Earth Day is about holding to our intentions of being good stewards of the environment.  It’s a trust that we hold for the generations to come

Everyone wins when environmental health is respected and safeguarded

Each time the healthy balance of our environment is downgraded and environmental health on the planet suffers, quality of life becomes more difficult to sustain. As a San Diego holistic dentist I see a responsibility to the environment as well as to my patients.  When green dentistry acts as a monitor of dentists’ environmental footprint, the impact of our profession on the oceans, for example, can be softened.

One important way for dentistry to go green is to filter out dental metals before they get into the water system. The filter that does this is called an amalgam separator. It is only mandated in a few states, and California is not one of them. Since the filters are pricey- around $1000,00, dentists often don’t volunteer to install them. Ask your dentist if he or she has an amalgam separator.

dental metal filter

Amalgam separators are used to filter out dental metals before they get into the water system.

This blog was launched as a celebration of Earth Day 2009 and to showcase the video on ocean conservation we created for Encinitas Environment Day that year. We are giving our blog a new look in honor of Earth Day 2011.

Some exceptional videos are available to mark this year’s event. Above is one from Greenpeace, an organization that has been championing conservation since 1971. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Greenpeace’s now has an Earth Day network in 41 countries.

The Mayor of Fairfax in Northern California talks about environmental issues like recycling and waste managment, and discusses the environmental impact of plastics in the ocean. These are aspects of environmental health that every commmunity must solve on a local level.

San Diego Holistic Dentist features 2nd part of 2008 TV show about safe levels of mercury in fish:

San Diego Holistic Dentist and environmental health activist, a leading advocate of biological, green dentistry at http://a-zholisticdentistry.com, discusses water pollution from mercury and plastics in this video created  for Encinitas Environment Day 2009.