Mommy Greenest

Healthy Living, Less Judgment

  • Home
  • Book
  • Categories
    • Healthy Living
    • Mommy Greenest Approved
    • Eco Beauty & Fashion
    • Natural Parenting
    • Latest Buzz
    • Green News & Events
  • Mommy Greenest Guides
    • Guide to Going Green
    • Guide to Eco-Friendly Fashion
    • Guide to Healthy Eating
    • Guide to Natural Parenting & Pregnancy
    • Guide to Green Beauty
    • Guide to Healthy Cleaning
  • New* NL Archives
  • About
    • Standards & Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • Book
  • Categories
    • Healthy Living
    • Mommy Greenest Approved
    • Eco Beauty & Fashion
    • Natural Parenting
    • Latest Buzz
    • Green News & Events
  • Mommy Greenest Guides
    • Guide to Going Green
    • Guide to Eco-Friendly Fashion
    • Guide to Healthy Eating
    • Guide to Natural Parenting & Pregnancy
    • Guide to Green Beauty
    • Guide to Healthy Cleaning
  • New* NL Archives
  • About
    • Standards & Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • photo of Stranger Things kids from Netflix
    Healthy Living

    Who Needs Therapy When You Have Stranger Things?

    May 27, 2022 /

    Last year, I wrote about watching “Stranger Things” with my daughter. I described how the series helped us connect during the pandemic. I was conflicted about whether or not to publish the piece, but finally felt that sharing what we went through might be helpful to other parents – and it was. I heard from so many people that they had also shifted habits, gotten more lenient with things like television watching and chores, all in the name of making things a little bit easier for our children, who were going through so much.

    read more
    Rachel Sarnoff 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    woman practicing yoga on the beach

    Why I Do Yoga

    February 29, 2016
    fluoride toothpaste on toothbrush

    Is #Fluoride Dangerous?

    June 4, 2015
    waterkeeper alliance dirty for the drought pledge is supported by sarah silverman

    Sarah Silverman, Tig Notaro, Ray Romano & Martin Short Make Dirty Water Funny for Waterkeeper

    May 22, 2015
  • Woman on water wearing big hat and sunglasses holding her hand out to the camera
    Healthy Living

    Why I Only Wear Reef Safe Sunscreen (and You Should, Too)

    May 23, 2022 /

    May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, which is great for people but often fails to keep in mind the planet: Many awareness campaigns from sunscreen companies don’t disclose that the chemicals in their products can damage ecosystems — especially in the ocean. Are you using reef safe sunscreen? Here’s how to find out.

    read more
    Rachel Sarnoff 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    teen girl gaping e-cigarette

    Is Vaping E-Cigarettes Dangerous?

    November 14, 2014
    Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff recycling TED talk

    Mommy Greenest TED Talk, Too

    January 2, 2020
    peace lily against black background

    Spring Clean Your Closet From Toxic Chemicals

    May 19, 2014
  • Eco Beauty & Fashion

    Dry Shampoo Challenge: Could You Wash Your Hair Just Once A Month?

    May 9, 2022 /

    Editor’s note (10.2022): After I published this post, new analysis showed that 70% of dry shampoos contain benzene, a potent carcinogen. And this wasn’t just a small amount: Researchers found 340 parts per million in 10 seconds of spray; according to the FDA, the acceptable level of benzene in a drug is two parts per million. The problem is the propellant: Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and Johnson & Johnson have recalled at least 10 aerosol brands over the past 18 months, and these include hair sprays as well as dry shampoos. Because manufacturers are not required to list all ingredients on labels it may be difficult to determine if your…

    read more
    Rachel Sarnoff 1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    orange shirt with green H&M Conscious Collection tag showing 70% recycled polyester

    Is Eco Fashion Conscious?

    March 31, 2014
    beautiful model with red acne bumps on her cheek.

