Mommy Greenest

Healthy Living, Less Judgment

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  • 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
  • About
    • Standards & Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • natural parent couple with small baby on beach
    Guides,  Natural Parenting

    Mommy Greenest Guide to Natural Parenting & Pregnancy

    October 16, 2015 /

    Once upon a time I was queried by an author who was looking for eco experts to comment on a book she was writing about natural parenting. She wanted to know how to plant a garden for a new eater so that the little veggies would come up at the same time as the child’s budding incisors. And here’s what I thought: What the f*ck?!? Has this woman even had a child?

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    Rachel Sarnoff 6 Comments

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    green beauty model close up

    Mommy Greenest Guide to Green Beauty

    October 22, 2015
    woman wearing glasses, holding toy globe in her hands

    Mommy Greenest Guide to Going Green

    September 10, 2015

    Mommy Greenest Guide to Healthy Cleaning

    February 15, 2016
  • man and woman's feet stick out from under the covers, with her leg on top of his.
    Healthy Living

    Truly Natural Sex Guide

    May 9, 2013 /

    Are you having natural sex? You might think so, but you’re probably wrong. Take lubricant, for example. Whether it’s coconut cream or mango delicious, that tube you stashed in your nightstand is probably chock-full of parabens, hormones, silicones and petroleum by-products which can cause irritation that makes you more susceptible to decidedly unsexy yeast infections. Ick. So what about toys? C’mon, don’t pretend you haven’t tried them once or twice—or thrice. Since Shades of Gray came out, they’re practically selling sex toys at Barnes & Noble. But they also can be pretty toxic.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 3 Comments

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    Mommy Greenest Guide to Healthy Cleaning

    February 15, 2016

    Healthy Recipe: Chocolate Chunk Cookie

    November 2, 2021
    a red apple with a slice cut out on a white background

    Poison Apples

    April 28, 2014
  • air freshener advertisement with flowers and butterflies coming out of the pot
    Healthy Living

    Air Fresheners Don’t Make Scents!

    May 7, 2013 /

    From plug-ins to sprays, synthetic air fresheners are bad news. Chock-full of toxic ingredients, they typically contain phthalates linked to obesity and other problems, as well as potent allergens that lead to fragrance allergies—a condition that affects 34 million people in the U.S. That’s why when I heard about this new campaign from Women’s Voices for the Earth, I knew I had to share. The campaign targets Glade air fresheners and employs some of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen as messengers. If SC Johnson can use cute babies to sell products, why can’t we use them to let people know about the air-polluting fragrances that are in their products?

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    Rachel Sarnoff 10 Comments

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    beakers filled with colored liquid to represent chemicals

    Chemicals, By The Numbers

    February 7, 2014
    flower delivery pink tulips against white background

    Is Your Flower Delivery Service Toxic?

    May 2, 2014

    Flood Zone Homes

    February 18, 2022
  • african american family enjoying salad and other healthy meal items
    Natural Parenting

    5 Rules to a Healthy Eating Habit

    May 7, 2013 /

    My kids are sick of healthy eating. They don’t want organic soybean butter and Farmer’s Market fig jam sandwiches, they want Lunchables: crackers, processed cheese, salty disks that pass for lunch meat and a whole lot of chemicals wrapped up in a plastic box. My younger daughter confessed she dumps the organic carrot sticks the trash (and I thought the ranch dip was decadent). My oldest has been trading her edamame for candy. Forget the veggie chips I carefully stowed in wax paper bags—heaven for these children would be to open up their lunch boxes and spy a bright-orange bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 11 Comments

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    My Not-So-Natural Childbirth Story

    August 11, 2014
    giving tuesday ad

    Finding Philanthropy: Giving Tuesday

    November 1, 2013
    mom holding newborn baby

    Good Mom…or Chemophobe?

    January 26, 2015
  • close up of diamond solitaire ring
    Eco Beauty & Fashion

    Toxic Gold + Blood Diamonds = Commitment…?

    April 30, 2013 /

    I used to have a thing for diamonds. Maybe it was too many afternoons eating popcorn and watching old VHS movies — Marilyn in the pink dress; Audrey in the oversized sunglasses — or maybe it was just the fairy-tale scenario that little girls seem to be steeped in since birth. In any case, I brandished my great-grandmother’s single solitaire diamond with pride through high school and college, until the day my husband and I decided — on a whim, after two weeks of knowing each other, at the ripe old age of twenty-five — to get married, and it became my official engagement ring. I’m still pining for the…

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    Rachel Sarnoff 2 Comments

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    Inside LOVE GOODLY Conscious Subscription Box

    August 3, 2015
    woman wearing black pants, gray patterned shirt and black cardigan against wood background

    3 Things to NEVER Buy at a Thrift Store

    January 10, 2014
    woman with red nail polish removing light pink polish from another woman's hand

    Does Eco Nail Polish Remover Really Work?

