Please allow me to introduce myself

Hi. Let me introduce myself. I'm Lori. The Lori in Lori's Earth Friendly Products. My husband Mason and I are the team behind Lori's Earth Friendly Products. How did we get into this type of business? We are vegetarians and are interested in promoting a healthy lifestyle for our family, our community, and our followers. And we want to do our part in saving the planet. I have been a vegetarian for 30 years. But even before that, my Mom raised me on big salads with wheat germ and lecithin.

Mason is the writer, photographer (he took that picture of me over there on the right), and marketing director. I am the programmer of the website and the kid in the candy store. What do I mean by that? I just launched a website with over 10,000 natural products. I'm so excited I can't decide which one to try next!

Should I try a natural skincare system? How about some volumizing shampoos and conditioners? Look at all these great nutrition bars and snacks that can support my weight-loss journey with Weight Watchers. Or protein bars and protein powders to have before a workout. Maybe we can find some healthy treats for our dog. Look--biodegradable doggie poop bags! Yum--hemp hearts on my salad. It has a great nutty flavor and is packed with nutrients. Let's get some luscious pampering soaps for our friends. I want to try a cutting board and a colander made from recycled food containers. Why don't we plant some edible flowers? Perhaps our kids would like this tasty vitamin powder. Do you get the idea? This just scratches the surface of all the cool products I get to play with.

So even though Mason is the writer and I am the techno geek, I'm going to try lots of products and tell you all about them. Stay tuned....

Report from the Fancy Food Show: Yes, There Were Healthy Products!

 Lori's Earth Friendly Products hit the Javits Center in New York on Sunday to peruse the Fancy Food Show. Besides the tons of gourmet coffee and chocolate, far away from the center of things (specifically, Javits North, located about 2 blocks from the main building via an above-ground tunnel), were a smattering of health-oriented exhibitors, including three whose products we carry!

 

Lori at the entrance to Javits North, where many health-related vendors had booths.

Lori with Kevin and Daniel of Think Products, makers of high-protein and high-fiber bars, including the delicious ThinkThin Fiber Toffee Almond Protein Plus Fiber bar, and ThinkThin Creamy Butter bars, which we both tried and loved. We also tried the new Salted Caramel bar, which Lori is holding. It was decadent. That's coming soon! Check out all ThinkThin products.

Lori also caught up with Ann from Kay's Naturals, makers of gluten free high-protein cereals. They introduced a chocolate-flavored cereal that will be available in September, and also had on display their classic French Vanilla O's, Better Balance Pretzel Sticks with Jalapeno Honey Mustard, Chilli Nacho Cheese protein chips, and their popular Mac and Cheese Puffs. Check out all of Kay's Naturals products.

We also visited our friends at NuGo, which makes a lineup of high protein bars, where they were introducing their new Stronger bar, which has 25 grams of protein and is great for strength and workouts. For dieters, they recommend cutting a Stronger Bar in half for better portion control. Stronger is available in Caramel Pretzel, Cookies 'N Cream, Peanut Cluster, and Real Dark Chocolate (really, really good!) in cases of 12 2.82 ounce bars. They also showed us the dieter-friendly Slim Raspberry Truffle and Slim Espresso. See all NuGo products.

Taking a Stand: Regulate Dangerous E-Cigarettes and Liquid Nicotene

Opinion

Lori's Earth Friendly Products strongly condemns the sale of "e-cigarettes" as they are currently made and marketed because they are unregulated, dangerous, and their contents can be easily ingested by children due to lack of childproofing.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a recent study has shown that calls to poison control centers about exposure to the liquid nicotine (“e-juice”) used in e-cigarettes are skyrocketing. There were 215 of these calls in February 2014. More than half of the calls concerned children under the age of 5. Poisoning occurs through contact of the liquid nicotine with the skin or eyes, ingestion, or even inhalation. Vomiting, nausea, and eye irritation are the most common symptoms, but ingestion could be fatal. LIQUID NICOTINE VIALS ARE NOT PACKAGED IN CHILDPROOF CONTAINERS, and the manufacture of liquid nicotine is totally unregulated. Read the full, damning CDC announcement.

