My sister registered with them for her wedding so I bought her a gift. Come to find out, I ended up on their mailing list and started getting catalogs. They had an issue from 2 months ago that was their Living Green issue. Aside from them sending out a 160+ pg full color catalog I never asked for and wasting all that paper, they had tons of things in there that mimicked reused items but were really brand new wood and toxic paints. Then they had in fine print in the back their disclosure about the percentage of organic cottons and other recycled earth friendly products actually used and I don't remember any of them being more than 10% - including the catalog itself.

Yeah, that stuff bothers me intensely too. Another one I dislike is Ethos water, at Starbucks. Playing heavily on your emotions to want to provide the same good water to kids in Africa and elsewhere, they sell you an overpriced bottle of water in a plastic container. Without getting into all the reasons bottled water is bad, I will say this: I'd much rather set aside a nickel for every glass of tap water I drink at home and send it off to help those kids directly (since a nickel is how much Starbucks gives them).

Debra Lynn Dadd (author of Home Safe Home) has just published a new book called called "Really Green". On her website it says "if you want to buy green products, but are confused about what's really green...this simple guide is for you." I intend to read this book and recommend it to anyone who wants to know what's "green" and what's not. Her website, www.debraslist.com is also a great resource of information with Green product lists, Question and Answer blog, recipes, articles and more for the non-toxic living, and environmentally conscious people.

I also dislike it when companies market products as natural when they aren't... Like body care products with "Natural" on the lable, but synthetic fragrances and parabens on the ingredient list.

I know Tide hasn't advertised that their new concentrated formula is all natural, but it still irks me that they claim to be helping the environment. Yes, this product uses less plastic and less product, but it is not all natural and still therefore polluting the Earth. And they still make the gi-hugic 200 lb. containers of detergent on top of it anyway. Phew! That felt good. Take that Tide. :p

I am an Acupuncture Physician and very much care about our environment - I believe , that what ever we do, to our environment, we do to ourselves.

I work with my husbaned who is a musical intuitive and video producer - working with the local channel 5 NBC affiliate tV station - and Doug and I have become very sensitive to chemicals - i can only use the baby laundry detergent from you guys - on our clothes, seems everything else gives him a rash.

Recently, we came to the conclusion, that both of his parents’ dying last year and our neighbor’s hot heater heater bursting 40 gallons of water into our living room and kitchen, was a sign that we have to do something - and make a stand, ask for help andstart doing the research about what is the best way to reconstruct our home, from both an economical - and also an ecological perspective... .

So, we are looking for people who care about our environment to partner with us - and help us create a video blog, about how we can re-construct our home - NOT just economically - but, also ecologically... from wanting to know about the best hot water tankless heater - to choose - to deciding on the best Non toxic paint - to the best materials to use for replacing our floors that were ruined - in the flood - to redesigning our kitchen that was destroyed - which involves deciding - what are the best appliances to consider, from refrigeraotr to best water purifier, to dish washer and stove, to countertops and best choice ecologically for cabinets.. and we are overwhelmed.

Isn’t there some one out there, that would like to help us, help the world ? If maybe in a small way - We would be helping so many others that have to make these same choices every day, in repairing their homes !

There has to be some kind of an answer to come up with - about what to do about these wonderful - bulbs that were supposed to be better for our environment, than the old bulbs -we all used to use... - I hope that you - who are now reading this, know which bulbs, i am talking about....

You know, those new bulbs, that we have all bought - thinking that we were doing the right thing - by buying them ???? The new ones, that are curly - looking and now ... We just found out, on a show on TV - that these bulbs, are full of deadly mercury and it can cost as much as two thousand dollars - if you drop one - , to clean up the toxic mercury that will be released - even when it dies and it is time for us, to throw that wonderful funny curly looking bulb away - Do you know what we have to do ????

You supposedly are responsible for taking it to the toxic waste facility !

- How much of your time and energy do you want to spend to find out where the closest facility is and then we have to consider how much time and then how much do we want to spend of our gas, to take that one bulb, to the facility to get it there ??? and then - if you don’t go thru all that - what is your alternative ???

/ Well, I put the old dead - highly posonous bulb in a few plastic bags -as i save them under the counter in the kitchen - so they get used more than once - then I put the deadly mercury bulb in a plastic container - that has a lid on it - in the recycle bin and marked it with magic marker -

that there was a highly dangerous mercury bulb inside that needed to go to the toxic waste facility - as after bagging it - three times - and then putting it inside the hard plastic container -

- it was not possible to know what was inside when it got to the recycling center...

