I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a freak when it comes to things like stomach flu and seasonal flu. I get very anxious when I hear either of those is going around. Swine flu? Even worse. So I do carry antibacterial gel in my purse and in the car. But to be honest – I use those only when absolutely necessary. And we use natural soaps and dishwashing liquids around the house – not the anti-bacterial kinds. Here’s one word why: Triclosan.

Triclosan is not really something you want to be exposing yourself (or your family) to if you don’t have to. According to EWG.org triclosan has been linked to liver and inhalation toxicity, and low levels of triclosan may disrupt thyroid function. Further, there is really no reason to buy anti-bacterial soaps and dishwashing liquids. Studies have shown that washing hands with regular soap and water is as effective at killing germs as using anti-bacterial products. Moreover, since 2000, the American Medical Association has been recommending that households avoid use of anti-bacterial products as it can contribute to the development of drug resistent bacteria.

All pretty good reasons to avoid the ingredient, even for germophobes like me. But there’s even one last reason. Triclosan is not eliminated in the waste water treatment systems, so it ends up in our water systems – which can impact aquatic life as well.

So be sure to read labels as this flu season starts. It’s not just in anti-bacterial products. You can find it in all kinds of personal care products including toothpaste! Try to avoid triclosan whenever possible. And check out this quick fact sheet from EWG.org for more information.

A report came out this week by the Associated Press stating that over the past 10 years, the drinking water in schools across the country have been tested and found to contain unsafe levels of a variety toxins including lead and pesticides. The report said that “contaminants have surfaced at public and private schools in all 50 states – in small towns and inner cities alike.”

It seems as though this has been an ongoing problem and the EPA just can’t keep up with it. Actually, that’s suggesting that the EPA has been trying to do something. But according to the report, the issue has basically gone unaddressed. Not good.

Apparently, schools with well water have the most significant problem. They comprise about 8-11% of the nation’s 132,500 schools. According to the report, about 1 in 5 of schools with their own water supply were found to have “violated the Safe Drinking Water Act in the past decade, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency analyzed by the AP.” But that’s not to say schools with public water supplies are safe. At particular risk are older schools where lead levels can be high.

According to the EPA, the incidence of contamination has increased dramatically over the past decade largely because they have adopted stricter standards regarding what is considered unsafe. Hmm – that sounds like a pretty lame excuse. Clearly they adopted stricter standards for a reason, right? So it’s not as though there isn’t an issue. If anything, they’re suggesting that it has been an issue for a substantially longer time.

Of course, there is no easy fix for this. The EPA does not have the authority to require school systems to test their water. Instead, the responsibility is spread across many local, state and federal agencies. And we all know how well they work together!

I have to admit – I’m almost attached to my blackberry. I love it – it helps me stay connected to my various “lives” all in one place. And it lets me be more flexible – I don’t have to stay tethered to my laptop. So when I read that EWG (as you know, a group that I greatly admire) published an analysis of cell phones and the radiation that they emit, I quickly clicked through and started scanning the list for my Blackberry Curve. Oh boy. Kinda wish I didn’t. It didn’t rank well at all – particularly the one from Verizon (which is the one that I have). Why is the Verizon one worse than the Sprint or AT&T Curve? Who knows.

Anyway – this is pretty bad news in general about cell phones. I guess it’s not surprising – deep down we all knew there would be something wrong with cell phones and our health, right? Well – the deal is, you should keep your cell phone away from your body when talking (yes – that means getting a headset if you don’t already have one). Bluetooth headsets are also known to emit radiation (albeit at significantly lower levels) – so if you use one, take it off when you aren’t using it.

But it doesn’t mean we need to stop using them – we just need to be more careful about how we use them.

Check out the article at EWG.org – and definitely find your phone on the list. Maybe you’ll be lucky and have one of the ones that isn’t so bad!

In this crazy flu season that we were entering, I thought it would be good to check out some myths and truths about germs. Where are they hiding? What should we avoid? What can we do to reduce the germs?

The first article is from MSNBC. Check it out – they list the 12 Germiest Places. And you’ll find some surprising – like playgrounds, your purse (who knew??) and hotel remote (eeewwww). The one that wasn’t so surprising when you think about it was airplane bathrooms. But after reading their description, I’m going to wish they offered a disinfecting shower the next time I fly. They also have good tips for steering clear and remedying the situation.

From Mind, Body & Soul Germ and Bacteria Hotspots: 12 Things You Should Know is another great summary. This one focuses primarily on the home but also addresses some myths which I found interesting.

I’m not sure what’s up with the number 12 – but there it is in both titles. Wonder if it’s a germy number?

Sounds great, right? But this is an email-list-only offer. The solution? Simply sign up for our email list at http://www.gardengirlskincare.com and you can not only get a coupon for $5 off any order, but you’ll also get the code for this week’s special offer to save $10. And you’ll get an email each week with a new, big offer. Easy. And with this economy, who can say no to big savings??

Holy smokes – the FDA actually did a study and concluded that the levels of lead in lipstick was much higher than they had previously thought.

According to a summary by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, the “FDA found lead in all 20 lipsticks it tested, at levels ranging from 0.09 parts per million (ppm) to 3.06 ppm – more than four times higher than the highest lead level of 0.65 reported in the 2007 CSC study. FDA used a new testing method to analyze lipstick and concluded that earlier methods likely underestimated the amount of lead in lipstick.”

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics article goes on to say “The FDA study found an average level of lead in lipsticks of 1.07 ppm – more than 10 times higher than its own standard for lead in candy. FDA’s standard for candy is based on the lowest lead level that can be achieved.”

