th comments
scott said: "I sure am glad we gave $14 trillion dollars to bankers instead of using it to subsidize products like these. Products that liberate rather..." [read]

said: ""And it is green because/" Because bikes are pretty much the greenest mean of transportation ever devised. And well designed bikes are just..." [read]

Cancerman72 said: "Hmmmm....I live in Toronto and I have never seen a sign like that....lol..." [read]

Cancerman72 said: "I do but I understand why some hate cyclist biking through there walking paths and sometimes tearing up the path with their bikes...." [read]

Cancerman72 said: "I agree - short flights would make sense..." [read]

Cancerman72 said: "More of a collectors item then anything..." [read]

Save Our World Helps Save Our Hair

by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 07. 8.09
Fashion & Beauty

beauty lab save your hair
Photo courtesy of Save Your World.

At some point throughout a woman’s endless struggle (or so it seems) with her hair, we decide to do something drastic. Like color it. Whether that means dying it or highlighting it, almost every woman has done something to alter her true color. And yes, we are included (summer highlights, anyone?).

When we found Save Your World and their new Save Your Hair color-safe products, we jumped at the chance to lather up. But then we learned that Save Your World is so much more than just hair products we were even more intrigued.

Article continues: Save Our World Helps Save Our Hair

Rate Your Stinky Hippy Factor: Do You Really Need Deodorant?

by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 07. 3.09
Fashion & Beauty

Do You Need Deodorant%3F photo
Photo via Jeff the Trojan @ flickr.

An informal survey of the global TreeHugger gang revealed an interesting (and perhaps slightly redolent) tendency to move away from the use of deodorant each and every day. In fact, the majority of responding THers have partially or even wholly given up on deodorant, primarily kicking the habit due to trouble finding them without pore-clogging aluminum chlorohydrate or petroleum-based propylene glycol.

"At the risk of ostracizing myself I will reveal I haven't used underarm grooming products in over 15 years." - Anonymous TH blogger

Getting away from deodorant reduces the amount of products a person needs to use each day and the plastic receptacle count in the bathroom. In addition, the overall stink factor may not be as terrible as society would have us believe. Not convinced? Read on for four ways to help with a low-deodorant but not-too-stinky lifestyle.

Article continues: Rate Your Stinky Hippy Factor: Do You Really Need Deodorant?

Green Beauty Products Abound at (You Guessed It)...GreenBeauty.ca

by Naturally Savvy on 06.26.09
Fashion & Beauty

green beauty website image
GreeBeauty_dividingbar.jpg
Livinia_Foundation_GreenBeauty_EcoFriendly.jpgBath_Bar_Green_Beauty_EcoFriendly.jpgGreenBeauty_Website_HempOrganics_LipTint.jpg
Photo via GreenBeauty.ca.

Looking for green beauty products can be a nightmare. Some so-called "green" products are about as eco-friendly as bottled water, and many products that are great for the environment just don't stand up to our hectic lives (particularly in the sweltering summer months). Wouldn't it be lovely if a store just did all the filtering and testing for us?

Enter GreenBeauty.ca, a new online retailer that specializes in environmentally friendly, healthy beauty products—and, we're happy to report, they ship to the United States.

Article continues: Green Beauty Products Abound at (You Guessed It)...GreenBeauty.ca

Spud Plantable Raincoat Made from Potatoes Closes the Loop

by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 06.25.09
Fashion & Beauty

Spud raincoat IMAGES
More images below

Now here’s something happy for rainy days: the Spud Raincoat, made from potatoes and designed by the guys from Good for Environment! Under the brand name Equilicuá, they make thought provoking products such as the Econo, a water saving device for potted plants. The Spud Raincoat is for times when plenty of water is falling from the sky, and will definitely cheer you up on a grey day. The coat educates every by-passer on bioplastics by telling them “I was a potato”. And indeed, this waterproof coat is made entirely of bioplastic derived from potato starch and other natural resources, which makes it a 100% biodegradable and compostable product. And to give it the final touch at the end of its product life, the coat has integrated seeds so that plants grow out of it once it is returned to the earth!

Article continues: Spud Plantable Raincoat Made from Potatoes Closes the Loop

Obama Administration Suspends CHAMP Chemical Assessment Program

by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 06.21.09
Fashion & Beauty

bubble-monster.jpg
Image: Bubble Monster at Flickr, Audi insperation

Only a few months ago, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration would pick up the pace of the Chemicals Assessment and Management Program (CHAMP), partly in response to the barrage of activity in the EU under REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals). Now the EPA has thrown Industry and Citizens into confusion with an announcement that all activity to screen and prioritize hazardous chemicals under CHAMP is to be suspended, effective immediately. How is it possible the EPA finds doing nothing better than doing something -- especially in the face of increasing concerns about the chemicals in our bodies, and even in the everyday products sold for our kids? And how long before EPA is doing something again?

Article continues: Obama Administration Suspends CHAMP Chemical Assessment Program

Peau Ethique Makes Fair Trade Baby Toys With Color Grown Cotton

by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 06.19.09
Fashion & Beauty

FanFan the Elephant by Peau Ethique Photo
Image via: Peau Ethique

Lions. Giraffes. Elephants. Oh My! These cute new baby toys from Peau Ethique are made with natural, organic cotton, therefore using no dyes in the process. FanFan the Elephant, the GiGi Giraffe family (mom, dad, baby) and Lili the Lioness are all waiting to make your child's crib their new home.

Article continues: Peau Ethique Makes Fair Trade Baby Toys With Color Grown Cotton

No Safe Amount: The Handshake Theory of Chemical Toxicity

by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 06.14.09
Fashion & Beauty

No safe dose toxic spiral image
Image: Author

The medieval physician Paracelsus said: "Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy." Often quoted in paraphrase as the dose makes the poison, this truism has dominated regulation and chemical management for centuries. Agencies strive to keep people and the environment healthy by establishing the "safe" level of a chemical.

At the same time that regulatory systems have proceeded on the "safe" level theory, biochemists have expanded the state of knowledge about the role of chemical messengers in the body. And the clash of cultures is about to change the way we think about chemicals in our lives. What does it mean for you?

Article continues: No Safe Amount: The Handshake Theory of Chemical Toxicity

No Data, No Market: the EU Gets Serious About Chemicals

by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 05. 3.09
Fashion & Beauty

ECHA conference centre photo
Image: ECHA

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has announced the start of the first REACH enforcement project. REACH = Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals. One goal of the enforcement project is to check if any chemicals are still coming onto the market in the European Union which were not registered by the 1 December 2008 deadline. Registered substances, also known as phase-in substances, may continue to be sold while manufacturers gather and submit the required test data to prove that use and sale of their chemicals is safe. But companies that somehow missed the deadline will be in for a surprise: the law promises that any chemicals which are not registered may not be sold. Only after all data is gathered and submitted can these chemicals once again be sold in Europe. No data, no market.

A tear-jerking video explaining why the EU acted to implement REACH, and how REACH is expected to be the first law to really guarantee consumers protection from harmful chemicals, has been distributed by the cleverly named YouTube user eutube:

Article continues: No Data, No Market: the EU Gets Serious About Chemicals
We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the weekly archive if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.

TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!

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