It Takes a Planet to Raise a Child

Help Save Handmade Toys

Some of the best toys are handmade. Many of us buy toys made by small businesses from natural  products because we want to support sustainable businesses.  A new act - the Consumer Product Improvement Act - was passed by U.S. Congress last August for a good reason; to protect kids from playing with toys made with materials containing lead and phthalates. But it will require all makers of children's products to pay for expensive tests for each item they sell, something small business owners can not afford to do.  The Handmade Toy Alliance is petitioning for common sense changes to the act. If changes are not made, many handmade toys and children's clothes  will be pulled from store shelves come Feb 10.

Sign the Handmade Toy Alliance petition here

Thrift Shop Back to School Wear

I'm not going back to school, nor is my 3 year old.  But this time of year still rings in an old feeling of new beginnings and the need to freshen up my wardrobe.

I am a big proponent of buying used goods.  I know quality used goods are a smart economical and ecological choice.  But so far, I have resisted buying used clothes for myself and have rarely done so for my daughter.  Instead, I usually opt for buying a small number of new quality clothing items, figuring that new good quality will last.

So I surprised myself when on a trip to the hardware store last week, I stepped into the local SPCA thrift store and starting browsing the clothing racks.  I was even more surprised when I came across some really good finds.  I ended up buying two pairs of pants for Porcupine, and a t-shirt and new pair of jeans for myself.  The jeans I bought were brand new with the tags still on.  They were also five bucks.

So there you have it.  I don't know if I am a total convert because I am fairly hung up on quality, and thrift stores sometimes don't always deliver for clothes in that department, but I would definitely look again.  Especially for Porcupine, who outgrows clothes in a few months time.  The clothes I found for both of us were good quality. The total bill was $20 and it went to a good cause.

Porcupine is wearing a pair of new used pants in this photo. 

And here is my SPCA thrift store back-to-school ensemble.

Hybrids Appreciated

My mom is looking for a new car.  She likes the Toyota Prius.  She thought the prices were high near her so she asked me to call our local dealer.  Turns out there are no new Priuses available in Charlottesville.  There is a six month waiting period for a new one and the waiting list is so long, they have stopped taking deposits.  The sales person told me a new Prius would cost anywhere between $24,500 - $30,000.  He has a used (pre-owned) one on the lot.  I don't know what year but it has 15,000 miles and the asking price is $29,900.

So now you can buy a used Prius for the same price or more than what you would pay for a new one.  Unbelievable.  My husband and I were looking into a used Prius last Christmas.  We didn't end up getting one, but shortly before we went to the dealer, they had sold a three year old Prius (don't know what the mileage was) for $16,000. Even then before gas went above $4, the dealer said that $16,000 was pretty low.

If you have a few month old Prius, now might be the time to sell.  Order a new one and take the bus or your bike for a few months.  You might even make money on the deal.

I don't like that gas prices are seriously affecting some families, individuals and small businesses.  But I do like seeing a market push to green.

Looking for a Green Deal?

Ecobunga! is a new site for green giveaways and deals.  Karen, one of the site owners, says they got the idea for the site "when we learned that the 2007 GfK Roper Green Gauge Study cited cost as the top reason shoppers were reluctant to go green."

If you are shopping for something green, go here first, they might have a deal.  The site also lists green contests.  Great idea and nicely designed site.

Mother's Day Ideas

Mother's Day is around the corner, so I thought I would throw out a few It Takes a Planet to Raise a Child themed ideas:

1. This is what we are ordering for my Mother-in-law - Organic Style's GlobalGiving Assorted Roses - give eco-friendly flowers and give to a good cause at the same time.  Organic style will donate 5% to a globalgiving project that builds skills and income for Guatemalan moms when you buy this bouquet.  Appropriate in more ways than one for my mother-in-law since our daughter is from Guatemala.  They offer bouquets for other charities as well.
2. Mother's day is the busiest restaurant brunch day of the year - skip the crowds and make some fruit crepes. This is what I would do if our moms were close.  One Friday night a couple of months ago, I had a dream that my husband made crepes for breakfast (reason inexplicable because we had never made crepes at home before, and my husband is not one to jump out of bed and whip up a hot breakfast).  Anyway, I told him about my dream and being the sweet guy he is, he did just that.  He used this recipe with bananas, strawberries (organic, but not local), and chocolate sauce. The next time we made them we added whipped cream.  The super-easy recipe is great for company.  A crowd-pleaser for both adults and kids.
   
