Desmond Williams

Desmond Williams is a freelance writer and JUNO magazine columnist. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, is half of a mixed-race couple and father to a rambunctious, comedic, and inquisitive preschooler (all great fodder for parenting articles). His writing, with its injected wit and humor, tends to add a light touch to the general gravity of parenting. Desmond is currently working on a graphic novel for mixed-race parents titled ‘The Painted Man’.
Desmond Williams

LEGO Architecture Series by Artist Adam Reed Tucker

by Desmond Williams, 02/09/10

adam reed tucker, legos, lego bricks, lego architecture series, lego design, lego fallingwater, lego guggenheim museum, frank lloud wright, empire state bulding lego, sears tower lego, seattle space needle lego, green kids, eco kids, green toys, green family, eco play

Long loved by parents for their durability, educational purposes and the LEGO company’s social and environmental responsibility, LEGO bricks have become a standard construction toy in almost every household. And with the addition of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright´s Fallingwater getaway, the Empire State building, Sears Tower and Seattle Space Needle — all part of LEGO’s Architecture Landmark series designed by Adam Reed Tucker — LEGO kits have been propelled into the realm of collectible toys.

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Cola Powered Radio Control Car Fueled by a Sugar Rush

by Desmond Williams, 01/26/10

bio powered car, bio powered rc, cola powered car, cola powered rc, juice powered car, juice powered rc, sugar powered car, sugar powered rc, takara tomy car, tomy car

As a health conscious parent, you’re probably not seeking plausible reasons to introduce your kids to cola — but a radio controlled car powered by pop? How cool is that? Takara Tomy, a Japanese toy maker, has manufactured a prototype RC ‘ene Bio Engine’ car (looks more like a futuristic delivery truck) that runs on Sony’s sugar fueled Bio-Battery. See the car in action in the video after the jump!

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Handmade, Eco-Friendly Lucha Libre Fighters from Caribbean Puzzles

by Desmond Williams, 01/25/10

caribbean puzzles, eco friendly toys, eco kids, eco puzzle, eco-friendly puzzles, fair trade mexican toys, Fair Trade toys, green kids, hecho in mexico, lucha libre toys, luchadores toys, toys made in mexico, wood puzzle

My son loves luchadores. He also loves puzzles and has a great appreciation for the environment. So there’s nothing about Caribbean Puzzles’ line of eco-friendly fighters that this kid wouldn’t adore. Like every jigsaw in the company’s varied offerings, these masked muscle men are “earth friendly, child safe and people kind.” They accomplish this by utilizing formaldehyde-free MDF (recycled wood fibers are compressed to form a sturdy wood-derived material), and employing Fair Trade practices in their factory in Mexico.

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Autonomie’s Eco-Friendly Candy Colored ‘Ethlectic’ Kids’ Shoes

by Desmond Williams, 01/13/10

Autonomie's Fair-Trade Ethletic Shoes, eco-friendly kids shoes, fair trade kids shoes, eco-friendly sneakers, green kids, eco kids, green kids shoes

Like bonbons with laces, Autonomie Project’s Ethletic sneakers come in a variety of mouthwatering colors such as cranberry red, bubble gum pink and mandarin orange. The sneaks look a lot like a certain famous brand, but have a much more eco-friendly sole. The sole is produced and stamped with FSC-certified all natural and sustainable rubber (“That means the rubber was actually tapped from a tree in a well managed and growing forest”) and the cotton used to make the canvas upper is 100% Fair Trade-certified organic. Plus, the dyes used to give the kicks their vibrant color are PCP and AZO free. Who’s an all-star now, Chuck?

