Yesterday, you couldn’t help read about the new swing set the Obamas had purchased and installed for Sasha and Malia. The playspace is within view of President Obama’s office, and is definitely big enough to accomodate the girls as well as many friends. My first reaction was joy in seeing a kid-friendly symbol right on the White House lawn. My second reaction - is the structure eco-friendly?
The playset is built by Rainbow Play Systems, one of the country’s most widely known playset builders. The model that the Obamas chose is the “Supersized Rainbow Castle Package” (say that three times fast!). Regularly selling for almost $13,000, it’s on-sale right now for $8,999 (this is according to droolicious - I can’t find the price on the website). The Rainbow website explains that their wooden swing sets are made from 100% North American Redwood and Cedar, the “environmentally responsible choice”. That’s all well and good, but the big question is, how is the wood obtained?
The website explains: “Rainbow Play Systems has mandated that our suppliers adhere to one of two major forest initiatives. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) calls for third-party inspections of forestlands for sustainability and habitat use. Certification has been set up to certify mills to produce “Certified Lumber.” Certified means timber has been approved to be harvested under an agreement reached in cooperation with scientists, environmental groups and foresters so as not to harm watersheds around streams, wildlife, soil erosion, and to ensure no one area is over-harvested.”
Rainbow goes on to explain that the wood is not treated with toxic chemicals, but it is treated. They also say the sawmills are visited by inspectors several times a year to ensure the process remains sustainable.
So, what do you think? Did the Obamas make a good choice? Are they keeping their home green?
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Since early December, the poorly written Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans, ignited tremendous panic among handmade toymakers, crafters and toyshops, even trickling down to libraries and consignment shops. It’s been terrifying to realize how we would all be affected by the inability for small businesses to afford to test their products, rendering many toys and products for kids illegal based on this law.
However, the support and pavement-pounding protesting for making changes to the bill has also been overwhelming! Yesterday, it was announced that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has granted a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. The vote by the CPSC provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements, which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for lead content limits, phthalates limits for certain products, and mandatory toy standards, among other things. Manufacturers and importers – large and small – of children’s products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.
The decision by the CPSC gives the staff more time to finalize four proposed rules which could relieve certain materials and products from lead testing and to issue more guidance on when testing is required and how it is to be conducted. The stay will remain in effect until February 10, 2010, at which time a CPSC vote will be taken to terminate the stay.
Needless to say, many people are breathing a huge, albiet temporary, sigh of relief! The fight is not over to make this bill adequate for every business, large or small. You can still do your part, including joining this 15,000+ person Facebook group to Help Save Handmade Toys, or going directly to the Handmade Toy Alliance website! My initial post about this issue also highlights petitions to sign and people to write to. Let’s keep up the good fight!
The clock is ticking! Less than three weeks to both Chanukah and Christmas! Have you done your shopping yet? While there are an amazing amount of steals and deals out there, I don’t use them as a guide to gifts. Health concerns about toys and the debate over mass produced vs. handmade gifts still prevail. Here are some links to various articles about toy safety, toymakers, where to go for a wealth of handmade goodies, and more! Have a great weekend, everyone!
It may not be making major headlines right now, but lead and other toxins are still showing up in toys, and not just from China. Greenbiz.com highlights the results of testing 1,500 toys for the toy watchdog HealthyToys.org.
My post for Brita’s “Filter For Good” blog this week discusses how to have a handmade holiday this year! Forget toxins, it’s easy to find unique, high quality, and enduring gifts for all family members. And don’t forget to take the Handmade Pledge - you’re not only helping yourself, but the many men and women crafting their way to a memorable gifting season.
PVC, BPA, organic, fair trade - Not sure how to find something safe when shopping for toys? National Geographic’s Green Guide has a comprehensive article outlining how to find the most natural toys. With product comparisons, shopping tips, and a breakdown of all the new toy safety lingo!
Save the toymakers! The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is a great idea for imported toys from China, but has left smaller toymakers and crafters in the US, Canada and Europe in a terrible bind. The outrageous fees of mandatory toy testing will likely run most specialty toymakers out of business. Take a minute to read this very important piece, and tell Congress to save handmade toys!
