I’m going to extend the Vivesana giveaway another day and give you a second chance to enter to win a tube of Vivesana Solar to Polar Ultra or Solar to Polar Baby sunscreen. Check out Dan’s interview - the story of Vivesana is so inspiring! Then Tweet or blog about the Vivesana contest, linking back to this post or last week’s post. Then come back here and leave a link to the post or tweet below for an extra entry in the giveaway.
How did Vivesana get its start?
The model actually came before the products. I was a lawyer in Manhattan who wanted to do something helpful for the world. Looking at models like Newman’s Own, I thought if I could make something better, be transparent and real, and partner with and support non-profits with a big chunk of our profits, people would notice. I always prefer to use my consuming dollars on products or companies that seem responsible, and I figured I wasn’t alone.
It’s not easy elbowing into a crowded marketplace with competitors that spend millions in advertising, and so I was determined to find an audience that was informed and active. I looked around and decided the most informed, thorough consumers on Earth were new mothers. It was only half way into the process that I had my own child and came to fully appreciate the need for safer products.
I, along with my partners in crime (another lawyer, a mother, an organic farmer/teacher, and a renewable energy specialist) spent months researching everything we could about ingredients, skin physiology, and formulation in the latest studies and academic journals. We started with sunscreens because we quickly discovered it was an area where mislabeling and questionable ingredients were particularly prevalent.
We went to a house in upstate New York and started cooking. Eventually, we got to a place where we were ready to bring in chemists, labs and manufacturers.
Since we approached the whole thing fresh, weren’t confined or burdened by the traditional approaches and corner cutting. The far more common approach is to hand it off to the professionals right away, or even more common, to simply repackage an existing formulation. We got a lot of grief, and it took an awfully long time to develop, but ultimately we came out with unique products. Starting from scratch is usually more conducive to real innovation! Read more…
Vivesana is giving away a tube of their fabulous sunscreen to two lucky Allie’s Answers readers!
To enter, go to the Vivesana website and read about Vivesana’s products and green practices. Then come back here and leave a comment to tell us what feature of Vivesana’s sunscreens is most important to you.
I’ll draw names using a random number generator on Tuesday, June 2, 2009. Winners can choose Solar to Polar Ultra or Solar to Polar Baby sunscreen. Comments that appear to be spam will not be counted. Only one comment per reader per post will be counted. Stay tuned. I’ll give you a chance for a second entry later this week. US Residents only.
Also, Vivesanais offering 25% off to Allie’s Answers readers. From now through June 20th, when you shop at Vivesana.com and use the code allie&vive25 at checkout, you’ll get 25% off your order.
I take my pastey appearance seriously, and I am a sunscreen fanatic. But it’s hard to find a sunscreen that isn’t full of icky ingredients and doesn’t spread on like library glue, and even harder to find one that doesn’t come packaged in plastic. That’s why Vivasana Sunscreen is so awesome. Read more…
Let’s be honest: Being environmentally friendly can be exhausting sometimes. Keeping abreast of the serious and frankly terrifying things that are being done to our planet is enough to make anyone a little on edge. While it’s everyone’s responsibility to understand what is going on around us and do the right thing in response, doing so can sometimes remind us of the phrase “ignorance is bliss.”
Being concerned about the environment is one thing. Many people recycle and use CFL bulbs and drive fuel-efficient cars and avoid plastic whenever possible, and that’s great. But there are some who literally worry themselves sick over the environment, and those people have what is known as eco-anxiety. These people obsess over the environmental impact of everything they do, to the extent that they lay awake at night worrying about that jar they accidentally threw away instead of recycling, or what sorts of environmental catastrophes their unborn grandchildren will be dealing with. Read more…
We bought our mattress 6 years ago, and it’s already done for. It’s a King Koil, and I am naming names, because they aren’t a green company and I’m utterly disgusted by the short lifespan of this product. We bought the mattress before I started paying much attention to materials and conservation. It is enormous, and heavy, and chock full of all sorts of materials. We spent a little more on it than we’d planned, because the salesman pushed the fact that it had a fifteen year warranty. If you’re going to have the same mattress for the next fifteen years, maybe it pays to splurge. Right?
I took Fred and Barneys way past the point of age appropriateness. It wasn’t some sad attempt to cling to the vestiges of my youth. It wasn’t that I needed my vitamins to taste like candy. It was that most vitamins make me horribly nauseous. But you just can’t ask a kid’s vitamin to do the job of an adult one.
I carry a titanium backpacking spork around in my purse. I know that sounds kind of weird, but it saves me from using disposable utensils when I eat out, and it’s so light, I never even notice that I’m carrying it.
Before the Industrail Revolution it was common for guests to be expected to bring their own utensils with them when invited to dine, because utensils were expensive, labor intensive items, and most people didn’t own extra sets. Now, when it’s possible to buy a set of 1,000 plastic utensils for under $20, people don’t even think about bringing their own.
But think of the plastic waste that can be saved by slipping a fork from home in your purse on the way out the door. You don’t need anything fancy. Grab one from your kitchen drawer, or if you’re worried about loosing a piece of a set, pick up a few spare utensils the next time you hit a discount store, thrift shop, or yard sale. It’s simple a simple way to cut down waste, and it’s always nicer to eat with real utensils anyway.
