Green Options

There is an entire world of craft radio out there in the ether. In the same way in which I blog, obsessively, every single day about my crafty life on my personal blog and read the crafty blogs of others, there is also an audio/video version of that same crafty obsession that can be watched or listened to at one’s leisure.

While you grade papers, or wash the dishes, or eat your lunch, or walk home from school at night, you can listen to craft news (the CPSIA, although delayed, is still a big deal), craft opinion (which type of knitting needles are the best?) and interviews with other crafty people (Alicia Paulson has a lot of interesting things to say about the process of writing a craft how-to book).

I heart podcasts.

We are agreed that in our house we do NOT like holiday consumerism, but nevertheless, we do heart ourselves some Valentine’s Day. I’m all for any holiday that encourages us to share a little more love with our loved ones, and between me and my sweet girlies, by February 14, we can share a lot of love.

If you’d like to share some love with your sweet little sweeties, here are some fun, thrifty, and eco-friendly projects that you and your kiddos can do together for Valentine’s Day:

In a chilling precedent for economics bloggers around the globe, a South Korean economics blogger was arrested and charged with “Spreading false economic information on the internet.”, and if convicted could face 5 years in jail.

Today, we turn two-years-old!  Each year brings more writers, more content, and more readers to the Eco Child’s Play family.  (To read our very first blog post, click here)  Help us celebrate our 2nd birthday by enjoying a slice of virtual vegan chocolate cake and leave a suggestion for our third year of blogging life!  Thank you to everyone for their love and [...]

There was no shortage of fodder for thoughtful political discussion in 2008. Not surprisingly, the majority of the posts receiving the most comments were directly related to the presidential election. We’ve compiled the nine most-discussed posts of 2008 so you can take a little walk down memory lane at Red, Green, and Blue.

New Orleans-based activist group, Levees.org has learned that harassing comments being left at their blog were coming from computers registered to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

I asked Dean to tell me a little about his business and give us some advice for ecopreneurs interested in marketing and PR - and who isn’t?

Some tidbits from our conversation

So, Dean, What makes KoiFish Communications unique?

Do you know what twit, tweet, or tweeple means?  If so, then you are probably on Twitter!  What is Twitter?

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Eco Child’s Play has a Twitter account, and although we have found many green moms and dads already, we would like to follow more!

Therefore, we have created the definitive list of green parents on Twitter to make it easier for our readers to find each other.

Of course, we have unintentionally omitted a few names, so we hope you will leave a comment with your Twitter details if you are not on our list.  Furthermore, we are hosting a contest for all of our new followers (details following the list).

Eco Child’s Play writers on Twitter:

• Eco Child’s Play
• mcmilker
• JollyGreenGirl
• reenymal
• polkadotmommy
• birdladymom
• derekmarkham
• JessicaGottlieb
• everythinggreen

There’s a phenomenon in the blogging community that I like to refer to as The Artful Parent: in this blog, parenting and the booming DIY/handmade/arts and crafts movement interconnect. Both activities are discussed in equal measures, although the real emphasis is more, perhaps, on the status of both parenting and crafting as meaningful (if usually unpaid) work, the lessons that can be taught to and learned from children while crafting for and with them, and how creativity and inspiration are rewarding mindsets that can be taken from and brought to both parenting and crafting.

Most of these blogs also share a focus on the handmade over the store-bought; the use of natural, found, and/or recycled materials over brand-new and/or synthetic ones; and the act of parenting as a gentle, positive, attached life’s work. Here are a few of my favorites of these blogs:

Editor’s note: The following post was originally published on Green and Clean Mom. “Green & Clean Mom can inspire you to try a little harder, be a catalyst for change and to offer you some new tips and news on how to be the green, sexy and sassy mom…I know you are!”

Yesterday afternoon my phone rang, just as my daughter was waking up from her nap. A magazine reporter was on the line, we had a scheduled phone interview. Was it that time of day, already? Most of the questions were the usual interview questions about BPA, toxic products, mommy bloggers and my story of how I started going green and why. Then there was the question that stumped me.

“How do you deal with greenwashing?”

With the holidays approaching, I have begun looking at blogs focused on reviewing children’s products for gift ideas.  One blog I love is Super Cool Baby, which provides “news and reviews to make your baby super cool”!

Of course, I think a super cool baby is a green one. Although not devoted entirely to green products and news, Super Cool Baby does feature many eco-friendly products.

Here are a few of my recent favorites:

• Bambino Grande Pull Sled is designed for kids six-months to four-years-old and can fit either two toddlers or a single older child. It is made with birch planks, hand carved willow hand rails, and stainless steel hardware.
• Happy Tummi is an all natural remedy for colic as well as gas and general fussiness. It is an herbal pack that goes on the baby’s stomach. Aromatherapy and its warmth is what soothes the child. It is adjustable with Velcro, and it only needs to be placed in the microwave for 30 seconds before placing it on your baby.