Most of us, when given a choice, would choose to know when our s@!*’s been messed with. You know, like if you dropped my toothbrush in the toilet when I wasn’t looking, then opted to shake it off and stick it back on the sink without telling me. Or if you spliced a toxin into… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Trying to eat less meat? Wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole? Either way, more and more of us are sinking our teeth into meat alternatives. You know, veggie burgers, fake chicken cutlets, you name it. The name of the game amongst veg products these days is “anything meat can do we can do nicer.”… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Don’t look now but we’re surrounded. Just peak around the room you’re sitting in right now and start counting the plastic stuff that’s infiltrated your life – your computer (casing/cables/mouse), the foam stuffed furniture under your hiney, your wallpaper/wall paint, telephone, pen, windows, synthetic carpet underfoot are all made of some form of petrol-based plastic… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Did I mention I used to own my own one-woman sweatshop? Yep, I was, ironically, working in the anti-sweatshop movement by day and sewing a stack full of wide leg pants in my kitchen by night.  I paid myself, well, nothing. After a while of outfitting my friends with poorly sewn clothes I decided to… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I’m a little suspicious of my plates. The scrapes and scratches on these Kengington Market imports have me wondering whether they’re leaching something dodgy. And yet, I never bothered to buy a lead test until two readers contacted me recently wondering about their ceramics. Then I got to reading. Here’s what Health Canada has to… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

You’re busy, I’m busy, we’re all busy. Which is why it’s kind of nice when a company saves us all a little time and donates to a charity in our names. You know, like a shampoo giving $1 to the breast cancer. What could be wrong with that? If you’ve seen the film Pink Ribbons,… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Ever been traumatized by a hair cut? Maybe a bowl cut left you in tears or you decided, two minutes too late that, no, a pixie cut doesn’t really suit your face. Salon trauma gets physical too, think burning scalp and a searing rash. (For your sake, don’t go googling medical pictures of chemical burns… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

So after our big Lousy Labels: Home Edition episode on CBC Marketplace I’ve been getting a lot of emails and questions from readers asking me if bamboo is really, well, full of bologna. Truth is, it’s complicated. The short answer is solid bamboo wood (the kind used in flooring) is perfectly fine, for the most part,… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Hey gang, Lots of exciting stuff going on this week! I’ll be on the season premiere of CBC Marketplace Friday calling out the top 10 greenwashed products in your home with the fabulous Erica Johnson. I can’t divulge who gets the smack down just yet (you’ll have to tune in for that) but I can tell… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

What’s with the “new normal”? No, I’m not talking about that new Modern Family-wannabe on NBC, I’m talkin’ 9 year olds with boobs and line-ups at fertility clinics. Yes, screwy fertility is the subject of the latest Ecoholic column (you can give it a read here). From menarche (your first period) to menopause to men’s,… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

The crisper. Does it actually keep your produce all that crisp? That apple at the back of this photo has been in there so long it really will taste more like the fridge than an apple. A crisper can only do so much.  You do have to actually eat your food at some point. Trouble is… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I don’t know about you, but I was always a chewer. Whether I was 5 years old or 15, I always ended up gnawing on my erasers/pencils/necklace charms, you name it, while daydreaming or stressing out in class. Not like some kids who nearly ate the things like apples but, no doubt, enough to take… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I haven’t had to take a test or show up late for class for eons now, but I still get a little nervous every August. Yes, it’s back to school time and Ecoholic is here to help you get your supplies sorted out. This latest Ecoholic column gets into the nitty gritty of getting yourself… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

No doubt you’ve heard your parents stories about oils and sun tans: “Back in my day, Joanny, people would slather themselves in baby oil to brown up our body’s like  a Sunday roast.” Hey, I ain’t judgin.’ I remember buying a bottle of drugstore ‘coconut oil’ (SPF 4 it promised) to crisp up my 20-something… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I’ve got a bit of a kink. No, I’m not talking about the kind of local-lovin’ happening at the Lusty Locavore workshop at Come as You Are next week (I’ll be blogging about that later). I’m talkin’ about a kink I know a lot of you openly share with me: our heart-on for all thing’s local! I get… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

To store or not to store, that is the question. Actually the question is how to store…your food that is. Food packaging is littered with problems. Problem #1: it’s disposable and ends up in landfill after one use (tsk, tsk, cling wrap). Problem #2: it’s made of plastic, plastic, and more plastic. Now, I heart glass… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Two of my girlfriends were heading up north for a week of camping adventure. Neither had any real camping experience. When I asked one if she was bringing up essentials like camping cookware, a water filter, a basin for washing dishes away from the lake and heard, “um, no, nope, no,” I thought, 1) these… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I won’t lie to you. A lot of natural bug sprays don’t seem to do all that much. If they rely on citronella as their main active ingredient then you could be up Shit’s Creek (isn’t that a river in northern Ontario?) without a paddle. Studies show that citronella products have to be reapplied as… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

This week’s column question came from a reader in Edmonton heading to her brother’s wedding across the country. She wanted to know how she could green the whole shebang. She wasn’t talkin’ about greening the bouquet or making sure there was organic, locally raised chicken on the menu, that was the bride’s call. (You can read my column on… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I’ve never been a big sunscreen lover. Correction: I was a sunscreen preacher forcing it on friend and foe until I went backpacking in Brazil at 18 and started, in vein, trying to blend in with the Ipanemans. Of course, now that my face is starting to show the wear and tear that comes with… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Another day another sizzler. As we melt into little pools of sweat at our own feet, I can’t help but think of those old 80s ads, you know, with the frying pan and the egg and the “this is your brain on drugs” message. This, honey, is your planet on climate change. While farms go… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