EPA bans aldicarb, toxic pesticide - better late than never

First registered in 1970 for use on cotton, Temik (also know as aldicarb) has been used on numerous crops including cotton, peanuts, potatoes, citrus crops, soy and sugarcane. Forty years later the FDA now says "aldicarb doesn't meet US food safety standards."

Thank you. But I wonder what took so long. Why? Because back in 1985, quite a few people became ill after ingesting watermelon that had been sprayed with aldicarb. Now 25 years later the EPA has decided to take action, but this will be slow too, because under the agreement with the EPA, the manufacturer Bayer CropScience won't stop manufacturing aldicarb until 2015! Although use on citrus and potatoes will end in 2011.

As always, it's buyer beware when it comes to choosing wisely for yourself and your family, especially for infants and toddlers. So what to do? Choose organic if you can. If that's not an option, buy local at your local Farmer's Market - it's the next best thing! And last but not least, refer to the Dirty Dozen list of foods that are most contaminated with pesticide residue. Also check out the Clean Fifteen list at the same link (scroll down).

It's unhealthy... the VitaminWater lawsuit

"Coca-Cola is being sued by a non-profit public interest group (The Center for Science in the Public Interest) on the grounds that the company's vitaminwater products make unwarranted health claims." Read the article here.

Duh, you think? But to me, the really BIG news is the company's official response:

"Lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit by asserting that "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage."

So does that mean that The Average Joe is
A) naïve
B) an idiot, or
C) "it's okay for a corporation to lie about its products, as long as they can then turn around and claim that no one actually believes their lies?"

The name "VitaminWater" makes you think of a drink that is water with some added vitamins - the perfect ending to a good workout. It's not until you read the label that you discover that it's full of added sugar -- 30+ grams to be exact, plus 125 calories per bottle! So much for that workout.

Bottom line, read labels, and please, don't rely on a soft drink company for your vitamins or other essential nutrients.

Anyone for some filtered water?

The Story of Cosmetics... and the toxins within many of them

The Story of Cosmetics video has just been released, and it shares information on the ugly truth about cosmetics and personal care products.

Have you read the ingredient label on your favorite mascara, shampoo or deodorant? Seriously, you need a degree in chemistry to figure out just what's in there!
Now to be fair, just because an ingredient sounds scary, doesn't mean it is, but some common ingredients in personal care products ARE linked to asthma, cancer, learning disabilities and male infertility. How can this be?

And how can a product marketed with the PINK RIBBON logo to fight breast cancer, contain ingredients LINKED to breast cancer? Because nobody, not even the FDA regulates ingredients in personal care products. In fact, since 1938, the FDA has banned only eight ingredients from being in them!

The video is enlightening, and after you watch it, I encourage you to purchase products from responsible companies who market products that are truly safe, that really work and that are actually green!

Oh, and please sign the petition asking Congress to pass the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010. Isn't it time for all products to be safe?

Shopping GMO free

GMO, three little letters that truly frighten me.

They stand for Genetically Modified Organisms or more specifically, genetically modified food.

I've written before about the GMO process and I've recommended some books on the topic so that you can form your own opinion. For me, I've made up my mind that I DON"T want to feed GMOs to my family!

So just how does one avoid GMO foods. Well it's not all that easy unless you can buy everything organic, but there are steps you can take. First, whenever possible, shop local. That means shopping at your local farmers market. Not sure where to find one, visit the Consumer Supported Agriculture site.

If you can buy organic, always look for the USDA Organic label, that means it's "certified organic". If you can't buy organic, and lets face it, not everything is available as organic, the next best is to choose foods with "Non-GMO" labels. Also avoid most packaged foods which are loaded with GMO ingredients.

And last but surely not least, avoid the most common GMO foods, which are corn (including frozen and canned), soy, sugar beets (and sugar made from sugar beets), canola oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil. Obviously this means reading labels as many of these common GMO foods are in packaged ingredients, like those corn tortillas you bought for dinner.

Eating green, clean food takes a little effort, and yes, it does cost a bit more, but the flavor and aroma of organic and foods grown locally are so worth it!

Toxic Chemicals video from Healthy Stuff.org

Bisphenol-A in baby bottles, water bottles, and food cans.
Formaldehyde in furniture.
Phthalates in air fresheners, soft plastics, and fragrances.

According to research by the Environmental Working Group Body Burden study, these chemicals and many others can be found in babies (and adults alike). It's time industry put public health first!



