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The new 'Go Green' initiative program kicked off last night at the Blacksburg Public Library with a presentation from Misty Gregg, owner of an online business called The Sage Soapbox (www.thesagesoapbox.com).

Gregg stepped onto her proverbial soapbox in 2004 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in late 2003. After undergoing a craniotomy, Gregg was informed that her tumor may have been the result of absorbing chemicals from household cleaners or even shampoo. As she was told by a friend, most things that come in contact with the skin for a prolonged amount of time are absorbed into the bloodstream.

Gregg found that chlorine bleach is the chemical most frequently involved in household poisonings in the United States. She said that Sodium Hydroxide irritates the respiratory tract and can cause severe damage to the eyes, skin, mouth and throat. She also said Sodium Hydroxide may be found in dish washing liquids, laundry products, oven cleaner, scouring cleaners and tub and tile cleaners.

According to Gregg's research, of the approximately 81,500 chemicals introduced to us in the last 50 years, only about 20

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Last night, Gregg focused on educating her audience about the danger children are placed in when around many household cleansers. Her presentation, 'Creating Healthy Environments for Children,' showed that we are the biggest chemical experiment ever performed – there are no studies to test how chemical exposure will affect children in the long run and we are now posing as guinea pigs.

“I can show you a lot of the bad news,” Gregg said. “And, after that, I can show you alternatives.”

When Gregg began her quest to inform the public about the dangers of chemicals in our environment, she delved into finding safer products for her home. When she discovered Shaklee - a 53-year-old company that provides natural products from a Climate Neutral Certified environment - she knew she had to share it with others.

Shaklee products reduce the amount of carbon emissions, the amount of household waste and the amount of chemical use within the home. Their natural ingredients make them safe to use and their super concentration makes them long-lasting.

Gregg is determined to stand atop her soapbox until she has educated parents, health care providers, school systems and others on the danger that chemical exposure can pose. Working together, Gregg believes we can create a safer environment for our children and ourselves.

Gregg holds workshops at the New River Valley Competitiveness Center in Radford on Wednesday evenings. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information and a schedule of her presentations. Please e-mail this address if your business, civic group or club is interested in a presentation.

The next 'Go Green' presentation will take place on Thursday, August 28 at 7 p.m. at the Blacksburg Library. It is titled 'Smart Growth,' and will be hosted by Jesse J. Richardson, Professor of Urban Affairs & Planning at Virginia Tech.

As the sequence of presentations is still being put together by the Blacksburg Library and Sustainable Blacksburg, they are on the lookout for presenters.

“If you or your colleagues, have such an expertise, and would like to share your knowledge of an eco-issue such as alternative energies or fuels, hybrid vehicles, organic foods and textiles, green remodeling or any other issue in this vast, dynamic and ever-growing field, we’d love to hear from you as we plan these on-going programs,” said Cathy Prati, library branch supervisor in Blacksburg.

She can be contacted by calling the Blacksburg Library at (540) 552-8246.

Photos by Leigh Anne Correll

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