Goal For The Green

When a major company does something great for the environment it makes me want to stand up and cheer. I received this notice from Collen Goepfert,  Account Research Manager at Swirl in San Francisco, CA.  It is a great pleasure and honor to share this outstanding information with you.

I thought that it might be of interest to you and your Goal For The Green readers, the World Wildlife Fund has welcomed in my client JohnsonDiversey into the Climate Savers Program. Here is the press release, pictures and part of the video.

Here’s the YouTube link

The 3 video minute clip features: (1) Curt Johnson, Chairman, JohnsonDiversey; (2) Matt Banks, Senior Program Officer, Business and Industry, World Wildlife Fund; and (3) Ed Lonergan, President/CEO, JohnsonDiversey.

I think that it’s pretty amazing that a $3B a year B2B cleaning product company is striving for sustainability.

“WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts said the actions being taken by JohnsonDiversey to address climate change will set a new standard for the cleaning industry and serve as a model for other companies seeking to transform the way they do business to help preserve the environment.”

JohnsonDiversey’s cleaning, sanitation and hygiene products, which are used throughout the country and Europe, at schools, hospitals, stadiums, event halls, restaurants, public gathering locations, amusement parks, youth playing fields, offices, directly effect the health and well being of every American. In our country, on every school day, over 100 million children are breathing in and exposed to these cleaning products and the chemical and natural elements used to make them. A scientific study has shown that a sanitary school and work place has decreased the number of kids and workers who get sick, as well as helping to increase the mental and physical performance of these students, teachers, administrators and professionals

(Validation)

Having a more environmentally and human friendly cleaning product company strive to be more sustainable and green in their products and practices will improve the health, quality and vitality of our lives. They will also provide the long term benefits such of giving our children a better foundation from which to learn and grow. Such measures will also save parents money on their doctor bills come cold season.

With the expert help of child-health nurses that identify crucial developmental delays, the age in which children are first assessed for autism has been significantly reduced.  Thanks to a study that has been conducted in Melbourne, Australia, children are now being diagnosed before their second birthday.  The breakthrough, has shown promise of saving large amounts of money (for treatment) and family heartache.

Cheryl Dissanayake, is the leader of the study and heads the Olga Tennison Autism Research Center at La Trobe University.  She stated that through routine infant check-ups given by maternal and child- health nurses, their program was a relatively cheap and effective way of assessing autistic behavior. The children were checked at eight, 12, 18 and 24 months, by  the nurses at 184 centers.  They looked for symptoms including lack of eye contact or response to their names, and failure to point, wave or clap.

“These kinds of behaviours … are evident from very early in development,” Dr Dissanayake said. “They are focusing on children before they develop language and traditionally it’s the failure to develop language that led children into the referral process.”

There were 105 children referred for further testing by La Trobe University experts over the two-year study.  Out of those 105 children, 80 per cent had autism spectrum disorder and the remainder had language or developmental delays. Only one extremely shy toddler was incorrectly referred to the program.

Up until now, autism is not usually diagnosed until children are at least three. This earlier detection, allows parents to enter special intervention programs, one whole year earlier, before the disorder becomes more severe and secondary symptoms, such as aggressive behavior develop. By the time a child is three, these types of behaviors are often times already in place.

Dr. Dissanayake states, “We are over the moon – it’s beyond our wildest dreams,” about the success rate. But the program’s funding, through a Telstra community development grant, runs out next month. “What we would like to do in the first instance is have the Victorian Government extend this across the state, and then I would like to see it spread much more across the nation.”

“Social stories” and picture sequence therapy using photographs of children engaged in daily activities, such as eating, shopping, playing, using the toilet,  and washing your hands among others, have been proven to be effective tools and learning aids. This form of therapy, helps to pre-program children with what is “supposed to happen” in their day.  There should be no reason not to enact earlier diagnosis ( such as in this study) and intervention for autistic children here in the USA.

Autism is a complex neuro-behavioral disorder linked to early abnormalities in brain development.  The baffling odds of autism effects up to six out of every 1,000 children.  To break that down even further, it is one in every 150 children.  The characteristics are impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and non-verbal communication, and unusual or severely repetitive limited interests and activities.  They are locked away in their own little world, trapped to the world around them.

Expert theorize that it could be a combination of genetics and the environment, that are possible causes.  But, what about diet?

There are known differences in the central nervous system of a child with autism and a normal child.  At this time, there is no solid scientific proof linking autism to any dietary problem.  Some children with autism have gastrointestinal problems and compromised digestive symptoms.  Symptoms can range from constipation or diarrhea to a condition known as leaky gut syndrome.  What this means, is that a person’s intestines are very permeable, allowing extra-large protein molecules to leave the intestines.  Instead of excreting these molecules, some autistic children absorb these molecules into their bloodstreams.  When the molecules reach the brain, they create a state similar to a drug induced “high”.

In theory, when a child’s diet consists of mainly their preferred “kid food”, meaning mostly wheat and dairy, pizza, sandwiches, crackers, milk, ice-cream and yogurt, they are thought to be craving the the molecules that make them feel “high”.  It is thought that these children could benefit from the GFCF diet, (gluten-free and casein free).

Gluten is the protein found in wheat, and casein and whey are the proteins found in milk.  There are peptides found in both of these proteins, that are thought to create behavioral changes in autistic children.  There are neurotransmitters and neurorecepters in both the gut and the brain that respond to each other. Therefore, some scientists, professionals, doctors and parents believe that some children can benefit from the diet.

Gluten and casein allergies are common to many people, and produce the symptoms mentioned earlier.  However, about 20 percent of the autistic population suffers from digestion or gastrointestinal issues.  Many parents have chosen to remove the source of constant discomfort and anxiety.  This can mean removing wheat, dairy, soy, corn and even eggs.  As a result many have seen improved behaviors, better focus, and lower levels of anxiety.

Dietary intervention could be the answer or at least a “piece of the puzzle”, that can help some autistic children get on a pathway to recovery.  Many parents swear to what the GFCF diet has done for for their children.  But, more concrete evidence is needed.   There are at least seven studies currently being done at the University of Texas Science Center at Houston.  Some are double-blind studies and some are only for 4 weeks.  In all fairness, the studies on this population need to be conducted for 6-8 months to determine the best positive results.  All participants should also be tested for allergies, not just ones related to food.

For any of us, dietary change is a “choice” and a lifestyle change.  Dietary intervention for those with autism deserves careful study and consideration, not a quick study or a defeatist attitude!