ecochick

Lana Organic: Your Child's New Favourite Toy

2011-04-14T11:45:00.000-04:00

Cluck.

Tell me, when your child goes to bed at night, does s/he have a favourite toy s/he likes to snuggle with? If not, may I suggest that the beautiful, whimsical Lana Organic toys might fit right in to your child's bedtime routine? These beautiful stuffies are made with 100% organic cotton and stuffed with pure wool - no polyester fill here, people. They're fully washable, so that no matter what adventures your little one might have with that animal you can rest assured the evidence can be washed away. Lana animals are manufactured and fairly traded in Lithuania and Turkey. There's the Chicken as seen here, but there's loads of other animals including goofy Geese, a friendly pig and lots more.

I've found them online at Baby On the Hip and the Green Collection. And I heart them so.

Springtime, And The Dressing Is Easy With MiiK

2011-04-14T09:00:00.003-04:00

In this house, there are things that are just plain necessities when it comes to clothing. Pretty. Versatile. Machine washable. And eco-friendly.

The lovely, lovely, lovely pieces from new fashion line MiiK fit all of the criteria above - and they'll fit you, too. Look at the pretty Sally dress, at right, in sizes XS-XL, made from mostly bamboo-sourced-rayon (meaning: uber soft and drapes like a dream) with a touch of lycra for stretchability and durability. So nice!

MiiK makes all of its clothing using fabric made from a "certified closed-loop system" which ensures that the environmental impact is minimized. The fabric is then shipped to Canada and all garments are made here before being delivered to their delighted recipients.

The Sally dress pictured here is $125 in the MiiK shop. There's loads of other delicious styles on their website too - definitely stick around to check them out.

Inspire yourself with funky Ecojot Journals

2011-04-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

Who needs plain, baby, when you could get energized and inspired just by the act of picking up your journal?

Check out these beautiful, colorful, inspirational journals with covers and paper made with 100% post-consumer waste, with funky covers emblazoned with inspirational quotes such as this one - shown at left - designed by Nate Williams. Or this lovely Every Day Is Earth Day one, to give as a gift and a reminder that we can take care of the Earth every day, not just on Earth day. Or this joyful, exuberant Peace Is Always Beautiful journal. I love them all, and I can imagine sitting down to use each one and the lovely happy inspirational feeling I would get each time I opened the cover.

These journals are available online as well as lots of places where ecojot is sold. And, if you buy online at the Ecojot store and spend more than $40 for a limited time, you'll get a free limited edition Every Day Is Earth Day print. Beautiful!

Pretty and Sustainable Lav And Kush Dresses

2011-04-12T09:30:00.000-04:00

It's spring, and my fancy is finally turning from boots and winter coats to pretty, frilly spring things. There is no better place to start your search than at the lovely Vancouver-based Lav And Kush. They have lots of dresses that are pretty, and feminine, and stylish - check out the ruffly Sweetie Dress (on sale!) or this gorgeous, exotic silk halter dress - can't you just imagine putting this on for a champagne cocktail on a beautiful, humid evening in July?

Everything at Lav and Kush is made with eco-friendly fabrics such as bamboo, modal, or tencel, and is made with both beauty and sustainability in mind. All pieces are designed and made in Vancouver. And all of them are gorgeous - and lots of them are on sale (with free shipping!) on their online shop now. Go, take a look!

Baby's Chic in Hemp IsaBooties!

2011-04-11T16:30:00.000-04:00

Finding eco-friendly footwear is always an exercise in frustration, for big people as well as little teeny newborn people. True, it's difficult for many fabrics to withstand the daily grind of being ground in to the ground by thousands of steps, day after day, so shoes do have to be made of tougher stuff at times. And when you're talking about baby shoes, you're also talking about having shoes that can tolerate getting grubby and being washed over and over and over again.

So that's why I loved these IsaBooties I found at The Green Collection. The uppers are soft, natural yet tough hemp and are lined with organic cotton, meaning that not only are they uber-hippie-chic, you can also pitch them in the washing machine when Junior drops his organic applesauce all over them. All IsaBooties are 100% animal free, are made in the USA with fair labour, and even the packaging is recycled and recyclable. Not to mention, how cute can you get?