+ Ethletic Children’s Sneakers SALE: $28.50 (also available in adult sizes)

+ Autonomie Project

Recycled Truck Tarp Diaper Bag by Gabi Goncalves

Recycled Truck Tarp Diaper Bag by Gabi Goncalves

As a new parent, at times life can feel like a patchwork of moments haphazardly sewn together, and Brazilian artist Gabi Goncalves captures this sentiment perfectly in one of parenting’s essential accouterments –  the diaper bag (for Maria Buzina). Much more environmentally smart than purchasing squares of material from fabric sellers, Ms. Goncalves uses recycled cottons and donated truck tarps to create a one-of-a-kind piece that is both fashionable and functional.

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Recycle Your Baby’s Teeth into Jewelry with ‘Le Knockout’ by Kim Kovel

Recycle Your Baby’s Teeth into Jewelry with ‘Le Knockout’ by Kim Kovel

“The charms of youth.” The phrase typically conjures up thoughts of butterfly kisses and ice cream dreams — but in the case of jewelry designer Kim Kovel, we’re talking about literal gold charms made from the fallen out baby teeth your little princess discards as she slowly champions the toothless grin indicative of becoming a big kid. Yes, bronzed baby shoes are officially a thing of the past – gilded baby tooth jewelry is the new bling. Besides, you can’t wear a pair of bronzed tiny TOMS shoes as earrings!

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Platypus BPA Free Reusable SoftBottles

Platypus BPA Free Reusable SoftBottles

In light of this year’s reusable water bottle scandals, plastic bottles aren’t looking so bad — especially bottles made with zero BPA. The Platypus SoftBottle fits the bill, and like its Australian namesake it is an odd, squishy creature kids will love. Because the bottle is …

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It All Happened In 2009

It All Happened In 2009

Happy New Year! 2009 was a year filled with ups and downs, good news and bad, stellar moments and near subterranean lows. Here is our list of just a few of the moments that stood out both in world news, and here on Inhabitots. Feel free to add your own ‘memorable moments’ to the comments section. And now, let’s welcome 2010 with a glance back at 2009:

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‘Very Hungry’ Breast-like Bottle by mimijumi

‘Very Hungry’ Breast-like Bottle by mimijumi

We have previously lauded the anthropomorphic design of Adiri baby bottles here on Inhabitots, and we were sad to learn that in October of this year, Adiri shut down its business due to financial pressures. Another ‘breast bottle’ feeding system is poised to make its debut: mimijumi’s ‘Very Hungry’ baby bottle. The company, founded by two psychiatrists and an industrial designer, declares that their bottles “are made for both baby and parent to create the most natural experience possible.” There’s no doubt that the bottle looks breast-like. My son, who graduated from breast feeding 4 years ago, took one look at the image I was uploading for this post and declared, “Wait a minute… it’s a breast!”

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The Wrap-up on Holiday Wrapping Paper

The Wrap-up on Holiday Wrapping Paper

You emailed your family and friends a link to Jill’s post on reusable wrapping paper alternatives. You wore your “Wrapping Paper Sucks!” pin everywhere you went for weeks before Christmas. Yet here you are, stuck with mounds of clawed, crushed and crumpled paper. Not to worry, below are 5 great ways to turn all that trash into shredded treasure.

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Flor Panichelli’s Paper Mache Finger Puppets

Flor Panichelli’s Paper Mache Finger Puppets

Finger puppets are conventionally kitschy craft-paper of woven wool affairs that bear very little resemblance to the characters they are meant to portray. But Flor Panichelli’s beautifully crafted paper mache creations for her Pelpa collection put an end to that notion. More modern art sculptures in miniature than tools for dramatic play, each handmade piece comes with a …

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DIY Project: Make A Snow Globe from a Recycled Baby Food Jar!

DIY Project: Make A Snow Globe from a Recycled Baby Food Jar!

The most clever party favor my son has ever received was from a boy with an architect mom and sculptor dad. Yet the gift was more kitschy than Kahn, more crafty than Chihuly. In other words, it was perfect for a kid: a tiny DIY snow globe encased in a reused baby food jar (he’s a big brother). Read on for instructions on how they made it.

