keep your bills low by ensuring your home doesn’t lose energy in key places. For example, you can use GreenFiber Cocoon to insulate your home. This eco-friendly solution is made almost entirely from recycled newspapers that have been treated with a natural fire retardant to ensure safety. It’s also super practical for existing homes, as you can simply blow the material into walls through very small holes.

Do You Need the Space?

Many of us dream of large and spacious homes, but this is often in direct contrast of the eco ideal. Small homes are far easier to keep energy efficient and they’re also far more manageable.

A small overall space doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll feel cramped or boxed in. Architects and designers know that people are asking for homes that fit the environmental bill, which means that many seemingly compact homes are actually surprisingly spacious inside.

Use Eco-Friendly Materials and Products

Building a sustainable and environmentally friendly home isn’t always easy, especially when most companies don’t place planet earth at the top of the priority list. But luckily the pot of options is growing increasingly larger.

Paint: When choosing your new home’s paint, always go for a brand that is low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds). These chemicals are incredibly harmful to both you and the environment, but, unfortunately, they are still quite common in your average pot of paint.

Reclaimed & Recycled Materials: Many people hold the misconception that recycled or reclaimed products won’t look as “nice” as their brand new equivalents. These days, however, the recycled trend has given us funky products that end up being excellent talking points over a dinner party. For example, why not use a doormat made of wasted float rope? Or how about a lamp made out of agricultural waste? You can even buy stools made of a mixture of sand, bacteria, and urine!

Steel: Steel is an ideal building material for several reasons. It’s incredibly resilient (It won’t rot or twist. It’s termite resistant). It has an impressive strength to weight ratio. And it is very versatile.

Steel is also an environmentally friendly choice. Its lightweight nature means little of it is required compared to other material. Steel is also 100% recyclable and will go the distance It’s extremely unlikely you’ll ever need to replace or do any structural work to houses built with a steel framework.

Energy Star: When buying electrical products for your home, always look for the Energy Star. This guarantees that your chosen item is energy efficient, which can make a huge difference to the amount of energy your home uses.

Energy Star products are now common. Most are affordable and perform to perfection. In other words, there’s no excuse!

Examples of Awesome, Sustainable Homes

Sustainable homes aren’t yet the norm, but they’re no longer rare futuristic sights or impractical pipe dreams of the eco-friendly. There are countless examples across the globe of homes that aren’t just soft on the environment, but also have the wow-factor and are sustainable to boot.

Waste House in Brighton, UK was Built entirely (well, almost) from discarded waste. This Brighton abode is the seminal example of the sustainable home. It’s amazing what 20,000 toothbrushes and 4,000 DVD cases can do!

Energy Neutral Residence 2.0 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is the perfect weapon to the argument that style and sustainability can go hand in hand. Its insulation is based on a NASA prototype and uses a discarded tree as part of the design. An on-site wind turbine provides the little energy used.

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Mercury-free Flu Shot Shortage in California for Pregnant Women and Children

When we lose our rights one tiny step at a time, it’s much like the proverbial frog in a pot of water not realizing he is boiling alive. California government is showing its true colors. The health and safety of California’s children is not their concern. The government’s absolute defense of vaccinations continues to rule the day regardless of irrefutable evidence that vaccines are dangerous.

In 2006, in a progressive move, one we used to associate with the State of California, a law was passed forbidding the use of vaccines with mercury for pregnant women and children under the age of three. It did, however, always included a provision to exempt this law under certain circumstances: “The Secretary of the Health and Human Services Agency may exempt the use of a vaccine from this section if the secretary finds, and the Governor concurs, that an actual or potential bioterrorist incident or other actual or potential public health emergency, including an epidemic or shortage of supply of a vaccine that would prevent children under three years of age and knowingly pregnant women from receiving the needed vaccine, including a vaccine shortage…”

The day has come. A vaccine shortage of flu shots without mercury is the reason why California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Diana S. Dooley stated, “I am granting a temporary exemption from California Health and Safety Code Section 124172 for seasonal influenza vaccine with trace levels of thimerosal to be administered to children younger than three years from October 9, 2015 through December 31, 2015, because the current supply of thimerosal-free vaccine for young children is inadequate.” In addition, she stated she would extend the exemption for as long as necessary.

