Sunday, September 14, 2008

Holloween Costumes

There are several ways to have a Eco friendly Halloween costume. One could be going to your local consignment shop. Another is to buy costumes that can be handed down in a family. If you buy gender neutral costumes they can be passed on whether the sibling are same sex or not. A girl or a boy can be dressed as a teddy-bear, or astronaut. A parent could also make a costume. But I am not that talented. As an alternative to the make your own ...

Tom Arma is a popular baby photographer who also has a line of baby animal costumes. I really like the Monarch butterfly and Frog Costume.

But how is his costumes green? See quote below.

" Insert printed using recycled paper. Poly Bag is recyclable. 100% of the electricity used to make this Tom Arma costume is offset with 100% Green-e Certified Renewable Energy.

For those of us who lack the talent to stitch cute costumes made from organic or recycled cloth, Tom Arma's are a good alternative.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Voter Registration

Oddly enough people sometimes find themselves not able to vote. This is due to them not being registered anymore !

Whatever the reason: change of address, name change, politicians playing games...etc there is a way to see if you are still registered. For NYS residents you can go https://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/votersearch.aspx and type in your info then click search.


As a side note when it comes to keeping my private ID safe I often close out my browser completely. This includes right clicking on the browser Icon on my desk top and clicking on "quite". I also clear history when prompted to. I wait a few seconds and then reopen my browser. These steps seem time consuming at first...but if you just got done ordering a product on line, gave out your credit card number, or do online banking it is wise to clear your history or another person can easily pull up the last page you were on.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Blogger

Blogger is a very fickle application to work with. It has blocked me for the last week.

It asked me to change my non-Google email to a Google email but when I tried their 2 step transfer system it would not except the Google email. It said that Google accounts are not set up for control over my blog. What is up with that?

I have heard that I am not the only one that runs into these problems. I think this is what happens when a ton of people all want to use the same application and the company can not keep up with the demand.

Well, if this account ever goes down for more then 30 days you'll probably see the Eco Chic Parents blog pop up on another application.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Reggio Emilia

For many who contemplate which teaching method is best for their child; Waldorf, Montessori, or Progressive Learning the process could not be harder. But I am tossing in another choice that may not be available yet in your area but to keep your eyes out for, Reggio Emilio which was developed in the municipal school system. "The town’s approach to early childhood education was born in the 1940s when a young journalist and psychologist named Loris Malaguzzi decided to rebuild the war-ravaged school system."

The NYTimes did a piece on the Garlanded School and the devout following of parents and teachers. It reminds me a bit of the Waldorf but the children are encourage to document their efforts with photos and text and are directed to learn how to stay focused on projects of their own choosing. There is also a "Atrium" central room (like in so many Italian homes) for the children to gather and exchange thoughts and ideas. They even have a separate room for a resident art teacher and the children's creations, photos, and other are prominently displayed throughout the rooms.

It is less structured and does not spend a lot of time on the testing requierments for many competitive kindergartens. You would have to make up that difference at home or with a tutor.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Terra Cycle - Pays to Recycle

Terra Cycle is and impressive company started up by Tom Szaky. They make all natural fertilizer for the home garden. They even use a 100% recycled packaging. See the video about their company Video.

They have started to offer $0.02 per pound of health bar wrappers that you would normally throw out ! They also take cookie packaging and drink pouches. Check out the site Terra Cycle .

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Green Colleges

If you are planning to go back to school or your child will someday will eco friendliness of the school be one of your requirements? Green plays into the culture of a school. And the culture can easily influence the student who attends.

"The Princeton Review added a green rating to its annual ranking of the best colleges. This score measures how 'environmentally friendly, responsible, and committed the institutions are.'"

Monday, September 1, 2008

1989 New York Times

Pesticide residue on food.

Here is a quote from a dated article in the New York Times. I thought it was interesting.

"The summary said the authors had analyzed consumption data and allowable residues of eight chemicals found to cause cancer in laboratory animals on 27 fruits and vegetables. They concluded that as many as 5,500 to 6,200 children among the current preschool population ''may eventually get cancer solely as a result of their exposure before 6 years of age.''

See full article here