The Green Bandwagon

I've been meaning to write about this for sometime, however life has its way of taking all my time!!
By now many of you have seen your favorite go to products becoming "more green". Well at least they claim to. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS NONSENSE!! It is clearly hip and trendy to jump on the green bandwagon, but unfortunately many large companies are not doing what they claim. Proctor & Gamble for example, who makes products such as Tide, Herbal Essence, Pampers, Crest and many other well known brands, is just one of the few companies that full of bullshit!
Let's take products such as Herbal Essences shampoo and Olay Complete Body Wash. They contain comparatively high levels of 1,4-dioxane, a chemical that has been characterized as a probable human carcinogen by the EPA and banned from personal-care products in the European Union...yet it is advertised as "Natural care". Um...no it isn't! Doesn't anyone ever wonder why the USA says it is okay to use and sell products that are FORBIDDEN in Europe? Could it be that they know something that the government and these companies don't want us to know?? Hmmm....
They use lines like "naturally inspired", or "natural oils" Lets look at Tide, a common detergent. Their "newly worded" Pure Essentials (more like pure crap) line, which is, as I said, newly worded and just different versions of the Tide, Bounce, and Downy brands. P&G describes Pure Essentials as "a collection of laundry [products] with naturally inspired scents for a relaxing, refreshing, romantic, or uplifting experience."
Pure Essentials' scents might be "naturally inspired," but apparently P&G's intent is to cloak the entire brand in a green guise. Essentials' packaging replaces Tide's dazzling, industrial-strength hues with an earth-tone tan and images of aloe and citrus. Scents including Waterlily and Jasmine, Rose & Violet, Vanilla & Lavender tempt consumers with "natural"- sounding appeal. P&G is too clever to positively assert the use of natural ingredients in Pure Essentials. To the contrary, according to the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for Tide Pure Essentials Detergents, the products are identical to conventional Tide! In the end Tide, Pure Essentials, and Simple Pleasures are simply the same, a petrochemical detergent with some natural fragrances.
According to the International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre, ethanolamine is "corrosive to the respiratory tract, the skin and the eyes. The vapor is irritating to the eyes, the skin and the respiratory tract. The substance may cause effects on the central nervous system. Exposure could cause lowering of consciousness… Repeated or prolonged contact may cause skin sensitization."
Is that really a product you want on yourself, your spouse, and your children?? Though it may seem like I am picking on P&G, have no worries, they are not alone! They are however a large company, therefore their products will be ones you are familiar with.
Anyway...I guess that's my venting for the day. I do suggest a book (not sure if it is out yet) called the better world shopper. It is a pocket guide of a variety of products that get graded A through F. My favorite company, Seventh Generation was actually voted No. 1 company on the planet! I am proud to be a consumer of theirs, as they not only tell you full truth and disclosure of their products, they have been doing the "green" for YEARS before it was trendy to do so. They actually care about what you use in your home and how it affects our planet. Here's the link if you are interested: http://www.betterworldshopper.com/book.html
As usual I can go on and on, but as this blog is long enough I shall stop! Have a great day...and have you done something for the planet today???