Finally! Eco-Friendly Sunscreen that Doesn’t Make Me Look like a Robot

I finally found an eco-friendly sunscreen that doesn’t make me look like the robot from Metropolis. Most sunscreens have chemicals to help your skin soak in the lotion. The problem is that these same chemicals also alter the sex of some fish and can cause cancer over time.

Safe active ingredients include Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, but they tend to leave an odd metallic sheen on the skin.

I stumbled across Mexitan SPF 30 at Toronto’s Carrot Common. It leaves a barely noticeable sheen and works very well. It’s also water resistant. I’m currently vacationing in Grand Bend on Lake Huron and haven’t had to reapply after dipping in the lake.

For more on eco-friendly sunscreens, click here.

In the News

Low carbon way 'to reshape lives'

A Forewarned Future: As 'Climate Security' Forecast Darkens, Is Canada Ready?

Wanna Sex Change? Try Sun Block!

It’s summer and I’m still getting used to the daily ritual of applying sunscreen. I use Derma Soleil Natural Sunblock, which is PABA-free. PABA, a UV protector, is also known to mess with DNA in human cells, leading to skin cancer. No irony here.

Derma Soleil works well in keeping the burn at bay, but I’ve got to wonder if it’s the best thing out there. After all, (big breath) Octyl Methoxycinnamate, Benzophenone-3, Octyl Saliclate, Octocrylene, etc. are in the lotion, and first rule of thumb: if you can’t pronounce it, don’t trust it.
The problem with sun blocks, even ‘eco-friendly’ ones like Derma Soleil, is that they are chock full of chemicals that can irritate the skin and worse - carry hormone disrupters, particularly estrogen mimics. Now I’m all about guys getting in touch with their female side, but estrogen mimics in suntan lotion have been known to change the gender in male fish. Fish have enough problems. Their numbers are diminishing because of overfishing and the practice of bottom trawling which destroys ecosystems at the bottom of seas. They’re choking on plastic and carrying tumors due to pollution. The water that sustains them is getting warmer and more acidic thanks to increases in carbon dioxide in the environment. The last thing they need is a sex change they didn’t ask for!

And you think estrogen mimics are bad for fish? How about us humans? In women, they’ve been known to cause cancer. So the more you slather on the sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, and the higher the SPF rating the greater the chemical content, the likelier you will get skin cancer. Oy vey!

So what’s a summer-lov’n boy and girl to do?

According to The Ecologist and Ideal Bite, mineral based sun blocks that use titanium dioxide or zinc work as well as conventional blocks and have fewer toxins. The Ecologists provides a breakdown of what goes in your average sunscreen. Click here to read the nasty details.

Keep in mind that while sunscreen is designed to prevent UV radiation from causing havoc in you cells – it also prevents vital vitamin D from absorbing into your skin as well. We can’t win, can we? Certainly, the days of burnt to a crisp skin are over. That brown ‘healthy’ look is actually a sign of damaged skin that will come back to haunt you. Your older self may end up cursing premature aging skin and cancerous tumors.

The following are tips to enjoy the summer without hurting yourself and the planet:

• Avoid the sun between the peak hours of 11am to 2pm. If you are out and about at this time, keep covered as best you can. Remember, clothing is an excellent and nontoxic form of SPF protection.
• During the non-peak hours, venture outside sans sunscreen and dose up on Vitamin D. I do this in the morning and I haven’t been burned yet.
• Use mineral based sun blocks and apply regularly. For a list of recommended blocks from The Ecologist and Ideal Bite:
  Weleda
  Green People
  Dr Hauschka
  Aveda
  Yaoh
  Neal’s Yard
  Aubrey Organics
  Ecolani
  Juice Beauty Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30
  Alba Facial Mineral Sunscreen SPF 10
  
  
  In the News
  
  Mayors Challenge Use of Tar Sands Oil and Other High Carbon Fuels
  US Mayors consider the lifecycle of carbon fuels in their purchasing standards. In the battle to reduce carbon emissions our knights in shining armour will likely continue to be local heroes.

60 Percent Campaign – Carbon Shift

Before I embark on the wonderful world of carbon tax, I want to congratulate Canadian Tire for putting Cascades recycled toilet paper and paper towels on the shelves – even the plastic packaging is recycled. In my April 17 issue I encouraged readers to join Doug Hart’s campaign to encourage Canadian Tire to sell recycled TP.

The product is unbleached and produced with 80% less water than the industrial average, according to Caroline Casselman, Associate VP, Corporate Social Responsibility & Public Affairs at Canadian Tire. You can buy Cascades products at Canadian Tire stores across the country.

