droolicious : green

Biodegradable Picnic Ware: Please Put Litter in Any Place

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Normally, we'd never suggest that you and the family toss your picnic ware into a lake or leave it behind on the campsite after you're done grubbing -- but that sort of thinking goes out the window (as opposed to into the landfill) when we're talking biodegradable picnic ware.

Made from 100% biodegradable cassava (the same plant that lends itself to your tapioca pudding), the set's plates, bowls and cups are literally the best kind of litter: Leave them in water for a week, and they disintegrate. Turn them into the compost pile, and in a few months you've got food for the garden, complete with soil-friendly starch. The wooden cutlery and gingham tablecloths included with the set don't break down quite so easily, but they're far more reusable than plastic and paper.

$29.95 from Firebox, and be sure to pick up a tent for the full camping experience while you're at it.

This Mother's Day Get Her Shoes . . . and Them Too

JeanneSager — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:26:00 GMT

I never latched onto the "Mother's Day as shoe giving holiday" until now. Yes, moms like shoes (so do a lot of dads for that matter), but we need shoes in which we can run after our kids.

Wouldn't you know they'd come out of a place known for taking the adventure off road?

Jeep's new J-41 line takes the juvenile shoe line we love for our kids and focuses it on their mothers, with cute sandals and heels that are sturdy enough for racing off across the playground. There are dress up and dress down options, depending on what kind of mom you are - and what kind of kid you have.

And since we're all about going green here on Droolicious, each J-41 shoe line is environmentally friendly with a partially recycled outsole and some one hundred percent recycled and recyclable materials.

Shop the line at shopping.com or get the Journey shoe above at Amazon.

Big Green Box for Your Old Dead Batteries

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:00:00 GMT

If you don't have easy access to a community recycling center, it can be tempting just to trash the seemingly never-ending stream of spent batteries from the kids' toys. But with the Big Green Box, you can recycle not just batteries, but also potentially hundreds of dollars' worth of pooped-out electronics, without leaving your doorstep.

Order the Big Green Box and place it somewhere convenient (but out of kids' easy reach); then, as you burn through batteries, upgrade to new cell phones, realize you haven't used your PDA since 2004, and finally accept that your ancient laptop won't boot again, just toss the spent stuff into the pre-labeled, prepaid shipping box. Once it's full, call UPS and have 'em take the dead weight off your hands.

Residential and business boxes start at $63 each -- learn more and order at the Big Green Box.

A Little Cloud for Your Little Sunshine

JeanneSager — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:30:00 GMT

What's better than a friend to cuddle with in bed? A friend that lets you rest your head on him at the end of the day.

Jaya Loves Tekeko organic pillows are sized just right for little arms to wrap around, and soft enough for little heads to lean on and drift off into dream land.

Hand printed, sewed and stuffed, every little pillow sports a sweet and original character, and every little buddy comes with his or her own story. My pick is Leafgirl (redubbed by my daughter as Goldilocks for some unknown reason, but I'll allow that it's because this pillow was just right), but Professor Acorn can offer up an education in why it's important to get to bed early (so you can cuddle with your new friend!), and Eggboy looks so sad there's no way a toddler can resist giving him a squeeze.

Soft as a cloud, the covers are removable so you can wash the Kumo Friends after they've been dragged around the world with your tot. Jaya Loves Tekeko uses all organic material, with PVC-free and phthalate-free water based inks and recyled packaging, so their dreams are painted in green.

Get a pillow from their site for $62.

To Market, To Market, With a Sweet Little Bag

JeanneSager — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:21:00 GMT

The best part of the green movement? There are finally fun bags for your kids to take to the store and help mom and dad with the shopping.

German company Reisenthel has been my favorite for organization for awhile now, and their Carrybag won points for propping up like the real grocery store baskets and folding back down to almost nothing when it's time to pack it back in the car. The tear-proof polyester is easy to wash and holds up to the gallon of milk, carton of eggs and everything the kids can grab off the shelves and throw in.

With spring upon us, it's the perfect size for the family picnic and for toting all the little goodies they collect from the woods back to the car.

And now our kids can tote a Carrybag too - Reisenthel's made a child sized version of the collapsible shopping basket, so they can carry them around the house, the store or bring their little toys along for a tea party in the woods.

