2008 October | Inhabitots

Inhabitots Green Halloween Contest!

by Jill Fehrenbacher, 10/31/08

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

If you were reading the site last week you might have spotted our Green Halloween Contest. We’re giving away a slew of great prizes to the best Green Halloween costume, best Green Halloween treat and most creative ideas overall for making Halloween clean and green.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!

Entries have been rolling in and already we’re starting to publish the best ones we’ve received so far in our Green Halloween photo gallery.

Read on to see some of our best entries so far and to learn more about the competition >

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Halloween Keepsakes: Cuddly, Lovable, Recycled Monster Dolls

by Jennifer Chait, 10/31/08

Halloween has officially arrived! No doubt, children will be a bit crestfallen come Saturday morning, when all of the spook-filled, costumed festivities have ended. But, these adorable recycled monster friends from Junker Jane’s Shop at Etsy will give them something to hold on to throughout the year, as a creature comfort that keeps on giving.

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Reverse Trick or Treating to Promote Fair Trade

by Beth Shea, 10/30/08

When it comes to kids’ trick or treating bounty, it’s all about fairness. Every parent has stared at a kitchen table covered in chocolate treats only to hear from their caped crusader, “It’s not fair, he got more candy than me,” or “I was fair and only took one, but she grabbed five!” This Halloween, why not teach our trick or treating fiends about the true meaning of Fair Trade?

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GREEN HALLOWEEN IDEA: Green Gum and Organic Lollipops

by Neelam Misra, 10/30/08

When trick or treaters come knocking on your door this Halloween, you may feel a sharp pang of guilt handing out the usual holiday fare, which is loaded with unhealthy ingredients, artificial colors, and flavors. We’re here to help you find some more green Halloween delights to really treat those cute little costumed greeters. Glee Gum and YummyEarth lollipops are true treats for the taste buds and the earth; and what little kid won’t think he hit the jackpot when he receives gum and lollipops after yelling “Trick or Treat?”

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GREEN HALLOWEEN IDEA: Eco-Friendly Halloween Decor

The countdown to Halloween is on, and it’s time to transform your home into a festive, spirited, spooky dwelling. Leave the scary, giant footprints to Frankenstein’s creature, and tread lightly on the planet with these easy, eco-friendly tips for Halloween inspired decor.

COSTUME STUDIO: Buy a Costume, Save a Life

For the past couple weeks, we’ve been encouraging you all to get creative and DIY with your Halloween costumes this year. However, we recognize that many people don’t have the time to sit down and make costumes by hand. Happily, we’ve just spotted a great solution for those of you who plan to get store-bought outfits this year. CostumeStudio is a website carrying one of the world’s largest selections of Halloween costumes, and they support children in need around the world with donations to charity. This Halloween, Costume Studio is teaming up with StumbleUpon, MySpace Music, and Invisible Children to donate 100% of profits to help children in war-torn regions of Uganda.

Mini Fuel Cell Hydrocar for Kids

Want your tot to channel her inner engineer and learn about energy technologies of the future while playing cars? The Hydrocar by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies features a mini ‘fuel-cell’ car for kids and parents who are looking to up the ante on the green gadget toy options at home. Part science kit, part clean driving machine, eco-friendly play has never sported such power-packed promise.

Halloween Treats to Enlighten, not Frighten

In preparation for the spookiest night of the year, we’ve unearthed several healthy alternatives to typical Halloween treats. Unfortunately, the majority of candy passed out on Halloween is frightfully laden with high fructose corn syrup and a slew of other scary ingredients. We’d prefer to treat our mini-revelers to tasty, mindful goodies; and in our search for such delights, we came across a few very inspiring products we’d like to share to make everyone’s trick or treating experience more enlightening than frightening.

ANNOUNCING… Inhabitots Baby Tees!

$20.00 – Organic Owl Baby Tee (3-6 mos) $20.00 – Organic Owl Baby Tee (6-12 mos) $20.00 – Organic Owl Baby Tee (12-18 mos) $20.00 – Organic Owl Baby Tee (18-24 mos)

Drumroll please…. We are thrilled to announce our new line of Inhabitots organic baby tees and onesies. Featuring ‘Habby’, our owly mascot, these adorable baby tees are made from 100% organic cotton and are hand-printed with eco-friendly, water-based inks. The tagline (with some fond nostalgia for the 70′s US Forest Service Campaign), reads ‘I give a hoot’. Show your support for Inhabitots and eco design by ordering one today – proceeds go to support Inhabitots and Inhabitat.

ORGANIC NURSING GEAR FROM MOTHERWEAR

Breastfeeding is inherently environmentally friendly. Because of its popularity amongst the eco healthy yoga crowd, it blows my mind that it is so difficult to find organic nursing wear. Why do we need organic nursing wear, you might ask? This might not seem like a big deal to non-breastfeeding women, but I can tell you that when you are spending your days on your couch with leaky boobs, a slew of visitors coming through your house, and your baby permanently latched on – all you want to be wearing is something that is comfortable, breathable, organic, and allows you to nurse your baby while covering the rest of your body and offering some privacy. This doesn’t seem like a tall order, but good nursing wear is surprisingly hard to find. After much frustration trying out different ‘nursing tops’ (some uncomfortable, some too synthetic, some too skimpy), I finally found the solution for organic, comfy, stylish nursing apparel: bamboo nursing gear from Motherwear.

