Eco18 debuts today—a collective of creative writing individuals with a common goal—to live a healthier more natural lifestyle. From diverse backgrounds, cultures and interests, their combined expertise, humor and opinions will explore green and sustainable in a practical, fun way. What began with one mom’s voice has evolved into many conversations, which will include a universe of voices all looking to connect, share and learn.

And why Eco18…well, we wanted something that’s easy to remember and has embodied our purpose. Eco—that’s pretty self explanatory and 18—apart from being the age of majority in many countries (the coming of age), the Hebrew word for “life” has a numerical value of 18. There’s a lot of interesting trivia about the number 18, but the fact that life itself is totally connected to and dependent on a thriving, green, clean ecosystem was enough for us.

There’s a lot we can do together…. Join us as often as you can…We love company!

http://eco18.com

I am not a big a reader as I have shared before, but I want to share with you two books that I feel are really worth the read!

The Healthy Home: Simple Truths to Protect Your Family

“Take simple steps to protect your family…

Almost overnight, a toxic world has been built around us, slowly manipulating how we eat, sleep, work, play…how we live. And the consequences of these conveniences have never been documented together in one place, until now.

The Healthy Home isn’t only a comprehensive look at the dangerous poisons within your home but is a guidebook of simple solutions that will help you live a life free of the toxic burdens society has created, packaged, and sold to you as necessities of everyday life. As you read, you’ll begin to learn about the science behind the positive choices you can make to improve you and your family’s most important resource—your health.

With the help of The Healthy Home, you’ll learn about the dangerous substances you may be exposed to on a daily basis, and the simple but effective changes you can start making today that will help you and your family reduce your toxic burden, circumvent the risks of the modern world, and live a healthier life.

Make the choice to create a healthier environment for you and your family—pre-order The Healthy Home now and discover the simple truths that will protect your family from the hidden dangers within your very own home” (The Healthy Home).

My thoughts:

I am so excited that this book has so much great and useful information! It is full of info that really makes sense, in common everyday terms. It’s a great guide and creates a greater awareness for all kinds of things in our home that we just don’t think about. It made me even more aware of some of the small things (and big ones) that I maybe had not even considered. It breaks it down in an easy to understand guide and I just loved it.

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Zooborns

The second book I want to mention to you is one for the eco-kiddos in your life! This is the BEST and most adorable book for  kids about our zoo animals. I have ask myself many times how I feel about zoos and these sweet animals that are out of their habitats…but I assure you…this book brings light to the animals and their new homes. Homes that feed them, homes that care for them and homes that keep them safe.

“ZooBorns showcases the newest and cutest animal babies from accredited zoos and aquariums around the world. With interesting animal facts and background stories on the featured babies, ZooBorns illustrates the connections between zoo births and conservation initiatives in the wild” (Zooborns).

I hope you enjoy these as much as we have!

I first had the opportunity to chat with the people of this fab company a few weeks prior to Earth Day. They ran an incredible giveaway to celebrate – they gave away a potty! Yes they really did. Did I win? Nooo…but I was fortunate enough to have the amazing opportunity to review one!

We (my family) waited excitedly for our new eco-friendly, 0.8/1/2 flushing potty to arrive – and then it happened! I kid you not, an 18 wheeler came down our quiet little suburban street and parked out front. How many times does that happen in a peaceful neighborhood? Well, so infrequently that our neighbors came out to see and celebrate our new potty too! You could call it a potty party!

The best part? This thing is incredible! It really does have a dual flush system using only 0.8 gallons per flush for number 1 and 1.2 gallons per flush for number 2. Wow!!!!

Caroma has been leading the charge in water conserving products since the 1990’s and while recognizing the need to protect our resources, designed the first successful two-button flush system!

“Unique Two-Button Dual Flush System

While dual flush toilets were not entirely new at the time, what was unique about Caroma’s dual flush toilet was its two-button system: full flush and half flush. What’s more is that the innovative two-button dual flush technology works with virtually every sewerage system in the world without the need for modification.

Large Scale Testing

The system is reliable, simple to use and proven from a decade of controlled, field-testing. Caroma technicians and designers work closely with government departments in both densely populated urban centres and dry rural areas. Such extensive real-life testing is essential to ensure the continuing advancement of Caroma’s resource-conservation technology.

Commitment to Development

Caroma’s commitment to developing its dual flush technology and new sustainable products is ongoing. As a direct result, all Caroma toilets meet or exceed the HET voluntary standards in the US. While Caroma continues to push the boundaries of technology, it is also equally committed to enhancing the aesthetic appeal of their products” (Caroma).

