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!

I know I’ve had several posts on waste-free lunches, but I just keep finding such great products. I’m obsessed!

To add to my obsession is SnakSaks, which can be found on Etsy. Lola makes all of these adorable snack bags beautifully by lining the fabric with a waterproof nylon which can be easily wiped clean. The velcro closure makes it easy for kids to open and each snack bag can be filled with sandwiches, carrots, pretzels, or other snacks your little one likes to munch on.

So check out these adorable snack/sandwich bags. You just won’t be able to decide which one is cuter! But the bonus is you get 10% off after ordering more than 3 bags, which is not hard to do!

This is a wonderful alternative to plastic bags and your kids will really enjoy them. In fact, you will enjoy them too! I have to order some more for myself! Happy Shopping!!

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!!

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!

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!

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 cleaned my kitchen floor and it was fun! Really! On a recent trip to Target looking for cleaning products, I ended up getting the Method Omop. Its only about $3.00 more than the “other” floor mop sets and comes so awesomely (is that a word?) packaged in a bamboo, compostable box and includes the “omop”, wood floor cleaner, a microfiber pad and dusters. I already had been using the lemon-ginger non-toxic floor cleaner, which is what I used in the kitchen.

The mop itself just snaps together and you attach the microfiber mop pad to it using velcro strips. When done with it, you can throw it in the wash and reuse! The dusters are made from corn, so these cloths are biodegradable and collect lots of dust (sadly I know this to be true when I used them tonight).

I feel really good about this purchase for all the non-toxic, compostable, and reusable elements to it. Cleaning is not something I’ve been very good at keeping up with, but I do think this product will motivate me just a little bit!

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!

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!