Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a chemical used in soaps, shampoos, conditioners, bubble bath and body washes to create suds. At least 90% of non-organic shampoos and conditioners contain sodium lauryl sulfate.  So what is it and why should you know about it?

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is a chemical. For a lot of you that is reason to avoid it. But, for those who want to know here are the rest of the details. SLS is used to to break down oil and grease, and make suds. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate started its career as an industrial degreasant & garage floor cleaner. When applied to human skin it has the effect of stripping off the oil layer & the irritating & erroding the skin.

From the research I have found SLS is not linked to cancer however, it does have some other side effects you may choose to avoid. It can cause eye irritations, skin rashes, hair loss, dandruff, cause allergic reactions & can lead to blindness or cataracts. It can also change genetic information & damage the immune system. It is listed as a high human health priority and is expected to be found to be harmful or toxic, according to the Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List, in relation to non-reproductive organ system toxicity.

A study at the University of Georgia Medical College, indicated that SLS penetrated into the eyes as well as brain, heart, liver, etc., and showed long-term retention in the tissues. The study also indicated that SLS penetrated young children’s eyes and prevented them from developing properly and caused cataracts to develop in adults.

When we first discussed this chemical we were divided as to whether or not to allow it. It was our final decision that there are many fantastic products out there that do not include so why take the risk by allowing products on the site that do.

It is a cheap ingredient to use but our stance is that cheap in the short term often does not equate to cheap in the long term.  One of the arguments in support of SLS is that it is not really a skin irritant if it is only left on your skin for a short period of time. I was unable to find out what “short period of time” equates to. However, I can’t help but think if a child is taking a bubble bath using a product that contains SLS, or shampoo that then washes into their bath and they sit in it, well that may be longer than a “short period of time”. Why should I worry how long is long and how short is short?

Therefore, at Franklin Goose we do not carry products with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. We prefer to use products and offer you products with no questionable ingredients. You may have to forgo a few suds but we think it is worth it.

How do you feel about Sodium Lauryl Sulfate? Do you avoid products with it or find it is not a very big concern of yours?

So this was my husbands question on Saturday when I got in the car excited after I fought the crowds at Target. Normally I would get in the car cranky (and yes this does mean my husband sits in the car while I fight the Saturday crowds at Target & Trader Joes, although he never skips going into Whole Foods), but FSC certified recycled. WOOHOO!

Yes, I know, am I seriously so crunchy I get excited about FSC symbols on target gift card envelopes, the answer my friends, YES. First, look what I do for a living, I am vice president of Franklin Goose, very crunchy. Second, I am a vegetarian. Third, I have been raised by descendants of farmers who didn’t make anything unless it was from scratch, never used chemicals and always taught us never to be wasteful (which explains why my grandma’s sister figured out how to make rugs out of plastic grocery store bags twenty years ago before recycling was mainstream).

So then the question, “What is the deal with FSC anyway?” I looked at him, my husband, the one who tolerates my conveniently forgetting to buy paper towels so he can’t use them, the one who has to listen to me complain about clothes shopping because everything comes from China and the one who loves meat, everything meat who sat through Food, Inc in the theatre and then listened to me rant for weeks, how can he not know?  And so I respond with, “huh?” He says, “Seriously, what is FSC?”

To which I reply, “How can you not know this? Okay, FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council. They have the strictest regulations for environmental responsibility, they enforce social responsibility and economic viability. It is a world wide organization that has established the highest level of certification for timber.” “Oh,” he says. “Okay, for me it means we are guaranteed there are no chemicals, there is no slave labor and there is no depletion of natural resources or harm done to the humans or the planet where this wood is grown. FSC certified recycled means that in an industry where there is not necessarily any oversight FSC recycled provides the highest vigor in recycling. There must be a certain amount of recycled and post consumer waste used.” “Ohh,” he says, “Well that is cool.”

But, to me, it is so much more. It means that more and more people are paying attention and trying to make a difference by making the right choice, or at least they are trying to impress those of us who pay attention and really care. Either way, it means less chemicals, and better treatment for people and our planet. And that my friends means a little less cranky on a hectic Saturday morning.

-Sheri

We love our WAHM’s and are so happy to see them growing and bringing their personal attention and experience to the industry! One of our merchants is Katydid Diapers. Katie has a great story, she started out making diapers herself and has grown into a great business.Enjoy the interview, and check out Katydid diapers at franklingoose.com.

