As a self-professed book nerd, ‘green’ books can be both fascinating and highly informative. Unfortunately, too many of them say the same things, for a too-general audience, and give very basic, watered down advice. Not so with a book I have been referencing and carrying around with me for the past couple of weeks. Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World by Diane MacEachern, is an invaluable guide not only to going and staying green, but how to do it wisely and without breaking your wallet. More important, it’s an empowering look at the influence of women’s spending (MacEachern estimates that “women spend .85 cents of every dollar in the marketplace”), and how we can use this clout to sway the market to providing healthier, greener products and services for our families. MacEachern, a renowned environmental writer and public speaker, launched Big Green Purse in 2007, and has been a forerunner in green education. Her comfortable writing and engaging, timely topics makes greening your family and home lively and, dare I say, worry free.

In Big Green Purse, MacEachern examines a variety of topics, with eco-alternatives, label explanations, and what goes on under her own roof. MacEachern explains what organic really means, and how to shop for sustainable food; “Car Talk,” or, advice on saving gas; even the best coffee, tea, and chocolate products on the market. A distinct difference from other go-green books (and something I feel needs to be stressed even more than opening up your wallet) are the addresses and phone numbers of companies not holding up to sustainable promises, encouraging readers to make some noise and let big business know changes need to be made! Be sure to sign up for “Purse Alerts” on the website to have tips and tricks delivered to your mailbox so you don’t miss a green beat.

This week, I am super excited to give away not ONE, not TWO, but FIVE COPIES of Big Green Purse to my loyal readers. Leave a comment here with an answer to the following - what would you consider to be your most important green shopping principle? This giveaway will be open until next Friday, April 11th at midnight, PST. And be sure to sign up at Hot Moms Club and join the teensygreen group, for a more in-depth discussion of the principles behind Big Green Purse. I look forward to seeing you there and hearing what you have to say about spending green! Good luck!

This contest is now closed!  Thank you all so much for your wonderful responses - congrats to all the winners!  I hope you can all get a chance to take a look at this great book and add it to your green library…

Happy almost Spring! I know everyone is anxiously awaiting the arrival of warmer weather and more time outside, especially with Easter this Sunday. While the weather is still chilly, why not reenergize your kids with new, eco-friendly cards and coloring fun! I’ve written about Stubby Pencil Studio for Valentine’s Day, and I asked Kate Rosenthal, Stubby Pencil’s creator, to make party invitations for my daughter’s third birthday party. What a hit! I am so loving this paper company, I thought it was time to share with all of you. Stubby Pencil Studio’s “Green to the Letter” Stationery basket includes:

• 4 packs of Color ‘n Kids cards (winner’s choice of styles) - click the categories under “multi-pack sets” to see the styles
• Set of 10 Smencil pencils
• NEW! Set of 10 Colored Smencil pencils
• Box of 24 Soy Crayons
• One ’spring top’ pencil sharpener (winner’s choice of style)

This is an artsy kid’s dream! My girls love these cards, and it’s a great feeling to have them handy and not have to run to a card store for every holiday or occasion. The cards also have letter tracing and fun, unique, kid-centric designs.

You know the rules - leave a comment here with an answer to the following: what’s your favorite Color ‘n Kids pack? You have until Thursday, March 27th at midnight PST to enter. Good luck!

This contest is closed!  Congrats to Donna! 

I love singing the praises about yoga - anyone can do it, and there’s never enough that can be said about the benefits to the body and mind. With information constantly being put out there about getting kids outdoors, turning TVs off, obesity, and alternative ways to get kids active, yoga may be the key to kid’s physical success. It’s an indoor or outdoor activity, that’s especially fun when it’s with a parent! It’s amazing to see my girls immediately mimic my yoga moves (that sometimes take a little more time for me to get right!).

One book that we love at our house is My Daddy is a Pretzel, written by Baron Baptiste and published by Barefoot Books. Giving simple visual aids to basic yoga poses, My Daddy is a Pretzel gives kids (and parents unfamiliar with yoga) a gentle start to yoga. It also helps kids see yoga in everyday life, as the poses reflect nature and animals around them. Paired with a PVC-free, non-toxic, and biodegradable kid’s sized yoga mat from Lotuspad, your kids will be pretzel-ing in no time! I’ve written about Lotuspad before, and can’t get enough of how durable and accessible these mats are - not only for yoga, but as a great protective activity mat.

We took a giveaway break last week, but this week we’ll celebrate with two winners - each will win one copy of My Daddy is a Pretzel along with a Lotuspad kid’s yoga mat to help your little yopi get a healthy start to a lifetime of healthy habits! As usual, please leave a comment here with an answer to this question - what’s your favorite Lotuspad yoga mat carry strap style? This giveaway will be open until next Thursday night at midnight PST. As an aside, please note that all comments are moderated, so there’s no need to leave comments over and over - they will be posted! Also, please limit your entry to one per household. Thanks, and good luck!

