June 29th, 2009 - Leslie Billera
 I’m about to become a first-time mom at age 40. Literally, at any moment.
I don’t know how I will feel when I first see my baby (my guess is a post mortem cocktail of thrill and terror), but one thing I definitely do know: my time – and sleep – will be limited. That’s what everyone has been telling me for the last 10 months (yes, it’s actually 10 months, not 9…but that’s another blog subject!).
Soon, my husband and I will have less time to make buying decisions – but more pressure than ever to make the greenest and healthiest choices for baby. The hours I formerly spent clicking around eco product sites, languorously reading ‘about us’ and ‘press’ sections to try to discern a given product’s ‘true green value’ will be but a hazy memory.
To prepare, I’ve saved these green washing sites – green washing is misleading marketing about the environmental benefits of a product – that I now share with other busy moms, dads, or just busy people in general…
Green America’s Responsible Shopper
I’m a Green America Business Network member, so this one is close to my heart (as a copywriter, I’m Green America-Approved and have the seal to prove it!). This site ranks companies in 27 industry categories from best to worst based on research focusing on such key issues as human rights, social justice, environmental sustainability and more. Check out the user-friendly “Act” section in which you can join campaigns to battle corporate abuse, or sign up for instant emails to get actions delivered to your inbox.
Skin Deep Database from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
This searchable database matches the ingredients in more than 25,000 shampoos, makeup, deodorants, sunscreens and other personal care products with 50 toxicity and regulatory databases. It provides the most safety information anywhere about the products you put on your body – and on the body of baby too!
The Greenwashing Index
Enviromedia Social Marketing’s website asks consumers to send examples of both good and bad green marketing campaigns, which visitors then rank using a five point index that includes 1 for Authentic, 3 for Suspect and 5 for Bogus. Also includes “ripped from the headlines” exposes on worst offenders, i.e. the recent charge from the FTC that Kmart Corp., Tender Corp., and Dyna-E International are making false and unsubstantiated claims that their paper products were “biodegradable.”
Terrachoice
Check out the free report entitled the Six Sins of Green Washing and get tips on the top suspect terminology – i.e. the use of ‘chlorofluorocarbon-free’ even though these chemicals have been banned, by law, for years.
Laura Klein’s Green Club
Shameless plug here (I am the chief copywriter for Laura Klein’s green lifestyle membership site), but there’s no doubt that in addition to lots of good, green info and action-oriented tips, membership in Laura Klein’s Green Club gives you one-on-one consultation from Laura herself on any question relating to going green. It’s like having a personal eco consultant at your finger tips, so it makes for a truly great value.
Babies away!
Tags: babies, children, grocery shopping, healthy eating, healthy living, motherhood, newborns, Organic Food, parenthood
Posted in Green Living, Health, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Food Recipes, Organic Living, Parenting | 1 Comment »
June 22nd, 2009 - Laura Klein
It’s hard to imagine that there’s even more reasons to steer clear of plastic water bottles…but surprise: there is!
This time the focus is polycarbonate plastic water bottles, which are popular reusable canteens like the one pictured here.
A recent Harvard School of Public Health Study shows that drinking from polycarbonate plastic water bottles will quickly and dramatically increase a person’s bisphenol A (BPA) levels.
So now you can add ‘fast-acting’ to BPA’s resume. As if being a contributor to health problems ranging from diabetes and obesity to infertility and heart disease wasn’t enough!
The study showed that tested students who drank from stainless steel bottles for a week, and then switched to polycarbonate plastic bottles, found that the amount of BPA in their urine shot up 69% in just a couple of days!
Encouraging Red Tape
While the FDA continues to claim BPA is safe, the new administration may take a new stance. In an email sent to the Boston Globe recently, Michael L. Herndon, an FDA spokesman said that newly appointed chief scientist Jesse Goodman will “provide new leadership and take a fresh look at this important issue from a scientific and policy position, incorporating emerging science and appropriate input from both inside and outside the agency.”
Could adding the Harvard study to the mounting evidence of BPA health risks finally get the FDA to outlaw it? Let’s hope so. But until then, I’m holding tight to my stainless steel bottle and not letting go…and I encourage you to do the same!
Via: www.saferstates.com
Posted in Green Living, Health, Organic Living | 2 Comments »
June 15th, 2009 - Laura Klein
 Hooray for organic dairy!
Boo to ‘big organic’ dairy companies who break the good organic rules!
