Pure and Green

absence makes the heart grow fonder

2009-01-10T20:53:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I have posted here. Not that I haven't thought about it. Life just gets in the way sometime. My desire to get back to this blog has been fueled by the fact that people still stumble upon it, read it, and make fabulous comments. I have many things brewing for this little blog. I just recently had a baby (within the past week) and once our routine gets established I plan to be a little more active here. So rest assured that I will be back very soon. In the meantime, please keep reading and commenting!

rethinking the blog

2008-01-27T10:51:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted here. Not that I haven't wanted do. I've been re-thinking the format of this blog for a while. In its current form, it feels disorganized to me. So I am planning a complete overhaul. It will likely take a couple of months for me to get it up and running. I'm aiming for a spring re-launch. Please come back and check on me then.

it's not easy being green...

2007-11-24T11:47:00.000-05:00

I just listened to a fantastic edition of the CBC's Listener's Choice podcast. It's an interview with Michael Pollan, an award winning writer of books and articles on "places where the human and natural worlds intersect: food, agriculture, gardens, drugs, and architecture. " (Quote taken directly from his bio.) In this particular interview he speaks about the organic food industry. I found him absolutely riveting. It's obvious that this guy knows his stuff and he's able to deliver the findings of his research in a calm, rational, seemingly unbiased way. If you have any interest at all in organic food I urge you to listen to this podcast. (It is the November 23rd edition.) It certainly cleared up a few misconceptions for me and further reiterated the fact that we as consumers have the power to influence what happens in the food industry.

Note: I have cross-posted this entry to my other blog, ramble on.

facial cleansers

2007-11-07T18:54:00.000-05:00

I've been test driving a few facial cleansers over the past couple of months. Here's the rundown.

Green Beaver Aloe Gel Cleanser
According to the package, this product "Does not contain harsh detergents, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), methyl or propylparaben (preservatives), artificial fragrances, dyes, petrolatum, propylene glycol or animal products." Since this is a Canadian company, I wasn't surprised when I didn't find it on Skin Deep. But thanks to their new user tool I entered the ingredients myself and it came out with a fantastic 1 out of 10. I was very happy with this result because I LOVE THIS CLEANSER. It's perfect for my combination skin. Not drying at all but very effective on the oily areas. It has a beautiful grapefruit, lemon scent and we all know that I'm a sucker for citrus. The best part is that a little goes a long way. A dime sized squeeze is enough to clean my entire face and neck, including mascara. I will definitely be buying this again. I paid $13.99 for it at Goodness Me.

Alba Organics Hawaiian Pineapple Enzyme Facial Cleanser
I bought this one before I discovered Skin Deep. Unfortunately, it gets a 5 out of 10 rating. It contains polyparaben. It does clean well and smells lovely but is not safe for the eye area, as I found out when I tried to use it to remove my eyeliner and mascara. Wow, does it ever sting! For this reason (and the polyparaben), I probably won't be buying it again. I am frankly too lazy to use both an eye makeup remover and a cleanser so I need cleanser that is safe on the eyes. I bought this one for $12.99 at Goodness Me.

Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash
Now this one is interesting. I was thrilled to see that it received a 1 out of 10, low hazard rating on Skin Deep. Some of the package claims include: "No animal ingredients or testing. No alcohol, detergents, artificial color or synthetic perfumes." Excellent! Actually, not so much. The cleanser is incredibly watery, making it impossible to use with your bare hands. So you'll need to have a washcloth or one of those pouf things. The tea tree aroma is completely overwhelming. I actually choked and coughed the first time I used it. And it's incredibly drying which is fine on my oily forehead but not great for the rest of my face. I think I'll pack this one away until the hot summer months when my skin gets really greasy. But even then, I definitely won't be using it everyday. Unfortunately I can't recall where I bought it or how much it cost.

