Hi - sorry I've been missing for a while. I am working on developing a list of green products made in here at home for folks who are looking to find safely made materials that haven't traveled 10,000 miles to end up in our car's back seat. (for more info, check out www.ecobly.com.)

Here are some ideas for back-to-school shopping -- all made with at least some recycled materials -- here in the states. Some of these companies make their bags and stuff from our throwaways. At one company -- Terracycle -- schools and clubs can earn money by collecting and sending their trash to them!

Explore and score!
* Green Guru Gear - messenger bags - made in Colorado. Take their poll: do you want them to make a green school backpack?
* Jorgel Cardboard Binders - 3-ringers for all your paper needs! Made in Massachusetts.
* Terracycle - Drink Pouch Backpacks - might make you thirsty during the day! That's OK, if you drink more juice boxes, you can send them to Terracycle and earn money! Made in New Jersey.
* Shelves2go - cardboard shelving units in cool colors! Made in Ohio.
* Weisenbach Specialty Printing - for all your recycled pen and pencil needs! Tons of other neat "trash to treasure" goodies on the site. Made in Ohio.
* Rivanna - as school begins, everyone is a contender for some kind of award. When the time comes to give out the kudos, check out this company, which makes awards from sustainable and recycled materials. Made in Virginia.
* O'Bon - every kind of pen, pencil, binder - you name it! All recycled. Made in California.

If you have found other cool school products, send it along! Happy shopping!

A coupla cool moms in Ballard are gathering to start this Seattle neighborhood's gang of families who will work to reduce global warming.

Gather with them!

A CoolMom group is starting up in Ballard! The first kickoff meeting will be Tuesday, June 10 from 7:30 pm to 9 pm at SalmonBay Community Lending, 1502 NW 52nd Street, just across from Brown Bear Car Wash in Ballard. Bring some wine or chocolate to share.

For more info and to RSVP, contact Elizabeth Ralston: esralston@aol.com or Tara Broyhill: tara@tara-brian.com.

Learn more about Cool Moms and how they are working to change the world (while still changing diapers...)

I've missed you! I am working on several projects that I will share soon, so have not had time to jot down all the green ideas I find every day! Here is a little tidbit I thought I'd send along -- a few sources of high chairs that are made responsibly.

First, I would suggest secondhand overall. The chair Banana used got a good breaking-in by several nieces and nephews. Or try consignment and secondhand shops, to help reduce your impact on the planet's resources as well as save money.

If those options aren't your style, check these out!

The Stokke Tripp Trapp (made in Europe)

Albee Baby High Chair (made in New Zealand)

Convertible Babylon Highchair by Argington

Do you have suggestions?

Wahoo – she's two! Banana's full of tantrums, enchanting curiosity, giggles and she's developing a fashion sense (not necessarily a good one – but something's there…) Has she only been ruling our lives for 2 years? She's taught us many things – to live in the moment, don't cry over spilt milk, and keep the digital camera charged up because laughter is only a few moments away. It's easy to forget the 14,000 (approx.) loads of dirty diapers I have done in her little lifetime. But, I am happy to report that we are still mostly using cloth diapers, and it actually has become easier than when she was a little tyke. For those of you who are thinking about giving them up at 6 months or one year – hang in there!!

Check out the "diapers" link on the side bar to read our diaper saga and get lots of questions answered about how to start and keep at it. How is it easier? Let's just say, without getting too gorey, as the child's system matures, it becomes easier to figure out and less messy.

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Since shopping plastic bags are going the way of rabbit-ear antennas, it's a good idea to get your toddler started early. Here's a fun book with a surprise inside – "My Bag and Me", written by Karen Farmer and illustrated by Gary Currant (Penton Kids Press, 2008)

This colorful, 12-page book tells a story about how important it is to reuse bags – from a toddler's point of view. We all tote our kids along on our shopping trips, so they are familiar with the pictures in the book. The carriage, the checkout register, the bag of produce. Banana liked seeing these illustrations. (Full disclosure: the publisher sent me a free copy.)

Of course – the favorite part is the "prize inside" – a baby-sized bag. Banana drags her bag around with her full of her dolls, her shoes, sunglasses – it's yet to carry carrots, but that's OK.

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It was pretty darn hot in Seattle today.

I got 2 loads of laundry on the line – it's been a while since I've hounded you on how great it is to hang out your washing. The last time I declared a "laundry day", it hailed on my pillow cases. But the season is finally upon us.

