Attention all green-minded mommies and daddies-to-be, I just found the coolest birth announcements by
Find It Here:
Congratulations to Kimberly V., Priscilla, Aubrey, Louise B. and Lisa I., winners of a free personalized e-card birth announcement from Inventing Matilda!
By Cristina, June 30, 2008
Filed under: Baby, Made in USA, Win
ShainsWare wants you to say it, wear it, mean it with their 100% recycled rubber bracelets. When I was teen hipster back in the nineties, if I could have worn a bracelet that said “save the dolphins” I probably would have. Thanks to ShainsWare, today’s kids, tweens and teens can make a personalized statement with these groovy bracelets by choosing from 9 different colors and inserting letters, numbers and icons that can be changed whenever they feel like it PLUS ShainsWare donates 10% of net profits to environmental organizations. With their totally unique and customizable bracelets, Shainsware has made environmentally conscious self-expression easy and cool!
Find It Here: ShainsWare
By Sarah, June 29, 2008
Filed under: Gift, Kids, Recycle, Teens & Tweens, Wear
What does it really mean to be “green”? If you’re looking for a fun and easy way to explain the concept to your kids, then check out the children’s book Think Green! by Jeanine Behr Getz. Geared for children ages 3-8, Think Green! features Millicent and her friends who provide ideas to help keep the Earth clean. Each colorful page features a new green idea - like carpooling to work, turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth, helping to recycle, and picking up litter. Published in the U.S.A., the book is printed using recycled fiber/post consumer waste paper, soy-based inks and is processed chlorine free. This title would make a fun and unique party favor for a children’s birthday party or just a nice addition to your child’s bookshelf. That way when you’re asked one day, “What does being “green” mean?” you’ll already have the answer, complete with illustrations!
Find It Here: Kids Think Big
Congratulations to Stefanie S. and Kristie, winners of a copy of Think Green! signed by the author.
By Cristina, June 27, 2008
Filed under: Gift, Preschooler, Read, Toddler, Win
Have you checked out our snazzy new community forum yet? We are excited that over 200 of our smart (and let’s be honest, totally attractive) readers have joined already! We are chatting it up about all sorts of things, including non-toxic cleaners, plastic bag alternatives, and composting, to name a few.
Now, about those giveaways…to make the forum even more fun, we are planning lots of exciting giveaways just for members. Woo-hoo! We LOVE givin’ stuff away!
This week, enter to win this fun and funky reusable canvas shopping tote, courtesy of Skeeda. I own two of their bags and I am always complimented on them when I’m shopping. They are great for jazzing up your grocery store jaunts! Go here to enter - it’s easy! U.S. and Canadian residents eligible for this contest. Enter by 7/10/08.
Also in the forum…
The environmental benefits of cloth diapers over disposables are well known by many. Unfortunately, the perception that cloth diapers are a pain in the you-know-what to clean and care for is still widespread. But thanks to innovative moms like bumGenius creator Jenn Labit, new designs in cloth diaper technology are continually being introduced to make it easier than ever to cloth diaper. One of our favorite cloth diapers is the bumGenius. A diaper and diaper cover all in one, they will continue to fit children as they grow from 7-35 pounds, which means that one diaper is all you need from infancy to toddlerhood. And don’t worry, there are no pins required. The stretchy tabs we all love create a snug and comfortable fit that allows the diaper to be less bulky. One might even venture to say they are as easy as using disposables, but without the landfill waste or nasty chemicals. No wonder they’re called bumGENIUS!
Find It Here: Belly Sprout
Congratulations to Cyndy S., winner of two BumGenius diapers in white with a small red wet bag from Bummis courtesy of Belly Sprout!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rebel. That’s the motto at Reform School, a Los Angeles store owned by two high school friends with a focus on sustainable art, design and crafts. Lucky for us non-Angelenos, these best friends realized that not everyone can’t make it to LA so they started a website (with a cool school theme, natch) featuring one-of-a-kind sustainable and handmade finds. And just to keep things interesting, each month at Reform School, different artist is featured as “student of the month.” Make sure you also take a look at their wide and creative selection of stationery, books, posters, house accessories and unique handmade wares for kids like the Mobilhome Recycled Cardboard Dollhouse or the nifty Optrixx Cameras made from recycled wood. This is one school where you definitely won’t mind staying after class!
Find it Here: Reform School
By Sarah, June 24, 2008
Filed under: Baby, DIY, Home, Learn, Recycle, Reduce/Reuse, Sustainable
When I found out that the chemicals used in conventional disinfectants can be toxic, I was compelled to start searching for safer alternatives. At least one mom out there has taken it a step further and has created and bottled her own non-toxic disinfectant! Mompreneur Christine Stewart developed her All-Natural Alternative to Antibacterial Disinfectants after finding out about the health hazards of using chemical cleaners. Modeled after the well-known Vinegar of the Four Thieves formula, Christine’s disinfectant is made from white distilled vinegar and certified-organic herbs and spices grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. That means you can spray it all over your house to kill germs and never have to worry about what kind of chemicals you (and your kids) are breathing in or getting on your skin. I’m actually considering sending a case of this stuff to my sister — she’s just completed a twelve step program for Lysol abuse and needs a good alternative.
Find It Here: For My Kids
Congratulations to Shirley, Bree, Beth and Kelly, winners of a bottle of All-Natural Alternative to Antibacterial Disinfectants courtesy of For My Kids!
For a number of different reasons, including overfishing, pollution and global warming, our oceans are in jeopardy. Now Greenpeace has launched an interactive site to inform conscientious consumers how best to shop for ocean-friendly fish. By ranking the purchasing practices of the top 20 supermarkets and providing a supermarket scorecard, the site represents a new approach to tackling this crisis, holding supermarkets accountable for their role in supporting unsustainable fisheries and aquaculture operations. Check out the fish on the “red” list and consider avoiding these fish when possible, then take a look at their supermarket scorecard to see how your local stores stack up.
Find It Here: Greenpeace
Take Action: Our oceans are one of earth’s greatest natural resources. Help protect them for future generations by signing the Greenpeace petition to tell supermarkets, “no more fishy business!”
BDV-33176-BDV
By Cristina, June 21, 2008
Filed under: Eat, Resources, Sustainable
Becoming a parent changed me in ways I never would have expected. And I’m talking about more than just stretch marks! I realized that being responsible for a new life means doing whatever I can to make them safe, healthy and happy – and for me, that extended to making my children’s environment as safe and natural as possible. If you’re like me (always looking for good resources for information on natural and eco-friendly alternatives and products), then I’m got a great new resource for you - Organic Baby. Developed by New Zealand mother Lianne Earles, this web directory contains articles on topics from safer skin care options to cloth diapering FAQs, and the online shopping directory provides great suggestions on where to find natural and organic products.
Find It Here: Organic Baby
Congratulations to Michael B., winner of a one year membership in the US Organic Baby Club, including a free organic cotton tee or onesie and all the other membership benefits!
By Cristina, June 20, 2008
Filed under: Baby, Resources, Win
When is the right time to replace an old refrigerator? Is it more environmentally correct to buy your beer in bottles or cans? And is it okay to knit a sweater with acrylic (petroleum-based) yarn? Bob “Mr. Green” Schildgen, writer of a column in Sierra magazine and author of Hey Mr. Green, is the go-to guy for questions like those, always answered with humor and a common sense approach to green living. Schildgen is proof positive that being green does NOT have to be serious or boring. And because he has all the research and experience of the Sierra Club behind him, you can be assured he knows that of which he speaks. Now the editors of Sierra magazine have taken the very best of the Mr. Green column and organized it in book form with categories like At Home, Food for Thought, Out and About, The Three R’s and The Big Picture, which considers how the environment, politics, religion and other issues intersect with each other. If you’ve got questions, Mr. Green has the answers in this thoroughly enjoyable book.
Find it Here: Hey Mr. Green
Congratulations to Bobbye F. and Marion B., winners of a copy of the book Hey Mr. Green donated by The Sierra Club. Additionally, Eco-Libris will plant a tree for each of these copies as part of their commitment to sustainable reading.
For the first few weeks when my son was born, one of the only things that would soothe him at night was to be swaddled tightly in a blanket. My only problem was that the blankets I used never seemed big enough to get a secure wrap. If only I had know about the Solana Swaddle Wrap! Handmade in the USA, these blankets are perfect for swaddling for so many reasons - they are oversized so you’ll have enough fabric to get a tight swaddle; they are super soft and lightweight; and just as important in my book, they are made of 100% organic cotton and without the use of chemicals. While practical and eco-friendly, the wraps are also pretty - each one is finished with an organic cotton sateen trim in pink, blue, or green. Perfect for summer, use it as a swaddler by night and throw them over your stroller as a sunshade by day. Guaranteed to make you a perfect baby burrito!
Find It Here: Solana Babywear
Deal: Use code ‘greenmom’ for a 10% discount on your purchase at Solana Babywear!
By Cristina, June 17, 2008
Filed under: Baby, Made in USA, Organic, Sleep
We are excited to announce the launch of our brand new community forum! When we first started this site in January, we immediately heard from readers that they wished they could comment on our posts.
We, too, felt like we wanted more interactivity on the site so one day we thought - “Hey, let’s go one step further and start a forum!” We actually started it awhile back and have been tinkering with it and trying different platforms and now, we finally think we’ve got a winner!
We hope the forum will be a comfortable community space where you can connect with like-minded folks and share everything to do with green living, as well as do fun things like share photos and videos and even write a blog post, if you want.
We have started discussion threads on topics we think people are interested in, but we’d love to hear your suggestions too – if you have ideas for new forum categories, please let us know by posting in our suggestions thread. We consider this to be as much your forum as it is ours.
And… because we just lurve giving away fun stuff to you guys, we are giving away an organic cotton Belle Baby Carrier worth $100 to one lucky person who posts in our forum during the month of June. Click here for more details on how to enter. We plan to coordinate forum giveaways on an ongoing basis so stay tuned!
And as always, thank you for visiting here and for your dedication to green living. Together with you, we hope to foster a rockin’ green community here at GMF!
