New Green Toys

I think everyone can agree that Green Toys is one great company. Their products are made in the USA, made out of recycled materials, are BPA and toxin free, and the company provides employment to the local residents of the community.

We decided to bring on some of the new products that Green Toys have developed within the last year, especially since it’s that time of year again when people are looking for some holiday gifting ideas. We have some great new toys for the children in your life as well as two offerings from the new Green Eats line from Green Toys.

First, Green Toys have taken their toy truck line one step further to include a flatbed truck and race cars that can be placed on the flatbed. The Flatbed Truck is made of the same durable quality as the rest of their toys: no metal axles, and as always, BPA and lead paint free. The race cars are cute enough for girls and boys alike to enjoy! They are the perfect size for little hands to grasp and ‘drive’ along the floor. They were designed for ages one and up.

Next we’ve added one of the products in the new line of ‘food’ toys. The Green Toys Pizza Parlor is a great way to engage the kiddos in pretend play. With 20 toppings, the pizza varieties are only as limited as the child’s imagination. This colorful 27-piece set features four slices that can be stacked with toppings galore to dish up any personal pie. Each realistic part is made from food-safe 100% recycled plastic milk containers that save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This playful set also comes with a takeout pizza box, a pizza cutter, order forms, and can be used in conjunction with the Green Toys Dish Set. It’s pizza for dinner tonight!

The last of the new products that we have added are from the new line called Green Eats, Green Toys new eco-friendly tableware for kids. We have chosen to add the tabletop set, which consists of a plate, a bowl, and a cup, and the feeding forks and spoons to go along with it. They are made of the same durable and safe materials used in their toy line and you’ll recognize the color scheme from some of their other toys. This set is ultra-safe and has no melamine, BPA, phthalates, PVC, or external coatings. It’s safe for your children, and for the planet. What’s better than that?

Check out these great new products from Green Toys, as well as some of their other tried and true favorites, like the Dump Truck and Tea Set. Kids love to play with these toys, and parents love that they are safe. Have you checked them out yet? Which one is your favorite?

New Season = New Products!

Hello again! I apologize for the lapse in the blog. It has been a busy summer and transition back to school. It is just starting to slow down to a manageable pace so that I can get some information out to the blog readers!

We weathered the storm! Tropical Storm Irene came and went and didn’t do a lot of damage. Hopefully there are many of you that fared equally as well. My garden did get a little beat up in the process but it didn’t hinder its output any thankfully. We have been enjoying tomato salads here daily!

With the new season comes new products. We have added several exciting new products to the shop that I will introduce individually. There are several more that have yet to arrive that we are planning to bring on board too. We are very excited over here to have some great new items to offer. Just in time for holiday shopping!Our goal is to keep adding new products to keep the site fresh and new. We want to make sure we have what you are looking for.

Stay tuned for more details to come on the new products from Green Toys and Preserve. We will also be carrying products by some new companies, such as Envirocycle Systems, ImagiPLAY Toys and Glass Dharma. More to follow!

 

How does your garden grow?

Well we’ve finally done it! Actually I should say that my wonderful in-laws did it! The garden has finally been planted!

So my father-in-law came over this afternoon with the rototiller to get our lawn ready for planting. Then my mother-in-law so graciously gave us tomato, bean, and lettuce plants, and basil and parsley, from her own garden. We planted them right next to the raspberry bush that we planted last year that is about to bear fruit (yay!). Now I have to keep the dog away from the garden, and hope that any little critters in the yard don’t mess with it.

Not only did my in-laws come over with all those nice little plants, but they also came over with a bushel of juicy strawberries picked from their yard. What a nice little treat after the work was done!

My girls and I are so excited about our little garden. I just hope that I can sustain this garden and get it to thrive!

My girls and our garden!

Yum!

Friday the 13th Sale!

Turn your luck around today with 20% off your entire order! Use coupon code LUCKY20 during checkout to receive the discount. Celebrate Friday the 13th with a shopping spree!

Sale runs until 5/16/2011.

Badger Sunscreen

It’s that time of year again! As the weather warms up and the sun gets stronger it’s time to start thinking about protecting your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. Badger Sunscreen SPF 30 for Face & Body is rated a 1 on the toxicity scale of 1-10 in the Environmental Working Group’s 2010 Sunscreen Safety Guide, with ten being the most toxic. It is one of the safest and most effective sunscreens out there.

It’s formulated safe for the entire family. It’s rich in certified organic ingredients, certified natural and chemical-free, and safe for little ones as young as 6 months. This naturally water-resistant sunscreen will not run or drip into eyes while playing. You can be assured you are protected from the moment you put it on. Because there are no chemicals, there is no ‘waiting period’ after application to begin sun exposure. Just apply and go. The active ingredient, zinc oxide, is a simple mineral that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

Not only is Badger sunscreen safe for your skin, it is also good for your skin. The remaining ingredients are organic and natural botanicals like extra virgin olive oil, jojoba oil, shea and cocoa butters, and seabuckthorn berry. They are all rich in vitamins, polyphenols and other antioxidants that act as ‘free radical scavengers’ protecting from the sun’s damaging rays while providing ultra-moisturizing nourishment for sun-exposed skin.

