I recently discovered a great resource that is both solution and action oriented to solving the climate crisis.  It is called the We Campaign and it a project of   The Alliance for Climate Protection.  Their “ultimate aim is to halt global warming” by “educating people in the US and around the world that the climate crisis is both urgent and solvable.”   The site gives you many different ways to participate in the protection of our planet, offers great video clips and motivation success stories as well as helpful educational resource. Check out: http://www.wecansolveit.org/

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! 

Happy Holidays from Little Green Star to you!

We wish you all a very happy, safe, and healthy holiday with your loved ones!

Ok, so I’ve got a cold.  However, what I want to write about is more to do with the tissues I am using.  I just purchased Seventh Generation (awesome company) tissues and I have to say they are great and they come in a recycled box with a leaf pattern design on them, cute.  On the bottom of their tissue boxes they share a few facts that I think are worth repeating as the cold season begins! 

So, here is the information Seventh Generation shared:   “If every house hold in the U.S. replaced just one box of 85 sheet virgin fiber facial tissues with 100% recycled ones, we could save: 283,00 trees, 730,00 cubic feet of landfill space, 102 million gallons of water, and avoid 17,000 pounds of chlorinated pollution.”

On these cold winter days it’s tough to think about going for swim or surf…however, you can still support the beaches and oceans this holiday season! For those of you still looking for a great gift for a friend, you have to check out Surfrider Foundation Holiday Gift Membership!! For $44.00 (100% tax-deductible) your beach-going friend will receive: “one-year membership, a Limited Edition Surfrider Foundation/The Ryde t-shirt, a box of 10 Surfrider post cards, a subscription to their award winning newsletter, Making Waves, and stickers to show their support of Surfrider Foundation.” Cool!

On the subject of oceans, I thought I would share a couple pictures from my backpacking trip in Croatia this past summer. Let me just say the weather was warm, the beaches were white, and the water, oh the water, was warm and clear blue! I needed these little photos as I am sitting in San Francisco on this cold December day!

If Little Green Star could quote one of our organic cotton shirts, “water pollution makes me crabby”!  The oil spill last week in San Francisco Bay is devastating and sad.  It has impacted so much….beaches, ecosystems, water quality as well as plant and animal species. We were actually a bit surprised that the Department of Fish and Game opened traditional Dungeness ground in the ocean outside the Golden Gate to fisherman after the 58,000 gallons of sticky, toxic bunker fuel spilled in the bay.    Please visit Save the Bay for more information and ways to help. They have a short video that shows the impact of the oil spill to a local beach that is worth watching to see the extent of the damage.

Little Green Star is honored to be a member of the California Ocean Communicators Alliance, whose goal is to create “a strong voice for the ocean in California”!  “Thank You Ocean” is a statewide campaign organized by NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program and the State of California Resources Agency and implemented by the California Ocean Communicators Alliance.

On their website they say “The “Thank You Ocean” campaign was designed to instill in Californians a sense of personal connection and responsibility to our ocean and coast. ThankYouOcean.Org provides access to everything ocean in California including how to learn about and where to experience the ocean, the impacts of daily decisions on ocean life, ocean conservation issues, and what to do to help the ocean.” 

The site is a wonderful resource that is full of educational information that is easy to read and very helpful.  The great thing is you don’t have to be a scientist to understand it!   Be sure to check out the kid section for fun activities and creative learning tools.

One of my most favorite places to spend an afternoon after a hike or bike ride is Fairfax, California.  I love this town!!  If you get a chance to visit this wonderful community, stop by these environmentally friendly shops!

Fat Angel Bakery is a home-style bakery with a commitment to using the highest quality, locally grown organic ingredients whenever possible.  YUMMY!!!!!  Please watch the Our Story Video about the bakery, you will wish you were there right now!!  Shannon the owner is so friendly and helpful!!!   She has been a great friend to Little Green Star! 

Sunshine Bicycles is a great bike store with awesome people to help you!  Since the birthplace our mountain biking is in Marin County, it is worth a visit to a local bike shop!  Riding a bike around town is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint! My husband, Dave, really likes this local shop!

Iron Springs Pub & Brewery was recently introduced to me by my friend Rose.  This place is a Green Certified Business by the Marin County Community Development Agency.  Very Cool!!  I love the menu, is has something for everyone.  Since I am a vegetarian I ordered the delicious grilled seasonal vegetable plate with mashed potatoes and crispy polenta, oh and the Honey Bunny Blonde Ale J  Dave had the vegetarian Chile relleno!

tela d is Marin County’s only all-organic boutique that carries organic clothing for the entire family.  I was recently in the shop with Dave, and we found lots of items we loved!  The owner has a great eye for style!

Beach House Style has some great vintage and new items for your house.   This store is filled with unique and beautiful pieces; you can definitely find something perfect for yourself or a friend.   Just visiting their website makes you want to spend the weekend at the beach and to be in nature! 

Have Fun!!  Please post a comment below if you know another great place in Fairfax to visit! 

 Little Green Star specializes in unique organic cotton baby clothes that inspire & educate your little star!

I recently received a wonderful email from a very close friend of mine. She had just finished up a run at the beach and was taking a moment to do few yoga moves. As she was watching the waves, she started thinking about the correlation between children and the ocean.  She sent me her thoughts.  I just love this!!!!!
 

Water and Child by Julie

they are both so powerful, yet so calming and gentle
if having a bad day, they are both soothing and therapeutic
they are innocent and are so impressionable, yet so resilient
what we put into them, we get out of them
if we nurture them and take care of them, they will do the same for us
if we abuse them, they will infect us with their dysfunctions later
they are playful and beautiful
our future is so dependent on their health and well being
they are our future

Groovy Green is an awesome site that has the motto “start today – save tomorrow”!  It was founded by a group of fun, smart and dedicated people who wanted to bring together information about renewable energy and sustainable living to their community, “the little town of Ithaca, NY”. However, this site is not only for those of you living green near Ithaca, it is a site for anyone who cares for the environment!! 

Groovy Green has very talented writers, whose articles are worth reading…check out “Breaking News Blog” and “Groovy Videos” both of which are great resource to learn about new and innovative green ideas and different perspectives.  So, at your next dinner party or play date “wow” your friends with some cool green ideas you found on Groovy Green!