2008 August | Inhabitots

World’s Tiniest Solar Powered Car!

by Abigail Doan, 08/14/08

When one thinks of toy cars for little ones, one typically conjures up images of die-cast Matchbox race cars with broad white stripes and tail fins. But in this new era of innovative product design – where the battery-packed has been redefined, it is refreshing to find renewable energy alternatives to toy cars and trucks as we know them.

Enter the World’s Smallest Solar Racing Car – certainly too small to be a flashy Formula One kiddie vehicle or even drivable for that matter, but what this Lilliputian roadster lacks in size, it totally makes up for in power – real green zip power – not to mention full-throttle cuteness!

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‘Eco Ego’ Online Computer Game for Kids

by Abigail Doan, 08/13/08

There is no doubt that kids are spending more and more time in front of home computers these days – surfing, gaming, and tuning in to the power of virtual connectivity. Couple this with more sedentary lifestyles, childhood obesity, and pressing environmental concerns, and there is a heck of a lot that we have to be engaged with as parents. One of our readers at Inhabitat tipped us off on a new game that is meant to teach (or rather visually demonstrate) the excesses of environmental and household consumption. ‘Eco Ego’ is a quirkily animated foray into the nature of ecology, but all in all, we were amused by the game’s cute graphics and well-intended message.

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Eero Aarnio’s Collectible ‘Puppy’

by Desmond Williams, 08/13/08

Recently one of our readers/commentators wondered out loud about one negative aspect of good design. “Too bad none of it is affordable,” commented Jeff. “Alas that’s why there’s IKEA.”

It certainly is true that great design tends to come at an even greater cost, but this is not always so. And Jeff’s comment immediately made me think of one whimsical, functional objet d’art that is the perfect balance of collectibility and affordability: Eero Aarnio’s ‘Puppy’.

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Behind the Baby Brand: ecotots™

by Desmond Williams, 08/11/08

Smart, sturdy, stunning, sustainable; these are all terms that can be used to describe the ecotots “high-quality, full-line of environmentally friendly, real wood modern furniture”. Yet the most novel aspect of the furniture designed by ecotots is its simplicity. So how does one go about designing a logo that says all of this?

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Ecotots flatpack green furniture

Combining cuteness with compactness, Ecotots is a full-line of environmentally friendly wooden modern furnishings for your tot’s play spaces. Designed to flat-pack and ship efficiently, the line of tables easels and desks also assemble and disassemble quickly and without tools or hardware. Plus they’re made from 100% renewable FSC certified Smart Wood®, and come in a variety of eco-friendly, colorful UV finishes.

MomSpit: It’s not gross…Really!

You’ve seen it thousands of times in playgrounds: A kid consumes a snack, stray bits of food get stuck between his upper lip and nose, and his mom – without giving it much thought – licks her thumb and wipes away the offending schmutz. Gross? Well the gals behind MomSpit are betting not.

CASAKids Furniture Collection by Roberto Gil

The CASAKids Collection by Roberto Gil features sleek modern nursery and pint-sized bedroom furniture that’s solidly built, refreshingly modern, and super roomy – all must-haves for your little one’s dreamy sleeping space. The sustainable OLA! line is crafted out of Lyptus, a fast growing, IBAMA-certified, plantation grown Brazilian hardwood – smartly finished with non-toxic water based paints. To add to all this eco-friendliness and future-forward thinking, the pieces in this collection can all be shipped flat – one of the best green style features, in our opinion!

Q Collection Junior’s Stella Stackables

All new parents know first hand the trials and tribulations of trying to maintain a sense of order in a topsy-turvy household. Despite our best team efforts, stashes of baby gear, litterings of toys, and supplies of child-rearing essentials begin to dot the landscape formerly known as ‘adultville’. For some, this is as daunting as an unattended pile of laundry, for others it is just part of the territory. Thankfully, Q Collection Junior’s Stella Stackables provide a hip and stylish way for families to organize and artfully conceal the messiness of day-to-day living. Collect two or three modules or create a whole geometric wall assemblage. They are the perfect solution for parents who refuse to sacrifice style for comfort and storage ease.

Simple Shoes Let Kids “Walk the Walk”

Today’s green movement is definitely gaining ground, but sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between who’s just ‘talking the talk’, and who’s actually ‘walking the walk’ toward a sustainable lifestyle. As parents, it’s our privilege and our duty to instill eco-mindedness into our children. Green living needn’t be an alternative in their eyes if their first footsteps are taken on a genuine emerald path. Slip a pair of Simple Shoes onto their little feet, and they will stand firmly on the lifelong mission to save our precious planet.

