In the new age of blogging, the practice of writing in a journal can seem downright quaint and yet, there’s still something really special about actually putting pen to paper. If you’re looking to write down your thoughts the “old-fashioned” way, but you’re also worried about cutting down on your paper waste, then check out Eco Paper. The great thing about this line is that absolutely no trees are cut down to make their paper. Sounds hard to believe, but it’s true! Eco Paper is made using the waste from bananas, coffee and tobacco. These “agro-fibres” are then combined with a base fibre from post-consumer paper waste (e.g., recycled office paper, tetra pack containers, magazines and news papers) to create Eco Paper. Artisans add the decorative on-lays and labels and help with assembly. The result is a line of environmentally friendly, sustainable and beautifully made paper products that include journals, writing sets, notepads, sketch pads, stationary and more. Their paper products also use organic and vegetable inks rather than toxins and chemicals. Eco Paper may not cause me to close down my blog, but it has inspired me to start journaling again.

Find It Here: Eco Paper

Win It: We’re giving away a lemon paper journal from Eco Paper. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter “ECO52” as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: Other than this journal, what is your favorite product from Eco Paper? Enter by 7/21/08. U.S. residents eligible.

By Cristina, July 14, 2008  
Filed under: Gift, Organic, Recycle, Reduce/Reuse, Sustainable, Win

Totem Boys… is it a bird, a plane or…sanity in a box? The correct answer is “All of the above!” Just when the boys of summer (mine) began that low but audible whine of “Mom, I’m bored,” I was able to produce shock and awe (to the 7+ set) by producing a game that bends those imagination muscles more than a Wii ever could… Totem Boys is a new building game for kids that is half puzzle and half model kit in a mix of unique die-cut panels made from recycled laminated cardboard and imprinted with interesting reversible graphic images of metal, wood, fire and air to create a spaceship, a plane, a ship etc. There are over 120 building cards for with imagination to spare and a little time on their hands. You can thank Kidsonroof of the Netherlands for saving summer and perhaps your sanity, as well. Cheers!

Find It Here: Stubby Pencil Studio

Win It: Enter to win a Totem Boys or Totem Girls puzzle (winner’s choice), courtesy of Stubby Pencil Studio! Click over to the Green Mom Forum to enter. U.S. and Canadian residents eligible. Enter by 7/20/08.

By Deb, July 13, 2008  
Filed under: Gift, Kids, Recycle, Toys

If you’ve got lots of broken crayons lying around the house, don’t throw them out — it’s easy AND fun to make new color crayons out of all those old broken pieces!

You’ll Need:

• old color crayons
• muffin pan
• muffin pan liners.

Get Started:

1- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.
2- Peel paper off crayons.
3- Cut crayons into small pieces.
4- Divide by color.
5- Put liners in muffin pan. If you don’t want to use liners, use a non-stick oil.
6- Fill your muffin pan with whatever colors you wish.
7 - Bake for 10-15 minutes at 250 degrees.
8 -Remove from oven and let cool 30-60 minutes. They will be hot!
9- After they are cool, remove paper liner.

Go crazy! You can create all kinds of color combos like rainbow, camo, two-toned, patriotic, Halloween or even Christmas colors. Use a regular sized pan, mini muffins, shaped muffin tins — the possibilities are endless!

While it would probably be much better to use a more eco-friendly type of color crayon, lets face it — a lot of households still have Crayola crayons and reusing them is a great way to give them new life!

Reprinted with Permission From: The Eco Chic Family Blog

Got a great green tip you’d like to share? Share your tips on our tips discussion thread over at the Green Mom Community Network!

[Image credit: knitting school dropout]

By Cristina, July 8, 2008  
Filed under: Kids, Recycle, Tips

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

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

While we’re not normally fans of vinyl for new products, we are in favor of re-using the vinyl that already exists because it does not break down in landfills and thus, it might as well be used again for things that need to be tough and waterproof (obviously not baby/kids products!). What better way to display your fabulous “reduce, re-use and recycle” lifestyle than with a purse, tote or bag made from recycled vinyl billboards? In 2002, the Vy&Elle company (a play on word on ‘vinyl’) started designing and creating women and men’s accessories that were practical works of art. To date, Vy&Elle have reused over 100 tons of billboard vinyl and their manufacturing process includes 100% recycling of all scrap and waste materials, which are turned into garden hoses and flooring by other manufacturers so every bit of those billboards is reused and lives another life as something else — which means LESS NEW VINYL being produced! Of course, we look forward to the day that vinyl is no longer made at all but until then, we think Vy&Elle products are not only good-looking but also gorgeously green!

Find It Here: Vy&Elle

By Sarah, June 7, 2008  
Filed under: Recycle, Reduce/Reuse, Style, Travel, Wear

Replacing blades for my husband’s razor was as expensive as filling the tank — well, until *that* started costing as much as our monthly grocery bill. I decided to nip it in the bud the other day when I discovered this super new recycled-materials razor by Preserve (they also make those awesome recycled toothbrushes). It’s far less expensive for the replacement blades, and you can use the packaging to return the razor handle for recycling (postage prepaid!) when it’s time to send it to razor handle heaven. The husband is pretty pleased — he’s loving it en tandem with this shaving oil — and I’m pretty pleased because hair removal and eco-cool and wallet-friendly all in one shot? What’s not to love?

Find It Here: Preserve Everyday

By Debbie, May 31, 2008  
Filed under: Clean, Dads, Him, Recycle, Reduce/Reuse

Sandcastle-building is one of my my kids’ top 10 favorite summertime activities. But I am filled with a small twinge of guilt at the thought of buying those made-in-China plastic beach toys. Luckily, a better option is now available — the Sand Play Set by Green Toys. Made of recycled milk containers, Green Toys are made of plastic that you can actually feel good about! Green Toys, Inc. takes environmental consciousness to a whole new level. Not only are their toys made locally in California, but they also obtain the raw materials locally. By eliminating oversees or cross-country transportation costs, they are also reducing pollution. They also use recycled, non-plastic materials for their packaging and (hooray!) no twist-ties! And finally, because I know you want to know, these toys have no traceable amounts of phthalates or BPA and have no external coatings that could contain lead paint. Yep, we think we’ve found a winner here! So skip the dollar store next time you are looking for sand and beach toys and check out Green Toys instead. Your planet thanks you.

Find It Here: Green Toys

Congratulations to Rachael W., winner of a sand play set by Green Toys! 

By Cristina, May 26, 2008  
Filed under: BPA-free, Made in USA, Play, Preschooler, Recycle, Toddler, Toys, Win

Check out this bad-ass wallet — made from old truck tires and tractor inner tubes, there’s definitely nothing wimpy about it. Additionally, for those who forego animal products or don’t dig the highly toxic process used to tan leather, it’s leather-free and thankfully, 100% free of nasty plastic leather (AKA “pleather”), too. It would make a great gift for the vegan guy in your life or for a teenager who’s going through that “I hate everything conventional” phase that completely rules out shopping at any mall or department store. Best of all, though, is that it’s made of recycled materials and keeping stuff out of landfills. That alone is reason for me to buy one for my son, who will be able to use it in about, ohhhh, twelve years.

Find It Here: BTCElements

By Izzy, May 20, 2008  
Filed under: Dads, Him, Recycle, Teen, Vegan

Unlike with bottled water, there will be no environmental guilt when drinking from this Green Toys tea set. To make their enviro-friendly toys, Green Toys reprocesses plastic milk jugs made of high-density polyethylene, which is known to be one of the safest, cleanest plastics around. In addition to this adorable tea set, other products in this line include an indoor gardening kit, cookware and dining set and a sand play set. Not only are these manufactured in the USA, but they are also packaged in 100% recycled corrugated easy-to-open boxes with absolutely no plastics, cellophane or those horrendous twist-ties that can turn the sanest of parents into raving lunatics. And, as if those packaging virtues weren’t reason enough to love Green Toys, consider that their toys are Bisphenol-A and phthalate-free, as determined by third-party testing conducted in the United States. Kind of makes you wonder why they don’t make all plastic toys this way…

Find It Here: Green Toys Inc.

By Sarah, May 13, 2008  
Filed under: BPA-free, Kids, Play, Recycle, Toddler, Toys

Do you have a cell phone (or two or three) that are no longer working and are just gathering dust in your junk drawer? Since cell phones are considered toxic waste, throwing them away is a bad option. So if you’re looking for a way to recycle them, then check out this great offer by TerraPass and RipMobile. You send RipMobile your old cell phone and not only will they recycle it for you, but you’ll also receive a gift certificate redeemable for any TerraPass product to offset carbon emissions from your car, business or home. They’ll even pay the costs for shipping them your phone! Sounds like a great deal all around - not to mention the added perk of cleaning up that junk drawer.

Find It Here: TerraPass & RipMobile

Tipped off by: Healthy Child, Healthy World

Photo credit: Ian Britton

By Cristina, May 10, 2008  
Filed under: Recycle, Resources

Twice a month, Thursday mornings are an exciting time at my house. That’s the day that both the garbage truck and the recycling truck come by to make their curbside collections and my kids race to the front window to watch the action. Thanks to Maple Landmark, now all kids can make every day recycling day with this wooden Montgomery Scoots Recycling Truck. Painted with non-toxic paint and made in Vermont from mostly local (USA) materials, this truck is recommended for ages 2 and up. At 4 inches long, the Montgomery Scoots Recycling Truck makes a fun and green educational addition to any play town.

Find It Here: KangarooBoo

By Amy, May 3, 2008  
Filed under: Kids, Play, Preschooler, Recycle, Toddler, Toys