    4 Steps to Natural Acne Remedy

    May 8, 2013
    rachelle carson-begley

    Rachelle Carson-Begley: Why I #ShopDrop2016

    January 19, 2016
  • Eco Beauty & Fashion

    Mommy Greenest Loves: Plant-Based Squalane

    March 30, 2022 /

    I’ve been on quite the oil kick these days. As my skin gets more — ahem — mature, I’m finding that an oil-based skincare regimen gives me results that I just don’t see from creams and cleansers. But then I met an old friend from high school recently who was literally GLOWING, and she mentioned that she had added a serum made from squalene to her nighttime ritual. “Squalene?” I frowned. “Like from shark fins?” My friend is a serious animal lover. I couldn’t imagine her using that. “No, silly,” she said. “It’s plant-based squalane.”

    read more
    Rachel Sarnoff 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Recycled Metal Jewelry Gift Guide

    September 29, 2021
    holiday gift bracelet

    How to Give A Holiday Gift That Gives Back

    November 10, 2015
    woman showing edun label at back of dress as part of fast fashion revolution initiative

    Let’s Start A Fast Fashion Revolution!

    April 14, 2015
  • Eco Beauty & Fashion

    Oil Cleansing Skincare Miracle

    March 30, 2022 /

    Decades ago, I complained to my friend Vanessa about the blackheads on my nose. She recommended washing with oil, but I ignored her advice. More oil on my oily skin? It didn’t make sense. Now I wish I’d listened to her, all those years ago. Because oil cleansing is a game changer. Over the past few weeks, the practice has DRAMATICALLY changed the way my skin looks and feels. But I had to learn how to do it — the right way.

    read more
    Rachel Sarnoff 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    shop drop challenge mommy greenest thank you

    Shop Drop Challenge Wrap

    February 2, 2015

    Hello, Hemp Underwear + $100 Giveaway!

    October 27, 2021
    illustration of girls in red and black dresses

    How to Clothes Swap

    January 24, 2014
  • Latest Buzz

    Spring Equinox Newsletter

    March 22, 2022 /

    Spring sprung and we celebrated with a newsletter about the new Ask Mommy Greenest column, the book that shook, and an essay I recently published in the Washington Post on drinking that seemed to hit a nerve. Not on the list? Click here to join the conversation!

    read more
    Rachel Sarnoff 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    brunette woman against white background

    MG Food Dyes on Kids in the House

    June 24, 2014
    Photo of family sitting at a table in news story quoting Mommy Greenest on Delicious Living

    Mommy Greenest in Delicious Living

    June 19, 2014
    Mommy Greenest nominated for Mommy Award

    MG Nominated for Mommy Award!

    August 19, 2014
  • Eco Beauty & Fashion

    Ask Mommy Greenest: My Daughter Wants A Sustainable Prom Dress – Help!

    March 18, 2022 /

    Today, I’m debuting a new column: Ask Mommy Greenest. Please share your questions in comments on this post and I’ll answer in a new one. Thanks! Jane asks: My daughter wants a sustainable prom dress. There is so much conflicting information out there – how do I know what’s really sustainable? Some of the “eco” brands are so expensive. How can I get her a dress that’s good for her and the planet – without breaking the bank?

    read more
    Rachel Sarnoff 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    illustration of girls in red and black dresses

    How to Clothes Swap

    January 24, 2014
    Mommy Greenest Father's Day Gift Guide

    Mommy Greenest Father’s Day Gift Guide

    June 1, 2015
    sophie uliano and rachel lincoln sarnoff

    Sophie Uliano is Gorgeous for Good

    April 27, 2015
  • Healthy Living

    The Beautiful World of Sally Rooney

    March 17, 2022 /

    I just finished Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World, Where Are You. I’m not giving away any spoilers with this reveal: The Irish author’s third book is narrowly focused on four characters; one, a writer, seems to be a stand-in for Rooney. The plot is straight out of a Brontë novel — there’s even a brooding Heathcliffian love interest — and the prose can be distractingly cold and distant. But the questions this book forces readers to contemplate — wow. I’ve never read anything like it. Have you?

    read more
    Rachel Sarnoff 6 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Is Your Toilet Paper Dirty?

