Monthly Archives: December 2008

Will Natural Toys Be Almost Illegal?

A new rule from the Consumer Products Safety Commission will bring this awfully close to the truth. The rule is called CPSIA, and I was first alerted to it by this post on Eco Child’s Play.

The problem is that this rule mandates third party testing for all toys, and labeling with a date and batch number. The testing would be up to $4000 per toy.

This is overkill. The problems with lead paint and such haven’t been so much with toys made by individuals, or toys made in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The rules for manufacturing toys in many of these places make such testing unnecessary, and quite burdensome to smaller companies.

What can you do?

Write to your Congressperson here, Senator and the CPSC. Tell them what you think. The Handmade Toy Alliance has a sample letter that I found linked at the Eco Child’s Play site.

All of this is so frustrating to see. We have the FDA doing a lousy job protecting us, and now the CPSC going into overkill, which will be bad for small businesses. Sometimes you just can’t win either way. But you can register your disagreement and try to make a change.

Green Gift Wrap Ideas

Shopping for green gifts is a great idea, but it’s important to not forget how you wrap the gift. Sometimes it’s just a matter of reusing, but you can also make the wrap a part of the gift.

1. Reuse gift bags or gift wrap in good condition.

This one drives my mother-in-law nuts when she catches us at it, but it only makes sense to me. Gift bags in particular tend to be highly reusable. They get torn less often and are of a heavier paper.

People can be pickier about gift wrapping paper, as the wrinkles often show, but if you look through it you can figure out which will still look good as you reuse it.

2. Children’s artwork.

Most children produce quite the quantity of artwork. You can encourage their creativity and make wrapping paper other people want to hold onto by making it a project for your kids. Many will do it happily, and you won’t have to decide what to do with those “masterpieces”.

3. Make it a part of the gift.

There are so many ways you can do this. Garden supplies in a bucket. Bath supplies wrapped in a towel. Kitchen tools or spices in a bowl. Toys wrapped in play silks.

It’s the same idea as a gift basket, but with the goal of having the item used as a basket be just as useful. After all, how many people need all those baskets?

4. Reusable bags.

It can be a cloth gift bag or a reusable shopping bag. It’s a fun way to encourage people who haven’t quite gone in for the reusable bag trend to give it a try.

If you sew, you can also make your own reusable bags for gift giving.

5. Reuse gift boxes.

Most boxes can be used over and over again. It can be a little challenging if someone tapes a paper box shut, as the tape can tear the design when you open it, but do your best.

6. Recycled paper gift wrap.

You can also find gift wrap made from recycled paper. It’s a nice step up from regular gift wrap when other suggestions just won’t work.

7. Shredded paper for packaging.

You don’t need packing peanuts or other things for anything you need to ship or otherwise protect. Just start shredding your junk mail and you’ll probably have plenty of protection for almost any gift.

8. Skip the gift wrap.

We don’t do this much at Christmas in my family, but for birthdays we’re notorious for “not having the time” to wrap a gift. If the people you know don’t mind, just skip it altogether. It’s the thought that counts, not the presentation. Just be sure the recipient is comfortable with the idea as some can be offended.

9. Don’t forget the green cards.

Grow-A-Note makes some nice cards that grows wildflowers when planted. You can also look for cards made on recycled paper.

It’s also a good idea to be aware of the rules for recycling gift wrap in your area. Some places make it easier than others to recycle gift wrap. You aren’t in control of what people wrap gifts to you in, after all, and if you can’t reuse it you can at least try to figure out if it can be recycled. Many areas can recycle wrapping paper that is not metallic or laminated. Remove the tape and many kinds of wrapping paper will qualify for recycling.

What ideas do you have for green gift wrap?

Sunday Links 12-7-08

Weatherproofing 101: Windows – This is something I need to look at, particularly for my son’s window. Always the coldest room in the house during the winter, and it’s an old casement window.

5 Simple Holiday Crafts to Decorate and Celebrate – Kids always love doing crafts. You may have done some of these during your own childhood.

Environmental Defense Fund: Oceans of Jellyfish? Or Oceans of Abundance? The Choice is Ours – Something to think about, especially if you love seafood.

Compost vs Landfill: Does it Really Make a Difference? – Why should you compost, you ask? Well, if you’re here you may not be asking that, but it’s good to have an answer for those who do question it.

Crafting pizza, mail, and sachets out of felt! – This got me to thinking that I could have my daughter make her presents for her cousins this year. She was asking just a couple weeks ago about learning to sew.

Easy Green – Simple And Inexpensive Ways To Make An Eco-Difference. – Going green isn’t always tough or more expensive. This always bears repeating.

