Diva Holiday Solution: Gift Bags

By Tania Reuben

Every year we spend hours, wrapping countless gifts in preparation for the holidays. In a few minutes the excitement is over and we’re left with a big bag of trash.

Last year I made eco-friendly reusable gift bags.   You don’t need to be a great seamstress, just the  ability to sew a straight-ish line. They are fast and easy.

Quick and easy doesn’t mean, wait until Dec 19th to start sewing, or you’ll wonder what ever made you think this was a good idea.

The good news is, you only have to make them once. Then they are done. This year I only have to pull them out and wrapping will be a breeze!

Supplies

7-10 yards of lightweight muslin.
Large Spool of matching thread
Sewing Machine
Iron & Ironing Board

Instructions:

This isn’t an exact science, I approximated my measurements and worked it out. You’re essentially making a pillow case for each gift.

Grab a few of the gifts you need to wrap. Haven’t done your shopping, collect an assortment of toys and books. Look in the birthday gift stash for sample sizes too.

Each bag is made with one piece of muslin, fold over, pin down. Sew a seam along each side.

NOTE – If you are worried about fraying you’ll want to sew all the rough edges with a zig-zag stich before sewing your seems and hem.

Lay out your fabric to determine the “envelope size” you’ll need. Place the gifts on the fabric, allow an inch or two for wiggle room. Add 2″ extra inches for seams on the side and 1 1/2 for the top. Remember you will be using these again, so precision isn’t the goal.

TIP – Cut multiple bags of each size all at one time.

Next, determine how much room you need to allow for the length of your “envelope”. Guesstimate how much fabric it will take to cover your desired gift, then add a few inches. It’s nice to have extra on top for a prettier presentation.

Iron the bag. Fold the top edge over one time, then fold again (for a cleaner finish) and pin.

Sew the top seam.

Iron and your bag is done.

All that’s left to do is insert the gift, label and embellish (if desired).

For the greenest option (you’ll need to select a slightly heavier muslin so it’s not too sheer), insert the gift and tie with raffia.

I wrap the gift with a couple of sheets of tissue paper, and tie with raffia or satin ribbon (which I reuse).  The picture shows some ribbon from the past that I’m trying to use up.

What’s nice is the sheerness of the muslin allows the color of the tissue paper to show through. You still have a nice festive look and if you love to pay attention to detail (aka anal like me) you can color coordinate.

Welcome back to PND. It's good to see you again!Diva Holiday Solution: Gift Bags

Diva Guide: Fabulous Eco Sweaters for Fall & Winter

By Tania Reuben

 

With winter moving through most of the country there is nothing like a great sweater.

Living in Los Angeles it doesn’t get too cold, I probably wear sweaters daily. We are cold in the morning (if you call 48 degrees cold and I do) and often in a t-shirt by midday – cardigans offer warmth with flexibility. Dodging to avoid the snowballs being flung my way by mid-west and east coast readers.

Recently I’ve been on a hunt to find great eco sweaters.  I thought if I was looking, maybe my readers were too.  It didn’t hurt that  as an added bonus I’d be able to feature some fabulous woolens from my sponsor, hessnatur.  I searched through pages on Google, hunting and found nothing  I loved.  The sweaters from my sponsor, were better than anything I was finding.

My plan had been to feature one or two styles from hessnatur. After my search, I couldn’t find anything I wanted to add.  I did make an honest attempt.  From the style of their offerings, the ethical manufacturing, the number of organic selections, to their pricing. They have some of the best eco friendly sweaters I could find. Did I mention the variety of styles they offer?  They hands down had more styles, color and variety than any site I visited preparing this piece.

Sweaters make a great gift because they tend to be more forgiving fit wise, but if it’s not right, it’s nice to know that you don’t have to pay more money to return an item.  hessnatur is currently offers free shipping and returns, for worry free online shopping.