Avalon Organics Hydrating Lavender Toner
Ahh how I love lavender! The fragrance of this toner is beautiful. Unfortunately, it doesn't rate will on Skin Deep with a moderate, 4 out or 10 rating. Out of all of the toners/astringents on the site, 64% score better than this one. The main culprit is salicylic acid. It does work well though. Oddly enough for a toner, it is hydrating. Most toners completely dry out my skin so I don't use them very often. But this one does clear up the oil while not leaving my skin dry. Still, I think I will try a few more. I picked this one up at Whole Foods for $8.99

these apples are delicious...

2007-10-28T14:24:00.000-04:00

This summer, Steve and I took our first serious foray into organic produce. We purchased a half share of produce from Plan B Organic Farms. Since the beginning of June, we have been enjoying an incredible array of fresh and tasty organic fruits and vegetables.

This was really a huge step for us. Steve and I are both very bad at consuming balanced meals. Protein? No problem! Load us up with meat and cheese and we are happy campers. Throw a salad in front of us and we go out for chicken wings. So committing to a weekly supply of fresh veggies was huge.

I'm proud to report, that we have done pretty well. Much better than I expected. I can't say that we have consumed everything before it became too wilted or moldy to eat, but we tried harder to not throw out too much. Partly it was the psychological aspect of paying a rather large sum of money up front ($450 for 20 weeks) rather than a few bucks every week. But the bigger reason was that this stuff tasted so much better than what we bought in our local grocery store. Flavours were more intense and everything seemed so much fresher.

These tomatoes actually tasted like tomatoes rather than cardboard. I can't remember the last time I ate a store bought tomato that had flavour. Steve borrowed a recipe from our friend Samantha in Regina. He chopped up the tomatoes, put them in a casserole dish, threw in some olive oil and fresh herbs and baked it in the oven. What emerged was delicious, roasted tomato goodness that we ate with pasta. (Thanks Sam!)

I'm not much of a raw carrot eater, but these carrots along with some sweet potatoes and onions (from the first picture) made a delicious soup.

Perhaps the yummiest peppers ever! Slightly sweet with a bit of heat. Steve sliced them, stir fried them with some garlic and when these were cooked, added a few spoonfuls of sour cream until heated through. Yummy!

And by the way, the organic garlic we received (see first picture) is the best garlic ever!!! So intensely flavourful.

Time to head back into the kitchen. These apples are about to become apple crisp.

lip service

2007-10-16T22:02:00.000-04:00

I'm a lip balm junkie. Always have been. So I decided to pull a few of my favourites out of the bathroom drawer to see how the rate on Skin Deep.

Carmex
Bad news. Carmex came in at an awful 7 out of 10 with phenol and salicylic acid as its major hazards. Health Canada lists phenol as a prohibited ingredient in cosmetics. Salicylic Acid is a restricted ingredient on Health Canada's list. Both ingredients are associated with carcinogenic and developmental/reproductive toxicity issues. Enough for me to stay away from the Carmex.

Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm and Moisturizer
I picked this up at Sephora a while back and fell in love with it. It really moisturizes and softens my lips. And it has a yummy strawberry flavour. Not that I eat it on purpose, but you can't help but taste it when it's on your lips. I was thrilled to discover that it rated 1 out or 10 on the Skin Deep website. I'm happy to not be throwing this one in the trash!

C.O. Bigelow The Classic Rose All Purpose Salve
I love this one! Unfortunately, I can't buy this one in Canada. I picked this up at Bath and Body Works in Chicago. It's similar to the Rosebud but with more of a lip gloss texture. Slightly more goopy and with more shine. This one wasn't rated on the Skin Deep site so I ran it through the new function that allows you to rate products that are not currently unrated. It also did really well, rating at a low hazard level with a score of 1 out of 10.

Philosophy Empower Mint Lip Shine
This is another one that I bought at Sephora. A great lip gloss that is very moisturizing. And with a great minty scent. This wasn't rated on the Skin Deep site so I plugged in the info. It ended up with a 3 out of 10 and a moderate hazard rating.

