Terra Thread's Bumi Eco Duffel Bag is made from Certified Fair Trade Organic cotton canvas. The perfect size for weekend getaways, it has a large main compartment and exterior and interior pockets. Zippers are lead-free. They are handmade in a Fair Trade factory in India and contain no plastic except for the zipper tape and thread, which are polyester. Terra Thread, which makes only eco-friendly sustainable products, is looking for an alternative to this. They are shipped in plastic-free packaging. I have this bag and love it. I got this green and it's as brilliant and rich as it looks.

If you're looking for earth-friendly plastic-free make-up it really doesn't get any better than Axiology. The cardboard housing is a welcome sight (no need for plastic). It's vegan, plastic-free, non-toxic, palm oil-free, cruelty-free and made in the U.S. These hydrating color cream multi-sticks are for eyes, lips and cheeks and come in 12 different shades. They are made from naturally-derived ingredients like avocado, coconut and other plant oils, some of which are organic. Axiology is also women owned and run. I use this make-up and love it.

This breathable four-season organic cotton blanket from Avocado Green Mattress is made with four layers of GOTS-certified organic muslin. The stitching is natural too -- not polyester. It's also certified to to Made Safe standards — a process that screens for more than 6,500 chemicals and materials known or suspected to harm human health, animals, aquatic life, or ecosystems, including PFAS. Few brands meet this gold standard for product safety. I have this blanket and like it a lot. It's a nice weight and ..... no synthetic fibers. Just organic cotton.

We are increasingly exposed to RF radiation from cell towers and antennas, wifi routers, cell phones, laptops and smart devices. Wireless radiation is linked to cancer, neurological diseases, sperm damage and reproductive damage, immune and endocrine system disruption and more. In addition to common sense steps like hard-wiring computers and never putting your phone against your head, there are a lot of products offered by businesses like Defender Shield such as hollow-tube headphones, laptop shields, phone cases and pouches, clothing and blankets and blue light glasses that help to shield the body from radiation.

The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells is an excellent primer for anyone interested in learning about the myriad ways climate change is affecting life on Earth. Global warming is rapidly rendering our planet uninhabitable and this book explains well why it is happening and how. The blunt first line is "It is worse, much worse, than you think." In the pages that follow, the author supports that statement with example after example of the devastating consequences of a world heating up and the march toward extinction for the millions of animal and plant species living here now.  The book is written for the general public but delves into the science in detail.

8000 Kicks' Everyday hemp backpacks are made from industrial hemp, which has been used since 8000 BC. Its properties include being anti-bacterial, needing no fertilizers or pesticides and to grow, and it cleans and restores nutrients in the soil. It's also so strong Henry Ford once built a car out of it. The backpacks are waterproof and PFC-free (free of fluorocarbons). The carbon footprint of 8000 Kicks' products (shoes, bags and accessories) is far less than non-hemp and many other similar products. They accomplish this not only by using hemp, but also using factories that are powered in part by renewable energy and by investing in hemp farms. 

This book describes climate change in simple terms so children can begin to understand this issue and how they can help. Combing history and science, it chronicles changes in Earth's climate from the planet's beginning to the Industrial revolution and beyond. Kids will learn all about the causes of climate change and the effects it has on people and animals around the world.

Grimm's solid wooden toys are all handmade from  alder, lime, beech or maple wood. And stained with brilliant non-toxic dyes. They are wonderful natural toys and ideal for encouraging color play, stacking, sorting, and developing imagination. Variations in wood grain, color, knots or texture are all natural features of Grimm's hand-stained wooden toys.

Natural cork is an eco-friendly and attractive alternative to leather and is a great material for making items like wallets, belts and purses. Harvesting cork from cork trees is beneficial for the environment because as the cork grows back the trees absorb more carbon dioxide from the air than they do when cork is not growing back. They also grow without the use of pesticides or other toxic chemicals.  

Our beloved pets need non-toxic beds too. Naturepedic's organic pet beds are made with organic natural materials instead of polyurethane foam, toxic waterproofing and other hazardous chemicals. That means any materials used are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, GMOs and more – and toxic chemicals aren’t added in the manufacturing process either. They are GOTS-certified  which means that beyond ensuring the organic integrity of your pet’s sleep space, GOTS verifies sustainable farming practices are used and fair labor conditions are adhered to. 

Most produce from the supermarket goes bad faster in plastic bags because they trap ethylene gas, which causes some fruits and vegetables to ripen quickly. Ethylene is emitted by a variety of fruits and vegetables and many others are sensitive to its effects, which shortens their shelf life, whether refrigerated or not. Breathable cotton bags allow the ethylene to escape and produce stays fresh longer. Simple Ecology's organic cotton bags are GOTS-certified and are shipped in sustainably-harvested paper. Check out Simple Ecology's other fantastic products too. 

