While visiting a friend today, I got to check out her new floors.. cork floors!!! Enviro-Cork is a really cool looking floor, that is sustainable too!! Cork renews after it is harvested from the tree, so the Cork Oak tree is not damaged and continues to grow! It feels nice under your feet too, not to hard or cold, and is a great addition to any home.

Its easy to install, no gluing involved, and it has a nice finish on it, so it will be certain to last. Plus its much more economical than conventional flooring!

So if you are in the market for some new floors and looking for a “green” product, be sure to consider this flooring in your home.

We are thinking of painting our bathroom a nice bright color. Its always hard to decide on colors, but one thing we do know is that we will use a zero VOC paint. VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) is basically anything that can evaporate into the air, under normal conditions. Traditional paints are made from gasoline based solvents, which is that icky smell we all know from when you paint a room. The paint continue to emit gasses or off-gassing, long after the painting is done, which can be harmful to your health.

Benjamin Moore has come out with a beautiful collection of durable, washable, and quick drying ZERO VOC paint called Natura. With no odors, this paint goes on easily, can be matched to any color, and dries in 30 minutes!

Visit the Benjamin Moore website for more info!

Organic milk is becoming more and more expensive everyday it seems, but I choose to make it part of our budget. There are few items I am sure to buy organic and milk is definitely one of them. Organic milk is produced without antibiotics, growth hormones, or pesticides. The cows are also allowed to roam free in pastures and generally eat an organic diet as well.

Organic farming also contributes to protecting the environment, buy maintaining soil fertility, keeping the water clean, and maintaining a diverse ecosystem. Organic farms strive for sustainability and by relying on crop rotation, organic farms can be productive during each season, which keeps the soil fertile.

There is much to learn about organic farming and we should be very grateful for what they do for all of us!!

Our “Powered by Organic Milk” shirt was one of our very first designs and is very special to us! Right now it is on sale for $12.00 since we have limited sizes left! Take advantage of this great deal!!

So drink up and drink organic!

This August, Seattle will be voting on a plastic bag tax, the first in the US, which will HOPEFULLY dramatically reduce the amount of plastic bags used at stores all across Seattle. Voting to approve Referendum 1, customers will be charged a tax for plastic bags, but if you bring your own bag, you pay no extra tax.

For more information, visit the Seattle Green Bag Campaign website, to find out more.

This campaign is based on the PlasTax, passed in 2002 in the Republic of Ireland, which saw a 90% drop in consumption of plastic bags. Thats over 1 billion fewer bags!!!

I think this could be an important step for people to act as a reminder to bring those bags with you where ever you go. Visit Reusablebags.com for a great selection of bags! But you don’t have to buy new bags either. Bring any bag you have around the house, reuse the paper bags you have collected from grocery stores, backpacks, or buy a bag from your grocery store for .99$!

Good luck Seattle! Don’t forget to Vote!

Here at Little Green Star, we have a mission… to educate kids on the importance of science, nature, and protecting the environment. Not only do our tees reflect this message, but we think of our mission with everything we do from the paper we use in our office, to the inks on our tees and tags, to how we ship our products, and most importantly to the shirts that we use. I guess you can say we want to practice what we preach!!

So in order to be kind to the earth, we use shirts that are made from 100% organic cotton, which have been grown and sewn in the US. Even the organic lunch bags we carry are made in the US. I never knew I was such a patriotic person until I started a business of my own! It feels great to say that our little tees help support organic farms and manufacturers in the US.

So when you can, think local and think USA! If you have a choice between a big box store or your local farmers market, try out the farmers market! If you have a gift to buy, check out our SHOP page or Esty, for handmade and unique gifts! It helps keep your carbon footprint low and helps supports small businesses!

Specializing in unique organic cotton shirts that inspire & educate your little star!

Earth Day is a fun day, but everyday should be Earth Day, right?! In the morning, we are going to do an Earth Day craft.. I’m thinking something we can reuse in the house, like making cute flowers out of the toilet paper rolls or telescopes from paper towel holders. We are also going to do a little walk up the street and clean up as we go, all the way to the bakery of course Then I’m taking the boys to a San Francisco Giants game in the afternoon where the Giants have teamed up with the California Academy of Sciences for a special Earth Day game! Well, I guess the game won’t have anything to do with Earth Day, but they’ll be giving away reusable bags and will be giving out green tips during the game! It will be great to see and show the boys that even baseball stadiums work hard to stay “Green” by having recycling and compost containers. We are taking the train to the game too and it should be a really fun day!! So what are you doing to celebrate the day?

To find out more about the history of Earth Day and to see what people around the world are doing, check out Earth Day Network! On this website, you can become a member of the Green Generation, by registering what you do to help the earth, learn about bringing healthy foods to schools or just find out about local Earth Day events!

On Thursday April 23, Little Green Star will be doing an Earth Fair event at 555 Mission Street in San Francisco. The event will be held in the lobby of this LEED Certified office building from 11-1 and will feature many other local “green” companies. It should be a fun event and we hope to see you there!!

So get out and do a GREEN activity! Visit our Green Activities page to find fun and green activities to do with your kids, like start working on our Bee Green Calendar, make nature bookmarks, or create an eco-collage! Or do things like take the train to work, bring your reusable mug, and be sure to turn out the lights before you leave the house. All these things make a difference and if you start tomorrow, try again the next day too!!

Enjoy the day and enjoy our beautiful Earth!

image from the national oceanic and atmospheric association

For the boys birthday I ordered them each the Indoor Gardening Kit from Green Toys. This adorable kit includes 3 potting plants, a tray holder, dirt, seeds, and a trowel. Our kit included seeds for organic basil, sunflowers, and zinnia seeds. The boys had a blast planting their seeds and watching them grow! The basil is wonderful and has been used in many recipes, and the sunflowers are growing taller everyday!

The really great part of this gift is what it is made from. Green Toys, a San Francisco-based company, makes all of their products from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs! So cool!! These products are made in the USA and are fantastic quality. Even their packaging is fun to read! We read all about how Green Toys are made and how much energy is saved from using plastic made from recycled milk jugs (saves enough electricity to power a tv for 3 weeks, for example…)

Green Toys makes cool trucks, sand toys, jump ropes, tools, cookware, and tea sets! All made from colorful non-toxic recycled plastic. Find our more about Green Toys on their website and buy them from Greeno Bambino! You’ll be so happy you did and your kids will be happy too!

EarthLust is a San Francisco-based company that designs awesome reusable, stainless steel bottles. The designs are so lovely and unique and I want them all! They are good for you and the environment because they are unlined food grade stainless steel, painted with non-toxic inks, and the bottle cap is BPA-free.

There are so many wonderful products to choose from, even cute bags and hats! I love the 20oz insulated mugs too and they even come in 13oz ones for kids. Each design reminds me of the outdoors. So simple, pretty and relaxing, it makes drinking water a breeze!

I think having a reusable water bottle with you is one of the easiest things you can do to be “green”. And especially having a cute and stylish water bottle will make you use it more, which is great for your body too!

So check out EarthLust today! You can find them online and in many retail stores. I found mine at Sports Basement here in San Francisco. They make great gifts too!!

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!