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

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!

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!

In New York City, commuter cycling increased by 35% between 2007 and 2008, according to a 2008 report by the city's Department of Transportation.   In Minneapolis, the number of bike commuters increased by 49% between 2006 and 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. Needless to say, this is a great step forward and hats off to companies such as Discovery Communications, Clif Bar, Lockheed Martin, New Resource Bank and others, who are already providing employee incentives.

Every day we are presented with opportunities for change and with today's uncertain times, now may be the moment to say, "What the heck!" and get reacquainted with your trusty old bike.  Your heart will thank you and your boss could too! Most importantly the impact on the environment would be phenomenal. Let's ease our reliance on gasoline. Allow yourself to enjoy the process; you never know how you'll respond when you ask yourself, "what else can I change while I'm at it?"

Be gutsy and go for it!

Source: usatoday.com
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-11-30-bikecommuting_N.htm

• The average American child is exposed daily to five pesticides in their food and drinking water. (Rodale Institute)
• If organic farming methods were practiced on all the planet's food-growing land, it would be the equivalent taking more than 1.5 billion cars off the road (the Organic Center)
• Farms in developing countries that use organic techniques produce an average of 79% more than farms that don't (Rodale Institute)
• Our antioxidant intake would increase by 30% if we were to choose organic produce and vegetables (the Organic Center) and eleven important nutrients were on average 25% higher in organic foods than conventional foods.
• Analysis of one of the nation's oldest farm research plots in Illinois shows that, contrary to long-held beliefs, chemical fertilizers do not improve the soil. (Rodale Institute)
• Organic farming increases the quality of the soil and improves the water holding capacity of the land which in turn creates less runoff into our lakes, streams and drinking water, leaving more topsoil and nutrients available to grow our food. (Rodale Institute)

As J.I. Rodale, a pioneer in the organic movement, once said, "good soil=good food=healthy people," so keep it simple.  We can enormously improve our lives without cutting edge technology, big investment, or even big business. It all comes down to the soil and how we treat it and we have the research findings for support.  But instead, we are subject to outright lies concerning the highly toxic chemicals found in our food and soil that in turn is not only compromising our land, but making so many of us deathly sick. What we need now is to have our government (including the FDA) embrace the findings and act upon them.

There is no better time than now to learn more about the organic revolution that is sweeping our country. Let's do ourselves a favor and not pass up this opportunity.  And don't forget that small change is lasting change: grow organically in your apartment window box or on a sunny strip of land in your back yard, buy organic at the supermarket whenever you can, ask your child's school to build an organic garden, better yet offer to spearhead the project, or regularly eat organically at home.  It all adds up and makes a difference. (Personally, my dream is to see organic enthusiast Michelle Obama create and build her own organic garden on one of the 17 acres at the White House! Now that would be a positive statement that would be a lesson for all!) By making some changes, we can join this revolution and create a healthy and ecologically self-sustainable life for generations to come! 

What better place than the baby industry to be so creative and proactive?  Especially when new parents are taking a better look at how their infants and young children are being impacted by the toxic and often hazardous environments in which they sleep, play and grow.  Little did we know years ago that sucking the coating on certain plastic toys, food containers and baby bottles can cause cancer, brain damage, memory loss and learning disabilities! "Not for my child!" we say in unison. 

So finally some health and environment conscious companies are offering products that don't have the harmful components that so many of the products of yesteryear are now found to have. Companies such as Seventh Generation's Wee Generation (in collaboration with Rickshaw Bagworks, the design firm IDEO, and Healthy Child Healthy World) have developed a diaper bag that is PVC-free and constructed from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. Organically Grown now has in stores the softest and most yummy organic cotton baby layette sets, and Burt's Bees Baby Bee brand has all natural ingredients in their diaper creams and powders. And that's just to name a few!

The number of dedicated green products for baby has exploded in the market place. They not only promote health and eco friendly practices that benefit the environment, most of the products look, smell, and feel great.  All of these attributes enhance customer loyalty and other brands are now looking for a foothold in the green consumer market. Needless to say, when it comes to product purchases, for our children's sake, we need to choose wisely and stay on top of it all.  Someone has to!  Our Children and our Future depend on us! 
 
www.weegeneration.com
www.healthychildhealthyworld.org
www.organicallygrown.com
www.burtsbees.com

Same goes for the NYC subway system.  Certainly it's not something I am unfamiliar with:  I've used it off and on over the last 20 years, but not until recently have I REALLY used it.  Armed with my ipod in one hand and a laminated map in the other, I go from uptown to downtown without missing appointments or making excuses due to traffic. I have it down.  Except for the occasional express vs. local train snafu when I miss a stop and have to double back and start again, it's one fast ride from point a to point b, and it definitely beats jumping into a cab, fighting traffic and spending what I would spend on a lunch. 

