Leaving Animals Out of the Cosmetics Picture
THE actress Kristin Bauer, of “True Blood” fame, has an annual ritual when she visits her family home in Racine, Wis.: She takes a black marker and scribbles on the sides of specific products and cosmetics, “Tested on animals.”
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The actress Kristin Bauer of "True Blood" promotes animal-free testing of cosmetics.
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Kiss My Face says it does not test on animals.
“It’s so simple for me: we shouldn’t be torturing another living being for mascara when we don’t have to,” said Ms. Bauer, a vegetarian who lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Abri van Straten, two dogs and two cats. “It seems so odd when you think of shaving cream and a bunny, or mascara and a guinea pig. We’re not saving a life.”
As a spokeswoman for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit health organization whose goals include promoting animal-free testing, Ms. Bauer has a mission: to get more people to use makeup and toiletries that have not been tested on rabbits, guinea pigs, mice or rats. And while “cruelty-free” has been a basic mantra of certain earthy lines like Aveda, the Body Shop and Kiss My Face, for decades, it’s increasingly been taken up by new and glamorous proponents.
The models Josie Maran (josiemarancosmetics.com) and Christie Brinkley (christiebrinkleyskincare.com) and the designer Stella McCartney (Care by Stella McCartney) are among those who have started cosmetics lines developed without animal testing.
Companies like Clinique, Tarte and Almay have stopped the practice. Other lesser-known brands, like Pixi, Organic Male OM4 (a skin-care line for men) and Dr.’s Remedy, an all-natural nail polish, never started it.
“It was important for us to know that there would not be any animals harmed in the development or testing of our product,” said the co-founder of Dr.’s Remedy, Adam Cirlincione, a podiatrist in New York.
Consumers seem to agree, said Nancy Beck, a former science and policy adviser for the physicians’ group, who conducted a report on the topic while working there. “Part of it is awareness about the issue in general,” said Dr. Beck, who has a doctorate in microbiology and immunology. “Science has evolved, and we have the technology now that maybe we didn’t have 30 or 40 years ago to do safety assessments without using animals. So having the methods in place, and companies bothering to take the time and making the investment into developing new methods, has a lot to do with it, too.”
But while some companies have stopped testing on animals, getting them to do so hasn’t been easy. “It’s hard to get them to talk to you,” Dr, Beck said. “You start out by writing a letter: ‘We’d love to talk to you about your approach to testing and could we meet?’ Usually you don’t hear back.”
On March 11, 2009, the European Union banned cosmetics and personal-products companies from testing their products on animals for things like skin irritancy, sensitivity to light and acute toxicity. The decision also banned the import of cosmetics containing ingredients that have been animal-tested in this way. By March 11, 2013, companies will be forbidden from further tests designed to establish longer-term toxicity.
But no such laws exist in the United States. The closest is the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011, which was introduced on June 24, 2011, (it has yet to be adopted) and encourages, among other things, the development of alternatives to animal testing.
That isn’t sufficient for Vicki Katrinak, the administrator for the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, a consortium of animal protection groups (including the Humane Society of the United States, the Doris Day Animal League and the American Anti-Vivisection Society) in Jenkintown, Pa. “We are worried that without a full ban being incorporated into the language of that bill, there will be more testing,” she said.
What’s more, the “cruelty-free” label that some personal-care products and cosmetics companies have adopted doesn’t have a universally agreed-upon meaning. “The F.D.A. says on its Web site that companies can make any claim about their animal testing policies because there is no regulated definition of what is cruelty-free,” Ms. Katrinak said.
Companies may say their products are “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals,” she said, but their claims might refer only to the finished product, and not to specific ingredients (the bulk of animal testing happens on the ingredient level). Or they hire outside laboratories to do the testing for them.
Even “all-natural” claims are confusing. Michelle Larner, a makeup artist in New York, thought she was using only products not tested on animals because she favors lines aimed at customers with sensitive skin. But then she went to the Web site of the advocacy organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which lists companies that do and don’t test on animals.
“I saw a few brands that fall into the ‘natural’ range that I just assumed would be cruelty-free,” she said. She was dismayed to discover that “everything I use, from mascara, toothpaste, deodorant and feminine products were on the list. Even my laundry cleaning products are on this ‘yes’ list.”
