Lush :P

I was at the mall the other day shopping for my MIL's b-day gift with my friend Jenn and saw Lush. I had ventured into a Lush once with my good friend Leiko and she showed me around a bit. She buys deodorant there that she really likes. I thought to myself, "I am out of deodorant. I could give it a try." So Jenn and I got a true introduction to Lush. We probably spend half an hour in there playing with the products and learning. If you have never heard of Lush, well today is your lucky day. Mucho Verde! EVERYTHING in there is handmade and uses little packaging. One of my favorite items, which I did not purchase because I don't need at this time, was the shower gel. More like shower jelly. It has a consistency tougher than jello and is like a pretty little blob that you use gradually. The saleslady said hers has lasted months! They have bath bombs, face lotion, body lotion, wraps/masks, henna hair dye, etc.. Check them out- LUSH.com
So I ended up getting the Aromaco Deodorant. It has witch hazel and chamomile in it so I smell like a true hippy! It is in the form of a bar, kinda like a bar of soap. Leiko uses the powder version but I wasn't sure if that would be good enough for me, next time maybe. It was a little odd to get used to. They wrap it in paper to cart it home so I keep it wrapped in paper so my hands don't get icky. You have to apply it slowly as to not pull the skin too much but I like it. Seeing as its the middle of summer in Florida, I have needed to reapply some days. But it usually does alright.

Toothy Tabs
At the checkout counter we were curious about this small box of 'toothy tabs' toothpaste. So the lady gave us each 3 to try out. They look like mints. You put one in your mouth and chew it to crumbs then brush with wet toothbrush. My teeth felt cleaner than ever! Love, love love! I will definitely be getting a box next time. At $4 for 40 tabs, not bad a price either.

Lush is becoming my favorite store and I bet it will be yours too ;)

Fireworks??

SO I got to thinking this morning... What is the environmental impact of fireworks. Before doing research I decided they have to be bad. There is no way they could be good for our health. And now I no longer really care if I see any fireworks ever again. So there is much debate, even from my loving fiance. But one article on Treehugger.com had this comment posted that interested me and its from 2 years ago:


Dear Editors of Treehugger,



I am an environmental scientist with a specialization in hazardous wastes, and I need to inform you this article about fireworks is filled with inaccuracies. This is a political piece designed to stop people from being concerned about firework contamination, yet fireworks contamination is a critical environmental issue, especially here in the US.



For the past six years EPA has researched and funded on the toxicity and dangers of perchlorate contamination, and the findings have found this to be a serious environmental contaminant with possible overwhelming health consequences. The US has twice the cancer rate than anywhere else in the world, and our use of fireworks is by far the highest in the world (much more than China). Perchlorates are toxic at the ppb concentrations and a DIRECT endocrine disruptor (not just thyroid as your author posted). The science speaks for itself. It is believed, among many concerned environmental scientists, that fireworks and munition waste in the US is a main culprit to our outrageously high cancer rates. As you must know, people dictate policy and people like their fireworks. Thus, stressing the importance of this issue has been extremely difficult for scientists and EPA (Sound familiar? It was the same issue with global warming.).



Please, to make your site credible and have a greater impact don't just hire sexy writers, rather stick to the science and facts.



Thanks for letting me share.

Lena H



So, for now I am no longer buying sparklers or any other small items like poppers. Really, is it worth the environmental impact for maybe an hour of fun?? I don't think there is anything I can really do to prevent them from ever happening, but that doesn't mean I won't try. Stay tuned for that!


On a similar note, I have been against balloons and most party decorations for awhile now. I am all about an eco-friendly party! 


Have a happy fourth and don't let me make you feel too guilty. After all, not going to watch the fireworks doesn't reduce their impact.