Did you know that many cosmetics contain carcinogens and neurotoxins and that unlike food, the personal care industry is not regulated by a governmental body to ensure safety?

In this new video from The Story of Stuff Project, Annie Leonard examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo. It serves as a great introduction to this issue by revealing the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives.

Help get toxic products off the shelves! Support legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of cosmetics and personal care products by sending an email to your representative today. And to find out what's in your products and search for healthy alternatives, check out Environmental Working Group's Cosmetic Safety Database.

Sophyto Organic Skin Care

My favorite product is their Tone and Balance Super Bioactive. Though the name sounds intense, this toner is really just a delicious mix of restorative ingredients including aloe vera, dandelion and elder berry that balance your skin's PH level (it feels super refreshing to splash on your face after a shower, before you put on makeup or a moisturizer).

I also highly recommend their Purifying Active Mask. I have sensitive skin so most face masks tend to sting or leave my skin feeling raw. This mask is a clear, light-weight substance that feels like food for the skin. Some key ingredients include amino acids, proteins and vitamins derived from green single-cell freshwater micro-algae that neutralize the damaging effects of environmental pollutants, help reduce pore size and improve elasticity. If you want your skin to feel smooth, hydrated and have that extra glow, this mask is the definitely the way to go.

Sophyto products are free from petrochemicals, parabens, fillers and binders, artificial fragrances and essential oils (which can cause irritation). The company's agricultural raw materials come from certified suppliers who support a number of community projects in countries like Bulgaria, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nepal, South Africa, Italy, India, Somalia and many others. They work closely with local farmers and producers, offering financial support as well as managing their exports.

You can order Sophyto products online at Bella Floria, which is a great resource for organic and non-toxic beauty products.

-Dorothée

Full Disclosure: Bella Floria is one of the fabulous natural beauty brands that partnered with us for our Southwest Tour.

Take a minute to enjoy this trailer for Mr. Okra, a 10-minute short film from Nom de Guerre Films that I discovered this morning. The film follows Mr. Okra (aka Arthur Robinson), a New Orleans man who sells fresh fruit and veggies from the back of a truck.

From the film synopsis:

"In a city known for its music and food…and its characters, Mr. Okra travels the back streets of the Bywater, Tremé and 9th ward, selling his vegetables from his iconic truck…one okra at a time.  His unique promotion has made him a fixture in New Orleans and an integral part of the fabric of this community."

As Mr. Okra explains in the film, "Ain't no use to cookin if you ain't gonna cook with fresh food."

-Mark

Have you ever considered how much it costs to keep unlimited clean water flowing into your faucets at home? Or how much water goes into growing all the food that you eat? Can you imagine our supply of water running out?

These are topics we explored during our interview with Robert Glennon, Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of Arizona and author of Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It. He's on a mission to hold government and individuals responsible for true stewardship of our our most valuable natural resource: water.

Glennon explains that it took thousands of years for water to accumulate in our underground aquifers but we're pumping it out in mere decades. Consider these events that have occurred in the last two years:

• Lake Lanier, the water supply for Atlanta, a metropolitan area of 4.5 million people, came within 90 days of going dry.

• In the summer of 2009, California faced mandatory water rationing. Many farmers could have been entirely cut off, costing the economy more than $1 billion and putting more than 50,000 people out of work.

• Lake Superior, the earth’s largest freshwater body, was too shallow to float fully-loaded cargo ships.

• Decimated salmon runs prompted cancellation of the commercial fishing season off the coast of California and Oregon.

• Excessive groundwater pumping has caused sinkholes, earth fissures, and subsidence in geographic regions that range from California to Florida.

Glennon believes that America must make hard choices—and his answer is a provocative market-based system that values water as a commodity and a fundamental human right. He advocates creating legal and financial incentives to encourage conservation and smart re-use of water.

For example, because cheap water is essential for running factories and even the tech industry, he thinks companies should be charged for the real cost of what they consume. He also wants to support farmers in achieving more efficient watering methods such as drip tape irrigation and growing higher nutrient crops that are adapted to the growing climate.

