ecochildsplay

Irish Students Asked to Bring Their Own Toilet Paper to School

2009-10-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

Tough economic times have caused one school in Ireland to ask students to bring their own toilet paper. Parents received the following request last week from principal Catherine O'Neill:

Dear parent, from time to time we will request your daughter to bring in a toilet roll to her class teacher. These rolls will be specifically for your daughter's class and will be dispensed by the class teacher. We would also request that your daughter has tissues in her sack at all times.

Thank goodness children aren't supposed to keep track of their own rolls of toilet paper but will share them communally. Really this request is no different than when I was a child and asked to bring in boxes of tissues.

Schools are strapped financially around the world, but some Irish parents were angered by the request. These parents view toilet paper as an example of how they are being asked to fund "basic running costs" of their children's schools. I think the principal's request should have included a caveat requesting recycled toilet paper, even if it may contain BPA.

Image: Est Bleu2007 on Flickr under a Creative Commons License

No BPA, Lead, PVC, Phthlates: Eco-Friendly Munchgear Soup to Nuts Lunch Kit

2009-10-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Unless you are lucky enough to send your child to a school with organic lunches and a farm to school program, you probably pack your child's lunch. We've reviewed numerous lunch boxes and lunch systems, but in the end, I usually just grab random items and throw then together in my hurried mornings. Despite my haphazard lunch packing routines, I am really excited about the Munchgear Soup to Nuts Kit (so are my kids who are fighting over who gets to use it tomorrow.

The Munchgear Soup to Nuts Kit made by Citizenpip (such a cute name) is an "everything in one kit" that, in my opinion, provides more flexibility and durability than a Laptop Lunch. The Soup to Nuts Kit includes:

1 insulated lunch bag with nametag and carabiner that easily attaches to a backpack

1 stainless steel water bottle and insulated food jar

4 BPA-free airtight food containers

1 stainless steel fork + spoon set

5 100% cotton napkins

This reusable lunch system is "muck-free": Lead-free, BPA-free, PVC-free and phthalate-free.

Citizenpip is a mom-run company. Owner Christina Ip-Toma explains:

One day, while noticing the gazillion plastic baggies I was using to pack lunches, I decided to make a small change and replace the bags with reusable containers instead. Eliminate three plastic bags a day, five days a week for a year. That's 780 plastic bags I would be personally responsible for eliminating from landfill! Add to that the 260 juice pouches, 260 paper napkins, 260 plastic utensils. Now double that if you have two kids, triple that if you have three...you get the idea. With one small change to a daily habit, one family can make a significant difference in reducing waste.

We love our Munchgear Soup to Nuts Kit for its convenience, worry-free materials, and chic design! Now we want one for everyone in our family, including the adults.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Soup to Nuts kit to test and review from Citizenpip. I was not paid by Citizenpip for writing this post.

The Body Toxic: Hazardous Chemicals in Everyday Things

2009-10-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Well-being is one of those books that freak me out...sometimes I just don't want to know. In reality, we need to know about all of the chemicals of modern industry and how to protect our families. Knowing is the first step to making informed decisions, which is probably one reason you are a reader of Eco Child's Play.

Publishers Weekly describes The Body Toxic:

This is a chilling look at the questionable safety of nearly everything we store food in, drink from, wear, walk on, rest on and drive. Chemicals used to make everything from water-repellant jackets and flame retardants to unbreakable plastics used for food storage are building up in our bodies and the environment with possible far-reaching consequences, says journalist Baker. She focuses on endocrine disruptors that alter hormone levels, even in fetuses. Individual chapters consider the weed killer atrazine; phthalates found in many cosmetics; and perfluorooctanoic acid, used in nonstick and stain-repellant coatings. Lab studies have linked these chemicals to cancer, diabetes, obesity and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, among other problems. Baker blasts both Democrats and Republicans in Congress for the toothless Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, which leaves testing and reporting results to the manufacturer. But the companies rely on skilled public relations firms to attack scientists who raise safety concerns. The current pro-business administration also takes some licks from Baker. Although she offers suggestions for reducing exposure to these chemicals, No place—and no one—is immune.

It certainly is "chilling" when you consider how pervasive these chemicals are in our "fat, bones, blood, and organs". My favorite part of the book is actually one of the appendices that list "Environmental and Public-Health Groups That Get It". These are the groups I rely on for information, rather than the government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration. Such groups on the list include:

Environmental Working Group

National Resource Defense Council

Children's Environmental Health Network

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Making Our Milk Safe

Author Nena Baker was motivated to write this book after her own body burden analysis revealed more than three dozen chemicals. I wonder what my body burden test would reveal? I am too afraid to find out!

Eco-Friendly Merino Apparel For Kids with Unique Packaging

2009-10-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Icebreaker's Bodyfit line has long been loved by outdoor enthusiasts, and now children can benefit from the company's eco-friendly New Zealand wool garments. Icebreaker's kids' line features no itch fabric that "smells better, feels better, warms better, and breathes better". This line is perfect for active sports and everyday use. Beyond great fabric, Icebreaker features two unique features for kids: "baa code" and "re-imagined packaging".

Have you ever wanted to meet the sheep that was shorn for your clothes? Just enter the "baa code" on your label into the Icebreaker website to meet where your sheep lives.

With most of the things you buy, you're told little or nothing about how they're made. Icebreaker is different.

We have a deep commitment to animal welfare, the welfare of the people who work with us, and the environment. And we have nothing to hide.

Your unique Baacode will let you see the living conditions of the high country sheep that produced the merino fibre in your Icebreaker garment, meet the farmers who are custodians of this astonishing landscape, and follow every step of the supply chain. We're sure you'll find the experience as inspiring as we do. Enjoy your journey back to the source.

Another unique aspect of Icebreaker's kids' gear is children are encouraged to reuse and re-imagine the packaging. The packaging for younger children's gear actually becomes "Finger Friends" that can be punched out into puppets. Older children are encouraged to reinvent their packaging. Icebreaker Creative Director Rob Achten explains:

We thought a lot about packaging and over-packaging. My kids go to school, and the environment is a really hot issue for them. We wanted to see if we could engage them in thinking about giving a second life to packaging.

All packaging is made from FSC paper and vegetable-based inks. Icebreaker is a company concerned about the environment from product to packaging. You wouldn't expect less from the company that invented "natural and technical outdoor merino apparel".

Michelle Obama, Sesame Street, and Republican Big Bird

2009-10-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

Michelle Obama made an appearance on Sesame Street touting the benefits of healthy eating and gardening.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/GhGWSfraeyQ&hl=en&fs=1&]

Who knew Big Bird was a Republican?

[hulu=_uGDxkB52uy7cHqPxTRgQA]

Via: Jezebel

Green Series: Eco Kids Books

2009-09-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/07/green-series-eco-kids-booksgreen-series-eco-kids-books/

Editor's note: This is the first of a weekly guest spot by children's media consultant Ashley. Ashley is a television and online producer and Executive Editor of Children's Media Consultant.com. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University and a M.A. concentrating in children's educational media and preschool ecology from New York University. She resides with her family in downtown New York City. You can visit her blog at childrensmediaconsultant.com.

The Green Series: Eco Kids Books

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately on how families and children can “go green” without spending a fortune. Let’s face it: bamboo cribs, cork floors and reusable diapers aren’t for everyone. Additionally, there’s an issue about how to teach kids about the environment. Parents and caregivers are in a position to either foster an appreciation for the natural world, or, unfortunately, terrify their kids into submission (no more polar bears!).

The truth of the matter is, media can sometimes play a hindering role in eco-education, challenging families to stay indoors and watch TV rather than go outside and jump in the leaves. But not all the time. Children’s media has its role on the green bandwagon, too. So with that idea comes the first in what will hopefully be more of Children’s Media Consultant’s The Green Series.

Eco Kids Books
Here’s a list of just a few of my favorite ecology-themed children’s books. These books all teach how to appreciate and care for the Earth, including ideas of conservation, reusing materials, and animal appreciation.

The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss

Ages 4 – 8

‘The Lorax’ tells the story of a money-hungry Once-ler who takes for granted the beautiful Truffula trees, using their tufts to create Thneeds (sort of a knitted jumpsuit, of sorts). Eventually he cuts down so many of these trees that the animals and creatures that live in their shade must abandon the land. It’s a sad — but not scary — lesson about materialism, where things come from, and how actions can affect others’ environments. The final message says it best: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Hands down, ‘The Lorax’ is the best pro-environment children’s book I’ve read.

Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White

Ages 8 – 12

Although ‘Charlotte’s Web’ is one of my favorite books, it also makes its way onto The Green Series because of the story’s themes of animal appreciation, ecosystems, and, of course, life cycles. ‘Web’ gives us the story of a young girl, Fern, who saves a runt pig, Wilbur, from the seemingly inevitable fate of becoming breakfast. Along with the help of an articulate spider named Charlotte, Fern and the other inhabitants of the barn team up to tell a beautiful story of friendship. I’m partial to the book over the recent movie version, however both media provide opportunity to compare the versions, as well as ample occasions to expand vocabularies.

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau

Ages 9 – 13

Although not an overtly ecologically conscious children’s book, ‘The City of Ember’ finds a habitat of people who live in an oppressed (post-nuclear?) society doomed to eternal darkness. The world our 12 year-old heroes Doon and Lina live in is run on hydro power (how green!). But when food and light bulbs begin to run out, a mystery *ignites*, catapulting them on a journey to find an elusive city of light. If you haven’t read ‘Ember’ yet, the book may provide a little post-Potter solace. The first book is the best of the three book series. Also, apparently there’s a movie coming in 2008.

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein

Ages 6+

In Silverstein’s tender story about a tree “who loved a boy,” we learn about the harmonious relationship humans can have with nature. While many interpret the story as a message about taking and not giving back, others find messages about appreciating all that nature (in this case, the tree itself) can provide us, and how we should not take it for granted.

Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey

Ages 4 – 6

McCloskey tells the story of the innocent sense of wonder inherent in young children. While Sal goes picking blueberries with her mother, a bear cub and her mother wander the fields in pursuit of a snack. As the little ones get progressively further away from their mothers, distracted by juicy berries and rolling hills, we witness the kids in a comedy of errors. A perfect read aloud.

50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth, by The EarthWorks Group

Ages 9 - 12

This book provides the perfect primer for older kids who already have expressed interest in saving the planet. Chock full of compelling, age-appropriate statistics, each “simple thing” starts off with an environmental problem, and then offers several solutions. Most of the activities suggested do require some parental supervision, and include everything from going on nature walks, to what to tell a cashier if you don’t want to use the plastic bag, and how to make a birdhouse out of a milk carton.

The Great Kapok Tree, by Lynne Cherry

Ages 4 - 8

‘Kapok’ is a simple story about a man who is compelled to chop down a large tree in the Amazon rain forest, only to hear the pleas of the animals – including a snake, butterfly, jaguar, and a child – who wish to show the interconnectedness of all living things. Although a sweet and simple narrative, the story includes a powerful messages of conservationism and deforestation.

The Empty Lot, by Dale H. Fife and Jim Arnosky

Ages 4 - 8

Closely related to the messages in ‘The Great Kapok Tree,’ ‘The Empty Lot’ teaches conservationism from a closer-to-home perspective. The story finds Harry who decides to sell the empty lot that was once part of his grandfather’s farm. After some careful thought about the tree, stream, and other natural wonders that have inhabited the land, Harry realizes the empty lot isn’t empty, after all.

Be Green About It
In order to be truly green, you might want to consider borrowing these titles from your local library, or buying them used. Alternatively, you can read books online (although it’s preferable to limit time in front of the screen and actually hold a physical book in hand!)

The books above are just a few of my favorite green kids books. Do you know any you think I missed? How are you going green with your family? Email me or post a comment below!

UPDATE: Apartment Therapy: Green and its always helpful readers offer additional thoughts how the act of reading books can go green, including the plant-a-tree-per-book site Eco-Libris.

The Effects of Climate Change Are Worse for Children

2009-09-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/07/the-effects-of…e-for-childrenthe-effects-of-climate-change-are-worse-for-children/

Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics (APA) issued a report declaring that children are especially at risk from the effects of climate change. This news is not startling, as young children are more susceptible to heat, toxins, etc., because their bodies are smaller and their immune systems are under development. Children are more vulnerable than adults, and now the APA is asking doctors to lead the way in modeling sustainable practices, especially in the United States.

The APA report states,

Anticipated direct health consequences of climate change include injury and death from extreme weather events and natural disasters, increases in climate-sensitive infectious diseases, increases in air pollution-related illness, and more heat-related, potentially fatal, illness.

Specifically, the APA identified illnesses caused by mosquitoes, such as malaria, respiratory illnesses, and heat-related deaths will increase for our youngest population. Mass migrations from uninhabitable regions is also likely, which will obviously impact children's health. Furthermore, the report specifies:

Air pollution does more damage to children's lungs, causing asthma and respiratory ailments, because their lungs are still developing, they breathe at a higher rate than adults and are outdoors more.

Waterborne infections, such as diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems, hit children especially hard. These infections rise sharply with more rain, which is expected as the climate warms.

As mosquitoes are able to move to higher ground, the malaria zone is expanding. Kids are especially vulnerable; 75% of malaria deaths occur in children younger than 5.

Climate change is not just an environmental issue, but it is a public health issue. Pediatricians and parents have a responsibility to educate one another and do what they can to lessen their impact on climate change. If the children are our future, and climate change is happening, then we must make sure that children are safe and healthy from its impacts.

Sippy Cups, Baby Bottles, and BPA

2009-09-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/08/sippy-cups-bab…ottles-and-bpasippy-cups-baby-bottles-and-bpa/

Many parents are concerned about the presence of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in plastic baby bottles and sippy cups. Previously, we have written several posts on the subject, as the potential negative effects of this endocrine-disrupting hormone found in many plastics is alarming . Finally, there is one site parents can go to for a complete picture of BPA and children's beverage containers: Z Recommends.

Bloggers Jeremiah and Jennifer McNichols have completed the most thorough and comprehensive directory of BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups. Consisting of 25 individual posts, the Z Report recommends "Top Picks", "Promising Entrants", "Proceed with Caution", and "Brands to Avoid." There are individual posts for each company, as well. As Jeremiah explains, "The chart assesses the companies overall - for example, we are recommending avoiding companies that DO have a few BPA-free items, because their policies are inconsistent, they are strongly pro-polycarbonate, or they do not offer a non-polycarbonate bottle (even though they may have non-BPA sippys). We tried to give a broad picture of which companies are worth doing business with based on their BPA stance, and then have the company-specific pages to provide per-product information. All Top Pick companies make only BPA-free products." Z Recs' goal is to have all companies disclose on their labels exactly what kinds of plastics are used on products that come into contact with children's mouths. This sure would help consumers make wise decisions in the store, but for now, visiting The Z Report: A Directory of Bisphenol-A In Baby Bottles and Sippy Cups will help parents make sense of BPA in children's products.

My personal favorite amongst the "Top Picks" is the Klean Kanteen Sippy Cup. I have just purchased a new adaptor top for one of our three Klean Kanteen sippys, as one broke when I dropped it on the floor. I like being able to purchase replacement parts for our Klean Kanteens, as it extends the life of the product, which of course is better for our environment. We have not experienced the leaking problems some parents complain about, but I also think a slow leak is a good thing for teaching toddlers to keep their cups right side up. I learned a lot about this company from Z Recs' report on Klean Kanteen, including the fact that the company financed a commune in Chico, CA.

Our Second Eco Child's Play Kiva Loan

2009-09-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/09/our-second-eco…play-kiva-loanour-second-eco-childs-play-kiva-loan/

When I began Eco Child's Play almost a year ago, I pledged to invest in Kiva loans with a portion of the income the blog may generate. Even with all the recent changes to Eco Child's Play, I still plan to maintain this small gesture of social responsibility. If you are not familiar with Kiva, this organization helps you empower an entrepreneur in a third world country by lending small amounts of money (as low as $25) to a specific entrepreneur, helping end global poverty one person at a time. Once you make a loan, you will receive email updates about the businesses you are supporting. A typical loan lasts 6-12 months.

Our second Eco Child's Play Kiva loan goes to Jazmin Sanchez. According to Kiva,

Jazmin owns a small restaurant in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She has operated this small business for a year now, but she spent many years learning how to run a restaurant from her mother who was in the same line of work. Jazmin used her first Mifex and Kiva loan to purchase raw materials and ingredients for her business such as rice, butter, flour eggs, and dishes. She also renovated the portion of her home she uses as the restaurant. Jazmin attends to her clients closely and they are please with the quality food and service she provides.

As Jazmin’s business developed she saw another opportunity to augment her income by selling clothing, fashion accessories and perfumes from her home. With her mother’s help in the restaurant, she has been able to attend to the sale of these products.

Jazmin is requesting a second loan to further improve her restaurant with drinks. Her clients have requested juices and soft drinks. She is a single mother of four. Ms. Sanchez wants lenders to know that she is extremely hard working and entrepreneurial, and her wish is to make the restaurant popular so she can earn enough to send her children to school.

As we receive updates on Jazmin, I will pass them on to our readers. If you are interested in learning about our first Eco Child's Play Kiva loan, click here .

Photo of Jazmin courtesy of Kiva.org.

Is the Consumer Product Safety Commission Doing Their Job?

2009-09-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/12/is-the-consume…oing-their-jobis-the-consumer-product-safety-commission-doing-their-job/

Even before the recent flurry of children's toy recalls, I questioned the effectiveness of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) when they failed to act on the presence of lead in children's lunchboxes. The news has only gotten worse, since I wrote about it last February. Almost everyday, I receive a new email from the CPSC listing more toy recalls, mostly for lead content. How can this be? Who is protecting our youngest consumers?

In the past two months, there have been millions of toys recalled for dangerous levels of lead content, and other products that contain smaller levels of lead, such as lunchboxes, have not been recalled. In fact, doctors warn that lead levels considered safe by the CPSC still put children at risk. According to WebMD,

Lead poisoning interferes with neural development in children and developing fetuses. High levels of lead in children can cause learning and behavior problems.

The CDC considers lead levels in the blood above 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood to be a concern in children. But some studies have shown harmful effects in children with lead levels measured at or near the current standard.

The CPSC was created in 1974 to protect consumers from the expanding globalization of products. Since its creation, imports to the US have increased 338 percent, yet the CPSC's budget is less than half of what it was in 1974! While we buy more overseas products, the US government has been cutting staffing for this agency, limiting its ability to regulate imports and protect consumers. The agency began with 800 employees in the seventies, and now the CPSC has only 420 staff members. Currently, there is a bill written to empower the agency: The Safety Assurance For Every Consumer Product Act (SAFE), yet CPSC chairperson Nancy Nord opposes this bill.

SAFE would:

Require children’s products to undergo independent third-party testing;

Expand civil and criminal penalties;Ban lead in children’s products;

Enhance CPSC recall and inspection authority;

Expedite recall disclosure to the public; and

Provide additional resources to the CPSC.

Why would Nancy Nord oppose these changes, especially when the CPSC has only one full-time toy tester? In an interview on PBS, Nord says,

But the change that we've got to have is change that is going to be constructive, workable, and is going to help the agency do its job. My concerns with the Senate bill is that it includes a number of requirements for undertaking activities that are really outside our core mission.

For example, it has us mediating employer and employee disputes in whistleblower cases. It has us implementing or enforcing intellectual property rights violations in some instances. It has us certifying laboratories.

Nord has also come under scrutiny lately for traveling on toy industry dollars, and many people are calling for her resignation.

Just last week, a toy called Aqua Dots was recalled for containing a "date rape" drug! A DATE RAPE DRUG! Seriously, what is going on here? Dr. Sanjay Gupta stated,

So this is nasty stuff, and it appears that the chemical is actually converting into it in the body." Of course, Aqua Dots was manufactured in China, where most of the recently recalled toys have originated from.

Representative Diana Degette (D-Colorado) co-introduced the SAFE Act to revamp the CPSC. According to Degette,

You've got more products coming in from overseas. You've got a huge spike in recalls, which is very concerning, because, of course, only a fraction of those people who bought the products will return them. And you have the head of the agency saying, "Oh, well, this is no big deal, and we don't want the money."

Over two-thirds of the recent recalls involve products from China, and the problem of dangerous toys is growing. With the holiday season approaching, many parents are very concerned. The Toy Industry Association has launched a new site to inform parents about toy safety. Of course, this site is designed to assure parents that the toy industry is using rigorous standards of toy safety, and there is a lot of useful information on the site; however, you do have to consider the source. For example, the Toy Industry Association answers the question, "Should I avoid toys made in China?" by stating:

All toys sold in America regardless of where they are made must conform to tough U.S. safety standards - standards that have served as models for other industries and countries around the world.

Since it is companies, not countries, that make toys, it is companies that are responsible for adhering to rigorous safety standards and conducting inspections throughout the process. Random on-site and off-site testing occurs in all manufacturing plants, in China and elsewhere. Toys are also randomly inspected before export to the US.

In light of the recent recalls, there has been additional testing and vigilance by toy manufacturers, retailers and importers.

Somehow, these assurances don't make me feel better in light of recent events. I will stick to researching reputable companies, such as Plan Toys, and homemade gifts for my children. I will continue my efforts to educate my children and family on junk toys and hope that one day, we can once again shop safely for children's toys.

