Eco Mom Alliance

I have to say, I like this group, because it is dedicated to the organization of moms, not necessarily trying to wrap itself around every last product and action recommendation to save the earth. In their own words, Eco Mom Alliance is about:

The EcoMom Alliance is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization inspiring and empowering women to help reduce the climate crisis and create a sustainable future. In the process, we also help to alleviate the isolation and overextension so common among mothers in contemporary society.

Throughout history, during times of fever, flood, famine or flu, women step up and do what must be done. Our planet needs that now more than ever. Our children need it, we need it, and the future of all species depends on it. As both role models and a market force, we believe mothers (and earth mothers alike), can help propel an environmentally, socially and economically vibrant and healthy future.

Celebrating the ancient tradition of women gathering together around the fire (kitchen table, water cooler or what have you) to share, support, teach and learn, we create events and programming that are both educational and entertaining, i.e. events that are worth finding a babysitter for.

• We train EcoMom Leaders in communities worldwide to create regionally relevant programming that adds up to global impact.

• We offer outreach education via EcoMom Parties, EcoMom Circles and Sustain Your Self events.

• We spearhead campaigns such as the EcoMom Challenge, EcoMoms Composting Now and One Night Off.

• We anchor everything with our positive and proactive, Sustain Your Home, Sustain Your Planet, Sustain Your Self™ messaging.

Like most things in life believe that changes begin with one step and therefor focus on First Steps for A Sustainable Future . Like the Lakota prayer, Mitakuye Oyasin , the EcoMom Alliance is for all of our relations. Leveraging the power of mothers, EcoMom is dedicated to bringing this principle forward to promote a sustainable future for all.

We hope you can find many more Eco-Moms in your own community...it sure helps to work together!

Make Your Own Recycled Kids Clothes

It's not that hard to make your own recycled kids' clothes. Take inspiration from Twirls and Twigs and Lola and James! If you have a sewing machine and rudimentary skills, you can do it...consider taking square scraps of old clothing, tablecloths, napkins, sheets, whatever you have for scrap, sew the squares into a quilt-like larger pieces and just wing the pattern from an existing garment to make a funky skirt, dress, vest, scarf, whatever. Still too much work? Consider picking up recycled garments from a secondhand shop, and make it a project with your kids to add patches, sparkles, fabric paint, iron-on photos to make it your own and give that used item as second life more original than the first.

Eco Kids Jewelry

Well just because we're not carrying it doesn't mean we can't tell you about it...this info just came out, and it looks fantastic...check it out:

Iceing On Top launches its collection of fine childrens jewelry , now available in stores and online at www.iceingontop.com. Inspired by children and their need for expression, Iceing On Top's line of eco-friendly fine gold jewelry is a unique treat for babies and kids - and especially the adults who love to dress them up! The jewelry fits infants through teens and makes the perfect childrens' gift that lasts a lifetime. The 'GREEN' collection is made from recycled gold, ethically-mined materials, and organic fabric and recycled paper packaging.

Eco-Fashion Math

We are sometimes asked, why don't you do something to make eco-friendly clothing more affordable? These are usually people accustomed to buying conventional clothing. If you do the math, it's really very simple:

Consider example item, like pair of kids' pants. You have two main costs in manufacturing, labor and material. Material costs vary widely, but figure $5 for a decent-quality eco-material. Then consider how long it takes to cut, sew, add hardware like zippers and buttons, sew pockets, etc. Minimum wage is nearly $8 per hour. Let's say it takes a little more than an hour to make with economy of scale, and a super-basic style, for a total of $15. Then multiply that by 4 to 6 for everyone to make their margins to pay for other expenses built into the markups of both the manufacturer and retailer, and you quickly arrive at the conclusion that we all should be paying over $60 for a pair of kids' pants. If you currently pay no more than $15 for a pair of kids' pants, and the markup is still 4 to 6...calculate that backwards, and wow. Who is not getting paid much. Compare it to lower cost of living in country of your choice, and you will see it's still not good.

Interestingly, prices on kids' pants are all over the map...you will see the ultra-low of $10 or so, all the way to high-end designer at $200 or so. The amazing thing is that U.S.-made eco-friendly children's pants tend to fall on the lower middle end of the range ($40-$80), almost exactly where they should be to reflect the real cost of a quality U.S.-made product.

Children and Nature Network

Well Richard Louv is certainly inspirational. I was already convinced he is onto something after reading Last Child in the Woods, but hearing him speak made me realize we can do more. He brought my attention to the Children and Nature Network, a grassroots organization dedicated to bringing kids into nature, an effort to bridge the gap that currently exists in most children's connection to the natural world. Read about it, and see what you can do in your neighborhood.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars last night, and in my opinion thoroughly deserved them. The movie signifies hope in a sea of abuse and poverty. It also gives a glimpse of parts of India tourists don't see in a convincing and compassionate portrayal that is truely powerful. Fittingly, it was done on a shoestring budget by an independent film studio.

So after you've watched this movie, please tell me how you can possibly want to buy a single thing more that is made in a foreign country but not "fair trade." Fair trade certifications are not foolproof, nor are they perfect solutions to labor abuses; retailers' and designers' due diligence in seeking out fair trade manufacturers is not perfect...but at least some semblance of effort in this direction should be rewarded. Think about it next time you buy...and let the guilt allow you to change your habits in some way.

Exploring the 8-12 Tween Eco Demographic

So why is there virtually no eco clothing in the 8-12 size range? Why is it so hard for designers to make hip green clothing that these kids' parents will buy? Turns out, there are lots of reasons.

