United Nations: Safe Planet Screening: Submission

Last night David and I attended the screening of "Submission" at the Heights Theatre in Houston. This was the first screening in the United States and it was in HOUSTON. We also viewed a short film called "Body Burden" starring Ed Begley Jr. they took tons of blood samples from Ed and we will know in a few weeks what his Body Burden details are. In case you don't know what a Body Burden is, it is the amount of toxic chemicals being stored in your body/cells. Most of us have hundreds of toxins in our body, some of which were passed on to us while in our mother's womb! Like, flame retardant's PCB, DDT and other banned chemicals. It is very scary to know that even if we try to life a very healthy lifestyle our body is taking in chemicals everyday whether we like it or not!! Most of us were frustrated at the end of the screening because we want to know what to do to get rid of these toxins and how to avoid accumulating more toxins daily. I believe that for starters we need to police ourselves, what we eat, what we put on our bodies and be very strategic about our overall lifestyles. David and I opened an Organic Lifestyle store to give our community choices. That is what making a difference is all about.....make the right choice whenever possible. Something must be done about toxic chemicals. Start by going to Safe Planet and get involved.

Working with my Man!

Weekends are a little different around OGS! My husband and business partner David usually accompanies me on Saturday or Sunday. We open the store together (our second home) make a little coffee and I update him on what's new, things that need to be fixed (tee hee) and other relevant tidbits. We go about our day working as a true team (after 24 years this better happen) We greet new and regular customers together, share our passion for people and the planet arm in arm. The day goes by fast as we laugh and play (he always tries to get me on the mattress! :0) We are so proud and excited about One Green Street and all the possibilities that lye ahead for us and the community. Yes. we are a family owned business and we are proud to share our family with you! We are getting ready to move our two kiddos to Texas Tech and after 20+ years it is back to just the two of us........and of course our third child, One Green Street.
See you soon!

Chico Bag Did it Again!

I love the Chico Bag, made in Chico California (hence the name Chico Bag) I know there are tons of reusable bag choices out there and believe me I did my research before I chose the Chico Bag Company. Every Tuesday at OGS we have Chico Bag Tuesday. You receive a FREE Chico Bag with your purchase and it gets better....Bring your Chico Bag in on subsequent Tuesdays and receive 20% off one item!!! Customers have responded so well to this offer that I have been exploring bringing other Chico Bag designs in the store. To my delight I discovered that CB now has a Produce Stand Chico Bag Kit!!!! I ordered a few to see how you guys like them. They come in an APPLE pouch! Sweet!!!!! These guys are geniuses.....Also, I just place my order for Chico Bag Halloween Bags! How great is that? No more storing that awkward plastic pumpkin year after year. Send your little beggar out with his or her Chico Bag Pumpkin then the next day fold it up into it's little pouch and easily store it for next year! I love the Chico Bag Company!!!!!

One Green Street Partnering with Supple Skin

I like to give local vendors,and artisans a chance at showing off their wares at One Green Street. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it does not. I think we got it right when we recently partnered with Supple Skin Boutique. Nelia, one of the owners is an expert in healthy teas and eager to share her expertise with the community. I must confess, I am a coffee drinker (fair trade, shade grown, organic, thank you) but have always been curious about teas and their medicinal purposes. You always hear that green tea is good for you and chamomile helps you sleep better but that is about the extent of what I know about teas! Supple Skin takes the guesswork out of which teas go together to produce what results. Besides tasting great you can get teas that help with acne, psoriasis, weight loss, cleansing, antioxidants, beauty and more! Made and packaged by the owners, drinking tea has never been such a pleasant, healthy, educational experience. I feel so blessed to have Supple Skin Boutique in our store so that we can share this experience with all willing to go there. Tea for two anyone?

GSI:Houston

Green Street Investigator Sherry Eichberger is hard at work making sure that all of your skin and beauty care products are free of toxins! GSI is a hard working, 100% tough group dedicated to a healthier better today & tommorow!

Ugly Truth #9 FINAL TRUTH

Kid's and Men's Products are also in need of safety updates.
It is perfectly legal for companies to use carcinogens in bubble bath and unidentified fragrance ingredients in baby shampoo. During each bath time, babies may be exposed to dozens of chemicals that have never been assessed for safety. And men's after-shave lotions, anti dandruff shampoos, teeth whiteners, sunless tanning products, hair-removal products and colognes may contain ingredients linked to cancer and other adverse health impact.

