Be Lush

Sorry I've missed almost two weeks! O.O Had some family issues come up and it's kept me very preoccupied. I'm back now and I'd like to talk to you about a wonderful, organic, cruelty free company called Lush Cosmetics. Now guys please don't turn away because of  "cosmetics" I assure you there are plenty of products made for men. This company prides itself on their handmade, organic, often vegan friendly products. From soaps, shampoos, and face masks to perfume/cologne and makeup lush has everything in the realm of "cosmetics" you can think of! And it all amazing!
My favorites:
Godiva solid two in one shampoo bar
Lust Soap, and perfume
Silky underwear powder
Any and all bath bombs
Atomic Toothy Tab (solid toothpaste)
T'eo solid deodorant
King of Skin solid lotion bar

Anything that comes in a plastics tub gets recycled when you bring it back, everything else comes in tin or recycled paper! They have stores everywhere and you can buy online ( just know some stuff might melt during shipping because they don't use preservatives). This is an amazing company doing a lot of good for the earth and for our body's ;P I really recommend trying them out!

www.lushusa.com
Or
www.lush.com if you don't live in USA.

Getting healthy

I know that this blog is about being more environmentally friendly but I am just as concerned with being healthy as well, and a lot of times the two intercept.
For about a year I went vegg. and to be honest I loved it! But it wasn't practical at the time because I was cooking for other people who were not vegitarian and had no interest in becoming so. Even now I don't eat red meat and I cut back on pork, mostly just poultry and seafood. This is one really good way to become a little healthier. Red meat is not very good for you in large portions and unfortunately today people eat much more then is recommended, yes it is good in terms of needed protein but in small quantities. Switching to a all, or even mostly, poultry and seafood diet is a great way to lose weight and get healthy. Most people even find that after cutting red meat out for a while they can't eat it anymore, it actually gives me stomach aches when I try to eat it now. That's because ours bodies don't digest it well. Red meat can sit in your intestines for days even weeks and it will start to rot after a while.
Another good way to get healthy is to exercise, now here is we're people start making excuses "I don't have time in my day to exercise" "I'm too tired after work to go work out for 30min or more" blah blah blah. I am a dog bather, it's very physical work and often my back and arms hurt after an 8+ hour day, but you know what? I still exercise! And here's how:
The 7 minute workout app people!

 It's so easy right? Psh 7 min? I can do that! Piece of cake! And who doesn't have 7 min in their day? Well let me tell you it may sound like nothing but in those short 7 min you are going to get a great work out. It's designed for people who don't work out to get you started, after you've mastered the 7 min (and yes it's actually kinda difficult) you can set it to do two three even four rounds, or you can stick with the one it's up to you.
Another great app c25k!

This teaches you how to run properly and gets you to the point where you can run a 5k. It evens says from couch potato to 5k in 8 weeks! It starts you off slow, just jogging and walking for 30 min three times a week. Gradualy it gets you to the point where you are just running. And after you've mastered the 5k you can upgrade and get to a 10k or even a marathon! Plus it lets you stream music from your phone while you're running.
In terms of food there are lots of apps out there that teach you to eat healthy even when you are eating out and help you keep track of your calorie intack etc. there are even apps that help you shop for better groceries so you can have healthier options at home.
This goes along with my previous post about shopping local health food stores instead of major grocery chains. There foods are made with better ingredients, less preservatives etc. so you can still by things you love but they will be a little better for you.
Hopefully this has shown you that getting health really can be easy and maybe it's even inspired you to try! If you have tips you'd like to share or apps that you like that are relevant please feel free to comment :) and if you try the apps I suggested, let me know how it goes!