CPSC chart source: Campaign for America's Future

"Green" Toys From the Discovery Channel Store

2009-09-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/14/green-toys-fro…-channel-storegreen-toys-from-the-discovery-channel-store/

We all knew the Discovery Channel had green interests when it purchased Treehugger.com for $10 million, but now the Discovery Channel Store is featuring "eco-friendly" and "green gifts" toys for the 2007 holiday season. My family recently played with three of these products. Two of these toys (Pyramid Building Blocks and the Tolo Baby Carousel) will be featured in this post; one toy (the Hydrogen Fuel Rocket) deserves its own post, which will occur next week.

Wooden blocks are the best toys for children! Children learn so much from block play. Wooden blocks promote open-ended, creative play, and lay the foundation for geometry and mathematical learning. Although Pyramid Building Blocks may not be as open-ended as a Standard Unit Blocks, they present their own unique challenges that fascinate children and adults alike, as these Pyramid Building Blocks are designed for children ages 5-99. The Pyramid Building Blocks consist of 67 pieces, including 18 different shapes. At first, my six-year-old daughter was completely confused by the pyramid blocks. Yet after a few days, she became an independent, expert pyramid builder, although she insists on the calling the Sphinx a "human lion". These wooden blocks are made by Haba, a high-quality German toy company. I couldn't find any information on the forestry practices used in harvesting the wood for the blocks, although the company states, "We do however put a premium on materials that can be manufactured on an ecologically beneficial basis. We use primarily indigenous maple and beech wood and water-based paints for our toys. " Haba is also socially responsible. Part of their corporate philosophy is

Only a company that is profit-oriented can secure its future. We take the word social seriously! Both in terms of social benefits for our employees and in relation to our mutually successful relationship with our partners.

The only unfortunate thing that I could discover about the Haba Pyramid Building Blocks is they are manufactured in China.

The second toy we tested from the Discovery Channel Store was the Tolo Baby Carousel. Honestly, I don't know why they sent us this toy to review, given my stance on plastic toys. This classic, plastic baby toy is also made in China, which of course raises the red flag of junk toy; however, this plastic does not contain any Bisphenol-A, Phthalates or Formaldehyde. The baby carousel is made by Tolo, "the #1 selling toy line in Europe and the UK and the most earth-friendly non-wood pre-school toy you can buy". Very young children do find baby carousels fascinating. They love to press the top of the carousel and watch it spin and keep spinning, discovering the properties of physics through their early play! Although this toy does not require batteries (an eco plus!), I am not sure I can classify it as an eco-toy...I just can't get past the plastic, no matter how "earth-friendly" it is. You decide: Is this a junk toy?

Stay tuned until next week, to find out what happens when a 38-year-old boy plays with a hydrogen fuel rocket...

Images courtesy of Discovery Channel Store.

The Green Series: Why Isn’t Kid’s TV More Eco-Friendly?

2009-09-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/14/the-green-seri…e-eco-friendlythe-green-series-why-isn%e2%80%99t-kid%e2%80%99s-tv-more-eco-friendly/

Editor’s note: This is the second of a weekly guest spot by children’s media consultant Ashley. Ashley is a television and online producer and Executive Editor of Children’s Media Consultant.com. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University and a M.A. concentrating in children’s educational media and preschool ecology from New York University. She resides with her family in downtown New York City. You can visit her blog at childrensmediaconsultant.com.

Depending on who you ask, children’s television may or may not have come a long way.

New entries like “Yo Gabba Gabba” feel retro in a classic “Sesame Street” or “The Electric Company” style, but offer a more modern take on design and music. Kid’s TV beat broadcast to the punch and has already issued user-generated content in a mixed media format. Networks have caught on to the lack of diversity in children’s programming, and have debuted “Go, Diego, Go,” “Handy Manny,” and “Ni Hao Kai-Lan” featuring Hispanic and Asian-American characters and culture. And although shows have focused on literacy before (after all, that’s what “Sesame Street” has taught multiple generations since its debut in 1969), there’s a new found effort with programs like “Super Why”, “Word World”, and “Wordgirl” to teach your kids more than just the alphabet song.

But not everything on TV has progressed forward. Saturday morning cartoons are in an ’80s redux this fall, featuring familiar characters such as the Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These shows claim to educate viewers with prosocial skills, but if that’s what you really want your kids to get out of TV, then stick to “Mr. Rogers.” He did it best.

Although less common right now, math is still a subject you can find on children’s television. “Cyberchase” still stands as the best kid’s math show. Joining it, Nickelodeon has promised a new preschool series, “The Umizumiz” for 2008, about a miniature urban repair squad that helps solve everyday preschool problems using basic math skills like counting, patterns, and measurement.

Science shows, on the other hand, aren’t too abundant. Once upon a time we had “Mr. Wizard,” “3-2-1 Contact,” and new episodes of “Bill Nye, the Science Guy.” Now, with a little digging, we can find “The Zula Patrol,” which emphasizes national science education standards, focusing on scientific investigation and discovery, and astronomy, and “DragonflyTV,” a multimedia science show for 9- to 12-year-olds on PBS.

Despite all of this, there is STILL something missing on children’s television.

Ecology. Environmentalism. Going green.

Although the inhabitants of our world are diverse, the one thing we all have in common is the planet on which we live. We share the same sky, the same oceans, the same soil. And all of it is in danger. In order to tackle issues that have and will continue to affect each and every one of us — like global warming, animal extinction, pollution, conservation, etc. — we must embrace an “eco” frame of mind. If the next generation learns to make a minor, habitual change — by practicing recycling, for instance, even on the most local level — there is the potential to make a huge impact on the global environment.

The challenge lies in how we can teach such a subject effectively, and how to use what children already embrace as an educational tool.

Children’s television has the ability to effectively teach its millions of viewers about environmental issues, yet very few programs attempt to do so.

“Captain Planet” was really one of the first to do it in the ’90s, featuring super heroes out to save the planet against eco-villains with names like Sly Sludge and Looten Plunder. It’s obviously a very commercial example, which you can catch in re-runs on Cartoon Network’s Boomerang channel. But what’s come since then?

It’s a Big Big Win
The best example of an ecology curriculum on current children’s television is “It’s a Big Big World” on PBS. The show uses a diverse collection of animals who live in the canopy of the rainforest. Through their stories, viewers aged 3- to 6-years old experience scientific discovery, the diversity of animals and what they need to survive, and geography, providing the viewer with a basic understanding that the world is more than just what’s outside their own neighborhood.

By emphasizing discovery over the memorization of facts, “It’s a Big Big World” is able to foster a sense of excitement about the learning process. After all, curiosity is the basis of all good scientific inquiry. If you haven’t caught an episode of this groundbreaking series, don’t miss it.

The preschool series “Franny’s Feet,” also on PBS, is another ecologically-minded children’s television program, although the emphasis is less obviously “green” and more about globalism. The show’s pedagogy teaches exploration, world awareness, and problem solving.

Have you seen something on children’s television that teaches basic environmental concepts and fosters an appreciation of the natural world? Why do you think there is so little on this topic on kid’s TV? Is TV (as an indoor, inactive medium) the right place to teach ecology?

For more reviews and commentary on children’s television and other media, visit Children’s Media Consultant Online.

Think-ets: Tiny Trinkets for Imaginative Play

2009-09-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/14/think-ets-toy-…aginative-playthink-ets-toy-trinkets-for-imaginative-play/

I believe that the only toys worthy of children's play are ones that inspires their imagination (and are eco-friendly). Just by their nature, open-ended toys are more sustainable, as children do not rapidly outgrow them or get bored quickly. Think-ets is just such a toy, made up of many miniature trinkets with boundless possibilities for play.

Children are fascinated by miniature objects, but of course, you have to be careful around small children due to choking hazards. Think-ets contains 15 miniature objects, such as wrench, milk bottle, penguin, jack, etc. The sky's the limit on what children can do with this toy, and they can also collect them, as no two bags of Think-ets are the same. When I introduced Think-ets to my six-year-old daughter and her seven-year-old friend (even though the toy is recommended for ages 8-108+), they shunned the idea of making up a story with the objects. Instead, they were fascinated with taking turns decorating and writing in the pages of the miniature book (about .5" in size). Later that day, my daughter made up a story with the trinkets that was quite literal, but then again, she is only six!

Low tech toys are the way to go for fostering children's cognitive development.

Diane Levin, a professor of education at Wheelock College in Boston, says she was motivated to speak out after noticing "problem-solving-deficit disorder," a term she coined to describe children who don't know how to play creatively and expect to be entertained. She thinks it's the result of too much media and a lack of creative low-tech play.

In fact, when kids don't spend time in geniune play, they lose valuable life skills. As they say, "Play is children's work", and as parents, we must provide our children with tools that will foster their creative play. According to child psychologist Paul Donahue, Ph.D., author of Parenting Without Fear,

I see it when 7-, 8-, and 9-year-olds say they don't have time to play. I see kids who don't know how to play. Free play promotes independence, creativity, abstract thinking and resilience in children in ways that high-tech toys and structured activities cannot, he says. Downtime - and the sense of having "nothing to do" - forces kids to think for themselves, a skill that Donahue believes many children are lacking these days.

I really like the small size of Think-ets. If your house is like mine, the toy clutter can be overwhelming at times. Think-ets would be great for airplane or car travel, as they would fit easily inside a carry-on bag and provide hours of entertainment. The possibilities are endless for what children's imaginations can do with Think-ets. The only negative aspect of Think-ets, is that a few of the trinkets are made of plastic, but then again, we live in a plastic world.

Do Home Lead Test Kits Work?

2009-09-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/16/do-home-lead-test-kits-workdo-home-lead-test-kits-work/

When I first learned about lead in children's lunch boxes, I rushed to the hardware store to buy my own Home Lead Test Kit. I was concerned about my daughter's commercial character backpack (which thankfully we no longer have), and we conducted our own Eco Child's Play lead testing experiment. The results were negative, but now, I have learned that home lead test kits may not be accurate, thus neither was our experiment's results reliable.

According to Grist, home lead test kits are not reliable for children's toys: "The Consumer Product Safety Commission put 104 kits to the test and found that 56 failed to detect lead in toys, while two overachievers warned of the heavy metal where it didn't exist." How are consumers supposed to feel safe? My daughter just received a bracelet from the prize box at school, and paranoid eco-mom wants to test it for lead. Is it worth the money to buy a home lead test kit? In light of the evidence that home lead tests are not reliable, the CPSC suggests worried parents send toys off to labs to be tested. Isn't that the CPSC's job? Consumer Reports followed the CPSC's conclusions with their own tests. They report,

Our conclusion, that they can be limited but useful screening tools to identify lead in household products, is different from the Consumer Product Safety Commission's recent announcement that consumers should not use these products to find lead in their homes. Our differences lie not as much in the testing itself as in the interpretation of the data. Here’s how we came to our conclusions and why we believe parents should consider these kits as a helpful tool for screening household products.

Here are some useful links on home lead test kits:

CPSC Staff Study: Home Lead Test Kits Unreliable

Consumer Reports Blogs: Testing the Lead Test Kits

CBC: Home Lead Testing Kits Unreliable, U.S. Safety Group Warns

Speaking of lead, the NY Times last month asked, "Has the Clean Air Act done more to fight crime than any other policy in American history?" Since the Clean Air Act phased out lead in gasoline, crime rates have fallen. Not only does low levels of lead exposure in humans cause brain damage that affects intelligence, in some cases it causes people to act more impulsively and aggressively. This suggestion has of course come under scrutiny; however, the data is plausible. According to Jessica Wolpaw Reyes, an economist at Amherst College, the rise and fall of lead-exposure rates seem to match the rates of violent crime, if you account for a 20-year lag. Two decades is " just long enough for children exposed to the highest levels of lead in 1973 to reach their most violence-prone years in the early ’90s, when crime rates hit their peak."

Hopefully, I can stop ranting about lead for awhile and move onto other issues.

Image courtesy of Amazon.com.

Tofu Pumpkin Pie

2009-09-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/16/tofu-pumpkin-pietofu-pumpkin-pie/

It's almost tofu turkey time! One tradition in our home is tofu pumpkin pie. We've been making this delectable dessert for 16 years from organically homegrown, sugar pie pumpkins. It is always a crowd pleaser, even amongst our guests who usually shy away from bean curd, and of course, the kids love it! Nutritious and delicious, tofu pumpkin pie is the perfect ending to your Thanksgiving meal, even if you eat a bird.

Prepare the Pumpkin:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Of course, you can make tofu pumpkin pie from pumpkin in a can, but starting from the squash is more wholesome and fun. Cut an organic, small pumpkin in half (the sugar pie variety is best, but really any pumpkin will do). Lay the pumpkin halves face down on a cookie sheet. Next, poke holes in the skin of pumpkin with a fork, like you would to bake a potato. Bake the pumpkin for about 45 minutes, or until it is tender when poked with a fork.

The Crust: This tofu pumpkin pie recipe would be vegan, except for the fact that I love a crust made with butter. To make the perfect crust, mix together:

1/2 cup organic, unbleached white flour

1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour

1/4 cup finely crushed walnuts (optional)

Tiny dash of salt

Cut into the dry mixture 1/3 cup of chilled butter. The trick to a flaky crust is to not let the butter warm, so if you need to use your fingers to crumble it, be careful not to let the butter absorb too much of your body heat. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold water, then mix the dough until it just holds together: Do not over handle the dough if you want a flaky crust! Form the dough into a ball and chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. In a crunch, you can place the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes. Next, roll the dough on a floured surface and place it into a buttered pie plate. Prebake the pie shell at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Pouring dry beans into the pie shell will help it hold its shape while prebaking.

The Filling:

Combine in a food processor (or by hand):

1/2 pound tofu (crumbled)

1 1/2 cups of pumpkin (just spoon it out of the cooked squash)

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup soymilk

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp mace

1/4 tsp nutmeg, coriander, and allspice, ginger, cloves

1 tsp vanilla

Blend the mixture very well, then add it to the pie crust. You can substitute premixed Pumpkin pie spice, if you don't have all these spices. It is also good to be cautious with the spices and flavor the pie to your taste. Add the filling to the prebaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Adding tofu to desserts is a great way to give them more nutritional value and trick your friends and family into trying something new. Even my most conservative relatives (you know-the ones that voted for Bush), rave about my tofu pumpkin pie. Sometimes I wait until they have taken their first bite to reveal the secret tofu ingredient.

This recipe is adapted from the Horn of the Moon cookbook and a 15-year-old flyer from Surata Soyfoods.

Image courtesy of BigOven.

How to Become a Green Parent: Ten Easy Ideas

2009-09-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/19/how-to-become-…ten-easy-ideashow-to-become-a-green-parent-ten-easy-ideas/

Editor's note: The following is a guest post written by Michelle Montoya for Baby Best Buy. Michelle is an SEO copywriter at Pole Position Marketing, and online retailer Baby Best Buy is one of the company's clients.

By protecting the environment today, you will be creating a better life for your children tomorrow. If we teach our children to love and respect the earth, they will have a better understanding and will then pass that on to their children.

Although the damage that has been done to the earth is irreversible, we can do our best to preserve it as it is by teaching our children.

While “going green” sounds like it might require an internal overhaul, it’s really not that difficult. There are many minor changes you can make in your life and in that of your children that will have a positive impact on the earth’s environment.

Ten Ideas to Go Green

Make your own baby food – Not only is making your baby’s food environmentally friendly, it’s very healthy too. When you make baby food, you know exactly what is (and what is not) going in it. Babies’ pallets are blank slates for you to create. They will eat bland foods as long as you provide them. As soon as you start adding flavors (including salt), children are less likely to go back and eat mild foods. Take baby steps and introduce new foods once a week. Start with green vegetables (as opposed to orange fruits or vegetables) so that they develop a taste and a liking for them.

Use cloth diapers – According to Mothering Magazine, about 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown in landfills each year, taking as many as 500 years to decompose. Eco-friendly cloth diapers are a lesser expensive alternative to disposable diapers. Many diapers don’t use diaper pins, so there’s no way to poke your baby. Made out of high quality durable cloth, the diapers are machine washable. Many cloth diapers come with diaper covers that are waterproof and leak proof. Using cloth diapers instead of disposable can save over $2,000 per child, so you can save money while saving the environment.

Buy organic when you can – Almost everything sold today has an organic alternative. As natural as it gets, organic products are free from harmful chemicals. From foods to bedding, cleaning products to clothing, organic products will leave less of a carbon footprint on the planet. Made out of natural products that aren’t processed with chemicals, many of the organic clothing and organic cotton bedding products are made from cotton that does not pollute the ground, water, or air. Organic foods are grown without using pesticides or artificial fertilizers and have low amounts of preservatives and additives. Organic products are safe for your kids and safe for the environment.

Swap kids’ items with other moms – By having a kids’ swap (swapping items, not children), your children will experience items that are new to them without you having to purchase them. This will help reduce the amount of waste in landfills and will be an economic alternative for you. Although many kids may have a hard time parting with some of their treasured toys and clothing, you can let them know that they will be getting different toys and clothes that they can learn to love.

Walk or take public transportation – If you’re planning on going anywhere near your home (no more than a mile at first), perhaps you can walk or take a bus there. By not driving everywhere you go, you will be saving the environment from the carbon dioxide gases and will be saving your pocketbook the enormous expense of gas. If you’re going to the park, pack a picnic lunch and stick it in the bottom of the stroller, or maybe you can put individual lunches in each kid’s backpack. Be sure to pack provisions – such as waters and maybe even granola bars – so that you can take rest stops along the way. The kids will find this adventurous, and you will find it advantageous environmentally and economically.

Have fun recycling paper, plastic, and aluminum – Many of today’s products come in packages that are recyclable. This is noted on the container with a symbol that has three arrows pointing toward each other in a triangle shape. The two common symbols indicate whether the packaging is recyclable or if it is made of recycled materials. Newspapers and paper bags can be used to make book covers for school books, while the Sunday comics can become wrapping paper for gifts. Many plastic containers can be used to store leftovers, but they can also be used to store small toys, snacks, craft supplies, etc. With aluminum cans (used for sodas), kids can have fun stomping on them to compact them so that there’s more room in the recycling bin. Before throwing anything away, brainstorm with the kids if it can be reused.

Use canvas bags for your groceries – The Environmental Protection Agency indicates that over 500 billion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. While they can be reused to take lunches to school and work, to line trash cans in the bathroom, and to take smaller and lighter items almost anywhere, many plastic bags litter our landscape. Instead of getting plastic bags at the store, consider getting canvas bags for your groceries. Your kids can each get one, and they can decorate them with fabric paint. Shopping at the store is a great time to educate your children on making educated purchases – fresh fruit instead of canned, organic cereal instead of sugar-laden cavity creators.

Plant trees, flowers, gardens – Other than being a beautiful addition to any home’s landscaping, trees provide many benefits: they reduce noise, create shade, and in one year produce enough oxygen for a family of four. By growing an organic garden, your food will taste better, will be healthier for your family, and will save you money. Get your kids involved by having them help out with the selection and placement of the trees and vegetables. They can be put in charge of ensuring they’re getting enough water, and they will be able to pick the vegetables when they’re ripe. They’ll even be more likely to eat their veggies if they helped grow them from seeds.

Start a compost pile – Compost conditions and fertilizes garden soil by feeding it microorganisms and adding nutrients. It consists of biodegradable garbage that would normally go in the trash and then into a landfill. By recycling yard and kitchen waste, you’ll not only reduce your contribution to , but you’ll be creating a better environment for your plants. To start, you’ll need a ratio of one part brown materials (dried leaves, wood chips, etc.) to three parts green materials (grass clippings, weeds, vegetable scraps, etc.). Keep a small pail in the kitchen to collect kitchen waste, and encourage the kids to add to it – fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, crushed egg shells – anything that is biodegradable.

Conserve water and energy – Although it seems rather easy, kids have a really hard time with turning off lights when they’re not in the room and turning off the water when they’re brushing their teeth. And, according to the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, changing to a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl) will save around 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year because they use 60% less energy.

It may take a lot of nagging and following around to make sure your kids are turning off the lights and water, but once it becomes habit, you’ll be conserving energy and saving money. What could be better than that?

If you teach your children to take care of the earth from an early age, it will become second nature to them. Future generations will benefit from what we teach our children today. They can then teach others to help protect and preserve the earth.

As a parent, you can consider yourself the Green Police, and your motto can be To Protect and Preserve

Green Kids Holiday Gift Guide

2009-09-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/19/green-kids-holiday-gift-guidegreen-kids-holiday-gift-guide/

You may be thinking, "Oh no, not another gift guide", but I have been inspired by Z Recs, The Not Quite Crunchy Parent, and Treehugger to create an Eco Child's Play Green Kids Holiday Gift Guide. The following recommendations are highlights of our product reviews over the past year (click on the title of each recommendation to get to the full review post). All of these products have been played with by my family, thus these are not the gifts I am getting my children this winter, as these new toys have not been tested.

Some of these products are made in China, but I feel that the company that makes a product is more important than where the toy is made for safety and ethical issues. Is a toy made in Thailand any better if the company is not environmentally and socially responsible? Furthermore, if your family is avoiding Chinese products due to the country's human rights violations, then boycotting US made good may also be an ethical choice for your family.

Klean Kanteen Sippy Cup: I was so excited to have found a non-leaching, safe sippy cup made by Klean Kanteen , the stainless steel alternative to plastic. Klean Kanteen makes the best stainless steel water bottles. They are odor free and do not taste like metal. We have tried other stainless steel bottles that smell horribly and are lined with epoxy. Plastic/polycarbonate bottles leach bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical that mimics the hormone estrogen, and can cause chromosomal abnormalities.

