It's not a pretty list: cyanazine (known to cause birth defects and cancer), fluometuron (reported to poison the blood and spleen), methyl parathion (linked to fetal damage, as well as reproductive and immune system toxicity), sodium chlorate (responsible for kidney damage and deoxygenation of blood cells). These are only a sampling of the pesticides used to grow cotton-"the fabric of our lives," according to Cotton Inc., the trade group that represents U.S. cotton producers and importers.

Cotton farmers use approximately 25% of the world's insecticides and more than 10% of pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides and defoliants), according to Allen Woodburn Associates Ltd., an agrochemical consulting firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The American Crop Protection Association estimates that 10% of all pesticides sold for use in U.S. agriculture were applied to cotton in 1997 (the most recent year for which data is publicly available).

Laura Davimes was a lifelong allergy sufferer who could no longer tolerate fragrances or perfumes in her cosmetics and skin care products.

"I got headaches, asthma attacks and nausea," she tells OrganicAuthority.com. "I struggled to find 100% natural skin care products and perfumes, but found them hard to come by-so I started making my own," says the owner of Richmond, VA-based Herban Avenues.

After studying aromatherapy, herbalism and nutrition, Davimes began to grow her own botanical ingredients so she could have "super-fresh, super-high-quality skin care-like the gourmet organic foods that I prepared from my garden harvests," she says. "I prefer to use ingredients that were put on the earth thousands of years ago and have been used by humans for thousands of years. I don't need to go beyond these earthly delights because they are far more perfect than any substances that a scientist could invent for me."

CORPORATE RECYCLING-Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe Program slices worn athletic shoes into three sections (left) and grinds them into granulated materials (right) that are used to make synthetic turf, gymnasium flooring, and basketball and tennis court surfaces. (Photo courtesy of Nike.)

Recycling has come a long way from its initial community-based, grassroots efforts to save the environment one aluminum can at a time. Many cities now require residents to separate recyclables from ordinary trash, and major corporations are jumping on the recycling bandwagon, often providing consumers with incentives to support their planet-friendly programs.

Ask internationally renowned yoga expert Kali Ray, founder of TriYoga, about the benefits of her professional passion, and it's hard to keep the list short. Yoga, she notes:

• Increases flexibility, strength and endurance.
• Maximizes digestion, assimilation and elimination.
• Invigorates the immune, cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
• Develops a supple spine and dynamic nervous system.
• Purifies and strengthens the vital organs and glandular system.
• Improves concentration, mental clarity and emotional balance.
• Illuminates the intellect to higher understanding, awareness and intuition.

Dr. Jillian Finker is definitely biased when it comes to eating organic foods.

"I have always been an advocate for organic foods, including baby foods," the naturopath from Plainview, New York, tells OrganicAuthority.com. "I was brought up on organic baby food, I always purchase organic products, and I recommend that my patients eat organic whenever possible."

Dr. Finker's professional experience has reaffirmed her commitment to the organic lifestyle.

"I have personally seen patients whose lives have been ruined by their exposure to pesticides," she says. "Their bodies were loaded with pesticides from either spray exposure or from ingesting heavily sprayed fruits and vegetables. These patients have a variety of symptoms, ranging from paresthesia (a sensation of burning, prickling, itching, or tingling, with no apparent physical cause) to skin rashes. It saddens me that we still use pesticides on our foods, even though there are organic farming options available to us."

It's hard to argue with Dr. Finker's logic-unless you work for a nonorganic food manufacturer whose products are laced with pesticides. But ask average consumers about eating organically, and one issue seems to emerge universally: "It's too expensive."

Wrong.

Eating organically needn't be a wallet buster, says Debra Stark, owner of Debra's Natural Gourmet, a retail store in Concord, Massachusetts. Buying organic beans, grains, pasta, herbs, spices, leafy greens and other produce is not only economical, but far healthier than plunking down a few bucks for a prepackaged meal that contains only one nutritionally questionable serving.