What could be more enticing than saucy recycled and vintage handmade lingerie inspired by Vaudeville, Parisian Can-Can, burlesque and cabaret? Under the Root creates stunning sustainable lingerie sets and accessories from light, airy fabrics like jersey knit and cotton voile. The materials used to create these textile confections are recycled, reclaimed and repurposed. These Under the Root designs are so pretty and flattering, you might be tempted to become an exhibitionist just to show them off.

Under the Root designs are available in sizes XS-XL and can even be custom-made to your measurements. Colors range from soothing pale hues to vibrant, sassy brights. And the prices are extremely reasonable for such beautiful hand-crafted goods!

Pictured above: Sprite Lite Nite Lingerie Set – Brassiere/Bloomers

Pixie Patch Set – Halter/Tap Pants

Hush Satin Halter

Blasphemous Blumen

Makes you long for warm weather, doesn’t it? This is lingerie for impromptu backyard photo shoots, frolicking in the grass.  Way too cute to stay hidden. Perhaps they should start designing swimwear!

Check out the full selection at the Under the Root Etsy store.

The model tableau in Alabama Chanin’s open, sunny show space

The Alabama Chanin show, titled “The Songbirds” last Friday was definitely a down-home version of a fashion-week event, and all of us in attendance couldn’t have been happier about it. It was relaxed, it was filled with music, it was, in these stressful times, a relief.

Following the anti-runway trend, the models at Alabama Chanin’s show donned different outfits, posed for photographers (I loved taking shots at my leisure and playing with the light), ate and drank and even mingled a bit. And why not? They are people too, and after all the stories of the catwalk coterie biting it in amped-up runway shows, I’ll bet these girls were happy to behave like (gorgeous) human beings rather than skinny-legged stompers.

Natalie Chanin, designer of Alabama Chanin

I also had time to speak with Natalie Chanin, the creative force behind her label of completely handmade clothes (there is NO machine-sewing in any of the pieces and in fact each one is made by hand in cottage-industry production made up of women working from their homes). She told me that she’s coming up on ten years of designing (first for Project Alabama and since 2006 for Alabama Chanin) and explains, “I’ve planted a lot of seeds, and now I’m letting them grow.”

A model with the folksy/country musicians who kept it light, mellow, and energized.

Besides branching out into home furnishings (a natural for her incredible overdyed, hand embroidered fabrics) Natalie is moving and expanding into accessories, including both hats and jewelry (The bijoux are unexpected combinations of metals, metals that incorporate fabric elements into their patterns, and actual fabrics). She has also been working with a small-batch indigo dyer (who dyes in a church in the Bronx) to create Alabama Denim, which was shown in several pieces.

The detail on each of these is just knock-your-socks-off amazing. Some pieces have been worked on by more than five women.

Natalie continued her garden metaphor, apt since cotton (the primary fabric used in her designs) and indigo, (used to dye them) both grow from the Earth. She explained her collection: “What we have right now is very round, and I need to be patient and it needs space to grow. This is the time to garden.”
And in case you were wondering, all the fabric used in the designs is 100% organic cotton and is “grown-to-sewn” in the southern USA.

Note the layered skirt on the left, which worked even on a slimmer design; this is an easy look to wear and versatile too (models sported cowboy boots or sky-high stilettos; all seemed to work with the designs).

The details on the designs are gorgeous and look handmade and hyper-organic, which I love in an age of white buttonless pods and glass everywhere.

A close-up of the pretty layering; a perfectly easy way to wear the pattern-on-pattern trend.

Love the 1920’s feel about this. Maybe a bit of recession-chic?

Check out the natural Indigo-dyed Alabama denim on the model at right.

The all-white collection inspired all sorts of cloud-and-snow fantasies in me- the texture of white embroidery on soft white cotton was just magical.

The new Alabama Chanin jewelry collection (here laid out for the models) was a study in texture and pattern - and color!

Button detail on one of the gorgeous long coats that are an Alabama Chanin signature.

Hats laid out for the models, with their handmade labels

Starre Vartan with an Alabama Chanin coat (I want one of these so much! Perfect with jeans and a tank, over a dress, with shorts and boots….eminently wearable!

Check out The Alabama Stitch Book: Projects and Stories Celebrating Hand-Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery for Contemporary Sustainable Style to learn some of the secrets behind Natalie Chanin’s designs (and use them as inspiration for you own!)

It’s Oscar time and we are all trying to catch that last movie everyone has been talking about. Whether at the water-cooler at work, on Twitter, Facebook or even across the dinner table, we all love to talk about movies. Of the dozens of nominees this year, it appears that only two have green/public health themes — WALL.E and the documentary The Garden.  But over the past few years there have been plenty of films that are truly worth taking a look at. 

The following are a list of films my husband and I have watched over the past year or so (love Netflix!) that I think you should watch.  They are listed in no particular order, just put them in your queue and enjoy.  Movies are rated from 1-3 green thumbs (1 is a watch, 2 should watch, 3 MUST watch.)

Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard
Throughout this 20-minute online film, activist Annie Leonard, the film’s narrator and an expert on the materials economy, examines the social, environmental and global costs of extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. The “Story of Stuff” examines how economic policies of the post-World War II era ushered in notions of consumerism — and how those notions are still driving much of the U.S. and global economies today. It is definitely worth watching and forwarding to all your friends.

Flow The Film
What happens when you mix water with big business? Nothing good.  Flow shows when you combine the public health and private interest you get “pollution, scarcity, human suffering and corporate profit.” Water is a $400 billion dollar global industry; the third largest behind electricity and oil. There are estimates that from five hundred thousand to seven million people get sick per year from drinking tap water. So you want to be freaked out?  You want to have horrible dreams? This is the movie for you. Moving from the US to India, from small farms to “industrial” spring water, Flow will get you to look at your tap at lot differently, and will hopefully get you to make more conscious decisions about how you use water.  This movie was one of the things that got me to have the water in my home tested.

Two Angry Moms
Do you have kids in school? Do you pack a lunch for them every single day? If not, they probably are buying what the school is serving. If so, you probably want to know what your kids are eating in school. So did Amy Kalafa and Susan Rubin. These moms were fed up that their children were eating highly-processed food filled with additives and preservatives at school. Two Angry Moms, the film and the movement, address an issue of great concern to parents across the country. What is happening to the health of our children and how does school food factor in? The movie not only shows what is wrong with school food, it offers strategies for overcoming roadblocks and getting real food into school cafeterias. Kalafa and Rubin provide solutions to the problem that include the connection between the cafeteria and the classroom. The movie explores the roles the Federal government, corporate interests, school administration and parents play in feeding our school kids.  For additional watching head over to TED.ORG and watch Anne Cooper’s talk on School Food.

King Corn
If you’re anything like me, you consider Michael Pollan something of a food guru. I consider The Omnivores Dilemma to be the bible of the sustainable food movement. A core theme of Pollan’s book is the impact industrial corn plays across the entirety of the US, and now global society. For those of you are interested in an introductory course on the corn, you must see this documentary by two college friends, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis. A great visual into to corn industry and the American food system, “King Corn” should become required viewing for all schools across the country to teach children to eat better. For a more in-depth review of this movie read my post titled King Corn: We Are What We Eat.

Greening of Southie
Want to know what goes into making a building green and what can go wrong? Well so did the filmmakers of King Corn.  Set in South Boston, The Greening of Southie is about Boston’s first residential green building, and the skeptical workers who are asked to build it. From wheatboard cabinetry to recycled steel, bamboo flooring to dual-flush toilets, The Macallen Building is something different––a leader in the emerging field of environmentally friendly design. But Boston’s steel-toed union workers aren’t sure they like it. And when things on the building start to go wrong, the young developer has to keep the project from unraveling.  An interesting look on the contrast between the ever changing green movement and an insular community resistant to change.

Killer At Large
Killer at Large examines the startling details of the American obesity epidemic and why this issue has crossed from a public health crisis to a national security issue. The film starts with a clip from a press conference with Surgeon General Richard Carmona who when asked what is the most pressing issue Americans face today he planing states, “Obesity. Because obesity is a terror within. It is destroying our society from within and unless we do something about it, the magnitude of the dilemma will dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist event you can point out. Where will our soldiers, sailors, and airmen come from? Where will our police and firemen come from if the youngsters today are on a trajectory that says they will be obese?” The movie provides a perspective on one of the most pressing health issues of our time and serves as a call to arms to take a stand and reverse this deadly trend – which is poised to cripple our nation’s health care system and bankrupt our economy within the next 20 years. Killer at Large will be available on DVD on March 31st, 2009.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John
If you are still debating if you should join a CSA then you must watch the documentary about John Peterson, a.k.a Farmer John, a midwest farmer whose life parallels the history of American farming in the late 20th century.  Peterson came from a family of farmers who struggled, like most farmers, to make ends meet. Peterson’s father died when he was teenager, which forced him to be in charge of the farm. By the 1980’s, when most farmers were trouble, so was Peterson, who had to sell off most of his farm to make ends meet. Destitute and depressed, Peterson took time away from farming and returned in the ’90s. Deciding to change his farm from a mono-culture, chemically- dependent farm, to an organic farm and connect himself to the land, Peterson turned his farm into the one of the largest CSAs in the country.  Peterson is a truly unique individual and is interesting to watch.  To be honest, the movie is a bit slow, but is worth the time and effort to get through.

Who Killed the Electric Car?
Ok, now for the movie that will OUTRAGE YOU. This is one movie that will get you pissed off and probably make you call your Congressperson, Senator or whoever you want to rant to. Remember way back (last Summer) when gas was $4 a gallon and looked to keep going up? When we all heard about how “the Electric Car was coming”? Ford, Toyota, and GM said that a production-ready electric car was only 5 or 10 years away. Well guess what? We already had a true electric car. Twelve years ago GM - the company that just got tens of billions of bailout money, launched the EV1, the world’s first true production plug-in electric car. This film looks at the birth and untimely death of the EV1. This wonderful car required no petrochemical-based fuel and could be plugged in for recharging at home and at a number of so-called battery parks. The car was loved by just about everyone who owned it, including a number of celebrities. Who killed it? Watch this a prepare to get insanely mad.

Super Size Me
This is far and away one of the most well known of the food/green movies out there. If you have not seen this 30-day eating journey of Morgan Spurlock it is a must. Spurlock’s month long McDonald’s food (gross) fest explores the fast food industry’s influence on the American consumer and how public health is put aside for corporate wealth. It is just another look at the obesity epidemic and how our industrial food industry is killing Americans. Prepare to throw up in your mouth a little watching this movie. But also prepare to never, ever look at fast food the same way again.

Other movies which I have not seen yet but are on my list are Sustainable Table: What’s on Your Plate? (2007), Food, Inc. (2008), Bad Seed: The Truth About Our Food (2006), The World According To Monsanto (2008), and The Future of Food (2004).

All the above mentioned movies can be rented on Netflix or purchased on the film’s website. Check them out and let me know what you think. Also, if you are interested purchasing Two Angry Moms to screen at your child’s school, the library or for a large group, Amy Kalafa (one angry mom) has offered a $10 discount for orders over $50. Use coupon code DD010 at check out.

Follow me on Twitter @Green_Luvin!

When it comes to clothes, there’s just nothing greener than buying secondhand. Unless, of course, you’ve scored organic, handmade clothing secondhand (that would be amazing, wouldn’t it?).  When you don’t have the big budget to score an eco-fabulous wardrobe, thrift stores and consignment shops are the place to go to find vintage and even barely-worn staples like dresses, tops, skirts, slacks and accessories. There are also tons of vintage clothing stores on the web.

Get inspired. Check out PainfullyHip.com for incredible thrift store fashion eye candy – this blog will really give you the itch to build up an awesome secondhand wardrobe. It features thrifted outfits of the day, online indie boutique discounts, international street style, DIY ideas, thrifting tips and more. These chicks really know a thing or two about thrifted and vintage style. Another great source of inspiration is the Wardrobe Remix Flickr pool, which is where Painfully Hip finds all their fabulous featured outfits.

Take stock of what you’ve got. It may be time to purge the things you haven’t worn in a long time, and determine where your wardrobe is lacking. Do you have a beautiful blouse that you haven’t worn because you just don’t have any skirts that match it? Could you update those 3-year-old tunics with a wide, colorful belt? More than likely, your closet already contains the bones of a great wardrobe – you just need to augment it. Make a list of the kind of items you’re hoping to find – say, brown sandals, a 1970’s hippiefied frock and a sun hat for spring.

Plan your shopping day wisely. First, check out ThriftShopper.com to find all of the thrift stores and consignment shops in your area – it’ll pull up a full list including maps, store hours and even reviews. And, you’ll want to find out which days of the week your local thrift stores get new shipments, so you can get first pick.

Try things on. Some garments just fit weird, and you don’t want to find out once you get home that those awesome, trendy high-waist jeans make you look like a dorky mom from the ‘80s. Also, if you’re looking for something to go with clothes or accessories you already have, wear them to the store so you can get the full effect.

Shop online armed with your current measurements. Clothing sizes were way smaller way back when, so that adorable size 12 1950’s cocktail dress is actually more like a modern-day 6. Ignore the size number and just focus on measurements instead. Need help determining your measurements? Check out the instructions at Vintage Swank.

Don’t buy things you aren’t totally in love with. That $3 top isn’t a bargain if it’s just going to hang unworn in your closet for months on end. Thrift shopping takes time and patience – keep in mind that they’ll have a whole new set of clothes to browse next week.

from Flag: An American Story

The photographer Lauri Lyons is a storyteller who utilizes her photography as well as words, both hers and those of others, to recount personal and cultural journeys.  Her latest project is the multimedia piece, Barack Obama and the American Dream, about the 2008 presidential election and 2009 inauguration.  She has deftly woven the images and voices of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama together with those of Americans and the international community into a story about the power of dreams. 

from Flag: An American Story

Between 1995 and 2000 Lyons began documenting our national dreams by traveling throughout the United States.  The product of her journey was Flag: An American Story, a photographic portrait series of Americans posing with the American flag.  In summer 2007, Lyons took up the American flag yet again on a European tour that wove together still more reflections on America into Flag International.  In Lyons work, the American flag, much like the American president, stands as a potent symbol for reflection upon individual and collective dreams – both those that inspire the joyous fulfillment of their realization and still others that land empty and short of their promises.

from Flag: An American Story

from Flag: An American Story

Eco Chick.com: We are used to seeing Americans (including the faces of recent immigrants, Olympic athletes, and soldiers) posed with the American flag, but not foreigners.  This “outsider” international perspective was very novel.  What do we learn by listening to the multiple ways Americans are perceived (positive and negative)?  What did you learn from the responses to the U.S. flag?

Lauri Lyons: My first book Flag: An American Story (2001) explored how Americans viewed themselves past, present, and future.  For Flag International (2008), my intention was to create a two way dialogue exploring how people living outside of the United States view America today.  To accomplish that goal I traveled to eight countries to photograph and interview the international community with the American flag.  The responses from people abroad inform us how American political policies have a real effect on their lives (i.e.: immigration, war, and the environment).  We also learn how American culture, especially entertainment, heavily influences and at times dominates their own national identity.  Mostly we are reminded that America is the only country on Earth which was created based on an ideal, and how at times we have measured up to that ideal and also fallen short.  Shooting Flag International taught me to always find my own answers to questions.  We don’t need to wait for CNN to tell us what’s going on in the world, we can find out for ourselves. 

from Flag International

EC: If someone were to suddenly toss me the U.S. flag, I have no idea how I would react.  I am confident that the exchange would take me off guard and feel like a confrontation with a set of ideals about being American.  We all know that our national flag is supposed to inspire feelings such as patriotism, heroism, decorum, and respect.  The treatment and use of the U.S. flag is also codified by regulations – for example, how it is supposed to be raised and lowered on a pole, how it should be folded, how it must not touch anything beneath it (such as the ground or floor), and how it may be displayed on certain patriotic holidays.  That is to say, we don’t usually interact with the flag spontaneously outside of codified practices.  What do you make of the spur-of-the-moment reactions of the people you photographed?  How does the flag transform real, everyday people?

LL: While conceptualizing the project my biggest fear was that people would not want to interact with the American flag.  I was also reminded by many Americans that the U.S. was not riding a high wave of popularity, and therefore I should scrap the idea.  Because none of the participants were expecting to be photographed or interviewed they were quite surprised when I pulled out a 3×5′ American flag.  However, once they realized they could use the flag as a form of personal expression (i.e.: do whatever they want with the flag) their candor and creativity widened.  People made use of the flag as a turban, sarong, and also folded the flag in the traditional manner.  Each person brought something new to the table and I never knew what to expect next.  I think the subject’s interaction with a tangible American flag forced them to be honest and public about their opinions of the U.S. and American people.

from Flag International

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Summer Rayne Oakes (in Stella McCartney) at the launch of Style, Naturally

Summer Rayne Oakes’ own life is a study in how to make ethical choices work in the real world. She’s a model (for ecofriendly fashion labels), environmental activist, and resident expert on Discovery Channel’s Planet Green- jobs which challenge both body and mind, so she knows what busy women want (to look great while doing no harm). She delivers the goods in her first book, Style, Naturally.

Jill Danyelle, a featured ‘girl on the street’ in the book (in one of her own upcycled creations), Jill Fehrenbacher, editor of green design blog Inhabitat (with baby Petey in tow) and Bahar Shahpar, ecofashion designer (in one of her own designs), at the Style, Naturally launch party

The totally friendly (open it anywhere and start reading!) and colorful book is packed to its chubby gills (it clocks in at over 500 pages) with photos and descriptions of ecofriendly and sustainable party dresses, pants, purses and every thing else one would want to wear (so you can see exactly how un-hemp-sack-like these togs really are), and includes “where to find it” info, magazine-style so you don’t have to be an expert google searcher to track down a designer you love. Jewelry, shoes and accessories each have their own sections and a story behind why to choose ethical versions like those included.

Starre Vartan (in vintage) author of The Eco Chick Guide to Life, and Summer Rayne Oakes at the Style, Naturally book party.

Beauty products, from shampoos to sunscreen to makeup take up the second half of the book, and Summer said she tried hundreds of products before deciding what would make the cut. “I looked at overall brand practices and specific product ingredients and I only highlighted the ones that I really liked,” she says. There is also tons of information on labels, certifications, events, stores and sites for further exploration.

Michael Schwarz, writer and animal advocate, and Dan Shapely, editor at The Daily Green.

Besides being a veritable compendium of great clothes from designers known and loved (and worn!) by ecofashionistas (like Bahar Shahpar, Doie, Lara Miller, Loomstate and Alabama Chanin) there are profiles of “girls on the street” which details how savvy ladies incorporate planet-respecting choices into their wardrobes. This was my favorite part of the book, as I go for vintage, and prefer old-fashioned silhouettes and funky prints in silks, bamboos and organic wools. But it’s so fun to see how other girls work the green in, from organic- and fair-trade cotton dance-wear for conscious urban chicks to more classic cuts in super-modern (but still sustainable) silhouettes.

Sara Brancato of The Four Hundred Ecofashion showroom (right) and friend Ashley Watson (left).

All this variety is the point. As anyone who knows a thing about style can tell you, fashion is not about following trends, it’s about creating your own personal look. That’s what was on Summer ’s mind when she dreamed up Style, Naturally: “I wrote this for any woman who cares about what she wears and how that connects to the larger world. It’s not necessarily a green guide, it’s a style guide.”

And the book itself? As green as can be. “It’s on recycled paper, [printed with] vegetable-based ink and it is 1% for the Planet to Energy Action, which is a group near and dear to me,” says Summer.

And for anyone who decries thinking about fashion and beauty in the current economic climate, Summer says the truth is that dedicating time and energy to define your own look- and doing it responsibly- will end up saving you money. “Take a look at your closet, and figure out how to make what you already have look new. Be considerate about what you buy and make the more responsible purchase.” Thinking about what we buy, assessing its impact and making long-term choices that have a smaller footprint (and actually work for our own bodies and lifestyles) will go further to mitigate the clothing and beauty industries’ wasteful ways than business as (cheaper) than usual.

They walked along listening to the singing of the brightly colored birds and looking at the lovely flowers which now became so thick that the ground was carpeted with them.  There were big yellow and white and blue and purple blossoms, besides great clusters of scarlet poppies, which were so brilliant in color they almost dazzled Dorothy’s eyes.

L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz

artwork by Yellena James

Olio United boutique in Portland, Oregon is exhibiting for the month of February (show opens Friday, February 6) prints by four female West Coast artists. The colorful and cheerful artworks by Yellena James, Betsy Walton, Joanna Bean, and Kim Oanh Nguyen are being sold online (sale starting Monday, February 9). To make things even brighter, pricing starts at $35 and all piece have been finished and mounted on sustainably-harvested wood and bamboo panels by Plywerk. Let the sun shine in!

artwork by Betsy Walton

artwork by Joanna Bean

artwork by Kim Oanh Nguyen

When it comes to perfume, most eco-centric women tend to shy away from conventional choices and gravitate toward pure perfume oils instead. Considering that so many fragrances contain phthalates, petrochemicals and animal ingredients, it’s easy to see why. We don’t want to breathe these substances in and apply them to our skin.

Stores aren’t exactly brimming with natural, organic alternatives – all the more reason why every release of a genuinely green, nontoxic perfume is so exciting. Honoré des Prés is the first line of French organic perfumes designed by Olivia Giacobetti, one of France’s most famous perfumers. Each scent in this luxury line is completely organic, ECOCERT certified and free of petrochemicals, synthetic perfumes, coloring agents and phthalates.

Scents include:

Chaman’s Party - An explosive perfume due to its top-secret ingredients with aphrodisiac properties. Inspired by a tree-house experience and total immersion in the heart of the virgin Amazon forest. Vetiver root from Haiti, sacred basil from Egypt, Wood of Life from Venezuela, dried clove flowers from Madagascar.

Bonte’s Bloom –Inspired by dreamlike summer voyage: dressed in white muslin and wearing a vintage hat, you walk alongside sunflower fields in a warm sun-kissed afternoon and marvel at dragonflies and butterflies. Sunflowers, South Indian flowers, wild Moroccan blue chamomile, fresh citrus fruit leaves from Paraguay, sage leaves – those that the wild honeybees prefer – and a drop of white iris butter to add a touch of “vintage chic”.

Nu Green – Inspired by a spring morning’s refreshing swim in a natural rock pool in the heart of nature. You sense how this beneficial water purifies, sheds the superficial. A ruffle of crumpled green mint leaves, enveloping dewy grass with Indian botanical musk, clumps of monastic medicinal tarragon… and cedar wood.

Sexy Angelic – Inspired by a deliciously sweet experience of French candies from Aix-en-Provence… the pure secret of seduction used by French women to meet their Prince Charming! A fresh almond fruit caress rubbed onto weeping maidens’ cleansed skin. A snip of hemlock flower, a touch of Angelica – but only the seed – and… a hint of freshly baked “Calisson” marzipan candy from Aix-en-Provence.

Honore’s Trip – Saturated with citrus fruit, saturated with color, saturated with Mediterranean fruit, saturated with freshness… An explosive cocktail of pure tangerine extracts, Mediterranean oranges, all yellow and green lemons, together with spicy pepper taken from trees in the Philippine Islands.

Honoré des Prés is currently available at Le Printemps in Paris and online at La Mure Favorite.

Article 31: Everyone has the right to clean and accessible water, adequate for the health and well-being of the individual and family, and no one shall be deprived of such access or quality of water due to individual economic circumstance.

In 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations created and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The 30 articles defined THE inalienable rights for all people and all nations.  Today, there is a call to add one more article to the declaration. “Recognizing that over a billion people across the planet lack access to clean and potable water and that millions die each year as a result, it is imperative to add one more article to this historic declaration, the Right to Water.”

If you’ve been reading my writings you know that I tend to focus on food issues.  But for a moment I wanted to focus on water. Water is life. This is the first of at least two posts that will deal with water issues. This blog will look at the issue of clean water in America.  Clean water in America?  Really?  Isn’t all the water that flows through our pipes and into our homes safe?

If you are like me, water is probably something you tend to take for granted. You take showers, you wash your clothes, you reach for the tap in your sink and you’re pretty confident that clean, potable water will be there for you. But for billions of people across the world water; finding it, transporting it, and making sure it’s clean, is the single most important part of their lives.

Even here in the United States, clean drinking water is a very important issue, and one that most people are not aware of. A recent study conducted at the Southern Nevada Water Authority (as reported New Scientist on January 11) surveyed drinking water for more than 28 million Americans.  The survey screened water from 19 US water utilities for 51 different compounds.  The analysis revealed widespread low level presence of pharmaceuticals and hormonally active chemicals including beta blockers, herbicides banned in Europe, mood stabilizing drugs, estrogen hormones, painkillers, tranquilizers, antibiotics, anticonvulsants, anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-cholesterol drugs and many more.

No need to go to the doctor; just drink lots of water to get your daily does of FDA prescribed drugs! All jokes aside, the amounts of these contaminants in our water is a million times less than medical doses, but no one knows what the cumulative effect of drinking this contaminated water is.

After reading this survey I decided to contact my local water company to find out the real story of MY water. What I learned was that our water is very safe for what is tested for. But my water company just like every other one in the US does not test for antibiotics or other pharmaceuticals.  It turns out that in the U.S., all water utilities follow only what is required by the Safe Water Drinking Act (remember that President Bush raised the limits on the amount of arsenic allowed in our drinking water, so I’d question the Federally approved levels of anything.)

I am not a doctor or scientist but you have to think that drinking water with any levels of pharmaceuticals has got to be bad for our health.

This is not new information to the EPA. There is an entire section on the EPA’s website covering Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) as pollutants which they refers to as “any product used by individuals for personal health or cosmetic reasons or used by agribusiness to enhance growth or health of livestock.”

According to the EPA: “More research is needed to determine the extent of ecological harm and any role it may have in potential human health effects. To date, scientists have found no evidence of adverse human health effects from PPCPs in the environment.” But rather then filtering it out, we will basically be human guinea pigs, drinking the contaminants until we (like the gender-switching fish) have genetic mutations.

So what can you do to make sure that water in your home is safe?

Well you could put in a water filtration system like a reverse osmosis system.  If you are not comfortable with government set levels that this is may be the way to go.  However, be forewarned, wastewater is a by-product of the reverse osmosis process. Better systems will make almost 4 gallons of water brine for every one-gallon purified, while lower grade systems can waste as much as 8 gallons of water per gallon purified.

Radiant Life Company sells a 14 stage Biocompatible Water system that filters everything, including pharmaceutical residues. The system will run you $1,595 plus shipping and then you need a plumber to install.  It includes a reverse osmosis system as one of the stages so I would assume the wastewater by-product would increase with each additional stage.

Or you could just by a carbon filter like Brita to be on the safe side and drink the water from the tap.

It is all up to personal choice and preference weighing the health and environmental effects — wasting water or not contaminating your body. I wish it was not one or the other.

But what we really should do is force the EPA to make sure our water is free and clear of all contaminants.  We need to create petition to amend the Safe Water Drinking Act to require all water utilities to test and filter our drinking for pharmaceuticals.

Anyone want to help me?

Follow me on Twitter @Green_Luvin

With the economy in shambles, it’s harder than ever to shell out $65 for face cream or upwards of $100 for a trip to the spa. If your pocketbook has been hit – or you’re just nervous and looking to save money – there’s no need to resort to using cheap, chemical-filled beauty and personal care products instead of safe, natural ones. Here are 7 super-natural and inexpensive ways to keep yourself looking and feeling your best that you can pull off even in the worst of circumstances.

1. A gallon-sized jug of castile soap is your best friend. Not only is it a fantastic face & body wash, hand soap and shampoo, you can also use it for household cleaning. It costs around $40 and will last for months and months.

2. Baking soda works wonders for clarifying oily scalps, gently exfoliating your face and keeping underarm odor at bay. I like to add a teaspoon or so to a few drops of castile soap as a mild face scrub as well as once-a-week clarifying shampoo. Washing with baking soda and water regularly also treats and prevents breakouts.

3. Mineral makeup lasts longer and is surprisingly affordable, even when you’re on a strict budget. Many of you already know that I’m a big fan of Everyday Minerals, which is inexpensive and great quality. Use an angled brush and some water to transform eyeshadow pigments into eyeliner, or mix pink, red and peachy shades with lip balm for cream blush or lipstick.

4. Embrace your natural hair color – or try henna. Expensive salon hair color is hard to keep up, especially when you need that money for more important things, like rent and food. Henna, on the other hand, is inexpensive, long-lasting and best done in the comfort of your own home. Henna has a bad reputation because of the metallic salt-laden cheapo versions out there, but body art quality henna will not damage your hair and is available in a range of shades. Since it tints your natural hair color, roots aren’t obvious. Check out the Henna for Hair page for more info.

5. A jar of coconut oil will last most people at least a year, and you can use it as an all-over body moisturizer or hair conditioning treatment. It’s thick and rich, liquid in warm weather and solid in cold – I like to use a wooden scoop when it’s solid and put it in a glass bottle with a pump in the summer.

6. Forget expensive disposable organic tampons and pads – you can purchase one DivaCup or Keeper for around $30 and it’ll last you at least a decade. The Keeper even comes in a natural rubber version. They’re hygienic and washable. (Check out this post at The Green Girls for more details). Organic cloth pads are also a frugal, green option – they’re available in some health food stores and all over the place online, including Etsy. Both of these ideas might sound weird, but they’re better for your body (many women report less cramping) and you get used to it quickly.

7. Get a book of DIY green beauty recipes or just search the ‘net. You can spend an evening pampering yourself in the comfort of your own home with products that you know are perfectly safe, because you made them yourself. Face masks, conditioning treatments, nail treatments, toners, scrubs – practically anything you could buy in the store or get done at a spa, you can DIY. I like “The Green Beauty Guide” by Julie Gabriel.

Photo credit: Flickr user Tedi [teodora doychinova]