I am very excited about a new find while shopping at Whole Foods yesterday. Mind you, my trip to Whole Food was only to include pasta for dinner and diapers, but oopps, founds some other things

Twist is a “European Sponge Cloth” and is used to soak up water and other spills. Its amazing, I feel like an infomercial,but its true! This a 100% biodegradable, reusable cloth that according to Twist, outlasts “17 rolls of paper towels”!

My new cloth was put to the test only hours after getting home when my son spilled an entire glass of milk at the dinner table. I got my new Twist cloth, soaked it all up, went the sink and rung out all the milk! I rinsed the cloth really good and in a matter of hours was dry and ready to be used again! SO COOL!

And as if the packaging on this product wasn’t cute enough, the paper that comes with the cloths has directions for a little bird feeder on the other side, so the paper can be used again. SO CUTE!

And for $3.39 this really is a bargain for 3 cloths that can be used again and washed in the dishwasher to get cleaned. I’m going to give this a try and see how long I can go without needing paper towels. You should try it too!!

For more information on this product and others, check out Twist Clean!

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!

Cooking has become a new activity in our house. Thankfully, my husband is a really good cook and he has been inspiring all of us to think of fun and new meals to make together. Cooking with the boys has really gotten them excited about eating and shopping for food! Especially when we go to the farmers market.

It is so important to shop local when you can, not only because you can get fresh and organic produce at fantastic prices, but you support a sustainable food system, keep small farms in business, and protect the environment since the food does not travel far from the source.

Here in San Francisco we are lucky to have many wonderful farmers markets, but according to the United States Department of Agruiculture, there are over 4,600 farmers markets in the US! Here is a great link to find a farmers market in your area!

RIght now there are so many wonderful in season fruits and veggies like brocolli, brussell sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, zuchinni, apples, pomegranates, and persimmons. There is no excuse not to pull out your cookbooks and come up with something wonderful! Enjoy!!

Its almost that time of year again, the dressing up, the pumpkins, the parties, and oh the candy!

A wonderful website called GreenHalloween.org has all the info you need to have a healthy and fun halloween this year. Halloween doesn’t have to be all about the candy (well, maybe a little candy) so just choose wisely! Organic chocolates, supporting local businesses, and wise choices for products that don’t just end up in the landfill.

Halloween can be fun and green, so visit this website today to get some great ideas and start some new traditions in your home!

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

I know I write a lot about packing lunches, but I just keep finding such wonderful reusable, earth-friendly, and cute products!

My latest fun find is from the wonderful site Etsy.Com on Gopita’s Dolls online store. These adorable sandwich wrap mats come in a variety of adorable prints and fold up with a little tie around the sandwich. When you open it up you have the perfect size lunch placemat! The inside is made from a washable vinyl material so it washes nicely after each use. The boys just love it and its perfect for packing school lunches or going on a picnic!

The perfect addition to your sandwich wrap is still my favorite Fabkins. Kid size reusable napkins that teach manners and reusing! My son loves to remind me to get the napkins for each meal and for his lunchbox. Fabkins even has come out with some new patterns and don’t forget their wonderful fundraising opportunities for your school!

And then to top it all off, my favorite new website is iLunchbox! A wonderful site that features recipes, lunchbox ideas, nutrition information, as well as shopping lists to make it easier when you go to the store!

Have a happy and healthy lunch!

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!

With two boys to pack lunches for almost everyday, storage containers and finding all the tops can take up a good part of the morning (for a list of the “safer choices” in plastic containers from The Green Guide, click here!). Its really easy, especially when packing for kids, to buy individual portions for snacks like apple sauce, yogurt, and juice. But by making a small and reusable investment in storage containers, you can actually save money by buying that bigger container of yogurt or juice. Without all that extra packaging to throw away, you can teach your kids a great lesson in reusable products and its an easy way to do your part in protecting the environment.

My new favorite storage container is this snack ball by Boon. Its BPA free and fun for the kids too! So take a few extra minutes in the mornings and pack your kids lunch without all the extra packaging. Now, I can’t guarantee this will get them to eat their lunches, but I guess you can just compost that when they get home

I love getting mail! Its so fun to get a card or an invite in the mail, but what about that junk mail? The credit card offers, the ads, and remember all those campaign ads we get during election time? Annoying and very wasteful! The Do Not Mail website, which is sponsored by ForestEthics, is full of scary facts (It takes more than 100 million trees to produce junk mail in the US) and tips on how to cut down on junk mail. Please see the info below regarding the petition you can sign to request that will give Americans a choice in the amount of mail they receive. Please sign today!

From DoNotMail.Org
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Junk mail does more than waste our time and invade our privacy: it also contributes to global warming and causes the destruction of endangered forests. In 2003, Congress created the national Do Not Call Registry, the most popular consumer rights bill in history. Today, we need a comparable registry to end the onslaught of junk mail. Our goal is to establish a national registry, modeled after the landmark Do Not Call Registry, that will give us the choice to stop unwanted junk mail from entering our homes.

Please sign the petition today!

Please take a look at this link and petition from the Environmental Working Group urging the California Health Committee to get BPA Out of Baby Bottles and Infant Formula and to vote Yes on SB 1713!

Click here to find out more on SB 1713!

Thank you!

We’ve all heard a lot of talk lately about the chemical bisphenol A (BPA),which can be found in polycarbonate plastic. BPA is sadly in most things that we all use daily, especially kids products. Its in storage containers, sippy cups, baby bottles, and water bottles. Its hard not to have plastic products when you have kids, but studies have shown that when plastic heats up, BPA can leach into the liquids causing neurological, reproductive, and developmental damage to those who have been exposed.

Thats where Green To Grow fits in…. An ADORABLE line of baby bottles made from, of course, BPA free material. Green To Grow was started by a dad just wanting the best for his son. He and his wife realized that there were dangers in everyday products with little alternative. As a result, these adorable bottles were born! Available in 5oz and 10oz sizes, these bottles are made from PES plastic, which are lead, PVC, phthalates and BPA free. Their packaging is made from 100% recycled material and the bottles are top rack dishwasher safe. The bottle nipples are made from a silicone that is heat-resistant, non-toxic, and odorless. They also offer gift sets that come with an adorable tote bag!

The founders Michael and Shelley have also founded the Bottles to Babies Initiative. Where they are able to “connect families who are no longer using their baby bottles with local non-profit organizations and women’s shelters that accept used baby bottle donations”. That is a really wonderful idea and makes me love the bottles even more! You can also visit their website where they have wonderful links to educate you on the different types of plastics and how to create a safe home for your little ones.

Please visit Green to Grow to learn more!