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‘Dusty’ the Recycled Wood Chalkboard

‘Dusty’ the Recycled Wood Chalkboard

Kids have lots of ideas. So many ideas that sometimes a few slip their memory and are lost forever. With the newly designed Dusty chalkboard, they can jot all those important thoughts down to remember them later. From the witty mind of Josh Jakus, the boy or girl shaped boards are made from a non-formaldehyde, …

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Wooden Fishing Play Set from MoMA

Wooden Fishing Play Set from MoMA

The MoMA store has reeled in a charming wooden fishing set designed for aspiring anglers by Jae Keun Song. Each piece is made of natural wood and finished with linseed oil. The bait that the fish ‘bite’ is magnetized and attaches to embedded magnets inside each fish. The set includes eight sea creatures: …

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DIY Wooden Doll Kit – Paint Your Own Dollhouse Inhabitants!

DIY Wooden Doll Kit – Paint Your Own Dollhouse Inhabitants!

In search of a family to inhabit your Plan Toys Eco-Chalet Dollhouse? Look no further than the Etsy shop belonging to Brooklyn designers Goose Grease. Known for their custom cake toppers, the small design house also has in its inventory a doll making kit that …

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GREAT GREEN HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR NEW PARENTS

GREAT GREEN HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR NEW PARENTS

Put down that onesie with the image of Jimi Hendrix screen printed on the front. It says “Hip,” it says “Cute,” it says “I have absolutely no idea what new parents need in a gift.” There are certain must-haves a new parent always wants to have around. And though fashionable kids clothing is great, it’s almost a certainty that they’ve already purchased tons of that stuff while in ‘the glow.’ Here’s a list of great green gifts for new parents that are positively eco-cool and practical.

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NYC’s Urban Garden Room Features Living Plant Sculptures

NYC’s Urban Garden Room Features Living Plant Sculptures

Here’s a great indoor outing for New York City families (or those visiting the Big Apple) this holiday season. The new Urban Garden Room at One Bryant Park is a study in what green public spaces of the future might look like. And there’s much more than the towering living plant sculptures (composed of thousands of ferns, mosses, lichens and vines 7 to 25 feet tall) that are green. Cook+Fox (the firm that designed the Bank of America building in which the installation is housed) have already earned a LEED Platinum rating for their efforts.

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GREAT GIFTS FOR KIDS OF ALL KINDS!

GREAT GIFTS FOR KIDS OF ALL KINDS!

Each kid on your holiday list has a different personality. There are the busybodies, the intellectuals, the sports nuts and the trend sensitive. And as if shopping for these types wasn’t difficult enough, there are also those who further confuse things by changing likes and dislikes as frequently as the wind blows. As such, the Great Gifts for Kids of all Kinds gift guide seen after the jump should help you navigate the tricky retail waters — gift receipts are always a good idea in case your gift recipient changes his/her taste between now and the New Year.

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Upcycled Nautical Sail Stockings

Upcycled Nautical Sail Stockings

Etsy artisan Katherine Rasmussen upcycles sailboat sails into totes, purses, messenger bags, pillows and accessories, all available via her Reiter8 Etsy shop. She’s adding sail stockings to her inventory for the holidays. Available in white canvas with red stars or stripes, we’re delighted we caught wind of these stockings to …

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WoodStation Clock Helps Kids Tune in to their Environment

WoodStation Clock Helps Kids Tune in to their Environment

Recently my young son has been demonstrating a keen interest in the environment — specifically with regard to weather. For a kid like him (or older kids showing interest in meteorology), the WoodStation Clock, designed by Sebastien Wallet for Inovaxion, is the perfect room accessory. With an exterior made from compressed recycled wood (other components seem to be standard) and devoid of fussy buttons that can confuse kids, the weather station looks like a sculpted block of wood — until its motion detector is triggered…

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Green Board Game ‘Destruct 3′ Offers Eco-friendly Family Fun