Get the child size from Chic Bambini for $29.99 or an adult size for $39.99 from Amazon.

Green Baby: b.wise papers Birth Announcements

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:30:00 GMT

Sure, they're printed on paper, but b.wise papers' birth announcements still aim to reduce your new arrival's carbon footprint before it's been fitted for baby shoes.

The eco-smart announcements are printed on 100% recycled (50% post-consumer) card stock using vegetable- and soy-based inks, and they're even made up at a wind-powered printing facility. Plus, as the b. delightful ($138 for 50 cards) sample above shows, they look pretty great.

Prices vary but lean toward the higher end overall -- check out the whole collection (including holiday and save-the-date cards, as well as labels) at b.wise papers. (Image: Laura Negri Photography)

She's Got Curves

JeanneSager — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

The pile of kid's water bottles on the sidelines of the soccer field gives me the willies. I'm not a germophobe, but have you ever noticed how many kids drink from the same exact bottle?

No wonder they all come down with the creeping crud simultaneously! Your kid won't be letting anyone else get their grubby hands on their new bottle from Total She's Sheco line.

The reusable (think green) bottles come customized with your child's name and their favorite logo - a soccer ball, a butterfly, a favorite number - so the word's out to other kids to keep their lips off - and the attached carabiner clip means they can clip it to their bag so it will make its way home AFTER practice.

Best of all? With a sweet curvy form to the non-porous stainless steel, this doesn't look like their granny's bottle.

Get them from Total She for $25.

Also check out:

It's a Fair Trade Out on the Soccer Field

Calling on Your Little Garden Chick

JeanneSager — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:36:00 GMT

The Obamas have got good common sense on their side with their new garden at the White House, but no one ever said gardens can't be good for the Earth AND good plain fun. And if it attracts butterflies and fairies, all the better!

MacKenzie's Garden was created by Garden Chick owner Karen Creel for her granddaughter, a little chick with a really big watering can! Her kits let your kids in on the secret of getting the fairies to come skipping into your backyard and making the butterflies flutter by.

Packed in cute plastic boxes that double as purses for little girls, the kits are stocked with seed packets and planting instructions and sell for $8.50 apiece. Watering can not included! Get them from Garden Chick.

More Gardening Goodies:

How to Build Their Fairytale Garden

Eco for the Next Generation

Farm Out Their Education at the Market

Where Will Your Green Thumbs Take You Today?

Robots? No Lunchbots

JeanneSager — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:03:00 GMT

Green had to meet geeky some day, and fortunately for our kids' sakes it's in the form of little green containers for their munchables.

Lunchbots set of stainless steel containers for kids lunches takes plastic and all its worries (hello BPA) out of the picture. Available in its original form as a solo sandwich transporter or the duo - which is split across the middle for kids who prefer their courses remain in two parts- Lunchbots can be chucked in the dishwasher and pulled out again tomorrow for the ultimate in reusable.

Creator Jacqueline Linder started the company when she couldn't find non-plastic containers to pack her kids lunches and snacks. "Instead of worrying about which types of plastic are safe, I decided it was best to avoid plastic altogether," she said. Her kids love them for the bright colored tops, and your kids will love them for the robot-style name and robot look (see, I told you it was geeky).

Food safe and Earth friendly, get them at Lunchbots.

More Green Goodies:

Keeping Kids AND the Earth Well in One Fell Swoop

Eco for the Next Generation

Go Green for Lunch and We're Not Talking Lettuce

Where Will Your Green Thumbs Take You Today?

JeanneSager — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:46:00 GMT

Baby botanists get ready, get set, get digging.

The Young Scientists Club has a new spring kit for little kids to get their thumbs - and the rest of their fingers - dirty. The Science on a Garden Adventure set is stocked with a small plastic terrarium, peat pellets and seeds for spinach, wheat, marigold and zinnias - plus all they need to put together a real science experiment.

There's the makings of a sun dial, mini garden tools for mini garden makers and pH tests to cover all the bases (and acids too).

And in case this is sounding too much like science class, they threw in a few sheets of stickers and a pack of plastic bugs to make this educational adventure a whole lot of fun.

Get the kit from Kid Science Kits.

