What is going Green, Anyway?

As the world turns, life is in fact getting greener. Homes are getting powered more and more by solar, people are buying more organic and local food and of course people are starting to buy non-toxic, sustainable and responsible products. Although this is a fantastic leap in the right direction, we all must slow down for a moment and make sure that we understand….why?

If all people understand why “living green” is so important for our species and for the world at large, it may just be the difference between the continuity of “living green” and letting it fizzle out as just another fad.

Going green is essentially the promotion of life. It promotes things like paying people the fair wages that they deserve and giving them a shot at building their own communities world wide. It promotes the protection of our ecosystem at large, this includes everything from animals, to plants, to outer space, to our air that we breathe everyday. It promotes the fair and equal treatment of all beings on earth whether we be a duck or a human. It promotes the growth and protection of our forests and wildlife areas and everything that lives in them.

Ok so now you may ask, how is me buying “green” contributing to all of this. Well, that is an excellent question. By buying, living, thinking and acting green in every move that you make you are basically creating a domino effect. You buying a head of organic locally grown broccoli is not going to save mother earth. But it is a statement amidst a large speech that they world is listening to. Not only that, but when you live and buy green, you are basically asking for the demand to raise for responsible, green products. You are asking other people to innovate and create more green companies and ideas that will further the protection and sustainability of our planet.

Companies more and more are doing things like printing on recycled, post consumer paper. Or only selling non-toxic, sustainable and fair trade products. Or even nearly halting the amount of green house gasses that are currently put out everyday with a machine. Or offsetting the carbon that they do put out into the world, kind of a “payback” system.

No matter which way you look at it, going green makes sense, but understanding why and setting the intention can make the largest difference in the history of the world. So, push the domino over and get started.

Love Your Baby…the Non-Toxic Way

Looking at what the conventional home is today, it is nearly impossible to make a non-toxic environment for yourself, let alone for your children. Many things are out of our control as consumers and as tenants of homes. But there are a handful of key elements that we can control in our children’s lives. Helping them live a non-toxic, organic and safe childhood in what is supposed to be the safest place for them—is our job as parents.

On of the first key elements into a non-toxic home for our children is to swap your cleaning products for eco-friendly versions. You can go out and research what the best sustainable cleaners are out there on the market, or you can make your own home cleaners. Mixtures that include vinegar, baking soda, grapefruit seed extract and eco-friendly soap are all great money saving and green ways of mastering the cleaning product dilemma. This is a huge element to overcome, and an even greater contribution to your child’s health. Also, try to line dry clothes and to use eco-baby-safe detergent.

Moving to the kitchen, you should look into your cupboards and drawers. Look at what you eat on, cook on, cut on and eat with. All of the items that you use in the kitchen should be examined and considered. Check into cast iron, glass, stainless steel, enamel coated cast iron, and lead-free ceramic.  Avoid non-stick surfaces and anything plastic. If you’re using plastic, even something that claims to be BPA-free or microwave-safe, do not ever put it in a microwave. Plastic seems to be a regular eating surface, this is very bad. Check out ceramic or stainless steel.

Another easy and simple change is to start (or continue to) drink tap water. Put on the filter that attaches to the spout if you need to. Get a water pitcher that filters out water. But plastic water bottles are so last year. But, seriously, drink the water from home.

It is incredibly important to just look at what you are bringing into the house. Things like wearing your shoes in the house can track pollutants onto the carpet that your babies are crawling around on and later sticking those fingers that picked them up into their mouths. It’s invisible, but very real. Check the dry cleaning you are bringing in—is it safe? And most importantly, when you come home, before you pick baby junior up make sure to wash your hands.

The most impactful yet complex is the food element. Bottom line—feed your children organic, sustainable, local food.  Check out your local CSA or farmers market and save some cash from the big green shopping stores if that is an issue. Remember what you teach your children: you are what you eat!

