Saving the Planet One Mile at a Time
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This infographic contains tips on reducing your emissions while on the road.
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6 Reasons Why You Should Care about the Green Beauty Movement
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Second post in a 3-part series on Green Beauty
As my previous post on the Green Beauty Movement mentioned, more people have become aware of the presence of harmful chemicals in many commercial personal care products. As a result of that growing awareness, as well as a general increase in public discussions about major climate-related and public health crises, there is more interest than ever in environmental issues. The Green Beauty Movement represents one small aspect of this phenomenon, but it is more important as a bellweather of healthy living trends than you might have realized. Here are six reasons why the Green Beauty Movement matters for the collective, global push towards a greener environment and a healthier you.
Read MoreThe Green Beauty Movement: fad or new direction in the beauty industry?
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Last month, actress Olivia Wilde was named “chief brand activist” for True Botanicals, a luxury skin care and makeup line that leverages science and technology to create toxin-free products. She is not the only A-list celebrity promoting green beauty products. Emma Watson, currently on tour promoting her “Beauty and the Beast” movie, is using the opportunity to call attention to the eco-friendly products she uses in her beauty routine. In 2015, Gwyneth Paltrow began a partnership with Juice Beauty organic beauty products as the company’s Creative Director of Makeup and in partnership with her own green venture, Goop. Also in 2015, Jessica Alba and Chris Gavigan’s successful eco-venture Honest Co. which markets to moms and their tots, expanded its line to include skin care, cosmetics, and hair care products.
The significance of these endorsements and ventures goes beyond the usual lamentations about famous people latching onto the latest beauty fads. I believe they signal a major shift in the beauty industry, one that reflects consumers’ growing awareness and alarm about the prevalence of harmful chemicals in most commercial personal care products, chemicals that have contributed to an epidemic of chronic allergies, ailments and diseases. Cosmetics are no exception: the chemicals they contain have been linked to symptoms ranging from skin rashes to cancer.
Read MoreBe Power Smart This Summer (infographic)
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guest post by Jennifer Adams, with introductory paragraph by Green and Prosperous
Energy waste is a problem that most developed, and developing, nations are guilty of, with the US and UK being among the top 5 nations that contribute most to energy waste. The problem isn’t only an environmental one: it costs businesses and households billions of dollars and pounds each year, consigns millions of homes to fuel poverty, and squanders opportunities to put all that wasted energy to use in the renewables industry to provide resources for domestic, commercial, and industrial markets.
Many people think of winter as the season with the greatest energy use, as people consume more fuel in order to heat their homes and businesses. However, with temperatures in many parts of the world reaching unprecedented highs, cooling structures eats up an enormous amount of fuel, too. Whatever the season, it’s increasingly important to find ways to decrease our energy consumption. The infographic below contains many tips to help you cut consumption and energy costs at the same time.
Read MoreGet Ready for Summer with These Organic Non-toxic Sunscreens
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Summer is coming really fast and the sunlight is getting stronger.
Basically, sun exposure is very beneficial for us, especially if we work long hours in an office with artificial lighting. Natural sunlight stimulates vitamin D production in the body. And as we know, vitamin D is extremely important for developing our bone structure, boosting our natural immune system, and even healing from and preventing depression and anxiety!
On the other hand, it is also very important to take sun baths with caution and to always use sunscreen. The rule also applies in winter when the snow reflects the sun rays even more strongly. Unfortunately, most commercial sunscreens contain lots of unhealthy and toxic substances that may do us more harm than good.
Read MoreEco-friendly cleaning? How to do it without the “greenwashing”
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This is the second post in a 3-part series on green cleaning
A quick survey of store shelves these days will tell you that there are more options for purchasing “green” cleaning products than ever before. In North America, Europe, and Australia, the options for buying eco-friendly products reflect regional and class disparities: the coastal areas of the US tend to reflect current trends in eco-conscious lifestyles with greater ubiquity than the southeastern belt and Midwestern heartland, while generally, wealthier neighborhood stores offer more options for “eco-conscious” shopping than stores in poorer neighborhoods. With few exceptions, the cheaper the product, the more likely it is that the company that manufactured it will have engaged in “greenwashing.”
