Orange You Glad We Found This Website?
Date: September 24, 2008 | Category: Care, Clothing, Food, Furniture, Kids, Toys
Why is it that tiny newborns raise such big questions in the minds of new moms? Instinctively, mothers want the best for their babies and often even the most thoughtless person will veer towards eco-friendly baby products when they become a parent.
When Generation Orange founder Shital Mehta gave birth to her son Krishna, now 20 months, she was intent on using only the most natural products on the market. So when she couldn’t find baby bottles made using BPA-free plastic in stores, she contacted a distributor of the bottles and ordered a case to share with friends who had also been trying to track the bottles down. As she researched other clean infant items, she realized that bottles weren’t the only hard-to-find sustainable products.
Founded by Mehta with her husband Prashanth Mysoor, Generation Orange is built on the principles of health, sustainability and community. The site provides one-stop-shopping for stylish baby and child products, including toys, clothing and foods, all made with the most natural materials available.
Generation Orange also puts a premium on giving back and works hard to partner with companies who take that principle seriously too; about 90 percent of the companies whose products are sold on the site give a portion of the proceeds to charity.
It seems that when you mix green with giving you make orange.
Everyone Wants More Amenities
Date: September 11, 2008 | Category: Featured, Furniture, Kids
When Amenity first launched their nursery collection, we hollered their praises as the eco-friendly way to please Dwell-enthusiast parents. Now, they’ve added new designs in their signature style, and we’re sticking to our statement. This season has grown to include darling miniature blankets for security on the go; a printed percale pillowcase to celebrate the transition to a toddler bed; crib sheets of sumptuous organic cotton fleece to warm little bodies in cooler weather; and additional prints that can be mixed and matched with their older offerings. Same great color palate and darling animal graphics - so you won’t need to get rid of anything that is still practical.
Early Bloomer
Date: September 10, 2008 | Category: Furniture, Kids
When my kids were at the age where they spent much of the day cradled in a bouncy seat, the choices were between overly cutesie and downright ugly, with tons of plastic, powder-coated metal and obscenely bright fabric. The Bloom Bouncer, available through Pottery Barn Kids, has come to the style-loving, environmentally conscious parent’s rescue. Constructed from a single piece of patented Stylewood of certified sustainable birch, it is PCP (pentachlorophenol) free (a harmful wood preservative) and is as gentle on your family’s lungs as it is on your eyes…and the planet. As with all Bloom products (founded by four dads!), your little rocker will be ensured a safe ride without lead, BPA, phthalates, PVC, heavy metals or AZO dyes. And the cushy seat and five-point harness nestle baby securely and comfortably, so the whole family wins. Finally a bouncy seat that you don’t have to hide between bounces!
Reaching for a Cuter Stool
Date: August 27, 2008 | Category: Furniture, Kids
Sometimes kids need a little bit of help reaching just about anything; the world just isn’t quite built to their height specifications. Good that the colorful Astronomer Stool from QCollection Junior is at their service. These handy stools also double as seating. And at a summer discount (25% off $95-$105), they are a great value. In a little size and an even littler one, these proppers are made domestically from locally-sourced and fsc-certified solid aspen, with a non-toxic, water-based finish (so they’re free of VOC health hazards). Super light weight, kids can carry these around easily - so you may want to hide that secret sweet stash a bit further out of reach.
Orbit is Out of this World
Date: August 13, 2008 | Category: Care, Furniture, Kids
Despite our growing wisdom about the dangers of phthalates and other harmful chemicals, most children’s strollers, toys and products still contain them. We were delighted to see that Orbit is extending their environmental commitment to the development of a new product line. Their new Green Edition Bassinet Cradle is designed to meet the ever-changing needs of a busy parent (sound like anyone you know?). Effortlessly transitioning from a rocker to a pram, this stylish carrier features a 100% organic cotton interior and a wool exterior, joining excellence in design with sustainability. (more…)
Greening your Crib like the Stars
Date: July 16, 2008 | Category: Care, Furniture, Kids
What do Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sheryl Crow have in common? In addition to stunningly fast metabolisms, they all tuck their babies into Q Collection Junior cribs.
