The following is a special guest post by an awesome Junior Greenist.

These products smell like lotion and lavender. They feel like face soap. I like to use them so I don’t get acne and I do get beautiful skin. It is important to me that these are all natural so they don’t harm me or the environment. I expected beautiful skin. The result was beautiful, smooth, shiny, and natural skin. I recommend Good For You Girls.

By Sophie, age 8

Even though Massachusetts public schools are on February break this week, another teacher friend and I were discussing our respective Green Teams and just how into it the kids are. So many kids want to take responsibility for their own planet that it warms even my jaded little teacher heart. At the beginning of this year, for example, the Green Team installed three different recycling bins in the cafeteria for cans and plastic bottles, one for each grade (sixth, seventh, and eighth). Each week, the grade that recycles the most cans gets to play music during their lunch period and students get to enter to be the DJ for their lunch period. They call it Tunes at Noon and it’s been a huge success.

Just this week I heard about another program that not only lets the kids have that feeling of responsibility, but also makes money for the school. NSTAR Energy has been promoting their Change A Light, Change The World Fundraiser, and it couldn’t be easier. NSTAR provides energy-efficient bulbs at no cost, and students sell them as a fundraiser. Not only does the school get 100% of the proceeds, but students are also convincing people to switch to energy-efficient bulbs.

According to the NSTAR website, “The program includes of a kick-off event, educating students on energy-saving light bulbs and energy conservation. The event will also provide the students with an overview of the fundraising program, as well as explain the benefits of saving energy and how the money earned can benefit your school. The students are then encouraged to spread the word on energy conservation and sell the energy-efficient light bulbs provided by NSTAR.” I think the program sounds pretty amazing, especially for school districts that are less affluent and have less access to education on energy efficiency.

Next week I plan on emailing NSTAR’s contact person to find out more about this program and see if my school’s Green Team would be interested in participating. For right now though, I think I’ll just enjoy my week-long vacation from the darling kidlets.

All that hysteria over H1N1 seems to have died down the past few months, but we’re still in the midst of cold and flu season. I know this because I managed to catch myself one. A cold, that is. Or possibly bronchitis. Or maybe the pneumonic plague. I’m kidding. I’ve consulted Dr. Google, and I’m pretty sure it’s not the plague, though I may have to wait a few days to be certain. Meanwhile, I’m sipping fluids and bonding with my couch and wishing I had picked up the little bottle of CleanWell hand sanitizer I recently bought a week or so earlier than I did.

Hand sanitizers have gotten a bum rap the past couple years, for partly good reasons. Read more…

It’s that time of year again! You know, the time of year when you start to have an anxiety attack every time you think about how close it is to the holidays and how little shopping you’ve actually done. Over the past few weeks I’ve been reading increasingly frantic blog posts and tweets from people wondering what to get their kid’s teacher or daycare provider. And as a teacher myself, I am here to fill you in on the gifts that do not go immediately into the trash (I’m looking at you, Coca-Cola tree ornament!) or contribute directly to the tightening of our jeans (that means you, delicious homemade baked goods!).

There are so many great eco-friendly gifts available now that it’s really easy to choose something fun, practical, and green. The CupKozy is a great gift for the coffee and tea drinking teachers out there. Because there is nothing worse than waking up at 5:30 a.m. and braving the nasty weather without a warm beverage to escort you into your classroom. Feeling cheap just getting this? Throw in a gift card to your local coffee shop and your kid’s teacher will love you for life.

Next up, these super cute rhino erasers from Priscilla Woolworths. Who doesn’t love having wildlife to erase errant pencil marks throughout the day? Plus they also come in polar bear and gorilla shapes, and I know I would personally love to have that trio sitting on my desk.

Feel like doing it up with something homemade? As a library teacher, I think these Book Page Wreaths are a fantastic idea and the personal touch would make receiving one extra special. Especially if someone used old school Nancy Drew books to make it!

Maybe you don’t know this about schools, but they are constantly running out of things like paper towels for the faculty bathroom. I’ve taken to bringing in dish towels with me so that I can wash my hands without then having to wipe my hands on my skirt on the way back into class. I would love to get some super cute new towels like this Velo Tea Towel from Branch. Read more…

Holiday shopping for kids can be so much fun, but with all the lead warnings and safety recalls, it can also be a little daunting.  And with all the plastic and packaging that go along with kids’ toys, it can be very wasteful too.  Here are a few low plastic/low waste gift ideas that will make you feel good about what you give to your little loved ones.

Read more…

Now that I’ve got two kids in nappies (diapers for those of  you in North America) I’ve become increasingly concerned about our family’s environmental impact. I was shocked to learn that the average child uses 8 – 10,000 nappies before they are toilet trained. Every time I haul another bag of fetid nappy waste to the trash can, I’ve got a physical, and stinking, reminder of just how much more waste we’re generating now as compared to the carefree days of childlessness.

Like more than 90% of Western parents, we use disposable nappies; largely for their convenience – no bleaching, boiling or washing – just off, wipe and chuck it in the bin. Like a lot of those 90% of parents, I carry with me a fair bit of guilt about disposable nappies. I’ve read studies claiming that disposables account for up to 5% of all household waste and 1 – 3% of all solid waste in the landfill. For a while we used “biodegradable” disposable nappies, but then I read a study that pointed out that nothing really biodegrades in a landfill. The degrading process can only occur in the presence of moisture and UV light and landfills don’t get much of either. Because most parents, myself included, toss dirty nappies away with the household trash we are potentially introducing human feces, and the myriad of pathogens that goes along with it, into groundwater. While disposables may be better at preventing nappy rash than cloth nappies, they may also contain potentially harmful chemicals. Read more…

With all the scary ingredients that seem to be lurking in toys these days, it’s hard to know what toys are safe to give your kids.  But, if you make it yourself, you’ll know exactly what your child is playing with.  Read more…