"E-cigarette liquids as currently sold are a threat to small children because they are not required to be childproof, and they come in candy and fruit flavors that are appealing to children.” --CDC Director Tom Frieden

OUTRAGEOUS! These are actual E-Cigarette liquid nicotine flavors currently being sold online. The "Fruit" flavors look safe, right? Wrong! Do you think young children will realize that? Nope! And what about those candy and soft drink flavors, which kids love? How many ways are the kid-friendly-lookng flavors more prominent than the "Tobacco" flavors?



Call to Action:

• Spread the word that E-Cigarettes and liquid nicotene should be kept where children cannot possibly get them! 
• Urge your local board of health to ban the sale of E-Cigarettes in your town (or at require that warnings about the dangers be prominently posted) 
• Write to your legislators and alert them to the need for regulation of this poisonous product. Specifically, tell them that liquid nicotine should carry warnings that they are deadly poisons and should be packaged in child-proof containers.

Let Us Help You Quit Smoking

If you are a smoker and are using E-Cigarettes to help you quit, there are safer ways to do it. Here is http://smokefree.gov/, which is filled with resources for anyone who wants to quit smoking. We'd like to help as well. Here are four products carried by Lori's Earth Friendly Products that can help reduce the cravings associated with nicotine withdrawal:

Medicinal Teas: A Safer Habit

Health King Stopsmoking Herb Tea: Stopsmoking Herb Tea is made of licorice, mentha (peppermint) with an excellent flavor. Grown on the pollution-free high plateau of northwest China, they contain glycyrrhizic acid, triterpenoid saponins, flavonoid, amino acids, mint oil, menthone, etc, and are extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine for its antitussive, expectorant and other qualities to clear respiratory ducts, stop coughing, and to correct addictive behavior. It is a detoxifier and system cleanser.

Quit Tea Stop Smoking Tea: A blend of herbs and spices intended to replace the habit of smoking with drinking herbal tea while helping with some common withdrawal symptoms. Quit Tea will help:

• Reduce Anxiety and Stress
• Increase Energy and Suppress Appetite
• Detox Body and Lungs

Homeopathic Helpers

NatraBio Smoking Withdrawal:  This Homeopathic tablet provides relief for symptoms of tobacco and cigarette cravings. It reduces nervous tension and irritability and helps detoxify the body.

NatraBio Stop It Smoking Lozenges: This Homeopathic anti-craving lozenge  is designed to reduce nervousness, anxiety, irritability and stress related to nicotine withdrawal. Use the lozenges throughout the day to reduce tobacco cravings along with Stop-it Smoking detoxifying tablets http://www.earth-friendly.com/natrabio-stopit-smoking-detoxifying-60-tablets-p-10942.html during the entire program to help you stay nicotine free. Stop-it Smoking tablets may be taken while cutting back on the use of cigarettes, tobacco or nicotine gum.


"Taking A Stand" is an ongoing series of opinionated blog posts regarding serious health and environmental issues which we share due to our concern for the health and welfare of our customers and our planet.

Earth Friendly Smackdown: Natural vs. Conventional Sunscreens

Goddess Garden products are available now at Lori's Earth Friendly Products

The conventional sunscreen you have purchased your whole life works just fine at preventing sunburn, but there's a big catch: Look at the ingredients. If you see oxybenzone, octinoxate, or even isobutane--all harsh chemicals that some people may have allergies to--you may want to consider the purchase of Goddess Garden’s natural sunscreen. At this time of year, when people are buying camp supplies for their children or planning a day a the beach, this is especially timely, important information.

The Difference Between Natural and Conventional Sunscreens

Goddess Garden sunscreens are non-nano sunscreens that take a more natural approach and block both UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays, making them broad-spectrum sunscreens in accordance with the most recent FDA rules. Ingredients include: sunflower, radish, and active ingredients like zinc and titanium.  These natural ingredients are just as effective as those found in conventional sunscreens.