This decision, even for the pro-vaccine camp, is ludicrous. But the propaganda campaign denying the risks of vaccines, claiming they are both safe an effective, continues on. Meanwhile, the autism rate has jumped to 1 in 50 (according to the CDC).

Mercury is only one of the neurotoxins found in vaccines. While it has been removed from most of the vaccines, other neurotoxins, and toxic matter remain including aluminum, formaldehyde, and polysorbate 80. In addition, Dr. Judy Mikovits recently revealed that 30% or more of the vaccination supply is contaminated with gammaretroviruses, which are associated with autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, allergies, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s disease and the rise of various other diseases over the past few decades.

First California resends personal and religious vaccine exemptions. Then they pass mandatory vaccination laws for childcare workers. Now they are allowing vaccinations with mercury containing vaccines. Can you feel the water starting to boil?

If vaccine damage is a concern of yours, check out How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children. 

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Sources:

Health and Safety Code SECTION 124172 – Legalinfo.ca.gov

California begins injecting children with mercury – Natural News

Interview with Dr. Judy Mikovits, PhD, 11/22/15 – Vimeo



Inside Child Protective Services – Why You Need to Know Your Rights and Be Careful

We are led to believe government agencies designed to serve and protect the public do just that, but evidence to the contrary suggests corruption and ineptitude play an ever-growing role in American government institutions.

In my last year of college I worked with my local CPS office in three capacities: I completed an internship in the CPS office, I ran a therapy group for a domestic violence center for women with active CPS cases, and I worked as a parent aide with women with open CPS cases. I was also married to a CPS worker. Believe me, I got the inside scoop.

The first startling discovery was that my husband (later my ex) was the only parent in his unit. Yes, most of the workers who were investigating child abuse had never been a parent. On first thought this doesn’t seem important, but I will never forget the day my husband called me to confirm the fact that our children had in fact suffered from severe diaper rashes a few times even though I changed their diapers religiously. Everyone in the office was sure the mother in question was neglecting her child based solely on the fact that he had a bad diaper rash. Another case that year, though not in our office, was about a child placed in protective custody because his mother confided in her social worker. The nursing mother revealed her concern that she found nursing to be a little sexually stimulating and wondered if her reaction was normal.

Throughout that year, I struggled with many concerns about CPS. One of clients was mercilessly criticized for being an exceptional housekeeper. She was “abnormally” clean and tidy. She wasn’t obsessive-compulsive, she was just clean! Her caseworker also misreported the case in every meeting, stating there were three incidents involving the child when there had been two. Although I corrected him each time, he continued to misrepresent the case – in meetings and in court.

In another case, children were sexually molested and emotionally scarred by the father, but he had friends in the criminal justice system and he never faced time. The mother who caught him in the act was not believed and the daughter who was abused, who did not want to see her father, was forced to endure supervised visits for years.

My final year in school was followed by ten years with the local county mental health center. In my last years, I served as the lead intake worker, the first person to interview an applicant for services. It was sad and disheartening to interview one after another and learn how many had suffered sexual abuse as a child.

I learned that many suffered more from the system than their parents’ homes. Many were molested by older foster children and foster parents, in addition to suffering from the loss of their families.

The ineptitude I witnessed along with the subtle, but ever present, abuse of power led me to believe the entire system needed to be overhauled. This was years before the system in another state failed my family, accusing my son of molesting his daughter and putting us through an unending nightmare. Our case was one of pure ineptitude from start to finish.