Links to some of the other items I found researching for this piece:  Gaiam & Fair Indigo

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Diva Guide: Fabulous Eco Sweaters for Fall & Winter

Diva Recipes: Pumpkin Pie & Apple Crumble

By Tania Reuben

 

While Dude won’t touch pumpkin pie, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it!

With something in the range of 90% of all pumpkins grown used for decoration then trashed, I like to use our Halloween Sugar Pumpkins for the pie.

We bake our pumpkins.  Start by cutting the pumpkins in half, scrape the seeds and stringy bits, then bake upside down in a cookie sheet for about 45 minutes at 350 Degrees.

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

2/3 Cup of Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon of Nutmeg Pinch of Ground Cloves
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla
1 1/2 Cups of Pumpkin
1 1/2 Cups of Evaporated Milk (Non Fat)
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup of Brandy

1 ready made whole wheat pie crust (a worthwhile shortcut in my books).

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 Degrees.

Take the baked pumpkin and scoop the pulp, puree using a mixer or food processor, place it in a sieve lined with cheesecloth to remove the excess water, allow to sit in the fridge at least 4 hours.

In a large bowl combine sugar and spices. Add pumpkin and mix well. I do this in the Kitchen Aid Mixer. Add Vanilla, evaporated milk and egg. Mix until smooth. Fold in brandy.

I like to pre bake the pie crust, line the crust with parchment paper and fill the crust with beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes.

Pour the pumpkin into the par baked crust and bake for 10 minutes at 450, then reduce the temperature to 325 and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Keep your eyes on the crust, you will likely need to cover the edge with thin strips of foil to prevent over browning.

The pie is done if you can insert and remove a toothpick or knife and it comes out clean.

Apple Crumble

Another favorite in our family. We love apple pie and I figure it’s worth saving the calories, skipping the crust and making a crumble.

We love more topping than many crumble recipes, so if you prefer less cut the topping in half.

Filling
5 Cups chopped peeled apples
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon of Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
3/4 Cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

3/4 Cup sugar or 2/3 Cup of agave
2 Tablespoons of whole wheat flour, add 1 extra Tablespoon if using agave.

Topping
2 cup oats (1/2 old-fashioned & 1/2 quick-cooking although either will work)
2 Tablespoons of Flax Meal
1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon of Nutmeg


1 1/2 Cup packed brown sugar


2/3 Cup whole wheat flour

3/4 Cup melted butter (I’ll often use 1/2 Earth Balance)

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre Heat oven to 350 Degrees

Filling
Peel and chop the apples.
Combine all ingredients, use most, but not all of the sugar. Then test the filling for sweetness, depending on the tartness of apples you may want to increase or decrease the amount of sugar.

Topping
Combine all the dry ingredients and mix in melted butter until crumbly. If it’s not crumbly enough add additional butter up to 1/4 cup.

I prepare this in advance and store the topping and filling in separate Zip-Loc bags for up to 4 days. Before the turkey comes out of the oven pour the filling in the bottom of a 4 quart casserole dish, add topping.

Before you sit down to eat, pop the crumble in the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes, almost the exact amount of time it takes to eat your dinner!

Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream or we like Haagen Daz Frozen Vanilla Yogurt.

Love PND? Please support our work and take a minute to visit our sponsor hessnatur – a world leader in the natural clothing industry. They are offering 25% off, plus free shipping and returns through Dec 29, 2009!

The offer a great selection of organic and natural fashions for the whole family.

Diva Recipes: Pumpkin Pie & Apple Crumble

Diva Review: NeuAura Shoes

If animal and eco friendly footwear are important to you, then NeuAura could make just the shoe you are looking for.

Think that sounds boring? Think again! Created by, Arti Upadhyaya, she founded NeuAura shoes to dismiss this myth and bring stylish, vegan, and eco friendly shoes to the market.

A GREENER SHOE

Arti has aligned herself with a manufacturer in Brazil, that has been awarded a “Green Seal” from the Brazilian Technological Institute for Leather, Shoes and Accessories for their green efforts.  They recycle material waste generated from manufacturing, use water-based adhesives, less toxic solvents, and they also use chemicals that are more environmentally safe. Additionally, they advocating recycling and preservation in their community. CLICK HERE to learn more.