It's a Fair Trade Out on the Soccer Field

JeanneSager — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Big news! My daughter's finally old enough for us to sign her up for soccer (yes, my baby's growing up).

Bigger news! I found her a soccer ball that's eco-friendly and made by folks who practice fair trade.

Fair Trade Sports stocks soccer, basketball and footballs made by workers who get a fair wage, and their after-tax profits go straight to children's charities. The Fair Trade soccer ball we picked up for our daughter to start kicking around the pitch was eco-made of synthetic leather, so vegan kids can eat her dirt when she leaves 'em in her dust on the field!

With sizes for the under seven kids, the eight- to eleven-year-olds and the twelve and ups, they're the right size for kids regulation games, so you can stock the team bag with eco-friendliness.

Buy two and get free shipping! Enter FAIRSHIP at checkout at Fair Trade Sports.

Or get them from Amazon: size three, size four or size five.

Keeping Kids AND the Earth Well in One Fell Swoop

JeanneSager — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:33:00 GMT

We're all about going green in our house (in every house these days, hopefully), and that means saying bye bye to bottled water.

So how do you know the water your kids are getting is clean when you're doing a refill on the go? The Wellness H2.0 reusable bottle is stocked with a filter your kids can carry wherever they go. The filter sits right in the water itself, where it pulls out ninety-nine percent of the contaminants that might showup in water, including chlorine, lead and other toxins, and the bottle itself is BPA-free.

Each filter cartridge is estimated to last up to a year, decreasing your kids' carbon footprint by more than one thousand random plastic bottles. It's connected directly to the bottle's lid so your kids won't lose the filter at soccer practice with everything else they hold near and dear, and that lid sports an easy flip top for even sippy cup drinkers to handle.

Tip for buyers: before using the first time, squeeze water through the filter to rinse out the access minerals so your kids don't get a taste full of yuck.

Buy the Wellness H2.0 bottle or a replacement cartridge at End Bottled Water.

Taking the Mud Off Piggy Toes - And Leaving the Toes

JeanneSager — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:55:00 GMT

My daughter is such a little girl this tomboy mama has to shake her shaved head sometime. But there's nothing like a good old-fashioned girls' night with the toenail polish and a chick flick (while Daddy's banished with his XBox - like he's REALLY complaining).

But I've never been comfortable taking polish off her sweet little toes with a bottle of something that smells like it could have been dropped out of a chopper in Apocalypse Now.

Hello Piggy Paints Natural as Mud Nail Polish Remover! Completely stink free and not designed to remove the surface from my wood floors when my kid squirms during polish removal, the non-toxic formula leaves their sweet little piggy toes in perfect polish-free form.

Aloe Vera and Vitamin E have been added, so it even leaves a little love behind for their delicate cuticles.

Get it from Piggy Paint.

How to Build Their Fairytale Garden

JeanneSager — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Need to get your kids excited about their veggies? Let them grow them.

Even if you only have a teeny weeny balcony off your apartment building, it's easy to get kids excited about the spring season with the Fairytale Gardens line from Potting Shed Kids.

Jack's Magic Beans or Cinderella's Magic Pumpkin come packed in recycled steel cases with everything they need - seeds, garden stakes, activity book, pencil and recipes for the harvest day. The back of the tins sport instructions for all you black thumbs out there, right down to harvest time, so your little sprouts won't be disappointed.

While they're growing, outwit the giant as you read your way through Jack and the Beanstalk and watch Cinderella's fairy godmother turn pumpkin to coach and back again.

Get them from Zola Goods.

Stack Diapers in Style

Lisa Mulcahy — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:30:00 GMT

I don’t know why I never got a diaper stacker. It allows for easy access when changing wiggly babies and this one actually adds a little design drama to the room. You’ll be surprised where it’s from.

The Trend Lab Baby Vintage Diaper Stacker, $15.19, is actually from Sears. I’m not sure when, but years ago I counted Sears out. Maybe it was during those teen years when Sears’ stuff was decidedly uncool. But times have changed a lot since then and staid retailers like Sears are starting to get the picture that people care about fashion and high design.

Eco for the Next Generation

JeanneSager — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:34:00 GMT

I confess. I'm a sap. All that "our children are our future" mumbo jumbo makes me weepy.

