1) Don’t buy anything that requires a throwaway battery. Batteries leak cadmium, lead and other heavy metals when they’re thrown away. They usually come wrapped in plastic and cardboard, creating more trash as soon as you buy them. Plus, you have to keep replacing them; in some cases, the cost of batteries over the life of a product ends up amounting to more than the product itself.  Avoid toys, gadgets and appliances that require short-lived, throwaway batteries. If you must give a battery-powered gift, include rechargeable batteries and the recharger to go with it. One of my favorites is a reuseable AAA battery you can recharge in the USB port of your computer.

2) Green Shopping Solution: Buy solar- or hand-powered. Among your options: hand-cranked flashlights, coffee grinders, blenders and juicers. Vintage-style razors with replaceable razor blades. A French-press coffee pot. More interested in solar? Try solar-powered chargers for cell phones, flash drives, and radios.

3) Don’t buy synthetic fragrances and air fresheners. Ironically, even though these products are supposed to make things smell better, they actually make it more difficult for many people to breathe, especially those who suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems. Want your home to waft Christmas? Simmer a small pot of water, cloves and cinnamon sticks over the stove. Need to smell better yourself? Dab a drop of essential oil from your favorite flower (mine is lavender) behind each ear and on the inside of each wrist.

4) Green Shopping Solution: Buy phthalate-free. Phthalates are often the building blocks for synthetic fragrances. They’re also found in nail polish and many other personal care products. The downside? They’re nasty chemicals considered a reproductive hazard in Europe and the state of California. Luckily, you can find a wonderful variety of phthalate-free nail polishes, perfumes, make-up and other personal care products in stores like Whole Foods and the Body Shop or online here.

5) Don’t buy BPA specifically and plastic generally. Bisphenol A, or BPA, is like phthalates – an “endocrine disruptor” that could be toxic to your reproductive system. It’s usually found in plastic, especially plastic water bottles, some baby bottles and nipples, and rubber and plastic toys. If what you want to buy is plastic or rubber, check the label for the words “BPA Free.” Better yet…

6) Green Shopping Solution: Buy stainless steel, aluminum, glass, or wood. Instead of plastic water bottles, choose stainless steel, aluminum, or glass bottles that come with a protective sleeve to reduce the chances of breaking. Choose glass or stainless steel food serving and storage containers, too. You can find wonderful toys made from wood and decorated with lead-free paint from many American companies.

7) Don’t buy wrapping paper, even if it’s recycled. Why does it matter? Because Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than at any other time of year, reports the Stanford Recycling Center. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week! If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. Plus, if every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

8) Green Shopping Solution: Buy reusables. Can you wrap it in cloth? Try decorative towels, large napkins, festive scarves and bandanas, tied up with shoelaces or ribbons. Use reusable shopping bags, lunch boxes, and cookie tins, too.

9) Don’t buy “natural.” Everybody likes the idea of “natural” – which is why marketers slap the words on products that couldn’t be farther from their natural state. Don’t get sucked into buying something just because the packaging claims it’s “natural.”

10) Green Shopping Solution: Buy certified. While “natural” doesn’t mean much, products whose environmental attributes have been certified to meet rigorous standards by organizations independent of the manufacturer can more readily be trusted. Look for companies whose claims that their goods are organic, Fair Trade, humane, non-toxic, or designed to help protect forests and wildlife have been independently certified. You can find a list of labels you can trust here.

Buy:                                                                       Don’t  Buy:

Solar- or Hand Powered                                           Battery Powered

Phthalate-Free                                                       Synthetic Fragrances & Air Fresheners

Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Glass                             BPA specifically, Plastic generally

Reusable towels, scarves, bags                              Throwaway wrapping

Certified                                                                Natural

Want more holiday tips? Look here for info on …

Eco-Frirendly Christmas Trees

Energy-Saving Holiday Lights/LED Holiday Lights

Holiday Candles Made From Soy and Beeswax

Safe Toys

The post Ten “Buy/Don’t Buy” Rules for Green Shopping appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Considering how many times you lick them each day, maybe you should. Many conventional lip products are made from ingredients you’d never DREAM of wiping your tongue on, like pesticides, dyes, and parabens. Lipstick may even contain lead. Ewww!

