What could possibly be wrong with cherry blossom viewing? I mean the beauty is fleeting, appears for about a week, is enjoyed for 2-3 days at most. Friends bring something to eat, break out the brew and talk about life and all that has come our way, has passed us by, and is in store for us.

What could possibly be wrong with that?

How about, NOT CLEANING UP YOUR MESS!?

Cleanup in Yoyogi park after a night of cherry blossom viewing parties.

The best place to do the Cherry Blossom thing (hanami - hana = flower, mi = watch and is pronounced hah nah mee) is In Japan. Sadly, however, even some Japanese don’t get the concept of ‘pack it home.’ Here’s an image of what is left over at a park in Yoyogi, Japan after a day’s festivities of enjoying Cherry Blossoms.

I bet if the Cherry Blossoms knew how the environment was going to be abused, they would even come out.

Images courtesy of zachstern, paraflyer, xerones

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There’s a beauty salon in Virginia that is tapping into a natural resource to clean their clients’ feet … fish! The salon is using bottom feeders to suck on, nibble away at, eat at the dead skin on the feet of their customers.

This sounds like something that might come out of America. Too lazy to bend over and scrub their own tosies, the people apparently stick their tootsies into the fish tank (notice the toenail polish) and let the fish chomp away at the dead skin.

Yuck! Poor fish, indeed.

So, what about humans using animals to do their dirty work? This is not farming either. What do you think about using fish in this manner? What I am interested in knowing is, how in the world did anybody come up with this idea?

“Honey, I got so much dead skin on my feet.”
“That’s nice, dear.”
“Huh!? I said I have too much dead skin on my feet.”
“Why don’t you stick your feet in the fish tank?”
“Stick my feet in the fish tank?! Hmm, maybe.”
“Thank you, honey.”
“You’re welcome, dear.”

Seriously, how could someone come up with this idea?

Honey! Get the baby, I think we can really clean her up.

In this day and age it’s not enough to just bathe a baby, the baby needs to be kept safe from all sorts of chemicals, many found in cleaning products.

What’s up with that? Chemicals found in household cleaners and air fresheners, for example, have been linked to childhood asthma and asthma-like conditions, among other things.

Honey!!!

Here a few references if you want a safe and healthy baby.

1. Homemade cleaning solutions – Safe alternatives to things with pretty labels on shelves in store. A great start to your cleaning repertoire is distilled white vinegar, baking soda, and tea tree oil.

2. Grist’s Green Guide – a wealth of information for those wishing to clean green. “Just because a product says it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s nontoxic,” says Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of Seventh Generation, which produces genuinely eco-friendly cleaning supplies and household products.

3. The Safe Shopper’s Bible provides much good advice for selecting truly green, effective products and prevents “greenwashing.”

Here’s where you get your answers for Can your hair coloring cause breast cancer? – Is this brand of apple juice safe for babies? – Will the additives in this salad dressing harm you? – Which shampoo won’t sting your eyes?

4. Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe and Healthy, Non-Toxic Cleaning- invaluable tips for minimizing your — and your children’s — exposure to hazardous household products and insightful tips on keeping a clean, green nursery.

5. Green Nursery Tips – finally, 10 ways to ready your home for your new baby.

Honey! Get the baby, we got to make some changes.