Giuliana Lonigro, an independent founding leader and consultant for Neal’s Yard Remedies, is offering free educational workshops for groups interested in learning how to live healthier lives naturally. Among the topics she covers are how to avoid harmful chemicals in personal-care products, how to help save the bees, aroma balancing with essential oils, and easy holiday shopping.

She will meet with groups at a time and place of their choosing, whether it’s a home, a workspace or even a favorite coffee shop. “Typically the host just invites a few colleagues or friends for an informal gathering and provides simple refreshments, such as organic tea and a snack,” she says.

One of Lonigro’s most popular workshops focuses on deciphering the ingredient labels on personal-care products in order to identify synthetic fragrances and other chemicals that are known carcinogens or endocrine/hormone disruptors.

“Much of what we place on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream—think nicotine or birth control patches,” she says. “Most conventional cosmetic companies continue to use questionable ingredients until they have been proven unsafe. But wouldn’t it be better to find products that only include ingredients that have been proven safe as well as effective? It’s not enough to read a product’s marketing claims. You have to take a good look at the ingredients listed on the packaging. Choosing products that are certified organic by an independent third party is one of the best ways to avoid being greenwashed.”

To schedule a workshop and learn about host discounts, contact Giuliana at 917.650.7704 or [email protected]. For more info, visit US.NYROrganic.com/shop/geelo.