Published on May 13th, 2009
You can collect Frito Lay chip bags, keep them out of landfills and send them to be remade into something useful all while earning money for your school or nonprofit organization.
TerraCycle has teamed up with Frito Lay to collect used packaging from FritoLay snack products- Doritos, Cheetos, Tostidos and other chip bags and turn them into affordable upcycled products- folders, tote bags, purses and pencil cases. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 29th, 2009
Tim Barklage and Kevin Tibbs became dads around the same time and became much more aware of the world around them, especially once their little girls started crawling.
They wanted safe, eco-friendly products that wouldn’t harm their children. Kevin Tibbs has worked as a formulation chemist for the past 11 years creating over 300 products that can be found in stores everywhere. Tim Barklage is a self described dreamer with a passion for living green. Together they created Better Life. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 15th, 2009
$17 billion a year is spent by the advertising and marketing industry to shape our children’s desires and identities.
Now that the economic recession gripping the world is causing free market ideals to be questioned, it’s time to examine its effects on our children. Henry A. Giroux writes:
While the “empire of consumption” has been around for a long time, American society in the last thirty years has undergone a sea change in the daily lives of children - one marked by a major transition from a culture of innocence and social protection, however imperfect, to a culture of commodification. This is culture that does more than undermine the ideals of a secure and happy childhood; it also exhibits the bad faith of a society in which, for children, “there can be only one kind of value, market value; one kind of success, profit; one kind of existence, commodities; and one kind of social relationship, markets.”(2) Children now inhabit a cultural landscape in which they can only recognize themselves in terms preferred by the market.
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Published on April 1st, 2009
Art supplies are wonderful and versatile. What other items offer fun play, creative expression, and learning all in one…for very inexpensive prices?
With art supplies children have the world at their fingertips. There is so much that can be done, be made, be transformed…but with toxic ingredients like lead showing up in kids’ products you want to be sure that the creative supplies are not only fun but safe for the little ones.
Stubby Pencil Studio offers the biggest selection around that I have found, of eco-friendly, non-toxic art supplies and old fashioned games and toys. Perfect items to stuff in Easter baskets.
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Published on March 30th, 2009
I love finding companies that have everything I am looking for all rolled into one.
Little Chickie Wear is one of those companies. It has eco-friendly, ethical practices, eco-friendly kid’s products and it is woman owned and operated- by a mom. This is a company I can relate to and most importantly it is a company that can relate to me. A company that knows what moms like me want-safe and cute products for my kids.
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Published on March 29th, 2009
Looking for a new backpack for yourself or your child? Project Blue features PVC-free DAKINE Oceana Surf Packs:
DAKINE’s project BLUE packs are constructed with 100% Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) fabric and lining, which is made from recycled plastic bottles. The packs also feature recycled buckles and non-toxic Thermaplastic Elastomer (TPE) waterproof fabric backing. These packs feature a seam sealed wetsuit pocket, insulated cooler pocket and organizer pocket to keep everything separate and secure.
My daugher loves her Oceana Surf Pack, althoug it is a little large for her seven-year-old frame. I love how Project Blue supports our oceans through the Surfrider Foundation, one of my favorite charitable environmental associations. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on March 22nd, 2009
Have you ever had a need for custom printing? Now there is an eco-friendly company that can fulfill these needs. Ecoprintworks uses sustainable organic products, from t-shirts to totes, and water-based inks for their screenprinting. Ecoprintworks is one of the few companies that uses Permaset Aqua, a solvent free, water-based ink from Australia. Most printers use PVC-based plastisol ink. PVC is largely regarded as one of the most harmful of plastics. Permaset Aqua are Oeko-tex certified class I meaning they are safe for children’s garments under two years of age. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on March 21st, 2009
I’ve long been a fan of Maggie’s Organics, and I lived in their tights when I was pregnant. Now Maggie’s is venturing into stuffed animals. Like their sock monkey, Maggie’s Organics Penguin is made from excess fabric and slight irregulars, including the hat made from tie dyed socks! Unlike Mattel, that claimed Barbie was going green by making accessories from fabric scraps, I trust Maggie’s because they have always been a Fair Trade and organic company.
CONTENTS: Outside: made with 100% Organic Cotton. Filling: Post-industrial Polyester fiber (from mill scraps)
DESCRIPTION: The second stuffed animal in the Maggie’s Menagerie collection has come to life! Typically Penguins don classic black and white attire… but our Penguin has taken a walk on the wild side, sporting a colorful stocking cap made from our incredibly popular tie dye socks and legwarmers.
The animals are made from excess fabric and irregulars and stuffed with reclaimed polyester mill scrap. The Penguin’s embroidered eyes and securely sewn on hat make it safe for all ages.
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Published on March 19th, 2009
We get a lot of press releases from companies big and small touting their green initiatives. I usually dismiss the ones from major corporations like Disney and Barbie as greenwashing, but I still pass them on to our writers. After much prodding and persuading from my online friends, I usually take up the issue myself, as I just can’t help myself. Disney….it’s your turn.
Disney has just issued the company’s first ever comprehensive corporate responsibility (CR) report. For a company that was founded in the 1920s and is the largest media and entertainment corporation in the world, this report is a long time overdue!
The long term environmental goals outlined in the report are:
- Zero waste
- Zero net direct greenhouse gas emissions from fuels
- Reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions from electricity consumption
- Net positive impact on ecosystems
- Minimize water use
- Minimize product footprint
- Inform, empower and activate positive action for the environment
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Published on March 18th, 2009
According to the National Action Against Obesity the girl scouts who peddle cookies each spring get 40 to 60 cents from each box sold. Roughly ten percent of each sale. Ask any mother whose living room has been taken over by boxes of cookies, any father who’s had to drag their daughter into work with a cookie order form, if that’s worth it. The Girl Scouts of America assert that 12% to 17% of each sale goes to the troop. At $4 a box that’s between 48 cents and 68 cents per box sold.
I know that looks impressive until you scroll down and see this.
I love Girl Scouts. My Mother was a Girl Scout, her Mother was the Troop Leader, but the Girl Scouts have been setting a terrible precedent. They’re asking young girls and their mothers to endlessly solicit from friends and family without adequately compensating them. If we’re raising our girls to be strong, let’s also raise them to be clever capitalists.
Okay Jessica, but what does this have to do with a sustainable lifestyle?
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You can collect Frito Lay chip bags, keep them out of landfills and send them to be remade into something useful all while earning money for your school or nonprofit organization.