Make up with make-up

Over the years I have started to slowly convert all my everyday products to being all natural/organic/cruelty free etc. the hardest one for me was find a good make-up. One that looked good, felt good, didn't clog my pores and didn't cost too much. Through my many try's I have come up with my top three, and they all cost about the same. In order of my favorite to third favorite:

1. 100% Pure Cosmetics

This brand is amazing! They have three actual stores two up near San Francisco and one in West Hollywood but I buy online because even West Hollywood is a bit of a drive for me. Everything they make is printed with how natural it is and everything is either vegetarian or vegan friendly! It looks really natural on and lasts all day. I can even wear the primer and I don't brake out (a huge accomplishment). 

2. Bare Minerals 

The thing I love about this brand is its everywhere! Easy to find and buy. Great for consumers who don't want to change up their routine of buying everything at the mall! It's all natural and doesn't clog your pores, like they say "you can even sleep in it". And really does cover well. 

3. Mineral Fusion

This one is sold usually at health food stores like Clark's Nutrition so you know it's all natural. It's a great product but you don't get as much for your money in terms of actual quantity. I blew through the stuff way quicker then any other make-up. Other than that it's got good coverage and average staying power. 

I know finding good natural make-up is kind hard so hopefully this helped. On a side note other all natural make-up brands worthy of mention that just didn't make the top three list:

Lush

Boots Organic

Physicians Formula 

In that order! I love lush but I have to order online and half of their stuff is so natural that it would melt or spoil if mailed during hot months which is most of the year in Southern California :/ but if there is a store near you definitely check it out!

 

Pop some tags, shop thrifty!!

I'm going to do two posts this week because why not? Now I like most of the population have become intrigued by the rapper/dj Macklemore (yes this is relevant)! And his big hit is Thrift Shop, where he talks about the reasons to shop at second hand stores. He mentions the fact that paying "$50 for a tee-shirt" is ridiculous and that you can look just as good in hamydowns. BUT did you know that shopping thrift stores and even antique stores is environmentally friendly as well?? WHAT?!? Yep it's true! Buying clothes and other items from secondhand shops is a great way to reduce your footprint on our lovely earth. The reason is that you are not promoting new clothes, furniture, dishes, etc. to be made. Therefore you are not promoting new toxins and waste being put into the environment. 

Now I know what you are all thinking "but those clothes won't be as cute as new fashions!" Well I challenge you to make them cute! Check out this blog and then tell me thrift store clothes can't be cute! 

http://www.newdressaday.com/

So shop your local thrift stores and antique stores! You are helping the environment and supporting local business which is great from the economy! 

Shop Health Food Markets

So one of the biggest and easiest ways to start being more environmentally friendly, and healthy is to shop at your local health food markets! I LOVE shopping at these places much more then regular grocery stores. Reasons? Well; 1. They have all natural/organic produce 2. They usually carry all natural options for everyday things like cleaners and toothpaste 3. Some even carry all natural make-up! 4. Their products are healthier so you can still have something like mayonnaise and its still better for you 5. Say it with me, better for you DESSERTS!!!! Hahaha XD

Some examples from where I live of health markets are:

So find the ones near you and try it! The food is better and it makes you feel great to shop there :) 

 

Soaptopia!

Ok so one of the hardest things for me in going more green was finding small things like soap! I tried a lot of different soaps from organic/all natural companies but they all either didn't smell that great or left my skin super dry :/ 

Enter Soaptopia.com! An all natural, handmade, local (for me, Southern California) soap company. And to top it off they have TONS of scents and types to choose from! I've tried at least five different soaps at this point (their bars last for at least a few months) and they have all been fantastic. What's more, they have fun names for each soap such as my personal fav. "Chocolate makes me Thorny" which has, yes, chocolate and dried rose petals in it. I mean, come on! 

Another great point is that it's not just "girly" soaps. There are plenty of "manly" scented bars as well. They also have gift sets and old fashion shaving sets for men! I bought it for my boyfriend for valentines day and he loves it! He says the shaving soaps are great and don't leave his skin irritated (and he has to shave 4 out of 7 days a week).

