Little Green Star is proud to have met the wonderful people at Operation Shower, a non-profit group that coordinates baby showers for those women who have loved ones serving overseas in the military.

For Mother’s Day, Operation Shower will be hosting the first ever Eco-Friendly baby shower called Boxes in Bloom. The showers will be held from May 2nd-May 9th at Ft. Hood, Texas and Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

We were happy to donate some baby onesies for this very deserving group of ladies! To find out more about Operation Shower and to find out ways you can donate for this and other events they do, please click here to be directed to their website! They make it easy to donate $25 and have it go towards a variety of “new mom” essentials like high chairs, cribs, organic clothing, blankets and more! Or you can contact Co-Founder and Chief Shower Officer (love the title!) Lena Morrissey at Lena@operationshower.org for more information about the organization or how you can help!

I recently “met” the founder of Pure Mothers website online and I’m so happy I did! Deborah is a mom and a very knowledgeable gal in all matters of living a green and natural lifestyle. Her website is devoted to a natural way of living and her passion for finding safe and healthy products comes through in her writing. Not only does she offer product reviews, but offers very insightful articles on vaccines, birthing, breastfeeding, nutrition, and many other areas that new and experienced moms will find helpful.

I’ve enjoyed this website very much and I’ve learned a lot! I love her book suggestions, as well as product recommendations.

Thank you Deborah for inspiring me to learn more about a natural way of life, not only for my kids, but for my whole family. I’ve learned a lot and I look forward to reading more!!

Please visit Pure Mothers today!!

Greeno Bambino is a great destination for non-toxic products for babies and kids. Not only does it have one of the best store names ever… but they carry fabulous products like Little Green Star (hee hee), and tons of the coolest “green” gifts I’ve seen! I’m so impressed with how unique the products are, so keep checking back as it sounds like more products are added all the time. Everything from bottles, to trucks, to wooden blocks, to shampoo, Greeno Bambino is a one stop shop must for new parents or experienced parents trying to find the safest and best products for kids.

Tim is the founder of Greeno Bambino and a dad himself. From speaking with him and visiting his website, you can tell he is 100% committed to finding safe products. He is very passionate about the type of mattresses available for kids too, so Greeno Bambino will soon offer mattresses online, so check back soon.

Please visit Greeno Bambino for great information (its fun to read the site too, very funny!) and great products. Happy Shopping!

Bubble and Bee Organic offers wonderful bath and body products that contain natural and organic ingredients. We are big fans of the Pit Puddy and root beer lip balm! So we are excited to introduce Stephanie, founder of Bubble and Bee, who has some wonderful information to share with us!

Name: Stephanie Greenwood
Place you are livin’ green: The Rocky Mountains of Utah
Environmental Motto/quote/saying: No Bad Stuff!
Favorite Little Green Star design: “Bee Green” of course!

Although there are thousands of chemicals to be concerned about, there’s one group that is particularly offensive to me: parabens. Methyl- ethyl-, propyl-, benzyl- and isobutylparaben to be exact. Parabens are a group of chemicals used in water-based cosmetic items like shower gels, shampoos, and lotions as a preservative. The problem with parabens is that they act like estrogen in the body when absorbed through skin. These estrogen mimicers enter the bloodstream and can interfere with the body’s delicate hormonal balance. In fact, according to the Breast Cancer Fund, all six parabens “have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors.” They also “increase the expression of genes that are usually regulated by estradiol and cause human breast tumor cells (MCF-7 cells) to grow and proliferate in vitro.”

Since the year 2000, thirteen studies have been done on parabens that link the chemical to either cancer or estrogenic activity. In addition to reproductive cancer risks, this estrogenic activity can lead to reproductive disorders. According to author and hormone specialist, Dr. John R. Lee, when the body has too much estrogen compounds circulating, it leads to estrogen dominance. This dominance doesn’t allow the body’s natural progesterone to “balance” the estrogen, and can lead to disorders like like endometriosis, uterine fibroids, infertility, ovarian cysts, PCOS, and anovulation.

