Transfixed by the Photography of Rune Guneriussen

I love photography; and when I spotted photographer Rune Guneriussen's work at Re-Nest, I was struck by the positioning of household objects in nature to create oddly compelling masterpieces. Guneriussen places everyday items such as lamps, telephones, tables, chairs and globes amidst magnificent backdrops: seaside cliffs, forests, fields, snow capped mountains. The result is strangely moving and interesting -- combining human elements with the wild, demonstrating the beautiful yet complex and often misguided link between the two. For instance, as seen in the photograph above, these telephones don't belong here, but the human race no longer goes anywhere without being dialed in. Click here to see more of his photography at his website. I can't stop looking at his work! To me, it's an artistic reminder to enjoy the simple, serene outdoors without the trappings of modern day life.

Pill Popping Your Baby's Placenta

I wrote an article about human placentophagy, on Inhabitots today. There are now DIY encapsulation kits available which allow one to put their placenta in pill form and swallow them with the hopes of gaining all sorts of new mom benefits: increased milk supply, increased energy, no baby blues or postpartum depression. But there is no scientific evidence that these perks are actually reaped by women when they eat their baby's placenta. So, it's a hard pill to make and swallow... go read more at Inhabitots about this interesting yet stomach turning (pun intended) practice...

Return to Origins Recycling Program

I've been wanting to write a post about how crucial it is to place a recycling bin in your bathroom for all of the various plastic bottles and recyclable items we tend to toss there. (Shampoo and conditioner bottles, shower gel, air fresheners, cardboard boxes containing tampons, toothpaste, pill bottles...) See what I mean?

I just came across the Return to Origins Recycling Program and I couldn't wait to share it with you! Now you can recycle all of your cosmetic items via Origins! Here are the details from their site:

"Bring your empty cosmetic tubes, bottles and jars, etc. - regardless of brand - to your nearest Origins retail store or department store counter nationwide. All returned packaging will be sent back to a central location where products will be recycled or used for energy recovery.

In an industry first, Origins will accept packaging from any cosmetic company regardless of the manufacturer. We believe that the more we collect from consumers, the more we can keep cosmetic packaging out of landfills. And we hope this program will encourage other companies into following our example."

AND AS IF THIS DIDN'T MAKE ORIGINS COOL ENOUGH THEY ADD:

"To thank you for joining us in our commitment to the environment, we’ll treat you to a FREE sample of your choice of one of Origins high-performance skincare products."

All I can say is: WOW. How very cool that Origins is lending a giant hand in recycling and keeping waste out of landfills. Most companies only recycle their own products, and I think Origins is going way above and beyond by recycling ANY brand you give them. Bravo!

Are People Pro Baby and Anti-Toddler? Toddler Discrimination on the Rise

Remember when you were pregnant and people held doors open for you, and instead of mowing you down when you crossed the street, cars would slow down for you to get to the curb... and people were generally more kind and patient with you? Then you gave birth and went back to being just another person people had to overcome? Well, I am convinced this is what toddlers must feel like after growing up and out of the baby phase.

We coooooo and ooooh and ahhhh all the live long day, (and rightly so) over newborns and babies. We reassure them when they cry, rock them for hours in glider chairs or bounce them on exercise balls in our laps. We nod knowingly and understandingly at the almost insurmountable task of getting a baby through colic. But lo and behold, once this precious little bundle of chubby, drooling joy dares to age, all of a sudden their charm is retitled "terrible twos" their tears are "manipulative" and they are basically treated as though they have a personality disorder simply because they are growing up. For instance, I'm sure you've heard a parent say to their toddler out in public, "That's enough! Quit crying!" But the same parent would probably never have said that to their newborn. Where do the compassion and understanding go?

I think toddlers suffer from ageism. The whole roll your eyes, uh-oh, here comes a little terror, brace yourself mentality seems to go hand in hand with this pint sized contingency whose minute by minute mantra consists of the words "NO" and "MINE." Instead of ushering them through this extremely difficult rite of passage of developing a healthy ego, society has begun to shun toddlers for their unbridled displays of frustration, anger, sadness, and even joy.

*Disclaimer: this post is written with the premise that parents are actually parenting their toddlers and doing all they can to monitor, shape and control their child's behavior in a loving manner.

Here's why I think toddlers are discriminated against. Portland is considered one of the most family friendly places to live, yet we've been here under a year and already two places we have enjoyed as "toddler friendly" have closed their establishment to toddlers under pathetic guises. First, Sip & Kranz, a coffee shop in the Pearl District closes their play area, saying that they need the (tiny) space to serve more customers. Mind you, the well-sized establishment is never full, so clearly this is an excuse. And many people left comments on this online news story with harsh statements against children saying they were thrilled that kids will no longer be co-existing with the coffee sipping crowd. (DO PEOPLE FORGET THEY WERE ONCE KIDS?)

