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
  • Eco Beauty & Fashion

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

    May 9, 2022 /

    My sister in law has the most amazing hair — threaded with beautiful streaks of pure silver. We both stopped trimming during the pandemic and now we each have hair that reaches nearly to our waists. But while hers is thick all the way to the ends, mine keeps getting thinner. What’s her secret?

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    Rachel Sarnoff 1 Comment

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    November 10, 2015

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  • Healthy Living

    YSK: Clean Water

    October 5, 2021 /

    Clean water is critical to health — and nobody understands this better than parents. That’s the finding from a new survey of more than two thousand people in the United States conducted by Aquasana, which researches consumer behavior around water filtration on an annual basis (and sponsored this post). Was COVID-19 a factor? You betcha — but that’s not all. Read on!

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    Stink! Doc Tackles Toxic Chemicals

    November 17, 2015
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    April 6, 2015
  • Green News & Events

    American Teen Solves Global Water Contamination Problem

    September 9, 2015 /

    Heavy metals are a serious problem, especially in China and India, where recycling factories spew heavy metals and chemicals into local water supplies during processing, creating a water contamination problem of global proportions. But one American teenager has a solution–and it costs just $20 to make.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 0 Comments

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    Mommy Greenest interview with boxer Laila Ali on Organic Spa magazine cover

    Laila Ali, Organic Spa &…Mommy Greenest?

    January 20, 2015
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    January 17, 2014
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    January 8, 2016
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    Healthy Living

    4 Water Saving Gadgets

    June 18, 2015 /

    California is in a serious drought right now, which some are saying could be the worst in history. We can debate the role of climate change until we’re blue in the face–many states just keep getting drier. And while we can’t solve this problem overnight, we can easily take control of our household water usage–saving money wherever you live. These four water saving gadgets can help you conserve where you didn’t even know you were wasting!

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    Rachel Sarnoff 3 Comments

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    New Year’s Eco Resolution

    December 28, 2015
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    February 9, 2016
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    February 24, 2014
  • Green News & Events

    Polluted Water: 55% of Nation’s Streams & Rivers Unsafe

    June 10, 2015 /

    Thinking about a lakeside picnic? Do your research: According to EarthJustice, more than 55% of our nation’s lakes, streams and rivers contain polluted water that’s unsafe for swimming, drinking or fishing. Last month, President Obama finalized a Clean Water Rule to protect drinking water sources from contamination. And it can’t come soon enough.

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    Rachel Sarnoff 0 Comments

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    May 10, 2013
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    Mommy Greenest Approved

    Mommy Greenest Approved: Lifesource Water Systems for Skin & Hair

    February 16, 2015 /

    Last year, I installed a Lifesource water system. It’s been about two months since I started using it to filter all the water in my house—from the kitchen faucet to the bathrooms—reducing potentially toxic chemical exposures wherever we drink or absorb water. And a funny thing happened while I was focusing on how water affects our health—I noticed a change in my hair and skin, as well.

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    Mommy Greenest Approved: Goodbeing Subscription Box

    November 30, 2015
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    May 11, 2015
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    Mommy Greenest Approved: LifeSource Water Filtration Systems

    November 17, 2014 /

    Water. We drink it and cook with it; it soaks into our skin and hair in the shower or bath. But as I found out recently, studies have discovered everything from toxic chemicals to pharmaceuticals in our drinking water. After researching drinking water in my neighborhood, I found that our zip code registered high levels of potentially toxic chemicals—including chlorine dioxide, which is a commonly used drinking water disinfectant. With a simple chlorine test that I got at the hardware store, I saw firsthand how much chlorine was in our drinking water, and how much we were absorbing in the bath and shower. At that point, I was convinced: I…

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    Mommy Greenest Approved: Meliora K Natural Laundry

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    May 11, 2015
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    Healthy Living

    Shower Together: Top Water Saving Tips

    October 28, 2014 /

    If you live somewhere else than Southern California, this might come off as a little bit bratty. But if I wake up to another perfect blue skied, 70-degree day tomorrow, I just might lose my mind. We’re deep into fall and it still feels like summer. My swapcycled boots sit on the shelf, forlorn. And California faces one of the most severe droughts in history. With everyone talking about home water saving tips, I decided to share a few of my favorites for where we waste the most: the bathroom.*

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    Rachel Sarnoff 4 Comments

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    November 15, 2013
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 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