This contest is closed!  Thanks for entering, and check back for the winners! 

I truly believe that every kid being raised green forms an eco-obsession of some sort. My girls love to play water monitor - they’ll shut the water off on anyone they think is running it too long. Recycling is just as important, almost sacred, in my house. One friend of mine has a four year old who is on a mission to save the world, one napkin at a time. Eating became a battle of the paper goods, resulting in total messiness and face-wiping resentment. So, I turned her on to the cloth napkin company called Fabkins, and viola! Dinner was saved!

Created by two California moms on an eco-mission, Fabkins are truly as fab as their name. Fabkins are kiddie cloth napkins (that double as placemats) to stick in lunchboxes or meals at home (or, as my girls thought when they saw Fabkins, will be really great at tea parties!). Sold in packs of five, a school week’s worth of Fabkins can help save billions of pounds of paper waste from ending up in landfills - and hopefully teach a thing or two to about table manners. Fabkins come in six different themes, each with five distinct designs for boys and girls alike. They’re made of 100% (organic cotton coming any day now, I’m told), are machine washable, and totally lunchbox chic (or cool, depending on who’s looking).

This week, I’m so excited to giveaway one set of Fabkins each to two winners! Please leave a comment here with an answer to this question - what’s your favorite Fabkins style (we’re pretty partial to the “Prima Ballerina” style ourselves). This giveaway will be open until next Thursday, February 28th, 2008 at midnight PST. Good luck!

This contest is now closed!  Check back for the winners! 

It’s tough to keep up with the amazing array of eco-shops out there these days, catering to every lifestyle and wallet size. One thing they have in common (besides the commitment to being green, of course), is they all have a wonderful story behind them. That being said, Kai Kids is the result of a Toronto couple’s small changes that led to big ideas. Taking baby steps to becoming greener after the birth of their sons, Nancy DeHart and Peter Chin found that going green became a growing passion they wanted to share with others. Since the name ‘Kai’ is their first son’s name, and means ’sea’ in Hawaiian as well as ‘keeper of the earth’ in Greek, it seemed only fitting to share the earth-oriented name.

Featuring clothing, toys, and accessories from the highest-quality companies out there today, including infant wear from Babysoy, Bare Organics skin care products, Klean Kanteen sippies, and Jolie Maman nursing wear for new moms, Kai Kids’ motto, ‘gentle on your family, gentle on the earth,’ rings true from what you’re buying down to how it comes in your mailbox. One complaint I always have, even from eco-friendly companies, is how tough it is to find greener shipping options to the consumer. Kai Kids reuses boxes and envelopes to ship their products, eliminating extra packaging and encouraging others to do the same.

To celebrate the launch of their shop, Kai Kids is offering two winners one $35 gift certificate each towards a Kai Kids item! You’ll find that everything is well-priced and super practical, so we know you’ll be able to find something for the teensygreen-er in your family! To enter, leave a comment here with an answer to this question - what is your favorite Kai Kids item? This giveaway will be open through Thursday, February 21st, midnight PST. Good luck!

This contest is now closed!  Congrats to Tanja and Lori, enjoy your Kai Kids purchase! 

Ever break a plate and wonder what to do with the pieces? Kids knocked over your favorite vase and can’t bear to throw it away? New mom and crafter extraordinaire Juliet has taken reincarnating dinnerware it to a new, super-crafty level. An all-around crafter (she was the brains behind the Junk Mail Love project), Juliet and her alter ego, fittingly called The Broken Plate, takes everything from vintage and antique finds to trendy Anthropologie plates and breaks them to make beautiful pendants, rings, and brooches. After a bit of smoothing and soldering magic, Juliet’s pendants are transformed into a work of broken-art. She’ll even take broken wedding plates or other custom work (family china, anyone?) and give them new life as jewelry!

This Valentine’s day, two winners can accessorize with their own Broken Plate Pendant necklace! Juliet has graciously created a classic Valentine’s day red and pink leaf pattern plate pendant, as well as a vibrant turquoise Japanese plate pendant. Please leave a comment here with an answer to the following question - which is your favorite Broken Plate Pendant? It’s a tough call, but take your time - it’s worth a look (and planning which necklace will go with which outfit!) You have until Valentine’s Day, Thursday February 14th at midnight PST. Good luck!

This contest is now closed.  Thanks SO MUCH to everyone for entering!  Congrats to Vida and Laura S for winning! 

One thing you MUST know about me is, I’m OBSESSED with all things paper - notebooks, stationery, you name it, I’m all over it. I could do a whole blog on paper - but for teensygreen, we’ll stick with the sustainable stuff. One paper and ecofab goods designer is blissen, by Jill Bliss. Bliss gets her inspiration from all things nature - right now, she’s featuring beautiful water and forest motifs in her paper line, with rich details inside and out. Of course, using veggie inks and recycled, post consumer paper makes the whole blissen line that much more special, but I guarantee you will be enamored as much as I am with her beautiful drawings.

