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Earth Day Archives

This page contains the Organic Baby Blog archives about Earth Day.

Apr 28, 2009, Review of Disney's Earth Movie

Disney's Earth Movies contains majestic scenes.

We continued our Earth Month celebration this weekend with some flower planting and a trip to the movies to see the.

The movie was filled with sweeping landscapes of snow-covered mountains in the Swiss Alps and dynamic aerial shots of the rain forest and deserts. All of which captured the earth and its species in all their majesty.

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Apr 24, 2009, Earth Day Lesson #5, Got Laundry? Get Soap Nuts.

We're keeping it light and clean today with my discovery of an eco-friendly way to do laundry - soap nuts. I purchased a sample at the expo last week. They came in a drawstring bag, which I could just toss in the washer.

The two loads I did came out clean and with no scent. A bonus is that the soap nuts are not messy. Of course cute little sacks and little round balls are intriguing to toddlers, so keep them out of sight and out of mind like you do everything else.

Soap Nuts

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Apr 23, 2009, Earth Day Lesson #4 All that Looks Green Is Not

I'm a little disappointed in Disney and other companies that spent millions (collectively if not individually) manufacturing Earth Month products which are not green themselves.

I single Disney out because my friend and I took our kids to their store yesterday to trade in single-use water bottles for a free re-usable one.

They plan to turn the recycled bottles into fabrics for products, a great way to educate kids about the environment. The kids were ultra-excited. When we got home, my daughter (22 months) started prying off the packaging so I could fill it with water.

Green Eyes

Photo courtesy of Rinna Bohui

However, as I washed it, I noticed the bottle had a #7 plastic code on the bottom. I couldn't remember if that was good or not, so I consulted some plastics charts to confirm whether I should be concerned.

Not only do #7 plastics typically contain Bisphenol-A (BPA), but less than 1% of #7 plastics are recyclable. I made a point to ask the store representatives about BPA, but they didn't know.

I do want to clarify there are various types of #7 plastics, and some are BPA-free. I hope Disney chose one of these when picking their manufacturing company.

Regardless, the fact that they shipped un-recyclable bottles around the world from China, wrapped in individual plastic packages seems like an irresponsible use of resources.

Don't get me wrong, I have experienced making business decisions that seemed good in the context of day-to-day operations. If an opportunity is inexpensive with profit potential, has good intentions and creates good karma - you press go.

You don't find out it's a problem until a customer complains about your oversight. I'm sure this is what happened in this case and the case of many other promotions this April.

I know most of them don't have a VP of Going Green or consult with an Eco-Marketing Specialist, but such positions might be a smart investment of dollars and time for future projects. In other words, as businesses go forward in promoting and educating customers about their commitment to the environment, they should also examine ways to conserve energy and reduce waste in their operations.

I reflected on all the freebies and pitches I received at the green expo last Saturday and all of the signs we saw at the mall. One thing I know for certain. The marketers are GOOD at telling us what isn't in the products: BPA-free, no phthalates, no parabens, etc.

But as consumers and parents, we need to start asking, "What IS in the product you are trying to sell me?" and "What kind of process did this product go through to get on your shelves?"

Now, the sales rep may not know if the toy contains lead, or if the bamboo clothing was processed with chemicals, so that means you have to ask the right questions to the right person. Of course, an alternative is to use products or companies that give you more confidence without making you work so hard.

Visit Plastic Quiz Page

Apr 22, 2009, 5 Books for Babies About Gardening

In a recent article, I mentioned going to the library on Earth Day, along with gardening to teach children to respect the Earth's resources. Whether or not you get out into the garden right away, you can find some great children's books on the topic of gardening.

Here are five gardening books for babies and toddlers you may want to check out.

Gardening Books

Happy Earth Day - officially - and remember to pace yourself, because everyday is a good day to talk to your child about the Earth.

Apr 22, 2009, Earth Day Lesson #3 Ed Begley Jr. Says Gardening is Essential Pre-school Education

I'm actually paraphrasing him, but during his keynote speech at a Live Green Expo I attended this past Saturday, Ed Begley Jr., the star of Living With Ed shared some alarming facts about children being unable to name common fruits and vegetables.

Earth Day

According to the Children and Nature Network, school-aged children can identify over 1000 brand names, but only 10 plants and animals native to their backyards. The program advocates getting children outdoors to connect them with nature and prevent conditions such as childhood obesity.

Ed said growing your own produce at home is a good antidote to this because children will become more familiar with nutritious foods and understand that fruits and vegetables come from the ground - and don't just appear in the back of grocery delivery trucks.

While he is a proponent of gardening, Ed recognizes that shopping is a practical way to add variety, so he shared some tips. On the topic of organic, Ed eats organic and encourages others to do so. But even more important, he says, "Support your local farmers. Buy local."

