On thing I know is that kids love flashlights, or torches, as they say in England. They like to play with them, especially under the sheets, in the dark. The regular flashlights we’ve had throughout the years have been victims of my kids abuse, because when one of my kids get their hands on them, they either get misplaced or left turned on. Not good for when there’s a sudden power outage or when the plumber needs to look under the sink. Nor is it good for the environment when you think of how many used batteries there are that go in landfills and are not disposed of properly.

So when I found the Powerplus Penguin, I was thrilled to bits, and so were my kids. Firstly, its not always that you find an eco-friendly toy that REALLY appeals to older kids, second, this was very good value (most eco-toys are NOT cheap), and third, it also has a great practical function and won’t just sit there in the playroom after they’ve played with it a few times.

This cute little penguin has no need, I repeat, no need for batteries. It’s a clever invention from the U.K., which is charged by simply pumping the wings (a light squeeze from your child). When charged, the ultra bright LED has a lighting distance of twenty meters which is just right for kids purposes.

Although I bought it for my 7-year-old girl (the packaging said it was recommended for kids 6 and above), my 4-year-old eyed it enviously (he said it was Pablo from the Backyardigans, his favorite, which meant it was for HIM) and definitely wouldn’t have much trouble using it too. Oh, and the packaging was fantastic too – made from attractive recycled materials, it was really simple and easy to open, without all that extra awful plastic, sharp bits and twisty metal things you find with most toys.

You can purchase the penguin at Nigel’s Eco Store for £5.99, but you can find it a little cheaper at other shops if you search.

The past year has been a pretty terrifying time in terms of the huge amounts of toxic toys (and milk!) found in the market. And if you’ve think the worst is over and the most dangerous toys have already been weeded out in time for Christmas, you are sadly mistaken. According to the non-profit group Ecology Center, one in three of more than 1,500 of the most popular toys in the market, have unacceptably high levels of toxic chemicals, which can cause the following in our children: reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, hormone problems and cancer.

And its NOT just toys from China, nor is it just lead. And according to their studies, children’s jewelry has the highest amount of chemicals. Horrifying since it is what is most likely to come into contact with our children’s skin!

So be safe this Christmas and before you buy, read up on what’s safe here at Healthy Toys where you can search by brand, “worst toys”, “best toys” and so on. The site also lets you make a “holiday list” which can be emailed to family and friends – a wonderful way to make sure the kids you care about are protected.

Please join the fight to stop chemicals in toys completely and check out some of the ideas listed in the Healthy Toys or Ecology Center’s website – as Mike Shriberg, Ph.D., Ecology Center’s Policy Director rightly said:

“There is simply no place for toxic chemicals in toys….Our hope is that by empowering consumers, manufacturers and lawmakers will start phasing out the most harmful substances immediately, and change the laws to protect children from toxic chemicals.”

With Thanksgiving come and gone, there’s no doubt that the Christmas season is definitely upon us. Well, I’ve been ticking through my Christmas list (and funds, boo hoo.), and as usual, the names without the “tick” are the same people I find difficulty finding the right present for every year. And my spouse is always one of those people. Sigh.

I’ve been doing some research myself, and I found quite a plethora of ideas online, green ideas of course. Here are some of the ones worth checking out:

A great “Green Gift Ideas” article I found was through through Green Home Huddle , a super online community dedicated to all things green. They listed unusual things like buying carbon offset from places like TerraPass, a great site to buy seriously green gifts.

It’s always fun shopping for the little ones, and this adorably-named site, Polliwogged has a gift giving guide perfect for babies and first-time-parents.

It’s also a good idea to know what not to get, but personally, the yardstick I use to gauge whether a gift is good or not is to think if it’s something I’d like to receive. Ok, I know that doesn’t work for all people, but you get my drift. Planet Green had an interesting article titled “The Anti Gift List”, which mercilessly attacks gifts like “World’s Best Dad” plaques (bad), Gift Cards (not that bad esp. if its to someone you’re not close to), snow globes (my kids would protest this one) and so on. It’s a laugh even if you don’t agree with it all.

And lastly, before you buy, think about giving the Purposeful Gift, which I think is the most important thing of all. Green living successfully sums it up:

“…It is essential that we establish a new norm for gift-giving expectations, for the sake of the planet that sustains us and the viability of future generations. When it comes to gifts, it is time we start thinking outside of the box…”

According to them, there are three essential questions to ask yourself:

* What does this person enjoy doing most?
* What is his or her taste?
* Does he/ she like to go on excursions or attend classes, or is he/she more of an indoor type?

Now go do your shopping!

Welcome to Yurto, the blog about eco-friendly living in the home. Inspired by the yurt, an ancient circular dwelling place built in tune with nature, we hope to explore the ways we can all make a change for the better in the world that we live in – beginning from our homes.

Why is it so important to go green? Al Gore, who woke up the world with his now-famous documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, puts it succinctly:

“…Some of the leading scientists are now saying we may have as little as 10 years before we cross a kind of point of no return, beyond which it’s much more difficult to save the habitability of the planet in the future…”

10 years??? Now that’s a scary thought.  If you have children like me, that’s enough reason to stop procrastinating and do something about NOW.

So from plastic to canvas, wasting to conserving,  lets find ways to care for the earth while we can and live healthier, happier lives.