Green Daily

(Photo by Target)

Okay, so I get that we shouldn't use leather, because it's (theoretically) cruel to kill animals for fashion, and the tanning and dying process is (definitely) an environmental nightmare that produces evil, poisonous sludge.

A fashionable girl can still turn to fun (and bonus: inexpensive) vinyl options from trendy bargain retailers like Target and H&M. No animals hurt here! Except, wait, the production of vinyl is sort of nasty. But did I mention, no animals hurt? Vegan? Please, can't I at least have a leather looking bag?

Apparently the answer is "No." A news alert from the Center for Environmental Health just released results from a study that found vinyl bags bought in the Bay Area have high -- dangerously high -- levels of lead in them. Great! That's where I live, and I'm carrying a fabulous H&M vinyl bag right now. Except I just dropped it like a radiation-hot potato.

(Photo by Getty Images)

The gals over at PrettyCity tell us that it's "pretty being green," and they're helping the rest of us put that uplifting idea into practice with their Green and Gorgeous pledge, which started on June 5th, World Environment Day.

Across the country, spas are participating in Green and Gorgeous by pledging to recycle, conserve water and energy and provide green products to their clients. And I was also intrigued to read that the spas are developing signature treatments that have a reduced negative impact on the environment.

While supplies last, green ladies -- and gentlemen -- who get a treatment at a participating spa also get a "Tote-ally Pretty" tote that is super cute and a great reusable shopping bag.

(Photo by Getty Images)

One of the biggest discussions in the eco-community is about food. Choosing organic, eating vegetarian one a day week or growing vegetables on your back patio are all common changes people are making to reduce their impact and improve their health.

Just like businesses are discovering that green practices are good for the bottom line, a lot of us are learning that eating healthier is connected to making environmentally-friendly choices. A few weeks ago I wrote about Good Guide, a site that helps you figure out ingredients, environmental practices and how a product compares to similar brands. They just came out with a helpful list of 10 tips for Eating Healthier. Some of the ideas are common sense like avoiding processed foods and checking the sodium levels -- hint, lower sodium is better, even if salty = tasty!

Some of the other ideas include eating low on the food chain, which is another reminder that red meat is probably best limited to an occasional snack, and watching out for bright, artificial colors. Sure, hot pink M&Ms might be festive, but the dye that makes them so vivid might also contain some nasty compounds. In fact, Europe is considering eliminating some colors from use in foods!

(Photo by Priti NYC)

We can't all have a green thumb, but these days there are ways to make our fingers greener -- and if you're really fashion forward you can even make your nails literally and figuratively green!

Surprised? Of all the beauty treatments and rituals, nail polish has historically been the most toxic. That's finally changing, with most brands eliminating the three worst chemicals, toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate. Known as the "toxic trio," these three ingredients have been linked to cancer, asthma and reproductive disruption. Pretty scary for a vanity habit!

A new survey from the National Healthy Nail Salon Alliance and Women's Voices for the Environment found that 74% of major nail polish brands are now "Three Free." Many of them also tout their organic ingredients, which is sort of a brain twister -- I mean, it still smells like glue, so it's not like you can eat the stuff -- but also good news for those of us who want to use the least harmful products on our bodies.

(Photo by FT Press)

You've greened your diet. Your home. Your commute. Your office. But what about your interior?

Now that the benefits of green external conditions are becoming well known, it makes sense that the next "green frontier" would be the landscape of the mind. In a new book, "The Genius of Instinct: Reclaim Mother Nature's Tools for Enhancing Your Health, Happiness, Family, and Work,", psychologist Dr. Hendrie Weisinger explores the benefits of being "psychologically green."

Just like so many environmental problems come from being disconnected from our surroundings and the planet, Dr. Weisinger believes that we can be more successful, happy and mentally healthy if we get back in touch with the instincts that are "hard wired" into our brains.

In the book she lists six primary instincts, and ways to get back in touch with them.

You used to be able to walk down the aisle of a natural foods store, and tell just by looking at the packaging which products didn't have any bad chemicals or dangerous ingredients in them. All natural products were:

• wrapped in ugly brown paper packaging
• sold in bulk out of grimy vats
• tied up with hemp string
• utterly devoid of luxury and prettiness

But then the ugly eco-duckling of natural products was captured by the girls in marketing and given a glamorous make-over. Today there are hundreds of organic, natural, and green products that you want to buy just for the pretty ribbon on the box. Here's the problem: Now that it's cool to be natural, and you're allowed to have pretty packaging, it's almost impossible to tell which products are healthy and safe, and which ones are just really, really well packaged.

(Photo by 7th Generation)

I wish I could say that I'm clueless about why The Recycled Toilet Paper Debate keeps coming up, but let's face it -- we've had the "Eco-sandpaper Experience." Butts are tender and recycled paper can be rough!

Compounding the difficulty of finding a recycled TP solution is the challenge of finding a brand that meets the whole family's demands for softness, absorbency and cost, while being made with an environmentally-correct amount of post-consumer waste.

So why bother? There are plenty of compelling reasons for using recycled bathroom tissue. As the Natural Resources Defense Council says:

"If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper (500 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees."

Just to do the math for you, when we cut down trees, we end up with more CO2 in the air, which equals climate change and melting polar caps and general mayhem. We need all the trees we can get.

At last it seems like technology is catching up with need. Recycled product choices have multiplied, and there are many recycled offerings that are both quilted and soft. Of course, the proof is in the wiping, so if you want to do your own comparison, take a look at:

• Seventh Generation -- 100% recycled, 80% post-consumer, quilted and surprisingly soft
• Trader Joe's -- 100% recycled, 80% post-consumer, and love that jumbo pack!
• Marcal Small Steps -- 100% recycled, minimum 60% post-consumer, 50 years of experience making recycled paper
• Scott Naturals -- 40% virgin fiber isn't great, but is better than 100% virgin fiber and you gotta start somewhere!
  

Got a bathroom favorite not on the list? Share in the comments!

If you're like me, you tend to zone out whenever somebody starts telling you about how they're like, totally into this new eastern philosophy thingie. However, dejunkifying your house, whether you think of it as an ancient art form or not, does actually produce some measurable results in your quality of life. For example, living clutter-free helps you keep things organized so you buy less junk and know exactly what you have, which is kinda green.

For those of us with a uncontrollable urge to avoid tap water at all costs -- even though numerous studies have shown that bottled water isn't any better -- there's a new brand concept out there for purchasing small quantities of supposedly pure water in a disposable container.

Boxed Water Is Better (that's the name of the company) provides consumers with yet another way to purchase what already flows freely from their tap. Are you picking up on my cynicism yet? Anyways, Boxed Water Is Better sells water in what are bascially recyclable milk cartons that can be flattened out to conserve space and thus lower their carbon footprint.

Another particularly eco-friendly aspect of drinking this boxed water is that BWIB donates 20% of their profits to the conservation of the two sources they consume: water and trees. On the other hand, drinking boxed water still creates a larger carbon footprint than drinking from the tap (transportation), creates waste (because not all of the cartons will be recycled), and it costs a lot more than the tap. I'm just saying.

[via CoolHunting]

It's that time of year when gardener's start digging up the earth and planting seeds. Burpee is one of the most well know seed suppliers in the United States. Their seeds are carried at home improvement giants like Home Depot and Lowes where one-stop shoppers can get all of their gardening supplies. Their wares are so prolific that a few have made their way into my garden. Because of this I was immediately taken aback when I started reading on gardening forums that Burpee was owned by GMO giant, Monsanto.

Monsanto has been acused of many things from trying to be the single global supplier of seeds to using humans as lab rats by feeding us genetically modified food (read about GMOs here and here). I am not a purist but I try to avoid genetically modified seeds the best that I can and when I read the rumors about Burpee, some red flags started to fly. I swore off the brand not only for the plants but also because I didn't want to be putting money into Monsanto's pockets wich purchases of gardening accessories.

