Shopping to Stop the Formosa Plastics Plant

It’s all about healing the planet—and your health

Consumers have a role to play by lessening their demand for more plastics and toxic chemicals.

After all, do we really need more polyester suits and plastic beverage bottles? So, what can you do to stop the Formosa plastics plant planned for Cancer Alley, Louisiana?

Our shopping dollars are our votes. Lessening consumer demand can make plants like Formosa and others that manufacture other toxic ingredients obsolete.

There are so many things that are simple to do that will protect your own health and the planet, I explain in my new book Raising Healthy Kids: Protecting Your Children from Hidden Chemical Toxins (Skyhorse, June 2024).

Here are some suggestions:

The first thing you can do is cut down on throw-away plastic purchases and start to find sustainable alternatives.

Make sure your clothing is made from natural fibers instead of polyester and other synthetic materials. Try buying vintage clothing. Many basics are widely available in organic fabrics.

It’s a fight on so many levels and with so many fronts, and there is no relief. Some of the recent court and administrative decisions have been in keeping with the state’s centuries-long and perpetuating penchant for punching federal civil rights law in its pesky pugnacious nose. The election hovers over all of us. No one knows, at this moment, who it will be, and it matters to all of us.

Buy organic foods with the least plastic packaging. Many of the pesticides used on our produce are also manufactured in Cancer Alley.

Make sure you prefer glass over plastic when it comes to buying condiments like pickles, relish, mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Prefer cartons over plastic for milk and juices.

Buy safe cosmetics. Organic cosmetics made without petrochemicals derived from the chemicals distilled in Cancer Alley and are healthier for your skin.

Prefer safe cleaning products that avoid plastic packaging and instead rely on simply refilling your own containers at home. Did you know that most mainstream laundry detergents are made with petrochemicals called ethoxylated alcohols? Avoid any brands listing ingredients with the three letters “eth” as in laneth-7 or sodium laureth sulfate. Brands like Dirty Laundry and ECOS use safe detergent ingredients and offer non-plastic alternatives for their packaging.

Substitute sustainable materials for plastic in the kitchen. You know those black non-stick spatulas in your kitchen? How about replacing them with stainless steel? And avoid nonstick cookware made with forever chemicals, preferring glass, stainless steel, and cast iron.

Avoid polyvinyl chloride (PVC). When shopping for a shower curtain, for example, buy one made with organic cotton linen. And get metal curtain hangers instead of plastic. Make sure your bedding is made with organic materials.

Stop using plastic straws.

Be sure to sign the petition to tell the president to stop Formosa here.

There are so many things we can do to lessen demand for plastic and stop Formosa as well as lesson our overall reliance on big oil and petrochemicals.

All of these powerful shopping choices are a vote for your health and will lessen demand for plastic besides other synthetic toxins, reducing the need for more plants. We can make our vote known economically and the Formosa plant totally unnecessary. It’s up to us, and we need everyone to help out.

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After a year of interviewing some of the most heroic parents in America today, I’m delighted to announce presale copies of Raising Healthy Kids: Protecting Your Children from Hidden Chemical Toxins are available. Be sure to visit your independent bookseller to purchase your copy or https://tinyurl.com/4a9ctywu.