Features:

High efficiency toilet (HET) – 1.28/0.8 gallons (4.8/3 liters) per flush

Two piece, two button dual flush toilet

Elongated bowl

Large fully concealed trapway

Virtually unblockable

12″ rough-in

WaterSense labeled

Caroma’s commitment to conserving water and their dedication to continual R&D in technology and design excellence has made them a leader in providing the highest quality bathroom products. They offer tons of awesome goodies that our family is most definitely wanting to purchase from them including gorgeous contemporary style sinks, showerheads, and so so so much more!

Caroma is THE place to shop for eco-friendly bathroom supplies!

Connect with Caroma:

http://www.facebook.com/caromausa

http://twitter.com/CaromaUSA

Full Disclosure: I did receive a Caroma toilet free of charge for this review. It in no way impacted my thoughts or opinions of this product or company.

There just aren’t enough good things to say about Dandelion! We all know the old saying, “you are who you hang with…” Well, in this case, Dandelion keeps good company. For starters, they are members of 1% For the Planet (http://onepercentfortheplanet.org/en/), which is a network of companies that donate 1% of their sales to a variety of worldwide environmental organizations. They are also members of the Organic Trade Association, which exists, “to promote and protect organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public, and the economy” (http://www.ota.com/about/accomplishments.html), and the Natural Products Association, whose “mission is to advocate for the rights of consumers to have access to products that will maintain and improve their health, and for the rights of retailers and suppliers to sell these products (http://www.npainfo.org/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=MissionandVision&category=About).

“Dandelion offers you peace of mind: products safer for baby, and safer for the planet. But did you know that Dandelion (and Re-Think It, Inc) is creating a Greener work place, too? While going All-the-Way-Green may seem challenging today, we have to begin somewhere! Re-Think It, Inc hopes to inspire others to Re-view… to Re-think how we live and work, and take the steps to do better!

Reducing energy usage, providing staff Reusable drinking containers, and utilizing Recycled paper products, are just the beginning.” http://dandelionforbaby.com/

Dandelion puts their money where their mouth is by using 100% recycled and recyclable packaging printed with vegetable and water based inks. Items come in sleeves in an effort to reduce the amount of packaging being used per item. But it doesn’t stop there. Clothing is made with 100% certified organic cotton, the hand-crocheted rattles are made with pesticide free bamboo fibers, and even items like teething keys and feeding bowls are made with corn which means no Phthalates or BPA. Impressive, right?

So, ok, are the products worth the hype? How about a resounding YES! I dressed my son in a cotton onesie that was extremely soft and held its shape wash after wash. Even the low impact dyes that are used appear to hold their color marvelously. I just love it!

And let me tell you – I cannot get over the fact that Lil Man’s feeding bowl, spoon and teething keys are made from CORN. Really? Too cool! I live in the Mid West, so I see plenty of corn, but I never imaged that I could use it to entertain my baby. I had no idea that tableware can be made from something I see growing all around me all summer long!

But wait, I gotta tell you about my favorite item – Bubby’s new rattle. Most of us think of something hard and non-porous that we can wash in the sink with hot water and mild soap. So I was quite skeptical when I get this awesome baseball-sized COW that is “machine washable.” Oh really? I know how much my son drools already, and how often he spits up all over everything. This little cow had its work cut out for him. I was so tickled when I threw this rattle into the wash with a load of Lil Man’s clothes to see that it came out in one piece and still had its color! Its tail didn’t even fall apart! So Bubby and I are tickled to say that Dandelion is one of our favorites! You just gotta check it out!

Written By: Heather Cottrell

Heather is a 32 year old mother of a lively 10 year old girl and new baby boy. She is a full-time mom, full-time student half way through her Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and after her maternity leave she will continue to be a full-time employee. Heather is happily married to John, who is also a full-time everything and helps keep her sane. When her life is not centered on family and college, she enjoys reading, crafting, and learning new things – especially how she can create a healthy and happy home for her family.

Full Disclosure: I did receive product free of charge for this review. It in no way impacted my thoughts or opinions of this product or company.

First of all…Happy Fourth of July!!

Today we celebrate our independence and with this feeling of gratitude that so many of us share today – I felt it was appropriate to share two non-toxic soap companies with you! It’s because of so many freedoms that we have that we are able to choose what to say, how to say it, what to wear and even what products we want to use. I love that I can make healthy choices for my family and that I have the freedom of choice to do so!

