Green Bits

First one - goodguide.com is a website you can visit to get numbered ratings on the environmental impact of a range of items, from foods and personal care products, to household chemicals and toys. If you decide to investigate your soap, for instance, you will find a listing by brand name, of various soaps. The rating goes from the current highest result of 8.8 given to Tom's of Maine body bars, down to the low of 5.1 which is given to Balmex Baby's Own Hypo-Allergenic Soap. You'll be told: "You can keep your shower as clean as possible by checking the ingredients section of our bath, shower, and soap product ratings for those unsafe chemicals, or by browsing through our reviews for products with high health and safety scores. Many bath, shower, and soap products with strong chemicals have been animal-tested. You can check the Product Certifications and Listings section on each product page to see if it’s manufacturer has been no-animal-testing certified by PETA or Leaping Bunny."
If you're interested in getting the environmental skinny on various goods, plus a great deal of other useful info, take a look.

Second - I was seated in a downtown coffee shop recently, enjoying a cup of joe with a friend, but decidedly not enjoying the attention being paid to us by a wasp that had found its way inside the cafe. My friend told me then that if she had known ahead of time about the six-legged member of our coffee klatch, she would have sprayed herself with a little of her new homemade insect spray. This woman is a firm believer in using eco-friendly products, so I asked her how she makes it. She said she mixed 1/3 cup each apple cider vinegar and witch hazel with a "splash" of citronella essential oil. I know the "splash" isn't exactly a precise measure, but she says she's used it all summer when she wanted to sit out in the evening past the usual aaagh-here-come-the-mosquitoes hour. She also says she hasn't been bitten all summer. If you're interested, you could give it a try and maybe get back to me with just how much you used for your "splash".