Clean & Green Living

In this episode, I am talking with Lauren Molasky Fierst. Lauren is a mother of two, an author, a former clothing designer, fashion blogger and stylist. Lauren’s book, The Sky Cracked Open, is a beautiful collection of poems and illustrations that teach us even in the midst of struggle and adversity, dreams and aspirations can be achieved.

Lauren is no stranger to adversity. At only a few weeks old, Lauren was diagnosed with Cystic fibrosis. CF is a life-threatening genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. It most often leads to respiratory failure and the need for a double lung transplant. For many years Lauren was silent about her CF, but as she got older, Lauren realized she wanted to speak louder than her disease and help others fighting the same fight. 

About a year ago, Lauren was placed on the transplant list. After spending 109 days in the hospital, being separated from her 2 children, Lauren received a double lung transplant in October. Even in her darkest times, Lauren has always made space for gratitude, positivity, and hope. My goal in creating this podcast was to share stories of hope, and Lauren’s is certainly that. 

About Lauren

Lauren Molasky Fierst, a mom of two, has always loved writing and poetry. In the past decade, she designed a women's clothing line and created a fashion blog, but her love of writing was always something she wanted to pursue. Years of reading poetry at night to her children turned into her son’s request for her to make a “real” book of her own. 

She created a collection of poems and illustrations with the hope to convey that even in the midst of struggles and adversity, due to her lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis, dreams and aspirations can be achieved. Greatly inspired by the daily musings of her son and daughter, she created an everlasting display of her unwavering love for them in her first book, The Sky Cracked Open. A Las Vegas native for her first thirty-two years of life, she now lives in Southern California with her husband and two children and hopes to continue raising awareness for cystic fibrosis and its community through her writing. 

Connect With Lauren

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ahippiesdaughter/

Lauren’s Book, The Sky Cracked Open https://www.theskycrackedopen.com

In this episode, I am talking with Lindsay Bourgoine, Director of Policy and Advocacy of Protect Our Winters, an organization that helps passionate outdoor people protect the places and lifestyles they love from climate change. Protect Our Winters is a community of athletes, scientists, creatives, and business leaders advancing non-partisan policies that protect our world today and for future generations.

I will admit that as an avid outdoor enthusiast, it wasn’t until somewhat recently that I truly made the connection between my love of the outdoors and the importance of protecting it with environmental policy. Climate change has not only environmental but also economic impacts on the outdoor industry that are significant and measurable. 

Lindsay and I are talking about the importance of the 50 million outdoor enthusiasts in this country coming together as a unified voice to speak up on behalf of the places and the activities we love. While things like turning off your lights, riding your bike instead of driving, and being a conscious consumer can help, the only way we will ever truly make an impact is through policy. 

Resources Mentioned

Yale Program on Climate Communication  https://climatecommunication.yale.edu

Purple Mountains Film https://www.purplemountainsfilm.com/

About Lindsay

With a passion for politics and the great outdoors, Lindsay joined Protect Our Winters in 2016 to advance the organization’s advocacy efforts. Prior to her (second) move to Colorado, Lindsay worked on conservation and recreation policy issues for the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Outdoor Industry Association, completed a Master's in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School, and coached skiing at Squaw Valley. When she’s not raising a ruckus on a policy issue or telling stories about her beloved home state of Maine, you can find Lindsay hiking, biking, running, or skiing deep in the mountains, typically wearing a significant amount of neon.

Connect with Protect Our Winters

Website https://protectourwinters.org

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/protectourwinters/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ProtectOurWinters/

Twitter https://twitter.com/ProtectWinters

In this episode, I am talking with Dr. Leo Trasande,  a pediatrician, professor and world-renowned researcher in environmental health. Dr. Transande’s research focuses on how chemicals like phthalates, bisphenols, and many others that are long and hard to pronounce disrupt our hormones and damage our health in irreparable ways. In his book, Sicker Fatter Poorer, Dr. Transande shows us where these chemicals hide as well as the workings of policy that protect their continued use. 

Today Dr. Transande and I are talking about what these hormone disrupting chemicals are and how they are contributing to all types of disease and chronic conditions. We’re talking about the lack of regulation and the need for more health protective policies. Most importantly, Dr. Transande is sharing ways for us to protect ourselves and our families by minimizing our exposure. 

