I’ve been eying this fetching baby rattle over at the international wonderland that is Kiosk for ages, but I was a little turned off by the paint (even though they are kind enough to use non-toxic kind!) Well, someone must be listening to my silent hesitations because they’re currently offering two stripped down, all-natural versions in simple Vermont wood.

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This baby body sock for swaddling newborns is made from 90% organic cotton knit and 10% lycra which parents can roll up, tuck and hold their baby in.

Cozy Cocoon uses:

• Organic materials.

• Recycled, reused or resalvaged materials/fibers in production.

• Biodegradable materials/fibers in product line.

• Vegan or Animal-free materials/fibers.

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Take the Coyuchi Organic Cotton Percale Fitted Crib Sheet from Toronto-based Grassroots Environmental Products.

“Coyuchi bed linens are made from 100% certified organic cotton, which means the cotton is grown and processed without the use of pesticides, chlorine bleach, or chemical softeners,” explains the company.

Grassroots recommends washing the organic cotton sheets with baking soda or one of their Nature Clean products.

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“Dressing your child is a fun thing for every mom, grandmother, aunt and family friend,” says Kim Barker. “Dads get into it too -  Who doesn’t want to hear that their child looks adorable or cute?”.    That’s exactly Barker’s goal behind her eco-savvy company Love Bug Clothing Co.

For the eco-conscious parent, the company features trendy organic children’s clothing and recycled vintage rock wear for girls and boys.

In her Vintage Rock section, the online store offers stylish vintage rock concert tees, rock tunics and dresses by diverse designers.

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Fancy a new online store for eco-friendly children’s products?  Green product website Ambitious Green calls itself a “fun place to buy great products at the center of today’s environmental issues, concerns, and debates.”

Says Ambitious Green: “We think the environment and education are challenging debates worth having. Every time you make a buying decision you are telling manufacturers and the market what’s important to you.   We share the same frustrations you do - finding products that are natural, functional, friendly and fun. We believe that what’s good  for you can be good for the planet.”

Here are a few of the latest toys at Ambitious Green:

Dancing Alligator, $19.99 (shown above) “This award-winning, wooden alligator pull toy struts his stuff as he wiggles, bobs and click-clacks along.”  These toys are made in Thailand by Plan Toys, a green company that emphasizes socially responsible manufacturing.   It’s green because it’s made of organic rubberwood, non-formaldehyde E-Zero Glue, water-based dye, recycled and recyclable material and soy ink and water-based ink.

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A study of Americans done by the retailer Plow & Hearth, however, shows that some consumers - green consumers - are willing to spend a little more to buy a product that is environmentally friendly. According to an article on Portland Business Journal the study found that

About two-thirds of those going green this year say they are willing to spend between 10 percent and 25 percent more to by ecofriendly holiday green gifts.

Here are a few other statistics that the study found:

• 55% of women are likely to purchase green products
• 45% of men are likely to purchase green products
• Middle-aged and younger people are more likely to buy green than older people
• Those who live in the West are more likely to buy eco-friendly than other parts of the country
• 34% said that money is the most important factor when it comes to deciding about purchasing an eco-friendly product

So what can we conclude from this?

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As luck would have it, this month’s theme for the showcase is all about green:

Here we are, entering our 6th month at poppytalk handmade and we can’t think of a better way to ring it in than as an eco-themed market! As each market starts up, there’s always a bustle going on, and the anticipation to see everyone’s table come to life is my favorite part! We are thrilled to showcase this emerging talent with green spirits!

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]]> http://craftingagreenworld.com/2008/03/11/green-pop-shop-at-poppytalk-handmade/feed/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/03/03/shop-green-online-with-thepurplebook/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/03/03/shop-green-online-with-thepurplebook/#comments Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:39:26 +0000 Victoria Everman http://sustainablog.org/2008/03/03/shop-green-online-with-thepurplebook/ Unless you live a Compact-like lifestyle, you are going to be shopping on a somewhat regular basis. Whether it be home improvements, gifts, furnishings, crafts, gardening, fashions, babies, sports, pets or anything else you have going on, there is a green option to be found.