According to the Cornucopia Institute, a respected sustainable farm watchdog group …
Since 2005, a handful of giant factory farms, each milking thousands of cows, have been accused of skirting strict federal organic regulations and creating a surplus of cheap “phony” organic milk flooding the market and driving down profit margins for legitimate industry participants. The Cornucopia Institute estimates that as much as 30-40% of organic milk is now coming from giant industrial operations, milking as many as 7000 cows each.
Spoiling organic dairy even further is a class-action law-suit that was recently rejected by a St. Louis judge.
These consumer law suits claimed fraud in the sale of “organic” milk coming from Aurora Dairy, which the suit claims violated 14 different federal organic regulations. Consumers from 40 states sued alleging fraud in store brands in Wal-Mart, Target, Safeway, Costco and other national chains served by Aurora. Lawyers will appeal the judge’s rejection.
Milking the System for the Best Organic Milk
Good news for you: The Cornucopia Institute’s recently updated online scorecoard can help you make smarter consumer choices when buying your organic dairy products.
Check out the report and take advantage of 110 ratings of all organic brands (listed alphabetically) based on their ethical and legal approach to milk production. While ‘big organic’ may be shortcutting the rules, the report shows that 90% of organic milk, cheese, butter and yogurt marketers are subscribing to the “spirit and letter of the organic regulations.”
Sneak peak: Organic dairy kudos go to Organic Valley, a farmer-owned cooperative that garners a four-cow rating in the Cornucopia scorecard.”
Read More: Organic Food Supermarket Trends: Got Milk?
Tags: dairy, food, Health, Organic
Posted in Health, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Living | 1 Comment »
June 14th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
Angelina Jolie’s kids wear them.
Ditto for the children of Halle Berry, Gwen Stefani, Angie Harmon, Keri Russell, Melania Trump and Samantha Harris.
BabyLegs’ adorable organic arm and leg warmers have taken the world by storm. Available in more than 50 countries, they’re only $10 to $15 a pair and make a fashionably green baby shower gift.
The company uses SKAL-certified organic cotton and Oeko-Tex-certified dyes.
Check out these super-cute styles:
Natural cotton organic leg warmers
Colorful organic leg warmers
Funky Collection
Baby/toddler organic leg and arm warmers
Why is it important to buy organic cotton? Check out The Cotton Club.
Tags: babies, Organic, organic cotton, Parenting, shopping
Posted in Organic Living, Parenting | 1 Comment »
June 12th, 2009 - Laura Klein
 “Food Inc. does for the supermarket what Jaws did to the beach,” according to Variety.
Quite an analogy!
Food, Inc. an eye-opening, mouth-closing documentary from director Robert Kennar, opens June 12 in select theatres in New York, LA and San Francisco. It expands to more cities nationwide on June 19.
What’s all the fuss about?
The documentary centers around the harsh reality of where our food comes from. The film argues that the branding behind our food products – that of friendly farms and happy, hardy farm workers – is actually one huge myth. Instead, the film points out, our food is churned out, assembly line style, from a small group of multi-national corporations.
This type of ‘factory food’ is abusive to both animals and humans. In order to shield us from the ugly truths behind factory food, the industry has deliberately dropped an ‘invisible veil’ between consumers and where their food comes from…because quite simply, if more people knew, they wouldn’t want to eat it.
Not very appetizing.
Monsanto’s Revenge
Meanwhile, the huge food corporation and maker of genetically-modified food (GMO), Monsanto, isn’t taking Food, Inc. lying down. They have posted an entire Food Inc. rebuttal section on their site. Special thanks to La Vida Locavore for discounting much of what the corporate food monster has posted there.
I’ve long been an advocate for fresh, seasonal, local and organic food – and the myriad health benefits therein. Organic food is more nutrient rich, and better for the planet. I’m thrilled that Food, Inc. will get people talking about the source of our food, which is both a huge health issue and one with deep planetary impact.
Do you plan on seeing the film? Share your thoughts here, either after or before you see it and let us know what you think!
Tags: animal cruelty, documentary, film, food industry, healthy food, hormones, obesity, Organic Food
Posted in Green Living, Health, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Living, Political Action, The Environment | 2 Comments »
June 8th, 2009 - Laura Klein
 Last week, I blogged about the superior nutritional value of pesticide- and herbicide-free plant-based organic foods vs. their conventional counterparts, something I’m deeply passionate about.
This week, I’ve got more fuel for the fire.
