It’s been widely reported that allergies are on the rise and even my own daughter seems to have an abundance of food sensitivities. To address them, we began to consider some alternative ways of eating and thus have read Sher and Doherty’s book, You Won’t Believe It’s Vegan! With over 200 recipes in this book, variety abounds with everything from warm gooey cinnamon buns and tofu scramble for breakfast to baked samosas for dinner and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. Additionally, you’ll find tips for converting your favorite recipes to vegan dishes, a chapter devoted to kid-friendly foods, essentials for basic kitchen equipment, a list of pantry items and their definitions (what’s Umeboshi paste again?) and conversion ideas such as using soy milk mixed with lemon juice in place of buttermilk. If you ever thought eating a vegan diet would be dull and uninteresting or just too hard, this is the book that will change your mind!

Find It Here: You Won’t Believe it’s Vegan!

By Kris, July 19, 2008  
Filed under: Eat, Read, Resources, Vegan

Food prices, like everything else, are on the rise. As the prices of coffee, sugar, grain, and other basics go up and up, it gets harder and harder to keep up and in stock. Canning and preserving are a cost-effective alternative that seems to be gaining momentum again. The results are usually tastier, more healthy and possibly even safer than what you’d buy in the supermarket. Consider fresh strawberry jam, brandied peaches, home-made ketchup, dill pickles and a delicious vegetable stock for soup. It does take time and effort but is well worth it. For a couple hours work you’ll have a supply that lasts a couple of months to a year or so. There are several sites that offer tips and advice on preserving and canning: the National Center For Home Food Preservation, Canning Basics For Preserving Food, and this fabulous book will help get you started with all the information you need, including recipes, what jars to use for what and different methods of cooking. I’ll be trying my hand at applesauce and peach butter in the coming weeks. We’ll see how it turns out!

Find It Here: Ball Complete Home Canning Book

By Kris, July 19, 2008  
Filed under: Eat, Resources

These days, we hear a lot in the media about bisphenol-A, phthalates and PVC in children’s products, particularly teethers, bottles, sippy cups, utensils and other food-related items. One thing we don’t hear much about are those same chemicals in your children’s bath toys. When I think about all the bath toys my kids have had over the years, I have very distinct memories of certain items always being in their mouths and I cringe at how many of them were probably tainted with toxic chemicals. It’s enough to make a parent crazy. Luckily, some companies have taken the lead on making safer children’s products, including bath toys and our safety-conscious friends at Z-Recs have taken the time to do the legwork and compile some great resources about which bath toys are, in fact, safe. Take a look at The Z-Recs Guide to Safer Bath Toys and then check out the bath toys and other non-toxic goodness over at The Soft Landing. Everything they carry is BPA and phthalate-free!

Find It Here: The Z-Recs Guide to Safer Bath Toys

By Izzy, July 15, 2008  
Filed under: Baby, Kids, Resources, Toys

Some time ago I’d heard that it was common for fragrances to contain petrochemicals and other toxins but in my ignorance, I didn’t allow this bad news to tear me away from my beloved Angel by Thierry Mugler. It smelled so completely unique and delicious that you could instantly zero in on another Angel wearer in a crowd, inevitably leading to this total perfume bonding moment in which we would gush over our mutual love of the scent. So…imagine my shock and dismay upon learning that my most favorite perfume ever is allegedly made with the same ingredients found in pesticides & chemicals that attack the eyes, skin, central and peripheral nervous systems, respiratory, hepatic, hematological & reproductive systems along with damage to the DNA of sperm in adult males. In fact , a class action suit is being considered for Nordstrom employees who were unknowingly and continuously exposed to the aformentioned toxic chemicals while selling Angel. Oy. I guess it’s a good thing I could never afford to wear my most beloved scent every day (and now, of course, I don’t wear it at all). But what about your favorite fragrances — just how safe or dangerous are they? Our hardworking friends over at the Environmental Working Group have made it easy peasy for you to find out by consulting the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. In fact, there’s a section just for fragrances for both women and men and a number of very popular ones received the highest ranking possible for toxicity. Lucky for all of us, there are a number of very safely rated scents also listed because seriously, we shouldn’t have to make ourselves sick just so we can smell nice.