And to avoid these toxins, chose truly green cleaners that are safe for you, your home AND especially your family!

The Story of Cosmetics... coming soon

I recently read that Annie Leonard, who put together "The Story of Stuff" will be doing a new video called "The Story of Cosmetics." I can't wait. Many cosmetics are loaded with some very scary ingredients...

Cleaning products and their link to asthma

The good news, biodegradable cleaners are finally "en Vogue." Everybody is going GREEN. But did you realize that many of the cleaners that you purchase in the supermarket - and some of the "biodegradable" cleaners that you buy in your local health food store release toxic fumes in your home that can adversely affect your health and the health of your family?

Sadly between 1980 and 1994 childhood asthma increased 74%. Today 1 in 13 kids has asthma. The cause(s) behind this rapid increase in asthma is probably a combination of things, but recently evidence has shown that some of the increase may be caused by early exposure to toxic chemical fumes in the home.

How can that be?

Because consumers demand cleaners that work well and are easy to use - and if no effort is required, all the better! Also because cleaning product manufacturers have been more than willing to oblige consumers by mixing numerous chemicals together in household cleaners and then putting them in convenient spray bottles. And these days with our homes well insulated against the cold, and central air running in the summer, who opens a window to vent those fumes? The result is that those toxic chemicals accumulate in the air that we breathe inside our own homes!

Over the years a number of studies have pointed to an association between toxic household fumes and childhood asthma, including one published in the European Respiratory Journal (31: 54-57, 2008) which was very large and particularly well controlled. The study measured the household chemical exposure of 7,162 pregnant women in England and looked at the incidence of asthma in their children at age 8.5 years. The household products used most frequently by the pregnant women were disinfectants (87.4%), bleach (84.8%), aerosols (71.7%), air fresheners (68%), window cleaners (60.5%), carpet cleaners (35.3%) and pesticides/insecticides (21.2%).

And the results were clear. Higher household chemical exposure during pregnancy was associated with a 41% increase in childhood asthma in children with no known allergies!

What should we learn from this? That it's not enough to select household products that are safe for the environment. We also need to choose products on the basis of their safety for us and our family - not just on the basis of cost and convenience.

For information on the toxic chemicals in common household products visit: http://www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/products.htm)

Pesticides and your food

Unless you're living miles from civilization and eating your own home-grown foods, sadly we're exposed to way more pesticides than most of us realize.

The What’s On My Food website is a fabulous searchable database that has foods from Almonds to Winter Squash -- very informative and a bit Scary!

I hope you'll check it out!

Keeping Nantucket Clean... the Nantucket Clean Team

This morning, instead of the usual walk with my dog, I headed over to The Muse on Surfside Road to volunteer with the Nantucket Clean Team. There I met Bill Connell and some of the other volunteers. Our mission that day, to clean up Surfside Rd. and beach. (Meanwhile another group was busy in town doing the same.)

After getting my instructions, I donned my blue gloves, took my paper "recycling" bag, and my plastic "trash" bag, and headed off to my assigned area, Surfside Rd. from The Muse to the high school and to "please pick up the sand chair sitting on the school lawn."

An hour later, both sides of Surfside Rd. were noticeably cleaner (if I do say so myself) as we headed back to The Muse. Next, everyone sorted their recyclables by number for easy recycling at the Madaket dump. And the mountain of trash was considerable. The Gray Lady looked great, just in time for Figawi Weekend.

Happy Memorial Day.

Spring?

Did I write that it felt like summer last week? Well early spring, with it's fickle weather is back! The last few nights I've had to bring in my annuals (I only bought a few), so they wouldn't freeze -- yes, that's right, freeze. Amazing!



In a few days we'll be shedding our long sleeves for short sleeves, and I can't wait for spring to truly arrive. I love getting out and planting annuals. They make everything look so cheerful and colorful, like nature is reawakening.

Mother's Day is swiftly approaching...

and it's time to start thinking about a little something to show Mom how special she really is.

One of my favorites is a natural perfume from Nantucket Natural Oils. They have all the ingredients that make Mom's favorite perfume smell so great, but without the alcohol. They also have an exquiste collection of hand blown perfume bottles for sale!

Another gift I love to give and receive is a luxurious organic cotton Bathrobe, shower gel and ultra-luxurious shea butter cream! Give Mom some time to take a long soak in the tub and you'll really score points!