We live in a day and age where we have to think twice before touching a child, an age where teachers are told never to give a pat on the back for a job well done. There is a good reason for this. It is an age where an unsubstantiated claim of abuse, with no proof and no substance, can result in prison time for the alleged abuser. It is an age where any anonymous claim of abuse can tear a life apart. It is also a dangerous time for any family that chooses a path outside the accepted norm. These suspect choices include homeschooling, co-sleeping, vegan diets, and medical decisions, including refusal to vaccinate.

The more we allow our government to chip away at our rights, on any and every front, the more likely we are to lose our parental rights. The time to stand up is now, before it is too late. Your vote counts. Choose wisely.

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Corruption and Pork – Agricultural Boards Behaving Badly

Pork. The other white meat. The incredible, edible egg. Beef. It’s what’s for dinner.

The majority of Americans are probably familiar with these slogans. But have you ever heard, “Pork: Be Inspired?” Probably not, despite the three million dollar licensing fee that the slogan has incurred each year from 2011 on.

What is the point of the slogan, and who has that kind of money to burn? The United States Department of Agriculture Research and Promotion (R and P) programs.

What Are They and Should I Care?

The pork industry is not the only agricultural industry to have its own board formed as part of the R and P. There are more than 20 agricultural products that have been classified by the USDA as research and promotion programs under the Agricultural Marketing Services department, from expected products like soybeans, dairy, beef, and eggs to potential head scratchers like sorghum and mangos. These R and P programs are set up and funded by the farmers in the industries they represent through set charges on specific amounts of units sold. An initial look at the programs shows their benefit in creating a demand and building a brand for a specific commodity, but there have been increasing concerns about a growing lack of transparency and the potential promotion of the interests of large producers at the expense of smaller farmers. There is also a concern about how close these organizations are to the taxpayer-funded USDA. Are our taxes promoting industries that are causing many of our health and environmental problems?

Questionable Decisions

If you’ve paid attention to the world of mayonnaise lately (and let’s face it, who hasn’t), you might have heard of a small startup called Hampton Creek being sued for misleading the public by Unilever, the maker of Hellmann’s mayonaise. While Unilever dropped the lawsuit, the FDA pursued the matter, claiming they were following up a complaint and that Hampton Creek’s product, Just Mayo, cannot be labeled as mayonnaise because the product doesn’t contain eggs.  A little investigation revealed emails from the National Egg Board executives that were targeting the company in ways both benign and malicious, from jokes about having “old buddies from Brooklyn” paying the Hampton Creek CEO a visit to a program promoting real eggs and contacting Whole Foods in an attempt to have the product removed from shelves. There is also the fact that Unilever reached out to the Egg Board for support during their lawsuit, leading to speculation that the Egg Board used its influence to convince the FDA to focus on Hampton Creek and Just Mayo.

While much of this seems to be within the guidelines of the R and P programs stated promotion goals, specifically calling retailers to get a competing product off the shelves has raised some eyebrows. It is troubling when an association linked to the USDA feels comfortable blocking the free market, proving that America capitalist preachings come hand in hand with rampant corruption. When the agency managed by the USDA spurs the FDA into action at the behest of an international corporation determined to eliminate a small startup, what chance does anyone else have when government is for the few?

A Mismanagement of Funds

The majority of people want to get their money’s worth when they pay for goods or services. The National Pork Board is not in this majority. Originally, they were licensing their previous popular slogan, “Pork. The other white meat.” from the National Pork Producers Council for a dollar a year. That cost increased to 818,000 in 2004 and then jumped to an incredible 20 year, 60 million dollar contract despite the lack of competition for the slogan and an actual market value of under 400,000 dollars. Though the Pork Board has retired the slogan, they continue to pay a yearly 3 million dollar fee to the NPPC. For farmers required to pay 40 cents for every 100 dollars they make to the Pork Board, that particular expense must sting quite a bit.

But even more interesting is who the money is going to and how it’s pushing out small farmers. The National Pork Producers Council is responsible for licensing the slogan and receives the yearly fees from the National Pork Board. The NPPC is a lobby group dedicated to lobbying political candidates on behalf of large-scale pig operations with environmentally detrimental policies. Despite trying to eliminate the program in the early 2000s, small farmers are still stuck with a government system that ignores their needs and lacks the necessary oversight to correct itself.