A majority of items made without animal testing are independent brands that are not readily available at chain drugstores, department stores or specialty stores, she added. It also would be easier “if the products had a disclaimer saying, ‘Yes, we test on animals,’ ” Ms. Larner said. “I would not buy it."
Some organizations have been trying to change that. PETA licenses its “cruelty-free bunny” logo.
Leaping Bunny, a program run by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, licenses a rabbit logo to companies the organization has certified as cruelty-free. It also provides consumers with a list of these companies.
So far, about a third of the 400 certified companies use the logo, said Ms. Katrinak, including Burt’s Bees, Tom’s of Maine, the Body Shop and Urban Decay. Not everyone, though, thinks that eliminating animal research entirely is feasible. “Most ingredients in cosmetic products were tested long ago, so very little testing is done nowadays,” said Frankie Trull, president of the Foundation for Biomedical Research, which promotes humane and responsible animal research. But “in some cases, animal models are still a necessary part of ensuring ingredients will not cause harm to people.”
Ms. Bauer, who favors Almay and bareFaced Mineral Cosmetics, is unmoved by this argument. She often checks PETA’s Web site to see which products do and don’t test on animals.
“It takes five minutes to go through this list,” she said. “Sometimes the non-tested are more organic and natural. Sometimes they’re even cheaper.”
REGION: New law bans sale of animals on public property
This kitten is up for adoption at the County of San Diego
Department of Animal Services North Shelter in Carlsbad on Friday.
JAMIE SCOTT LYTLE | lytle@nctimes.com
Animals in Need of a Good Home
Animals in Need of a Good Home
Here is a short list of some of the pets available for adoption at the Carroll County Humane Society.
The Rack Starz Cause, Animals Behind the 8-Ball Partner with Non-Profit …
The Rack Starz Cause, Animals Behind the 8-Ball Partner with Non-Profit Organization, AmsterDog Rescue for the Holiday Season
Animals Behind the 8-Ball partner with AmsterDog to raise much needed awareness and money for their tireless efforts to the AmsterDog volunteers who help protect and save many helpless and abused animals.
http://therackstarz.com
Scranton woman shepherds student singers, church chorale and home full of …
Lisa McConlogue approaches life with a song in her heart, and finds reasons to be happy in her work and family life each day.
The Scranton native and West Mountain resident is the choral director at Scranton High School, where she cultivates and instructs performers for the show choir, the Knight Rhythms, and the school concert choir. She also is a doting mother of three children and host of rescued animals including two former Greyhound racers and five cats.
A graduate of Scranton High and Marywood College, where she earned a bachelors degree in music education, Mrs. McConlogues love of song started in her childhood home, where her mother, Kathleen Meyers, was an accomplished organist at area churches. Mrs. McConlogue admired her mothers talent and began piano lessons in the third grade.
I was always immersed in music, she explained. But I was never forced.
She continued to study throughout high school and college, and despite encouragement from her mentors to pursue a career in performing, Mrs. McConlogue said she knew she wanted to teach.
Listening to kids
I love being with the kids. Its actually fun, she said. Theyre so full of vigor. I always make it a point to listen to what they say, because at some point they have to be heard.
Mrs. McConlogue began teaching in the Scranton School District in 1997, and since assuming full responsibility for the music department from her predecessor, Leanne Amabile, after her retirement, Mrs. McConlogue has taken the kids in her classroom far.
The Knight Rhythms have performed at the Little League World Series (It was electric, Mrs. McConlogue said) and Walt Disney World in Florida, as well as Cedar Point, Ohio.
The travel experience is such an important part. So many of the kids would not get the opportunity otherwise, she added. But its such a commitment for them. Its a lot of work.
The group also does its fair share of local community service performances, including events for the Rotary Club of Scranton, the Society of Irish Women, the Governor Casey Awards and the Mayors Prayer Breakfast. Students even sang before President Obama during his visit to the Electric City.
Its definitely a sense of accomplishment for me, but more so for them, because its truly about the kids, Mrs. McConlogue said. Its how the public perceives what the youth of today can do, and what Scranton High School is capable of.
Her students have come to be part of her family, she added, and they frequently stop into her music room throughout the day for a snack or to say hi or talk about their problems.
Whenever I talk about my kids, people say, Your biological or your students? Mrs. McConlogue laughed.
