2010 May | Inhabitots

Project FROG’s Eco-Friendly Modular Classrooms Score Big with Teachers & Kids

by Desmond Williams, 05/07/10

Project FROG, a bay area startup, has been achieving some amazing numbers with its environmentally friendly modular classrooms. A two million dollar budget got Watkinson School 3,500 square feet of classroom space built from 50 percent recycled material. The building is outfitted with 60 solar panels that reduce the electricity costs to zero (in fact it produces more energy than the building uses). And because of the modular design, the project took only six months to complete.

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Hugh Hayden and Katie Vitale’s FRAMEicariums Turn Ant-Farms Into Art

by Jill Fehrenbacher, 05/06/10

Looking for a fun pet project for your tots that doubles as cool, conversation-starting art? Here’s an innovative idea for the most dynamically ‘alive’ art we’ve ever seen – wall art made out of living ant-farms! We love this idea because it mixes the science-experiment fun of keeping an ant-farm with a cool, clever aesthetic which is sure to turn heads and start conversations in your home.

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REVIEW: ERGObaby Organic Baby Carriers

by Beth Shea, 05/06/10

My firstborn basically lived on me in an infant sling for the first 18 months of her life — due to her severe acid reflux issues and my decision to practice attachment parenting. I’m now pregnant with my second child, and due to the onslaught of recent baby sling recalls, I have decided to go the route of a more ergonomically correct option for babywearing. Enter the impeccably crafted ERGObaby Organic Baby Carrier. “ERGO” is short for the ergonomic design inherent in this cream de la creme of all baby carriers. The ERGObaby carrier totes tiny newborns to toddlers weighing up to 40 pounds in pure comfort for both wearer and passenger — and it may be worn with ease in a variety of ways including front, back and hip positions. If babywearing is the route you’re taking with your child, read on to see why an ERGObaby organic carrier should become part of your daily repertoire.

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Lalapanzi Portable Organic Baby Bed for Green Babies on the Go

by Jennifer Chait, 05/05/10

The Lalapanzi Organic baby bed is cleverly designed to be used at home or to be toted to and fro on travels to make baby feel at home sleeping in her own familiar environment. Its soft side walls and oval shape simulate a mama’s womb — making the cozy bed a soothing spot for a cranky baby. Weighing just five pounds, the Lalapanzi baby bed is super lightweight which, when combined with its sturdy carrying handles makes it easily portable for road trips and air travel. So if you’re planning your summer vacation with baby in tow, the Lalapanzi bed could be your little one’s green crib while on the go!

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WIN IT WEDNESDAY! Win a Plan Toys Eco Dollhouse from Grasshopper!

Give your eco-conscious kids a hands-on experience in the art of green living with this awesome Eco Home from Plan Toys! The opportunity for learning and imagining via dollhouse play is elevated to an entirely new level with examples of sustainable living that your kids can act out and hold in the palm of their hand! A wind turbine, solar panels and a living roof, along with two figures, an electric scooter and furniture for two rooms make this tiny green abode the perfect tool for organically inspiring eco-awareness in your children.
We’re giving away a Plan Toys Eco Home from Grasshopper to one lucky Inhabi-tot! Enter to win after the jump!

Kid Kanteen BPA-free Sippy Cups Available in Bright New Colors

On the hunt for a safe sippy cup to keep your tot hydrated while on the go this spring and summer? Klean Kanteen‘s totally non-toxic Kid Kanteen sippy cup is now available in three sweet as candy new colors: reef blue, solar yellow, and prevention purple. …

7 Eco-friendly Ways to Celebrate Mother’s Day with Your Kids

Families? Listen up! It’s time to start planning the perfect celebration for your mom this coming Sunday! Moms want to enjoy Mother’s Day with the people that they cherish the most, their children and loved ones. One of the best Mother’s Day gifts you can give mom is time spent together doing something you all enjoy. These fun Mother’s Day activities, from organic breakfast in bed to star gazing at day’s end, will make mom’s day totally memorable! Do one or do them all… and rest assured you’ll also be making Mother Earth happy with your eco-friendly choices on this very special occasion to honor your mother.

Mee a Bee Handmade Messenger Bags for Boys & Girls

If your kid prefers easy access to his belongings and would rather save the backpacking for camping excursions, these handmade messenger bags from Mee a Bee are a delightful alternative. With plenty of stylish options for boys and girls, each cotton linen bag …

INHABITOTS MOTHER’S DAY GREEN GIFT GUIDE!

Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday, and it’s time to select the perfect gift to honor your mom! We’ve put together a great green list of Mother’s Day presents that is sure to please all types of eco mamas — and there’s something for every budget! Traditional favorites like chocolates and flowers get a green makeover in our guide, and we also suggest unique options like amazing and serene ecospheres and a designer organic cotton butterfly shirt that is sure to make your mom’s heart flutter. Click on through to view all of our suggestions to help make mom’s Mother’s Day special and green!

Non-toxic, Reusable ‘Zoo Lunchies’ Lunch Bags from Skip Hop

With friendly animal faces, bright colors and the cutest matching zipper-pulls ever, Zoo Lunchies from Skip Hop make lunchtime a lot more fun. Zoo Lunchies reusable lunch bags are sized perfectly for little kids, or for a mama and tot on-the-go. Each soft Zoo Lunchie features a roomy main compartment for sandwiches, snacks, drinks and more, an insulated, wipe-clean interior to keep food and drinks fresh and cold, plus an inside mesh pocket for holding lunch money, an ice pack or utensils.

‘Tushies’ Non-toxic Disposable Diapers

Reusable cloth diapers are hands down the greenest diaper choice, but if you’re interested in disposables, make sure you choose a disposable diaper that’s safe and non-toxic for your little one. Tushies is the only disposable diaper that uses certified non-chlorine bleached woodpulp blended with cotton for natural absorbency. Most disposable diapers contain Sodium Polyacrylate (SAP); a gel that acts as a chemical water absorber. SAP absorbs wetness well but the downside is that SAP is known to be toxic. SAP was removed by the FDA from tampons because of its link to toxic shock syndrome, but it is still used in disposable diapers — and worse, few significant studies have been done regarding SAPs effect on babies. If you want a non-gel, 100% non-toxic absorbent diaper, Tushies offers just that.

Kamibashi Reusable Freak-O-Bags

By now you’ve probably amassed a good number of reusable grocery bags, but here’s one more worth adding to your collection — that will get your kids in on the green action too. Kamibashi …

mymimi Natural Wooden Lambi Tray

For a limited time, mymimi is offering the sweetest little Natural Wooden Lambi Trays — perfect for afternoon snacks or an evening treat of organic milk and cookies. The natural wooden trays feature adorable little lambi animals all in a row, illustrated by mymimi. Each wooden mymimi tray is …