I’ve been a big fan of JUNOCO ever since I disco I’ve been a big fan of JUNOCO ever since I discovered their plant-based squalene, but their recent #ToBeHuman campaign made me a fan for life. Campaigns like these aren’t exactly new: In 2016, Dove released a study that found 50% of American women had low self-esteem and 85% of women stay home because they’re uncomfortable with the way they look. But these types of studies seem all to be commissioned by massive, multinational companies — Unilever owns Dove — that are contradictory. Case in point? Unilever’s Hourglass depends on highly photoshopped models touting products like “airbrush concealer” that will “vanish” imperfections. For me, these campaigns seem to be more about selling products than really making change.  But that’s not the case at JUNOCO, the minimalist beauty company that’s focused on producing superior, vegan skincare from a short list of sustainable ingredients, where are much as possible is dispensed in recyclable glass and any plastic used is highly recyclable PET. For #ToBeHuman, the company photographed a group of skin-positive thought leaders with different skin tones, backgrounds, and perspectives to prove that perfection doesn’t exist — but inclusive beauty does. There was no professional lighting, stylists, or retouching; the only caveat was that they had all used the JUNOCO Clean 10 Cleansing Balm for a month before the shoot. Btw I LOVE that cleansing balm! My skin drinks it up — fine lines, wrinkles, sunspots, and all. Link in bio to Mommy Greenest, where you can read all about it plus get 10% off. 
photo: JUNOCO
#Beauty #Style #Motivation #Health #Wellness #HealthyLifestyle #MommyGreenest #sponsored
Byeeee… Byeeee…
Summer. #capecod #mass #summer #sunflowers #bees # Summer. #capecod #mass #summer #sunflowers #bees #pollinatorgarden
Why I shop local. #preloved #thrift #thriftstorefi Why I shop local. #preloved #thrift #thriftstorefinds #swapdontshop
It’s official: @greek_theatre takes the crown fr It’s official: @greek_theatre takes the crown from @hollywoodbowl for best summer music venue. #angelolsen #julienbaker #sharonvanetten scorched that stage all the way to nosebleed. Amazing show! (And canned ranch water didn’t suck, either.) #wildheartstour #music #livemusic #showtime #summer
This big box makes me happy every time it appears This big box makes me happy every time it appears on my doorstep. Why? Because I know that I’m helping to prevent the ONE MILLION TREES — many in old growth forests that are climate defenders — that are cut down to DAILY, just to make toilet paper. Yes, really. New story up on Mommy Greenest, linktree in bio! (Not sponsored.)
#Climate #ClimateJustice #ProtectTrees #SaveForests #RecycledPaper #Motivation #MommyGreenest
These skies never disappoint. What do you see? I h These skies never disappoint. What do you see? I have some ideas…
This makes me so mad. Still claiming “#covid res This makes me so mad. Still claiming “#covid restrictions” @urthcaffe @flylaxairport refused to fill my #reusable cup with hot water — I offered to pay — and insisted on giving me a #plastic lined #paper cup, paper cuff, and plastic lid, which are now going straight to landfill after literally 10 seconds of use. (No #recycling bin.) How can people do the right thing when companies — even those claiming #sustainability as the heart of their brand — continue to perpetuate the wrong option? #breakfreefromplastic #reuse #reuserevolution
HUGE NEWS: #OceanConservancy just retracted their HUGE NEWS: #OceanConservancy just retracted their seminal "Stemming the Tide" report and admitted that it led to misinformation -- basically that plastic in the ocean was the "fault" of people in Asia -- because they did not include the context of waste exports from other countries, primarily the United States. There are so many other (racist) layers to this, but the gist for me is what I said in my first TEDx talk: "If you have a cup that's overflowing, do you blame the cup -- or the hand that continues to pour?" This is a picture of the plastic that was picked up in the once-pristine Hanauma Bay in Hawaii. When it comes to single-use plastic, we need to stop pouring.
#Plastic #CircularEconomy #BreakFreeFromPlastic #Motivation #Health #Wellness #MommyGreenest
Time erodes friendships — some strengthen and so Time erodes friendships — some strengthen and some dissolve. This essay is about the weird false intimacy that is perpetuated through social media, the historical context that often shadows it, and the words we can no longer say. I’m so proud to be published in @hippocampusmag and honored to be featured alongside so many incredible writers. Link in bio! (Photo is from Hippocampus of time eroding something, I guess…?)
#AmWriting #Memoir #Essay #Nonfiction #Fiction #WomensFiction #WritersOfInstagram #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity
Hearing a lot of complaints about how now that eve Hearing a lot of complaints about how now that everyone has discovered #thrifting, there are less golden eggs to discover in stores. (Looking at you, #newyorktimesmagazine.) I think that’s hogwash. Maybe if you #thrift for status — i.e. labels? But that’s never been my jam. I grew up #thrifting and have exclusively shopped #resale (or #swapped with friends) for nearly two decades and the plethora of online and brick-and-mortar stores makes it all so much more fun! Case in point: embellished boots, a 100-year-old #vintage petticoat, and an unbranded eyelet blouse that together are my new favorite just-over-here-floating-in-the-summer-breeze outfit. If you choose #preloved because it’s 1. better for the planet and 2. better for your bank account, then wouldn’t you agree the golden age is upon us?
#Fashion #SlowFashion #FashionRevolution #Style #Motivation #mommygreenest
How to #zerowaste a day at #Disneyland? It’s muc How to #zerowaste a day at #Disneyland? It’s much easier these days, until you take your eye off the ball. But as much as I sweat the small stuff, I know I have to let it go. It was a great day celebrating my daughters 21st, which culminated in a drink on another planet. As living out fantasies goes, that one is hard to beat. #zerowastedisneyland #breakfreefromplastic #noonecandoeverythingbuteveryonecandosomething
Remember when it was just the sweet sharp smell of Remember when it was just the sweet sharp smell of green grass giving way to fat dripping on the barbecue and berries carmelizing in the oven? The heavy air draped over your shoulders like an invisible cloak that you shook off pogoing over the banana seat and the wind you made dried the sweat from your hair. Then you dove over a dozen other kids and into the pool so thick with chlorine that after one tap on the bottom your eyes emerged red and raw. You floated on your back and watched the blue bowl of the sky and counted the seconds until the sun went down. Finally, the fireworks bloomed overhead and on the corner and at the bottom of your grandparents’ stoop the synthetic black snakes wiggled and splayed. You felt the burn on your fingertips and darted back just in time as fire shrieked past your ears and shot up up up and exploded into light so bright you still saw it behind your lashes. Someone was always singing. And there was no context or blame.
#FourthOfJuly #IndependenceDay #AmWriting #Fiction #WomensFiction #WritersOfInstagram #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity
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
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