Ecominded Mama

More eco-friendly toys

I've been a fan of the site ModMama.com for a few years, but didn't think to check their site when I was looking into eco-friendly toys. We have a few of the toys they sell (my girls love the cutting food box, and I think the toaster may be under our Christmas tree in a few short weeks) -- it really is a comfort to know that the paint is lead-free and that the toys are solidly built from natural materials. 

If you know of other sites that feature eco-friendly toys, please drop me a line.  

An end to printed magazines?

Although I've tried to cut down on the amount of mail we get, we still subscribe to six or seven magazines. There may be an end to that soon, though -- I just checked out Zinio.com, which hosts digital versions of entire magazines online. Although it doesn't have most of the magazines we subscribe to yet, I can see myself making the switch to reading my magazines online in the future. It works much the way a traditional subscription does, but you read your magazines online (page by page, just like the print version... complete with ads) and can save them in your library for future reference. It's also a money-saving idea: users can purchase back issues of magazines for really reasonable prices (like Elle magazine for 99 cents an issue). Readers of foreign magazines or expats living abroad will especially love this -- they can subscribe to their favorite magazines without paying extra for overseas shipping. It's a brilliant concept -- I can't wait to see how the site expands.

On firewood

We were lucky enough to have a fireplace in our Brooklyn apartment, but with kids underfoot we rarely used it. When we did, we usually used Duraflame-type logs. We're in the 'burbs now and have space to store firewood, but I got to thinking -- which is better: Duraflame-type logs or real firewood?

The short answer is: neither. I did some web searching, and found two relevant articles in the Ask Umbra archives. The first basically answers the question of which of the log types are better (they're both bad for the environment -- the column says it's best not to use the fireplace at all and explains why), but it also addresses the question of whether it's better to use a fireplace or wood stove to heat a house or to use the central heating system (the heating system is more efficient). However, if you do want to use your fireplace, a second column offers advice about which wood burns the best. 

Natural & Organic category on ToysRus.com

Attention online shoppers! I just discovered that toy giant Toys R Us makes it easy to search for their environmentally friendly toys, bath products, bedding, clothes, gear, and more with their Natural & Organic category. Oddly enough, it's not listed in the category section in the main navigation bar (they do list eco-friendly furniture and eco-friendly toys, however), but it's worth following the link above -- I was impressed by the breadth of their offerings.

I was curious to see if other major toy retailers were also promoting their environmentally friendly kids' products as a category, and it appears they aren't -- I looked at KBtoys.com, Walmart.com, and Amazon.com, and none of them have a specific category devoted to eco-friendly products. 

Kids spreading the word

I was in a local cafe today and heard some older women at the next table talking about "that flyer" by the bathrooms, and although I couldn't quite catch what the flyer said from the snippets of conversation I heard, I could tell it was something to do with the environment. How cool is it that a child's drawing (click on the picture to enlarge it) got two senior citizens to think about their driving habits ? What a great way to spread the word about the negative impacts of idling.

Useful info about antimicrobial household products

I came across the article Antimicrobial Products: Who Needs Them? by Philip Dickey, and although long and somewhat dense, it has a ton of great information. The following is from a sidebar at the bottom of the page:

• Avoid household products containing triclosan. There is little evidence they are effective in homes and considerable concern about resistance. Triclosan does not kill viruses.
• Wash your hands frequently during the day with hot water and soap, especially before eating, after using the bathroom, and after contacting surfaces that might harbor a lot of germs.
• Keep your house clean using cleaning products without antimicrobials. Don’t try to maintain a germ-free environment unless there is a particular medical reason to do so in your family. If so, consult your physician.
• Handle meat, fish, or poultry with care. Avoid cross-contaminating utensils, cutting boards, sponges, towels, or hands. Use one cutting board just for meat, fish, or poultry. Use only clean implements on food that will not be cooked before eating. 
• Replace kitchen sponges frequently. Disinfect them weekly by boiling in water for at least three minutes or microwave for a minute or two (or both!). Launder dishrags in hot water every week. Keep sponges and rags as dry as possible. 
• Use disinfectants only if they are really needed. Choose an EPA-registered product labeled for the type of use you need. Avoid products with the word DANGER on the label. Vinegar and borax are not disinfectants.
• If using a disinfectant, read and follow label directions to ensure that the product will be effective.
• Don’t use aerosol disinfectants as air fresheners. You can’t disinfect the air. Find the source of an unpleasant odor and deal with it appropriately.
• Keep an antiseptic in the home for cuts and scrapes.

Reusable containers instead of plastic bags

I used to send my 4-year-old daughter to preschool with her snacks in plastic sandwich bags, but a few weeks ago I decided to try the Take & Toss plastic containers, hoping that she'd bring them home in her snack bag each day so we could reuse them but not quite sure if she'd remember to. But she has -- every day! I've cut my use of sandwich bags dramatically, and we haven't lost a single container or lid. I was so impressed by her ability to bring them home that I've started sending a real spoon on days when she takes yogurt or macaroni & cheese or other foods that require a spoon to eat them, and not one has been left at school.