Yet the truly refined transit approach is the NYC bus system.  Now that's style and a completely different animal all together.  NYC bus riders are different compared to the subway crowd:  a little older and more gentile if you get what I mean.  Whereas the underground bustles with a younger, more energetic type than their bus level gray topped counter parts.  Each mode offers an important service for all people, despite age or transit preference; it's mass transit built to suit.  When I have the time and have already worked out, being carted around above ground on the bus actually makes me feel luxurious!

But the best of all mass transportation in the city is the one of self-propelled walking. I know I share this passion with millions of New Yorkers when we put on great walking shoes, throw on a warm sweater or coat and get to appointments all day long on foot.  My cheeks are rosy and don't need makeup, my body feels strong and used after a long day, and nothing feels better than a long hot bath after a day running around.

And to top it off and for the fun of it, when a storm blows into town, don't be surprised if you see me (along with a few other snow fanatics) cross county skiing down Madison Avenue!

Pray for snow and happy commuting!

The evidence is anecdotal as well. Just last week my daughter and her dad were hiking in and around the trails of the Palisades next to the Hudson River as we have done many times over the past 18 years.  When they returned to the parking lot, the tide was coming in and the water was filling the parking lot in a way we have never before seen. Though there was not a cloud in the sky or even a passing boat, the entire lot and snack stand was being flooded by rushing water. Everyone in the area was in disbelief over what they were witnessing. Fluke or a sign of the times? 

Newly released research funded by NASA found that nitrogen trifluoride is packing a power punch in our atmosphere.  Until recently, nitrogen triflouride was considered an insignificant gas with low impact on global warming. However, now we are finding that it traps heat 17,000 times more efficiently than carbon dioxide and is increasing in our atmosphere by 11%. Yikes!  Because of its once believed lower global emissions, a few years back, nitrogen trifluoride replaced the highly publicized perfluorocarbons used in the manufacturing process of crystal flat screen tv's and microcircuits (in computer systems). We now know this is untrue.

No longer can we sit back and say global warming is not a problem.  How much more do we need as evidence; a global catastrophe of even a grander scale? By sea, our oceans are becoming so acidic that hundreds of animal species are becoming extinct yearly and a third of our fish have been wiped out. By land, the severity of our storms, the melting of the global glaciers and melting ice caps is downright frightening. I'd say that's quite enough physical evidence. 

As Americans, we need to ask manufacturers to revisit day to day operations, encourage and support new clean and environmentally friendly technology which can bring jobs back onto our own soil, and reevaluate our daily lifestyle in order to turn this around.  We can do with less, so what if we are being forced to do so? What a wonderful opportunity to take this financial crisis we're in and turn it around for good.   Together, let's take a stand and reflect on how each and every one of our actions affects the environment around us.  To refuse to do so is pure ignorance.
 
To increase your knowledge on this important issue please visit my sources:
NASA research: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/oct/HQ_08-268_Greenhouse_gas.html
American Geophyscial Union www.agu.org
Nitrogen trifluoride: http://www.livescience.com/environment/
Oceans: http://www.oceana.org/climate/impacts/acid-oceans/

You can start by visiting www.fda.gov and searching BPA through their search engine.  After reading their multiple articles, please share your thoughts with them by clicking on the "Contact the FDA" link. They can't know how we feel about this important issue if we don't tell them. Use your voice and while you're at it encourage your friends to do the same.  Our voices Do matter!   

There is no way to hide the current state of affairs;  it's time to get past the do nothing and worry stages. By tightening our financial corsets and following the “green” brick road, we can help stabilize our future.  There could be no better time to shift the way we spend our money toward more self-sustainable industries that support the environment rather than tear it down and deplete it.  There are well tested game plans available if you are open to changing your lifestyle.  (See the websites below.) Can it be easy?  Maybe, maybe not.  How much you are willing to give up and how fast you are willing to change is really the determining factor, but it will definitely be far less painful than the repercussions of doing nothing. People will change when the pain of not changing is greater than the change itself. The time has come to fully embrace the concept of conservation in all areas of life. Conserving cash for basic living expenses and adopting a no frills existence for couple of years will certainly help ride the storm of this horrendous mess.

This is a hard blog to write, but one that was coming for a long time. Quick fixes are a thing of the past.  We have outdone ourselves and are now paying the price for the song-and-a-prayer mentality that we all bought into.  Let’s face it America, we're spoiled and it's not pretty.

Buy local, grow a garden, and support local businesses in any way you can. Shift your spending to help protect the planet.  Knowing you are not alone in this may take the sting of "doing without" less of a harsh reality and more of a collective journey. Some level of healing may even be achieved by acquiring less and making more healthful choices. Let’s clothes swap, invest in a windmill, lower our thermostats and wear lots of layers for warmth this winter. Let’s skip the impulse to buy, buy, buy. Walk more, drive less, and smile as if you're enjoying it all.  If we step outside of ourselves and accept responsibility for what we have gotten ourselves into here and create a conscious shift for change, there is nothing that can stop us.  Good creates good.  Green creates wealth of mind, body and spirit. 