Recycled Tire Horse Swing: This toy is expensive, but I feel it is well worth the money and a great gift to request from grandparents. Magic Cabin's Recycled Tire Horse Swing is great fun! My daughter loves to play on this recycled toy! We have tied an additional rope to it, so that another child or adult can pull the horse back and forth. Another favorite activity is to twist the horse round and round, then let go and spin yourself dizzy. The toy is rated for ages 3 and up and for up to 200 pounds. I can't say that I have tried to ride it, but maybe I should now I know it can hold me (but can the tree branch?). This is the coolest recycled tire toy I have ever seen.

Magic Cabin Dollmaking Kits: Waldorf dolls typically are very simple, allowing your child’s imagination to fill in the details. The natural materials and soft wool stuffing, make this doll far superior to plastic ones. My daughter really appreciates this doll, and it has become her favorite one, replacing other Waldorf dolls we have purchased. She is old enough to appreciate the doll is handmade with love, and she showered me with compliments when I was sewing. She was amazed her mommy could create such a lovable toy, thanks to the Magic Cabin Doll Kit.

Wooden Vehicles from Plan Toys: Our family has several Plan Toys wooden vehicles, and I have purchased many of these toys for my preschool program. Both my daughter and son play with these daily, and I feel good that they are playing with safe toys. The toys are durable, and unlike other wooden toys we own, I have never had to repair our Plan Toys. Plan Toys uses chemical-free rubber wood to produce their toys. These trees are at least 25 years old, and thus have stopped producing latex. Rubber wood farmers traditionally fell these trees and burn them to produce charcoal, in order to clear the land for replanting. Plan Toys increases the value of these trees by using them to produce their beautiful line of wooden toys.

Under the Nile Organic Teething Toys: Chewing on plastic toys may be harmful to children, so what are the alternatives? All young children explore new toys with their mouths and chewing/biting relieves some of the teething strain in infants. What your child puts into their mouth is very important, and Under the Nile offers organic fruit and vegetables toys that are perfect! The fruit and vegetables can be purchased individually or in a group crate. Made in Egypt of organic materials, you do not need to worry about your child placing this toy in their mouth.

Yoga Garden Game: Our family’s first adventure into cooperative games was the Yoga Garden Game. My daughter and I started playing this game when she was three years old, as she had shown an interest in yoga. In the Yoga Garden Game, players work together to plant the flowers before nighttime falls. Players take turns rolling the dice to move a bumble bee around the circular game board. Depending on where you land, you get to plant a flower, put a nighttime piece on the board, do a yoga pose, or make up your own asana. The Yoga Garden Game offers a unique way for children to learn yoga in a cooperative game.

The Great Kapok Tree: There are many wonderful children’s books that use the narrative form to express green values and ideas, especially conservation. The Great Kapok Tree is one such book. The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry is set in a rain forest about to be logged. An ax man enters the jungle, then falls asleep and dreams about the extraordinary and diverse inhabitants of the jungle. Snakes, butterflies, jaguars, a child, etc. whisper into his ear the consequences of deforestation. The anteater says to the man,” Senhor, you are chopping down this tree with no thought for the future. And surely you know that what happens tomorrow depends upon what you do today. The big man tells you to chop down a beautiful tree. He does not think of his own children, who tomorrow must live in a world without trees.”

Austrian Sandbox: We live in a small cabin, so when grandparents want to buy the children something big, outdoor toys are great. The Austrian Sandbox is one such gift we have thoroughly enjoyed. Children love to play in sand, and such sensory experiences are good for their development. They can explore all kinds of physical concepts while playing in the sand. The Austrian Sandbox is made of sustainably harvested and certified spruce and comes with a vinyl cover. The cover can be cranked up to provide shade for children and protection from the sun or light rain. When the cover is lowered, the sand inside the box is protected from wandering animals that may want to use if for a litter box. The sandbox is large enough that four children can comfortably play inside it.

Wooden Blocks: Every child deserves a good set of Standard Unit Blocks! Blocks are perhaps the quintessential toy for child development. Creative play and imagination abound when playing with natural toy blocks. If you buy your child a toy car, the toy car is always a car. If you give your child blocks, a block can be a car, a train, a telephone, a bed, etc. The only limits are your child’s imagination.

Silk Scarves: Children can make any costume using their imagination with Play Silks. Like blocks, Play Silks are truly open-ended and limitless for play. Magic Cabin offers a wide variety of choices for Play Silks. Here is the description from Magic Cabin, “More versatile than most toys, Play Silks can be used in a multitude of ways: as blankets, capes, curtains, doll carriers, costumes, flags, walls for forts…
Their versatility is matched only by their durability, which is truly remarkable for such a soft, fine fabric. Play Silks embody the notion of “the simpler, the better” in supporting children’s natural, imaginative play

Holiday gift giving in this country is usually excessive, so to have a truly green holiday, try buying less and giving more homemade gifts or gifts of your time. Promising your child some special one-on-one time doing a craft or going for a special hike makes a nice stocking stuffer and ensures we will take time out of our busy lives for our children. For example, my daughter created a special dance for me as a gift for my birthday this year.

Free Eco Toys for Baby!

2009-09-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/20/free-eco-toys-for-babyfree-eco-toys-for-baby/

Our friends at Z Recs have started a blog called Prizey, a directory of online giveaways related to children. This month, they are featuring an Eco Baby Giveaway! This giveaway consists of over $200 in eco-friendly baby products. To enter, you must email the folks at Prizey:

a theme idea you'd love to see in a future PRIZEY giveaway, with one company whose products you think would be a great fit for it, and

your mailing address (even if you've entered a past contest, because we don't store your personal info at PRIZEY)

by Midnight CST Nov. 27.

Featured in this eco baby giveaway are a set of BPA-free bottles, a bamboo velour baby blanket, wooden and plush infant toys, a set of natural rubber pacifiers, and an Amnesty International toddler t-shirt.

Since Prizey is giving away pacifiers, I will share my opinion on them. Neither of my children had a pacifier (well, my son used one for two weeks while in the hospital after open-heart surgery). I do not think children need pacifiers; if they are allowed to nurse at will anytime there is no need. It is true that sucking is important for children's oral and emotional development, but I hate to see toddlers with pacifiers pinned to their shirts and never without one in their mouths. If you think about it, much of the human race survives without pacifiers and have done so from the beginning.

I've been wracking my brain to come up with an entry idea, but this giveaway is exactly what I would suggest. I wish you luck and hope the folks at Prizey will continue to give away quality eco-friendly gifts.

California Sues Toy Companies Over Lead Content

2009-09-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/21/california-sue…r-lead-contentcalifornia-sues-toy-companies-over-lead-content/

Sometimes, I am proud to live in the Golden State. If the federal government won't protect our children, as least California will try. Last month, Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 1108 banning the use of phthalates in children’s products. This week, California Attorney General Jerry Brown sued 20 toy companies for selling toys with "unlawful quantities of lead" under Proposition 65.

Some of the companies being sued are: Wal-Mart, Mattel, Toys R Us, Target, Costco, Sears, KB Toys, etc. This lawsuit of course follows the millions of toys that have been recalled, most of which were manufactured in China. Attorney General Jerry Brown said, "Despite the lengthening global supply chain, every company that does business in this state must follow the law and protect consumers from lead and other toxic materials." The companies could pay a $2,500 fine for each violation, according to the lawsuit.

Image courtesy of Scripophily.

Green Series: Children's TV Going Green (part 2)

2009-09-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/21/green-series-c…g-green-part-2green-series-childrens-tv-going-green-part-2/

Editor’s note: This is the third of a weekly guest spot by children’s media consultant Ashley. Ashley is a television and online producer and Executive Editor of Children’s Media Consultant.com. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University and a M.A. concentrating in children’s educational media and preschool ecology from New York University. She resides with her family in downtown New York City. You can visit her blog at childrensmediaconsultant.com.

Little did I realize that when I wrote “Why Isn’t Kid’s TV More Eco-Friendly?” (which I have been researching for the better part the last three years) that it would circulate around the web with such positive feedback. Although I’ve served as a children’s television consultant for multiple programs to determine how to effectively incorporate ecology content into their preschool curricula, this is the first time I’ve been able to initiate a dialog online about the content that’s already out there (or lack thereof).

How do the media professionals and parents weigh in?

What the Children’s Media Experts Say

Why is there so little ecology content on children’s television?

Ty’s Toy Box Mommy writes, shows that teach literacy or math skills are celebrated because these topics are standardized curricular foci. They’re uncontroversial topics that (almost) everyone can agree are necessary in the education of our children. But when a show moves into the realm of teaching that the planet is in jeopardy, somewhat more of a controversial topic, we jump into a political debate.

While many of us know what we do effects the ground we walk on, others are still skeptical of the science behind the argument, and some believe the planet is not in danger because of the burning of our fossil fuels (or filling up landfills, polluting our natural resources, cutting down forests, etc.).

Ty’s Toy Box Mommy makes a great point here. As long as global warming remains a debatable, politically-infused topic, perhaps it’s a riskier subject for children’s television — especially a kid’s TV show that requires public funding, or a more conservative corporate/network backing.

To counter, though: What if we’re not focused on issue-centric topics, like global warming, species extinction, etc., but more on the basics of appreciating the natural world?

My research indicates this is a more successful approach anyway, when it comes to preschool-level ecology. Besides, who could argue (even with the politicos) that spending time outdoors is bad for you?

On a side note, many thanks to Shaping Youth for inviting me to be a content partner, and for the very nice introduction of our first content swap on this very same topic. We can all look forward to hearing her expertise on advertising directed at children, eloquent prose, and opinions on this website, and more collaboration of our work in the future!

For more reviews and commentary on children’s television and other media, visit Children’s Media Consultant Online.

Also, Kelli's post on eco websites for children has been featured as a guest commentary on Children's Media Consultant.

The Truth About Thanksgiving

2009-09-29T18:56:00.001-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/22/the-truth-about-thanksgivingthe-truth-about-thanksgiving/

Before I begin to cook, I wanted to share some information regarding the myth of Thanksgiving that was prepared for teachers. Originally written and developed by Cathy Ross, Mary Robertson, Chuck Larsen, and Roger Fernandes for the Indian Education program at Highline School District in Tacoma, Teaching About Thanksgiving explores factual information regarding this holiday. As the authors write,

So what do we teach to our children? We usually pass on unquestioned what we all received in our own childhood classrooms. I have come to know both the truths and the myths about our "First Thanksgiving," and I feel we need to try to reach beyond the myths to some degree of historic truth.

How will you teach your children about this day of thanks, that initiated the genocide of Native Americans? Here are some highlights from Teaching About Thanksgiving:

The Puritans were political revolutionaries who believed in Armageddon. They believed they were the "chosen elect" mentioned in Revelations. "They strove to 'purify' first themselves and then everyone else of everything they did not accept in their own interpretation of scripture. Later New England Puritans used any means, including deceptions, treachery, torture, war, and genocide to achieve that end."

The Wampanoag Native Americans were members of the confederacy of the League of the Delaware. Their religion embraced charity and hospitality "to anyone who came to them with empty hands." Squanto, the Indian hero of the Thanksgiving story, had a very close relationship with British explorer John Weymouth, before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth. Squanto associated the Puritans with Weymouth's people.

"To the Pilgrims the Indians were heathens and, therefore, the natural instruments of the Devil. Squanto, as the only educated and baptized Christian among the Wampanoag, was seen as merely an instrument of God, set in the wilderness to provide for the survival of His chosen people, the Pilgrims."

A generation later, the attendees of the first Thanksgiving "were striving to kill each other in the genocidal conflict known as King Philip's War". By the end of the war, most of the New England Indians were either exterminated, refugees in Canada, or sold into slavery.

As I watched a Yurok family yesterday shopping for their Thanksgiving meal, I wondered how they taught their children about this holiday. This week, my daughter has brought home from school the typical coloring sheets, dot-to-dots, pamphlets, etc. regarding this holiday, and my thoughts have dwelled on the honesty in education. A wonderful resource for teachers and parents is the book Rethinking Columbus, which has many ideas and resources for presenting this part of history to our children. I especially like the article on a Native American stepping off an airplane in Italy and declaring he had "discovered" the country. How can you discover a country when people are already living there?

As we feast with our families and friends today, we must be thankful for the stability in our lives and not forget that genocide is still occurring in Dafur. I am also thankful for the good health my family and friends enjoy. Just three years ago, my extended family spent Thanksgiving in the hospital. My infant son had open-heart surgery the day before Thanksgiving. There is so much to be thankful for today, but I am not sure world dominance is one of those things.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Leftover Mashed Potatoes? Make Potato Pancakes

2009-09-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/23/leftover-mashe…otato-pancakesleftover-mashed-potatoes-make-potato-pancakes/

Recreating leftovers from yesterday's feast into new meals can make them more appealing and prevent the glutinous food waste associated with large feasts. In our family, we use leftover mashed potatoes to make potato pancakes. This recipe is simple and delicious.

To make potato pancakes from leftover mashed potatoes, simply form them into a small patty, about three inches in diameter. Add a vegetable to the mix, such as corn, peas, grated carrot, or cooked kale, to boost the veggie power of the potato pancakes. Then fry the patties in oil, being careful not to flip them too often, or they will fall apart. Serve with apple sauce, and you have a great, kid-friendly meal.We don't eat a lot of fried food, as it is obviously not good for your health. This is probably why I feel the need to pack extra veggies in the potato pancakes and serve them with apple sauce.

For an interesting perspective on fried food and climate change, visit Rob Lyons' article "The Dangers of Fried Food and a Fried Planet". He writes, "Just when you thought we were all going to fry because of climate change, it looks like our taste for fried food will do us in even sooner."How much leftover food will you throw away or compost this holiday season? According to a University of Arizona study, almost half of US food goes to waste! Holidays, such as Thanksgiving, further compound the problem. According to anthropologist Timothy Jones,

...not only is edible food discarded that could feed people who need it, but the rate of loss, even partially corrected, could save US consumers and manufacturers tens of billions of dollars each year. Jones says these losses also can be framed in terms of environmental degradation and national security.

When we want to reduce, reuse, recycle, eliminating our food waste is definitely part of the equation. This is especially challenging for my family, since we live two hours from the grocery store. We have to stock up when we go to town, but learning to stock up on food products without excess is a challenge. I also feel guilty at how much food is wasted in our garden and orchard.

Cutting food waste would also go a long way toward reducing serious environmental problems. Jones estimates that reducing food waste by half could reduce adverse environmental impacts by 25 per cent through reduced landfill use, soil depletion and applications of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.

Eat those leftovers and take another small step towards reducing your family's impact on the environment! Happy Buy Nothing Day!

Image courtesy of Pigeon Mountain School.

Alternative Energy Hydrogen Fuel Rocket

2009-09-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/26/alternative-en…en-fuel-rocketalternative-energy-hydrogen-fuel-rocket/

This holiday season, the Discovery Channel Store is offering toys that are fueled with hydrogen. Our family tested out the rocket ship, which is made by Estes Rockets. The Hydrogen Fuel Rocket is designed for children ages 10 and up (adult supervision required under 12), thus I had Eco Dad test it out. He also has more rocket experience than I.

There are quite a few set up procedures for the first launch. Water is mixed with citric acid crystals to form the solution, which is good for 100's of launches. This fuel solution needs to sit for at least 15 minutes for optimum rocket performance. Next, the launcher is assembled, including adding six "D" batteries and adding tap water to the fuel generator. Batteries are required, because the hydrogen is created though electrolysis. The electric current from the batteries is used to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen molecules in the water. The citric acid speeds up the process.

During our first launch trials, the Hydrogen Fuel Rocket performed poorly. It only lifted a couple of inches and failed miserably at reaching the 200 feet promised. Eco Dad reviewed the directions to see if he had made an error, but there were no mistakes in assembly. We decided the toy was a dud, and left it for another day.

The following day, Eco Dad decided there weren't enough "bubbles" in the fuel generator, so he ran the fuel generation cycle twice. This time the rocket launched 100 feet in the air! After launching the rocket successfully over and over again, Eco Dad (like any kid would do) tried running the fuel generation cycle three times. He was determined to get the rocket to launch 200 feet, as promised on the box. Unfortunately, he hadn't noticed that the small o-ring at the top of the launch tube had slipped off slightly. Instead of launching sky high, the Hydrogen Fuel Rocket blew a hole near the nose. We tried patching it with duct tape, but the rocket has never been the same. Now it won't launch at all. It only took Eco Dad two days to break the Hydrogen Fuel Rocket, and as he said, he didn't do anything that a kid would not do.

When the rocket is going through the fuel generation cycle, it delivers facts to children about hydrogen fuel (click here to watch our home video of the fuel generation cycle). For example, children learn that hydrogen fuel does not contribute to global warming, and that is it is difficult to store. After we blew up the Hydrogen Fuel Rocket, I can see why we aren't all driving around in hydrogen-fueled cars; however, if they can make toys that are powered by hydrogen, certainly this power source could be used more often. (Then again, I'm an artist and not a scientist, so I don't know much about it).

The concept of using alternative energy for toys has eco-appeal, but the Hydrogen Fuel Rocket gets low eco-merit marks for being made of plastic, using batteries, breaking quickly, and being made in China. Even though our play with this toy only lasted two days (we can order replacement parts), I think toy developers should consider alternative energy for powering toys. My kids were certainly fascinated with the Hydrogen Fuel Rocket.

To read more about "green" toys from the Discovery Channel Store, click here.

For more information on eco-toys, visit The Green Guide's amazing chart on toys.

Pucker Up Baby! There's Lead in Your Lipstick!

2009-09-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/27/pucker-up-baby…-your-lipstickpucker-up-baby-theres-lead-in-your-lipstick/

More bad news about lead: It is in 61% of name brand lipsticks! The $50 billion cosmetic industry largely regulates itself, and the FDA has not set a limit on lead levels in lipstick. Thank goodness we have the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Environmental Working Group to keep us informed.According to Enviroblog:

One-third of the tested lipsticks exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s limit for lead in candy -- a standard established to protect children from directly ingesting lead. Lipstick products, like candy, are directly ingested into the body. Nevertheless, the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick, which makes sense when one considers the disturbing absence of FDA regulatory oversight and enforcement capacity for the personal care products industry.

There's lead in candy! Who would have thought that possible? Why wouldn't lipstick also be regulated? It goes directly on your lips! How many times has your daughter asked for lipstick or has Grandma dolled her up in her favorite lip shade? It is also alarming to think that pregnant women are putting lead on their lips, since "it's a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning, language and behavioral disabilities. No amount of exposure is without harm." Lead does cross through the placenta and affect the developing fetus.I've never been one for wearing lipstick, but I have found a few alternatives for my daughter. Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers offer many colors and a cool mint flavor (see Wendy's comment below about lead in the merlot shade). Dr. Hauschka Lipsticks also offer a safe alternative for women. You can browse EWG's list of safe lipsticks here.You can download the full report on name-brand lipsticks here.Image courtesy of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Green Series: Dora the Explorer Goes Green?

2009-09-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/28/green-series-d…rer-goes-greengreen-series-dora-the-explorer-goes-green/

Editor’s note: This is the fourth of a weekly guest spot by children’s media consultant Ashley. Ashley is a television and online producer and Executive Editor of Children’s Media Consultant.com. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University and a M.A. concentrating in children’s educational media and preschool ecology from New York University. She resides with her family in downtown New York City. You can visit her blog at childrensmediaconsultant.com.

But that’s just one show. ONE show amidst hundreds of others that cater to young viewers. In a time in our world where everyone — from Wal-Mart to Chevrolet — sees sustainability as an important issue for our economy and culture, it seems amazing to me that the issue is pretty much ignored on children’s television.

So when I received an email from Nickelodeon earlier this week with the subject line “Eco-Friendly Tips From Dora and Boots!,” I have to admit I opened it feeling a bit skeptical.

Since I’ve researched and studied in graduate school how preschoolers think and relate to the natural environment, I’d like to think I know a bit about what an effective, responsible and significant preschool ecology curriculum might entail. And, with the exception of “It’s a Big Big World,” there isn’t much available in the children’s media realm (at least on television — I have yet to review a few new online properties that carry this messaging) that truly deliver on what they promise.

From what I understand, this idea of programs promising to be green that don’t really turn out to be isn’t limited to children’s television. “Greenwashing refers to claims of environmental responsibility when little, if anything, of green substance has actually taken place,” says Stephen T. Del Percio, a New York based attorney, LEED accredited professional and publisher of greenbuildingsNYC.com. Greenwashing is a prominent concern among sustainability and environmental education experts.

So is this email I received about “Dora the Explorer” going green the real deal?

It looks as if Nickelodeon is promoting its upcoming on-air special “Dora Saves the Mermaids” by associating it with eco-friendly activities. (The special premieres on Nickelodeon in the US on November 5th, at 7PM ET.) I haven’t seen it yet, but apparently the story centers around Dora and Boots, who need to save the Mermaid Kingdom from an evil, garbage dumping octopus. In order to do so, Dora must transform into a mermaid herself and bring a magical crown back to Mariana the Mermaid.

Does this sound like environmental education? Not really. Is this a brilliant marketing ploy filled with Dora-as-mermaid Halloween costumes, sea monkey kits and inflatable pool toys? Probably.

On the other hand, though, the promotional site does contain “eco-friendly crafts,” such as a recycled bird feeder project made from a milk carton, and an article for parents titled “10 Eco-Friendly Activities for the Whole Family,” which contains ideas like the avoidance of brown paper bag lunches and sending e-cards instead of paper ones.

