We love the “new again” trend of packing school lunches in reusable containers–it is a little way even small children can push back against a society addicted to disposables. Plus, many of the containers like the ones at Kids Konserve are so eco-chic!

y little one just turned three and we’re still trying to hold the line on the birthday party escalation. Since she has a some friends, now, we had a few girls over for ice cream cake and crafts.

My daughter loves crafting and the party pack of small Calafant Toys cardboard toys from Creative Toy Shop was the perfect party activity and take-home toy favor…

There’s a member of my family who takes a little ribbing for an insistence on washing each dish thoroughly before placing it in the dishwasher–and the dishes are so immaculate no one knows if the washer has been run or not. This person insists that is the only way the dishes get clean. Add to that the time spent drying the dishes after the dishwasher is done, and there is almost no point in putting the dishes in the dishwasher.

So, I was really hoping that our new Frigidaire dishwasher would cut down on the time and effort we put into washing dishes in our household…

EarthLust bottles are fantastically chic, manufactured from a slender, tapered custom mold and coated with non-toxic paints. Each delicately rendered design evokes a love of, or a deeply respectful lust for, nature. Some of the artwork was created by mom-owner and inventor, Allison…

Looking for stainless steel water bottle alternatives for your family? Unlike aluminum, stainless steel does not require a liner. While it used to be difficult to find stylish, BPA-free options for kids and the rest of the family, there are now a whole host of products available. We’ll be reviewing a few metal bottles for kids in the upcoming months and updating this post.

With his usual thoughtful and even-handed reporting, Jeremiah at Zrecs has all of the information about how SIGG muddied the waters to benefit from concerns about BPA. While it does seem to be the case that no BPA leaches from the old SIGG linings, they do, in fact, contain BPA…

“Waste not, want not,” mom always said. So, mom entrepreneur Christina started Citizen Pip and created a complete, “muck-free”, reusable lunch system.

This stylish Soup to Nuts Kit includes everything you need to pack a meal, from the non-squishable sandwich-sized container, to the insulated soup jar. You’ll also find utensils, cloth napkins, snack-sized containers, and a water bottle. And it is all certified to be lead-free, phthalate-free and BPA-free by a CPSIA-accredited lab.

A kid’s work is play. And toddlers and preschoolers learn primarily through exploring the world around them. A few high quality toys, like the gorgeous sustainable, fair-trade toys available from Plan Toys, are enough to spark their imaginations. The tactile feel of real wood, the non-toxic, bright colors, and the open-ended nature of these toys make them perfect for flexible, young minds.

Plan Toys sent us three items from their catalog of Developmental Toys for Preschoolers and they have quickly become favorites in our house: Animal Domino Memory Game, 30-Piece Construction Set, and Stacking Tree.

Kids love to express themselves through crafts projects, personalized products, and colorful accessories.

Shains brings all of this together in a fun, hip, eco-friendly and affordable way! Kids can easily spell out words and add icons to a variety of fun bracelets, necklaces or other accessories.

And, according to Shains, all products and packaging are made of recycled and recyclable content and everything Shains produces is certified lead free.