Good news: Conventional cosmetic companies like Softlips are extending their product lines to include pure organic lip conditioners in a variety of flavors.

About the Product: Pure Softlips is USDA Organic Certified. It’s made of 100% natural ingredients, 95% of which are organic. You can get it in five different flavors, including Acai Berry, Honeydew, Papaya, Pomegranate, and Peppermint.

What We Like: In addition to the fact that Softlips uses certified ingredients, its price is comparable to conventional products (see below) and it’s easy to buy in many retail outlets. Pure Softlips is cruelty free (animal testing is not conducted). In addition, the balm is sold in recyclable materials that include a minimum of plastic and are printed with vegetable-based ink. It’s not too greasy but still leaves lips feeling soothed. The flavors are pleasant, and the fragrance is not overwhelming.

There are no dyes or tints in Softlips, so don’t expect it to impart anything more than a subtle shine – which is just fine if you’re planning to pucker up and don’t want to leave any evidence behind.

Are you are allergic to gluten? Softlips pure organic lip conditioner is gluten-free (other lip glosses may list wheat as an ingredient).

What We Don’t Like: Softlips’ entire product line needs the same make-over it’s given to its “Pure” brand. The company’s standard products contain nasty compounds like petroleum, toluene and parabens. That’s a no-no for Big Green Purse fans. We hope the company will raise its entire product line to “Pure” standards.

Plus, five of us in the office tried different Pure Softlips flavors. We all liked the tastes – but we found the applicator tube itself way too small…and not because we have big lips! Softlips could double the size of the applicator, make the product last twice as long, and reduce packaging that comes from having to buy two applicators rather than one.

Product Comparison:

Burt’s Bees Lip Balm:
“Earth Friendly Natural Personal Care for The Greater Good”
The ingredients are 95.29% natural, and include ultra-emollient lanolin, coconut and sunflower oil, and beeswax. TThe tube is made of recycled plastic.

Herbal Choice  Herbal Choice uses natural herbs and oils to moisturize lips; the color from the tinted lip balms derives from natural fruit powders to provide sheer color.
• Paraben Free, Preservative Free, Mineral Oil Free.
• No Synthetic Additives, Fragrance Free.
• Pure & Natural Formula.
• Organic Ingredients.
• Allergen Free, Non Sticky.
• No Animal Testing, Vegan.
• Earth & Skin Friendly.

Eco Lips – Uses high concentrations of certified organic ingredients like green tea and kiwi.

Dr. Bronner’s All-One Organic Lip Balm: Dr. Bronner’s lip balms are USDA Certified Organic, and are made of natural oils and beeswax. The product is not animal tested; ingredients include natural organic hemp, pure organic oils and beeswax free of petrochemically modified ingredients. Organic essential oils infuse the balms with fragrance.

Price Comparison:
Pure Softlips – Lip Conditioners priced at $3.69

Burt’s Bees: Beeswax Lip Balm $3.00

Herbal Choice: Vitamin E lip balm $3.95

Eco Lips: Free shipping with orders over $15
Eco Lips Organic Lip Balm- $1.99
Eco Tint Line $3.99
Eco Energy lip balm3.49

Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm
Lip Balms priced at $ 2.99

How Many Purses for Softlips? Two. We love the ingredients in Pure Softlips. But the applicator is too small, forcing us to buy two when one larger one would last longer. We also want to see Softlips raise the bar for its entire product line. Softlips should be “pure,” through and through.

by Sophia Bambalis

The post Environmental In-Box: Softlips Pure Organic Lip Conditioner appeared first on Big Green Purse.