Simple Shoes: Simple has a great line of eco-friendly kid shoes (and adults if you’re so inclined). They’ve got shoes made with recycled car tires, certified organic cotton, plastic bottles, recycled bike tires, and hemp, among other materials. They’ve even got baby eco shoes and vegan kid shoes to choose from. Simples are not only green but they last and last. I LOVE them. I’ve had one pair of Simples going on 7 years now, and they’re just now starting to be TOO old. They can handle what kids dish up.

ECOZOO animal bags: Perfect for lugging all sorts of summer gear around. Made with organically-grown cotton canvas, non-toxic dyes, recycled plastic components, sustainable wood accents. These bags also have padded shoulder straps and internal pockets. They come in four fun flavors and in case your kid has outgrown the “carry around an animal” stage, Ecogear also carries older kid eco bags too.

Natural & Organic Kids Sunscreen: All kids need sunscreen and Alba Kids Sunscreen 30+ is made with an infusion of certified organic lavender, aloe vera, chamomile, ginkgo biloba, and green tea. Another good one is Goddess Garden’s Kids Natural Sunscreen SPF 30, made with 70% organic ingredients.

An earth friendly kiddie pool: GOOD LUCK! It’s not likely you’ll easily find this item. So far there’s no non-PVC pools for kids readily available that I’ve heard of. You can actually get an earth-friendly (or at least more natural) home swimming pool or somehow locate a smaller used livestock water tank , BUT that seems like a lot of trouble. My advice – check into your local city pool.

Bonus: see some great green toys for summer fun!

Post from: Blisstree

Four ways to outfit kids in summer green

1. Friday Favorites: Caves Reveal Climate, Amazon Sighting, Eco-Tourism, Soaring Solar and More (A perennial favorite)
2. Those Kicks Aren’t Done Kicking – Reuse Those Shoes! (mentioned in BestHealthMag.ca. Nice!)
3. Five Reasons Being Green Is Good for My Mental Health (by guest blogger Alicia from Mental Health Notes)
4. Is $4 Gas a Good Thing?
5. How is My Green Sunscreen Holding Up?
6. Green Giveaway – Learn to Create a Healthy Home CD (check here for the winner)
7. How Does Your Garden Grow?
8. Do You Know What You’re Putting on Your Face?
9. Why There is an Environmental Blog on the Health and Wellness Channel
10. Seems $4 Gas Might Be a Good Thing in NYC

Post from: Blisstree

Top Ten Posts at Daily Tomorrow This Month

I mean, I’ve spent the week in humid 90+ degree weather at the beach and I’m not burned so in one sense, its fine. I’m just not sure it’s as green as I thought it was.

Confession: I think even the greenest among us are a little hesitant to put our full faith in some fully organic products without having a more potent (more manufactured) back up. Noel at Pretty by Nature just had this discussion about deodorant.

I was afraid the same might be the case for more natural sunscreen. So I came to the beach armed with 2 different kinds of “natural” sunscreen. Meaning, I bought them in the “green and natural” section of Drugstore.com and chose brands that I see frequently in the organic aisles of my local grocery stores.

I had plenty of nice things to say about Kiss My Face’s Sun Spray SPF 30 (cute bottle, lasts long) and Alba Botanica SPF 15 (great scent) until I decided to do one last check for them at the Cosmetics Database, a product of the Environmental Working Group which integrates personal care product ingredient listings with more than 50 toxicity and regulatory databases.

Hey! These aren’t so green! In fact, the Alba product is getting a big red not-so-nice sticker. Kiss My Face is faring a little better with a yellow, but still. Here I was slathering my body with what I thought was a better alternative. Not more of the same. Hmmm…
Why the aversion to chemical sunscreens? Daily Tomorrow detailed the dilemma and potential health concerns, including skin cancer and endocrine disruptors, this time last summer.

If you’d rather not make the same assumptions (and, therefore, mistakes) that I made be sure to check out the Sunscreen listings at Cosmetics Database before you pack them. I know I will.

Post from: Blisstree

How Is My Green Sunscreen Holding Up?