According to WorldWatch.org, US Women spend approximately 8 billion
dollars annually on cosmetics.  Undeniably, as women, we are driven to want to look beautiful but at what cost to our physical, mental and emotional health?  Well, if we continue to blindly purchase the "hottest" and "trendiest" cosmetics, body, and bath products (pushed on us by millions and millions of advertising dollars annually) without looking at the labels, we could unwittingly be putting ourselves into harms way. 

The powerhouse cosmetics industry would rather we just leave it alone! As you and I increase our awareness of harmful ingredients in skin care products, the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association which is designed to sell products, will counter any concerns about any potentially negative health effects of their members' products. So as with any consumer product category, my advice is simple: Let the buyer beware.

I think we all agree that as a nation we are generally improving in our knowledge about the connection between the foods we eat and the state of our health. We read food labels and are making wiser choices. Now let's get more specific; I want to encourage you to not only read the ingredient labels on foods but on products we put on our skin as well. I want us to become smart consumers in all areas of our consumer lives.  Especially now when every dollar counts and bettering ourselves emotionally and physically counts even more. Step up your efforts to educate yourself about common and uncommon ingredients and their effects on the body. 

I have attacked my beauty stash and initially felt sad as so many beloved items were dropped into the trash but thanks to my dedicated, hardworking friends at the Environmental Working Group, I've been enlightened to do more.  It just makes sense. I have learned that some ingredients (or words in the ingredients) to avoid are:
• DMDM hydantoin and Imidazolidinyl urea (toxic contaminants)
• Fragrance and dyes (allergies, cancer, nervous system)
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone (allergies, nervous system)
• Paraben (hormone effects)
• "PEG" and "-eth" (toxic contaminants)
• Sodium lautyl or laureth sulfate (skin damage, toxic contaminants)
• Triclosan and triclocarban (thyroid and environmental concerns)
• Triethanolamine (TEA) (allergies, toxic contaminants)

And some products to avoid are:
• Hair dyes containing ammonia, peroxide, p-phenylenediamine, diaminobenzene (all dark permanent hair dyes) Let me tell you, I am mourning my old hair dye regimen...but with cancer an experience I would not like to repeat, I defer to the less toxic route these days.
• Liquid hand soaps with triclosan
• Nail polish and removers with formaldehyde
• Skin lighteners with hydroquinone

If we don't read our labels and make educated and smart decisions with our purchasing power, we will not see our best interests served in the cosmetics, food and retail industries.  The less toxic solutions are all out there, we just need to create the demand and have the supply follow, not the other way around.

For more information about toxic ingredients please visit:

www.safecosmetics.org
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
www.ewg.org

One month gas prices are through the roof forcing most of us to reevaluate our driving habits, the next they're at unbelievable lows!  What gives? I'm actually glad that the all too recent skyrocketed prices forced us all to step back and realize how much we over-rely on gas. When you think about it, what else would have forced us to evaluate our consumption as a nation and readjust our reliance; we were hit right where it hurts, in our wallets.  The cool news is, according to Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters, we are changing our driving habits, doing with less gas despite the drop in prices as of late.

Naturally, mass transit is seeing a boost in commuter usage which has its obvious environmental advantages.  Remember that soccer mom who shouted an affirmative "way to go Emme!" as she passed me in her SUV while I was waiting at my local bus stop?  Well, I'm not such a lone rider these days as noticeably more have joined the relaxing, "enviro-friendly way" into Manhattan.  I still swear by it, when the bus is on time!

We can make a huge impact on minimizing the depletion of our resources if we continue to change.  What we are learning is that merely living within our means without overextending ourselves has the potential to make a noticeable dent in conservation as well as our wallets. As a nation, we need to embrace with open arms what else we can do to help get out of the environmentally unfriendly situation we have gotten ourselves into, not to mention the financial crisis at hand.

Doesn't it strike you as oddly coincidental that conserving our money in these tough economic times has a corresponding positive effect on Mother Nature? In a way, we are interestingly enough being forced to treat her more kindly. Well maybe everything happens for a reason and maybe there are no such things as coincidences.    It's really up to you to choose what you want to believe, but I am encouraged by the change that is happening, lets keep it coming!

In order to raise our game and reverse the effects of the last eight environmentally neglectful years, President-elect Obama has assigned a well balanced and highly accomplished group of environmentally powerful individuals.  Personally, I'm thankful the list doesn't include any eco-radicals because a lot needs to get done in a short amount of time so there's no time to waste!    Like never before, the United States will need long lasting change, not the same kind of feel-good change we all chanted about during the election, but get-down-and-dirty change that affects each and every one of us professionally and personally. How-we-conduct-our-daily-lives-on-this-earth kind of change. There is no turning back, no living in denial, no passing the buck, no pushing our air, water, climate change, carbon emissions, mercury emissions, pollution or red tides to the bottom of our agenda.

Obama's picks, Environmental Regulators Nancy Sutley, Lisa P. Jackson and Carol Browner have all been there, seen it all and have been highly successful in their own accomplished careers.  To top it off, add in Nobel Prize scientist, Stephen Chu, to boot!  This administration finally promises to remove the blinders into the world of science.  Now real facts can see the light of day and not be buried under yards of bureaucratic paperwork.

Barak Obama has a formidable task ahead; where change, real change may sound good, achieving it is an entirely different story.  My only suggestion is to keep it simple so we all can get on board and do our part in creating a shift.  There are bills to pass, regulations to uniformly make, infrastructures to assemble and follow ups to do in order to support our president elect's mission of creating less carbon emission and minimizing our carbon footprint.  That in itself is a Herculean task, especially in a country unaccustomed to cutting back and doing with less.  If what is presented to us is complicated and chock full of legal jargon, we will not only miss the boat, but it will be caught up in the Washington system and never see the light of day in our homes, communities, or environment.

Getting moms on board will create an army of eco-change in itself! Many moms are trying to figure out their first move environmentally; whether in the home, the office, or the community and often times are disillusioned by the negativity that is often associated with the green movement.  "Going green is expensive", "Being environmental means living like Daniel Boone", and "The end is near, nothing we can do will help" comes from the old, more fear based way of talking about where we stand ecologically.  We just want to hear the facts so that we can initiate impactful changes.

So does boiling it down have to be so drastic all at once?  Information in bite size pieces through national PSA's and a user friendly community style website packed with environmentally friendly information and tips can be more manageable while our babies cry, toddlers squabble and dinner miraculously makes its way to the table. Not that we can't handle complex issues, most certainly we can, we just happen to be juggling a lot and would appreciate some out of the box thinking on our behalf. Go directly to the people, encourage spouses to take on some of the responsibility, expect employers to step up and hold them accountable, engage school administrators in the quest, and expect local municipalities to lead the way. Perhaps a challenge or even a competition between similar size towns to see who can best step up?  Help us engage our kids, husbands, neighbors and school systems to create toxic free environments in which to grow and prosper.

Thankfully this holiday season was one that connected Americans together, not one that pulled us apart.  Most of us did with less but made it special; we cut back and reused a bit more. Many of us pot lucked, watched movies together at home, and lent a hand to others in need. Something had to give and Mother Nature is seeking to correct herself. So be it: this is our first step toward the creation of balance at home and no matter the issue, it always starts at home.  So bring it on Dream Team.  Help us do our part and our very best to learn, grow and become more environmentally aware for ourselves and future generations to come!

Happy New Year!