Hot Topics | Green Living

Eco, Green, Organic, Healthy: What’s the Difference?

pregnantwomanshopping 300x200 Eco, Green, Organic, Healthy: What’s the Difference? Of course you want your baby’s nursery to be as healthy as possible — but where do you start? Everyone’s jumping on the bandwagon these days and labeling their products “green,” “organic,” “eco-friendly” and “healthy.”

The problem is, there’s a lot of confusion about what’s what, and the terms tend to get used interchangeably. Our customers tell me all the time that with so many terms and standards, it’s easy to get confused — and I agree!

So, to kick things off: eco-friendly and green are both labels that relate to our environment. Loosely interpreted, it’s about treading more lightly on our planet and realizing that our children and our children’s children will have to live here, too. Because of that, what is eco-friendly goes far beyond the makeup of the actual product and includes the environmental impact of the entire supply chain.

Organic, on the other hand, relates more to the product process, and it varies in meaning depending on the product category. Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without pesticides or the use of chemicals. Organic clothing is made with fibers that are grown without chemicals. Unfortunately, “organic” has become a shorthand for “more natural” or “fewer chemicals.” Unless a garment is labeled “certified 100% organic,” there’s a chance that it was grown organically but still treated with chemicals somewhere along the way.

Healthy refers to products that are healthy for your baby. Sometimes that means organic, but it also includes other aspects, such as cleaning products made from plant-based ingredients instead of chemicals, or plastics without toxins such as BPA or phthalates.

Of course, there is some correlation between these categories. Most things that are green are arguably healthier, and if it’s organic then it’s usually more eco-friendly than something that’s not organic. Where it gets tricky, though, is if you buy from an organic clothing line that’s made in China and shipped to Des Moines, the green factor goes down significantly because of the fuel used to get it there.

We all want to raise healthier children who will live better and longer and have a healthier planet, as well. But understanding that there are sometimes tradeoffs, the key is deciding what’s most important to you and looking for products that meet as many of your standards as possible.

So what do you look for? Here’s a quick list of qualifiers that let you know a product is eco-friendly, organic, or healthy.

Eco-Friendly/Green

- Sustainably harvested wood and other materials

- Made using recycled materials, and maybe even recyclable itself

- Multi-stage or multi-use products that do more for a longer period of time

- Certified organic fabrics, with no chemicals used during the entire production process, to cut down on the chemicals in our environment

- Biodegradable ingredients in cleaning supplies

- Made in the USA, or, even better, locally, to cut down on shipping pollutants

Organic

- The key here is to differentiate between “made from” organic materials vs. “all” organic

- Often times while the material used is organic, the dyes used to create patterns or colors – or in non-textiles provide other features like scents – are not necessarily organic or even natural

- It’s true vegetable dyes are natural, but there is a growing list of natural and organic dyes and printing processes today

- Looking for certifications that clarify and differentiate among the materials (surface and at times stuffing) as well as dyes is what the discerning eye is looking for

- While there are a growing number of certifying bodies approving “organic” standards in varied product categories, the certification we’re most excited to find is GOTs – which is quickly becoming what most consider the highest standards

- Without a doubt, the most commonly used “organic” claim involves cotton

Healthy

- Natural fibers like pure-grow wool, hemp, and certified organic cotton

- Bedding and fabrics that are Oeko-Tex and IVN compliant

- Certified organic fabrics are also keep chemicals away from baby’s skin

- Mild bath products that are fragrance free and hypoallergenic

- Cleaning products that are non-toxic and free from chemicals, ammonia, and fragrances

- Plastics and surface-wife items that are free from phthalates and PVC

- Bottles and feeding items that are free from BPA (Bisphenol-A)

- Simple wooden toys (what could be more natural than wood?)

- Fabric toys that can be washed to reduce allergens

- Non-toxic paints and finishes with low or no VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

A final thought: sometimes the most eco-friendly choice isn’t what you buy, but what you don’t buy. Look for items that do more and last longer; the fewer disposable items you buy, the fewer things will go into the landfill. Instead of an inexpensive option that will need to be replaced, invest in a higher quality option that will last. And look for multi-stage products that won’t be outgrown in a year.