Will you use “Dora Saves the Mermaids” to teach your family about environmental responsibility? Do you think this is a valiant effort to teach ecology to preschoolers, or a good opportunity to market a new set of Dora-branded toys (or both!)? Is your family working together to go green?

For more reviews and commentary on children’s television and other media, visit Children’s Media Consultant Online.

Image courtesy of Children's Media Consultant Online.

Win a Copy of Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion

2009-09-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/28/win-a-copy-of-…f-ocean-motionwin-a-copy-of-tracking-trash-flotsam-jetsam-and-the-science-of-ocean-motion/

Earlier this week, Kelli wrote a post called "Teaching Kids About Trash", in which she asked her high school sustainability class, "When you throw something away, where does it go?" "Away" is the topic of Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Motion by Loree Griffin Burns. Based on the research program of oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, Tracking Trash chronicles the journey of trash in our oceans (Be sure to read to the end of this post in order to learn how to win your own copy of Tracking Trash).

What do ocean currents have to do with preserving our marine environment? Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer became inspired to study this topic when his mother saw an article about hundreds of sneakers washing up on the beaches near Seattle. Dr. Ebbesmeyer wanted to discover the origin of the shoes. He stated,

Tracking toys and sneakers gives us a chance to see what the ocean does with our trash. We can see the movement of trash by the great ocean currents and we can see the disintegration of the trash over time...and we can learn from it.

So where did all those sneakers come from? During a Pacific storm, the Hansa Carrier, a cargo carrier from Korea, lost 21 metal containers. Five of those containers contained Nike tennis shoes.

Tracking Trash is not just about Dr. Ebbesmeyer and lost sneakers; it is packed full of information on latitude and longitude, waves, tides, currents, gyres, and what you can do. As the New York Times writes,

Burns tells his story, along with those of other scientists and citizens who track trash, and shares their genuinely fascinating and important discoveries about oceanic currents. It’s a science text, but there’s a bit of detective novel thrown in as well.

To win a copy of Tracking Trash, ask your children the very question Kelli asked her class: "When you throw something away, where does it go?" Leave a comment to this post with your children's answers. The winner will be selected randomly from the comments and announced next Wednesday!

Buyers Beware: Recalled Toys Still on Shelves and Ebay

2009-09-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/29/buyers-beware-…elves-and-ebaybuyers-beware-recalled-toys-still-on-shelves-and-ebay/

I like to browse Ebay for unique, homemade wooden toys and Waldorf dolls. Like Etsy, artisans use Ebay to sell their handy work and reach a broader audience. Recently, recalled toys have been showing up on this online auction marketplace.

The plethora of recalled toys makes it difficult for consumers to know about every unsafe toy identified by the CPSC. During a recent search, KLTV 7 of Jacksonville, Texas found several recalled toys on Ebay. "It's disturbing that if someone did not know that these items had been recalled that they were being resold," said Stephanie Carlton, a concerned mother. "It's a total lack of concern for someone else's child." It does make you wonder...what happens to recalled toys once they have been pulled from the shelves?

In a related story, the McClatchy Washington Bureau reports that,

Despite recent government recalls of millions of hazardous toys, consumer groups are urging parents to be extra vigilant this holiday season because store shelves are still stocked with toys that can pose serious health risks.

Yes, that's right...it is still not safe to simply buy any toy off the toy shelf. Not only are recalled toys still in stores, but the Center for Environmental Health tested 100 toys purchased in November that have not been recalled. Nine of these toys, all of which were manufactured in China, tested positive for high levels of lead.

"How is it that in just a few days we can find many problematic toys still on the store shelves?" asked Carolyn Cox, the research director for the Center for Environmental Health. "It's the beginning of the holiday shopping season, and it shouldn't be a minefield of lead hazards for parents. Toymakers, retailers and the CPSC are still not doing enough to protect children from lead in toys."

Good luck this holiday season finding safe toys for your children!

Image courtesy of CTV.ca

Simple, Vegan Kid-Friendly Soup

2009-09-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/11/30/simple-vegan-kid-friendly-soupsimple-vegan-kid-friendly-soup/

When the weather turns cold, I want soup; however, my children are not big soup fans. There is one recipe they always eat heartily, and it resembles chicken soup. This recipe is very easy to follow and adapt to whatever vegetables you have on hand. My personal favorites to add to the pot are kale, peas, and carrots. This simple, vegan kid-friendly soup is also a great way to use up leftover rice, and it is quick to make. Of course, organic ingredients are a must!

Simple, Vegan Kid-Friendly Soup:

Saute 1 onion in 3 Tablespoons of oil (you can use butter for added flavor if you aren't vegan). Add to the cooked onion:

5 cups water

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. celery seed

1/4 cup dried TVP

1 tsp. soy sauce (I prefer Bragg's Liquid Aminos)

Vegetables of your choice (kale, carrots, and peas)

Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature to a simmer for five minutes or until vegetables are cooked. Then add:

1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 1/2 Tbsp. margarine (or butter for non-vegan)

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (or cooked noodles)

That's it...you're done! Super simple, super quick, nutritious, and delicious!

If you are not familiar with nutritional yeast, it provides protein and B vitamins for vegetarians. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is grown in molasses and is easily digestible. It contains all of the essential amino acids. Just two tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes contains the following USRDA percentages:

Thiamin 386%

Riboflavin 337%

Niacin 175%

Vitamin B12 150%

Vitamin B6 270%

Folic Acid 29%

Kids love nutritional yeast, and it is great to sprinkle on popcorn. Our favorite local restaurant keeps it on the tables in shakers for extra flavoring. You can find nutritional yeast in the bulk section of your local coop or health food store.

This recipe is adapted from the The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook, which is essentially the Betty Crocker Cookbook for vegans and vegetarians. The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook is loaded with basic recipes from sloppy joes to cinnamon rolls. You can see from this picture how well-loved my copy of this cookbook is. It is now bound by a rubber band. The Farm is an intentional community in Tennessee, famous for their midwives.

5 Ways to Green Your Christmas and Reduce Waste

2009-09-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/04/5-ways-to-gree…d-reduce-waste5-ways-to-green-your-christmas-and-reduce-waste/

It has become predictable, with every approaching holiday, the green blogosphere erupts in eco-advice. Recently, I have received several emails asking for suggestions on how to reduce waste during this sometimes glutinous holiday. All the shopping bags, gift wrapping, decorating, etc. adds up to a tremendous amounts of packaging waste, which makes it challenging to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Here are a few suggestions for greening your Christmas celebrations. These suggestions also apply to other winter holidays.

Wrap Presents in Fabric and Forgo the Box: If you feel the need to wrap presents, which does create some wonder in children's eyes, try wrapping presents in fabric. Fabric is reusable and less likely to be tossed in a landfill after the presents are opened. You can find less expensive fabric that has already been cut into "fat quarters" at fabric stores, as well as thrift stores. Left over fabric wrapping "paper" is great for later kid crafts and quilting. Furthermore, if offered a box from a retailer to place your present in before wrapping, decline this extra packaging. The more we reduce, the less waste we create.

Decorate a Live Christmas Tree: Every holiday season, I find it disturbing to see lot after lot of cut down trees. Many of these trees go to waste, and even those that come home with families end up in incinerators or landfills. The alternative is to buy a potted tree or, as my family has done in the past, dig one up in the forest (not sure if this is illegal on public lands). We take advantage of live Christmas tree shopping to buy a new tree for our land. I often shop native plant nurseries to find the perfect species to replant after the holidays. According to LiveEarth.org, "A single tree can absorb more than one ton of CO2 over its lifetime." If you don't have room on your property for a tree or you rent your home, you can plant your tree in a friend's yard or a national forest (along as you chose a native species). Click here for tips on caring for a live Christmas tree. Live trees can be expensive, and there is even a company that rents live trees to families for the holidays. I am pretty adamant about not killing trees for the holidays, even if they are farm-raised or from a plantation that needs thinning. In fact, when my daughter's school cut down trees to sell for a fundraiser last year, I refused to let her participate.

Ship Directly From Online and Catalog retailers: If you make purchases online or from catalogs, chose to ship the presents directly to the receiver. By shipping them directly, you will save money by not having to ship the gift twice (once to you, and once to the receiver). The money saved can be used to purchase gift wrapping from the retailer, if you feel that is necessary. Furthermore, you will reduce your carbon footprint for the holiday by not having your gifts be transported twice. If you must ship packages, use US Postal Service Priority Mail or Express Mail packaging. These USPS packaging materials "have been awarded Cradle to Cradle(SM) Certification for their environmental attributes. The Postal Service is committed to finding new ways to protect the environment and is the first in its industry to receive this certification." At least our government is doing one thing right.

Decorate with Homemade Items and Hand-Me-Down Ornaments: One year, one of my students gave me the most beautiful garland made of strung madrone berries. Ten years later, it still decorates my tree, and my daughter has started a tradition of creating her own madrone berry garland every year. She gathers the berries, which fall this time of year, then uses a needle and thread to string them. They dry on the string. Kristen Chase, of Cool Mom Picks and the League of Maternal Justice suggests using cranberries or the traditional popcorn for decorations. Speaking of Kristen, have you seen Cool Mom Picks Safer Toy Guide? It puts our Green Kids Holiday Gift Guide to shame. Kristen also asked the question about lighting. It is true that LED Christmas lights are the most eco-friendly option; however, if you already have lights, I am not sure it is warranted to buy new ones until they break. Since I live-off-the-grid, it is not an issue for me, but I am curious to know what our readers think: Should you get new LED lights or use the ones that you already have? In addition to lighting, when decorating your house or tree, ask relatives for extra ornaments they no longer use. Our collection of ornaments has come from grandparents, great grandparents, parents, etc. Sometimes it feels like our tree is an homage to my childhood, but this also makes it special.

Buy Gifts That Count: We all have people on our lists we feel obligated to buy a gift for who really doesn't need anything. These can be the challenging gifts to buy, and often, these gifts end up in second hand stores or landfills. To meet the challenge, think about giving gifts that count, such as carbon credits from TerraPass or a charitable gift to Heifer International. Also, think of ways to give gifts without spending money, such as promising special time together out of your busy life with a loved one.

I hope these ideas help you have a greener Christmas, Solstice, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. Every little bit counts! For more ideas on greening your holiday, such as using old Christmas cards for gift tags, visit Family Fun.

Image courtesy of MSNBC.

Green Series: Kid’s Media Gets a Little Greener

2009-09-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/05/green-series-k…little-greenergreen-series-kid%e2%80%99s-media-gets-a-little-greener/

Editor’s note: This is the last of a weekly guest spot by children’s media consultant Ashley. Ashley is a television and online producer and Executive Editor of Children’s Media Consultant.com. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University and a M.A. concentrating in children’s educational media and preschool ecology from New York University. She resides with her family in downtown New York City. You can visit her blog at childrensmediaconsultant.com.

What an eco-friendly week for children’s media. Just when I thought “why isn’t kid’s TV more eco-friendly?,” other types of content delivery have stepped up to the plate to teach kids about environmental issues and green living choices.

Scholastic and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined forces to release “The Magic School Bus Gets Cleaned Up,” a new book from the “Magic School Bus” series that explores the ways people can protect themselves (including their lungs) from air pollution. Scholastic’s traveling Magic School Bus, a traveling interactive science experience for kids, has also added a new, more sustainable filter which has already reduced its diesel particulate by up to 90 percent.

In the online front, imbee.com, the social networking site for kids ages 8- to 14-years old, announced a partnership with National Geographic Digital Media to create an online community group for Earth-loving kids and tweens. “There’s something powerful about giving kids the tools to express themselves and to share common interests such as a love of animals and the environment that National Geographic represents,” says Betsy Scolnik, president of National Geographic Digital Media. Members of imbee.com can join the group of world-conscious young citizens to read and comment on Earth-focused — and parent approved — blog entries, view videos, listen to world music, and test their geography skills (sounds a bit like Panwapa, but for a slightly older audience, no?). Before joining imbee.com, each enrollment requires parental permission through a verification process (no anonymous emails) to ensure parents are aware of their child’s online goings-on.

For grownups, The George Lucas Educational Foundation recently launched the “Go Green Database.” Although not particularly media oriented, the database features green projects, lesson plans, service-learning opportunities and other resources for educators. Each item is searchable by topic, grade level, cost and location, allowing for users with particular needs to find exactly what will work for their own programs.

Have you found any new green kid’s media you’d like to share? Is the online space the best medium to unite “Earth-loving” kids and tweens?

For more reviews and commentary on children’s television and other media, visit Children’s Media Consultant Online.

Image courtesy of Children's Media Consultant.

The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming

2009-09-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/05/the-down-to-ea…global-warmingthe-down-to-earth-guide-to-global-warming/

Laurie David, the producer of An Inconvenient Truth, and Cambria Gordon have written an extensive resource for parents and children, "to know the truth about this problem and what they can do to help solve it." The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming helps readers understand the causes of our climate crisis and offers suggestions for change in a very kid-friendly format. The book is also constructed from 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper and printed with soy inks.

The way The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming is written appeals to the short attention span of children. The book is divided into four chapters:

It's Getting Hot in Here

Weird, Wacky Weather

Extinction Stinks

What You Can Do to Stop Global Warming

Each chapter is filled with attractive illustrations, some games, and very useful information presented in kid-friendly language. For example, the authors explain:

Over the past 200 years, our oceans have absorbed about half of the CO2 emissions that are in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. That's an enormous amount, which only shows how important the oceans are to our natural carbon cycle.

One of my favorite sections of The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming lists sustainable careers and asks children, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Asking children to consider their career ambitions in light of climate change sparks a very worthwhile conversation. From hydrologist to biofuels engineer, children are encouraged to select a future that is sustainable and fulfilling.

In reviewing The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming, I wonder why the author selected the term "global warming" in the title. I believe the book's content reflects the problem of "climate change", including the changes in weather systems, rather than "global warming", which refers to the overall warming of average temperatures. These terms are not interchangeable, and I believe that climate change more accurately portrays the crisis we are potentially facing. This issue in semantics may not seem important in the big picture, but I believe in equipping children with the proper terminology. For an interesting perspective on the terms "global warming versus climate change", visit grinningplanet.com.

There are many critiques of The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming on online bookstores suggesting that inaccurate information is represented on a chart comparing temperature rise and CO2 emissions in the last 650,000 years. I do not have the expertise to judge the scientific merit of such criticisms; however, many of these comments are left by people who dispute the causes or existence of climate change.

Upon reading The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming, I felt a few of the analogies were a far stretch or slightly bizarre in an attempt to appeal to children. For example, the concept of sustainability is compared to the love a pet, "even though your cat might pee on your bedspread or your dog might chew your favorite flip-flops." The planet is also compared to a child's messy room, or CO2 and temperature "go together like peanut butter and jelly". I guess I find these comparisons shallow and too contrived for the target age group, but the message of this book is powerful and should be heard by all adults and children!

The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming would be a great resource for any teacher or homeschool parent. Each section of the book could be a unit of study, and service projects will naturally unfold from the explanations and suggestions. If human actions are going to alter the negative path of climate change, children need to be educated and involved from birth. This book is a great reference and catalyst for discussion.

And the Winner is...Diane!

2009-09-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/06/and-the-winner-isdianeand-the-winner-isdiane/

Diane, who blogs at The Mommy Spot, won our free giveaway of Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Motion by Loree Griffin Burns. Diane asked her child, “When you throw something away, where does it go?” This is the comment Diane left in response to the question:

I’d really like to win a copy. I asked my son what he thought, and he just said “no”. See, he’s only 18 months. “No” is his favorite word. Somehow, though, I think he managed to hit the nail on the head!

Out of the mouth of babes, the truth is revealed. We should all say, "No" to waste, refuse, trash, etc. Imagine a day when everything is reused or recycled and trash does not exist...is it possible?

Diane's blog The Mommy Spot, is about

...a greener, healthier life for you and your little sprouts! Natural cures, home remedies, recipes for baby and the whole family, product reviews, and more. The perfect spot for mommies...

One of the things I really enjoy about giveaways is discovering new blogs from our readers. The Mommy Spot is over a year old and currently features on the home page posts on natural cold care and lead in plumbing. I encourage you to visit Diane's blog and congratulations to Diane!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-09-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/07/vegan-chocolate-chip-cookiesvegan-chocolate-chip-cookies/

I have a sweet tooth, but it is a very picky sweet tooth. I love chocolate, but I hate candy, and I am particular about my cookies. One thing I adore is chocolate chip cookies, especially a little spoonful of dough when mixing up the batter, and with vegan cookie dough, you don't have to worry about getting sick from eating raw egg. This is another great recipe, like last Friday's Vegan Kid-Friendly Soup, modified from The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook. Of course, always use organically-grown ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cup unbleached white flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Sift flour with the baking powder and salt (I sometimes skip the sifting).

1 cup Sucanat (or use 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar)

1/2 cup oil (or melted butter if you aren't vegan)

1/4 cup water or soymilk

1 tsp. vanilla

In a separate bowl, stir together the Sucanat (sugar) and oil (butter). Add water (soymilk) and vanilla to this "wet" mixture and blend well. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

1 cup chocolate chips (fair trade, of course!)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Add the chocolate chips, cranberries, and walnuts to the cookie dough and mix well. Drop by teaspoon on oiled cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes.

When the cookies first come from the oven, they are very soft and will fall apart unless you let them cool completely on the cookie sheet. You may need to adjust the cooking time by a minute or two, depending upon your oven, but don't be tricked into overcooking the cookies. These cookies are so good, and your children and friends will rave about them!

I use organic Sucanat, which stands for Sugar Cane Natural, for all my baking. Sucanat is Fair Trade certified from Costa Rica and is made by crushing sugar cane, extracting and heating the juice, then hand paddling the juice until it dries into porous granules. Unlike refined sugars, Sucanat retains many vitamins and minerals present in sugar cane, such as iron, calcium, vitamin B6, potassium, and chromium. It adds a unique flavor to your baking that complements these vegan cookies.

Movie Review: Everything's Cool

2009-09-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/10/movie-review-everythings-coolmovie-review-everythings-cool/

Tomorrow is the release date for a movie on climate change called Everything's Cool, an official selection from the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. This documentary examines the chasm that has developed between scientific knowledge about climate change and the lack of political action on the part of the US government. Featuring renowned scientists and journalists, Everything's Cool is directed by Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand. This film has not been rated, but it would be an excellent catalyst for discussion with junior high and high school students, as well as adults who still do not recognize the need for immediate action to curb the effects of global warming.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/PUkda2Zb8Wk" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Everything's Cool has been called "A Profile in Courage" by the Ashland Daily Tidings, as the film features activists including Step It Up's Bill McKibben, Pulitzer Prize winner Ross Gelbspan, The Weather Channel's Dr. Heidi Cullen, the "bad boys of environmentalism" Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, and White House whistleblower Rick Piltz. Bill McKibben and Ross Gelbspan are two of my personal heroes, and I think that exposing young adults to such role models is important. Everything's Cool makes these activists accessible by revealing their human feelings and showing how individuals can have an impact beyond "changing a light bulb."

Everything's Cool begins with quotes from average Americans regarding global warming. One man from Ohio, my home state, says that global warming is "much less threatening than weapons of mass destruction. Come on guys, use your head. It is anti-American." This is the mentality that has resulted in the widening of the chasm between scientific knowledge and politics, often encouraged by the media in an effort to portray "balanced" reporting by giving equal weight to science and global warming critics.

A recurring theme throughout Everything's Cool is how the economy and the environment have been pitted against each other in the "debate" on climate change. The argument is that we will create economic instability if we make the changes required to curb our carbon production. The truth is not so, as jobs will be created to research and develop the technologies we need to lead the world in solving this problem. If we do not have a hospitable climate to live in, the economy will be affected. As discussed by Dr. Heidi Cullen in the film, it is happening already. Ironically, oil exploration is being affected by the melting tundra, shortening the season in which oil companies can look for new sites to drill. The oil companies are already feeling the effects of climate change, when will the rest of America wake up?

Also featured in Everything's Cool is Bish Neuhouser, a ski slope groomer from Park City, Utah. Bish attempts to make his own straight vegetable oil (SVO) biodiesel in the movie, and he triumphantly takes that first trip down the road on French fries fuel with his friends. Despite his success, he succumbs to buying B20 instead of making his own biodiesel. B20 contains only 20 percent biodiesel and can be bought at the pump in Park City. Bish also convinces the ski resort he works for to convert their equipment to B20. Although it is not mentioned in the movie, 100 percent biodiesel does present a problem in cold temperatures, like those in Park City. My husband's truck wouldn't start for three days this winter when the B99 in his tank had solidified.

The news about climate change has been discussed by the media for two decades, but little action has been taken by our government. In fact, the cover of Time magazine broke the news in 1987; however, real action supported by our government has yet to occur. Just last week, while my car was being repaired, I wandered into the new car parking lot at a dealership to see what was available. I was in shock to discover that the same model of car I own has not increased its gas mileage efficiency in the six years since I purchased my car. How can this be?

Everything's Cool is dubbed " A toxic comedy about global warming". I don't really understand this tagline, as I found nothing humorous in the film. Quite the contrary, the news is disturbing, especially when the funding sources for the skeptics of climate change and our government's hand in editing scientific discoveries are revealed. The film ends on a positive note: the chasm is narrowing, thanks to Hurricane Katrina and the efforts of activists. Will our next president lead the way to solving this global problem on a global scale? It's obvious the current administration does not care.

