California NOW

Monday's Action Checklist

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued guidelines requiring insurance coverage for birth control with no co-pays in new insurance plans.  It was a major victory for women's health. Women need access to contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancies, plan the size of their families, and protect their health. The HHS guidelines will make effective birth control affordable for millions of women an overdue and welcome change.  The new HHS policy also creates a special exception for certain religious employers, allowing them to deny coverage for contraceptive services which religious and anti-family planning groups are using to try to make the exception even broader.  TAKE ACTION NOW:  Contact the HHS to tell them that a broader exception would undermine religious liberty and harm women.

All over the world, women are fighting to earn equality and respect within the fields of math and science. Currently, Forever 21's "Allergic to Algebra" shirt is yet another sexist message aimed at young women telling them that math is uncool -- while bragging about being bad at math is cool. This is similar to Mattel's "Math Is Hard" Barbie, or JCPenney's recent "I'm Too Pretty For Math, So My Brother Has To Do It For Me" tee.  Would these retailers ever consider selling "I Can't Do Long Division!" shirts for boys or men? Or "Proud to be Illiterate!" shirts for either gender? Simply put, "Allergic to Algebra" pushes an ignorant, sexist, and debunked trope about women and math that will not die so long as shirts like these are sold by major retailers such as Forever 21.  TAKE ACTION NOW:  Tell Forever 21 to stop selling clothing with sexist messages.

In Sonoma County, there is a redwood forest that has been trying to replenish itself after taking a huge hit from logging a century ago.  Only 5% of its trees have grown back in over 100 years.  Through these redwoods runs the Gualala River; it contains endangered salmon, a vital part of the area’s ecosystem as well as 50 rare and sensitive plant and animal species. Two wineries, Artesa Napa Winery and Premier Pacific Vineyards, are proposing to clear-cut over 1,900 acres of these redwoods to be replaced by their vineyards.  In addition to its environmental significance, this area also holds great spiritual and cultural significance to a tribe of Native Americans, the Kashia Pomo, who still live there and regard it as a blessed place where their ancestors are buried.  TAKE ACTION NOW:  Tell our elected officials to help us stop Codorniu’s Artesa Napa Winery and Premier Pacific Vineyards from destroying redwoods and the lives of Native Americans for sake of their financial gain.

Every year, international college students spend thousands of dollars to work at globally recognized institutions and experience America, only to find themselves with abysmal treatment and poverty wages. Against all odds, students working for the famous chocolate factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania have gone on strike to fight back against the company's predatory practices and to win fair wages. Their story has inspired national attention and a State Department investigation.  TAKE ACTION NOW:  Sign the petition to demand the end of the exploitation of student workers at the Hershey's plant, return the money they paid for a cultural exchange, and make these jobs living wage jobs for local Pennsylvania workers.

Mothers' Day can be Eco-feminist and Eco-fashionable!

Have you been paying attention to our pieces on toxic makeup and skincare products? Give mom an alternative with Olie Biologique. Organic natural oils for skin care, and they partner with the Cambodian Children’s Fund, which provides life-changing education, nourishment and healing to vulnerable children from some of Cambodia’s most destitute communities.

Lotty Dotty's two female founders based their t-shirt designs on paper dolls, and use organic cotton and bamboo, as well as recycled material to produce the clothing. Lotty Dotty strictly works with environmentally and socially conscious companies and donate a portion of their profits to an established and transparent charity. 


Out of Print Clothing features many women writers, including Emily Bronte, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Sylvia Plath, Harper Lee, and Jane Austen. For each shirt they sell, one book is donated to a community in need through their partner Books For Africa.  
(Fair disclosure, they sent us the two cute shirts featured in this mother/daughter photo.)

Got an active mom on your list? One of our writers tried out a pair of Injinji toesocks on an active hiking holiday, and loved them! Their Eco-made sock is made from repurposing recycled plastic bottles and postindustrial waste.

How about a book to inspire? Global Girlfriends: How One Mom Made It Her Business to Help Women in Poverty Worldwide, tells mom turned entrepreneur Stacey Edgar’s story of following her convictions, starting a company, and meeting the women she wants so desperately to help, as well as her passionate argument for simple actions we can all take to eliminate extreme poverty. Part memoir, part business book, and part analysis of fair trade and the global economy, Global Girlfriends follows Stacey’s struggles and triumphs to change the world for poor women all over.

And the Global Girlfriend site features many products that help women around the globe! 

