Check Out Toms Shoes

Not only does Toms Shoes make super cute slip on shoes, but for every pair that is bought, they give a pair to a child in need in a third world country. The company started when Blake Mycoskie visited an area Argentina where he noticed that many of the children there didn’t have any shoes to protect their feet. Being the good guy that he his, Blake decided to start a shoe company that would give back to communities with children in need.

Toms Shoes has given away 140,000 pairs of shoes since the beginning of the company and this year they predict they will have given away over 300,000 in their one for one movement. One for one meaning that for every one pair that is bought, one pair will be given to a child. That’s a lot of shoes and a huge undertaking. It truly shows what giving people they are. That’s a lot of money that they could be making that they are happily giving away. How awesome is that?

Normally here in the U.S. we don’t really think of shoes as a form of protection. We buy them because they’re cute or we need a nice looking pair of shoes for a new job. For many children in developing countries shoes are just not an option. Many spend everyday barefoot. The main reason Toms shoes started this program is to protect children from hurting their feet. Walking is the main form of transportation and when these kids walk without shoes they are at risk for cuts that can become infected. Infections from soil transmitted parasites are one of the leading diseases in developing countries and can cause amputation. Wearing shoes cuts these risks dramatically. Also many schools in these nations require a uniform with shoes (something we take for granted), that poor families can’t afford. By giving away shoes, these children are able to attend school and get an education.

You could help a child out by purchasing a pair of shoes. Check out some of my favorites below…

Josie Maran’s New Spring Look

When I first started this blog last fall, I did a post on Josie Maran’s organic and chemical free makeup line. So many chemicals used in cosmetics today are linked with cancer and birth defects, that it could literally be dangerous to where certain makeup. Thankfully, there are many new companies devoted to creating safe cosmetic and skin care products. What I love about Josie’s line is that it’s luxurious but also safe and eco friendly…

You might recognize Josie as the face of Maybelline back in the day, but her bohemian upbringing often clashed with fashion industry she worked within. Eventually she was able to find a balance between the two by creating her own cosmetics line. There are actually 4 reasons that I’m promoting this brand:

1. Josie Maran Cosmetics is absolutely cruelty free meaning neither her products or any ingredients in her products are ever tested on animals. How great does it feel to wear makeup knowing no animals have been hurt in the process? Just this year Europe passed a law against animal testing for cosmetics which is great, but here in the US, it’s still legal and most companies actively test on animals. So this is one great reason to try her line.

2. Josie has signed with the Compact for Safe Cosmetics promising not to put any harmful chemicals in her products. This eliminates parabans, petrochemicals, carcinogens, mutagens and reproductive chemicals from any of her products. Most of her products are natural if not organic too.

3. I’m a sucker for packaging so it’s great when you get cute and eco friendly for the price of one. All of her packaging is biodegradable and her counter displays are made out of sustainable materials. Josie Maran Cosmetics tries to be as eco friendly as possible in their day to day business using recycled paper and eliminating unnecessary waste.

4. The make up rocks. I love it! It’s clean and great for every skin tone. Check out these new fingerpaints below you can put on your eyes, cheeks or lips…and I really love her tinted moisturizer and powder.

Check out Josie’s site for more product info and prices, josiemarancosmetics.com.

Company Spotlight: Eco Friendly Reef

Reef is located very near to where I live in North County San Diego.  They’ve been around a long time and are a staple in the surf community for their clothing and sandals.  Not only do they make super cute clothes, but they have also started a whole program to give back and protect the environment called Reef Redemption….

It’s awesome to see a company really make an effort to use only the safest earth friendly products for their line, especially in tough times like this.  For example they have started using hemp because it doesn’t require any pesticides.  They use ingeo fiber because it comes from a renewable resource like corn instead of petroleum.  Jute is a natural fiber that is grown to it’s maturity in only 4-5 months which makes it a great renewable resource.  They buy certified organic cotton to reduce pesticides.  For the footbeds of their sandals they use Pre-Consumer Recycled EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) which are basically just recycled scraps from the factory floor.  Recycled tires are used for the outsoles of the sandals.  One tire can make up to 6 pairs of sandals.  They use their own foam called Reef Redemption Foam which is made from plants instead of petroleum.  A water based adhesive is used for an environmentally cleaner product.  They also use materials made from a 95% soybean fiber.