Some Facts and a Deduction

Fact 1
Sweden, Norway, and the UK introduced carbon taxes in the 1990s.

Fact 2
It is anticipated that all three countries will meet their Kyoto targets by the assigned date of 2012.

Fact 3
Current GDP growth in Sweden doubles that of Germany and France. Meanwhile, Norway boasts the second highest GDP per capita in the world. The UK, the fifth largest economy in the world, has recently seen the longest period of sustained economic growth in more than 150 years.

Deduction
Carbon taxes can be an effective way to meet greenhouse gas targets without hurting the economy.

In fact, Jim Hansen, the Director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and one of the world’s leading authorities on climate change recently endorsed the carbon tax as a viable strategy to steer us away from runaway global warming.

Liberal Announcement
Stephan Dion announced on June 19 the Canadian Liberal Party’s Green Shift Plan, to be rolled out at some point in time when Canadians decides they’ve had enough of Prime Minister Harper. Dion’s plan, which is basically a carbon tax proposal, was met with such jeers from Conservatives and some media pundits and letter writers you’d think he was proposing a big greedy Liberal tax grab…well, that’s actually what they accused him of.

With all the shaking of heads and gnashing of teeth, you’d think that the whole idea is just crazy bad. And stupid. And a big fat Liberal tax grab. And silly.

A Biased Sober Explanation of the Carbon Tax
Allow me to take a stab at it. The raison d’être of a carbon tax is to tax polluting behaviour and in so doing to shift the market to a more sustainable model.

Currently, industry can spew toxins and greenhouse gases into the air and water without paying for the costs associated with this pollution. They basically can pollute for free. But someone has to pay for the mess, both financially and in immeasurable ways (how do you put a price tag on human illness and loss of habitat to endangered species?). Who has to pay? The public, of course! You and I pay through our hard earned dollars and, depending on where you live, the things we buy. (We pay in other ways as well – illness, loss of loved ones, property damage, and on and on).

This is our current tax model. Sound fair? It doesn’t to me.

Why not tax industry for their pollution since pollution affects the public? And while government is at it, reduce the amount of income tax you and I have to pay. The price of goods will increase due to the tax, but this in theory will be balanced out with the reduction in income tax.

The tax would also give industry an economic incentive to clean up its operations. And green industry, such as the renewable energy sector, will finally find itself competitively vying for the public’s business.

Finally…
The poor ole carbon tax has taken a beating this past week. In theory, the carbon tax is a sensible approach to turning our polluting ways around. Like anything, the devil is in the detail. Will the tax on polluters be enough to affect change? Will it truly be tax neutral?

For now, I want to thank Stephan Dion for actually standing up and finally showing some leadership on one of the most pressing issues of our time. If Sweden can do it so can Canada!

Further Reading

Wikipedia on Carbon Tax

CBC - The carbon tax: The pros and cons of a tax on fossil fuels

Liberal Party Green Shift Plan

Green Party Green Shift Plan

In the News

Ontario eyed for wind turbine factory
According to Helimax Energy Inc., there is enough potential wind power on the Ontario side of the Great Lakes to power all businesses, homes and industry in the province when the wind blows. So why is Ontario planning to dump its money in nuclear?

Going Green with the Curse

This installments is for the girls. What I am about to cover may not be close to your heart, but certainly close to your body. Very close. That’s right, it’s time to cover ‘personal care’ products for women.

The Rag
Alright ladies, listen up. Do you ever wonder what exactly goes into the tampons or pads that you use? Do you ever think: Will this give me cancer down the road? And what’s with ‘toxic shock’ syndrome and tampons? Do you really want to play Russian Roulette every month?

What’s in the Thingamadoogle
You’re average run of the mill pad and tampon contains the following:

• Super absorbent (read: toxic heavy process) rayon.
• Cotton that is laden with pesticides.
• Plastic (latex wings, polyethylene dry-weave layers and silky coating on tampons) and PVC (on the wrappers of pads).
• Your typical tampon/pad company used to bleach the batting with chlorine gases which produced the very nasty dioxin – a cancer causing substance that likes to dwell in fatty tissue. These companies insist they don’t do that any more.

Impact on the Environment
Oh, just a few minor problems:

• Cotton is the most heavily polluted crop on the planet thanks to pesticide use.
• Plastic applicators and wrap take centuries to break down.
• According to Adria Vasil in Ecoholic, in the USA, 12 billion pads and seven million tampons are sent to the landfill every year.