Quick Hit: Charitable Products for March

When we are contacted by companies wanting us to feature their products, we always try to determine if they are attempting to greenwash or pinkwash a destructive company to create a better image. Although we do our best to weed out those kinds of promotions, it should go without saying that a charity is almost always better off with a direct donation than from buying a product that donates part of its proceeds.

However, with that said, if you were going to buy a specific type of product anyway, it can't hurt to buy one that is doing some good in the world.

If you're planning on giving flowers this month, why not choose a bouquet from Organic Bouquet's Flowers for Good collection, several of which support women's charities like The Global Fund for Women and Women for Women International.

Like beads, jewelry, or shea butter skin products? In honor of International Women’s Day 100th anniversary, BeadforLife is working to throw 500 BeadParties by March 31st.  Money raised from these 500 BeadParties will help Ugandan women MARCH Out of Poverty by providing 150 women the opportunity to earn steady income for one year.

Make Your Valentine's Day Fair Trade, Eco-friendly, and Feminist!

Although we don't often do product reviews, we do like to share with you ways to celebrate events like Valentine's Day while supporting positive businesses that help make the world a better place. In that spirit, here are some great ways to make sure that your Valentine's Day celebration promotes equality worldwide.

Valentine's Day accounts for 40% of fresh flower sales annually. Organic Bouquet estimates that over 200 million roses were produced for Valentine’s Day 2011. Although businesses like Whole Foods and Stop & Shop have taken the important first step of offering Fair Trade flowers to consumers who want no part of the abuses of the flower industry, 1-800-Flowers -the world's largest florist- offers no Fair Trade flowers at all. Tell 1-800-Flowers to join other major retailers in offering Fair Trade flowers.

The US Census Bureau reports that only 11% of households gift each other jewelry on Valentine’s Day. If you do want to give jewelry, avoid conflict gemstones and metals by buying from a business like Brilliant Earth, which uses conflict-free gemstones and recycled precious metals. Also check the Generation Green reports on toxic metals in jewelry before buying from any mainstream retailer.

284,000 children toil in abusive labor conditions in West Africa’s cocoa fields, but fair trade chocolates like those listed here ensure that your goodies don't come at the expense of a child's life.

Have you been paying attention to our postings on the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics? Then you'll love these products from Clairvoyant Beauty, which are certified organic, natural, and cruelty-free! You can have great skin-care products without the artificial ingredients and dangerous chemicals, and they have a special running through February 13th that you won't want to miss!

Or make your own with these recipes from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics!

Looking for a fashionable green alternative to flip-flops for this Summer? Check out OKA b. shoes - stylish, recyclable, vegan shoes that are made in the USA and designed to be healthy for your feet!

Celebrate women authors with a shirt from Out of Print Clothing. With covers for books by Maya Angleou, Toni Morrison, Sylvia Plath, Carolyn Keene, Jane Austen, Harper Lee, and more, these shirts will make you the toast of the literary crowd.

 On February 15, Gilt.com is offering a special online sale of child-labor-free certified rugs from GoodWeave partners, up to 70% off retail.  When you buy a rug with the GoodWeave label, you’re supporting rigorous monitoring of labor practices, life-changing opportunities for South Asian children, and the creation of a more ethical marketplace. Every purchase generates funds for GoodWeave’s programs serving weaving communities in Nepal and India, from daycare to health clinics.

Go green when you wrap your gift too! Choose a reusable wrapping solution like Lyziwraps to make your gift fashionable and eco-friendly.

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, join us on February 17th at the Marsh Theater in Berkeley for a free private screening of the movie Pink Skies, an inspirational documentary about the empowerment of women. The film features breast cancer survivors, researchers, healers and activists, and explores what’s working and what needs to be changed in the seismic shift toward breast cancer prevention. 6-10 p.m. Marsh Art Center, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. Film screening starts at 7, followed by Q&A with filmmaker Gulcin Gilbert, Stacy Malkan of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and others. Raffles and auction will raise money for breast cancer prevention efforts. Shop for the Cause vendor booths available. Please RSVP here. Hope to see you there!

Campaign For Safe Cosmetics Closes Out Safe Cosmetics Compact

California NOW is proud to be a part of The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of more than 150 nonprofit organizations working to protect the health of consumers and workers by eliminating dangerous chemicals from cosmetics.

The “Compact for Safe Cosmetics” has been signed by more than 1,500 cosmetics companies since 2004, and calls for full disclosure of ingredients in personal care products and avoidance of chemicals known to cause cancer, reproductive harm and other health problems. 250 companies have fulfilled all the promises of the Compact and hundreds more are close to compliance.