If you can only have one soap, it should be a bar of paper-wrapped Dr. Bronner's "magic" castile soap.  Maybe it's not exactly magic but this versatile soap, make with organic oils, is great for washing your body, hair, clothes, home or anything you need soap for. I use it for everything, including shampoo and hand-washing clothing. Dr. Bronner's is one of the most ethical and environmentally-friendly businesses out there. No greenwashing here. I don't love their plastic bottles but at least they are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Try to buy the bar soap instead. Ideal for home use and for traveling. 

Rising temperatures are setting records around the world and data shows this deadly trend is accelerating. One significant source of global warming that we don’t hear a lot about is plastic. It's a major player in this phenomenon that is quickly affecting every aspect of life on Earth -- already causing deaths and health issues around the world, unsustainable ecological shifts, habitat loss, famine, unbreathable air, wildfires, dying oceans, sea level rise, and myriad other changes. Around the world, the plastics industry is the fastest-growing source of industrial greenhouse gases. (Continue reading)

Throw out your black plastic utensils. A recent NY Times article about the toxicity of most black plastic products “Black Plastic Kitchen Tools Might Expose You to Toxic Chemicals,” created renewed awareness about the dangers of black plastic products. It’s not just the black ones, though they are the worst because they have a lot more discarded toxic e-waste in them. It's also not just utensils. Anything, including toys and hair accessories, made with black plastic likely contains highly toxic chemicals, such as hazardous flame retardants, some of which have been banned, lead, antimony, chromium and mercury. (Continue Reading)

You’ve probably heard  of toxic PFAS chemicals found in water supplies across the U.S. and around the world. The so-called “Forever Chemicals” are everywhere. Their health impacts are numerous and are believed to include cancer, damage to the endocrine, immune and reproductive systems, and much more.
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization that studies the toxicity of thousands of chemicals and products, has tested  a number of popular water filtration systems for their effectiveness at removing PFAS chemicals. Their top choice was the Travel Berkey Water Filter. (Continue reading)

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widely-used, man-made chemicals that are all around us and in thousands of common consumer products. They're called "forever chemicals" because they don't degrade quickly due to an extremely strong carbon-fluorine bond. They can and do accumulate in both the environment and the human body. Research has found that PFAS can cause serious health problems, including various types of cancer (thyroid, kidney, ovarian, prostate, testicular, breast, childhood leukemia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma). PFAS include around 5,000 chemicals. They have been produced since the 1940s, but their health and environmental risks only gained widespread attention after the chemicals were found in drinking water in 2001. Nearly everyone has come in contact with these chemicals through water, food or everyday products. (Continue reading)

For years, most mass market upholstered furniture, including mattresses, has been filled with polyurethane foam. Don’t buy it. It’s toxic. Sure it’s cheaper, it's out of sight hidden under a layer of (usually synthetic) fabric, it looks nice, from a distance. But the health risks are huge. As Darin Olien notes in his book, Fatal Conveniences, furniture was once made with natural materials. Real wood, real natural fibers. It was so solid and well-made it was passed down to younger generations like heirlooms. Starting around the 1960s all that changed. Now it’s full of toxic petroleum-based materials, plastics and pressed wood. (Continue reading)

Why is buying organic cotton so important? Won’t the pesticides just wash out of non-organic cotton clothing and other fabrics? 

No, they don't, not completely. Pesticides are imbued in the cotton’s fibers from the very beginning of its life and they continue to be slowly released for years, exposing us to these toxic chemicals as we wear them and sleep on them. These include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and defoliants. (Continue reading)

 Plastic is deadly to people and wildlife and harmful to environment. Here are just some of the numbers and and how they result in tragic consequences. This is why I recommend rejecting plastic wherever possible and buying biodegradable and non-toxic materials instead. (Continue reading)

I don't recommend aluminum cookware due to increasing evidence suggesting a link between aluminum and neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and also breast cancer. Data so far is inconclusive but the there is enough evidence to warrant avoiding unnecessary exposure to aluminum, including that found in antiperspirants, pots and pans, foil, sunscreen, cosmetics, antacids and baking powder. (Continue reading)

We are increasingly surrounded by RF radiation from our own devices, like cell phones, computers, smart devices, baby monitors and routers and, involuntarily from cell towers and antennas in our cities and towns. Children are even more vulnerable to the effects of radiation due to their thinner skulls and still-developing brains. In addition to most children having wifi at home, they are also exposed to wireless radiation all day long in the classroom, at libraries and out in public. (Continue reading)

You’ve probably seen numerous initialism throughout the recommendations here, most followed by the word “certified.” GOTS, GOLS, FSC, etc... I’ve started linking these abbreviated certifications to websites explaining in detail what they mean and why they’re important. But here’s what they are in a nutshell. They all mean a product or raw material such as cotton has been tested or verified to ensure it is indeed as eco-friendly or non-toxic or organic as the manufacturer says it is. Many also look at a business’s ethical practices and philanthropic activities.  (Continue reading)