Tiny Revolutionary Eco-Tees

One of the many reasons babies and toddlers are so precious and refreshing is the fact that they wear their hearts on their sleeves. Whether they are crying and stomping their feet, nuzzling into you for cuddles, or clapping with wild delight, they remind us to revel in and fully experience every moment. Clothing company, Tiny Revolutionary celebrates the authenticity of children and harnesses their powerful innocence by making them moving billboards of inspiration. Their line of Eco-Tees stylishly emblazons little tikes with messages of hope, equality, and environmentalism.

The Eames Eco Chic Modern Rocker

Every mom knows that a good rocking chair is essential for breastfeeding. But how to find one that is chic, eco-friendly, and won’t break the bank? And as I stare down the barrel of impending motherhood, I am quickly trying to get all my breastfeeding accoutrements together – and for the longest time the rocking chair was the most elusive item on my list. There is a surprising dearth of nicely-designed rocking chairs out there – most seem either to be 80s style leather ‘gliders’ that cost and arm and a leg, or old-school granny wooden rockers that don’t look too comfy for your derriere. So you can imagine my delight when I rediscovered the Eames’ classic chair in rocker form!

Behind the Baby Brand: Adiri™

I’ve always been interested in what goes into the making of a baby brand. Curious to find out if it takes more than an adorable image, powdery Pantones, and a few genius strokes of a Stylus pen in Adobe Illustrator, I contacted Randi Kofman, VP of Marketing at Adiri, Inc. and asked her a few questions about the company logo. This is the first in a series of ‘Behind the Baby Brand’ interviews.

Anthropomorphic Eco Adiri Bottles

The designers of the compellingly sleek (and undeniably boob-like) Adiri Baby Bottle make no bones about taking their design inspiration from the human form. And this makes perfect sense really when it comes to an eco-friendly baby bottle. If ‘breast is best’ – as most people will tell you these days – then surely a baby bottle based on the shape and ergonomics of the human breast would be the next best thing when bottle supplementation is required. Not only do nipples shaped like Mom’s breast help avoid nipple confusion but they make it easier for baby to adjust to bottle feeding.

Eco-friendly & Economical Maternity Wear

Or How to Get Through Your Pregnancy Without Having to Purchase ‘Maternity’ Clothes

Although pregnancy is an exciting time in any mom-to-be’s life, the day-to-day logistics can often be quite daunting for a first time mother. For me if was quite an emotional rollercoaster to deal with so many rapid changes in my body — and when all of a sudden my favorite clothes started feeling too tight, I didn’t know where to turn. I just wanted to keep feeling and looking like myself, and the prospect of having to buy a whole new wardrobe of flowy earth-mama dresses to get me through a few months of my life sounded about as fun as labor pain — especially after a google search made me realize that it is almost impossible to find maternity wear in organic or eco-friendly materials.

UPPAbaby Eco Stroller

UPPAbaby, the purveyors of high-end though affordably deluxe baby strollers, offers some elegantly designed vehicles to transport baby around town, all the while remaining actively eco-minded. The Northeast-based company really goes the distance by recycling materials from old and used strollers, donating functional strollers to charity, and operating a warehouse bi-coastally to reduce emissions and gas-guzzling travel by delivery trucks. They even encourage ‘work at home’ opportunities to help decrease emissions from what would have been commuting employees. Look no further if you are hoping to stroll in sustainable style as well as lighten your footprint as a green family on-the-go!

Celery sustainable children’s furniture

When it comes to choosing children’s furniture, design-loving parents want it all: aesthetic appeal, affordability, simple assembly, and perhaps most importantly, a guarantee that no toxic substances went into the product’s creation. The designers behind Celery Furniture—who are parents themselves—decided it was possible to have all of this and more.

Hydrogen Toy Car: H-Racer

It may be a while before hydrogen cars are a common sight on the freeway, but the development of sophisticated hydrogen technology is in full swing, and you can see it in action with the tiny H-Racer toy car. The H-Racer, by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies is the 21st century update on the retro remote-controlled car, but it requires no batteries.

TEETHING BLING: Stylish & Practical Jewelry for Moms

If you have ever worn a necklace while carrying a curious baby, you know that this may result in an unwelcome game of tug-of war. Teething babies definitely need stuff to chew on, and conventional jewelry with its sparkling trinkets, multi-faceted gems, and shimmery baubles are all delicious eye-candy for an exploring infant. Unfortunately, this can also pose a serious choking hazard, and the concoction of baby + jewelry may also spell ‘recipe for disaster’. Enter Teething Bling to every new Mom’s rescue!