The first company is called Squidbalm – offering a vegan skincare

• all products are certified vegan by vegancosmetics.org and cruelty-free by Leapingbunny.org.  That’s great to know that we can purchase their products with full confidence that we are getting a product that is plant based.
• Squid Balm is Bee-Free and Vegan – we do not use beeswax, propolis, royal jelly or any animal products whatsoever.  Our products are also never tested on animals.
• Squid Balm is nut-free – we do not use shea or cocoa butters or any nut oils so our products are well suited to those with sensitivities to nuts.
• Squid Balm is paraben/preservative-free – we never add parabens to our products.  We use oils and butters high in tocopherols (vitamin E) which acts as a natural preservative.  We have also chosen the more stable oils that are resistant to heat degradation and have a longer shelf life.
• gluten and corn-free.
• phthalate-free – While we have unscented versions of all our products, many people like scents so we have made sure we only use phthalate-free fragrance oils or natural essential oils.
• Many of the oils and butters we use are organic or wildcrafted as well as cold pressed and unrefined.
• most of our butters and several of our oils are NOT refined.  This is just one more aspect that makes us different. An oil or butter in its natural state contains nutrients, vitamins and minerals, from the plant.

Green Packaging

Now that we have obtained the best quality ingredients available and formulated them into a great products, it is now our responsibility to make sure we create as  little waste or impact on the environment as possible.  For our lotion bars, this means that we use tins rather than plastic containers.  Oil cleansers come in glass bottles and for our other products, we use only the minimum amount of plastic possible.  In cases where we have used plastic, we do ask that you recylcle or re-use when possible.   As always, we are looking for new ways to package greenly and we expect our packaging to change and improve over time to serve you and the earth better.

Next I am thrilled to celebrate another non-toxic choice with Castle Company!

A married mother of two who cherishes her own family, Beth Robinson has given us a great option in protecting our family the natural way.  She owns and operates her ETSY store in between kids activities!

Beth really enjoys making her soaps and says “I love making handmade soap. My family and friends know me to be organized, analytical and hard working. They’re now also seeing the creative, crafty side of me when they use my handcrafted soaps. One friend, whose husband will now use only the soap I make, told me I would have made a great pioneer woman. I don’t know about that, but I feel like one for a moment when I make these basic soaps.”

I love that she makes them too! She even made me my very own ingredients specific bars for my E’s allergies! Using basic, natural ingredients that he was not allergic to such as goats milk and olive oil – he had AWESOME soaps to use like the rest of us! Thank you Beth for all of your hard work – you are doing an great job and today, we can celebrate you – and people like you – who with our Indpenedcne and freedom…

we can choose healthy products for our family!

Connect with Beth!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/castleco

http://www.facebook.com/castlecompanysoap?sk=info

Full Disclosure:

I did receive free product in order to do this review. It has in no way impacted my opinion of these companies or their products.

Images:

http://www.americanflagfoundation.org/shop/home.php?cat=2

The Sarasa Eco-Clip Retractable Pen is made with 81% post-consumer recycled materials, the highest percent of post-consumer waste materials used in the industry! Each product in Zebra Pen’s Eco line – including the Clip-On Pink Ribbon pen, Jimnie Clip pens and mechanical pencils, Zebrite highlighter, and Clip-On pen – are made from over 70% of post-consumer waste using, car headlights, CD’s, cellular phones, plastic shopping bags and car battery encasements.  While others claim they are eco-friendly, many are just efficient by using post-production materials, which is essentially reusing plastics that fall on the floor during production.

One thing that I find to be an interesting challenge in living an environmentally responsible life sometimes, is thinking of all the ways I could do better. I mean, you don’t know what you don’t know right? So I have made it my mission to really try to continue reading and learning as much as I can from others and trying to incorporate new actions routinely.

One such thing for me is in regard to my writing tools. My what?

My pens!

Really, how many of us think about the kinds of pens we are toting around in our purse? Well, I began to give this a thought or two and realized how wasteful they really are. Once the ink is gone, guess where all these little plastics pieces go? Yup. You are so smart…of course the landfill!

So my challenge to you is to try to continue to learn and to try to think of all the things in your life and your home that might not be as green as you hope….and take action!

On this note, if you are looking for an eco-friendly pen – I recently reviewed Zebra Pen and they are really really good pens for writing. I received their gel pen and it writes with a nice even ink and no smudging. Love it. It also has a translucent barrel to provide ink supply visibility to easily refill when low.  And the soft rubber grip ensures superb writing comfort while the retractable tip distributes smooth flowing gel ink.