As with all Badger products, SPF 30 for Face & Body is cruelty free. And if all that doesn’t grab you, how about the fact that the packaging contains 50% post-consumer recycled material?!

Earthstock

What a beautiful day we had on Sunday at the 3rd Annual Earthstock event! It was a perfectly warm and sunny day at Tunxis Community College in Farmington, CT, where we were settled into our booth, ready to sell and save the planet. We had a great response from the visitors to our booth, many impressed with our housewares selection and the on-the-go meal solutions.

Biggest seller of the day? Cleanwell hand soaps! They were the surprising big hit of the day, completely selling out of our available stock. I have to agree. We  only use the Ginger Bergamot hand soap in our house as well. Good choice my friends!

I was so impressed with the selection of vendors at the show. We had delicious treats to choose from and choose we did! From organic black bean and quinoa chili from GmonkeyMobile, kettle corn from Keifer’s Kettle Korn, organic cotton candy from Pure Spun Fun to The Farmer’s Cow lemonade and iced tea. Delish!

We also met several skilled artisans, with beautiful pottery and jewelry to share. There were several local handcrafters of recycled fashion, from handbags to recycled wool sweaters. There were some great environmental vendors, protecting the environment through composting, local farming, organic and safe lawn care and a totally green cleaning company. It was inspiring to meet and talk to so many like-minded individuals with a mutual mission.

We held a giveaway for visitors to the booth that registered for our newsletter and chose two lucky winners this morning. Congratulations to Lori O’Neil and Nicole Denson for each winning a $25 gift certificate to go shopping on the site!

We hope everyone that visited us enjoyed our selection of products. For many of our visitors, it was their first introduction to shopECOgoods.com. After going home to check out the site we would love to hear your feedback. As always, we ask you to please contact us with any questions you have about products we sell or anything else on the site. We would love to hear from you!

Thanks to Estelle Carenza and all at the Earthstock organization committee for putting such a great event together. Looking forward to next year!!

Mindful Momma Giveaway Winners!

We have been delinquent in this post and we are truly sorry! With the excitement of Earth Day we had been so busy, planning and then attending, the two events we had on the calendar. We visited Oakleaf for Green Week and then it was time for Earthstock! With a small company such as ours it was a lot of preparation. But they were both such great opportunities and so much fun! We will have more to report on Earthstock in a later post.

We have been meaning to post who won the two $25 gift certificates that we were giving away to Mindul Momma’s readers. We want to first thank Micaela at Mindful Momma for introducing us to her readers and for sponsoring the giveaway. She was so helpful and easy to work with during the whole process. And now for the winners! We had such a great response to the giveaway we decided to choose two winners (the giveaway was originally only for one $25 GC.) And the winners were Lisa Sharp and Lisa Thomson! Congratulations Ladies! We were so excited to find out that not only are these ladies trying to live eco-friendly but they are so passionate about this that they both have blogs about living green. You can read more on Lisa Sharp at www.retrohousewifegoesgreen.com and Lisa Thomson at www.momsshoppinglist.com. We are so glad that you both won and hope you enjoy shopping on the site!

Earthstock tomorrow!!

We are busy getting everything all ready for the big Earthstock event tomorrow and are super excited to participate! It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day to be outside, enjoying the sun, and meeting people like us who are trying to save the planet.

If you happen to be near Tunxis Community College in Farmington, CT, tomorrow, please come by and check out this wonderful free event. There will be music, performances, yummy food, and great products and information to interest one and all.

Be sure to stop by and visit the shopECOgoods.com booth. We would love to meet you! We are going to give away reusable shopping bags and samples of products. You can also sign up for our newsletter and be entered into a raffle to win a $25 gift certificate. We’ll be giving two of those away tomorrow. Don’t miss it!!

Did you know??

From April 22 to May 21, Old Navy stores are accepting used flip-flops for recycling. You can find the collection bins inside the store, usually up front by the entrance. TerraCycle will recycle the flip-flops into playground material which will be donated to communities around the country.

Earthstock Connecticut

This Sunday from 10am-4pm, www.shopECOgoods.com will be at the Earthstock 2011 event at Tunxis Community College in Farmington, CT. The event is free and open to the public.

Earthstock Connecticut is a “green” celebration featuring more than 70 eco-minded vendors and exhibitors, food, music and family activities.

Some of the event’s highlights include performances by Boxx of Roxx,  The Green Jazz Band,  John Mayock and the Homesteaders and drumming circles by Power of the Drum and Garden of Beats.

Vendors will sell  items such as designer apparel and handbags, jewelry, crafts, soap, candles, healthy cleaning solutions, and much more. A portion of proceeds from these sales will be donated to the Tunxis Community College Sustainable Energy Fund.

Plenty of family activities are planned including face painting, hula hoop dancing, and rides on the Roaming Railroad’s electric engine train.

If you are in the area on Sunday, please stop by and check out this great event. And be sure to stop by our booth and say hello!

For more information please visit theEarthstock Connecticut website.