Green Daily

When it comes down the the cloth verses disposable diaper debate, the obvious winner is early potty training. However, elimination communication or infant potty training is not for every parent; but trying to get a strong willed two-year-old to sit still on a toilet can be most challenging. The folks over at Baby Signs have created a potty training system designed to have your toddler trained by that "terrible twos" stage.

Baby Signs combines sign language, engaging animation and rewards to entice your toddler to come aboard the "Potty Train." In the box is a comprehensive manual explaining the benefits of teaching sign language to young children, a Potty Train DVD, book, reward stickers and a wooden train whistle. The entire system retails for $39.95.

According to Zoe Griffen (who is according to her, the "youngest, hottest, comlumist out there"),Harry Potter star Emma Watson has been asked to be an ambassador to Greenpeace. The call came after the environmental group read an interview in which Watson said, "I cannot not be green." and "It's something I feel strongly about," in France's Crash magazine.

Also in the article Watson discusses how she drives an electric vehicle, has done coursework related to global climate change and recycles.

I can't find anyone other than Zoe to back this claim. But if Watson were to jump on the Greenpeace train she would be in good celebrity company including Eddie Izzard, Annie Lennox, skating pro Bob Burnquist and Darryl Hannah.

I have two small children and because of this, I am familiar with Disney's animated show, Handy Manny (as well as the rest of the Playhouse Disney lineup). Manny Garcia (a.k.a. Handy Manny) is voiced by Wilmer Valderrama from That 70's Show. Unlike "Fez", Manny does not sit around getting stoned all of the time but rather applies his skills to tackling items around town that need fixing. Lately Manny has been sharing how much he is "living la vida verde" and his new DVD, Manny's Green Team.

This new Disney video features our favorite handyman and his team of talking tools learning about conservation. During the show they save some baby turtles, utilize solar power and repair a cooling system. In addition to the stories, there is a printable checklist for you to help your family go green as well as the "Livin' La Vida Verde" recycling game.

So if you are looking for a gift for your favorite preschooler or have a penchant for kid's shows, Manny's Green Team hits the shelves on March 31st.

Leslie reported about white-nose syndrome back in February before scientists were able to estimate the devastation seen to bat populations over the winter. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection estimates that 90% of their bat population has been wiped out by disease. The mountain ranges of nearby states including New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont are reporting similar findings as the illness spreads.

Bats are migratory animals and with no explanation for the spread of the disease, white-nose syndrome could have an incredible detrimental effect on our nation's ecology. Scientists fear what will happen with the virus hits Virginia which is known to have one of the largest bat hibernation areas in the world. Mosquito and moth populations normally curbed by bats could explode and with it a higher incidence of mosquito born viruses and damage to agriculture as moth larvae takes over.

An estimated one million bats have died in their caves over the past four months and there is still no explanation.

It's that time of year when gardener's start digging up the earth and planting seeds. Burpee is one of the most well know seed suppliers in the United States. Their seeds are carried at home improvement giants like Home Depot and Lowes where one-stop shoppers can get all of their gardening supplies. Their wares are so prolific that a few have made their way into my garden. Because of this I was immediately taken aback when I started reading on gardening forums that Burpee was owned by GMO giant, Monsanto.

Monsanto has been acused of many things from trying to be the single global supplier of seeds to using humans as lab rats by feeding us genetically modified food (read about GMOs here and here). I am not a purist but I try to avoid genetically modified seeds the best that I can and when I read the rumors about Burpee, some red flags started to fly. I swore off the brand not only for the plants but also because I didn't want to be putting money into Monsanto's pockets wich purchases of gardening accessories.

Well, it turns out that Burpee IS NOT owned by Monsanto. In 2005 Monsanto bought vegetable seed company, Seminis Inc. who supplies some seeds to Burpee. This does little to asauge any fears about food safety as technically Monsanto does supply product to Burpee (even many organic seeds are tinted with GMOs). However, it's important to point out that Burpee is privately owned and operated by third generation seedsman, George Ball Jr. and I can buy peat pots without guilt.

If you are a faithful Burpee customer and have concerns about GMOs, tell them. However, it's good to know that there are already seed companies out there like Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds who are 100% commited to providing GMO-free seeds.

I've never had scrapple. In fact, I'm not sure I had ever heard of it before watching an Ace of Cakes episode where the cake creators were carrying on about its charms. Scrapple is a regional American delicacy made from leftover pork pieces combined with cornmeal and flour, smooshed into a loaf, sliced and fried. Sound good? It's such a beloved treat in Philidelphia that they host ScrappleFest every year where they taste and rank scrapple chefs. Much to everyone's suprise, this year's second place winner offered up a vegan recipe that beat out seven pork filled versions.

Vrapple, created by Sarah Cain for a scrapple jonesing vegetarian friend is made primarily from seitan and locally grown corn meal and buckwheat flour. There are a few spices thrown in to create a tasty enough treat to please the palates of hardened scrapple eaters. Cain is perfectly happy to return home with second place as she has concerns that someone would put a "hit" out on her if her vegan creation ever took first place for the pork dish.

Last Friday a group of fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary joined Michelle Obama on the White House lawn with shovels in hand. The long anticipated organic vegetable garden reported earlier by Christina is now under construction. The 1,100-square foot garden will include peas, onions, a variety of greens and perennial herbs. Garden walkways will be lined with veggie friendly flowers like marigolds, nasturtiums and zinnias.