Can You Actually Do Anything?

Government shouldn’t actively work against the people who pay for it. The idea behind the USDA’s Research and Promotion Programs is sound, but the lack of actual transparency and oversight make it an easy target for corporate corruption. The transparency issue also makes it difficult for consumers to understand what’s going on and to sort through myriad information, studies, and advertisements that serve to forward the agendas of Big Agriculture. Knowing about the dirty business taking place immediately beyond the public’s eye makes it even more important to support small farmers and to know where your food is coming from. You can make a difference by choosing products from small farms committed to animal welfare, the environment, and health.

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New Study Shows Children Should Eat Organic to Reduce Pesticide Levels

For a long time, we have known that organophosphorus (OP) pesticides, like chlorpyrifos and diazinon, are bad for humans, as well as pests. Almost two decades ago, they began to be phased out for residential use due to the risks. Unfortunately, they’re still heavily utilized in agriculture, and researchers in California decided to identify how much of these, and other, harmful pesticides, children are actually ingesting.

The Study Focused on Low-Income Children in Urban and Agricultural Areas

If it feels like you’ve already heard this information, you probably have, but not quite in this way. Previous studies have focused on pesticide levels of children in non-agricultural and suburban areas. As most of us know, these studies have shown that children have lower levels of pesticides when they go organic. The difference with this new study is that children in urban and agricultural areas are exposed to more pesticides in the environment, especially those in low-income families. Therefore, the question was not whether organic diets reduce pesticide levels- we know that they do, but whether children who are exposed to environmental pesticides have reduced levels when they go organic as well. For this reason, the study included participants from the Fruitvale area of Oakland, California, an urban area, and also from Salinas, California, a largely agricultural region.

Children Between the Ages of Three and Six were Analyzed

The study lasted only 16 days, but the results were incredibly apparent. For the first four days, 40 kids between the ages of three and six ate their normal diet, were monitored by an in-home personal trainer before or after extracurricular activities. They then ate an organic diet for seven days and switched back to their regular diet for the remainder of the study. Urine samples were collected every day of the study, and scientists analyzed the samples for pesticide residue and markers.

The Amount of Two Pesticides Reduced By 50% on an Organic Diet

The study revealed that reside for two specific pesticides was cut in half when children went on an organic diet. Levels of a common herbicide also dropped by about one-fourth. Asa Bradman, an author of the study and Associate Director of the Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health at the University of California, Berkeley, acknowledges, “There’s evidence that diet is one route of exposure to pesticides, and you can reduce your exposure by choosing organic food.” However, she cautions people not to cut regular fruits and vegetables out of their diet, because they both provide health benefits.

Sadly, Levels of Three of the Most-Common Pesticides Did Not Decline

The study showed that pesticides commonly used in residential applications did not decline. So although there is benefit in going organic, it’s only part of the solution to an overall problem. However, the study did uncover another remarkable find. Because food diaries were also kept, researchers noted that kids ate more healthy grains and produce when they were on the organic diet. In other words, choosing to stick with an organic diet can have other unexpected health benefits.

Pesticides are Linked to Childhood Cancer and Low IQ, Among Other Issues

There is a laundry list of issues that scientists have linked to pesticides. Recently, a study published in the October issue of Pediatrics linked pesticides with a higher risk of developing leukemia and lymphoma. Though that particular study focused on children who were exposed to insecticides indoors, a 47% and 43% increase in cancer rates were noted, respectively. Chensheng Lu, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who headed up the study, said that instances of other cancers, like bladder and prostate, may also increase with exposure to insecticides. Additional studies link pesticides to low IQ and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as minor conditions like nausea, skin irritation, and headaches. The same issue of Pediatrics that features this study also covers the story of a seven-month-old victim of SIDS. Analysis of her brain tissue revealed high levels of a pesticide known as DBNP, which she may have been exposed to two weeks prior to her death when her father sprayed the house for flies.