Tell the truth, when you think Eco Friendly footwear, you think of something more birkenstock than manolo. Taking a look at the NeuAura line will redefine this for you.

Are you looking forward to special for the holiday? NeuAura has a few sexy offerings in it’s line up.  I selected the Miette – in red!  The shoe that arrived at my doorstep did not disappoint.  It is stunning.  I love the criss cross straps, thin heel and how sexy it looks on the foot. I must confess it will look much sexier when my pedicure is fresh! The Miette retails for $104.

The Miette is a 3″ heel, so if you don’t normally wear a heel you won’t be dancing all night in this shoe. That said it is as comfortable as most of the other comparable shoes in my closet.

Ready to try NeuAura Shoes?

WINNER OF THE $100 NeuAura Gift Certificate is Jen Mathews!

HOW TO ENTER:

There are a few ways you can enter, leave separate comments for each entry.

Mandatory:

Become an Email Subscriber to PND using the form in the sidebar.
– The subscription must be confirmed. You will receive and email that you must reply to for your entry to be valid.
– Already a confirmed Subscriber. Complete any one of the additional entries options – Leave a comment letting Diva know you’re subscriber name and the entry option you selected.

Additional Entries

1. Go to NeuAura Shoes – Share your favorite Style!

2. Stumble, Digg, or Technorati favorite this post. Leave a comment with your name and the link.

3. Follow @purenaturaldiva (use link on the sidebar) & @neuaura on twitter. Leave your twittername in a separate comment.

4. Become a Fan of Pure Natural Diva & NeuAura on Facebook. Post this giveaway as an update, leave your FB Name or Name with a copy of your update in a separate comment. One entry for each.

5. Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste “WIN SHOES!!! Diva Giveaway: $100 Gift Certificate from NeuAura Shoes http://bit.ly/8gBO0v @purenaturaldiva”. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.

6. Write a post on your blog linking to my blog and to the – Good for two entries. Leave this comment twice so you get both entries!

This giveaway will run through midnight on Dec 3, 2009 PDT, with winner being announced December 5, 2009. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 24 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen.

Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S & Canada!

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Diva Review: NeuAura Shoes

Diva Recipes: Thanksgiving Menu

By Tania Reuben

Last year I spent hours choosing the recipes I would use for Thanksgiving.  Everything turned out  well.  Being a creature of habit.  We’ll have the same menu this year.

Take advantage of my time investment and relax instead of planning your holiday menu.  It’s all here, the recipes (or links) and the shopping list for linked recipes.

Brined Turkey

I was nervous so I decided to follow Martha on this one.  I’m glad I did, it turned out great. CLICK HERE for full instructions.

What I love about Martha’s instructions is how complete they are – they’ll make you look good!

Read the Diva Guide – Let’s talk Turkey for information on selecting the perfect turkey for your holiday meal.

Shopping List:

Brine:
1-3/4 cups coarse salt
1 cup sugar
3 medium onions
3 leeks
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
bay leaves
thyme
flat-leaf parsley
whole black peppercorns

To Prep the Turkey:
1 fresh whole turkey
2 sticks unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups dry
white wine
salt
pepper

Stuffing

I like the stuffing I grew up with, which has no chestnuts, so I don’t go with Martha on the stuffing front. I do use whole wheat bread cubes to make it a little better for you. This one is modified from Betty Crocker.

Note: If stuffing will cook in your turkey (ours will), prepare the stuffing immediately before you are going to put the turkey in the oven.

12 Cups of Whole Wheat Bread – Cubed (Mom makes her own sometimes)
3/4 Cup unsalted butter
3/4 Cup minced onion
1 1/2 Cups chopped celery, stalks and leaves
1 1/2 Tablespoons salt
1 Teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon ground sage
Organic chicken broth – Enough to moisten to your taste.