Green Board Game ‘Destruct 3′ Offers Eco-friendly Family Fun

Get a constructive handle on your kids’ destructive side with green board game Destruct 3 from Unkle Skunkle Toys. Made from sustainable rubberwood and rated Toy of the Year by Creative Child magazine, Destruct 3 is environmentally friendly and offers tons of build it/smash it fun. “Players build …

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Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Sautéed Apples by Sarah Poten

Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Sautéed Apples by Sarah Poten

“Try these with ice cream,” says Sarah Poten, Education and Special Projects Coordinator, Greenmarket (CENYC). Or you can try ‘em with diary-free sorbét. A great dessert to finish off our Thanksgiving collection of recipes, these sautéed apples are always in season and sure to please even the most discerning kiddy connoisseurs. Sarah has even included fun nutritional facts about apples — who knew that apples help strengthen bones?

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Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Cranberry Sauce with Maple Syrup by Sarah Poten

Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Cranberry Sauce with Maple Syrup by Sarah Poten

Here’s a question Sarah has for our young cooks: “Did you know that cranberries are packed with Vitamin C and antioxidants that are good for your immune system? Homemade cranberry sauce is very easy and fun to make!” Get ready to eat your vitamins in a super yummy way with Sarah Poten, as she shares a kid-friendly Greenmarket recipe for a Thanksgiving staple: Cranberry Sauce with Maple Syrup!

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Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Oven Roasted Carrots and Parsnips by Sarah Poten

Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Oven Roasted Carrots and Parsnips by Sarah Poten

Carrots and parsnips… that’s about all you need to make Sarah Poten’s simple and delectable side dish of Roasted Carrots and Parsnips this Thanksgiving. Be sure to review the fun nutritional facts Sarah, Education and Special Projects Coordinator, Greenmarket (CENYC), has included with this recipe after the jump!

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Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Rainbow Salad by Sarah Poten

Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Rainbow Salad by Sarah Poten

Sarah Poten, Education and Special Projects Coordinator of Greenmarket (CENYC), has a challenge for our kid helpers: “Find at least one fruit or vegetable of each color at the Greenmarket! Make your plate as colorful as possible for a rainbow of healthy nutrients for your body!” See the color-specified nutrient list after the recipe for Rainbow Salad!

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Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower

Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower

Here’s another question for our child chefs from Sarah Poten, Education and Special Projects Coordinator, Greenmarket (CENYC): “Did you know that Romanesco is a tender variety of cauliflower with a delicious nutty flavor? It’s light green with spiraling fractal-shaped florets that captivate kids and grown-ups alike. Cooking cauliflower in a hot oven concentrates its natural sweetness — think vegetable candy!”

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Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Purple Mashed Potatoes

Inhabitots’ Greenmarket Recipes for Kids: Purple Mashed Potatoes

Sarah Poten, Education and Special Projects Coordinator of Greenmarket (CENYC) has shared 6 vegetarian recipes for Inhabitots readers to try this Thanksgiving. The first one is: Purple Mashed Potatoes. To begin, Sarah poses a question to our kid helpers: “Did you know that potatoes originated in Peru, and the first varieties were purple? These mashed potatoes are delicious, rich in beta-carotene, and you’ll love the amazing lavender color!”

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Inhabitots’ Thanksgiving Recipes from Sarah Poten of Greenmarkets

Inhabitots’ Thanksgiving Recipes from Sarah Poten of Greenmarkets

At a time when green advocates are pointing to meat consumption as the single most environmentally devastating practice humans have adopted, certain Thanksgiving dishes such as the turducken (that’s a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey) must represent all that is wrong with humanity. But don’t strike off this holiday as an ecological no-no just yet. This week Sarah Poten, Education and Special Projects Coordinator of Greenmarket (Council on the Environment of New York City), saves Thanksgiving by serving up fresh recipes on standard fare locavore and vegetarian families can dig into. This week on Inhabitots, we’ll feature six recipes from Sarah Poten that are “simple, child-friendly, and guaranteed crowd pleasers for eaters of all ages!”