Recently I picked up 2 new lip products at Whole Foods.

Green Beaver Apres Ski Winter Lip Balm
My new favourite! It's incredibly long lasting and gives my lips a beautiful shine. And it's highly moisturizing. I ran it through Skin Deep and it came out with a score of 1 out of 10. Excellent! And it's made in Canada! (I've picked up a couple of other products from this company that I will review in future posts.)

Badger Tangerine Breeze Lip & Body Balm
A great daily lip balm with a yummy flavour. It also works really well under lipstick. I have very dry lips and find that lipsticks last longer on me with a layer of lip balm underneath. I went with the tangerine because of my love of citrus but it also comes in Chai Rose, Cinnamon Bay, Ginger & Lemon, Highland Mint and Lavender & Orange. It is also a low hazard product with a rating of 1 out of 10 at Skin Deep.

So there are a lot of great lip balm options out there that are safe and work well. Even though I have a few in my stash that I love, I'm sure it won't stop me from testing others...

who told you to put the balm on?

2007-09-24T21:22:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a problem disc in my neck, I suffer from regular aches and pains in my neck, shoulders and back. Thankfully regular visits to the massage therapist and ART practitioner keep me relatively pain free. But once in a while, between these appointments, I have a bad day where I need some sort of relief. Pills don't usually work so I had been using an analgesic gel instead. Well, my pain relief of choice is full of parabens so I went looking for an alternative. I'm very happy to have found this.

Made by the W.S. Badger Company, this is the Badger Sore Muscle Rub. I've been dealing with a rotten cold for about a month now and have spent many sleepless nights coughing. As a result the muscles in my mid-back have been driving me nuts. I had my husband apply some before bed one night and when I woke up the next morning, the pain was gone. Ever the sceptic, I tried it again a week later when my right neck and shoulder were seized up from too much time on the computer. Again, the muscles loosened and the pain was gone. This stuff rocks! And check out the ingredients list:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Beeswax, Extracts of Ginger, Rosehip & Cayenne, and Essential Oils of Rosemary, Ginger, Thyme, Sage, Cardamom & Lemon Grass.

I know what all of those things are! It's natural and it works. What more could one ask for?

I picked it up at Whole Foods in Oakville for $12.99.

so what's the deal with parabens?

2007-09-24T19:33:00.000-04:00

In my search for safer cosmetics, I have noticed a lot of products, shampoos and conditioners mostly, advertising that they are paraben free. So what are parabens and why would I rather be without them?

Parabens are a group of preservatives added to beauty products to keep them from growing bacteria and to increase their shelf life. They are widely used in the cosmetic industry because they are cheap and have, until recently, been considered safe. Recent studies have linked parabens to increased estrogen levels and increased risks of breast cancer. This recent article in the Chicago Tribune gives a brief but good summary. So while concerns are rising over parabens, the US FDA has stated that consumers do not need to be concerned.

The way I see it, if a few studies have shown links between parabens and breast cancer, there will probably me more. So I picked out a couple of paraben-free shampoos & conditioners to test them out.

Avalon Organics has a range of skin, body & hair care products including a baby line. They are a company committed to producing quality products using safe ingredients. Their shampoos are made without the use of parabens or sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates.

I purchased two shampoos and one conditioner. The Peppermint Revitalizing Shampoo has an intense peppermint scent and tingles on the scalp. I find that it works especially well when my hair gets a bit greasy or when my scalp is really itchy. The Ylang Ylang Glistening Shampoo is also very aromatic and cleans really well. I can't say that my hair appeared shinier than usual, but I am blessed with healthy, moderately shiny hair so I don't really need a lot of help in that department.

The Clarifying Lemon Conditioner is excellent. I'm a sucker for a good citrus scent and this one is beautiful. And I found that I didn't have to use very much, just a quarter size dollop on my long hair, to get a great conditioning effect.