Infants Exposed to BPA in Their Formula

2009-09-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/11/infants-expose…-their-formulainfants-exposed-to-bpa-in-their-formula/

Obviously, breastfed babies are happiest and healthiest; however, sometimes families have to use infant formulas to nourish their young ones. A new report issued by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) makes recommendations for feeding babies safely and avoiding Bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is a hormone disruptor that can harm brain development and may affect behavior. Many families have switched to BPA-free bottles and sippy cups; however, infant formula containers pose a higher risk to children than baby bottles when it comes to BPA leaching.

Back in October, I wrote about the risk of BPA leaching into food and infant formula stored in tin/steel cans. Steel cans are lined with plastic containing BPA to prevent contamination from the can to the food/formula. EWG found that,

1 out of every 16 infants fed ready-to-eat liquid formula are exposed to BPA at doses exceeding those that caused increased aggression and significant changes in testosterone levels in laboratory animals.

Every manufacturer of infant formula, whether in powdered or liquid form, uses BPA to line their formula containers. These manufacturers include Nestlé, Ross-Abbot (Similac), MeadJohnson (Enfamil), Hain-Celestial (Earth’s Best), and PBM (sold under various names at Walmart, Kroger, Target and other stores). EWG tested all brands of liquid formula and found BPA had leached into the liquid formula. Powdered formulas have faired better in the tests, although not every brand has been tested yet. Thus, EWG recommends that powdered formula is the best alternative to breastmilk:

..liquid formulas have 8 to 20 times higher potential BPA leaching than the most common powdered formulas due to smaller can sizes and the fact that the product is less diluted with water. Even if the same amount of BPA leached from coated metals in powdered and liquid formulas, babies fed powdered formula will receive less BPA than those fed liquid formula from metal cans.

The Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) advises parents to avoid infant exposure to BPA until further studies have determined the harmful effects of this chemical. If you must feed your baby formula from a bottle, please consult EWG's Guide to Baby-Safe Bottles & Formula. For further information on BPA and infant formula, please visit the following blogs and websites:

Mothering.com

League of Maternal Justice

Z Recommends

Image source: Environmental Working Group

Zazou.eu: Kids' Fashion With a Twist

2009-09-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/12/zazou-kids-fas…n-with-a-twistzazou-kids-fashion-with-a-twist/

When I was a child, my family would search high and low for clothing that was unique and fashionable, which simply wasn't available. Parents today have many opportunities to fashion their children in beautiful clothing. Zazou.eu is one such company, offering "Colorful, trendy, funny, retro, stylish and often sustainable."

Do you know who the Zazou were? During World War II, the Zazou were a subculture in France comprised of young people that dressed garishly and danced wildly (hmmm...sounds like a subculture I was a part of in my youth). The Zazous were inspired by Jazz and Swing music. Of course, like any subculture, the Nazis and Fascists detested the Zazous and had a slogan, “Scalp the Zazous!”

My family recently tested out two sample items from Zazou. The Most Wanted "This Side Up" t-shirt is incredibly soft and made from 100% cotton. The shirt is enzyme washed, giving it that super soft feel. It also has a deconstructed feel, with exposed seems, making the shirt very hip and cool. We also received an adorable infant "Striped Button T-shirt" by Petite Louie. This red and white striped shirt is also 100% cotton and runs small, but it is very nice. Both clothing items wash and wear well.

Zazou.eu is a socially responsible company and wants to contribute to a better world:

We want to contribute to a better world and that is why for each order, we donate 2% of its value to War Child, an organisation that strives for the healthy mental development of children who have lived through war. Since we enjoy our children and Zazou so much, we want to help give less fortunate children the chance at a better life.

There is also a place on the order form where you can make an additional contribution to War Child, if you choose.

Zazou.eu is based in Amsterdam, which for US customers may be a deterrent; however, shipping is quick and the packaging is light and eco-friendly. Usually, I advise families to shop locally to avoid increasing their carbon footprint when purchasing goods, but sometimes exceptions can be made when you are shopping with a socially responsible company.

Natural Newborn Baby Advice: Olive Oil and Meconium

2009-09-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/13/natural-newbor…l-and-meconiumnatural-newborn-baby-advice-olive-oil-and-meconium/

My sister is due to have a baby next week, and I have been trying to think of the best, natural, newborn baby advice. My sister's labor will be quite different than mine, as both of my children were born at home in water, and she will be giving birth in a hospital. My midwives had prepared a list of things needed for a home birth, and one item on the list was organic olive oil.

I have read many books on natural childbirth, such as Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Special Delivery. When I saw olive oil on my midwives' list, I assumed it was for massaging the perineum to prevent tearing during labor. After my first child was born; however, I discovered the real reason every newborn's parent should have olive oil on hand.

A newborn baby's first stools are called meconium. Meconium is a dark, tar-like substance created in the baby's digestive system in utero from ingesting amniotic fluid, epithelial cells, etc. In fact, the term meconium is derived from the term meconium-arion, meaning "opium-like", because of its thick, dark appearance.

Meconium is difficult to remove from newborn babies' bottoms. Diaper wipes and warm soapy wash clothes just smear the substance around. Olive oil is the best substance for removing meconium, and it also leaves a protective barrier on the baby's bottom, which makes future meconium clean up easier. In fact, some doulas and midwives recommend putting olive oil on the newborn's bottom before any meconium appears to ease the first diaper change. Some hospitals recommend parents use Vaseline, but it is a petroleum product and not something I would want to put on my children's skin.

Olive oil is great for baby's skin! It makes meconium clean up easier and is useful for treating other common infant problems, such as cradle cap. Next time you attend a baby shower, give the gift of olive oil!

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

Natural, Vegan, GMO-Free Candy Canes

2009-09-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/14/natural-vegan-…ee-candy-canesnatural-vegan-gmo-free-candy-canes/

One of the challenges of living a natural lifestyle with children is to allow them the pleasures of childhood while maintaining green principles. Holiday candy is especially challenging, as children are drawn to the candy canes ubiquitously placed near checkout stands at stores. After searching far and wide on the Internet, I found a natural candy cane made by Pure Fun, a Canadian company. Actually, I am surprised more natural food companies haven't jumped on the candy cane bandwagon.

Pure Fun was started by Luna Roth, inspired by her daughter. "What do you do when your persistent daughter tries to convert you to an organic and healthier lifestyle?" Pure Fun uses all natural, kosher, vegan, gluten-free, fair trade ingredients in all of their candies. Furthermore, their cane sugar is "green cut" by hand and the leftover stalks are used to fuel boilers and generate electricity on earth-friendly farms. Most of their products are organic. In fact, when I ordered our candy canes from the Allergy Grocer, I had ordered organic ones; however, what arrived was not organic, but "all natural." Of course, my daughter wouldn't let me return them, so we are enjoying them nonetheless.

Here are the ingredients of the all natural candy canes by Pure Fun:

unrefined sugar

glucose syrup

natural flavor

natural color

water

citric acid

Many online retailers are sold out of these candy canes; however, I have read that they are available at Whole Foods. Our local coop is not carrying them. Magic Cabin also offers Old-Fashioned Candy Canes, which we have tried in years past. They are rather large (9 inches), so I prefer the smaller canes for my children to enjoy.

Besides all the artificial colors and flavors in commercial candy canes, did you know that they contain titanium dioxide? Titanium dioxide is a naturally-occurring compound; however, it is a possible carcinogen. It is mostly a risk to factory workers, but why expose your children to anything that may be potentially harmful if you can help it?

I look forward to Pure Fun expanding their candy line and am thankful they are giving families natural alternatives to commercial candy. Hopefully more local retailers will begin to carry their products. One downside to the Pure Fun Natural Candy Canes is they are made in China "under the supervision of Pure Fun Confections Inc." It is hard to escape the global manufacturing market of the present day.

Naturally Eliminate Odor-Causing Bacteria

2009-09-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/17/naturally-elim…using-bacterianaturally-eliminate-odor-causing-bacteria/

Do you have a room in your house where unpleasant odors live, such as near a cloth or landfill (disposable) diaper pail? I was recently given a Brethe Air Revitalizer by Homedics to test out. This product uses "vortex cleaning action technology" to neutralize air. Not sure what that means, but it uses water and natural botanical solutions to freshen the air.

To use the Brethe Air Revitalizer, you simply add water and a few drops of "non-toxic and biodegradable botanical solutions", then plug the appliance into an outlet. Ingredients are not listed on the botanical solution, but I think that you could simply use essential oils when the solution ran out. The Brethe Air Revitalizer traps and eliminates 99% of odor-causing bacteria, but is it worth the electricity it uses?

This product uses the same amount of electricity as a standard light bulb, which I assume is an incandescent and not a CFL; however, when I checked the UL listing, it says the Brethe Air Revitalizer uses 18 watts. Even though the power usage is low, I have to question the need for such an appliance. Living off-the-grid, every watt counts. Rather than use more electricity, I would rather do what I can to eliminate odors in my home. Even if you live on the power grid, I believe that you should consider every single appliance's power draw that you plug into an outlet (see "Use Off-the-Grid Energy Saving Principles While Living On the Grid"), no matter how small, as well as consider your power source. As my alternative energy professor at Humboldt State University said many years ago, "Why would you split an atom to toast a piece of bread?" (He was also the only professor in the US to ever teach a class on decommissioning a nuclear power plant). In this case, why would you split an atom to freshen the air, when you could just wash the cloth diapers or take the garbage out?

Prenatal Exposure to PCBs Damages the Brain

2009-09-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/18/prenatal-expos…ages-the-brainprenatal-exposure-to-pcbs-damages-the-brain/

Although PCB use has been largely banned in the United States since 1977, this persistent organic pollutant is still present in our environment. A recent report by the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, a multidisciplinary organization created in response to the landmark report From Neurons to Neighborhoods : The Science of Early Childhood Development, found that prenatal exposure to PCBs disrupts " brain plasticity during sensitive periods of development." Particularly, children's abilities to recognize sounds at different frequencies is impaired.

700,000 tons of PCBs were manufactured by Monsanto, makers of Roundup and genetically-engineered "frankenfoods", between 1929-1977. Despite the fact that PCBs have not been made for thirty years in the US, environmental exposure is common because PCBs resist degradation. According to "The PCB in Me: Environmental PCB's and Human Health Risks",

Individuals may suffer exposure through the use of old fluorescent lighting fixtures, electrical devices, and appliances that were made at least 30 years ago. Food borne exposure is common when eating fish, especially sport fish caught in contaminated lakes or rivers, as well as some meats and dairy products.2 Other sources of exposure include hazardous waste sites, contaminated well water, and workplace exposure during repair and maintenance of PCB transformers, fluorescent lights, and other old electrical devices.2 An example of a common source of non-occupational exposure is a leaking power transformer on an electrical pole on a residential street.

PCBs are still allowed in "closed" systems in the United States, such as capacitors and transformers, making my off-the-grid hydro system not so eco-friendly. Closed use of PCBs has been banned in the UK since 1981. The largest contaminated sites in the US include the Hudson River and the Great Lakes; however, PCBs have been detected throughout the world, even the Arctic Circle.

The harmful effects of PCBs on humans has been known for a long time, and accumulation has been found in human tissues, such as the placenta and uterus, as well as breastmilk. The most common way infants are exposed to PCBs is in breastmilk, although the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risks. PCBs are even present in infant foods, and the FDA has set limits of "no more than 0.2-3 parts of PCBs per million parts (0.2-3 ppm) of food."

The recent report by the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child examined in utero exposure to PCBs. Although the report did not find gross changes in the developing brain resulted from PCB exposure, the ability of developing auditory circuits is impaired. The study explains,

We begin to hear sounds even in the womb, and the infant auditory system continues to require normal hearing experiences to form a precise architecture of nerve connections. The connections are imprecise early in development, but become more finely tuned with hearing experience. The ability to distinguish sounds at different frequencies, and to identify subtle differences in sounds that are essential for learning language and for developing reading skills, resides in the architecture of connections in the auditory region of the cerebral cortex, where the final processing of complex sound information occurs.

In utero exposure to PCBs affects this ability to distinguish between different auditory frequencies. The study was conducted by feeding pregnant and nursing rats PCB coated corn flakes. The results were,

...that the ability to recognize sounds of different frequencies—an essential skill for making both gross and subtle distinctions between kinds of sounds (like ‘pa’ and ‘ca’)—is impaired. Moreover, they demonstrate that the ability of the developing auditory circuits to change is impaired, consistent with the idea that brain plasticity during sensitive periods of developmentis disrupted. The authors note that this is the key mechanism that the brainuses for learning new skills in all animal species and humans. Thus, the lack of gross changes in brain architecture should not be interpreted to mean that all is normal.

We may not be able to avoid PCB exposure from past production, but we can follow the UK's lead and ban PCBs in closed systems. When will we realize that we can't just keep creating and using environmental pollutants without consequence? Personally, I have to wonder: Could PCBs be the cause of my son's expressive language delay?
Image source: American Chronicle.

Another Children's Book on Climate Change

2009-09-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/20/another-childr…climate-changeanother-childrens-book-on-climate-change/

Just like The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming, A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids is a book explaining climate change and what children can do about it. It is exciting to see children's authors addressing the topic in an accessible, age-appropriate manner. It is also encouraging to see the information about climate change presented along with inspiration for change, hopefully preventing children from experiencing the environmental depression I sometimes feel.

One difference between these books is the publishers. The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming is published by Scholastic, a major publisher of children's books whom I have criticized in the past. In contrast, A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids is the first publication of the independent company Green Goat Books. According to Green Goat Books,

We strive through planet friendly, progressive, and challenging books to support the development of progressive kids, so that the next generation will be prepared and motivated to care for our planet and the many forms of life that live on it.

Green Goat Books' parent company is Progressive Kid, which defines a "progressive kid" as having these seven values:

Love and protect living things

Act on principle

Strive to be self-aware

Live healthfully

Honor difference

Challenge gender roles

Think creatively

These values also reflect my goals as a parent for my children. All of the products sold at Progressive Kid support these principles, including their very first publication of Green Goat Books, A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids.

There are many ideas in A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids for school teachers and home school parents. For example, one action item is called, "Replace Fear with Solutions." I find this a refreshing perspective, given the fear mongering of our politicians and media. For this activity, the children are asked to write down five things that scare them about climate change and then brainstorm solutions. Children are also encouraged to share their thoughts with friends and families, as well as find out how that person feels about it. This is good advice for adults too! So here are five things (there are more!) that scare me about climate change:

It will become inhospitable where I live, where summertime temperatures can reach 100 degrees already.

We will run out of fresh water to drink and our creek will dry up, causing us to lose our off-the-grid power source.

We will be unable to grow enough food to support the global population.

The poor will suffer the most, creating a widening of the socioeconomic gap.

There will be mass extinctions of animal and plant life.

A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids has been endorsed by one of my heroes Bill McKibben. He writes,

What's so dangerous about global warming is that it leaves many people feeling hopeless, as if nothing they could do would matter. This fine book makes it clear that that's not the case, and from changing light bulbs to changing laws it shows young people how they are able to help.

This book is recommended for children ages nine and up. I highly recommend it, as I feel it is important to support independent publishers that represent your values. Informing and empowering children is key to solving our current climate crisis.

Organic Banana Bread with Flax Seeds

2009-09-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/21/organic-banana…ith-flax-seedsorganic-banana-bread-with-flax-seeds/

Tonight, my family attended a community Solstice celebration, which included a potluck feast. What to do with nothing in the kitchen but rotten bananas...Make organic banana bread with flax seeds! Nothing smells better than banana bread baking in the oven. This recipe does call for eggs, which I use only for baking and are a recent addition to my vegetarian diet. I have successfully used Egg Replacer in the past, but this recipe does turn out better with organic eggs.

Organic Banana Bread with Flax Seeds

Makes two loaves.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix:

1 1/4 cups organic Sucanat (sugar)

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine

Stir until well blended:

2 large eggs or equivalent egg replacer

Add and beat until smooth:

1/2 cup soymilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 to 4 mashed organic ripe bananas

Stir in:

1/4 cup flax seeds

1 cup organic whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cup organic unbleached white flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped organic walnuts

Butter or oil the bottom of two loaf pans. Divide the batter evenly between both pans. Bake for one hour. Let the banana bread cool completely before slicing.

Happy Solstice!

Image source: BBC.

The Legends of Mistletoe

2009-09-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/24/the-legends-of-mistletoethe-legends-of-mistletoe/

We have an abundance of mistletoe growing in the oak trees on our property, so when I saw tiny bags of the plant for sale in our local coop, I balked at the price ($4.95). I think I should go in the mistletoe business! I don't have much affinity for this plant, as it is a parasite and smothers some of my trees; however, my herbalist friend has taught me new respect for mistletoe when she made a bough with my daughter to hang over our door.

From kissing under mistletoe to placing a sprig in a baby's crib, the legends of mistletoe are great. According to Candlegrove.com:

Mistletoe was used by the Druid priesthood in a very special ceremony held around this time...five days after the New Moon following winter solstice, to be precise. The Druid priests would cut mistletoe from a holy oak tree with a golden sickle. The branches had to be caught before they touched the ground.

Celts believed this parasitic plant held the soul of the host tree.

The priest then divided the branches into many sprigs and distributed them to the people, who hung them over doorways as protection against thunder, lightning and other evils. The folklore, and the magical powers of this plant, blossomed over the centuries A sprig placed in a baby's cradle would protect the child from faeries. Giving a sprig to the first cow calving after New Year would protect the entire herd. And so forth.

But what about the holiday tradition of kissing under mistletoe? This legend dates back to Norse mythology. Frigga, the goddess of love and beauty, wished to protect her son Balder.

So she went through the world, securing promises from everything that sprang from the four elements--fire, water, air, and earth--that they would not harm her beloved Balder.

Leave it to Loki, a sly, evil spirit, to find the loophole. The loophole was mistletoe. He made an arrow from its wood. To make the prank even nastier, he took the arrow to Hoder, Balder's brother, who was blind. Guiding Holder's hand, Loki directed the arrow at Balder's heart, and he fell dead.

Frigga's tears became the mistletoe's white berries. In the version of the story with a happy ending, Balder is restored to life, and Frigga is so grateful that she reverses the reputation of the offending plant--making it a symbol of love and promising to bestow a kiss upon anyone who passes under it.

Did you know that mistletoe has medicinal properties? Small amounts of mistletoe have been used to effectively treat epilepsy, convulsive nervous disorders, heart disease, and urinary disorders. This powerful plant should be used with caution and only under the care of an experienced herbalist or doctor. In fact, many poison control centers issue holiday warnings that mistletoe is poisonous; however, it is not lethal. According to the New York Times,

But in studies of hundreds of cases of accidental ingestion over the years, there were no fatalities and only a handful of severe reactions. One study published in 1996 looked at 92 cases of mistletoe ingestion and found that only a small fraction of patients showed any symptoms. Eight of 10 people who consumed five or more berries had no symptoms, and 3 of the 11 people who consumed only leaves had upset stomachs.

It appears its lethal reputation is yet another mistletoe legend.

Since my friend made that first mistletoe bough with my daughter, we have begun a new holiday tradition in our family. In celebration of the Solstice and birth of a new year, we hang a fresh bough of mistletoe above our doorway. Whether or not the plant protects our home from evil spirits, at least we have removed one parasite from our oak tree.

Image courtesy of Hilton Pond.

Convenient, Conserving Laundry Dropps

2009-09-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/26/convenient-con…laundry-droppsconvenient-conserving-laundry-dropps/

I do a lot of laundry; I mean a lot of laundry! My mother always jokes that the washing machine never turns off at my house. Furthermore, we have a greywater system on our house, so I am particular about the laundry soap we use. Recently, I was given dropps Liquid Laundry Pacs to try.

I buy in bulk, and laundry detergent is no exception. A humongous jug of liquid laundry detergent sits atop my front-loading washing machine, and inevitably, dribbles of soap spill everywhere when I use it. dropps eliminates this mess! These convenient little packets are just tossed into your washing machine with no measuring or spills. They are lightweight and easy to use. A 20 load package of dropps weighs 10 ounces, whereas the equivalent amount in a liquid laundry detergent weighs 80 ounces. Furthermore, dropps is concentrated in addition to the lightweight packaging, thus "saving water, plastic, trees, and fuel." According to Sydney Waldon of dropps,

We are the future of laundry. dropps wastes no water in its formula making it lightweight and compact for transport. Our current packaging is made from RPET plastic. dropps’ pre-measured delivery system also means that there is no waste. In the U.S., liquid laundry detergent is used for 25 billion wash loads every year. If these loads were done with dropps instead of the usual cup and jug, we would save:

6,233,726 gallons of diesel gas in transport

267,968,750 lbs of plastic

622,373 tons of greenhouse gas emissions in transport

A traditional jug of liquid laundry detergent is only a small percentage of detergent diluted by a large amount of water, making it just another form of bottled water. While detergent companies are introducing concentrated formulas to reduce packaging, the large plastic bottles continue to create massive amounts of solid waste that must be recycled, incinerated, or put in landfills. Our new packaging will be a combination of reusable plastic tubs and flexpac packaging that takes up a minimal amount of space, thus decreasing the amount of waste produced compared to other detergent brands.

According to the packaging, dropps is made of "biodegrable nonionic surfactants". There are no artificial whitening agents. It is enzyme-free, NPE-free, phosphate-free, and safe for septic tanks. I do not know if it is made from all natural ingredients, like my current laundry soap, but I have sent an email to Sydney asking this question. When I get the response, I will update the information here.