But in many ways, natural sunscreens are actually more effective than conventional sunscreens.

Here’s why…

Natural is Effective Immediately
When you apply natural sunscreen, you can go out into the sun right away without having to worry about a sunburn. With a conventional sunscreen, you need to wait 15 to 20 minutes before it protects you from the sun. This is because the active chemical ingredients in conventional sunscreens actually have to sink down into the different layers of your skin before they become “active.” Goddess Garden's natural minerals are effective immediately.

Natural Reflects, Conventional Absorbs
Goddess Garden's natural mineral ingredients actually sit on top of your skin and act like a mirror, reflecting sunlight away from your body. The ingredients used in conventional sunscreen actually absorb the sun’s potentially carcinogenic rays into your body.

Natural doesn’t have any harsh chemicals!
Goddess Garden was created because its founder, Nora Covington's daughter Paige, was allergic to conventional body care products. Because of this, Goddess Garden takes care to only include the safest organic ingredients to create our products. "I want what is the safest for my family just like you want what is the safest for yours," says Nora.  You will never find any hormone disrupting chemicals such as oxybenzone in our sunscreens. Only great natural ingredients like minerals, lavender, radish, soy, and sunflower!

Why Goddess Garden?

Goddess Garden Organic Sunscreens offer SPF30 sun protection. They are all Aloe based, non-greasy, and are easy to apply via recyclable continuous spray, trigger spray, and traditional tube packaging. All Goddess Garden products are 100% biodegradeable, reef safe, curelty-free, non-GMO and vegan. Goddess Garden is a woman-owned sun and skin care company based in Boulder, Colorado, and creates sunscreens for the whole family made with certified organic ingredients.

Lori's Earth Friendly Products is proud to carry Goddess Garden products.

Lori's Stories: Organic India

Beyond Tea, Sustaining A Community

Meet a company that develops healthy products and provides training and education to farmers that can be passed down to the next generation. We at Lori's Earth Friendly Products are proud to be able to offer their products in the United States.


Formed as a labor of love in the 1990’s, Organic India was created by a small group of people from different areas of the world that shared a common goal.  They set out to be trustworthy leaders that provided genuine, clean, organic products that promoted an all-around healthy lifestyle.  Their respect was not only guided towards the consumer, but also Mother Nature.   By providing a complete natural blend of teas while caring for the environment, the founders of Organic India sought out to provide customers worldwide with the purest organic food and health products.

Organic India Teas and Vegetarian Supplements are available at Lori's Earth Friendly Products.

Inspired by Sri H.W.L. Poonja, or known as Papaji by many, the founders of Organic India traveled to Lucknow, India to gain insight on his views.  Papaji is a well-regarded teacher who devoted a lifetime of service and commitment to the people of India.  Upon their arrival, they learned the teachings of Papaji.  His words inspired the group of visionaries, “Keep Quiet.  The eternal truth exists within you.  Do not entertain a single thought and the truth will reveal itself to itself.”  Papaji’s outlook on life made this group of individuals driven to make a change.  They wanted to create a business that would forever impact agriculture in northern India.  The founder’s mission was not only to develop healthy pure products worldwide, but to also provide training and education to farmers that could be passed down from generation to generation.

Following the success of their Original Tulsi Tea, Organic India began working with more farmers and expanded their natural blend of products.  By providing the proper training and education, the farmers of Organic India are experts in every aspect of organic.  Each and every Organic India farmers are certified organic according to NOP standards.  All Organic India facilities have also been awarded SQF, HACCP, USDA, and GMP certifications, along with kosher certification for a majority of products.  Currently Organic India products are distributed throughout India, the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Japan, and Australia.   Their powerful commitment to promote wellness for all and our natural environment serves as a movement that is being followed worldwide, and is wholeheartedly endorsed by Lori's Earth Friendly Products.

-John Grillea

"Taking vitamins doesn't have to be a hard pill to swallow."

Lori's Stories: alternaVites

alternaVites easy to swallow multivitamins are available from Lori's Earth Friendly Products.

Being the third generation of vitamin formulators, manufacturers, and marketers, Hallie Rich (photo, right) was regularly asked one question: "What vitamins do you take?"

Her surprising answer? "None. I can't swallow pills."

This put her in an awkward position. She had to admit to everyone that she couldn’t benefit from the vitamins that she not only spent years promoting, but also passionately believed in. While she wasn’t experiencing any of the benefits of taking vitamins, she was also very aware that vitamins can’t help if you can’t take them.

For many years, Hallie worked alongside her father and grandmother, where she learned all aspects of their business. Sadly, her father was diagnosed with cancer and despite a heroic fight, he passed away in 2008. Shortly after that, the company's doors shut.

Following her father's passing, Hallie entered a vitamin store as a consumer for the first time and acknowledged the fact that her body needed nutritional support. But since she was unable to swallow pills, her options were limited. Hallie couldn't find a product that had all the nutritional aspects she needed in non-pill form. It suddenly hit Hallie that there was a huge need for a daily vitamin for people just like her.

It turns out she has plenty of company: Over 40% of Americans have difficulty swallowing pills (according to the Society for the Advancement of Education). Hallie was motivated to create a new product, made for those who want to take vitamins, but can't because of the limited options available.

In 2010, she introduced alternaVites, a comprehensive Kosher multivitamin and mineral in crystal powder form that melts quickly in your mouth – the first of its kind. alternaVites quickly became the definitive "non pill" vitamin option and filled an unnecessary void in the market. It was awarded Best New Product 2012 by Vitamin Retailer. 

With its success, it became clear to Hallie that alternaVites is a product that’s great for everybody, not just those of us who have difficulty swallowing pills. Its convenience, delicious taste, portability, and high potency formula give it much broader appeal.

While a children’s product was always part of the plan, Hallie and her team were overwhelmed with requests to develop an alternaVites formula that would be suitable for kids. Understandably, parents were equally as unhappy with the choices available for their children as they were for themselves. They were disappointed in products with high sugar content, incomplete formulas, and artificial ingredients. She developed alternaVites Kids, a children’s multivitamin and mineral supplement that has awesome kid-approved flavors while maintaining the integrity, quality and versatility associated with the original alternaVites formula.

With alternaVites, Hallie has eliminated the excuses of adults and children not to take the daily dosage of vitamins, even if they don't swallow pills. Rich Vitamins, LLC, the parent company of alternaVites, donates a portion of every box that's sold to cancer charities in memory of Hallie's father.

Lori's Earth Friendly Products is proud to carry alternaVites.

Lori's Stories: BioBag

Waste Bags That Can Be Composted!

One of the cool things about the new Lori's Earth Friendly Products is that we're now working with hundreds of companies, all of whom share our goal of improving the planet and our customers' health. Each one has a story—and its own inventive way to make things better. In this blog, we'll be sharing their stories on a regular basis, as well as highlighting products that we think stand out. Here's the first of Lori's Stories.

Plastic bags have staying power, and are wreaking havoc on the environment. A typical plastic bag that you buy at your local supermarket is made with non-biodegradable ingredients, and will not break down for thousands of years. They are polluting the landscape, and poisoning and killing wildlife. It's time to abandon plastic bags!

Enter BioBag.

BioBags are corn-based, and designed to collect waste for the purpose of composting, and because they are corn-based, they can be consumed by micro-organisms that live in our soils. Because of this, BioBags can also be readily composted along with organic waste in municipal composting facilities.

BioBag,  available through Lori's Earth Friendly Products,  is a world leader in providing bags and films for the collection of organic waste for the purpose of composting, and we at Lori's Earth Friendly Products are proud to be able to offer their products to the public. BioBag is a small company of dedicated employees who are fully committed to only producing certified compostable bags and films.

