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! 

Well, I can’t say life is ever boring…after some unforseen circumstances, the fam left Panama and landed right back where we were in South Florida. Our timing may actually have been pretty good - the holidays made planning a bit easier for some strange reason - chalk it up to everyone was slowing down for a week or two! We’re almost settled, but I couldn’t let more time go by without getting back into the groove. Let’s start with a great giveaway, shall we?

My good friend, Whitney, of The Silly Wagon, just got in one of my favorite products in their newest organic styles. BabyLegs are a MUST for kids of all ages and sizes, from babies to crawlers and even bigger kids. The perfect solution for leg (or arm!) warmers, I first started using BabyLegs when my second daughter was crawling, keeping her knees from chafing and making diaper changes SUPER easy. Now, my girls wear them on cold nights, or to make their outfits a little more funky. I love giving them as gifts - the hard part is choosing which styles to pick!

This week, The Silly Wagon is graciously giving away not one, but TWO pairs of organic BabyLegs for not one, but TWO winners! You know the drill - leave a comment here with an answer to the following - what is your favorite BabyLegs style? You have until Thursday night at midnight, PST, to enter. Good luck!

This contest is now closed!  Congrats to Alison C. and Kailani!

I have an extra-special giveaway this week, sponsored by another blog I run called The Letter Green. The Letter Green blog is an on-line supplement to the quarterly print magazine of the same name my family and I have created. The first green magazine in English and Spanish, The Letter Green focuses on Latin American green news, innovations in green products, news, and much more. You can read the print edition here, or sign up for a free subscription - our next issue comes out in about a month!

To that end, we’re giving away a copy of one of our favorite ‘green’ books, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The idea behind Cradle to Cradle is a revolutionary one. The authors call for products and processes not to be ‘less bad,’ but efficient to the maximum. Just as ants or trees take away from the earth, they also give back, to be positively good for the environment. ‘Waste is food’ is the principle - by making products that can be composted, or can be used again without degrading them or the environment, we can acheive true upcycling where the need for more and more and more resources are lessened even further. Much of the book shows how the authors, as consultants, have put such principles into action for large companies, product development, even neighborhood design and actions. It is a true manifesto for change, and an inspiring read!

Aside from Cradle to Cradle’s revolutionary ideas about eco-design and practices, the book itself is innovative as well, and it a true testament to the author’s ideals. This is no paper-shredding piece of literature you’re holding. Cradle to Cradle is a “DuraBook,” a patented, synthetic, tree free, waterproof, tearproof book that is made entirely of plastic resins and inorganic fillers that can be melted and reused over and over again, without toxins or added chemicals. It’s upcycling in the palm of your hand!

Just leave a comment at the post (comment button is at the TOP of the post) for your chance to win your very own copy of Cradle to Cradle! You have until Friday at midnight, PST, to enter. Good luck!

If you’re like me, you’re almost done with Chanukah, stuffed full of latkes and applesauce (I’m a sour cream woman myself), strung out from one too many dreidel games, and about to sit back, relax, and let the millionth holiday commercial on CNN come and go without even a peek. If you’re not like me, you’re still on a countdown of shopping, organizing, finalizing, and wrapping. And herein lies the problem for many of us. I’ve written about what a waste wrapping paper is…all that paper, made to look pretty and then BAM! Instant trash, especially with kids, who will shred wrapping paper until every last glittery piece is ready to be landfilled.

What an amazing find with these box sets from treeo design, resuable boxes that are more like attention-grabbing accents for gifts - and will gladly be used again to make someone else’s face light up. Made from either recycled or FSC certified paper (meaning, no new trees were used to produce them), and using vegetable dyes for printing, the boxes have a funky, totally carryable shape and design to match any gift giver (or recipient)! The boxes come in either a set of three - large, medium, and small - or, a four pack of small boxes for stocking stuffers or ‘good things come in small packages’ gifts. Treeo is a mom/sister/friend-run company out of upstate New York, which gives me the feeling that a lot of heart and personality went into these designs. Guaranteed you’ll find a box set that fits your gift-giving style!

I just so happen to have the pleasure of giving away a treeo box set (3-pack) to one lucky winner this week! Just tell me which design is your favorite, leave a comment here, and you might win it…The giveaway is, as always, open until Thursday night at midnight, PST. Have fun choosing, and good luck!

PS - They make good, old-fashioned recycled wrapping paper too!

This contest is now closed!  Happy Holidays, and look for more giveaways in the New Year!

