It’s free from aluminium, parabens, ethyl alcohol and artificial fragrances and full of essential oils to kill the bacteria that cause body odour, floral waters to restrict bacterial growth and herbal extracts to soothe delicate skin. All very nice and as it’s all natural it’s suitable for people who may be prone to eczema and psoriasis.

I don’t usually use roll on deodorants, I’ve mostly been using the pump spray Bionsen deodorant, but I thought I’d give it a go and it’s not as bad as I thought. The deodorant itself smells exactly the same as the shampoo I mentioned which isn’t a good thing for me as I’m not the biggest fan of that smell.

It works okay, but there’s nothing amazing here to be honest, you’ll still sweat. I got better results with Bionsen and the smell was much better although if you apply the Green People roll on more often it works much better.

Green People Organic Homme Stay Cool Deodorant costs £6.99 for 25ml (2.5 fl oz) from Male Organics.

All information is © Life Goggles 2008

Green People Organic Homme Stay Cool Deodorant Eco Product Review

Based in Battery Park City in Manhattan the author of The Lazy Environmentalist partnered with Riverhouse in a luxury green condo building to open the Vivavi store inside a stunning two-bedroom model unit overlooking the Hudson River.

Open seven days a week, I expect it’ll be great. You can find out more about Josh from our interview here.

All information is © Life Goggles 2008

The Lazy Environmentalist Opens A New Store in Manhattan

As I mentioned in my previous review I tend to shy away from thick moisturisers as I find they get stuck in my beard, a bit like in the picture below, although that’s actually suntan lotion that wouldn’t rub in. I mean, I have a few grey/gray hairs but that makes me look ridiculous. And the sun’s in my eyes as well but I was told to take my sunglasses off for the photo.

Anyway, despite this moisturiser being quite thick, it rubs in as well as my usual brand and I’ve no complaints on that score. Although it does have quite a strong smell to it. Well certainly stronger than the other version and at first I found it slightly off-putting, especially when I learnt that one ingredient is green algae.

But to be honest I’ve used stuff with worse sounding ingredients and after a while you get used to the smell and a drop of aftershave soon sees to it anyway. So generally I’m very happy with it and it has certainly been kind to my skin so far. I’m about to test another moisturiser too so will let you know if I need to reappraise that opinion.

Bulldog products contain no parabens, no sodium laureth sulfate, no artificial colours or synthetic fragrances. Go to www.meetthebulldog.com to find stockists. A 100ml tub/bottle costs around £6.00.

All information is © Life Goggles 2008

Bulldog Sensitive Moisturiser Eco Product Review

The article is from ReadyMade magazine and you can read it here. A little more info and picture of the digital edition are below.

The article follows the process it takes to turn a bottle into fabric, from the chipped plastic bits that resemble snow cone filling to the fiber filaments that “feel eerily like human hair gone unwashed for so long that it’s soft with grease.” There’s also some great photos, and surprising facts like it takes just 10 plastic bottles to make a pound of fiber.

All information is © Life Goggles 2008

Find Out How They Make Plastic Into Fabric

Contained in a nice bottle with a little beer logo which is also on the bottle top, Oxford Gold is brewed using Target and Golding hops to give it a fruity flavour. It has a history of winning awards, it won an Organic Food award in 2003 and has the Soil Association Organic Standard logo too.

I loved taking the top of the bottle off, it popped off with a fizz, but I was slightly worried it might be gassy. It wasn’t however, compared to the other ales I tried it was actually heavier and more full-bodied which was a nice change but I prefer a lighter ale personally. And there was a little aftertaste, but not a bad one, I would say it was more flavoursome than other beers if that’s your thing.

Brakspear Oxford Gold Organic Beer (4.5%) costs £1.90 for a 500ml a bottle from Vintage Roots.

All information is © Life Goggles 2008

Brakspear Oxford Gold Organic Beer Eco Product Review

An example tip is about decorating for the Thanksgiving feast:

“All flowers remind us of nature’s bounty, but not all flower companies are created eco-equal — most spray their crops with heavy loads of pesticides or ship their beauties in from far away countries. The nasty chemicals probably won’t end up in your digestive system — though carnations and chrysanthemums are tasty — but they will end up polluting soil and water. Turn over a new rose petal this year, and order a gorgeous Thanksgiving centerpiece or edible cornucopia platter from Organic Bouquet. They often pledge part of their profits to organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, and send your flowers in biodegradable, corn-based flower sleeves.”

Read the rest at: Ecologue.

All information is © Life Goggles 2008

Have A Green Thanksgiving

Doctor Shave
One of Life Goggles’ favourite shops has started selling shaving gel from one of Life Goggles’ favourite brands. Male Organics now stocks Dr Bronner Shaving Gel. It comes in three ‘flavours’ - spearmint and peppermint, tea tree, and lemongrass and lime. They cost £6.99 for a 7oz tube.

