EWG recommends 1 in 4 of more than 800 beach and sport sunscreens, compared to 1 in 5 last year and 1 in 12 the year before.

The differences?

• At our readers’ request, we added more baby and kids’ sunscreens to our database.  As we analyzed their contents, we realized that more products made specifically for children use safe, effective ingredients, relative to sunscreens marketed for the general public.  Boosting the number of baby and kids’ products increased the number of items we can recommend for everyone.  BUT parents should use our database to check out individual products.

• One-fourth of the sunscreens we studied this year contain retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A, compared to a third last year.  Research by the federal Food and Drug Administration and National Toxicology Program suggests that this chemical may heighten skin cancer risk when used on sun-exposed skin. Until definitive research is available, EWG recommends that prudent consumers avoid vitamin A-laden sunscreens. We have pressed sunscreen makers to get it out of their products, with some success.

EWG has also created a helpful tool that allows you to search the guide or input your sunscreen and then receive feedback about its ratings.

A note about Baby & Kid’s Sunscreens

The EWG study says:

This year’s guide lists almost 180 baby and kids’ sunscreens, the most yet.  The results are mixed:

Good news:  Many brands formulate children’s sunscreens with safer, more effective ingredients than those in other products.  About 63 percent of kids’ sunscreens contain effective mineral ingredients that provide good UVA protection, compared to 40 percent of other sunscreens.

Though you still need to read labels and use EWG’s Sunscreen Guide, chances are you’ll get a better sunscreen if you buy one marketed for kids.

Compared to other sunscreens, those with the words “baby,” “children” or “kids” in the product name are less likely to contain:

• Fragrances, which are mixtures of chemicals some of which may cause allergies and other serious health problems. Some 72 percent of kids’ sunscreens are fragrance-free, versus 54 percent of other sunscreens.
• Oxybenzone, a hormone-disrupting chemical, is in 37 percent of kids’ sunscreens versus 56 percent of other sunscreens.

Not-so-good news: We uncovered 16 brands that list exactly the same ingredients in their children’s products as in their other products – down to the exact percentages of active ingredients. For these brands, including Banana Boat, Coppertone, Alba and ThinkBaby, the word “children” on the label may be just a marketing gimmick.

Keep in mind: Every year after the release of EWG’s sunscreen study, the internet is abubble with claims that EWG’s report is in error, that poorly rated sunscreens really do work, aren’t dangerous, etc. If you check the sources of these claims however, they almost always come from the sunscreen industry — either companies who manufacture the very sunscreens that were rated poorly or other businesses that have a vested interest in certain sunscreen products performing well in the market. As such, I tend not to trust these arguments. I will say that I am not a scientist and I am unable to break down EWG’s study to find gaps. I do believe, however, that the sunscreens they recommend are safe. While they are also expensive, I’m willing to err on the side of caution here. The primary method suggested by EWG for reducing harmful sun exposure is to cover up. Wear UV protective clothing, wear hats, stay out of the sun during peak daytime hours if you can.

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Below you’ll find 12 of the less-expensive picks from EWG’s latest sunscreen recommendations.

• Adorable Baby SPF 30+ Sunscreen Non-Nano Zinc Oxide UVA/UVB 4.3 oz.

• Adorable Baby SPF 30+ Sunscreen Stick Non-Nano Zinc Oxide UVA/UVB

• Alba Botanica Alba Botanica Very Emollient Mineral Protection Kids Sunblock 4 oz.

• All Terrain KidSport SPF28 Natural Sunscreen Face Stick (0.6- Ounce)

• BabyGanics Cover up Baby Sunscreen for Face & Body SPF 50+, Fragrance Free, 6 Oz

• Babyganics Cover Up Baby On-the-go Sunscreen Moisturizing Lotion 50 SPF, 2-Ounce (Pack of 4)

• Badger Sunblock For Face & Body

• Burnout Ocean Tested Physical Spf30+ 3.4 OZ

• Coppertone Sensitive Skin Faces SPF 50, 2-Ounce Tubes

• Coppertone Kids Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion, 50 SPF, 8 oz.

• thinkbaby sunscreen SPF30+ benefiting LIVESTRONG, 3 ounces

• thinksport LIVESTRONG sunscreen, SPF 30 +, 3oz, 2 pack

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Also, EWG has created a wallet card guide to this year’s best sunscreens. You can get the card here with your donation of $5 or more to the Enivronmental Working Group.

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet

Sponsors: Studio Press: Genesis & Prose Child Theme

When you’re first starting out, it’s important to remember that your early efforts in setting up your organic garden do pay off. You’ll end up with better soil that’s more resistant to disease and when you prepare the soil beds properly, you eventually have fewer weeds to deal with.

Green living (and organic gardening) is all about looking ahead — making choices now that will create better, healthier results down the road. Much of the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into is because of here and now thinking & acting. It’s so easy for us to tell our children that they need to consider the consequences of their actions. The truth is, so do we.

So back to organic gardening. If you’ve taken the plunge and decided to grow some things either for the first time, or if you’re gardening again this year — please let us know how it’s going. Do you have questions? What are you growing? Why is organic gardening important to you?

Sponsors: Studio Press: Genesis & Prose Child Theme

To raise awareness for this promotion, Patagonia is giving away a pair of their shoes to one lucky Smart Green Tips reader. Read on for more details. . .