Sarasa Eco-Clip Gel Retractable Pen (MSRP $1.99)

·         0.7mm Medium Point Size

·         Made from recycled materials

·         Durable pocket clip

·         Soft rubber grip

·         Refillable with Zebra’s JF-refill

·         Available in black

Mission:

(Zebra) Since our products are used every day, they should be friendly to the environment. We believe our corporate mission is to create products that are friendly to an environment where limited resources and energy are used efficiently.

Writing instruments are familiar items that many people use on a daily basis. If we can spread the idea of taking care of our resources through our products and people enjoy using them, then Zebra’s purpose will be realized. Our Eco products are made from over 70% post-consumer waste materials, including car headlights, compact dics, materials from cellular phones and LCDs, shopping baskets and car battery cases.

For more information on Zebra Pen’s line of eco products, visit http://zebrapen.com/products/eco.

Zebra Pen products can be found in stores like Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, Walmart, K-Mart, and other office supply stores, discount chains, food and drug retailers, stationery stores and wholesale clubs.

Full Disclosure: I did receive free product in order to do this review. It has in no way impacted my opinion of thoughts of this company or it’s products.

Sun bathing has never been this good greenie bugs! I am so excited to introduce you to Tilvee’s newest baby! Remember when I reviewed Tilvee awhile back “Eco-Ethical Skincare” and loved it so much? Weeeell, now I love them even more! They sent me their new Sport Stick for healthy organic sun-protection without any nasty chemicals!

It comes in this easy to apply stick that you just rub on and feel the difference. It’s ultra uber creamy and since I wasn’t totally sure if I should rub it around (yes, blonde moment), I did. And…it smeared like delicious butter! Totally awesome and convenient for those “hurry up mom and put it on me already so I can go swim now” moments that many busy mama’s experience!

“Our easy to apply zinc based Sport Stick is packed full of UVA & UVB reflecting butters & oils which give free radical protection and skin extra hydration. 61% Organic Ingredients.

Non Pore clogging non-nano Zinc has UVA/UVB reflecting qualities and makes a perfect base for our moisture rich Sport Stick.  Sea Buckthorn, Mango Butter and Borage Oil have wonderful moisturizing qualities as well as giving UVA / UVB protection.  Specially formulated to be long lasting and non irritating.  Designed for all skin types even delicate or acne prone skin.

Packed into a handy tube it is easy to apply and will not leave white marks or balls on the skin. Fits into your pocket or bag making it perfect for outdoor activities or Mom’s on the go!

Can be used instead of a moisturizer in the morning” (Tilvee).

ABOUT:

Our tag line is “Eco Ethical Skincare” and we take that commitment seriously.  Tilvee is passionate about green business practices and using ingredients that support sustainable, organic and fair trade agriculture.

Ingredients we DON’T use:

Tilvee formulations are absolutely free of toxic or questionable chemicals that are found in many skin care products these days.  Our products are so pure that they received the Whole Foods “Premium Body Care” seal. We FULLY disclose all our ingredients in our products.

Ingredients we DO use:

We formulate our products to be rich in plant based butters, oils and extracts.  These nutrient dense ingredients drench the skin in antioxidants, EFA’s and botanical based nutrients.  We features ingredients such as Acai, Argan, Pomegranate, Rooibos, Primrose, Raspberry and Sea Buckthorn.

Our Sustainability Practices:

Our tag line is “Eco Ethical Skincare” and we take that commitment very seriously. Tilvee is passionate about green business practices and uses ingredients that support sustainable, organic and fair trade agriculture.  Here are some key Eco Ethical practices at Tilvee.

Sustainable Ingredients

Full ingredient Disclosure – we disclose all of our ingredients

Fair Trade and Organic Ingredients – we source sustainably produced, organic and fair trade ingredients

No Animal Testing – We do not test any of our products on animals

Sustainable Packaging:

Glass Jars – easy to recycle and provide a stable environment for our products without leaching chemicals

Fibrestone (stone paper) labels – a paper that is tree and water free.  Its productsion causes no air pollution, has a very low carbon footprint and includes no bleaching chemicals.  It is also recyclable.

Eco Friendly Printers – Our Eco-Labels are printed by a printer that are 100% Carbon Neutral & 100% Wind Powered (through offsets)

Xela Sample Packs – our new sample packs are packaged in 100% PCW material by a Green E-certified company that is offsetting 100% of the electricity they use with clean renewable, certified wind energy.

Green Office & Laboratory

Solar Power – We offset 100% of our electricity with solar power.

100% PCW & Sugar Cane Paper – for all literature, packaging and office paper

Flor Carpet Tiles – We use Flor tiles which are made from renewable and recycled content and are recyclable.