Or you can always pick up some flowers and a gift card to their favorite store.

Whatever you do, Mom will Love it and be thankful because it came from you!

It's May 1st!

Another Earth Day/Earth month has ended, which means that Mother's Day will soon be here! But instead of feeling like spring, today it feels more like summer as the temperature is expected to hit 88 degrees F.

Happy Earth Day!

Today is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, and I'd like to recognize two companies celebrating big anniversaries as well.

For 20 years, 7th Generation has been offering green cleaners. They have a complete line of ready to use Earth friendly cleaners that are available at local grocers everywhere.

Celebrating their 50th year of offering concentrated green cleaners is Shaklee Corp. Their Basic H household cleaner was first introduced way back in 1960! A few years ago they doubled the concentration and it's now known as Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate. This super-concentrated, Green Seal Certified cleaner has 1000's of uses at a very consumer friendly price!

I wish these two companies a very Happy Anniversary, and I thank them for offering products that protect my family and the Earth.

Automatic Dishwashing Detergents... Is there an Eco-Friendly choice?

Back in the early 70’s phosphates were banned from most laundry detergents due to the destructive growth of algae they encouraged in fresh water lakes and ponds. These masses of phosphate fed algae than robbed plants and animal life of oxygen.

Yet as phosphates were being phased out of laundry products, automatic dishwashing detergents were given a free pass on phosphates. Why? Because the major commercial brands felt that an effective formula could not be produced without some phosphates, especially for those that lived in areas with hard water.

OK, so you may be thinking that the little bit of phosphates in your automatic dishwashing detergent can’t possibly be that bad. Unfortunately, in can. Phosphates spur algae growth on a scale of over 100:1 in other words, for every pound of phosphates released into water, over 100 pounds of algae can grow! And neither a septic system or treatment at a sewage plant effect phosphates.

Over the years some manufacturers have managed to reduce and in some instances eliminate phosphates from their formulation. Unfortunately not all were a success for those with hard water, but I’m glad they’re at least trying.

I’m equally glad that I’ve found a brand that does a great job in my Bosch dishwasher, despite my hard water. I’ve been using Shaklee’s Dish Wash Automatic Concentrate, and I have absolutely been impressed. The formulation is phosphate free, chlorine free, biodegradable, and one tiny scoop cleans an entire load of dirty dishes – no pre-rinsing required.

But I decided a real test would be to take my “find” on the road and see how well it would clean at our vacation home, in our ancient GE dishwasher. To my surprise everything glistened there too. As the saying goes, I’m sold!

Each bag of concentrate does 48 loads of dishes, and if you have soft water, you might try less than that one tiny scoop.

GE alfalfa - should you be concerned?

Alfalfa in the USA may soon be available in a Genetically Engineered (GE) variety. Alfalfa, a grass fed to animals and humans alike. Wonder if this should concern you? Here's an easy to understand explanation on the difference between selective breeding and genetic engineering.

Some additional comments from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

I also highly recommend the book Seeds of Deception by Jeffery Smith, but before you run out and read the book, take a moment to visit The True Food Network and and send an email to the USDA. In my opinion this is one of those things where I feel we need to be extra cautious - you can't put the genie back in the bottle after it's been released...

USDA comment period ends March 3, 2010.

M.D. speaks about childhood ear infections

Thinking back to when my kids were little, I now realize just how fortunate I was. My kids were rarely ill. Not that they didn't get sick. They got the occasional cold and DS had hearing loss for close to a year due to fluid in both ears (no infection). But I didn't have to deal with one illness after another and the never ending stream of antibiotics that often follows.

I wish every parent could see this video which features an M.D. who speaks about childhood illnesses and how he was taught in medical school to treat them, and what he's since learned in his practice.



I've always been a believer in prevention... getting rid of toxins in the home, eating fresh, preferably organic foods, selectively supplementing for "insurance," getting adequate rest and exercise, and letting the body heal itself when possible. It doesn't always work, but it's a start.

Do you unknowingly have toxic products in your home?

This study may just be a wake up call...

Cancer Prevention Coalition Chairperson Samuel Epstein, M.D., and investigative journalist, David Steinman, compiled the "Dirty Dozen" from data on over 3,500 consumer products.