They donate 1% of their Reef Redemption product series to non profits like Surfaid and Project Woo.  And over half of their employees are involved in these changes by volunteering to find more environmentally friendly ways to make their product.  Not only did they initaite this program, but Reefs new headquarters are also very energy efficient and made from renewable resources.  I think it’s pretty awesome that they’re making an effort to do this.  Reef is a huge company and hopefully by doing this they will impact and encourage other companies to do the same.

More Cute Reusable Bags

Every time I turn around there’s another cute reusable bag company. This time around it’s Green World Bags who are boasting some of the cutest reusable bags to date…

Just so we’re all on the same page, we’re using reusable bags because we care about the environment right? I mean even if they were the ugliest bags ever we’d use ‘em. But fret no more because now there is an over abundance of adorable sexy bags to rock. And while maybe back in the day it was embarrassing to carry around a reusable bag, now it’s embarrassing not to.

What’s awesome about Green World Bags is that they are as functional as they are cute. GW Bags are the same shape as brown paper bags so they don’t flop around in your car and your groceries don’t spill. They also carry about 2 to 3 times as much as plastic bags.  They’re so cute that you can even use them for retail shopping.

And if you’re still using plastic bags, shame on you! Come on now, we all know plastic bags are horrible for the environment. They take forever to break down and once they do break down, chemicals from the plastic seep into our soil and food systems. They create terrible masses of garbage that float in the sea which threaten sea animals. Animals on land and in the sea often die from ingesting these plastic bags that we so easily dispose. If you must use plastic bags (and really there’s no reason that you must) be sure to recycle them at your local grocery store. A couple of months ago I did a post on another awesome reusable bag company called Botanica, where I went into even more detail about the consequences of using plastic bags (click on the Botanica link to read about it).

We all know how bad things can be in the future if we don’t clean up our act now, so be responsible (and stylish) and rock these hot reusable bags!

Clean With Green Products

I never used to think about harmful chemicals being in my cleaning products. I mean duh, everyone knows not to ingest cleaning products (why would anyone do that anyhow) or let it get in your eyes, but I just blindly never questioned what exactly is in them. In fact, I used to think that the more like alcohol the cleaning product smelled, the better the cleaning product is. Needless to say, I’ve come a long way. Most cleaning products are full of chemicals and smell really, really bad. I mean does anyone else feel like they might pass out when cleaning with bleach? So now I just use all natural chemical free products and I just learned how to make my own at home.

My favorite products to use are 7th Generation. 7th Generation’s multi purpose cleaner is awesome! I use it on pretty much everything; cleaning counters, bathtubs, toilets and floors. It’s all natural and completely odorless. 7th Generations is a great company that makes everything from cleaners to biodegradable garbage bags to unbleached cotton tampons to laundry detergent. They also donate 10% of their profits to various non profit programs and do not conduct any sort of animal testing. You can also find 7th Generation coupons in this link http://www.seventhgeneration.com/coupons .  You’ll have to create a free account, but they have all sorts of special deals on there.  7th Generation is sold at Target, Stater Brothers, Longs, Whole Foods, and pretty much every other large chain.

I actually don’t mind cleaning too much and knowing that I’m not breathing in any harmful toxic fumes makes me want to clean even more.  Now, if I want the purest most natural cleaning products, I can make them myself.  Here are some ideas thanks to National Geographics Green Guide:

EIGHT ESSENTIALS
These eight items make up the basic ingredients for nearly every do-it-yourself cleaning recipe.

Baking soda: provides grit for scrubbing and reacts with water, vinegar or lemon by fizzing, which speeds up cleaning times
Borax: disinfects, bleaches and deodorizes; very handy in laundry mixes
Distilled white vinegar: disinfects and breaks up dirt; choose white vinegar over apple cider or red vinegars, as these might stain surfaces
Hydrogen Peroxide: disinfects and bleaches
Lemons: cut grease; bottled lemon juice also works well, although you might need to use bit more to get the same results
Olive oil: picks up dirt and polishes wood; cheaper grades work well
Vegetable based (liquid castile) soap: non-petroleum all-purpose cleaners
Washing soda: stain remover, general cleaner, helps unblock pipes; should be handled with gloves due to its caustic nature. Washing soda is usually found in the laundry aisle of grocery and drug stores.

Warning, Borax is a natural alternative to chemicals, but can be toxic when ingested, so keep it away from children and pets.

Don’t forget to pick up an empty spray bottle at the hardware store, and keep those old rags and used toothbrushes for wiping up and scrubbing.