3. Make this mom happy by purchasing a It Takes a Planet to Raise a Child t-shirt for your mom.  You can get it as is, or edit or add to the design at Zazzle.  Natural color organic cotton and dark eco-friendly Edun live shirts available.

Takes a Planet (dark colour) Shirt by nsjones
Get this custom shirt at Zazzle

It Takes a Planet T-shirt (Women's) by nsjones
Get this custom shirt at Zazzle

Have a good one.

Sustainable Manufacturing

Back to things green. Thanks to Maddie from The Green Routine I switched from Cafe Press to Zazzle to create It Takes a Planet Gear (hence the new, hopefully not too obnoxious or distracting, flash panel to the left of this post).

I am excited to see that Zazzle offers a sustainable apparel category that features organic cotton and edun LIVE shirts.  Edun LIVE is a socially conscious clothing company launched by Ali Hewson (Bono's wife) and Bono.  According to the edun LIVE website, they use organic materials whenever possible and offer encouragement and support to farmers and other partners in the local communities to transition from conventional to organic production. Edun LIVE shirts are 100% African - as they put it "grower to sewer" African.  The idea is to promote sustainable production in impoverished areas of Africa. And that doesn't sound like a bad idea. 

I also heard this short piece on KPLU yesterday - Toxic Toy Legislation.   A good reminder that not all toy manufacturers are making safe, let alone sustainable products.  Something we all really ought to think about.  In the KPLU piece they mention  Heathlytoys.org - the Consumer Action Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Toys.  At Healthytoys.org you can check out the best and worst toys tested so far and request to have certain toys tested (most popular get picked).

Takes a Planet (dark colour) Shirt by nsjones
Get this custom shirt  at Zazzle

Where to Find Green Gifts - Win A Shirt

I realized I better get shopping.  I don't like to buy a lot of "stuff" but I do like buying gifts.

Cheerfully, there is an abundance of green gift guides out this year. My favourite - Washington Post's Gifts of Green - I got one gift idea from there.

Fortunately, porcupine is too young to even know that Christmas is coming exactly, let alone make requests to Santa Claus, so we choose the toys this year:)
Some of my favourite sites for eco-friendly toys ;

• Moolka.com
• Organic Gift Shop
• Imagiplay

Santa is working on some haba fit together blocks ("green" lego-like blocks) for Porcupine and some other items, some of which have yet to be determined.

If you are looking for a book to give a gardener on your Christmas list or anyone who has a yard and mild interest in plants and/or wildlife for that matter - I highly recommend - Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens by Douglas Tallamy.  Just published in Nov and I just finished it.  Tallamy offers a common sense approach to helping out our seriously declining biodiversity, basically stop planting exotic moncultures and plant lots of plants that bugs like. That may sound unattractive and simple - but Tallamy will convince you it is necessary, interesting and potentially beautiful. Lots of really great photos too. Worth it for the photos and basic entomology review alone.

And finally (shameless plug), you could give someone a "It Takes a Planet to Raise a Child" shirt.  Post a comment to this post and you will have a chance to win a shirt or bag of your choice from my cafepress shop.  No joke.  I will contact the winner on Friday.   I know and am a little bothered by the fact that my cafepress shop can offer only one organic cotton product - the rest are "conventional".  I am looking for a greener alternative.  Any ideas, let me know

Bring Your Own Bag

We bring our own bags whenever we can/remember.  We use plastic shopping bags with our kitchen garbage can, but even with bringing our own bags, it is easy to keep a small supply of plastic bags on-hand - a testament to our forgetfulness and how often you are offered a plastic bag.

We got a great insulated shopping bag from Whole Foods last summer - free with $100 purchase.  If I remember (and I really try to) I definitely bring that one.  It is great - strong, fits a lot and is insulated. We also have some mesh ones my husband got that I like.  We have cotton totes too, but somehow they are clumsier.

Whatever your reusable bag preference, if you are bringing your own bags already or would like to start, go to New American Dream's C3 page.  Pledge to bring your bag when shopping and be entered into a draw for a bicycle for two, a trip to Glacier National Park and other prizes.  Also you get 20% off www.reusablebags.com when you use the code New American Dream sends you for taking the pledge. I got a kid's water bottle and some string bags to include in Christmas presents. Good deal.