100% Organic Cotton Nursing Gear by Under the Nile

Breastfeeding is an inherently ‘green’ endeavor, but finding 100% organic cotton nursing wear and accessories to complement this eco and baby friendly choice is often a difficult task. Once I stumbled upon Under the Nile‘s wonderful line of organic Egyptian cotton nursing wear and breast pads, I knew I had come full circle in my dedicated mission to ‘green’ my breastfeeding regime.

Elle Macpherson Nursing Bras: Fashion fuses with Function

Breastfeeding moms know that when it comes to finding a fashionable and flattering nursing bra, the pickings are rather slim. Most nursing bras look extremely matronly, or fit in a way that causes breasts to look strange. With regard to the few appealing nursing bras available, many are uncomfortable, or don’t open easily with one hand, rendering them impractical, or even impossible to use for their intended purpose. Elle Macpherson has, thankfully, designed a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, feminine nursing bra, which has restored my faith in the lingerie industry. Her lacy La Mere and Maternelle nursing bras are proof that moms can now be sexy and stylish in their breastfeeding endeavors.

BREASTFEEDING: Healthy, Eco-friendly & Economical

When it comes to feeding your baby, breastfeeding is quite obviously the most eco-friendly choice. It is free, generates no waste, is a renewable resource, and requires no energy to produce (except of course for those calories your body is burning). It is also the most healthy food for babies to be consuming, as it is loaded with nutrients, immunities, and antibodies that can’t be replicated by formula or solid food. What you may not know, however, is that breastfeeding is also healthy for moms. Breastfeeding protects against breast cancer, uterine and ovarian cancer, as well as osteoporosis. Since October is Breast Cancer awareness month, we thought it an appropriate time to highlight the health benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child.

Have an Earth-Friendly, Etsy Halloween

The Halloween theme is currently in full swing at Etsy; and this favorite online shopping destination which showcases the wares of freelance artisans, is bursting with adorable, eco-friendly Halloween goodies to scoop up for your tots. Now is the perfect time to look for a wonderful handmade ‘treat,’ or ‘trick’ if you’re so inclined.

GREEN HALLOWEEN DIY: The Six-Minute Superhero Cape

Last year, while my son was still in preschool, a showy little kid came to school wearing an even more showy little number. It was a red slick, satiny, superhero cape, and my son immediately wanted one. The cape was sold at one of our local kids’ shops, but on inspecting the price tag I experienced a shock worse than a jolt from the super villain Electro: thirty bucks for a single piece of fabric? Not even if the lightning bolt stitched to the back were cast down by Zeus himself would I pay that price. Though I’m no Sally Seamstress, I decided we should make our own.

Carton Chic Foldup Toys: Ethical, Recycled, and Recyclable

Here’s an idea we wish we had thought of ourselves. Carton Chic, designed by Armelle Vetillart, is a set of DIY put-together toy kits made from eco-friendly cardboard. Ultimately simple in scope, Carton Chic’s kits encourage craftiness and creativity, and will have your kids truly thinking outside the box.

Rub-a-dub-dub, No Suds in the Tub?

Pssst…. Ask any pediatrician and he’ll let you in on a little secret: babies don’t need body wash. The baby skincare market is overwrought with lavender scented, coconut infused, citrus steeped choices, which makes it seem all the more ludicrous that any mom, dad or caregiver would wash with just water. But the truth is, babies don’t get very dirty, and most baby soaps, washes and wipes are not safer or more effective than plain, lukewarm water when it comes to washing baby at bath time.

GREEN HALLOWEEN IDEA: Oeuf Angel Wing Sweater

Whether or not you consider your little one to be angelic is really beside the point when you get them dressed up in this eco-cute Angel Wing Sweater by Oeuf designs. Even with adorably devilish antics and mischievous behavior on tap for the Halloween season, how can one resist this super-soft knit get up for your sweet, pink-faced cherub? We love that your baby or winged tot can continue to wear this adorable costume once the holiday passes. It is a simple way to green your Halloween costume party celebrations while also supporting fair trade artisans and families in other parts of the globe.

A Day Trip to the Bioscleave ‘Fun’ House

I recently read a NYTimes article about a tiny extension house on Long Island with a grand mission: to lengthen the life of humans through jarring aesthetics that engage the body, and in turn facilitate the stimulation of the immune system. The Bioscleave House is based on a novel concept; one that takes an inverted look at sustainable living by focusing first on the immediate environment which we inhabit, and thereby sharpening our attitude toward the world at large.

GREEN HALLOWEEN IDEA: Speesees Organic Critter Coats

Searching for that perfect Halloween outfit for your wee one, but just can’t bring yourself to spend money on a silly store-bought pumpkin outfit that will only be worn once? Look no further than Speesees organic critter jackets. These eco-friendly animal inspired coats can be worn comfortably all throughout the year (take that silly pumpkin outfit), but can convert to a cute Halloween costume in a pinch. Of course, what tot wouldn’t want to wear these cuddly jackets everyday?