Pamper Your Pets with Safe, Natural Edibles

In order to contribute to a long, happy life for pets, an increasing amount of owners are turning towards the magic of natural, eco-friendly, and holistic pet food. While natural edibles for pets typically cost more, gourmet selections achieve much more than pampering a pet. A healthier combination of ingredients has the power to extend the life of pets, as well as prevent medical conditions, like cancer, allergies, and arthritis. Below you will find a list of luxury pet foods finding innovative ways to safely please the palate and maintain the health of our furry companions. Innova Holistic Dog and Cat Food From the Nutrient-Enhanced Innova Flex stews to tasty solutions for overweight dogs, Innova takes full advantage of healthy ingredients found in the meat, dairy, vegetables, fruit and grain food groups. Combined with essential fats and oils, this pet food brand packs quite a nutritional punch for your dog or cat. I'd also like to point out a unique addition to Innova pet foods – their use of Vitamin E for natural preservation. This essential antioxidant is known to fight free radicals, as well as protect cells and tissues from damage. When mixed with Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) and rosemary extract, Vitamin E is an impressive, all-natural food preservative. A few Innova pet products to consider include:

• Low Fat Adult Dry Dog Food: Containing 35% less fat than other adult brands, dogs also benefit from the combination of fresh meats, vegetables, fruits, dairy and grains.
• Large Breed Senior Flex Beef & Barley Stew: With added DHA and EPA, older dogs obtain an extra boost to improve brain function, as well as receive more fiber that aids in digestion.
• Innova Cat Treats: Offers healthy ingredients representing all essential food groups, important fatty acids, fresh-farm ingredients, and a rich source of Vitamin E.

Karma Organic Food for Dogs With the motto," Good for the Body. Good for the Soul. Good for the Environment." – how can you resist the luxury line of dry dog food and treats by Karma Organic. Using the highest quality ingredients, this company has created an organic brand of "super-premium dog food." You just can't ignore the health factor of using 95% USDA-Certified Organic ingredients. Absent of artificial preservatives, flavorings and fillers, Karma Organic Food is filled with organic oats, brown rice, and free-range organic chicken. Other ingredients include organic blueberries, carrots, and spinach. The whole, raw fruits and vegetables contained in the dog food delivers an anti-aging boost of nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals. In addition to its organic qualities, Karma Organic also adheres to the strictest of manufacturing standards in an effort to place less strain on the environment. California Natural Pet Food California Natural Pet Food offers a wide selection of natural dog food, cat food, puppy food, and dog treats that doesn’t rely on fillers, by-products or artificial preservatives to make their brand tasty. Instead, they use wholesome, unrefined pet food ingredients that aim to prevent allergic reactions or agitate pets with sensitive stomachs. If you're looking for one of the best hypoallergenic pet food brands on the market, look no further than California Natural Pet Food. A sample of their products include:

• Lamb Meal & Rice Adult Large Bites: Dry dog food using 100% lamb meal combined with white and brown rice, and sunflower oil.
• Herring & Sweet Potato Adult: Dry dog food offering highly digestible herring for protein and essential fats with a boost in nutrients and fiber from sweet potato. A salmon and sweet potato option is also available.
• Venison & Brown Rice: This interesting canned cat and kitten food mixture is sure to satisfy the pickiest the eaters.

Mother Nature Healthy Dog Treats When Fido masters a new trick or simply bats his big brown eyes at you, a healthy dog treat is in order. Mother Nature Natural Dog Biscuits is the perfect way to reward your pooch with a flavorful, gourmet assortment packed with nutritional benefits. When you hear just some of the selections available, you'll be surprised that these natural dog treats are especially made just for dogs. Options include:

• 4 Way Treat: Apples, cheese, chicken and turkey help keep teeth and gums healthy.
• Beef Stew: A blend of genuine sirloin beef and fresh vegetables.
• Buffalo Stew: A delectable combination of buffalo meat and stone ground grains.
• Carrot Cakes: A refreshing break from the norm with fresh carrots, molasses, real butter and milk.
• Chicken & Turkey: Real ground chicken and turkey mixed with whole cranberries and fresh carrots.
• Honey Glazed Chicken: Heighten your dogs taste buds with real ground chicken, real honey, whole apples and a touch of cinnamon.

