After last week’s skin care and beauty routines, I received a lot of great feedback. Most of you wanted to share which products you use, and some of you asked questions about products we’d listed or for recommendations. But one piece of feedback got me thinking, and it was about the lack of consideration for [...]

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Yesterday we posted about our skin care routines, and many of you shared yours as well. So today, Jenni and I decided to ‘fess up to which beauty products we carry in our makeup bags. Some of them are fairly clean, and some of them are downright dirty. It’s probably safe to say that cosmetics [...]

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Many of you are making strides in your efforts to replace chemical-laden products in your bathroom with more health- and eco-conscious versions. For a couple of years now I’ve been fielding questions from readers about the different products I use for my skin, hair, teeth, and so forth. I love sharing my routine with people [...]

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A week ago there was an article in the NY Times about how to cook your vegetables. Most of us were taught to steam all veggies, all the time. Right? Apparently, wrong. The Times article goes into the scientific arguments for cooking particular vegetables in particular ways; for example, the lycopene in cooked tomatoes is [...]

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For awhile, I hunted high and low for the perfect shower gel. I like bar soap just fine, but I normally prefer a liquid soap and shower puff. The problem is that it’s a real challenge to find a pure, healthy shower gel. I’d find one with no parabens, but [...]

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Ted and I returned this morning from a company retreat at the beach in Marin. It was a beautiful and relaxing weekend, full of good food, lots of barbecuing, and epic Scrabble matches. There was a lot of cooking going on, and the one thing I noticed was how much food waste went into the [...]

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Part of the process of living sustainably is a willingness to reexamine your products and practices based on new information. The goal is to use products that are as “clean” as possible, though sometimes the stuff we think is safe turns out to be worse than we thought. A week ago, the Organic Consumers Association [...]

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The weather has turned cold here in Northern California, as I’m sure it did long ago for those of you who live in the Midwest or on the East Coast (or overseas, for that matter). Though California is known for its temperate climate, those of us who inhabit the state’s northern reaches might object to [...]

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The achingly overplayed joke about how Whole Foods should be called “Whole Paycheck” may have lost its humor, but has it ceased to be truthful? It’s my opinion that the price of good organic foods and other products should reflect the quality of their ingredients, so I’m not sure it matters. This isn’t to say [...]

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Those are the three R’s, I think. Or, wait, is it Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic? Who the hell still says Arithmetic? Math is difficult enough without giving it a fancy name, thank you.Reducing, Reusing, and Recyling are all fairly straightforward concepts. Don’t use as many paper towels. Separate your paper from your [...]

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Since the day I moved out of my parents’ house, I have lived in several apartments. I was thankful for every dry roof over my head, but as you apartment-dwellers know, you have very little control over your living space. My husband and I have slept within white walls and walked on old, taupe carpet [...]

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I really, really hate spring.
It all started several years ago when I was attending college in California’s San Joaquin Valley. My university was in Stockton, a city renowned for its many trees, and what do you know? I have tree allergies. I also have pollen allergies, though I didn’t know any of this back then. [...]

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Lately I’ve been using white vinegar for cleaning my house. It’s cheap, eco-friendly, and effective. Seriously effective. I’m beginning to think there’s something weird about it, because I haven’t found a single use yet that my little spray bottle of white vinegar can’t handle. Kitchen grease cleaner? Check. Air deodorizer? Check. Floor cleaner, rust remover, [...]

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