    July 24, 2022
    flower delivery pink tulips against white background

    Is Your Flower Delivery Service Toxic?

    May 2, 2014
    mommy greenest daily affirmation

    Today’s InspirApril Daily Affirmation: Yes

    April 12, 2015
 Older Posts
Newer Posts 

Welcome! I created this blog in 2008 as a resource for healthier living with less judgment. I'm a mother of three, former journalist, and co-founder of the (shuttered, sniff) sustainable beauty and fashion site EcoStiletto. I was Executive Director of the nonprofits The 5 Gyres Institute and Healthy Child Healthy World, appeared on the "TODAY Show" and "CNN," among others, and shared two TEDx talks: Trash is Ruining Recycling and Can One Straw Change The World? Now, I work as a marketing and communications director at an environmental nonprofit while slow-boating an MFA in fiction and writing about a less dystopian, more hopeful world. Recent publications, talks, and more are here. Let's keep in touch! xoRachel

https://youtu.be/sOol1MIgois

rachellincolnsarnoff

Celebrations started on Friday with mind-blowing m Celebrations started on Friday with mind-blowing magic and concluded today at lunch with the family (missing two, but they were there in spirit) plus a bonus bike ride on the beach with my baby. I believe in doing on my birthday what I want to be doing all year so I started with yoga, did some writing, spent time with friends, loved on my family (missing the aforementioned), drank top-shelf tequila and ate good food (and cupcakes), stood on a corner and made some wishes, and sang a lot of Prince. Now that my birthdays have tipped past the halfway mark, the overwhelming feeling is gratitude. That I am surrounded by family and friends and community. That I have purpose and inspiration. That my body and mind can move without pain. I no longer take these things for granted. Thanks for all the birthday love — virtual and IRL, I felt it all. 
#birthday #birthdaygirl
These photos were taken 30 years apart. One is of These photos were taken 30 years apart. One is of me, one of my daughter. Who’s who? You decide. #mother #mothersanddaughters #minime #mom #momlife
I’m obsessed with the poetry of @katejbaer and n I’m obsessed with the poetry of @katejbaer and now I get to wear it. Here’s why:
“You can be a mother and a poet. A wife and a lover. You can dance on the graves you dug on Tuesday, pulling out the bones of yourself you began to miss.”
Right? And:
“You are not a ‘good girl.’ You are not 
somebody’s otherness. This is not a dress rehearsal before a better kind of life. Pick up your heavy burdens and leave them at the gate. I will hold the door for you.”
I will hold the door for you. I love everything about this idea. I may tattoo that on my body. And, finally:
“Let your life rest on what is already good.”
Yes, this. Already good. Thanks @polishedprints! (Not sponsored.)
#feminist #poetry #katebaer #alreadygood #amreading #amwriting #inspired #polishedprints #smallbusiness #womenowned #womenownedbusiness
It’s a complicated day for me and so many others It’s a complicated day for me and so many others. But this part is clear: “Oh, you love them like you never thought you could/Oh, you love them like the moon does love the Earth.” Happy Mother’s Day everyone. Lyrics (sort of) from @obadiah11 “Hey Little Mama” and always make me cry in the best way. #mothersday #motherhood #mother #mom
Start ‘em young. #morrisday #prince #dmsr Start ‘em young. #morrisday #prince #dmsr
This is my bff’s place and yes it’s every bit This is my bff’s place and yes it’s every bit as gorgeous as these photos! Message @foxhaven_lakearrowhead if you want to book for summer.  I can’t wait to go back! #arrowhead #lakearrowhead #retreat #weekend #family #girlsweekend #getaway #airbnb
I also feel this good after a bath. #dogsofinstagr I also feel this good after a bath. #dogsofinstagram #dogoftheday #doglife #doglover #dog
Great day celebrating the installation of UCBS’s Great day celebrating the installation of UCBS’s first book sharing library, which is the @ucsb_eli project of my fabulous mentee, Shoshana, aka @ucsb_littlefreelibrary! Students at San Nicholas residence hall can now swap and donate books thanks to her commitment and tenacity — and the generosity of @littlefreelibrary! (Also hoping we’ll get another Gaucho in the family.) #UCSB #EnvironmentalLeadershipIncubator #ELI #Gauchos