The next ageist offense happened yesterday. We had been taking a mommy/toddler yoga class at Om Base in which toddlers were allowed to roam free while moms did yoga. Collectively, we always left the studio how we found it, clean and orderly. I just got an email saying that the toddler/mommy yoga class has been canceled because the directors of the studio no longer feel it's the right venue for kids. But THEN they go on to announce the next session of the mommy/BABY classes.

Here's and excerpt of the letter I sent back:

"Thanks for sharing this disheartening news. I think it's strange that you say the studio isn't designed for kids but you are canceling the toddler class and keeping the baby class... so perhaps it isn't designed for kids who can walk? I see this increasingly, with the closing of the kids section at Sip & Krantz in the Pearl district too. I wonder why the unbridled charm of toddlers is so frowned upon where adults must co-exist. Makes me feel that much more fortunate to be around one all day everyday- what a gift of letting go."

Basically, babies are cute and entitled to endless patience and toddlers are work and should be disregarded is the message I'm getting from many angles. I have always thought our society isn't kind to elders, and now I am beginning to think we aren't kind to toddlers either. I for one am privileged to be around a two year old day in and day out. She drives me to the brink and back again... but I have never felt more inspired, alive or blessed than when I am in her presence. She is the ultimate reminder to live and let live, and we could all use that lesson.

Small Plum Organic Baby and Toddler Clothing

If you work hard to live green and you want your offspring to wear their eco inspired heart on their sleeve, Small Plum organic bamboo baby and toddler clothing boasts proud declarations across sustainably made onesies and tees. "I'm Green" and "Produced Locally" are two of my favorites. Small Plum also offers simple, adorable flower and tree inspired designs if you're not a fan of slogan tees. For the perfect cozy ensemble, pair a Small Plum tee or onesie with a pair of their vibrant yoga pants. (I wish they made the entire collection in my size too!)

All Small Plum apparel is made out of organically grown, naturally processed bamboo. Their screen prints are also PVC-free, water-based and eco-friendly.

Get 'Funky' with Kids' Lunches to Lessen Food Waste

Thankfully, I have a few more years before I need to pack a lunch for Olivia, but as back to school time draws near, I feel for all those parents who are going to have to come up with yummy, healthy, creative lunch ideas to pack in their kid's lunchbox everyday. When I came across the Funky Lunch sandwich design website, I had to pass it on!

I suppose you could widdle these sandwich forms into fruition on the home front as well... but packing them as your child's school lunch will certainly make him the coolest kid at the table. Check out the gallery of the amazing images of sandwich design at Funky Lunch for inspiration.

Two great things about taking this extra measure to create a sandwich design: 1) it will encourage your kids to clean their plate and leave no waste, which is inherently eco-friendly 2) kids will perhaps try new, healthier foods if they are presented as such adorable, tasty options.

Please visit Waste Free Lunches to learn more about packing a lunch for your child that won't harm the earth.

*I also have to give a shout out to my mom who packed my lunch (and my siblings lunches) for nearly 2 decades. She also dealt with all my picky eating issues: (no sandwiches!), managed to give me yummy food to eat every day without fail, and even tucked in notes which she kissed with lipstick. Yes mom, your seat in Heaven is being shined as I type this...

Clean George: Organic, Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizer & Moisturizer

If you're anything like me, and you want your kids to keep their hands as clean and germ free as possible while on the go, then travel sized hand sanitizers are a must! We've just discovered Clean George Organic Hand Sanitizer, and in addition to boasting natural germ fighting power while remaining alcohol free, Clean George is also moisturizing! We love it! And we all know how very drying and toxic those other hand sanitizers can be...

Clean George hand sanitizers are available in three scents: Grapefruit n' Sage (uplifting), Mint-alyptus (refreshing), and Lovin' Lavender (relaxing). Each has a distinct fragrance, and since tea tree oil is one of the main ingredients, one should know whether they like this scent before purchasing a bottle. But believe me, tea tree oil smells a lot better than alcohol. All ingredients are FSC and ECOCERT, and each bottle proudly bears the Leaping Bunny symbol.

Clean George hand sanitizers contain no parabens or phthalates, and they are safer for children because they contain no alcohol or chemicals. And each bottle is made out of 100% post consumer recycled plastic!

Read this cute story to learn who's behind the Clean George bottle. And click here to read about George.

I really love the green, earth friendly practices behind this company, and I think Tracy, the creator/founder of Clean George, (who runs her car on vegetable oil from her favorite Thai restaurant!) is innovative and highly eco-responsible. She mixed the first batch of Clean George in her blender and then "to insure stability, she sought out leading naturopathic chemists to collaborate in the creation of an entirely natural, human beneficial and Earth neutral hand cleaner that uses some of the most potent plant extracts on the planet."

Each Clean George bottle is $9.99 and contains 400 squirts. Available at Whole Foods.

