Campaign for Safe Cosmetics : Get Involved

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Letter to Giant

I sent this in via the Giant (a local grocery store) website today. I'm trying to be more aware of food packaging (and more vocal about it) and this really made me mad. Nature's Promise Organics - what were you thinking?!

*Update: Below my letter is the response I got from Giant. At least they are working on it! :)

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To whom it may concern,

I recently purchased a box of Nature's Promise Organic Earl Grey Black Tea at my local Giant. From the logo on the box, I'm assuming this is a "Giant" store brand. If not, please let me know so I can forward my concern appropriately.

In an effort to be "greener" and healthier, I am moving toward buying all organic products. Last week, that included buying organic tea, instead of my usual "Lipton." I was pleased to find the Nature's Promise Organic Tea. That is, until I opened the box and discovered that each tea bag was individually wrapped in PLASTIC. Yikes.

First, the individual wrapping is uneccessary, but even for people who cart their tea bags around and HAVE to have them wrapped - what's wrong with a paper wrapper?? At least that can be recyled, and is biodegradable. Now on my 20 little organic tea bags, I have 20 non-recyclable pieces of useless plastic film.

Please consider the environmental impacts of the packaging you are using on the Nature's Choice (and all other) products. Many of us, who spend the extra money for Organic products are doing it precisely for environmental reasons. I feel all the "good" I did by purchasing the box of organic tea was cancelled out by the 20 plastic bags I've now introduced into the environment. I will not be buying this brand again (even though the tea itself is quite good) until the packaging is changed.

