Posts Tagged ‘sustainable living’

Summer Hair

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

I started looking at the web the other day for ideas and suggestions for summer tips for hair to share with our customers.  I was hoping for some ideas to make you look and feel to look good while still be eco-friendly this long hot summer.  I used all the big search engines to look for the best information from google, Yahoo and even the “new” bing search engines.  My search started with the keywords  “Summer Hair” which brought me some really cheeky stuff.   

Here are just a few:

      “Simple Summer Hairstyles”

      “5 Hairstyles to help beat the heat”

      “Show the heat who is boss”

      “Hot and Sexy Hair for the summer”

      “Weather the summer”

These were all great ideas but somehow they did not fit our eco-chic consumers.

I actually found lyrics to something called “summer hair=forever young” whatever that is about.  To make the search more relevant to our consumers I searched for “green hair tips” and there was not the depth of information I wanted and you needed so we kept searching.  Basically they mostly said do not shower which is not very eco-chic or even eco-savvy!  We still feel you can look good and smell good and still be eco-friendly. Unfortunately not everyone standing next to me in my local natural food store feels the same way.  It is becoming even more important that as it is heating up in Portland and the rain finally stopped we came up with solutions for eco-friendly ideas. It is going to be in the high 90’s this week so we have to out our ideas as quick as possible to avoid to much BHD ( bad hair days ) and BO in the stores.  So here is our list of our top 5 summer sensational suggestions for style and eco-living:

       Number 5  –  Shower with a friend to save water.  Saves time and water.

       Number 4  –  Towel dry you hair do not blow dry. Air dry on a hot summer day or run naked in the parking lot.

       Number 3   —   Keep your hair and your showers short.  High  ‘N’ Tight on the hair and in the showers.

       Number 2   —    Shower with a friend you don’t want to see naked to shorten the duration of the shower.

       Number 1  –  Shower with cold water to promote shrinkage  and minimize body mass coverage.

I hope that some of these ideas help, but at the end of the day please just take a shower.

We have 86,573 bottles of our Hair + Body Wash and Re-Conditioner in the warehouse and available for you if you need some. We think it may be hot enough for you to think two bottles.

Mike

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North Star

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

In business, sometimes you get lost and cannot find your way. I have always looked for the Northern Star to guide me home. By this I mean finding the things that matter most to your company, your aspirations or even the dreaded mission statement. We have a stated aspiration about caring for the Planet, Nature and You.

So when the tough questions come up we need to look at our aspirations:

1) How can we make our products have a minimum affect the planet?

2) How can we make our products have a minimum affect on nature?

3) How can our product provide the best performance and safety?

All that said, we are trying to work within a matrix where all decisions need to be measured:

1) The product must work!

2) We want to follow the precautionary principle where we do not use any ingredients that may be considered harmful to the consumer. We have eliminated all known ingredients that may be hazardous to your health by not using ingredients like SLS, parabens or phthalates. We continue to monitor third party consumer groups like the Environmental Working Group to increase our knowledge.

3) We want to ensure 100% transparency in our labels by showing all ingredients in our products even when we are not required to do so. We want each label on ever bottle to factually represent what is in the bottle.

4) We want to fully disclose all known allergens in our products, even at the risk of losing some potential consumers.

5) We always want to use natural ingredients that are “plant based.” We will not and cannot use animal bi-products. We are committed to comply with PETA guidelines that include no animal testing in our finished products or in ingredients that we use.

6) We create products with the least amount of packaging possible. Less material is better when it comes to packaging.

7) We want to use as much recycled material in our finished products as possible and create packaging that is easy to recycle. We want to create packaging that uses single source material whereby all components of the bottle are made of the same material, which will aid and simplify recycling.

8.) We want to develop methods for reducing our carbon footprint from the sourcing, manufacturing and logistics of our products throughout the supply chain to our consumers.

9) We want to use green chemistry to continue making step changes in manufacturing the most natural product in our the natural body care industry that delivers on the promises that consumers have come to expect from traditional body care sold in mass retailers.

10) We want to have the pride and confidence that we gave done the best job possible in making our products so that just like a master craftsman or an artist, we can sign our finished work with our signature.

These are the aspirations that have guided us along our journey. I know if we follow these aspirations we are confident that we will never get lost.

Mike

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Kindle? Bah. I Heart My Library!

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

I’ve always been an avid reader but I have mixed feelings about the Amazon Kindle and other electronic readers. Industry reports allege that e-readers make up only 1% of book sales but proponents believe that these readers are going to replace traditional paper “pulp” books.

