I am a traveler. There was a time when no self-respecting backpacker would be caught without a Nalgene bottle dangling from a carabiner on the side of his or her pack.
If you were REALLY hip, you used the same Nalgene bottle ALL THE TIME and personalized it with stickers that referenced obscure places, bands, or eco-clubs.
When the news about the possibly harmful side effects of BPA in plastic food containers came out, I didn't want to take any risks with my health, so I tossed all of my BPA plastics, including offending sippy cups, baby bottles, and my beloved sports bottles.
I was so excited to learn that Nalgene has a line of BPA-free bottles! I am proud to say that we have a set for the whole family!
Nalgene bottles are made in the USA, are indestructible, and are taste & odor free, so you can enjoy your drinks without that yucky tainted plastic smell.
The BPA-free bottles include:
The 32-oz "everyday" bottle, that my husband drinks coffee out of (kind of weird, I know...).
The Everyday retails for $11.50.
The OTG has a handy flip-top lid and holds 24 ounces of BPA-free hydration! The Nalgene OTG retails for $11.99.
My FAVORITE new BPA-free offering from Nalgene are these adorable Grip-N-Gulp bottles! It is the convenience and spill-proof qualities of a sippy cup, but the Grip-N-Gulp looks a lot more "grown up" than a standard sippy.
Both of my boys love using the Grip-N-Gulp. When we first got it, I removed the valve because it was almost too difficult to drink through. Even without the valve, there is very little leakage. At $9.25, I think the Grip-N-Gulp is a great value for a BPA-free kid's cup!
The first day I took the Grip-n-Gulp out on the town with us to run some errands, I left it in on the counter of the grocery store while I was checking out!
Luckily a friend of mine had seen me in the grocery store and realized what had happened when they saw my abandoned bottle. I was glad to be reunited with our Grip-N-Gulp! I was so afraid my son would be devastated if it was lost!
Nalgene is giving away a set of all 3 BPA-Free bottles mentioned in this post (ARV 32.75)!
To enter, tell me another product you would like to have from Nalgene!
For a second entry, leave another comment telling me how you would use your 3 BPA-Free Nalgene bottles.
One winner will be chosen at random.
This giveaway will close on November 1, 12 midnight CST!
*Giveaway closed! Congrats to Olga!*
Even William the Garbage truck is going green in this fun book for teaching young kids how to go green in a fun, exciting way!
William begins life as a smoky white garbage truck, but as William learns about conservation, he eventually transforms to a green hybrid recycling truck committed to the fight against global warming!
William is Going Green is the first in a series of children's books with an eco-friendly message that focus on a favorite subject for preschoolers: big trucks!
Other friends of William (crew members) include:
 | ASHLEY is a street sweeper truck. |
 | BLAKE, who carefully carries toxic household items like poisons, paints, oil, solvents, automotive fluids, cleaners and herbicides to the city dump. |
 | STAN, a garbage truck |
When I first started hearing buzz about Kiwi Magazine, I figured that it was something to do with hippies from New Zealand or something. In case you are confused, I was wrong.
Kiwi Magazine is an organic family lifestyle and parenting publication for "Growing Families the Natural and Organic Way."
Kiwi Magazine has all of the departments that you would expect from a parenting magazine, but with a "green" twist!
Here is a sampling of what Kiwi Magazine has to offer:
It is so exciting that "going green" is a bona fide trend in America these days. One of the fringe benefits is that there are LOTS of new earth-friendly companies now that sell a seemingly endless variety of products.
I really enjoy finding organic children's clothing companies that are new to me. Most recently, I was introduced to Inside Out Kidz!
Inside Out Kidz desires to help children be healthy in a healthy environment by creating onesies, lap-tees, and t-shirts that are 100% certified organic unbleached cotton.
The shirts are printed with simple designs and meaningful messages using water based inks that do not contain PVCs!
Inside Out Kidz clothing is made in the USA!
Like many consumers, I am working towards a life style with a smaller carbon footprint. Some steps have been easy for me, such as taking reusable bags on shopping trips, or replacing paper products with cloth. But one of my weaknesses is the desire to indulge in a long, hot, shower...every day.
I have a pet peeve with people who embrace the "green movement" only on a surface level and do very little to actually conserve resources. I was so excited when LetsGoGreen.biz offered to sponsor a Water Conservation Kit giveaway on my blog.
Last summer, my state experienced a long drought. This resulted in the water company putting a penalty fee on homes that used more than a certain amount of water in a given month. We did all we could to conserve water and avoid the financial penalty; I bathed the kids in the kitchen sink instead of the big bath tub, we never watered the yard (we used rain barrels to keep some tomato plants alive), never filled up the kiddie pool, and, yes, we stopped flushing the toilet every time.
The toilet thing was a bit embarrassing. I was always worried about unexpected guests discovering that we were letting the yellow mellow. I would much rather save water using these inexpensive products from LetsGoGreen.biz:
This low flow faucet aerator reduces your bathroom sink output to only 1.5 gallons per minute. It installs easily without any tools. I did it myself with one hand! It took about 20 seconds. The aerator results in a nice, even spray from the sink. I have one of these...I need another for the second bathroom!