So the designs by Meghan Stein Webster at Eco-Generation Kids were bound to pull at my heartstrings (oh yeah, and my pocketbook). Webster suffered a double whammy when she lost her dad to cancer that doctors linked to environmental causes then got pregnant - only to learn she couldn't spend time in her beautiful garden because doctors were worried for the life of her child.

Now she's a mom and designer, covering organic cotton tees in messages for the future printed with low-impact inks and dyes.

All it takes is one look at the penguins asking "where will they march," and you've got me (and no, I'm not pregnant, but thanks for asking!). This is precisely WHY I didn't watch March of the Penguins, by the way.If you sway Seussian, check out One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, No Fish.

All the tees are made for kids so Webster can impress the messages of our world on its future.

Get any of the tees at Eco-Generation Kids.

Go Green for Lunch - And We're Not Talking Lettuce

JeanneSager — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Sandwich bags are a necessary evil of sending your kids off with lunch. So how do you fight the bag lady shame?

Chuck the plastic baggies in favor of Go Green Pouches, the machine-washable bags from a set of stay-at-home entrepreneurs who are intent on teaching their kids the three Rs (that would be reducing, reusing and recycling, natch) .

Aimee Mancuso and Emilia Teta make hundreds of bagged lunches every year, and they decided they needed to get away from adding hundreds of bags to landfills. Their pouches come in funky prints for girls, boys and their parents, lined in nylon to prevent leaking and sized for sandwiches, snacks or even baking up the perfect potato. Pack up the PB&J for your little punk in pink skulls or stow the sweets in soldier camo.

When your kid brings ‘em home, chuck them in the washer and you’ve got a sandwich bag for tomorrow . . .and the next day. Now that's reusing. Or is it reducing?

Image: Go Green Pouches

Farm Out Their Education at the Market

JeanneSager — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:35:00 GMT

OK, so you probably won't be going to market, to market to buy a fat hog, but spring temps means it's farmer's market time again in most parts of the country! Get them helping on your trips to the farm market and back home again with the Farmer’s Market Set from Playful Chef.

From the makers of the apron and kitchen kits that allow kids to kick things up Emeril-style in the kitchen, the Farmer’s Market Set is stocked with their own cotton shopping bag for a lesson in sustainability.

Along with a produce scrubber that’s just their size, a towel for wiping things down and a book that details which veggies are in season and when and where they grow, this set lets them take the fruits of your shopping trip all the way to the table.

Image: Playful Chef

Also on Babble:

Babble Best: Dress Up Kits

Welcome to My Eco-Friendly Doll House

Lisa Estall — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:22:00 GMT

One day I want to get a dollhouse for my daughter. What’s great is now there are ones that are eco-friendly!

Wonderworld’s Eco-Friendly Wooden Doll House is made of rubber-wood and decorated with water-based, non-toxic paint. It iincludes a recycling...

trash can, solar panels, a bicycle, as well as the family and the room pieces.

Why not teach the young ones how to be more Green with this toy?

This dollhouse is only sold online at Toys R Us. Price is $129.99

The Sam Collection From Muu Is Officially Released

Chris Ford — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:00:00 GMT

We've already told you about some of the nursery and kids furniture on the way from Muu (the storage unit and crib), but the full line of furniture has now been "officially" released. In addition to the other pieces, they also have a dresser, nightstand and twin bed to check out. And like the crib and storage unit, all of the pieces are customizable to your taste.

All of the pieces from Muu are made from sustainable wood with non-toxic finishes right here in the USA. There are a lot of different panels to choose from, and I think the graphics themselves look pretty cool. I'm not sure I'd be happy with having furniture with such graphic elements on it, but you can change out the panels if you get bored with what you've selected (or your kid's taste changes) which is nice too.

What I really love about Muu is the twin bed. There really aren't a lot of great modern twin bed options for kids out there, and if you've got a little extra cash the twin bed looks like something that your son or daughter will enjoy at least until they go to college. Wether or not you let them enjoy it after they're done with college is entirely up to you.

The Muu Sam Collection is available at MuuKids.com.

Every Lunch Box Should Have Some Happikins

Lisa Estall — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:49:00 GMT

I adore these cotton napkins from Happikins!