These cases are not rare. Pesticide use can cause acute health issues, and the compounds can build up over time undetected, resulting in long-term health consequences. Keeping children on an organic diet is an essential part of limiting exposure to dangerous and deadly chemicals. However, it’s also clear that parents should take steps to limit environmental exposure as well.



Natural Cleaning Solutions For Your Home

Cleaning is crucial in any home, but regular cleaners take their toll on the environment. Instead, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a cheap, effective way to do housework without using harmful chemicals? Fortunately, there is! And most of the items you will need are already in your home.

Lemon Deodorizers

When it comes to natural cleaners, the humble lemon is your best friend. Why use expensive lemon scented fragrances when a real lemon does just as good a job? Simply take a lemon, cut it in half and leave one half with the cut side exposed (preferably in a dish). Not only will this hide odors, you’ll get a fresh lemon scent wherever you place it.

Vinegar Spray

Vinegar is highly acidic, which makes it useful for cleaning dirt on a variety of surfaces. More specifically, it’s great for cleaning windows and polishing metal. If you have a spray bottle, you can create a mixture that’s 3 or 4 parts water and 1 part vinegar. Then, simply use the spray as you normally would – you’ll quickly find it’s no trouble at all to remove various tough stains around the home.

Peace Lillies

A plant is just a plant right? Wrong – plants having many uses in the home, often acting as natural filters. Not only will you help oxidize the room, plants can absorb some of the harmful agents in the air, making them a great companion to lemon deodorizers. Better yet, try using a peace lily where possible. Peace lilies are great at preventing mold, and it’s always better to prevent a difficult task where possible!

Boiled Potato Water

The next time you boil potatoes, don’t throw out the leftover water. This water has a combination of a high temperature and the starchy extracts left from the potatoes. As a result, its perfect for cleaning silver, whether its cutlery or ornaments. Just make sure to use it when its hot. ( It can always be reheated, of course.)

Nut Shells

As a more unusual solution, Indian nut shells are great for washing a variety of things. It’s no surprise then, that they’re often called soap nuts in some parts of the world. Crush around 2oz of shells in a 3-5 cups of water. Bring the water to the boiling point to create a simple soap. This can be used to wash glasses, dishes, counters, and the car! You can even use this soap in the dishwasher, or just add a few of the shells in as they are. You can also put the shells in a bag and throw it in with the laundry.

Baking Soda

If you bake, chances are you have a spare bag or box of baking soda. If you’re not planning a cake anytime soon, it makes a great all-purpose cleaner, similar to vinegar. Mix 4 spoons of soda into one warm cup of water for an effective agent, perfect for surfaces and kitchen appliances. As with any cleaning chemical, use it with a cloth or wipe and you’ll have no trouble at all.  It also works well as a scrubbing agent. Shake it on a surface and use a wet rag to scrub.

Ground Coffee

If you are a coffee drinker, you have the makings of a good dish scrubber. Using an elastic band or string, use your cleaning cloth to make a ‘bag’ full of coffee beans. The rough texture, combined with warm water and the natural ingredients inside coffee make for an effective scrubbing assistant – perfect for tough dishes!

As an added bonus, you can sprinkle used coffee grounds outside, around the perimeter of your house to repel ants and other insects and you can put coffee beans in plant pots and other areas where pests might gather.

Natural Oils

Various types of natural oils have additional cleaning applications. For example, peppermint, tea-tree, lavender, and even eucalyptus oils all make effective bacteria killers. This makes them ideal for use in the kitchen. Due to their potency, you need only add a few drops of such an oil to a 50/50 mixture of water and white vinegar. On a similar note, the various plant-based oils used in cooking – such as sunflower or olive oils – are great at removing gritty dirt. Add a few teaspoons of salt to these vegetable oils to great a basic paste. Then, simply rinse with hot water and scrub away!

