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7:26 a.m. - 2009-06-17 lavera giveaway
Since it was founded 20 years ago, the brand has grown to include more than 300 natural and organic skin care products. Lavera health and beauty products are currently sold in more than 12,000 locations in 25 different countries. Eco Mama loves Lavera products, not just because they smell delicious and are chemical free, but because of their dedication to educating the public. According to Lavera, "60% of what people put on their skin is absorbed into their bodies. That's why its so important to use all natural, chemical and petroleum free personal care products that are safe for our bodies and the environment." Lavera's products are not only certified all natural, they're biodegradable and cruelty-free. To register click HERE between June 1st and June 30th. Five lucky winners will be randomly selected on July 3rd, and will be announced on their homepage. GOOD LUCK!
11:59 p.m. - 2009-06-16 babykicks
11:30 a.m. - 2009-04-14 please take action to get rocket fuel out of baby food Dear ECO MAMA subscribers, We don't think babies should be gulping down a rocket fuel ingredient - do you? But in some areas of your state, when you mix infant formula contaminated with perchlorate - a rocket fuel ingredient than can interfere with infant brain development - with water that's also contaminated with perchlorate, you put rocket fuel on baby's menu. Twice. We have long said that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates the nation's water quality, should set a permanent and stringent limit on perchlorate pollution in drinking water. So people like you aren't drinking it. We need your help to convince the EPA to act. Will you ask newly-appointed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to set a safe drinking water standard for perchlorate that's actually safe? Last week 10,000 EWG fans let her know that they don't want rocket fuel chemicals in their water - will you help us reach our goal of 15,000? We want to be sure she gets the message. Just click HERE to email her - it's quick and easy, but packs a real punch. Why now? 1. New risk for babies The CDC team warned that mixing perchlorate-tainted formula powder with tap water containing "even minimal amounts" of the chemical could boost the resulting mixture's toxin content above the "safe" level set by the EPA. Click here to read EWG's analysis - including a great FAQ. 2. Rocket fuel in your state's drinking water 3. The new EPA Administrator promised in January Click here to ask the EPA to keep perchlorate at safe levels in our drinking water. Thank you for working with us to protect infant health and promote safe drinking water. We are stronger together. Sincerely, Lisa Frack P.S. You can do more to reduce rocket fuel contamination in infant formula on our Take Action page.
10:06 a.m. - 2009-01-15 pesticides in rice According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, rice is produced worldwide, and it is “the primary staple for more than half the world’s population.” In the U.S. alone, rice farming generates up to $1.5 billion annually in income, a figure which would be less shocking if it weren’t for the fact that this country accounts for less than 2% of worldwide rice production. As an agricultural product, rice is subject to the usual host of diseases and pests that annoy farmers and reduce or destroy yields. In the U.S., these include kernel smut, rice blast, seed rot, tadpole shrimp, crayfish (their burrowing often disrupts irrigation networks) and the infamous rice water weevil. Even in a nation that produces so little of the world’s annual yield, there are difficulties to combat when growing rice, exclusive of any weather-related issues. While different regions of the world will be subject to variations in pests and diseases, one thing is certain: Conventional methods of rice production use a great many agrochemicals. While some of these are relatively harmless, others are anything but. Longtime readers of organic columns will recognize the acronym PANNA, short for the Pesticide Action Network of North America (the North American Branch of PAN, the Pesticide Action Network). PANNA compiles and maintains a pesticide-use database for crops grown in California. In 2005, the most recent year for which data are available, PANNA lists about 40 synthetic pesticides employed in rice production in The Golden State, America’s second largest producer of rice. Of this number, 15 are considered “bad actors,” meaning that they have demonstrated ill effects on the human system or in groundwater pollution, whether that’s in the short term, the long term or both. The bad effects range from a high acute toxicity to a toxin that works on reproduction and/or development to a known or suspected carcinogen. Remember, these 15 are used for one crop, in one state, in a country that produces a small fraction of the world’s annual rice yield—albeit a country with some regulatory control over such substances. The total synthetic pesticide use on the rice crop within the U.S. must be much higher, because far more rice is grown in Arkansas than in California. Other leading rice-producing states are Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Missouri. Organic farming of any type is going to require more work than conventional farming, period. Currently, organic rice production in the U.S. (and, in fact, worldwide) is only a fraction of total production. When agrochemical giants have the freedom to aggressively pursue their bottom lines, as happens now, it is always difficult for organic agriculture to gain a serious foothold. But even from this small article, it’s easy to see that organic agriculture, and specifically, organic rice growing, has many advantages to both people and the environment. I hope you’ll choose to purchase organic rice, as its cultivation will only flourish in the U.S. with sufficient demand. There are rice farmers who understand the organic movement in the U.S., and are growing rices to meet the demand. Two producers are RiceSelect of Texas and Lundberg Family Farms of California. Lundberg Family Farms Lundberg Family Farms of Richvale, California (in the Sacramento Valley) is the country’s leading organic rice producer. The company currently offers 19 different types of organic rice. Thirteen varieties are also “eco-farmed.” Eco-farming, while not organic, employs many of the same ideas and is based on sustainability. (For a better explanation, click on the “Farming” tab on the Lundberg.com website.) Both organic and eco-farmed lines are certified kosher by Kosher Overseers Associates of America. Whatever your rice needs, there’s a Lundberg organic rice. They seem to be committed to ensure that no one has to eat pesticide-farmed rice. Not all products and sizes are available in the company’s online store, but the Lundbergs will direct you to where to find them. For more information visit Lundberg.com, or telephone 1.530.882.4551. RiceSelect RiceSelect of Alvin, Texas, produces a number of rices, including organic basmati rices, plus organic rice mixes. The line is certified kosher by Star K. Both RiceSelect and Lundberg Family Farms have a cache of tempting recipes online that may make even a 25-pound sack of rice disappear quickly.
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