What motivated you to start your own business? I was having so much fun sewing diapers!  I wanted to share my knowledge and love for cloth diapers with other moms and my neighbors and family kept telling me I should start selling my diapers so I did.
How did you get started with diapers? My husband lost his job and we had two little boys in diapers so I had to find a way to save money. That’s when I discovered the joys of cloth diapering and all the wonderful modern cloth diapering options out there today.

How long have you been running your own business? I started out selling handmade diapers on Etsy a year and a half ago and I just started up my new business, Katydid Diapers, in January of 2010.
What is your favorite part of cloth diapering? It makes me feel so good! I love taking a warm load of clean diapers out of the dryer and putting a fresh, soft diaper on my baby’s bum!
What advice would you give parents considering cloth diapering? Don’t be swayed by people who would try to deter you away from cloth because they think it’s all about folding, pinning and dunking. Most cloth diapering parents these days don’t do any of those things! You never know what it’s like until you try it.
How do you manage your family and your business? I never have to leave home. That’s the best part of my business. I can work at any hour that’s convenient for me and my family. Some days I spend a little too much time at the computer and my kids watch a little too many movies, but there are always great-mom days to balance that out.
Do you have any plans to expand Katydid in the future? Oh yes, I’m just getting started! I’m itching to bring in more colors and cute prints. I have wet bags in the works already and I want to make wipes as well. We’ll see where it goes from there!
What advice can you give other mothers thinking of starting a business? Start small and see how it goes. Don’t be afraid to take that first step and make sure you come up with something that’s uniquely yours.
Any great tips you can give us about cloth diapering? If you’re afraid to get started because you think you might not stick to it then don’t keep any disposables in your house. I guarantee you’ll use your cloth and learn to love them if you don’t have the old familiar sposie to fall back on.

-Sheri

You read right, Franklin Goose is giving away a free iPod touch  32GB!

All you have to do to enter the contest is:

Tweet this phrase:

Retweet this to win an iPod touch from @franklingoose. Don’t forget to follow us @franklingoose, http://bit.ly/bXaROF

Good luck!

Tweet once and you are entered (multiple tweets will not result in multiple entries).

Contest ends: February 28, 2010 at midnight.

Our water usage has fallen by the wayside in the news since we had no droughts last year. I, however, like to be proactive rather than reactive. I also know that just because we avoided droughts in this country for a year or two it is not a sign that the water crisis has been averted.
So I thought, as spring and summer are coming, which means less condensation, it was a great time to talk again about water conservation.

Here are 9 ways to save or reuse water.

1. Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth (it saves 5 gallons of water per brushing), when you wash your hands (and count to 15), or when scrubbing pots & pans in the sink. Teach your children to do the same.

2. Keep a bucket in your bathroom and as your shower water warms up fill the bucket and use it later to water plants, mop the floor, or help wash your car bike, patio etc.

3. Keep a container ( I use a milk jug) under your sink and fill it with the water left from boiling pasta and eggs, then water your plants with it. (You can also add your leftover coffee to this giving your plants a great boost of nutrients which encourages blooming.)

4. Buy or make a rain catcher to collect rainwater to use for watering plants, washing your car, bike, boat, house exterior, etc.

5. Put a half gallon container, or a brick in your toilet tank to cut down on water stored in your tank.

6. Replace your toilets and shower heads with low flow when they need replacing.

7. Plant drought resistant plants and indigenous plants so they require less watering during the spring & summer.

8. Wash only full loads of clothes and dishes. It is also better to use your washing machine & dishwasher rather than washing by hand. It uses much less water.

9. Fix leaks. The average home loses 9.5 gallons of water per day from leaks, most of which are from toilet tanks. Did you know that a leaking faucet leaks about 10 gallons of water per day! (Check for leaks by turning off all of your faucets, and appliances. If your water meter continues to run you have a leak. Add food coloring to your toilet, if it appears in the toilet bowl you have a leak.)

Can you think of other creative ways to save water? Leave us a comment and let us know what your family does.

We are premiering our first video on Franklin Goose TV on youtube.com!

We will be posting video reviews on this channel of our products on franklingoose.com.  Be sure to subscribe so you can see all of our reviews as they become available! You can subscribe here.

What do you think? Any products you would like to see us review next? Leave us your comments.

-Sheri

PVC is everywhere, making it a difficult thing to avoid. Most of us know what it is, we know plastic isn’t good for us so we avoid it. But do you know why and where it hides and what it means? I have been surprised over the years to find where it lurks and what it means to my health, other peoples health, and the health of our planet.
The definition of PVC: “Polyvinyl chloride, (IUPAC Poly(chloroethanediyl)) commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups (ethenyls) having one of their hydrogens replaced with a chloride group.”
According to the CHEJ (Center for Health, Environment & Justice), “PVC is the most toxic plastic for our health and environment. No other plastic contains or releases as many dangerous chemicals. These include dioxins, phthalates, vinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, lead, cadmium, and organotins. There is no safe way to manufacture, use or dispose of PVC products.”