My son has the most sensitive skin, and he has to have his clothes washed in the most gentle detergent possible. He has not had a reaction to dropps Liquid Laundry Pacs. In addition, I only wash our clothes in cold water. dropps works well in cold water, and our spring water certainly is cold this time of year!

If you would like a free sample of dropps, visit their website at www.dropps.com.

Image courtesy of GreenTechnoLog.

2007: The Year of Toy Safety

2009-09-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/27/2007-the-year-of-toy-safety2007-the-year-of-toy-safety/

2007 will go down in history as the year when toy safety was no longer assumed by parents in the United States. Gone are the days when parents blindly selected any toy from the shelf of a big box store and thought their child was protected from lead and other heavy metals. This year has been plagued by recall after recall, and unfortunately, children have been injured by these unsafe toys. The following is a summary of recent news on toy safety to end our year.

On December 19, 2007, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill lowering the allowable lead levels in toys, as well as mandated independent toy testing. Funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission would also be increased through this bill. The senate will not take action until 2008 on the issue. According to the Daily Grist,

The current draft of the Senate bill would do many of the same things the House-passed version does, but would also allow state attorneys general to sue to enforce federal product-safety laws, protect employees who report safety law violations, increase the civil penalty cap to $100 million, and give industry less time to comply with the lower lead standards...Meanwhile, presidential candidate Barack Obama went even further yesterday by calling for a ban on the import of all toys from China.

This winter, a Seattle politician invited parents to bring their toys in for free lead testing. One in ten toys were found to have lead content above the recommendation of pediatricians. According to TomPaine.common sense,

Well, the results are in, and of the 479 items tested, 56 tested positive for lead, 47 above the 40 parts per million maximum recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Nine additional items tested positive for cadmium, another toxic element....

On December 11, the Vancouver Sun, reported on the appalling working conditions for many Chinese toy manufacturers, which reminds us, it is not only our own children's safety at stake with dangerous toys. The story features Li Chunmei, who literally worked herself to death in a toy factory.

This was the busy season, before Christmas, when orders peaked from Japan and the United States for the factory's stuffed animals. Long hours were mandatory, and at least two months had passed since Li and the other workers had enjoyed even a Sunday off.

But you can't solely blame the Chinese for such working conditions, as 60% of imported Chinese goods come from western-owned and operated factories.

So exactly what happens to all of the recalled toys? As I wrote about previously, some of these toys remain on shelves are are being sold on Ebay; however, some of these toys are being destroyed in toxic waste incinerators in Mexico or being stored in 55-gallon drums. Some of these unsafe toys are even being shipped abroad to be resold! Furthermore, there are no federal laws or regulations against reselling recalled toys, and Ebay is monitoring auctions to try and keep recalled toys off of its site. According to the New York Times, the return rate for recalled toys is very low with approximately 80% of toys remaining in family's homes.

It has long been the case that product recalls generate dismal results. In the past, recalls have brought back 18 percent of products, on average, but low-priced toys and trinkets are returned at even lower rates — often less than 5 percent.

It is my hope that none of the toys your children received for the holidays will be recalled, and that they meet the highest safety standards. One benefit to all of the news on toy safety is that change will hopefully occur, and there is a renewed interest in small, wooden toy manufacturers. These people's hobbies have turned into businesses, as parents seek out toys they can trust (see "You Think Santa is Busy? Talk to a Wood Toy Maker") The best advice for any parent is to get to know the person making your children's toys, which is sort of hard to do if they live in China.

Image courtesy of The New York Times.

Super Easy Irish Soda Bread

2009-09-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/28/super-easy-irish-soda-breadsuper-easy-irish-soda-bread/

I was first introduced to Irish Soda Bread from my Irish friend. I was impressed with its flavor and rustic looks. I found a simple recipe in one of my cookbooks, and I love to make it for parties to impress my friends. This recipe is super easy and quick to make. Of course organic ingredients are the best to use for flavor and your health!

Irish Soda Bread

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

If you have a baking stone, place it in the oven and heat it for and extra 10 minutes beyond preheating. Otherwise, you can lightly oil or butter a cookie sheet.

Mix:

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Cut into the dry mixture with two knives or use a food processor:

5 tablespoons cold butter

Stir in:

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 Tablespoons molasses or honey

Form a ball, then kneed the dough on a floured counter or cutting board until smooth, but not more than a minute. Shape it into a oval, approximately 7 to 8 inches across, then slash a cross or a "X" across the top with a knife. Place the shaped dough on the baking stone or cookie sheet, then bake until browned (about 35 minutes). Let cool for at least 30 minutes before eating.

If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own by combining one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Buttermilk contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to create tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Irish soda bread is wonderful when served with butter, but I prefer it with good cheese! This recipe originates from the cookbook Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Image courtesy of World On A Plate.

Happy Birthday Eco Child's Play

2009-09-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/29/happy-birthday-eco-childs-playhappy-birthday-eco-childs-play/

Yesterday, Eco Child's Play turned one year old! (To read our very first blog post, click here) This year has been an exciting one, as we have grown and expanded both our content beyond just toys and our voice to include more writers. What will the next year bring? Stay tuned...(or leave a suggestion!)

Image courtesy of Monkeemoos.

Natural Hand Sanitizer That is Safe for Children

2009-09-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2007/12/31/natural-hand-s…e-for-childrennatural-hand-sanitizer-that-is-safe-for-children/

One challenge of working in a rural school is the well water! About two months ago, my school failed its safe drinking water test. While we awaited for a new water tank, UV filter, etc., we became dependent upon hand sanitizer and wipes to keep the children's hands clean. Most commercial hand sanitizers contain a large amount of alcohol, which can cause accidental alcohol poisoning or intoxication in children, besides these products are unpleasant to smell. Since my son was in the hospital in August, I have carried around EO Hand Sanitizer in my purse. Although this product is made with organic lavender and smells wonderful, it leaves a film on my hands that I can't stand. Recently, I discovered CleanWell Hand Sanitizer and Wipes.

CleanWell products are all natural and kill 99.99% of germs naturally with a combination of plant oils called "Ingenium". The active ingredient on the labels of both the CleanWell Hand Sanitizer and Wipes is thyme oil. The company was founded by a concerned father whose son was born with an immune system disorder. CleanWell Sanitizer is a spray, which mists a light layer of the product on your skin. There is no strange residue left on your hands, and it leaves your skin soft. My son, who has super sensitive skin, has not had any negative reactions to CleanWell products. Of course, CleanWell's products are not tested on animals. The Hand Wipes are strong and large, and in fact, I think you could clean several children's hands with them before tossing them. You can read CleanWell's excellent blog by clicking here.

I used to question the need for hand sanitizer and worried that the current craze to kill germs was creating super bugs. Although this is a valid concern, there are times when hand sanitizer and/or wipes are useful. For instance, when eating lunch on the beach or after a hike in the woods when your child has been picking up critters and mushrooms, hand sanitizing is a must! I also sanitize my children's hands after we leave the doctor's office, to be sure they didn't pick up any germs on their way out. Another useful time for hand sanitizing is on long road trips. Gas station bathrooms are scary places, and a few sprays of CleanWell Hand Sanitizer gives this mother some peace of mind. Although hand sanitizers will never replace good old fashioned hand washing, CleanWell products are the best substitute I have found when a sink and soap are not available.

Canada to Turn Dirty Diapers Into Diesel Fuel

2009-09-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/01/canada-to-turn…to-diesel-fuelcanada-to-turn-dirty-diapers-into-diesel-fuel/

First world countries are addicted to their disposable, aka "landfill" diapers. According to Planet Trash, "Americans alone go through around 18 billion disposable diapers a year." A Canadian company wants to turn all those dirty diapers into a cost-effective, diesel fuel.

Using the process of pyrolysis to convert diapers to diesel, a facility is going to be built in Montreal. Pyrolysis, also known as thermal cracking, involves heating the dirty diapers in a closed environment that lacks oxygen. This closed system does not produce any emissions. Luciano Piciacchia, an engineer and vice-president with Amec's Quebec office, explains,

Then you're bringing it to the next level which is breaking the carbon chains down ... and (in the end) they will resemble the fuels which are what we're going to end up producing.

The company plans to begin collecting soiled diapers from area hospitals. "One of the beauties of the diaper is that it is going to be a very consistent input," compared to trying to make fuel from other kinds municipal waste. According to cnews,

The initial plan is to convert about 30,000 tonnes of diapers, about one-quarter of the diapers that end up in landfills in Quebec yearly. Piciacchia says that number of diapers will translate into about 11,000 tonnes of diesel fuel. The preliminary economic analysis pegs the cost of the fuel at 50 cents per litre.

The company hopes to have the dirty diaper fuel facility up within 18 months. The diaper diesel can be used in any industrial application, but it probably won't be suitable for cars. Thank goodness, can you imagine the exhaust fumes?

Image courtesy of Web Pages That Suck.

Recyclable Carpet Tiles for Your Child's Room

2009-09-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/02/recyclable-car…ur-childs-roomrecyclable-carpet-tiles-for-your-childs-room/

Like many girls her age, my daughter loves Disney princesses; however, this eco-mom does not. Besides the lack of multiculturalism and the message of young women depending upon princes to rescue them, it is the "junk toy" quality of Disney products that keeps them out of our home. When my daughter saw that FLOR made modular carpet tiles from recycled content with Disney princesses on them, she thought her letter to Disney had worked and convinced the company to go green. Who am I to burst her bubble and tell her that FLOR Carpet Tiles are actually made by InterfaceFLOR.

InterfaceFLOR has created Mission Zero, a company pledge "to completely eliminate the negative impact our company may have on the environment by 2020." The company further explains its commitment to sustainability:

Our intention is to put back more than we take out

Our intention is to eliminate waste and harmful emissions, whilst maximising our use of renewable energy

We aim to recycle waste materials and reuse our products

Our company culture fully integrates the principles of sustainability

In fact, the company has an entire website dedicated to sustainability. I have to say I am impressed! Although 2020 seems like it is far off, perhaps it is a realistic goal. InterfaceFLOR has been working towards its sustainability goals since its inception.

In the last 12 years, we have reduced manufacturing waste sent to landfills by 63% and our absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 56% worldwide.

FLOR carpet tiles are constructed of nylon, hemp, and wool. The carpet backings are made of recycled materials (currently 40%-80%). Furthermore, FLOR has a program called R-R (Return-Recycle):

FLOR has an R&R™ program (Return-Recycle) that allows customers to share the responsibility of living green with FLOR. If you're ready to get rid of existing FLOR to make room for new FLOR in your home, contact us. We'll arrange for your used carpet tiles to be picked up and shipped back to our mill, where the old tiles will be recycled into new product.

FLOR tiles are easy to install. You can make an area rug with the carpet tiles or cover a room wall-to-wall. FLOR Dots, round stickers, are used to attach the back side of the tiles together. Also, the tiles are easy to cut with a sharp utility knife or carpet knife (recommended). The carpet tiles have a short pile, making them easy to clean. FLOR tiles come in many colors and patterns, so they are perfect for any room in your house.

My only advice to InterfaceFLOR is to promote it's R-R program and sustainability goals more predominately on its packaging. I have seen FLOR carpet tiles in major retailers before, but for this eco-shopper, I have walked right by them not knowing what a great company is behind the product. Educating shoppers is important, as we try to make eco-decisions when we consume.

Organic, Cotton Clothing for Children From Happy Green Bee

2009-09-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/03/organic-cotton…-happygreenbeeorganic-cotton-clothing-for-children-from-happygreenbee/

Six years ago, when my daughter was a baby, there was very little available in organic, affordable clothing for children. Thankfully, that has changed. A new company called Happy Green Bee is offering organic, fair trade, sustainably produced cotton clothing for infants and toddlers. The company was founded by mother, conservationist, and Burt's Bees founder Roxanne Quimby.

Happy Green Bee clothing comes in bright, colorful patterns. Not only is their clothing line cheerful, comfortable, and playful, but it is also ecologically responsible. Founder Roxanne Quimby explains,

We created Happy Green Bee so that a child can be a child, first and foremost. By using organic cotton, a comfortable and practical fabric, and simple bee-striped patterns, children feel as comfortable as they look, while their parents take a small step in making a big difference in the environment their children will live in.

The green cotton knit clothing of Happy Green Bee is very soft. The bold stripes makes it easy to mix and match the separates to create your own ensemble. Even the buttons are made from post-consumer recycled plastic. There are many reasons to chose organic cotton over commercially grown fiber. According to Happy Green Bee,

90 million acres of worldwide agricultural lands are devoted to the production of cotton, consuming 25% of all pesticides used on our planet.

Genetically modified seed accounts for 50% of cotton grown in the United States. We can only speculate about the unintended and unforeseen consequences of genetic engineering.

Petroleum based hydrocarbons (chemical fertilizers) are intensively applied to cotton crops to artificially speed up and otherwise "enhance" the plant's growth cycle and productivity. The runoff of these compounds pollute our watersheds and food chains.

Happy Green Bee is also expanding to include organically grown cotton toys. The Abbee Doll comes adorned in Happy Green Bee stripes, so your child can have an outfit to match his/her beloved doll. If you care about the planet and you care about your child's health, Happy Green Bee is a excellent, eco-conscious choice for your family.

Oh My! It's Greek Walnut Pie!

2009-09-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/04/oh-my-its-greek-walnut-pieoh-my-its-greek-walnut-pie/

This is a recipe to impress! In fact, any time I use phyllo dough, my friends and family rave about the results. Like baklava, this recipe uses honey and walnuts to make a sweet treat. As always, organic ingredients produce the best results for your health, taste, and the environment. It is challenging to find organic phyllo dough, but you can get it from the Fillo Factory! If your phyllo dough is frozen, be sure to defrost it thoroughly. It takes great patience to separate each piece of flaky dough, so this recipe is not one to attempt when you are in rush.

Greek Walnut Pie

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To make the pie filling, combine in a medium-sized bowl, then set aside:

1 cup honey

1 Tablespoon whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon melted butter

2 eggs or 3 Tablespoons of soymilk mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of arrowroot powder

3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts

To assemble the pie crust, butter a 10-inch pie plate. You will need:

12 leaves of phyllo dough

1/2 cup of melted butter

Lay 1 phyllo dough leaf over the pie plate, allowing it to hang over the edges. Lightly brush the phyllo dough with butter, then lay out another sheet of dough. Repeat until you have a total of four sheets stacked and buttered. Then, gently press the dough into the bottom of the pie plate and tightly roll up the overhanging sides along the edge of the pie plate. Pour the honey and walnut filling into the pie shell.

To make the top crust, peel one sheet of dough and lay it on the counter. Brush it lightly with butter, then roll it up tightly lengthwise. Lay this phyllo dough coil on top of the filling, along the edge of the pie plate. Repeat coiling buttered phyllo dough leaves and laying them onto the pie top to form a spiral pattern towards the center. It should take approximately 8 coiled phyllo leaves to form the top of the Greek Walnut Pie.

On top of the finished pie, sprinkle:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Then brush any leftover butter along the edges of the pie. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, then let sit for about an hour before serving.

This recipe originated in the Horn of the Moon Cookbook, which I first discovered while visiting a friend in Paris, France. This recipe does use a lot of butter, and I have never tried making it vegan with margarine, but I have made it without eggs. I love Greek vegetarian meals, and I think I could live off of Mediterranean food (desserts included)!

You Can Save the Planet: 50 Eco Tips for Children

2009-09-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/07/you-can-save-t…s-for-childrenyou-can-save-the-planet-eco-tips-for-children/

It is exciting to see the recent explosion of children's books on earth friendly topics. You Can Save the Planet: 50 Ways You Can Make a Difference by Jacquie Wines is a new book intended to empower children, and it reminds me of the older 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth (published in 1990). Both books contain valuable information and unique tips for children to understand climate change.

Could you name 50 ways children can save the planet? I don't think I could brainstorm such a comprehensive list as in You Can Save the Planet, and these tips are good for the whole family (adults included). Some of the suggestions are specific and simple, like No. 46: Don't Pick Wild Plants. Other tips are large and ambiguous, such as No. 39: Save Our Oceans. I think that all of the tips are useful for starting discussions with children of all ages, although the book is recommended for ages nine and up. There is only one tip that I question: No. 49: Go to the Zoo.

I have to admit, I find the zoo an interesting place to visit with my children every couple of years. Where else can you see animals from different continents in one place in person? Whatever my enjoyment, if animals suffer because of their placement in a zoo, is this a way to save our planet? There is no doubt that zoos are committed to saving endangered species, but I have seen some very sad animals in zoos. Take for example, Bill from the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka, CA. The Sequoia Park Zoo is a very nice zoo, as it is small. Bill the chimpanzee was well-loved by the people of northern California when he passed away at 61 years old, and the zoo closed its doors to deal with his death, but was Bill happy? Bill was rescued from the circus to come and live at the Eureka Zoo, but the rest of his life he lived alone, away from other chimpanzees. Bill spent most of his time watching t.v. and throwing his feces at the children. I always felt sorry for Bill when I saw him, and it made me feel uncomfortable to look at Bill alone in his cage. As You Can Save the Planet reminds us, zoos help animals. animals in zoos

Remember they are not just there for you to look at, however. They are there because we have destroyed their homes and habitats, and have hunted others near to extinction. Without your help, many of our favorite animals will no longer be seen anywhere on this earth.

Families will learn a lot of facts about earth preservation and get new ideas for green family living from You Can Save the Planet. I don't know if this book was printed on recycled paper with soy inks, but I do know No. 20: Fast Food is Forbidden!

The Baby Einstein Farce

2009-09-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/08/the-baby-einstein-farcethe-baby-einstein-farce/

I have to admit it, I succumbed to the Baby Einstein marketing gimic and bought some classical music cds for my first babe. I have never watched the Baby Einstein dvds, but I hear they are strange: your child watching another child play. Of course, the marketing of Baby Einstein is genius, appealing to every parent's desire to have a smart child, however, pre[K] now, an early childhood education advocacy group, has given the makers of Baby Einstein the stooge award for 2007.

In a very close contest, the makers of Baby Einstein and similar "early" learning products take home the Pre-K Stooge award. Pre-K Now will present them with a wealth of reports and other resources to help them learn about the science behind early childhood development and high-quality pre-k.

So how do young children learn? It is not from passively watching videos, but from interacting with their environment and loved ones. Playing with open-ended toys, such as blocks, exploring nature, reading books, etc. benefit children in ways a Baby Einstein product never can. In fact, a research study reported on in Time magazine states,

...with every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants learned six to eight fewer new vocabulary words than babies who never watched the videos. These products had the strongest detrimental effect on babies 8 to 16 months old, the age at which language skills are starting to form.

Babies learn through interacting with other humans, not through mass marketed products. As Dr. Dimitri Christakis of the University of Washington states, "Every interaction with your child is meaningful. Time is precious in those early years, and the newborn is watching you, and learning from everything you do."

Speaking of Einstein, there is an excellent parenting book that debunks the whole "edutainment" industry. Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn--and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less confirms what every observant parent knows. For most children, learning unravels naturally. Less toys actually means more learning for children, which is also good for our environment. If we can slow down our consumerism, the planet and our children will benefit.

Image courtesy of Time.

Eco-Friendly Child Care

2009-09-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/09/eco-friendly-child-careeco-friendly-child-care/

Young children are especially susceptible to the negative effects of modern life, including indoor air quality and heavy metal exposure, such as lead. Many eco-living families feel like they have to sacrifice some of their green morals when placing their children in daycare or preschool. These families do the best they can by packing their children organic snacks, but there is little they can do about other aspects of the program. Now, parents in Atlanta, Georgia will have a choice to enroll their children in the first completely eco-friendly child care center FIO360.

What makes a child care facility eco-friendly? According to FIO360,

Solar tubing to conserve energy and provide natural daylight throughout the facility;

Radiant, heated floors in all classrooms-proven to reduce energy costs, enhance air quality and improve circulation, which contributes to a stronger immune system, a healthier heart and better sleep;

Activclassroom whiteboard technology and software informed by teachers to foster an interactive learning environment that keeps students engaged, focused and enthusiastic;

Streaming video capabilities in each classroom for parents who want to periodically join in on their children's learning and play experiences throughout the day;

Waterless urinals and sensor-activated faucets in all lavatories to preserve water;'

Odor-free, zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, which have been linked to numerous harmful health effects, from headaches to cancer;

Heated Marmoleum flooring in all the classrooms and main corridors, made up of all-natural, non-allergenic raw materials such as linseed oil, rosins and wood flour;

Zero-PVC (polyvinyl chloride) rugs that are formaldehyde-free and made with natural fibers; and

Eco-friendly, no-PVC play equipment and all natural, organic toys that exclude harmful chemicals and lead.

Personally, I question the need for an Activclassroom whiteboard in an early childhood classroom. I do have concerns about the overuse of technology at this young age, and I firmly believe that hands-on learning with quality, open-ended toys in socially-mediated learning environment is all children need to grow and prosper. That being said, all of the other green innovations are FIO360 are to be commended. In fact,

FIO360 is one of the first child care centers in the United States to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Forgoing the formal LEED certification, FIO360's Eco Early Care and Learning Boutique will actually surpass the Council's standards, providing an entirely eco-friendly operation with organic/locally-grown food, natural/organic personal care products and earth-friendly cleaners throughout the facility.

But I have to ask, why forgo the formal LEED certification? For more information about LEED and green building, please visit Green Building Elements.