She also stays active with the youth activities her son participates in at their church, St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic, and serves as choir director of the Cathedral Chorale.
Church is a very big part of our world, Mrs. McConlogue said. The Chorale is a dying artform. Its a small group of ladies and gentlemen who faithfully come out and do their very best.
At home, Mrs. McConlogue is also the leader of a collection of rescued animals, including five cats brought in from Griffin Pond Animal Shelter and the Animal Care Association (with interesting names like George Foreman and Betsy Ross, who was adopted on Flag Day, naturally), and two Greyhounds she found through the rescue group Monicas Heart of Altoona.
The dogs, Zander and Sissy, are both retired racing dogs with troubled histories of being bounced around between countless homes and states.
I just thought they were the coolest dogs. They are like giant cats, but they still have that companionship factor, Mrs. McConlogue said of her Greyhounds. Most dogs command your attention and want something from you; they are grateful for whatever you give them. They say theyre like potato chips: you cant have just one, and its true.
She continues to work with the rescue as well, volunteering to foster other dogs or monitor other placements with home visits.
Dad was right
Theres an old hymn, Rescue the Perishing, and my father used to say it was my theme song. I guess he was right, Mrs. McConlogue said. I refuse to pay money for an animal that isnt being rescued or in need of a home.
Yet with all she does for everyone around her, Mrs. McConlogue remains thankful for the blessings she feels overwhelm her.
I always try to see the bright side of everything. I love my world, she said. When I put my head on the pillow at night, I know I did something to change the world.
Contact the writer: pwilding@timesshamrock.com
TO NOMINATE A NORTHEAST WOMAN, please submit requests via email to lifestyles@timesshamrock.com or mail them to Northeast Woman Nominations, The Sunday Times, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. Please include the womans name, address and the reason the reader feels the woman is deserving. Those submitting need to include their name and a daytime phone number.
Meet Lisa McConlogue
At home: Lives in West Mountain with her husband of 16 years, Kevin, and their children, Kevin Jr., 13; Lydia, 9; and Paige, 8; two rescue greyhounds, Zander and Sissy; and five cats. She also has a twin sister, Jennifer Prothero.
At work: She is the choral director at Scranton High School.
Inspiration: Her mother, Kathleen Meyers, who resides with her: Shes always been such a hard worker and taught us to work, to achieve ... and to be patient. My mother picks up so much slack so I can do what I do.
Aspiration: I am in my dream job, she said. I aspire to take this program to the next level so it can be everything it should be.
Diversions: Caring for her animals and volunteering for Monicas Heart, a greyhound rescue organization.
Aversion: Disorganization
Quote: My words to live by is Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 11: For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Make it work, because its there for a purpose.
RSPCA busy but fewer animals
The good news is RSPCA ACT found homes for 92 per cent of all the dogs placed in its care in 2011. The bad news is 99 dogs and 23 pups still had to be euthanised for health, medical and behavioral reasons.
RSPCA ACT chief executive officer, Michael Linke, said although his organisation had been very busy there had been a reduction in the number of animals needing care.
And we saw dramatic improvements in our kitten care program in the latter half of 2011, he said.
A total of 613 cats and 520 kittens were put to sleep because they were either feral, very sick and carrying incurable diseases, or aggressive.
Our overall homing rate for cats, excluding ferals, was 69per cent, Mr Linke said.
The number of euthanised kittens was down by 22per cent.
Of the 7923 animals received by RSPCA ACT in 2011, 2946 were native wild animals and 1168 of the 3432 domestic animals had been surrendered by their owners.
Mr Linke said his organisation had successfully reunited 1204 animals with their owners and released 787 natives back into the wild.
Animals placed in the care of the RSPCA were a mixed bag with birds, lizards, rodents, chickens, ferrets, sheep, goats and pigs supplementing the more usual cats and dogs.
Staffordshire bull terriers were the most represented dog breed at the shelter in 2011 with 196, 139 of them strays, being taken into care. A further 35 were surrendered by owners, seven were born in the shelter, six were seized by RSPCA inspectors and nine were brought in by Domestic Animal Services. Only 91 of the strays were reclaimed.
Another 52 staffies were adopted out, 41 were transferred to DAS, seven were euthanised, two were returned to their owners and four died of natural causes.
