What "green" or "organic" companies do you avoid? - Page 3

[counterGOPI]

:

[moderngal]

What is the issue with Seeds of Change??? I googled and couldnt find anything.

[mrs_mandolini]

Yes, what IS the problem with seeds of change? They do AMAZING work with seeds!

[lunarmomma]

If you look at the chart that is given as a link on page one, it shows that Seeds of Change is owned by M&M?/Mars since 1997.
That DOES suck! Also one of my favorites, Dagoba chocolate was bought by Hershey, a year or so ago....
I guess the money from the buyout is irresistible.

[moderngal]

it shows that Seeds of Change is owned by M&M?/Mars since 1997.

Oh NOOOO!! that makes me so sad. I really liked their products, but I can't support them knowing that.

[jadekat]

Originally Posted by PGNPORTLAND

Is California baby still safe?

I hope so. I looooove their products!

[marlyninla]

Originally Posted by lunarmomma

If you look at the chart that is given as a link on page one, it shows that Seeds of Change is owned by M&M?/Mars since 1997.
That DOES suck! Also one of my favorites, Dagoba chocolate was bought by Hershey, a year or so ago....
I guess the money from the buyout is irresistible.

And do we know that M&M /Mars is a bad company? I'm not saying they are not, but are we just concluding that because they are big, they are bad? I don't want my children living on, or really ever eating, their candy, or probably other products (I don't know what all they make -- I dont' buy any processed stuff) and maybe the fact that they manufacture such "unhealthy" stuff makes them evil in some people's minds, but not mine. What do we know about their labor standards, fair trade minded-ness, etc, environmental consciousnes? Maybe they are all bad but I have not researched that; if someone has, share the info. If a large company gets involved in a great project like Seeds of Change, is that not a good thing? Could it not signal a change in corporate policy? I am as skeptical as the next person about things like Clorox going green -- I think their new line and the purchase of Burt's Bees are window dressings designed to hide their chlrorine propogating ways and to take advantage of the trendiness of green-ness. Do I think they should voluntarily take chlrorine bleach off the market? Hmm, no. I think we should become educated enough not to buy it. Or to eat M&M's. I guess my point is that I don't fault companies for making products that I don't want or think are bad when there are plenty of other people who DO want them and think they are good. Banning things is too big brother for me. I do expect companies to be responsible in their manufacturing, supply, labor, disposal, and community education policies. Is M&M/Mars not? Back to my original question, is the point here that BIG = BAD? I am a major fan of buying local, supporting community business, avoiding chains, etc but I'm not sure the world can run, and everybody get fed (okay, I know not everyone is getting fed) that way. To some extent I think big conglomerates are a given. And having those companies respond to the public desire for organic, natural, whole products produced fairly, sustainably, responsibly is a GOOD THING. The fact that these companies are at least making the products we want available via their distribution chains is a positive. No????

Originally Posted by Mamato3wild ponnie

Any one try Shaklee products...i've been looking into buying thier Get Clean kit...i havent come upon any bad rep for them...any one hear anything?

I love the Shaklee Get Clean products. The dishwasher soap and dish detergent are amazing. So is the laundry stuff. The all purpose cleaner is also a winner -- I use it half the time and my homemade vinegar stuff the other half. It is hard to get info on what's in the products and that is a complaint of mine. I can tell you that the products use a combination of enzymatic cleaners and oxidizers. I have an email somewhere that has more details from a friend who did dig up the info -- I'll try to find it.

Originally Posted by babblingbrook

I'm curious about this one!

This was about Jason. The only thing I know is that a lot of people are mad at Jason and other "natural" or "organic" health and beauty products because they are not ALL naturual or organic. The use of those terms for beauty products is less regulated than it is for food. Jason products don't claim to be all organic -- in fact they give you the percentage organic on their labels. The labels tell you what's in them. If you don't like the ingredients, don't use the products. But I don't think Jason is being deceptive, personally. And I like the products. I don't know if people have other issues with them -- I would be curious to know if so. Nothing I know so far has turned me off but maybe if I knew more I would be turned off.

I don't know if anyone else is noticing but there is a sort of information revolution going on right now. Sites like MDC are part of it. We are becoming better and better informed consumers. We are learning, researching, and sharing info in a way I have never seen consumers do before. Hopefully this will lead to us all making better choices and forcing changes on manufacturers and distributors. Keep the info flowing ladies!

[moderngal]

And do we know that M&M /Mars is a bad company?

IMO, yes. They still test on animals.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/new...animal-testing
There is a really disturbing video that goes along with it.

[emski4379]

Originally Posted by alysmommy2004

I mainly avoid Horizon. We don't consume too many food products from big corps b/c we buy a lot of local produce and meat. Being GF we're limited on what prepackaged items we can eat. I'm sooo bummed about Burt's Bees though, for us they are local. Fortunately I have found a natural soap company even closer, and they have a year round booth at our farmer's market.

What local soap company are you referring to? I live in NC as well.