All in all a great, small, smell good way to go a little more green in your everyday life :) 

http://www.soaptopia.com/

I'm back!

Hey guys!

So it's been months since I posted anything, my life got a little crazy, but I'm happy to report that I am back and ready to go! I'll be starting my weekly posts on tips to being more environmentally friendly again but I'll also be adding a few new things! I have started a garden since my last post and I am gonna start giving tips and updates on that. Thirdly I have been accepted to UCR this fall for Environmental Science and Cultural Anthropology so when that starts expect lots of environmental school related posts :) can't wait! First "real" post starts tomorrow.

My beautiful fruit and veggie garden!!

Joe Joe's Update!

In regards to the post bellow, Homework #5, I have finally received a reply to my email sent to trader joes... and wow.

Here is my original email:

Hello! My name is Cailtin Arend and I am doing a homework assignment for my environmental science class at Riverside Community College. We were to pick a food that we like to eat and analyze the ingredients, figure out where they were grown and if they were grown sustainably. I would really appriciate if you would share this information with me :) particularly your flour, vanilla beans, and what exactly "natural flavors" means for this product.
Thank you!

Your loyal customer,
Caitlin Arend

And here is their very helpful and informative reply:

Caitlin,

We appreciate your inquiry.  We are a privately held business and we do not disclose any business practices or information.  We are sorry that we will be unable to assist.  We appreciate your understanding.

Sincerely,
Amy
Trader Joe's
Customer Relations
I mean really? This is a company that claims to be all about the best products, all natural, organic etc. Now if the products really are so good, then why would they hide this simple information? It's all just very strange and all I can conclude from it is that there is something about the individual products they use that would hurt the company if the information was released.

Homework #5

This weeks homework assignment was to pick a food that you like, or that is interesting and do research about it. What exactly are the ingredients, who grew them/where'd they come from, is it environmentally friendly, what are the health impacts, etc.

I chose something that I love to snack on, and have so far convinced myself is a healthier version then what you would find at a big name food store chain... Is it really? We will find out! I chose, drum roll please, Trader Joe's "Joe-Joe's"!

For those of you who have never had them before, they are Trader Joe's version of Oreo's made with "No hydrogenated oils" and "All natural flavors". The ingredients are as follows:
Dried Cane Syrup (sugar)
Enriched Wheat Flour
     Flour
     Niacin (B3 an essential human nutrient)
     Reduced Iron
     Thiamine Mononitrate (B1 an essential human nutrient)
     Riboflavin (B2 an essential human nutrient)
     Folic Acid
Palm oil
Expeller Pressed Soybean Oil
Cocoa Processed with Alkali
Tapioca Starch
Natural Vanilla Flavor
Natural Flavors
Cane Syrup
Baking Soda
Salt
Soy Lecithin
Vanilla Been Seeds

A word real quick about the enriched flour, from what I canfind the reason that the flour is enriched with different vitamin B's, is because it is required here in the United States and that is because the flour looses a lot of its natural nutrients during processing. As for "natural flavors" this could mean anything, seriously! According to an article on http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/4676616/ns/today-food/t/food-qa-just-what-natural-flavoring/#.UHXnJpG9KSM
              The definition of natural flavor under the Code of Federal Regulations is: “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional” (21CFR101.22).
Basically I would need to get the information straight from the source, I have sent an e-mail to Trader Joe's and hope to hear back soon on just what the natural flavor in these cookies are. 

