What: Titi Collection

Features: A fashionable, functional line of clothing made exclusively for nursing mothers—blouses, hoodies and gowns are made from stretch silk and feature a built-in Italian lace bra

Green Factor: Each item is created using salvaged fabric

Bonus: As opposed to factory production, all garments are sewn by a local seamstress

Find It Here: Titi Collection

You probably don’t think much about your old t-shirts once they’ve outlived their usefulness as, well, shirts. I know mine generally go to charity and if they’re not even fit for that, I’ve thrown them away. I know. *shameface* But I was recently introduced to to this awesome resource at Hide Your Arms where they have compiled a frillion different ways you can re-fashion and recycle old t-shirts. Seriously, you can make rugs, quilts, tote bags, pet clothes, yoga pants, cloth diapers, wrist warmers, halter tops, toddler dresses and SO MUCH MORE. I challenge you to NOT find something cool to do with your old tees. Now go…get busy. Gift-giving season is right around the corner.

Find it Here: Hide Your Arms

As the old saying goes, when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade (or, if you’re like me, you scrap the lemonade all together and mix up a lemon drop cocktail instead). With that thought in mind, if my husband handed me my favorite wool sweaters–sweaters he’d accidentally shrunken–I’d probably struggle to look at things from the lemonade-making point of view. When it happened to Sue Burns, however, she didn’t see a pile of ruined sweaters, but an opportunity instead.

Instead of freaking out on her husband like I would have, Sue put her old sweaters to good use by creating funky, original clothing for children. What started in Sue’s basement as a laundry mishap has since blossomed in to baabaaZuzu, where old wool is given a new lease on life in the form of unique  jackets, vests, purses and other nifty things (like posy pins and Christmas stockings) using 100% recycled wool (and cool vintage buttons, too).   BaabaaZuzu’s recycled wares are quite fetching, albeit a bit pricey, but if you’re in the market for something recycled, handmade and just really cool, it may be worth a few extra Benjamins!

Find It Here: Baabaazuzu

What: Extra soft t-shirts, onesies and thermals for kids (tees for adults, too)

Features: Designs with a vintage southern flair; cool without being too hipster-ish

Green Factor: Southern Brand uses water-based, soy & vegetable inks and offsets the carbon emissions of their shipments through the purchase of carbon offset credits.

Find It Here:  Southern Brand

When I buy Basmati rice, I get it in the big, ten-pound bags that are outfitted with handles, a zippered top and a colourful, festive elephant on the front. When I get home, I dump the rice in a reusable container and save the bag – they’re sturdy and durable, and they’re great for lugging groceries around in.

With that in mind, I love the thinking behind these factory-reject rice bags that have been re-fashioned into fun and funky laptop bags! The Child Health Site has seen the potential these awesome bags have to offer and have come up with a great way to stop the duds from winding up in a landfill somewhere. Why carry your computer around in a dull black bag like everyone else when you can have a bag that’s not only unique and stylish but recycled, as well?

Each bag is hand-held and has two zippered compartments and compared to other options that I’ve seen elsewhere, are reasonably priced at $22.95. They’re made and fairly traded in Thailand, and not only that—with each purchase, The Child Health Site donates 20 cents to The Bamboo Watch Ring, an organization that benefits children who are infected or affected by the HIV virus.

Find It Here: The Child Health Site

What: “Not a Paper Cup” Ceramic Coffee Cup

Features: Double-walled porcelain (keeps it warm longer) and a non-toxic, BPA-free silicone lid

Why: Ideally, you would bring it to coffee places or to work to use instead of using a paper or styrofoam cup

Green Factor: Saves trees, non-toxic

Cool Factor: It doesn’t look like a Thermos

Find It Here:  Organize.com

On Our Blog: Food Inc: The Truth About What We Eat

(I’m trying out a new posting format. Do you like this better or do you prefer full-length posts? Please let me know your thoughts here. Thanks!)

I have a number of different reusable containers and bags that I use for my kids’ lunches and our snacks on-the-go and generally speaking, I like them all—they work well and do what they’re supposed to do. The reusable bags from Graze Organics, however, are about the cutest things I’ve ever seen! Made from 100% organic cotton with no plastic lining and printed with earth-friendly water-based inks, these adorable bags are festooned with simple but bright and happy food graphics that totally appeal to my inner graphic designer. Additionally, they are machine-washable, made in the USA and sweatshop-free.

Graze Organics’ motto is “because every bag matters” and without getting all lecture-y it’s true. Every plastic bag you DON’T use is one less piece of petroleum-based, hormone-disrupting plastic that will be here long after you’re gone. If everyone utilized reusable bags instead of the millions of plastic ones that are used EVERY SINGLE DAY, the impact would be staggering. Viva la reusables!!

Graze also carries the cutest organic cotton cloth napkins. When you pull one out of your lunch bag, you’ll look all fancy and totally shame the paper napkin users at your table. Wait. Did  just type that out loud? What I meant to say was you will be admired by all for your good taste and eco-friendly ways :)

We’ve partnered with Graze Organics to give away one set of their fabulous reusable bags! Details below.

Find It Here: Graze Organics

Win It: We’re giving away a set of three Graze Organic reusable snack and sandwich bags. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter GR08 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: Name the four different kinds of cloth napkins available from Graze Organics. Enter by 8/27/09. $26 value. Open to US residents. Winner to be notified by email. Contest Closed.

