“When male fishes start producing female proteins, it means you overdo it with washing powder …”
A challenge
More than 80,000 different chemical compounds are used by humans in their daily activities. Every year new 2000s are introduced. They are everywhere – in fragrances, soaps, detergents and bleaches, softeners, abrasives and specialized cleaners for bathrooms, glass, sewers, ovens and more. These products affect our health – irritate the skin and respiratory tract, cause watery eyes, chemical burns, hormonal imbalances, blood diseases and more. Once in the wild, they destroy ecosystems and plant and animal species. British researcher John Sumpter has found that male fish exposed to surfactants (detergents) in rivers begin to produce female proteins.
Household chemicals are in our homes and we use them daily.
The aim of the project “Save money, protect your family and the environment!” is to raise awareness of households in the municipalities on the North Black Sea coast about the invisible impact of household chemicals on their health and the environment. The dangers of this type of products and the possibilities for their reduction are also part of the view of this project.
The tasks set by the Public Environmental Center for Sustainable Development are: to engage the attention of a wide group of citizens with the problem; to study the alternatives of environmentally friendly preparations offered on the market and to share them with the widest possible circle of people.
Actions
The project includes information events and demonstration activities, such as a traveling information exhibition, film screenings, discussions and workshops for the preparation of household cleaners. To ensure the presence of more citizens, we work mainly with schools and kindergartens in the municipalities on the North Black Sea coast. Working together with young people and their parents will be a guarantee for the sustainability of the project over time. All the collected information will circulated in parallel on social networks, on the website of the Public Environmental Center for Sustainable Development and in paper edition.
Results
We expect over 2000 visitors to the traveling exhibition, over 150 participants in the discussion meetings, over 40 people who have acquired skills for making homemade cleaners, thousands using information materials and suggested recipes from the pages of the information sites of the organization. We expect the overall effect of the project to contribute to improve the quality of the home environment and reducing anthropogenic pressure on ecosystems.
Partners:
