August 15th, 2012

Johnson & Johnson will remove all toxic and potentially dangerous chemicals from virtually all of its baby and adult body products by 2015, according to the company. The first chemicals to be phased out will include 1,4 dioxane and the formaldehyde-releasing preservative, quaternium-15, found in some baby products, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics which led a coalition of health and environmental groups in pushing Johnson & Johnson to use safer formulations for all its goods.

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March 28th, 2012

(This winter, Molly Barker and Caitlyn Boyle embarked on an experiment in going au naturel. Their Naked Face Project challenged other women to join them and explore life without having to put on a special face — or shave their legs or tint their hair — to win the world’s approval. In this blog Barker, the founder of Girls on the Run, considers her personal reactions and the implications for women of stepping back from societal expectations. We see this endeavor as having a green bonus, freedom from the toxic chemicals found in many cosmetics.)

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January 20th, 2012

Phthalates, chemicals commonly found in synthetic fragrances, body lotions and pliable plastic products, have been viewed with suspicion in recent years because they’ve been shown to act as endocrine disruptors.

Researchers at the Children’s Environmental Health Center at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York who decided to look more closely at the effects of phthalates have found an association with obesity in young children.

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March 7th, 2011

A growing number of consumers are putting their food dollars into Fair Trade products that support an equitable wage for global producers.

Fair Trade USA, the leading certifier of Fair Trade products in the U.S., reports that sales increased 24 percent, rising to $170 million during 2010.

The increase was strong at the traditional natural grocers (a 16 percent year over year increase) and specialty stores (22 percent) where consumers have typically found Fair Trade products. But it was strongest at mainstream stores (26 percent), according to a survey by the SPINS consulting service on behalf of Fair Trade USA.

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May 1st, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

We hear every day about dangerous chemicals in household products that are linked to cancer, infertility, autism and other diseases – yet many Americans may not realize just how many of these harmful substances they’ve actually ingested in the course of everyday living.

The answer? About 48. That’s according a study by the Environmental Working Group and Rachel’s Network, in which five leading minority women environmentalists from different parts of the country volunteered to have their blood tested for toxins. The results, say EWG experts, show that regulation of chemicals in the U.S. is weak and “antiquated” and needs a major overhaul.

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