Non-Toxic Kids

8 Tips for Green(er) Road Trips with Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:29:00 +0000

I am about to embark on an east coast odyssey, of sorts. I am taking my 2 and 4 year old girls from northern New England to the greater Washington D.C. area. By myself. Yep, 10-12 hours on the road with two energetic, vocal, independent minded and sometimes surly (and whiny) little people strapped in. Wish me luck. It really can't be worse than the time my youngest decided to go on a 20 hour nursing strike while on this very same drive...

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Too Much "Good Job!" May be Harmful

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:00:00 +0000

While researching for my teacher attrition book (now thankfully off my desk for the time being!), I came across this article by Alfie Kohn. I could almost hear my voice, ringing with "good job!" to my daughters, as I read it. It discusses how too much praise can actually harm our children, and do the opposite of what we intend. The value and judgement in saying "good job" repeatedly apparently raises kids who are more likely to seek out...

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BPA, Phthalate and PVC Free: Born Free Sippy Cups, Bottles and Pacifiers

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

We're almost out of the sippy cup stage. I've been happily using the Born Free sippy cups with my two year old since she was old enough to try drinking on her own. In fact, she loves drinking from them, and I have to encourage her to use a "big girl cup" instead. I realized I never wrote about these cups. They are BPA, pthalate and PVC free. And while I don't like the idea of ordering or using any new plastic, in some cases, these cups are...

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Sigg Waterbottle Gives Back: Drop of Hope Bottle for the Jane Goodall Institute

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:04:00 +0000

My girls and I love our Sigg water bottles. They are reusable, made without BPA, promote reuse, and are just darn cute. But the latest Sigg bottle goes even farther. Sigg has partnered with with The Jane Goodall Institute to create the limited edition Drop of Hope SIGG bottle. Under the umbrella of One Percent For the Planet, of which SIGG is a proud member, SIGG and The Jane Goodall Institute are cultivating awareness of the global water...

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New Post on Eco-Child's Play: San Francisco's Comprehensive New Recycling Law

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:28:00 +0000

Click on over to Eco-Child's Play to check out my new post on San Francisco's inspiring new law which is the most ambitious recycling and waste diverting program in the country. It include mandatory composting and recycling for home and businesses, and sets an example for cities and municipalities nation wide.

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Green News Roundup: Americans Have been Greenwashed, Evolutionary Vegetarians, and More

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Okay, so I am knee deep in a final revision of my teacher book, which is due July first. Almost every computer minute is devoted to that (and with my 4 year old in a very mommy needy place, these are fleeting hours here and there and many, many late nights). I am sorry my posting has been a bit slow this week. But alas! There is a lot of green news to check out this week. My intrepid researcher and devoted online news junkie (my mom) sent me...

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Eco-Confessions: I'm No Saint (Green Moms Carnival Submission)

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:00:00 +0000

When I heard that this month's Green Moms Carnival was Eco-Confessions, I laughed and thought how soap opera-ish. I've got plenty of these, and it was hard to decide what to write here. The carnival will be hosted over at the Green Parent in the next few days. There's sure to be some juicy eco-confessions! Most of my confessions are about food. During the writing of my book that is due July 1st, I have become an overworked, late night, groggy...

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New from The Environmental Working Group: Kid Safe Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

The hardworking and fantastic environmental health advocates at the Environmental Working Group have launched a new blog to share information, increase awareness and organize us busy green parents to help protect our children from toxic chemicals in our environment. According to EWG, the new Kid Safe blog is: "The best place to find: *Opportunities to advocate for toxics policy reform, *Timely updates about the bill's status in Congress,...

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Trouble in Blogger (some links not working)

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:11:00 +0000

I have just figured out that none of the links to my old blog address, nontoxickids.blogspot.com are working. The links you see to the left of this were all forwarded from this address,and the links are not working as they should. Thre are also several blog posts you might be trying to find that are inaccessible. I am sorry about this problem and the inconvenience it may have caused. Blogger (Google) is aware of this problem (as thousands of...

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Treadmill Injuries on the Rise

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:41:00 +0000

I was saddened to read about the death of Mike Tyson's daughter several weeks ago. The loss of a young child is a parent's worst nightmare, and just reading about any loss such as this is heartbreaking. I paused as I read this post from New York Times health blog, Well, which explained an increase preventable injuries from treadmills among children. In Mike Tyson's daughter's case, she became entangled in a cord that hung from the console...

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Food, Inc: You'll Never Look at Food the Same Way

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:10:00 +0000

Oh, I can't wait to see this film (PR person for this movie, please email me, and I will review the film here!). I'm a big fan of Michael Pollan (author of Omnivore's Dilema and In Defense of Food) and Eric Slosser (author of Fast Food Nation). And from reading their books, I know our food system is broken, with dire consequences for our health and our environment. Just check out this article and interview with the director of the film, Robert...

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Safer States (and Safer Cans): Taking on BPA in Canned Goods

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Safer States has stepped up to the plate to help guide our outrage about BPA in canned goods. They are a group who is (according to their website): " a network of diverse environmental health coalitions and organizations in states around the country that share a bold and urgent vision. We believe families, communities, and the environment should be protected from the devastating impacts of our society’s heavy use of chemicals. We believe that...

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Music Review: Dreyer Family Band- Family Photograph

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:38:00 +0000

What do you get when you have one remarkably talented family, full of presumably sleep deprived and slap happy parents, adorable kids and a boatload of instruments and musicians? The Dreyer Family Band. I had the pleasure of reviewing their new CD called Family Photograph. The CD is a walk through the love drenched and wild extremes of parenting, with songs titled, Loud House, Mad, Cutie Baby, You Get What You Get (how many times do I feel...

