The Green Glove Test: EcoSalon’s Round Up of Healthy House Cleaning

gloves

Okay, take the green glove test in your house. Are you still using a laundry list of surface cleaners with harsh chemicals? Are you lifting carpet stains with products that give off ugly fumes? We told you about the good stuff that’s out there, but maybe you forgot when you scrubbed those dishes with conventional soap from the factory. But it is time to say no to convention and get your green on, even if you hate housework as much as we do.

As long as you are stuck with the …

Film Review: The End of the Line

endofthelinemovie

Called “the Inconvenient Truth” for the oceans, The End of the Line asks viewers to imagine a world without fish and then proceeds to show them exactly how commercial fisheries are decimating hundreds of wild species that we take for granted as food.

This is the film for people who don’t respond to dry, measured environmental messaging focusing on intangible future effects of current fishing practices. This film uses powerful footage and dramatic music to punch the viewer where it hurts: in the stomach.

The film asks viewers: if you …

Amy Butler Exotic Organic Towel Giveaway

amytoerl

I remember remodeling my master bath and thinking – wow, I need to hang some new towels on the bars over the tub to accent this very personalized home spa of mine. Where were you, Amy, when I needed you and those coral damask print terries?

Well, you’re here now, and that’s all that really matters, you prolific Midwestern designer you. As striking and exotic as her new organic bedding, Amy Butler’s new gorgeous green towels are super soft to the touch, absorbent when wrapped around your goddess bod, and …

Fresh Eco Eye Shadow Tips for Subtle Holiday Flair

jackie martinez

I am not Ultimate Eye Shadow Girl.

You know who I’m talking about – the girl who applies awesome eye shadow with such ease and flair that she must be a secret- agent-supermodel who can disarm a bomb from memory and never, ever trip in her high heels. She always has artfully applied eye shadow, and she always looks amazing and not the least bit clownish in it.

I have always wanted to be Ultimate Eye Shadow Girl. And it looks like this might be the year it actually happens.

This …

Rooting for The Blind Side

theblindside

“Will Sandra Bullock get nominated?” asked my 13-year-old daughter, blown away like the rest of us by the feel-good Christmas movie of the season, The Blind Side.

“I’m not sure,” I said, “but she should.”

Bullock clinched the Best Actress for me when her character stopped the family car to help a boy clad in a thin tee shirt, walking and shivering in the rain. She had seen him at her kids’ Christian private school, and asked him if he had a place to stay that night. “Don’t you dare lie …

Out of the Closet (And into a New Home)

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EcoSalon has praised the benefits of buying less this holiday season. At the same time, why not clean out your closets and give up what you don’t use so that someone who needs clothing and toys can benefit?

Modern Mom did a post on what they called Project Giveaway – which is an ideal way to describe what is going on in my own home as I rummage through closets, bagging what doesn’t fit and what we don’t wear. I must do it while my kids are …

EcoMeme: 2009 Study Finds U.S. Consumers Prefer Greener Gadgets

tv ipod and kids

A newsletter from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) this December predicted that 80% of shoppers would purchase new electronics over the holidays. Meanwhile, the gadget-loving blogosphere has fanned the flames of this worldwide appetite, with a flurry of year-end picks, pans, on sale and what’s next lists.

Hard to believe we’re not yet sated. In 2009, the worldwide sale of DVD players alone has already reached 115 million units (worth some $15 billion) according to GfK Retail and Technology. Add to that the …

In Remote Regions, Clinics on Camels Save the Day

camels

Camels might be considered invasive creatures destroying the countryside and intimidating the locals in Australia,  but in Africa these nomadic animals are seen in a much more positive light. For years, organizations such as the Nomadic Communities Trust (NCT) have relied on camels to transport medicine and supplies to remote locales.

And now the camels are going solar. NCT, in partnership with Princeton University and The Art College of Design in California, have created solar-powered mini-fridges that strap to the camel’s back.

Featuring an ergonomic bamboo …