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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 /

    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…

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    Rachel Sarnoff 1 Comment

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    3 Steps to Natural Beauty

    April 14, 2013

    Recycled Metal Jewelry Gift Guide

    September 29, 2021
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    Mommy Greenest Shop Drop Countdown!

    January 12, 2015
  • 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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    Mommy Greenest Guide to Healthy Eating

    October 8, 2015
    Mommy Greenest Daily Affirmation

    Today’s InspirApril Daily Affirmation: Enlightenment

    April 6, 2015
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    Can You Avoid Plastic Pollution In A Pandemic?

    March 31, 2020
  • 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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    My Earth Hour Fail

    March 18, 2015
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    Boycott Hershey’s

    January 17, 2014
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    Campbell Opts For GMO Labeling, Against GMA

    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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    Mommy Greenest Guide to Going Green

    September 10, 2015

    How To Break Packaged Snacks Addiction

    December 14, 2015
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    How To Make A Holiday Organic Cocktail

    December 23, 2015
  • 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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    Mommy Bloggers for Pushing Motherhood

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    Jennifer Beals Stands Up 2 #DollarStores

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    Inside the MG & Moms LA Swap Party

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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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    Heal Yourself, Heal the World!

    May 1, 2014
    Mommy Greenest Approved Dr. Willard's Natural Pet Care Products

    Mommy Greenest Approved: Dr. Willard’s Natural Pet Care

    May 4, 2015
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    Mommy Greenest Approved: The Wonder Seed

    February 3, 2014
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    Mommy Greenest Approved

    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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    Rachel Sarnoff 2 Comments

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    thredUP Ultimate Eco Fashion Haul

    January 22, 2015
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    Mommy Greenest Approved: Gilly’s Organics Natural Beauty Products

    September 30, 2013
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    Mommy Greenest Approved: PASCHA Chocolate Fights Food Allergies

    October 12, 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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    There's no research that shows antibacterials like triclosan are more effective than soap and water—but a lot that prove these pesticides can hurt kids.

    3 Steps to Avoid Antibacterials & Still Keep Clean

    June 5, 2013
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    June 27, 2013
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    Today’s InspirApril Daily Affirmation: Love

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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

