Beauty.... and the Beast?

'morning, everyone! Well, it's morning for me, at least, and as I was going about my morning routine - shampoo, wash the face, roll in the patchouli bush, y'know... - it came to me in a flash... something that I MUST post on The Green Daisy!!! It's a marvelous, although very condensed, list of the total CRAP that shows up in toiletry and beauty products. And I don't just mean stuff that simply overwhelms you with the scent of Grandma's potpourri. I'm talking about the awful, low-down, nasty, cheap chemicals and compounds that companies put in bath n' beauty items to appeal to our senses while they save a buck.
Shifty things have often found their way into beauty products at many times throughout history - take lead in makeup and other products during the 1700's for example! Mind you, statements like that one, should come with a big BUT at the end. People didn't have scads of scientific equipment at their beck and call to tell them why that stuff was harmful back in the day. These days, we do... but so many companies continue to mass-produce and use these harmful substances in popular products even though it's common knowledge that they're too harsh, because it's cost effective.

These are products that we often use every day. Little things add up... and I think we all remember that Grade 11 biology class about semi-permiable membranes such as our skin, and the fact that a whopping 60% of what we rub into it passes directly into our bloodstream. It's time to start reading labels and refusing to give our hard-earned money to companies that care more about our dollars than our health. This is a woefully short list of the poop that ends up in our body care products, but it's a good start. Even brands with a 'natural' reputation or image will use these ingredients, and others like them. Watch out for this stuff!!!!!!!

BEAUTY PRODUCT INGREDIENTS TO STEER CLEAR OF

#1 DEITHANOLAMINE (DEA)
A suspected carcinogen found in shampoos, soaps, and make-up.

#2 FORMALDEHYDE [yep, you heard me right]
You may not see it on your ingredient list, but this carcinogen is found in imidazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, and quaternium-15. Formaldehyde will evaporate into the air when the prodcut is wet, also.

#3 PARABENS
All types of parabens (methyl, ethyl, etc) have been found to be estrogenic - meaning that they mimic female hormones. Parabens have been found in breast tumour samples.

#4 PETROLATUM
Comes from non-renewable crude oil. Awful, un-breathable stuff.

#5 PHENYLENEDIAMENE (PPD)
Also goes by the name of P-diaminobenzene. Found in all permanent dyes, especially darker shades, it has been tied to increases in bladder cancer.

#6 PHTHALATES
You'll rarely see this controversial family of hormone disruptors listed on labels, because it's often tucked away under the ingredient 'fragrance'.

#7 SODIUM LAURYL/LAURETH SULFATE (SLS)
A major skin irritant. Found to cause cancer, after years of suspicion. [Jennie's note: to make matters worse, as millions of us flush this garbage down the drain, we're killing sea life in scores. It's very toxic.]

#8 TALC [I was actually surprised at this one.]
A powder found in everything from eye shadow and blush to baby powder and deodorant. Any talc that's contaminated with asbestos fibres is a recognized carcinogen. The US Department of Health's National Institute (NIH) voted to have ALL talc (even the non-asbestos stuff) categorized as a probably carcinogen.... but it was voted down by another government body. [The jury's still out on who that was.]

#9 TOLUENE
This powerful solvent is found in nail polish. Long-term exposure affects the nervous system, liver and kidneys.

#10 TRICLOSAN
An antibacterial chemical found in everything. It's building up in our rivers and sewage sludge and can turn into carcinogenic dioxins when exposed to sunlight. It has been found in breast milk [!!!!!] and has been banned by supermarkets in the UK.


That's a lot of junk ending up in our bodies and eco-systems. But, I don't want to sound pessimistic or depressing - it's not all bad news!!! The main thing to keep in mind, is that we are blessed with these fantastic, miraculously complicated, beautiful bodies that we rely on as a vehicle to carry us through our lives - it's up to us to treat this vehicle with respect, care and gratitude. My body's taken me to school, on dates, to the great outdoors, and even half-way across the world! It deserves the best I can give it. That's why, on the next post, stay tuned for some...

da da da duuuummmm!!!!!!!

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES!!!!! Not only are there lots of ***responsible*** (gasp!) companies out there providing quality crap-free products, but it's genuinely easy (and fun... and cheap...) to make some of your own! Body scrub, bubble bath, skin cream... you name it. On that note, if you've got any recommendations for down-to-earth products or recipes that you'd like to volunteer, leave a comment or email me!
I think I'll end this post with a quote that always makes me feel really good. It's from Julia Butterfly Hill, the woman who sacrificed two years of her life living in a 1000-year-old redwood tree to try and save it from becoming just another coffeetable... and succeeded.

