The uproar over Don Imus’ appalling comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team have thrown a sharp spotlight onto how powerful consumers can be in the marketplace — simply when they stand up for what’s right. By rebuking Imus’ racist, mysogynistic statements, the distinguished women of Rutgers and the men and women who have supported […]
Author Archive | Diane
Leading the Bull
Remember when people used to say, “you’ve got the whole world in your hands”? Not any more. These days, we women have the whole world in our purses – or we could, if we’d only change the way we spend our money. Big Green Purse contends that women who shift their spending to environmentally-friendly products […]
Beat the Peeps
If there’s one thing I hate to see on store shelves around this time of year, it’s “Peeps.” These sugar-coated, marshmallow-molded, chick-imitating disasters masquerade as Easter candy. But truth be told, they’ve got to be the most disgusting option available for a child’s Easter basket — or his tummy, for that matter. I’ve always wondered […]
Are We Bulldozing Medicines Before We Discover Them?
It seems second nature to reach for an aspirin to stop a headache or ward off potential heart disease. We can do so thanks to the stately willow tree, the aspirin’s biological source. But what if sources for the medicines that haven’t been developed yet are destroyed before they have a chance to be discovered? […]
A Year Without Toilet Paper?
A family living in New York City is making news because they’re giving up toilet paper for a year. They’re also foregoing new clothes, foods not grown within a 250-mile radius of Manhattan, and all forms of carbon-fueled transportation. That means they don’t take cars or cabs and they don’t ride elevators, though they do […]
Hot Women
Amid reports this week that this has been the world’s warmest winter since the government first began keeping track more than a hundred years ago, more and more women are voicing their concerns about the disproportionate impact that a hotter planet has on them and their families. The Gender and Climate Change website argues: “Climate […]
Fresh Food Wins Again
You know fresh food tastes better. Turns out, it’s safer for you, too. A new study by Environmental Working Group has found a toxic ingredient associated with birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems in the lining of over half of 97 cans of name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda and other commonly eaten canned […]
Air Pollution Gives Women “Heart Break”
You thought air pollution only hurt our lungs? Not so. When women breathe the polluted air that’s common in many cities, we’re also increasing our risk of heart disease. Here’s what happens: air pollution is made up of minute particles of dirt, dust, soot and grit that come from burning fuel at power plants, industrial […]