Frosted Betty Cupcakes + Rainy Day = Euphoria

I just met with Frosted Betty creator Nicole Mora...what a great girl. Nicole created Frosted Betty out of the love of baking and making people happy with her personal bakery creations. Well, she succeeded with me today, I am happy, happy, happy. I had her bring over 1 dozen Carrot Cake Cupcakes and 1 dozen Vanilla Vegan Cupcakes. OK truth here.....I prefer the Carrot Cake to the Vegan but both were excellent. We sat together in The Gathering Place for an hour talking about our dreams and aspirations for our businesses and found we are very much alike and would make perfect sense to share each other with our customers. A great idea was born!!!! Starting in August the third Wednesday of the month Frosted Betty will be in One Green Street from 1-3 with her scrumptious sweets!!!! You will be able to meet her, pre-order for the next month and sample her cupcakes, cake balls, cookies and more. How fantastic is that! Think about it.....you just finished lunch on Wed., August 18th at Fish City Grill and you have a hankerin for something sweet....then you remember that Frosted Betty is at One Green Street next store so you run over and grab a Red Velvet cupcake and maybe a couple cookies to take back to the office! That would be a perfect day! Stay tuned for more details, but man, am I excited to be partnering with another great entrepreneur!!!! In the meantime check out her menu at www.frostedbetty.com

Ugly Truth #8

The Word "Natural" on a product label doesn't guarantee it's safe or natural.
Laws do not regulate the use of the words like "natural" and "organic" on cosmetics and personal care products. While seals like "USDA Certified Organic" do have standards, some products with organic ingredients can still also contain harmful chemicals.

Ugly Truth #7

Two of the highest-concern cosmetics are marketed to women of color.
Products promising lighter skin and straigher hair are problematic because of their message about what is considered beautiful. But the cosmetics safety database Skin Deep shows that hair relaxers and skin lighteners may share a second problem: the products contain ingredients such as hydroquinone, placenta and petroleum byproducts that are linked to cancer, reproductive and hormonal problems and skin sensitization.

Ugly Truth #6

The $50-Billion U.S. Cosmetics Industry Opposes Laws That Would Protect Consumers And The Environment.
The cosmetics industry trade association has lobbied against laws that would control pollution at cosmetics manufacturing plants, require recycled content in packaging and add more consumer safety information on labels. The industry says it can regulate itself. An industry-funded panel-not the FDA or any other governmnet agency-currently reviews the "safety" of cosmetics.

Ugly Truth #5

Even ingredients that are known to cause harm can be put into personal care products.
Few ingredients have been assessed for long-term health impacts, but those that have and are known or suspected to be toxic are still allowed in cosmetics. Some of the most problematic are FRAGRANCE, PLACENTA, LEAD ACETATE, PHTHALATES, HYDROQUINONE, NANOPARTICLES and PETROCHEMICALS.

Ugly Truth #4 You Can't Believe Industry Safety Claims

Manufacturers say their products are safe. But what do those claims really mean? It may mean that the company has tested infredients it uses only to see if they cause rashes, swelling or other acute reactions. Companies are not required to assess the safety of their products or to take into account long-term health effects, such as cancer or infertility. Because there is no government standard for safety, cojmpanies can say whatever they want about the safety of their products.

Ugly Truth #3

The Government Should Be Protecting Us, But It's Not.
The federal law that governs the cosmetics industry is more than 70 years old. And because of major loopholes in this weak law, the FDA doesn't even have the authority to assess the safety of cosmetic ingredients before they're put into products we all use. The European Union now bans more than 1,100 chemicals from personal care products because they may cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm. In stark contrast, just 10 ingredients are banned from cosmetics in the United States.

Ugly Truth #3

#2 Ugly Truth behind the Myth of Cosmetics Safety

Small Exposures Can Add Up to Harm.
The cosmetics industry says it's safe to put toxic chemicals linked to cancer, infertility or other health problems into personal care products because the amount in each product is so small. But none of us use one product, and we're exposed to hazardous chemicals threough many non-cosmetic sources too. "Just a little bit" adds up, and new evidence show that even tiny doses of some chemicals., such as hormone disruptors,can be harmful.

UNMASKED #1

Toxic Chemicals are in our beauty products-and in our bodies.
Every day we use multiple personal care products-from baby shampoo to deodorant, lotion to mascara-that contain chemical ingrediants we absorb through our skin, inhale and ingest. Some of these chemicals are linked to cancer, birth defects, learning disablilities and other health problems epidemic in our society.