Green Options » natural dyes

Gaia Conceptions- Eco-Friendly Clothing for the Urban Nomad

Emily Konkler — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:19:39 +0000

Have you been painfully searching for garments that are versatile, comfortable, modern and playful while being extremely eco-friendly? Well, no worries, your search stops here. From the mind of designer Andrea Crouse comes Gaia Conceptions, a line inspired by her months spent in India and Amsterdam. Not only do her well-rounded garments capture all of the above attributes, Andrea’s main goal is to use only the best available fabric including local organic cotton, raw silk and hemp.

Gettin’ Crafty in the Kitchen: Making Play Dough

Becky Striepe — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:00:50 +0000

Kids love play dough. There is no getting around it. If we’re being honest here, I’ll confess that I love the stuff, too! The store bought sort is pretty pricey, though. It comes in those plastic containers and contains preservatives to prolong its shelf life. On top of all that, I’m betting that the chemical dyes that turn it those lovely colors are none too natural. There are some more natural alternatives out there, but nothing beats making your own from scratch!

Luckily, making play dough is fun, easy, and you can even get your kiddos involved! My mom teaches preschool, and I still remember helping her make big batches of play dough during the last weekend of every summer vacation. We’d hang out in the kitchen, mixing and measuring ingredients. She’d even let me stir it in the pot while she supervised. I’ll admit that we did use that spooky food coloring that comes in the plastic squeezy containers, but I did a little digging and found some alternative coloring options that I think you’ll really dig. Enough reminiscing….let’s make some play dough!

ZapRoot Features Eco Child’s Play

Jennifer Lance — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:53:14 +0000

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Easy Eco Easter Ideas

Jennifer Lance — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:18:01 +0000

Whether you are Christian or not, children love to hunt for a basket full of goodies on the springtime holiday of Easter, which this year falls very close to the spring equinox. My childhood memories of Easter are filled with fake, green plastic grass, gross gooey marshmallow bunnies, and of course, the ubiquitous chocolate bunny. My children’s Easter gifts are a much more eco-friendly than those of my youth. Here are a few ideas I have come across this year for an eco-friendly Easter:

Green Gift Ideas: Stubby Pencil Studio is now carrying wooden toys. The Spinny Speller is great for teaching children phonemic awareness and reminds me of the homemade phonics mediators my grandmother used to make for her first graders. The Made By Me wooden kits are perfect for little hands to decorate and assemble. Both toys are made in the USA. Stubby Pencil recycled cards and eco-art supplies also make nice additions to your child’s Easter basket. The cards now come in eco-friendly packaging consisting of a custom button/string tie envelope made from 30% post consumer recycled paper and green seal certified.