Read MoreHow to Help Green Technology Go Mainstream
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guest post by Mersad
Green technology is the foundation of a sustainable economy. And yet, individuals and companies alike face problems going from research based prototypes to mainstream implementation. Getting green technology to push past market barriers, move beyond a research based idea and into mainstream markets is now the biggest problem facing the industry. Without it, benefits associated with green technology won’t reach the businesses and individuals who need it most. However, with the right framework and investment, efforts put into creating a green economy can be fruitful.
Read More10 Ways that Endocrine Disruptors are Screwing up your Health
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We are all exposed to endocrine disruptors like BPA, dioxin, lead, arsenic, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. Here's a list of what they can do to the human body and the environment, along with a resource to help you minimize your exposure to these harmful synthetic chemicals.
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Is Agritourism Really Eco-Friendly?→
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Green & Prosperous Guest Post on the Green Living Guy
Agritourism, or agrotourism, as it’s also known, is often described as the intersection between agriculture and tourism. Broadly, it refers to the activity of visiting a working farm (or ranch). These days, it’s considered a form of eco-tourism because it aims to be small-scale, environmentally low-impact, and involves educating paying visitors in some way. Farm owners also aim to showcase their products, and in many cases, invite visitors to harvest some of their produce. While agritourism is an increasingly popular activity around the world, it is not a new one. However, it has changed a lot in recent years, especially in the US.
Read MoreGo Green without Going Broke and upcoming events
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After an unexpectedly long hiatus from blogging, the Green and Prosperous blog is lining up some engaging topics that relate to the book I've been researching and writing to bring to you, dear readers, Go Green without Going Broke, vol. 1. This is the second book in the series of Green Guidebooks (#greenguidebook), after The Little Guidebook for Green Moms & Dads.
I am so tired of saying that the book is "coming out soon", but REALLY, it is coming out in about a week. I'm finally down to making the last edits, writing the front matter, and creating copy to help publicize the book.
I just got the cover back from the book cover designer and it looks fabulous! I was so excited I couldn't wait to share it with you!
Read on for more information about all the good things coming down the pike at Green and Prosperous...
Read More10 Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate this Memorial Day
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Memorial Day is coming in a little more than a week from now. if you’re preparing to fire up the grill, attend a parade, visit a cemetery or memorial, or get out and say welcome to the unofficial start of summer (here’s hoping you’ll have plenty of sunshine to enjoy), you’ll be joining the majority of over 300 million Americans who will be observing the holiday this year.
Memorial Day wouldn’t be quite complete without the usual round of recommendations and suggestions for how to enjoy the long weekend. This year, we’re joining the chorus and adding our voices with 10 fun, eco-friendly, and off-the-beaten track ways to celebrate this Memorial Day.
Read MoreGoing Solar: look before you leap (then leap!)
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According to the “Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018” report published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Bloomberg New Energy Finance, and the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre, 2017 was the 8th year in a row that investment in renewables exceeded $200 billion. Most of this investment has been in solar and wind energy. As a result, the cost of solar energy has become cheaper and easier to implement by businesses and individuals alike.
Read MoreThe controversy over organic
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Last week I shopped at Costco, as I do about twice a month. What was different this time was that upon entering the warehouse and showing my ID, I was handed a brochure advertising Costco’s latest organic offerings. I was curious: there seemed to be a lot more organic goods than I remembered, and some of the items I had been shopping for had disappeared from the store shelves, replaced by these new, supposedly healthier, products. If I sound a little skeptical it is because I am inherently more distrustful of organic products offered by big box stores, especially their own organic brands, than of organic products made by my local organic farmer, or sold by the small, local health-conscious stores where I’ve shopped for organic products for years. (Still, this skepticism hasn’t always prevented me from buying Safeway’s O-organics brand or more recently, Costco’s organic offerings.)
Browsing Costco’s “Save on organic at your local Costco” brochure did make me wonder, though, why some stores seem to be increasing their organic foods inventory.
Read MoreIndoor pollution: how to protect yourself this winter
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In the hard winter months we bundle up and stay indoors more often. We rarely air out our homes, although we should do this even when it is cold outside. These are just a couple of the reasons why we’re more likely to get sick in winter – germs thrive best in closed spaces. There’s another reason why we get sick more in winter that you may not have thought about, and it has to do with the kind of long-term, often subtle illnesses that result from exposure to indoor pollutants. Winter is the time of year when our body burden can increase the most.