"It's literally impossible to not make a difference. The question is not 'Can I made a difference?', but 'What kind of difference to I want to make?'"

Good eeeeevening, Daisy readers! I just got back from Montreal, and I'd like to say that I'm feeling fresh as a green daisy, but well... that'd be a fib. So! It's the perfect opportunity to blob out on the couch with my cup of (green!) tea, and put up another fine piece of writing that I've been dying to post.
A bit of background story: it occurred to me not long ago, that I didn't know the name of my postman. The guy who brings me envelopes full of crucial pieces of paper - bills, notices, records, statements, birthday cards for cryin' out loud - trudging through all kinds of weather every day to deliver these things safely to my very doorstep... and I'd never even said hello to him. I'd seem him from the window, so you could say that I knew his face but not his name, and that he knew my name, but not my face. Weird. Anyways, while pondering that, I thought of a neat poster that usually hangs behind the counter at Arbour Environmental called "How To Build Community," something I'd glanced over a million times in the lulls between chatting people up about composters and drawing creative 'sale' signs. I've seen them for sale at Ten Thousand Villages not too long ago, too. It's very truthy, (what? Spellcheck tells me that 'truthy' isn't a word?! Hahaha) and I'd like to post it up here.

Without further ado....

How To Build
COMMUNITY

Turn Off Your TV

Leave Your House

Know Your Neighbors

Look Up When You Are Walking

Greet People

Sit On Your Stoop

Plant Flowers

Use Your Library

Play Together

Buy From Local Merchants

Share What You Have

Help A Dog

Take Children to the Park

Garden Together

Support Neighborhood Schools

Fix It Even If You Didn't Break It

Have Pot Lucks

Honor Elders

Pick Up Litter

Read Stories Aloud

Dance In the Street

Talk to the Mail Carrier

Listen to the Birds

Put Up a Swing

Help Carry Something Heavy

Barter For Your Goods

Start a Tradition

Ask a Question

Hire Young People for Odd Jobs

Organize a Block Party

Bake Extra and Share

Ask For Help When You Need It

Open Your Shades

Sing Together

Share Your Skills

Take Back the Night

Turn Up the Music

Turn Down the Music

Listen Before You React To Anger

Mediate a Conflict

Seek To Understand

Learn From New and
Uncomfortable Angles

Know that No One Is Silent
Though Many Are Not Heard
Work to Change This

Did you notice that part about the mail carrier? My rambles probably make a bit more sense now. Hope you hearted that. Stay tuned for much, much more, and thanks for daisying! (PS - don't forget to do my survey! Over there! To your right! Oh man... time for bed.)

Earth Hour Announcement - and an article contribution from Jessica Wright

HEAR YE, HEAR YE!!!
Welcome to the second post on The Green Daisy! Exciting news: we received our first reader submission this morning, from a Miss Jessica Wright of Vancouver BC, who is soon to be Miss Jessica Wright of Ontario again! Jess wrote in with a particularly alarming report on the joys of processed meats... if we "are what we eat", I sure wouldn't want to be a factory processed hot dog. BUT, before we get to the meaty bits, a quick and VERY neat announcement:

I heard through the grapevine, that on March 29th, 2007, there is going to be a huge, crazy event called "EARTH HOUR", where, between 8 and 9 p.m. on that date, millions of people across our green planet are going to be turning off the lights in their homes and businesses for an hour in an act of solidarity and support of global climate change awareness. Imagine... millions of people. I'm definitely in. You can sign up at www.wwf.ca/EarthHour. What a perfect time to shut off the lights, turn off the TV, brew up some tea, and slip into the tub for an hour without all the noise and glare that seems to follow us even from the daytime into the evening. Or, if you're lucky enough, go outside and check out some stars!!!

Alright... and now onto the article! It's from www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com

Processed Meats Declared Too Dangerous

By Mike Adams

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has just completed a detailed review of more than 7,000 clinical studies covering links between diet and cancer. Its conclusion is rocking the health world with startling bluntness: Processed meats are too dangerous for human consumption. Consumers should stop buying and eating all processed meat products for the rest of their lives.

Processed meats include bacon, sausage, hot dogs, sandwich meat, packaged ham, pepperoni, salami and virtually all red meat used in frozen prepared meals. They are usually manufactured with a carcinogenic ingredient known as sodium nitrite. This is used as a color fixer by meat companies to turn packaged meats a bright red color so they look fresh. Unfortunately, sodium nitrite also results in the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines in the human body. And this leads to a sharp increase in cancer risk for those who eat them.

