We just began offering a great new company on our site, Hand Full. They make hemp & organic cotton clothing that is creative, fun and practical! Here is our interview and make sure to check out their great clothing, undies, and trainers! You can see it all here.

2. Why did you choose to work with organic & hemp materials?
R:  I have been wearing organic cotton and hemp clothes for years and love the way the fabric feels, washes, tears and wears.  Living in Eugene I am amazed by the plethora of beautiful, high-end organic clothing for adults. Unfortunately, there are few designers making eco-conscious clothing for kids. We want our kids, their friends, everyone else’s kids to have the opportunity to wear such amazing materials.

s:  After driving 17 hours to get to our house, Rebecca jumped from the car with a piece of hemp fabric in her hand.  First, the long awaited joyous hug, and then she thrust the cutest little skirt into my hands.  “This is our next project!,” she exclaimed.  Being a fabric lover myself I was instantly curious.  We had talked about organic cotton before; and hemp blends seemed like a better match.  We love the feel and wear of organic cotton, so why not add a little natural (no-pesticides-needed) hemp in and create a durable, eco-concious, green fiber.  It was an obvious, positive fit for hand full’s eco-wear.

3. What is your inspiration for designs?
Our 3 beautiful children!    As we started to design our clothes we wanted them to be kids clothes– not adult clothes made for kids.  We felt like there was plenty of time for our kids to wear button-down shirts and jeans when they got bigger.  Our clothes are made to look and feel great in the activities we like to do with our kids–hiking, climbing, camping, biking, walking, gardening and of course, playing.  We also wanted our kids to want to put our clothes on–and to our liking, they do!  They love them and once we made them for our kids, people started to ask us to make them for theirs–and here we are, just making simple, well thought out clothes for kids.

4. What is the best part of being in business for yourself? 
The creativity– it is a dream to be doing something that we love and that feels inspiring every day.  The best part is seeing adorable little people walking around in something that we have created together.  Another amazing thing is getting to know each other–you would think that after bed rest together and raising kids together we would know each other all too well; but being business partners is a whole new dynamic.  The connection is amazing– there is more laughter in our lives now than ever before.  The word synergy doesn’t describe it.  The two of us are “super” synergy.  You can’t imagine all the creative ideas we’ve come up with for hand full that never make it to our “to do” list. Months later we will bring something up and think, “Didn’t we already brainstorm this? Why isn’t it already done?”  We just have to laugh and embrace all that we have accomplished.

5. Do you feel any pressure competing with clothes made in China?
We feel absolutely no pressure from clothing made in China.   We focus on consumers looking for something unique, organic and locally made.

6. Where do you hope Hand Full goes in the future?  Everywhere!

7. If there was one thing we should know about you what would it be?  The thought, time and love that goes into our clothes.  Every piece we make is filled with intention.  Whether it is custom or a piece made for a fair, we think about what we are doing at every step and send love and playfulness to the kids that will wear them.  We make clothes for the kids…not the parents, grandparents, or friends that do the buying.  Every item is made intentionally for the free-spirited kids that imagine, play and explore in our eco-wear.

Sometimes I struggle with what to write in blog posts. I have to think about running our company, tweeting, facebooking and corresponding with our customers, bloggers, and merchants. Mind you I am not complaining. But sometimes I run out of words, which my family would tell you they never thought possible.

I have wanted to write a post about getting rid of plastic in our lives for about a week but keep stalling out or getting sidetracked. I so admire these people who cut their plastic down to one bag or less a year but I am nowhere near that but I would like to try to get closer.

So today I am going to make my list, and make some more changes  in my life with a little help from other bloggers and great products.

1. Buy in bulk and take your own small cloth bags.

2. Use cloth bags for your produce and fresh bread.

3. Stop using plastic lighters. This comes from fakeplasticfish. (It is a tough image to look at but powerful!)

4. Visit your local butcher, best case bring your own container, worst case, at least they wrap your meat in paper not plastic containers.

5. Don’t use plastic silverware when you eat out or get take out. Try these reusable bamboo ones, the case is even made from recycled plastic bottles.

