Green Moms Carnival: What do we do with Plastic?

Here is another addition of the Green Moms Carnival, taking on the dreaded, the chemical laden, the oh so hard to biodegrade, but everywhere substance: PLASTIC. The Green Moms have reams here about plastic: reducing it, avoiding it, what is safest, and what to get instead of it. And it all comes from Beth at Fake Plastic Fish, who chronicles her experiences trying to rid plastic from her life.

Readers, what do you do about plastic?

Green Mama Activism (Obama's Organic Garden, Sponge Bob, and Women's Rights in Afghanistan)

How wonderful that our first lady is planting an organic garden, and limiting the conventional chemicals in planting and taking care of the white house lawn. Can you imagine anyone who would be against such a thing?

Well, the chemical pesticide makers, of course! Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) actually sent an internal memo about this presidential organic garden, according to Credo, saying that it made them "shudder." Maybe their pocketbooks were shuddering?

They even sent Michelle Obama a letter about the benefits of "crop protection products" (read: nasty cancer causing chemicals). Unbelievable. It's basically calling her unpatriotic about American farming to support organic gardens. Go figure.

Let's support our first lady and tell the pesticide makers we support organic gardens, farming and produce.



Did you see the awful commercial for Burger King featuring Sponge Bob Square Pants and women shaking their square booties for all to see? I see why I lived without television for 8 years. Burger King is hawking it's kid's meals by using the cartoon, slutty dancers, and a rapper singing "booty is booty." I can't make this stuff up. Selling obesity causing fast food with a cartoon is bad enough, but when you add objectification and oversexualization to the mix, targeted at children, it is downright deplorable. Thanks to our friends over at the Campaign for a Commercial Free childhood for helping us take action to tell Burger King to pull this disgraceful ad.

In another Credo action alert, I learned of a new law in Afghanistan that legalizes marital rape. The law says that a husband can demand sex from his wife at least 4 times a week. When women there went to protest this law, they were met with stones, spitting and name calling. We are spending millions of dollars in Afghanistan, and we have to ask ourselves who is helping the women and girls of this nation. Take action to send a letter to Obama urging him to support the protection of female protesters, and to work for the abolishment of this abusive law.

image: Baby bell pepper plant in my organic garden by Bukowsky18 on fickr

Stop the Cliffside Mine (think beyond coal)

Here is a video I just received from Greenpeace about a new mountain top removal coal mine that will be built in North Carolina. One of my favorite authors and environmental activists, Bill McKibben (a Vermonter), speaks about the environmental devastation caused by coal mining. If you live in North Carolina, there is an upcoming opportunity to protest the building of this plant. And protest we should.

According to Greenpeace, "The Cliffside Power Plant is located in Rutherford County, NC. If completed, the expanded facility would use conventional, pulverized coal technology. It would have no ability to capture or control carbon, and estimates project its emissions will be approximately 6 million tons of carbon dioxide annually or 312 million tons over its expected 50 year life span—the equivalent to adding one million cars to the road each year."

Now the government is finally paying attention to how much coal-fired plants contribute to global warming, and introducing legislation to require that these plants pay for their pollution. This is a time in our society where we need to look beyond coal, and this new mine is a step in the wrong direction.

The Kiss My Face Motherload Giveaway (The Complete Facial Care System- and Lip Glosses and Shimmers!)

Oh, readers have I a treat for you. I've got a serious set of Green Mama sweetness to give away: a huge variety of Kiss My Face products for you to enjoy.

Kiss My Face uses ingredients from renewable resources, recycled packing, and is resourceful (they print product information on the inside of the box, instead of inserting additional paper).

These products contain NO: parabens, phthalates, SLS, synthetic colors or fragrances, animal testing or animal ingredients.

I've received a whole facial care line for one lucky winner to win. This is a serious amount of beauty products. Here is a list of what is included in the facial care line:

*Creamy Face Cleanser
*Exfoliating Face Wash
*Facial Cleansing Bar
*Antioxidant Toner
*Ester C Serum
*Ultra Hydrating Moisturizer
*Facial Creme and Sunscreen
*Brightening Day Creme
*Intensive Repair Night Creme
*Eye Repair Creme
*Jojoba and Mint Facial Scrub
*Deep Cleaning Mask
*Botanical Acne Gel



And I have one set of each of the colors of their Lip Glosses and Shimmers for a total of 12. These are great for throwing in your pocket or purse, and they are lighter then lipstick (minus the lead, too). I love these and use them in place of lipstick when I am heading off to work or going out (the latter is oh so rare).

All of this is from a new line of Kiss My Face products called Potent and Pure. I have seen that some older Kiss My Face products have contained some parabens and fragrance. Surprisingly, according to the Environmental Working Group, Kiss My Face did animal testing as well (this was very upsetting to me). I have found this infomation no where else, and the company insists they do no animal testing. The company is over 20 years old so I am assuming this testing was done in the past. But this line is new, with Kiss My Face stating that there is NO parabens or artificial fragrance and no animal testing. This hasn't been tested yet by the Environmental Working Group. But kudos to Kiss My Face for evolving to keep us all safer, and for their strong commitment to caring for the environment.

So, readers, tell me why you would like this whole beauty stash from Kiss My Face. I will pick the most compelling and entertaining comment to this post by April 30th. Good luck and have fun!

Want more chances to win?

*Subscribe to Non-Toxic Kids (with feedbruner or RSS feed)
*put a Non-Toxic Kids button on your blog or website
*follow us on Twitter, and twitter this and leave me the link
*make this blog a "fav" of yours on technorati

Just let me know what you have done by commenting on this post, and I'll double your chances (okay now I am beginning to feel like a cheesy game show host!).

A Gaggle of Green Mamas (and Safer Playdough, too)

Here is a great resource, a list of 100 Green Mom Resources and Blogs, brought to you by the The X-Ray Vision-aries Blog. There are lots of great sites on this list (if I do say so myself), helping mamas share, empathize, collaborate, and learn from each other about going green. AND--Non-Toxic Kids made the list, too! Check it out.

Also I came across a great review of safer play clay for kids. We have LOTS of Play dough in our house. Sure, it says non-toxic on the tub, but is it really? I mean, what makes the colors so bright? Apparently Safe Mama has wondered the same thing, and did a review of the more natural play clay available. She even posted some recipes for homemade play clay.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate it. For us, it's all about bunnies, finding eggs and having a big tasty brunch. And Spring FINALLY arriving (although it was 20 degrees today)!