Tools For Green Living - environmentally friendly insect repellent, and other products are discussed - Brief Article

E: The Environmental Magazine, May, 2000

FEELING BUGGED?

Does warm weather leave you deciding whether to be eaten alive by mosquitoes, use dangerous bug sprays, or stay inside? Bugs B Wear has a solution that will allow you to enjoy being outdoors. Simply fill its attractive sterling silver jewelry with a citrus-scented oil to naturally repel mosquitoes, gnats, bees and wasps. The oil is 100 percent plant derived and consists of a combination of citronella, mint and lemongrass. A variety of earrings, necklaces, pins and anklets all come with a velvet pouch to store both the jewelry and oil. Styles cost $28, including the oil, which can be refilled for $5. CONTACT: Bugs B Wear, (877) 877-7879, www.bugsbwear.com. --Molly Dubow

ALL CREATURES WELCOME ...

If you have a pesticide-free lawn this spring, why not advertise it? environmental decisions involve everyone (edie) will help you make a statement among the sea of pesticide warning signs staking out your neighbors backyards. One side of edie's bright yellow sign proclaims "Pesticide-Free ... All Living Creatures Welcome"; the other reads "Environmental awareness begins in your own backyard." Each recyclable plastic sign is available for $8, including shipping and handling, and a portion of the proceeds is donated to Breast Cancer Research and Citizens for a Better Environment. CONTACT: edie, 2614 East Beverly Road, Milwaukee, WI 53211/(888) 721-4137. --M.D.

SKIN-SATIONAL

The philosophy of Morganics Essential Botanicals is to use natural before artificial, vegetable based before animal, reusable before disposable. With that in mind, the company has developed a full line of skin care products, from gentle scrubs and moisturizers to shampoos and bath salts, good for both you and the Earth. The bio-energetic ingredients in Morganics' Facial Care System act synergistically to revitalize your skin, slow the effects of aging and provide environmental protection against skin damage for men and women of all ages. Product prices range from $7.95 to $29.95, and gift boxes are also available. CONTACT: Morganics, (800)820-9235, www.morganics.com. --M.D.

GOES WITHOUT SAYING

As if you needed another reason to buy a box of really good chocolates ... Well, okay, here it is: Belgian chocolatier Guylian is putting its confections where its mouth is by dedicating a large public awareness effort, and a large chunk of money, to Project Seahorse, a research team dedicated to conservation of the seahorse worldwide. Besides helping fund new studies on seahorse behavior and ecology, Guylian is printing an alert about the threats to seahorses on every package of Guylian Chocolate Seashells. Each eight-ounce box, sold in retail outlets for around $9, contains marbled white, milk and dark milk chocolates with hazelnut praline filling sculpted in 11 seashell and seahorse shapes, CONTACT: Guylian USA, (800) 803-4123. --Jennifer Bogo

PLANTER IMPOSTERS

When it comes time for spring planting, pushing heavy clay pots around the back deck is enough to make you rethink your annual dedication to petunias. Now, thanks to the Eco-Planter, you can still get the look you're after without slipping a vertebrae, and with saving a few resources to boot. Made of 100-percent recycled plastic (the equivalent of 2,500 square feet of recycled stretch wrap for a 14-inch pot), the lightweight Eco-Planter can easily be loaded into a car, carried into a garden or across that deck. It's also fade resistant, and unlike terra cotta clay, is unbreakable, even during winter freezes. Prices for the Eco-Planter, available in retail stores in 14-, 18-and 24-inch sizes, range from $12 to $40. CONTACT: WorldWise, (800) WorldWise, www.worldwise.com.

JUST FOR STARTERS

Pamper your infant with new products from earth friendly baby, a Vermont-based company offering only natural alternatives for your newest addition. To its natural lavender cleansing bar, earth friendly baby has added a chamomile shampoo and bodywash, calendula daily care cream, and red clover rash care cream. All earth friendly products (ranging from $1 to $8) are hypoallergenic, 100 percent biodegradable, pH balanced and not tested on animals. Ingredients are also completely natural--no artificial coloring, fragrance or synthetic detergents of any kind. An offer for a free starter kit can be found on packages of Stonyfield Farm's certified-organic yo baby yogurt through June 2000. CONTACT: earth friendly baby, (888) WashBaby, www.earthfriendlybaby.com. --J.B.