• Alysia Reiner shares her secret DIY body butter recipe
    Eco Beauty & Fashion

    Alysia Reiner’s Secret DIY Body Butter Recipe

    I had the privilege of interviewing Alysia Reiner recently for Organic Spa magazine, and discovered that she’s nothing like Natalie “Fig” Figueroa, the assistant warden who’s reviled for her evil machinations on “Orange is the New Black.” Reiner is a yogi and environmentalist more interested in philanthropy than power, who serves as a spokesperson for the breastfeeding advocacy organization Best for Babes, among others, works with the Cancer Support Community and Actors for Autism, and is part of a clean water initiative called “Flash Flood for Good.” She DIYs organic beauty products in the kitchen of the sustainable home she shares in Harlem, with her husband, the actor David Alan Basche, and their…

  • young girl in school bathroom holds up sudsy hands as boys wash hands behind her
    Natural Parenting

    Nix Toxic Pink Soap in Schools

    In 2012, the CDC’s annual assessment of schools discussed green cleaning for the first time ever. “Children are more vulnerable than adults to hazardous environmental exposures because, compared to adults, they breathe more air, eat more food, and drink more water per pound of body weight,” the report states. “A school that…[is] free of hazardous chemicals, and clean is arguably best equipped to support student and teacher health, learning, and overall productivity.” And while most of this is good news—more than 36% of districts now purchase low-VOC paints, cleaners and floor coverings, 55% require that schools test drinking water for lead, and more than 50% pursue an integrated pest management…