Making the switch from conventional, chemical based cleaners to concentrated, natural cleaning products should be a priority to create a healthier home for you and your family. It will improve the air quality immediately and many people find that respiratory issues, allergies, and other breathing aggravations disappear or diminish. That’s the first step to combating indoor air impurities.

But what about your drinking water? It’s more contaminated than you think. According to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service there are four general groups of contaminants that can end up in our water: microbial pathogens (bacteria, parasites and viruses), organics (pesticides, solvents, degreasers, and trihalomthanes), inorganics (heavy metals and other compounds), and radioactive elements. 20% of human exposure to lead comes from drinking water. There’s plenty of reasons why you’d want to filter your tap water. And bottled water is not the answer people once thought it was. All that plastic bottle waste is taking a heavy toll on the environment. Once again, switching to a refillable, convenient water pitcher filtration system like Shaklee’s “Get Clean Water”, is an economical and safe choice for your family. It’s the beginning to a better water situation in your household.

It’s not just about your personal health though. It goes beyond that. When it comes to air and water worldwide, we are all facing a major pollution crisis, mostly do to practices that are not sustainable. So it’s also about the health of the planet. These little steps with just your cleaners and your drinking water in your own home make a significant difference for everyone! Less packaging for concentrates, less plastics from bottles, eco-consciously sourced materials and ingredients – these are all actions that add up.

The facts below are stunning. The health of our environment is in peril. But our individual options are growing. Make a commitment to be part of the solution, start in your own home, and partner with Shaklee!

“1. Pollution is one of the biggest global killers, affecting over 100 million people. That’s comparable to global diseases like malaria and HIV.

2. According to a 2012 study from Unicef, 2,200 children die every day as a result of dirty drinking water.

3. 14 billion pounds of garbage are dumped into the ocean every year. Most of it is plastic.

4. Over 1 million seabirds and 100,000 sea mammals are killed by pollution every year.

5. People who live in places with high levels of air pollutants have a 20% higher risk of death from lung cancer than people who live in less-polluted areas.

6. The Mississippi River carries an estimated 1.5 million metric tons of nitrogen pollution into the Gulf of Mexico each year, creating a “dead zone” in the Gulf each summer about the size of New Jersey.

7. Approximately 40% of the lakes in America are too polluted for fishing, aquatic life, or swimming.

8. Americans make up an estimated 5% of the world’s population. However, the U.S. produces an estimated 30% of the world’s waste and uses 25% of the world’s resources.

9. Each year 1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, stormwater, and industrial waste are dumped into U.S. water.

10. While children make up 10% of the world’s population, over 40% of the global burden of disease falls on them. More than 3 million children under age five die annually from environmental factors.

11. Recycling and composting prevented 85 million tons of material away from being disposed of in 2010, up from 18 million tons in 1980.”

From dosomething.org.