What does "natural" mean anyway?

One of the most frustrating things when is comes to buying organic and safer products is not knowing whether the products you're buying are actually what they say they are.

organic.org

The food industry has specific requirements for labeling. However, cosmetics can use the terms "organic, natural and pure" as they see fit. The only way to know a product is really organic is to look for a USDA label.

Here is a guide to USDA labeling.

You can find more information about organic products (and fake organics) here. Scroll down a little to find more about specific brands that comply with organic standards.

And as always, it's a good idea to read ingredients when shopping. Because even if, like me, you can't afford to buy exclusively organic products, you can still support those made with mostly organic ingredients and those without toxins.

Say No To Foam

I'm just as guilty as the next person when it comes to using Styrofoam to package to-go boxes. I frequently am unable to finish a restaurant meal, and most places will bring you one of these boxes to take the rest home.

One of my favorite fast food restaurants (Chick-fil-a) uses Styrofoam cups for fountain drinks. I've heard some people rave about the benefits of these cups keeping drinks cold/hot longer and absorbing condensation.

But Styrofoam contains toxic chemicals that can be absorbed by food (especially when microwaved!). Not only that, it is made with petroleum which is a major polluter. This oil based product takes at least 500 years to biodegrade!

Glass and plastic bottles are also terrible in terms of amount of time to break down, but at least they can be recycled.

So what can we do about it?

• When I go to Chick-fil-a, I take my own reusable water bottle (cause I really don't need to drink soda anyway). If you order your meal without a drink, you do save that money.
• Pay attention to which restaurants use paper products rather than Styrofoam for to-go boxes. And try to choose these if you know you're going to have leftovers.
• If you know a restaurant uses Styrofoam, plan ahead. Take a friend and share a meal. Good company and no waste!

Further Reading: Polystyrene Foam Report

Award Time

I'm accepting an award from Amanda at chai am woman — a really sweet lady who blogs about her family, her cute outfits and her new path in life as a hair designer.

She actually tagged me last week, but I have such difficulty thinking of little tidbits about myself that it has taken me until now to get this post up. Here goes:

1. I was in Girl Scouts until 6th grade. I think many of my environmentalism tendencies have to do with what I learned through that experience. You know, leave a place nicer that you found it. And I still miss camping trips.
2. My paternal grandmother was Russian but born in China. She met my grandfather when he was stationed there in the Marines. I wish I knew more of this story, but I don't. She spoke five languages, but her kids only ever learned English fluently. Therefore, I only know three Russian phrases: "Good night," "I love you," and "dog poo."
3. I have a tendency to watch movies on TV when I already own them. Then I get mad at myself because I could just pop in the DVD and skip commercials. But I still watch every time.
4. My diet mostly consists of cheese, hummus, fruit, spinach, cereal and natural cheetos. I should probably try to mix it up more.
5. I love animals; I've always had a bunch of pets. Currently, my family has three cats and two dogs (and both dogs are puppies). I miss them all, and I'm hoping to adopt a cat of my own soon.

What are you wearing on your face?

These days, most women wear makeup of some sort. Unlike the foods we eat, many of us do not pay attention to the ingredients of products we use on our skin. So how do you know what you're putting on your skin?

Skin Deep is a cosmetic database where you can look up specific products and find out what is in them and how dangerous these ingredients might be.

For instance, CoverGirl Classic Color Blush, Natural Glow has a hazard score of 8 (out of 10). According to Skin Deep, this is one of the worst blushes on the market. It claims ingredients have been linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity and allergies, aside from just plain ol' irritation of the skin, eyes and lungs.

Like I said when I wrote about ingredients in shampoo, I am no scientist and I don't have a lot of knowledge about what some of these ingredients can do. But I do know my skin and health are not anything to take for granted.

Last month, I took a trip to Sephora with my friend Shannon. She is a recent convert to "real" makeup (which you can read about here), and I decided to investigate my options for more healthy/eco-friendly makeup.

I ended up buying a Bare Escentuals bareMinerals foundation starter kit. For $60, it included a sample of foundation primer, three brushes, two shades of mineral foundation, warmth face color, a mineral veil and an instructional DVD.

