Not Even Touching Gaiam
Gaiam is the new SIGG, in case you missed the BPA leaching heard ’round the world.
I am out on this one. Twenty-times the leaching level as SIGG Bottles (manufactured before August 2008), and Gaiam did, indeed, market themselves as “BPA-free”.
THESE companies are why no one middle-America does not give a shit about “green” or “BPA” or “environmentalism“. They feel they cannot trust the words or the promises. (Yes, I, who do not cuss, just went there…)
That is all you are getting from me regarding BPA.
You want more info? Check Strollerderby, JustGetThere, Mother Nature Network, and of course, Z Recommends.
Moving on…
Gaiam the world’s leading supplier of yoga inspired products, continues to manufacture PVC yoga mats representing millions of PVC mat sales over the last decade including PVC yoga mats to kids…… Fashionably green? No, much worse……. ethically compromised and corrupt. Boycott, Gaiam!
Amen, John. I bought a Gaiam yoga mat a couple years ago, before I was thinking about PVC, phthalates, hormone-inhibitors through my health products stuff. Sure enough, it’s plastic. And they are the world leader in yoga-inspired products. It is sad when the products designed with health in mind knowingly cheap out and use unethical standards of materials or human labor to produce their goods.
Thanks for pointing that out. Good addition to the convo.
Whoops. OK, commented on your SIGG post before reading this.
Lotuspad makes really, really nice TPE yoga mats. They used to make a kids’ size too, but unfortunately discontinued that. But the quality is superb.
It’s sad to read your observation that issues like this might actually damage eco-friendlier movements on the part of the general population. But BPA in water bottles is a great example of how it can damage the way “greens” perceive their options. Many now seem to think that stainless steel is the only safe choice, and steel is so much more resource intensive than aluminum. Ultimately I have to wonder how many of those who buy stainless steel water bottles really end up using them for the 20 years they’ll last. And what then? How many of them really get recycled, and how much energy is then required to do so? Aluminum bottles tread much more lightly and, of course, we all have access to the means to recycle them.
This is a great post.. Very informative… I can see that you put a lot of hard work on your every post that’s why I think I’d come here more often. Keep it up! By the way, you can also drop by my blogs. They’re about Vegetable Gardening and Composting. I’m sure you’d find my blogs helpful too.
Hey Micah,
Thanks for the kind words.
Your blogs are great, btw. I do have to say, I’m not really down with self-promotion disguised as comments, and you’re bordering on that. If that comment was under a post related to food, gardening, composting, etc. it wouldn’t look so obvious. You know. I usually just block comments like this, but your sincerity seemed to outshine what I’m calling you out on.
Just thought I’d lay that out there.
Thanks again.
But for real, Micah, both website of yours are REALLY good. Solid content, great pics… as soon as Marc and I get a home (2010!), we have a TON to learn from your sites.
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