In a cast iron pan or other pan over medium heat melt the butter, then sauté the onion and celery until the onion is soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in the salt, pepper, and sage and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Place the bread cubes into a large, deep bowl. Pour 1/4 cup of the butter/celery mixture over the cubes – toss well.

Repeat steps until all of the butter mixture is used. Toss the cubes thoroughly to coat.

Add Chicken Broth a little at a time until you reach your desired moistness. Stuff turkey immediately before roasting.

Don’t place warm stuffing into a turkey that is going to sit out – it needs to go immediately into the oven.

Gravy

I go with Martha Stewart on the gravy front too! Classic, step by step easy to follow instructions. CLICK HERE.

Shopping List:
Reserved giblets and neck from turkey
unsalted butter
2 celery stalks
1 carrot
1 leek
1 medium onion
thyme
flat-leaf parsley
rosemary
bay leaf
whole black peppercorns
3/4 cup dry white wine
all-purpose flour
salt
pepper

Cranberry Sauce

This recipe from RecipeZaar CLICK HERE couldn’t be any easier.  It calls for 1 cup of sugar, I always start with less and add more to taste. This is a dish that is easy to prepare a few days in advance.

Shopping List:
I bag of Cranberries
Sugar

Candied Sweet Potatoes

This recipe is modified from a recipe that I found on the wholefoods site.  I cut back the butter and sugar, omitted the ginger and don’t use any toppings – Don’t call me a kill joy, I figure my kids already love, love sweet potatoes so why add even more sugar.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup golden brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place potatoes in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.

Combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture over sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Cover dish well with foil.

Bake 50 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until potatoes are tender and syrup thickens a bit (basting occasionally) about 20 minutes.

Serves 8

Mashed Potatoes

I prepare a pretty basic mashed potato.

2 lbs of Potatoes
2 Tablespoons of Butter
1/4 Milk
1 Teaspoon of Salt (to taste)
1/2 Teaspoon of White Pepper (to taste)

Peel and Cut Potatoes – Do this a up to 4 days in advance. Cover and store until showtime.

About an hour before the turkey is done, boil potatoes until cooked – don’t overcook or they’ll be mushy. Drain and rinse.

Place in a mixing bowl, add butter, milk, salt and white pepper. Mash. I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer, on slow – until just mashed – does a great job.

Corn

Organic Frozen Corn – I medium bag.
1 tablespoon of Butter
1/2 Cup of Water

Throw the corn with the water and butter together and roast for about 1/2 hour towards the end of your turkey cooking.

Salad

With so much going on a simple salad is nice.

Mixed Washed Organic Spring Greens
1/2 Cup of Dried Cranberries
1/2 Cup of Shredded Carrots
1/2 Cup of Feta Cheese

Serve with Raspberry Vinaigrette – I don’t make my own.

Whole Wheat Rolls

Frozen – Whole Foods sells a whole wheat roll in the freezer section that is par cooked. You finish them in the oven. I love the fresh baked rolls without having to make them from scratch.

DESSERT RECIPES -  CLICK HERE

Apple Crumble a la mode
Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream

Dessert Shopping List:
Mix of Apples
Oatmeal
Flour
Brown Sugar
Lemon Juice
Butter
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
All Spice
Ground Ginger
Ground Cloves
Vanilla
Brandy
Pumpkin – I use whole sugar pumpkins If using canned you’ll need enough for 3 cups.
2 Eggs
2 Cans of Evaporated (non fat) Milk
Whipping Cream
Whole Wheat Frozen Pie Crust – Not willing to take on pastry yet!

Final Notes

Make the holiday meal preparation easy on yourself, prepare as much as possible in advance. Peel and cut the potatoes & sweet potatoes in advance cover them with water and store chilled till needed, prepare the filling and topping for apple crumble the day before, shred the carrots for the salad in advance. This way on Thanksgiving you’ll be working on the things that can’t be done in advance.

