According to Denise Duvé, assistant manager of College stores, Mac's General Store, located next to the Bookstore in Phillips Hall, has begun to carry Seventh Generation™ natural products, including paper towels, laundry detergent, and feminine products.
In case you didn't understand the significance of this company's name, Seventh Generation refers to the philosophy of the Haudenosaunee -- the traditional name for the Cayuga tribe of indigenous people here in the Finger Lakes -- who have retained an ancient sustainability principle as part of their guiding philosophy: to make decisions based upon their possible impact on the seventh generation of their descendents into the future. You just gotta love a manufacturing company that publicly espouses visions of a "society whose guiding principles include environmental sustainability, social justice, and compassion for all living creatures, and an earth that is restored, protected, and cherished for this generation and those to come."
Seventh Generation - Operating Principles
Unlike most laundry detergents that use petroleum-based surfactants to release soil from clothing, Seventh Generation™ Free & Clear Natural Laundry Detergent features vegetable-based surfactants and non-animal-derived enzymes to treat protein stains. This detergent is non-toxic, hypoallergenic, biodegradable, phosphate-free, and has no added dyes or fragrances. Labeled "HE," this laundry product is formulated to work in both standard home washing machines as well as high-efficiency laundry equipment like the Maytag washers in our residence hall laundry rooms, which use lower volumes of water.
Seventh Generation™ Natural Paper Towels are made from 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of 80% post-consumer recycled content. These jumbo-sized brown paper rolls are unbleached and hypoallergenic, but are otherwise just as absorbent as "regular" paper towels.
And Mac's is even stocking a Seventh Generation™ product line we didn't know existed, but are delighted to learn about and have a local source for: chlorine-free personal care products, including maxi pads and tampons. If you didn't investigate further, you'd never know there is anything different -- and lots better! -- about these products. The absorbent material in the maxi pads is a gel made from a polysaccharide derived from wheat. The chlorine-free, no-applicator tampons are made of 100% cotton and are certified organic by Quality Assurance International, Inc.
Ladies, for complete information on these products:
Seventh Generation - Personal Care Products for Women