Certified by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute, Kidman’s baby daughter, Sunday Rose , sleeps in the Solare crib (shown), which, like the rest of the line, meets stringent low-emission standards that protect against dangerous toxins associated with health problems like asthma. Featuring functionally elegant designs and superb craftsmanship, all of Q’s simple, bright furnishings and colorful organic cotton accessories are child-safe and planet-friendly. A proud member of 1% for the Planet, Q collection Junior contributes a portion of proceeds to environmental causes.
Green Tea Party
Date: June 18, 2008 | Category: Furniture, Kids
In case you missed this (yes, we have mentioned it before, but a good table is tough to find).
Most children’s furniture has a temporal quality to it: it’s often made of materials not meant to last much longer than your child’s attention span. I should know since my kids have destroyed two mini-dining sets in the past 2 years. Lilipad Studio creates hand-painted and hand-crafted FSC-certified wood table and chair sets so stylish and eclectic, we wish they would make them for big kids too. The gorgeous table and chair collections, with inspirations as far as Asia and as near as the owner’s family pet, depict exotic flowers, butterflies, dragons, and canines in vivid palettes and meticulous detail. To make their furniture as durable as they are beautiful, all Lilipad Studio pieces are base-painted with non-toxic, no-VOC paints and finished with three coats of a non-toxic, low-VOC sealer.
An Excuse for More Tea Parties
Date: May 26, 2008 | Category: Furniture, Kids
Most children’s furniture has a temporal quality to it: it’s often made of materials not meant to last much longer than your child’s attention span and can be slightly less than sophisticated. Not so for Lilipad Studio, which creates hand-painted and hand-crafted FSC-certified wood table and chair sets so stylish, we wish they would make them for big kids like us. The gorgeous table and chair collections (we have mentioned them before but still love them as much as we did last year!), with inspirations as far as Asia and as near as the owner’s family pet, depict exotic flowers, butterflies, dragons, and canines in vivid palettes and meticulous detail. To make their furniture as durable as they are beautiful, Lilipad Studio pieces are base-painted with non-toxic, no-VOC paints and finished with three coats of a non-toxic, low-VOC sealer.
Really Special Delivery
Date: April 14, 2008 | Category: Furniture, Kids
When I was setting up my first baby’s room I scoured all of the the stores in my area and the web to find furniture that didn’t compromise my aesthetics nor the health of my child. It was a futile experiment. Thankfully for any new ecofabulous moms, there are now a number of excellent options. Lullaboo line from Celery is firmly committed to providing nursery digs that are good for parents (think easy assembly with NO hardware needed), good for baby (healthy and safe) and good for the environment (no deforestation or nasty emissions here). Selecting bamboo with non-toxic adhesives and 100% recycled formaldehyde-free medium density fiberboard with zero to low-VOC finishes, you won’t have to worry about damaging the Indoor Air Quality of perhaps the most important room in the house - the nursery. And it converts into an adorable bed for toddlers, extending its useful life! The Lullaboo Crib comes in quite a few color configurations and has complimenting accessories, such as the chic changing table, a kid-sized rocking chair and a modern take on the classic rocking horse. For an even earlier start, check out Celery’s cool cradle. Celery focuses on creating great furniture but the website definitely leaves something to be desired, however, Lullaboo is easy to find on the web so I encourage you to buy from a dealer you trust and one that promises to deliver in time for your special delivery (with eco-packaging options, too)!
Time to Crash
Date: April 11, 2008 | Category: Clothing, Furniture, Kids
Organic sheets have been around for a long time, but kids want bold colors and patterns, and finding that in an organic option has been next to impossible, until now, that is. I like Pixel Organics because they meet my stringent environmental demands while quenching my children’s thirst for fun. Made in the US, the organic cotton, sustainable and regenerated fibers are spun into pajamas and sheets. Dyes are solely water-based, and the company relies on eco-friendly materials like REFILL - regenerated PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) fibers from processing discarded bottles, recycled into the fill for their pillows and mattresses - and Pure Grow Wool. A member of 1% for the Planet, Pixel Organics also produces pillows and mattress pads for the younger crowd. If you live in LA, you can pick up Pixel Organics at my super stylish sister’s new store on Abbot Kinney - Eden’s Green Closet (named after my adorable niece). I will post about it in the next few days, so stay tuned!
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