I can certainly see the readers being advantageous if you travel a lot or if your at-capacity Kindle full of 1,500 books would count as the “one book you would bring to a desert island” but I cannot imagine choosing to read from a screen instead of holding the actual pulp book in bed at night or outside in a hammock. Apparently the technology is supposed to counteract glare so you can read anywhere but there is something beautiful in the simplicity of pulp books. Bibliophiles will attest to the sensuality of feeling the pages between your fingers and the comforting scent of old books. No matter how advanced the graphic quality, these tangible qualities cannot be replicated. 

I applaud the effort of preventing deforestation (an argument for said readers) but there are other options besides purchasing all-new material bleached paper books or dropping over $350 (plus at least $9.99 per book).

Option 1: I have seen (and own) books that are made of 100% post-consumer recycled paper. No new trees need to be destroyed and we can still purchase pristine copies of paper books. 

Option 2: We can buy used books (sometimes even in like new condition) from retailers on Amazon.com, Half.com, and Powells Books. In Portland we are spoiled by the largest independently owned book store in the nation (Powell’s City of Books) — so many new and used books, that is several stories high and occupies an entire city block. You can also check them out online at Powellsbooks.com. It’s a great way to reuse and recycle — you can even sell books you no longer want and use the cash to exchange for new titles. 

Option 3: You can only read public domain works on sites like Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page from your computer. You get the experience of e-reading without spending any money or wasting paper but your titles are limited and depending on your computer you have limited mobility. (These titles can also be read on e-readers like Kindle but you need to actually buy a Kindle in order to do this)

Option 4: My favorite solution: the public library. You get the joys of printed pulpy text without spending a dime. My library lets me check out 50 titles at a time. Sure, I can’t simultaneously cart all these titles around in my purse like I could with a Kindle but it’s eco-friendly, gives me the satisfaction of the page, and is FREE! 

Yes, I am biased. I love my library. I have a bumper sticker on my hybrid that says so. I want to eventually study library science in graduate school. Libraries and librarianship are as much about technology as they are books. I am certainly not opposed to technology (I AM writing this in a blog) but I think sometimes we forget about the really obvious solutions that are in front of us. Buying used books and going to the library are great ways to help save the planet and feed your mind without emptying your wallet.

Marissa

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Green is worth it

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

One of my biggest personal pet peeves is the ignorant mindset that going green is too expensive.  I have heard far too many people say that they can’t afford a more sustainable lifestyle. While although it may be more expensive to buy the initial green products they quickly pay off themselves.

As someone aspiring to one day become an architect; I read many books about sustainable construction. In one of the current books I am reading it goes over the myth of green costing more in light bulbs. While although a compact florescent bulb costs $1.50 as opposed to the $.40 of a standard bulb the extra $1.10 turns into $30.70 savings after running for 7,000 hours. This is all because it is a cleaner lower wattage bulb that is more efficient with power.

I have also read studies where clients have opted to use cheaper building materials and less clean construction methods to save pocket change. This however means that the materials could allergens or even semi-toxic chemicals. This means that the occupants could experience health problems such as asthma (a large problem for urban dwelling citizens due to pollutants). Thus leading to sickness, large medical expenses, and even death. Which could all be avoided if the initial client opted to use cleaner building methods.

The same applies to other products like personal care and groceries. We need to consider if the “bargain” products are good for your body. Are they safe to be around your children and pets? Where animals harmed to create it? How much pollution came to be for you to save those dollars?

Maybe this whole crises thing is a joke and the world will magically not run out of resources but what is the worst that happens if we take care of our selves and the planet.

You are what you eat. You eat healthy you feel healthy. You take care of your body it takes care of you. By spending a few dollars more you could save your self from health problems down the road.

 

Jonny

 

Jonny

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Communication Breakdown

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

As I’ve mentioned in the past, it’s finally becoming hip to be green and this trend is hopefully be here to stay. The main problem facing sustainability is no longer doubting that it is a necessary part of human survival, but now it is misunderstanding sustainability actually is.

The greatest problem facing sustainability’s future is that it is over-simplified. This creates one-dimensional solutions, short cuts, and no long-term positive impacts. What I mean by this is the public addresses a single issue such as alternative fuel sources. This is a good step in the right direction however sustainability is not single-sided. We need to address the whole issue not just bits and pieces. The only way to do this is to educate the public that there is much more that they can do than buy a hybrid. This dilemma requires to be tackled from all sides and the first step to do that is educate the broader spectrum of the problem.


It has come to my attention that a few schools throughout the world such as Arizona State University in the states now offer Master and Bachelor degrees in sustainability. I think that this is a great step towards the world becoming educated however I believe that it would be even better if it where not  an individual major but instead a standard in all professions.


Maybe if we all put on our rosey shaded sunglasses we can imagine a world where being eco-concious is more than a “new trend” but just a part of everyday life. Until then I encourage everyone to research all the ways they can help the environment and educate a friend or family member.


Heck, feel free to post one as a comment response to this blog entry or if you would like any of my input on how to be better all around just ask.

Happy learning

Jonny

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