Buying fresh food, from local farmers not only cuts down on the energy required ship food long distances, but it also cuts down on waste, and supports your local economy.

By the way, Ed shared a lot more wisdom from his journey as an environmentalist. I encourage you to go and glean from the guru on all thing green if he comes to your town.

A Resource for Gardening with Children:

Green Baby Guide.com published an article about involving your children in your gardening efforts. While you're there, check out the Green Spotlight, which featured the publisher of Organic Baby Resource. (that's me :)

Stay tuned for my next Earth Day post "5 Books to Teach Your Little One About Gardening"...

Apr 21, 2009, Earth Day Lesson #2, Candy Wrappers Make Sweet Handbags...

and bracelets, coin purses, place mats and coasters. This week I'm celebrating Earth Day by sharing green living insights I gained from an expo this past weekend. There I encountered the ultra-chic purses by Ecoist The company founded in 2004, collects waste-bound items such as soda labels, newspapers, magazines and other food packages and turns them into eye-catching handbags.

Ecoist Candy Wrapper Purse

Each bag is handmade in Mexico and Peru under fair trade conditions using nothing but recycled, organic and earth-friendly materials. The intention of the company is to meet the customers' need for durable, functional and stylish accessories in ways that are in harmony with the Earth.

Ecoist isn't the only resource for accessories made from recycled materials. You may also want to check out:

Ecohandbags.ca - This boutique is deep into the niche of sustainable handbags and carries accessories from a multitude of manufacturers. Wether it's zippers, chopsticks, record albums or car seatbelts you prefer, you can find a trendsetting bag to suit your personality.
Many of us are far more likely to have a diaper bag on our shoulder than a purse. Well they too, come in an array of sustainable materials such as water bottles, jute, hemp and organic cotton. You can find an assortment of diaper bags, stroller bags and handbags in the Organic Gear and Accessories section of our Organic Baby Amazon store.

What about you? Do you purchase or make your own accessories and household items from recycled materials? We'd love to hear your ideas and experiences.

Apr 20, 2009, 5 Lessons Learned about Living Green (Part 1)

On Saturday my husband, daughter and I attended a Live Green Expo in Plano, Texas (a suburb outside of Dallas). We had a great time, and as I expected we came home with lots of loot.

I now have enough reusable grocery bags for the largest shopping trips and plenty of BPA-free water bottles for our on-the-go water consumption.

What I didn't expect was to gain so much insight about what it means to live green. We learned a lot about decisions we could have made in the past, as well as decisions we can make in the future that will help us preserve the planet's resources and keep cash in our pockets.

In celebration of Earth Day (officially Wednesday, April 22), this week, I will share some insights gained from the expo. Hopefully, the lessons will spark an idea for a project, hobby or lifestyle change that will positively impact the world of you and your little one(s).

Lesson #1: I should have kept my hunk-a-junk car instead of trading it in for chump change.

Why? Because Neal (pictured below) and his friends are making their own electric cars.

Neal Electric Car Conversion

Yes, instead of waiting on the big car companies to bring viable solutions to the market place, hobbyists around the country are converting cars that used to run on gas, into cars that run on batteries.

Neal, a professional photographer, has invested about $10,000 and three to four months of nights and weekends into transforming a Volkswagen Golf into a mean, green, electric-driving machine.

Neal purchased the vehicle (a portion of the $10,000 investment), which was gutted of its old mechanisms and did the rest himself with the support of some of his buddies from the North Texas Electric Auto Association. Neal will soon upgrade his six-mile battery to one that runs makes 40 mile-trips. Way to go Neal!

Electric Car Conversion

Do you have an "oldie-but-goodie" car that could be revived with an electric car conversion? Here are some resources to get you started:

Electric Cars are for Girls.com recommends buying a car from someone who has already converted it or paying someone else to convert your car. The editor also points out some resources for do-it-yourself advice.

TreeHugger.com points out some benefits of owning an electric car such as the fact that they are 90% cleaner. You'll also find some buying resources and online forums about electric conversions.

Build Your Own Electric Vehicle is the most recent book published on the topic available at Amazon.com. It's received some good reviews as a comprehensive guide on the topic.

Apr 1, 2009, Earth Day is Approaching...

Everybody is "going green" these days. My husband even noticed NBA players sporting organic cotton t-shirts on the sidelines in celebration of Earth month.

Have you thought of ways to celebrate or bring awareness to Earth Day yet? In case you needed some inspiration, here are two articles I've written for the eco-conscious, yet busy parents of babies and toddlers.

The first is Five Earth Day Activities for Tots, which was featured in About.com's Parenting Blog Carnival on Going Green this month. In it you'll discover simple ways to incorporate earth awareness into you and your baby's normal routine.

Earth Day Activities