Product Safety

There was a time when I was really interested in only buying products not tested on animals. Unfortunately, I never followed through with it. Not anymore!

I recently discovered podcasts (yes, welcome to the 21st century Nicole) and have been listening to my subscriptions during any spare moment I have. I particularly like listening to them when I'm getting ready to go out or when I'm cleaning.

I was listening to the Sierra Club Radio podcast just mere moments ago and had to stop cleaning to blog about this website they were featuring.

The Good Guide is a website currently in beta testing (so they're welcoming comments & suggestions) that "provides the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home". I don't know, maybe I'm behind the times & many of you already know about this website, but perhaps there are a few who haven't and will benefit from this blog post.

From their website:
"With GoodGuide, You Can...

Find Safe, Healthy & Green Products that protect you and your family.

Search or Browse over 60,000 Personal Care & Household Chemical Products, and see what’s really beneath the label.

Get Expert Advice & Recommendations on products and quickly learn the impacts of what you buy.

Find better products, and make purchasing decisions based on what’s important to you.

Create a personalized Shopping List with the products that are right for you & your family.

GoodGuide gives you the best information available, wherever and whenever you need it most.

We’ll help you find better products that represent your values, avoid products that are harmful to your health, the environment, or society – and enable you to take actions to help improve the world."

If you're skeptical about the credibility or depth of this website, check out their "about us" page here. Dana O'Rourke (during the interview on Sierra Club Radio) stated that he wanted this to be something that could be easily used when you're in the store with screaming kids and have 30 seconds to pick a product. Perhaps that was a major reason I never followed through with the products tested on animals--I just never had the time or patience to sift through them.

And last but not least, for all those with an iPhone, they're coming out with an iPhone app. We can only hope that it will be free.