Green Living Show: April 15-17 In Toronto

2011-04-11T10:01:00.000-04:00

Green Folk: Don't forget, the Green Living Show - the most awesome eco-show of the year - is taking place this weekend, April 15-17, at Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. This year's show looks like the best yet, with amazing main stage speakers such as Rachelle Lefevre and Sarah Harmer, fantastic attractions such as the Green Business Forum and the awesome new Green Jobs Forum, and over 400 exhibitors of fantastic eco-friendly products. You can take a break and grab a sustainable bite at the delicious Farm Fresh Fare and even take home some goodies from the new Good Eats Market.

And, a bonus: Remember that old cell phone you have kicking around from 10 years ago? Bring it - or any number of old electronics you have taking up space - to be recycled and Samsung will give you free admission to the show. Score!

This show is my absolute favourite for scouring new eco-finds, tasting brilliant eco-foods and just generally getting energized about living an eco-friendly life. Don't miss it!

Green Books Campaign: The Value of Nothing by Raj Patel

2010-11-10T13:00:00.014-05:00

A month or so ago, I was contacted by Raz from Eco-Libris about a campaign. 200 bloggers were going to simultaneously publish reviews on sustainably published books (meaning, books printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper). The concept was simple: We select from a list of books, the publisher provides us with a copy, and on November 10 at 1 pm, we publish our review.

Free sustainably published book? I'm in.

I had trouble selecting a book, though. The ones I initially found interesting based on the title were taken. And the bloggers were selecting books fast and furious, so the books I was choosing as alternates were quickly being snapped up too. Finally I selected one that I wasn't familiar with but sounded intriguing: The Value of Nothing by Raj Patel. The concept seemed simple; a book talking about how we as a society have skewed our priorites around setting values, how things that really have no intrinsic value have a high value placed on them by our society, and how conversely the things that we depend on as a society have very little value placed on them. I signed up.

I got the book. I started reading.

When I'm reading a book, and something catches my attention, I fold down the corner of a page so that I can go back to it.

When I finished the book, I looked at the edges. Nearly every corner of every page has been turned down. Both top and bottom.

This book is going to stay with me.

The Value of Nothing is a bold statement on the actions and mentalities that got us in to not only the Great Finanical Meltdown of 2008, but that truly have caused caused most if not all of the crises of the late 20th and early 21st century: the belief that the exchange of goods for money is the "right" way to run a society. Patel clearly articulates the economic theories that those who ran the show believed in - and just as clearly articulates why these theories failed in a clear, accessible way.

This book is filled, filled on every page with revelations that will change the way you look at the world you live in, and more crucially, why we live in this kind of world. Is the "free market" truly the way our world should work, or have we simply let the inmates run the asylum? Has the free market created a market of things we truly need to survive and thrive, or has it created a market simply to sustain the market? Is the free market good at truly assessing what people need, or does it only assess what *it* needs? And what has the Western Free Market done to the rest of the world on an economic, social and environmental scale? Once Patel has answered these questions with unvarnished truth, he then offers solutions to fix the problems we've created - and illustrates times and places where we've already started the solution. Not a moment too late.

The Value of Nothing explains the theories behind free markets - and their failings. Filled with theories and examples, this book is incredibly informative, especially for the economic n00b such as myself. The theories are fully explained - and their failings detailed. For example, Patel explains that while a free market claims to despise subsidies, the truth is that our entire economic ecosystem is subsidized. That hamburger deal that costs $6 out of your pocket? also took your tax dollars to subsidize the corn that fed the cows. It's also using your tax dollars to pay for food stamps and medicare for the underpaid workers at the counter. It's also using your tax dollars to clean up the environment after factory farms ravage it. Realize that that meal deal may well have cost you $200. Free?

Or know that that "free" cell phone you got with a three year contract was made with precious metals from the Congo, extracted by horribly abused and exploited workers who live under the threat of poverty, starvation, rape and torture, all supported by their military in order to maintain the supply lines to the west. Free. Free?