When your kids get sick, the first thing you turn to is over the counter, right? Wrong! The first thing you should look at is a natural cure/remedy. Teething, fevers, and stuffy noses will no doubt have you worried and tired yourself. But don’t give up and meander to your local supermarket unless you are buying ginger, garlic and grapefruit seed extract.  Great examples of home cures include steam for congestion.  Honey works well on the throat. Frozen celery can be used for teething purposes in lieu of plastic frozen toys. Dried fruit or stewed prunes are good for constipation. DIY fruit juice popsicles combat dehydration. Ginger and peppermint tea work for tummy aches.

Chuck the cosmetics! Can’t say it anymore plainly. The things that companies put into the lotion, powder, etc. that is recommended to put on your baby is just plain not safe. They’re loaded with synthetic hormone disruptors and potential carcinogens that pound for pound present more of a health concern for small people than for adults. If it is dry, or if there is an issue, put some organic olive oil on it. If you prefer a cosmetic, only use ones that are made with very few organically or biodynamically grown ingredients. You should be able to read the ingredient list and generally understand what it means. If you can’t, don’t put it on your baby. Look for trustworthy third party certification labels.

When using pest pollutants use organic and/or natural pest control like integrated pest management for lawns and inside for things like ants and roaches.

Any way you look at it—there are a million changes that we as parents can make to improve our children’s lives. The difference here is our babies don’t have a choice. So make it for them.

Organic Bug Spotlight On Healthy Child Healthy World

It is exceptionally rewarding to work with an company whose mission is to carefully examine the materials that are in our products to ensure they are natural, organic, safe, environmentally sustainable and free of harmful chemicals that are frequently found in seemingly harmless every day products.

A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

Organic Bug’s Favorite Eco Friendly Toy Companies

..By offering children toys that send a positive message about protecting our planet helps to educate the younger generation about how to make good choices for our environment. It may even create young ambassadors for Mother Nature. -Laurie Hyman, Co-Founder of Green Toys

Part of our philosophy is to provide consumers with offerings that are safe, good quality and help to promote a better world.  What better way to do this than to teach future generations to respect and preserve the natural resources of our planet? One way to teach this lesson is to lead by example, talk to your kids about the importance of recycling, conserving our resources, and supporting companies who embrace sustainable practices.

The holidays are an important time to share these ideals by giving toys that foster their imagination and creativity while while keeping true to the values of an eco-conscious home.   I want to highlight some of the companies we adore who provide a line of well made toys that will out last the others and are made with the safety of our children and planet in mind.

Green Toys

Green Toys makes a line of eco-friendly classic toys that are free of phthalates or Bispenol-A (BPA).  These unique toys are constructed from recycled milk containers!  Founders Robert von Goeben and Laurie Hyman created this company out of their desire to provide consumers with an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastic toys while making an effort to improve and preserve the world around us.  Their toys have been nationally recognized by media, and have won awards from Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Dr. Toys, and Fat Brian.  We love them because they have adopted enviromentally sustainable practices into their manufacturing by:

• Doing business locally. Their operations are located within close proximity of one another in California, helping to further reduce its carbon footprint by avoiding long transportation distances.
• Packaging their products in recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties.
• The toys themselves are 100% recyclable too. So, not only are they earth-friendly they are ready for your recycling bin.

Piggy Paint Mistle Toes Kid Friendly Nail Polish

Piggy Paint was highlighted on our blog last October- but felt the need to mention them again for their wonderful selection of holiday themed nail polish sets.  Girls of all ages can have fun decorating their fingers and toes with these vibrant, natural & non toxic polishes.   It’s as natural as mud in the sense that every ingredient is biodegradable with no residues left behind to harm the environment.  Our favorites this season: “Mistle Toes”, “Jingle Nail Rock” and “Snowflake Fairy”.

Maple Landmark Woodcraft My Best Blocks-Advanced Builder

Montgomery Schoolhouse of Maple Landmark Woodcraft

Founded in 1971, the legendary Montgomery Schoolhouse products have been a part of the Maple Landmark family of Vermont since 2001 .  These products are made at the highest level of quality & eco-safeguards to insure many years of good clean fun.   Maple Landmark Woodcraft was founded by Mike Rainville who took up woodworking as a hobby in as a teenager, and launched his wood crafting company after his college graduations in the mid 80s.