> Beef Frankfurters (Conventional)
> Whole Milk
> Talcum Powder (often labeled as "baby powder")
> Cover Girl Replenishing Natual Finish Make Up (Foundation)
> Crest Tartar Control Toothpaste
> Alberto VO5 Conditioner (Essence of Neutral Henna)
> Clairol Nice 'n Easy (Permanent Haircolor)
> Ajax Cleanser
> Zud Heavy Duty Cleanser
> Lysol Disinfectant Spray
> Zodiac Cat & Dog Flea Collar
> Ortho Weed-B-Gon Lawn Weed Killer (another Monsanto "winner")

Change may not be easy and getting rid of your favorite whatever may be difficult, but for your health and the health of your family and our planet, visit your local health food store and try a substitute. Heck, you may just love that new toothpaste!

Eight Great Gift Ideas for any Occasion

Natural perfumes from Nantucket Natural Oils with all the good ingredients of your favorite perfumes, but without the alcohol. Beautiful hand blown perfume bottles too!

A luxurious organic cotton Bathrobe, shower gel and ultra-luxurious shea butter cream

Set of Lands' End organic cotton bath towels, green laundry wash and fragrance free biodegradable dryer sheets.

A jar of local honey (visit you farmer's market) and a selection of organic teas in a mug. Wrap it all up in a kitchen towel.

For that teen on your list, a requested CD or a gift card to their favorite music store.

Leather slippers from The Leather Works or Merino wool socks and deep moisturizing foot cream.

A set of glasses and a water purifier.

And a little something for yourself... the book YOU: Staying Young by Dr Oz and Roizen and some Anti-Aging skin care.

Or you can always go with a gift card to their favorite store!

Green Gifts for the Holidays...

Cyber Monday, the day many Americans go online to get the best online deals. So why not make them green as well?

For organic cotton clothes:
Gaiam Stylish natural fibers and save $20 off $100 through 12-21-09
Hanna Andersson Love their stuff... kids, babies Long lasting and washes great!
RecycleATee Certified organic cotton Tees - Wear, send back to Recycle and save 25% off your next Tee.

Just for baby:
Bath Time Certified organic diaper creme, baby wash, lotion and massage oil - parents will love the massage oil's soft lavendar scent!
Child Organics Cloth diapers, covers, and beautiful hand knits - specials till 12-5-09


For home:
Eco Clean When I give a set of bath towels, I always include a bottle of "green" laundry detergent to clean them.
Totally Bamboo Cutting boards, serving trays, bowls and plates - pair with kitchen towels and an Eco friendly dishwashing liquid.

Necco wafers have gone Natural

Necco wafers, that wonderful candy of our childhood are now free of artificial colors and flavors. But don't look for those familiar green wafers, they're not in the new packs as ironically, they were too difficult to make with natural food colors.

So much for green going with everything. :)

The Story of Stuff

Great video (which won't post) on the real story of all the stuff we buy, use and discard. I encourage you, check it out on their website TheStoryOfStuff.com

EPA recognizes top 4 Calif. organizations running on their own green power

Deborah Jordan, the EPA's Air Division Director for the Pacific Southwest Region said "We are very proud of the accomplishments of our partners. They are demonstrating their commitment to the environment by generating green power on-site and purchasing from green power producers. They are setting the standard for us all to follow."

The top four companies are... Intel Corp. of Santa Monica, Shaklee Corp. of Pleasanton, Applied Materials of Santa Clara, and Butte College in Oroville, CA.

You can read about it here: EPA

Being Green has gone to the dogs

These days when we're making healthier choices for ourselves and our family, I'm reminded that just about everything we can buy for our four legged members of the family can be organic or at least eco-friendly.

Looking for a new pet bed for our yellow lab I discovered I really have quite the choice. There are eco-friendly choices made with recycled/reclaimed materials, organic ones made with cotton, wool, hemp and even natural latex, and an array of styles, colors and patterns that made finding the right choice to fit our home, easier than I thought.

Prices run the scale from $20 to $200 so there's a bed for every pocketbook too! You can check out a nice selection at Pristine Planet.

As we send our kids back to school a few thoughts…

According to the EPA, “the air inside is two to five times worse than outside… and we spend nearly 90 percent of our time indoors,” kids included! So while our kids are sitting at their desk listening to their teacher, they’re breathing in toxins released by the fresh coat of paint on the walls, the cleaning products used on the floors, and who knows what that might have been sprayed on their desks or the windows.

Concerned? I am, and it’s time for us to ask our school boards the question… What are they doing to minimize indoor air pollution in our schools?