BioBag makes:

• 13 Gallon Tall Food Waste Bags
• 3-Gallon CompostWaste Bags
• 33-Gallon Lawn and Leaf Bags
• Cling Wrap
• Resealable Sandwich Bags
• More!...see the entire BioBag lineup at Lori's Earth Friendly Products

BioBag strongly supports the use of GMO-free certified crops. The resin they produce in their bags is sourced from Italy. Most of BioBags are proudly manufactured in the USA.

Little steps really do make a big difference, especially when creating green products is all BioBags does!

--Mason Resnick
Marketing Director, Lori's Earth Friendly Products

PRESS RELEASE: Lori's Earth Friendly Products Announces Relaunch of Web Site With Over 12,000 Healthy and Eco-Friendly Products

Earth-friendly.com now offers personal care products, dietary aids, health supplements, and environmentally friendly home and garden items as a one-stop resource for healthy and green lifestyle consumers.


For Immediate Release:

Highland Park, NJ, Monday, May 26, 2014: Lori's Earth Friendly Products, LLC has joined forces with a major wholesaler of green, organic and natural products in the United States and has just launched a major new online retail site at the domain earth-friendly.com. In business online for over 15 years, until recently Lori's Earth Friendly Products carried fewer than 100 products, mostly in the area of dietary fiber. With the relaunch of Lori's Earth Friendly Products, consumers now have a one-stop resource for their holistic and natural personal care items, healthy, organic snacks and beverages (including healing teas), vitamin and mineral supplements, and low-carbon-footprint home cleaning, organic gardening, and food service items.

"The new goal of Lori's Earth Friendly Products is to provide consumers with products that are good for them and good for the planet," says owner Lori Resnick. "I am excited to be able to offer low prices on a range of products that are truly earth-friendly."

Right: Screen shot of the new Lori's Earth Friendly Products homepage.



Wide Range of Green Products

Many of the personal care items, sports, fitness and health supplements, teas and vitamins are organic, come from responsibly farmed natural sources, and are packaged in environmentally friendly material. Nearly all foods are organic, and all household cleaning and gardening products are free of toxic chemicals that can be harmful to individuals or the environment.

Items initially featured on the site include e-cloth household cleaning mops and cloths that remove 99% of bacteria with just water, MaxiHealth Kosher Vitamins, which are available at very low prices, and Seedballz, densely packed food and garden seeds that are packed by hand by adults with developmental disabilities. "The products we're focusing on initially are just the tip of the iceberg," notes Lori Resnick, who invites visitors to subscribe to her mailing list, bookmark her blog,  like her Facebook page or subscribe to her Twitter feed so they can learn about the many products now available through Lori's Earth Friendly Products in a timely manner.

Environmentally-Conscious Packing

In an effort to minimize shipping waste, products are packed in boxes made from 36% recycled cardboard and are wrapped in unique, patented "plastic pillows"that are inflated on demand for shipping and are recyclable by customers.

Lori's Earth Friendly Products: Backgrounder

Lori's Earth Friendly Products started as a local mom-and-pop business selling environmentally friendly cleaning products, then became a resource for high-fiber supplements and began selling online in 2000; for many years, Lori was known as "the Fiber Lady." Lori's Earth Friendly Products relaunched as a major retailer of healthy, organic, earth-friendly products in May 2014, with a solar-powered warehousing and shipping partner facility on the East Coast.

7 Delicious Ways To Add Fiber To Your Diet

Note: For the last 10 years our most popular product at Lori's Earth Friendly Products was a juice that was filled with soluble dietary fiber. Unfortunately, that product is currently unavailable. It may return eventually but we wanted you to know about other fiber products that we now carry and which are available now so you can get enough fiber for yourself or your child! Read on to learn more.

Most Americans simply don't consume enough dietary fiber. Children are especially at risk. A low-fiber diet can cause Irritable Bowel Syndrome, weight problems, constipation, and other intestinal tract health issues. We know you want to enjoy the healthy benefits of a high-fiber diet for yourself or your child. Fortunately, there are many sources of fiber available through Lori's Earth Friendly Products, and you can find them all here

Read on as we highlight seven ways to add essential fiber to your diet, including several choices that kids will love!