Instead of the usual chocolate Valentine’s Day giveaway you might have expected, I thought blissen’s limited-edition ‘Kissy Kissy’ pocket pouch might be more appropriate. There are only a few of these left, so enter and get your Vday on with a little something for yourself. Or, if you have any daughters like mine who collect seashells or hairbands or pennies or anything they find on the sidewalk, give it to a little one who will always appreciate one more bag in their collection. This is a quick giveaway - please enter your comment with an answer to the follow question by Thursday night at midnight, PST. What is your favorite blissen notecard collection? (My fav is ‘tidepools’.) Good luck!

This contest is now closed!  Congrats to Carrie, and thanks for entering!

I’m going to try something a bit different this week with my giveaway schedule - I’m sure you won’t mind! This week I fell in love with Happy Green Bee clothing. A new venture from Roxanne Quimby, the founder of Burt’s Bees, Happy Green Bee’s 100% organic, fair trade cotton clothing for infants and toddlers are fresh, fun, and kiddie approved. I think the Happy Green Bee philosophy that clothing should be “comfortable, colorful, playful and ecologically responsible” is on the mark! What’s also super about these clothes is, aside from the dress and skirt, the clothing is gender neutral, each piece designed with a signature bee stripe motif. They also do wonderful, free photo shoots for kids at boutiques that carry Happy Green Bee. Check out the adorable photos, and see if they’re coming to your area!

My two-year-old has worn her Happy Green Bee dress over and over again. For a child who changes her outfits three or more times a day, I’d say we found a winner! The dress has washed amazingly well, and held up to school, the playground, and many meals (she’s a messy one). Speaking of winners, I have a great Happy Green Bee giveaway this week that will give any kid reason to buzz. Happy Green Bee is generously giving a short sleeved t-shirt, leggings, cardigan, and beret set to one lucky reader, a retail value of about $75! Please leave a comment at this post with an answer to this question - what’s your favorite Happy Green Bee color combo? This giveaway will be open until Monday, February 4th at midnight, PST. Good luck!

This contest is now closed.  Congrats to Ellie, and thanks for entering! 

Giveaways are my favorites to write and post, and these next few weeks are going to be super exciting, starting with this week. I was lucky enough to be put into contact with (and score a sample of) BabyBearShop’s line of super rich and luxurious mom and baby products. Started by mom Diana Lussenden Stewart, BabyBearShop’s signature Cheeky Baby Butter came about when she was living abroad and gave birth to a highly food-allergic baby. As Diana was strict with what went into her daughter, she was concerned about what was being put on her as well - and Cheeky Baby Butter was formulated. All of BabyBearShop’s products are made with 100% plant-derived ingredients, fair trade, cruelty free, 100% natural, and 99% organic. BabyBearShop is a member of SafeCosmetics as well as the Organic Trade Association, and collaborates with Healthy Child, Healthy World.

I have to say, I have used the Cheeky Baby Butter since the day I got it, and not just for my girls. I’ve used them on my hands, my heels, crusty noses, tushes, and scrapes. It’s amazing, and the teeny jar I have is going a looong way. It is the ultimate dry skin cream - you know, the one you’ve been looking for, forever.

This week, one winner can win BabyBearShop’s “Appreciate” gift set, which includes Certified Organic “All the Better to Kiss You With” Lavender Vanilla Lip Balm, Organic Cheeky Baby Butter, and the ever-famous Organic Mama Belly Oil. Leave a comment here with an answer to this - what is your favorite flavor of Lip Balm? The giveaway will be open until midnight PST on Thursday. Good Luck!

This contest is now closed!  Thanks for entering, and congrats to Jessica! 

It’s a new year, and, well, global warming is still a hot topic (sorry, it’s early). It’s nice to see that there are still innovative people getting involved in bringing awareness to the fight for the planet. WE ADD UP, a campaign whose motto “No one can do everything. Everyone can do something,” literally counts you for the fight against global warming. When you purchase one of WE ADD UP’s organic cotton t-shirts, the shirt will be hand-printed with your unique number (with veggie inks, of course!), along with an action, such as ‘carpool’ or ‘buy local’ for adults, and ‘Act Now’ for kids. For kids, this number is a very special way for them to be proud of their participation that “counts them in” to helping the environment (does anyone else have that Sesame Street song in their head right now?) They can show off that number, feeling proud that they participated in their own special way. Started by a mother/daughter team, WE ADD UP is a wealth of reading and other practical, organic products worth looking at as well! You can even start a WE ADD UP fundraiser at your school!

This week, two winners can get a kid’s WE ADD UP “Act Now” t-shirt! I love the idea that each shirt is made to order. Just leave a comment here with an answer to this - which is your favorite WE ADD UP action? This week’s giveaway will run until FRIDAY night until midnight, PST. Good luck!

This contest is now closed!  Congrats to Danielle S and Michele!