Schools should be a safe place, where indoor air quality is at least equal to what’s outside, preferably better. We should insist that our school boards make the necessary changes to ensure that all children, teachers, and custodians breathe easier.

GREENing Your Wedding

These days as couples take stock of what’s really important, over the top weddings are giving way to eco-chic weddings. More and more young people are concerned about the environment and have decided that they can be eco-friendly and still have the wedding of their dreams. From the location, to the thank you’s, here’s a few thoughts to green your wedding.

Choosing to have your wedding and reception in the same place saves time and usually some money, to say nothing about the gas to get from one location to the other and the convenience for all your guests.

With the busy lives we all lead, a Save the Date announcement is a must. For many, an Evite will work, but for those you don’t have emails for, a simple Save the Date postcard is perfect.

When choosing a caterer, ask about locally grown and/or in season fruits and vegetables, and organic choices. Often times this menu is just slightly more than their non-organic menu, yet the taste difference is worth every penny. And choose 100% cotton napkins and tablecloths.

For the truly green bride, search Ebay or in consignment shops for a wedding gown you can call your own. For the groom, purchasing a dark suit that he’ll be able to wear again and again, costs not much more than a tuxedo rental he’ll wear for just the day.

For invitations, choose recycled paper or non-paper alternatives such as cotton, bamboo or hemp, and print them with soy based ink. Plus you can skip the response envelope if you ask guests to RSVP via email. Better yet, create a wedding website where guests can RSVP and you can share photos of your bridal party and family.

When selecting flowers for the bridal party, choose organically grown and if possible in-season varieties.

As your guests enter the reception area, skip the placecards and instead have a member of the wait staff locate the guest on a list.

For your tables, consider potted plants or a basket or bowl of seasonal fruit, or perhaps a few soy candles in glass holders as your centerpieces. Select organic wines and local beer where available.

In lieu of wedding favors, make a donation to an environmental organization. The Heifer Organization is one of my favorites.

At the end of the day, encourage your guests to take the centerpieces home, or donate them to a local senior residence. Ask the caterer to wrap up any leftover food and take it home or donate it to a homeless shelter!

Have you heard?

CVS is going green -- perhaps just a shade or so, but it's a great start. They've just introduced CVS Earth Essentials and with it have joined a growing number of retailers who have discovered that green is what their consumers want, and that they don't mind paying a little extra for it.

The Earth Essentials line includes eco-friendly bowls and plates made entirely from sugarcane. They're designed to biodegrade in less than three months, plus they're fully compostable, yet they can withstand hot food up to 200°F. All in all they're perfect for traveling or other times when real dishes just aren't practical.

The Earth Essentials line also includes paper towels, napkins and toilet tissue made with post consumer recycled paper. To learn more visit cvs.com

Is Your Pediatrician Green? 5 Questions to Ask

This article has some excellent questions. Enjoy.

Food, Inc. a new documentary

I recently saw the documentary Food, Inc. This scary and eye opening film has left many looking at their food very differently and questioning the regulatory effectiveness of the FDA and USDA.

The film points how our nation's food supply is controlled by a handful of large corporations who make decisions based on the bottom line rather than on consumer health, the safety of workers, the environment, or even our farmers.

The film also has interviews with authors Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma), plus Stonyfield Farms' owner Gary Hirschberg and Polyface Farms' Joe Salatin.

As they say in the close "you'll never look at dinner the same way." And as you checkout, thanks for voting.

A Company that Walks Their Talk

First company in the world to be Climate Neutral(TM)certified receives prestigious awards for environmental leadership


PLEASANTON, Calif., June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Shaklee Corporation, the leading natural nutrition company in the United States, is pleased to announce two new environmental awards for 2009 that honor the company's sustainable business practices.

In April, Breathe California presented Shaklee with the Clean Air Award for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions. And, on May 28, the company was awarded with the 2009 Acterra Business Award for Sustainability.

"Shaklee has been committed to environmental stewardship for over 50 years, and we are honored to be recognized for our efforts," says Shaklee Chairman and CEO, Roger Barnett. "Our company was created with a mission to make people and the planet healthier -- values that are more relevant now than ever before. Today, this mission remains deeply engrained in the 750,000 Shaklee Eco-Entrepreneurs(TM) around the world, guiding them as they positively impact the health of our families and planet through our sustainable business model," he adds.

