Itty Bitty Greenie

eco-fabulous finds for kids

Archive for the ‘Sustainability’ Category

Gifts that keep on giving…

I don’t do it often, but I’ll admit, I love getting crafty – especially at Christmas time. And I’m always looking for nifty new ways to recycle all those beautiful holiday cards that come in the mail. I’m always looking for nifty new ways to recycle everything, actually!

But after spending all that time in planes, trains and automobiles to get to my snail-mail letterbox laden with a heavy carbon footprint, it seems a total shame not to recycle these lovely little treasures and heartfelt notes from friends and family into something beautiful to keep.

Here are a few favourite ideas I found recently, that I can’t wait to try.

Recycled ornament balls: This one is courtesy of Martha Stewart, and to be honest, I love her team’s ideas, but rarely give them a go because they just seem too fiddly and tedious. But these ornaments are really beautiful, and hey, I can cut and glue stuff… Actually speaking of cutting and gluing – I also found this idea for creating your own gift tags out of recycled cards courtesy of Martha. Easy peasy!

Recycled Christmas trees: This project seems a bit easier – and I love the layered, wobbly look of these trees. Kids will love them too.

Holiday greetings are not the only things that make great recycled Christmas decorations. Check out these other lovely seasonal ideas:

Cute Christmas trees made from recycled wine corks: Hmmm… how many bottles of wine do you think it will take to make one of these…?

Fuzzy trees made from recycled wool jumpers: These are beautiful, (almost huggable!) and such a great way to recycle all those old sweaters no one wants to wear.

And look at these lovely wreath ideas – all made from recycled materials. I love the one made with recycled gift cards cut in the shape of holly leaves. It would make a beautiful gift. There’s also the wine cork wreath. But for me the ultimate in eco-chic has to be the wreath made from recycled plastic bags – who knew those nasty things could actually look so pretty?

Time to get into my Christmas workshop to start making… happy holidays everyone!

 

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management

 

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14 November 2011 |
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California, where it’s easy to be green.

We spent the last couple of weeks in sunny California, which was a welcome break after more than a year of working on Itty Bitty Greenie – and also a chance to meet up with my family, who flew in from Canada to join us on our holiday.

I’ve never explored this part of the world, and was delighted to find that not only does it offer wonderful attractions for the kiddies (Disneyland anyone?), it is also a very eco-conscious place. Of course, you first have to get past the fact that the population of motor vehicles is actually greater than the population of people…

I always seem to have my green radar on, so I tend to notice things like green-rated hotels, an abundance of hybrid vehicles and the recycling trucks that run on natural gas.

As we settled in to our lovely beach house with the organic fruit and yogurt bar down the street, and the massive Whole Foods market and amazing farmers markets where we did our shopping, I realized I was in eco heaven!

A few other eco things I found interesting about California:

  • – California is first state in the U.S. to ban BPA as a harmful toxin in baby bottles – in legislation that was passed this month 
  • – there is an abundance of amazing eco products for children and I couldn’t resist taking home things from California Baby,  Tomat for Kids, and more.
  • – they offer incentives for recycling, and have an elaborate recycling program with strict laws on use of post-consumer materials in everything from trash bags to newspaper and sustainable building materials (In 2010, Californians recycled an average of 45,305,983 beverage containers each day. Each day? Wow.)
  • – there are tax incentives for things like the use of hybrid vehicles and solar power installation in homes
  • – almost everywhere, there are random things with eco value – like at Legoland, many of their park benches were made from recycled milk jugs – cool!
  • – the state is known for its wineries, and in recent years there has been a push on sustainable wine growing. Many top-class wineries are using eco practises for production – which made my wine shopping a joy!

 

Overall, I fell in love with the fact that living sustainably and making green choices seemed to be second nature and extremely mainstream, while at home in Australia it often still feels like an alternative lifestyle choice. Awareness is growing here, but it was inspiring to see how easy it can be, to be green.

Click here to discover our new range of organic and eco-friendly clothing from California label Tomat for kids.

 

By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management

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18 October 2011 |
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For the mouths of babes

If you can survive the teething phase, there’s nothing quite as adorable as when your baby cuts their first tooth. But caring for those pearly whites can be a little tricky when you’re starting out, and if you’ve ever read the ingredient list of most commercial brands of toothpaste you’d be wise to exercise some caution when putting these chemicals into the mouths of babes.

That’s why I was thrilled to discover Jack N’ Jill organic toothpaste for kids. It’s made in five fruity flavours (oh yay!) and it’s also hypoallergenic and doesn’t contain any mint, sugar, colour, preservatives, or chemicals (big yay!). The fact that it’s also made in Melbourne, Australia, had me rapt!

The back story is this: Jack N’ Jill toothpaste is a family company that has been around since 1949, but when it was time for the next generation to take over (just recently), they reformulated it to be 100% safe for young children. Being eco-conscious parents themselves, Justin and his wife Rachel also designed new packaging that is minimal, recyclable and BPA free.

Alongside the toothpaste they have designed and manufactured the first children’s toothbrushes that are made of cornstarch, and are therefore biodegradable and recyclable. And did I mention cute? There are four designs – hippo ,  bunny  , koala &  dino – and they are also ergonomically designed.