Patel points out how we in the West have shunted the societal and environmental costs of the way we live from the rich to the poor. And it's imploding on us.

The Value of Nothing will change the way you look at how you live, how markets operate, and how we engage with each other.

The Value Of Nothing is available at Chapters and other retailers.

“The opposite of consumption isn't thrift. It's generosity.” - Raj Patel

New Otterbottle Insulated Awesomeness - and a Giveaway!

2010-10-27T16:24:00.001-04:00

Updated: The giveaway will be going to

Urban Girl who said...: thanks so much for the chance at the giveaway! I really like the OM thermos. I love that you could have something leakproof to carry liquids to work. yeah!

It's tough, staying hydrated and caffeinated in an eco-unfriendly world. Too easy it is to grab a plastic disposable water bottle or a takeaway coffee cup and paper sleeve. Awesome Canadian company OtterBottle has been trying to change that, one green consumer at a time. They originally introduced a snazzy line of reusable water bottles in fantastic, funky designs. Now they've gone a step further: They're eco-fying your coffee cup and lunch break by introducing a gorgeous new line of insulated food and drink containers, with stylish insulated lunch totes to carry it all in.

All of the new pieces are available in a range of colours and patterns to suit your most fussy whims. OtterBottle was kind enough to let me try out all three pieces, and they are super nice and very practical.

The 350 ml container is perfect for a hot lunch of soup or chili, with a wide lid that screws on and off easily and securely.

The lunch bag is roomy, stylish, easy to carry and secure with a zipper across the top to keep your yummies safe inside.

ecochick's favourite, though, is the 500 ml insulated drink container, which has become the new Caffe Latte mug of choice at casa ecochick - perfectly sized for a grande latte and with a screw-off cap to reveal the drink nozzle, it's perfect to use too. There's even an elasticized clip to keep the cap attached to the bottle while you're drinking - smart! My coffee stays toasty warm for literally hours - this would keep you going all morning, no problem. For a busy mom whose coffee is usually refrigerator-cold by the time I get to drink it, this is nirvana.

Oh, you say! How I'd like to try one of those out! Well, you're in luck. I have a 500 ml Insulated Drink bottle to give away to one of you lucky folk. Just head on over to OtterBottle and check out the site and tell me what your favourite OtterBottle product is in the comments before Wednesday, November 3. Make sure you leave me your email address - you can't get the bottle if I can't contact you. Good luck!

Buenostyle Jewelry

2010-10-25T09:56:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I wonder why anyone would ever go "new" when vintage and eco is just so gorgeous. Case in point: Bueno Style Jewelry. Made by Vancouver creative-eco-type Christi York, Buenostyle jewelry is fun, classical, one of a kind (or one of a few) jewelry pieces. She uses discontinued stock glass and brass from most of the 20th century that she finds in shops, sals or other secret locations, and either works them in to completely new pieces or sells the vintage jewelry as is. For example, take a look at this beautiful ornate pendant that would be certain to become a family heirloom, or these vintage filigree and Swarovski crystal earrings showing a beautiful blend of vintage and new.

When you browse her Etsy shop, you'll discover that she often writes the history of where and how she found the various components of each item, adding a little bit of the "story" and helping you fall in love with each piece more and more. Imagine being able to tell everyone the history of your jewelry!

The Buenostyle line is available at various retailers across Canada, and is also available online at her Etsy shop. If you're a vintage jewelry lover remember before you click: This shop is dangerous for your credit card. Proceed accordingly.

Alchemy goods AD bag

2010-10-22T11:23:00.000-04:00

You believe in advertising. You're a marketing junkie. You live, breathe, wear ads. Take it to the next level, with this utterly fab Alchemy Goods Ad Bag. Seriously, when I found this, I actually said "this is awesome!" over my cup of fair trade coffee. In the coffee shop. How embarrassing. But this is the kind of reaction Alchemy Goods provokes: Incredibly useful creations made from recycled/upcycled items like bike tubes and old seatbelts. The ad bag? Is made from a former billboard ad. It's big (8" x 12" x 16") so is great for hauling around groceries and big, bulky items. Because it's made from upcycled ads, no two are alike. It's washable, durable, funky and utterly unique. And, do you see the Ag logo on the bag? On that logo, there is a little number. That number tells you the percent (by weight) of upcycled material that goes into each product. They truly show their eco-cred front and center. Eco-proud! You can buy the Ad bag and much more on the Alchemy Goods website. Enjoy!