We also like a less-is-more approach to create a healthy environment. When you’re bathing an infant, some warm water and a washcloth goes a long way. Don’t over-clean your house to the point where the chemicals outweigh the sparkling shine. And what could be simpler than opening up a window and letting in some fresh air?

The main thing to remember? Don’t let it stress you out. Remember: even when there are trade-offs, in one way or the other, you’re creating a better world for your baby.

About the Author

Ali Wing is more than just the founder of giggle — she’s an advocate for today’s new parents. By offering smarter solutions, providing information and building a parenting community, Ali has made giggle a resource destination. In addition to smarter products, giggle offers customized services to help make it easier to become a new parent, such as giggle personal shoppers and giggle’s ultimate baby registry, offering parents a robust set of tools such as gear guides, starter checklists and a baby gear dictionary.

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The Dirty Dozen: The Most Pesticide-Laden Fruits and Vegetables

apples 200x300 The Dirty Dozen: The Most Pesticide Laden Fruits and Vegetables The Environmental Working Group has released it’s ranking of the “dirtiest” fruits and vegetables — and by dirty, they mean the most pesticide-laden — and topping the list is America’s favorite fruit: apples. So, what’s a fruit and veggie lover to do? For those appearing on the Dirty Dozen, it’s important to buy them organic. And before you freak out at thought of rising food bills because of the cost of organic produce, the EWG also provided a list of 15 of the “cleanest” fruits and vegetables to choose from — those that you don’t have to buy organic.

Let’s start with the dirty dozen — buy these items organic to avoid pesticide contamination:

1. Apples: in their tests, 98 percent of conventional apples had pesticides.

2. Celery: celery tested positive for 57 different pesticides.

3. Strawberries: some strawberries had as many as 13 different pesticides.

4. Peaches

5. Spinach

6. Nectarines

7. Grapes

8. Sweet Bell Peppers

9. Potatoes

10. Blueberries

11. Lettuce

12. Kale / Collard Greens

Here’s the Clean 15 — produce that tested lowest for pesticide contamination and those that you can feel safe buying non-organic:

1. Onions

2. Sweet Corn

3. Pineapples

4. Avocados

5. Asparagus

6. Sweet Peas

7. Mangoes

8. Eggplant

9. Cantaloupe

10. Kiwi

11. Cabbage

12. Watermelon

13. Sweet Potatoes

14. Grapefruit

15. Mushrooms

Phthalates: Are They Dangerous?

phthalates 300x252 Phthalates: Are They Dangerous? If you happened to watch 60 Minutes a couple of months ago, you likely saw a story about the dangers of phthalates, a subject that’s been a pet peeve of mine for quite sometime. The program talked about the possible dangers of phthlates in regular consumer products and that pregnant women should beware, as phthlates could cause abnormalities in male babies. The data, however, is inconclusive, so naturally the plastics industry stepped in quick as lightening to say that all these phthalate-containing consumer products are perfectly safe.

As a green girl, I take the precautionary principle: I won’t use anything until it’s proven to be safe, so in the case of phthalates, I’ll avoid them wherever possible until otherwise assured of their 100% safety. It’s also come to the attention of a few highly respected doctors and scientists that phthalates found in perfumes, cosmetics, shampoos, nail polishes, etc., really can cause injury to the developing brain and cause neuro-developmental disorders. This is why it’s really important that women, particularly of childbearing age, take steps to try to minimize their exposure.

The problem is that you won’t find the word “phthalate” on a label.

Phthalates are typically found in highly perfumed products, as the compound that causes the scent to linger. These synthetic compounds have also been linked to a lower IQ and childhood obesity (ugh – can you believe it!). It’s quite horrendous that our children are basically “test subjects.” Only 200 of 82,000 chemicals have been tested for safety and the “safe” levels often don’t take a child’s size into account — I wish I’d known as much as I do now when I was pregnant.