FoodScience of Vermont Clearly Fiber: No Grit, No Taste

Sugar-free and low-calorie, Clearly Fiber has 5 grams of soluble dietary fiber per serving with no grit or lumps and no flavor, and can be added to any hot or cold liquid, such as tea or fruit juice, without affecting its taste or texture. Fiber is from Maltodextron.

Sunsweet Naturals SupraFiber: 5 Grams of Fiber, and Kosher Certified

Using fiber derived from whole food fruits rather than from grain husks, SupraFiber combines prunes, acai berries, pomegranate and blueberry for a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber totalling 5 grams per serving. It is Kosher, vegan, non-GMO, and has no added sugar, high-fructose corn syrup or sugar substitutes, preservatives or artificial color.

Smarty Pants Multivitamin: Kids Fiber Complete Gummy

Let's face it, most kids get enough sugar so if you want fiber but not sugar for your child, Smarty Pants gummy vitamins are made with organic and eco-friendly ingredients. In addition to containing 4 grams of soluble dietary fiber, these also contain vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, B12 and more. Even better: For every purchase, SmartyPants will make a 1-for-1 matching nutrient grant to a child in need through our partnership with Vitamin Angels.

Rainbow Light Fiber Garden Gummies

These sugar-free sour fruit gummies are made with NutraFlora FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides), a prebiotic fiber that strengthens the immune and digestion systems. Xylitol, which may reduce the risk of dental problems, has been added. Designed for children ages 4 and up, Rainbow Light Fiber Garden Gummies have 3 grams of dietary fiber in each gummie.

 Schiff Vitamins Digestive Advantage: Probiotic Gummies

Kids love gummies! These offer Probiotic BC30, which delivers good bacteria to aid digestion, and also have 3 grams of dietary fiber.

Ultra Fiber DX: BarnDads German Chocolate Shake

Packing a powerful 14 grams of dietary fiber, BDFX's German Chocolate Shake is said to reduce hunger and support healthy weight management, lean muscle and a healthy digestive system.

ThinkThin Chocolate Peanut Butter Toffee Protein Plus

Primarily designed as a protein supplement, each bar packs 5 grams of fiber (along with 13 grams of protein). If you can handle peanuts, these Kosher bars are a delicious way to add fiber to your diet!

Getting closer to launching our new web site!

We are in the final stages of preparations to launch the new Lori's Earth Friendly Products web site, and we're very excited.

This is going to be a completely new business with many, many new products. Our new mission:  help you live a healthier life while reducing your carbon footprint.

This blog will become a resource not only for behind-the-scenes information about the companies whose products we'll carry, but we'll also have expanded information about how the items we sell can help you live a healthier and more environmentally responsible life.

We're almost ready to launch! If you haven't already joined our mailing list and want to learn more, now would be a great time to do so. Also...

Meet the team: 

Lori Resnick: President and founder of Lori's Earth Friendly Products, long-time vegetarian, computer programming genius, and environmental activist. Mother of two beautiful daughters and one miniature poodle, Lori founded Earth-Friendly.com more than 10 years ago, at first selling gourmet Kosher Cheese and high-fiber products locally, then on the Internet. In her other job, she works for a major telecom company, and lives with her husband, Mason, in Central New Jersey.

Mason Resnick: Vice President and Marketing director of Lori's Earth Friendly Products, a life-long vegetarian and environmental activist, Mason has worked for the past 30 years writing about photography for some of the most recognized names in photo web sites, magazines and retailing. As marketing director, Mason has tapped into his inner activist self and is using his energy towards promoting personal health and taking individual steps to protect the environment. You'll be reading a lot of Mason's writing on this blog.

We also have our warehouse and fulfillment teams, located in Philadelphia and New York, who will ship products to you and make sure we have a lot of goodies to offer on our site. More about them in a future post!

—Mason