Great news! If you’ve been following my articles involving Brita and their Filter For Good campaign, you know about the struggle to find a way to recycle Brita’s pitcher filters. The Take Back the Filter website and campaign has been asking Clorox (Brita’s parent company) to “go further and take responsibility for the millions of plastic filter cartridges that are also land-filled or incinerated each year.” Through everyone’s amazing efforts, diligence and support, not only can you now ditch your plastic bottles, but you can feel better knowing your filters will be recycled as well!
Brita will officially start collecting used pitcher filters at participating Whole Foods starting in January! You can also mail your filters in to Preserve, a wonderful company that creates household products out of recycled plastic (I wrote about their toothbrushes last year). Their Gimme 5 program, which includes all #5 recyclable items, will now take Brita’s filters and put them to good (re)use. It’s a wonderful, cradle-to-cradle effort, and one in which I’m proud to be a part of!
If you do not have a Whole Foods near you, mail your filters to Preserve. They ask that you use ground shipping and used boxes, and to please put your email address in the box so they can thank you! Here’s the Preserve address:
Preserve Gimme 5
823 NYS Rte 13
Cortland NY 13045
I hope this helps everyone feel at ease about buying Brita’s products, and to fully enjoy the benefits of filtering water instead of buying bottled. It’s a wonderful way your eco-efforts can truly bring you peace of mind!
In the “If it’s not one thing, it’s another” category, Jeremiah from Z Recommends alerted me to this very upsetting yet important info that needs to be shared. At the beginning of September, Z Recs received a horrifying email from a reader regarding a sore which ultimately turned into chemical burn on an infant. The mother stated that the injury, on the baby’s back, was clearly traced to the tagless label from the Carter’s pajamas the child wore to sleep.
Upon learning this, Z Recs went into investigation mode and did some digging into the manufacturing of these labels. Apparently, the tagless tags can be made from two materials - one, a phthalate-containing PVC, and the other, a “solventborne polyurethane that is post cured via a catalyst,” and may include formaldehyde. If the labels are not sealed properly, the chemicals can leach and harm children’s skin. After their initial investigation, Z Recs believes the tags are not limited to Carter’s, but Circo (from Target) and Gerber as well. The Carter’s clothing seems to come from their Fall 2007 line, but now the investigation is broadening into 2008 clothing.
The entire backstory from Z Recs initial report can be found here, and there’s a follow up post here. Without paraphrasing the entire article, Carter’s is getting involved by offering to take back clothing that has harmed children. From Z Recs:
“If your child gets a rash or lesion, call Carter’s at 888-782-9548. Then call the CPSC to report the problem at their hotline number: 800-638-2772. Then email us photos and some information so that we can reference it when dealing with Carter’s and the CPSC and reporting accurately on this issue.”
You can also email me at stefani@teensygreen.com with photos or questions. And please, pass the word around about this very serious issue!
Photo courtesy of Z Recommends
I make an effort to stay as far away from my computer as much as possible on the weekends, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to stop reading about green. I thought I’d try to pass along some valuable articles each Friday for you to click through. You can check out more links of favorite articles around the web each Sunday at 5 Minutes For Going Green!
FDA lifts salmonella warning for tomatoes, and admit they don’t even know if the tomatoes were the culprit. Farmers lose hundreds of millions of dollars from destroyed crops: CNN
Walking the walk: America’s 10 Most Walkable Cities: Daily Green
Happy Birthday Eco-Libris! Help them celebrate the more than 50,000 books balanced and over 65,000 newly planted trees all over the world!
High has prices have increased the use of public transportation to its highest rates in 50 years. Are you taking the bus or train yet?: Sustainablog
Need to replace the plastic turtle sandbox? The Green Guide’s guide to buying safe, sustainable backyard playground equipment is invaluable for upgrading your outdoor space.
I mentioned it in my last post, but I’m so excited to tell you all about Jill Buck’s new radio program/podcast as an extension of her Go Green Initiative! Go Green Radio debuts this Friday, June 27th, at Noon EST/9AM PST, on Voice America internet radio.
Jill has invited me as well as Scott McGinness who is an actor, father and founder of Global Broadcast for Kids, a website that discusses all things kids through the eyes of - kids! The “junior journalists” give book and movie reviews, talk about health concerns, and of course, there’s a great channel devoted to going green! Global Green for Kids gives tips and advice for make the world a greener place, for kids, by kids. Go check them out as well!
Go to Voice America, and click on the “Network” option at the top. The show will automatically feed through. You’ll also be able to hear the show after it’s over by downloading it, and sign up for the Go Green Radio podcast, so you’ll always be in the know about going green!