I also picked up a bottle of Burt's Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Shampoo. Burt's Bees is an earth friendly company that specializes in natural beauty products. This shampoo is paraben sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate and phthalate free. The scent is lovely and quite sweet and it left my hair squeaky clean and shiny.

The only thing I had difficulty with all three shampoos was the lather, or lack thereof. I guess this has something to do with the lack of chemicals in the formulation but at first it was very weird to not have a head full of lather. With the Burt's Bees in particular, I found I had to use a lot more than I normally would to get a decent lather. For that reason alone, I probably won't buy the Burt's Bees again. The lather problem was not as bad with the Avalon Organics shampoos and I found that after a couple of months of using them, I got used to the reduced lather.

As for the cost, the Avalon Organics products were $8.99 at Whole Foods in Oakville and $7.49 at Goodness Me in Burlington. I picked up the Burt's Bees at Shopper's Drug Mart for $10.99. Since my hair is just as clean and healthy as before, I've decided to stick with paraben free shampoos and conditioners and look forward to trying other brands.

mmm...chocolate

2007-09-24T15:15:00.000-04:00

Those who know me, know that I love chocolate. On a recent trip to Goodness Me, I picked up a bar of Green & Black's Organic Chocolate.

After much debate, I opted for the caramel, milk chocolate combination. I couldn't wait until I got home to give it a try so I sat in my car, broke off a square and popped in my mouth. Although sweet, the chocolate had a bit of a salty taste, that seemed to really intensify the flavour of the caramel. It was fantastic! As I sampled a second square, I flipped over the wrapper to find that they actually do use a bit of sea salt in it. Interesting!

As for the organic side, this chocolate meets the Soil Association's standards for organic food and farming. The Soil Association is the UK's leading campaigning and certification organization for organic food and farming. The 100 g bar set me back $3.99 which is perfectly reasonable for the quality of this delicious chocolate. Can't wait to try the other flavours...

EDIT: An eagle-eyed reader wisely commented that I failed to mention that Green and Black's products are Fair Trade, which basically means that the farmers in developing country receive a fair price for their goods. This is a key movement in helping people in developing countries improve the standard of living and make them economically self-sufficient. Thank you to the reader for pointing out my error.

laundry soap roundup

2007-08-26T20:59:00.000-04:00

Over the past few months, I have been testing three different laundry soaps that are readily available in my area. I'm pleased to say that I am happy with all three although I have made the decision to stick to one particular brand. Here's the summary.

I focused on the Arm & Hammer Essentials Powerful Natural Laundry Detergent and the Nature Clean All Natural Laundry Liquid in earlier posts so I'll talk a bit about the Method Laundry Detergent. This one is compatible with the new High Efficiency washers that are now readily available. The bottle is tiny, which means less waste, but I wasn't sure it would actually last the 32 loads it claimed to on the bottle. But it did, and it did a great cleaning job as well. I tried the unscented one, called "free + clear" but there are also a couple of scented varieties and a baby formulation.

In the end, I have decided to make the Nature Clean my detergent of choice for a few reasons. First, it is readily available in the grocery store I normally shop in. Second, out of the three I tried it probably had the best cleaning results, although it was really close. Third, it is made by a Canadian company and I am trying very hard buy as locally as I can.

As for price (in Canadian dollars), the Nature Clean is $12.99 and claims 52 loads. The Arm & Hammer is $5.69 for 32 loads and the Method is $9.99 for 32 loads.