Organic wines in Canada

2010-10-21T15:58:00.000-04:00

It's kind of one of those days. One of those "two bottle" kind of days, you know?

But you aren't sure what kind of bottle to open. You'd like to be ecofriendly. And you'd like a Canadian wine, because it then has less carbon footprint than a wine flown in from sunny Italy or Australia.

Well, it's good fortune for you that I just came across this excellent list of organic wineries in Canada. The page has a thorough description of the terminology - such as the difference between an "organic" wine and a wine made with "organic grapes". Favourites such as Frogpond Farm and Summerhill Farms are on the list, but if you scan it perhaps you will find a new favourite. Enjoy!

LABEL boutique - ecofriendly clothing

2010-10-18T14:28:00.000-04:00

We expect a lot of our clothing. Or at least, we should. Especially good, pricey, designer stuff. It should make you look good, for one. Good clothing should make the observer notice the wearer, not the worn. And good clothing should also make you feel good. That feeling good comes in a number of forms, from feeling confident about the way you look to feeling ecofriendly and responsible about the choices you're making as a consumer.

Not feeling it with your current brands? Then you really need to check out LABEL. Their line is specific and exclusive, with a total of 10 pieces (plus various colour options) available. This means that each piece is made with a great deal of consideration and forethought for design, wearability, usability and versatility. Take, for example, the Wrap Dress at left. Made from 93% sustainable bamboo and 7% spandex for stretchability and wearability, this dress will flatter virtually any shape and can be mixed and matched as a wardrobe staple with any number of styles. All of the pieces in the LABEL closet are made that way: LABEL is "a collection of clothing perfectly suited to creative contemporary women looking for room to interpret current trends. LABEL resists the urge to define its wearers, but instead invites the wearer to define the clothing. LABEL reinvents the basics, inspiring and encouraging generous styling and wardrobe play."

All LABEL clothing is made wherever possible with natural, organic, renewable or reclaimed fibers. All pieces are made locally by fairly paid contractors. And this part I love: LABEL minimizes waste by donating all fabric scraps to a local artist who incorporates them into handmade stuffed creatures. Heart!

But even knowing all that awesome eco- and socially-friendly stuff, with styles like this gorgeous, statement-making Cape or this fabulously versatile Cardigan (both made from Tencel - a wood based fiber - and wool) it's obvious that the point with LABEL is really the clothes. Want!

Interested? Check out their online store. And here's a special bonus for ecochick readers: Simply enter the code "ecochick" in the coupon line in your shopping cart when shopping at LABEL and enjoy 20% off your purchase. Now that's smart!

Preloved Runway Sale

2010-10-15T13:54:00.000-04:00

Just got this in my inbox from Preloved:

After much anticipation, preloved is proud to announce that we are auctioning off an EXCLUSIVE selection of our Fall 2010 collection on eBay, as shown on the runway at Toronto Fashion week earlier this year.

The link is here.

The Amber Dress: made of 2 types of wool trousers, sari fabric with a curtain waistband

This is a HUGE success so be sure to check back on November 3rd for the launch of ‘preloved for eBay’

- our sweater collection designed especially for eBay
- items are limited so get in quick prelovers!!!

I just checked out the link... there's some gorgeous stuff including this sharp Nikki leather jacket and this uber-fun Doreen sweater. And there might be a chance to score a wicked deal. Enjoy!

Canadian Weblog Awards

2010-10-13T08:35:00.001-04:00

The nominations for the best Canadian Weblogs are open! If you'd like to nominate a blog for consideration in any of the many categories, you can find the form here. (I haven't nominated myself for ecochick.ca cause that would be gauche, but you can feel free!)

Vintage Lingerie and Boot Sale by Victoire and Aunt Olive's

2010-10-07T12:15:00.000-04:00

Brilliant.