Episode Highlights

• Dr. Trasande’s background and how he became interested in environmental health.

• The importance of policy to protect people from harmful chemicals.

• The short, medium, and long-term benefits of reducing toxic load.

• Organophosphate pesticides and their impact on health.

• Four of the most widely used chemicals categories and where to find them.

• Bisphenols: where to find them and how to avoid them.

• What types of plastics to avoid.

• Simple and small steps you can take to reduce your exposure. 

• The impact of flame retardants and where you find them.

• The threat of these chemicals to economic stability. 

• The impact of these chemicals on immunity.

• PEGs in the COVID vaccination.

Resources Mentioned

Sicker, Fatter, Poorer https://www.leotrasande.com/sicker-fatter-poorer

About Dr. Trasande

He is the Jim G. Hendrick MD Professor, Director of the Division of Environmental Pediatrics, and Vice-Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics at NYU School of Medicine. He also serves on the faculty of the NYU Wagner School of Public Service and the NYU College of Global Public Health.

Dr. Trasande is an internationally renowned leader in environmental health. His research focuses on the impacts of chemicals on hormones in our bodies. He also has led the way in documenting the economic costs for policymakers of failing to prevent diseases of environmental origin proactively. He is perhaps best known for a series of studies published in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism that document disease costs due to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the US and Europe of $340 billion and €163 billion annually, respectively.

He is also the Principal Investigator for a research project comparing neurodevelopment, cardiometabolic and respiratory profiles of children exposed in utero to the World Trade Center disaster to a comparison group.

Connect with Dr. Trasande

Website https://www.leotrasande.com 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/leotrasande/

Twitter https://twitter.com/leotrasande

In this episode I am talking with Dr. Laura Markham. Dr. Laura is a clinical psychologist, a mother, an author or multiple books on peaceful parenting, and she has worked for decades as a parenting coach with families across the world. 

I have been a longtime fan of her newsletter, and whenever I have a parenting question, her website, AhaParenting is my go-to-resource. Raising children is a huge responsibility, and with it we parents often feel the weight of the world upon our shoulders as we try to raise kind, compassionate, honest and good human beings. 

I’m confident that most parents would agree the last 9+ months have been tough. Even the most well rested, resourced and zen parents have been challenged by the Global pandemic. In reaching out to Dr. Laura I thought that of all the parenting topics we could discuss, parenting during the pandemic was at the top of the list. 

Today Dr. Laura and I are talking about the challenges parents are facing such as increased screen time, isolation, anxiety and others. In this conversation, Dr. Laura will share ways that we can all be more present, more connected and more peaceful with our children, no matter what their age. 

Episode Highlights

• Dr. Laura’s journey to Aha Parenting.

• The three big ideas of parenting.

• The challenges of zoom for children and families.

• The impact of isolation on children.

• How to give your child the engagement they need.

• The impact of isolation on middle/high school children.

• Showing our children how to be an imperfect human being that is striving for something better.

• The importance of paying attention to our children’s coping mechanisms. 

• Handling overwhelm. 

• How to mitigate the long-term implications of the pandemic.

About Dr. Laura

Dr. Laura Markham trained as a Clinical Psychologist at Columbia University, but she's also a mom, so she understands kids -- and parents! She uses her Ph.D. to translate proven science and child-development research into the practical solutions you need for the family life you want.

Dr. Laura Markham is the author of three best-selling books: 

• Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting 

• Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings:  How to Stop the Fighting and Raise Friends for Life 

• The Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids WORKBOOK

The founding editor of AhaParenting.com, Dr. Laura Markham makes frequent TV and radio appearances and has been interviewed for thousands of articles by publications as diverse as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Real Simple, Newsday, Men's Health, Redbook, and Parents Magazine. 150,000 parents subscribe to her weekly Parenting Tips, which you can sign up for here.

Dr. Laura Markham's relationship-based parenting model, which she calls Peaceful Parenting, is research-based and parent-tested. She's helped thousands of families across the U.S. and Canada find transformative solutions to everything from separation anxiety and sleep problems to sass talk and cell phones. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is the proud parent of two happy, kind, responsible and accomplished young adults who were raised with Peaceful Parenting. 

