Burt's Bees is considered a "murky" company
I love bodycare products and actually thought I was safe buying seemingly organic or natural brands available at my local shops. Not so, according to Organicgal’s List of Fakies and Non-fakies. Well, I did report on the carcinogens found in kid’s bath products, so this isn’t really isn’t a surprise.
My hat goes off to Organicgal though, who has taken the time to do her research and show her findings. Here are some facts which we should all know:
* Body care is not a regulated industry.
* The USDA Organic regulations/laws only extend to food items or body care items that are food grade.
* Because of lax regulations a body care company can use the word “Natural” any way they want, regardless of if they threw in chemicals and synthetics to the final product.
* A company can only use the word Organic (as in the product name, etc) on the front of their packaging if the product contains at least 70% organic ingredients
* For a company to display a label that reads “Made with Organic ingredients” the product must carry 70% or more organics with no restrictions on the other ingredients.
* For a company to display the USDA organic label, it must have 95% or higher organic ingredients with the other 5% being from an approved list.
* To carry the new Natural Products Association Label the natural product must only contain pre-approved naturally derived ingredients.
* The Eco-Cert label has fallen under scrutiny lately, for allowing synthetics in products (which is against it’s own rules) with many interest groups now not trusting the integrity of the EcoCert logo
Fakes include Alba Botanica (help! I am using their coconut body cream right now), Jason Pure Natural Organic (nice use of words, faker Jason), Kiss My Face Organics and Nature’s Gate Organics, all of which I sadly have used and believed them to be truly natural and/or organic.
Real natural/organics include Natures Baby Organics and Dr.Bronners ( Hurrah! I use their lovely lavender soap). And lastly, there are the “hit and miss guys”, whose products have both the good stuff, and the bad stuff. Included here is Burts Bees, who Organicgal says is at least honest about their ingredients, good or otherwise.
Good to know when you next shop for toiletries!
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Tox on May 27th, 2009 | Posted in
Clean Water |
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When I read Debra Lynn Dadd’s’ article on her chlorine free swimming pool, I thought, what a brilliant idea! With the summer holidays coming, I just know the entire family is going to be swimming a lot, especially the kids. And when one thinks of the huge amounts of chemicals in a regular pool - chlorine, muriatic acid, bromine and so on, and how it so easily gets absorbed into the system, it makes sense to look to other alternatives.
Debra uses an above-ground pool (good for the environment!) and incorporates a pretty amazing technique invented by Winston Kao, who really knows about “living” water and organic growing among other things. But more posts on this very interesting man later. Anyway, Debra bought a water system from Winston Kao, which now makes the water in her swimming pool not just naturally clean, but also good for you! And with no chemicals at all. Chlorine, if you didn’t know, is linked to asthma and cancer in kids.
There are a number of companies and products offering chlorine-free alternatives, like Ecosmarte pools, and of course the salt water option, which are becoming more common, yet I wouldn’t choose it mainly because my son is one of those kids whose eyes really sting in sea water. Be wary though of some products, which although are non-chlorinated, are STILL made from chemicals. Try and look for the most natural options you can and treat your family to healthier fun this summer.
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Tox on May 20th, 2009 | Posted in
Cleaning,
Eco Tips,
Environment,
Facts and Figures,
Green Holidays,
Green shopping,
Health,
Natural Products,
News,
Toxic Stuff |
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One of the mantras in my household is “Wash your hands please”. When the kids get home from school, before mealtimes, before cooking, after playing, after touching the pets and so on. But when you’re out of the house, using water and soap obviously isn’t the most convenient thing. And the solution a lot of people have been using come in the form of antibacterial gels, which are cheap, plentiful and found just about anywhere. The problem with it though, is that terrible ingredient, triclosan, an antibacterial agent found in a lot of products nowadays, from soap to socks! But the fact remains: Triclosan is no better than plain soap.