Two of my favourite Ottawa shops - Victoire Boutique and Aunt Olive's Vintage - have gotten together to bring you a very special event. This Saturday, October 9, the Some Like It Hot Vintage Lingerie and Chatte Bottee Shoe Sale will be taking place from 4-9 PM at Victoire's Byward Market location on Dalhousie st. The Ladies from La Chatte Bottee in Montreal will be making the trek down the 417 with their delicious vintage shoes while Aunt Olive and Victoire will be bringing the naughty vintage lingerie. Victoire will also be offering a 10% discount on its fall collection. How exciting!

It's this Saturday, October 9, at 246 Dalhousie St from 4-9 pm. Enjoy!

EcoHandmade Studio

2010-10-05T12:25:00.000-04:00

I love just drifting aimlessly through Etsy and seeing what might pop up. People are so creative and so innovative; it's amazing to see what they'll come up with when left to their own devices.

Today I came across this bit of autumn joy: Eco Handmade Studio. This crafty shop creates jewelry with recycled glass. She embeds tiny nature photographs into little glass casings, then mounts them on anything from cord and ribbon for a necklace to wire for earrings. They're perfect for fall - or any season. So unique and such a beautiful, fashionable conversation piece!

All her pieces are available on her Etsy shop - and she's in Canada so shipping will be a breeze. Yay!

Preloved - gorgeous, one of a kind fashions from vintage fabrics

2010-10-04T12:47:00.001-04:00

Remember Preloved, the fantastic Canadian boutique line that creates new and fun clothing out of old stuff? Think "old, fuzzy wool grade 8 sweater and old, no longer fashionable cords" and then re-think that in to "jazzy new clothing I'd look completely awesome wearing", and you've pretty much got the concept of Preloved. And if you haven't checked them out lately, you definitely should. There's some gorgeous stuff on their online store, starting with their women's line. Each piece is made from a specific pattern, but all from individual vintage clothing, so each one is unique. So the Miss Parker sweater as pictured here or this Carly Sweater would truly be yours - a one of a kind!

Preloved have also added some unbearably cute stuff into a kids' line (I mean seriously, check out this dress!), as well as some funky ideas in to a Home line.

You can find Preloved at four of their own stores, or at any number of fabulous retailers across Canada and the US.

Little Eco Footprints

2010-10-02T11:07:00.000-04:00

Look at this gorgeous blog. I was surfing, looking for some neat new ecofriendly product ideas, and up popped Little eco footprints in to my browser. Oh, happy day! This blog has absolutely made my morning. I've just spent the better part of an hour reading through her wonderful posts and gorgeous photographs. Writing about trying to leave the littlest eco-footprints possible from her home in Newcastle, Australia, Tricia and her family are a true inspiration for those who are aspiring to an eco-friendly - and fun- lifestyle. I particularly love the Made from Recycled Materials section. Look at the fabulous ideas on here, on a big scale and small - pallet upcycling, making anything from beds to sheds, and making toys out of old felted sweaters and fleeces. What great ideas she has! I'm adding her to the blogs in the sidebar. Head on over and see this gorgeous blog for yourself. Which of her wonderful ideas do you like best?

Baby wipes: The good, the bad, and the eco-friendly

2010-08-27T10:31:00.002-04:00

I've spent a lot of time wiping butts around here over the last 13 months. And every time I do, I use two things: 1. a Diaper. 2. Diaper wipes. Based on that extensive experience (ha), I'm going to be reviewing the various brands of those items I've been using, from both a functionality perspective as well as an eco-cred perspective. First on the list: Wipes.

Huggies wipes:

Functionality: Good. The wipes are thick, meaning you can clean up a baby's butt fairly easily without having the wipe bunch up on you or make the mess worse. The wipes have a smooth finish which makes it easy to slide it across the baby's butt. All Huggies wipes are scented, which I'm not fond of. The wipes container is resealable which does a great job at keeping the wipes moist, but it means that if you want to carry wipes with you you do need to move them to a different container as it's too big to be conveniently portable.