We walked to the grocery story. We walked to the Chinese restaurant. We walked to the video store. Warm days are good for green livin'.

Banana and I planted spinach, lettuce and squash next to the sweet peas we put in a few weeks ago. With chives, onions and garlic all a foot off the ground, the garden is looking pretty good. I only have one problem – my kitty would like to use our little farm patch as his litter box. It's grotesque!

Nothing the experts said worked – but I stumbled across a piece of advice to keep cats out: coffee grounds. My Hubby uses a French press for his coffee, so we put lots of coffee grounds in the compost. Now, he saves them in a little bowl for me to spread on the garden. Maybe things will grow really huge from the caffeine? I don't know – but it seems to keep the feline at bay. Give it a try!

Last week, I was in a local toy store shopping for Banana's second birthday (wahoo, she's 2!) As I searched through the shelves, I tried to find toys that I could *be sure* didn't have lead or phthalates or bisphenol or anything like that. But, I had no assurances, and it was a little scary.

However, now we can cheer! Today, Governor Gregoire signed the nation's toughest toxic controls for our children's toys. The Washington Toxics Coalition said in today's Seattle P-I story:

Kids and parents now have peace of mind when they go to the stores in Washington that their toys are safe.

Well, not 'til 2009 when it's phased in. Although she nixed parts of the bill, the overall integrity of the Act is intact. There will be a public process to figure out the bill's implementation.

The Governor stood up to serious pressure from lobbyists from toy importers (like the kinds of companies that had millions of toys recalled last year because of toxics) and the American Chemistry Council (which tried to defend phthalates, denying their links to development disruption.) She stood up for us and our kids.

In the meantime, here are some sites that can help you find clean and green toys: HealthyToys.com and No Strings Attached toys.

An urgent request from my friends at the Toxic Free Legacy Coalition:

The legislature passed a bill, ESHB 2647, that will help ensure our children have safe toys to play with and utensils to eat with. The bill will eliminate three toxic chemicals, lead, cadmium, and phthalates, from toys and other children's products. It will also require manufacturers to report whether their products contain other chemicals found to be of a concern for children's health.

It now faces one more step, the Governor's signature. Fierce industry opposition threatened to stop the bill's passage in the legislature, and is now directed toward the Governor.

You can help! For this final step, please call Governor Gregoire, thank her for her support for children's health and the environment, and urge her to sign the full Children's Safe Products Act into law!

The number for the Governor's Office is (360) 902-4111 or you can send an email through her website.

The Children's Safe Products Act passed the state Senate on a vote of 40-9. The bill previously passed the House 95-0. The bill contains some of the toughest toy safety provisions in the nation. Ensure the Governor signs it in full!

Banana goes through shoes like food trends (something different every month!) There are a few options for green shoes --

* we've shopped at consignment and 2nd hand stores for her shoes so far - we've found just what we need, and they are totally 100% recycled. Usually around $5-10 per pair.

* for those who don't want shoes with someone else's footprint, check out EcoSneaks from Simple Shoes. Almost the entire shoe is made from recycled or organic materials. They come in all kinds of styles and are cute, cute. But also, pricey, pricey - around $40-50 per pair.

* Crocs - we bought her one pair of these and they are cool because they are easy to put on and off. Pediatricians and pediatrists (are they related?) caution against using the traditional style for active play because they don't provide a lot of support. However, they're great for everyday. I couldn't get information about their materials and how green they are. However, they do have a cool Crocs Recycling program where older shoes can be donated to needy families across the world called Soles United.

What do you for shoes?

Plastic baby bottles are all in the news because they are potentially harmful to your baby's health. They can contain bisphenol-A (BPA) and/or phthalates -- toxics that can leach into your baby's milk.

All the exposure to this problem has driven some folks to invent safer products – here's a rundown:
• Green to Grow BPA-free bottles
• Klean Kanteen steel bottles
• Born Free BPA-free and glass bottles
• Evenflo Glass bottles and BPA-free plastic bottles (PS – not all their plastic bottles are nontoxic, read the labels)
• Foogo (from Thermos)
• Safe Sippy

To learn more about why BPA is dangerous, check this out.

Many of these products can be found locally at REI, Goods for the Planet, Birth and Beyond, and, of course, online.

Don't you just love it when the marketplace and innovative technology rise to the challenge and prove it's possible to replace poisonous products with perfectly safe ones? It really shows the power of parents to create demand for safe and healthy choices. Poisons and toxics are unnecessary, and we'll get rid of them one product at a time. Thank you!