The one thing that does make me happy is Trader Joe's promises on their website that all foods sold there have:
No genetically modified ingredients
No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives 
No MSG (which is an addictive flavor enhancer)
No added trans fat

Unfortunately for right now I have not heard back from Trader Joe's and have not found any information on where and how the ingredients for this food was/is grown. 
As for Heath impact, now it may seem as though they're are a lot of ingredients to these cookies and you may be thinking, wow these aren't heathy for me at all!  But let's try comparing them to their rivals the Oreo shall we?
Sugar
Enriched Flour (same as above)
High Oleic canola oil and/or palm oil and/or canola oil and/or soybean oil
Cocoa (also processed with alkali)
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Cornstarch 
Leavening (baking soda and/or calcium phosphate)
Salt
Soy Lecithin (emulsifier)
Vanillin (an artificial flavor)
Chocolate

Based on this information, you can see that Joe Joe's have more natural ingredients than Oreo's and their ingridient list is much more straighter forward, not all of these and/or's like they can't make up their mind on what's in their product (which seems fishy to me). Anyway because of this I would venture to say that while any processed cookies or snacks are probably not very healthy for you, Joe Joe's are a much better alternative to Oreo's when you just need cream-filled cookie!

So for now, until I hear back from Trader Joe's, that is all the info I have collected on Joe Joe's. 

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Just about everyone knows what Habitat for Humanity is, but in case you don't it's an organization that relies on volunteers to build houses for low-income families around the world. However most of you probably don't know about their ReStore project.

 Habitat for Humanity ReStore takes "gently-used building materials and household goods." (http://www.habitat.org/restores/default.aspx) and sells them back to the public at fractions of the original cost! Now please do not make assumptions that I'm posting this because I support a certain religious group, my religion and/or lack there of has nothing to do with why I like this organization. I am posting about the ReStore project because I think its not only economical for low income families who struggle to buy furniture and other things, but because this is also environmentally friendly! This allows people to find good quality house items, pre-used, at extreamly low prices AND helps us to avoid buying new furniture that takes up resources to build, which we don't have.
 My mom just recently bought a new house and we live on a very limited budget, but the house just doesn't have enough storage, or any for that matter. We needed a big cabinet that we could use in or kitchen for dishes, glasses, pots, pans, ect. And found this:

It only cost my mom $50!!!!!!!!!! Thats an amazing deal!

Homework #4

How green is our campus??

Well unfortunately I have to say that RCC is really not the best campus when is comes to being sustainable/environmentally friendly. Most (not all) of our plants on campus are not native and require a lot more watering because of this. Also our campus does not recycle, I know this may comes as a shock to most people in this day in age where recycling is extremely popular but there you have it. All of the campus recycling (with the exception of paper from the offices and some teachers) is actually done by the Student Sustainability Collective,

http://rccsustainability.com/author/rccsustainability/

this also means that any recycling bins you may find on campus were put there because of this club as well.  And until very recently RCC did not offer any rewards to those students who wanted to use there own mugs, reusable water bottles, etc. Even though they now do offer a slight discount if you use your own mug for coffee or tea, there is a lot more they could do.
In terms of what other campuses have done we are far behind! Cal State Channel Islands (http://www.csuci.edu/sustainability/ )for example has a great recycling program! Plus because they are so close to local farms most of their produce, coffee, and tea is locally grown. They have days where you can get free food if you ride your bike to school, and they have just a generally just more favorable outlook as a whole on sustainability. They also have a sustainability club that helps to further help the campus become even more environmentally friendly, and they like our club at RCC, are also trying to create a community garden.
I think the biggest factor that I have mentioned for RCC is the recycling problem. While I enjoying helping to do the recycling on campus, I have to admit that the few people who regularly show up are just not enough. A handful of people can not recycle an entire campus on their own! The hope has always been that RCC officials would see how profitable it is for our club and then realize how important it is for the campus, so far that has not happened. In order for this to happen RCC needs to install permanent recycle cans, ideally one for every trash can that way people always have the option. Then they should make it a part of someones job, maybe the custodians, to go through and collect the recycles when the cans are full. The campus could easily makes hundreds every week just by collecting and turning in all the bottles, cans, and miscellaneous recycles. They could also make a campaign to promote recycling on campus to make students aware.
I hope one day we will see this actually happen! Till then, get your gloves on and meet us by the cafeteria and get ready to sort some recyclables!