Eco-cred: Low. They come in a hard plastic container (although you can buy refills in a plastic bag and reuse the container). The wipes themselves are made from cellulose (a wood based fiber) and polypropylene (petroleum-based plastic) and are moistened with water and synthetic cleaning agents. The wipes are non-recyclable and non-biodegradable (while they do say the wipes will "begin to break down over a long period of time", the vagueness of this claim tells me they won't biodegrade appreciably anytime soon.) The plastic box and refill bag are both recyclable where facilities exist.

Price: $5.85 for a box of 72 wipes at Well.ca and many other retailers. Refill bag of 144 wipes costs $8.77.

Summary:

They work very well, and they're planet-killers. Avoid.

Nature BabyCare Eco Sensitive Wipes - Unscented

Functionality: good. They are not as thick as the Huggies wipes, but they're still pretty good and don't bunch up very easily. Unscented. The packaging is soft and flexible, so the good news about this is that you can chuck the wipes in to your purse. The closure on the package (it's just sticky stuff that you peel off and press back on) does get kind of gummed up and doesn't close as well after a while, so I often chuck the entire package into a used ziploc bag to carry them around in my purse, just to keep everything dry.

Eco-cred: Moderate, and trying to be better. The wipes are made from biodegradable viscose from sustainably managed forests and are compostable, and the packaging is transitioning - I saw references to the old packaging being chalk-based; Nature Babycare states that the new packaging is in fact biodegradable. The wipes are moistened with water and many organic moisturizers. There are also some chemical preservatives in the wipes including phenoxyethanol. As a disposable product, these wipes have a one-way trip from manufacture to disposal thus requiring you to use a new wipe every time. While this practice is definitely higher eco-impact, I like what this company is trying to get at: The market for disposable products is huge and will never go away, so let's try to make a disposable product that's as eco-friendly as possible and that will lessen the impact overall. (Although, some of these wipes have found their way in to the washing machine around here and they come out fully intact and actually reusable. Wouldn't recommend it as a practice, obviously, but it's interesting.) These wipes are what we use when we're out or travelling - I bought a big box in bulk to save on shipping costs and keep them stored for whenever we need them.

Price: 70 wipes for $4.99 at ecobotts.ca and various online retailers.

Summary: A good wipe with functional packaging that's trying to be more planet-friendly. A great choice if disposable is the only way you want (or need) to go.

Cloth wipes

Functionality: excellent. In terms of cleaning up messes, using cloth wipes beats any other wipe hands down. The thickness, absorbency and size of the cloth means that even the most explosive diaper mess can be cleaned up rapidly, without getting any of the offending substance all over your hands. For use at Casa ecochick, I have about 25 Bamboobino baby washcloths to use as diaper wipes. (I liked the softness of the bamboo cloths, as well as the eco-friendliness of bamboo. Also, bamboo cloth is reputed to have natural anti-bacterial properties, which I liked since the cloths were going to be wet at all times and thus prone to growing things.) I keep them moist in a container and handy at all times.

Downsides: Effort. Cloth wipes do need to be washed, obviously. If you cloth diaper, the wipes can be washed with the diaper loads. If you do not, you can do individual wipes loads as required - around here we run out of diapers and wipes about every second day. I consider washing diapers and wipes very low effort - throw them in the washer, throw them in the dryer or on the drying rack, stuff and done, taking up about 10 minutes of effort total from me. For the wipes, I simply take the cloths from the washer, fold them into a large container (I use a ziploc container), add a little more water and perhaps a few drops of lavender oil (which is meant to have skin-soothing properties, as well as keeping the wipes smelling nice), put the lid on and voila.

These wipes do discolor and stain after a while, particularly once your child starts eating solids like blueberries. Stains don't bother me in the least, but if they bother you, a soak in Oxyclean would probably do the trick.

Eco-cred: High. While the manufacturing process of bamboo, cotton or polyester fabric is high impact, the reusability means that the landfill impact is lessened exponentially. Water and electricity usage to wash the wipes should be considered, and remember that the wipes do not need to be dried in the dryer or otherwise since they will be remaining wet so that energy hog isn't an issue.

