Is Toxic the New Black?

The fashion industry seems to think that toxic is the shade of the season, with new evidence of toxic clothes to match toxic purses and toxic jewelry. Greenpeace has recently released a report that uncovers the use of a cocktail of toxic chemicals in clothing by 20 major fashion brands, including Calvin Klein, Armani, Victoria’s

Forever 21: Forever Toxic?

The popular retailer Forever 21 is a leader in cheap, fast fashion. It offers one-stop shopping for clothes and accessories which look like they came straight from yesterday’s catwalk but are only a fraction of the price.  This strategy has helped to make Forever 21 stores ubiquitous in malls across the nation and their styles

From Dolly to Dinner: Your Right to Know

In California, voters have a chance next month to take a stand for our right to know when our food has been genetically modified, whether in plants or animals, by voting YES on Prop 37, the Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act. GMO foods are currently found in 70% of packaged foods in conventional

Mountain Dew Madness: What’s That Flame Retardant Doing in My Soda?

We all know that sodas are full of sugar, buy you may be surprised (and grossed out) to find that a chemical called brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a patented flame retardant, has also been added to  approximately 10% of sodas for decades in North America.  No need to worry about your soda catching on fire!

Cranberry Sauce Showdown

Yes, we know we know:  Your mom/aunt/uncle/(insert family member here) is the best cook in the world and no one knows how to make gravy or stuffing or mashed potatoes like she/he does.  We’d never argue with that, but all we’re saying is that Thanksgiving dinner is wide open to interpretation, and that’s exactly what

What’s Inside Your Tech Gadgets? The History and Health Impacts of Rare Earth Metals

From missiles and aircraft generators to ipods and tv monitors, rare earth metals are used in a vast amount of the products we use everyday.  With the increase in production of tech gadgets comes an increase in global demand for rare earth metals–but that demand comes a cost.  The mining, refining, and manufacturing processes used