Plant and mineral-based line of cleaning products safe for animals. But not plants. Or minerals.
 
To prove that we practice what we preach here on the Shift bully pulpit, that is an actual picture of my favorite Far Side mug next to our bottle of Ecover dishwashing liquid.

If you haven't heard, Ecover is a line of phosphate free washing products created using only plant and mineral based ingredients. Ecover is safe for humans, animals, and marine life (though, I imagine, not plants or minerals). And that cup on the label (look closely) must mean that it's safe enough to drink. But more importantly, the stuff works. As an experiment, my roommate left a pan of lasagna out for two days and Ecover did the job. It's so good, in fact, that it was recognized by the UN! Find me another soap that can make that claim and I'll drink a cup of it.

Time to Treat Your Dermis Right
 
You've been offsetting your carbon, recycling your waste, shopping at the green market, but what about YOUR needs?

Meet Mod Skin Labs and its collection of organic skin care products with mellifluous names like "Oriental Green Tea & Peru Balsam Regulating Fluid Weightless Lotion" (yes, that's one product), and "Creme Nutri-Functional #1 White Lotus & Norwegian Kelp."

If the names weren't exotic enough, the all-natural ingredients sound good enough to eat (not advised): Marshmallow Root, Slippery Elm, French Lavender, Milk Thistle, Shea Butter, and so on. What could be better after a long day of environmentalling all over the place, than a little "me" time with some "Face Sculpt Serum Excalibur DMAE & Blue Green Algae?"

KT Tunstall and Origins: Repenting for an Unfortunately Lavish Use of Aerosol Hairspray in the 80s

How does a musician typically show gratitude for fan support? Maybe a few autographs here and there; a free concert; perhaps even lunch with the president of the fan club. How, though, does Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall simultaneously convey her concern for the environment and her appreciation for those who have purchased her music? Well…buying a tract of forest seemed like a good first step.

So far, the 30-year-old performer — whose songs run the gamut of genres — has sold more than a million copies of her latest album, Eye to the Telescope. As quoted on Scotsman.com, Tunstall remarks: “I can now say that producing this album hasn't harmed the environment...It's going to be carbon neutral for me from herein. Each time I use the tour bus, each time I play a gig, more trees will be planted.”
Growing up with the pristine Scottish outdoors as her second home, Tunstall has always had a respect for the land. “Recycle” and “reuse” were concepts as fundamental to her childhood as tying one’s shoe and learning to play nicely with others. …And, with her fresh outlook and vibrant personality, who wouldn’t want to collaborate with KT, whether on- or off-stage?

Origins Natural Resources, the company who brings the “Origins” brand of health and beauty products to your nearest mall or favorite department store, has teamed up with Tunstall for a “strategic alliance” — the details of which include a variety of unique promotional activities, in-store music, and charitable support of Project Sunshine (an organization that provides services to families affected by serious medical difficulties).

Through its products, Origins endeavors to celebrate “the connection between Mother Nature and human nature” — just as KT does in some of her lyrics. The company promises to help preserve the earth, animals, and the environment. This credo does not mean, however, that every product it sells is free from impurities. The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) deems some Orgins offerings worthy of the “green light,” while others get yellow or red warnings. Every step towards Mother Nature, though, is a step in the right direction. And it seems as though Tunstall and Origins can, indeed, see the forest for the trees.

For more information: www.kttunstall.com / www.origins.com

Bursting Soap Bubbles

If you’ve ever wondered what ingredients make up the sudsy, fragrance-rich shampooing experience you enjoy every morning, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is for you. Just hop online and check out www.ewg.org to find a world of health and beauty product information at your fingertips. But, be careful, chances are you won’t be too happy with the results.

As a Garnier Fructis enthusiast for the past few years, I was slightly taken aback upon learning that my beloved fortifying shampoo actually contains six ingredients labeled as “health concerns,” three “violations, restrictions, and warnings,” and one unknown ingredient. In fact, only nine of the 22 unique ingredients in the shampoo have been assessed by the cosmetics industry. The Garnier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo received an EWG score of 1.6 and I should be “moderately” concerned about its effects on my health.

Like most things if used in moderation, it’s not altogether likely that mainstream health and beauty products will cause any significant harm to users, but the EWG does shed light on some promising substitutes. Just as organic and all-natural products provide healthy and safe alternatives to our traditional American way of life, there are other choices with respect to the way we bathe and beautify our bodies. Focusing again on shampoo, the EWG website lists countless brands that register a concern level of “low” and are free from many of the problematic ingredients of more popular brands. Brands like Burt’s Bees and Tom’s of Maine are high on the list, but what is significant is that the list itself is long. Whether you are interested in switching to a more sustainable line of beauty products or not, the market is emerging and it’s at least worth a peek, if not a scrub.

For more information: www.ewg.org/skindeep

Oh Yea? Well, Why Don’t You Kiss This?

Let’s think back to a time, not so very long ago, (the 1980s) when “organic” beauty products were largely absent from your local grocer’s shelves. Imagine yourself a merchant in such an era: how likely is it that you would have purchased drab green soap — sans wrapper (and before minimalist or twine-tied packaging was hip) — from two guys peddling the stuff from the back of a VW Rabbit? You might have thought twice about it. But, as it turns out, the olive oil soap was a huge hit amongst retailers and shoppers alike. And hence was born the Kiss My Face (KISS) enterprise; now an established leader in the environmentally-friendly health and beauty space.

Steve Byckiewicz and Bob MacLeod, the masterminds behind KISS, got their start selling homegrown vegetables to markets in New York City. Recognizing — from their own vegetarian frustrations — a market need for responsible, yet accessible, personal care products, the duo set out to provide new alternatives. KISS has since experienced such success that its products are verging on mainstream; orders are regularly shipped to 19 countries. Perhaps one reason for the company’s “organic” growth” (despite such clever product names as “Under Age” moisturizer) is that Byckiewicz and MacLeod endeavor to manage it in the same manner as they conduct their lives: with “honesty, humor, and style.” The work environment is very collaborative — and even an accountant can lend valuable input into product decisions.

Maybe all this talk has you wanting to give these pure and whimsical products (or even the charmingly unattractive soap) a try, if you haven’t already. There’s always the “Cheap Kisses” sampler, which provides a nice medley of trial-size items. Or the “Miss Treated” shampoo if you locks have been feeling undervalued. For added fun, you can submit your favorite “kissing pictures” online for a chance to have them prominently displayed on the KISS website.

For Byckiewicz and MacLeod…well, they retired the Rabbit but have held strong to their core values. And, in personal news, Byckiewicz — a native Canadian — attained U.S. citizenship just a few years ago. So now, it seems, the entire venture is as American as, well…Peaches and Cream Moisturizer. And now you can even buy KISS products at your favorite Old Navy outlet.

For more information: www.kissmyface.com