Tilvee is a wonderful company that I love chatting with on Twitter and Facebook, they offer reawlly reawlly good quality products that you can trust, and they definitely do care about the health of our family’s and our planet. SCORE!

http://www.tilvee.com/

http://twitter.com/tilvee

http://www.facebook.com/Tilvee

Full Disclosure: I did receive the Sport Stick from Tilvee, free of charge in order to review. This in no way impacted my opinions of the company or their products. My thoughts are mine alone!

One of the exciting things about being green to me – seeing all the cool stuff other greenies come up with to use, reuse and to really make an impact sustainably! I love it! One of the most recent things I came across were these toothbrushes from Radius that not only clean your lil toofers – but they rock! Seriously, would you question or doubt a woman who brushes every day with a FLAX brush? That’s right…F.L.A.X.

Flax!!! I can’t stop saying this because I am amazed with it. We also received a kidz brush to review and our M loves the big thumb grip on her pretty purple brush. So cool. Anything to add some pizazz to our teeth-cleaning routine! Shoosh yeah!

Source Toothbrush (the one I have and love) comes in soft or medium and the handles are available in recycled US Treasury bills, Flax and Wood. Nylon heads are replaceable and weigh only 7% of total toothbrush. My next brush – money!! That’ll make your smile feel like a million bucks *CHA-CHING*

About Radius:

KIDZ TOOTHBRUSH – ages 6 and up

• Thumb grip and big, easy to hold handle designed just for children. A pint sized version of the Original
• Three times more very fine bristles with wide oval format, massage gums gently
• Lasts 9 months
• American Dental Association “Accepted” for prevention of gingivitis and removal of plaque
• Non-aligned bristle layout to avoid tooth erosion
• Beautiful Award-winning design

SOURCE TOOTHBRUSH

• Beautiful, long-lasting Bio-Plastic handles from recycled dollar bills, wood or flax blended with 100% recycled polypropylene.
• Replaceable head, reduces 93% of waste from standard toothbrushes and lowers cost of brushing
• Right or left hand configuration ensures dentist recommended 45º angle of bristle to teeth
• Radial bristling allows brushing in tight spaces
• Dramatically increases softness and efficacy of brushing with 65% more bristle tufts than ordinary toothbrushes
• Non-aligned bristle layout to avoid tooth erosion

Radius is a fun green company offering many choices for your dental needs including natural floss, replacement heads (great idea rather than trashing an old brush eh?), BPA free tots brush…the list goes on greenie bugs!

Get social!

https://twitter.com/RadiusGenie

Full Disclosure: I did receive Radius product free of charge in order to do this review. This has in no way affected my opinion of this company or it’s products. My thoughts are mine alone!

Fabulous Funkoos!

Funkoos Organic Baby Clothes is “a company formed to facilitate availability of premium organic baby clothing at an affordable price.” Funkoos believes in using organic cotton in the production of their clothing because of the difference between it and regular cotton: “Regular cotton production uses more chemicals per unit area than any other crop and accounts in total for 16% of the world’s pesticides” and on the other hand, organic cotton “eliminates the use of toxic chemicals used in cotton.” Therefore, by purchasing organic cotton clothing for your baby, you won’t be exposing them to the dangerous pesticides used when growing cotton. With a wide variety of clothing and linens to choose from, you can’t go wrong.

I am a huge fan of hooded towels. In fact, it is the only kind of baby towel I used on both of my kids for 2 reasons: (1) it is much warmer, and (2) if your kids wiggle as much as mine, they have a tendency to escape a regular towel during transport and a hooded towel keeps them on lock! My favorite hooded towel is my Funkoos towel because it’s not only super soft, but it is the thickest and fluffiest of all my towels on my son’s changing table. It’s fantastic! It is much larger than ordinary hooded towels, which means I will be able to use it on my extra tall baby for a lot longer.

Now, it might be a bit of a spurge, but the bathrobe is just too cute to pass up! I don’t really care for trying to lotion, diaper, and dress my baby on top of a damp towel. So once I have dried off Little Man, I slip him into his robe so that he stays dry and warm and I can tackle one part of him at a time. Plus, the hood on the robe is just the perfect size for keeping baby’s head warm without swallowing his face.

These two are my go-to bath time essentials and they are in heavy rotation through my washer and dryer.  I am going to be so sad when he outgrows this robe because it has such durable stitching that there is no way it will wear out before he outgrows it and the hooded towel is just as strong. My son and I give two enthusiastic green thumbs up for Funkoos!

http://www.funkoos.com/