I love my book club. #AmWriting #WritingCommunit I love my book club. 
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writer #AmWriting #AmQuerying #Fiction #WomensFiction #UpmarketFiction #AmReading #Book #Bookish #BookClub #BookClubSelection #BookClubReads #AloneWithYouInTheEther
I read this book in high school, when I was sixtee I read this book in high school, when I was sixteen. Devoured it in days — gulped it down without chewing, belly full of words. As a girl without a mother, the passionate and painful relationship it depicted was everything that I imagined I was missing. That was when I began trying to write about my own family in order to make sense of it. Last night I had the privilege of hearing Mona Simpson read from her new book, Committed, and then she signed my battered old copy of Anywhere But Here. I didn’t tell her that she had inspired me to become a writer. But I think she knew. 
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writer #AmWriting #AmQuerying #Fiction #WomensFiction #UpmarketFiction #AmReading #Book #Bookish #BookClub #BookClubSelection #BookClubReads #MonaSimpson #Committed
My story is up on Bluedot! LA’s Westside Thrift My story is up on Bluedot! LA’s Westside Thrift Store Hotspots. What’s your favorite? Tell me about it in comments, please — round two coming soon! Photo: Bluedot, link in bio. Whee!
#Fashion #SlowFashion #FashionRevolution #Recommerce #Style #Motivation #MommyGreenest #thrift #thrifting #thriftstorefinds #poppintags
This is EXACTLY how refill could work. I went to @ This is EXACTLY how refill could work. I went to @petco to pick up dog food, asked the extremely helpful manager what was the least expensive, and she directed me to the refill machine. No hard environmental sell, purely economic. The bag is free, there are two flavors of nutritious food to choose from (Lula appreciates variety), the handles make it easy to carry, and then once it’s empty you bring it back and start all over again. This post is not sponsored, nor did I get free product from anyone. But of course I was so excited I documented the whole thing. Don’t you hate those giant, non-recyclable plastic bags of kibble? Or the humongous box (and associated ghgs) when you have food shipped to your house? Me, too. Now there’s a solution. Genius! #refillrevolution #refill #reuse #reuserevolution #reuserecycle #plasticfree #zerowaste #breakfreefromplastic #dogsofinstagram #dog #doglover #doglife #canidaecrew
On the first Earth Day in 1970, the voices of twen On the first Earth Day in 1970, the voices of twenty million Americans were heard. As a result, the U.S. created the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. The occasion is now celebrated in 192 countries, where people plant trees and pick up trash and ride bikes to raise awareness about how we can tread more lightly on this earth. But do you know what makes the biggest impact? Voting for legislators that believe environmental protection. There are so many organizations doing great work on identifying these good legislators, including @sister_district and @environmentalvoter. Meanwhile, let’s all take care of our little corners with gratitude for all the earth gives us, even as we have taken so much from her. #earthday #earthdayeveryday #earthday🌎
I have a recurring dream, in which I float level w I have a recurring dream, in which I float level with the second story of my childhood home, high in the canyon above Los Angeles.
I can’t see myself, in the dream. I don’t know what my limbs look like. But I feel the muscles of my shoulders stretch as I soar, growing bigger, more powerful, expanding with flight. And then suddenly, I fall. 
And as I hurtle towards the earth, instead of being frightened, I’m calm. Like an inverted fishbowl, the sides of the yard rise up around me, thick layers of green plants shimmering, heavy with dew. I touch down and each blade of grass is in focus and I can see through to the root. Then, pure joy buoys me back up and into the warm rose glow of the sky. 
My father is an adopted member of the Lakota tribe. For four decades, he was a professor who wrote books about Native American literature and poetry. Throughout my childhood, he taught me to see significance in the natural world. Hawks, especially, are good luck — an indication of better things to come. 