Homework #2: go outside and reflect

Let me start by saying I LOVED this assignment! I found it very relaxing to just sit outside and not worry about anything for twenty minutes, almost like meditation with a purpose. The assignment, for all those not in the class, was to find somewhere outside and sit for twenty minutes and just observe nature around you. Then we were to compile notes of what we saw, how we felt, relationships between the different plants and animals, etc. I went and hiked up Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside and sat on a large rock for my twenty minutes.
At first what I saw was lots of rocks, dirt, sparse plants, and then of course the sky above, which today was gray and cloudy. The plants that I saw all sort of looked the same to me, weed like flowering plants, so I was surprised to find that when I went on the Mt. Rubidoux website (http://www.mt-rubidoux.org/vegetation.htm) and found that there are tons of different plant species on Mt. Rubidoux! The one the stuck out to me eventually is called Honey Gum and it stood out to me because this was where I was finding a lot of animal plant interaction. Bees are attracted to the flowering part of the Honey Gum and it is what's called a mutualism relationship.

http://www.floridatupelohoney.com/tupelo_gum_tree.cfmThat is where "an interaction benefits both species by providing each with food, shelter, or some other resource. In this case the bee was getting pollen which I would then turn into food, and the flower was get a way to get its pollen spread ensuring its survival. 
After I sat for a while other animals started to come out of hiding. First I saw a lizard, this is usualy a normal occurrence in riverside, we live in a desert area and lizards are native here. However this lizard looked a little different then the ones I'm used to seeing in my back yard. It had a kind of speckled tail and was blue/purple in color around its tail.

http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/images/ustansburianain508.jpgI came home and looked up native lizards to southern California and found that this particular lizard is called the common side-blotched lizard. It didn't eat anything that I saw but you could give it and the rock a relationship because lizards need heat and the rock warms from the sun and provides the lizard with that warmth, as well as a place to sun baith. This relationship would be considered commensalism because it is really only helping out the lizard, the rock doesn't get anything from the lizard.
The next animal I saw was a wild rabbit! I love wild rabbits because they are so small and let's face it, cute!

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/rabbits/tips/solving_problems_rabbits.htmlPlus i find it fascinating that their fur allows them to blend in with the brown rocks and dirt around them. It came out of hiding only for a few minutes to look around and search for food, but a passerby with a dog scared it off quickly after. Still I enjoyed seeing it without it being afraid of me.
I also had a good time just watching the clouds above me. They were storm clouds, light gray, and they moved enough to be noticeable if you watched. I sort of hoped it would rain but unfortunately that didn't happen.
All in all I really enjoyed this assignment, it was fun learning some new species! And it gave me a renewed want to start doing my meditation and yoga again, sometimes I forget how cleansing it is to just sit and and not think to much. Just enjoy what's around you.

King Barrel

Currently my mom and I are trying to figure out what we are going to do about our backyard because it is nothing but compacted dirt! We've decided that we want a big section of it to be a garden area in planter boxes. But we didn't want just plain old planter boxes so my mom went online and started searching for alternatives, and she found King Barrel!

http://www.kingbarrel.com/Outdoor%20Living/outdoorlivinghom.htmlThis is a company that re-purposes wine barrels by turning them into planter boxes, pet beds, fountains, etc.

It's a great idea because not only do the wine barrels look nice in your garden, but it is taking something that normally would've been torn apart and thrown away and giving it a new functional life. If this ends up being our final pick for our backyard I will make another blog with pictures of the finished product and all the ways we used our wine barrels :) either way I think this is an amazing idea.

Your face needs Vitamin C!

