Juicy Bamboo cleansing cloths

Are you by any chance using one of those chemical-laden, disposable cleansing cloths like Olay? If so, please stop and check out this eco-alternative called Juicy Bamboo which has no harsh chemicals and is 100% biodegradable.   Honestly guys, there are just way too many chemicals by-products that get added into beauty products these days which are known endocrine disruptors. This means they disrupt our female hormones leading to acne, fertility issues, PMS, and of course, female cancers. If you don’t believe me, read Not Just a Pretty Face.

Fortunately, I was contacted by Toronto-based Kaia Naturals that just launched a healthier alternative of of chemical-free, disposable skin cleansing cloths. Made from unbleached bamboo, they are entirely biodegradable, soaked in vitamins C, B12, E and 8 essential oils, and are pH balanced leaving your skin slightly acidic to keep out bacteria. Check out their store locator to find the easiest place to purchase them.

Benefits of Juicy Bamboo:

• No alcohol
• No parabens
• No sulfates
• No synthetic fragrances
• Remove makeup and mascara
• Built-in toner
• Vegan and cruelty-free
• Environmentally-sound packaging

Individually wrapped packets – Perfect for yoga or the gym

Better yet, if you’re a yoga or gym girl on-the-go, you’ll love their individually wrapped packets which are perfect for throwing into your purse for wiping off the sweat post-workout!

Juicy Bamboo Individual packets - perfect for the gym or yoga

A summer cool cleanse!

If the summer heat is unbearable where you live, put Juicy Bamboo cloths in your fridge for a cool refreshing cleanse for your face and body.

Summer cool cleanse - Put Juicy Bamboo in the fridge

Summer Contest! – How to participate?

Kaia Naturals is willing to give away a special Juicy Bamboo pack to one Canadian and American fan of Urban Green Girl.

To participate, simply tell me why eco-beauty is important to you by August 10th, in the comments section of this post. The winner will be announced on August 11th on my fanpage and the pack will be mailed to you!

Win an eco-friendly iPhone case from PELA and Urban Green Girl

Do you have an iPhone 4 or 4S? If so, tell me how we can reduce our dependence on oil to qualify to win an eco-friendly iPhone case from Pela Case. They are made from bio-plastics sourced from plants, flax seeds to be exact, not oil. And, they are made here in North America, so you don’t have to worry about their carbon footprint being shipped from Asia. And if you get tired of it, just throw it into your compost and it will biodegrade.

To qualify:

Below in the comments section, tell me one way in which you believe we can decrease our dependence on oil by May 19th 2012.

Announcement of winner:

The winner will be drawn based on the best response to the above question and announced on my Facebook fanpage on Saturday, May 19th. A pela case of your chosen colour will be mailed to you.

Good luck!

How to get more fruit into your diet without eating it

I’m going to tell you a little secret about me, I don’t like to eat fruit. And it sucks because it’s so good for you. But I figured if I’m going to be a holistic nutritionist and get people to eat fruit, I better find a way to start eating it first.

So I turned to smoothies; a fantastic way to start the day because you can load it up with superfoods, throw a ton of fruit in there and still get the antioxidants you need.

Here’s my recipe: Read the rest of this entry »

Lucy Sharratt from CBAN speaking about genetically modified foods

Chances are, your shelves are full of genetically modified foods, but you probably don’t even know it because these “products” do not require labeling. Top GM foods are canola, sugar, soy and corn and these foods find their way into everything from chocolate bars and ketchup, to canola oil, yogurt and non-fat ice cream. The latest threat is now meat, as genetically engineered pork and salmon might be hitting grocery shelves shortly if we can’t stop Health Canada and the FDA from approving them.

Loaded with questions on this subject, I attended a seminar held by Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) for a lecture on the state of genetically engineered foods in both Canada and United States.  This is what I learned from them. Read the rest of this entry »

Avoid cooking with unsaturated fats like olive, canola and grapeseed oil

You’ve probably heard that you should fry with grapeseed oil and sauté with olive oil because they have the highest smoke points, right? Well although those smoke points are correct, this has nothing to do with the actual safety of cooking with these oils. You see, heating unsaturated fats like olive, canola and grapeseed damages their omega fatty acids by changing their molecular structure to a point where they become bad for our health.

Read the rest of this entry »

Vacuum box parts you can recycle

Whenever you buy a new consumable product, whether it be a food processor, computer or vacuum, don’t forget that you can often recycle more than just the box.

1. Cardboard box: Flatten and remove as much packing tape as you can.
2. Plastic bags: Reuse what you can as garbage bags or for storing shoes, otherwise, place them all together inside the biggest one for recycling.
3. Styrofoam: Some bear recycling symbols but every city’s program is different so contact them first.

Packing materials are produced to be thrown out, so let’s give a little extra effort to try to reuse or recycle as much as we can.

Me holding a Swimmi with Bummis' founder Betsy Thomas

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of meeting  up with Betsy Thomas, the founder of Bummis cloth diapering at her manufacturing loft in Montreal. I walked in excited to see some cute paterned cloth diapers and talk about waste reduction but left realising I has just met a legend in sustainability.

This woman was a leader in sustainable business long before it was trendy. I immediately wanted to get this woman on the roster of Read the rest of this entry »

How I got the Khyber Pass restaurant in Montreal to start recycling

Last summer during a visit from my sister and brother-in-law, we decided to go to the Khyber Pass, a bring-your-own-wine Afghan restaurant, in Montreal. It’s a charming restaurant with great food (great vegetarian options too) and a cozy terrace in the back. One of the great aspects of dining-out in Montreal is that some restaurants have a bring-your-own-wine licence which encourages people to eat out more since you’re not spending a fortune on wine.

ANTI-CLIMAX

Thus, on this occasion, we did just that. We brought 2 bottles of wine and enjoyed a great meal. While discussing with the friendly waiter who had also lived in Victoria, BC (where my sister lived) we got got into great conversation about food and wine. At the end, he asked if I had finished eating and I made a comment like “Yah, you don’t compost leftovers do you?” to which he replied “No, we don’t even recycle wine bottles”.

Read the rest of this entry »

1. Food Inc. – How industrial farming is making us sicker, fatter and poorer – and what you can do about it

If you eat food, you need to watch this film. This is a fantastic film about food issues with something in it for everyone.  It covers the drastic changes in the food industry since modern industrial farming began and how it affects our health and the environment but finishes with a positive look on companies doing things right. It will suck you in, shock you, disgust you, anger you, but most importantly, it will make you a better-informed consumer and allow you to have more control over what you put into your body. I can’t stress how important it is for people to watch this film.

Take-away: You can reduce 80% of e-coli in cows by switching their diet from corn to grass

Where to find: In videostores, on Netflix in the US or purchase it on Amazon.ca

Read the rest of this entry »

Master Cleanse success - I cured my seasonal allergies

(Details on special giveaway below)

This past week, I completed the 7-day master cleanse again for the second time. Why? Because I cured my seasonal allergies from doing it 2 years ago. That’s right, I haven’t had to take Claritin or Aerius in 2 years. Now that’s what I call preventative medicine!

To learn about the master cleanse, view all my video diaries from my 10-day master cleanse in 2009. You can also get the master cleanse recipe here.

First, let’s start with a recap of the master cleanse benefits: Read the rest of this entry »