Traditionally consumers had to choose between scratch-resistant (SR) and anti-reflective (AR) coatings for their lenses, since each has to be on the top layer to be effective. In fact some AR coatings seem to highlight even the tiniest smudges. But the newest coating on the market manages to combine both features: Sold as “Crizal Avance with Scotchgard Protector,” this is a remarkable product that combines anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, and dirt repellent properties all on the same lens.

I had the opportunity to try a pair of Essilor’s Airwear polycarbonate lenses with this new coating. They are less than half the weight of my glass lenses, and their coating really works as advertised.  Ask your eye care provider about Airwear lenses or visit LighterSaferGreener.com for more information.

One of my favorite stores is donating 25% of all Valentine’s Day purchases to Haiti. Click here to visit Rosie Hippo and to donate 25% of your purchase to Haiti use coupon code: HELPHAITI.

RosieHippo.com is the place to shop for hip, eco-friendly toys. Many of their toys are on-sale right now, so you can get a great deal and make a donation to Haiti at the same time.

loth diapering is environmentally-friendly and costs less than using disposable diapers, but the majority of moms still use disposable diapers. You’ve probably heard stories from your mother or grandmother about the hassle of using traditional cloth diapers. For me, that was a factor in choosing disposable diapers.

But the new reusable diapers from AppleCheeks inspired me to give cloth diapering another look.

Our Green House has some of our favorite eco-friendly products for the whole family.
In our Hottest Toys for the Holidays Guide we featured the twirling dragon, a unique wooden pull toy ($28.50), and the Alphabet Puzzle with animals embracing the earth ($44).  My teething son loves the wood and organic cotton teether and rattle ($17.50), with its soft rattle sound and highly chewable wood ring and cloth knots. And my toddler won’t take a bath without her the genuine, original natural rubber duck ($8).
They have a large selection of …

Confession: I want to be green but sometimes, between family and work, it is just not at the top of my list.  I also want to keep my house cleaner, but I have little interest in tidying and even less time for it.
So, when my organization and cleaning guru (and fellow Mamanista editor), Debbie, recommends a product like Clorox Green Works that is green and clean, I want to check out it.
To find out more about having a greener home, I visited the Clorox Green Works 30 Days to Natural …

Baby Mwah received these soft organic blocks ($28) from NewBornMom, a hip eco-friendly baby store, a few months ago. The blocks match NewBornMom’s luxe organic elephant crib sheets($40), which I’d been drooling over since they would look so pretty in my animal-themed nursery. 
Initially Baby Mwah showed no interest in the blocks, so I used them as nursery decorations since the pretty cream and blue patterns matched my nursery decor. 
Once baby started sitting up independently, I reintroduced the blocks. These soft blocks quickly became a favorite toy. He enjoys chewing on them, stacking them, rolling them …

My family uses eco-friendly and chic stainless steel water bottles to reduce landfill and our exposure to the chemicals in plastics.
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.
And it is no surprise that with her deep affection for mother earth, Allison participates in 1% for the Planet.
The water bottles come with a screw top and …

Monkey Bean Toys is one of our Retailers of Toys to Trust.
Their selection includes lots of beautiful wooden and plush items, most of which are manufactured in North America or Europe. Just to make sure their toys are safe, Monkey Bean uses a hand-held X-Ray Fluorescence Metal Analyzer (the same model used by the US FDA for frontline screening of heavy metal contamination) to test toys manufactured in China.
Click HERE to visit MonkeyBean Toys and receive 10% off everything through the end of April! Please use coupon code “MBTSALE” at …

Call it the Green House effect…people everywhere, especially parents, are turning to more eco-friendly products for their homes.
One of my favorite places to shop for environmentally friendly and safe products for my nest is Our Green House.
I originally found the store looking for toys, and they have just about the coolest assortment of natural toys, organic toys, and toys Made in the USA you could want.
Since my little one currently is obsessed with ducks, I like the genuine, original natural rubber duck.
I’ve also got these organic teethers and the wooden …