He cites his home town of Tucson as an example of innovation because instead of getting rid of water that was used only once, the city diverts grey water into gulf courses, highway medians, parks and light industrial uses. But in most of our nation's cities, there's still a long way to go in preserving our water supply. Whether you agree that we should pay more for our water or not, Glennon's analysis certainly makes you think differently about wasting what comes out of the tap...

-Dorothée and Mark

Siegel's approach to documenting the sustainable food movement is character-driven (see the clip below); for evidence, look no further than his 2005 film The Real Dirt on Farmer John.

After spending a day filming with beekeeper Melanie Kirby in New Mexico, I can say that unless you're completely at ease with hundreds of bees buzzing around your head, filming a movie like this must have been pretty tough.

Check out Queen of the Sun's upcoming screening schedule.

-Mark

Eco-friendly clothing company Hessnatur is inviting a two-person team to spend three weeks in Peru visiting their organic cotton and alpaca farms, clothing production sites and becoming acquainted with the local people, land and the culture.

We'd like to invite you on this adventure where we'll trace Hessnatur's clothing back to the source. But first, we need your help to get there! Please vote for us to be Hessnatur's ambassadors to Peru and we promise to provide engaging blog posts, video updates and candid photos from our journey.

How to vote:

1) Click on this link

2) Submit your name, email and a 5-star rating. Feel free to leave a comment as well.

3) Click on the link in the confirmation email form Hessnatur (otherwise your vote won't count!)

Help spread the word:

1) Tweet the following message: Please vote to send @OrganicNation's Dorothee & Mark to Peru as @hessnatur ambassadors: http://ht.ly/21fl0 #green #organic #ecofashion

2) Share this link on your Facebook page

Thanks so much for voting for us and we'll see you in Peru!

– Dorothée and Mark

The first of the book's three sections is about food, which is what caught my interest. It's clear that Rogers is an advocate of local and organic food production, but most what she has to say on the subject is common knowledge. Residential development is encroaching on valuable farm land. Many organic farms aren't financially sustainable. The National Organic Program is underfunded and understaffed. Slaughter facilities don't meet the needs of family farms.

Rogers does a decent job explaining the dilemma that organic food producers face as they expand to try to reach a growing consumer base (a topic we discussed with EWG founder Ken Cook in a recent video). She looks at organic food production abroad, finding that foods produced in China and Latin America that carry the organic seal aren't always held to the same standards as foods grown domestically.

While researching for the book, Rogers visited an organic sugar plantation in Paraguay, and discovered that the farm was in violation of USDA organic standards. She also found that native forests were being clear-cut for farming (a violation of international organic standards), and that registered Fair Trade workers weren't getting a fair wage. None of these findings are expecially earth-shattering, and much worse violations of organic standards surely exist, but Rogers does a nice job of reporting.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend rushing out to buy this one, but if Green Gone Wrong falls into your lap, the food sections are worth a read. 

-Mark

On Mark: organic cotton tee by hessnatur, organic cotton jeans by hessnatur, Carwalk sneakers by Simple Shoes. On Dorothée: hemp and organic cotton tank by hessnatur, beylah skirt by sublet, vintage belt, vintage scarf

The first day of summer is next week and we got ready for the season by playing dress-up in organic and eco-friendly clothes from some of our favorite brands including hessnatur, Simple Shoes, sublet and NAU.

The guerrilla photo shoot took place on the unused Bloomingdale rail line that cuts through the Humbolt Park neighborhood of Chicago (for more about plans to convert this elevated track into a multi-use park, check out Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail).

On Dorothée: organic cotton tank by hessnatur, organic cotton scarf by hessnatur, organic cotton skirt by hessnatur, Pinwheel sneakers by Simple Shoes, bullet casing necklace by The MoonTree Boutique

On Mark: organic cotton shirt (Sea Weed Checked) by hessnatur, organic cotton jeans by hessnatur, Carwalk high-top sneakers by Simple Shoes

On Dorothée: silk and organic cotton top by hessnatur, vintage belt

On Dorothée: linen/new wool jacket by hessnatur, beylah skirt by sublet, fluent tote by NAU

On Mark: organic cotton tee by hessnatur, organic cotton jeans by hessnatur, Carwalk sneakers by Simple Shoes. On Dorothée: hemp and organic cotton tank by hessnatur, beylah skirt by sublet, vintage belt, vintage scarf

We wish you a summer filled with sun, outdoor adventures and fabulous eco-fashion!

