Peacekeeper Truth Serum Blog

Everyone knows the three Rs of eco-friendly living: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  But the Argentine National Institute for Industrial Technology (INTI) is taking recycling to a new level.

Their January 2011 newsletter “Saber Como” (Know How) reports that the INTI has developed a new method of extracting natural pigments from agricultural waste and preserving them in water-soluble dust form.  To date, they have extracted over 20 dyes from plants like eucalyptus, peanut shells, ash tree, onions, yerba mate, olive, rosemary, and lemon (see pictures above and below for dyes and colors).  Currently, they are testing these dyes on fabric; they hope to experiment with cosmetics, paint, paper, and rubber in the near future.

Natural dyes are regaining their rightful place in the fashion world, quickly overtaking synthetic colorants that are harmful to the environment.  Most fashion designers extract natural colors by boiling vegetables.

We at PeaceKeeper are excited about the INTI’s findings!  Imagine, having gorgeous clothing for peanuts (literally)!

Want to find out more?  Visit the INTI’s website to read the newsletter (in Spanish; use Google Translate to read it!)  Then leave us a comment and let PeaceKeeper know what you think!

With Love,

The PeaceKeeper Team

(Writer: Renee Estey.  Editor: Jessica Smith.  Pictures courtesy inti.gob.ar.

For more information about PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics, visit www.iamapeacekeeper.com.)

Slowly but surely, we’re becoming more and more conscious of how to lead eco-friendly and sustainable lives, from the foods we eat to the electronics we use, and even the clothing we wear (like Lara Miller or Eco-Chic Swedish Fashion!).  Many modern parents out there are taking this idea of sustainability one step further; they want their children to lead healthy and eco-conscious lives as well.

For Carina Schott, natural parenting was a top priority—but difficult to find information on, especially once she moved from Manhattan to suburban Rhode Island.  So she started the website Nonchalant Mom, a source of information on all aspects of raising a ‘green family’—and a place for ‘natural parents’ to come together and share their own experiences.

The website is a fantastic source for all your eco-friendly needs—clothing (brands include Sweden’s Shampoodle and NY-based Lucky Wang, Matta, and Layla), home décor, toys, books, and even music!

It also provides a great online community center for families looking to live sustainably.  In its official blog, Carina shares great tips for family outings and vacations, recipes, and stories from other ‘green’ parents from around the world.  There’s even a section for the ‘Nonchalant Dads’ among us!

For any parent looking to raise their child the natural way, Nonchalant Mom is an indispensable resource.   Check it out (www.nonchalantmom.com) and tell PeaceKeeper what you think!

With Love,

The PeaceKeeper Team

(Writer:  Renee Estey.  Editors:  Jessica Smith and Eva Kuhn.)

Hey PeaceKeepers,

This Sunday marks a time to celebrate and cherish something incredibly precious—a mother.  On behalf of mothers everywhere, we wish you all a very happy early Mother’s Day!

A mother is a special and beautiful woman, capable of immense sacrifice and love.  The process of becoming a mother is far from easy; it requires unimaginable strength to carry another human being for nine months and undergo terrible pain to bring it into the world.  And after pregnancy, the sheer amount of time, care, compassion, and love that a mother pours into her child must be recognized for the incredible accomplishment that it is.

Here are some of the ways we here at PeaceKeeper are celebrating our wonderful, magnificent mothers:

-Giving her an all-expenses-paid overnight stay at the Ritz: tea in the afternoon, dinner, dancing, and Sunday brunch

-Breakfast in bed, with two perfect pearl earrings hanging from the handles of the teacups

-A two-hour, at-home session with a professional masseuse

-A surprise party  (This lucky mom has her birthday on Mother’s Day!)