So that will wrap up my quest for a green laundry detergent...for now. I still intend to try other products as I discover them. But for now, I'm happy with the outcome.

new stuff coming soon

2007-08-18T18:05:00.000-04:00

I promise! The summer's been a bit crazy but I'm finally getting back into the blogging. I have so much to report as I've made quite a few changes towards a greener life. Stay tuned. Lots on the way!

grocery store wars

2007-06-18T22:15:00.000-04:00

My friend Elizabeth's 6 year old son told me about this earlier tonight. A great educational tool about organic farming that is very funny. Enjoy!

bonus time

2007-06-01T22:04:00.000-04:00

I've been a loyal Clinique customer for a couple of years now. I was lured in by their perfume 'Happy' after trying it a duty free shop while traveling to the Dominican Republic 3 years ago. Steve gave me some for Christmas that year and it became my perfume of choice. When it was time to replace the first bottle I discovered and incredible phenomenon. Clinique Bonus Time! At several times during the years at Sears and Holt Renfrew stores in Canada, when you purchase a minimum dollar amount of Clinique product, you receive a handful of samples sizes of other Clinique product in a lovely cosmetic bag. Quite often, one of the freebies is a full size lipstick. That alone retails at about $18. Clever marketing! They suck you in with the bonus, you try the sample products, and then you buy them. I went from just the perfume to the the make up remover, toner, cleanser, eye cream and moisturizer. Up until that point, I was strictly a drug store brand customer. I could not justify $30 for moisturizer when I could get something at Shoppers Drug Mart for $10. But the Clinique people "had me at hello."

So I received a flyer from Holt Renfrew a couple of days ago advertising the latest Clinique bonus. It just so happens that I am almost out of moisturizer. So I surfed on over to Skin Deep to check the ratings on my current products. The news was very bad. I won't go into the details. Let's just say that I likely will never be enjoying Clinique Bonus Time again. While this does make me a bit sad as a woman who is a bit addicted to shopping for cosmetics (even though I don't actually wear a lot of makeup), I am happy that I am now purchasing choices that are healthier for me.

So I paid a visit to Goodness Me! This small chain of natural food stores recently opened up a location in Burlington, where I live. I was blown away not only by the selection of products, but also the price. Most items where comparable in price to drug store brands and much less than department store brands. I picked up a moisturizer from Alba Botanica and a powder from Ecco Bella. The specific products I bought are not listed on the Skin Deep site but the companies rate way better than Clinique so I figure that's a good start. I'll give a full report once I've had a chance to test them out.

new look

2007-06-01T20:30:00.000-04:00

I had to change the look of the blog. I was finding the previous style a little tough on the eyes.

more on makeup

2007-05-29T21:02:00.000-04:00

A day after I blogged about makeup, one of favourite podcasts, Lip Gloss and Laptops, released an episode on Holistic Beauty. This episode is full of excellent tips and products. I highly recommend that you check it out.

another laundry soap

2007-05-29T20:13:00.000-04:00

I finally got around to trying the Nature Clean All Natural Laundry Liquid sample that I received at the Green Living Show. The label reads...

"Our All Natural vegetable based formula is made without dyes, perfumes, petroleum, formaldehyde preservatives, optical brighteners or enzymes, all of which we believe endanger us and our world,"

Impressive! In the ingredients list they not only give the ingredients, but they tell you where they come from. For example, the Fatty Polyglycoside used is derived from corn starch and palm kernel oil. When have you ever seen a label give that sort of info? This product claims to be hypoallergenic, unscented, safe for infants clothing, safe for high efficiency washers, phosphate, dye & perfume free, not tested on animals and septic and grey water safe. So here's my question. If this company can do all this, why can't all the others?

It's also made in Canada, which is a huge plus for me as a Canadian trying to support the local and national economy.

So how does it work? Fantastic. My clothes came out just as clean as with the Arm & Hammer and my old, non-environmentally friendly brand. The only noticeable difference was the lack of a scent. This stuff is truly unscented. Although I have grown accustomed to a lovely scent on my clothes I think I can live without it as long as they are clean and I'm not wondering about what chemicals went into the scent. And I should also mention that the consistency was a bit thinner than the average liquid laundry detergent. I'm not sure why that it, but since the stuff works I'm not going to question it.

This company also has some other great products that I look forward to trying. And their parent company Frank T. Ross & Sons also produce other non-toxic products.

The verdict? I will definitely purchase this brand the next time I need laundry detergent.

more coming...

