Our facebook fans and twitter followers are the first ones to hear about our Jubi Organic Holiday bib giveaway. For every set of holiday bibs you buy you get a free organic washcloth.

Join us on facebook and follow us on twitter to keep up to date on all of our specials and giveaways. Or, go to the site here to buy the holiday bib set.

This is a guest article written by, Kaleo Kala from KALA-modern furnishing. Kaleo is currently working on designing a line of childrens furniture. We are working together to bring KALA kids furniture to our site soon.

So this past weekend I did what most people do on the weekend, I spent time with my family.  This included a very nice walk in the woods on the property that we live on, out in nature with my wife and two sons (5 and 21 months).  Discovering an old logging road that we had no clue was there before.  Upon retuning home from our walk in the woods we needed to go and run some errands.

My wife and I are trying our best to be better stewards to our earth.  We recycle everything that we can, we compost all of our food waste, we try to buy local and support local small businesses.  But sometimes you just can’t get everything that you need from the little mom and pop shops.  So on Saturday we headed to one of the many Big Box stores in our area.  As I walked the aisles I started to notice all the “GREEN” items on the shelves.  Almost everything says something like “green” or “eco-friendly”.  It really got me thinking about “Greenwashing”.

Let me give you an example…  One item that I saw was plastic sandwich bags.  I won’t mention the brand, you never know who’s reading.  But they had 2 types of regular sandwich bags, one normal and one eco-friendly.  So I picked up the Eco-friendly box and began to read.  On the front of the box it stated that these bags were made with 25% less plastic than the other bags.  Also it stated that these bags were made with wind power.  Now we all know that these bags are not good for the environment in the first place, but here are my thoughts.

If you can make these bags with 25% less plastic, then why not make all your bags that way.  If your factory is set up to use wind power, then all your products should be benefiting from it not just this one set of bags.  I’m not suggesting that they are not doing what they claim.  But I began to realize that these Big Corporations are using “GREEN” as a marketing gimmick.

Now here is an example of the opposite.  I am a furniture maker specializing in but not limited to contemporary design.  Recently I built a small chair for my son’s bedroom and this sparked an interest in building children’s furniture.  This also began my interest in making items that were sustainable and as “GREEN” as I could.  This interest came about because I wanted to make furniture for my children that would be safe for their health as well as not do much damage to the earth.

As I began to design some pieces of children’s furniture, I began to research the dangers of Formaldehyde.  Looking for a company that made and supplied Plywood that didn’t use Formaldehyde glues was difficult, but I discovered Columbia Forest Products.  They began using a soy based glue technology called “PureBond”.  I called and talked with them about their product and where I could find it near me.  They told me that they have switched their entire production line to this glue.  So now all the plywood that they make is made with this glue.  This is an example of a company that decided to not market both products, but go with the one that is better for everyone.

Here are a few tips on avoiding “Green washing”, at least when it comes to furniture.  First, BUY LOCAL…  When you establish a relationship with a local vendor or, in my case a furniture maker, he can show you and tell you exactly what’s in the product.  Ask about FSC Certified Wood, this is The Forestry Stewardship Council.  They have set regulations on proper and sustainable logging practices.  Second, watch out for paints and finishes.  I use “MILK Paint” which is paint derived from milk proteins and natural pigments.  But ask about what has been used.  Also that super high gloss finish might be extremely hazardous.  Water based finishes are better for the environment, but natural oils are better for everyone.  And last but not least, beware if anyone tells you Formaldehyde free.  Formaldehyde does naturally occur in wood, in very trace amounts.  So if someone tells you it’s Formaldehyde free, they don’t truly understand what they are saying.  They should tell you that there is “No Formaldehyde added”, meaning they don’t use Formaldehyde glues. ( Urea Formaldehyde or Plastic Resin glue)

I know that “GREEN” sometimes seems overwhelming.  Where do I start?  Well my suggestion is to start simple.  Choose one thing that you think you can do and maybe improve on and just go from there.  I am no expert on any of this, but have chosen to try my best.  That’s all we can do.

When my grand daughter was a baby I did a lot of research about making baby food at home. At the time for us to give her purchased organic baby food in a jar  I had to drive over an hour to the Wild Oats grocery store. This obviously wasn’t very convenient.

I soon realized that it was not a big deal to make homemade baby food, cook organic veggies, and fruits, puree them, then freeze them in ice cube trays. Not very time consuming and definitely better for my grand daughter. The one problem I had with baby food was the bland options, there was no exposure to new and different tastes to grow her pallet.

I recently read about a company making organic baby food with herbs, tastybaby. Their stage two foods start combining herbs into the babies food. This is such a great idea. Not only does it start to grow the babies pallet but what better way to naturally help your baby. For instance, ginger is a great digestive agent, wonderful for soothing upset tummies. Ginger would be delicious in mashed sweet potatoes or apples.  Mint is another ingredient that is great for the digestive system as well and would be wonderful in yogurt, or with mangoes or peaches. Cinnamon is a diuretic and can be added to apples, sweet potaotes, pumpkin, yogurt, or cereal. Garlic is great as a natural anti-biotic and would be great in veggies, potatoes or meats.

The list of herbs you use is endless. Do some research on the benefits of different herbs and start thinking about what herbs you like in your food. You can easily make these foods ahead of time and store them in BP-A free trays, which are the perfect serving sizes for your little one. I would make sure your baby has been eating plain baby food before adding these ingredients. I would also suggest using organic foods for all of your homemade baby food.

Send me comments about what you make for your baby. I would love to hear the different recipes and ideas!