One of the reasons that I started my company, Bubble and Bee Organic, was because I was exhibiting the signs of estrogen dominance myself. After cleansing my body from external sources of synthetic estrogens and supporting my body with healthy foods, I was able to conquer the symptoms. In making this change I found that it was very difficult to find paraben and chemical-free personal care products in health food stores, so I started making my own. After I realized the drastic change that these pure products had made in my life, I wanted to share them with everyone. My partner Steve and I created Bubble and Bee Organic and haven’t looked back.

Thank you Stephanie for this important information! You can find more information about organic products, the ingredients they use, and more on their website and blog. So please think of Bubble and Bee this holiday season and anytime you need a gift, as they have wonderful gift baskets and special holiday scents! You should even treat yourself to something too!

I just ate a sundae. As in chocolate ice cream, caramel sauce, whipped cream and cherries. We went to Mitchell’s Ice Cream and anyone from SF knows that it was good I didn’t need the sundae and I feel a little ill from it to be honest, but after I finished scraping the caramel from the bottom of the cup I realized I was eating from a Greenware biodegradable cup. They look like plastic cups, but they are made from a plant derived resin vs. an oil-based plastic. They are compostable, made from renewable resources, and made in the US.

Its pretty exciting to see the new products coming out that are making a difference in the world. I imagine these are more costly to the retailer, but if more businesses used this type of product it would be really exciting to see the difference it can make. I also think people would be more likely to return to that business as well in order to support a “green” business. SO I guess that means I’ll have to get more ice cream!

But seriously, be on the lookout for Greenware products and feel a little less guilty about what is inside!

There are so many wonderful reasons to shop locally!  A few good eco-friendly reasons are that shopping locally helps reduce your carbon footprint and transportation emissions! With this nice spring weather it is fun to take public transportation, walk or ride your bike around town!!  Explore your community! 

Its wonderful to be pregnant, but it is so painful to spend so much money on maternity clothes! Well, thats where Maternity Xchange fits in. Instead of going to the department stores and spending a ton of money on new clothes, visit a monthly Maternity Xchange sale and you can find high end clothing at great prices.

According to their website, the monthly sales feature new clothes (priced at 40% to 70% off retail price) and used items on consignment (priced at 60% to 80% off retail price). The sales are located at the Presidio Sports Basement in San Francisco and other locations throughout the Bay Area. In addition to answering all of your questions about the sales events, the Maternity Xchange website also offers maternity clothes shopping tips and links to local
resources.

Maternity Xchange is a great example of recycling and reusing. Clothes, especially maternity clothes, can be used again, so don’t let these great clothes end up stuffed in the back of your closet for the next few years or even worse end up in the landfill! This might be one of the easiest “green” things you can do, I mean you as the seller get money from the sale (50% of the selling price) and you do something good for the environment by letting your fabulous clothes be worn again. Pretty easy!!

In addition to the monthly sales events, Maternity Xchange also sponsors the San Francisco Birth and Baby Fair. These events are usually in the spring and fall and are so much fun! We have participated in two of these events and they are our favorite events to do! Here is all the info from the Maternity Xchange website:
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The San Francisco Birth & Baby Fair, is an event for new and expecting parents in the San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area.

* MEET representatives from many pregnancy, birth, parenting and baby related resources including doulas, midwives, massage therapists, fitness instructors, childbirth educators, lactation consultants, photographers and more.
* LEARN by talking to experts in the birth and early parenting community, participating in workshops and watching demonstrations.
* SHOP for maternity clothes, children’s items and more. We’ll have cute, hip, funky clothing from local designers as well as our own selection of new and nearly new designer maternity clothing. Take home some original products from up and coming designers and support the local economy.
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I mean, is that fun or what?!! Its a great event, so stay tuned for the next event! Little Green Star hopes to be there as well!

So if you are in the need for maternity clothes, you’ve gotta check out these events. You’ll look fantastic and your wallet and the earth will thank you!

Maternity Xchange…. Because You’re Losing Your Waist, Not Your Taste!

As in bring your own BAG!!! Here at Little Green Star, we love to make new friends and to shop. So we have done both, yet again! We met Marc at the San Francisco International Gift Fair last week and he has started a line of bags to bring to the store, to “prevent and eliminate the singe use paper or plastic bag in a really, really cool way”. And oh has he ever.

