Earth Day is April 22, and Herban Lifestyle is celebrating being green!

photo ©2009 Julia Guarino

As you probably know, Herban Lifestyle is proud to use only truly natural and organic ingredients, which means only organic and/or ethically wildcrafted herbs and essential oils, organic fabrics and fill, no preservatives, artificial colors, fragrances, or surfactants, and no synthetic, petroleum-based or other chemical ingredients. We pledge to these standards as a signer of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, and we always adhere to Whole Foods’ Premium Bodycare Standards.

But did you know that Herban Lifestyle is green in other ways? When we package things for you, we only use 100% recycled paper labels, and all packaging and shipping supplies are recycled, recyclable and/or biodegradable. To ship, we only use the US Postal Service; did you know that the USPS holds “Cradle to Cradle”Certification at the Silver level for human and environmental health? To further ensure environmentally responsible business practice, we always offset 100% of our carbon footprint through purchase of CleanCurrents and CarbonFund RECs, and we are an Environmental Protection Agency Green Power Partner, which means we purchase green power in amounts that meet EPA’s requirements.

As a member of Green America and the Sustainable Business Network of Washington, we also pledge to practice ethical business and labor standards, which is easy since everything we sell is handcrafted in Falls Church, VA we do absolutely no manufacturing! In our efforts to be conscientious members of our community we also donate 5% of gross revenues to charity, including Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest), Sierra Club, Herb Research Foundation, and Martha’s Table, we donate goods to local charities (such as EcoVentures) for their fundraising efforts, and we purchase our 800 number through Earth Tones, where 100% of their profit goes to grassroots environmental causes.

We hope you’ll celebrate Earth Day with us! Check out the EPA’s website to learn about Earth Day events and volunteer opportunities happening near you. Be green!

This post was written by guest blogger, Julia Guarino.

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Green Is Calling You

The following is a guest post by Julia Guarino

I try to be as green a I can in all aspects of my life, but is it possible to think green when you are making decisions about everyday products like cell phones and credit card companies?

It is! I recently became an individual member of Green America, which publishes the National Green Pages – a listing of environmentally and socially responsible businesses. (Incidentally, Herban Lifestyle recently applied to be a member of their Green Business Network). They list businesses in almost any category you can think of, and (speaking from experience) their screening process is extensive, so you can feel good about working with any of the businesses they include.

One of my favorite Green companies – one that I have had a credit card with and that my family purchased long distance phone services through for years, and which I discovered has recently started a mobile phone service called CREDO Mobile on the Sprint Network – is Working Assets. They donate a portion of the revenue from their reliable, high-quality services to nonprofits “Supporting peace, equality, human rights and the environment.” This has amounted to over $60 million since 1985. You can read about the nonprofits they support, and even vote on who they should support next year, here.

So, the next time you’re looking for any new service, or thinking of switching from any of your old providers, take a look at the Green Pages! And when you’re there, keep an eye out for Herban Lifestyle!