-Dorothée & Mark

In 1976, German naturalist Heinz Hess asked a simple question, “how do you balance the desire for fashion with a commitment to nature?” He went on to become a true pioneer of sustainable and socially-conscious clothing by founding the clothing company hessnatur. These days the brand is continuing the legacy of making high-quality organic, fair trade and humanely produced clothing.

Hessnatur operates under a simple principle: human beings should live in harmony with each other and with nature. They pride themselves on having a transparent "textile chain" which means you can trace everything from the way the fibers are grown, to how the fabrics are woven, dyed, sewn and packaged.

The hessnatur website provides a specific list of what their clothing is made of:

• Pure, natural fibers – organic whenever possible. Made from renewable resources: Vegetable (cotton, linen, hemp, ramie); Animal (wool, specialty wools such as angora, cashmere, alpaca, mohair, yak; silk).

• No PVC or Teflon®, anywhere.

• Natural materials for buttons, like ivory palm nut, wood, horn, or mother-of-pearl

• Trims and linings are made from natural fibers, usually 100% organic cotton or 100% natural silk

• Any metals used for zippers, buckles and buttons are nickel- and chrome-free.  Other materials are only used for these accessories in the rare cases when natural materials or metals are not functional enough.

• Our only exceptions: we sometimes use up to 8% of spandex (elastic) for the stretch in some lingerie and socks. All the spandex we use is covered in cotton so no synthetic touches your skin.

• Cotton grown without any synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or defoliants and grown from seeds that have not been genetically modified

• Cotton grown in crop rotation on land that has been farmed chemical-free for at least 3 years, leaving healthy, nutrient-rich soil

• Organic wool comes from free-roaming sheep, raised on sustainably managed farms. Sheep are not given any unnatural feed or hormones, and are not treated with pesticides or antibiotics, except in cases of extreme illness.

In my opinion, what sets hessnatur apart from even the most well-meaning eco-fashion brands is their strong commitment to the health and well-being of the people involved with their clothing production. In 2002, hessnatur's Clean Clothes Campaign set the standard for humane labor conditions by developing an innovative system for control and inspection that ensures humane labor practices. In 2005, hessnatur was the first German company to be certified by the FairWear organization. They were also the first certified B Corporation in the European Union, a distinction is awarded to corporations that use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

And to top it all off, hessnatur clothing looks great and feels amazing to wear. Mark and I have been sporting items from their Spring/Summer 2010 line (photos of our favorites coming soon) and we love how soft and breathable the fabric is. Be sure to check out the Hessnatur blog and stay up to date with their latest news via Twitter and Facebook.

-Dorothée

Full Disclosure: Hessnatur is one of the fabulous eco-fashion brands that have partnered with us for our Southwest Tour.

The Southwest Tour rolled to a stop late last week, and while we're anchored in Chicago, editing the videos we filmed over the past month, I'd like to suggest another site to check out: Breaking Through Concrete.  

The project is similar in many ways to OrganicNation.tv: The crew is currently taking a road trip across the country, shooting video and taking photos of farms along the way. There are a few wrinkles though. First, the vehicle is a short bus powered by diesel and veggie grease (pictured above), which looks really rad. Second, they focus mostly on urban farms (although they seem to be making a bunch of rural stops too).

Part of what makes this project great is the skill level of the team. Brothers David and Michael Hanson are at the core; David is a freelance journalist, and Michael is a magazine photographer. They got a contract to put together a book about urban farming, which will be made using material from the trip. The Hansons are joined by documentary filmmaker Charlie Hoxie.

The BTC boys are currently about halfway through a seven-week road trip. Follow them at Grist or on their own blog, and check out their first video dispatch (embedded below) that was put together by Michael Hanson:

-Mark