Photo by Wired

A Very Special Interspecial Reunion
A lion that was raised by humans, but was released into the wilds of Africa, reunites with his former handlers a year later. What else can Treehugger say but “OMGKITTIES!!!11!!!”

Wired’s Artifacts from the Future: Fusion Food
Possibly coming to a produce store near you: Monsanto’s Cinna-Del, the only GM apple that expresses both cinnamon and sugar, only $26.99 per kilo!

Penguins March into New Patagonian Marine Park
Squawk if you’ve heard this one: The government of Argentina is creating a new marine park along the isolated Patagonia coast to officially safeguard more than half a million penguins and other rare seabirds, according to the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society.

Peace, Love, Earth: Yeah, Baby
Designer Anna Mkhitarian reinvents that tired hippie standard—the ol’ peace sign—into physical, wearable mantras that, though unsubtle, remind us what our groovy voyage on Spaceship Earth is all about.

Global Warming Wants to Eat Your Flesh
We’d have used a picture of flesh-eating bacteria diligently at work, but all our options made us want to disgorge the contents of our stomachs, so here’s a nonthreatening—dare we say even cuddly?—microscopic look at the insidious beasties themselves.

Click here for more »

Photo by Aubrey Organics

I’ve just run out of my old standby sunscreen from Paula’s Choice, which I’ve loved using because of its nongreasy, unscented, yet gently moisturizing formula—unfortunately, to my everlasting grief, it hasn’t been rated by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), so when my husband called from the natural-foods store asking if I needed anything, I asked him to pick up some sunblock. But because I didn’t have EWG’s list handy (big mistake), after he prattled off some brands, I instantly latched onto a familiar name: Aubrey Organics, the brand I use for my shampoo.

Slathering it on this morning, I give it a big ol’ “meh.” First, its EWG score is a middling 3.0, placing it in the lower-end of the moderate-hazard range.

Next, the cream has a cloying, sickly sweet scent that doesn’t quite arouse my adoration. (Ironically, it’s likely the jasmine oil I’m sniffing; looking at Aubrey’s Web site now, it appears that the company does make an unscented version, however.) And while the Paula’s Choice product glided across my face streak-free, Aubrey’s sunscreen required more effort to rub away any mask-like appearance that might inspire spontaneous bursts of song, while terrifying children and small animals.

Its one saving grace, besides being vegan- and animal-friendly: The sunscreen doesn’t stay on as greasy as other brands I’ve used in the past—even though it contains white camellia, organic shea butter, and organic jojoba oil for hydration—but, considering it costs almost $8 for a 4oz. tube, I think I’ll still give it a miss the next time I’m down the shopping aisle.

A Slice of Organic Life by Sheherezade Goldsmith (Ed.)

Novices taking their first toddling steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle should look elsewhere for a reassuring hand and the soft coo of encouragement. A Slice of Organic Life, edited by Sheherezade Goldsmith, dives headlong into the often baffling business of eco-friendly living by rattling off a series of instructions, without framing them in any kind of context that might make sense to a greenie-to-be.

A foreword by acclaimed chef, author, and food activist Alice Waters is followed by an introduction by Goldsmith. But just when you think you’re on solid, navigable terrain, the ground suddenly opens up below your feet and you find yourself inexplicably rushing past an edict to “Grow Salad Leaves in a Window Box.” Immediately after, you’re asked to “Save Energy the Easy Way,” and then to “Shop Ethically,” as if you were flipping through a stack of flash cards, each bearing little relation to its neighbors.

It would be unfair, however, to say that no effort at organization has been made—the book is ostensibly split into three sections based on your living situation: 1. No Need for a Yard, 2. Roof Terrace, Patio, or Tiny Yard, and 3. Yard, Community Garden, or Field. It might be easier to think of Slice as a collection of homesteading projects, from making and freezing baby foods to—I kid you not—raising a couple of young pigs.

The large type, vibrant and generously laid-out photographs are certainly appealing, and so this is the kind of glossy picture book you could strategically place on your coffee table to pique the curiosity of non-environmentally inclined guests. Slice makes for an easy, non-threatening read—and you really do emerge from its pages believing that yes! you could grow sweet peas on a teepee or become a bee keeper—but the book also tries to toss too many balls in the air at the same time, and keeping track of all them can leave you feeling dizzy. ($25, cloth)

Want to snag my free copy of the book? Comment below about something you never thought you’d DIY, but you did. I’ll pick a winner at random on August 1.

