We live in an uncertain age when raising children, among other things, has become a particular challenge. We are constantly reminded to be vigilant around our children at home, at school, and in the wider world. Yet, we often fail to realize that the dangers to our children begin on the day of their birth and increase through childhood.
What we are alluding to are the internal dangers of harmful chemicals that our children ingest through their skin, their mouths, and their noses. It has been calculated that babies are born pre-polluted with up to 300 (yes, 300) industrial chemicals in their little bodies when they enter our world. And some researchers suggest that there may be a silent pandemic of brain development disorders that actually begin in the womb. Reports indicate that one in every six children will experience a developmental disability, mostly affecting the nervous system, before they leave elementary school. Frightening, isn’t it?
Yet, we frequently encounter young parents who seem to be immune to the significance of this information. “Of course, we want the best for our children,” they say, “and the government protects us from the effects of these chemicals by putting consumer-information labels on the products that use such chemicals.” Not so, unfortunately. In 1976, when the Toxic Substances Control Act was passed, the act declared about 62,000 (yes, 62,000) chemicals already on the market to be safe despite the fact that most had never been tested. We didn’t know then, and for the most part don’t know now, how chemicals affect the very young. Only when we observe immediate effects such as birth defects or early learning problems, or we know about definitely toxic substances such as lead or arsenic are we made aware of the harmful effects of some chemicals on early childhood development.
During the past 30 years, at least 20,000 additional chemicals have been put into commercial use in the U.S. (the European Union now lists 100,000 registered chemicals). Less than half of them have been tested in any form for their impact on human beings. And the 1976 act has never been amended to take stock of our increasing knowledge about industrial chemicals and their effects on our health. “Toxic Brew”, a documentary made by the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and hosted by Bill Moyers, highlights the problem dramatically. See if your local library has a copy of this DVD. We now know that industrial chemicals are associated with an increasing range of childhood-related diseases such as childhood cancer, autism, ADHD, and asthma, among others.
Federal and state governments still have little authority to regulate the use of hazardous chemicals. Neither the EPA nor manufacturers are required to prove the safety of chemicals currently in commercial use. That, however, may be about to change.
The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act is currently making its way through Congress. Among other improvements, it will require that industrial chemicals be safe for children and other vulnerable groups; that new chemicals as well as the 62,000 “old” chemicals be safety tested before being included in marketable products; that the EPA be given authority to review key chemicals that are known to be found in people; that regular bio-monitoring by the EPA be used to update information on health and safety issues; and that the EPA be required to promote safer alternatives and alternatives to animal testing.
We can only hope for the rapid passage of this important act. Meanwhile, we can all become more informed about the chemicals included in products we use everyday. Our next article in this series will do just that.
Enjoy this new video footage as Cynthia provide consumer health education and provides new insight on wellness, the definition of “body burden” and children & toxins in the home.
Learn About Income Opportunities through Environmentally Sound Business Development
Cynthia Mitchell is an entrepreneur and professional mentor who teaches women how to work from home and succeed as small business owners.
Business Mentor
How would you feel if you knew that someone who cared about your well being, really wanted to listen and help you succeed? How would it be knowing that someone cares about the vision you have for your life and is willing to mirror that vision for you? How would it be to be supported while you embrace the possibilities of who you really are? What if you could discover, perhaps for the first time in your life, a mentor that not only believes in you, but is invested in your financial future? How would you feel?
Cynthia Mitchell brings communication skills that have been honed over 30 years. She couples those talents with relationship development skills and her business acumen to equip women who really want to change their lives!
- Career Women: Learn how to augment your income, attain financial freedom and professional well being.
- Moms: Find out how to create a legacy fund while enjoying the freedom to work from home and create a safer, non-toxic environment for your family.
- Transaction Income Professionals: Realtors, Therapists, Educators, etc. Anyone who depends on revenue that is received only when they work: create a reliable renewal income, alongside your transaction income through a business that transforms an everyday expense into a tax advantage.
Are You Ready? Start Your Own Environmentally Friendly Business!
Cynthia’s mission is to help women build healthier, happier lives. As a counselor and leader in the women’s business community for over 30 years, Cynthia is committed to making a difference. She’s spent the last 10 years making that difference a reality through her roles as a health advocate and business mentor.
Consumer Health Education and Advocacy for Green Living
Green Living Education: If you believe that an “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure“, you’ll want to hear what Cynthia and her colleagues have to say about creating a healthier environment. We have a conscious intent and desire to educate women and their families about creating healthier, happier homes. Driven to make a difference in the quality of life we ALL lead, we encourage women to take action through conscious consumer consumption. This makes a difference in the personal, physical, emotional, financial and environmental wellness of the entire family! It can also send a legacy message for years to come!
Improve Your Health: Toxins reside in every room and in many consumer products; from your cleaning products, to your skin care. Consumers can be educated about better choices! Help individuals and businesses make informed consumer decisions for a greener, safer, healthier home and office.
