Earth Hour 2009
Posted by: Stacie on: March 28, 2009
- In: Green| Resources
- 4 Comments
I was wondering what to do for Earth Hour today (8:30 – 9:30 pm local time) and I’ve decided to read. I used to read a lot of books but for some reason, I just don’t seem to have the time any longer. I guess I am reading a lot on the internet but actually reading a book, whether fiction or non-fiction, I just haven’t done it for a long time so I decided that’s what I’m doing tonight for Earth Hour. Haven’t decided on the book yet; I own a lot.
What are you going to do?
Here are links for Earth Hour Canada on Twitter, on Facebook and a plug-in for your WordPress website although I couldn’t use it because my site is a free one (annoying), and here’s WWF Canada Vote Earth.
Our Earth
Posted by: Stacie on: March 29, 2008
Today Earth Hour is happening all over the world. At 8:00 pm tonight, people around the world are turning their lights off to show that they care about the future of our planet.
Because I suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), I am very pleased with the popularity of going Green. Green products are earth friendly and they also tend to be MCS-friendly so it’s a win-win situation.
There is an expo in a few weeks that looks interesting to people like me who suffer from MCS and like to help the Earth at the same time. It’s EP!C: The Vancouver Sun Sustainable Living Expo held from April 18 to 20, 2008 at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Burt’s Bees
Posted by: Stacie on: February 7, 2008
Man, I love my Burt’s Bees lip balm. I have about 10 of them scattered in various drawers, rooms and bags in my house. I’ve tried other natural lip balms since I developed Multiple Chemical Sensitivity but they have either made me sick or I just don’t like them. I just found out that there’s a Canadian retail site for Burt’s Bees. I even joined the Facebook group for people addicted to Burt’s Bees lip balm.
John told me that he had some bad news. Let me just say that I hate it when people tell you that they have something bad to tell you instead of just coming out and telling you because in the moments between them saying they have something bad to tell you and actually telling you the news, I imagine all sorts of horrible possibilities. This was the bad news that he told me: Clorox bought Burt’s Bees. I just cannot wrap my head around that one (sounds like a match made in Hell to me). I am terribly sensitive to bleach; it gives me a migraine and makes me feel sick so the thought of a bleach company owning my favourite natural brand just doesn’t sit well. To me, bleach is poison and that is not a good thing.
I initially went to the Burt’s Bees site to see if I could find anything about this but I couldn’t. Then I googled it and came upon this letter to our loyal customers. Then I came across this article which says that Clorox is trying to go green. You can’t be green with bleach and artificial scents. Then I went to the Clorox site and looked at their products. At first glance, none of them are green; I wouldn’t be able to come within 20 feet of any of their products without becoming sick. To me, Clorox means the opposite of green which is harmful at the least and toxic at worst.
Then, I scroll through all of their products until I come to product 29 of 29 and am shocked to see the word “green” in one of their products. I clicked on it to discover that Clorox is trying to go green and they’ve got an entire line called Green Works to prove it. They’re probably sold next to their non-green counterparts so there’s no way a person like me would ever come across them. Yep, I was right, as I found out in their FAQ section. This is where you know whether a company is actually green versus trying to jump on the green bandwagon. If your so-called green products are sold beside the non-green ones, people with allergies and sensitivities won’t ever see them so you’re missing a big portion of your target market. Plus, their packaging will take on the chemical smells of the products they are sitting beside; that’s just stupid.
My Favourite Shampoo
Posted by: Stacie on: May 25, 2007
Okay, I’m a bit of a stockpiler. I think I got that from my mom; when she drove me across the country to start university, she took me with a year’s supply of soap, toothpaste, etc. She didn’t want me to have to spend my limited money on necessities. She would send me care packages containing a kilogram of peanut butter and a cast iron frying pan (that must have cost a lot to mail!) Anyway, I like to stock up on things when they are on sale or being cleared out. Really, shopping wisely is another skill I learned from my mom; I don’t like to pay full price for anything. Since I suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, my stockpiling has gotten worse as I am not good with new products. I find what I like and am not allergic to and I stick with it.
de~luxe Rosemary Mint is my favourite brand of shampoo and conditioner. It used to be available at Costco in Canada; that’s where I first bought them and when they were clearing out and only the shampoo was left, I bought about 8 bottles of it. They lasted for quite some time but I did run out. Then I came across them at Haggen in Bellingham, Washington and was so happy I found a supply again. I stocked up but not with 8 bottles. I’m down to my last bottle of shampoo and no more conditioner and the last 2 times I went to Haggen, there was no sign of them and no spot for them on the shelf (not a good sign).