Find It Here: EWG Fragrance Safety Ratings for Women and Men

By Izzy, July 11, 2008  
Filed under: Bodycare, Cosmetics, Resources

Summer is here and that means days at the beach, picnics, boating and of course, lots of sunscreen — but which one? Many of the bigger brand names hardly make the cut when it comes to chemical safety and according to Environmental Working Group, 4 out of 5 sunscreens don’t give you the protection you need. Just in time for the holiday weekend, EWG has released their 2008 Best Sunscreen List, featuring the safest top ten sunscreen products and recommended brands. Find out how your sun protection ranks in their newly updated database!

Tipped off By: Environmental Working Group

By Kris, July 5, 2008  
Filed under: Cosmetics, Resources

If you have kids, I’m betting you’re already painfully aware of the challenges of throwing a party that’s fun, as well as green, healthy and socially responsible. It’s a pretty tall order and frankly, I feel like I’ve hit a home run if I can meet just one of those last three. I know I’m not alone because I’ve heard plenty of parents lament over feeling pressured to top the previous year’s party with something bigger and better; with the latest character themes and lots of cool stuff in the goody bags (which, let’s face it, usually ends up being a lot of cheap crap from China). My own kid party dilemma is coming up again soon and, as per usual, I’m grappling with ways to throw a green, non-commercial, crap-free party that is still a lot of fun so when I read this article on KIWI magazine’s web site with ideas for kid’s parties that are eco-friendly, healthy or socially responsible, I was pretty stoked. It’s got a long list of ideas for party themes and games that have absolutely nothing to do with arcades featuring rodent mascots, fast-food places, expensive bouncy things or build-your-own overpriced stuffed animal places and everything to do with having genuine fun while doing good.

Find it Here: KIWI Online

[Image from Webweaver]

By Izzy, July 3, 2008  
Filed under: Kids, Resources, Tips

Running along the same lines as Healthy Child, Healthy World, Alan Greene’s Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care covers everything from the time of conception to when your little one arrives and beyond. It offers tips on how to be green through several areas: The Womb, Labor and Delivery, the Nursery, the Kitchen, the Bathroom, the Garden and the Whole House. Other helpful tips include which plastics are safer, questions to ask when choosing a non-hospital birthing center, statistics on differences between home and hospital births, the effects of medicated vs. non-medicated birth and much more. At the back of the book, there is an excellent list of green resources: books, websites, organizations, etc., as well as a section that is termed as “Green Information”, a supplement to each of the chapters. As a gift for green-minded parents, this book rocks — and you can rest assured that it will still be around and used as a reference long after those receiving blankets and onesies are but a distant memory.

Find It Here: Raising Baby Green

By Kris, July 1, 2008  
Filed under: Baby, Gift, Learn, Organic, Resources

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. While much of the site is available for free to anyone, you also have the option to sign up for a membership, which earns you a fab organic cotton tee or onesie, automatic entry into a monthly prize draw, exclusive discounts, refer-a-friend rewards and more. The only thing you might not get is a cure for those stretch marks. :)

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.

By Izzy, June 18, 2008  
Filed under: Read, Resources, Win

Did you know that genetically engineered food crops actually require more pesticides and herbicides than non-genetically modified food crops? This means we’re ingesting more toxic chemicals on genetically engineered (GE) foods, which, incidentally, have never been proven safe for the environment OR human consumption. It’s also not labeled as GE so we can’t even avoid it just by reading the ingredients. This is why the True Food Network’s Pocket Shopper’s Guide to Avoiding GE Foods was created — because you have the right to know what’s in your food! The list, compiled primarily from direct communications with food producers, focuses on foods made with ingredients that are commonly derived from GE crops — the most widely grown being corn, soy, canola and cotton. The list also contains companies that have made a concerted effort to avoid GE ingredients and have company policies asserting their position on avoiding GE foods. Download the list, print it out and keep it handy for when you’re grocery shopping. According to the New York Times, more than 70 percent of car buyers do some research before making a purchase. Shouldn’t we put at least that much effort into learning more about the food we eat?

Find It Here: The True Food Network

By Izzy, June 14, 2008  
Filed under: Eat, Learn, Resources

Sometimes it is possible to do a little good without spending a penny! An e-card is a good way to spread joy and with a “Protect Habitat — FREE!” e-card you can also help save endangered species and the forest land they inhabit. Choose from one of the many well-designed e-cards and in no time you will make someone’s day and help the environment. With each e-card 10 square feet of land will be funded for protection in collaboration with The Rainforest Site and so far, over 40,000 acres have been saved and the number keeps growing. Weren’t you looking for the perfect excuse to contact everyone in your address book?

Find It Here: The Rainforest Site

By Sarah, June 4, 2008  
Filed under: Do Good, Resources