Love PND? Please support our work and take a minute to visit our sponsor hessnatur – a world leader in the natural clothing industry. They are offering 25% off, plus free shipping and returns through Dec 29, 2009!

The offer a great selection of organic and natural fashions for the whole family.

Diva Recipes: Thanksgiving Menu

Virtual Girls Night Out & FF: Holiday Edition!

Happy VGNO & FF Virtual Friends – thanks for stopping by.
Below you will find out a little about what I’ve been up to this week PND. Don’t forget to enter our giveaways!

What a week.  I feel like I never really got this one going.

Last weekend was a marathon weekend of parties.  Started with taking the kids to a birthday party, then I had a green girls event for the whole afternoon.  Home for some peace and quiet and oh yeah, some UFC fighting with the guys.  Ahhh.

Then Sunday I got a 911 while I was in Church, my friend was hosing a fundraiser for Help an Mother Out.  She was flat out sick.  So I lent her an extra hand for the afternoon.

That’s wasn’t the end of my weekend.  I still had to rush home to host a party for our family group at church.  With less than an hour between arriving  home guests arriving the whirlwind to get the kids up and house ready was on.

It was during this preparation that Lil’ Dude asked for some mixed nuts, he’d eaten every type of nut without reaction in his past 3 hours, so I said sure.  A few minutes later he was coughing, crying that his mouth was burning and his face had turned bright red and was swelling.  I treated him with Benadryl, he seemed to improve.  He went up for bath time.

When I checked on him before bed, he seemed like he was going the wrong way, puffy face, throwing up, and non stop cough.  It was time to hit the ER.  So I left my own party in very dramatic fashion, taking someone else’s husband with me!

All ended fine.  They administered Epi at the hospital along with a cocktail of who knows what and he was sent home.

Days later he’s fine.  Mom’s a little rattled, carrying an epi pen and reading labels carefully for a whole new reason.

For whatever reason, the rest of the week never quite gelled together.

I’m going to have to bring it to get all the holiday festivities that need to be attended to done for Christmas!

Never a dull moment in parenthood!

Pure Natural Diva is an informational site dedicated to Whole Living with Style and Ease!

ABOUT ME:
I’m a wife and mother living in Los Angeles. I spent hours researching product reviews, informational sites and labels trying to make green and organic decisions for my family’s health. Frustrated by the volume of online information and no central site that had the information I was looking for – I created PureNaturalDiva.com. PND is my place to share what’s working for me, what’s not.

NEW @ PND:

Plastics & Your Baby
Green Granite Cleaner ~ Recipe (super easy)
Toxins ~ Small Amounts Matter
Bottled Water – Save Real Green.
Why are American Children so Sick?
Do You Have a Hormone Deficiency?

CHECK OUT DIVA GIVEAWAYS

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NeuAura Shoe: $100 Gift Certificate!
myEARTH360.com: $50 Gift Certificate!

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o More Vegetables Please? Getting your kids to eat Vegetables
o Diva Guide: Suncreen
o Diva Guide: The safest way to use plastics
o Shopping Bags – Get in the Habit of Bringing Your Own Reusable Bags!
o Organic Wine & Wine Making – The basics
o Diva Solution – Paperless Paper Towels

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Virtual Girls Night Out & FF: Holiday Edition!

Diva Giveaway & Review – myEarth360.com

By Tania Reuben

myEarth360.com was founded by Lynn Hasselberger in 2008. It is a website dedicated to bringing consumers products that enable them to easily transition to an earth friendlier lifestyle while educating them at the same time.

Lynn’s story began a couple of years earlier in 2006 on her sons entry to first grade.  As she looked around her son’s school, went to soccer games and attended school functions, she realized that she was in the epicenter of the “eco battle”.  Flats of water, Gatorade, juice boxes, and single serve lunch snacks. A generation being raised in an environment where convenience trumps all.  Her goal became to raise awareness and offer solutions.

The  I Count for my Earth campaign was born. Launched at Lynn’s son’s school in January 2008, this school program–FREE to schools–was designed with the goal of empowering students to take care of the earth and inspire others to do the same.