A recent study about chronic exposure to low-levels of atrazine, the most heavily-used herbicide in the U.S., links it to myriad health issues in lab rats including:
- insulin resistance
- obesity
- a heightened risk of diabetes, especially when exposure to atrazine is coupled with high-fat diets.
We’ve all heard about our nation’s unfortunate obesity problem; is it any wonder when obesity-enhancing herbicides are ‘baked in’ to our food? Check out the opening comments of the study…
“ATZ (atrazine)-usage and obesity maps [in the U.S.] show striking overlaps, suggesting that heavy usage of ATZ may be associated with risk of obesity.”
When you opt for organic food, your choosing high doses of nutritionally rich flavors and cancer fighting antioxidants, which adds up to a healthy dose of preventative medicine. When you choose and consume conventionally grown foods you are consuming the toxic traces left behind from herbicides like atrazine…all the more reason to spend a bit more for them at the market – or you can get my free report: The Definitive Guide To Shopping For Organic Foods on a Budget” when you sign up for our free newsletter). Or better yet, grow your own organic favorites or visit your local farmers’ market where you’ll find many pesticide- and herbicide-free fruits and veggies at great prices.
I always advise budget-minded readers that if they have to choose only a few organic foods to invest in, they opt for the ones they consume the most.
What are your experiences with shopping for organic foods on a budget? Leave us a comment – we love hearing from you!
Source: THE SCOOP – May 2009 Organic Center Newsletter Study: Soo Lim et al., “Chronic Exposure to the Herbicide, Atrazine, Causes Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Insulin Resistance,” Plos One, Vol. 4, Issue 4:e5186, April 2009.
Tags: atrazine, childhood obesity, children, eating habits, healthy food, obesity, weight
Posted in Green Living, Health, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Living, Parenting | 4 Comments »
June 3rd, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
 As university researchers study the best ways to house America’s egg-producing hens, numerous organizations have signed on as coalition stakeholders, including the American Humane Association, American Veterinary Medical Association and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.
One prominent stakeholder may surprise you: fast-food behemoth McDonald’s, which reaps a nice share of profits each morning from scrambled eggs, Egg McMuffins and egg-based biscuit sandwiches.
It sure sounds good on paper: The eggs produced in the study are expected to be used in McDonald’s U.S. restaurants, as researchers strive to determine whether cage-free and free-range chickens fare better than those cooped up in factory farms.
Dan Gorsky, McDonald’s senior VP for North America supply chain management, says his company wants to consider “all of the sustainability impacts when it comes to buying eggs—not just animal welfare, but environmental, food safety and economic factors. It is our intention for eggs produced as part of this study, including cage-free eggs, to partially supply McDonald’s USA by 2011.”
Some critics, however, believe McDonald’s is dragging its feet in purchasing sustainable eggs. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) notes that numerous national restaurant chains have already gone the cage-free route, including Burger King, Wendy’s, Quiznos, Denny’s, Hardees’s and Carl’s Jr.
“There is already an abundance of science demonstrating that battery-cage confinement of laying hens is detrimental to animal welfare, and McDonald’s shouldn’t use another long-term study as an excuse to delay implementing the same modest reforms so many of its competitors have already adopted,” says Paul Shapiro, senior director of HSUS’ factory farming campaign.
HSUS is encouraging mainstream and organic consumers to call (800) 244-6227 to urge McDonald’s to switch to cage-free eggs now.
Photo courtesy of McDonald’s
Tags: agribusiness, animal welfare, eggs, factory farming, factory farms, McDonald’s
Posted in Organic Living | No Comments »
June 1st, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
 Researchers at Michigan State University and the University of California, Davis, are leading a national study of housing alternatives for egg-laying hens.
Scientists will analyze tens of thousands of hens to determine how different housing environments affect animal health and well-being, safe and affordable food, the environment and worker welfare.
Researchers will look at cage-free, free-range and “enriched” (nests and perches) housing. As organic consumers already know, any of these alternatives is preferable to factory farms.
“The coalition anticipates a multiyear study to factor in seasonal shifts, bird life cycles and other factors,” says Janice Swanson, PhD, a professor of animal behavior and welfare at Michigan State.
Tags: agribusiness, animal welfare, factory farming, factory farms
Posted in Organic Living | 1 Comment »
June 1st, 2009 - Laura Klein
With all due respect to my fellow OrganicAuthority.com blogger, Gerry Pugliese, who recently shed doubt on whether organic foods are actually more nutritious: I strongly disagree!