For the very little ones, there’s a baby-friendly finger brush made from medical-grade silicone (which is, you guessed it, toxin free) and it has soft bristles on one side and little bumps on the other, to soothe those sensitive gums during teething. The toothpaste is also gentle and safe enough for teething babies.

Since my two-year-old is notoriously difficult to wrangle at tooth-brushing time, I decided to give these products a try – and am happy to report that he loves the toothpaste (especially the strawberry flavour) and this twice-a-day ritual is no longer a chore.

Jack n’ Jill organic toothpaste and biodegradable toothbrushes are available now at Itty Bitty Greenie.              Click here for more on these products.

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By Donna MacMullin

Creative Communications, Graphic Design, Communications, Blogging, Copywriting, Content Management

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16 September 2011 |
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Don’t just hug a tree … plant a new one

I grew up in Canada, so when I think about forests, I picture majestic, sky scraping old-growth trees in the Rocky Mountains and journeys along the Trans-Canada Highway passing logging trucks stacked with the biggest toothpicks in the world. As World Environment Day approaches (June 5), the United Nations General Assembly wants everyone to think of forests and how they play a key role in the battle against climate change.

To raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests, the UN has declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests, and World Environment Day (which started in 1972) is one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.

On a more local level, I have decided to mark the day this year by getting involved in a community tree-planting initiative with Greenfleet and Parks Victoria. Next Sunday, they are hosting a free, family friendly event in Berwick, Victoria, with tree planting, nature walks and children’s activities. Itty Bitty Greenie has donated 100% recycled paper colouring pages and 100% recycled eco-star crayons for the kids, as a fun way to educate about the importance of conserving and recycling paper in order to save trees. :)

And for those who don’t know about Greenfleet, they are an Australian not-for-profit environmental organization that encourages businesses and individuals to avoid and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and then offset any remaining emissions by planting native forests.

Unfortunately global deforestation continues at an alarming rate – every year, 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed – but it is by raising awareness, educating and getting involved in some way that we can all make a difference. As one of my Canadian heroes, environmentalist David Suzuki says: “Environmentalism starts at home.”

For more interesting facts about forests and the United Nations Environment Program, visit their website:
http://www.unep.org/wed/forestfacts/

For more information and to register for the free Greenfleet / Parks Victoria Community Planting day, visit: http://plantwithgreenfleet.eventbrite.com/

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28 May 2011 |
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A cool change…

It’s interesting to be on the other side of the table sometimes, and being an exhibitor at the Baby & Toddler Show in Melbourne last weekend, I was reminded of what it was like three years ago when I was the one with the baby bump, going to every baby expo in town to check out the latest and greatest of goods and services that I might need or want for my impending motherhood.

As overwhelming as these events can be, with stand after stand promising bold things and having a different sales pitch to draw the crowds, where else can you get so much information in one place and have the opportunity to sample and ask, touch and feel?

It seemed back then that I just couldn’t find what I was looking for – innovative eco friendly and organic products, and toxin free feeding accessories – but what struck me this year was that even among the predictable brands, there was an abundance of environmentally friendly options for parents, from reusable nappies, to organic baby food, glass baby bottles and of course yours truly, offering the latest and greatest of green products sourced from Australia and abroad.

There is a definite change in the air, and Australian parents more than ever are are showing their preference for products that are not only practical and beautiful, but environmentally responsible as well. Even among those parents-to-be who had little knowledge about issues such as BPA and toys made from sustainable wood, there was a genuine interest to see what “all the fuss was about.”

For those who stopped by the Itty Bitty Greenie stand to say hi, ask questions, give our products a try and sign up for our mailing list, I’d like to say a huge thank you. The fact that you’re even interested is a sign of encouragement for me, as it has been my goal all along to make “green” choices part of the mainstream, and not the alternative lifestyle choice they formerly seemed to be.

And also, congratulations to Rachel Bentley, the winner of our gift box raffle containing more than $150 worth of eco friendly baby products!

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16 April 2011 |
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Lights out

Like most people, I’m always trying to mindful of little changes I can make in my daily life that can have a greater positive impact on the environment, and that’s why I love the global event known as Earth Hour. It’s an initiative that was started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change.

Since then it has become an important part of the global sustainability movement, and this year a record-breaking 131 countries and hundreds of millions of people are set to join the display of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas are scheduled to be switched off, and Aussie darling Miranda Kerr is the global ambassador of the event.

The Earth Hour website has lots of information about the events taking place this year around the world, as well as social networking links and interactive ways to show how people and organizations are going “beyond the hour” to extend their commitment to the sustainability movement. I personally like the “lights out” game, lantern project and virtual lightswitch — a few things the kids will love as well.

This year more than ever natural disasters have seemingly become the new “norm” around the globe, and the devastation we’ve all witnessed should inspire a renewed sense of urgency to environmental campaigning. I know it has for me. At 8:30pm on Saturday 26th March 2011, lights will switch off around the globe for Earth Hour — will you be joining the movement?

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24 March 2011 |
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