Seedlings will be raised in the White House's greenhouse and transplanted as soon as they are ready. The resulting produce will go to feed the first family and their guests while extra will be sent to nearby Miriam's Kitchen, a place for the area's homeless to get healthy, homemade meals.

Michelle Obama announced, "this is a big day. We've been talking it since the day we moved in" and led the kids in raucous cheers for vegetables and fruits. She also expects all of the family members to take a role adding that even though her husband is "leader of the free world," he will still be expected to do some weeding.

Over the last couple of years Google co-founder, Larry Page, has been buying up homes in his Old Palo Alto neighborhood and leveling them to the ground. On top of one of these .75 acre lots, Page has big plans to build a 6,000 square foot "green" mansion.

The new two-story home will be located next to his existing residence. City ordinances prohibit him from adding onto his $7 million, 1930's arts and crafts style home so the only option for this billionaire is to start from scratch. Page will be using a lot of green building techniques including the planting of trees to shade his property and he'll be applying for Green Point Certification which awards points for the use of recycled materials and low VOC paint.

Anyone can get karma credits for using solar panels. What bothers me about this story is that I am personally a fan of old homes and I'd rather see a green conversion than a razing. If a complete rebuild is necessary, perhaps Page could find inspiration from R.E.X. Project which recycled an entire home into the new one. Besides, just because you use a certain type of paint on your gigantic home and plant trees on the tiny lot doesn't make it any less a McMansion.

[via: Ecorazzi]

Four very lucky Green Daily winners will be receiving a dual flush water conversion kit for their existing toilets from SelectAFlush. "Cool" James, "Pretty Nifty Device" Pardesi Babu, "Comment!" Susan and Desert Dwelling Julio should be expecting a package very soon.

If you are not a winner, don't be dismayed! SelectAFlush's conversion kits are a mere $39.95 and they are offering a $5 coupon good until the end of March which sweetens the deal even more! For $35 you can retrofit your existing commode and turn it into a dual flush toilet where you select just how much water you need to use. To use the coupon simply type "save water" at the time of checkout.

Oh and Vince, I implore you to please stop peeing in the sink. Save it for your compost pile instead :)

If you have trouble sleeping you might be tempted to reach for the medicine cabinet or even fall asleep in front of the television. Neither solution will give you the restorative type of sleep that you need in order to be at the top of your game. Sleep aids can become addictive and television can actually cause insomnia (not to mention waste energy if left on all night long).

Here are a few natural sleep tips to help you along:

Gardener's Supply's Kitchen Garden Planner is a free tool on their retail website that allows you to plan your very own 3' x 6' raised garden. There are several pre-planned gardens to get your started or you can design your own if you are feeling adventurous.

Pre-planned choices include the All American, High Yield, Salsa and Tomato Sauce, and my favorite, the Plant It and Forget It. Once you select your plot, Gardener's does all the work by listing the number of vegetables you'll need, planting dates and a number of tools that will make your life easier (all of which can be found for sale on their website, of course).

Designing your own garden is easy as well. Simplly click and drag your desired choices into the grid and once again the Kitchen Garden Planner will offer hints on growing and harvesting.

The Kitchen Planner is a great place for beginners to learn about vegetable placement and also offers seasoned growers a few tips on raised bed gardening if they are looking to try something new.

If you've been eying a swanky dual flush toilet but aren't ready to make the investment, SelectAFlush is the perfect answer. This inexpensive invention allows you to keep your old tank and bowl while replacing only the innards to create a dual flush toilet where you select just how much water you want to use per flush.

Friday is the last day that we are running a contest to give away one of these conversion kits to four of our fabulous readers. So hop on over to our original post and leave a comment. [DO NOT leave a comment below as it will not count as an entry.]

From now until March 22nd, our nation's capital is home to the Environmental Film Festival. 136 documentary, feature, animated, archival, experimental and children's films with environmental themes are being presented at various locations all over the city.

The theme for this year's event and the health and sustainability of the earth's oceans and sea life. 59 directors from over 34 countries have come together to show their work and educate people about the various ways that we are poisoning our water supply.

For those that can attend, a complete schedule and list of locations can be found on the festival's website. If you are not able to make it to Washington, check out some of the short green films online.

[via: The Baltimore Sun]

When artists Athena Robles and Anna Stein opened the Free Store on Nassau Street, only blocks away from Wall Street, they weren't sure how long their inventory would last as they were giving items away for free. That's right, walk into the shop and if something catches your eye, tell the proprietor, wait for a receipt and walk out. The only requirement is that you select something only if you feel you "need" it.

No one "needs" a new poster or DVD which are among some of the items in the shop but getting something for nothing does put an extra spring in your step. Customers were more than happy to return to the shop with some of their unwanted goods to fill the shelves making any inventory concerns moot.

Welcome spring into your home with the scent of geranium. Mrs. Meyer's earth friendly cleaning products are on sale for 20% off their regular price. This sale only applies to the geranium scented products but as that's my favorite scent, I have no problem with that.

I've been using Mrs. Meyer's Surface Scrub in the bathroom and it's a nice product. I noticed that the brand also carries Automatic Dish Packs for the dishwasher so I might have to try those and perhaps an All Purpose Soap Bar so I can smell as fresh as a flower.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products are toxin free and made from naturally derived ingredients. Every product is biodegradable and has never, ever been tested on animals.