Comments on: Looking Ahead to 2010

By: Pragmatic Environmentalism

Pragmatic Environmentalism — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:34:00 +0000

[...] One year ago: Looking ahead to 2010 [...]

By: “Natural” Toothpaste « Pragmatic Environmentalism

“Natural” Toothpaste « Pragmatic Environmentalism — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:28:05 +0000

[...] toothpaste, not tested on animals, sodium lauryl sulfate, Tom's of Maine, triclosan Part of my New Year’s brainstorming was changing to a toothpaste that’s not tested on animals. I don’t know why I waited so [...]

By: Mike T.

Mike T. — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:49:05 +0000

Yep! I’ve used it for years and no cavities. It is much less sweet than traditional toothpaste, but you get used to that quickly. Some of the flavors are weird and/or gross (i.e. cinnamon, gingermint, spearmint), but peppermint is good.

As for efficacy, the only real active ingredient in toothpaste is fluoride, everything else is just a way to make the process of physically cleaning your teeth more pleasant, foamy or minty. Either way, Tom’s seems to have natural equivalents for just about every toothpaste feature out there.

By: Brenda Pike

Brenda Pike — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:39:51 +0000

Is that what you guys use? Is it good? Considering my family’s dental history, I have serious fears for my teeth.

By: Brenda Pike

Brenda Pike — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:37:06 +0000

I seriously do! I'm debating how bad signing up for a grocery delivery service like Peapod would be. If we cooked more because of it, that's good, right? One2Flush only costs about $25, and it gets good reviews. I'm a little worried about the installation, but people say it's relatively easy. I'll let you know how it goes.

By: Erin aka Conscious Shopper

Erin aka Conscious Shopper — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:24:29 +0000

You need to do The Conscious Shopper Challenge. I also started a Facebook group called “go green without going broke.”

How much does it cost to turn your toilet into dual flush? And do the water savings recoup the cost? Very interesting idea. I was going to put a bottle in my toilet until I discovered it’s already a low flow kind and that might break it. But the dual flush thing is an option.

By: Brenda Pike

Brenda Pike — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:40:25 +0000

Thanks, Katie! My nephew gave me How to Cook Everything Vegetarian last Christmas, and it’s become my bible. However, much like the bible, I haven’t read all that much of it yet…

We actually went on a Taza factory tour a month ago. I can’t say I’m a big fan. I tend to like smoother chocolate. (But the hot cocoa they were giving away was really cool. It was strong–almost like coffee.)

And thanks for the laundry detergent and shoes suggestions. I hadn’t heard of any of them!

By: Brenda Pike

Brenda Pike — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:36:45 +0000

Thanks. However, they focus on pesticide residue left on food, and I wonder more about how much pesticide/fertilizer is used for each crop, increasing its effect on the surrounding environment. Make sense? The EWG info is everywhere, and it makes it difficult for me to find other information on the topic.

By: Mike T.

Mike T. — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:34:16 +0000

Tom’s of Maine Flouride Toothpaste is FDA certified without the use of animal testing…

http://www.tomsofmaine.com/health_professionals/products/faq.asp#fluoride

By: Toula

Toula — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:31:57 +0000

The Environmental Working Group puts out a list of the of “Dirty Dozen” foods you definitely want to by organic. Here’s the link: http://www.ewg.org/node/27203.