Connect with Dr. Laura

Website https://www.ahaparenting.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drlauramarkham_ahaparenting/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AhaParenting

In this episode, I am talking with Dr. Uma Naidoo. Dr. Naidoo is the director of nutritional and lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a writer for the Harvard Health blog and author of the book “This is Your Brain on Food”. Dr. Naidoo is also a professional chef and nutrition specialist and in combining these three complementary practices,  is leading teaching how food contributes to our mental health and how the right foods can help treat and prevent a wide range of psycholo- gical and cognitive health issues, from ADHD to anxiety, depres- sion, OCD, and others.

Mental health has never been more top of mind. Over the past year depression and anxiety have increased significantly, and as Dr. Uma shares, this is truly the silent pandemic. This episode will help everyone understand how you can make small changes in your diet to improve your health both mentally and physically. 

Episode Highlights

• The silent pandemic.

• Dr. Uma’s personal and professional background. 

• How she connected the importance of food to her psychiatric practice.

• The missing conversation in medicine between the brain-food connection. 

• The gut-brain connection.

• The importance of finding the food balance for each person. 

• Foods to avoid/reduce to improve mental health. 

• Making healthy habit changes to improve microbiome and mental health.

• The Inspiration behind This is Your Brain on Food. 

• The impact of COVID-19 on mental health. 

• What vitamins, minerals and foods to embrace to improve mental health. 

• The importance of fiber for the microbiome and brain health. 

• Balancing prescription medication and food as treatments for mental health.

• How can you find a nutritional psychiatrist. 

About Dr. Uma

Michelin-starred chef David Bouley described Dr Uma Nai- doo as the world’s first “triple threat” in the food as medicine space: She is a Harvard trained psychiatrist, Professional Chef and Nutrition Specialist. Her ni- che work is in Nutritional Psy- chiatry and she is regarded both nationally and internationally as a medical pioneer in this more newly recognized field.

Featured in the Wall Street Jour- nal, ABC News, Harvard Health Press, Goop, and many others, Dr Uma has a special interest on the impact of food on mood and other mental health conditions.

In her role as a Clinical Scientist, Dr. Naidoo founded and directs the first hospital-based clinical service in Nutritional Psychiatry in the USA. She is the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psy- chiatry at Massachusetts Gene- ral Hospital (MGH) & Director of Nutritional Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital Academy while serving on the fa- culty at Harvard Medical School.

Dr Naidoo graduated from the Harvard-Longwood Psychia- try Residency Training Program in Boston during which she re- ceived several awards, some of which included a “Junior Inves-tigator Award” (American Psy- chiatric Association); “Leaders- hip Development for Physicians and Scientists” award (Harvard), as well as being the very first psy- chiatrist to be awarded the cove- ted “Curtis Prout Scholar in Me- dical Education”. Dr Naidoo, has been asked by The American Psychiatric Association to author the first academic text in Nutri- tional Psychiatry.

In addition to this, Dr Naidoo is the author of the upcoming title, This Is Your Brain On Food to be released August 4th, 2020. In her book, she shows the cut- ting-edge science explaining the ways in which food contributes to our mental health and how a sound diet can help treat and prevent a wide range of psycholo- gical and cognitive health issues, from ADHD to anxiety, depres- sion, OCD, and others.

Connect with Dr. Uma

Website https://umanaidoomd.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drumanaidoo/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrUmaNaidoo/

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/uma-naidoo-m-d-93813860/

Purchase This is your Brain on Food https://book.umanaidoomd.com

In this episode, I am talking with Amy Lang of Birds + Bees + Kids®. Amy helps parents of all beliefs have easy, open, and effective conversations with their kids about sex. She is the author of Birds + Bees + YOUR Kids – A Guide To Sharing Your Beliefs About Sexuality, Love and Relationships, and Dating Smarts – What Every Teen Needs To Know To Date, Relate Or Wait. 

I first heard Amy speak at my daughter’s school about 3 years ago, and the information she shared significantly changed the way I talk with and educate my daughter about sex and sexuality. 

This topic can be uncomfortable for parents and for kids, but as Amy shares,  the earlier parents have honest and age-appropriate conversations with their kids, the better off they will be. The conversation we are having in this episode is important for every parent to hear, no matter the age of their child. I encourage you to listen with an open mind, get ready to get uncomfortable, and most importantly, share your newfound knowledge with other parents. 