I was sent the creatures and critters set which includes five cotton napkins with really cool patterns. Turtles, snails and frogs decorate each beautifully patterned cloth. It also comes with a cool little zip up pouch for the napkin to stay fresh and fits neatly into your child's lunch box. The inside of the pouch has a...

wipe down surface so you can write little notes to your child in eraser pen! The USA made napkins are machine washable and dryer safe. The set is available from Happikins.com for $29.95. It would make a cute gift for some lucky kid and for a few bucks more, you can get monograms added to make them really personal.

Sign of the Times: Eco Dollhouse

Lisa Mulcahy — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:58:00 GMT

I’m a bit cynical when it comes to marketing green products to children. I’d like to think it’s educational, but sometimes it’s really just about marketing the “it” topic of the moment to parents. Cynicism aside, kids should be learning about green living at an early age and I love this eco take on the traditional dollhouse.

The Eco House Wooden Dollhouse by Smart Gear comes complete with solar panel, windmill, recycling bins, bicycle and rain water collection barrels. It’s made of sustainable rubber wood and is decorated with only water-based paints.

For better or worse, I may have proved my marketing theory, it’s currently out of stock (due to high demand) at Toys R Us. But you can get it online for $129.99.

Green “Gotta Have It” Gift

Lisa Mulcahy — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:31:00 GMT

It’s great to come across a local busines that’s making grassroots strides. That’s the story behind this Maplewood, NJ, company.

To help a newborn start off on the “green foot”, Greensender.com has introduced the environmentally friendly gift package called the Mini G Baby Package. The package includes Into the Trees, a new children’s book illustrated by Baby Einstein artist Nadeem Zaidi, organic cotton onesies and organic cotton bibs.

The Mini G Baby packages come in Deluxe ($73.95) and Premium ($39.95). The Mini G Baby Deluxe includes the original children’s book, Into the Trees, an account of a fun-filled walk in the woods on a beautiful day and beginning of a lifelong commitment to caring for the planet, three onesies and two bibs. The onesies sized at 6 months, 9 months and 12 months featuring an adorable illustration of Mini G; sitting, crawling and standing, respectively and the bibs feature Mini G at meal time; holding either a spoon or baby bottle. The Mini G Baby Premium includes Into the Trees, a single onesie and single bib. Both are packaged in a reusable snap corner basket made out of recycled paper. Items can also be purchased individually.

Etsy and The Storque. With $200 Shopping Spree!

editors — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:43:00 GMT

Our friends over at Etsy got us talking on their Storque blog today as they introduced the Handmade Kids Challenge. As we waxed poetic over some of the goods that have appeared here, on Droolicious their sellers keep satisfing the smallest customers with their handmade kids section.

Bonus - Etsy’s handmade kids section is looking for new sellers and crafters. So if you ever make clothes, toys and accessories for your little models but are not quite ready for your own Main Street boutique, start selling your wares on Etsy and you’ll be entered to win a $200 shopping spree as part of their Handmade Kids Challenge. If you have no idea what to do with a bobbin, don’t worry: you can still enter to win. Simply register and vote for the "Members’ Choice Winners," and you too will be entered to win a $350 shopping spree (apparently they feel sorry for us non-crafters, and so offer an even bigger prize to compensate for lack of talent).

So head over to the Storque blo g and handmade kids portion of the fab-craftulous Etsy and win big! - April Peveteaux

Bootylicious: Another Etsy Gem

Hand Made: Screenprinted Onesies For Your Little Urbanite

New Summer Fun T-Shirts at Etsy.com

A Green Living Room Set (in white) for Your Little One

SunnyChanel — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:12:00 GMT

Although I adore the look, style, and simplicity of this white kids table and chair set, sadly I won’t be getting it for my kid. Not that she doesn’t deserve it, but because I 1) don’t have $1250 to spend on a scaled down living room set and 2) don’t want her to have better, more attractive and more expensive furniture than her parents. She already dresses better than me, does her room décor have to outshine the rest of the house? I think not, I don’t want to raise a spoiled princess. But if I win the lottery in the next week or so, not only will I pop into DWR to improve my own digs, I’ll pick up this set for her too! Oh and this set by iBride by Kobo is made from reclaimed wood and recycled materials…yet another good reason to spend my lotto winnings on it.