    June 20, 2014
  • woman with fire coming out of her kitchen tap
    Natural Parenting

    What is Fracking? 4 Facts You Should Know

    April 26, 2013 /

    What is fracking? Here’s the short answer: Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a drilling practice that calls for injecting millions of gallons of a toxic mixture of chemicals, water and sand into the earth in order to create enough pressure to cracks open rocks and release oil or natural gas. And here’s what you need to know: 1. The nearly 600 chemicals used in fracking include known carcinogens such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene, among others, which can leach into drinking water.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 8 Comments

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    What is BPA? 6 Ways to Ditch It for Good

    April 17, 2013
    adhd inducing food dyes in bright colored candy

    2 Steps to Eliminate Food Dyes Linked to ADHD

    April 19, 2013
    autism, spectrum, adhd, add, baby, child, dad, eco, family, health, home, house, kids, mom, neurological, organic, parents, natural

    7 Steps to Avoid Autism Spectrum Triggers

    April 13, 2013
  • brunette girl dying her hair with rubber gloves
    Eco Beauty & Fashion

    Does Natural Hair Color Really Work?

    April 25, 2013 /

    After a flirtation with auburn hair color in high school and some serious bleach in college, I went au naturale. But recently, the few-and-far-between white hairs that I began to pluck in my mid-30s are now threatening to become a bald spot if I keep up the practice. It’s time for natural hair color. Natural hair colors typically eschew coal tar, peroxide, benzene, ammonia, toluene, paraphenylenediamine and other toxic chemicals omnipresent in conventional hair dyes—things that I most definitely want to avoid. Even the FDA warns that conventional hair dyes can cause respiratory problems, hair loss and skin irritation—among other problems.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 12 Comments

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    two smiling brunette women against a wall of green leaves

    Renee Loux on Easy Green Living

    May 15, 2014
    eco friendly fashion model in black high heels against blue walls

    Mommy Greenest Guide to Eco Friendly Fashion

    October 6, 2015
    beautiful model with red acne bumps on her cheek.

    4 Steps to Natural Acne Remedy

    May 8, 2013
  • rubber duck
    Natural Parenting

    What Are Phthalates? Nix Them in 3 Easy Steps

    April 24, 2013 /

    Can a rubber ducky make your kids fat? A 2012 study found a connection between a chemical found in PVC and kids’ obesity: Children with the highest level of the common phthalate di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in their blood were nearly five times as likely to be obese as children with the lowest levels. But what are phthalates? These chemicals, also known as plasticizers, are used to soften plastic. (Want to know why that your old ball gets brittle? That’s because phthalates have leached out of it.) They also serve to help personal care products penetrate the skin, as well as preserve synthetic fragrances.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 12 Comments

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    sleeping baby in infant car seat

    2 Steps to Find the Best Car Seat for Your Baby

    June 12, 2013
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    Good Mom…or Chemophobe?

    January 26, 2015
    little girl listening to her mom's natural pregnancy belly

    Want a Natural Pregnancy? 12 Tips to Protect Your Baby for Life

    April 17, 2013
 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 and appeared as a sustainable lifestyle expert on "The "TODAY Show" and "CNN Headline News," among others. Oh, and have you checked out my TEDx talks: Trash is Ruining Recycling and Can One Straw Change The World? Today, you can find me here. Let's keep in touch! xoRachel