WHOLE HOUSE

All-Purpose Cleaner
1/2 cup borax
1 gallon hot water

Mix in pail (or use smaller amounts in a spray bottle: 1/8 cup borax to 1 quart of hot water) dissolving the borax completely; wipe clean with rag.

Floors

Wood
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 gallon warm water

Linoleum
1 cup white vinegar
2 gallons warm water

Mix in mop bucket, rinse afterwards.

Furniture Polish
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil

Mix and apply with a clean rag to dust and polish. Reduce the olive oil if wood looks too oily.

Metal Polish

Copper and Brass
2 Tbsps salt
White vinegar

Add vinegar to salt until you’ve created a paste. Adding flour will reduce abrasiveness. Apply with a rag and rub clean.

Stainless Steel
Baking soda
White vinegar

Apply baking soda with a damp cloth, using the vinegar to eliminate spots.

Host Gator Goes Green

Okay, how cool is this? I just found out that my hosting service, Host Gator, invests in renewable wind powered energy to run their servers. Servers that are used to host all the millions of websites all over the years supposedly project more emissions than cars…I just found this out yesterday. So I was also glad to learn that my hosting service, Host Gator is doing something about it.

How do they do it? Host Gator purchases certified renewable energy credits representing 130% of the energy they use to power and cool every last one of their servers. This is huge since many companies will claim that they’re green, but will only use renewable energy to power their servers, not cool down. For every watt of energy it takes to use a server, it takes another 1-2 watts to cool it down. 3% to 4% of the world’s energy is used up by the IT world. Bet you didn’t think that by just being on the computer affects the amount of emissions going into the environment. I didn’t, this is all news to me.

So what exactly is a certified renewable energy credit and how does investing in them help? According to Host Gator’s blog:

“Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are tradeable credits representing all the environmental benefits of 1 megawatt hour of renewable energy. So when HostGator purchases 4,009 Texas wind RECs, it’s basically paying a Texas windfarm to generate renewable energy on HostGator’s behalf. HostGator doesn’t own the windfarm, but for every REC purchased by HostGator, that windfarm generates 1 megawatt of Texas wind power and puts it into the grid. When HostGator draws power from the grid, it can then claim credit for that wind power generated on its behalf.”

Not only are they purchasing these credits to make up for the amount of energy they use, they purchase it from their home state of Texas, where Host Gator was started.  Why is this important?  Number one, they are supporting the local green environment in Texas and number 2, they aren’t just going to where they can buy the cheapest credits.  Imagine if every company and person did this in their local city or state?  That would be a huge impact.

According to their site, by doing this they are:

Cute Reusable Bags to Rock

If you read my post on Easy Ways to Go Green then you know one of my biggest pet peeves is excessive use of plastic bags.  You know, leaving the grocery store with 15 plastic bags double bagged.  Plastic bags are such a bummer on our environment. Did you know that it takes about 300 years for one plastic bag to photodegrade?  Did you know that around 500 billion plastic bags are used each year?  So think about this…That’s a heck of a lot of plastic bags and a heck of a long time to get rid of them.  What happens to all those bags in the meantime? They pollute our oceans, rivers, wild life.  They get caught in drains and cause flooding.  They’re overtaking our landfills.  San Francisco actually banned plastic bags because they didn’t have room for them in their landfills. Plastic bags are super harmful to wildlife.  Animals are hurt or killed by getting caught or ingesting plastic bags. An estimated 100,000 marine animals die each year from plastic bag pollution.  When plastic bags do start to break down the toxic particles from the plastic poisons our soils and taints our food. Not to mention all the energy it takes just to make plastic bags in the first place.  And reclying plastic bags is actually very costly.

Also, let’s look at the other areas in which we use plastic bags; garbage bags and zip lock bags for food.  There are biodegradable garbage bags available that break down in as little as 8 months without releasing any toxins.  As far as using zip lock bags for food, try using reusable tupperware containers for all your food storage. So what else can you do to help stop plastic bag pollution?  Well, if you go to the store and buy a couple of items you can carry without a bag, then skip the bag.  Buy items with little packaging so you have less trash at home.  Most importantly start using reusable bags whenever you go the the grocery store.  Keep them in your car so they’re on hand. When I visited my friend in Germany 10 years ago, I went to the grocery store to get some items and guess what?  There were no free plastic bags or bags of any kind to put your items in.  You had to either bring your own bag or buy one on the spot.  At the time I was actually a little annoyed that I had to buy a bag, but now I get it.  It’s worth the extra couple of bucks to save our environment. With that said, there are some really cute reusable bags now available.  Envirosax has a collection of very trendy reusable bags that hold the equivalent of 2 plastic grocery bags.  Below  are some Envirosax bags available at Amazon or you can check out their website for the latest collection. One more thing; if your guy thinks it’s not manly to carry a reusable bag, tell him to get over it!  I think it’s hot when I see a guy that cares enough about the environment to use a reusable bag. So let’s say it together!  No more plastic bags!!