Salt

Salt is, of course, a natural product, and it’s course nature makes it great for scrubbing or scouring. This is best used for dishes, as the rough nature of salt helps to break away dirt, yet it won’t scratch precious glassware. It also works well on stubborn surfaces, such as wooden counters and the dreaded oven. So don’t be afraid to add a little salt when dealing with difficult stains.

Lemon Scrub

Finally, there’s one more use for lemons! Aside from being a good spray and deodorizer, you can also use it as a simple scrub. Squeeze and rub a lemon onto your cleaning cloth and then use it as you normally would. This acts just like a cleaning agent – thanks to the acidic, citric nature of the fruit – and doesn’t harm the environment.

Conclusion

As you can see there are more than a few ways to keep your house sparkling clean without harming Mother Nature or your family’s health. The next time you’re ready to reach for a cleaning product, take a look in your shelves first. You might just be pleasantly surprised.

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Perspective and Real Threats To Life and Limb

Every day, thousands of families are devastated by tragedy, by the loss of a child. Most of these deaths are from injuries that occurred in preventable accidents. It is believed by many experts that simply making a concerted effort to take some precautions could cut this number in half.

Young children are more worried about bad guys coming to get them or monsters in the closet than they are about realistic dangers. They leave their toys on the stairs, climb up bookcases, and blindly run into traffic.

In all frankness, the world is filled with naïve adults as well. Most parents are more terrified of germs than exposure to toxic chemicals, more terrified of the measles than the MMR vaccine’s side effects. The active ingredients in antibacterial soaps (chemicals such as triclosan) are far more dangerous than germs on your hands. The risk of vaccine injury is much higher than the risk of contracting measles. Americans are far more likely to die from prescribed pharmaceuticals than by terrorists. The worst terror attack in American history resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths. Every year, more 100,000 Americans die from prescribed pharmaceuticals.

Danger is everywhere, but many of us are scared of the wrong things. Our fears are often fueled by the media, which is driven by corporate greed. We need to separate fact from fiction to understand the greatest threats to our children.

Dying by Accidents

According to the CDC, fatal injuries are the leading cause of death for children 0-19 years of age in the U.S. According to the World Health Organization, the global trend is similar, with accidental injuries being the leading cause of death for children over five years of age.

It doesn’t benefit us as parents to become paranoid about childhood injury, but the opposite attitude of “Oh well, accidents happen,” attitude doesn’t serve us well, either. In the reports, some efforts were noted to have made a difference. Innovations such as car seats, helmets, child resistant containers for medications, and fencing around pools have helped prevent accidental injuries and death.

Facing Facts

Most of the time, accidents don’t just happen. They are the result of unsafe acts, poor habits, or carelessness. That means that many of these injuries are preventable. Each year, more than 12,000 children die from accidental injuries, and more than 9 million children receive emergency medical care for non-fatal, but serious injuries.

Boys are also more likely to be injured than girls and boys account for twice the fatalities. Most of the fatal injuries to children were transportation related. Most of the children killed from transportation-related accidents were occupants in vehicles, but many children were pedestrians or cyclists.

Many of these deaths can be prevented by wearing seat belts, wearing helmets, and practicing defensive driving. It is widely known that driving while intoxicated is unsafe, but distracted driving and drowsy driving (driving while sleepy) are also high risk.

Injuries due to falls were the most common injury for children 14 and under. The next most common causes of injury were being struck by an object, bitten by animals, or stung by insects.

Better Not to Over Do It

Many kids ages 10-14 landed in the emergency room due to overexertion. That’s right, kids in the U.S. are so out of shape that exercising too hard can put them in the hospital.

The CDC listed suffocation, drowning, burns, and poisoning as other common injuries. The risk for these types of injuries varied somewhat by age and location. Common sense precautions like childproofing your house, wearing safety gear (like helmets), and closely supervising your kids are known to be some of the best preventative measures.

The next time someone accuses you of putting your children at risk by refusing vaccines, ask them if they know what is most likely to kill their children. It isn’t germs.

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