Tag: Featured Living

  • Eat, Drink, Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics

    Most people think their food choices have nothing to do with politics. But Marion Nestle, a public-health nutritionist and professor at New York University, says food choices have everything to do with politics. In her new book, Eat, Drink,Vote, Nestle collaborated with The Cartoonist Group syndicate to present more than 250 of her favorite cartoons on issues ranging…

  • Study Shows Plastic Microbeads in Facial Scrubs Pollute Great Lakes

    Ever think about what happens to those plastic microbeads in exfoliating products that you rub on your face and body? A new paper gives circumstantial evidence that these micro-particle polyethylene beads, which are less than 1mm in diameter and designed to be washed down the drain, are polluting the Great Lakes. [caption id="attachment_309519" align="alignnone" width="500"] The highest…

  • 12 Ways to Avoid Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals in Everyday Products

    A new list by Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the Keep A Breast Foundation identifies some of the most problematic hormone-altering, endocrine disrupting, chemicals to which people are routinely exposed. Hormone-disrupting chemicals are external substances that alter the functions of the endocrine system (the system of glands that produce secretions that help to control bodily activity). Hormone…

  • Global Ban on Mercury Exempts Mascara and Eye Makeup

    Mercury was banned in cosmetics and soaps by a recently signed global treaty at the Minamata Convention. But mascara and other eye makeup were exempted. Mercury is used in trace amounts in eye makeup as a preservative. The treaty exempts eye area cosmetics from the list because “no effective, safe substitute alternatives are available,” according to the signed…

  • 5 Reasons You Should Buy Fair Trade

    Purchasing products that are fair trade certified can reduce poverty, encourage environmentally friendly production methods and safeguard humane working conditions. Simply look for the fair trade label on products such as coffee, chocolate or clothing. The fair trade label means an organization such as Fair Trade USA has certified that farmers and other producers adhere to fair trade…