Several months ago, I read a very disturbing article by a Mom, aptly called: “Cancer or Germs? I’ll Take the Germs!”. She took the time out to do research on the stuff (the things a Mom will do!- bravo) and it made me ban triclosan from my household forever - why? because among other nasties, it causes cancer and is bad for the environment. Enough said. If you want to know more about it, or what products contain it, please go here.
Okay. So we know antibacterial gels with triclosan are bad, but that doesn’t really solve our problem about killing germs while we are on the go. Mind you, soaps have it too, so be wary and always read labels. Well, the best solution is to buy the natural stuff (like Clean Well), or better yet, make it yourself.
Here are some ideas:
Grapefruit seed extract: diluted with distilled water, makes a great all-around germ-killing spray for hands, air, surfaces and even wounds!
Vodka and essential oil: Mixing vodka, essential oil (like lavender) and distilled water, is another easy and cheap alternative. Put it in a spray bottle and keep it handy.
Essential oils and water: Simple yet effective, take your favourite essential oil and mix it with water to create a very natural antibacterial. The most potent are: cinnamon, cloves, verbena, lavender, angelice, juniper, sandal, cedar, thyme and lemon.
Remember that awful pet food poisoning scare a couple of years ago? Luckily, none of our pets (5 dogs, 7 cats) were victims of the poisoning, but many people I knew lost their beloved pets because of it. One good thing to come of the tragedy though, was that organic and natural pet food sales rose as more people decided to switch.
I am one of those people, and though I often wondered what was in the usual brands like Alpo, Pedigree or Whiskas, I never really bothered to really look. Well, according to Newman’s Own Organics, whose organic pet products I love and use (and their people products too!),it’s pretty disturbing, such as poultry “by products”:
“Ground, rendered, cleaned slaughtered poultry carcass parts such as necks, feet, lymph nodes, undeveloped eggs and intestines (and a small amount of feathers). The quality is very inconsistent between batches. Note: By product meals are often derived from 4-D meat sources - defined as food animals that have been rejected for human consumption because they were presented to the meat packing plant as “Dead, Dying, Disabled or Diseased”.
Ugh. Would you honestly feed this stuff to your cat or dog? If your pets are considered part of the family, as ours are, it makes total sense to put as much thought in their food as you do yours. Yes, it can cost much more to buy organic or holistic pet food, but there is an alternative. Make it yourself. Here’s a great book I found, The Natural Pet Cookbook (pictured above), which will help get you started. Not only will you be happy in the knowledge that you are feeding your pets healthy, natural food, but you’ll also notice the change - healthier, happier pets!
My husband is a BIG coffee drinker, so we always have a lot of used coffee grounds at the end of the day, which would normally be chucked in the bin. That was before I found out that used coffee grounds are an excellent recycling product!
I actually first discovered this at my local Starbucks, where I saw they were giving away used grounds in cute bags labeled “Grounds For Your Garden” (okay, I’m a sucker for packaging).
“..Coffee grounds can provide a valuable source of nutrition for your garden. The proper amount to be used depends on the condition of your soil and what you are growing…”
Thank you, Starbucks! So since then, I’ve been using the black stuff in my garden, yielding excellent results, although I admit that I haven’t gone as far as to use them for vermi-posting (worm composting), but I really should, once I get over my squeamishness with the little crawlers.
There are a whole host of other things you can do with used coffee grounds, some of which I wouldn’t really recommend, like putting it on your face as a mask/exfoliant (wouldn’t it stain?) or on your pets as a deodorizer, grooming aid or even for fleas (I read somewhere that it the caffeine could be toxic to animals).
But here are the things worth trying:
1. Touching up scratches on wooden furniture - use a q-tip to scrub it on.
2. Use as an insect repellent - sprinkle on areas to keep ants and other garden pests away.
3. Use as a natural dye (not on your face!) on fabric or paper (I actually used this when making treasure maps and “olde” invitations for my kids’ pirate party)
4. Use as a fridge or closet deodorizer (some suggest filling an old nylon stocking - but I find that a bit strange)
5. Use it in your fireplace as a dust guard when cleaning.
Earth Day is a wonderful opportunity to help kids understand and get involved with saving the earth. Making Earth Day a fun event to look forward too, with projects that they see through the year, will hopefully instill values of being environmentally caring - something they can bring into adulthood.
