Instead of a regular meeting in Nov/Dec, EcoParents is HAVING A PARTY! A book party to be more precise!
Held in the soon-to-be opened, woman & locally-owned Galleri M, with local food donated by the Linden Hills Co-op, it promises to be a great night out!
Practically Green: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Decision Making Wed, Dec 2, 7-9 pm Galleri M, 4404 Abbott Ave S, Mpls
Local green blogger and author Micaela Preston will highlight some great eco-ideas from her brand new book, Practically Green, as well as lead us through a fun make-and-take project!
And did I mention free sustainably-produced wine??
Free wine, free food, free eco-project, and lots of great ideas! Can it get any better??
Micaela will happily sign any books purchased at the party. Makes a great holiday gift for a fellow eco-savvy parent...or yourself!
Hope to see you there! Please RSVP to ecoparents@lindenhills.org if you think you'll try to make it (for planning purposes). Thanks.
The Center for Environmental Health just reported that high levels of lead were found in seven toys and children's products, despite the passage of a new federal law! Among those with excessive levels of lead are a Mattel Barbie bicycle accessory set and a Disney "Tinker Bell" necklace set.
So, it is important for us all to remember that even with new federal law on the books, there are still unsafe toys - major brands, at major retailers, not just 'made in China off-brands' - out there! The products were purchased from San Francisco area and San Diego retailers, including Target, WalMart, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning, Sears, Walgreens and other stores this fall. In addition to the Mattel and Disney products, CEH found levels of lead in violation of the new federal law in a Dora the Explorer game set, two children's shoes, a child's poncho, and a child's belt. Of the seven products CEH found with high lead levels, the Disney jewelry and Mattel bike set had the highest lead levels. The amount of lead found in the seven products ranged from twice the legal limit of 300 parts per million (ppm) to more than 65 times the legal limit.
Results of tests by CEH and other organizations are available at Healthy Toys (www.healthytoys.org). Healthy Toys also maintains a searchable database for children's products...definitely worth consulting as we enter the holiday season. But what to do when you're out and about shopping and unsure about a certain toy??
Did you know you can access the HealthyStuff database by SMS using your mobile phone??
Simply text the HealthyStuff keyword (cars, kids, clothes, pets, toys), followed by your search text (e.g., fisher price train) to 30644. Queries can contain product names, model years, manufacturers. You may also filter your results by overall level of detection and/or score (HIGH,MED,LOW). More info available here.
You can also access HealthyStuff's mobile sites from any web-enabled device such as iPhone, Blackberry, etc... Simply point your device to www.healthystuff.com!
Kick off the holiday season with Do It Green! Minnesota's free 4th Annual Green Gifts Fair this Saturday, November 21st from 10am-5pm at the Midtown Global Market on Lake St. and 10th Ave. in Minneapolis.
Shop among 70+ local, eco-friendly artists and businesses, pick up the new 2010 edition of Do It Green! Magazine, catch the low carbon cook-off, an eco fashion show, children's activities, and learn how to entertain green this holiday season. This is a free family fun event. Estimated attendance is 6,000+.
Activities at the Green Gifts Fair include... * 70 + local green retailers * Launch of the 2010 Do It Green! Magazine (which includes an article on EcoParents!!!) * Taste test at the Low Carbon Cook Off with local chefs * Sew your own reusable cloth gift bag * Kids can make a recycled origami decorative ornament * International Food Market vendors * Eco Fashion Show * Local holiday foods cooking tips, demos and recipes * Keeping a non-toxic and clean house during the holidays * Low Waste Oasis on hosting green holiday gatherings * Eco holiday tree displays
Click here for more information and to view all vendor & educational booths.
Practically Green: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Decision Making sponsored by Linden Hills EcoParents, Galleri M, and Linden Hills Co-op
Wednesday, December 2 7:00-9:00 pm Galleri M, 4404 Abbott Ave S (in former Hariann's Upholstery shop) Kick off the holidays with a fun book party featuring local green blogger and author Micaela Preston. Micaela will highlight some great eco-ideas from her brand new book, Practically Green, as well as lead us through a fun make-and-take project!
Held in the soon-to-be opened, woman & locally-owned Galleri M, with local food donated by the Linden Hills Co-op, it promises to be a great night out! Sustainably produced wine will be available as well!
Join us for a fun time to hear from a great local eco-savvy author AND discover a new local business in the neighborhood. EcoParents is happy to introduce you to both the author and to Galleri M!
The Million Baby Crawl to Action is coming to Edina on Wednesday, November 18th and they need parents and their babies (or toddlers) to participate in a press conference that day.
A coalition of organizations is trying to get 20 parents and their children to attend a press event at 10:50 AM. There will be a spokesperson so parents don’t have to worry about speaking to the press. (If you are interested in participating in the press conference, contact Kim LaBo at klabo@cleanwater.org)
Crawl to Action Southdale Center November 18, 2009, 10am-2pm
WHAT: Seventh Generation along with Healthy Legacy is launching the Million Baby Crawl to Action to send 1,000,000 babies to Washington DC to push for reform of the outdated and ineffective Toxic Substance Control Act so that we are all protected from harmful toxins. Events will be happening throughout the day so bring your kids to have some fun!
Crawl to Action events include:
Crawl to Action Rally at 11:00 AM featuring appearance by local dignitaries, politicians and celebrities
Crawl to the Capitol play area: children crawl for change as they navigate an obstacle course leading towards a large visual of the Capitol with babies receiving an “I demand a change” bib
Free family-friendly entertainment, plus t-shirt and onesie giveaways
Soapbox Photo Opp: Opportunity for babies to “take a stand” and be photographed on a Million Baby Crawl “soapbox.”
All children will receive a “Say no to toxins” flag
Seasons of Change mural created by a local artist/muralist that reflects the number of children “crawling for change.” Mural will be donated to community.
This weekend is the first ever "Go Green Expo" in Minneapolis. Friday is business-to-business events, but the business-to-consumer expo is Saturday and Sunday. Click here for a full schedule of events.
Go Green Expo Minneapolis Convention Center November 6-8, 2009
$10 for a full weekend pass $5 for Students & Seniors with proper ID; Children 12 and under are Free
Buy your tickets in advance online here. Use the code FBK50 or TRIBUNE for 50% OFF the regular ticket price!! Also, when you register online, you are eligible to win a Vikings gift package that includes a signed Jared Allen jersey, a tour of the practice facility, Vikings apparel and more! (But as many of you know, I'm a Packer fan...so if you win, keep that stuff away from ME!)
Unfortunately, I will be out of town again this weekend, but let me know if you go and what fabulous information you discovered!!
Linden Hills EcoParents is a neighborhood-based group learning together about environmental issues and sustainable living in an intimate, substantive, and ongoing manner. EcoParents meetings consist of in-depth education about a specific issue (e.g., improving recycling, non-toxic cleaners, household hazardous waste, green gifts, etc…), followed by a range of specific action steps that can be implemented at the household level, and supplemented with information posted on this blog.
Please note: You do not have to live in Linden Hills nor be a parent to participate in EcoParents! EcoParents is open to anyone interested in learning about environmental issues.
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Instead of a regular meeting in Nov/Dec, EcoParents is HAVING A PARTY! A book party to be more precise!
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