Green Daily

If you haven't heard, Barbie's gone all eco on us, with a new line of accessories called Barbie BCause, a collection of accessories for girls which "repurposes excess fabric and trimmings from other Barbie doll fashions and products which would otherwise be discarded, creating a collection of "cool patchwork style accessories."

Apparently, this got quite a few environmentalists ticked off, according to Dan Mitchell of the NY Times. Aiming such greenwashing at adults is one thing, but when it's aimed at children? Jen Phillips on Mother Jones said that the whole line was pretty ironic considering that the dolls are made of plastic and packaged in plastic.

I covered the press release for the launch of Barbie BCause line here. All I know is, I honestly thought the original press release that I stumbled across was a joke and I made sure I found a copy on Mattel's site. Why? It just sounded kind of odd, and my skepticism was up that day, as it was April Fool's Day.

This might just be the perfect little add-on to a baby shower gift or new baby gift: The Burt's Bees Baby Bee Getting Started Kit.

The Baby Bee Getting Started Kit comes with a sample of baby oil, lotion, bath wash, soap, diaper ointment, powder and shampoo bar. All products feature buttermilk as an ingredient and all of the products are paraben- and phthalate-free.

The cutest part might be the teeny baby comb that also comes with the package. It's always nice to get small sample sizes to try them out and they're not just good for babies, many new moms will enjoy them too.

Sells for around $13 on Burt's Bees or other retailers.

More for parents

Buying or acquiring things secondhand is a great way to reduce, reuse, recycle, but if they are for your baby or child, you want to be extra careful.

Here is a neat tool to assist you as you try to make safe choices for your baby or child. The BabyCenter Product Recall finder allows you to search for past and present recalls related to all sorts of children's items, including highchairs, car seats, strollers, toys and more. The database contains safety alerts from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The database does not contain food and medication recalls from the FDA.

You can sign up for CPSC recalls directly also, for the future. Also, something that you may not want to acquire used at all: your baby's car seat.

Interesting post by Pamela Paul about how we should "Raise the price of toys."

As an example, Paul remembers about how special it was, when she was growing up, to buy a new sticker. How she would buy one off of the big roll at a stationary store, and she had to get someone from the store to help you make the big purchase. Paul laments how inexpensive stickers have become now, that we can buy literally hundreds of them for under ten bucks, how they have lost their zing, and how "in our abundance, something has been lost."

According to Paul's article, the average American child receives 70 new toys a year. The U.S has only 4 percent of the world's children, yet we consume 40 percent of the world's toys. Paul suggests only offering toys that are "10% toy, 90% child," meaning they require some imagination. She also suggests that perhaps we need to raise the price of toys, so that we learn to value them again. Or we could just buy less of them.

No matter what, I can't think of a kid that needs 70 toys a year. Yikes. And putting this all in perspective, be sure to read this New York Times article on labor in China, child labor that is.

Yesterday I reviewed Method Kid shampoo and today I'd like to give a review of Method Baby wash as well. Method baby squeaky green hair + body wash is one of the newest additions to Method's growing line of cleaners. With growing concerns about the toxins that I put on my baby's skin, I was drawn to the phthalate-free promise on the bottle.

The two main ingredients listed on the face of the packaging are rice milk and mallow (as in marsh mallow, one of the original ingredients in my favorite puffed confection). Both are mild enough for baby and beneficial to the skin.

Looking for inexpensive, yet safe, reusable bottles for you and your kids and you don't want to spend a ton?

Take a look at Rubbermaid. For example, here is their "Litterless Juice Box," shown to the right. It's made of #5 Polypropylene plastic, a plastic recommended as safe. #5 Polypropylene is also recyclable in many communities, not that you'll be throwing this out any time soon. It carries 8.5 oz of juice or water and costs around $3. Not bad.

Here's one for you, same idea. This sip bottle, carries 20 oz, and goes for about $4 on Amazon.

Double check that whatever you buy has a #5 Polypropylene on the bottom, and the bottles should be slightly squeezable.

I more conscious now of what soap and shampoo I keep around for the kids. I try to fight my cheap frugal ways and buy healthier options, even if it hurts. During my last trip to target I two small $9 bottles of baby shampoo and conditioner in my basket when I came across Method Kid Squeeky Green 3-in-1 Shampoo in Fuzzy Peach scent for the pleasing price of $6.99.

The shampoo, conditioner and body wash promised no "numbing agents," parabens, or phthalates. The solution looked like a winner so I threw it into my cart. I use quite a few Method products and it's a brand that I trust. I found all of the ingredients listed online and at the very least, the packaging was fun (I'm a sucker for packaging, what can I say?).

With all of the ruckus going on about plastics and baby and kid feeding gear, check out Silikids, "Silicone must-haves for kids."

Why silicone? According to Silikids, silicone is hygienic and hypoallergenic. It' a rubber-like material, but without the open pores. Silicone is easy to use and clean, and safe for your microwave, freezer and dishwasher, as well as your washer and dryer.

Check out the neat silicone sleeves for glass baby bottles shown to the right. Too cute! In addition, while we're talking bottles, silicone nipples are a better choice than latex nipples.

I love their silicone bibs too. The only products I'm not too sure are necessary are these silicone knee pads.

If you're thinking about taking the plunge into making your own baby food, here is a great gadget to make it super easy. The KidCo BabySteps Food Mill, powered by your very own hands, no batteries or electricity needed. It's also BPA and phthalate-free. A bargain at $9.99 on EKitchenGadgets.com.

If you do decide to make your own baby food, remember that, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the following foods should not be prepared at home for baby food: Beets, turnips, carrots, collard greens and spinach. In certain parts of the country, these vegetables can contain large amounts of nitrates. If you are serving these in purees, it's best to buy them from a commercial baby food manufacturer, as they regularly test their supplies for nitrates.

Here's a fun, free activity for you and the kids to do this summer. The Animal Planet Expo, sponsored by Animal Planet. Not only is the Expo free, but your pets are also welcome to come!

• Experience wild animals up close.
• See butterflies, ants and other creepy crawlers in the Bug House.
• Face painting.
• Experience the King Croc 30 foot slide shown to the right.
  
• Learn more about local pet adoption at the Fresh Step Pet Den.
• Photo ops with Meerkats.

See the tour schedule here. The Expo is coming to communities all across the country, starting with the Delaware Valley in Pennsylvania at the end of May. I haven't been to one, but it sounds fun. And hey, it's free and your dog can come.

[Via Ecorazzi]

If your kids are the type of kids who get embarrassed when you pick them up at school wearing knee-socks and shorts, you might not want to pursue this eco-plan. Brent Hatch, Californian and father of five, figured out recently that he was spending $700 on gas every month for gas for the family minivan. Most people would just write this up to the annoyingly high cost of living, but Hatch decided instead to invent an eight-seat bicycle, made out of an ex-tourist vehicle, outfitted with solar panels and an electric motor. The paterfamilias can either use the electric power stored, or pedal like crazy, Flintstones-style, to get his brood around town.



Drawbacks, besides the scorn of your adolescent children: This method obviously will not work for long-distance trips. It might be advisable to move to southern California or another sunny clime before investing. And, finally, I hope there are good bike lanes where Hatch lives, because otherwise I'd totally be scared to take kids out on the road in a bike, what with the crazy drivers out there...

Via Ecogeek

Throwing soda and water bottles into the recycling is easy enough. However, I always cringe when I have to toss the plastic cap into the trash. "There has to be a better way," I thought. Turns out there is. How Can I Recycle This had a multitude of suggestions. Here are my five favorites:

1. Fine art. Make a mosaic in concrete by submerging all but the very top of the cap into the wet cement. This method was created by a Honduran builder who was using bottles to construct houses.
2. Games. Create a game of memory by writing numbers or putting stickers on the underside of the caps.
3. Eco warrior. Gather a few caps together and drill two holes in each. Then, run a cord through the two holes of the cap in a way that they can still be screwed onto a bottle. Continue threading the caps onto a single cord until you have a necklace of sorts. Attach your creation to your backpack before you go out on the trail so that if you see any random bottle refuse, you can screw it on to dispose of later.
4. Ornament. Add some lace and ribbon to five bottle caps and you have a (somewhat tacky) Christmas ornament.
5. Whimsy. The only thing that I could come up with on my own was "drinking vessels for leprechauns." Not really practical but it could a fun activity with the kids or a sure way to make the neighbors think you are crazy.

Check out Green Mom Finds for eco-fabulous living, read up on green products for you and your kids, and fall in love with these super-cute green kids' tees!

Earth Day is not just for grown-ups! Kids can not only participate in many of the great community activities with you, but it's a great opportunity to sit down and spend some time with your children, both learning about what Earth Day is all about, and having fun celebrating the day.

Here are some fun crafts that you can do, together with your kids!

Check out Green Mom Finds for eco-fabulous living, read up on green products for you and your kids, and fall in love with these super-cute green kids' tees!

What better way to learn about the environment, and Earth Day, than with a book?

Below, you'll find a gallery of books picked just in time for your kids, for Earth Day. You'll find everything from books about "Eco Babies" to books for preschoolers and books for teenagers. They all look neat, and I think the winner of the coolest eco-title, might be Michael Recycle!

Enjoy!

More for parents

Scholastic, the company that brought you Clifford, the Big Red Dog and countless school newspapers and paperbacks, surveyed 17,000 schoolkids about environmental issues as part of their Science Explorations project. They released the survey recently to commemorate Earth Day.

So, how did we adults fare in the eyes of the future generation? 39% gave us an "F" on climate change (only 11% thought our response to the problem merited an "A"). Meanwhile, 54% of kids think that climate change is "the most important issue facing the world today." So we're not only failing - we're failing where it really counts! Poor showing.

Other results include the news that 52% of kids think that solar energy is the answer to the energy problem, and that we should start recycling more.

I just hope that these kids can hold onto their positive enviro-thoughts as they get older and older and realize that driving cars is the main way you can get places, and buying things is really fun...