Of course, that is shirking part of my responsibility, but at least the recycling center is close to the Toxic facility center and some one there, at the recycling center, will not be hurt, since the container is marked.

This is better, then what most people are doing - which is shirking all responsibility and just throwing it in the recycle bin NOT bagged and NOT in a hard plastic container - or worse yet - just throwing it in the trash - as i have seen many of my neighbors do !

Now mind you, I have not seen anyone actually throw these in the trash, But, I have seen these bulbs, in my trash dumpster !

But, what can we do ? Once we see it broken in the trash dumpster ?

We have to all change and realize that there are actual people - just like you and me - who every day, go to work at a recycle center or collect garbage !

We have to educate eachother and realize that whatever we do - to the earth - we are doing to ourselves !

I started to use cleaning products made by Shaklee since they started being promoted largely. When I received them they worked good and smelled good. I then got to looking on the packaging for what was in the products and there was nothing on hte label stating any of it except for the hand soap. I then contacted them by phone and they sent me to the internet and I have sent them numerous emails with no return. I feel if they are such a good company they would have nothing to hide. And their body line is full of parabens and other bad stuff. So I would beware before you use any of their products.

Have you also noticed that the liquid laundry soap appears fluorescent in the machine. I also tried shaklee products and noticed it kind of glowed once it got into my washing machine. I believe it may contain an optical brightener, which as I understand it is not all that good for people or the planet.

SC Johnson is now saying that they are environmentally friendly and that their products are. So, when did Drano (which can literally "eat" through PVC pipes) become non-toxic and environmentally friendly? What about Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Windex? The ingredients, in base form, is what they are saying is environmentally friendly and non-toxic. They are even greenlisted.

Here is a link from TreeHugger:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/01/greenwash_watch_16.php

and here is one from SC Johnson:
http://www.cleanhomejournal.com/corporate/

Whoever has the most toys when he dies wins? Funny, I have never seen a hearse with a luggage rack on top.

Well, we moved into the house I'm in now 7 years ago, I put flourescent fixtures everywhere I could, and only one has burned out so far...I'm very energy conscious, however...

I would recommend saving bubble wrap whenever you get a package in the mail that comes with it, and wrap the bubble wrap around the bulb, secure with a piece of packing tape, and using a sharpie to draw a skull/crossbones with "CFC" on the bubblewrap, LOL...

I only have one lightbulb now, so am storing it, not worried about recycling it NOW>...HOWEVER, maybe everytime I have an errand, I'll go to a different retailer that sells these bulbs, ask to speak to the manager, and insist that since they are profiting from the sale of these bulbs, they should be taking the spent bulbs back for recycling...maybe threaten to get a grass roots petition going, and call the local newspaper with a story...Hell, there are lots of ways, but this problem needs to be solved community by community at a grass roots level...

Places like Home Depot or Lowe's sell these, and even light their own buildings with flourescents--the larger ones, yet still flourescents--so they must recycle them, no?

Short of any grassroots revolution and making retailers who profit from the sale of these provide convenient take-back of the compact flourescents, Check www.sierraclub.org website under 'recycling" or www.earth911.org, you can find out where to recycle specific things--even these bulbs--in your area.

Hello,

I'd love to be offer you some free assistance to you in your eco-conscious remodeling project. I am a household eco-expert so please contact me at 408 205 8001 and I can connect you with the appropriate green building resources.

Check out my website at www.harmonyecosolutions.com

Thanks,
Christine

Well i do hope a director of a commissary would read this, and be concern and just selling the all-purpose cleaner, dishwasher and dishes liquid soaps it is just not enough. I have the concern of finding a good toilet paper and paper towels as well, and i know cloth rags comes in handy a times what about what i flush?
Living in Italy as part of the military has its low blows, why well because spending money in the economy is horrifying because of the Euro rates and the only place you can rely on is the commissary, which is expensive BTW. Italy is very conservative with the environment, but just as our host is we as guest should be too. Just let you all know i have talked to the commissary direct in ordering more eco-friendly products, it still shock me when i look at the shelf they are limited. Well, i guess i have to be persistent!

Dania♥