In Orange County, being environmentally aware and reducing our carbon footprint is a big focus in our lives today.  But did you ever stop to consider what chemicals you are putting onto your face? Does parabens, harsh chemicals, petroleum, synthetic colors and fragrances, Paraffin, PABA, mineral oil, propylene-glycol, phthalates, genetically modified organic material, DEA and animal ingredients sound like a smart investment in you and in your skin. Today’s savvy women are putting pressure on the cosmetic companies to produce organic products because while we care about our skin, we are not ready to give up the luxury of make-up.  The major focus of “green cosmetics” is the ingredients and the more organic the ingredients the better.

Ready to get started?  Here are some great ways to ease into going green.

~ Use fewer products. The chemicals coming in contact with your skin the better so take a look at your daily routine and see if there is a product you can use less often or even not at all.
~Read labels. There are no laws governing the marketing claims on personal care products, and so claims like organic, natural, hypoallergenic, animal cruelty free, and fragrance free can mean anything or nothing at all.  Read the ingredient label carefully to find evidence that the claims are true. 
~ Use milder soaps.  While soap removes dirt and grease from the surface of your skin it also strips away your body’s own natural skin oils. By choosing a milder soap  you may reduce skin dryness and therefore your need for moisturizers to replace your skin’s natural oils. 
~ Minimize your use of dark hair dyes. Many contain coal tar ingredients that in some studies have been linked to cancer. 
~ Cut down on your use of powders; avoid the use of baby powder on newborns and infants. A number of ingredients common in powder have been linked to cancer and other lung problems when they are inhaled. FDA warns that powders may cause lung damage if inhaled regularly.
~ Choose products that are “fragrance”-free. Fragrances can cause allergic reactions. Read the ingredient label carefully because some poducts claim to be fragrance free when they are not.  In products truly free of fragrance, the word “fragrance” will not appear there. 
~ Reduce your use of nail polish. It’s one of the few types of products that routinely contain ingredients linked to birth defects. If you need to make a compromise, paint your toenails and skip the fingernails.

Start with small changes, but don’t stop there.  There are more and more cosmetic lines promoting organic makeup.  Some even have biodegradable packaging!  Make an investment in the future of our Earth and your skin at the same time.  For more help in your project to become environmentally conscious, click HERE

OC residents know that reducing their carbon footprint is paramount to the future of their world and are actively researching solar energy businesses. 

 Our environment’s resources are not limitless and we should always be looking for ways to be good caretakers of Mother Earth.  Using the sun to turn your roof into a miniature electrical power plant for your home makes sense on two fronts.  One, solar electricity is a clean power source.  It generates electricity that is free of harmful CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases.  Two, many state and local government programs offer incentives and rebates to subsidize the cost of equipment and installation so it makes good financial sense to go solar.  Solar electricity converts sunlight directly into electricity, which can help reduce your electricity bills by as much as 60 percent.  What a great savings!

So how does it work?  Solar electric systems, also known as photovoltaic (PV) systems, convert sunlight into electricity.  The building blocks of a PV system consist of solar cells.  When sunlight is absorbed by the semiconductor materials, the solar energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms.  This “photoelectric effect” causes the free electrons to travel into a circuit built into the solar cell to form a current.  PV systems produce more electricity on sunny days, but will still work on cloudy days.  To produce more power, the solar cell must be interconnected to form panels or modules.  Then if more power is needed, several modules can be installed on a building. Modules come in different sizes and range from about 10 to 300 watts in power output. About 10–20 PV arrays can provide enough power for a household.  A well-designed and maintained PV system will operate for more than 20 years and the PV module, with no moving parts, has an expected lifetime exceeding 30 years. A PV system generates more than $10,000 worth of electricity over 30 years. Now that is a staggering figure.

Just like buying a car or making any other long-term investment, it is important to do your research before making a purchase. Mail-order companies, large discount warehouses, small mom-and pop businesses, and large corporations all sell and install renewable energy (RE) systems.  You want to be sure that the person or company that is designing and installing your new solar system has the expertise to install an efficient, safe, and reliable system.  You will want to check their professional credentials and be sure they have an electrical license.  If they don’t have the electrical license, you need to sure that either the installer does or you hire a licensed electrician to obtain the permit, supervise the job, and do the final AC hookups.  It’s a good idea to hire an installer who is bonded and insured, although this generally means that they will cost a little more.  Making sure the products are UL, ETL, or CSA approved is one way to ensure the safety and reliabiltiy of the product.  Ask about service agreements and performance guarantees.  Lastly, ask for references.

Don’t delay.  Make a difference today.  Visit OCRG and get a listing of companies in Orange County to help you plan your conversion to solar energy.