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How to Shop For Greener Cosmetics, Light and Hardcore Tips

by Angela August 31st, 2009 - No Comments »

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Fall usually means a new wardrobe and some makeup to go with it, for us ladies anyway. Here are some tips for buying makeup that is just a little more eco-friendly, and some companies to go to if you really want the hardcore eco stuff.

Mascara
This is fairly close to your eyes, and as such should be one of the greenest things you buy. Find a mascara that isn’t made from petroleum products. A mascara based on plant products is your best option.

Eyeliner
Choose eyeliner packaged in a wood pencil with little to no packaging, excepting a cap.

Lipstick
Any lipstick made from plant-derived ingredients is viable. If it is advertised as being good for vegans, it’s probably good for other greenies too.

Shop Economically
While higher end cosmetics companies aren’t widely known for their eco cred, shopping at bonus time will save you some serious loot that you can spend on other eco products. I just spent $40.00 on Lancome products at Sears and with the bonus, that included everything I need right through until the Spring makeup-wise. All the more money for organic milk and meats.

Hardcore Green Cosmetics Companies

While chains like the Body Shop and Lush have a greenish feel to them, there are companies out there that go further to ensure that everything in-store or on their site is from plant-derived and eco-friendly materials. Some are:

Raesin Cosmetics – Mineral Makeup
This company promises powders made from pure minerals.

Aubrey Organics
This company offers a number of skincare and makup solutions.

Organic Wear
The first ECOCERT line of makeup in the USA.

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The Greening of New Orleans; A City Being Rebuilt Sustainably

by Angela August 30th, 2009 - No Comments »

This week marks the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. When Katrina decimated a good portion of the city, the people in charge of rebuilding some of the structures wanted to make sure that they were “doing it right” this time around. Global Green USA, the US division of the green organization founded by former Soviet premier Gorbachev, has already done a lot of revitalization work in both the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans. Specifically, they have assisted with the Holy Cross project, a sustainable village being built out of the ruins of the Lower Ninth Ward.

The Department of Energy is also participating in a cost-matching program with Global Green to underwrite new solar power projects in the state. The idea is to rebuild New Orleans in a manner that can not only survive another hurricane, but help humanity to coexist with nature through green building. More on the Greening of New Orleans at Time.

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Solar Speakers, Charger and Laptop Bag Bring Eco-Cred to Back to School

by Angela August 29th, 2009 - No Comments »

Those of you with families have kids going back to school in one or two weeks. Many of those kids will be rocking laptops or netbooks. You are probably using one too for work. In any case, all of us forget to charge the laptop battery at one point or another. With a solar laptop charger, you no longer have to worry about it.

Their expense lends them more to use on a long trip or if you are a professional “in the field” all day, but the eco-cred and functionality on these things is high. We’ve also found some other interesting things with solar panels that will instantly make your kid either the geekiest or coolest kid in school.

Solar Gorilla
This one will charge your iPod and is compatible with most notebooks. Check the product page for more details.

Wireless Solar Bluetooth Speakers
Besides looking ten shades of awesome, these speakers will work with your iPhone or other electronic device to pipe out the latest sounds.

Fusion Solar Messenger Bag
While I found this bag to be the most attractive, a number of designs are offered at Earth Tech. This will allow you to charge your laptop or anything else that may need charging. Handy for when you forget to plug in your iPod, cell phone and laptop all at once.

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Canadian Universal Health Care Defended to Americans by Canadian Doctors and Health Experts

by Angela August 28th, 2009 - No Comments »

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This message is in direct response to the numerous anti-Canadian health care campaigns that have been launched in the US for fear of American citizens looking to the north of their country for a template of compassionate, universal health care. In an even-handed manner, it refutes most of the major claims made by American lobbyists in both their news bytes and commercials. Enjoy!

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Canada Warns other Countries about their GMO Problem.

by Angela August 27th, 2009 - 2 Comments »

Part One
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Part Two
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Part Three
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These three videos offer an astonishing insight into the world of genetically modified crops and the farmers that have to live with them. Canada’s widespread adoption of GMO crops has had an immediate impact on its environment and farmers, the effects of which are difficult to understand unless you can get the words from the farmers themselves.

Too many of the studies that have been done into genetically modified crops have been bought and paid for by those with an interest in perpetuating GMO crops, so it is refreshing to hear from the farmers themselves. If videos aren’t your thing, try this informative piece at OpenDemocracy in which they interview three sets of very educated and knowledgeable farmers that give their uncensored views on GMO crops.