2007-05-24T22:51:00.000-04:00

Hey blogfriends. Thanks to all of you who have been reading and commenting. Sorry that it's been so long. Life has gotten in the way. I have several posts brewing. More to come this weekend.

how safe is your makeup?

2007-05-08T23:31:00.000-04:00

My awesome friend Elizabeth told me about the website, Campaign For Safe Cosmetics. This group is working hard to get the cosmetics industry to stop using toxic and unsafe chemicals in their products. It's a great site with a ton of information, including recipes for homemade products. (I promise to test some out and blog about them soon).

One of the links from this site is to the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep. This site offers comprehensive data on the safety of health and beauty products currently available to consumers. Products are given a score between 0-5, 0 being the safest and 5 of highest concern. They rate everything from makeup to hair products to skin products to perfumes to dental products. Basically anything that falls into the health & beauty category.

I don't wear a lot of makeup but I thought I would check out my current staples, the stuff I use every day. Here are the results.

MAC Select Sheer Pressed Powder
Score 4.2

It turns out that my powder of choice ranks 172 out of the 175 powders tested. I have been dusting my face daily with carcinogens and immune system toxicants. Nice!

Bonne Bell Eye Definer Eye Liner
not on the list

Unfortunately this product is not included on the list. However, other Bonne Bell eye products are rated around the 1.5 mark. Hopefully this is a good sign for my favorite eye liner.

Cover Girl Volume Exact Mascara
not on the list

Again, this one is not on the list but it is a fairly new product. Unfortunately, the Cover Girl mascaras that are listed are not great. Of the 8 types tested the scores range from 2.5 - 3.7. Each of the 8 contain ingredients that are considered toxic. Not a good sign.

Blistex Complete Moisture Lip Balm
Score 3.7

This one is particularly painful for me as I am addicted to this stuff! My lips are dry all the time. In my youth, my lips would chap so badly that it would extend halfway up my upper lip towards my nose. Not a pretty picture. This is one of the few lip balms that has kept my lips moist. But it actually contains chemicals that are toxic to the liver and kidneys, not to mention the carcinogens. Suddenly, it doesn't seem worth it.

This eyeopening segment was brought to you by the letter "S" for this SUCKS.

green Apples

2007-05-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

Steve Jobs posted this on the Apple website today. Very encouraging news!

Green Living Show

2007-05-01T21:02:00.001-04:00

I attended the Green Living Show this past Sunday with Elizabeth and Erica. I was really impressed by the exhibits and the amount of companies promoting environmentally friendly products. I picked up a number of samples and will review them on the blog as I try them. I also found it incredibly overwhelming, as I realize just how many areas of my life require a "green overhaul." I'm not even sure where to begin. So over the next few days I will make a list of the green, organic and healthy improvements I plan to make. Once I have that figured out, I will post that list on the blog. I get the feeling that it will be a very long list...

laundry soap

2007-04-27T19:02:00.000-04:00

Cleaning products is the first area I am trying to tackle. As I finish the products I am currently using I plan to replace them with ones that are safe for the environment and healthier for humans. I needed laundry detergent so I checked out the options at my grocery store. I came across Arm & Hammer Essentials Powerful Natural Laundry Detergent. After checking the price (not too much more than my regular detergent) and reading the tag line "Better for my family, better for the environment" I thought I'd give it a try. The label claims that it is made from 100% naturally derived surfactants, is made from biodegradable plant-based soaps, is dye free, contains no phosphates or bleaches, is boosted by baking soda and is safe for septic systems. Sounds good right? But there's also a warning indicating that it contains an irritant. The tiny print on the back states that it may irritate eyes and skin. So what I don't know, because ingredients lists are not required on laundry detergent, is what those irritants are and how dangerous they might be. Nevertheless, this stuff is probably way less harmful than what I was buying before.