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Relax! Slow Parenting (Chill, or Even Free Range) on the Rise

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:53:00 +0000

Perhaps as a backlash to the micromanaged, overscheduled children of the past 10 years, many writers are sharing a new trend in parenting-- with many names, all entertaining, such as "idle"; "free-range" or "slow" parenting. Oh, yeah, do I like the sound of that. According to this article Let the Kid Be from the New York Times, more and more parents are refusing to overschedule, hover, and worry about every move their child makes. You've...

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Green Mama Activism: Tell the EPA about Air Quality

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Remember that post awhile back about how mercury rates are higher in areas where there are largely unregulated cement kilns? Well, now is our chance to tell the EPA that we want better air quality for our families. If you live in Washington D.C., Dallas, or Los Angeles, you can attend an open EPA public hearings on their proposal to cut toxic air pollution from cement kilns. Here's the skinny on cement kilns: According to Earthjustice,...

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Green Mama Activism: Top Shoe Brands Deforesting the Amazon and Contributing to Global Warming

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

For an eye opening experience, watch this video about where the leather in many top brands of shoes comes from. According to Greenpeace, "For the past three years, Greenpeace has been investigating the cattle industry in Brazil. Not only is the cattle industry the chief source of CO2 emissions in Brazil and also responsible for 80% of deforestation in the Amazon, it is also the largest single driver of deforestation anywhere in the world. Our...

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Green Mama Activism: Call Coke and Del Monte to say No to BPA and Unethical Tactics

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Hopefully you have been able to read this week's posts about the big BPA meeting and the deceptive and unethical practices used by Coca-Cola and Del Monte (among others) to try and convince the public (especially new moms) that the chemical, BPA, is safe. The Environmental Working group has given us a place to channel some of that energy. They are suggesting we call these companies directly, to express our outrage. Here is the information...

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Mom Bloggers on BPA Lobbyists- You Are Not Scaring Us Into Believing You

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:25:00 +0000

Oh, I just love feisty green mom bloggers. They are smart, funny, and dig deep into these issues. And they are seriously angry with the BPA lobbyist meeting I reported on yesterday. Check out this post from The Smart Mama. She's got more details about the backdoor BPA Lobbyist meeting, including the companies that attended (which I wondered about in my last post). They were: Coca-Cola Del-Monte North American Metal Packaging Association The...

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Mamas: BPA Lobbyists are Targeting You!

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

In a very predictable but still frightening move, BPA and industry lobbyists and manufacturers are developing a PR and lobbying plan to combat all the negative press (and legislation) about BPA,or bisphenol A, in food and beverage packaging. They just have that pesky problem that BPA has been linked to numerous cancers, hyperactivity, obesity, interference with chemotherapy treatments, heart disease, diabetes, and reproductive system...

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Plastic Overconsumption: The Problem that Won't Go Away

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:00:00 +0000

When I think about the Great Pacific Garbage patch, I get sick to my stomach. It's twice the size of Texas, and it is caused solely by us and our overconsumption of this ozone depleting, never biodegradable substance. And despite my very best efforts, some of it ends up in the garbage. Every piece of plastic I have ever used is on Earth (or in our oceans) to stay. This is not okay with me. Neither are pictures like the one above. The pile of...

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Giveaway Winners (Groovy Cloth Bag and Your Best Birth Books)

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Sat, 30 May 2009 01:01:00 +0000

Alright, readers, you've waited long enough. It's Friday night, the kids are asleep (after quite a temper tantrum, screaming, kicking, really fun stuff from my 4 year old), and I am finally posting the winners of some recent givewaways. As for the Bright Green Coupons and Cloth Bag, that goes to Amy from Five Flower Mom. Please email me your address so I can have these goodies shipped to you. And the copies of Your Best Birth go to (prego...

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Green Your Office (or Classroom)

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Dropped onto my desk was the hefty School Specialty catalog, a bible of sorts in the educational world. You can get most any school supply here, preapproved, and it will be shipped altogether in time for your students to arrive in August. But most of the stuff sure isn't green. Not even close. I want to close the loop. I want to practice what I preach. Even with my small classroom budget, I don't want to buy pencils that aren't made of...

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Support the Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2009 (Take Down BPA, Finally!)

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:00:00 +0000

We have a voice when we use it. Green parents are making choices with their wallets, at the ballot box and on social media that impacts the environment and businesses in real and meaningful ways. There are times when we have to realize that we can't shop our way out of a problem by picking safer products. We need to have only the safer products available, so all children are protected, regardless how informed the parents are or how much money...

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Interview with Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, Authors of Your Best Birth and Filmakers of The Business of Being Born

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:00:00 +0000

I had the amazing opportunity to interview Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake about their new book, Your Best Birth (which I am giving away here). These two women have been spirited advocates of natural birth, more informed choices for women, and medical care that honors women, families and babies. Here is the interview: Congrats on the publishing of the book and the amazing documentary, the Business of Being Born. What was the impetus for you to...

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Green Moms Carnival: Gardening with Green Mamas

noreply@blogger.com (Katy Farber) — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:21:00 +0000

Check out this month's Green Moms Carnival, all about gardening! I am thinking simple myself this year, but the green moms have gone all out, with green thumbs shining. I'm just limping along, hoping I can grow some good tomatoes. Here it is. Get your shovel ready.

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