On Our Blog: Food Inc: The Truth About What We Eat

Buying things today is more than just the purchase. It’s about making smart choices—ones that aren’t harmful to the environment and you can feel good about, like buying from companies who are as committed to the earth as they are to their product. Take, for example, Print*Pattern*Paper, a handmade art and textile company that not only believes in environmental responsibility, but practices it, too.

Designer Rebecca Peragine takes the term ‘made from recycled materials’ to heart—all of her original prints are created from scrap materials. They’re packaged in biodegradable materials and Rebecca uses soy ink and recyclable materials and many, of her products are made in the United States using locally-sourced goods. Print*Pattern*Paper chooses to support smaller, local businesses, and donates both their images and designs to raise money for children and families around the world.

From wall art (prints and canvas), number cards, posters, cotton bags and stationery, Print*Pattern*Paper is original and stylish and philanthropic and totally ecoguilt-free—NO compromising required!

Find It Here: Print*Paper*Pattern

Bonus: Mention The Green Mom Review and receive 20% off your next purchase!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve grappled over a gift for a new mom or mom-to-be because I wanted to give them something useful but also non-toxic/green/organic etc. Basically, I wanted to give them the same kinds of things I’d want for my own babies. The problem, however, is that we are a one income family and we have to live within certain budgetary constraints. Translation? I can’t always afford to buy the awesome new baby gifts I want to give. That’s why when I came across the baby gift sets at Lolababiez Organics, I had to share it with you. Not only do they come in a range of prices to suit every budget (starting at $25 and under) but the items in the sets are 1)cute/hip  2)useful (no stupid rhinestone-encrusted pacifiers!) 3)non-toxic/green/organic etc. and come in 100% recycled material boxes. Another item I HAVE to mention even though it’s not specifically green are the doorbell covers printed with messages to let guests know that your baby is sleeping so they don’t ring the bell or knock on the door. I wish I’d had one when my kids were babies. At this point, though, I just want to know why I didn’t think of these first because THEY ARE GENIUS. And lucky you! We’ve partnered with Lolababiez to give you a chance to win not only one of those genius doorbell covers but ALSO a Personalized Gift Set from Lolababiez containing one personalized embroidered organic tee and an organic doll of your choice. See details below!

Find It Here: Lolababiez Organics

Win It: We’re giving away a Personalized Gift Set and a doorbell cover from Lolababiez Organics. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter LB6 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What kind of coupon do you get for signing up for the Lolababiez newsletter? Enter by 6/12/09. $34 value. Open to residents of US and Canada. Winner will be notified by email. Contest Closed. Congrats to Tina!

Note: This week the Great Green Post Awards are launching and we’re giving away FREE ad space in our sidebars to THREE random participants! Learn more here

Changing diapers on the go? I’m not a fan—but if you have to do it, it might as well be done on top of something organic and non-toxic and if it’s pretty and portable, so much the better (back when I didn’t know any better, I had this lovely vinyl *cringe* portable changing pad). We like the One Small Change changing station/tote from JourneyLight. It’s made of organic cotton, hemp and low-impact dyes, has compostable cornstarch foam padding, a non-toxic water resistant finish plus handy pockets and a shoulder strap—completely cool (with nary a bunny, ducky or teddy bear in sight) and totally uncringeworthy!

Find It Here:  JourneyLight

Win It:  We’re giving away a One Small Change portable changing station/tote. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter OS5 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: JourneyLight products are certified by ___? Enter by 5/11/09. $65 value. Contest closed. Congrats to Amanda!

Deal: Use the promo code “GreenMom” to get 25% off your JourneyLight order plus free shipping!

You know I love all things green, right? Green is good. No, actually green is AWESOME. But even better than the awesomeness of green is the awesomeness of green combined with style.  While I love many traditional childhood decor themes, I’m a big fan of nifty modern designs for the wee ones, as well. One shop in particular that makes me swoon is Saplings. They have oodles of  stylish eco-friendly kid and baby decor, all with an emphasis on being chemical-free, organic, fair-trade, sustainably-produced and locally procured whenever possible. Perusing their site is like a little slice of mass-marketed-characters-free heaven, with timeless designs that won’t become embarrassing or uncool as your child grows older. In a culture where everything is designed to break or go out of style in a shockingly short period of time (aka “planned obsolescence“) Saplings is like a breath of fresh, VOC-free air.

Find It Here: Saplings

Win It: We’re giving away a $50 gift certificate to Saplings. Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter SAP as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What is your favorite item in the Saplings shop? Enter by 4/19/09. $50 value. Contest closed. Congrats Katie!

If there’s one baby item I wasn’t sad to say goodbye to, it was the highchair. Yes, it served us well through two children but it’s ginormous footprint made it one of the few things I couldn’t wait to give away to some other poor, unsuspecting family. And the fact that it was 100% plastic? I can only plead ignorance. I simply didn’t know any better all those years ago. Now, if we’d had a minui HandySitt…I might be bragging instead of lamenting because the ultra cool and modern HandySitt is small, lightweight (5lbs), portable, adjustable and best of all made with steel and Forest Stewardship Council-certified birch. Additionally, all paint and varnish finishes are formaldehyde free, and the plastic guard contains no phthalates or bisphenol A (BPA). I’m actually a little jealous that new moms today have so many safer, greener options to choose from, but just to show you all that there are no hard feelings, we’re giving away a minui HandySitt portable highchair to one lucky winner!

Find It Here: minui HandySitt

Win It:  Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter MH21 as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: The HandySitt is safety-certified by what group? Open to US and Canadian residents. Enter by 3/6/09. $149 value. Contest closed. Congratulations, Melissa!