DIY Play Kitchen Links – Young children love using play kitchens, but buying them is so expensive. These are some good ideas, or you can do as my sister did, buy a short, old dresser and paint a stove pattern on the top. Her kids love it.

Thinking About Sugar and Kids – I know I see a difference in behavior when I let my kids have too much sugar. But with a healthy start they won’t complain much about it being limited.

The Five Reasons Why I Recycle – Very simple and good reasons to recycle. Really, does anyone need more reason than this? Apparently some do.

Say Aloe to your Health – Aloe Vera is easy to grow, too. One of my favorite sunburn treatments.

Too many cloth shopping bags? – Such a nice, simple way to handle your cloth bags as you shop. You may even have a carabiner at home already.

Redefining and greening holiday traditions – Holiday traditions can break away from the commercialism that is so popular right now. Simplifying your celebrations makes them so much more meaningful.

You Can Can: Four Tips for Virgin Jam Makers – Very encouraging for those who are thinking about getting into canning. I’ve warned my husband that if the garden does well next year, I will want to try it myself.

The 6 Sins Of Greenwashing – Yes, they lie. We all know they lie. How do you spot the lies? It helps to know the common ones.

Wal-Mart “100% Committed” to Renewable Goal. If it’s Cheaper. – Well, it’s better than what most companies are doing when it comes to renewable energy. And there’s still many, many other areas in which they need to improve. But it’s nice to see a chance that they’ll do it. We need more big companies looking into renewable energy.

What You Can Do to Get Rid of Hormone Disrupting Phthalates in Your Household – Why mess around with phthalates now that we know they’re problematic?

GM VP Bob Lutz’s green pose is (what’s the phrase?) a “total crock of sh#t” – The bailout of the Big 3 auto makers is problematic at best, but can we trust any of them to do the right thing in developing more efficient and alternative energy vehicles?

Better Toys Make Better Gifts: Holiday Shopping Naturally – I posted the other day about places to buy green toys; here are more.

Simple Green Simply Greenwashing Consumers for Decades – Rats! And here I liked Simple Green!

Weekend Project: Donate Unused Toys Before Christmas – We’ve been working on clearing out the toys our kids don’t use any more for donation to thrift shops. It’s a great project.

It’s Amazing How Things Change Through the Years

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how differently my husband and I are talking about starting things out with this baby. First time around, there was no way he would even discuss cloth diapers. Now he’s all but insisting on them.

He’s also finally getting it about why I want to make our own baby food when the time comes. It’s more of a cost savings thing for him than anything else, but I’ll take what I can get. He’s always been a fan of my food mill for the second stage foods, but this time he understands about making it throughout.

At least he’s always understood my insistence on breast feeding.

It’s fun having an influence on someone, helping them to understand why they should make green choices. In addition to the changes for baby, he’s learned to appreciate composting and using natural fertilizers on the garden. No more chemicals.

What did it take?

Persistence, but not nagging.

Sharing information.

Making it easy for him to give it a try.

And of course, looking at the two children we have already and wanting it to be better for them. It’s hard for a good father to want anything else.

Keeping Christmas Lighting Under Control

Many families put up a lot of lights for the Christmas season. It’s fun, they’re beautiful. Not much more reason is necessary for most.

Too bad so many kinds are really bad for your electric bill.

Lots of people really don’t worry about the bill. They’re just enjoying the lights. But you can consider your bills and still get the pleasure from the beauty of Christmas lights.

1. Replace old Christmas light strings with LED light strings.

Depending on the theory you prefer, you can do this all at once, saving money on your power bill, or do it as strands die, spreading out the cost of replacements and being more sure that you aren’t overbuying. Both have their good points.

2. Limit the hours you leave the lights on.

This is especially important if you’re the typical family with no real reason to leave the lights on all the time. Turn the tree lights off for much of the day and when you go to bed. Turn off the outside lights off when you go to bed or set them on a timer.

Remember, outside lights look very pretty, but not many people are out admiring them at 2 a.m., even in the neighborhoods known for spectacular lighting displays.

3. Think about how many displays you need.

This can go beyond lighting. Go to any store that sells Christmas decorations and you can see just how much things have changed since you were a child. There are more decorations out there that can take electricity to run and light up on the inside. Think of the many inflatable outdoor decorations for example.

If you have a reason, that’s one thing. But if you’re trying to be good to the environment, extend the same thought to your decorations and don’t overdo it. You may be able to find other decorations that are still interesting, yet don’t require extra power.

Cutting back may not be fun, but simplifying does more than just save you money on your power bill and decrease the amount of carbon you are thereby putting into the air. It’s a great way to start focusing on the real reasons you are celebrating, whether it’s out of faith or simply because you enjoy the more secular side of Christmas and time with your family.