[newclementine]

did I miss it? What's wrong with Horizon? I would really like to know the facts, if anyone can share them. This is the only organic option we can buy sometimes.

[newclementine]

and organic or non bovone growth hormone contaminated milk is sooooo important !

[prescottchels]

Someone up the line here was asking about SLS and Tom's products, and though they derive their SLS from coconut, conventional brands do not and it IS linked to cancer and skin irritation, etc and because I've never seen documentation (even though I've looked) that says that naturally derived SLS is safe as opposed to it's unnaturally derived cousin I don't use Tom's products or any others that use SLS or SLES.
I looked up California Baby products on their website and they only list what's NOT in their products which sounds good, but it's not good enough for super picky me. I want a list of what's actually in there, ykwim...? Maybe somebody out there who has their products at home could post the ingredients for feedback....? Anything w/parabens, or propylene glycol is out for me.
I don't use Jason or other personal care products besides Aubrey Organics cuz all the others we have at our local healthfood store use artificial preservatives and other yucky things-see above, even the ones that say they're organic so make sure you read those labels!

[leerypolyp]

Some California Baby products have parabens. Most don't.

With Horizon, I'd say if they're absolutely your only option, they're better than conventional. The problem with them, in a nutshell, is that they run a sort of "warehouse organic" where the only difference between them and conventional is what's in the cows' feed. Really not adhering to the spirit of the law.

A lot of store brand organic milks are like Horizon, btw. Like Target's Archer Farms.

Rarely I will buy a Horizon product...because where else are you gonna get organic American cheese? :

[Venice Mamacita]

Hi All ~ Shaklee products are great -- expensive, but very concentrated so they last a long time. I've used their cleaning products all my adult life, and actually grew up with them -- they're one of the "original" green companies, still family-owned, I believe.

California Baby is even better than it was when DS was born (he's now 5). They used to have the tiniest smidgin (1/10th of 1%) of paraben as a preservative, but removed it several years back. They have a fragrance-free Super Sensitive line if lavender and other essential oils bother you. We're huge fans of the company. Here's a list from their Tea Tree & Lavender Shampoo & Bodywash:

"100% Botanically-based. No SLS or DEA. No nut oils, gluten, soy, oat or dairy. No numbing agents. No parabens, sodium benzoate, benzoic acid, benzyl alcohol or phenoxyethanol.

Our essential oils are guaranteed pesticide free. Our therapeutic Tea Tree is organically grown in Australia.

Ingredients: Purified water, aloe vera*, decyl polyglucose (extracts of corn, coconut and palm - non-invasive and extremely biodegradable), vitamin e*, evening primrose, vegetable glycerin, citrus seed extract, proprietary essential oil blend*, phosphollpid (emollient, coconut source), polyaminopropyl biguanide (extremely mild antimicrobial; no formaldehyde or formaldehyde donors, non-solvent and non-genotoxic).

* Organic or sustainable."

HTH!

[babblingbrook]

Thanks so much for the explanation on Jason.

Originally Posted by marlyninla

This was about Jason. The only thing I know is that a lot of people are mad at Jason and other "natural" or "organic" health and beauty products because they are not ALL naturual or organic. The use of those terms for beauty products is less regulated than it is for food. Jason products don't claim to be all organic -- in fact they give you the percentage organic on their labels. The labels tell you what's in them. If you don't like the ingredients, don't use the products. But I don't think Jason is being deceptive, personally. And I like the products. I don't know if people have other issues with them -- I would be curious to know if so. Nothing I know so far has turned me off but maybe if I knew more I would be turned off.

[babblingbrook]

I just wanted to add that the Jason Baby Shampoo and Body Wash is a really nice face wash for adults, IME. You can wash off all your eye make up at the same time, and it makes my skin really soft.


**signed, not a Jason operative. Srsly.

[Venice Mamacita]

Originally Posted by leerypolyp

Rarely I will buy a Horizon product...because where else are you gonna get organic American cheese? :

: A kid's gotta have grilled cheese, people.

[schreiberwriter]

My opinion on the big companies going organic is that it's great (as long as their products really are healthy--fake green is a pet peeve). I vote with my dollars and they're paying attention. If organic foods can go mainstream, then more people benefit, not just the informed minority.

[tommom]

I tend to agree, especially given the current food prices. In a utopian world, we would all be able to buy local, organic everything. Maybe someday. At the moment, I am purchasing whichever OG milk I have a coupon for (lately it's been Stonyfield which is local, sort of, for me)or my store brand. Please don't tell me there's anything wrong with them. It does seem to be a good thing to give people who might otherwise not be able to afford good products the option to do so, even if they have to buy them from Walmart or something, right? Sometimes I make myself crazy thinking about all this stuff.

[newclementine]

I totally agree with the PP, if we aren't wealthy enough to buy all organic products then we have to pick and choose, we do what we can. It is so important for our bodies to buy organic or transitional food/cosmetic/cleaning items - and it's also important to support the companies/philosophies we believe in. Without a demand clorox or any of those other main stream corporations wouldn't have even ever considered launching a green line.