Although, this makeup probably isn't perfect either, it has less of the "bad stuff." I also have noticed an improvement in the texture of my skin since switching, and that works for me.

Grab A Cold One

On Saturday, we had some friends over to kick off the first day of USA's involvement in the World Cup. Rather than buying a bunch of six-packs and producing lots of glass and aluminum waste, we opted for a keg — Sunray Wheat Beer from Terrapin Beer Co. in Athens, Ga.

Not only did we eliminate packaging waste, our guests used actual glasses rather than Solo cups (we aren't in college anymore, after all). Sure this means a few more dishes, but far less trash went out the door.

Next time you're having a significant-sized gather, consider a keg, preferably from a local brewery.

"Everyone needs an Alice"

This is my parents' cat Alice. This post isn't actually about her, but isn't she cute? She loves the camera, if you couldn't tell.

As I mentioned in my previous post, while searching for the final ingredient for the laundry detergent recipe, I stumbled upon the site, Alice.com, and have since become addicted.

I used to hate shopping for basics at the store: toilet paper, toothpaste, deoderant -- ugh.

Alice.com gives me the opportunity to shop for all of these things and more from my personal computer -- with free shipping -- and green options! Can you sense my obsession?

The only downsides I've noticed:

1. After your first order (which they use to hook you), your shopping cart must have a minimum of six items before you can place an order. 
2. Obviously with shopping online, you don't receive your purchases instantaneously, so you have to plan ahead a little. So far, though, my orders have arrived in 2-3 business days.

 I have experienced many more positive points:

1. Product reviews and descriptions so you can compare and see what you're buying
2. Prices lower or comparable to discount retailers such as Walmart and Target (especially when it comes to environmentally-friendly products)
3. Alice keeps track of what you've purchased and you can set reminders to reorder
4. A wide range of products and brands to choose from
5. Ability to sort by "green" products
6. Some items are marked with instant coupons, which are automatically deducted when you place an order
7. FREE SHIPPING

Here is a breakdown of my most recent order:

• Green Laundry Dryer Balls (2 in the package): $7.99
• Ultra Green Facial Tissue (1 box): $1.99
• Earth Friendly Bathroom Tissue (2 packages of 4 rolls): $2.79 each = $5.58
• Naturally Fresh Deoderant (1 stick -- I'm a little skeptical of this, to be honest. We'll see.): $3.99 - $0.25 coupon = $3.74
• EconoGreen Kitchen Garbage Bags (box of 30): $4.99

 From all my bragging, it's obvious I've been very pleased since finding this website. I fully recommend giving it a try and seeing if this service can save you the hassle and gas from making so many trips to the store.

Incentives for Recycling

As long as I can remember, stores such as Publix and Walmart have had bins near the front door for returning plastic shopping bags for recycling. Target has taken it a step further, with many locations implementing more complete in-store recycling stations. The one closest to my apartment has separate receptacles for plastic shopping bags, glass/plastic/aluminum and one for used electronics.

I had already been drinking the Target Kool-Aid, but now I keep a full pitcher on hand cause I'm hooked.

A more complete listing of Target's "Go Green" initiatives can be found here. I know these large box stores get a bad rap (and with good reason, since they generally drain surrounding resources), but I realize they aren't going anywhere. They're just too freakin' convenient!

A 5¢ discount every time you use a reusable bag. A $1 credit toward a reusable bad for turning in five plastic bags (through a partnership with TerraCycle). Gift cards for trading in old electronics (through a partnership with Next-Worth). Plus on Earth Day last week, stores gave out free reusable bags — I got mine!

But at least this particular chain is taking some major steps to look out for the environment. Walmart is coming around too: stores around the country are carrying TerraCycle products thru Thursday, when the experimental program concludes. (Maybe I missed it, but Walmart didn't seem to do nearly enough advertising since I just found out about it while researching for this post.)

Likely, these are places you already shop so it doesn't require too much effort to take in recyclables — especially when there's a reward involved.