Thanks to my buddy Noah for sending me this little tidbit, originally mentioned over at LAist. Here is some info from Pizza Fusion’s website…holy cow!

Pizza Fusion addresses the needs of today’s health conscious consumer with concern for both the individual and the environment by supporting organic agriculture through our organic menu and practicing an eco-friendly approach to all our operations. From the creation of our food to its delivery to the customer, every aspect of our operations was designed to support the preservation and improvement of the environment. Some examples of our environmental initiatives include:

• Delivering our food in company owned hybrid vehicles
• Offsetting 100% of our energy usage with the purchase of renewable wind energy certificates
• Recycling and giving customers discounts for bringing back their pizza boxes to recycle them
• Using only eco-friendly cleaners to sanitize our stores
• Using 100% post-consumer recycled paper in our collateral
• Selling and providing our employees only with eco-apparel made from 100% organic cotton
• Giving our customers discounts when they return their pizza box to recycle it
• Serving our food in plastic-like containers made from 100% corn starch that decompose in landfills in only 50 days
• Using only spudware utensils that are made 100% from potatoes that biodegrade in 50 days
• Using 100% post consumer toilet paper and paper towels in all our bathrooms
• Printing our in-store graphics on a banner material made from 100% recycled plastic soda bottles and printed using non-VOC inks
• Host a free organic kids class every third Saturday of the month that educates children on the importance of eating organic and recycling
• Donate money to environmental causes in and around our communities

Their slogan is “Saving The Earth One Pizza At A Time”…and it sure looks like they might succeed! Pizza Fusion

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Now this always warms my heart…(can you sense the sarcasm?) And as much as I enjoy studies that prove companies to be trying to greenwash the public, this really does hurt as we have used a lot of these products over the last couple of years. Seems that the Organic Consumers Association did a little study on some of our favorite bath and household products and found them to contain the carcinogenic contaminant 1,4-Dioxane. Yummy!

Ethoxylation, a cheap short-cut companies use to provide mildness to harsh ingredients, requires the use of the cancer-causing petrochemical Ethylene Oxide, which generates 1,4-Dioxane as a by-product. 1,4-Dioxane is considered a chemical “known to the State of California to cause cancer” under proposition 65, and has no place in “natural” or “organic” branded personal care products. 1,4-dioxane is also suspected as a kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant, among others, according to the California EPA, and is a leading groundwater contaminant. Although previous studies have revealed 1,4-Dioxane is often present in conventional personal care products, this new study indicates the toxin is also present in leading “natural” and “organic” branded products, none of which are certified under the USDA National Organic Program.

This last sentence is probably the most important line of this entire study. See, all the products that were deemed “unsafe” are not actually certified organic by the USDA; rather, they have a certain percentage of ingredients that allows them to call themselves “organic”…without actually being certified organic. I wrote about the difference before. So what companies made this list of products with carcinogenic ingredients?

Well, the Organic Consumers Association tested 100 so-called “green” products, ranging from dish soap to shampoo, and they found this carcinogen in products from:

• JASON Pure Natural & Organic
• Giovanni Organic Cosmetics
• Kiss My Face
• Nature’s Gate Organics
• Whole Foods 365 Brand
• Alba
• Ecover

Ouch. Here is a full list in PDF form. Granted, not every product from those companies has 1,4-Dioxane in it, but still…since they are marketed as safe, natural and organic, you would think that none of their products would have 1,4-Dioxane in it, right? And I know what you are thinking now…who does that leave that actually makes a product without this carcinogen inside? The OCA says:

• Dr. Bronner’s
• Sensibility Soaps (Nourish)
• Terressentials
• Aubrey Organics
• Dr. Hauschka

Well, that certainly is good news, because right now we have a giant bottle of Dr. Bronner’s in the shower that I use for both shampoo and body wash, and my moisturizer is from Aubrey Organics. However, I see some things on the “bad” list that my wife uses…will have to go through everything now.

Whatever you do, please do not take this as a sign to go back to using crappy products in your house. As the list proves, there are products available that actually are natural and safe…the difficult part sometimes can be picking out the good ones from the bad ones. The OCA suggests that when you are shopping for home and body care products, you search ingredient lists for the following indications of ethoxylation (which requires the use of the cancer-causing petrochemical Ethylene Oxide, which generates 1,4-Dioxane as a by-product):

“myreth,” “oleth,” “laureth,” “ceteareth,” any other “eth,” “PEG,” “polyethylene,” “polyethylene glycol,” “polyoxyethylene,” or “oxynol,” in ingredient names. In general, the OCA urges consumers to avoid products with unpronounceable ingredients.

Time to go look through our medicine cabinet. And time for these companies to either change their formulas or stop marketing themselves as being natural and organic. I hate this kind of thing.