Together, we watch two red-tailed hawks swoop and dive.
“Dad, I have to leave,” I say. “Just for a little while.” 
“That’s fine, Rachel. Take your time.” He smiles, beatific. “We’re like those two hawks, you know. We’re connected. I feel your love all around me.” 
“I love you too, Dad. I’ll be back soon.”
As I walk the mute and empty hospital hall, away from his room, I think again about the dream and my rust-tinged tail feathers, signaling good fortune to those who know how to look for the signs. 
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writer #AmWriting #EarthDay #Hawk #Signs #HawkOutsideMyBedroomWindow #EarthDayEveryday
Once the love story catches hold oh this book is s Once the love story catches hold oh this book is so beautiful and the prose is stunning. One protagonist is a bipolar woman who refuses meditation and processes her mania through creativity — for me, this was especially fascinating as I have experienced this with family members. It really allowed me to go inside of this in a completely different way and exploded my misconceptions. Who has read this book — and what did you think? Can’t wait to discuss in #BookClub this weekend! 
#Fiction #WomensFiction #AmReading #Book #Bookish #BookClubSelection #BookClubReads #MentalIllness #Bipolar #Mania
Oh, aging. For a while there, it was like my skin Oh, aging. For a while there, it was like my skin was perpetually in Palm Springs — dry and desiccated no matter what I put on it. But I recently developed a quick-and-easy, Trader Joe's sustainable skincare, anti-aging night hydration routine that really does work wonders — and together, these three products cost less than $25! Link in bio to the new story up on Mommy Greenest. This post is not sponsored, nor did I receive free products from Trader Joe’s. 
#Beauty #Style #Motivation #Health #Wellness #HealthyLifestyle #MommyGreenest
After two years, feels like I should be further al After two years, feels like I should be further along than 12 songs. Sigh. Just got a new strap that’s not made for a man’s shoulders so that should help. New resolution is to practice standing up instead of sitting on the floor. Will that one day include playing in front of someone other than my dog? Who knows. Meanwhile, I keep chipping away at it, one song at a time. Anyone else still trying to master their pandemic instrument of choice? #music #songwriting #americana
Back in the high life again. #yoga #yogalife #yoga Back in the high life again. #yoga #yogalife #yogainspiration #yogapractice #yogalove #namaste
What a joy to celebrate the amazing @laura.tremain What a joy to celebrate the amazing @laura.tremaine and her timely new book #TheLifeCouncil last night. I first met Laura when we were both newbie bloggers and she is a force!!! For this, her second book, she interviewed hundreds of people and although she will be the first to tell you she’s not a therapist, it really seems to be a game changer for friendship in the digital age — check out all those five star reviews from people saying they’re passing the book on to friends and using it to re-evaluate their relationships. Last night was the first stop on her book tour and the conversation between Laura and the super sweet and stylish @ohjoy took place @zibbysbookshop — the gorgeous and friendly new destination that’s bringing bookstores back to LA’s westside FINALLY WHOOHOO! What comes through with all of Laura’s writing is true honesty and vulnerability and refreshing practicality— I can’t wait to read this book!  #AmReading #Book #Bookish #BookClub #BookClubSelection #BookClubReads
This is it. All 270+ pages. I’ve been waking up This is it. All 270+ pages. I’ve been waking up at 5 am every morning to whittle away at it paragraph by paragraph, page by page, for nearly a year. And for the past 24 hours, I’ve held it in my hands, reading each sentence aloud and marking the whole thing up with a red pen. It’s a victorious feeling, to close a physical book on that last page, let me tell you. Now I just have to work in those edits, plus feedback from two amazing beta readers, and then it’s ready to head out into the world. Can’t wait! #amwriting #amediting #amquerying #fiction #womensfiction #upmarketfiction #writing #writingcommunity #writersofinstagram #writer #omg
Load More... Follow on Instagram
©2023 Mommy Greenest
Ashe Theme by WP Royal.