6. Buy large containers instead of small ones. For instance, can you buy one large container of yogurt instead of daily ones. What about the family sizes or better yet shop at Costco, BJ’s or Sam’s Club and buy big. Then recycle. At our local green grocery store you can also fill up your shampoos, conditioners, soaps, olive oils etc from large containers into your reusable ones. Ask your grocery store to offer similar options if they don’t already. (My local green grocery store, Ellwood Thompson’s.)

7. Use recyclable or reusable toothbrushes. Try these:

Preserve recycled/recyclable toothbrushes

Radius recycled material toothbrushes whose handles last a lifetime.

8.  Stop buying cleaning products and make your own in reusable bottles. Vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent and can be substituted for window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, stainless steel cleaner etc. Mix with water in a reusable spray bottle and voila. You have saved tons of money and tons of plastic. Not to mention the chemicals not entering your home or your water system!

9. Stop buying processed foods. Think of how much plastic is in the wrapping & the packaging. If you don’t have time to cook what about taking your own container to the grocery store and filling them up at the food bar instead.  Check out this organization for ideas and fun on not using plastic containers.

Take Out Without

Okay, so here are my list of 9. What do you do to save plastic? What changes have you made in your life? I have to admit I don’t own the bamboo flatware, but I think it is a definite purchase this week. We don’t eat take out much but when we do, this is a great solution to the plastic!

-Sheri

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a chemical used in soaps, shampoos, conditioners, bubble bath and body washes to create suds. At least 90% of non-organic shampoos and conditioners contain sodium lauryl sulfate.  So what is it and why should you know about it?

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is a chemical. For a lot of you that is reason to avoid it. But, for those who want to know here are the rest of the details. SLS is used to to break down oil and grease, and make suds. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate started its career as an industrial degreasant & garage floor cleaner. When applied to human skin it has the effect of stripping off the oil layer & the irritating & erroding the skin.

From the research I have found SLS is not linked to cancer however, it does have some other side effects you may choose to avoid. It can cause eye irritations, skin rashes, hair loss, dandruff, cause allergic reactions & can lead to blindness or cataracts. It can also change genetic information & damage the immune system. It is listed as a high human health priority and is expected to be found to be harmful or toxic, according to the Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List, in relation to non-reproductive organ system toxicity.

A study at the University of Georgia Medical College, indicated that SLS penetrated into the eyes as well as brain, heart, liver, etc., and showed long-term retention in the tissues. The study also indicated that SLS penetrated young children’s eyes and prevented them from developing properly and caused cataracts to develop in adults.

When we first discussed this chemical we were divided as to whether or not to allow it. It was our final decision that there are many fantastic products out there that do not include so why take the risk by allowing products on the site that do.

It is a cheap ingredient to use but our stance is that cheap in the short term often does not equate to cheap in the long term.  One of the arguments in support of SLS is that it is not really a skin irritant if it is only left on your skin for a short period of time. I was unable to find out what “short period of time” equates to. However, I can’t help but think if a child is taking a bubble bath using a product that contains SLS, or shampoo that then washes into their bath and they sit in it, well that may be longer than a “short period of time”. Why should I worry how long is long and how short is short?

Therefore, at Franklin Goose we do not carry products with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. We prefer to use products and offer you products with no questionable ingredients. You may have to forgo a few suds but we think it is worth it.

How do you feel about Sodium Lauryl Sulfate? Do you avoid products with it or find it is not a very big concern of yours?

So this was my husbands question on Saturday when I got in the car excited after I fought the crowds at Target. Normally I would get in the car cranky (and yes this does mean my husband sits in the car while I fight the Saturday crowds at Target & Trader Joes, although he never skips going into Whole Foods), but FSC certified recycled. WOOHOO!

Yes, I know, am I seriously so crunchy I get excited about FSC symbols on target gift card envelopes, the answer my friends, YES. First, look what I do for a living, I am vice president of Franklin Goose, very crunchy. Second, I am a vegetarian. Third, I have been raised by descendants of farmers who didn’t make anything unless it was from scratch, never used chemicals and always taught us never to be wasteful (which explains why my grandma’s sister figured out how to make rugs out of plastic grocery store bags twenty years ago before recycling was mainstream).

So then the question, “What is the deal with FSC anyway?” I looked at him, my husband, the one who tolerates my conveniently forgetting to buy paper towels so he can’t use them, the one who has to listen to me complain about clothes shopping because everything comes from China and the one who loves meat, everything meat who sat through Food, Inc in the theatre and then listened to me rant for weeks, how can he not know?  And so I respond with, “huh?” He says, “Seriously, what is FSC?”