But of course, on its Web site the FDA says that “lipstick, intended for topical use, is only ingested incidentally and in very small quantities and the FDA does not consider the lead levels that it found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern.”

The Campaign is asking for some sort of standard for lipsticks to be established – but the FDA does not believe it is necessary. They also refuse to publish the names of the companies that were tested.

FYI – the worst offenders in the 2007 study conducted by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics were L’Oreal, Maybelline and Cover Girl.

And you know what? It’s not that lead-free lipstick is impossible to make – nor is it costly. The 2007 study noted that one of the brands that didn’t have lead was an inexpensive drug-store brand. So once again – what’s the deal?

To check out some FAQ’s regarding the study – click here. And of course – be careful what you use on your lips! My recommendation? Try Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmers. Easy to find, work great and they are SAFE.

Big savings this week on all of our paraben-free, sulfate-free, petroleum-free and phthalate-free face care products – washes, toners, exfoliators, anti-aging treatments, and moisturizers.

To take advantage of this great offer, you have to be a member of our mailing list. But the best part? The list is free to join, we don’t ever sell our list and we only send you offers and a newsletter. It’s easy to join – just go to our homepage at www.gardengirlskincare.com and click on the link.

We’ll send you the email and you can get started on saving right away!

Well – there’s new scientific proof of what has been believed for centuries – certain scents really do reduce stress. Nice, eh? Here is an excerpt from the UPI press release from July:

“Japanese researchers have confirmed what many aroma therapists have long advocated — the scent of plants like lemon, mango, lavender reduce stress.

The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found certain fragrances alter gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that can reduce stress levels.

Akio Nakamura of the Technical Research Center at the T. Hasegawa Co. in Kawasaki, Japan, and colleagues note that people have inhaled the scent of certain plants since ancient times to help reduce stress, fight inflammation and depression and induce sleep.

Aromatherapy, the use of fragrant plant oils to improve mood and health, has become a popular form of alternative medicine today, Nakamura said.”

According to the article, lab rats were exposed to stressful situations – and some rats inhaled Linalool (a natural scent believed to have a calming influence) while the other rats didn’t breathe the Linalool. Those that inhaled the Linalool “returned stress-elevated levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes — key parts of the immune system — to near-normal levels.” Pretty cool!

We at Garden Girl have believed this since the beginning – that’s why we so carefully chose our blends of either energizing or calming essential oils for our shower gels and body lotions. Check them out if you haven’t tried them. There’s one for every mood!

Huh. I just read this blog entry from BlogHer about BPA in Sigg water bottles. Depressing. Yep – it seems that any of their uber-cool “eco” (and very expensive, I might add) water bottles that were produced before August 2008 have been leaching BPA. Apparently, they never claimed to be “BPA free” but they always said that BPA didn’t leach into the water. Come to find out, they weren’t being truthful. Not only that, they somewhat sneakily replaced the liner they were using in August of 2008 with one that really is BPA free – trying to fly under the radar.

So here’s the scoop – if you have a Sigg water bottle from before August 2008, you might want to consider using it as a vase instead. To get more details on the difference between the two liners – the old “bad” one and the new, BPA- and phthalate-free one – check out the BlogHer blog posting for pictures that show the difference between the two liners so you can see which one you have.

To be safe, always choose an unlined stainless steel bottle, a water bottle that states it is 100% BPA-free or even an HDPE #2 plastic bottle (not ideal, but not bad). And don’t forget, try to avoid the individual bottles of water (like Dasani, Poland Springs etc) if at all possible. Save those for times when you are in a bind and don’t have access to a refillable bottle. (see related post on how bottled water sales have declined – yea!!)

It sounds as though Americans are finally coming to their senses. Sales of bottled water are on the decline for the first time in 5 years. Looking back it seems like such a sign of the “go go go” years when the economy was humming along at such a nice pace, everything was all about convenience (without much thought about the overall impact left behind) and there were big efforts to reduce the amounts of soda consumed and go healthy by drinking more water. We thought we were doing the right thing – by drinking more water we and our kids will be better off. But in the meantime, only 10% of the bottles (yes TEN percent – yipes) were getting recycled (source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation). That’s a lot of waste – especially considering the fact that the growth in sales of bottled water was skyrocketing – “Sales of bottled water swelled 59 percent to $5.1 billion between 2003 to 2008, making it one of the fastest growing beverages.” (Source: Washington Post article)

But now, it looks as though the tides have turned. The Washington Post reported recently that “sales of bottled water have fallen for the first time in at least five years, assailed by wrathful environmentalists and budget-conscious consumers, who have discovered that tap water is practically free.” Duh – really, what were we thinking? Is it that hard to get a reusable bottle and fill it up from the tap? Especially since we now start hearing that brands like Coke’s Dasani and Pepsi’s Aquafina are just tap water (Check out this CNN article). It really does make you realize how easily we can be swayed. And it does seem pretty silly, doesn’t it?

I, of course, say this all as someone who includes herself in the “duped” category. We would buy our cases of bottled water at Costco before we went on vacation or for parties or sometimes just to have around the house. And I’m not suggesting that there is no need for them at all – it’s just that we need to recognize that it is wasteful to use them and they should be saved for very specific uses – not “just to have.”

Our family just returned from a week in Disney (which was a blast, by the way). But we brought our refillable bottles wherever we went. Just threw them in the backpack – and then refilled them at water fountains throughout the parks. Easy, convenient and definitely eco-friendly. So why not? And as a side note, although Disney does not have many recycling bins around the parks, I have it on “insider information” that they DO recycle in their famous “underground” system – which makes me feel better because there is a lot of trash produced at those parks.