Sometimes you have to just go climb a rock. #joshu Sometimes you have to just go climb a rock. #joshuatree #joshuatreenationalpark #amrelaxing #amnotwriting
What’s on your cookbook shelf? I usually go off What’s on your cookbook shelf? I usually go off script when it comes to meals (sometimes it works, sometimes not so much) but I do love reading these beautiful books. My stack started with The Joy of Cooking, which my aunt gifted me when I graduated from high school and is now held together with tape, next to the copy that I gave my daughter when she left for college (and may have inspired some of her @jujusdujour recipes). The newest addition is a truly gorgeous and inspirational cook/help/poetry/amazingness book by @julesbdavis #TheKitchenHealer out now from @soundstrue. It’s about cooking and healing and community and women and accessing our power both individually and communally. Plus a little bit of memoir from this amazing author and inspirational human. #AmReading #julesblainedavis #thekitchenhealer #cookbooks #books #bookstagram
These #vintage records include classic tracks like These #vintage records include classic tracks like “Lonely Little G-String” and inspire serious #MadMen vibes. Sadly missing the instructional booklet. You can’t make this stuff up! #amwriting #amlistening #60sstyle #60smusic
Late last year, I read an essay by @elizabeth_gilb Late last year, I read an essay by @elizabeth_gilbert_writer in which she described her process when she first began submitting stories for publication. It was like tennis: Every time a story was lobbed back to her she sent it back over the net to another potential publisher. One in, one out. I took that to heart and each time I received a no, I swung harder. I still haven’t placed a story, but last year I published three nonfiction pieces. More than 50 agents passed on my novel, but 11 requested the full manuscript and responded with detailed notes. (After enough time in the slush pile, querying writers like me gauge success by the detail of the rejection.) No, this work is not lucrative and yes, it is a privilege to carve out the time and attention that it demands. Last spring, I was inspired by @jamiattenberg’s #1000wordsofsummer to schedule hour-long writing sessions, often at 5 a.m. before work, in order to chip away at a new novel that just topped the 50,000-word mark huzzah! Cheers to all the creative people who can’t stop won’t stop trying to make sense of this reality through art. I am inspired by all of you.
#AmWriting #Memoir #Essay #Nonfiction #Fiction #WomensFiction #WritersOfInstagram #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity #PacificUniversity #MFA
So excited for this double feature! @deshawncharle So excited for this double feature! @deshawncharleswinslow co-led our fiction workshop @pacificmfa in January and his insight was AMAZING. Can’t wait to read these books! #amwriting #amreading #deshawncharleswinslow #decentpeople #inwestmills #pacificmfa #writersofinstagram
Every year, it’s like a living painting outside Every year, it’s like a living painting outside my window. Lula likes it too. #losangeles #pearblossom #socal #spring  #dogsofinstagram
Who else is reeling from reading this incredibly p Who else is reeling from reading this incredibly powerful and terrifying book? Let’s discuss. #amreading #barbarakingsolver #demoncopperhead
My local dog park has been transformed into a pet My local dog park has been transformed into a pet cemetery. Spoiler alert: the duck dies. #onlyinla
Last week, my husband asked me what experiences we Last week, my husband asked me what experiences were on my bucket list. Today he surprised me by checking one off. #falconry #hawking #bucketlist #bucketlistadventures #valentinesday
Things I learned recently. 1. Ritual works. A r Things I learned recently.
 1. Ritual works. A room, a desk, a coffee shop. Paper and pen or antique typewriter. Someone changes his shoes like Mr. Rogers before he sits down at his desk, another does visualizations. For months, I switched into writing brain by exiting my office, where my work desktop lives, and sitting with my laptop (wifi off) in a chair next to the window in my bedroom. I now recognize this as a ritual.
 2. Quality, not quantity. Maya Angelou rented a hotel room and wrote in it for six hours a day. (She asked the staff to take all the art off the walls, so she wouldn’t be distracted. And she drank sherry.) But many of us are working writers - by this I mean working at something else while maintaining a writing practice. We squeeze it in where we can. Currently, I get up at five so I can write for an hour before starting work at seven, a luxury made possible by remote work. I rarely have a concentrated stretch of time, and yet I keep chipping away at my novel, one paragraph or page (on a good day) at a time. 
 3. It’s a practice. Until recently, I didn’t believe that writing every day was that important. I would sit down and write for eight hours and then not for weeks at a time. (I was also a working co-parent of three children. So there’s that.) Now I’m trying to write every day, even just for 30 minutes. And what that means is when I’m doing something else — working or driving carpool or yoga or walking the dog or cooking or watching television — a part of my brain is still with those characters and re-entering the scenes is easier. 
 4. Writing is a tap you can’t shut off. Waking up in the middle of the night to scribble in the dark. Dictating a note to Siri in the car. Pinching your arm in a dark movie theater so you’ll remember a word when the lights turn on. Today I realized that one of my main characters has freckles and another needs to find a credit card and a third is smelling vanilla. All of these realizations happened while I was doing other things (see above). That’s writing, too. 
Right? 
#AmWriting
Exiting the @pacificmfa womb and headed into the w Exiting the @pacificmfa womb and headed into the world, proud of brilliant graduates including @allisuuunshines and @krazykenzer14 and honored to be on this path with @kburmz_ and @katiesumers and @rwrowe21 and too many others to name “jumping and dancing and skipping” and writing and reading and listening and thinking. I am profoundly grateful for this community and fellowship that is truly life-changing, and I read this poem TODAY which is further proof the universe is listening.