To which I reply, “How can you not know this? Okay, FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council. They have the strictest regulations for environmental responsibility, they enforce social responsibility and economic viability. It is a world wide organization that has established the highest level of certification for timber.” “Oh,” he says. “Okay, for me it means we are guaranteed there are no chemicals, there is no slave labor and there is no depletion of natural resources or harm done to the humans or the planet where this wood is grown. FSC certified recycled means that in an industry where there is not necessarily any oversight FSC recycled provides the highest vigor in recycling. There must be a certain amount of recycled and post consumer waste used.” “Ohh,” he says, “Well that is cool.”

But, to me, it is so much more. It means that more and more people are paying attention and trying to make a difference by making the right choice, or at least they are trying to impress those of us who pay attention and really care. Either way, it means less chemicals, and better treatment for people and our planet. And that my friends means a little less cranky on a hectic Saturday morning.

-Sheri

We love our WAHM’s and are so happy to see them growing and bringing their personal attention and experience to the industry! One of our merchants is Katydid Diapers. Katie has a great story, she started out making diapers herself and has grown into a great business.Enjoy the interview, and check out Katydid diapers at franklingoose.com.

What motivated you to start your own business? I was having so much fun sewing diapers!  I wanted to share my knowledge and love for cloth diapers with other moms and my neighbors and family kept telling me I should start selling my diapers so I did.
How did you get started with diapers? My husband lost his job and we had two little boys in diapers so I had to find a way to save money. That’s when I discovered the joys of cloth diapering and all the wonderful modern cloth diapering options out there today.

How long have you been running your own business? I started out selling handmade diapers on Etsy a year and a half ago and I just started up my new business, Katydid Diapers, in January of 2010.
What is your favorite part of cloth diapering? It makes me feel so good! I love taking a warm load of clean diapers out of the dryer and putting a fresh, soft diaper on my baby’s bum!
What advice would you give parents considering cloth diapering? Don’t be swayed by people who would try to deter you away from cloth because they think it’s all about folding, pinning and dunking. Most cloth diapering parents these days don’t do any of those things! You never know what it’s like until you try it.
How do you manage your family and your business? I never have to leave home. That’s the best part of my business. I can work at any hour that’s convenient for me and my family. Some days I spend a little too much time at the computer and my kids watch a little too many movies, but there are always great-mom days to balance that out.
Do you have any plans to expand Katydid in the future? Oh yes, I’m just getting started! I’m itching to bring in more colors and cute prints. I have wet bags in the works already and I want to make wipes as well. We’ll see where it goes from there!
What advice can you give other mothers thinking of starting a business? Start small and see how it goes. Don’t be afraid to take that first step and make sure you come up with something that’s uniquely yours.
Any great tips you can give us about cloth diapering? If you’re afraid to get started because you think you might not stick to it then don’t keep any disposables in your house. I guarantee you’ll use your cloth and learn to love them if you don’t have the old familiar sposie to fall back on.

-Sheri

You read right, Franklin Goose is giving away a free iPod touch  32GB!

All you have to do to enter the contest is:

Tweet this phrase:

Retweet this to win an iPod touch from @franklingoose. Don’t forget to follow us @franklingoose, http://bit.ly/bXaROF

Good luck!

Tweet once and you are entered (multiple tweets will not result in multiple entries).

Contest ends: February 28, 2010 at midnight.

Our water usage has fallen by the wayside in the news since we had no droughts last year. I, however, like to be proactive rather than reactive. I also know that just because we avoided droughts in this country for a year or two it is not a sign that the water crisis has been averted.
So I thought, as spring and summer are coming, which means less condensation, it was a great time to talk again about water conservation.

Here are 9 ways to save or reuse water.

1. Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth (it saves 5 gallons of water per brushing), when you wash your hands (and count to 15), or when scrubbing pots & pans in the sink. Teach your children to do the same.

2. Keep a bucket in your bathroom and as your shower water warms up fill the bucket and use it later to water plants, mop the floor, or help wash your car bike, patio etc.

