Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice 202 Harvard SE Albuquerque, NM 87106 505-268-9557   Updated: 22 May 2009 Newsletter June 2009
June 2009 Newsletter Contents Art Project at P&J and Green Column Membership Application	Art Project at P&J Peace Quilt Show from June 12 to July 31 Students from Acoma Pueblo, Santo Domingo Pueblo, and Solomon Schechter Day School in NM, collaborated through art & writing, what being a "Peacemaker" means to them and how they can make their world a better place. The children's work was then sewn into 11 quilts by community members that will be donated to children from around the world who suffer hardship.
Green Column by Anna Christina Peterpaul The organization Green America Come Together offers three steps for reducing dangerous toxins in your home. The first step consists of getting rid of conventional cleaners, because most of them contain very harmful ingredients that include volatile organic compounds(VOCs), formaldehyde, harsh acids, and hormone disruptors linked to cancer and reproductive toxicity. I personally believe that the fact that they have a strange smell should be an indication that they are toxic. The solutionto use nontoxic biodegradable cleaners with no synthetic fragrance. Try baking soda and vinegar for most of your cleaning jobs. The second step involves filtering your water. Public water supplies in 19 of this country's largest cities have levels of contamination that exceed EPA limits. Brace yourself--some of these contaminants are rocket fuel, arsenic, lead, fecal waste, and chemical byproducts resulting from water treatment. The solution: get a water filter, but stay away from bottled water because "most brands are not much better than tap wáter, and the bottles contribute to mountains of waste" according to Green America. The third step involves being careful with paints/stains because they contain three very dangerous chemicals: biocides, VOCs, and fungicides. Instead, use very low or zero -VOC paints and stains. Buy paints that are "biocide-free" and that use natural pigments. Green America advises people to have their blood tested for lead if the home they are living in was built before 1970. It also urges everyone to paint over lead-based paint. For more information, go to www.GreenAmericanToday.org . Please send calendar items, comments, and questions concerning this Web document to Web@abqPeaceAndJustice.org .