Organic baby blanket

You want only the best for your baby, and this adorable cotton thermal recieving blanket is made with organically grown, pesticide free cotton. It is 30: x 40". It gets 4 1/2 stars on babiesrus.com and costs only $10!

Help your pets go green

So you want to go green, and change your purchasing, living, and eating habits, but what about your pet? Here is an article from grist.org (an environmental news and commentary site) with some tips to making your pet more eco-friendly. In the article, it says that "if every pet toy sold each year were made of 100% recycled materials, according to The Green Book, it would save enough virgin materials to make a Frisbee more than two miles in diameter". Thats a lot of plastic!

Petsmart is carrying more and more organic pet products, including food, treats, and toys. Try this cat toy for only $4 or these dog treats for $3. They even sell recycled paper cat litter!

Vinyl Record Bowl

What a conversation piece! These bowls are made from unplayable vintage 33 rpm vinyl records. A mylar seal protects the record label and seals the spindle hole in the center. It cannot hold liquids or hot items but would be a great bowl for chips or pretzels.

You can buy them at eco-artware.com for $29.

Bamboo Disposable Dishes

Bambu has a line of single use plates and silverware that is made of 100% Certified Organic bamboo. It is FDA approved food safe and does not contain any bleaches or dyes. It is not recommended for the microwave or multiple uses, and after you throw it away, it biodegrades in 4-6 months. Bamboo is a good choice because it is sturdy, biodegradable, and is the fastest growing plant in the world. Bambu also donates over 1% of its profits to 1% For The Planet

These plates and silverware are perfect for entertaining without using your own dishes, or buying those yucky plastic ones! 

You can read more about Bambu's philosophy, and buy them at greenfeet.com. The plates come in 3 sizes, starting at $5.50 for 8 plates, and the silverware comes in a 24 pack (8 knives, forks, and spoons) for $7.95. Having a bigger party, such as a wedding or graduation party? You can also buy them in bulk.

Solar powered Shoji Lanterns

These colored lanterns look like the traditional paper lanterns, but are actually made of weather-resistant nylon. They have a solar panel on the top and an LED bulb inside. They are cordless are collapsible. On a full charge, they can provide 6-8 hours of light. 

They are $25 each, but you can get them for $23.50 if you buy 2 or more at gardeners.com

The Body Shop Sheer Lip Lustre

The Body Shop has just come out with 3 shades of sparkling, pearlescent lip colors to go along with their Summer Glow Trend Make-up Collection. 

They are infused with "white tea" fragrance, and contains Community Trade marula oil, Community Trade Organic camomile oil, and Community Trade Organic beeswax. The Body Shop is against animal testing.

You can buy them at your local Body Shop Store, or online 

for $15.50 each. 

You can also read more about their Community Trade program.

Camden Rose Wooden Rattle

Camden Rose is a small company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They follow the European safety standards for toys, which are more strict than those in the USA. This rattle is made of cherry wood, and finished with beeswax. It is made by local Amish woodcrafters. 

Each one is unique, and has a beautiful, simple rattle sound that you just can't get from a plastic toy!

If you live near Ann Arbor, you can buy one at the Ann Arbor Whole Foods. If you don't, you can get it on Amazon or Palumba for $15.

Kashi Go Lean Waffles

The Kashi company has been a pioneer in eco friendly packaging. They have been using 100% recycled paperboard for its product packaging since the company was founded in 1984, and are continually making strides to be a low impact, Earth friendly company.

These whole grain waffles not only come in a recycled and recyclable box, but they are delicious, and good for you too! With 8 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, these low fat waffles are great with peanut butter or fresh fruit on top, and are a great way to start your day!

You can get them at your local health food store in Original 7 grain, Strawberry Flax, or Blueberry flavors.

Glow for Good Ball

This bouncy glow in the dark ball from Orbee-Tuff is made in the USA and is non-toxic and recyclable. It is also durable, rated for even the most aggressive chewers. To top that, 100% of the wholesale cost goes to the Planet Dog Foundation, which supports canine service programs. 

You can find them for $10 at ecopetlife.com.

