Do you know what's in your personal care products?

If you want to know, go to

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1

Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group.

Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. Why did a small nonprofit take on such a big project? Because the FDA doesn't require companies to test their own products for safety.

why organic cotton

conventional cotton (booo!) Cotton is a fiber woven throughout our world, and the way in which it is cultivated and grown bears significant impact on its environment, its communities and the individuals involved. Here are some facts on conventional, that is non-organic, cotton production:
Roughly 5% of the world’s agricultural land today is used for farming cotton, the vast majority grown using significant quantities of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
Conventionally grown cotton is the 2nd most pesticide-laden crop in the world (after corn),
The crop consumes 25% of the insecticides, more than 10% of the pesticides used worldwide (275 million pounds in the US alone).
Conversion of conventional cotton into clothes uses numerous toxic chemicals at each stage - silicone waxes, harsh petroleum scours, softeners, brighteners, heavy metals, flame and soil retardants, ammonia and formaldehyde - to name just a few. ...that new shirt smell just doesn't seem the same...

"One acre of organic farmland can absorb and store 3500 lbs. of CO2 per year effectively removing this greenhouse gas from the atmosphere." (Organic Trade Association)

organic cotton (yeah!)

Organically grown cotton is cotton grown in soil that has been certified free from pesticides, herbicides and other cytotoxins for at least three years, Organic farming uses 50% less fossil fuels than conventional agriculture. way cool.
Organic cotton farming builds strong soil through crop rotation, compost and tillage, retains water more efficiently because of increased organic matter in the soil, and results in production yields either the same or better than organic cotton.
Certified organic cotton farming also prohibits the use of genetic engineering, irradiation, sewage sludge, toxic and persistent synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. By its very nature organic cotton cannot be grown from genetically engineered seed.
Zee Spot's manufacturer in India uses a delicate combination of buttermilk, cow's urine (holy cow!) and neem oil to reduce infestation of their cotton crops.

(information provide by http://www.zee-spot.com/) ~much thanks to the zee team, shabeer, christina, kate and jeff

how "green" it is

You can use the search tools on this site to get our expert evaluation of labels on food, wood, personal care products and household cleaners. You can search by product, category, or certifier, and easily compare labels

http://www.greenerchoices.org:80/eco-labels/eco-home.cfm?redirect=1

Breast feeding

recently some of my friends and i have gotten into the topic of breast feeding.

every different person i talk to seems to have a different comfort factor when it comes to "bf."

some say, "sure, well until their 6 months is fine, but until they're 2 is crazy!" others think of nursing as something to be done with quickly (3 mos max) and most certainly something never to be done publicly. then there is my good friend from senegal who just doesn't see what the big deal is ("back home women nurse walking down the street, sitting in crowded buses, they nurse wherever they happen to be when their baby is hungry...) my husband and i don't even agree on what is the right and wrong time to stop bf~ he thinks two is too old.

for me what it boils down to is that i really dislike the judgement factor. whether you choose to nurse or not is a private decision. but i hate to think that, because of public scrutiny, women are shying away from breast feeding.

if this subject has been a hot topic for you or you are interested in more information, please check out

http://www.earthybirthymama.com/articles/breastfeedingarticle2.html

if you don't feel like reading, here is some quick information:

The World Health Organization recommends breast feeding for a minimum of 2 years

The AAP recommends breast feeding for a minimum of 1 year

If naturally weaning is allowed the average age for weaning naturally ranges from 2 1/2 to 7 years