Mommy Greenest

Healthy Living, Less Judgment

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    • Natural Parenting
    • Latest Buzz
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  • Mommy Greenest Guides
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  • natural skincare saison beauty products lined up in a row
    Mommy Greenest Approved

    Mommy Greenest Approved: Saison Beauty Natural Skincare

    September 28, 2015 /

    Remember when you were in high school and your grandma’s friend was “having her colors done” and you learned you were a Spring? Okay, maybe that’s just me. But I was fascinated by that cool little color wheel and how it finally made sense that I still loved pink even though I was 16. That’s kind of how I felt when I discovered Saison Beauty, which takes the seasonal concept and applies it to natural skincare. Genius!

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    Rachel Sarnoff 80 Comments

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    Mommy Greenest Approved: Pristine Beauty Breast Cancer Kiss Off

    October 5, 2015
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    Mommy Greenest Approved: SIRUM Life Saving Medication Reform

    February 18, 2015
    model seated on white chair, her foot up on a pile of books, wearing a long black skirt, striped top and gray shoes

    Mommy Greenest Approved: Modavanti

    September 9, 2013
  • Green News & Events

    China Trumps U.S. #Toxic #Beauty Regulations

    May 20, 2015 /

    Kudos to China for proposing stricter regulations on toxic chemicals in cosmetics, which will bring them more in line with the EU’s. A second draft of the country’s new Complete Technical Safety Standard for Cosmetics was proposed recently, which will ban 100 additional toxic beauty ingredients and classify oral care products like toothpaste as cosmetics, with similar restrictions. How does this stack up to the U.S.?

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    Rachel Sarnoff 0 Comments

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    Campbell Opts For GMO Labeling, Against GMA

    January 8, 2016
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    MG Joins Jenna Elfman on “Home & Family”

    May 10, 2013
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    Mommy Bloggers for Pushing Motherhood

    April 30, 2013
  • Green News & Events

    Sick of #Toxic Cosmetics? @SenFeinstein Bill Fix

    April 22, 2015 /

    Senator Dianne Feinstein preempted #EarthDay2015 coverage yesterday by introducing a new bill to reform the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act. And surprisingly, considering the cutthroat battle to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act, it garnered very little attention. 

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    Rachel Sarnoff 0 Comments

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    My Earth Hour Fail

    March 18, 2015
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    Boycott Hershey’s

    January 17, 2014
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    Mommy Bloggers for Pushing Motherhood

    April 30, 2013
  • mommy greenest eco police policewoman angie dickinson photo
    Healthy Living

    I’m Not the Eco Police

    February 4, 2015 /

    Ever since I started writing as Mommy Greenest, I’ve noticed people avoiding me. Not my close friends, obviously. But the casual friendships—those afternoon coffee invitations that turn into weekend playdates with wine? I’m getting less and less of them. I’ve heard, “Oh, don’t let Rachel see that,” as a plastic water bottle is shoved into a purse, and “She had fries—don’t kill me!” as my daughter is returned home from a playdate. They think I’m the eco police.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 10 Comments

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    From Paleo to Cricket Protein: 5 Natural Lifestyle Trends to Watch

    February 27, 2015
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    What’s Made Safe? Amy Ziff Explains

    March 25, 2016

    How To Fight Coronawashing

    April 3, 2020
  • toxic test products against white background
    Healthy Living

    One Minute Toxic Test

    January 30, 2015 /

    Between the cute kittens and baby pictures, there was one meme circulating in my social media this week that I couldn’t click away from: Have you taken the Toxic Test? And although I’m usually adverse to flashing messages promising to tell me something I don’t already know, I clicked on over to the Toxic Test to check it out. Believe me, I was surprised.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 6 Comments

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    Today’s InspirApril Daily Affirmation: Love

    April 26, 2015
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    Spring Clean Your Closet From Toxic Chemicals

    May 19, 2014
    Mommy Greenest Daily Affirmation

    Today’s InspirApril Daily Affirmation: Happiness

    April 2, 2015
  • mommy greenest natural deodorant detox
    Mommy Greenest Approved

    Try A Natural Deodorant Detox from Weleda

    January 26, 2015 /

    I know, I know: I’m a broken record. But seriously I can’t tell you how many questions I get about how to use natural deodorants! So I teamed up with Weleda (again) to give you the low-down AND a chance at a $300 gift basket! Want in? Read on!

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    Rachel Sarnoff 238 Comments

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    Mommy Greenest Approved: LooHoos Dryer Balls

    August 5, 2013
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    Mommy Greenest Approved: Maty’s All Natural Vapor Rub

    October 23, 2014
    We've tried veganism, on and off—mostly off, because my kids won't eat “weird” stuff. But there’s nothing weird about this delicious Vegan Cuts Snack Box.

    Mommy Greenest Approved: Vegan Cuts

    June 6, 2013
  • model wearing au naturale natural beauty
    Mommy Greenest Approved

    Mommy Greenest Approved: Au Naturale Cosmetics Natural Beauty

    November 24, 2014 /

    Remember when I shared how I put on my natural beauty face in five minutes? I just discovered a brand-new line of natural beauty products that delivers all the components you need—plus gives back to transform the lives of African girls. From brushes to mineral powders to pencils and more, Au Naturale is my new favorite natural beauty obsession, so I hooked you up with 25% off plus a chance to win a $150 shopping spree!

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    Rachel Sarnoff 112 Comments

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    Mommy Greenest Approved: Primal Pit Paste

    January 6, 2014
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    Mommy Greenest Approved: RareEarth Natural Perfume + Video

    December 8, 2015
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    Mommy Greenest Approved: Modavanti

    September 9, 2013
  • four skin and hair care products against a white background
    Mommy Greenest Approved

    Mommy Greenest Approved: The Wonder Seed

    February 3, 2014 /

    Did you know that until 1883 all American paper was made with hemp? Or that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were both hemp farmers? How about this for some heritage: Both the first American flag and the first two drafts of the Declaration of Independence were also manufactured from—you guessed it—hemp fibers. My source (sorry, couldn’t resist) for all this amazing hemp trivia is The Wonder Seed, which has been infusing their vegan products for 25 years with the optimal amount of virgin organic cold-pressed hempseed oil, said to be the most nutritious oil on Earth. This week, Mommy Greenest readers score 20% off plus a chance to win a box…

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    Rachel Sarnoff 11 Comments

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    Mommy Greenest Approved: Bona

    October 7, 2013
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    Mommy Greenest Approved: Primal Pit Paste

    January 6, 2014
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    Mommy Greenest Approved: Earth Kiss Natural Face Masks

    September 14, 2015
 Older 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
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