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Wha? Huh?

So asked CNN the other day, and this blogger has had enough. John Aravosis is one of my favorite political bloggers, and he has it right - no matter who you are voting for, this crosses a very obvious line:

This is unforgivable. Questioning Senator Obama’s patriotism? Why does CNN feel comfortable questioning Obama’s patriotism? You don’t see CNN questioning John McCain’s patriotism, even though he let our troops down in Iraq and Afghanistan for years while they fought with insufficient manpower and equipment and VA benefits. I doubt CNN is going to be doing a poll about whether John McCain is crazy. Or how about if George Bush is still an alcoholic? The media never dares to question the integrity, the sanity, the patriotism of Republicans… Oh let’s do talk to about the AP. Their reporter, Nedra Pickler, writes a piece that regurgitates all the right-wing lies about Obama lacking patriotism, and what’s the title of the story? - “Conservatives say Obama lacks patriotism”

A great read and worth your time to check it out, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or an Independent. This is just plain wrong. Is it time to declare war on CNN?

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You are going to spend the money anyway, right? So why not give your Valentine organic, pesticide free roses while at the same time giving 5% of the purchase price to the charity of your choice? You can choose from charities such as PETA, The Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation, and Co-op America. Organic Style says that by purchasing organic roses from them, consumers can:

- Protect your loved ones from the harmful chemicals used to grow non-organic/non-veriflora flowers
- Support the organic flower industry (encouraging farmers to use better practices when growing - protecting and providing farm workers with a safer environment and livable wages)
- Support a cause you believe in – we have over 40 to choose from.

People spend billions on roses for Valentine’s Day; and it would be so nice if people would buy organic roses that also raise money for charity. Pretty good idea guys!

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My wife bought some natural mineral makeup a few weeks ago and after trying it out for a little while, she gives it a thumbs up! She has tried many different kinds, most available at Whole Foods and Wild Oats, but she took a shot with this company through their website and is very happy she did. The company is called Alima Cosmetics, and here is how they describe their mineral makeup:

Alima Cosmetics are formulated with finely milled premium cosmetic-grade minerals and pigments. Mica provides subtle reflective properties to enhance the appearance of the skin; titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are pigments that give sun protection and anti-inflammatory benefits; and iron oxides add beautiful, natural color. In general, mineral cosmetics are gentle, protective, and long lasting. They are free of parabens, bismuth oxychloride, phthalates, talc, preservatives, dyes, carmine, salicylates, fragrances and other ingredients that could irritate or aggravate sensitive skin or compromise your health.

Their products are not tested on animals and last indefinitely…after all, they are made from rocks! Anyway, just thought I would pass that along to anyone looking for another option for non-toxic makeup. My wife really likes the makeup from these guys, and she has had trouble finding a natural product that actually worked. Oh, and she wanted me to let you know that you can order sample sizes to both try them out and to see how different pigments match your skin tone! Alima Cosmetics

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Although it seems that every manufacturer and every store out there is starting to sell organic food, clothes, bedding, makeup, etc, there are major differences in how products are graded to be “organic”. In 2002, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) became the agency in charge of organics in the United States with the National Organic Program, which regulates the standards for any “farm, wild crop harvesting, or handling operation that wants to sell an agricultural product as organically produced”. And according to the NOP, for products to attain the “organic” label from the program, they must meet these conditions:

- be produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations

- organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones

- organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation

However, there are different standards for foods and goods that have varying levels of “organic” to them. In order get the USDA Organic seal seen above, a product must be at least 95% organic. Granted, there can still be 5% non-organic materials in the goods, but 95% organic is a pretty good standard. To be labeled 100% Organic, all ingredients must actually be 100% organic. Products with less than 70 % organic ingredients cannot label the entire product as organic, but rather can label individual ingredients that are organic on the side of the package.

Some things to keep in mind when buying food and products:

- Natural does not mean organic and/or healthy

- Free-range does not mean organic

- Hormone-free does not mean organic

- The word “organic” on something does not mean that everything in the product is actually organically grown

- The use of the USDA seal is voluntary, so if you don’t see the seal, it does not mean a product is not organic

However, the USDA has determined that some ingredients used for growing organic foods/goods do not need to be necessarily “healthy” for any of us - chlorine, Copper sulfate, ozone gas, Peracetic acid, Plastic mulch, ammonium - the list goes on and on. If you want, you can read the whole long list right here.

The key thing to keep in mind when shopping for organic food or products is to look for 100% or 95% organic labels, as anything less than that and you might be allowing a decent sized amount of chemicals into your food or goods. Also, be sure to look for the actual USDA labels, and if in doubt, be sure to read the entire list of ingredients on the side of the package. It can get pretty confusing, so being aware is half the battle.

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