3. Keep a container ( I use a milk jug) under your sink and fill it with the water left from boiling pasta and eggs, then water your plants with it. (You can also add your leftover coffee to this giving your plants a great boost of nutrients which encourages blooming.)

4. Buy or make a rain catcher to collect rainwater to use for watering plants, washing your car, bike, boat, house exterior, etc.

5. Put a half gallon container, or a brick in your toilet tank to cut down on water stored in your tank.

6. Replace your toilets and shower heads with low flow when they need replacing.

7. Plant drought resistant plants and indigenous plants so they require less watering during the spring & summer.

8. Wash only full loads of clothes and dishes. It is also better to use your washing machine & dishwasher rather than washing by hand. It uses much less water.

9. Fix leaks. The average home loses 9.5 gallons of water per day from leaks, most of which are from toilet tanks. Did you know that a leaking faucet leaks about 10 gallons of water per day! (Check for leaks by turning off all of your faucets, and appliances. If your water meter continues to run you have a leak. Add food coloring to your toilet, if it appears in the toilet bowl you have a leak.)

Can you think of other creative ways to save water? Leave us a comment and let us know what your family does.

We are premiering our first video on Franklin Goose TV on youtube.com!

We will be posting video reviews on this channel of our products on franklingoose.com.  Be sure to subscribe so you can see all of our reviews as they become available! You can subscribe here.

What do you think? Any products you would like to see us review next? Leave us your comments.

-Sheri

PVC is everywhere, making it a difficult thing to avoid. Most of us know what it is, we know plastic isn’t good for us so we avoid it. But do you know why and where it hides and what it means? I have been surprised over the years to find where it lurks and what it means to my health, other peoples health, and the health of our planet.
The definition of PVC: “Polyvinyl chloride, (IUPAC Poly(chloroethanediyl)) commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups (ethenyls) having one of their hydrogens replaced with a chloride group.”
According to the CHEJ (Center for Health, Environment & Justice), “PVC is the most toxic plastic for our health and environment. No other plastic contains or releases as many dangerous chemicals. These include dioxins, phthalates, vinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, lead, cadmium, and organotins. There is no safe way to manufacture, use or dispose of PVC products.”

These are studies and facts about PVC & its byproduct Dioxin:

• A recent study found that children who live in homes with vinyl floors, which contain PVC, are twice as likely to have autism due to the emission of phthalates.
• A study of adults working in rooms with plastic wall covering materials were more than twice as likely to develop adult on set asthma.
• Studies of children conducted in Norway, Finland, Sweden & Russia found links between PVC, phthalates and respiratory problems.
• PVC plastic is the largest single use of chlorine in the U.S., accounting for about 34 percent of all chlorine production. (Later on in this series I will address the affects of chlorine on our society, so remember this statistic.)
• During all phases of PVC production Dioxin is created.
• Dioxin has been found in PVC process waste in concentrations as high as 200,750 parts per billion (ppb), which compares closely with that found in Agent Orange production wastes.
• Dioxin has been classified by the EPA as being a carcinogen.
• Dioxin is just one of hundreds of contaminants stored in the mother’s fat.
• It is consumed by nursing infants at a rate of 35-100 pg/kg (picograms per kilogram of body weight per day. A picogram is one-trillionth of a gram).
• The World Health Organization’s acceptable daily intake of dioxin is 1-4 pg/kg.
• The EPA “Risk Specific Dose” is 0.01 pg/kg,[26] which is 10,000 times lower than that the nursing child receives.
• Dioxin is the most powerful endocrine disrupter, meaning there is no human hormone that Dioxin does not affect. (These facts come from mindfully.org)

You can find PVC hiding in carpet, vinyl flooring, wallcovering, plastic wrap, plastic food bags, plastic plates, plastic silverware, building materials, clothing, packaging, toys, upholstery, inflatable products, shoes, purses, ceiling tiles, electronic equipment, furniture, shower curtains, luggage, mattresses, baby gear, medical equipment and more.
I read these things and become completely overwhelmed. I worry for my niece, my granddaughter and the people who work with PVC. I am sure it has the same affect on you and you find yourself asking “What can I do?”
Here are my suggestions:

1. Buy items listed as PVC free
2. Contact the manufacturers of products using PVC and demand they stop if they want your consumer dollars.
3. Right now the EPA is considering measures against allowing PVC in some applications, call them or write to them and tell them you support these measures.
4. Buy from companies dedicated to producing without PVC.

