Burt Shavitz, Face of Burt’s Bees, Dies at 80

Burt Shavitz, Founder of Burt's Bees Products

Burt Shavitz, a rural beekeeper whose homespun marketing for natural personal care products transformed him from an unknown recluse into the familiar scruffy face of a line of balms that healed a million lips, died on Sunday in Bangor, Me. He was 80. The cause was respiratory problems, said Christina Calbi, a spokeswoman for Burt’s Bees®, the company Mr. Shavitz co-founded in 1984 and which was sold to Clorox in 2007 for about $925 million. The brand still bears his bearded visage, wistful eyes and signature striped locomotive engineer’s cap. Even after the sale, Mr. Shavitz remained a paid spokesman for Burt’s Bees, though he had returned to his hermit’s existence in a 400-square-foot converted turkey coop in Parkman, ME, northwest of Bangor. The abode was equipped with a radio and refrigerator but not a television or running hot water. I realized I had it made because you don’t have to destroy anything to get honey. You can just use the same things over and over again, put it in a quart canning jar, and you’ve got $12. In 1984, Mr. Shavitz picked up a 33-year-old hitchhiker, Roxanne Quimby, who became his business and romantic partner. Ms. Quimby, a former […]

Continue reading...

The 10 worst cereals in terms of sugar per cup


Most parents would never dream of giving their kids dessert for breakfast. But a survey by the Environmental Working Group finds that many cereals marketed to children have more sugar in them than sweet treats do. Here are the 10 worst cereals in terms of sugar per cup.

Continue reading...

Steffany’s Eco-bold Move Pays Off

I was born and raised in a small ranch in Brazil, and since the early days, my mom always made sure that we ate all our veggies and finish our fresh acerola juice. She always let – and sometimes encouraged – my sisters and I go play in the rain and mud. We never got sick and grew up living this very healthy lifestyle. Until this day, my mom is a wealth of knowledge about what’s good for us (eat your flax seeds grounded, but only grind them before you eat, and keep them in the dark!) and she always finds the most unique things at the grocery store, before they become “fashion” like the chia seeds juice or kombucha.

Ecobold evolved from an idea that I had to help people learn how to shop for healthy items. While doing my research, I realized that there were many products out there beyond food that people would love to buy, but didn’t know that they exist or where to get them, so I decided to switch plans to an online marketplace that helps sellers all over the world market their amazing products to the people who want them. And Ecobold was born. We launched just a few months ago with 80 products and today we have almost 3,000 products available in many categories: from beauty, to food, to clothing and even electronics. Our goal is to help sellers market these products and help consumers find these small sellers who are popping up everywhere (but who don’t have a clue on how to do sales online or where to even start). Sellers on our site can be anyone from a mom who decided to make natural soaps in her spare time,to a small business owner selling non-toxic body lotions to their local spas. Since we are based in Silicon Valley, we are in a position to offer them the absolute best tools to show their baby to the world, increase sales, awareness and get repeat customers.

Continue reading...

Eat Granola, Pray, Love – show 22

Alison Bailey Vercruysse started a granola company three years ago and recently sold her one millionth bar. When I asked her the impact she wants to have on the planet, she said, “Everyone has the right to pure and simple food.” It’s that simple for Alison. She is the CEO and founder of 18 Rabbits. Her love for granola and serving up simple ingredients goes way back to her childhood. Her deep love for her mom (not to mention her secret recipes) stands at the core of the 18 Rabbits brand. Made from ingredients like organic coconut, California almonds, and Straus butter (see I can pronounce all of them) make 18 Rabbits a wholesome, mouth-watering treat.

Continue reading...

Imani on Genetically-modified Foods

Although most consumers in the United States remain unaware that 90 percent of what sits on grocery store shelves are genetically modified, increasing numbers are demanding product labeling as done in Europe. Why are US companies who readily use GM ingredients in their products so reluctant to accurately label their products? Studies show that the majority of US consumers would choose non-GM foods IF they knew the foods they were buying contained GM ingredients.

Continue reading...