The inconvenient truth is that we’ve probably all got some degree of phthalates in our blood, but the good news is that after minimizing their exposure, test subjects had a dramatic reduction of levels in their blood.

Ok, so here’s how to minimize your exposure to phthalates – pass it on..

1. Avoid perfumes unless the company openly states that they do not use phthalates of any kind. I love Ajne Perfume — they are strong, lasting, and made only from natural oils.

2. Avoid scented candles, unless you know that they have been mixed with organic essential oils.

3. Avoid all home and car air-fresheners.

4. Make sure that all your skin care products are either unscented or scented with organic essential oils.

5. Buy non-toxic nail polishes.

6. Avoid as many soft plastics in your home as possible: vinyl shower curtain, kid’s rain coats, soft/pliable plastic toys, etc.

About the Author

Sophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com

Waste Not: Paper Towel and Plastic Bag Alternatives

plasticbagrehab 225x300 Waste Not: Paper Towel and Plastic Bag Alternatives Don’t you hate to throw stuff away? Every time I throw anything in the regular trash, I cringe because I can’t bear the fact that it’s just going to sit in an overstuffed landfill for years. I’ve become almost phobic about trash in general and never cease to be amazed at the amount of it that I manage to accumulate, on a weekly basis. The two items that make me cringe the most are used paper (soiled paper towels that you can’t recycle) and new plastic trash bags. Both are an unnecessary waste of this planet’s valuable resources.

Most paper towels from large chain grocery/big box stores are not made out of 100% post consumer waste, so chances are that you are getting the virgin paper, which requires quite a few trees to be cut down and the pulp to be bleached – a very toxic part of the process. I highly recommend searching far and wide for stores near you that carry the recycled stuff. Trader Joe’s carries 100% recycled kitchen towel and toilet paper at a very reasonable price and the 365 Whole Food’s own brand of paper goods (towels, napkins, toilet paper etc) is pretty reasonable too. Alternatively, take the huge leap to giving up paper towels altogether and cut up old towels and t-shirts for rags instead. I got an email from a member of our wonderful community this week, who said that she and a group of girls have decided to pack a small hand towel in their purse before heading out for the day. This will avoid them having to pull out wads of paper to dry their hands in the office or restaurant bathroom. Genius – let’s all give it a try this week. I’d much prefer my own little soft hand towel than those horrid dry sheets.

Now onto the trash bag conundrum. I suggest that you either:

~Find trash bags made out of 100% post-consumer content. Some Whole Foods stores carry them.

~Use old grocery store plastic bags. You’ll always find one or two have made their way into your home.

~Buy biodegradable bags. Although they won’t degrade as quickly as the marketers would have you believe (because in a sealed landfill, nothing does!), they are a better option because they are often made of more eco-friendly materials. I was thrilled to find the new Perf Go Green trash bag. It comes in a variety of sizes, including a tall kitchen bag and is now available in 6.000 Walgreens stores as well as available online. I love that it is made from recycled plastic and a additive called OXO-biodegrade, which speeds up the degrading process. If you’re near a Walgreens store, check them out.

About the Author

Sophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the soon to be released “Do It Gorgeously.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com

Interdependence Day

interdependence 300x225 Interdependence Day I think we need a National “INTERDEPENDENCE DAY” — where we raise awareness about the interdependence of every living thing on this planet. I’m lucky enough to be sitting here watching the sun rise on the gorgeous Big Island of Hawaii –- an island that boasts 10 micro-climates and is in my opinion, as close to Paradise as you can get.

I’m on an eco-vacation — not in a sweat or eco-lodge (you know that’s not my thing!!) — but traveling as a girl who is not averse to a bit of pampering. HOWEVER, I travel with a conscience. I have a heightened awareness on an island like this that my footprint needs to be extremely light. I want this environment to stay pristine, and as so many beautiful spots in the world rely on tourism, it’s my responsibility as a visitor, to leave it exactly as I find it.