This episode has language and content that may not be appropriate for children, so if you’re in the presence of little ones hit pause and save this episode for later. 

Episode Highlights

• Amy’s journey to educating parents about sex and sexuality. 

• The culture of sex and sexuality in the United States.

• When you should start talking with your children about sex.

• Kids who have open communication about sexuality and relationships are safer from sexual abuse.

• The importance of using the correct names for their private body parts.

• The books/resources to help you talk with your kids. 

• How to get over the personal barriers to having sex conversations with our kids.

• Starting the conversation with your children. 

• Being clear about your values and beliefs around sex and sexuality. 

• How to handle differences in beliefs between families.

Resources Mentioned

Amy’s Books, Birds and Bees and Your Kids and Dating Smarts https://birdsandbeesandkids.com/sex-education-books/amy-lang/

Birds and Bees and Kids Book Store

https://birdsandbeesandkids.com/sex-education-books/sex-ed-books-for-kids/

Birds and Bees Solution Center

https://birdsandbeespros.thinkific.com/courses/the-birds-bees-solution-center-for-parents

Use Promo Code BIRDS for 15% off! 

About Amy Lang

14 years ago, sexuality educator Amy Lang was very surprised to discover she was freaked out about talking to her son about sexuality. After she got over herself, Amy combined her expertise in adult education and her love of sexual health and founded Birds & Bees & Kids. She has helped thousands of parents around the world become their kids' go-to birds and bees source. Amy is a Mom’s Choice Award Winner for her book & video and is the host of Just Say This! An advice-column-style podcast for parents.

Connect With Amy Lang

Website https://birdsandbeesandkids.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/birdsbeeskids

Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-say-this/id1440215158

In this episode I am talking with Kelly Cobb, the VP of Giving from Bombas. Bombas’ founders David Heath and Randy Goldberg started Bombas after they learned socks are the #1 most requested clothing item at homeless shelters. From there, the brand's mission to donate a pair of socks for every pair sold was established, and the company set out to create the most comfortable and functional socks. With the mantra, "Bee Better" they set out to be better in the product they make and donate, and also in everyday interactions. 

Kelly and I are talking about the story behind Bombas and their mission and about the incredible work they’ve done over the past 7 years to donate over 40+ million socks to 3500 giving partners. 

Episode Highlights

• The story behind Bombas.

• Finding Bombas giving partners to distribute socks to those in need.

• The importance and value of socks to the homeless. 

• How Bombas has designed socks specifically for the homeless.

• The importance of acknowledging the homeless. 

• How COVID-19 has impacted the homeless.

• Bombas 60K Day.

• How is Bombas quantifying success.

About Kelly Cobb

Kelly Cobb is the VP of Community + Giving at Bombas. In her role, she leads the company’s mission to help those in need by donating a specially-designed item for every item purchased. Kelly also engages the Bombas team and community members in volunteer opportunities that further their connection with individuals experiencing homelessness. Before joining Bombas, Kelly owned a floral studio for 5 years.

Connect With Bombas 

Website www.bombas.com 

Bombas Giving Directory https://bombas.com/pages/giving-directory 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bombas/ 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bombassocks

Today’s guest is Alex Borsuk.  By weekday, Alex is a sports nutritionist, but by early morning, after work, and on weekends, Alex is a mountain athlete, a holder of many FKTs (that means fastest known times), and an adventure junkie. Alex is a role model for anyone, especially girls looking to set goals and push themselves to achieve them.     

Today, Alex is sharing about her journey from Ohio to the Pacific Northwest where she found her love and passion for spending long days in the mountains. We’re talking about what motivates her to take on big challenges such as the Mt. Rainier Infinity Loop and running the Via Alpina across Switzerland. There might even be a story about being tracked by a cougar. Alex and I are also talking about how she handles the positives and negatives of a large social media following and how despite the pressures around her, how she stays true to herself and keeps doing the things that make her happy. 

This episode is interesting, inspiring and one for listeners of all ages. 

Episode Highlights

• Alex’s intro to the outdoors.

• Finding peace and presence in the outdoors.

• Managing risk in the mountains.

• Being a role model on social media.

• Running across Switzerland, The Via Alpina.

• The 93-mile Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier.

• The Mt. Rainier Infinity Loop.