I’ve written about Healthy Child, Healthy World before and discussed the important work they are doing to keep us and our children safe. You can read my post about them and visit their site yourself for helpful information and to learn more about how they bring about change.

Patagonia has long been a company that focuses on quality shoes and clothing just as much as they focus on their environmental impact. It’s fitting that a great company like Patagonia would support an organization like Healthy Child.

As part of this promotion, I was able to get my own pair of Patagonia shoes. I went with the Release Leather Trail Running Shoe and I couldn’t be happier. They are incredibly comfortable and stable with a gender-specific Vibram® outsole. As with most of their shoes, Patagonia has incorporated recycled materials into the Release.

For a chance to win your own pair of Patagonia shoes (you may select from any Patagonia shoes at Onlineshoes.com), simply do any or all of the things below and leave a comment for each, letting me know that you did them.

• Sign up for Smart Green Tips email updates (using the form on the upper right of this page) and leave a comment letting me know you did.

• Tweet this post to raise awareness about the promotion & the giveaway (include your tweet url in the comments).

• “Like” or Share this post on Facebook.

The winner will be announced on Earth Day, April 22. If you don’t happen to be the lucky winner, you’ll still have time to support Healthy Child through this promotion and snag yourself a great pair of Earth-friendly shoes in the process.

Update: The winner of the Patagonia Shoe Giveaway is Julie. Congratulations! Watch for an email from me letting you know how to get your shoes.

Sponsors: Studio Press: Genesis & Prose Child Theme

To enter the contest, visit the website, What’s Essential, or the Nordic Naturals Facebook page. There, you’ll submit your description (in 200 words or less) of what’s essential to you. Upload a photo to go with your essay & you’re all set. Prizes will be awarded to the best 19 entries.

• Grand Prize Winner: One winner will receive a trip for two to Santa Cruz, California with all the trimmings, including airfare, car rental, hotel, spending money, Nordic Naturals award-winning omegas, and more!

• Second Prize Winners: Each of the six Second Prize winners will receive one Canon® Vixia HF M400 camcorder and a one-year supply of Nordic Naturals award-winning omegas.

• Third Prize Winners: Each of the twelve Third Prize winners will receive a one-year supply of Nordic Naturals award-winning omegas.

Nordic Naturals says, “No matter what your chosen course in life, we want to hear about what’s essential to you. That’s because your imprint on this planet is important and your story holds a special truth. “ I couldn’t agree more.

This is what’s essential to me:

Keeping myself and my family healthy. Yes, I care about the planet. Yes, I care about animals and wildlife. Yes, I care about consuming less and reusing, reducing, and recycling. But honestly, without our health, we can’t give our fullest to any of these other areas. It’s true that it’s a cycle — much of what makes us sick are the toxic chemicals and excessive waste in our environment. By cleaning up and reducing and avoiding the mess, we will become healthier. The folks at Healthy Child, Healthy World believe, “the best way to save the planet is to save ourselves,” because what’s healthy for us is also healthy for the environment.

To keep my family healthy, I reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals and unnecessary hormones and antibiotics wherever possible. To do this, I buy hormone & antibiotic-free meat & dairy products. I avoid pesticides in our food by growing my own or buying organic for at least the Dirty Dozen. I use as few chemicals and fragrances in my house as possible. I clean with non-toxic cleansers and use Earth-friendly (and people-friendly) detergents (or I make my own). I’m careful about the hair & body products we use. I rely on the Skin-Deep Cosmetics Database to determine which products are safest.

Sometimes it feels like a lot of work. But then I try to remember what’s essential: our health. I want my kids to run and play and live long lives free of diseases brought on by man-made, non-regulated chemicals. I want my girls to avoid starting puberty at age 9, like many kids do, because they’ve been exposed to endocrine-disrupting-chemicals through meat, dairy & household products since they were very young.

I don’t always get it right. Sometimes life gets in the way of my good intentions. But I try to focus on what’s essential, and just maybe, we’ll come out a little healthier and happier as a result.

I encourage you to visit the What’s Essential site or the Nordic Naturals Facebook page and post your own entry. The contest runs until April 30, 2012.

About Nordic Naturals: Based in Watsonville, CA, Nordic Naturals is committed to delivering the world’s safest, most effective omega oils to help provide the essentials of a healthy life. Distributing to more than 30 countries, Nordic Naturals offers more than 150 omega-3 products in a variety of flavors and formulations all with leading safety, efficacy and sustainability standards. By providing omega-3 supplements for adults, kids, athletes, and pets, Nordic Naturals helps everyone do more of what they love. Nordic Naturals is a new trusted-partner with Healthy Child, Healthy World.

Sponsors: Studio Press: Genesis & Prose Child Theme

Here at Smart Green Tips, the focus is on saving the planet and saving money. Most importantly, when we do those things, we also save ourselves. Generally, what’s good for the planet is also good for us. But that philosophy uses a wide brush. I’d like to help you narrow it down, help you figure out which changes will have the most impact and which will be easiest to implement.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments, or by email, if you’d prefer. Where are you feeling overwhelmed? What questions do you have? What would make it easier for you?

Photo Credit: cmcgough

Sponsors: Studio Press: Genesis & Prose Child Theme