Why The Body Shop is Where It’s At

The Body Shop used to be one of my favorite stores and since then I’ve gone on to try other products. But recently I decided to take a deeper look into what they’re all about and I like what I see. Not only do they have a multitude of some the of the best smelling products ever, they do some pretty awesome things to help the planet.

As of 2007 The Body Shop products are 100% vegetarian which not only help save animals’ lives, it reduces green house gasses. They are also beginning to use 100% recycled bottles and are limiting their packaging.

The body shop does not do any animal testing on ingredients or finished products and advocates alternative testing. They actually refused to have any of their products made in China due to so called required animal testing over there.

The Body Shop has been involved in Community Trading since the early 90s. Their fair community trade program’s objective is “creating trade to help people in the Third World utilize their resources to meet their own needs”. Because of their free trade a paper factory making bags and scented drawer liners was built in Nepal and employs 37 people. A soap factory was built in the depressed region of Glasgow in Scotland employing 100 people, many previously unemployed.

The Body Shop was actually founded back in 1976 by Anita Roddick and has grown tremendously since then and is actually the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world. In 2006 The Body Shop was acquired by L’Oreal which created quite a controversy. L’Oreal has always done animal testing and now that they own The Body Shop, the argument is that buying Body Shop products promotes animal testing.

I can understand this argument, although the Body Shop continues to be cruelty free and is even taking further steps to make their products safe. Founder Anita Roddick still will have input on decisions and free trade vendors will still have future contracts with L’Oreal. I believe choosing The Body Shop brand over other L’Oreal products will make an impact on their future decisions. I love what The Body Shop represents and I will continue to support them as long as they continue to do what they have always done.

Ok, and aside from them being cruelty free, eco friendly, vegetarian, and developing third world communities, their products are awesome. I personally love their Brazil Nut Body Butter! Their products are so potent that it seems like you could literally eat them. Don’t though! They aren’t edible, but they smell delicious!

So tell me, what do you think of the Body Shop? Are there any products you just have to have? Do you still support them even though their owned by L’Oreal? Let us know what you think!

Kate Hudson Teams with WildAid

I love hearing about stuff like this.  I just found out that Kate Hudson has teamed with her hair stylist David Babaii to bring you David Babaii for WildAid, a natural hair care line.  The line donates 10% of all its profits to WildAid, a non profit organization whose mission is to end illegal wildlife trade and protect endangered species.

I haven’t tried their products yet, but they sound amazing.  Imagine washing your hair with luscious cupuacu butter from the Amazon and blue algae extract.  Or conditioning it with nutrient rich volcanic ash from the South Pacific and Polynesian White Ginger.

David Babaii for WildAid  is free from sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals and is completely vegetarian and cruelty free.  The line includes: Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner, Amplifying Shampoo and Conditioner, Volcanic Ash Sculpting Clay, Amplifying Whipped Mousse, Hair Polish, Bohemian Beach Spray, Extra Hold and Light Styling Spray, and Volcanic Ash Root Amplifier.  The line also includes a hair dryer and flat iron.

David Babaii has actually been Kate Hudson’s hairstylist for years and also does the hair of Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, and Scarlett Johansson.  David has done hair for over 100 major magazine covers and is known for his free flowing naturaly wavy style.  He has been named “king of curl” by Vogue.

WildAid is based out of San Francisco with additional locations in London, Canada, China, India and Galapagos.  They work with over 80 celebrities to inform the general public about endangered species and how we can help save their lives.  Their ACAP program works for governments to decrease public buying of endangered wildlife products.  They also have my other programs and 100% of donations are applied toward these programs.  Check out wildaid.org for more info.

You can purchase David Babaii for WildAid at your local CVS and Target stores.  I personally can’t wait to try them!

Josie Maran Natural Cosmetics

Many of you might recognize Josie Maran from her modeling days for Maybelline and Sports Illustrated. These days, Josie Maran is focusing her interests on her own cosmetics company. Josie Maran Cosmetics is an awesome organic eco friendly skincare and cosmetics line.