It’s been proven, scientifically, that plant-based organic foods are higher in nutrients and better for our health. I am deeply passionate about this – in fact it’s one of the core reasons I launched OrganicAuthority.com several years ago!
After studying the science behind how conventional and organic foods are grown in culinary school, I had a paradigm shift. I discovered why organic foods taste better and are of superior quality: we aren’t spraying them with synthetic toxic pesticides that are designed to kill (see the EPAs definition of pesticides). And I discovered that we are poisoning the earth, humans, animals and everything in between with these same synthetic toxic pesticides (see our blog Carbofuran Gets the Axe – a single granule of the chemical can kill an adult bird).
Today, I consider organic food to be one of the most powerful forms of preventive medicine we have available to the human race; and is a key component to green and healthy living. The good news is, you can simply buy organic foods over the counter! If you think organic foods are expensive, I say try health care and prescription drugs. Now that’s expensive. There are truly miraculous stories of people healing themselves from serious disease and illness like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, MS and more, simply by switching to a pure organic whole foods diet. The added bonus, organic foods are of superior quality and flavor!
Myriad qualified experts agree that organic food is nutrient-rich and healthier than ‘conventionally’ grown foods…
Organic Produce: Nutritional Powerhouse
In a study published in March 2008 by The Organic Center,1 a host of past and present studies were analyzed.
One of them, The Worthington study, focused on fertilizers and food nutrition levels. In the study, four nutrients tested as being significantly higher than conventionally-grown food, while one “toxic” nutrient (Nitrate) was significantly lower in organic food (that’s a good thing):
- Vitamin C: +27%
- Iron: +21%
- Magnesium: +29%
- Phosphorus: +19%
- Nitrates: -15%
The same study also found higher quality protein in organic foods vs. conventional food (higher quality protein is determined by the number of amino acids that are evident).
Healthier Food, Organically Grown
In another recent study entitled “Living Soil, Food Quality, and the Future of Food,”2 the following was revealed:
- Organically grown spinach demonstrates significantly higher levels of flavonoids (an antioxidant) and vitamin C, and lower levels of nitrates.
- Organically farmed tomatoes have significantly higher levels of soluble solids and natural plant molecules called secondary plant metabolites, including flavonoids, lycopene, and Vitamin C. Most secondary plant metabolites are antioxidants, a class of plant compounds that have been linked to improved human health in populations that consume relatively high levels of fruit and vegetables.
Definition of Organic Food: Common Sense Dictates Better Health!
Organic foods are grown without the use of chemical fertilizer or pesticides and have not been processed using irradiation or added hormones.
Let me repeat:
- no fertilizers
- no pesticides
- no irradiation (the process of exposing food to radiation)
- no added hormones
I’m not a scientist, but this statement alone is quite convincing that organic foods are a healthier and more nutritionally rich option! Simply put, organically grown foods are not bombarded with synthetic, toxic chemicals that are linked to serious diseases like cancer.
As always, be an informed consumer:
- Products labeled “100 percent organic” must contain only organic ingredients with the exception of water and salt, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Products labeled “organic” must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients.
- Products that are made with at least 70 percent organic ingredients are allowed to be labeled “made with organic ingredients.
Interested in step-by-step, personalized guidance on creating a healthy, green lifestyle? Check out my free Green Club online introduction video to find out more!
1. The Organic Center, March, 2008 Report:
http://www.organic-center.org/science.latest.php?action=view&report_id=126
2. The Organic Center, March 13, 2009 Press Release:
http://www.organic-center.org/news.pr.php?action=detail&pressrelease_id=28
Tags: chemicals, food poison, food toxin, Health, nutrition, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Food Recipes, toxin, truth
Posted in Green Living, Health, Organic, Organic Food, Organic Food Recipes, Organic Living, The Environment, green cleaning | 5 Comments »
May 30th, 2009 - Barbara Feiner
 A few weeks ago, we talked about creating a flavorful organic landscape, even in small spaces.
To maintain garden health, water new plantings frequently enough to keep soil moist, but not too wet. Experts advise adding a layer of shredded leaves, evergreen needles or other organic material to conserve moisture, suppress weeds and moderate soil temperatures.
By mid-summer, give your plants a boost with a slow-release, organic nitrogen fertilizer like Milorganite, which meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s Exceptional Quality standards. Even on hot, dry days, the product won’t burn and will remain in soil until your plants need it. Milorganite encourages growth, without interfering with flowering and fruiting.
Photo courtesy of ARA
Tags: fertilizer, gardening
Posted in Organic Living | No Comments »
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