These are studies and facts about PVC & its byproduct Dioxin:

• A recent study found that children who live in homes with vinyl floors, which contain PVC, are twice as likely to have autism due to the emission of phthalates.
• A study of adults working in rooms with plastic wall covering materials were more than twice as likely to develop adult on set asthma.
• Studies of children conducted in Norway, Finland, Sweden & Russia found links between PVC, phthalates and respiratory problems.
• PVC plastic is the largest single use of chlorine in the U.S., accounting for about 34 percent of all chlorine production. (Later on in this series I will address the affects of chlorine on our society, so remember this statistic.)
• During all phases of PVC production Dioxin is created.
• Dioxin has been found in PVC process waste in concentrations as high as 200,750 parts per billion (ppb), which compares closely with that found in Agent Orange production wastes.
• Dioxin has been classified by the EPA as being a carcinogen.
• Dioxin is just one of hundreds of contaminants stored in the mother’s fat.
• It is consumed by nursing infants at a rate of 35-100 pg/kg (picograms per kilogram of body weight per day. A picogram is one-trillionth of a gram).
• The World Health Organization’s acceptable daily intake of dioxin is 1-4 pg/kg.
• The EPA “Risk Specific Dose” is 0.01 pg/kg,[26] which is 10,000 times lower than that the nursing child receives.
• Dioxin is the most powerful endocrine disrupter, meaning there is no human hormone that Dioxin does not affect. (These facts come from mindfully.org)

You can find PVC hiding in carpet, vinyl flooring, wallcovering, plastic wrap, plastic food bags, plastic plates, plastic silverware, building materials, clothing, packaging, toys, upholstery, inflatable products, shoes, purses, ceiling tiles, electronic equipment, furniture, shower curtains, luggage, mattresses, baby gear, medical equipment and more.
I read these things and become completely overwhelmed. I worry for my niece, my granddaughter and the people who work with PVC. I am sure it has the same affect on you and you find yourself asking “What can I do?”
Here are my suggestions:

1. Buy items listed as PVC free
2. Contact the manufacturers of products using PVC and demand they stop if they want your consumer dollars.
3. Right now the EPA is considering measures against allowing PVC in some applications, call them or write to them and tell them you support these measures.
4. Buy from companies dedicated to producing without PVC.

Unfortunately we can’t overhaul our homes and lives all at one time, it is way too expensive. However, you can start with small changes and then as you need to replace things make choices to be PVC free. Try overhauling your food storage options, buy new clothes that are organic or made from natural fibers, use natural cleaners, or better yet make your own from vinegar and baking soda.

Here are some shopping options:

This company has been dedicated to making kitchen bags, wraps etc. for years. http://www.naturalvalue.com/index.html
There are tons of products on our site, http://www.franklingoose.com/ that are PVC free.
You can buy PVC carpeting from: http://www.flor.com/service/flor/promo/eco-friendly-carpet-tiles.html?gclid=CMezr–H458CFaAO5QodFV7rHw
Buy organic clothing & bedding. (West Elm has great prices on their organic towels, & bedding)
Buy linoleum flooring instead of vinyl: http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/products/linoleum

Your voice can only be heard if you use it.
We owe it not only to our families, ourselves and the planet but to the people who have to work with this substance who face extremely high risks of cancer, breathing and other ailments, to make a change.
-Sheri

To begin our discussion of products we will not carry in our shop I wanted to start with Phthalates.

There are a now more and more products being advertised as Phthalate free, but I wondered how many of us actually have a grasp of what it is and why it is bad for us. This is the definition of a phthalate: A class of organic compounds containing phthalic acid esters [C6H4(COOR)2] and derivatives. Used as plasticizers in plastics. Also used in many other products (such as detergents, cosmetics) and industrial processes (such as defoaming agents during paper and paperboard manufacture, and dielectrics in capacitors).  (This is from a US government website, USGS.) The word organic in this definition can be misleading.

This is the definition from the Environmental Defense Site: Phthalates are a group of man-made chemicals that are widely used as plasticizing additives in a broad range of consumer products, including cosmetic and personal care products, PVC consumer products and construction materials. These chemicals are also used in synthetic fragrances to extend the scents’ staying power. Phthalates are relatively persistent in the environment and have been found in drinking water, soil, household dust, wildlife, fatty foods (meat and dairy products) and in the blood and breast milk of people. Scientific research has shown that phthalates disrupt hormones, and can cause birth defects of male reproductive organs.