EVO Premium Pet Food Interested in feeding your pet a raw food diet? Gently prepared with love and concern for our four-legged friends, EVO Premium Pet Food boasts the "first grain-free ancestral diet" that offers modern nutritional benefits with natural ingredients that have been safely cooked. Providing pet owners with a complete and balanced natural approach to feeding dogs, cats, and even ferrets, take care in knowing that EVO pet food is grain-free, contains high-quality meats, and possesses the highest protein content of any meat-based dry pet food on the market. With the Red Meat Large Bites dry dog food, your pet will enjoy four different red meat selections –beef, lamb, buffalo, and venison. EVO canned dog food selections include 95% beef, chicken, turkey, venison, duck, and rabbit. For cats, choose canned food that includes 95% chicken, turkey, and duck without the fillers and grains that other pet meals contain. When feeding your ferret, choose dry food that supplies a high protein, low carbohydrate diet comprised of raw food ingredients. Image Credits: Naturapet

Hot Mama Gowns - Organic Maternity Wear

Mamas-to-be, if you've ever had the pleasure of staying at a hospital, then you already know your temporary digs is no five-star hotel. Surrounded by the beep of blood pressure monitors and scent of antiseptic soap, you can probably think of a million different places you'd rather give birth to your bundle of joy. To make matters worse, you're wearing a generic hospital gown that certainly cramps your fashion sense and for many, actually adds to your physical discomfort. In order to stop the spread of germs and prevent infection, hospitals must use water at extremely hot temperatures with strong chemicals to disinfect gowns. If that wasn’t bad enough, countless patients have worn the faded hospital gown given to expectant mothers. The wear and tear on gowns is usually not the way you’d like to welcome new baby into the world. Are you looking for a better way to make this a more special and healthier memory? With Hot Mama Gowns, women can express their individuality and enjoy the miracle of life in eco-fashion style. Hospital- and birthing center-friendly, these organic maternity gowns supply mothers with:

• Short sleeves
• Full coverage snap-open back
• Two ribbon-tied panels for quick and convenient nursing
• Trendy and expressive styles

Hot Mama Gowns is Born It took two years of jotting down notes and creating proto-types until the brainchild of Hot Mama Gowns, Deidrea Haysel, constructed her fashionable masterpieces. Surrounded by itchy material, the scent of hospital chemicals, and less-than-desirable threads, Deidra turned the first moments spent with her newborn daughter into a business venture that forever changed the way mothers coped with the preamble, experience, and aftermath of delivery. Inspired by her organic eating habits, Deidrea set out to design natural, fashionable maternity wear with added convenience for breastfeeding mothers. Organic and comfortable, Hot Mama Gowns reduce the impact on the environment by using 100% natural or low-impact dyes. In the end, expectant mothers wrap up in "super-soft organic cotton" without the harshness of cleaning chemicals often found in hospitals. Hot Mama Gowns are fashioned from organic cotton:

• Grown from natural seeds without the use of fungicides or insecticides
• Cultivated in healthy soil due to crop rotation
• That forgoes aerial spraying of insecticides and pesticides
• Produced with non-toxic cornstarch instead of synthetic waxes
• Whitened in safe peroxide – no chlorine bleaching
• Follows fair trade practices

Whether you're having one child, twins or triplets, Hot Mama Gowns are designed to accommodate growing bellies of all different shapes and sizes – thanks to the two ribbon-tied panels. When ordering, it is suggested to request a gown based upon your true pre-pregnancy size. Larger pregnancies would benefit from ordering one size larger than pre-pregnancy size. Want to keep up-to-date with the latest Hot Mama Gowns news - follow them on Twitter. Photo Credits: Hot Mama Gowns

Best (& Worst) Green Efforts: Electronics Companies

If you're the type of person that keeps the good of the environment in mind when purchasing electronics, you may want to check with Greenpeace the next time you're eyeing the latest Mac or looking for a new cell phone. From lowing e-waste to not using harmful chemicals to make products, more electronics companies are making a commitment to change the way they do business. Let's take a look at a few earth-friendly winners and losers in the electronics world, and their policies concerning toxic substances, energy use, recycling and climate change. Green Policy Winners Nokia (7.5) Greenpeace has rewarded Nokia with the cream of the crop ranking for best green business policies because of their recent CO2 emissions reduction targets. Spanning 84 countries, Nokia has also implemented a wide-ranging voluntary take-back program that collects cells phones no longer in use. While Nokia makes great strides in recycled packaging, Greenpeace would like to see the company increase their effort in recycling plastics. Samsung (6.9) With a commitment to global climate change cuts, Samsung scored higher this year and moved up two places in the ranking. Playing an important role in phasing out the use of PVC, all new models of Samsung LCD panels no longer use the material since November 2007 – exceptional…considering Samsung is the top global supplier. They have also made a promise to eliminate the use of phthalates and beryllium by the end of 2012 from all products, including computers, cell phones, and televisions. The company has also developed halogen-free memory chips and semiconductors for some products. Phillips (5.7) Showing the largest improvement in green business practices, Phillips leaped 11 places with significant improvements in their recycling policies. Since Phillips lobbied against the principle of Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR), Greenpeace administered a penalty last year against the company, which greatly hurt their previous ranking. Today, Phillips supports IPR, voluntary take-back programs, and reports the recycling rate of e-waste collected in Europe. Sony (5.5) Rising two places in the Greenpeace ranking, Sony reports notable improvements in producing energy efficient products. All new models of televisions and 45% of new VAIO models meet the latest ES requirements. New green business policy commitments also include cutting GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions. However, Sony still needs to set a target and timeline for increasing their use of renewable energy on a global basis. In the Middle Apple (4.7) Scoring well in chemicals elimination, improved recycling efforts, and the green capacity of MacBooks, Apple has moved up four places in the Greenpeace ranks. However, the company still needs to take a look at their energy practices. All Apple products are currently free of PVC and BFRs, with the exception of PVC-free power cords awaiting certification. Greenpeace still frowns upon Apple using "unreasonably high threshold limits for BFRs and PVC in products that are allegedly PVC-/BFR-free." Suggested improvements for a better ranking: improved chemical policies, better reporting on the management of chemicals, and phasing out other harmful substances. Green Policy Losers Panasonic (4.3) Poor energy efficiency reporting is one of the reasons that Panasonic has fallen three places in the Greenpeace ranking. The company also does not report to the "latest Energy Star TV standard v.3.0 or to the latest ES External Power Supplies standard v.2.0." Dell (3.7) Dell continues to drop, receiving a penalty for breaking their commitment to phasing out toxic substances by the end of 2009. Although the company made a promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the energy efficiency of Dell products ranks poorly. Microsoft (2.7) Performing badly on e-waste efforts, Microsoft fails to clarify recycling data and doesn’t show support for Individual Producer Responsibility. HP (2.7) Failing to stick to commitments for phasing out the use of harmful chemicals by the end of 2009, HP has no products on the market that are free of toxic substances. Nintendo (0.8) Once again in last place, Nintendo has yet to improve on e-waste efforts, failed to set timelines for phasing out harmful chemicals, and contributed a 6% rise in CO2 emissions in 2006. Other notable mentions include:

• Acer (4.5) – Scored poorly regarding e-waste, but has committed to phasing out harmful chemicals.
• Sharp (4.9) – Implemented a new recycling plan for the United States but is weak on global emissions reduction.
• Motorola (5.3) – Needs to improve on waste and energy efforts.
• LG Electronics (5.5) – Has backtracked on a commitment to phase out toxic substances in all products..
• Sony Ericsson (5.7) – Although all products are PVC-free, the company ranks poorly in the recycling department

Source: Green Tea Magazine Image Sources: Nokia, Apple, Motorola,Wikipedia