Today, Maple Landmark Woodcraft continues to offer high quality American made toys and other wood crafts. Product safety remains their number one priority and the company does as much business locally as is possible including the many services needed and most material sourcing.

Concerns about toxic chemicals leeching from toys and ongoing environmental risks inspired the company to launch a line of  non-toxic wooden toys called Schoolhouse Naturals.  These toys are made from maple hardwood with no added chemicals that has been responsibly harvested from sustainable Addison County, Vermont forests. Be sure to check out the award winning My Best Blocks-Advanced Builder and the Natural Scoots Toy Vehicles from this line, one of our favorite offerings.

For My Kids

For My Kids, LLC is a company devoted to finding (and making where none currently exist) products that are beneficial to our children and our planet.  They offer a line of safe, natural & organic cleaners and personal care products that are a wonderful healthy alternative to chemical disinfectants. The company was founded by Christine Stewart when she learned about the potential long-term ill effects of the cleaning products she was using.  She set out to create effective cleaners that used non toxic ingredients for the sake of family.

Her latest triumph is Happy Fun Dough, an all natural and non-toxic version of play dough.  This soft, pliable dough is made from flour all natural ingredients- even the colors are all natural.

MiYim

Miyim Organic Cotton Storybook Collection

MiYim, a Shanghai based company, believes they have a special responsibility to protect the environment for future generations and offers safe and chemical free products for babies and children.   The company is committed to protecting the health and safety of their employees and safeguarding the environments where they do business.

Miyim is the ancient word for water. And seeds, rich fertile soil and water are the basis for all MiYim products. MiYim collectibles are woven with organic cotton that is untreated, unbleached, and unprocessed with color dyes acquired from nature.  Here are some of the other reasons why we love the toys from this company:

Low-Eco Impact Manufacturing.  They use a specialized natural filtering system purifies waste-water from coloring process before releasing back to the environment.

No chemicals or harmful substances are used in making of miYim products.

Socially Responsible Management: They follow the highest International labor standards and treat each employee with respect and fairness.

Sustainable packaging: Each miYim collectible is housed in a handmade box crafted from recycled materials and the miYim gift box is meant to be reused! Make the most of your miYim purchase and use it to store anything from photos to recipes.

Organic Bug Product Spotlight: Piggy Paint™ Nail Polish

Organic Bug recently added a unique new product that we simply adore.   Piggy Paint™ Nail Polish is an environmentally friendly,  non toxic nail polish we featured last week when we announced that we are offering Piggy Paint’s Fight Breast Cancer Gift Set to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Piggy Paint donates a portion of every purchase directly to Susan G. Komen for the Cure PLUS Melanie (Piggy Paint’s fabulous founder) donates a bottle of nail polish and nail polish remover to a woman currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer!   In addition, Organic Bug will be donating 10 percent of its sales of Piggy Paint’s Fight Breast Cancer Gift Set to the local Relay for Life event that will happen in April of 2010 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

We love this product because it is safe and ideal to use on children (and adults too) because it is water-based and made from natural ingredients.  The product was invented by Melanie Hurley- whose 2 young girls love to dress up and have Mommy paint their finger nails & toes. As she applied the coats of polish to her girls’ nails, she realized the awful fumes were just too overwhelming-even on polishes that claimed to be safe for children.

At one point, she accidentally spilled some polish onto a disposable plate and realized to her horror that the same polish she was putting on her daughters’ nails had eaten right through that plate.  At that moment, she set out to create a nail polish that was nonflammable and made from natural ingredients- thus Piggy Paint was born.   Piggy Paint is a water-based polish completely free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate and acetone.  The product is even getting some Hollywood attention! Celebrities such as Tori Spelling had the gals from Piggy Paint on hand to paint nails during her daughter’s 1st birthday party, and the product been featured on numerous blogs and magazines including  Celebrity Baby’s Blog, and Celebrity Baby Scoop.

As Melanie says about her product- “It’s as natural as mud in the sense that every ingredient is biodegradable with no residues left behind to harm the environment.”  Hope you enjoy!