• How Alex recovers.

• Alex’s adventure bucket list. 

About Alex Borsuk

Alex was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition. She then attended The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where she completed her dietetic internship and earned her Master of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition. 

After graduation, she followed her dream of moving "West" and accepted a job in Bellingham, Washington as the corporate dietitian for a local supermarket chain. It was in Bellingham where she fell in love with the North Cascades and all they had to offer - skiing, climbing, trail running, and fastpacking. A year later, she and her husband Matt moved to Portland, Oregon, where Alex currently works for Evolution Healthcare and Fitness as their dietitian, specializing in sports nutrition. She offers nutrition consultation to local endurance athletes to help them improve their performance and reach their goals.

When Alex isn't in the office, she spends her time playing in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with her husband. You can find her training for an ultramarathon, climbing ice on volcano headwalls, skiing down couloirs, or rock climbing on some of the North Cascade's finest granite. She and Matt are passionate "Weekend Warriors," who feel strongly about balancing work with play, and utilizing their limited free time (before work, after work, Saturday, and Sunday) to chase their mountain dreams.

Connect With Alex

Website www.alexborsuk.com 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/alexborsuk/

Nutrition Consulting with Alex https://www.alexborsuk.com/nutrition-services

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In this episode I am talking with Dr. Michael Goran, co-author of Sugarproof. Michael is a Professor of Pediatrics at The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. He is Program Director for Diabetes and Obesity at The Saban Research Institute and he holds the Dr Robert C and Veronica Atkins Endowed Chair in Childhood Obesity and Diabetes. Dr Goran also serves as Co-Director of the USC Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute.

In his book Sugarproof, Dr. Goran and his co-author Dr. Emily Ventura, bust myths about the various types of sugars and sweeteners, they help families identify sneaky sources of sugar in their diets, and suggest realistic, family-based solutions to reduce sugar consumption and therefore protect kids. 

Sugar impacts our children’s growth and development, mentally, physically, and academically and the information Dr. Goran is sharing in this episode is incredibly important. You will walk away from this conversation with a realistic and straightforward approach to reducing your family’s sugar intake and to empowering your children to set their own healthy limits without feeling restricted. 

Episode Highlights

• Michael’s personal and professional background.

• The incidence of obesity and disease in children.

• What led to the writing of his book Sugarproof.

• The impact of sugar in utero and in babies.

• Added sugar recommendations for babies and children.

• The sugar roller coaster that begins at breakfast.

• Glucose vs fructose and the impact of fructose on children.

• The impact of sugar on a child’s health.

• How to reduce your family’s sugar intake.

• The impact of artificial sweeteners on health.

• Honey, Agave, Maple Syrup, and other natural sweeteners.

• Gradual reductions go a long way. 

About Dr. Michael Goran

Michael is a Professor of Pediatrics at The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, which is affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. He is Program Director for Diabetes and Obesity at The Saban Research Institute and he holds the Dr. Robert C and Veronica Atkins Endowed Chair in Childhood Obesity and Diabetes. Dr. Goran also serves as Co-Director of the USC Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute. Dr. Goran is a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, UK (1986) prior to postdoctoral training in the US (1987 to 1991). He previously served on the faculty of Medicine at the University of Vermont (1991 to 1994), the Department of Nutrition Sciences at UAB (1994 to 1999), and the Department of Preventive Medicine at USC (1999 to 2018) prior to joining Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

His research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health and other Foundations for the past 30 years during which he has raised almost $50m in funding to support this work. He has published over 350 professional peer-reviewed articles and reviews. He is the Editor of the “Childhood Obesity: Causes, Consequences, and Intervention Approach” published in 2017, co-editor of “Dietary Sugars and Health” published in late 2014, and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief for Pediatric Obesity. He has been the recipient of a number of scientific awards for his research and teaching, including, The Nutrition Society Medal for Research (1996), The Lilly Award for Scientific Achievement from The Obesity Society (2006), The Bar-Or Award for Excellence in Pediatric Obesity Research, from The Obesity Society (2009), the TOPS award for contributions to obesity research from The Obesity Society (2014), and the Rank Prize Lecture in Nutrition (2018).