Lynn’s website, myEarth360 shares the eco-friendly products she uses with others.  Offering:

eco-practical; household products, school supplies, water filtration, reusable shopping bags.

eco-chic; handbags & accessories made from recycled materials, Rain Tees illustrated by children living in endangered rain forests and sustainable fashion.

While visiting myEARTH, don’t forget to check out her blog.  It is a further extension of her passion for issues that impact the earth and our children’s health; a platform to not only help others take small steps through personal (often humorous) stories about her own family’s journey, but to motivate others to use their voices to help make change on a global level. She helps other organizations like End Water Poverty, Green House Neutral Foundation and Save The Frogs spread their word via social marketing.

To give back even more, myEARTH360.com offers the Shop and Share program to schools and non-profit organizations –a virtually effortless, paperless ongoing fund-raiser that also helps raise awareness in the communities.

Lynn recently sent me a few of her wares to try out.

SKOY cloth – An ultra absorbent 100% biodegradable cloth made of cotton and wood-pulp cellulose. Keep fresh by tossing it in the dishwasher or mircrowave.
Refresh’n Dryer Towel – Think chemical free Dryel.
Crayon Rocks – Super cute rock shaped crayons that are not made with petroleum and have a tripod grip (perfect for little hands). A great stocking stuffer!
Grow a Note Cards – Plantable Greeting Cards – handmade in San Diego, CA. How fun is that!

Ready to Check out myEARTH360.com for yourself?

The winner of the $50 gift certificate is Benita G!  Congratulations check your inbox!

HOW TO ENTER:

There are a few ways you can enter, leave separate comments for each entry.

Mandatory:

Become an Email Subscriber to PND using the form in the sidebar.
– The subscription must be confirmed. You will receive and email that you must reply to for your entry to be valid.
– Already a confirmed Subscriber. Complete any one of the additional entries options – Leave a comment letting Diva know you’re subscriber name and the entry option you selected.

Additional Entries

1. Go to myEarth360 and tell PND what you would do with your $50 gift certificate.

2. Stumble, Digg, or Technorati favorite this post. Leave a comment with your name and the link.

3. Follow @purenaturaldiva (use link on the sidebar) & @IC4ME or myEarth360. Leave your twittername in a separate comment.

4. Become a Fan of Pure Natural Diva & myEARTH360. Post this giveaway as an update, leave your FB Name or Name with a copy of your update in a separate comment. One entry for each.

5. Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste “Diva Giveaway: Win a $50 Gift Certificate from myEARTH360 http://bit.ly/22PECh @purenaturaldiva”. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.

6. Write a post on your blog linking to my blog and to the – Good for two entries. Leave this comment twice so you get both entries!

This giveaway will run through midnight on December 3, 2009 PDT, with winner being announced December 5, 2009. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 24 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen.

Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S & Canada!

Diva Giveaway & Review – myEarth360.com

hessnatur Holiday Offer

Take advantage of this holiday offer from hessnatur for Pure Natural Diva readers.

Get 25% off your entire order plus free shipping and returns. Offer expires Dec 29, 2009

Hessnatur is an industry leader in the natural clothing business. Using organic and natural fibers whenever possible, made fairly and produced responsibly.

hessnatur Holiday Offer

Carnival of the Green #202

Pure Natural Diva is thrilled to be hosting the 202 Carnival of the Green for the first time!

Special thanks to last weeks host Oofoo.  Nicely Done.  Next week the Carnival will visit EcoSalon, be sure to check them out.

If you’d like to host Carnival of the Green on your site – CLICK HERE – to learn how.

If this is your first time visiting Pure Natural Diva – we focus on Whole Living with Style and Ease.  Simple ways that you can live a greener, healthier life.

For new visitors here are a few posts that have been popular on PND:

Tips for Getting More Vegetables in Your Diet

Use Less Plastic in Your Home

Bottled Water: Save Real Green

 

On this weeks compilation!