Still stumped for ideas?  PeaceKeeper to the rescue!  Until May 9 (the big day!) you can still buy a PeaceKeeper Mother’s Day Care Package, which includes goodies like our “Eco-Easy” Nail Polish Remover; “Paint Me Tranquil” Nail Polish; “Perfect As Is” Lip Balm; A Kiss Canvas for our Kiss Museum; and a pair of peace earrings, all for just $26.00USD!  You can even get this gift overnighted to you OR your mom; just call our office at (212) 673 2233.

How about you, lovely readers?  What are YOU doing to celebrate Mother’s Day?  What are your favorite memories of your mother?  Leave a comment below!

With Love,

The PeaceKeeper Team

(Writer:  Renee Estey.  Editors:  Jessica Smith and Eva Kuhn.)

Dear PeaceKeepers:

From all of us here at PK, Happy 40th Earth Day! Today, April 22, 500 million people are celebrating the beauty and power of Mother Earth. We hope that you will join us in celebrating this eco-friendly holiday!

Earth Day was founded in 1962 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, who decided to organize a grassroots movement to save the environment. The movement spread quickly; in less than half a century, it is now celebrated in 175 countries, almost the entire world!

Every country celebrates Earth day in its own unique and wonderful way. In Thailand, monks in the Dhammakaya movement promote world peace through meditation, inviting people from all corners of the world to come to the Dhammakaya temple and meditate together. Spain holds the two-day Fira de la Tierra (Fair for the Earth), which includes music, dancing, a ‘visual arts concert’, and a public forum on sustainable energy. Here in New York City, Grand Central Station celebrates Earth Day for the entire week, with art from Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, live music, and organic (!) food.

It’s easy to celebrate Earth Day locally, even if there isn’t a big celebration going on where you live! Here are some of PeaceKeeper’s suggestions for living eco-friendly:

-REDUCE! Commute to work or school by walking, biking, or public transit. Not only does this cut back on air pollution (from car exhaust), but it’s also a great way to stay in shape!

-REUSE! Bring your own mug to Starbucks and your own bags to the supermarket. Tons of paper and plastic are wasted every year on disposable cups and bags. Also use stainless steel water bottles instead of buying Evian or Poland Spring. Not only are those plastic bottles wasteful, they also contain harmful chemicals that can infect the water you drink!

-Recycle! Who could forget? Visit www.recyclenow.com to find out how you can start recycling locally, what items you can and can’t recycle, and what all those funny triangles on the underside of your recycleables mean.

-Eat less meat. You don’t have to go all-vegetarian, but try to eat at least one meat-free meal a week. This cuts back on carbon emissions, which cuts back on global warming!

-Cut back on processed foods in general. Like with plastic water bottles, these contain chemicals that are often the last things you want in your body.

There are so many ways to stay green we can’t list them all here, so we want to hear from YOU! How are you celebrating Earth Day? How do you live eco-friendly? Comment on this blog or drop us a line at info@iamapeacekeeper.com!

What’s your drug of choice? Addiction is a funny thing in that it can manifest itself in emotional as well as physical forms. Is someone’s addiction to being in a relationship no matter the quality equitable to someone who can’t start the day without a cup of coffee? Addiction has had a rather nasty connotation in the years past, but lately I’ve seen it been ascribed to much lighter subject matters, like lip balm.

I laughed when I read the headline of an article posted in today’s Baltimore Sun. I couldn’t help but equate the withdrawal process that heroin addicts have to undergo to get clean—could the same terminology be used to describe the process of quitting lip balm? As I read further, I started to realize that obsession with lip balm was closer to home than I thought.

I can’t tell you how many lip products I own. Definitely in the double digits. At this instant I have three tucked away in various compartments of my school bag, not to mention the lip balm that I always tuck into the left pocket of my jeans. It would be no stretch to say that I’ve spent at least double on lip products than other cosmetics. It’s been estimated that the lip balm sales have increased dramatically with consumers spending an astounding $378 million dollars in one year.