Recently, I wrote about Give One, Get One (GOGO), a groundbreaking program that provides child-centered, energy efficient ‘XO’ computers to underprivileged children around the world. For $200, you can send a computer to a child, and for $400, a child in your life gets in the on the fun. I’m pleased to announced that the organization behind GOGO, One Laptop Per Child, is extending the GOGO program now through December 31st! This is a truly unique philanthropic opportunity with a technology twist that benefits many!

If that’s not enough excitement about GOGO, PRIZEY, everyone’s favorite go-to site for wonderful giveaways and contests around the web, is giving away an XO laptop for one lucky winner! The brains behind PRIZEY, Z Recommends, has purchased an XO, and will be testing it out for review before the giveaway ends. The contest rules are as follows, from PRIZEY:

“PRIZEY will accept daily entries for the XO Laptop giveaway from November 20 through January 4. To enter, check the righthand sidebar of PRIZEY each day you’d like to send an entry, where we’ll post a “magic word” to be used in that day’s entry, as well as occasional chances for extra entries. Send us an email to prizey.laptop (at) gmail (dot) com with the word, and you’ll be entered for that day.

The last entries will be accepted on January 4, 2008, and PRIZEY will then select a winner at random from all valid entries. Assuming that by that date ZRecs has received the XO laptop and had two weeks preparing a review, the laptop will be shipped to the winner the second week of January.”

Daily entries!? Revolutionary computer?! Get in on the holiday giveaway craziness while the giving is hot!

Thanks to Jeremiah for reminding me about GOGO, and for hosting this awesome contest!

When it came to baby clothes for my girls, I tried my best to avoid the pinky pastels - a tough, TOUGH feat, especially because there was much less to choose from a few years back (we won’t discuss how much one daughter has made pink her signature color…). Luckily, the trend in clothing has turned a bit for moms who don’t want to go cutesy for their babies, especially for the organic set.

Tomo & Edie has become a huge favorite of mine, and not only because the company is named after two adorable children who are best friends. Tomo & Edie’s kimonos achieve a unique organic style not only by using organic cotton, but also through a dye method called ‘Kusakizome’ - a traditional Japanese dye technique using materials from nature. Each Kusakizome kimono for babies ages 0-6 months are hand dyed with natural dyes such as tea, plants, flowers, as well as unbleached organic cotton for a truly natural look. The result is a tie-dyed effect with vibrant, earthy tones. Of course, each dye signifies a special property - tea, for good health; madder root, for good fortune; indigo leaves for protection; and logwood tree for integrity.

This week, I’m so excited to offer one Kusakizome kimono for a baby you love! Choose your favorite color, and whether you want the kimono in short, long, or combination style. This is a true organic indulgence for any baby - don’t forget, the kimono only comes in size 0-6 months. Same rules apply - leave a comment here, the original post, by Thursday night at midnight, PST, with an answer to this question - what is your favorite Tomo & Edie kimono color? Thanks for entering, and good luck!

I love all things Zid Zid - my dream is to completely redo my daughter’s room to resemble a kiddie-sized Moroccan souk, complete with poufs, low table, a brilliant blue ceiling, and all the lovely accessories Zid Zid has. We’ll walk around in silver slippers and drink mint tea from gilt tea glasses all day…(can you tell I’ve thought about this a lot?) Seriously, many of Zid Zid’s products feature recycled cotton and cotton fill, vintage fabrics, natural materials, and all products are made in Morocco under fair wage conditions. But it’s the handmade-ness of the pillows and products that brings me back for more…Something I’m going to stock up on for gifts this year are the Zid Zid “Color Me” cushions, animal pillows ready for kids to design to their own style. I made the mistake of showing this to my older daughter, who is in full Chanukah mode…guess what just got added to her list? These cushions can be painted on, sewed on, glued, colored. Go ahead, they can take what your kids give it - and they’ll be best friends in the end.Speaking of giving, my new friend Jennifer, owner of the simply amazing Hazel Wood Children shop, is graciously offering not one but two of these lovely Color Me cushions for this week’s giveaway. Two winners can choose either the elephant or horse cushion. Please note, the pillows come without all the glittery art supplies you see above, but we’re sure you have plenty of crafty goods ready to cover these babies…This week, because of Thanksgiving, the giveaway will be open until Wednesday night at midnight, PST. Please leave a comment with an answer to this - what is your favorite Zid Zid colored animal cushion? (Hint: click on “More Photos” under the hippo to see them all!) Thanks, and good luck!This giveaway is now closed!  Congrats to Jessica and Marcie, winners of the Zid Zid ‘Color Me’ cushions! 

