Welcome our new intern and contributor Hannah Hackbart. Hannah is an environmental studies major at UCSB.

Melaleuca is a company committed to environmental health. From production to packaging to distribution, every step of this business’s products are constructed in an environmentally friendly way. Products range from beauty care to cleaning supplies to pet products to even dental care and laundry supplies. Many of these things in modern society, especially cleaning supplies, have been known to be the antithesis of sustainability, with bleach and other toxins being sprayed into the air and flushed down the drain during a typical cleaning session. However, what makes Melaleuca so special is that every product is safe to use for cleaning and personal wellbeing, promoting environmental and personal health without the use of harmful chemicals and toxins.

Another perk of the Melaleuca company is that the packaging of products is very minimal. The products come in super concentrated quantities, sometimes as high as 6x concentrated. This allows for much smaller containers to be used to store and transport goods, requiring less energy and resources to do so. Once received at home, the user simply has to dilute the concentration with water and begin use as normal. In comparing the amount of plastic used with standard laundry detergent bottles for a year with the concentrated ones, Melaleuca claims that over 600,000 laundry baskets could be constructed with the wasted plastic from the non-concentrated bottles. That is a pretty astounding number. Imagine if all products were concentrated like that; plastic waste would literally be cut by 80 percent.

Walking through the local grocery store at the pet section, I notice that a variety of the dog treats are either full of preservatives (making them have long storage dates) or loaded with carbohydrates from processed wheat and corn (filler mainly). Many dog owners nowadays are looking into organic alternatives for their four legged companions.

Wet Noses, an organic dog treat company, headquarters located in Monroe, Washington, makes a variety of natural flavored cookies that are sure to satisfy your dog’s palette. There’s a wide array of nutritious and delicious sounding flavors ranging from sweet potato to apples and carrots, as well as peanut butter and molasses. Choose from bite size brownies, birthday cupcakes, nibbles, cookies, stars training treats and lots more. Looking at the company website, customers can view the dietary benefits, ingredient lists, and local vendors throughout the United States. (more…)

Is your dog tired of bending over to eat and drink? This chair-mounted dog feeder will not only provide Fido a more enjoyable dining experience, but it can also be a unique addition to your home’s decor.

The “chair” dog feeder is made from an upcycled 1950′s elementary school chair that has been retrofitted with a metal bowl that features an attractive dog paw design (at right).

This feeder concept would make the perfect DIY project for an individual with some woodworking acumen, an old chair and a hungry dog.

You can buy the feeder @ forloveofadog.com

related: more eco-friendly pet products featured on The Alternative Consumer

Our shipment of complimentary DERMagic products came just in time! My paws had been itching and burning for a couple of weeks from a mysterious allergy. I was sick and tired of licking my feet to relieve them of the constant burning sensation. My crack team of humans quickly went to work applying the Hot Spot Salve to my burning paws. Within 48 hours I’d stopped having to lick my footsies every 30 seconds to put out the fire. Problem solved.

It’s been a tough winter, health-wise, for our three canine household. My housemate, Madison, the Newfie, has recently been hit by an as-yet-undiagnosed skin problem that’s been spreading over her body. We slathered her affected areas with DERMagic’s Skin Rescue Lotion and it seemed to have an immediate positive effect,  expediting the healing of her condition – not a cure, but helpful none the less.

My other roomate, Jack, a lercher, seems to always be shedding his stick straight hair which seems to get into everything. I hate the sound of the vacuum cleaner, so I was pleased to see him getting a bath with The Lemongrass and Neem Oil Organic Shampoo. He now smells springtime fresh, has a gleaming coat and is temporarily free of loose fur. I look forward experiencing the shampoo myself.

These products really get the job done and it’s reassuring to know that they’re all natural and organic — all DERMagic’s dog skincare products contain certified whole-leaf aloe vera gel, Vitamin E, lanolin, beeswax and soothing natural oils.

You can find more great DERMagic dog and cat skincare products on the DERMagic website and @ amazon.com

Full disclosure: DERMagic provided us with complimentary products for this review.

It’s no secret, mi amor is OliveGreenDog – she’s true year-round … check out her furry valentine treats for the 4-legged set.

(above)

• Heart Dog Toys – handmade in California, available exclusively at Olive
• Denim Heart Dog Bed
• Organic Catnip – set of 3 hearts

Happy VDay – woof it up.

Related: more eco-friendly pet finds on The Alternative Consumer

As a hound, I’d like to speak for all those canines trapped in loving homes with owners hellbent on including little Fluffy in all their Halloween hijinks.

People tend to get carried away on Halloween — must be the combination of all that pagan energy and sugar blurring folks’ judgment and inducing them to strap-on a Sarah Palin wig or David Hasselhoff mask. Rule of thumb, if your pooch looks miserable in that tutu or sombrero don’t make them wear it … animal cruelty can sometimes be disguised as love.

pictured above: Shiny Clown (Amazon), Frog Dog (DIY), and Batdog…I mean Batman ($8.39 on sale now).