I added 2 bottles of the shampoo and 4 bottles of the conditioner to my shopping cart at drugstore.com; of course that would involve my having to go to the U.S. since they probably only ship within the U.S. so I abandoned my shopping cart (I do have a U.S. post office box but I’d rather buy in person or have stuff delivered to my home if possible). Then I left a message on the de~luxe website asking them where in Vancouver, BC or Bellingham, WA I could buy their shampoo and conditioner. I’m anxiously awaiting a reply.
UPDATE 11:15 am May 25, 2007:
No!!!!!! My worst nightmare has come true; the line has been discontinued. Here’s what I received from them:
Hi Stacie,
Thank you for your interest in our products. As of the 1st of the year we have discontinued the De~luxe spa line. We no longer have it in retail stores, it is now available online only. If you order it through our website www.truescents.com you will eventually be re-directed to drugstore.com. Once Drugstore.com sells out of our remaining products, we will not be manufacturing any more. The hair care program with did with Costco was a little over 2 years ago and we haven’t done it since.
Unless your place an order online, there isn’t a way to get the product internationally. Also, I’ve been told that drugstore is a real pain to place an international order with. You can always call them as well at 800-378-4786 and place an order over the phone.
Thank you
Natural Sunscreen
Posted by: Stacie on: May 24, 2007
Man, did I have trouble finding sunscreen that I won’t react to. After no luck at all the different health food stores I tried near me for the right combination of 30+ SPF, no fragrance and no chemical sunscreens, I placed an order online from this site. It looks like it’s the sunscreen for me as it is fragrance-free and non-toxic. I cannot use chemical sunscreens and I cannot have synthetic fragrances either but just to be safe I do prefer fragrance-free since I have reacted to some natural fragrances (essential oils).
It looks like UV Natural is the safest choice for anyone really as the rest of the sunscreens out there are full of cancer-causing chemicals. It’s pricier than I’d like but this site had it cheaper than another Canadian site I found. Apparently the Washington state Whole Foods Market stores are going to start carrying the sunscreen starting June 7, 2007 so I’ll have to see if it’s cheaper there the next time I go to Seattle. I was using a titanium dioxide based sunscreen but came across some pretty disconcerting information on the potential of titanium dioxide changing your DNA…scary stuff!
No Scents for me
Posted by: Stacie on: April 22, 2007
Like any person with internet access does from time to time, I wanted to see where this site comes up in Google when doing a search. I put in “no scents please” and this site was the first one to show up, which made me happy but the others that came up lead me to add a bunch more links to my site and all of them are Canadian which is an added bonus. So, you’ll notice some more links and resources on my site.
One site I was especially happy to find was a salon in Edmonton (my hometown, btw) that caters to people with MCS! Oh happy happy joy joy! I don’t live in Edmonton anymore but I was planning a trip there sometime this summer and I think I just might have to check the place out for myself. I had done some searching online for an organic or natural salon but only found them in the UK (that plane ticket would be far too pricey for me). If anyone knows of a similar type of establishment in the Greater Vancouver area, I would be very grateful to hear about it.
Oprah’s Going Green Show
Posted by: Stacie on: April 20, 2007
I just finished watching Oprah’s show in honour of Earth Day this Sunday. I must say that I was very impressed with the suggestions that were brought up for people to do to help treat our planet better. The added benefit for me, being a person who suffers from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, is that going green helps me breath better. If more people would use non-toxic cleaners in their homes and thought about what they use to scent themselves and what these products are doing to the Earth and their health, I and my fellow sufferers would feel much better.