Sometimes ‘going green’ doesn’t always mean fair trade/organic/straight from the ground. I also love products that are made locally and handcrafted for your (or your kid’s) enjoyment. This is why I’m a big fan of Super Natural Baby, the San Francisco-based children’s bedding and accessories that take modern form and function to a whole new, multi-purpose level.

One of Super Natural Baby’s founders, Anna Rainer, explained to me that the emphasis for Super Natural Baby is “to make products that have an extended life - a diaper clutch becomes a make up bag for mom, a blanket turns into a poncho when the child grows and a crib bumper converts into a floor mat when not used in a crib anymore.” A gorgeous product that actually lasts more than babyhood? Sign me up! They also have some organic tee shirts and onesies I wish came in bigger sizes!

Super Natural Baby is generously giving away my favorite goodie, a blanket + poncho blend of your choice, just in time for the cold weather. What kid would love to be able to wear their favorite blankie! I wonder if they can make it in big versions, for those of us who walk around bundled up all winter (that one was for you, Mom!)…You know the drill. Leave a comment here by Thursday night, PST with an answer to this question - What’s the name of your favorite blanket + poncho design? Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed! Congrats to Christine W!

Who doesn’t need a dose of inspiration and positivity, well, every day? Andreea, the founder of Tees for Change, desired to combat the negative and scary questions people asked while she was pregnant. She put her positive energy toward not only having the birth experience she wanted, but shared it with the world through her organic Tees for Change collection.

Tees for Change are made of either 100% cotton, or a 70% bamboo/30% cotton blend. Dyes used for the shirts are eco-friendly, and the type is hand-screened using non-toxic, water-based inks. But the best part is wearing positivity on your sleeve (or chest, in this case). Phrases such as “choose happiness,” “seek balance,” and”laugh often,” not only remind us of what’s most important, but, and Andreea puts it, “create beautiful connections between strangers and allow us to affirm our greatness together”! Tees are made for men and women, in short or new long sleeved styles. As an added bonus, for each shirt purchased, a tree will be planted through American Forests’ Global Releaf program, who have planted more than 25 million trees around the world.

Win a shirt of your choice from Tees for Change this week! Just leave a comment at this post with an answer to the following question - What is your favorite Tees for Change message? The giveaway is open through Thursday night, PST. Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed! Congrats to Dayna P for winning, and thanks so much for entering!

Writing about being green and many other green-related topics to the blogosphere is fairly easy - when my five-year old daughter, however, asks me “what are going to write about today and why do you keep talking about the planet, Mommy?” - well, then it gets difficult. At five, she’s too little to really truly understand many concepts, but we’re trying to start her on the basics. Turn off lights when you leave a room. Don’t leave the water running when you brush your teeth. Hurricanes don’t happen all the time (we lived in Florida during the big 2005 season).

We decided to try out some books, since we’re all bookworms here. We started with The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon, and This is My Planet by Jan Thornhill, mainly because they are brand spanking new titles. Laurie David was a producer for An Inconvenient Truth - so you have to give her some credit on knowing the topic. The book lists the appropriate reading ages as 8 and up, and I can see why. Snarky writing and a lot of pop culture references gives it a tweeny feel, although it has piqued my daughter’s interest - she’s in a big animal phase right now. Broken down into four major chapters - “It’s Getting Hot in Here,” “Weird, Wacky Weather,” “Extinction Stinks,” and “What You Can Do to Stop Global Warming,” The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming also has a great glossary of global warming terms, a directory of careers for future green crusaders, and many resources for kids to help make their voices known about how much they care about the planet.

Amazon.com says This is My Planet is for kids ages 9 and up, but it was a much easier read for us at first. Award winning Canadian children’s book writer and illustrator Jan Thornhill provides information in small, concise boxes with a ton of beautiful photos. Thornhill breaks down her book discussing the Earth in general first, then through three specific environments - the ocean, land, and polar regions. Neither book shies away from the seriousness of the subject - this is why I think they brand the books towards older kids. We do, however, take the time to explain that yes, polar bears can’t live in warm weather, but no, the Antarctic is not going to turn into Panama anytime soon.

What does this all mean for you? It’s a lot of information to take in, so I thought this week I would sponsor my own giveaway, by offering one copy each of The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming and This is My Planet to two different winners. You can also purchase these books through the teensygreen Eco-shop. Simple rules this week - leave me a comment and my five-year old future green builder (she’s going to work with Daddy, she’s already decided) will choose the winners at random! You have until Thursday night at midnight, PST, to enter. Also, if you have suggestions for other books, please let us know! We love expanding our library, and I hope you will too! Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed.  Congrats to Blythe for winning “The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming” and Jennifer Barr for winning “This is My Planet”!