Going, Going "Green"
If you've recently peered over the magazines while standing in line at the grocery store checkout, you've probably noticed a number of publications going "green." I don't mean the cover or pages are the color green, but the contents are focused on ecological trends and issues. Some may have thought it was a Hippie fad when the environmental movement began on April 22, 1970 (the first Earth Day). But more than three decades later, the so-called fad is still greatly popular with consumers, educators, manufacturers, politicians, and healthcare providers, to name a few.
We are all aware of the drive to preserve and purify our air, water, land, and other natural resources. But, what about our own bodies? Concerns for improved health and wellbeing are also rising among these same constituents. Most of us have probably examined food labels to evaluate calories, carbs, vitamins, or proteins. But do you pay as much attention to what you put on your body as you do in your mouth?
Our skin is the largest organ of the body, covering approximately 22 square feet and weighing around nine pounds. We often think of our skin as the frontline defense for our body, but equally as important are the processes of exchange between internal and external environments—respiration, absorption, and elimination.
As green-conscience consumers, I encourage you to be equally aware and scrupulous of what ingredients are put onto your skin and into your body care products as you are about what you eat, breath, and drink.
— Kira Peterson, president Verikira Naturals, www.verikira.com