You Can Detoxify Your Home: The average home contains 62 toxic chemicals. Learn what they are and how to eliminate them from your home. Help others reduce the incidence of endocrine disruptive disease like ADHD, autism and other free radical diseases like asthma and cancer.
“Because of common household chemicals, the air found in the average household is 3-5 times more hazardous than outdoor air”. (EPA)
These are difficult and challenging times for many of us. We all know relatives, friends, or acquaintances who have had their work hours reduced, lost their jobs, had trouble paying their basic monthly bills, or even had their homes go into foreclosure. None of us wants to be in such a position.
The first action to take is to find another job or second job that will pay the basic monthly bills. No doubt this position will not be commensurate with your training and skills, but you do need to acquire additional income immediately. Whether it is a salaried position or one that pays just above minimum wage, it will be transactional income that helps you to get through each month. You contract to do a particular activity or service for which you are paid a particular income. Reduced activity or service means reduced income; no activity or service means no income.
No one is certain how long the current depressed economic situation will last. Many of us have had to make significant adjustments in our daily lives both economically and psychologically. This is not the time, however, to blame ourselves for our condition, or feel resentment that we have been let down, or play the role of victim. We need to make the tough decisions necessary to survive in the present and to realize that in such behavior lies our sense of rebirth. Re-examining our values to create a positive and discerning attitude towards our spouses, our families, and the future can lead to a new attitude towards our lives.
A critical part of this new attitude is taking stock of our circumstances and planning for the future. Thinking about a RELIABLE renewal income, as well as our regular transactional income, is one way to shape a more positive outcome. A true residual income is dependable income that turns up month after month. It is income that you receive regularly for an activity or service that you perform only once.
There are different types of residual income, however. Successful authors, for example, receive royalties on their book every time a copy is sold. But these royalties don’t come in indefinitely because the number of books sold tends to diminish with time. So do the royalties. When people are no longer buying the book the royalties end. On the other hand, extremely wealthy people can have a steady stream of income if they have millions of dollars to invest in bonds, or stocks. As long as the bond and stock markets are doing well, these people will receive significant residual income. But we all know what’s been happening to bonds and stocks in our current global recession. For ordinary investors, the real estate, bond and stock markets are simply not viable options for making significant long term RELAIBLE residual income.
So what other options are there? Some people have sought long-term wealth through multi-level marketing companies (MLM’s). Yet few such companies last more than a few years and many clients have been severely affected financially by buying excessive inventories and by diminishing numbers of disappointed distributors and/or customers. Some of you reading this article are probably in this category.
We know of only two instances in which true residual income exists. One is the insurance industry. Some companies provide residual income for their agents through commissions earned on the initial sale of a policy. As long as the agent continues to service that account successfully year after year, he or she will continue to receive a residual income. Most insurance agents, however, only receive their income from the business their own agency sells or services. Agents who refer other customers to their companies but are not servicing their accounts receive no commission from these referrals. So the insurance industry provides residual income to its agents through commissions paid only on their own accounts as long as they continue to service them satisfactorily. Referrals on other accounts are not rewarded.
The other industry that provides true residual income does so not only in terms of commissions but also on all customers’ referrals. It is the direct marketing industry in which marketing executives may be paid on both their own personal customers, and a business referred to them by these customers.
In 1999, facing the rest of her life through the lens of her patients at a hospital oncology unit, my wife, Cynthia, had an awakening that changed the direction of her career. Now she has financial security that answers many of the questions we are asking at challenging times like today. What would I do if I were challenged with an inability to work and earn money? What would I do if I was left alone – who would take care of me and where would the funds come from to assure exceptional care? How will my family be cared for if my financial position changes? “I am so grateful to those clients whose courage and attitude prompted me to leap out of my comfort zone as a counseling center owner and therapist for more than 25 years into a reliable renewal- income business owner that transferred my skills to create real financial and time freedom”. Where would we all be now in this economy if we relied only on transactional counseling income?
Affiliating with a green manufacturing company that advocates wellness — financial, personal, and planetary—is the best career decision I’ve made in my life. We will examine the consequences of that decision in our next article.
Across the nation, grass-roots organizations, not-for-profit agencies and community groups are being faced with the mounting challenge of providing more quality services with shrinking funds. Imagine a program that takes a portion of people’s everyday shopping dollars and translates them into legacy funds for you!
Each year a variety of fundraising projects are undertaken by many organizations in an effort to generate additional income to supplement the bottom line. Whether it be the sale of items such as wrapping paper, candy bars and raffle tickets or the traditional “big ticket” programs like auctions, fashion shows or dinner galas; they all require the selling of something.
The final outcome is all too often less than hoped for results, with the staff and volunteers expending EXTENSIVE MANPOWER and PLANNING HOURS that garner limited financial return. Participants of the effort sometimes lose momentum with the pressure of having to sell yet another item. Paperwork is a hassle and the need to deliver goods or meet deadlines creates more frustration for a volunteer corps. From a fundraising point of view, each New Year begins at ground zero. Often people who buy products or tickets are doing so just to support the cause, but have no real use for what they are purchasing. These endeavors and transactions do not help the environment, create legacy funds, nor necessarily improve the lives of individuals participating.