Today is a new day.  It’s time to embrace a greater good, for ourselves, for our children and for their children to come.  If we don't do it, who will?

Please take a few minutes to check out a few of the websites which have greatly helped me:

www.biggreenpurse.com

www.earth911.org

www.greenerchoices.org

Now is the perfect time to embrace the “renew, reuse and recycle” movement in order to conserve.  There really is no way around it.  We have no choice but to hold back, budget, "do without", curb our appetites and hunker down for the sake of the financial crisis we all are facing.  Despite the very scary reality, we can find a bright side if we look deep enough: we have the opportunity to help those less fortunate by clearing out all of that "stuff" that’s really awesome but that we no longer need and hand it right over to those who are really feeling the panic of the punch.  Now, more than ever, will your second hand gems be appreciated by new proprietors. You may even be enticed to push it even further to see where else you might conserve.  Can you carpool more frequently? Become more innovative with leftovers instead of tossing them? Compost your veggies? Clothes shop out of necessity not boredom? Donate your time to a soup kitchen or shelter?

We can also conserve our own hard earned cash by cooking in more.  I bet most of us could benefit from eating in a bit more often.  Watch FoodTV for some ideas if you’re being held back by a lack of innovation. What will blow you away is the amount of money you will save by adjusting your lifestyle here and there, with minimal effort. You may not go back once you see how nutritious, economical and good for you a home cooked meal can be!

It really boils down simply… going through tough times will lead to one of two things: pull a family together or tear them apart.  What distinguishes one from the other is gratitude.  Gratitude for what one has, what one has to offer and what one does with it. What better time to step up and answer both the call of the environmental movement to conserve and the call for dignity, grace and generosity from a nation facing job insecurity, weak investment institutions and uncertain times?
 
Let’s choose to pull together and be proud to be American!

Dumbfounded after hearing about this during a casual conversation in Texas, I immediately researched to find out if this could possibly be true, and if so, which loop hole this snuck through. Well, wouldn't you know it, until about a year ago, Luxury SUV buyers were able to take advantage of an obscure glitch in a 1970's tax code that was designed to benefit small farmers and self employed workers when buying heavy farm machinery and trucks by exempting them from paying the luxury car tax that was in effect at the time.  The intent of the exemption makes sense right? But the real news is about the abuse of the exemption by high end SUV purchasers. 

I could go on but the point here is...
We need to make important well informed decisions today for tomorrow. And we need to look at the cost effectiveness of those decisions. What may appear to be a money saver up front, may end up costing much more in the end. Please for the sake of our future, our children, let's force ourselves to adjust our need for immediate gratification in favor of a cleaner, more life affirming lifestyle. Turning a blind eye or convincing ourselves that it is someone else’s problem, will not help our grandchildren and future generations.
Buy or lease a hybrid when you next need a new car.  At least read up on the issue before you make your decision on what to purchase.

You won’t regret it. Better yet, your future will thank you!

There are several issues that will likely be raised and might pique your interest to take action:

• Parental consent before serving genetically modified food;
• Preference for grass-fed meats from small, sustainable farms;
• Elimination of hormones, antibiotics, and steroids from school food;
• Increased use of fresh, locally grown produce;
• Affirmative action on behalf of family farms & ranches;
• Junk foods removed from schools;
• Stop using school nutrition to push the unpopular National Animal ID System (NAIS) ("an expensive and unnecessary federal program that requires owners of livestock to tag animals with electronic tracking devices. The intrusive monitoring system amounts to nothing more than a tax on livestock owners, allowing the federal government access to detailed information about their private property." Congressman Ron Paul-R -Parental Rights in Food Choice

This is your chance to be heard!  Add your two cents about the lack of nutrition and levels of toxicity in our children's food! The remaining sessions will be:

Chicago, IL     FNS Midwest Regional Office
GSA Conference Center Room 331
77 West Jackson Blvd.  20th Floor
Chicago, IL  60604-3507         Sept. 10, 2008
1 pm - 4 pm
For more information, call 312-353-1044

Denver, CO      The Colorado History Museum
1300 Broadway
Denver, CO 80203        Sept. 11, 2008
9 am - 1 pm
For more information, call 303-844-0300

If you are unable to attend either session, you can still submit your concerns and /or general comments about the program management to the Food and Nutrition Service.
Please visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/cga/Sessions/default.htm or write to them at:
Food & Nutrition Service
3101 Park Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22302

Change does not happen through complacency, it happens when enough people come together, use their voices and push the mass to lean one way or the other.  How can we step up for all kids when it comes to having the healthy and nutritious foods necessary to live and grow? We can express our opinions through our votes, but also simply by using our voices!