Alternatives
If you like your pad and tampon, Natracare and Organic Essentials use 100% certified organic non-chlorine-bleached cotton. They may be more expensive but baby, you’re worth it! (So’s the planet). They also use a biodegradable plant-based bioplastic in lieu of petroleum plastic to prevent leakage. Seventh Generation produces non-organic pads and liners. The absorbent gel they use, however, is derived from wheat. If you live in a city that recycles organic material, including pads and tampons, these products are a good way to go.

If you really want to go green (and save a bundle overtime), you can use reusable cloth pads, sponges and (Jane Miller, this is for you) the reusable cup. Consult your inner eco-geek to find out if this is for you. Jane Miller swears by the reusable cup, which lasts 10 years. Here are some products and sites if you’re curious:

Reusable cloth pads – New Moon Pads, Goddess Moon, Moonwit and Many Moons (No ‘Howl at the Moon’ I’m afraid).

Sponge – That’s right, the one from the sea. Keep in mind that the sea is a toxic nightmare nowadays and there are concerns about chemically contaminated sponges. UK-based Sea Pearls harvest sponges sustainably. Also try Sea Pearls via Lunapads.

The cup – It’s a cup! You put in inside yourself four times a day. Look for The Keeper and Diva Cup.

In the News
Climate-Change Scorecard Aims to Influence Consumers
A new not-for-profit group helps make companies accountable when it comes to their greenhouse gas emissions.

China top carbon dioxide emitter: Report
It’s official. China leads the way in warming the planet.

McGuinty launching green fund
Sounds good for Ontario, if McGuinty actually follow through.

Other News

Green Bloggers

Ecoshock Radio

Grist Magazine

Tree Hugger

Zerofootprint Blog

StopGlobalWarming.org

BBC – The Greenroom

New York Times – Environment

Little Radiant Green Munchkins

Kids are far too important to devote only one installment to them. So here’s another.

I just picked up Adria Vasil’s very informative book Ecoholic, which is hot off the press. Her ‘guide to the most environmentally friendly information, products’, etc. is based on her column in Toronto’s Now Magazine. The book is Canada-focused, which is refreshing since I haven’t seen a book like it produced in this country.

Some of the findings of which she writes will make your jaw drop.

The question is this, how do we protect our little ones from the toxic soup that is infiltrating everything? And with that said, how do we protect ourselves?

The toxic landscape that we’ve inherited is a formidable hurdle to overcome, but there are choices that you can make to reduce chemicals in our bodies.

The Nasty Stats or first the bad news:
Are you ready for this…?

A recent study conducted by the Centres of Disease Control in the USA found that children have higher levels of heavy metals and phthalates (used to soften plastic and a known hormone disruptor) in their bodies than adults. Why more? According to Adria, kids “have more absorbent skin surface for their size than adults and can’t eliminate chemicals from their systems as well [as adults].”

Environmental Defense in Canada found an average 23 chemicals in the children they tested. The toxins include carcinogens (which cause cancer), hormone disruptors, respiratory toxins and neurotoxins. The toxins were traced back to chemicals found in furniture, carpets, clothing, fast food wrappers, insecticides and coatings on frying pans.

PCB and DDT are also showing up in kids’ bodies, even though these toxins have been banned for years.

Even umbilical cords have been tested. The Washington-based Environmental Working Group tested ten cords, finding 287 industrial chemicals overall, the majority of which are known carcinogens and neurotoxins, and have caused birth defects in animals.

Since the 1980s, childhood cancer is up 21% and asthma up four times.

Happy Alternatives
While toxins will live in our bodies, perhaps for the rest of our lives (sorry), we can make choices now to reduce this load not only for ourselves and children but for the generations to come.

For baby lotions, avoid the ones that carry petroleum-based substances. That’s about all of the conventional stuff out there. A good rule of thumb is to anything that contains a name that doesn’t sound normal. The exception is talcum powder. Perfectly normal, just don’t use it. Why? It plays havoc on the lungs and can contain asbestos. Try cornstarch, rice starch or arrowroot powder as an alternative.

To find out what products to use and those to avoid, visit:

Skin Deep, by the Environmental Working Group

Guide to Less Toxic Products, by the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia

Baby Bottles
According to Adria, the nipples of standard baby bottles may contain low levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines. I don’t know what this is. I do know that I want it far away from me…and babies.

Replace with clear silicone nipples. Also avoid bottles made of polycarbonate plastic (number #7) as they can leach bisphnol, another hormone disruptor. Adria suggests glass bottles, but please! Unless you want baby bottles transformed into weapons of mass destruction, try #1 or better yet #2 polyethylene, which can be easily recycled.