Diaper Free Babies Could Help Save the Earth

Diapers and babies go hand in hand, or tush in diaper, but recently, due to hard financial times brought about by the recession, and more peoples' desire to do their part to help save the earth and stop dumping waste into landfills, the notion of diaper free babies is starting to take hold. Even reusable, eco-friendlier cloth diapers are taking a backseat to this new concept of potty training infants!

I'm fascinated with the idea of raising a baby diaper free, and obviously, if this effort went global, we could save a tremendous amount of waste. It all sounds very mysterious to me, but I wanted to share what I read with you on The Mommy Files as well as at Diaper Free Baby.

Diapers have been a huge expense for us, and we're doing our best to get potty training underway... and according to the resources I shared above, you can start potty training your baby before six months. I don't know why I am somewhat skeptical about all of this, but I think the more we learn about it, the better our chances become at possibly starting a new way of rearing our babies to help preserve our planet.

Amazing Creations Made from Books

Whether you're a bookworm or haven't cracked a book open since the invention of the Internet, you'll have to agree that the phenomenal masterpieces displayed here, all made out of books, are quite inspiring! I especially love the Alice in Wonderland-esque pop up tea party displayed on the pages above.

Recycle Grocery Store Ads into Playtime Menus!

My sister and I spent countless hours playing "restaurant" as kids. We wrote our menus for our famed establishment, "The Hungry Tiger" in ballpoint pen on paper my mom used to blot her lipstick on before leaving the house. Our best selling dish was "Duck A la Range," but of course when anyone ordered it we were "all out" and instead served up a nice, warm aluminum canned fruit cup with a peel back lid.

When I saw the idea to recycle grocery store ads into playtime menus on Make and Takes, I was flooded with nostalgia and a bit miffed that we hadn't been more creative with our menu making. Maybe that's why we went out of business... in addition to never having any of our main courses available. The genius who thought of making these play menus gets a huge round of applause from me. My sister and I will have to make these with our kids and re-open The Hungry Tiger!

LightSaber Chopsticks!

May the force be with your moo goo gai pan! My pal Yuka over at Swyyne unearthed these awesome lightsaber chopsticks! Now you and your kids can ditch all of those disposable chopsticks and reuse these all powerful ones! What a great way to get kids to learn to use chopsticks too! Unbelievable note: Yuka reports that Japan goes through 25 billion disposable chopsticks in one year! As Yoda would retort, "Not if anything to say about it I have." But, of course his lightsaber chopsticks would be green... in more ways than one.

Pure Joy

Sniffle Buddies Catch Sneezes and Runny Noses

Here's a product you'll wish you had invented, or at the very least will want to slide onto the wrist of your tot the next time he or she has a cold or runny nose -- Sniffle Buddies. Resembling those "scrunchies" we all donned on our wrists in the early 90's, in the event we needed to pull our hair up into a high ponytail, Sniffle Buddies make it easy for kids to wipe their nose on something other than their sleeve or a tissue. And wow, globally we use a ton of tissues as common cold suffering human beings...

Handmade in the USA with 70% organic bamboo, 28% organic cotton, and 2% poly for stretch, the inherent antibacterial properties in Sniffle Buddies hold up through at least 50 washings. So ditch the boxes of tissue and the snotty sleeves, and let your kids take matters into their Sniffle Buddies, not their hands.

Happy Birthday, My Darling

Today is my precious daughter's 2nd birthday. She gets older, but I stay the same age! I can't believe two years have passed since this little cherub came into our lives. She is everything. The funniest, most determined, most eager to learn and experience the world person I have ever met. I gave birth to her 2 years ago today, but truly, she gave me a beautiful new life in her presence.

Graze Organic: 100% Organic Cotton Reusable Sandwich & Snack Bags and Cloth Napkins

I find it invigorating that the more the eco-movement takes hold, amazingly made green products continue to sprout up. Such is the case with Graze Organic. Graze Organic's fitting tagline is: "because every bag matters," and savvy eco-minded moms, Heather and Leslie developed this adorable line of reusable snack and sandwich bags and cloth napkins to help lessen their family's environmental impact. Their wares have so much style and flair that you'll hardly miss those convenient plastic baggies you may currently be using... and you'll find making the switch to Graze Organic a real perk!

Made in the USA (in Los Angeles, with hip graphics designed by local artists) out of 100% unbleached, undyed organic cotton and hand silk-screened with water based inks, Graze Organics reusable snack and sandwich bags are as easy on the eyes as they are on the earth. Their utterly adorable deluxe set of 5 bags made me want to start packing a lunch the moment I saw them... and I don't even have a kid in school. Colorful graphics on various sized bags (1 large, 4 small) prompt the following contents: sandwich, fruit, vegetables, snack, surprise. And after they've been used you can, "throw them in the wash, not the trash."