Unfortunately we can’t overhaul our homes and lives all at one time, it is way too expensive. However, you can start with small changes and then as you need to replace things make choices to be PVC free. Try overhauling your food storage options, buy new clothes that are organic or made from natural fibers, use natural cleaners, or better yet make your own from vinegar and baking soda.

Here are some shopping options:

This company has been dedicated to making kitchen bags, wraps etc. for years. http://www.naturalvalue.com/index.html
There are tons of products on our site, http://www.franklingoose.com/ that are PVC free.
You can buy PVC carpeting from: http://www.flor.com/service/flor/promo/eco-friendly-carpet-tiles.html?gclid=CMezr–H458CFaAO5QodFV7rHw
Buy organic clothing & bedding. (West Elm has great prices on their organic towels, & bedding)
Buy linoleum flooring instead of vinyl: http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/products/linoleum

Your voice can only be heard if you use it.
We owe it not only to our families, ourselves and the planet but to the people who have to work with this substance who face extremely high risks of cancer, breathing and other ailments, to make a change.
-Sheri

To begin our discussion of products we will not carry in our shop I wanted to start with Phthalates.

There are a now more and more products being advertised as Phthalate free, but I wondered how many of us actually have a grasp of what it is and why it is bad for us. This is the definition of a phthalate: A class of organic compounds containing phthalic acid esters [C6H4(COOR)2] and derivatives. Used as plasticizers in plastics. Also used in many other products (such as detergents, cosmetics) and industrial processes (such as defoaming agents during paper and paperboard manufacture, and dielectrics in capacitors).  (This is from a US government website, USGS.) The word organic in this definition can be misleading.

This is the definition from the Environmental Defense Site: Phthalates are a group of man-made chemicals that are widely used as plasticizing additives in a broad range of consumer products, including cosmetic and personal care products, PVC consumer products and construction materials. These chemicals are also used in synthetic fragrances to extend the scents’ staying power. Phthalates are relatively persistent in the environment and have been found in drinking water, soil, household dust, wildlife, fatty foods (meat and dairy products) and in the blood and breast milk of people. Scientific research has shown that phthalates disrupt hormones, and can cause birth defects of male reproductive organs.

According to the Organic Consumers Association  research has shown that phthalates can “play havoc with the funtion of the human endocrine system and potentially cause a host of health problems, especially in children. In fact…studies found these toxins to be linked to childhood obesity &, because phthalates are hormone disrupters, they may also interfere with the normal development of baby boys’ genitalia.”

The Journal of Pediatrics sites a new study that suggests that phthalate exposure in the womb contributes ot low birthd weight in infants , is critical because low birth weight is the leading cause of death in children under five years of age, it increases the risk of cariovascular & metabolic disease as children grow up. To conduct this study scientists studied the first bowel movements of babies as well as the umbilllical cord blood, and found that the measurable levels of phthalates were found in more than 70% of the samples.

The problem is that phthalates are in so many of our products and are not marked clearly on labels, it is difficult to avoid them if you are not completely educated about them.

They are found in cosmetics, plastic products, shampoos & conditioners (even ones marked “natural”), they are found in deoderant hair gels, medical equipment, such as IV bags & tubing. They are in plastic dolls, inflatable toys, vinyl bibs, and baby care products among other things.

They can be listed on products as follows:

DEHP di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, DBP or DiBP di-n-butyl phthalate(found in nail polish products), DEP or diethyl phthalate, MEHP (monoethylhexyl phthalate),  PBT (polybutylene terephthalate),  and PET (polyethylene terephthalate)

If you decide that phthalates are something you would like to avoid then I suggest you become aware of the acronyms and definitely read labels. If we all purchase products that go out of their way to not include these then the manufacturers that do include them will be forced to change in order to be profitable.

We find phthalates an unnecessary ingredient which puts ourselves, our families and our environment at potential risk. Therefore, we choose only products that do not contain phthalates for Franklin Goose. Our philosophy is if it isn’t natural and it can be avoided then by all means avoid it.

How do you feel about phthalates? Are there other chemicals you avoid? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.

-Sheri