Baby and Kid Food
As budget dictates, you may not be able to go all organic. The following are priority areas given the high level of pesticides used and toxins found in bodies as a result:

Bottled baby food. Go organic or better yet, puree your own. It’s probably much better for your little tike anyway.
Apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, imported grapes, cherries and berries.
Spinach, potatoes, bell peppers and celery.
Meat, eggs and dairy.

Eco-Friendly Clothes
I have already listed great organic clothing sites through which to spoil kids (but don’t go too crazy, yeah?). Here are some more, all based in BC:

Sage Creek
T.h.e. Store
Hankettes
Ethic Baby

In the News

Critics blast environment plan as 'out of sync' with science
The Cons aren’t getting much love these days…

Canada's largest solar farm to be built in Ontario
But solar gets a boost.

Other News…

Green Bloggers

Ecoshock Radio

Grist Magazine

Tree Hugger

Zerofootprint Blog

StopGlobalWarming.org

BBC – The Greenroom

New York Times – Environment

Repelling Insect Vampires

How’s that for a compelling title? Of course I’m referring to the dastardly mosquito, put on the planet for the sole purpose of tormenting us poor human beings. Do you know that public service announcements in the 1950s portrayed ‘pests’ (insects that went about their business to eat) as communists (the red horde!) and that the only way to stop them was through pesticides (originally developed during the wars to kill people).

Alrighty then…

TO Do This Week

DEET is our friend. Many people believe this to be true. DEET projects us from the mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus….

What’s the Big Deal? DEET is a pesticide. It absorbs into your skin and can find its way into your blood stream. High concentrations of it can affect your nervous system, including muscle strength and coordination. We know this because of DEET’s use by the US military during the Gulf War. God only knows what was going on. Was the military experimenting on its own soldiers? That of course is another story. We also know of DEET’s affect on the body due to tests on rats. Now rats are not humans. Rats or any other animal shouldn’t even be tested. That’s another story as well. Normal human application of DEET seriously affects animals and the environment.

For more information visit Duke Medical News and Canada’s Environmental Health

Alternatives
Jane and I are taking off for the weekend! Thank goodness! We’re going to my sister and brother-in-laws’ idyllic cottage by a river. Mosquitoes love it there too! That’s why we're bringing our trusted citronella with us. These alternatives will not last as long as DEET. No harm in reapplying.

Other healthier repellent alternatives, visit Ideal Bites’ Itchy and Scratchy show.

Also remember to

- Remove pools of water from around your home such as gutters, wheel barrels and anything else that collects water.

- Repair or install screens on your windows and patio doors.

- Cover your arms with long sleeve shirts, wear pants and socks during evenings.

Join the March!!
Over 452,873 to date have signed up to stop global warming. Join us!
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/

In the News
Green Bloggers

Grist Magazine

Tree Hugger

StopGlobalWarming.org

Green Sun Worshippers

One in two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. One in three women will be diagnosed as well. Either you or someone you care about has battled cancer and/or will be diagnosed sometime in the future.

Why is this statistic so high? Part of the reason is an aging population and unhealthy lifestyles. Another reason is the chemicals we ingest, inhale and put on our bodies.

My blog focuses on global warming but also on sustainability. How will we function in a world that we continue to poison?

It’s summer!! Time for the sunscreen. You probably know where this one’s heading….

TO Do This Week

Choose chemical-free sunscreens! Any health food store should carry it. You’re probably wondering if they will actually do the job. Isn’t it interesting how much faith we have in man-made chemicals?

Jane and I use Soleil, a natural sunblock by derma, which works wonderfully well.

What’s the Big Deal – Sunscreen is supposed to protect the skin from the sun’s UV-A, which cause free radicals. Free radicals disrupt living cells and lead to nasty diseases and conditions, including cancer. A burn and tan are signs of damaged skin, or free radicals at work.

However, the chemicals in some sunscreens create free radicals when applied over time.

Not only are the chemicals in sunscreen bad for our bodies, they are bad for soil and water and creatures that live in them. Scientists have discovered that male hornyhead turbot and English sole off the Californian coast are being feminized thanks to oxybenzone, a chemical found in sunscreens.

For more information and a recommended list of sunscreens, visit Ideal Bite on Sunscreen

Not too sure about your favourite product? Visit Skin Deep to find out how it rates in terms of safety.

Join the March!!
Over 436,000 to date have signed up to stop global warming. Join us!
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/

Go Green and Win things.
A contest to lure Ontarians to do their bit.

In the News

Green Bloggers

Grist Magazine

Treehugger

StopGlobalWarming.org