FIO360 plans to open in April, reaching full capacity of 238 openings by August, 2008. This eco-friendly child care center is also hiring employees (too bad I don't live in Atlanta). Hopefully, the trend towards eco-friendly child care will take off across the United States.

Green Teen Book Cover Contest

2009-09-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/10/green-teen-book-cover-contestgreen-teen-book-cover-contest/

A new book will coming out soon geared at empowering teenagers to save the earth. 47 Things Teens Can Do For The Environment is written by Lexi Petronis and published by Zest Books, but there is one problem: the book needs cover art! That's where teenagers step in...

Zest Books is hosting a Teens Go Green Book Cover Design Contest. Here are some of the specifics of the contest:

1. The book title must be very easy to read. Make sure the title is very visible and large enough to be seen on a book shelf from 1-3 feet away.

2. The book cover must be the size indicated above: 6.5 x 6.5

3. ALL FINAL ENTRIES MUST BE EMAILED NO LATER THAN JAN 31, 2008 TO: contest@zestbooks.net

4. The design can be created in any medium either by hand or on the computer. If created by hand, entries must be scanned. All entries must be smaller than 2 megs.

You must be between the ages of 13 and 19 to enter. Grand prize is, of course, your image appearing on the cover of the book with appropriate credit given, and a Flip Video Recorder! Second place receives a set of all of Zest's books and a $20 iTunes Gift Card. Third place wins a set of all of Zest's books.

I like how this book refers to 47 things teens can do, rather than the ubiquitous 50 (see our post "You Can Save the Planet: 50 Eco Tips for Children"). 47 is a good prime number, and let's face it, it will take the power of a prime number to change the course of climate change. As the introduction to 47 Things Teens Can Do For The Environment concludes, "Remember that every little step you take really does make a difference, especially if all six and a half billion people in the world take their own little steps, too." Too bad six and a half billion isn't a prime number.

Mmm...Vegan Chocolate Cake

2009-09-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/11/mmmvegan-chocolate-cakemmmvegan-chocolate-cake/

When I first became a vegetarian and during my stint as a vegan, I had a hard time making a good cake. My egg-free cakes always ended up dense, more like the consistency of bad brownies. Then, one year on my birthday, my friend Liz made for this delicious, airy, vegan chocolate cake. This recipe is super simple and easy to clean up. In fact, the whole thing is mixed right in the baking pan! You may balk when you see that this cake recipe includes vinegar, but I think the vinegar reacts with the baking soda to make the cake rise up and be light without the presence of eggs. Of course, organically grown ingredients are a must!

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan. Combine in the pan (not a separate bowl):

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1 cup Sucanat or brown sugar

1/4 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Shake the pan to level the ingredients. Using the back of a spoon, make three holes in the dry ingredients. Pour in one hole:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Pour in another hole:

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

Pour in the last hole:

2 teaspoons vanilla

Pour over the entire pan:

1 cup soymilk

Mix the batter with a fork until well blended. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick/knife comes out clean. Let cool at least 15 minutes before sprinkling with powdered sugar, or let cool completely before frosting. If you want to make a larger cake, double the recipe for a 9 x 13 inch pan and adjust the time accordingly.

This vegan chocolate cake has become a birthday tradition around our home. I have successfully made it in round pans and built a more traditional shaped cake. My favorite frosting is made with cream cheese and raspberries, which blows the vegan qualities of the cake. Enjoy this quick and easy recipe!

Image courtesy of hfb.

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?

2009-09-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/14/to-vaccinate-o…t-to-vaccinateto-vaccinate-or-not-to-vaccinate/

Thus far, I have avoided the topic of vaccinations on Eco Child's Play for several reasons. I am not a doctor, nor would I ever want to pretend that I know more than someone who has gone to medical school. Also, much of the information I know about vaccinations is outdated (like the presence of thimerosal in all of the childhood vaccines). Lastly, my family's choices have changed over time, from being staunchly opposed to any vaccinations to picking and choosing protection for our children based upon our son's congenital heart defect. Finally, I feel like there is a straightforward, quality resource for parents in Dr. Sears' The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child. I wish I would have had this book six years ago, when my first child was born.

The Vaccine Book is divided into 19 chapters. The first 12 chapters are devoted to a different vaccine. Within each vaccine chapter, Dr. Sears discusses:

What the disease is

When the vaccine is given

How the vaccine is made

What ingredients are in the vaccine

What are the side effects of the vaccine

Should you give your baby the vaccine (including both reasons for and against, as well as travel considerations)

The way Dr. Sears sees it

The last section of each chapter is my favorite, as it cuts to the chase of what I am wanting to know as a parent. "The Way I See It" describes the public and personal health reasons why a parent should or should not consider a vaccine. For example, Dr. Sears writes about the polio vaccine:

Since polio was eradicated from the United States more than twenty years ago and isn't even found on this half of the planet, it is safe to say that we don't give this vaccine in order to protect each individual child from catching polio...I consider this vaccine very important from a public health viewpoint. Until the whole world is polio free, ongoing vaccination will help keep our nation protected "from sea to shining sea."

The remaining chapters of The Vaccine Book discusses combination vaccines, safety research, side effects, ingredients, myths and questions, information for parents who chose to delay or decline vaccines (including Dr. Sears' selective vaccination schedule), and "What Should You Do Now?" I am very pleased to see that Dr. Sears' selective vaccination closely matches my family's choices, with the exception of rotavirus. His advice has matched those of my own pediatrician and doctors, and it is reassuring to have this resource when considering any vaccine for your child.Dr. Robert (Bob) W. Sears is the son of the infamous Dr. William (Bill) Sears, best known for promoting Attachment Parenting. To visit Dr. Bob's vaccine blog, click here. This blog is updated with recent vaccine news, such as the Merck recall, as well as resources for doctors and families seeking "vaccine-friendly" doctors. There are so many issues involving vaccinations, such as state requirements and the use of animal/human tissue, that Dr. Sears does an amazing job covering the subject. As a friend of mine who is a pediatric nurse practitioner explained to me, "Your child will probably be fine if you vaccinate; your child will probably be fine if you don't vaccinate." Of course, this statement applies to children in the United States.

1/31/2008 National Teach-In: Global Warming Solutions

2009-09-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/15/1312008-nation…ming-solutions1312008-national-teach-in-global-warming-solutions/

On January 31, 2008, millions of students will engage in activities focused on global warming solutions as part of Focus the Nation's National Teach-In. The 2008 National Teach-In: Global Warming Solutions for America is not just for k-12 teachers and students, but it includes higher education, civic groups, businesses, faith organizations, homeschool families, etc. "Focus the Nation is a catalyzing force helping shift the national conversation about global warming towards a determination to face this civilizational challenge."

Focus the Nation explains,

A teach-in is a day when an entire school turns its attention to a single issue—when faculty, students and staff put aside business as usual, and focus the full weight of campus engagement on one topic.

A sample Teach-In model on global warming solutions is available here. The sessions are lead by regular staff, who are not necessarily experts on the topic. In the model, the day begins with a bike/carpool contest. Suggested sessions include:

OBSTACLES TO CHANGE

CLIMATE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

FOOD AND THE FUTURE

WHAT ABOUT CHINA?

LIFE WITHOUT POLAR BEARS?

NOAH: LESSONS FOR A CENTURY OF EXTINCTION?

MOTIVATING ACTION

CLIMATE SOLUTIONS AND THE POOR

“PEAK OIL” AND THE END OF SUBURBIA

Different suggested models exist for each level of education and for different groups. There are many resources available, and groups may adjust the model to fit their needs. There is also a free, live, interactive webcast Wednesday, January 30th called The 2% Solution. The name refers to the idea that:

To hold global warming to the low end of 3-4 degrees F will require cuts in global warming pollution in the developed countries by more than 80% below current levels by 2050. Put another way, we need to cut roughly 2% of current emission levels a year for the next forty years.

Even if you cannot participate in the Teach-In, the webcast offers another method of participation. You can sign up for the National Teach-In on global warming solutions here. Contact your child's teachers and principal, and let them know you want your child to be included in the National Teach-In: Global Warming Solutions for America.

Breastfeeding Reduces Anxiety in Children

2009-09-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/16/breastfeeding-…ty-in-childrenbreastfeeding-reduces-anxiety-in-children/

It is common knowledge that the breast is best for infant's health, cognitive, and physical development. Breastfeeding is also better for the environment. A new study from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm also claims that children who were breastfed as infants are better able to cope with stress and have less anxiety. Breastfeeding is good for children's mental health too!

Researchers in Sweden and the United Kingdom collected data on almost 9000 children. They found,

Not surprisingly, children whose parents had divorced or separated were more likely to have high anxiety. But what the researchers found striking was the difference in stress levels between breast-fed and bottle-fed kids. Breast-fed children were significantly less anxious than kids who hadn't nursed at their mother's breast.

The researchers discovered that breastfeeding during the early stages of life enables children to better cope with stress when they are older. It is not clear if the positive results are due to the close physical contact that occurs during breastfeeding, breastfeeding itself, or how breastfeeding may help establish an early bond between mother and child.

My favorite book on breastfeeding is The Nursing Mother's Companion. This was required reading by my midwives, and I am thankful for it. I highly recommend it for any new mother. For more information on breastfeeding, visit our posts:

Initiation of Breastfeeding by the Breast Crawl

Breastfeeding Saves Lives

Is Breastfeeding to Blame?

Image courtesy of specialdeliveries.org

The Latest News on Toy Safety

2009-09-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/17/the-latest-news-on-toy-safetythe-latest-news-on-toy-safety/

The holidays are behind us, but toy safety continues to dominate parents' concerns. There have been several recent developments parents should be aware of, as the issue of toy safety has not been resolved. Recalls continue almost daily, especially for lead paint standards violations.

Export Licences [sic] of 600 Toy Makers Revoked

China is cracking down on toy makers in an effort to save the industry. "We have thoroughly inspected all 3,000-plus toy makers for export during the rectification work that began last August," said State Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) Deputy Director Pu Changcheng. Changcheng also blamed overseas importers for design flaws and changing standards that created the current recall situation.

Toy Makers Mount Drive to Salvage China’s Safety Reputation

The US Toy Industry Association is attempting to salvage the image of toys made in China, and the toy industry remains committed to making toys in China. They claim there is no realistic alternative to Chinese manufacturing. “Are you going to pay twice as much for a doll because it’s not made in China?” Mr. Shoptaugh, owner of Shoptaugh Games, added. “The thing is you cannot make these products in the United States and have them be competitive on the shelf.”

Goodbye to Bob

The one and only toy tester at the Consumer Product Safety Commission has retired. Robert L. Hundemer, a.k.a. Bob, started working at the CPSC in 1980, where he tested toys for small parts and dropped them from heights to see if they broke. He called his facilities, "the toy lab for all of America -- for all of the United States government!" The agency does use chemists for testing toys for lead, which was not part of Bob's job. "I'm not saying manufacturers are nefarious," Bob said. "They understand the sales value of a toy; they don't understand risk." Bob has not been replaced, and his duties have been assigned to other staff members.

The Ecology Center Healthy Toys Website

The Ecology Center, the non-profit who broke the news on the toxicity of children's car seats, tested over 1200 popular children's toys for toxic chemicals. HealthyToys.org provides a consumer action guide for parents. “The government is not testing for toxic chemicals in toys, and too many manufacturers are not self-regulating, so we created the nation’s first toy database to help inform and empower consumers,” said Tracey Easthope, MPH, Director of the Ecology Center’s Environmental Health Project. “Ultimately consumers need to compel the federal government and toy manufacturers to eliminate dangerous chemicals from toys.” The Ecology Center focused on lead, PVC, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, bromine, chromium, tin and antimony. Consumers can also nominate toys for future testing on the website.

MyThings.com Recall Alert Service

MyThings is offering parents a free service to find out if their children's toys have been recalled.

Instead of wading through the Consumer Product Safety Commission site every day for new recalls or relying on local TV news, parents can list things (toys, child & baby products) they own on MyThings.com, and we do the monitoring of both the U.S. & U.K. recall websites every day to find new recalls. Whenever we find a match between a recall & a registered item, we send an email notification to the user informing them of the recall.

You can also view the most recent recalls on the website. Even though I receive email notifications from the CPSC on recalls, there were recalls on MyThings.com I had not seen.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list on the recent developments on toy safety. If you know of any recent toy safety news or have found a great natural toy manufacturer, please post a comment. Together, we can help protect our children!

Image courtesy of Gizmodo

Why is There Lead in My Balsamic Vinegar?

2009-09-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/18/why-is-there-l…lsamic-vinegarwhy-is-there-lead-in-my-balsamic-vinegar/

Do you ever read the fine print on your vinegar? I certainly did not, until one day I noticed my organic balsamic vinegar had a Proposition 65 warning! In fine print, the label reads:

This product contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.

There's lead in my vinegar! Sure, I accept there is lead in my children's toys, but in the vinegar we love on our salads...that's alarming! According to Napa Valley Naturals, makers of my favorite organic olive oil and balsamic vinegar,

All balsamic and red wine vinegars contain naturally occurring lead. Lead is naturally absorbed by all things that grow in the ground, including the grapes used to make vinegar. Most balsamic and red wine vinegars have lead levels equal to or less than 34 parts per million. An average person would need to consume 1 to 2 cups of balsamic or red wine vinegar per day to reach the Proposition 65 lead level minimum threshold, which includes a 1000-fold safety margin.

This may be true, that the lead level is low in balsamic vinegar, but in combination with all of the other ways my children may be exposed to lead, I am concerned. Also, if lead is naturally absorbed from the soil by plants, wouldn't all our food contain lead? Why doesn't my red wine vinegar contain the Proposition 65 warning?

In 2004, the Environmental Law Foundation of Oakland filed suit against vinegar makers and sellers. "There are balsamics that don't have elevated lead, which tells us it (safe manufacturing) can be done,'' said James Wheaton, head of the Environmental Law Foundation. This is one of the first cases to use California's right-to-know law into the grocery store.

There is some debate as to the cause of lead in balsamic vinegar, whether it is naturally occurring or a part of manufacturing. Tangergreen writes,

I have encountered two explanations of this, the first being that lead gets into vinegar during the process of manufacturing, and the other being that wine grapes suck lead up out of the ground. There seems to be some bias behind both of these explanations, leaving us, the consumer, with only the fact that there is enough lead in red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar to merit the proposition 65 warning.

The manufacturing of balsamic vinegar is similar to the production of fine wine. Does that mean there is lead in my wine? Well, at least my gasoline is lead-free.

Image courtesy of WorldPantry.com.

Herbs for Kids

2009-09-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/22/herbs-for-kidsherbs-for-kids/

As I have mentioned before when discussing vaccinations, I am not a medical doctor or an herbalist, but when my children are sick, I reach for Herbs for Kids. Herbs for Kids are liquid tinctures that children readily take. Unlike tinctures made for adults that have a grain alcohol base, Herbs for Kids uses sweet glycerin to preserve the medicinal qualities of the plants.

Not only are Herbs for Kids alcohol-free, but they are specially formulated for children, including the appropriate dosage. Founded by herbalist Sunny Mavo, Herbs for Kids is "the first company dedicated to Earth-reviving herbal health care for children". My husband and I love these tinctures so much, that we use them for ourselves as well. Our medicine chest is always stocked with the Echinacea and Astragalus, the Cherry Bark Blend, and the Elderberry Syrup. It is important to note that herbs preserved in glycerin have a shorter shelf life than those preserved in alcohol. Glycerin tinctures are good for approximately one year.

Cold and flu season are in full force, and Herbs for Kids makes it easy to treat your child naturally and easily. My family could not live without these products, and Herbs for Kids is not just for children! These products are safe, but it is always good to consult with a doctor or a herbalist if you have any questions or concerns.

Wal-Mart Still Selling Lead Bibs in Some States

2009-09-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/23/wal-mart-still…in-some-stateswal-mart-still-selling-lead-bibs-in-some-states/

It's no secret: I hate Wal-Mart. Honestly, I have only been inside a Wal-Mart store four times in my life, including buying batteries in Colby, Kansas on a cross-country childhood vacation, and every time I leave the store, I feel disgusted with American consumerism. This company's initial practice of establishing stores in small communities to drive out "ma and pa" stores has contributed to the homogenizing of American retail. Furthermore,

Over 70% of products on Wal-Mart's shelves are made in China. The recent string of product recalls shows the dangerous and even deadly consequences of Wal-Mart's corporate bullying strategy to drive down the cost of products. Suppliers are forced to ship production to places like China where quality and labor standards are far less stringent.

Wal-Mart's race to the bottom strategy leads to more than just unsafe products - it forces suppliers to cut corners when it comes to their own workers as well (walmartwatch.com).

I don't care how green Wal-Mart attempts to be when they still sell dangerous products for children. I was shocked to learn that Wal-Mart is still selling, in some states, PVC vinyl backed baby bibs that contain lead despite a recall in Illinois. As I wrote last May,

A grandmother discovered the lead in her grandson’s bib. After hearing about the lead in children’s lunchboxes, she bought a lead test kit (similar to what we did for my daughter’s backpack). The California-based Center for Environmental Health did more tests on the bibs and found lead levels in some Wal-Mart bibs more than 16 times the legal limit for lead in paint! That’s right, 16 TIMES THE LEGAL LIMIT FOR LEAD IN PAINT! How could this be? The CEH writes, “‘These vinyl bibs pose a lead poisoning threat to infants and toddlers who are at the most vulnerable age,’ said Caroline Cox, Research Director at CEH and author of a report on lead in baby bibs released by CEH today. ‘As every parent knows, young children commonly chew and suck on their bibs, so if the bib is contaminated, children are being directly exposed to lead.’”

Of course, there are alternatives to leaded bibs. Bumkins Organic Cotton Bibs offer softness without lead (imagine that),and you don't have to worry about your child chewing on the edges or eating food that has fallen on the bib. Another alternative is to simply not shop at Wal-Mart, but to chose retailers who have consistent recall practices. According to Consumerist.com:

Children in Illinois are safer because the state bans the sale of products containing more than 600 ppm of lead. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned all parents that vinyl bibs may be tainted with lead, but refuses to issue a nationwide recall.
Walmart voluntarily agreed to pull the lead-ridden bibs back in May to avoid the fine-wielding ire of Illinois' Attorney General.

Mia Masten, a Chicago-based spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, said the vinyl portion of the bibs exceeded the lead levels set by Illinois for children's products. She said the company had worked with the Illinois attorney general's office to pull the items and later decided to expand the recall nationwide.
"We at Wal-Mart are committed to working ... to develop industry standards for the elimination of vinyl in children's products," Masten said.

Maybe those industry standards should have include a directive to pull recalled products from the shelf? Just a suggestion.

I am so tired of writing and reading news about toxic toys and children's products, that I think I will take a little break. Expect more positive posts next week about good things that are happening in the world of green family life. We all could use some inspiration!

Image courtesy of reclaimdemocracy.org

Another Eco Child's Play Kiva Loan

2009-09-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/24/another-eco-ch…play-kiva-loananother-eco-childs-play-kiva-loan/

Periodically, we make a small loan to a business on Kiva.org to fulfill a pledge of social responsibility we initiated when Eco Child's Play began over a year ago. If you are not familiar with Kiva, this organization helps you empower an entrepreneur in a third world country by lending small amounts of money (as low as $25) to a specific entrepreneur, helping end global poverty one person at a time. Once you make a loan, you will receive email updates about the businesses you are supporting. A typical loan lasts 6-12 months.

Inspired by Beth's post "Getting Less to Give More: The New Birthday Party", I decided to let my six-year-old daughter pick out our Kiva loan recipient. She picked out a baker in Kirkuk, Iraq, whose identity is protected.

The entrepreneur is 34 years old. He has 3 children studying in school. His mother and brother are living with him. His brother is studying in university. He has a small bakery shop. He applied to borrow $1200 to purchase a new bakery machine and expand his business. He wants to renovate the shop by painting it and do some advertising. He wants to increase his income and develop his business and help his brother in building his future.

Disclaimer: This entrepreneur is from a volatile region where the security situation remains unsettled. Lenders to this business should be aware that this loan may represent a higher risk and accept this additional risk in making their loan.

Posts on our other Kiva loans can be viewed here.

Organic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-09-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/25/organic-oatmea…e-chip-cookiesorganic-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/

I have a sweet tooth, which if have read my other recipes you are well aware of, and my children have inherited my love for desserts. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies are a favorite in my home, but recently, I decided to experiment with oatmeal cookies. I am not a raisin fan, so I substituted chocolate chips and adapted a standard oatmeal cookie recipes to my desires. As always, organic ingredients are a must!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine in a large bowl and mix well:

2/3 cup Sucanat or brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 Tablespoons flax seeds

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

Combine to the above:

3 cups quick oats

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 cup chocolate chips

Drop by teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. These cookies spread and flatten as they bake, so leave plenty of room between cookies before baking. Let the cookies completely cool before removing them from the pan.

Image courtesy of BBC.

Iraq War Costs $720,000,000 a Day

2009-09-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/25/iraq-war-costs-720000000-a-dayiraq-war-costs-720000000-a-day/

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wnq6cD5jk1Q" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Sesame Street, Breastfeeding, and the Pump

2009-09-29T10:18:00.002-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/28/sesame-street-…g-and-the-pumpsesame-street-breastfeeding-and-the-pump/

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/g3DWRhfNm4c" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

MC sent me this link, as a follow up to my post "Breastfeeding Reduces Anxiety in Children". Apparently, breastfeeding creates anxiety in some mothers, thus they have chosen to feed their infants exclusively pumped breastmilk. Actually, I know of two women who have done this, and I applaud their commitment to giving their infants the best possible nutrition from the start.