Check out these wonderful bags priced at $19.99 at The Inconvenient Bag. You will love them all and it will make you just be so excited to bring your own bags to the store. These colorful and cute designs, made from 100% biodegradable cotton and printed with non-toxic inks in the US, promote the motto of the company “paper nor plastic”. Its a great lesson for those looking for an easy way to be a part of the solution of protecting our environment.

Not only can you find adorable bags, The Inconvenient Bag also offers a lot of educational information about this issue. Including facts such as “500 billion to a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year”. Excuse me, what??!!! Oh it gets worse. The US alone goes through “100 billion plastic shopping bags annually”. Ack!! And while paper bags seem like a better option because they are easier to recycle, more energy is used to produce paper bags and in 1999 14 million trees were cut down to produce the 10 billion bags used in the US that year. So you can only imagine how those numbers have gone up.

So this just might be the single easiest thing a person can do to protect our environment. Yes, it may seem silly at first to actually pay for a bag that you can you get at the store for free, but the out come is so much greater and you will feel really good doing it. I took my little owl bag to the store today and got a few compliments on it and I felt great knowing that I got my 6 cent rebate on my purchase and did my part today.

Once you see these bags, you’ll know why I’m all excited. I plan on using this bag everyday!! Keep up the good work Marc and I’m looking forward to the new designs!!

We recently met Kayse Gehret, Founder of Soulstice Spa, and instantly loved her and her products (we purchased a few things for ourselves).   Soulstice Spa is an innovative, boutique bodycare & cosmetic company that blends beauty, science and social responsibility.  Kayse’s favorite Little Green Star organic cotton shirt is “Future Entomologist”.  Kayse is livin’ green in Sausalito, California and her motto is “Look Good. Feel Good. Do Good.”  

Kayse has shared this helpful information on the importance of choosing bodycare and cosmetic products that only use natural fragrances! Please read her interview, you will be surprise by what hides in your conventional nail polishes…. 

“There is nothing like pregnancy to inspire us to start paying attention to what we’re putting in – and on! – our bodies… Advanced studies and scientific research have recently shown some common cosmetic ingredients to be linked with developmental, immune and reproductive impairment and toxicity — important to avoid for all of us, but especially vital for aspiring, expectant and nursing moms! Among the ingredients to avoid are: toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate…   These ingredients are very common in nail polish and nail treatments, such as basecoats, topcoats and nail hardeners.  Also be sure to avoid accutane or retinoic acid (prescription acne treatments) and minimize the use of high percentage Vitamin As (found in anti-aging/de-wrinkling potions.)  As far as skin & bodycare is concerned, you can greatly minimize your exposure to excessive chemicals by choosing products that only use natural fragrances, usually from essential oils, or those that are fragrance-free.  Many synthetic fragrances are composed of a “chemical cocktail” of sorts, many with over 200 components!  Synthetic fragrances can usually be found in ingredient labels listed simply as “Fragrance.” Fortunately more and more skin care creators have caught on, and there is a wealth of healthy products to choose from.  None of us wants to give up lush, beautiful nail colour, clear, glowing skin, or amazingly scented bodycare… With the development of safe, effective and high-performance natural products, thankfully we no longer have to!”

Great website resources:

For DBP-toluene-formaldehyde free nail polishes:  www.soulsticespa.com

To ask questions on skin care & cosmetic use during pregnancy, and general feedback from moms on all subjects:  www.babycenter.com

The holidays are upon us! As we start looking to find that perfect gift for a loved one, begin at Craftsbury Kids. Started by Mom Cecilia, Craftsbury Kids offers unique, handmade or fairtrade toys that “inspire children’s imaginations, and encourage them to be themselves”. Anything from European race cars, to paint your own wooden rockets, to adorable dolls, Craftsbury kids has a collection of toys and gifts that you can trust are safe (painted with non-toxic paints), sustainable (toys made with reforested wood), and made to last.

You can also view their holiday gift guide to give you some ideas for those kids that might not be so easy to please! And their book selection is really quite something too.. many titles I have never seen that just look wonderful, like Awake To Nap by Nikkie McClure or Come Out and Play by Diane Law.

So please check out Craftsbury Kids for the latest in cool and unique toys. The little one in your life will be so happy that you did!