Category: Activism
Tell Tide to Remove the Carcinogens
| February 7, 2012 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Activism, Toxins |
A few months ago Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) released test results from tests they ran on several cleaning products. One of these products was Tide Free & Gentle®. Many parents use this product because they believe it’s gentle and safe for babies and children but WVE found it contains a cancer-causing ingredient! They found high levels of 1,4-dioxane in Tide Free & Gentle®.
1,4-dioxane is a very dangerous chemical that is known to cause cancer. This chemical is not listed in the ingredients so consumers have no way of knowing it’s there. Procter & Gamble (makers of Tide®) already have stripped 1,4-dioxane from some of it’s products like Herbal Essences®. It’s time they do the same for Tide Free & Gentle®.
Tell Procter & Gamble to Get the 1,4-dioxane Out
Lori from Groovy Green Livin, with the help of Healthy Child Healthy World, MomsRising, and Women’s Voices for the Earth, put together a petition asking Procter & Gamble to remove 1,4-dioxane from Tide Free & Gentle®.
Please sign the petition and also be sure to stop by Groovy Green Livin and tell Lori thank you for starting this petition.
What You Can Use Instead
If you are a user of Tide Free & Gentle® and need something to use instead here are some suggestions.
Ecos Free & Clear
A product of Earth Friendly Products, Ecos Free & Clear is free of dyes and fragrances and is also a natural soap. It’s safe for front loaders and high efficiency washing machines.
Biokleen Free & Clear Laundry Powder
Biokleen Free & Clear is also free of dyes and fragrances and natural. It’s also safe for front loaders and high efficiency washing machines. If you are having mold issues with your front loader, switching to a powder soap can sometimes help so this is a good choice.
Soap Nuts
My personal choice for laundry soap is soap nuts. I use the NaturOli brand as I can buy it in bulk and they come in a cloth bag. I have had the same 5 lb bag for well over a year and it’s not even half gone. Soap nuts are safe for HE machines and front loaders. They create few suds which makes them good for front loaders with mold issues. And if you have a nut allergy don’t worry, soap nuts are really berries not nuts.
Thanks to Lori at Groovy Green Livin for bringing this to my attention.
Photo credits: cogdogblog
Disclaimer: The Amazon link is an affiliate link, if you buy from this link I earn a small percent, this doesn’t effect my view on the product.
The Lorax Goes Green and NWF Ends It’s Partnership with Scotts
| January 30, 2012 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Activism |
The last couple of days have brought us some big wins and has shown just how powerful social media campaigns can be. Social media has become a tool that allows us all to be heard by big companies and keeps them from being able to pretend our concerns are isolated.
The first bit of good news comes from the 4th grade class I talked about the other day that was asking Universal Studios to green up the Lorax movie website. Universal has responded and the official Lorax movie website now asks visitors to Go Green and has tips to help them do so. There also is a link to the Lorax Project which is a joint endeavor by Dr. Seuss Enterprise, Conservation International, and Random House. It’s a project that encourages individuals of all ages to do their part to conserve our plant and animals.
Universal’s Kori Bernards told TakePart, “We’re incredibly impressed with what Mr. Wells has done with his students to raise attention to an important issue and also to teach them about the power of civic action.”
The video below is a PSA from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service which features the Lorax, this PSA has been out since December 2011.
And here is a quick thank you from Mr. Wells and his 4th grade class-
“Thank you so much for all your support.
We needed Universal to be a good sport.
We are the changers, the changers that say,
“Thank you so much on this glorious day!
You helped us a ton,” we needed to say,
“We couldn’t have done it any other way.”
The other big story of how social media can make change comes from the National Wildlife Federation. I talked about their partnership with ScottsMiracle-Gro the other day on the Green Phone Booth and it was all over the web and many people had posted how disappointed they were on NWF’s Facebook page. As of yesterday NWF announced it had ended it’s partnership with ScottsMiracle-Gro stating “Scotts announced a pending legal settlement related to events in 2008 that predate our partnership, which has made it clear that the partnership is not viable.”
Now it’s time to thank NWF and Universal Studios for listening to us and making positive changes. Here is some contact info-
Let the National Wildlife Federation know you are glad they ended their partnership with Scotts.
- Call NWF at 1-800-822-9919, they are open M-F 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST
- Post a comment on NWF’s Facebook page
- Leave a comment on their website
- Tweet a message to @NWF
Thank Universal Studios for listening to Mr. Wells’ class and the many of us that signed their petition.
- Send a comment to Universal Studios via their website.
- Leave a comment on The Lorax Facebook Page
- Tweet a message to @UniStudios
Hopefully these stories will remind us why it’s so important to speak out, you never know when people will listen.
4th Grade Class Speaks for the Trees
| January 25, 2012 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Activism |
After reading The Lorax some 4th graders were inspired to “speak for the trees” and started to challenge people to cancel their unwanted catalogs. You can imagine how happy they were to hear The Lorax was being made into a movie, but after visiting the movie website and finding no talk of the environment they were very upset.
The class decided to tell Universal to “green up their website” and they need your help. They started a petition and are trying to get 75,000 signatures, as of right now (1-25-12 at 11:25 a.m./CST) they have 52,307. Go sign the petition and pass it on so we can help these 4th grades “speak for the trees,” because as Dr. Seuss said “unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.”
