Some noteworthy sites February 11, 2009

Seventh Generation has been one of the most successful companies promoting green products. As a brand, I have been happy with the quality of their products as well as their business ethics. I sometimes wonder if their success in marketing their products to major chains means that their prices are selling a “brand” more than a price based on the product offered.Their products ARE more expensive, but I think they have kept them affordable for the average consumer and their prices seem to be well supported in terms of their production expenses and consideration of ingredients – as far as I can tell from reading abut their company and the labels on their products. In some ways I don’t mind a bit of an increase in price accordng to “paying for the brand” in this case because there is a sense of trust or consistency in their overall business theories and proctice. It is hard sometimes to figure out which companies are truly committed to an envirnomentally and ethically healthy product and those that are just trying to use the popularity (and scare tactics) of the envirnomental discourse to make a profit. I think that sometimes “green” products get marked up because their seen as a “priviledged” product, i.e. access to healthier ingredients and production automatically means an “exclusive” product that MUST cost more. It’s easy to prey on the idea that a consumer should pay more for product because it is safer for them, and more often abused: for their children. I have seen an increase in companies that are used to cutting corners in their products or using cheaper ingredients who then choose to have an exclusive “green” line. I sense that they often price gouge in order to continue their exorbitant profit that they’re used to with their “compromised” products/production. I waiver back and forth between my happiness that Walmart is starting to carry “green” products (some of their cotton products, the felt I bought the other day, cleaning and beauty products…not much in the way of food though- except maybe milk) and concern that they will abuse the definitions established by smaller companies, or that it will only promote organic/ green products or practices that also benefit them in terms of profit (which is not what’s at the heart/core of the intended “revolution”). Anyway, I appreciate the transparency of Seventh Generation, so I am willing to accept that I’m paying a little extra for the trust/ethics of the brand name even beyond the increased price for better products and production.
Anyway- they also have great coupons on their site (I use their coupons for their diapers, and sometimes cleaning products). You  have to create a user name in order to access the coupons, but you can print each coupon twice- which I think is a good deal. They post new coupons every month or so. I signed up for the newsletter as well which I think is worth an extra email in my inbox. They don’t bury you with emails if you do sign up for newsletters or special offers (that’s optional anyway).Here’s a link to the current newletter, and home site.  (If you want CHEAP, environmentally friendly and ethically produced cleaning products though- just buy Dr. Bronner’s soaps- They work better than most cleaners I’ve ever used,  and they’re multi-functional, use it on your skin, hair- or bathtub or floor!).

A cool new site that Dan has found is called SwapTree. It’s a site that allows you to swap books, CDs, DVDs, and video games for free (well, you have to pay for postage).  It’s a network site in which you list the stuff you are willing to trade and make a wish list of items you would like to have. the site then searches it’s databases and matches people up. So, if you’re done with the the most current  Twilight book (please note- here is my vampire reference for this post!) and need another vampire fix you can put an Anne Rice book on your wish list, and list Twilight as the book you’re willing to trade. The computer will find someone looking for Twilight that has an Anne Rice to swap. It doesn’t just do direct trades either, they work through 4 other people to match up trades etc. And you don’t have to have ike media, a cd can be traded for a book, etc. It’s suprising that it works, but apprently it does. Dan just posted some of our stuff a few days ago and we’ve already got 3 potential swaps. Pretty cool, check it out. Also, here’s a link to Yahoo Green which lists a bunch of other swap sites, I’ll let you know if we try any of these and what we think.

Last but not least, a note on personal care products. This is something that I should write about more fully in another post, but I have been particularly intrigued (read: horrified) at the lack of regulation in personal care products. And of course, not just the minimal regulation/standards- but the fact of how companies take advantage of this and knowingly produce products which are highly questionable in terms of health and toxicity. Admittedly, there are many contradictory arguments out there about the impact of the various toxins in our shampoos, lotions, makeup, shaving cream, tampons etc. What’s agreed upon is that many proven carcinogens (and other toxins) are  in the majority of products we use everyday. Some argue that the amounts are minimal, so there is minimal risk. Others argue that the repetition of usage is not taken into account. Since most of these products are not just used one time but multiple times throughout a day or over the years, these toxins build up in our systems , causing problems over time.  To be honest, it’s overwhelming trying to figure out what ingredients are potentially hazordous to health (body and larger environment) and which can be used without concern. There is a site that has an extensive database which you can search to see where the various products you currently use land on the hazard scale. It’s called Skin Deep, it has been put togtehr by the Environmental Working Group. It’s also a good site for more detailled information on this topic.  I do have some reservations about how to interpret some of the site’s ranking and evaluations. Overall, i’ve found it’s most helpful when choosing personal products to just go with the ones with the most recognizeable ingredients- just like food. If it has less than 10 ingredients, and most of them have recognizeable names or seem like something I could potentially make myself (with time and skill), then it’s probably safer. Or, start with the ones labelled “organic” then investigate from there whether the ingredients seem to match up with the claim. FYI: products that use the word “natural” rarely are. The company Burt’s Bees have developed a seal that indicates a particular set of standards that must be met for products using the seal to be considered ‘natural”. They hope it will function like the USDA organic seals or fairtrade seals. I have yet to see the seal appear on any products other than Burt’s Bee’s, but I hope it becomes as widely respected used as the USDA seals.