Author: Stef McDonald

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Always a Good Time: Volunteering

Cross-posted on Surf Like a Girl.

TV networks are promoting volunteerism on numerous series this week, so there’s a good chance you’ll see a favorite character in the act of lending a hand while you’re reclining on your couch (not that there’s anything with a little downtime on the couch in front of the tube…). Each of us has worked with Surfrider and Heal the Bay for beach clean-ups and other efforts to keep our beaches safe and clean and we can attest to the fact that doing something feels good. If you’re looking for a place to pitch in, environmental organizations are a good place to start and we’ve also got a list of other do-good organizations on our site.–Stef McDonald

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Rethinking Pink: Petitioning Estee Lauder


I’ve made a rule about keeping toxins out of my makeup bag and use every opportunity I get to encourage others to choose beauty products made without toxic chemicals. “That’s bad for you” is never a message I like to deliver, but I delight in the fact that I can suggest better-for-you products and I usually end my sermon with the recommendation to visit the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website for more info and the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep website for ratings of products. We’re deep in October and I find myself wanting to grab a megaphone, as I spot cosmetics and personal care products that contain carcinogens–on the shelves being marketed for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Slapping a pink ribbon on a product is not enough. Estee Lauder has a big campaign each year to raise money and awareness for the cause and I cheer those efforts, but it’s time they started making safer products. Lauder owns Origins and Aveda, two companies that make products with less-toxic ingredients, but the their other lines (MAC, Clinique…) don’t deserve to be pink-ribboned. What you can do: sign a petition asking them to do the right thing.

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Football Thinks Pink

I knew I couldn’t be the only one watching Sunday football and wondering if I could get a pink-brimmed hat like the ones coaches and side-lined players have been wearing in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The NFL store is packed with pink goodness and I’m particularly pleased about the fact that the colors for my team (Go, Giants!) are a good match for pink.

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Attack of the Sea Blobs?

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/flash/syndicatedVideoPlayer.swf?vid=marine-mucilage-vin

National Geographic reports that mucus-like sea blobs have been forming in what appears to be an effect of rising water temperatures. Yes, that sounds like something you’d read in a sci-fi novel; marine biologists who have studied the blobs say they can contain harmful bacteria and viruses and have the potential to kill sea life. An author on the study of the mucilage suggests that this is a good call to action for all of us to seriously take action against global warming. Amen.–Stef McDonald

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Lip-Smacking Good: Non-Toxic Tints

I feel naked without anything on my lips and use shea butter when I’m feeling no-nonsense and glosses when I feel glam. For in-between, a tinted balm is just right and my new favorite comes from Hemp Organics, a company that makes products without the nasty chemicals you find in most brands. The Skin Deep database, which lists ingredients in personal care products and tests them for safety, gives this product the Low Hazard label (0 is safest and this gets a 2) so I can feel comfortable wearing it.

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New Venice Skate Park: Open for Ripping

Below, photos from opening day at the Venice Beach Skate Park. I biked down to the park early, with my morning cup of coffee in hand, and took photos before the official opening. Then I returned in the afternoon to see the action. Hundreds were there to take to the concrete. The action shots below capture a couple of girls ripping.–Stef McDonald

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Weekend Fun: Venice Skate Park


The new Venice Skate Park opens Saturday, October 3 (the photo above was taken last week), with expected appearances by Dogtown Boyz Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Jessie Martinez, and Geri Lewis. Photo of the finished park after we visit.–Stef McDonald

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Breast Cancer Awareness: Beauty-Buying Tips


October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and you’re sure to see the pink ribbon on many products. Maybe you’ll think, Oh, great, I’ll buy that and help support the fight against breast cancer. The pictured pink gloss from Jane Iredale would be a good grab because it does not contain carcinogens like so many other beauty products (yes, a lot of beauty products really do contain chemicals linked to cancer — but it’s easy for you to educate yourself with help from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics).

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Tip: Stand Up Straight!

At one of Rebecca’s “Surf Like A Girl” days, where she teaches women to surf during a morning session, Peggy Hall was there to warm up the new surfer girls with stretches on the beach. Then I began practicing with Hall’s series of “Yoga For Surfers” DVDs (fyi, her yoga DVDs are good for anyone, not just surfers) and she’s offered us a lot of good tips to us. (A tip from Peggy on our website on stretch for paddling.)

In the last year, I began to experience back pain and a chiropractor pointed out what should have been obvious to me: I had terrible posture and years of slouching had hurt me. What could I do? More yoga and learn— finally—how to stand up straight. Pushing shoulders back? Not right. Seems like it should be simple, right? Those who practice yoga know how it’s done. Check out Hall’s video clip on perfect posture. I’m practicing….—Stef McDonald

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Picking the Right Products


Today marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and you’ll find all kinds of products on shelves with a pink ribbon to indicate that the company is donating a portion of proceeds to groups that support the cause by helping victims of the disease and/or researchers working for a cure. Here’s my buyer-beware, buzz-kill plea: be mindful of beauty products with the pink ribbon because many of them actually contain carcinogens. Seriously. Of course it’s good to give credit where it’s due and to be grateful for companies with big bucks that are donating money to the cause, but it’s a shame that some of these companies are aware of dangers (or possible dangers) of chemicals in their products and continue to use them, putting the public at risk. Luckily, there are pink-ribboned products made with safer ingredients, like the lip gloss pictured, from one of my favorite beauty lines. Jane Iredale has been in the mineral makeup market for years and formulates products without harsh and hazardous chemicals. You can investigate the safety of other personal are products at the Skin Deep database and, as always, find more no the subject at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website.

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Doing Good: Skateistan

The LA Times has a slideshow of kids skateboarding in Afghanistan, who’ve learned moves from a non-profit organization called Skateistan. From the site: “…we’ve seen that Afghan youth of all ethnicities, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds love to skateboard. Skateistan brings them together, equipping young men and women to lead their communities toward social change and development.” That’s rad.–Stef McDonald

More video clips at the Skateistan site.