So I have struggled with "adult" minor acne for YEARS! I never had breakouts in high school but as soon as i started college acne started popping up around my mouth and forehead :/ I tried everything and every brand from Neutrogena to Proactive with little to no results, in fact proactive made it WORSE! Then I became much more focused on using natural and organic products and tried everything from Burt's Bee's to Say Yes To and still no results. I was starting to think I would never find something natural that would work on my skin. Then last semester I had a Heath Science class and my teacher said something that made me stop and think, he said that back in Africa (where he's from) they instinctively rub orange peels on their face. The vitamin C in the orange peel is naturally good for your skin! I then thought to myself, maybe if I can find a natural/organic face wash whose main ingredient is vitamin C I could then finally get my acne under control. So I went out looking and found this:

 www.avalonorganics.com Avalon Organics! I started using their hydrating cleansing milk (not the gel) and daily moisturizer and two weeks into using it my acne was GONE!! I'm not kidding it was completely gone! I use the cleanser twice a day (morning and night) and the moisturizer in the morning because it has SPF 15 in it. It smells like orange oil and feels great, all you need is ONE pump! It will even take off your makeup! It is a little pricy at around $10-12 depending where you buy it, but one bottle will last you at least two months, mine lasts longer usually around 3-4. Plus you can buy this everywhere! Ok maybe not everywhere but I've found it at target and my local health food stores. It a wonderful product and I recommend it to everyone I talk to about acne. In fact I shared it with my Health Science class a few weeks after I started using it and a couple weeks later I had multiple people thank me and say it was the best face wash they've ever used! It's soap free and completely organic, seriously try it out it's fantastic :) 

Go Green School Supplies!!

So because this blog was made as a class project, though I intend to keep it going even after I have finished the class, I thought a perfect first non-homework post would be about different green school supplies that I use and highly recommend :)
First is a company called Greenroom Eco!

www.greenroomeco.com/
 This company was started by a husband and wife team in Santa Monica, California, and is still based there today. They create sustainable and recycled notebooks, binders, planners, pencils, and more! Plus they have fun designs ;P Currently their products are only available at Target.
Second is the Pilot B2P, Earth Friendly Writing!

www.pilot.us/Bottle2Pen.aspx
 This is a pen made from recycled water bottles!!! They come in a variety of colors and I LOVE them! Each pen is made from AT LEAST 86% post consumer recycled content, and they are refillable. Did you know that "Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour!" and "Less than 1 in 3 of those are recycled. " This is the Worlds first pen to use recycled water bottles and the company sponsor's Keep America Beautiful; "A nationwide nonprofit, combining education with hands-on stewardship to make Americas communities clearner, greener, and more livable. " (www.kab.org/)

My Global Footprint

For a class project i was asked to go to www.footprintnetwork.org/calculator and find out my global footprint. Basically it shows you how many Earths we would need to sustain us if everyone on Earth lived like you, not fun but very informative. I think of myself as environmentally friendly but after taking the quiz my results came back as it would take 4.2 Earths!!!! Along with 18.8 acres of the Earths productive area to sustain my lifestyle. A break down showed; services as 47%, food 18%, goods 17%, shelter 15%, and mobility 4%.

I would highly encourage all of you to go and take this test also, not because i want you to feel ashamed or guilty but because of what it provides you after you're done with the quiz. Once you have your results it will give you the option to see what you can do to help reduce your footprint. They are easy suggestions and if taken can reduce your foot print by at least one Earth!

My suggestions, that i plan to take very seriously and will archive here on my blog, is:

1. Reduce animal product intake by at least half (down to 4 Earths)
2. Purchase more environmentally friend packaged products (down to 3.7 Earths)
3. Install solar panels, expensive but maybe my mom and I could find a way? If not when I get my own house that is a must! (down to 3.3 Earths!)

Just those few suggestions reduce my footprint by one Earth, and there are so many other things we can do to reduce our footprints! Throughout my blog I will try to keep this in mind when I talk about products. I will also try to keep track of how I am doing in reducing my footprint, and would love if you share your results and how you are reducing your footprint!

'Till then, have a great environmentally friendly day!

P.S. I put a link to the quiz under my Fav. Enviro Friendly Sites link to the side --->
:)