Consumer Tidbit
Most consumers buy their everyday household products at places like Sam’s Club, BJ’s Costco, Wal-Mart or their favorite grocery store. Most likely, they do not own stock in any of those stores, nor do they receive dividend checks to shop there. Nonetheless, they shop there out of habit and necessity. None of their purchases has the benefit of being part of a planned-giving program.
When was the last time anyone you knew received a check from Proctor & Gamble or Johnson & Johnson for using their products?
When people choose to “Shop Green For A Cause”, they are simply REDIRECTING their monthly purchasing habits to support a fundraising effort. By switching stores and shopping green; they are receiving higher quality, non-toxic products that cost less than what they are already buying somewhere else and a portion of the proceeds from their purchases goes directly to the organization of choice.
This program allows for even the most modest of households to be able to give! Everyone who shops becomes a donor – yet they use no “new money”. Additionally, all the products they purchase are non-toxic, extremely cost competitive, environmentally safe.
Hear What People Have to Say
“Cynthia Mitchell brings a holistic perspective to her spiritual mission of supporting each person in their quest to perceive the nature of the Holy One and our shared vocation as children of the divine. Drawing from her rich background in contemplative spirituality, Cynthia is adept at listening to each one’s understandings of how God is being revealed in his/her life and how that call is lived out in loving relationships, career endeavors and community/church/temple engagements. Importantly, Cynthia respects diversity in faith and practice, and honors each person’s journey in life. How that journey contributes to maturing in faith and mission is pivotal in her work with others.”
The Rev. Dr. Kathleen L. Kircher
Naples, FL
“Cynthia is a wonderful compassionate person and colleague. With her positive outlook, high energy and enthusiasm, she a great inspiration and a role model for any women wanting to succeed in business.”
Linda Marino
Acupuncture Physician, Naples, FL
“My initial introduction to Cynthia came as a result of her contributing to the well-being of The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce members who a attended a seminar she conducted on networking skills. Her presentation was loaded with useable content but her personal presence made the program compelling. One definition of the word, professional, is ‘a person who is very skilled in a particular activity.’ The initial introduction to Cynthia’s skills and subsequent interactions with her as a person confirm that she is a powerful professional. I’m proud to call her a colleague in the world of professional speaking but, more importantly a friend.”
Gary Greenfield, Principal
Principal & Owner
Performance Alliance, L.C.
“Thank you for all of your help, support and inspiration. Words alone cannot begin to express how much this means to me and I am forever grateful to have you in my life!”
Kimberly Philbin
M & I Bank
“On behalf of the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce I would like to thank you for your participation and presentation at “Issues Roundtable” held at our Chamber on Thursday, March 28, 2006. You did a fantastic presentation. The attendees were able to ask you questions and your answers were right on the mark. It was great to her the pros and cons of “Working from Home”. Our participants really participated and shared their ups and downs and with your leadership provided solutions to their particular situations. Thank you again for accepting this speaking engagement and sharing your expertise with us. Looking forward to seeing you at our other events.”
Geraldine A. Pessolano
Administrative Assistant
“Cynthia did excellent presentations for two organizations I’m associated with: Small Business Committee of the Chamber and the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Both presentations were professional, excellently facilitated and taught me something new at each one.”
Deborah Hamilton
Marketing Director
International Design Center
“Cynthia is a very inspirational person, with lots of knowledge and savvy. I enjoy her positive radiance, it is very contagious.”
Ryan T. Blauch
Blauch & Associates, LLC
Financial Advisors
“Thank you for presenting, “Networking Techniques” at our Small Business Week celebration. The workshop was a real “hit”… those who attended had great things to say and felt their time was well spent in learning important skills to help them in their business…thank you for…helping make our event successful.”
Karen S. Brown, IOM
Communications & Special Events Director
Bonita Chamber of Commerce
“On behalf of the Women of WOW from Unity of Naples Church, thank you! You have touched our hearts and lifted our spirits with your dynamic presentation, ‘Empowering the Feminine: A Caring Woman’s Search for Herself’. This program was the perfect conclusion to a season that focused on Health, Healing and Wholeness.
Every woman who was fortunate enough to attend this engaging gathering will forever know the difference between ‘caring for’: and taking care of”. The image of the divine feminine will remain within our minds as the receptive aspect of wholeness to the masculine expressive nature. And we will continue to release our attachments, habits and judgments to remember who we truly are. Many participants have commented about how they especially appreciated the active aspects of your presentation, including the Meditation and Mandela. The hand washing ceremony as especially moving. We send our best wishes to you as you let your light shine with your Global Vision and continue to share your wisdom with other groups of women, knowing that with your help, these sacred circles are collectively raising the consciousness of the entire world.”
Dr. Pamela S. Gerali
Co-Founder and Facilitator
Women of WOW, Unity of Naples Church