The Low Flow Earth Massage shower head also installs easily without tools and uses only 1.5 gallons per minute....that is 40% less than the average shower head. With this baby, I can still take a long shower while using 40% less water than before! And it has a massage setting. Woohoo!
The adjustable flapper prevents leaks in the toilet tank and saves thousands of gallons of water per year. And you can still flush.
This little jewel is a low-flow kitchen faucet aerator. It uses only 1.5 gallons of water per minute and has an on/off valve so that you can get the water to the temperature you want, turn it off when your soaping the dishes, and turn it back on when you are ready to rinse. I love using this in my kitchen; it even swivels!
The Household Water Conservation Kit from LetsGoGreen.biz includes all of the above, as well as leak detector tablets and a flow meter bag!
This is SO easy to use and can make a BIG difference in the amount of water you use in your home. The kit is only $21.99 at LetsGoGreen.biz and with the coupon code "FRIEND", you can save 25% ! It is fun to see how much you can save on your water bill while feeling good about conserving the world's clean water supply!
I'm hoping to add the Shower Coach and a couple of Toilet Tank Banks to my array of water-saving tools in the future!
LetsGoGreen.biz wants to give away a Household Water Conservation Kit to one MyGreening reader!
To enter, visit LetsGoGreen.biz and tell me another product from their store that you love or would like to know more about.
One winner will be chosen by random number generator at random.org.
This contest will close on Monday, August 18th, 12 midnight.
A long time ago when I wanted to be Green but I had no idea where to start, I discovered the mom-invented Wrap-N-Mat on a review blog. I thought it was a genius solution for lunch boxes everywhere. The Wrap-N-Mat is a reusable sandwich wrap that unfolds to become a travel-friendly place mat!
Before I bought 2 Wrap-N-Mats, I was using resealable plastic containers to transport my sandwiches. I didn't like how the containers were bulky and took up a lot of room whether there was a sandwich inside or not. Also, in the meantime, my preschooler started going to a Montessori school, and it was required that all of the students be able to open and close their lunch containers WITHOUT HELP.
My son can't manage a plastic container, but he can easily open and close his Wrap-N-Mat, even at age 3 1/2.
Wrap-N-Mats are recommended by www.MyHealthySchool.Com; they have lots of tips to help parents equip their children for a healthy school day!
We have four Wrap-N-Mats: two in the PEVA lined Eco Print and two in the PEVA lined Solid Kelly Green. My husband uses them when he packs his own lunch, and it never fails that someone expresses interest in the Wrap-N-Mat when they see him using one (or two).
We have used our Wrap-N-Mat for sandwiches, bagels, hot dogs (actually a pb and j on a hot dog bun), and handfuls of chips. Our Wrap-N-Mats have been used at work, school, restaurants, in car trips, and airplane trips.
I LOVE toys made out of natural materials. There are so many advantages to choosing wooden play things, including durability, safety, and beautiful simplicity. I was excited to discover ImagiPLAY toys, which are made from plantation-grown chemical-free rubberwood and bamboo (which is actually a grass). ImagiPLAY uses safe, renewable materials, no child labor, and pays it's factory workers a living wage. But besides being ecologically responsible and crafting toys with integrity, ImagiPLAY toys are adorable and downright fun!
My 3 1/2 year old got a new ImagiPLAY toy called puzzleplay. It is a puzzle and an 18 piece play set all in one! In the rainforest play set that we have, the pieces are in the shapes of various rainforest animals. The animals are thick enough to stand up on their own. This is a terrific toy that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways.
I wondered if Jojo would have the skills to do the puzzle; it looked pretty challenging to me, but it was no problem for Jojo.
ImagiPLAY also has a line of toys for toddlers: Baby Deeds has his very own Pushalong Duck. The wood is gorgeous and smooth, hand painted using child-safe (lead free) paints. The wheels on the Pushalong Duck have little rubber "tires" so that it rolls smoothly and doesn't scratch surfaces.
Check out this cool Arctic Expedition play set! It has a variety of arctic-themed figures that store nicely inside of a fabric igloo! I think it is one of the neatest and most practical ideas for a play set that I have ever seen! Jojo likes to hook the dog sled around the dog's tail and haul the other members of the Expedition. The Arctic Expedition play set sees A LOT of action at our house. I'm going to borrow the igloo and polar bears for a Christmas centerpiece. Shh! Don't tell the kids!
Isn't this African Safari set the cutest? I love the baobob tree the little baboon that fits so nicely on top of it. The driver of the safari jeep also slides inside like a puzzle piece.
ImagiPLAY also has an ENORMOUS variety of Colorific Earth Puzzles for teaching numbers, letters, spatial relations, and hand-eye coordination.
You could win the VERY COOL ZOOM TO THE MOON playset ($27 value)!