Tip- Scroll your cursor through the post to highlight links.

Beth Terry from Fake Plastic Fish presents a Profile of plastic bag artist Dianna Cohen who “painted” with plastic bags for years before realizing how harmful they are for the planet. This year, she became a founding member of the new Plastic Pollution Coalition.

Grant Meacham presents: Analyzing the environmental benefits of deconstructing vs. demolishing foreclosed homes. The piece focuses on specific houses in Syracuse NY, and then the bigger picture of the foreclosed, slated to be torn down house that are all over the country. The potential from reclaiming materials, recycling building components, and diverting mass from landfills can have a dramatic positive environmental impact.

Adam Pedley presents Eco Friendly School Supplies posted at Natural Parenting Tips.

TDL Blog presents Guide To Commuter Bikes: Bicycle Commuting Saves Money and The Environment posted at The Digerati Life.

Barbara Williams presents 100 Great, Green Career Links for the Jobs of Tomorrow posted at Online Degree Programs.org.

Chris Lang presents Prevent Asbestos Exposure in the Home: Healthy Tips and Green Alternatives posted at Home I Own.

emancave presents Why do automakers insist on making hybrid and electric cars so damn ugly? | e-ManCave.com posted at e-ManCave.com.

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg presents Simran’s Eco-Friendly Home Makeover Comes to Oprah.com posted at Sustainablog.

Tyler presents What?s Your Environmental Net Worth? posted at Frugally Green. To take the pulse of your finances, you check your net worth. So what do you check when you want to take the pulse of your environmental pursuits? Tracking your carbon footprint is the closest thing we have, but it comes with some unique challenges and there are still kinks to be worked out of the equation. Where do you stand?

Sally Kneidel presents A new study from Worldwatch Institute re-analyzes the United Nations’ document “Livestock’s Long Shadow”. The study draws even more startling conclusions about the impact of the livestock industry on our planet’s future. The Worldwatch scientists conclude that livestock account for 51% of the annual worldwide greenhouse gas emissions!

That’s all for this week. We hope you found something interesting. Don’t forget to stumble, add to technorati favorites, kristi this post and the posts of those who participated in the carnival!

Carnival of the Green #202

Plan Toys: A Different Kind of Toy Company

By Tania Reuben

Plan Toys is one of a handful of green companies in the toy business.  They make high quality toys that will inspire creativity in your child from birth through to about six years of age.  As a parent, when your child plays with Plan Toys you can have confidence the toys are safe in all the ways that matter.

Last year we wanted to buy a Parking Garage for Lil’ Dude, after great deliberation we settled on the Plan Toys Parking Garage.  This was a more expensive choice, but all the other brands seemed poorly made, and most were made of plastic.

The Plan Toys Garage is classic.  It has a working elevator and in the past year it’s survived the wear and tear of my two children and it still looks as good as new.  It’s nice to know this toy will have a life in the future with another family.

One of the pegs that holds the ramp in place on fell off, a quick email to customer service and they were on it – no questions asked – just where can we send the part.

Plan toys are made from recycled wood.  Rubber wood is planted to produce latex, typically when it’s finished producing latex the wood is burned. Not if it’s going to become a Plan Toy!

The Rubber Wood destined to become a Plan Toy isn’t fertilized for the last 3 years of growth to ensure that it’s toxin free. Then the wood is kiln dried without the use of chemicals.

The toys are assembled using E-Zero glue this replaces traditionally toxic wood glue.  Then Plan Toys are decorated using Non Toxic Water based dyes.

You probably still won’t want your children chewing on their toys, but at least when they do gnaw a little, you’ll have peace of mind.

As you make toy purchasing decisions for your family, consider the merits of spending a little more, buying a little less, and taking care of what you have so it can be passed along to friends and family for years to come.  Plan Toys makes that kind of toy.

CLICK HERE – to the best prices for Plan Toys from Amazon.

Plan Toys: A Different Kind of Toy Company

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