Michael lives in Silverlake, Los Angeles with his wife Lori, a film editor, his 2 teenage daughters, and their cat, Hugo Moon. Outside of work, Michael likes to play tennis, and hang out with his family which typically involves cooking, eating, going on walks, and travel.

Connect With Dr. Michael Goran 

Sugarproof Website https://sugarproofkids.com/michael-goran/

Sugarproof on Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/books/sugarproof-the-hidden-dangers-of-sugar-that-are-putting-your-child-s-health-at-risk-and-what-you-can-do/9780525541196

Dr. Goran’s Research Website https://goranlab.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sugarproofkids/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Sugarproofkids

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Today’s guests are Kim Konte and Dr. Andrea Schrock. Kim founded Non-toxic neighborhoods when she realized her son’s baseball fields were covered in glyphosate and 2-4 D, two pesticides known to cause cancer and other diseases. Thanks to her vision and commitment,  to date, Non-Toxic Neighborhoods has partnered with over 200 cities, counties, school districts, and universities across the US and in Australia, NZ, and Malta to build awareness, create training, and implement organic and regenerative land management practices and policies.

Andrea is a chiropractor in Louisville, CO where she successfully partnered with their mayor to ban harmful pesticides on public recreation, playgrounds, and open spaces. She now serves as the community director for Non-toxic neighborhoods and is helping to spread the mission of this amazing organization.  

Today, we’re talking about the impact of glyphosate and other pesticides on health, where our families are exposed to these chemicals, and how we can take action to eliminate them from our communities. My hope is that everyone who listens will walk away wanting to take action in their own community. 

Episode Highlights

• Kim’s journey to banning pesticides in her own community.

• Going against the distributor's narrative. 

• Healthy, immunity and the impact of pesticides. 

• Dr. Andrea Schrock’s journey to banning pesticides in her community. 

• Step 1: requesting a pesticide report.

• What does an EPA Registration mean.

• Greenwashing.

• The Non-toxic Neighborhoods Preferred Products List.

• The challenges to making change.

• Starting the conversation in your community.

Resources Mentioned

ZACH BUSH, M.D. ON GMO’S, GLYPHOSATE & HEALING THE GUT- Episode 353 Rich Roll Podcast https://www.richroll.com/podcast/zach-bush-353/ 

Zach Bush, MD On The Science & Spirituality of Human And Planetary Transformation- Episode 414 Rich Roll Podcast https://www.richroll.com/podcast/zach-bush-414/ 

About Kim Konte

Kim Konte is the founder of Non-Toxic Neighborhoods. After Kim launched a campaign to raise awareness of the City of Irvine’s pesticide use in late November 2015, the City of Irvine adopted a historic organically driven landscaping policy in February 2016. Since then the City of Irvine has successfully and organically maintained all pest pressure from weeds to rodents, on more than 570 acres of community and neighborhood parks, athletic fields; over 6,000 acres of open space, over 800 acres of public right-of-way, including street medians and parkways; 70,000 trees; and nearly 1.5 million square feet of facilities. In 2018 Kim worked with the City of Irvine to utilize goats in their open space for effective and adorable fire mitigation and weed control. Thankfully the City of Irvine was the first of now many municipalities that Non-Toxic Neighborhoods have worked with and trained to successfully and their use of glyphosate and shift how they control pest pressure in the landscape. These municipalities have demonstrated that you can have beautiful parks, athletic fields, and open spaces that meet community expectations, without the use of harmful and synthetic pesticides. 

About Dr. Andrea Schrock

Corporate ladder climber turned chiropractor, Dr. Andrea Schrock is on a mission to share truth and transparency in health and healing with the world after a powerful healing experience changed her life forever. She has a passion for helping people process emotional stress and seeing them rise to their full potential through the healing process. Together with her husband, she owns Life Alive Chiropractic in Louisville, CO, where they serve clients through various phases in life, including preconception and pregnancy, infancy, adolescence, and adulthood. The mission of Life Alive Chiropractic is in the name: to help people live life fully alive. Dr. Andrea led the city of Louisville to ban glyphosate and 2,4-D in 2020 and serves as the Community Director with Non-Toxic Neighborhoods, assisting others around the nation in this grassroots movement.

Connect With Non-Toxic Neighborhoods

Website https://nontoxicneighborhoods.org 

Email [email protected]

Community Director Andrea Schrock [email protected]

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