And the Graze Organic line continues to please with their sweet 100% organic cotton cloth napkin collection -- each napkin is silk screened by hand using water based inks. The designs include dandelions, ants, Diggs the dog, and Rose the cat... and they're versatile enough to run the gamut from a child's lunchbox to a swanky cocktail party. We use the cloth napkins at our dinner table and they jazz up our solid placemats with their character.

I am a huge fan of Graze Organics, and I know you'll enjoy their reusable bags and cloth napkins as much as I do!

Citizenpip Reusable Lunch Kits for Hearty, Eco-Friendly, On the Go Meals

Back to school shopping for an eco-friendly, waste free lunchbox? Recently launched company, Citizenpip has one of the best reusable lunch systems I have ever seen. All I can say is size really does matter, and I was never a dainty eater... not as a child, and not now. While there are many green lunch systems for kids on the market, the issue I have with them is that they're sized for people who eat like birds! I love that Citizenpip has made a literal 'Soup to Nuts' reusable lunch kit that is as appropriate for mom or dad as it is for a child. The whole family may use this well-equipped, compact kit if need be.

Function aside, let's talk style and substance. Citizenpip's lunch kits are chic and sassy, and their designs (choices include: Yum, Eat or Tasty) make them easily interchangeable and something every member of the family would be proud to tote. Most importantly, every component of Citizenpip's lunch kits is non-toxic. They are FREE of lead, BPA, phthalates and PVC.

I highly recommend the Soup to Nuts kit for daily meals away from home. It covers every need with the following contents:

• 1 insulated lunch bag with name tag and carabiner that easily attaches to a backpack
• 1 100% stainless steel water bottle
• 1 100% stainless steel insulated food jar
• 4 BPA-free airtight food containers
• 1 stainless steel fork + spoon set
• 5 100% cotton napkins

The containers are airtight and leak proof -- both great, essential perks for versatile meals... hello Thai veggie curry, or homemade lentil soup, goodbye PB & J! All of the components are also recyclable!

You may also buy different variations and individual components of the Citizenpip lunch system depending on your needs.

As if the Citizenpip lunch kit wasn't already a must-have, the company also offers a purchase program to benefit schools. Rally students and teachers at your school together to buy Citizenpip lunch systems to reduce waste and encourage reuse and recycling... and Citizenpip donates a portion of each sale to the purchasers' school!

Side note: If you don't have children or don't need a 'back to school' lunch kit per se, I highly recommend Citizenpip reusable lunch kits for adults who are trying to eat more healthy, homemade meals on their lunch hour. Buy one for any member of your family or for a friend who is opting to stop buying food out. This kit will be a great incentive to pack a lunch filled with yummy food!

Buy your Citizenpip reusable lunch kit here! I LOVE mine!

Little Garden Pony

I spotted this adorable garden pony at Dos Family and I think it's utterly irresistible! What a clever way to get crafty with some leftover wood (this pony is made of birch wood) and an old mop (scrubbing brush) for the horse's hair and mane. And the pony can nod his head too! This little guy is rustic, original and fits seamlessly into the great outdoors. Giddy up!

via Dos Family

Build a Fairy House!

Little kids love the concept of fairies, and building a fairy house in nature is a fun, free activity that may be enjoyed year round!

What exactly is a fairy house, you ask?

"Fairy Houses are small structures made for the fairies to visit. Sticks, bark, dry grasses, pebbles, shells, feathers, seaweed, pinecones and nuts are just some of the natural materials used."

Click here to learn more about How to Build a Fairy House.

Building materials for Fairy Houses abound in nature no matter what the season. Click here for some ideas of what to use in summer, autumn, winter and spring.

I love this idea because it gets children outdoors and using their hands and imaginations. I loved nothing more than being outside as a child, beckoning adventures in nature, from making pretend 'soups and stews' from leaves, twigs and berries to weaving crowns of flowers to wear while reigning over the backyard.

May many fairies visit your houses!

via Mama Bite

Inhabitots Turns 1 today!

Today, Inhabitots, the green kids design website for which I am the Managing Editor, turns ONE! Hop on over to Inhabitots to catch our top five posts of all time and to see what our eco-friendly birthday wish is!

Take a Staycation Before Summer is Over

You've probably heard the term 'staycation' by now. It's a vacation in which you stay home, or visit local places and attractions. This is obviously eco-friendly by nature, since you'll cut back on fuel consumption and carbon emissions from road trips or air travel... and it also helps save cash in this icky economic climate.

Better Homes & Gardens has a great list of Staycation ideas you should be sure to check out. Ideas range from simply flying a kite to transforming your home into an island retreat.

Above is a photo from a recent trip we took to the beautiful Multnomah Falls... more evidence that you don't have to travel far from home to unearth majestic beauty - it may be found in your own backyard! (Well, not literally, but you get the point.)