But where do you buy from? I’m all for promoting local businesses and buying from small stores right in your own town. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, you may have little to no options in that category. The easiest thing to do is log on to the internet (and you already have since you are reading this) and partake in the massive variety it has to offer.

After the runaway success with their first thepurplebook: the definitive guide to exceptional online shopping in 2000, authors Hillary Mendelsohn and Ian Anderson have released a number of specialized editions. Hitting book shelves in January 2008, thepurplebook Green: an eco-friendly online shopping guide is the latest of their incarnations.

Whether you’re new to the eco-lifestyle or so sustainably settled that you have a composting toilet and solar panels, thepurplebook Green Edition has something to offer everyone. Though the book is about shopping, it continually reminds readers to reuse what they already have. “The greenest thing you can do is to extend the lifespan of the products you already own,” says Hillary in the book’s introduction. “When it comes to shopping, it’s usually a matter of buying eco-friendly versions of the same products you already use.”

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/03/03/shop-green-online-with-thepurplebook/feed/ http://victoriae.greenoptions.com/2007/11/15/green-shopping-spotlight-organic-style/ http://victoriae.greenoptions.com/2007/11/15/green-shopping-spotlight-organic-style/#comments Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:54:56 +0000 Victoria Everman http://victoriae.greenoptions.com/2007/11/15/green-shopping-spotlight-organic-style/ Thanksgiving is only a week away, which means the gift-giving season is in full swing. To make your seasonal shopping easier and more sustainable, I’m bringing you a series of green online stores that offer a wide variety of eco-gifts that would make anyone on your list feel appreciated. The first offering in this series was Max and Zane and now, for my second installment, I bring you Organic Style.

Your might remember Rodale’s Organic Style Magazine, which ran from 2001 to 2005, acting as a vital source of information for consumers during the early stages of the second coming of the environmental movement. Bought by sustainable flower innovator Organic Bouquet in May of this year, I interviewed Organic Bouquet’s CEO Gerald Prolman not long after the deal was made public. Launched just a few days ago, Organic Style is primed to become a top eco-shopping destination.

“All the products sold on the site will be either certified organic, transition to organic, bio-dynamic, sustainable, Fair Trade or a new category we call ‘not certified but worthy.’ To help get the word out, we plan re-launch the Organic Style magazine in the second quarter of 2008. We plan to initially publish the Organic Style magazine quarterly and offer it as a free OrganicStyle.com customer benefit. We want to give our customers information that will be valuable in their lives, that will help them make informed decisions about a balanced and responsible way to live and celebrate life,” said Gerald Prolman in our August interview.

As expected, Organic Style offers a breathtaking variety of flowers, wreathes, and plants - my personal favorites are the charitable bouquets, which give a percentage of each purchase price to each bouquet’s non-profit organization. The holiday section offers seasonal gift baskets, wreathes, and gifts for your favorite canine (hopefully they’ll had some feline offerings too). As a bit of a sweets fiend, I was instantly drawn to the organic holiday sugar cookies and organic gingerbread cookies gift baskets. If gift baskets are your favorite way to give gifts, make sure to check out the gourmet section of Organic Style, which has nearly 30 different eco-combinations.

Even after the holidays have passed, Organic Style is a bookmark-able shopping destination for green wardrobe, gardening, and bed & bath goods (I’ve already got my eyes on their beautifully colored organic blankets). With my eco-fashion business focus, I couldn’t help but be impressed by their apparel category that offers non-nonsense, well-designed garments and accessories.

Though most of us don’t need an extra incentive to shop, Organic Style has a built-in eco-points program. Every time you make a purchase on the Organic Style site, your earn eco-points (1 point for each dollar spent). For every 10 points your earn, you can use them for $1 off a future purchase. Upon reaching a few hundreds points, you can also redeem your eco-points for free flower bouquets to help brighten your (or someone else’s) day.

Do you have a favorite online green store? Share your choice shopping destinations in the comments section and they will be considered for the next installment of Green Shopping Spotlight.

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