Dr. Bronner's Certified Fair Trade Bar Soaps

Having been a fan of the economical and all-natural Dr. Bronner's pure castile soaps for household cleaning and personal care, I finally tried their peppermint bar soap. Verdict? The rich, organic peppermint oils made my skin tingly and clean-feeling. And it didn't dry out my skin at all (easy to do in my chilly house in winter). A superb, organic, and earth-friendly moisturizing soap that smells and feels amazing? Definitely worth the added expense (the soap sells for around $4 a bar).

Dr. Bronner's Peppermint bar soap info

And, while on the subject of Dr. Bronner's soaps...anyone have any other ideas on possible uses for the liquid soap? I use it as a hand/body cleaner (1/4 Bronner's, 3/4 water in one of those foamy liquid soap dispensers), an occasional shampoo (dilute! dilute!), facial scrub (dilute!), and foot soak (dilute! in large bucket). Anyone have any other experiences (good or bad)?

Dr. Bronner's website

Green laundry products

One thing we all do, and do LOTS, over the course of our lives, is laundry. That's a lot of water, and a lot of chemicals, we use and re-use. It stands to reason, that this is one easy way to reclaim respect for the world around us, and a way to conserve our precious natural resources.

Most people think nothing about it. We've always bought Tide, Gain, whatever is on sale, and as long as it SMELLED good and cleaned those ketchup or grass stains reasonably well, it could be trusted, right? Think again. Most major brands don't list ingredients. Sure, it's a "trade secret", perhaps. That, and they don't want you to know what nasty chemicals are soaking into your skin every day. Nor what dangerous pollutants are being sent into our water supplies. Toxic, carcinogenic, you name it, it's often there. For more information on the actual ingredients in most laundry detergents, check this:

Laundry detergent ingredients info

If you're like me, it's enough to make you consider some healthier, more natural alternatives. There are already a steadily-growing number of brands marketing more "eco-conscious" products. I see Seventh Generation and Method products in mainstream stores, but they do seem quite pricey to my single-homeowner micro-budget. I also see Purex and Arm & Hammer nestling in on the "natural" bandwagon, and they are more affordable. The Purex (green bottle) is fine, and supposedly free of many of the petrochemicals of the bigger brands, but doesn't seem to do as well with the cleaning. I like Arm & Hammer's Essentials (also in the green bottle), which is touted as using "100% natural surfactants", no petroleum-derived ingredients, etc. The "mountain rain" scent is appealing to me, it uses real baking soda (one of the natural miracle household cleaners) and I feel like I'm helping, in whatever small way, to prevent nonrenewable petroleum products and harmful chemicals from leaching into our environment.

Anybody have anything pro or con to say about Arm & Hammer Essentials or any other "natural"-oriented brands?

Trader Joe's veggie Corn Dogs

I wouldn't necessarily post a review of a singular food item here, but seeing as how this blog is predominantly "surfed" due to it's Morningstar Farms discontinued corn dog content, this is particularly pertinent.

We (Lady Moon-shake and I) finally tried Trader Joe's meatless corn dogs (after a 3-hour drive to Indianapolis -- for family reasons, not just to pick up corn dogs), and we agree that these are not as tasty as Morningstar's sadly-defunct variety. The corn-breading isn't as tasty and the veggie soy-dog inside sort of blends in with the breading, making for a blander, less flavorful experience. And the texture seems a bit more mushy and less crispy than the aforementioned national brand's were (past tense). Appearance-wise, they look and cook as well as Morningstar's, but they just aren't quite there, yet.

Since I can't have what I want, I would certainly purchase these again, as the choices in my area for non-meat corn dogs are, well, nonexistent.

Perhaps some other competing company like Boca or Garden Burger will decide to create a meatless corn dog...I would certainly applaud them (and give them some support). Until then, I hope that Trader Joe's can open a store closer to me than Indy or Nashville! The place rules (natural foods at great prices)!

Trader Joe's site

Are you part of the paper problem?

In the United States, we are very accustomed to purchasing our paper products (toilet tissue, paper towels, facial tissue, napkins) from the major players, with little regard for environmental impact. But deforestation is a growing concern around the world (as is the need to maintain our old-growth forests, which are very important storehouses for dangerous greenhouse gases) Here in the states, we are blessed/cursed with the plushest, heaviest tee-pee and tissues of anywhere in the world. But this need for 'thicker' and 'softer', and even whiter (chlorine bleach is used, which leaches into waterways), tissues, may not be the sustainable answer.

I've looked around for recycled content, chlorine-bleach-free paper and tissues, and have come up with only the visionary Marcal Small Steps brand (a decent product at a decent price, and with a great message/outlook, but only available in limited outlets, at this point), and Whole Foods Market's own brand, which is similarly natural and also made from 100% recycled content. Seventh Generation seems a bit too pricey, but other regional brands are popping up.

I've recently read that paper giant Kimberly Clark has unleashed their "Scott Naturals" line, which is a step in the right direction, too (if only after intense public pressure from Greenpeace). I've yet to see these products, but it's safe to say that I will be on the lookout.

And it seems that CVS is taking stock in this growing need for environmentally-conscious paper products,. with their own "CVS Earth Essentials" line. Now, if only major industry players like Kleenex and Puffs, as well as the big retailers like Walmart or Target would use their considerable clout with their own brands...time will tell.

Here are some links for more information:

NRDC's comparisons and a superb free pdf brochure

Greenpeace's tissue guide (with a nice free brochure and iPhone app, even!)

NRDC's take on the paper industry

Kimberly Clark's new sustainable line

Marcal Small Steps site


Q & A about recycled content toilet paper