Grow a note

This beautiful handcrafted stationery is made with recycled paper, and is embedded with wildflower seeds! They are blank inside to express any sentiment, and when you're done, you can put them outside, or inside in a pot and the paper will biodegrade as the seeds grow!

You can buy 4 cards (which come with recycled, seedless envelopes) for $16 at icountformyearth.com

Weed Wacker Basket

These cute baskets are fair trade, and are made by senior citizens in Chinat Province in Thailand. They are handwoven from water hyacinth, which is a fast growing weed that is choking waterways in Thailand. They help control the weeds, give the elderly a source of income, and being handmade means that it is just one less uniform basket made in a factory. 

Click here to learn more about ThaiCraft and visit www.originalgood.com to buy a basket for $20.

The Patriot Pen

The Patriot Pen from O'BON is different from other pens because its barrel is made of recycled newspaper, which reduces its plastic content by 50%. It has spiffy designs and comes in either black, red, or blue ink.

You can buy a pack of 50 at myobon.com for $25.

Organic cotton sheets

We use cotton for everything-clothing, towels, and sheets, and also disposable diapers and feminine products. According to aboutorganiccotton.org, cotton makes up half of the world's textile sales. So why should we be using organic cotton? Conventionally grown cotton uses 25% of insecticides and 10% of pesticides used in the entire world! It takes about 1/3 of a pound of pesticide and fertilizers just to get the cotton for 1 t-shirt! That's a lot of chemicals...

Go to aboutorganiccotton.org to read more about conventional vs. organic cotton, and be sure to visit harmonyart.com to see a more detailed comparison between the two.

Many stores such as Target are beginning to carry organic cotton products, or you can check out www.gaiam.com, or www.underthecanopy.com

A good place to start could be with these beautiful Gaiam 100% organic cotton sheets. They are colored with low eco-impact dyes and finished without chlorine bleach or chemical softeners, and start at $40. 

Burt's Bees 100% natural sunscreen

We still have a lot of hot summer days ahead of us and we need to remember to protect our skin. Most sunscreens are full of chemicals that pollute the water, and also get absorbed into your body. Burt's Bees has a 100% natural sunscreen that uses titanium dioxide, a natural mineral, which reflects light and blocks the sun from harming your skin. Unlike chemically laden sunscreens, you can go outside immediately after putting it on and it will already be protecting your skin. 

You can find it at many stores, or at Burt's Bees for $15

100% Recycled Aluminum Foil

 If You Care Aluminum Foil is 100% recycled, and can be re-recycled again and again. How do you recycle aluminum foil you ask? Its easier than you think! Simply rinse off any food stuck to it, and put it in the same recycling container you put aluminum cans. 

Recycled foil exactly the same as regular foil, but it only takes 5% of the energy it would take to make a new roll. 

You can read more about it and see other products at IfYouCare.com  You can find this foil for under $5 at Whole Foods, or buy it in bulk on Amazon. 

Green Toys Sand Play Set

Made entirely in California, Green Toys uses recycled milk jugs to make plastic toys. The soft colors are so cute, and made with strict safety standards. They are BPA free, and are even packaged in recycled cardboard! Perfect for Earth friendly summer fun!

You can go to Green Toys to search for store locations. 

They can also be purchased at ChildTrek.com

and cost about $20

Degradable trash bags

These 13 gallon bags are just like regular plastic trash bags, except that they completely degrade in 12 to 24 months.

You can get 200 bags for $29.99 at www.letsgogreen.biz.

Preserve Toothbrush

The handle of this toothbrush is made from 100% recycled plastic, including Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups!

It comes with a reusable travel case, and a postage paid label that when you're done with your toothbrush, you can send it back to be re-processed into 'plastic lumber', which is used to make picnic tables and decks.

They are available in medium, soft, and ultrasoft bristles.

Also available is the Preserve Jr. for kids, which is designed for children ages 2-8, and the handle is also made from 100% recycled plastic, including yogurt cups. 

Preserve Jr. has teamed up with the National Wildlife Federation and showcases endangered species on their toothbrush packaging to educate children about protecting our wildlife. 

These also come with a postage-paid label to be sent back and turned into something else.

They are available at Trader Joes, and Target, as well as on the website www.recycline.com for under $3 each.