Bitzers, staffs, labradors, maltese, jack russells, kelpies, cattle dogs, border collies and shih tzus were also well represented.
Mr Linke said the shelter had received 2946 wild animals, a reduction of 8per cent on 2010.
We released 787 native animals back to the wild, a 26per cent release rate, which is expected given the amount of trauma most wild animals see before coming to the RSPCA, he said.
Sadly still more than 50per cent of native animals brought into care have been inadvertently interfered with by humans. This includes car strike and pet attack as the two biggest reasons animals are brought into our care.
Alarming trend in NHL: Animals on ice
Happy New Year! The key to happiness is to learn from our mistakes and anticipate trends so we can be prepared. For instance, clearly the NHL has an alarming trend taking shape after someone threw an actual dead duck on the ice recently when the Anaheim Ducks were playing in San Jose.
Granted, this trend has had a couple of false starts. Seems like some guys have always thrown their hats on the ice to celebrate a hat trick. (Do they get their hats back? I worry about these things.) And Red Wings fans have thrown octopi because nobody worries about cruelty to octopi.
But this dead duck thing is bad. Theres always retaliation and theres always copycats, so what may get thrown onto the ice in 2012? (Put down your Twitter account, PETA, we are not advocating anything here, just speculating.)
Theres an entire zoo in the NHL. Should we fear the tossing of Panthers, Bruins or, yes, Sharks? Granted, sneaking them into the arena might be a challenge, but somebody had no trouble getting a dead duck past security. By the way, I do encourage throwing Penguins. They are nasty animals that are just the right size to peck you in just the wrong places. Trust me on this as I have been scarred by a penguin.
And once a trend begins, it just grows and grows. In other words, 2012 could be a dangerous year for Canadians, Rangers and Senators. (Election years are always deadly for Senators, so theyve got two things to worry about.)
Our literary chefs have something special cooking for the New Years Brunch, but while they are dotting the final Is and crossing the last Ts, here are few more thoughts to chew upon:
In zoo, officials struggle to keep animals warm
JAIPUR: Authorities of the Jaipur Zoological Garden are at their wits end to provide warmth to the occupants - animals and birds - as the increasing cold waves and fog pronounce tough days ahead. The authorities are trying from laying bed made of grass to jute curtains and complete change in diet to arranging heaters for a selected few to keep the birds and animals warm.
The zoo has a total of 800 animals, including a few from foreign lands like a pair of Australian emus and African baboons from diverse climatic regions. Special arrangements have also been made for the most powerful inmates - tigers and lions.
Carroll County Animals in Need of a Good Home
Carroll County Animals in Need of a Good Home
Here is a short list of some of the pets available for adoption at the Carroll County Humane Society.
Enact Balanced Law on Animals
Ohio state law regulates a variety of potentially dangerous behaviors, everything from use of fireworks to drunken driving. There is no reason a balanced statute on ownership of exotic animals cannot be added to the books.
It was clear before the Muskingum County Sheriffs Department had to kill dozens of exotic animals, including rare tigers, the state should have better regulations on owning such creatures. Sheriffs deputies had to shoot the animals after their clearly disturbed owner, Terry Thompson, opened their cages before killing himself.
Former Gov. Ted Strickland had issued an executive order banning most ownership and sales of exotic animals, but the mandate was allowed to expire when new Gov. John Kasich took office. In reaction to the Muskingum County tragedy, Kasich issued his own order last week.
Kasichs action does not ban either sale or ownership of exotic animals. In effect, he merely increases state oversight in an effort to enforce existing laws better.
That gives legislators some breathing room to consider new laws.
Some have suggested an outright ban on private ownership of exotic animals. That worries the few Ohioans who possess creatures such as tigers, bears, mountain lions, etc.
A ban also would raise the question of whether organizations such as zoos and preserves such as The Wilds would run afoul of the law.
There is a simple bottom line here: Only responsible Ohioans - and that includes both organizations as well as individuals - should be allowed to sell and/or keep exotic animals. It was obvious before Thompson set the stage for a tragedy that he did not fit into the category.
Surely legislators, working with animal welfare groups, zoos and preserves and individual owners of exotic animals, can come up with equitable, humane new rules. That should be done as soon as possible, because Kasichs order is no more than a stopgap measure.