I hope you can all join us, as we discuss how we came to be so eco-conscious, why we do what we do, and what we think the future of green kids will be. Leave comments after the show - we’d love to hear feedback! Thanks again for supporting teensygreen, and for making better decisions for your family!
As the green movement has exploded, seemingly overnight, there’s an aspect of the green consumer universe I’ve noticed becoming more and more blatant to consumers these days. Known as “greenwashing,” it occurs when a company is claiming eco, but falling way, way, waaaaaay short, often for blatant marketing purposes. An SUV company plugging cleaner gas, with kids in the commercial? Yeah, right. I’ve been getting an amazing array of press releases lately, plugging products and services that may seem green, but to me, isn’t worth hitting the “write” button. But this one needed a mention.
Last week, Mattel announced a line of accessories for Barbie - plastic, twisty-tie-stuck-to-the-plastic-coated-box, Barbie - called the BCause Collection. This limited edition line “Reuses and Repurposes Excess Barbie™ Fabrics and Trimmings to Create Fashionable and Playful Handbags, Pillows, Diaries, Totes and Other Accessories”. Seriously? Was the release written on see-through paper?
Thankfully, other bloggers picked up on this as well, as did the New York Times, which ran a story about the release via Jennifer Lance’s post on Eco Child’s Play, as well as Mother’s Jones’ Blue Marble Blog. What’s the lesson here? While owning Barbie is not a crime (goodness knows my girls have a basketful of them), falling for corporate America’s ploys to make you (and your kids, this time around) feel better about buying more stuff should be. This, I think, is at the heart of why I started writing teensygreen - while I know certain toys or products will somehow find their way into my home, it’s finding that balance that takes the most work - and is the most rewarding payoff. It’s YOUR choice, not Mattel’s. Want eco-friendly Barbie clothes? Make them! Or, let them go naked. That’ll teach you, Mattel!
…plastic ones, that is. Whole Foods announced today that by Earth Day of this year (April 22), they will completely eliminate offering plastic bags as an option for shoppers. You’ll still be able to use Whole Foods paper bags, which are made from 100% recycled paper and are 100% recyclable. They’re also offering a new “Better Bag” - made from recycled plastic bottles, the Better Bag will cost you 99 cents to pack up and take home. This is an enormous step to cutting down on plastic bag use - on their site, Whole Foods explains it takes about a thousand years for a plastic bag to break down, as well as releases toxins when they decompose. They also estimate that from Earth Day to the end of 2008 alone, they’ll be keeping about 100 million plastic bags out of landfills! Check out the FAQs from Whole Foods for more information.
Not to defend the plastic bag, but as do many people, I really reuse the bags I accumulate from Whole Foods. They go in the smaller garbage cans around my house, in my car, stashed in travel bags, at the beach, anywhere a kiddie emergency is needed. And, if you’re like me, you can’t just run into to Whole Foods for a couple of things you can throw into a couple of canvas bags. I’d like to know your thoughts about this - would you buy Whole Foods’ “Better Bags” for 99 cents, bring your own bags, use the paper bags, or a combo of all of them? I carry a couple of small canvas bags in my car for the library, but I don’t think it’s enough for a Whole Foods run!
I think I may have to place an order on Reusable Bags to celebrate!
I was practically jumping on my keyboard to write about this. I just found out about Wee Generation, a collaboration of eco-powerhouses Seventh Generation, babystyle (ok, they’re new to the green scene, but still a powerhouse), Healthy Child Healthy World, environmental design expert William McDonough, and fast-forward design firm IDEO. This green dream team is gearing up to design an ultimate diaper bag - one that is functional, hip, and above all, Cradle-to-Cradle certified. Meaning, from the moment the bag is in development to the moment it’s in your hands, and as they put it, when it’s ready for “the great recycling bin in the sky,” the bag will be eco-friendly for all.
This is where YOU come in. Help design the bag by sharing your best and worst diaper bag stories, and voting for others’ cheers and jeers. Don’t hesitate to write about poop, leaking, tears, smells, dad/mom designs, anything your diaper bag put you through. They want to hear it all! You can get on the waiting list to receive news about it (around the end of the year), and win some AMAZING goodies - these guys don’t mess around! So, go write, enter, and dream about that diaper bag!