I definitely use lip product on a daily basis. While on the field during a rugby match earlier this year I asked someone on the sidelines to bring me some balm during a time-out to sooth my wind burned lips. I remember the relief I felt as I applied before running back on the field. But was that relief real? Or was my relief just psychological? Am I an addict, PeaceKeepers? The thought of abandoning my Eco-Sensual Balm with winter approaching makes me cringe; New York winters are notoriously nasty. I see lip balm as a protective barrier between my body and the world. To be frank, using lip balm is just as much of my hygiene routine as brushing my teeth. If I don’t use I feel dirty and unattractive. Hello everyone, my name is Alice, and I’m a lip-balm-oholic.

Being an addict could be a good thing, if you know how to do it right. Knowing that my money is going to help women and children around the world each time I apply any PeaceKeeper product soothes my soul as well as my lips. Does it still count as rationalization if it’s true?

Peace,

Alice

I’m sure that everyone is sick of the subject, but lately the state of the U.S. economy has been on my mind. Even while I was in Belgium for this beginning of the year, I’ve been feeling the dollar woes. By the time I left, the Euro was worth up to $1.60. I came back to New York jobless and faced with the horrifying reality of paying my own rent (being a grown-up is expensive, who knew?). After about three weeks of searching on Craigslist and MonsterTrak, I found myself with two jobs, one here at PeaceKeeper and another waiting table in Chelsea. After being hired on the spot at the restaurant (yes, I am this witty and engaging in person), I realized that I needed to snag a few more black articles of clothing for the uniform; no one likes a smelly server, charisma or no. Here I was faced with a dilemma: do I buy clothing that is guaranteed sweatshop free, or do I save money at a store that might not ensure healthy working conditions for employees? Stores like American Apparel that are vertically integrated (that means that American Apparel owns and controls every aspect of the manufacturing process from making fabric to selling finished products), where the average employee earns $25,000 per year (roughly $12 per hour). In comparison, I learned in an article from Time Magazine that H&M is able to keep prices down by using factories in Third World nations (they don’t own any manufacturing factories). To put things in perspective, a plain black tee-shirt from American Apparel is $16 while a similar tee-shirt at H&M is $5.90.  After taking a class on political economy, I have enough knowledge on economics to understand that the incredibly simple principle that everyone benefits from trade is completely overshadowed by the problems of politics. This conundrum pops up everywhere. On my way to work: do I splurge for fair trade coffee or save by buying street-vendor coffee at half the price? Do I buy a Coke product even with the reports claiming human rights abuses? Do I watch the Olympics? The list goes on. As a young and budding humanitarian, I think it’s incredibly important to work through all mediums, from volunteering directly to shopping with a conscience. But I was in a tough spot, money was tight and a rent check looming in the future. I’ve been trying everything to save money by cooking for myself and staying within a budget, limiting unnecessary purchases, etc. However, I think that denying yourself simple pleasures like an ice cold mocha-minty-coffee beverage with a double serving of whipped cream or a new pair of chic sandals only leads to stress, which should be avoided at all cost. Did you know that it’s been estimated that stress is related to 99% of illnesses? When it comes to clothing, my rationale (I suppose rationalization is a more apt term…) is that I aim to wear the article of clothing one time for every dollar that I spend. With today’s economy, it’s hard for people to spend more money when alternative options are much cheaper. This may just seem like more rationalization, but at the time I didn’t spend much time thinking about it. It wasn’t until I had a conversation with one of my fellow servers at our restaurant about the bizarre advertising campaign for American Apparel did I realize my failure to practice what I preached when I went for the cheaper goods. So now on my way home from work, it’s a bar of Green & Blacks that makes it way into my purse because it doesn’t get much better than fair trade chocolate. What do you think, PeaceKeepers? How important is buying Fair Trade, especially on a budget?