Save 10% at Big Green Smile
Head over to Big Green Smile and enter discount code: 10NOV16 for 10% off on your early Christmas shopping. Get in quick though, the code expires on 16 November.

A beautiful union
GreenUnion has launched its online Eco-Chic Boutique – an collection of green gifts.

The company says it is passionate about promoting gorgeous and ethically made British products with high value in terms of skill, content, design and beauty. GreenUnion’s founder Rosie Ames says: “GreenUnion has become an extremely popular and trusted shopping source for those seeking eco-inspiration and guidance. Now we can offer them even more choice from our Eco-Chic Boutique, especially bespoke or exclusive items that are difficult to find elsewhere.”

And it has a tents and tipis section - woo-hoo.

Stuff from rubbish
Eco Emporia is a new UK company selling eco-friendly handmade gifts from discarded objects. Jewellery, bags, accessories, homeware, artware, stationery etc are all made from what would have ended up in landfill. Vinyl records are turned into hand-painted fruit bowls; decommissioned fire hoses become a hot fashion accessory and worn out circuit boards are won again as cufflinks.

Founder, Anna Burns, said: “Eco Emporia is different because we only sell recycled crafts. Everything is lovingly handmade by skilled craftspeople and beautifully gift wrapped using reclaimed and recycled materials. Many of our items are one of a kind pieces you won’t find anywhere else.”

UPDATE: We just got a 10% off code at >Nigel’s Eco Store. Just enter ECONOV at the checkout, it’s valid until the 15th November.

All information is © Life Goggles 2008

Green Store News: November

Made in a variety of colors, and styles they are also made from many materials including non woven
polypropylene, woven polypropylene, post consumer polyester, organic cotton, hemp, jute, linen, and
bamboo. The bags are the type that lay flat but are sturdy when upright. They hold about the same as three traditional US grocery bags (which are smaller than European ones), and are solid and strong.

I got sent four bags, a traditional large bag with a removal card bottom for strength, a wine carrier, a foil lined cooler bag that was zipped at the top, and another bag with a small zipped inner pocket. All were strong, the wine carrier easily coping with 6 bottles of my wife’s finest vintage. Easy to store and pretty handy the only downside is they cannot be easily folded small enough to be kept in a purse, but many bags aren’t.

Take a look at Bring Your Own Bag, plus they have a blog too.

All information is © Life Goggles 2008

Bring Your Bag Eco Product Review

ConsumerReports.org also has a good analysis of why mail order companies send small products in huge boxes with tons of bubble wrap, etc… and how consumers can demand less waste, take a look at The Rap on Overwrapping and see how much packaging lip balm can come with…

All information is © Life Goggles 2008

Is Your Green Think Tank Actually Green?

Essentially a box containing wonders, the kit is intended to educate, motivate and activate change. Containing eight “actions” the box is stunningly created and presented, setting a precedent for other “go green kits” to match.

Coming with a booklet explaining the actions the box contains, the eight are:

Plant
This is a seedling from the Arbor Day Foundation who try to help people enjoy and celebrate plants and trees. It will be planted in my new garden soon, though the Blue Spruce I got is only suitable for zones 2 - 8. I’m in 23, hmmm….

Give
Simply a nicely wrapped pre-paid envelope addressed and stamped to four star charity, in my case Action Against Hunger.

Think
It is a little pack of Sudokou puzzles, and a recycled pencil. Puzzling in itself at first, the point is regarding Alzheimer’s disease and how studies have shown that Sudoku triggers survival genes that make brain cells live longer ans resist disease, strokes and the effect of drugs.

Be Grateful
A couple of nice thank you (or gratitude) cards. it not only makes them feel good but you too!

Switch
What else? A compact fluorescent bulb that uses on third of the energy of a standard incandescent bulb and lasts 10 times longer.

Write
A wonderful little notebook handmade using shavings from the lokta bush so no trees are cut down. Intended as a journal to help you organize your thoughts and ideas, it looks cool too.

Be Fair
A tin of organic, fair trade cocoa mix to help you relax and think about where you buy your products from.

Re Use
Probably the nicest looking tote bag I’ve got. Made from recycled materials, no two are the same, very cool.

They took great care to not only present everything nicely but make sure the contents and packaging are eco-friendly, even the tags are made from lokta paper embedded with flower seeds and can actually be planted.

They sell a few of the contents separately as well, but the kit is $40 from Starter For Change and would make a fantastic gift, so please take a look.

All information is © Life Goggles 2008

Starter For Change Kit Eco Product Review