Price: Bamboobino washcloths--5 for $14 at Bamboobino.com (also available at many other retailers) or for a less expensive alternative try Piccolo Bambino poly-cotton blend washcloths -- 12 for $6.99 at Babies R'Us and other retailers.

A word on price: Even if you go with the expensive bamboo washcloths, you're coming out way head in the long run. An outlay of $70 for 25 bamboo washcloths costs roughly the same as one box plus seven refills of Huggies wipes, which (assuming use of one package of 70/week) would take you through about three months of diapers. You can see how using disposables would add up. I've been using our cloth wipes for 13 months and they are still holding up extremely well; I don't foresee having to replace them at all while my child is in diapers. Even adding in the cost of laundering and soap, by using cloth you're coming out way ahead financially through the lifetime of diapering your child.

Summary: Cloth is by far the best butt-wiper, the best option for your wallet, and the best option for the planet.

Disclaimer: All products reviewed in this post were purchased by me. No products were provided for review by any company.

Ecofriendly Fall Gardening

2010-08-25T12:15:00.000-04:00

Yeah, it's August 25. I know, I know. For those of us who are Summer Lovers, it's high time to mourn. For me, while I do love summer, I also love fall. Crisp evenings, cozy sweaters, finally putting my feet back in to socks and shoes and not worrying about the condition of my toenails.

But did you know your backyard could use a little work too? There are plenty of ecofriendly ways to prime your yard for winter and have it looking its best for next spring.

Fall is a great time to add to your compost pile, as it will decompose all winter. Learn more about great composting practices at Go Organic Gardening.

Organic Gardening has a great Fall Cleanup Guide including how and when to mulch, and what to make sure you don't miss on the cleanup.

There's plenty you can do to your lawn to make it look its best come spring - all outlined at The Organic Gardener.

Check the Farmers' Almanac for weather predictions to plan your gardening and yard work time, as well as figuring out what jobs you should be doing in the garden in August and September.

But most of all - enjoy your garden. Fresh air, outside, helping the planet - there's nothing better.

Untangled Living

2010-08-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

As a new(ish) mom, it's really hard to know what you're going to actually need for your kid. And when. And once you figure out that you need something, there's usually about 15 different versions of that thing, and you don't know what's really good until you get the chance to try it out, and then you end up with a bunch of said item that you don't like and one you do, so the one gets used and the rest get piled somewhere. (Much to the chagrin of my husband.)

So, I'm here to tell you, that here's one item you will love.

Untangled Living creates stainless steel children's dishware. They very kindly sent me a set to test way too long ago, ha. But at the time I received it, my kid wasn't interested in using cups or bowls or plates or utensils; only now at 13 months is she starting to show some indication that she gets the concept that things like food go inside other things like bowls as opposed to just flinging it across the room. Now that she can be trusted within some level of reasonableness to not just tip her cheerios out of the bowl the second I give it to her, we're able to use it. Hooray!

The set comes with a kid-sized square plate, little bowl, little cup and a knife and fork. They're very simply decorated with either a little gecko or a little butterfly (score big points for tasteful kids' stuff!) and are perfectly sized for little hands. The plate I particularly love, because it isn't just a flat plate: it has a nice wide lip all around the edge to keep things from falling off (at least, not falling off *easily*). They're lightweight, dishwasher safe, totally non-breakable (hear that, glass?) and almost 100% perfect. The only downside: when they do hit the floor they're kind of loud. But my daughter sees that as an upside, actually, so.

The set retails for $44 CDN. You can order the butterfly or the gecko set (or both!) from their online store, or from one of their fantastic retailers.

But you know what? I have one to give you. Aww. Just go to the Untangled Living website and come back here and tell me in the comments what your favourite part of Untangled Living is by Wednesday, August 25. Make sure you leave me an email address (if you put it in the format name AT domain DOT com it can't be scraped by a spammer) or another way to contact you. Good luck!

uFabu

2010-08-16T10:51:00.000-04:00

So, if you go to the Ottawa Farmers' Market on Sundays at Landsdowne, you see a gorgeous range of stands. Stands with local fruits and vegetables and meats, some organic. Stands with delicious food to eat then and there. Pretty crafts. And some stands, you walk by them and you smell them before you see them.. the smell of lovely lavender and cinnamon and sweet essential oils.

uFabu is one of those stands.