A 2005 University of Hawaii study found that processed meats increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 67 percent. Another study revealed that every 50 grams of processed meat consumed daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 50 percent. These are alarming numbers. Note that these cancer risks do not come from eating fresh, non-processed meats. They only appear in people who regularly consume processed meat products containing sodium nitrite.

Sodium nitrite appears predominantly in red meat products (you won't find it in chicken or fish products). Here's a short list of food items to check carefully for sodium nitrite and monosodium glutamate (MSG), another dangerous additive:

• Beef jerky
• Bacon
• Sausage
• Hot dogs
• Sandwich meat
• Frozen pizza with meat
• Canned soups with meat
• Frozen meals with meat
• Ravioli and meat pasta foods
• Kid's meals containing red meat
• Sandwich meat used at popular restaurants
• Nearly all red meats sold at public schools, restaurants, hospitals, hotels and theme parks

If sodium nitrite is so dangerous to humans, why do the FDA and USDA continue to allow this cancer-causing chemical to be used? The answer, of course, is that food industry interests now dominate the actions by U.S. government regulators. The USDA, for example, tried to ban sodium nitrite in the late 1970's but was overridden by the meat industry. It insisted the chemical was safe and accused the USDA of trying to "ban bacon." Today, the corporations that dominate American food and agricultural interests hold tremendous influence over the FDA and USDA. Consumers are offered no real protection from dangerous chemicals intentionally added to foods, medicines and personal care products.

You can protect yourself and your family from the dangers of processed meats by following a few simple rules:

1. Always read ingredient labels.
2. Don't buy anything made with sodium nitrite or monosodium glutamate.
3. Don't eat red meats served by restaurants, schools, hospitals, hotels or other institutions.

And finally, eat more fresh produce with every meal. There is evidence that natural vitamin C found in citrus fruits and exotic berries (like camu camu) helps prevent the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines, protecting you from the devastating health effects of sodium nitrite in processed meats. The best defense, of course, is to avoid eating processed meats altogether.

[Ed. Note: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger - a leading authority on healthy living -- is on a mission: to explore, uncover and share the truth about harmful foods and beverages, prescription drugs, medical practices and the dishonest marketing practices that drive these industries.

Blech! That was enough to make me want a salad for lunch. And dinner. And maybe breakfast. Oh, how I lament for bacon. Thanks for reading everyone - I'm off to Montreal for a few days, but somehow I feel like The Green Daisy isn't going to let me stray too far off course for too long...

14 Ways To Throw A Low-Carbon Bash!

Hey folkies, and welcome to the first post on The Green Daisy! I thought I'd start the site off with a bang, and share this list of tips on making your next party, whether it's a fancypants dinner party, a low-key shindig or an all-out kegger, a greener one. It's from an environmental-themed magazine, which I forget the name of, but will credit when I find it.
Tally-ho!!!

1. Making paper - recycled or not - uses fossil fuel energy, so skip hard-copy invitations. Instead, pick up the phone, use the 'create event' function on facebook, or use online invitation sites, like www.evite.com and www.regards.com.

2. Try to serve some local food and drink that hasn't been trucked in from afar - not always an easy task in Canada in December, but some good local ingredients could be cranberries, honey, cheeses, maple syrup, apples, wild rice, cider, lentils, breads, and local meats n' produce. Introduce your guests to local wines and microbrews!

3. Disposable utensils and plates are conveneint but an energy drain and a big waste - use your own, or rent/borrow extra dishes, cups and cutlery. (If you rent from a supplier or caterer, they take care of the washing!) [Hey people, an extra butt-in tip from Jennie - ask people to remember to bring their own cup/glass! It helps to tell them apart, and it's fun. And don't forget, random vessels, like measuring cups, make hilarious drinking glasses once you've had a few...]

4. Don't forget to include details on taking public transportation to and from your pad. Try to help your guests arrange carpools if driving.

5. Buy munchies in bulk to cut down on packaging - it just adds to shipping weight and fuel use. Aim to get all your goods in one trip (make a list!). If you're going by bike or on foot, plan in advance so you can bring things home in the days leading up to the party.

6. Once people start arriving, turn the furnace down - extra bodies will raise the room temperature.

7. It's the perfect chance to dim the lights, too! The author of "Simply Green Parties", Danny Seo, suggests winding 4 or 5 strings of LED lights around eachother to form a cool light ball. Make a few to hang from the ceiling or pile in a glass bowl on the hall table.

Alright, that's about it for the first post! Share your comments, ideas and feedback, and check back often for more good stuff. THANKS for coming!