According to the Organic Consumers Association  research has shown that phthalates can “play havoc with the funtion of the human endocrine system and potentially cause a host of health problems, especially in children. In fact…studies found these toxins to be linked to childhood obesity &, because phthalates are hormone disrupters, they may also interfere with the normal development of baby boys’ genitalia.”

The Journal of Pediatrics sites a new study that suggests that phthalate exposure in the womb contributes ot low birthd weight in infants , is critical because low birth weight is the leading cause of death in children under five years of age, it increases the risk of cariovascular & metabolic disease as children grow up. To conduct this study scientists studied the first bowel movements of babies as well as the umbilllical cord blood, and found that the measurable levels of phthalates were found in more than 70% of the samples.

The problem is that phthalates are in so many of our products and are not marked clearly on labels, it is difficult to avoid them if you are not completely educated about them.

They are found in cosmetics, plastic products, shampoos & conditioners (even ones marked “natural”), they are found in deoderant hair gels, medical equipment, such as IV bags & tubing. They are in plastic dolls, inflatable toys, vinyl bibs, and baby care products among other things.

They can be listed on products as follows:

DEHP di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, DBP or DiBP di-n-butyl phthalate(found in nail polish products), DEP or diethyl phthalate, MEHP (monoethylhexyl phthalate),  PBT (polybutylene terephthalate),  and PET (polyethylene terephthalate)

If you decide that phthalates are something you would like to avoid then I suggest you become aware of the acronyms and definitely read labels. If we all purchase products that go out of their way to not include these then the manufacturers that do include them will be forced to change in order to be profitable.

We find phthalates an unnecessary ingredient which puts ourselves, our families and our environment at potential risk. Therefore, we choose only products that do not contain phthalates for Franklin Goose. Our philosophy is if it isn’t natural and it can be avoided then by all means avoid it.

How do you feel about phthalates? Are there other chemicals you avoid? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.

-Sheri

Yes, I am working on a Sunday. Acutally my husband would say I work almost every Sunday, actually almost every day. I never understood work-a-holics and perhaps I still do not understand a lot of them. However, standing outside of my life people may think I am a work-a-holic. But I don’t feel like one. I simply feel like a person so impassioned about what they do that I can not stop thinking about it. I feel like I have been blessed to work at Franklin Goose and that what we do is important, fun and noteworthy so I don’t want to stop. I actually love what I do and when you love something it is hard to step away from it. Yes, this makes getting the laundry done difficult, it makes leaving the computer in sleep mode almost impossible, it makes slow business days seem personal, but it also makes me feel like in some small way I am contributing to making our planet a better place and to growing the awareness of what we are doing to ourselves by allowing chemicals into our everyday lives. Our dedication at Franklin Goose to strictly vetting each product on the site keeps me very busy but it is vital to maintain the integrity of who we are as well as keeping the dedicated merchants we carry in good company.

So this week I have decided to start explaining the materials we will not allow on our site. There is a very confusing world out there of crazy long names, and misrepresentations. I am going to give you the facts as our research has shown us and give you an explanation of why we feel they should not be on our site. It is up to you to decide how you feel about them but this way perhaps it will cut down on the confusion of what all of these ingredients actually are.

Here is our commitment, and  a glimpse of what we will be talking about everyday: Our Story

I read today that the article about the GM cotton being sold as organic cotton is not exactly as it seemed. I wanted to let all of you know so that we aren’t thinking or talking about something that looks very questionable.

It seems that the German newspaper was not diligent in their reporting and actually made claims that a document exists that doesn’t. I think Organic Exchange does a great job of telling the story so I will let them. Here is the link.

It is actually a relief to me that it appears the problem is not as suspected and the organic cotton industry in India should not be under fire. I do want to say though that it is important to remember that there are companies who are dedicated to producing organic clothing and products and then there are companies who are not. The diligent companies are the companies you will find at Franklin Goose, not only because their products are organic but because their philosophy is organic, they are not trying to make headlines by jumping on a bandwagon, they are trying to make a difference by forging a new path for all of us.

(That leads me to tease you with an introduction next week of a new company we are working with that has been in the industry for 15 years and has helped set the tone for the organic clothing industry as it is now. We can’t wait to share them with you.)

What do you think about all of this controversy? How do you feel about H&M and other companies selling some organic clothing? Do you think they are jumping on the bandwagon?

-Sheri