Book Review – Green Enough by Leah Segedie

Are you Green Enough?  There is one in every family… that one warrior princess that charges the fight for a cause.  But they aren’t always known as a warrior princess, sometimes they are called “Crazy Aunt (or Uncle),” “Hippie,” “Crunchy,” “Mom,” or simply met with heavy eye rolls.  Are you that person in your family?  If you answered yes, or even maybe, Leah Sedgie’s book “Green Enough” is for you!

For decades the warrior princess in our family was my mom.  My mom would tell me to get out of the sun with my fair freckled skin and she would get those heavy eye rolls.  Yeah, the sun for more than 20 minutes was bad for my fair burnable complexion, and sunscreen chemicals were even worse! I would sigh heavily and complain that all we had was home-baked cookies and they weren’t as cool in my lunch bag as the uniform processed cookies the other kids had.  It was a great injustice that we had real cheese, and ate fruits and veggies in-season instead of imported and wrapped in plastic.  We had a garden and my mom would spend her time in coveralls with dirt under her nails instead of getting facials and wearing makeup.  My mother was ahead of the curve.  And I am proud to say I become a little more like her every. Single. Day.  But my mom was met with green resistance for far too long.

How do you decide how green is “Green Enough” for you?  How do you find that balance between driving your self and family crazy and living a healthier life?  Once you are armed with the education of how things are in the world, you can’t turn a blind eye.  Ignorance is bliss, but ignorance is killing us.  The bottom line is that being green isn’t always easy.  If you try to change too much too fast, you’ll be met with all the heavy eye rolls, sighs, screams, and resistance.  And how do you decide where you should spend your money for the most benefit?  Where do you start?  It is all overwhelming.

Why should you be Green Enough?

More and more of us, our friends and families are affected by hormone imbalances, infertility, cancer, autoimmune conditions, depression, anxiety, behavioral issues in children and the lists go on.  Have you or your loved ones suffered from any ailments from that list?  My dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s nearly 2 years ago.  A large percentage of Parkinson’s patients have been shown to have the disease due to environmental factors.  When I found out, I went into full research mode.  How could I reduce my exposure to chemicals?  I had already been dealing with Hashimoto’s, plus a hormone imbalance, and depression.  Autoimmune plus a hormone imbalance led me to the Paleo diet, but what else could I do? (This is when I decided to become a Beautycounter consultant).

Who has your back with these big companies?

Did you know that no one is looking out for the consumer?  The last time the feds passed a protective law for personal products was in the 1930’s.  That’s right, nearly a century ago.  No one is protecting you or your family, it feels like you need an advanced science degree to decipher labels.  And that is just for the stuff they put on the labels.  There are plenty of chemical reactions or packaging perils that don’t ever get disclosed.  Why are we giving companies that are KNOWINGLY selling us harmful products our hard earned money?  Leah has your back.  In Green Enough she points fingers and names names.  Which companies are doing things right for people and consumers?  Companies concerned with people and the planet.  She has put together a comprehensive list of products and companies that are part of the movement for healthier families.  You’ll want to take this book shopping!

“Most shampoo, soap, lotion, and other personal care products we slather all over ourselves and our children on a daily basis contain hormone-disrupting chemicals that have been linked to asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obesity, type 2 diabetes, low IQ, neurodevelopmental issues, behavioral issues, autism spectrum disorders, breast cancer, altered reproductive development, and male genital defects and fertility problems. These chemicals are called phthalates. And they only rarely are listed on product labels.  Are you thinking, Leah, could just shut up?! I feel ya. But no.”

Reprinted from Green Enough by Leah Segedie. Copyright ©2018 by Leah Segedie. By permission of Rodale Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Available wherever  books are sold.

Leah covers all corners of your home, from the kitchen to the dust bunny in the corner behind your sofa.  With facts and science delivered in a calming step by step way to deal with the chemical shit storm exposure that is our everyday life. If you want to do a complete overhaul or a gradual change, she helps guide you thru the process.

Where do I start?

It is easy to get overwhelmed, to run and hide, or to straight up panic.  But it’s okay you aren’t alone in this.  And the world needs more warrior princesses.  The world needs you.  And you need back up.  Leah has done the research on how you can make changes, large or small, but movement in the right direction.  Together we can be a voice to create change.  It will seem slow at first, but together we will change so we are all Green Enough!