Shaklee received the 2009 Business Award for Sustainability from Acterra. During Acterra's rigorous three-month judging process that involved 25 regional environmental and sustainability experts, Shaklee presented the panel with highlights from its 50 year sustainability portfolio which includes pioneering leadership in greenhouse gas emissions reductions, long term commitment to environmentally friendly products, environmental advocacy through partnerships with leading NGO's, and through community advocacy through Shaklee's 750,000 eco-entrepreneurs.

"Shaklee emerged as the winner in a field of very fine and qualified
candidates due to its exceptional achievements in each Business Environmental Awards category, the combination of which forms our top award for sustainability," says Norm Ploss, Business Environmental Awards judging team captain. "They lead in corporate environmental awareness, proving green and sustainable is a successful business model; Shaklee Corporation is a standout on all accounts."

Breathe California awarded Shaklee the 2009 Clean Air Award for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions because of Shaklee's pioneering leadership in achieving a net-zero carbon footprint. In 2000, Shaklee became the first company in the world to be Climate Neutral(TM) certified to totally offset its greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in a net-zero impact on the environment. Achieving another first, in 2007, Shaklee became the first consumer products company to offset 100% of its greenhouse gas emissions through the U.S. EPA Climate Leaders program and use 100% green power.

As part of an active and continuous environmental mission, Shaklee has celebrated the following recent sustainable accomplishments:

-- On Earth Day, April 22, 2009, California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai, Global Ambassador of the Shaklee A Million Trees. A Million Dreams(TM) campaign, took part in a tree-planting ceremony with Shaklee CEO and Chairman Roger Barnett at Shaklee World Headquarters in Pleasanton, Calif., to commemorate the company's monumental achievement of planting 1 million trees in just 3 years.

-- The EPA Green Power Partnership named Shaklee to the EPA Top 20 Retail Partner List in 2008 to recognize the company as a top purchaser of
green power.

-- Shaklee's partnership with Millennium Promise, an organization that
prototypes ways to implement United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, facilitated direct emissions reductions by providing sustainable solar energy to electrify villages in Malawi, Africa.

-- Sales from Shaklee's best-selling Get Clean Starter kit eliminated
88 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions this year.

"Fifty years ago, Shaklee's founder defined a new market space around natural, non-polluting products. Today, environmental thinking is embedded in everything Shaklee does, from sourcing biodegradable ingredients to offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions from sales conventions," said Dan Esty, co-author of Green to Gold & Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy and Director of the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale University.

About Breathe California
Breathe California is dedicated to fighting lung disease, advocating for clean air, and advancing public health. For more than a century, Breathe California has addressed the most serious health threats of our time through grass-roots programs that empower individual, institutional, and community change for better breathing and healthier living. For information about Breathe California, the Clean Air Awards, or the award recipients, visit www.cleanairawards.org.

About Acterra
Acterra is a nonprofit organization with a 38-year history of environmental leadership and programming in and around Silicon Valley. Acterra's events, resources, and programs involve and educate individuals and communities about a broad range of environmental issues. For information about Acterra, visit www.acterra.org.

About Shaklee Corporation
Founded more than 50 years ago, Shaklee has been a leading provider of premium-quality natural nutrition products, personal care products, and environmentally friendly home care products. In 2000, Shaklee became the first company in the world to be Climate Neutral(TM) certified to totally offset its greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in a net-zero impact on the environment. With a robust product portfolio, including over 50 patents and patents pending worldwide, Shaklee has more than 750,000 Members and Distributors around the globe and operates in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, and China. For information about Shaklee, visit www.Shaklee.com.


SOURCE Shaklee Corporation

Sloane Magny, +1-212-598-4400, Ext. 179, smagny@lippetaylor.com, for Shaklee Corporation © Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved.

12 Years Old and he's created a Solar Cell that could revolutionize the market

A 12 year old Oregon boy is on a mission to save the world - well maybe not exactly, but his science experiment could have a dramatic impact in the green sector, and it's already won him a $25,000 scholarship from the Davidson Institute.

William Yuan, a 12-year old boy from Oregon, who has already studied nuclear fusion and nanotechnology, has designed a 3-D Nanotube Solar Cell which could revolutionize the solar power market - it absorbs 500 times more light than existing solar cells. He said the idea came to him one day and that he worked on it for nearly two years while encouraged by his middle school science teacher.

Here's a news clip on William