They mentioned on the show that in some places, the air quality inside homes is twice as bad as outside (that certainly would not be the case in my home). As mentioned on the show, clean doesn’t have a scent. People have been brainwashed by cleaning product companies claiming that clean is artificial lemon and pine scented products; that’s not clean; that’s poison.
I already do a lot of what was suggested to “go green” but there were a few things that I hadn’t thought about. I already take my own reusable bags when shopping but I never thought of getting my own reusable produce bags. Those are next on my shopping list. Oprah even had her own organic cotton canvas bag designed for sale on her site and they’re already out of stock.
One company was mentioned that I hadn’t heard of before; Shaklee is offering discounts on their website because of being featured on Oprah’s show.
I like that Oprah is talking about things important to little me and has a voice much louder than mine; I hope more people get rid of toxic products in their homes.
Natural Cleaning Company
Posted by: Stacie on: April 18, 2007
This article appeared in my local paper a while back (North Shore News March 21, 2007) and I am just now getting around to posting it. The article was titled Company going green with eco-friendly cleaning products. They’re like Molly Maid only without all the toxic chemicals. I was pretty impressed that there was a company near me that does this. Now if I could ever afford to have someone clean my house, there’s a company I can actually use.
Ingredient Labelling of Cosmetics in Canada
Posted by: Stacie on: March 5, 2007
On November 16, 2006 it became law to list the ingredients in cosmetics in Canada. I did a search and came across some useful information on the Canadian Cancer Society website. What gets me is why the state of California requires the listing of cancer-causing agents in products but no one else does. Are they more concerned about cancer in California or are they just smarter? I agree that there should be a warning similar to that found on cigarettes about the presence of cancer-causing ingredients in cosmetics (or anything else, for that matter).
If you go to Health Canada’s website on the subject of ingredient listing, they specifically say, “While the vast majority of cosmetic ingredients are considered to be harmless, some of these ingredients do have the potential to cause adverse reactions in a small percentage of the population with sensitivities. The nature of the reactions and the ingredients which trigger them vary widely. Mandatory ingredient listing on cosmetics is designed to help protect those with sensitivities without limiting choices for the Canadian public.” Is this a small step towards acknowledging the existence of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity?
Products that are Safe for Me
Posted by: Stacie on: March 4, 2007
I use beauty/toiletry products by Burt’s Bees, Kiss My Face, Avalon Organics and Alba which are natural and/or organic. I have had reactions to some products that do not show artificial fragrances as an ingredient so I’m very wary of trying new products. I tend to stay away from anything that doesn’t list ingredients or has fragrance or parfum in the ingredients list.
I use Nature Clean products for cleaning around the house and for laundry. I really like that they are a Canadian company. I also use some cleaning products by Seventh Generation. They have even published a book about having a safer and healthier home by using non-toxic cleaners.
Water Filter
Posted by: Stacie on: March 4, 2007
I use the AquaSmart shower purifier (item #360). I’m not sure if these are available in the US as it’s a Canadian company that makes them. I use it in my shower since I have a sensitivity to chlorine. You can purchase them at London Drugs and some health food stores. I just went to AquaSmart’s site and it looks like they have a store in Burnaby, BC and you save money if you buy 2 at once. Even if you don’t have a sensitivity, it makes your hair so much more manageable. Whenever I travel, my hair is so tangly from the water and I can’t stand the chlorine smell.
Interesting Article
Posted by: Stacie on: March 3, 2007
Who says there are no time machines? I haven’t had a blog for about 4 years but I used the WayBackMachine to find my old site and came across this article that I linked to on my blog back in 2001. The article is from late 1998 but the site it is from has a lot of information about studies on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity for the more scientifically inclined.
Wikipedia entry on MCS
Posted by: retrocactus on: January 20, 2007
What does No Scents mean?
Posted by: retrocactus on: January 20, 2007
This site was created with the intention of helping people who are sensitive to chemical scents.
This includes cologne, perfume, deodorants, hair products, laundry products, etc. Just about anything with a ‘fragrance’ that is not natural. This site will hopefully become a platform for discussion and education about this issue that affects many people.