Peace,

Alice

I don’t know about you, but my New Year has started off with a bang. My inbox is filled with e-mails from tons of people who saved up communications they didn’t complete before the Holidays and my calendar is filling up like a spring flood. All of this makes me wonder about how to nurture myself and keep a balanced life as the New Year steams ahead. One secret I recently read about is from the mystic Eckhart Tolle. He says that the best way to enjoy the sensual pleasures and blessings of one’s life is to stop what we are doing and live in the moment…. even for a few moments in the middle of our day. I love this idea. Since work and deadlines are not going anywhere, why not stop a few times a day for even a minute at a time and feel one’s own body, breathe in the air and be a witness to the how precious life is right here and now. How cool is that; crazy hard work coupled with crazy gratefulness. Eckhart Tolle’s book is called “The Power of Now” for those yogi’s out there interested in learning more.
By the way, do you have a good idea or story that you would like to share on our blog on how to create a delicious life? Send it to us with a photo of yourself, and if your story is picked, we’ll send you a PeaceKeeper Cosmetics Gift Package valued at $45.00.

Peace, Jody

If there is anything the Holidays seem to do its wear people out. We rush around, get gifts, give gifts and go back to work. To often we don’t take the time to really celebrate what we already have, the awesome things that aren’t “things”; the people in our lives.

My mom sent out holiday cards with an added twist; an envelope with a thank you card and a note to send out that card to someone you really want to thank, a person who really made a difference in your life this year.

I encourage you to do the same. Send a card, an email, make a phone call or just face to face tell someone who really makes a difference in your life “Thank you”. It might be the best gift you give the holiday season. (Right after some PeaceKeeper Lipstick, but even that is topped by a heartfelt “thank you”!)

Peace,
Jen

TRUTH SERUM
Volume 1

Welcome to PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics new blog called Truth Serum. Why call a beauty line’s blog Truth Serum? It is because we need BIG doses of the truth. It is because truth is the single most beautiful quality we have. Truth, when spoken or lived, shines brightly and takes our breath away. Most radically truth helps us see clearly and deeply into what is really important and what is not.

Truth, when lived in every aspect of our lives, creates power in us – but the right kind of power. Yogis say that when one practices truthfulness then ultimately whatever one says will come true. Well, I look at it like this… when someone is really truthful they are deeply trusted; people open their hearts up to them and feel safe with them. When someone is established is real truth, love surrounds them… Now that’s Beautiful!

This is the same for a product brand. When established in real truth, everyone knows it and supports the brand. We see this with Paul Newman’s products and other Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, or LOHAS, brands. So our blog will focus on truth in business, truth in cosmetics and truth in life.

To start with, why is it important to create a brand that gives its after-tax profits to women’s health advocacy and human rights issues? aim is to allow all of us women in the land-of-plenty can help create a bridge to women and girls who, just by chance of birth, can’t even afford food; let alone lipstick. It is because our empowerment is deeply tied to their well-being and empowerment, because its even more fulfilling to take good care of ourselves while helping others in urgent need!

I call this “co-powerment” – not just my empowerment but our empowerment. This bridge that we can build together will enable us to walk over to things that are not so comfortable for us, enabling us to reach deeper into our hearts to the home of compassion and empathy. This bridge will enable our peers who live in great danger to have a more fulfilled, sustainable, non-violent and free lives. This bridge builds what I call “Eternal Equity”. Equity, real equity; that is probably the single most beautiful thing there is … more beautiful than youth, or wealth or fame. Equity enables us all to feel good… not just some of us. ALL of us…Eternal Equity…Equity that turns out to be the Holy Grail. When win/win is found, a type of gentle sweetness prevails.
Equity inspires us to share, to celebrate together… It actually instantaneously removes loneliness… If I could bottle equity, I would! Instead, I want to whisper it to you like a treasured secret… at all times, in all that you do, PLEASE make it as equitable as you can. I promise you, you will feel GREAT every time that you do.

Therefore, the goal of PeaceKeeper’s Truth Serum Blog is to create this bridge, explore the concept of Eternal Equity, explore what real beauty is and to play! We have such enormous hearts… let’s explore these things together to co-create a more fulfilling life!