Josie grew up in a bohemian family in Northern California where she learned to appreciate natural beauty. She didn’t even wear makeup until she got into modeling in her late teens which is kind of ironic considering she owns a cosmetic company now. She spent several years as a very successful model and after having her daughter, she was inspired to give back and thus created Josie Maran cosmetics.

I have been using her cosmetics for about a year and I really like them for several reasons. Number one being they are truly non toxic, biodegradable and cruelty free. Josie signed with the safe cosmetics campaign to help take toxic chemicals out of cosmetics and now over 600 companies have joined. That’s awesome and it just goes to show that there are plenty of alternative options out there.

Another reason I lover her cosmetics is that they are very high end luxurious brand. The actual cosmetics are very high quality and you can tell that they put a lot of time and love into creating their products. I am a sucker for cute packaging and the Josie Maran line is gorgeous and sleek. Not to mention the packaging is biodegradable.

I personally like supporting brands that are actually trying to do some good and are not just in it for the money. Josie is involved in Global Green, which teaches kids about the environment and reducing their carbon footprint. She is also involved in the website Skin Deep which goes into depth about what’s good and bad in most cosmetics. If you use any sort of makeup or skincare, check out Skin Deep, it will open your eyes.

I highly recommend her brand if you’re interested in organic cosmetics.  Her site, josiemarancosmetics.com has a ton of information about what ingredients are in each individual product.  Her products include tinted moisturizers (what I use), concealer, powders, bronzers, blush, eyeshadow, lip gloss, brushes, makeup remover and Moroccan argon oil.  Josie Maran also won the Allure Editor’s Choice Award for her mascara.

You can currently buy Josie Maran Cosmetics at Sephora and on her website.

Desert Essence Organics

Desert Essence is a company that has been bringing natural skincare to the United States for over 30 years. Now they have a new line, Desert Essence Organics. All the products in the Organics line are 100% vegan, wheat free and gluten free. All of their products are free from parabens, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, phthalates, artificial fragrances or colors, silicones, EDTA, glycol, and petroleum-based ingredients.

I personally love their body and hand lotions which come in some amazing scents; sweet Bulgarian lavender, rich vanilla chai, spicy citrus, almond and coconut. They smell so good and are all organic. They also are a great moisturizer which I use after every shower. If you’re looking for a great all natural organic lotion, I recommend this line.

Another awesome point about Desert Essence is that their facility is run by wind power which is clean energy thus helping our planet. In addition, wind power is the cheapest alternative energy which is great for us, the consumer, because it allows them to keep their prices low.

Desert Essence is also a supporter of animal rights. None of their raw material or finished product is ever tested on animals. Something to keep in mind; if a product says “finished product is not tested on animals” that does not mean that the actual ingredients of the products were “not” tested on animals. There are companies out there that send their ingredients out to contracted labs that do animal testing, but then put the label “finished product not tested on animals” on their products because the actual finished product wasn’t. That’s still animal testing. So that’s another reason that I love Desert Essence because everything that is or isn’t in their product is on the label.

Aside from their sweet body lotions, they have an array of other products in their Desert Essence Organics line such as jojoba oil (which I use everyday), tea tree oil, pistachio foot repair cream, pumpkin hand repair cream, green apple shampoo and conditioner, lemon tea tree shampoo and conditioner, red raspberry shampoo and conditioner, Italian red grape conditioner, and travel kits.

Click here to go to their site Desert Essence or check out the Sweet Fuzz Store for Amazon’s best deals on Desert Essence.

Mychelle Natural Skin Care

Mychelle is my favorite natural skin care line right now.  It’s a completely cruelty free, vegetarian and plant based line which means they don’t use any synthetic chemicals or toxins to preserve their products.  Instead they use essential oils, antioxidants, and antimicrobial extracts.  Never any parabens, coloring agents or fragrances which have been linked to cancer and birth defects.

I love Mychelle because their products make my skin feel supple yet able to breath.  Also I know that when I use Myshelle, I’m not putting anything on my skin that can harm me in the future.  Did you know that our skin absorbs 40% of what’s put on it?  So I want to know for sure what ingredients are in the products I use.

Below are some Mychelle products I recommend. For more products check out
http://sweetfuzz.com/store/

Mychelle has a great selection of organic products, everything from cleansers to serums to eye creams.  I can’t see myself switching over to any other line right now, since they have everything I need.