Eco Buying

Victoria’s Secret Jumps on the Greenwashing Band Wagon

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:43 +0000

It seems everyone these days is coming out with their own “natural” or “organic” beauty line. But are they truly what they claim to be? After all, when a well known company says their stuff is good for you most folks believe them.

Take Victoria’s Secret, for instance, who recently came out with Pink, their new body care line touted as “organic, natural and vegan”. Since no ingredients were listed anywhere, I set out to do a little investigating.

After a lot of searching and being redirected (and a visit to my local Vicky’s) I still had no ingredient lists. Stancie Wilson of Fig + Sage got to the bottom of the whole Pink question mark, you can read what she found out (suspicions confirmed) on Feelgood Style.

Greenwashing is a problem in the organic beauty world today and is gaining speed. Following are several blogs where you will find information you can trust on products that are safe for you and your family.

Low-Cost Green Household Tips from the Cupboard

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:42 +0000

Cleaning up with Banksy’s graffiti. Photo via Flickr: by Give Peace a Chance

Don’t need any more tips about greening your house, apartment, loft, garage, or tent?
How about easy, cheap ways to fix everything from floors to frying pans and dealing with furballs? Haley’s Hints Green Edition suggests 1,000 unlikely solutions for stuff like removing mud stains with potatoes. With summer coming there are ingenious ideas for the garden, pest control, and camping. Nontoxic and clever, this guide shows lots of ways that items …

Matt & Nat Introduces Samsara, a Collection of Vegan Bags, Accessories With Heart

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:36 +0000

Photo credit: Samsara by Matt & Nat

The best things in life come in pairs, like Ben and Jerry, Chip and Dale, Siegfried and Roy, and Batman and Robin. Another coupling that should never be torn asunder: Matt & Nat, the much buzzed-about Canadian purveyor of luxury vegan goods that will not only be swearing off PVC come fall, but has also upped and popped its very own mini-me, with more-diminutive price tags to ma…

European Union to Ban Goods that aren’t Energy Efficient

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:34 +0000

Photo via DELERI

In a move that could ban the sale products that aren’t energy efficient, the EU has agreed to set environmental standards on “energy-related” household goods. Stuff like showerheads and windows will now need to meet an energy efficiency standard in order to be sold or imported to Europe, according to Bloomberg. In other words, soon citizens will have no choice but to buy certain energy efficient products. The initiative is a bid to reduce energy consumption across Euro…

Hip Eco Roofs Sprouting in PDX

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:32 +0000

^{Portland Eco Roof on 5th floor of Multnomah County Building}

This isn’t exactly breaking news…or news at all for that matter. But in case you live in Portland, or are visiting it, you may want to check out a really cool eco-roof in on the fifth floor of the Multnomah County building on 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Eco roofs or green roofs are simply roofs with plants and shrubs covering them. It makes a nice addition for a roof and does help insulate the building it covers.

Eco roofs are sort of a new popular thing for trendy urban cities like Portland and they are beginning to sprout up in random places. The cool thing about the eco roof on top of the Multnumah County building is the view. The building is situated right on the east bank of the river and has a perfect view of the entire city. If you are an eco-tourist, this a spot to check out.

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Fog and Pollution

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:31 +0000

So it’s early morning and you are walking out your door on your way to work and notice it’s one of those foggy mornings. You would hardly say to yourself…yay! its foggy! I know I hate driving in it, and i think most people would think of it as a nuisance on their daily commute. It’s definitely a contributing factor to car accidents due to poor visibility. So fog basically has gotten a bad rap.

But there is some good news about foggy mornings, recently scientists have revealed that fog may actually be helping clean up our polluted skies. This is especially good for people with respiratory health problems. It helps clear up airborne particles which are hazardous to them.

There are all different kinds of fog around the world but the kind responsible for air pollution cleanup is called radiation fog or ground fog which is mostly occurs in the morning.

So here’s how it works: on a clear night, heat from the ground radiates into space, leaving cool air just above the ground. When the air reaches a specific temperature, water droplets form surrounding the pollution particles which creates radiation fog. Later, when the sun rises, it evaporates the water droplets, cleaning the particles out of the air. Left behind on the ground are the dirt and dust.

I found out California is actually one of the 5 foggiest land areas in the world. The bay area is pretty densely populated and air pollution is high due to cars, buses, airplanes, construction, and industry. So this fogginess is actually a good thing for the area.

If you live in the city, the next time you see fog draping over the ground you can take a deep cleansing breath and know it’s as fresh as its gonna get!

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A Defense of the Incandescent Light Bulb

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:28 +0000

Howard Brandston, a lighting designer, accuses governments and “energy zealots” of using
faulty science to determine the efficiency of light bulbs. He says that, with the use of dimmers and motion sensors, incandescent bulbs can be just as efficient as compact fluorescents.

California Fuel Move Angers Ethanol Makers

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:27 +0000

Ethanol producers reacted with dismay to California’s approval late Thursday of the nation’s first low-carbon fuel standard.

Britain Advances Carbon-Capture Plans

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:26 +0000

Environmental group Greenpeace noted signs of “climate leadership” in an announcement this week by the British government on carbon capture and storage, or CCS.

By the Numbers: Americans focus on bare necessities, perhaps hoping to forget about worries and strife

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:23 +0000

21 percent

Decline from 2006 in the percentage of Americans who say a microwave oven is a necessity, according to the Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends survey of 1,003 Americans ages 18 or older. The new survey covers how Americans are looking at common household appliances, electronic equipment, and services during the recession, asking respondents whether they see items as necessities or luxuries.

Several other appliances also saw double-digit declines from 2006 in the percent of respondents describing them as a necessity. Clothes dryers, for example, are considered necessary by 17 percent fewer people; air conditioning by 16 percent fewer; and dishwashers by 14 percent fewer. The shifts have occurred among adults in all income brackets, proof that spartaneity is an equal-opportunity phenomenon.

"These recession-era reevaluations are all the more striking because the public's luxury-versus-necessity perceptual boundaries had been moving in the other direction for the previous decade," wrote Rich Morin and Paul Taylor, of the Pew Research Center.

Americans are also looking to tighten their belts because of the recession. Fifty-seven percent have bought less-expensive brands or shopped more at discount stores (here's hoping they avoid the big-box binge); 21 percent have made plans to plant a vegetable garden; and 20 percent have started doing yard work or home repairs they used to pay for.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter