Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

BABYBEARSHOP

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by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 11/22/06

Inspired by a lack of hip, organic baby products on the market, Diana Lussenden Stewart founded the BABYBEARSHOP line of organically derived oils and butters for mama and baby. In an effort to create a body line that is free of parabens, phthalates, and other known toxins, Diana has succeeded in developing a yummy line of natural treats for the body, whether pregnant or not. I highly recommend the “All The Better to Kiss You With” lip balm that comes in Lavender Vanilla, Chai Mandarin, and Pepperminty flavors. Being a lip balm junky, I can officially say this is one of the best. Some “organic” lip balms I have tried are too dry, or cakey, or just don’t work very well, but this one is awesome and they all smell delicious. The Mama Belly Oil uses essential oils of lavender, chamomile and red mandarin to protect against stretch marks and induce relaxation in mamas-to-be, but this oil could most definitely be used on baby’s dry skin or as a nice after-shower moisturizer for anyone. All of the ingredients in the BABYBEAR line are listed on the website, instilling confidence in the holistically minded, and the funky packaging makes these items great gifts.

Baby, bears, essential oils, FDA, junk, Lavender, Moisturizer, mom, oil, oils, Organic, phthalates, skin, Toxins

Good News Bears

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by Starre Vartan · 07/12/06

OK, so this post has nothing to do with bears, but it does have to do with good news.

Green Revolution is Heralded for Scotland – “ALL new property developments in Scotland will need to produce some of their own electricity through a micro-renewable generating plant, under one of Britain’s most radical energy initiatives unveiled by Scottish ministers yesterday.” Go Scots!! See more here. Thanks to RemyC for the link.

U.S. Navy Ordered to Shove It- “Two weeks ago, NRDC attorneys raced to court to block the U.S. Navy from unleashing a barrage of ear-splitting sonar into the waters off Hawaii as part of a massive military training exercise. Whales exposed to mid-frequency sonar have repeatedly stranded and died on beaches around the world — but the Navy refused to adopt even common-sense measures during peacetime exercises to help protect marine life from this deadly threat.

In an infuriating attempt to avoid our lawsuit, the Navy took the unprecedented step — on the eve of the Fourth of July weekend — of declaring itself exempt from the primary U.S. law that requires measures to protect marine mammals. But the court sided with us and found that the Navy’s planned sonar use violated a second key environmental law as well, noting that NRDC had submitted “considerable convincing scientific evidence” of the dangers of sonar to marine life.

The judge prohibited the Navy from going forward with its sonar use as planned and ordered the Navy to sit down with NRDC and decide on a set of protective measures to be put in place during the month-long exercise. In the settlement reached last Friday after days of tough negotiation with our attorneys, the
Navy will be required to create a sonar-free buffer zone around the newly established Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, as well as significantly improve its monitoring of marine mammals during sonar drills and
implement other important safeguards.” Yay Judge!! See background video narrated by Pierce Brosnan here.
 

A Bright Side to Hurricane-Ravaged Gulf Coast? - A host of environmental groups are working to use Hurricane Katrina’s impact to clean up, green, and fund environmental projects in historically ignored (environmental racism, anyone?) areas of New Orleans and in Mississippi.

“DeJean is optimistic about the future. “Nobody paid attention to Gert Town before the hurricane,” she says. “Now we have people calling us and asking if they can work with us. And we do have some input into how we want our communities to look not just for today, but long range. We want our community revitalized, and I think the chances of that are good.

And Rolfes thinks Katrina has shifted the ground not just literally but politically too. “In Saint Bernard Parish, for years there’s been this untenable situation in which people actually share a fence with a refinery. Before Katrina it would have been unthinkable to talk about putting in a buffer zone between the residential area and the industrial area because people just accepted that situation. Now individuals and even the local government recognize that a buffer would be a good policy. And I think we’re going to get one.” Read about all the positive environmental changes in E Magazine here.

bears, community, electric, electricity, Energy, fur, local, magazine, military, New Orleans, News, produce, skin, video, water, whales, Wildlife

Retirement No More: The Anchor has been Lifted

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by Danelle Brown · 07/09/06

The campaign to stop global warming is attracting more and more recognizable media and political faces. The respected Tom Brokaw, the former NBC anchorman, has teamed up with the Discovery Channel, in partnership with the BBC to host on Sunday July 16th, ”Global Warming: What You Need to Know” at 9 pm.

This is yet another great documentary that will help separate fact from fiction and give momentum to this important global issue. The starvation of the polar bears, the swallowing of islands, and droughts of lands are investigated in this piece. Mr. Brokaw is no stranger to speaking out about the state of the environment. His wife, Meredith Brokaw, is the vice president of the environmental organization Conservation International (NYT).

With the passion and motivation of figures such as Laurie David, Al Gore, and now Tom Brokaw, it is my hope that more and more, the political figures and decision makers who have control of some major locks, will begin to unlock the major barriers to sustainable living, like energy dependency. In the meantime thankfully we have readers like you who take the initiative to help make a difference.

bears, conservation, Energy, epa, Global Warming, media, mom, polar bears, stop global warming, sustainable, Tea, tv