One such mother, that has chosen to exclusively pump for her daughter, is Carrie Mehi, a lawyer from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Carrie explains her psychological struggle with breastfeeeding:

This is a part of my body that's always been reserved for sexual activity, and I sort of assumed my brain would make whatever necessary adjustments it had to do to make [breastfeeding] not a completely creepy experience for me. I really don't think we tried breastfeeding after the first day we left the hospital. I was not interested in having my sweet baby crying at my breast for one more minute. I just wanted her fed. [Breastfeeding] was an unpleasant sensation to me, and I thought, you know what, if I'm flinching, I might as well flinch to a machine instead of to my girl.

Dr. Ruth Lawrence, a professor of pediatrics and expert on breastfeeding at the University of Rochester explains the psychological struggle some women face when breastfeeding:

Some women do it because they can't envision the baby suckling at their breast. I suspect it has to do with our whole modern attitude about the breast. It's become such a sex object.

Personally, I have more of a psychological issue with being hooked up to a breast pump than allowing my babe to suckle at the breast. When I had to pump because my son had had open-heart surgery, I felt like a milk cow.

Why are so many women choosing to pump exclusively? Dr. Lawrence thinks women are not getting the support they need when they set out to nurse. This has been the experience of my sister and step sister-in-law, both of whom were discouraged by so-called "lactation experts". A lactation nurse asked my sister if she had a plan if her new baby didn't latch on, when my sister was pumping due to my niece's hospitalization for jaundice. The baby was only three days old, and the nurse was telling my sister to give up. Thankfully, she did not. My step sister-in-law was told that she could not make enough milk by a lactation consultant before she ever left the hospital. She was only making colostrum at the time, and her milk had yet to come in. Thank goodness for the support of my midwives when my heartsick son had trouble taking to the breast!

Whatever choice a woman makes for delivering breastmilk to her child, the choice to breastfeed is important! It is not for me to judge the choices women make between the breast or the bottle; however, I do believe that the breast is better for the environment. Pumping involves using electricity for the pump, as well as for breastmilk storage and reheating. A majority of plastic baby bottles contain BPA.

If feeding from the breast is important to a new mother, my advice is to find the support you need, if you feel at all discouraged. Support is out there, you may just have to seek it. A local midwife or the La Leche League can help!

Fabulous Fair Trade Inca Kids

2009-09-29T10:18:00.001-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/29/fabulous-fair-trade-inca-kidsfabulous-fair-trade-inca-kids/

Kelli first wrote about Inca Kids in her post "Three Fair Trade Toy Companies". Inca Kids is fair trade project supporting unprivileged Peruvian artisans. Gilda Pedraza of Inca Kids explains:

I am not selling products; I am offering the opportunity to directly support a poor family in Peru every time you buy something. With every purchase you are saying YES to an artisan interested in keeping his or her lifestyle; you are saying YES to that single mother trying to make a living while taking care of her children, you are saying YES to all of them when you choose to buy fair trade.

My family recently received three wonderful products from Inca Kids made from 100% alpaca wool or 100% Peruvian cotton and eco-friendly color dyes. These handmade goods are made from artisans. The finger puppets are a big hit with my children, who immediately got out the puppet theater and put on a grand show when they arrived. My three-year-old son, who hates to wear hats, loves his Inca Kids hat! My daughter is enamored with her Cholita doll (thank goodness it's not a Disney Princess) and wants to ask our Peruvian friend Cecilia if she has a dress like the doll's. She took Cholita to school to show her first grade class, which prompted a discussion at home about Peru, fair trade, and the Incas in preparation.

I like my children's toys to be unique and handmade. By supporting artisans and not large toy corporations, I am living more sustainably and teaching my children to appreciate human crafts. Inca Kids bridges that gap between the artisans in Peru and my family's green values.

Are You Pregnant? You May Want a Doula

2009-09-29T09:48:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/30/are-you-pregna…y-want-a-doulaare-you-pregnant-you-may-want-a-doula/

I did not have a doula when my children were born, because I had the loving care of two midwives attending our homebirths. If I was planning a hospital birth or wanted a little more support at home, I would definitely find a doula. What is a doula? Doulas is an ancient Greek word meaning "handmaid".

According to Wikipedia, "A doula is an experienced, non-medical assistant who provides physical, emotional and informed choice support in prenatal care, during childbirth and during the postpartum period." Dona International further explains:

Giving birth to a baby is so much more than a physical phenomenon; it engages parents-to-be in a transformational experience, a key life event full of emotion and meaning. A doula who accompanies a woman in labor mothers the mother, taking care of her emotional needs throughout childbirth. A doula also provides support and suggestions for partners that can enhance their experiences of birth. A postpartum doula continues that valuable emotional support and guidance, helping a family make a smooth transition into new family dynamics.

I've heard expectant mothers and fathers ask why they would need extra emotional support when they have each other or loved ones attending their births. The truth is, if you are planning a natural child birth (or even labor assisted with pain medication), things will come up that will require someone to advocate for what you want. Your husband or partner should not have to divert his/her attention away from the you. As a laboring mothering, you certainly won't be running to the nurse's station or hunting down doctors. DONA explains the benefits of doulas:

Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth

Tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications

Reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience

Reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans

Reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals

Research shows parents who receive support can:

Feel more secure and cared for

Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics

Have greater success with breastfeeding

Have greater self-confidence

Have less postpartum depression

Have lower incidence of abuse

Given the positive benefits of having doulas support mothers, the value of this service should be promoted, in my opinion.

Image courtesy of Birth Doulas of Pittsburgh.

Trade Your Child's Books for New Ones with Swaptree

2009-09-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/01/31/trade-your-chi…-with-swaptreetrade-your-childs-books-for-new-ones-with-swaptree/

While reading one of my favorite parenting blogs Z Recommends, I noticed an advertisement for Swaptree. Swaptree provides an online service where you can trade books, music, dvds, and video games for free with other users. This is a great idea for children's books, especially as children outgrow pictures books and are ready for chapter books.

Swaptree was started because the founders noticed:

their mothers were frequently trading books with their network of friends

their nephews played a new $55 dollar video game for a week or so, and then never again

their shelves (and everyone else's shelves that they knew) were filled with hundreds of CDs and DVDs that weren't going to see the inside of a CD or DVD player anytime soon

the price of college textbooks had gotten out of hand

Swaptree works like this:

List an item you have to trade.

Swaptree's algorithms discover what you can receive in trade for your item.

You chose what you want in trade.

Print postage and mail your item.

Similar to Ebay, users on Swaptree give each other feedback on shipping speed, accurate descriptions of the items, etc., in order that you know who are the most trustworthy people to trade with on the site.

Personally, I have not completed a trade on Swaptree, so I decide to join and see what I could get for a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a book we have multiple copies of in our home. After I entered the ISBN number of the book, 14 items came up that I could trade for it. Unfortunately, none of the books were ones that I wanted. I then decided to search for a book I wanted to read, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. By adding this book to my want list, I let other users know I am willing to trade my Eric Carle book for it; however, I suspect it may not be a fair trade. I was also able to see what items people who have the Harry Potter book up for trade want. It turns out I have several books and DVDs people are willing to trade for the Harry Potter book. Unfortunately, they are not books I am ready to part with yet.

The concept behind Swaptree is very interesting, and I have not given up that it might be a great solution for my family. I tend to donate books to the school or take them to a thrift store, but the idea of trading for something we want saves money and resources. Swaptree helps people get back to a trade economy via the Internet. "Swaptree allows people to acquire items in a way that is cost-effective, friendly to the environment, and rooted in the basic notion of sharing." I'd be interested to know if any of our readers have any experiences with Swaptree to share.

Empower Children with Charity Donation Choices

2009-09-29T09:45:00.001-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/04/empower-childr…nation-choicesempower-children-with-charity-donation-choices/

A couple of weeks ago, Beth wrote about alternatives to birthday gift giving, and I allowed my daughter to select our Kiva loan recipient. Recently, I discovered another option for low impact birthday giving: markmakers.org. These charitable gift cards allow children to choose goods and services in need around the world.

There are over 40 choices for children on markmakers.org. Once a child receives a gift card from markmakers.org, they enter the number to begin "shopping" for ways they want to give. Children may allocate the money in small increments to as many projects as they want. The presentation is kid-friendly on markmakers.org, and parents are raving about the service. One mother wrote, "My 8-year-old loves the idea that she can help feed homeless dogs!" With their gift card, children can "shop" in six shops:

Environmental Protection,

Peace & Justice,

Kids in Need,

Disease Prevention & Healthcare,

Poverty & Hunger and,

Animal Protection

Over $70,000 was given away by kids last year using markmakers.org. Here's how it works:

Markmakers Foundation was founded by Eric and Diane Garfinkel and their 4 children, ages 22, 20, 15 and 7. The idea, conceived at the dinner table, was to give kids the freedom to make their own choices when it came to making a difference in the world.

Markmakers is an IRS approved, 501c3 not for profit. Markmakers is staffed on an unpaid, volunteer basis by the Garfinkel family. The 7% service fee collected from card buyers defrays, in part, credit card processing, web programming and hosting, legal and media relations expenses. 100% of the amount placed on a markmakers card is distributed to the organizations listed here. We deduct nothing.

I think this is a fabulous idea, and one I will encourage my family and friends to use. After seeing how my daughter enjoyed picking out our Kiva loan recipient, I can see her really getting into this. It is also a great idea for the classroom! As Markmakers explains,

Markmakers can be used in the classroom to introduce children to the concept of charitable giving and social activism. One idea is to ask childern to bring in 50 cents or $1 each and then pool their funds. The teacher uses the funds to purchase a markmakers card. The class then explores each of the six areas for giving within markmakers (kids in need, poverty, disease, animal welfare, the environment, peace & justice) and discusses where among these categories to allocate the class' funds.

I will definitely be forwarding this to my daughter's teacher!

The Business of Being Born

2009-09-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/04/the-business-of-being-bornthe-business-of-being-born/

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/4DgLf8hHMgo" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Barbie Doll Art: 32,000 Boob Jobs a Month

2009-09-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/05/barbie-doll-ar…b-jobs-a-monthbarbie-doll-art-32000-boob-jobs-a-month/

I hate Barbie Dolls. These plastic, large breasted, out of proportion dolls create unrealistic images in children's minds of a woman's body. As Empowered Parents explains,

If she were alive, Barbie would be a woman standing 7 feet tall with a waistline of 18 inches and a bustling of 38-40. In fact, she would need to walk on all fours just to support her peculiar proportions. Yet media advertising, television and Hollywood would reinforce her message, influencing what would become the American ideal of beauty.

And what's up with Ken being an eunuch? Leave it to artists to find a creative use for Barbie and comment on this cultural icon.

Chris Jordan is famous for using photography to explore American consumerism. In one of his latest pieces, Chris uses Barbie dolls to demonstrate how this doll has affected American women's body images. Empowered Parents further explains:

Barbie holds the distinction of being the first doll to become an adult figure in the child’s life...She would ultimately become a representative of our own culture. Mothers, as well as their daughters took in Barbie’s messages about how shape and size matters at the very brink of our society’s revolution for women who were becoming liberated, entering the professions in greater numbers, becoming divorced, participating in the sexual revolution, blending families, and abandoning mealtimes and family rituals in favor of work force and the work out.

Chris' "Barbie" (2008) is a 60" x 80" piece depicting 32,000 Barbies, equal to the number of elective breast augmentation surgeries performed monthly in the US in 2006. Did I say 32,000 boob jobs a month? This is reason enough not to allow my daughter to play with Barbie. Whether her breasts turn out large or small, I want her to be happy with her body and even happier with her soul!

Margaux Lange is making jewelry from Barbie doll parts. Margaux explains,

Whether you love her or hate her, there are few who feel neutral about the plastic princess. I am fascinated with who she is as a cultural icon, her distinguished celebrity status, and the enormous impact she has had on our society. Specifically, I’m intrigued with her influence in defining gender roles of women in contemporary American culture.

At least Margaux has found a way to reuse this mass produced toy into something unique, preventing a few Barbie dolls from entering our landfills.

For another artist's use of plastic dolls, please visit our post "Finally, a Use for Plastic Baby Dolls".

Images courtesy of Margaux Lange and Chris Jordan.

Update: Toy Recalls and the CPSC

2009-09-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/06/update-toy-rec…s-and-the-cpscupdate-toy-recalls-and-the-cpsc/

If you are like me, you are tired of hearing about toy recalls and the gross failures of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to protect our children; however, I feel it is important to stay updated on the information for my children's sakes. Recent news on the Thomas the Tank Engine recall settlement, Mattel's refusal to recall lead-tainted toys, and the impotent CPSC demonstrate that the problem of toy safety and international manufacturing has not gone away.

The Impotent CPSC

I have written many posts on the CPSC's failures. Now, for the second time in a year, the agency will become useless, as it loses its quorum. The CPSC requires three members on the panel; however, only two members are currently holding positions. The extension granted by Congress to operate with only two members expired in January. According to the Washington Post,

Congress has not passed another one, and the Bush administration has not nominated a new chairman who could restore quorum since its last pick, industry lobbyist Michael E. Baroody, withdrew his name in May after protest by Senate Democrats and consumer groups.

Of course, the agency can still oversee voluntary recalls, but they can no longer issue mandatory recalls or impose civil penalties. What a relief...I feel so protected!

Thomas the Tank Engine Recall Settlement

Oh, Thomas the Tank Engine, the toy that brought lead-tainted recalls to the middle and upper class society. RC2, the company that makes Thomas, has agreed to pay a $30 million to settle a nationwide class-action lawsuit. Consumers have been offered cash refunds and replacements for their lead painted toys, as well as a bonus toy. Ironically, the bonus toy Toad sent to 2000 families contained lead levels up to four times higher than acceptable levels and was thus recalled. I think I'll take the cash.

Mattel's Refuses to Recall Lead-Tainted Toy

Thank goodness the CPSC has the power to oversee voluntary recalls, since Mattel has refused to issue voluntarily recall of a Fisher-Price plastic toy blood-pressure cuff toy sold with lead levels at eight times the legal limit. As Treehugger explains,

Granted, they did begin accepting them back from any retailer or customer nationwide who called a toll-free number beginning in December along with a recall in Illinois, but they did not recall the toy nationwide nor widely publicize the problem as they would have been required to do under the guidelines of an official recall.

Once again, children in Illinois are offered more protection than the rest of the country. Thank goodness for voluntary recalls! As quoted in the New York Times, Donald Mays, senior director of product safety at Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, explains, “If it was an official recall, the Consumer Product Safety Commission would be tracking the return rate. Now you’re just taking the company’s word for it.”

Once again, I remind parents to get to know the toy company's values, beliefs, social responsibility, etc. before purchasing toys for your children. It is incredible to me that we are even having this discussion about toy safety in this country, but until there is more oversight in the globalization of toy production, the problem will not go away. Local or green toy companies are the only way to protect your children. The CPSC won't do it for you!

Image courtesy of Treehugger.

Great Children's Literature: What's This? A Seed's Story

2009-09-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/07/great-children…-a-seeds-storygreat-childrens-literature-whats-this-a-seeds-story/

There's a plethora of wonderful children's books on gardening, but there is always room for more! What's This? A Seed's Story by Caroline Mockford is a charming story about a child's discovery of a seed and the cycle of plant life. I was lucky enough to have my six-year-old daughter read this book to me for her homework.

What's This? A Seed's Story begins with a bird discovering a seed one winter morning. I anticipated the bird would eat the seed, then deposit its droppings somewhere and begin the plant's life; however, my prediction was wrong. Instead, a little girl, along with her marmalade cat, discovered it and "planted the seed carefully in a corner of her garden." My daughter has her own garden, as I believe every child should, so I was happy to see the main character in this book also has her own garden bed. (Fellow writer Beth recently wrote about her child's birthday garden, but back to our story...)

The girl tends to her seed, and then one day, it starts to grow. At this point during our reading, I asked my daughter what kind of plant she thought it would be. She guessed a flower, and I guessed a pea. As the plant grew taller and taller, I changed my prediction to a bean, and noticing the pole used to support the plant, my daughter thought it must be clematis.

Every day when she woke up, the little girl ran straight out to the garden to look at the plant that was growing from the seed. And one morning, when she ran outside, there, turning its head to the sun, was a magnificent sunflower.

At this point in the story, I was reminded of Melanie Eclare's A Handful of Sunshine. Like Tilda in A Handful of Sunshine, the little girl saved her sunflower head in the fall. In What's This? A Seed's Story, the little girl takes her sunflower head to school, where the teacher helps her shake the seeds out gently. Too bad the teacher didn't take the opportunity to teach the children about Fibonacci and flowers. When spring returns, all of the children in the class plant the sunflower seeds, "and when the next summer came, every child had a beautiful, smiling sunflower!"

Organic gardening with children is challenging at times, but it is also very rewarding. The fact that my daughter would guess that a plant in a book illustration is clematis shows that her plant knowledge is far superior to my own at six years of age. As spring time approaches, you can look forward to many posts on Eco Child's Play about gardening with children.

A Greener Valentine's Day

2009-09-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/11/a-greener-valentines-daya-greener-valentines-day/

Sure you can buy your sweeties organic flowers or chocolate and have your children decorate Valentines made from recycled paper; however, in my family, we have another tradition. Every year for Valentine's Day, we take the opportunity to buy a fruit tree or rose bush. What better way to express our love than to give a gift that may offset some of our carbon footprint?

I love chocolate as much as the next guy/gal, but I am not a fan of cut flowers, even though I worked in flower shop in high school. Lavish bouquets purchased to celebrate holidays have spawned a thriving industry that heavily relies on pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. According to the Wise Geek:

Most cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia in large greenhouse environments staffed by underpaid, non-unionized workers...Because cut flowers are grown in nations with more lax environmental laws, many banned substances including DDT and methyl-bromide are used in flower production...Some cut flowers may be shipped thousands of miles, adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere at every step of the way.

Purchasing a live plant is a great, greener alternative to cut flowers, especially when you buy a blooming or fruiting plant that will remind your family year after year of your love. Involving your children in selecting and planting the living gift will create a natural experience to accompany the gift. Anxiously awaiting, predicting, observing the plant throughout the growing season turns a Valentine's gift into a long term nature study.

Alternatively, Oxfam is asking people this Valentine's Day to "think outside the chocolate box". For $40, you can purchase your loved ones a dozen baby chicks. This gift will go to a family affected by HIV/AIDS. If chicks are not your style, you can purchase a sheep, fair trade honey, or plant a garden with your donation.

For more ideas on having a green Valentine's Day, check out Crafting a Green World.

You can read about the history of Valentine's Day here.

Image courtesy of Oxfam.

Start Your Day Off Right With a Bowl of Omega-3s

2009-09-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/12/start-your-day…wl-of-omega-3sstart-your-day-off-right-with-a-bowl-of-omega-3s/

My family has long been a fan of Nature's Path Flax Plus Granola Cereal with Pumpkin Seeds, so we were excited to try the new Flax Plus flavor Red Berry Crunch. Flax is not only a great source of fiber, but it provides Omega-3 fatty acids to your diet.

MC wrote about how Omega-3s are important for healthy winter skin, but they have also been found to decrease the risk of heart disease, discourage the growth of prostate and breast cancer, and support the immune function. Flax Plus Red Berry Crunch contains 800 mg of Omega-3s, the highest in the Flax Plus line. Flax seeds are an important source of Omega-3s in a vegetarian diet.

Flax Plus Red Berry Crunch ingredients:

Organic whole wheat meal, organic wheat bran, organic rolled oats, organic evaporated cane juice, organic flax, organic soy oil, organic brown rice flour, organic freeze dried raspberries, organic oat bran, organic barley malt extract, organic freeze dried strawberries, sea salt, natural strawberry flavor, organic oat syrup solids, tocopherols (natural vitamin E), organic molasses, organic rice bran extract, organic cinnamon.

Not only is this cereal nutritious and organic, it is very tasty with soymilk or yogurt, although my daughter still prefers the Flax Plus Granola Cereal with Pumpkin Seeds. One serving contains 28 percent of the daily recommended fiber; Red Berry Crunch helps you maintain proper digestive health. Furthermore, the red fruits are naturally high in fiber, vitamin C, folate, potassium and antioxidants.

Nature's Path is a company committed to "nurturing people, nature, & spirit". "Our Goal is to be a trusted name for quality organic foods in every home - socially responsible, environmentally sustainable and financially viable." The company has committed to reducing packaging by 10%, thus saving 1,300,000 gallons of water, 942,128 KWh of energy, and 144 tons of paperboard. Three generations of commitment to organic farming is behind the company.

Image courtesy of World Pantry.

Climate Change Through Children's Eyes

2009-09-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/02/13/climate-change…childrens-eyesclimate-change-through-childrens-eyes/

For the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, Oxfam asked young people to draw pictures showing the effect of climate change on their communities in developing countries.

Emmanuel Tonggun of Uganda, age 15, described how heavy rainfall and too much sun destroy vegetation and decrease soil fertility.

A drawing by Mucunguzi Smith of Uganda, age 16, showed how drought affects the animals and crops.

You can view the full slideshow of children's climate change art at OxfamAmerica.org.

Recently, I submitted a question to Andy Rossmeisl and Jon Isham, founders of Brighter Planet, as they spoke with environmental bloggers about carbon offsets, global warming, and what can be done. Listen to their response to my question about children and climate change at the very end of the podcast (I think I stumped them a little).