Tuesday, May 27, 2008

The Green Home Guide

The U.S. Green Building Council is a non-profit organization that promotes buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy. Check out their Green Home Guide. This online resource provides renovation guidelines, project profiles, green building news, and information on green products and sustainable living. Whether you are looking to build your dreamhome or just making a few changes to your current digs, it's worth taking a look! Want to move into a home that is green already? Then check out their "Green Homes For Sale" listings.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Makeup of Your Makeup

Sorry that it's been so long since the last Eco-Smart post. I've been busy struggling with the moral dilemma of whether to replace my BPA-containing water bottles with BPA-free bottles that (a) are made in the USA, but from a company that resisted the phasing out of BPA or (b) are made by a company that was quick to provide a no-BPA alternative, but produced overseas. Nevermind my moral dilemma...check out this book! Not Just a Pretty Face is by Stacey Malkan, co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. That will sound familiar to you if you've checked out the Environmental Working Group's Cosmetic Safety Database (a GREAT resource!). Malkan takes a close look at the chemicals found in our daily beauty routine and tells the stories of folks she has met who are trying to make our products safer. Grist recently interviewed Malkan about the book. You can also learn more at the book's own Web site!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Eco-Smart Parent Guide

Check out the new Eco-Smart Parent Guide from the NC Office of Environmental Education! It's a helpful brochure meant to highlight some of the environmental and health issues surrounding your choices as a parent. It provides a top-ten list of helpful resources to get you started learning about the issues and how we can make choices that we feel good about for ourselves and our families. Feel free to print the guide and distribute it wherever you think it may be helpful. As with any of our publications, we're open to feedback on the guide. Enjoy!