Here are some places you can start:
1. i Go Green at Every Age - The folks here at iVillage have great tips on how you can get kids to go green. For example, preschool kids can wash their hands using a thin “pencil” stream of water, while a grade schooler can unplug the tv or computer at night or using reusable containers for school packed lunches.
2. Make Some Crafts - Kids love crafts, so getting creative is a great way of teaching them about Earth Day while having fun. Kaboose has some super craft ideas which uses recycled products to make useful things like a pet food scoop made out of an old laundry detergent bottle or herb planters from empty cans.
3. Do Activities Online - For kids who enjoy learning online, there are many kid- friendly websites you can visit with them. A good one is Roofus’ Home, which shows how a golden retriever’s home can be energy efficient.
4. Host an Earthday Party! - Why not get your kids together with some friends for an Earth Day party? Its a fun way to learn about Earth Day by playing games, eating sustainable foods, and doing a project like recycling or planting a tree. You can can then revisit what you’ve done at next year’s Earth Day and the children will be thrilled to see the results.
Earth Day 1970
Not many of us know that Earth Day has been around for a while. Nearly 39 years, to be precise. The first Earth Day took place on April 22nd 1970, marking the day when the movement for modern environmentalism was born.
The beginnings though, can be traced back as far as 1963, when Senator Gaylord Nelson, a democrat from Wisconsin, first voiced his concerns about the state of the planet. In 1969 he proposed Earth Day “to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda. It was a gamble… but it worked.” Nelson said.
And on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans rallied with Nelson - in parks, auditoriums, schools and streets - for a healthier Earth. Millions protested the industrial destruction of the environment and the results were tremendous:
” Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts”
I think its wonderful that Earth Day is getting big around the world. Just a few years ago very few people even knew what it was, let alone celebrate it, but today, as early as March, I have been getting emails from people and groups to start planning for the event.
In my community, we have an organic garden and herb center (created from a vacant lot) which we opened on Earth Day two years ago. It has a spirulina fountain, a recycling area and a nifty machine that turns waste into energy which supplies heat to an oven/cooker. A small group of nature-loving ladies (mostly seniors!) started the project with very little money (mostly their own), but with determination, creativity and hard work, the garden is something we are all so proud of today. They sell the produce for a minimal price which goes to the upkeep of the garden and for the foundation they created which also supports other environmental projects in the area (more on that next time).
For Earth Day we have an event planned, where we (I’ve joined the group!) will be unveiling a new part of the garden, some new equipment and talk about the success stories of the year and some great things we have planned for the future. Luckily we also have a chef as part of the group, so the food is always excellent and it becomes a party!
What is YOUR Earth Day event? Click here to find out.
In the news again were some chilling findings that a slew of everyday bath products made for kids had dangerous levels of carcinogens. Like any Mother, my reaction is deep resentment and anger for these big companies that let things like this happen for years, and how lethal ingredients like formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane is found in every day items we put on our bodies. Both substances are known to cause cancer, so when you think about it, it somewhat explains why so many people in the world today have the terrible disease.
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On thing I know is that kids love flashlights, or torches, as they say in England. They like to play with them, especially under the sheets, in the dark. The regular flashlights we’ve had throughout the years have been victims of my kids abuse, because when one of my kids get their hands on them, they either get misplaced or left turned on. Not good for when there’s a sudden power outage or when the plumber needs to look under the sink. Nor is it good for the environment when you think of how many used batteries there are that go in landfills and are not disposed of properly.
So when I found the Powerplus Penguin, I was thrilled to bits, and so were my kids. Firstly, its not always that you find an eco-friendly toy that REALLY appeals to older kids, second, this was very good value (most eco-toys are NOT cheap), and third, it also has a great practical function and won’t just sit there in the playroom after they’ve played with it a few times.
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