The Following Article originally appeared in the International Herald Tribune on September 19th 2012 and in the NY Times online.
Greening Paris on Clear Channel Radio
07 November, 2012
Sustainable Super Yachts
04 November, 2012
Greening Beauty Gift Giving In The Age of Organic
The challenge of holiday gift giving is a. to be unique and b. to be not so unique that your gifts go unappreciated.
For the ladies (and men!) on your list this holiday season 2012, organic beauty products are some of the best choices because they not only fulfill everyday needs and are useful products that most of us ritually use, they are also the healthier version of those personal care products we tend to use every day.
Marie Veronique Organics falls squarely into this product category of Good For Your Skin and Good For The Planet, Too. Marie Nadeau is a former chemistry teacher based in Berkeley, California who decided to create a simple skin care product line-beauty regime with the help of her physicist daughter, Dr. Jay Nadeau. As a mature woman going into this business venture, Marie’s emphasis was on anti-aging through the use of intelligent sunscreens and skincare ...”the most important being safe and effective sunscreens made with intelligent ingredients.”
Just what are “intelligent ingredients” you may be wondering? Well, for the MVOrganics Moisturizing Face Screen / Everyday Sheer Coverage which protects against UVA rays with its non-nano zinc oxide, think red raspberry for healing and moisturizing, sea buckthorn and emu oils for their anti-premature aging reinforcements all topped off with a rich dose of anti-oxidants.
The sheer tinted coverage comes in SPF30 and SPF20 (with green tea and coffee berry extract) and both are hits over at the EWG. Tip: only those with porcelain skin tones can get away with wearing the Everyday Sheer Coverage SPF30; the SPF20 is good for most other skin tones. In fact, the product offers such complete skin tone even-ing coverage that when it was first marketed as simply a sunscreen, ladies started wearing it out in the evening as a light foundation and loving the matte effect it gives to the facial skin.
Not to miss - and this goes for you guys, as well - are the MVOrganics Anti-Aging mist and Anti-Aging Oil+. The mist is slightly fragrant with hints of geranium essence while the Anti-aging Oil that you gently massage into your neck, chest and face while the skin is still moist contains over 20 different kinds of oils like kiwi seed oil, meadowfoam oil and tamanu oil which results in a soothing essence reminiscent of that last great Swedish massage you had.
Packaging for the products is recyclable and the ingredients are all bio-degradable. “We don’t use toxins, petroleum-based products, nanoparticles, or anything else that’s potentially harmful,” states the founder, Marie Veronique. Check their website for prices and more product information.
15 October, 2012
L'Essence Des Notes Perfume - Paris
by Paige Donner
Some of the freshest scents coming from Paris, France these days are from an artisan "parfumeur" dedicated not just to the clean purity of scents, but also to the clean purity of a perfume's composition. The woman behind the brand is Huong Mangin, a French woman whose family originated from Vietnam. Her perfumes are created in Grasse, the historic "perfume capital" of France, and, arguably, the world.
While she was designing her perfumes, Huong Mangin, General Manager of Fragrance et Beaute
Some of the freshest scents coming from Paris, France these days are from an artisan "parfumeur" dedicated not just to the clean purity of scents, but also to the clean purity of a perfume's composition. The woman behind the brand is Huong Mangin, a French woman whose family originated from Vietnam. Her perfumes are created in Grasse, the historic "perfume capital" of France, and, arguably, the world.
During the recent Rives de la Beaute' held in Paris this Autumn, much discussion surrounded the topic of "Scent as Art." To elaborate, the discussion's central point is about creating museums of scent, whereby a perfume can be held up, enshrined and admired as the piece of art, and historical reference point, that it is.
While she was designing her perfumes, Huong Mangin, General Manager of Fragrance et Beaute
Eco.Luxury.Style Magazine - The Documentary Film Issue - Autumn 2012
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21 September, 2012
Hollande Sets Ambitious CO2 Emissions Reductions Goals For France And EU
His most ambitious statement issued is his recommendation to cut CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030 and 60% by 2040 at the European Union level. Current EU targets are 20% reduction of 1990 levels by 2020.
Hollande stated that he would like to see more global dialogue on environmental issues, citing the lack of a renewed agreement on climate goals reached internationally so far makes this an urgent and important matter. The Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of this year so climate talks are expected to once again take priority at the upcoming November Doha COP 18 conference. According to the Paris-based International Energy Agency, CO2 emissions rose by 3.2% last year to 31.6 billion tons, spurred by increases from China.
More initiatives he announced/ launched:
- New tenders for solar and offshore wind power by end of 2012.
- Closing of Fessenheim's Nuclear Power Plant by end of 2016.
- Rejected applications for shale gas exploration.
- Cut France's nuclear power from 75% to 50% by 2025.
06 September, 2012
We Love Lovea!
by Paige Donner
Pomegranate and rice oil? To bring out the shine and preserve the rich color in your color-treated hair? Yes and it's brand new by the French beauty line, Lovea, who specially formulates a complete organic line for us Natural Beauties.
La Grenade - Leave-In Hair Shine Conditioner
Tannins, polyphenols and vitamin C, all nutrients found abundantly in a simple little red pomegranate, work to enhance the health and shine of your colored hair. Spray it on damp or dry, style, leave it in (Yes, don't rinse!) and your hair will have healthy shiny bounce all day long.
How the spray in color-enhancing conditioner works: the tannins from the pomegranate afix to the keratin of the hair shaft, thus preserving color. The organic rice oil intensely nourishes the hair follicles resulting in healthy, shiny, lustrous hair. And the two combined together make a formidable foe against UV rays which also helps to preserve the soft silky shine of your hair color. It's light enough, too, to use every day. Couple it with the Pomegranate Shampoo, fortified with aloe vera, to boost your beautiful results.
Dead Sea Salt Scrub
Also new from Lovea Bio is their Dead Sea sourced salt scrub. Crystals of rock salt from this mythic
27 August, 2012
Visit Sunny Chernobyl - book by Andrew Blackwell
Environmental reporter Andrew Blackwell was inspired to write Visit Sunny Chernobyl after realizing he hadn't had much personal contact with Eco Disaster Sites. Before writing the book, he did a sort of Eco Disaster World Tour as research.
His book is an exploration in contradictions. Such as how is it that a radioactive site like Chernobyl becomes a defacto wildlife refuge/ nature habitat? Read more in this insightful, humorous and also penetrating look at how our Eco Disaster Sites have greater breadth in their identity than simply locations of extreme environmental degradation.
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