-Sheri

Every Saturday morning that I am in town I go to the farmers market. It is a ritual. I love starting my weekend with this simple, calming pleasure.  Now that it is winding down I find my self wondering what I will do all winter without it, and thinking about what it is I like so much about this Saturday morning ritual.

For me, it feels so good to go buy things from local people, whether it is eggs, veggies, pastries (for the husband), or small handcrafted items. I feel like I contribute to a community when I am there. A community that agrees with me, one where they aren’t torturing their chickens for eggs, or spraying chemicals all over their plants. I love looking into their eyes and making the connection that they too love being here, in our community, in our town, giving back and taking advantage of what mother nature gives us.

I find that for me it is a chance to take the work I have done all week and go out and find others who believe that together we all make small differences.I come from farmers and I am comfortable around farmers, I respect them for what they do and what they give to each of us.  But when I am around farmers brave enough to garden organically, to not give in to the large corporations or feed their animals terrible hormones, I feel proud. I admire them as I admire the merchants I work with all week who dedicate themselves to making products that have a voice of their own, they speak loudly every time they are purchased by telling the mainstream producers that we have had enough.

So I guess for me, I will miss that. I will miss the community of people rising early every Saturday to gather together and say, in our small, humble voices, “We have had enough. We want something better for ourselves, for our families and for our planet.”

In Richmond many of our farmers are taking it on the road for the winter, finding stores that will let them come once a week for pick up by those of us who can’t live without their products, or they are starting once a month delivery services. That means a lot, it means we are making a difference.

Tell me about your Saturday morning rituals, or your local farmers market. I would love to hear how everyone else feels about eating local foods.

-Sheri

Well, our designer, Scott has done it again! He created a great Holiday gift guide for us, full of stocking stuffer ideas and gift ideas.  Check it out here and definitely become a fan on facebook for upcoming promos on the gift guide items.

My dog likes to watch the squirrels run across fences and wires. Then she likes to bark like crazy and try to chase them. This is a problem right now as we walk through the park because the squirrels are everywhere gathering their nuts for the winter.

However, it is good because in my ongoing quest to find fun family activities  that teach children about our planet, and healthy living it gave me an idea about a different activity involving squirrels; one that does not require my dog terrorizing the poor little guys.

If you have a nice afternoon why not take some nuts to the park with your child and feed the squirrels some nuts for the winter? It is a great opportunity to teach your children about hibernation, about squirrels,  about the changing of the seasons, and about how healthy nuts are, not only for squirrels but for humans too.

You can also take the opportunity to watch the leaves fall, and take in the amazing colors and smells of fall. Please write and tell me how it is, since my fall afternoon activity is much less serene.

-Sheri

This is the sad reality of our fabric content: it could likely be killing us, and is more than likely making us increasingly sick.

I watched a show on the Green channel where they discussed wrinkle-free sheets being wrinkle-free because part of the chemical cocktail used to make them “convenient” is formaldehyde. Yep, formaldehyde.

I decided to research. I knew that organic bedding was better, not only for me and my family but for the environment, but I had no idea HOW much better. (I am going to focus only on formaldehyde today, otherwise this post would be close to a book. I will post more about other chemicals later.)

This is what formaldehyde can do to our bodies:

formaldehyde is used to impart “permanent press” attributes (no wrinkles) or to fix color. When present in the air, sensitive individuals can experience watery eyes; burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat; nausea; coughing; chest tightness; wheezing; and skin rashes. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) notes that formaldehyde, which off-gases in the home—can cause nasopharyngeal cancer (cancer of the nose and throat). Formaldehyde does not completely wash out in the laundry but the emissions can be reduced by about 60 percent.

So here we are sleeping, innocently breathing in formaldehyde, then as we live our daily lives our bedding is off gasing into our homes, and into our bodies. Now we wash this bedding, and so our bedding contaminates our water supply. Haven’t we just created a vicious cycle of endangering our health all for the convenience of modern day fabrics. Our children’s clothes, coming from China, have been tested for formaldehyde and have been found to contain 900 times the amount considered safe by the World Health Organization;  900 TIMES THE AMOUNT CONSIDERED SAFE by the WHO. The EPA considers formaldehyde to be a probable human carcinogen, that is right, a human carcinogen (which by definition means: A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide or radiation that is an agent directly involved in the exacerbation of cancer or in the increase of its propagation.)

The interesting thing is that while the EPA has ranked formaldehyde as a probable carcinogen it does not have any regulations against it. Other countries have imposed regulations, Germany requires a product to list formaldehyde use on it’s labels. Yet, we require nothing. Unfortunately fabric isn’t the only place formaldehyde can be found in your home. It is more than likely in the glue that is used to make some of your furniture, in your insulation, and other building materials.

What do we do? Well, buy organic is the obvious answer but changing everything over in your house to organic can be a cost barrier to most. So replace what you can when you can with organic cotton, linen or bamboo. Linen and bamboo are naturally resistant to insects so they are considered much safer fabrics. Fleece and knit bedding is not treated to be wrinkle free or permanent press which can cut down on the formaldehyde in your home. Check labels for “Formaldehyde Free”. Insulation is now available this way and other companies are taking it upon themselves to start labeling this way as well. If you buy fabrics that are not organic wash them before you use them, and if you can soak them overnight, it will help release some of the chemicals. Lastly and most importantly for the planet, write or call your government officials and start demanding regulations.

We are committed to offering products that are organic and natural, containing no formaldehyde. We carefully scrutinize our products before offering them to make sure we are doing our part, and offering you a safe shopping environment.

Do you have any comments or experiences about this? We would love to hear them. Leave us a comment.

-Sheri