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.

In the news again were some chilling findings that a slew of everyday bath products made for kids had dangerous levels of carcinogens. Like any Mother, my reaction is deep resentment and anger for these big companies that let things like this happen for years, and how lethal ingredients like formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane is found in every day items we put on our bodies. Both substances are known to cause cancer, so when you think about it, it somewhat explains why so many people in the world today have the terrible disease.

What I find especially disturbing is that in the list are brands that most families like mine have trusted for years, believing they were safe for our children. Products like Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, which my husband still loves! The group who uncovered the dirty facts were non-profit Campaign For Safe Cosmetics, and here’s some of what they said:

” Despite marketing claims like “gentle” and “pure,” dozens of top-selling children’s bath products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, according to the March 2009 Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report, “No More Toxic Tub.”

This study is the first to document the widespread presence of both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in bath products for children, including baby shampoos, bubble baths and baby lotions. Many products tested contained both chemicals.
The chemicals were not disclosed on product labels because they’re contaminants, not ingredients, and therefore are exempt from labeling laws.

Formaldehyde contaminates personal care products when common preservatives release formaldehyde over time in the container. Common ingredients likely to contaminate products with formaldehyde include quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.

1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of a chemical processing technique called ethoxylation, in which cosmetic ingredients are processed with ethylene oxide. Manufacturers can easily remove the toxic byproduct, but are not required by law to do so. Common ingredients likely to be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane include PEG-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20.

The key bit there I think is: “Manufacturers can easily remove the toxic byproduct, but are not required by law to do so.” So when the group conducted the study, they found that there were still large amounts of the toxins which meant that the companies didn’t bother to remove the poisonous byproducts. WHY?

Around the world, several countries have already taken measures to ensure that their baby products are safe, like in China, where they are being removed from supermarket shelves and undergoing more testing. Japan and Sweden have already banned formaldehyde from personal care products.

Aside from 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, watch out for these baddies too:

peg-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20, quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea and sodium hydroxymethoylglycinate.

For the full list of tested products as well as more information, check out the article here.

Enter “Eco Balls”, amazing little balls which, when thrown into your wash, do all the work your regular soap does (and claim to kill bacteria too) without any chemicals, detergents and the like. When you work out what you save on soap, the savings are enormous, with something like 6 cents a load with the balls, to approx. 80 cents with detergent, more depending on what brand you buy. You can buy kits which come with refills, stain remover (it doesn’t do that great with heavy stains) as well as dryer balls for “fabric softer” role.

So does it really work? While I wait for my order to arrive, I found a good review worth checking out. The verdict? Some liked it, others were disappointed with its cleaning power. There was also one complaint about how the ball came apart and broke her washing machine. Either way, its a product I think worth trying out for yourself -because I think eliminating detergents would be a great thing.

Burt's Bees is considered a "murky" company

I love bodycare products and actually thought I was safe buying seemingly organic or natural brands available at my local shops. Not so, according to Organicgal’s List of Fakies and Non-fakies. Well, I did report on the carcinogens found in kid’s bath products, so this isn’t really isn’t a surprise.

My hat goes off to Organicgal though, who has taken the time to do her research and show her findings. Here are some facts which we should all know:

* Body care is not a regulated industry.

* The USDA Organic regulations/laws only extend to food items or body care items that are food grade.

* Because of lax regulations a body care company can use the word “Natural” any way they want, regardless of if they threw in chemicals and synthetics to the final product.

* A company can only use the word Organic (as in the product name, etc) on the front of their packaging if the product contains at least 70% organic ingredients

* For a company to display a label that reads “Made with Organic ingredients” the product must carry 70% or more organics with no restrictions on the other ingredients.

* For a company to display the USDA organic label, it must have 95% or higher organic ingredients with the other 5% being from an approved list.

* To carry the new Natural Products Association Label the natural product must only contain pre-approved naturally derived ingredients.

* The Eco-Cert label has fallen under scrutiny lately, for allowing synthetics in products (which is against it’s own rules) with many interest groups now not trusting the integrity of the EcoCert logo

Fakes include Alba Botanica (help! I am using their coconut body cream right now), Jason Pure Natural Organic (nice use of words, faker Jason), Kiss My Face Organics and Nature’s Gate Organics, all of which I sadly have used and believed them to be truly natural and/or organic.

Real natural/organics include Natures Baby Organics and Dr.Bronners ( Hurrah! I use their lovely lavender soap). And lastly, there are the “hit and miss guys”, whose products have both the good stuff, and the bad stuff. Included here is Burts Bees, who Organicgal says is at least honest about their ingredients, good or otherwise.

Good to know when you next shop for toiletries!

I used to spend a lot of money on commercial glass cleaners. Not only were they expensive and full of toxic chemicals, but they also never managed to do the job too well. Since I started to try and live a more earth-friendly lifestyle, I switched to eco-friendly products, which didn’t have the chemicals but weren’t that cheap either. So I resolved to find some cheaper DIY solutions. Here are my favourites:

Newspaper: Yes, thats it! Crumpled old newspaper. My Mom swears by it. You can use this to dry as well, to avoid streaking.

Vinegar and Water: Two simple ingredients, one cheap and effective solution. The only hitch is that you have to beat with the sour smell for a while – but it does eventually wear off.

The Best Window Cleaner – I found this recipe online:

Make a great all-purpose window cleaner by combining 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent, and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Combine in a spray bottle. Shake to blend.

If you must buy the stuff, here are some good options:

Eco Products, Boulder Colorado

Natural Collection Products

Eco hip Environmental Products

Ecover

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!

It isn’t too early to start holiday shopping, in fact, the more organized you are, the less likely you are to go on last-minute panic mode and make not-very-green shopping decisions. In the following weeks, here at Yurto we’ll be giving you some great holiday shopping tips which will make the yearly task fun, efficient and best of all, good for Mother Earth!!

Part One: Online Sales

To begin with, remember that online shopping is a fantastic shopping option for a few obvious reasons:

Beating the crowds
Saving on fuel and/or transportation cost
Being able to make good choices from the comfort of home
Having access to more products around the world (rather than in your local shopping area)
Being able to avail of other cost-cutters like free shipping, coupons, vouchers and so on…

In view of the current economic state of the world, it’s also key to watch your purchases this year and make your holiday budget go a long way. In a word: SALE!!

Online, its easy to simply click on the “sale” page of a website to view whatever items they have on sale, rather than scouring the crowded stores, which are more likely not to have things on sale as the shopping season draws near.

Here are some sites with special offers and sales worth checking out:

Nigel’s Eco Store: One of my favourite online stores with a superb selection of products. Buy anything from Nigel’s CHRISTMAS range before November 15th and receive 10% OFF. Just enter the code ECONOV in the checkout when purchasing.
Offer ends midnight November 15th.

Simply Fair – Great bargains on sale with this UK site. Also has a number of special offers for November.

Viva Terra: Stylish lifestyle shop with a lovely sale selection, including yummy gourmet food items!

Baby Pur: For the little ones and Mothers-to-be in your life, this wonderful site has some super organic items on sale at the moment.

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.