When you ask around to moms in this age group, they say there is the most meager selection for 8-12s (tweens), even in conventional materials and manufacture. When you ask around to designers, they say this age is too risky, because the kids are so picky, and you can't predict what will sell. This concept is further substantiated by the research out there:

By age eight, kids start to care about the way they dress and look. Mom's customary role of helping to choose what they wear on a daily basis becomes less prominent and is nearly non-existent once kids become teenagers. While mom may still be the primary purchaser, kids are very opinionated about what they want and don't want to wear. These opinions get stronger as kids get older and are expressed more commonly among girls." (Source: What Not to Wear: Kids Talk Fashion and Style (January 2009); Nickelodeon Kids and Family Research (December 2008); and Touchstone Research (November 2008))

I can see that...no sense spending a lot of money making something that no one will buy. But why not just make it stylish...how hard can that be? Problem is, if you make it, they will not necessarily come. The media, celebrity trends, branding, comfort, style, quality, and originality all come into play.

For boys (ages eight to 12), the quality of clothes far outweighs the brand name when it comes to importance. This is a very different attitude than that exhibited by girls. Girls are driven by brands in both the clothing and accessories categories, using labels as a tool to tie them to friends. Boys, meanwhile, tend to look for interests outside fashion to bond with other kids." (Source: What Not to Wear: Kids Talk Fashion and Style (January 2009); Nickelodeon Kids and Family Research (December 2008); and Touchstone Research (November 2008))

OK, so it's complicated, but we are determined; we want eco designers to be able to compete. How can emerging small eco-designers work in to the favor of this age demographic? Well, there's hope...the 8-12s care not just about brand labels because they are what other people are wearing, but they care about brands because of what they stand for (Source: What Not to Wear Part Two (February 2009). And, they are more aware of the state of the earth and issues than ever before.

When green brands are promoted properly as green and celebrity trends, and media-coveted, and they also are comfortable, stylish, high-quality, and orginal yet contemporary, they're going to make it. OK, so it's not as easy as designing sustainable clothes for babies and toddlers who have no clue what they're wearing...but isn't it just as important, if not more so?

Last Child in the Woods

This month, Richard Louv will be speaking in San Diego about "nature deficit disorder," his term for the disconnection between children and nature that most children in our culture are experiencing today, and which he more fully discusses in his book, Last Child in the Woods. If you haven't read this book, and you have kids, do it. It is so incredibly important, and it changed the way I teach kids about the environment.

My kids have knows what a storm drain is, where wastewater goes, and what a landfill is, ever since they were toddlers. And, I've never let them watch a lot of TV, and we often spend afternoons outside at a park, so I thought I was doing ok with regards to their environmental education. When I volunteer at the schools on Earth Day, I do an interactive presentation about habitats, art projects from re-used materials, pictures of clean and dirty beaches, etc.

What Louv's work made me realize is that this is all great, but it doesn't actually help kids connect with nature, and that connection is the only thing that make them want to actively preserve natural habitats. It's easier than you think to make small but impactful changes.

In my case, I now choose a nature hike over another playset at a park after school. I am gearing this year's Earth Day presentations toward an outside walk as opposed to the "gloom and doom" explanations about pollution. When we are out in the neighborhood, I encourage observations of birds, plants, bugs, animal tracks...whatever is around. I help find trees to climb. We're planning more camping, less Disneyland.

It's all about being aware. We need our kids to connect and to care.

Organic US-Made School Shirts

Sustainable Kids has just launched a program for school shirts! Get this...Sustainable Kids shirts are made from certified organic cotton and U.S.-made in Sustainable style of course, but you're not limited to T-shirts. They will do polos or thermals or leggings with matching adult styles and sizes, to your specifications, and they will even take care of the water-based screen printing. The shirts are reasonably priced and schools can customize them and use them for fundraising.

We are still working on Solana Beach schools for next year, but if your school is remotely open-minded, bring this resource to them...what a resource!

The Greenest of Kids' Lunchboxes

Let's face it, standard lunchboxes are not the greenest...cartoon characters printed on materials often containing PVC, phthalates, and even lead are not great, even if they are re-usable. Even with new product safety regulations, how great are more nonbiodegradable/nonrecyclable products that are made in China? For this reason, we haven't been all that excited about most of the lunch products made for kids, even those we have seen at the green expos. While they're still not entirely perfect, we have found a couple that we think are better than most.

GreenEdge Kids can of course provide just a lunch bag in a couple of designs...much more economical, but without the cool accessories. Our suggestion is to use it as a gift bag, so other adults or kids are inspired to use more biodegradable, reusable, and sustainable materials for their snacks and lunches.

For those who live in warm climates and who need an insulated lunch bag, we really like the Cool Totes backpacks. They are US-made at the moment, incorporate some recycled materials, PVC-free, lead-free, functional, durable, easy for toddlers and kids to use, and practical. It is large enough for any lunch, and doubles as a wonderfully sized and insulated travel backpack. We wish the manufacturers would use either organic cotton or U.S.-made fabric and keep the manufacturing in the U.S. to boost its sustainability factor even further, but we still really like it.

Another one we've seen recently that is not insulated, and not made in the U.S., but very recyclable and nontoxic is the Kids Konserve lunch bags. They are made of organic cotton, and printed with a cute modern design, and they come with perfectly sized stainless steel food containers, coordinated stainless steel water bottle, napkin, sandwich wrap, and optional thermos. Since the website doesn't show a photo, here is one from Nature Moms Blog: