The Talk: Sara Gilbert ‘The Imperfect Environmentalist’
The Talk co-host Sara Gilbert wanted to simplify the lives of her family and friends. When it comes to being a healthy family and living a green life, Gilbert literally wrote the book. The Imperfect Environmentalist will be your guidebook to healthy living. It doesn’t matter if you can’t do everything perfectly, but here are tips that can make a huge impact on your life.

Sara Gilbert shared her tips on being the Imperfect Environmentalist, like ditching plastic products and buying organics and organic cottons. (Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com)
Sara Gilbert: Buying Organic Produce
When it comes to organic foods, it’s best to buy all organics if you can. Those with pesticides are not as nutritious and you’re never going to benefit from the chemical. Gilbert said to buy the fruits and vegetables with a thick rind or peel if you can’t buy organic. The ones you really want to get organic are those with thin skins or membranes, like grapes.
A quick fix for those that aren’t organic: take a scrub brush and some baking soda. Scrub the food well to get the stuff off that’s not good for you. Keep in mind, the chemicals aren’t just on the outside, they can go into the non-organic foods.
The Talk: Choose Wood & Glass Kitchen Supplies
In the kitchen, you should use glass and wood, Sara said on The Talk. Avoid having too many plastics come in contact with your food. If you can’t buy new containers for leftovers, just take a non-plastic bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
Plastics 1, 2, and 4 are the only plastics that are guaranteed to be safe. Plastic 3 and 7 are not good for you and should be avoided. 1, 2, and 4 are all BPA-Free.
Sara Gilbert: Tips For Saving Water in the Bathroom
A lot of us can’t go out and get a new, low-flush toilet. You can save water and money by filling up some plastic bottles with pebbles, water and sand and putting them in your water tank behind your toilet. Make sure you have three gallons of water in there, so that your toilet still works properly.
Sara Gilbert also discourages flushing pills down the toilet. Since the 1990s, flushing drugs down the toilet has been poisoning groundwater and a recent study found that unprescribed antibiotics and lithium are showing up in kids. There are drug take-back days and programs that will help you dispose of the medications properly. Check out the information here.
The Talk: Buy “Zero-VOC” Paint & Organic Cotton Kids Clothing
Moving on to the kid’s room, paints are essential to keep non-toxic. Look for products with low or “Zero-VOC” (zero volatile organic compound). Over time these compounds can cause asthma attacks, nausea, dizziness, and kidney damage.
You also want to look for organic cotton clothing, toys, and pajamas. The non-organic clothes still contain the pesticides and are sprayed with chemicals prior to getting put on the shelves. Even just having your kids wear a pair of organic cotton pajamas can really help because they aren’t breathing in the plastics and pesticides.
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