THE DAYS (abridged)
If only I could live my life, not write it,
I’d have double the experience
and be better at nothingness, at being present.
The page, I once believed, offers permanence,
sanctifying time, making it longer,
but now I see my words as susceptible,
even if digital, to fire, flood, misplacement.
To misinterpretation. To accidental
download by enemy. I don’t yet want them 
to be lost, but I dread the possibility
that they won’t self-destruct at the end
of my life, or the end of my lucidity.
Maybe I’ve been using paper all wrong,
committing to ink what should live in my head,
which is part of my body, which will not last…
Each night, I had written Here is what happened
like a kid whose pen makes her small life exciting,
then gone on mistaking the plot for the story,
as if the point of writing were writing.
-Adrienne Su “The Days” published in the New Yorker January 2/9 2023 (abridged)
#AmWriting #Memoir #Essay #Nonfiction #Fiction #WomensFiction #Stories #Story #WritersOfInstagram #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity #PacificUniversity #PacificMFA #MFA
Searching for the sleeper wave. #amwriting #amread Searching for the sleeper wave. #amwriting #amreading #fiction #writer #writersofinstagram #writingcommunity #mfa
After the recent announcement of the fusion breakt After the recent announcement of the fusion breakthrough at Livermore — where my grandfather once worked as a chemist, that’s him on the right — many messaged me that the “climate crisis was over.” At the lab, lasers fused two forms of hydrogen into helium, which released more energy than it took to make it. And yes, this is amazing: Nuclear fusion releases no greenhouse gases and the waste is less problematic than what’s produced by nuclear fission, which is what my grandfather worked on. But the Livermore experiment — among many others — was able to produce just a small amount of energy and scaling its ability will take a lot of time, which we don’t have. Here’s what we do have: Wind and solar and regenerative agriculture, which are all eminently scalable now. As my grandfather might have said, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Photo: Bonestamp
#Climate #ClimateJustice #KeepItInTheGround #CleanEnergy #Motivation #MommyGreenest
I’m not big on resolutions, but I do believe in I’m not big on resolutions, but I do believe in ritual. Every New Year’s Day — and my birthday — I try to do the things that I want to be doing for the rest of the year. I spent the morning writing and then did some yoga and went for a walk with my family. I made posole for my son’s birthday party and ate said posole and it was delicious. I prepped a bit for work and played my guitar. All in all, an excellent start to another year. How about you? #happynewyear #newyear #resolutions #ritual
I have always been a writer. Published? Not so muc I have always been a writer. Published? Not so much. I published myself, obviously — MommyGreenest since 2008 woot! — but with other projects I tended to give up after a pass and internalize the rejection. But late last year, I read an essay by @elizabeth_gilbert_writer in which she described her process as tennis: Every time a story was lobbed back to her she sent it back over the net to another potential publisher. One in, one out. I took that to heart and each time I received a no, I swung harder. I still haven’t placed a story, but this year I published three nonfiction pieces — in the @washingtonpost, @nwreview, and @hippocampusmag. With encouragement from Kate McKean’s @agents_and_books newsletter, I submitted to over 50 agents who passed on my novel, but 11 requested the full manuscript and responded with notes (this will mean nothing to most people, but after enough time in the slush pile, querying writers gauge success by the detail of the rejection). No, this work is not lucrative and yes, it is a privilege to carve out the time and attention that it demands. Last spring, I was inspired by @jamiattenberg’s #1000wordsofsummer to schedule hour-long writing sessions, often at 5 a.m. before work, in order to chip away at a new novel that just topped the 50,000-word mark huzzah! Next week, I’ll join @pacificmfa peers in Oregon for my first in-person residency on the slowest train ever to an MFA. Cheers to all the creative people who can’t stop won’t stop trying to make sense of this reality through art. I am inspired by all of you.
#AmWriting #Memoir #Essay #Nonfiction #Fiction #WomensFiction #WritersOfInstagram #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity #PacificUniversity #MFA
Finally c-positive, which is a negative, but the p Finally c-positive, which is a negative, but the plus side is a cozy blanket, knitted with love by a friend, and this amazing book, sent to me by my mother, which includes this wisdom: “…it strikes me as a particularly dangerous fantasy…that someone might be able to live without…heartbreak or sorrow. Which I’m pretty sure you only get to do if you have no relationships, love nothing, are a sociopath, and maybe, if you’re enlightened. I don’t know about you, but I check none of these boxes.” Love love LOVE. Who else is reading/has read? Let’s discuss! #amreading #rossgay #essay #nonfiction #inspiration
Los Angeles is full of magical places, especially Los Angeles is full of magical places, especially this time of year. We got dressed up and went to one of them. Highly recommended. Happy holidays, everyone!
When your daughter is doing the crossword puzzle a When your daughter is doing the crossword puzzle and you know both the answer and the person in the clue.
#JennaJambeck #Plastic #CircularEconomy #BreakFreeFromPlastic #Motivation #Health #Wellness #MommyGreenest
Obsessed. #Natural #NaturalBeauty #CleanBeauty #Be Obsessed. #Natural #NaturalBeauty #CleanBeauty #Beauty #Perfume #NaturalPerfume #HenryRose #NotSponsored
Slow and steady wins the race. #SlowAndSteady #Ha Slow and steady wins the race.
#SlowAndSteady #HappyHolidays #HappyHolidays2022 #AmWriting #WomensFiction #WritersOfInstagram #Writer #Writing #WritingCommunity
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