Iddy Biddy Steps for a Greener World...

Idbids are my FAVORITE! They are locally owned (yay Atlanta!) and are an environmentally friendly educational toy for kids!

The Idbids characters, Waverly the waterdrop, Lola the flower, and Scout the cloud, are "handcrafted using 100% organic Egyptian cotton which has been colored with natural organic dyes." And each character also has it's own starter kit, complete with a photographic storybook, field guide, an organic cotton bag, and wrapped eco-friendly materials and packaging.

What's new to the Idbids line??? Organic Earth Day t-shirts featuring your favorite Idbid. Be sure to get your today before Earth Day sneaks up on you.

Idbids, Iddy Biddy Steps for toys everywhere :)

Tote Green Fashion

One of the long-running misconceptions about "being green" is that it is not fashionable or chic, but these days that has been proved wrong!

For example, these fabulous tote bags sold at Nordstrom.com. Juicy, Dogeared, and Vert all have eco-themed bags for sale on Nordstrom's site. Tote bags such as these show that they can be used for more than just carrying groceries. I use them to carry out my recycling, when I run other errands (drugstore, blockbuster, etc.) and as a purse!

The Vert bags are made from organic cotton, but all of the bags sport fun Earthy-friendly phrases, such as, "I Might Like You Better If You Recycled," "Give Green a Chance," and "Viva la Green!"

Check them all out here!

Water, Water, Everywhere!

Or shall I say, Plastic Water Bottles everywhere. Statistics (from Earth911.com) show that in 2006, Americans drank about 167 bottles of water each but only recycled an average of 23 percent. That leaves 38 billion water bottles in landfills each year. What's even worse? Plastic bottles take 700 years before they begin to decompose in a landfill.

These are numbers that simply cannot be ignored. If you haven't already, go out today and buy a reusable bottle (preferably that is BPA free).

Our top pick...Gaiam's Tree of Life Aluminum Water Bottle. It's chic, it's green, and it's aluminum, so you don't have to worry about any plastic residue or BPA's!

Make this your next step to being a little bit greener. Plus, I learned I drink a lot more water when I have one of these with me at all times.

Use Your Email to Help a Good Cause

Everyday brings a new way to help the world we live in. Today, we can all bring awareness to the issues and causes we care about through our emails. Yes, it's that simple.

Reply for All is "a new way to support causes in a simple, practical, and sustainable way." The most simple way to use this service is to go to their site, follow the instructions, and put a link in your email signature. But you can also try to recruit more people to help the cause and use the service. The only downside, for some people, is it can only be used for email accounts on Gmail, Hotmail, or yahoo.

It's easy, it's green, and it's free! Do something green today, St. Patricks day, and bring awareness to the cause of your choice!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It felt right to post this item today, since it has been raining in Atlanta for the last three or four days. I cleaned my home yesterday to kick off the beginning of my spring cleaning. This morning, after walking my dog, we both came inside soaking wet into my recently cleaned apartment. I was not pleased.

How to solve the problem and be green at the same time???

Mohawk's "Wipe Your Paws" recycled rubber doormat (18x10") is one solution. It is available on Target.com for $21.99 and is made of 100% Crumb Rubber.

Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval

More good news in the green cleaning world. Good Housekeeping magazine is extending their seal and certification to green products!! The Good Housekeeping seal has labeled and identified products that are of great quality, reliable, and worth your dollar for a hundred years.

Why is this good? There are many labels out there now (USDA, FSC, "natural", etc.) and there are also many companies claiming to be "green". This seal will be a great starter point for those who are beginning to get familiar with eco-friendly products or reassurance for those consumers who are already familiar.

For more information check out the Good Housekeeping web site.

We Hear Horton...Goes Organic!

I love seeing all of the big stores like, Target and Pottery Barn, carrying organic options in bedding and bath accessories. I've noticed over the last few catalogues for Pottery Barn the organic options are multiplying.

But one of my new favorites are the organic sheets Pottery Barn Kids is carrying, Dr. Seuss. Yes, they have the regular options in organic as well, trucks, and butterflies, and sailboats, and planes, but nothing beats The Cat in the Hat. Click here for the Dr. Seuss bedding and here for all organic options.

Yellow Pages for GREEN Businesses

Though the idea and practice of living green is growing and expanding everyday, sometimes it's still hard to track down what you need and when you need it. What's the closest green contractor? Where's the closest eco-friendly car rental?? Who is a green living consultant :) ? Now, there's a quick and easy online tool you can use to find the closest recycling sites, and various green businesses. What is this marvelous site you ask??? Living Green Pages. Just point, click, and search, and you're on your way to a greener way of life.