Well, it turns out that Burpee IS NOT owned by Monsanto. In 2005 Monsanto bought vegetable seed company, Seminis Inc. who supplies some seeds to Burpee. This does little to asauge any fears about food safety as technically Monsanto does supply product to Burpee (even many organic seeds are tinted with GMOs). However, it's important to point out that Burpee is privately owned and operated by third generation seedsman, George Ball Jr. and I can buy peat pots without guilt.

If you are a faithful Burpee customer and have concerns about GMOs, tell them. However, it's good to know that there are already seed companies out there like Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds who are 100% commited to providing GMO-free seeds.

Yes, there are at least two things in that title that are almost entirely incomprehensible, yet true. First off, it's hard to imagine a world where hardcore vegan Heather Mills would agree to be a spokesperson for the unapologetic meat fetishists at BK. Secondly, Burger King is going to start offering a veggie burger? Weirdness abounds.

If you're looking for a third reason that this news is bizarre, it may be worth examining what BK wants with a somewhat publicly reviled ex-wife of a Beatle, stigmatized for being a selfish golddigger. Still, the $6M deal has reportedly already been signed, sealed, and delivered.

Obviously, money talks and $6M can buy a lot of cars and McMansions. Mills could certainly be criticized for her making a deal with the hamburger devils at BK by the vegan community, and she probably will get a fairly strong tongue lashing -- she's used to it. Reportedly, Mills is looking at the silver lining:

A friend told The People: "Heather is ecstatic. She believes she can change the eating habits of millions. She's also being paid a lot of money and the deal will help boost her standing."

[via Ecorazzi]

If you have trouble sleeping you might be tempted to reach for the medicine cabinet or even fall asleep in front of the television. Neither solution will give you the restorative type of sleep that you need in order to be at the top of your game. Sleep aids can become addictive and television can actually cause insomnia (not to mention waste energy if left on all night long).

Here are a few natural sleep tips to help you along:

The Dr. Hauschka brand is probably best known for their all natural, plant-based skincare and cosmetics -- everyone loves the Rose Body oil! Recently, they also added homeopathic healthcare to their offering.

Dr. Hauschka Holistic Home Remedies include treatments for common ailments, using biodynamic plants and other natural substances -- rather than chemically created medicines.

Nicotine, camomile and white birch charcoal are combined in Nicotiana Cramp Relief. The anti-inflammatory and healing properties of calendula make Calendula Wound Cleanser so effective. And Berberis Nose Balm, which soothes noses painfully chapped by late spring colds.

The ingredients are all natural, and apply time-tested folk medicine knowledge. The idea is that they support your body's natural ability to heal itself.

You can learn more about the homeopathic line, which also include treatments for menopause symptoms, urinary tract infections and varicose veins, as well as buy them, on the Dr. Hauschka site.

As if we all needed another reason to hate traffic jams. A study coming out of Germany's Institute of Epidemiology suggests that sitting in traffic not only wastes your precious time on planet earth, but it can increase your risk of a heart attack -- and not just from road rage. According to the research, subjects who experienced heart attacks were three times more likely to have been in traffic during the hour preceding their cardiac event. Coincidence? The scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum Muchen think not.

Welcome spring into your home with the scent of geranium. Mrs. Meyer's earth friendly cleaning products are on sale for 20% off their regular price. This sale only applies to the geranium scented products but as that's my favorite scent, I have no problem with that.

I've been using Mrs. Meyer's Surface Scrub in the bathroom and it's a nice product. I noticed that the brand also carries Automatic Dish Packs for the dishwasher so I might have to try those and perhaps an All Purpose Soap Bar so I can smell as fresh as a flower.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products are toxin free and made from naturally derived ingredients. Every product is biodegradable and has never, ever been tested on animals.