www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfq000AF1i8

The Story of Cosmetics, examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo.

Produced with Free Range Studios and hosted by Annie Leonard, the seven-minute film by The Story of Stuff Project reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives. The film concludes with a call for viewers to support legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.

Find volunteering opportunities with nonprofit organizations by location and interest area by checking out some of these sites.

• Volunteer Match
• Serve.Gov
• Volunteers of America
• Volunteer Abroad

GOOD

I don’t know how I missed this last week- maybe I was out boozing celebrating.. but hundreds of supporters from all across the country joined hip hop legend DJ Biz Markie to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day by recording a clean energy remix of his classic song, Just a Friend.

Ummmm…?

MARVIN GAYE: Mercy Mercy Me

I have to admit, I haven’t ditched plastic bottles completely.  I try to remember to fill up my reusable bottles for on-the-go purposes but sometimes I forget or don’t want to be hassled with carrying it everywhere with me.  Cut to this little animated video from the lady that brought us The Story of Stuff.  I think I’ll start trying a little harder to stop being so forgetful and lazy.

Annie Leonard, the activist filmmaker behind “The Story of Stuff” and the above short, “The Story of Bottled Water,” had this to say:

In the last few decades, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle and other big beverage companies have spent untold millions making us afraid of tap water. They’ve told us that if we want to be sure what we drink is pure and clean — not to mention hip and fashionable — we should buy bottled water. After all, nobody cool or environmentally conscious drinks tap water, right?

The thing is, there are a lot of inconvenient truths the bottled water ads don’t mention:

• Bottled water is subject to fewer health regulations than tap water. In 2006, Fiji Water ran ads bragging that their product doesn’t come from Cleveland, only to have tests show a glass of Fiji water is lower quality than Cleveland tap. Oops!

• Up to 40% of bottled water is filtered tap water. In other words, if you’re concerned about what’s in your tap water, just cut out the middleman and buy a home water filter.

• Each year, according to the Pacific Institute’s Peter Gleick, making the plastic water bottles used in the U.S. takes enough oil and energy to fuel a million cars. And that doesn’t even include the fuel required to ship, fly or truck water across continents and state lines.

• Three-fourths of the half-billion plastic water bottles sold in the U.S. every week go to the landfill or to incinerators. It costs our cities more than $70 million to landfill water bottles alone each year, according to Corporate Accountability International.

Disneynature, the studio that presented the record-breaking film Earth, brings Oceans to the big screen on Earth Day, 2010. Nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by water and Oceans boldly chronicles the mysteries that lie beneath. Directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud dive deep into the very waters that sustain all of mankind-exploring the playful splendor and the harsh reality of the weird and wonderful creatures that live within. Featuring spectacular never-before-seen imagery captured by the latest underwater technologies, offers an unprecedented look beneath the sea in a powerful yet enchanting motion picture that unfolds on April 22, 2010. For more information, visit Disney.com/Oceans or become a fan on Facebook.

Happy New Year everyone!  Be back once I recover from being FUBAR!!

Thanks for the pic Julia!  x

Last night in an attempt to pull myself away from my own drunken pity party of downloading picture hell, I turned on the boob tube and stopped dead in my remote tracks once I caught glimpse of the hot piece above.  It was CNN Heroes of 2009 and I got a quick reality check of people with real issues and the ones that are doing something to help.

Bartender Doc Hendley is providing clean water to communities worldwide. Through creative fundraising, his nonprofit Wine To Water has brought sustainable water systems to 25,000 people in five countries.

Jordan Thomas, 20, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, lost both of his legs in a boating accident in 2005. Since then, his Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised more than $400,000 to provide prosthetics for children in need.

Efren Peñaflorida gives Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. His Dynamic Teen Company‘s 10,000 members have taught basic reading and writing to 1,500 kids living in the slums.

Thowin’ in this clip of Maxwell performing just because..um..it’s Maxwell!  Swoon.

Check out the rest of the heroes and their inspiring stories here.

No Mariah Carey, Bing Crosby or Chipmunks here. Enjoy!

Founded in 2008, the Living Christmas Company, a socially conscious-based business headquartered in Redondo Beach, Calif., introduced a new concept of celebrating the holidays: Renting the highest quality local varieties of living Christmas trees as an environmentally conscious alternative to traditional cut or artificial trees.

You get a live, potted tree delivered to your doorstep. Simply choose from a wide variety of locally-grown trees and they will deliver it to your home or business. After Christmas they ‘ll pick up your tree and return it to their nursery until next year. You can even watch your tree grow as your family grows by adopting the same tree year-after-year.

This year, Living Christmas paired up with Goodwill, so if you have any clutter you want to unload, just have it ready when they come to pick your tree up and they will deliver your donations for you!

I don’t do holiday decorations any more but this is making me want to, especially if the owner- Mr. Scotty Claus is doing the deliveries himself. *wink*