This review refers to a first American hardcover edition, courtesy of DK Publishing. A Slice of Organic Life can be found in stores now.

Photo by yamiq, under a Creative Commons license

Answer summer’s call to sun, surf, and sand, if you must, but remember to slather on the sunscreen, wherever you may roam, to ward off crispy bits, premature aging, and potential skin cancer caused by the sun’s UV rays.

But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t approved new chemicals sunscreens since 1978, which means that the United States has at least 12 fewer approved—and possibly safer and more effective—sun-blocking ingredients than Europe does. (If you do some quick mental math, that means the FDA has been dawdling on this matter for the past 29 years; it made its last resolution back when the Internet was merely a gleam in Al Gore’s eye, Michael Jackson still looked human, and I was a mewling bairn whose only concern was making doodie.) At the same time, sunscreen products on the shelves go largely unregulated, says the Environmental Working Group, which analyzed the safety and effectiveness of more than 700 name-brand sunscreens.

The Washington, D.C.-based non-profit found that a staggering 84 percent of 785 sunscreen products (with an SPF rating of 15 or higher) offered inadequate protection from the sun’s rays or contained questionable ingredients. “Ironically, some popular sunscreen chemicals break down when exposed to sunlight and must be formulated with stabilizing chemicals,” says EWG, in a press release. “Others penetrate the skin and present significant health concerns.”

In fact, EWG found 50 percent of the products currently on the market to bear claims—such as “all day protection”, “mild as water,” and “blocks all harmful rays”—on their bottles that are “unacceptable” or misleading under the FDA’s draft sunscreen-safety standards. Because the FDA’s standards have not been finalized, however, companies are free to flout and hype up claims that have led to recent class-action lawsuits, involving major brands such as Hawaiian Tropic, Banana Boat, Bull Frog, and Neutrogena, in California, says EWG.

Of the 700-plus sunscreen products EWG scrutinized, it can recommend only 130. It promotes caution with 618 of the products and suggests outright avoiding 37 of them. (Learn more about the methodology used here.)

Check out EWG’s database of sunscreen products it rates the best or considers the worst. Or use its search tool to find out how your current sunscreen product rates. Plus, if you have to spend any amount of time outdoors, be sure to read these tips for both grownups and kids. Apply sunscreen early and apply often. Well, unless looking like freshly tanned leather (or Dina Lohan) is your thing—I don’t judge¹.

¹I will completely judge you.

Photo by Twist

More than a year later, the perfect eco-friendly dishwashing and counter-scrubbing sponge remains a wantonly elusive thing. The hub and I test drove a couple of 100 percent cellulose sponges (sans scrubby sides) that we found at a natural foods store, but they soon fell apart after a few vigorous turns at the sink. We’ve dilligently swerved away from sponges with nylon-based backing—and try to stick to those that don’t claim to be antibacterial¹—but the questionable dyes and plastic packaging still leave us wanting.

Twist, a new eco-friendly household products company, might be onto something, although it’s not without its shortfalls. The Boulder, Colo.-based outfit has sent out into the marketplace a 100 percent all-natural and biodegradable Loofah Sponge ($4.99 for a pack of two) that is part cellulose-cotton sponge and part Loofah plant fiber. (The cellulose comprises tree fibers from renewable-tree farms.)

Like the rest of Twist’s line, its Loofah Sponges are packed in attractive paperboard boxes that the company says are “earth friendly and recyclable.” It doesn’t mention if its packaging is made from recycled paper with any kind of post-consumer content, however, which in PR-speak usually means they’re not.

Another quibble: The antibacterial agent Twist adds to its sponges and cloths (Barquat CB 50). Here’s where things get hairy—synthetic antibacterial disinfectants are not only classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as pesticides (which have been strongly linked to the development of Parkinson’s), but they could also be encouraging drug-resistant superbacteria, allergies, immune-system failure, and dangerous environmental pollution.

To its credit, Twist does do a highly creative number on its packaging by providing instructions on how to turn it into a mini-birdfeeder. The company also says it “takes special care to make sure 99/97 percent of all waste is reused in production,” which is a knockout accomplishment.

Very close—possibly closer than any other sponge I’ve seen to date—but still no cigar.

[via CribCandy]

¹The only O-Cel-O sponges being produced with the antimicrobial agent are those that explicitly say so on the packaging, according the 3M customer-service rep who responded to my e-mail.

Photo by Twist

Photo by Twist