Brand-makers are pretty clever. They’re catching on to the fact that when they say natural we want to know just how natural they are. Enter Neutrogena Naturals. This skincare line popping up on drugstore shelves actually has a guide on the back telling you where their, say, glycol distearate comes from. Well, sort of.… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

  Put up your hand if you find shopping for genuinely safe, natural, eco-friendly products confusing. Okay, that’s about the majority of us. I won’t lie, it’s tough out there. Outing pseudo natural greenwashers is a big part of what I do in Ecoholic Body, on shows like CBC Marketplace and in this very blog (slamming deodorants like Degree… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I’ve always loved jogging outdoors. Okay yes, it’s harder on the knees and some days I really wish there were moving sidewalks out there pulling my feet forward just like a gym treadmill, alas, nature hasn’t offered that option up. Now that the birds are chirping and the breeze is beckoning, more and more of… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Let me say it loud and proud: my family is full of health nuts. This wasn’t always the case. It all started after my folks sold their McDonald’s in the late 80s, the doctor ordered us to clean up our diets and my big brother Nick started bringing home alfalfa sprouts. (Before this point I… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I’ve never liked cigarettes. Never could stand the smell. The on-call obstetrician that delivered me into the world even tried to walk into the delivery room with a smoke dangling from his lips  and my father promptly made him put the damn thing out. (Go dad! This was 1970s Quebec, after all.) Still, I don’t… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

You know the drill. Every week in Ecoholicland readers write in with questions and I answer one in my column. This week’s Ecoholic Q came from a friend that eats more tuna sushi than anyone I’ve ever met. Three times a week (in case you were wondering)! Since she’s in town visiting and asked me which… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Have you seen this line of UK skincare (pretty new to Canada) that proudly advertises it’s free of artificial perfumes, dyes or “harsh irritants” – Simple?  Free of fake scents is always a good thing (synthetic perfumes always lead to a long list of toxic ingredients) but that claim about “purest possible” ingredients is awful vague.… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

This year’s World Environment Day/Week is all about green economies. How are you supposed to get involved? Let me count the ways! But first, just a reminder that the feds are currently stomping on the planet more than ever, trying to shove an omnibus budget bill C-38 through that pummels environmental assessments, slashes oceans and… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

  Criss-crossing the country promoting Ecoholic Body, I’ve gathered up a few postcards from the road. First up: beautiful Nelson, B.C. After stopping by Breakfast Television Edmonton and doing a book signing at the one-and-only Carbon Enviromental Boutique (also in eternally-sunny Edmonton) I headed for a little R’ n’ R in the Kootenay’s (which happens to be… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Hey ecoholics, Ecoholic.ca is going black all of June 4 to speak out in support of two things that makes us truly Canadian – nature and democracy. The feds are axing our Canadian Environmental  Assessment Act and replacing it with a watered down version that speeds up assessments of mega projects. As well they’re sawing off… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I was slack-jawed when I first realized that polyester came from petroleum. My first words were something like: “What the? How…do they…do…that?” No one really sits you down and tells you how synthetic blouses are born. There’s certainly no stork involved.  This week’s reader Q on wicking/activewear fabrics gave me a chance to dive back… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Living in the east of Toronto , I’ve always wondered what’s in my soil.  Not just the nutrient balance but the really dirty stuff too, like lead. Until I get a proper lead test done and/or build raised beds in my latest apartment, I’ve refrained from planting root veggies, as much as I’ve craved pulling… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

If the song “Dust in the Wind” has you cursing about pollen, join the club. A recent Gallop poll found that more Americans than ever reported allergy woes last month. We’re still waiting on the numbers out of Canada but after a weirdly warmer than average winter, allergies have been predicted to spike. Check out… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

The world has plenty of bogeymen and things that go bump in the night. To protect ourselves from things unseen, some people pack guns, others, well, they pack hand sanitizer. But while basic alcohol-fueled hand sanitizer is fairly harmless, especially if you get the organic kind from the health store (unless you consider the dry skin… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

I love bypassing the chemical middlemen of this world and making a bee-line to mother nature whenever possible. I already told you about one of my favourite kitchen cupboard beauty secrets — oil (and it’s dozen and one functions), but there’s another ingredient in your kitchen pantry that’s got amazing healing properties — honey! It’s been used… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Oh pitcher filter. Why did you have to disappoint us, so? Yes, in this week’s Ecoholic column I talk about the short comings of Canada’s favourite water filter, Brita, as well as other pitcher filters. Seems they do reduce heavy metals like mercury and used to meet lead reduction standards, and then the standards improved… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Actually, I was talkin’ head to toe bodycare detox. Okay so we ran out of time before we got to the toe part (namely nail polish), we did cram a heck of a lot of good info into one segment, if I do say so myself!  If you’re wondering why I’m doing the monster dance,… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

With less than a week to get your butt in gear for Mother’s Day, a lot of people will be popping into their local Body Shop looking for prezzies. Actually, the Body Shop was the first store I ever turned to for stuff that wasn’t tested on animals and I loved their banana shampoo because… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

Planning on buying flowers for mom this year? You gotta love my straight-shooting mother-in-law for putting a stop to any more disposable flower buying in her name. As pretty as they are, it’s true – they die so quickly! But if you’re still planning on getting flowers, you should check out this week’s Ecoholic column… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

It seems like everyone and his multinational corporate uncle has come out with a green line these days – and Garnier is the newest kid on the eco block with a natural line free of parabens and silicones — Garnier PureClean. Since a lot of you have started asking about it, I decided to do… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸

As your grandpa will tell you, baking soda is a decent abrasive whitener. But brushing the powder straight onto your teeth can cause major irritation and long-term enamel erosion. Make sure it’s well diluted in a homemade paste with vegetable glycerine and some dissolved xylitol as your cavity-fighting sweetener. You can also cut the top… ◂ReadPreviousNext Post▸