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Adorn Big Kids’ Rooms with KEAG’s Colorful, ‘Crafts from Waste’ Masks

Adorn Big Kids’ Rooms with KEAG’s Colorful, ‘Crafts from Waste’ Masks

There isn’t much tribalism going on in KEAG’s recycled bottle masks, but they certainly incorporate a lot of eco-ingenuity. The horns on each animal are made up of numerous un-recyclable bottle caps, while their snouts come from the handles of plastic jugs and bike seats. There are also finer details such as lashes, manes and goatees, but nothing complex enough to …

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James May’s LEGO Home Demolished

James May’s LEGO Home Demolished

It’s unfortunate, but the LEGO home built as a result of the James May BBC television challenge has succumbed to the same fate as many more conventional brick and mortar real estate listings (cue the collective sighs of kids everywhere)… And they were only asking £50,000 for the colorful abode — a steal even by today’s housing market standards.

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Creature Shaped Recycled Tire Swings from Wildlife Creations

Creature Shaped Recycled Tire Swings from Wildlife Creations

It seems tire swings have been around since the invention of the wheel. They are probably among the first toys made from recycled materials — but don’t quote me on that. The conventional model (used tire, length of durable rope, cooperative tree) was well in need of an update, and the copyrighted designs of Patrick Palumbo, founder of Wildlife Creations, have certainly reinvented the wheel with clever tire cutouts in various creature forms including a dragon, a shark, a horse, a dog, an elephant… even a Tyrannosaurus Rex!

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PIPEROID DIY Paper Robots by Designer Takashi Tsunoda

PIPEROID DIY Paper Robots by Designer Takashi Tsunoda

A PIPEROID is a fantastical cut-fold-connect, paper robot created by Japanese toy designer Takashi Tsunoda. For anime-loving, DIY-experienced kids, it gets no better than this. Full of mischief, each robotic duo comes as a rolled sheet of colorful paper that needs to be crafted in order to be brought to life as a PIPEROID!

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Minimii’s Dollhouse Replicates Arne Jacobsen’s Charlottenlund Villa on a Smaller, Yet Grand Scale

Minimii’s Dollhouse Replicates Arne Jacobsen’s Charlottenlund Villa on a Smaller, Yet Grand Scale

Fantasy and reality beautifully collide in Minimii’s 1:16 scale dollhouse reproduction of designer Arne Jacobsen’s 1928 villa in Charlottenlund, Denmark. Designed by Linda Stenberg and Claus Hojer Hansen, the Danish creative directors of Minimii, the dollhouse features a roof and four walls that may be mounted and dismounted, allowing more children to play at once, a small collection of designer furniture (Egg and Swan chairs courtesy of Fritz Hansen) as well as tiny commissioned modern art pieces, and many more chic amenities which stay in place via magnets!

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Walt Disney Company Issues Refunds for Baby Einstein Videos

Walt Disney Company Issues Refunds for Baby Einstein Videos

As parents, we’re used to being alerted to all kinds of product recalls. These usually stem from new discoveries about the use of unsafe chemicals in paint, potentially toxic source materials or the risk of bodily harm. But Disney’s recall of their line of famous (or infamous) Baby Einstein videos is something altogether different. The recall (or refund) statement issued by Disney and reported last …

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KOZ Architects’ Sports & Leisure Center in Saint-Cloud is Colorful and Green

KOZ Architects’ Sports & Leisure Center in Saint-Cloud is Colorful and Green

“No running in the hallways!” is a rule most children are used to hearing during the school year. It’s also the rule KOZ architects‘ Christophe Ouhayoun and Nicolas Ziesel decided to turn on its head when they designed the kid-friendly Sport and Leisure Center in Saint-Cloud, France. With stairwells three times regulation width (and some lacking actual stairs), the architects liberated these normally restrictive areas, creating “a secure and private area where children can go alone in complete safety.” The result is an eye-catching, sustainably designed building created for festive celebrations, entertainment and leisure.

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LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!