Snorkeling and scuba diving along the reef here brings this point home: Down in the quiet murky blue depths, with the only sound being one’s breath, I’ve learned that in the watery depths, where life on Earth began, everything is completely interdependent. It is incumbent upon me as a stranger swimming through, not to meddle in anyway with what I find. The tiniest amount of fiddling, like “ooh, I want to touch that turtle or take a bit of that coral” disturbs a delicate system.

A great example is sunscreen – I absolutely have to wear non-toxic/biodegradable sunscreen or it can affect the reef and the fish. So my diving etiquette is:

- Don’t: Wear toxic sunscreen
- Don’t: Touch anything whatsoever
- Don’t: Take anything or feed the sea life.

It’s their world and I happen to be swimming through it. The photograph above is of my husband scuba diving close to a gorgeous turtle. He is a passionate diver – and he has taught me much about how the health of the coral reefs around the world reflect the health of our environment as a whole.

This respect holds true for everywhere I visit on land too. It’s odd that as humans we feel such an innate need to show our dominance over nature –- to leave our mark: we need to etch our names on Redwood Trees and ancient monuments, even on the sides of cliffs – we want to show that we’re in charge and we’ll somehow leave our legacy, however, when we’re long gone, these natural treasures will hopefully endure for hundreds of years.

A cab driver here told me that the islanders just take what they need from the Ocean and leave the rest. He was boiling with rage about the oil spill in the gulf. His family and friends are fisherman here and he feels the pain of the fisherman in the gulf. “It’s just greed,” he said, “they can’t stop taking from the Earth!” By “they,” I think he was referring to the Oil Industry, or perhaps just shooting at everyone who he considers to be greedy: oil men, fishermen who over-fish, even regular people like you and me who unwittingly over-consume.

Back home in Los Angeles we have a lot of spiders at this time of year. There’s always a massive one – we call him “Mr. Jackson” — who weaves his web over the entrance to our garage. My daughter Lola used to be totally freaked out by Mr. Jackson and wanted him destroyed, until we explained how valuable dear Mr. Jackson is — he eats all the insects and mosquitoes, etc). Now ,she loves Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and their enormous family!

Mercifully, I’m in a resort that absolutely respects the biodiversity of life and interdependence of all things. They even use a water-based ionic cleaner, as they know the run-off from regular cleaners go straight into the bay.

I have been asked to release one of four baby turtles, which have been nurtured until old enough, into the ocean on July 4th. This is how I’ll be spending my Independence/Interdependence Day! By respecting the interdependence of life, the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel (who runs this program) will have given independence to this turtle.

I leave you with a powerful quote:

“Our future is dependent upon increasing cooperation and interdependence in a world tied ever more closely together by technologies of communications and travel. The emergence of a truly global civilization has been accompanied by the recognition of truly global challenges that require global responses that, as often as not, can only be led by the United States — and only if the United States restores and maintains its moral authority to lead.” – Al Gore.

About the Author

Sophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com

Update on Recycling & The Other 2 R’s: Reduce and Re-use

recycling 300x225 Update on Recycling & The Other 2 R’s: Reduce and Re use You may have heard that with the current downturn in the economy, there is a shrinking market for recyclables. Just when we were all getting the hang of which plastic numbers go where, we are now finding out that our virtuous efforts aren’t as effective as we had hoped. The problem is that much of our recyclable waste is shipped to China and with the economic downturn getting worse over there, the prices that the recycling industry is willing to pay for the more lucrative recyclables like mixed paper and aluminum, have dropped considerably. As a result, many of the warehouses and recycling depots are simply stockpiling cardboard in the hope that the prices will rise over the next few months.

So what should we be doing at home? Should we still be stuffing our Amazon.com cardboard boxes into our recycling bins or should we be stockpiling them in our garages or bedroom closets? We still should recycle whatever we can, however, now is the time to make a massive and concerted effort to reduce the amount of packaging that comes into your home.

If we take recycling out of the equation, we are left with only 2 of the 3 big R’s: Re-use and Reduce.

Re- use whatever you can. If you get a box or a package through the mail, always plan to re-use it. I have a drawer for old padded and manila envelopes and I stash all my old boxes in my garage, as I never know when I might need one.