https://youtu.be/sOol1MIgois

rachellincolnsarnoff

Can anyone tell me how this is achieved? Last time Can anyone tell me how this is achieved? Last time I looked at a #Coke bottle it was “100% recyclable,” a claim that is simply #greenwashing, as the fact that something can be recycled doesn’t necessarily mean it is. This bottle says it’s made from #recycled material, and the QR code drives to a lot of fancy talk — including #BillNye — about the best way the purchaser can recycle it. But the American Beverage Association, which represents the company, still lobbies against #BottleBills that would incentivize the recovery of plastic. So how is #CocaCola getting enough #PCR to make this bottle and distribute it nationally — or is this just intended for the libs in California? #BreakFreeFromPlastic #ReuseRefuseRecycle
Say what you want about Apple, they have packaging Say what you want about Apple, they have packaging down. This #foamfree #recyclable paper origami-quality box with the tiniest amount of plastic transport led my #preloved #refurbished iMac. The best part? The box now has new life as a toy for the toddler across the street. #repair #righttorepair #ewaste #lovedmacslast
Just another sentence to blow your mind. #Inspirat Just another sentence to blow your mind. #Inspiration #1000wordsofsummer #AmWriting #Fiction #WomensFiction #WritersOfInstagram #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity
This ritual, every week. Sometimes alone but bette This ritual, every week. Sometimes alone but better with friends. You?
#Pandemic #Exercise #Bike #Biking #California
Fun fact: Stanley Gerald Thompson was my grandfath Fun fact: Stanley Gerald Thompson was my grandfather. And that’s not even half the story.
#AmWriting #WritersOfInstagram #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity #1000wordsofsummer
Last year, I wrote about watching #StrangerThings Last year, I wrote about watching #StrangerThings 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. Things are different now, thankfully — new MG post, link in bio. (And Season 4 is worth the wait.)
#Parenting #Pandemic #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity
Happy official start of summer, everyone! Now can Happy official start of summer, everyone! Now can we please talk about your sunscreen? Friends don’t let friends use oxybenzone. We’re friends, right? New #Sunscreen story up on Mommy Greenest, link in bio! https://www.mommygreenest.com/why-i-only-wear-reef-safe-sunscreen-and-you-should-too/ #ReefSafeSunscreen #NaturalSunscreen #Sunscreen 
#Health #Wellness #Toxics #Chemicals #HealthyLifestyle #MommyGreenest
Yes, this — always. Keep pushing forward, friend Yes, this — always. Keep pushing forward, friends. #amwriting #amreading #writer #writersofinstagram
Nearly 8,000 children are shot each year in the Un Nearly 8,000 children are shot each year in the United States — that averages to about 22 kids each day. Each. Day. Please call Chuck Schumer at (202) 224-6542 and tell him to bring a gun bill to the Senate floor immediately. Republicans won't support it, but we can make them go on record now as they vote against gun restrictions. It’s easy, just leave a message with your name, city, and zip code — 30 seconds, max. If you call or email, that information is recorded, and the more people take action, the more influence we have. Please do this today. We cannot go on like this. #EndGunViolence
Party like it’s your… Party like it’s your…
This amazing human never stops exploring and dream This amazing human never stops exploring and dreaming and writing about it every damn day. I’m so grateful that we chose each other as family, all those years ago. #writer #writing #family
This week, I received a beautiful card from a frie This week, I received a beautiful card from a friend whom I’ve only known through a zoom screen. Her words of encouragement could not have been better timed, as I’m wrestling a massive, sticky octopus of a new plot and had been wondering if I should just let it swim back into its inky, anonymous cloud. Getting this card was the push I needed to hold on. So today, I’m sending words of encouragement to another writer whom I know primarily through screens, and hoping she’ll pass it on, too. There’s something about the surprise of a message facilitated by ink and paper and a stamp that resonates more strongly than an email. Do you agree? #AmWriting #Writing #WritingCommunity #PacificMFA
What if you could wash your hair just once a month What if you could wash your hair just once a month? New MG story up — link in bio! #hair #hairstyle #ecohair #ecostyle
This has always been a challenging day for me, as This has always been a challenging day for me, as it is for so many of us who grew up without or have challenging relationships with their mothers. From kindergarten on, the week before was filled with questions and activities designed to honor a person who was not present in my life, and that reminder was a special kind of pain, like a shard of glass in your sole that shifts every so often into something sharp. The feeling softened as I became a mother, and is changing again as my children leave the nest — today, it’s just my youngest and me. But there is also sweetness in annually honoring all the amazing and generous women and men who have mothered me and taught me how to mother — some are mothers, and some love with a mother’s heart. I believe that we choose our own families — sometimes they’re connected by blood, but not always. If this day is difficult, please remember to honor and nurture yourself through it. For me, this means writing about these feelings, until I’ve worked out the glass and it can no longer make me bleed. #amwriting #writer #writersofinstagram
Happy trails to you… #lakearrowhead #arrowhead # Happy trails to you… #lakearrowhead #arrowhead #mountains #mountainlife #treehugger
Honored and inspired by last night’s conversatio Honored and inspired by last night’s conversation with Shannon Perry about her incredible vision and execution on @cityofsantamonica #sustainability and Daniel Thurmond about the amazing work of the student-led Team Marine @vikingssamohi! What’s the best way to ensure progress on #environmental goals? Take daily action and #VOTE! This fall, legislators could pass the #BreakFreeFromPlastic Act, and in my home state of California, voters will decide the #PlasticPollution Reduction and #Recycling Act. Let’s do this!
When is someone too old to wear band shirts? Askin When is someone too old to wear band shirts? Asking for a friend. #music #livemusic #bands #bandaid #wetleg #whatareyoudoingsittingdown
Flashback to last month, when my essay was feature Flashback to last month, when my essay was featured on the front page of the #WashingtonPost. Did I get trolled? Yes, until my editor shut off comments. Am I more thoughtful about consumption? Hell, yes. Link in bio. Would love your thoughts. xo
#AmWriting #Fiction #WomensFiction #WritersOfInstagram #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity
Isn’t she magnificent? Please don’t kill #shar Isn’t she magnificent? Please don’t kill #sharks for #beauty! New MG post explains how to stop — link in bio. #naturalbeauty #naturalbeautyproducts #cleanbeauty #cleanbeautyrevolution #cleanbeautyproducts
Lula has new skills. #dog #dogsofinstagram #dogsdo Lula has new skills. #dog #dogsofinstagram #dogsdoingthings #dogsdodrive
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