Sincerely,

Melanie Lashus

~~~~ Response from Giant~~~~~~~~
Hello Melanie,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your concern about the packaging of the Nature's Promise Organic Earl Grey Tea.

It is part of our goal as a company to protect the environment and improve the quality of life for those our business touches, now and for future generations. We are committed to promoting health and well-being, providing safe and responsible products, operating efficiently with regard for the environment and practicing business ethically and responsibly.

To these ends, we have formed a committee within our company with associates from all areas of our business including construction, store maintenance, purchasing, and merchandising to promote an environmentally friendly approach in all that we do.

Regarding the packaging for some of our products, technology is changing every day and we are looking at all of our packaging. We are moving toward more cardboard packaging for our bakery products and biodegradable/compostable packaging from some of our produce items. I have forwarded your specific feedback to those who are involved with these changes.

I have listed below some of our other environmental programs:

Reusable Bags - All our stores sell reusable bags for 99 cents and insulated bags for $1.99. In addition, deduct five cents from each customer's total shopping bill for every shopping bag a customer brings from home to use for packaging the customer's groceries-whether it's a paper, plastic or a reusable bag.

Plastic Bag Recycling Program - The program accepts any #02 and #04 plastic shopping bags, as well as dry cleaning bags and news paper bags. The plastic bags that we take back from our customers, and all of our shrink wrap from stores, are sent to our plastics recycling company AERT (Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Inc.). The plastics are then used to manufacture composite decking (ChoiceDek at Lowe's). We have collected millions of pounds of bags for recycling.

Green Products - We offer a variety of "green" household and cleaning products in our stores as well as Scott, Marcal and Seventh Generation paper towels and toilet tissue.

Our Climate Action Team develops inspiring solutions to help the environment. Here are some of them:

Star Power! Giant was named an ENERGY STAR LEADER in 2007 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a result of our success in improving energy performance across our buildings.

Energy Efficient Attributes We were recognized for energy-efficient day lighting, T5 florescent lighting systems, automatic occupancy sensors, and refrigeration systems with high-efficiency fan motors.

Greenhouse Gas Energy use in refrigeration and food storage is necessary to provide safe, fresh quality food, so we've been working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our stores, distribution centers and transport.

Energy Saving Innovations Newer stores are designed with reflective roofs, which reduce heat absorption and use less air conditioning in the summer, and special dimming systems that dim lights based on the amount of daylight harvested.

Partners in Power We partnered with energy solutions developer EnerNOC, Inc., to help reduce stress on the electric power grid during high peak demand to help reduce power consumption and prevent blackouts.

Eco-Friendly Driving
Our drivers, trained in methods that reduce fuel usage and CO2 output, have successfully increased fuel economy. We're also working with the EPA and freight industry to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution through the EPA Smart Way Transport Partnership.

Piloting Change In 2007, we were the only supermarket chain to be selected to participate in a pilot program for retailers integrating "green" technology into existing buildings by the U.S. Green Building Council, which develops and administers the nationally accepted LEED-EB standard for green buildings.

Thanks, again, for contacting us. We appreciate this opportunity to respond to your concern.

Sincerely,


Roxanne G. Edwards
Foodhold Consumer Affairs Specialist


Ref: 728637

My Goals for Being Greener this Month

"Going Green" is a process. I've been working on it for the last 4 years, But I am still learning and making simple adjustments to my lifestyle that will improve my health, lesses my impact on the environment, and still be the funloving, stylish woman that I want to be.

I recently read 3 books by Sophie Uliano in the "Gorgeously Green" series. They've inspired me to set some Green Goals for myself, even though this month is a crazy-hectic one for me.

My goal within the next 4 weeks is to implement the following changes:

1. Reduce or eliminate my use of paper towels.

I'm going to make cloth napkins with fabric remnants I have left over from sewing projects, or repurpose pretty-but-old household items. I'm going to get or make a basket/container to hold clean ones by my sink (where the paper towels sit) and a can/container to hold dirty ones under the sink until laundry day. I've been buying recylced paper towels (and TP) for a long time, and I'll still use them for a few purposes. But my day-to-day use will be drastically reduced. And maybe I'll finally have a use for all those napkin rings I've never known what to do with!

Here is a tutorial you might find useful, were you to decide to try this too: http://chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com/2009/09/tutorial-and-pattern-cloth-napkins-5.html

2. Eliminate use of plastic ware.

I'm an office girl, and for the last 4 years have endeavored to take a healthy, homemade lunch with me to work. It saves money and time, and since I'm vegetarian in a not-so-veg-aware community, it allows me to have a nice lunch with variety every day. However, I admit, plastic utensils have been a part of my lunch bag. I bought biodegradable ones from Whole Foods, after I realized what I was using wasn't recyclable. But my goal now is to visit a local thrift store and purchase a "lunch set" of real utensils (a knife, fork, and spoon, minimum) and take it to work to store in my desk. I'm going to commit to making a trip to the office kitchen after each lunch, wash them, and return them to my desk for the next day's lunch.

3. Use less plastic baggies (ziploc style), and wash/reuse the ones I do find necessary

I love my plastic ziploc baggies. I store everything in them, partial vegetables, open bags of rice/quinoa, trailmix in single serving sizes, etc. But I'm going to make an effort to cut my use at least in half - by keeping those things in reusable containers instead of baggies. I also read somewhere that you can wash and reuse these bags - take 2 of them, turn them inside out, place your hands inside, and by using your dish detergent, wash the insides of the bag (by going through the action of washing your hands while they're inside). Then you place them over a tall bottle or glass to dry. Sounds reasonable.

4. Get a Yogurt Maker

Until I read the Gorgeously Green books, I had no idea you could make yogurt at home. This was fascinating to learn, because I eat yogurt (specifically greek yogurt) everyday for the protien and health benefits, and use it in recipes for both foods and beauty treatments. But I do cringe at all the tiny single-serving plastic containers this adds to my "footprint" on the earth, whether they get recycled or not. So this month, I am going to research and purchase a yogurt maker, and commit to making yogurt at home (at least once a month to start). I will do a seperate blog on my experience with that.

5. Research and Get a Bread Maker

I have several friends who own breadmakers and use them regularly. They have large families, and so I never thought it would be economical for me, as I already have to keep my single loaf of bread in the fridge so it doesn't go bad before I eat it. I also only eat 100% whole wheat bread, and recently have been buying the Ezekial 4:9 sprouted bread. Then I realized that bread makers come in different sizes!! I can get one that will make a loaf smaller than the one I already get at the store. And I can only put ingredients in it that I want. And they have timers, so theoretically I can set it for the bread to be ready when I want it! I'm going to research brands and options, and commit to purchasing a bread machine (and using it) by the middle of April.

Homemade Toothpaste, Part I

I love the feeling of a fresh clean just-brushed mouth. Until I learned more about what exactly was in the toothpaste I was using to get it!

Most of the toothpaste brands I used regularly got a score of 5 or 6 out of 10 in the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. And the Sodium Flouride contained in most of them is rated at a hazard of 9 out of 10! http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient/706065/SODIUM_FLUORIDE/

In fact, if you click on Sodium Flouride (NaF) in the database (the link above), you'll find all sorts of scary information. Including that the European Union Considers NaF: "Toxic, Irritant (eyes, skin or lungs), and contact with acids liberates very toxic gas." Canada has restricted its use in cosmetics. But our American FDA? It's listed as a Food Additive. But your flouride toothpaste has to have a warning on the back, telling you to contact a Poison Control Center if you swallow it. Wow. Here is a video about flouride toxicity that you might find interesting: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2886269353175462948#

I won't go on a rant here, because you can find a lot of other information about the risks vs. benefits of flouride on the internet. What I will say, is that I'm not using the stuff anymore.

In addition to the Flouride (NaF and other compounds), I found scary things like Aluminum, Triclosan, and PEG copolymers listed as ingredients in the popular toothpaste brands I searched. Ick.

So I'm going to make safe toothpaste myself. So far, I've tried two recipes:

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/?s=toothpaste (Toothpaste Recipe #2)

1/4 Cup Baking Soda

1/4 Cup Vegetable Glycerine

1 Tablespoon Liquid Castille Soap (I used peppermint flavor)

A few drops Peppermint Essential Oil (optional)

Dash of powdered Stevia or Xylitol (I used Stevia)

* Combine ingredients and mix by hand or with a hand mixer.

http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_toothpaste

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (I heated for a few secs in the microwave to soften)

3 Tablespoons Baking Soda

1/2 packet of Stevia (I used Truvia)

20-25 drops peppermint oil (I used 12 drops Peppermint Essential Oil)

*Mix all ingredients in small bowl with fork

The first recipe (with the Castille Soap) definitely worked and "foamed" like normal toothpaste. My mouth felt clean after brushing. However, I really did not like the aftertaste (I think it was the soap).

The second recipe (with the Coconut Oil) does not "foam," but I liked the taste much better and it left my mouth feeling very fresh and clean. I've been using this one for a few weeks now.

I should point out, that because of the ingredients, these recipes were a little "firmer" than the storebought toothpaste I was used to. Both websites referenced above give "dispening" tips. I just kept it in a small, lidded container, and scooped then spread a pea-sized amount on my toothbrush with a tiny little case knife I have. A popscicle stick would work too.

I plan to try a few other recipes soon, and will post my thoughts on them when I write "Homemade Toothpaste, Part 2."