Reduce the amount of packaging you buy. It’s an interesting experiment to go into a store and examine every which way in which you can go home with less packaging. That’s why I love bulk bins – they eliminate the outer cardboard box for cereals and grains. It’s also why I love my SodaStream machine (sodaclubusa.com) because by making my own sparkling water at home, I eliminate a couple of large cardboard boxes (and the glass) monthly.

How are you reducing your packaging?

About the Author

Sophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com

Toxic America — OMG!

homemade cleaning products 300x178 Toxic America OMG! Sitting here sipping my organic green tea, having just scrubbed my entire kitchen with my homemade non-toxic (and exquisite smelling), cleaning products, I can easily feel immune to the toxic chemicals that are very likely sequestered in my body fat, ratcheting up my chemical “Body Burden”. Like it or not, we are all exposed to these unfortunate chemicals on a daily basis, so I was thrilled to find out that CNN aired a special this week entitled “Toxic America”, where this scary issue is given the public awareness that is deserves. One of my main reasons for becoming rather obsessively green (or lets say Gorgeously Green,) ten years ago, was because I started to discover that my birthright to clean air, food, and water was being abused. Through no fault of my own, I could be and probably was unwittingly harming my unborn baby. I found to my absolute horror that my using regular everyday products, I could give myself at best, allergies, and at worst – cancer!

It’s tough to get our head around toxic chemicals, because unless you’re talking about something horribly smelly like Chlorine Bleach, we can’t typically see or smell them. It’s hard to believe that a shiny Pink Lady apple at the grocery store may have had up to 15 spraying rounds of a harmful pesticide during it’s growing season, or that your favorite body lotion is packed with preservatives that could over time, nudge your entire endocrine system off balance.

My doctor told me the other day that she’s seeing women as young as 25 coming into her office with heavy metal poisoning! “From exactly what?” I asked. “Everything and anything,” she replied. She also maintains that this chemical overload can cause women to pack on the pounds – WHAAAAT? So now we have to contend with a chemical body burden, which basically means the levels of chemicals that can be tested through blood work and that are stored in your adipose tissue (fat), and weight gain – lovely!

Okay girls, if this isn’t a call to action to grab a copy of my new book, I don’t know what is! I wrote Do It Gorgeously – How to make Less Toxic, less expensive and more beautiful products because I wanted to share with my readers how I minimize my exposure on a daily basis. I wanted to show you how easy and inexpensive it can be. So don’t think you’ve got to run to the store and buy pricey body lotions, cleaning supplies and bug killers – you don’t. The great news is that you really can make you own, which I promise (hand on my heart), are just as effective – if not more, than what you’re used to.

Unless you live in a Teepee in the mountains of Colorado, never travel and drink water from the mountain streams, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to avoid many of the chemicals that Dr Sanjay Gupta (on the CNN special), talks about. They’re in our cars, stores, airplanes and more, however, the great G.G. news of the day is that you can take steps to totally make your own home a clean and sacred zone.

1. Try to buy as much organic food as you possibly can.

2. Buy safe plastics (that are labeled BPA-free)

3. Avoid Teflon coatings on pots and pans and outdoor gear.

4. Avoid particleboard furniture and nail polish that doesn’t specify that it’s free of formaldehyde

5. Dust your home regularly with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter (PBDE’s are found in household dust.)

6. Make your own cleaning supplies (check out the recipes in Do It Gorgeously)

7. Make your own skin care products (check out some of our favorite the recipes here!)

Save Japan Dolphins: The Cove

The Cove is a film about the capture and killing of dolphins in a National Park in Japan. Few people in Japan even know about this awful practice!

For the documentary, the Oceanic Preservation Society team used high tech surveillance gear to penetrate a protected cove that shocked that world. Louie Psihoyos, The Cove director wrote about the documentary over on Huffington Post .

You need to read about this film and the story behind it but you also need to read about his latest discovery.

The Cove has touched many people with the story. The eco-thriller exposes the shocking story about Japanese dolphins, watch the clip below to get a preview and go to The Cove website to learn more.