To take action, you can send a letter to the Minister of Health and start following the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, where they have actions for items such as GMO wheat, bills being introduced in the Canadian Parliament that have to do with GMO crops, and many others.

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Pacific Gas and Electric Using New, Cheap Technique to Store Wind Power

by Angela August 26th, 2009 - 2 Comments »

PG&E

Credit: PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) will be using compressed air to store wind power. The compressed air will be housed in an underground storage facility so that it can continue to deliver power for up to 10 hours during peak periods when the grid is drawing more than the turbines can produce.

There are currently two such facilities in operation, one in Alabama and one in Germany. The technique is getting lots of attention due to its cheapness relative to other techniques of storage. The technique is called Compressed Air Energy Storage, or CAES. On its company blog, PG&E quoted a recent Princeton University study as saying ”CAES appears to have many of the characteristics necessary to transform wind into a mainstay of global electricity generation.”

More on PG&E’s decision to adopt CAES on CNET.

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Eco-Friendly Doggie Gear From Collars to Food to Dog T-Shirts to Bowls

by Angela August 25th, 2009 - No Comments »

Olive Green Dog recently launched its online store for eco-friendly doggie goodies. The Austin, Texas based company hopes that the combination of pet goods and concern for the environment will attract consumers in a very crowded online marketplace for pet goods.

“Green is not necessarily a new trend. Years ago, our mothers said ‘Buy something nice and make it last’, meaning less can be more. We live in a world bent on throwawayism, chock full of cheaply made, potentially unsafe dog products. We understand that responsible dog owners are looking for options.” says Gina Quiroga, co-founder of Olive Green Dog. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

In the interest of keeping things even-handed, the companies below will be Olive Green Dog’s competitors in the green pet marketplace:

Urban Leash and Treat
This online eco pet retailer features cake mix for dogs and compostable Biobags for pet waste on its front page.

FARMDOG
This Etsy retailer sells vegan doggie biscuits.

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Former Monsanto Shill Tom Vilsack was Appointed as USDA Chief by Obama

by Angela August 24th, 2009 - 1 Comment »

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Being a rabid Obama fan I was surprised to see that he appointed a Monsanto shill, Tom Vilsack as USDA chief back when he was assembling his team earlier in the year. In the video we’ve posted here, radio host Jack Blood discusses Vilsack’s ties to Monsanto and other agri-business, and they all appear to be rock solid.

As former Iowa Governor, Vilsack was deep into the pockets of Monsanto and passed a few agri-business bills that made it harder for small family farmers to do business in that state. Vilsack is also a huge supporter of genetically modified corn and soy-based biofuels, which are a good idea in theory but will deplete the world’s food supply in practice.

Did Obama not check out his background? This is doubtful. More like the Democrats are a small c version of our CPC government in Canada. Despite the wishful thinking that Obama is left wing, this action alone demonstrates that his administration is anything but. You can read more about Tom Vilsack’s agri-business and Monsanto ties at Counter Punch.

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Navy Testing Biofuels for Fighter Jets

by Angela August 23rd, 2009 - No Comments »

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The US Navy has put out a call to tender for 40,000 gallons of biofuel. The biofuel may not be produced from any food crops, a condition which shows that the Navy is not only thinking about the environment, but the ramifications of using some forms of biofuel as well.

The 40,000 gallons of biofuel will be used in fuel tests where the biofuel will be mixed half and half with petroleum-based fuels. They hope to complete the tests by 2013 and begin using biofuel in their jets on a regular basis. Hopefully other military departments around the world will follow their lead.

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2010 Honda Insight Helps You Stay Green With A Game-Style Dashboard

by Angela August 22nd, 2009 - 2 Comments »

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The Eco-Assist Dashboard on the new 2010 Honda Insight gives you the same feedback as a video game. The dashboard will display a green crescent when you are using an optimal acceleration/deceleration rate, and blue when you are not. If you perform enough eco-friendly driving actions over time, you will get a tropy that lights up in the dashboard. No joke.

The new hybrid stacks up some other eco-cred as well. It was named one of Kelley Blue Book’s Top 10 green cars of 2009, and it gets nearly the same mpg on both highway and city driving. 40 for highway, 43 for city.

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