The gorgeous, indulgent scent is but one reason you should walk in to the uFabu stand, though. There are lots of other reasons, all evident in the beautiful layout of products available.

The quirky, fun, oh-so-stylish (as in, you totally want your friends to see your bath stuff cause it's so stylin) labels identify their selection of products, categorized by UnderWater (bath salts, soaks and soaps), SkinDeep (creams, rubs, even zinc sunscreens) and In The Mirror (face stuff - scrubs, lip balms). Eco-friendly, organic as much as possible, preservative-free, look gorgeous on your bathroom or vanity shelf, and beautiful, peace-invoking scents all mean that these products are truly ones you should covet. Of course, if that wasn't enough: Canadian. Local to the National Capital region. But if you're not lucky enough to live here, they also conveniently have an online store.

The Story of Stuff

2010-08-12T13:16:00.002-04:00

Great things are coming.

Until then... this is important.

The Story of Stuff tells us what our life of accumulation is really doing to us and our planet.

Maybe start with The Story of Cosmetics... and see some of the truth.

Earth Week Giveaway Roundup

2010-04-27T10:32:00.000-04:00

Well, that was quite a week, wasn't it? The aim for doing a blast of giveaways during the week surrounding Earth Day was twofold: One, to raise awareness of environmentally friendly products, services and initiatives, and Two, to get some very cool stuff in to the hands of my readers. In case you missed anything last week, here's the list of giveaways:

Gorgeous T-Bag and Company Reusable Bags - comment by Tuesday, April 27.

Green Works Cleaning Products - Comment by Tuesday, April 27.

Brita Limited Edition Green Water Filter Pitchers - Comment by Wednesday, April 28.

OtterBottle reusable water bottle - comment by Wednesday, April 28.

SIGG reusable water bottle - comment by Friday, April 30.

Abby Sprouts Organic Onesie and discount code - comment by Thursday, April 29.

Verve Cards one year membership - comment by Thursday, April 29.

The Green Blue Book - comment by Friday, April 30.

Organic Manifesto book - comment by Friday, April 30.

Comment on one, or comment on all - sky's the limit and good luck!

Organic Manifesto: Why should you go organic? And - Book giveaway!

2010-04-23T14:00:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to SimplySolar who said...
As a fitness buff, I can definitely attest to the fact that organic eating will definitely increase performance.

I`ve been sold for awhile!

You're getting a copy of the Organic Manifesto from Rodale Publishing!

I've been thinking: Organic food's been getting a bad rap lately. Since a 2009 study pronounced that organic food was no more "healthy" than non-organic food, many people have wondered why they'd spend the extra money. I had a big problem with that study, because it totally missed the point of why people buy organic in the first place. If you're wondering why we do, then there's a great new book for you to read: Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe

Written by Maria Rodale, founder of Rodale Publishing, the book is described as eye-opening, spectacular, and passionate. Organic Manifesto explains in detail exactly what organic food means for us and for the planet. From the website:

Rodale was founded on the belief that organic gardening is the key to better health both for us and for the planet, and never has this message been more urgent. Now Maria Rodale, CEO and Chairman of Rodale Inc., sheds new light on the state of 21st-century farming. She examines the unholy alliances that have formed between the chemical companies that produce fertilizer and genetically altered seeds, the agricultural educational system that is virtually subsidized by those same companies, and the government agencies in thrall to powerful lobbyists, all of which perpetuate dangerous farming practices and deliberate misconceptions about organic farming and foods. Interviews with government officials, doctors, scientists, and farmers from coast to coast bolster her position that chemical-free farming may be the single most effective tool we have to protect our environment and, even more important, our health.

If you're considering going organic - or perhaps more importantly, if you're not - this book is a must-read. Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe is available at Amazon, Chapters and other retailers.

And - I have a copy to give away compliments of Rodale! Simply comment on this post detailing what your reasons are for learning more about going Organic by Friday, April 30th. Make sure you leave me a way to contact you. I'll draw a name at random and contact you directly. Good luck!