Green Options

Rebekah Green has been globally aware and environmentally conscious since the second grade. Throughout her life she’s done a lot for the “green” movement.

Her latest efforts include a sustainable line of earrings made from recycled gold. She even has several designs devoted to children.

Including these precious little turtles which will be going in my daughter’s holiday stocking…if I don’t snag them for myself first (because I adore turtles).

Terri Bly, president of The Nature of Beauty, discusses the findings of the Environmental Working Group’s latest report targeting common industrial cleaners used in schools. The EWG found an alarming number of air contaminants and carcinogens, many of which are not listed on the ingredients labels. Bly then discusses ways to help schools make positive, eco-friendly changes.

It has been proven that at least 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed directly into the bloodstream. That’s scary, really scary when we learn what can be lurking in beauty products-even in baby products. Nasty things like phthalates, parabens and 1,4-Dioxane which has been banned in personal care products in Canada and the European Union but is still allowed in the US in small amounts even though it has been proven that it can cause allergy, immune and neurological toxicity even carcinogenic activity.

Trillium Organics has created a couple new lines of products that come with full disclosure of all ingredients-right on the product labels. The new products are made especially for pregnant women and new babies-two times when natural is more important than ever. OGmama and OGbaby are truly 100% organic and as natural as can be.

One of the perks of being a mommy blogger is getting great new organic beauty products to try on my family. We recently tested Original Sprout “Worry-Free Luxury” Natural & Organic Family Collection.  These products smell wonderful and are free of “added hormone disruptors, parabens, petroleum oils, phthalates, dioxanes from sulfates, formaldehyde, & propylene glycol.”

Do you know about PhytoEstrogens?  PhytoEstrogens are called “dietary estrogens“, because they come from food sources, such as soybeans. They are often promoted for consumption in menopausal women for bone density, but there is concern that over exposure to PhytoEstrogens increases the risk of breast cancer and causes fertility issues.  Original Sprout explains:

Working as estrogen mimics, phytoestrogens may either have the same effects as estrogen or block estrogen’s effects. Which effect the phytoestrogen produces can depend on the dose of the phytoestrogen. The phytoestrogen can act like estrogen at low doses but block estrogen at high doses. Estrogen activates a family of proteins called estrogen receptors. Recent studies have shown that phytoestrogens interact more with some members of the estrogen receptor family, but more information is needed about how these receptors work, especially in breast cancer. Finally, phytoestrogens acting as estrogen mimics may affect the production and/or the breakdown of estrogen by the body, as well as the levels of estrogen carried in the bloodstream.

Phytoestrogens - acting differently from estrogen - may affect communication pathways between cells, prevent the formation of blood vessels to tumors or alter processes involved in the processing of DNA for cell multiplication. Which of these effects occur is unknown. It is very possible that more than one of them may be working. Also, the effects in various parts of the body may be different. from Phytoestrogens and Breast Cancer.

I have long been a fan of EO (Essential Oil) products.  I discovered EO when I was searching Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic database Skin Deep for products that would not irritate my son’s sensitive skin.  EO was the answer, as they never use irritating sodium lauryl or laureth sulfates, and I quickly adopted the products into my preschool classroom, as well.

Phthalates, as you know, have been ordered removed from children’s goods, which includes food contact materials. But they’re still found in common items, such as shower curtains, personal body care products, and various medical products, among many other things. Phthalates soften plastic and bind “fragrance” to the products that contain it. [Hint: look for PVC and fragrance, and you'll find phthalates.]

So what’s the big deal? They’re endocrine disruptors, which means they interfere with the normal functions of hormones. Phthalates have been linked to early onset of puberty in girls, obesity, lower sperm count and testosterone level, under-virilized boys, and male genital deformities such as hypospadias (in which the urinary opening is located somewhere besides the head of the penis, like the underside). Whee!

And now they’ve been linked to preterm birth. Makes you wonder if we should kick the chemical out of all products, doesn’t it?

My daughter just turned nine.  I’ve been arming myself for when the day arrives that I really have to tackle growing up.  *Sigh* Why can’t they stay little forever?

Recently, I noticed that her skin was getting a bit oily (probably not entirely from budding hormones, we’ve been applying sunscreen liberally).  I went on a search for a safe, natural, easy to use face wash for her.  She is only nine after all and I can’t expect her to remember face washing if its time consuming, messy or gets anything into her eyes.

I had a hard time finding anything I would want to put on her precious skin.  I found several face wash recipes online, but most had to be mixed up prior to each use and were messy.

So, I ventured to our local natural health store and browsed their selections, which we also limited.  I did find one container with 50 wipes in it for everyday face cleansing.  It was similar to those nasty, acne pads without all the nasty.  The container was expensive so we moved on.

Here’s a safe family friendly way to ease the itchies from bug bites, Brittanie’s Thyme Organic Bug Bite Relief.

I’ve had the chance to sample this handy little roll on and I keep it close to use during the inevitable event that someone gets bit by something.

Terri Bly, president of The Nature of Beauty, discusses why she loves Erbaorganics, an organic line of skin care for mom and baby. As a bonus, The Nature of Beauty is offering a Buy 1 Get 1 Special, with 25% off your second Erbaorganics product.

It never fails that when you are out with your kids that something messy happens. It can be a spilled drink, a food mishap, or even stepping in something not so pleasant at the park but what do you clean up with if there’s not a bathroom in sight? Many conventional wipes are made with polyester, wood pulp, binders, fillers and all kinds of chemicals but Jamar Labs offer a variety of eco-friendly wipes.

I’ve had the chance to try out several eco-friendly insect repellents over the past month or so and I am rather impressed. Almost all of them seem to work pretty good under normal conditions. Some smell better than others, some seem to work longer and harder than others, and some are more convenient to use but they all do the job of keeping the bugs away.

Keep reading for a breakdown of which eco-bugsprays work the best.