I've done several loads of laundry with this stuff and I am impressed. It cleans just as well as my previous brand and the scent is lovely. (Although I don't know how "natural" the scent is.) And the bottle is recyclable.

What I find odd, is that there is no mention of this product on the Arm & Hammer website. You'd think that they would be promoting the product heavily with the environment being such a hot topic.

Earth Day hope

2007-04-24T20:27:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday as I was doing some shopping, I had some environmentally positive experiences. I was going over to Elizabeth's for dinner and a sleep-over, so I stopped by the LCBO to pick up some beverages. I came armed with the enviro-bag that the LCBO has been selling for at least a year. This reusable bag has dividers in it, allowing you to carry 4 bottles without them banging against each other. These bags are only $4.95 and they donate 50 cents from each bag to the LCBO Natural Heritage Fund, which supports projects that restore wildlife habitats in Ontario. When I got to the checkout with my booze and my bag, the cashier pulled out this cool, blue, woven bag that they were giving away for Earth Day. Even though I was already the proud owner of a cloth enviro-bag that I was happy to shell out $5 for, I was thrilled to see them giving away these reusable bags. Hopefully, getting the free bag will encourage people to use it!

I then stopped into the Ultramart to pick up some snacks for the evening. When I informed the cashier that I had brought my own cloth bag, she asked if I had an Air Miles card. When I replied yes, she told me that I would receive extra points for bringing in my own bags. Unfortunately, this was only a limited time offer to celebrate Earth Day, but it's certainly a start. Now if we could convince Air Miles and A&P to do this all year round, it might be the incentive that people need to use reusable bags and containers to cart their groceries home.

I was also encouraged to see an overflowing bin where customers could deposit their plastic grocery bags for recycling. Unfortunately, this isn't my usual grocery store. I shopped at this store that day only because it was next door to the liquor store. Hey Fortinos (and your parent company Loblaws) why aren't you doing the same thing?!?

changing for the better

2007-04-22T22:38:00.000-04:00

I guess it is rather fitting that I begin this blog on Earth Day. I can honestly (and shamefully) say that this is the first Earth Day that I actually give a crap. Yes, I have been pretty good with recycling and I carpool to work, but that's pretty much it. In the last six months or so, I have become much more concerned about the environment and the amount of garbage and pollution that we create as individuals in North America. Everything is disposal and packaging is excessive. We have a pretty decent recycling program, but not everyone uses it. We continue to buy products that poison our soil and water. There is so much we can do to stop it but we don't. Why? We're too busy, too lazy, completely uninformed or we simply don't care.

With the environment and climate change being such a hot issue world wide I've really started thinking about what I can do to help. Yes I am just one person on this earth, but I can't be the only person trying to make better choices for our environment. As individuals we have so much power but we completely underestimate that power. As consumers we can choose to buy products that do not harm the environment. The more we do this, the more we send a message to industry that they need to change their ways.

So this is one of my first goals. Over the next few months, I plan to replace environmentally harmful products in my home with environmentally friendly products. Everything from cleaning solutions to cosmetics. I realize that this will be a pretty big change. There are so many items that I buy on a regular basis that adversely affect the environment. Some of my favourite products are ones that I will never buy again.

And it's not just the environment I am concerned with. We eat so much processed crap and use skin care products filled with chemicals. This can't be good for us and we've been fooling ourselves for years thinking that we can use these items and not suffer the consequences. I'm no scientist, but I'm sure that these things contribute to the enormous array of illness and disease that we encounter today. My goal in this area is to eliminate all processed foods from my diet and move towards using natural cosmetic products.

I don't expect to make these changes overnight and I'm not sure I will be 100% successful but I feel that I owe it to myself to try.

So here I go! Wish me luck.

and so it begins...

2007-04-22T21:53:00.001-04:00

I've spent a lot of time in the last few months thinking about my personal impact on the environment and my environment's impact on me. I've become much more aware of the power I have to better my life and my world. This blog will detail my personal journey towards a greener, cleaner, healthier life.