Archive for the ‘Gentle Baby & Child’ Category

Five Eco-Friendly Gifts for Baby

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

A new baby is one of the most delightful reasons to buy a gift — but it’s not always easy to choose an item that will please a picky parent. Here is a roundup of five thoughtful gifts we’ve found that are all-natural, non-toxic, high-quality and gentle enough to meet the standards of any new mom or dad.

ButtNakedBaby_X-01All-Natural Organic Baby Care Set by Butt Naked Baby — We’d call it a “spa set” for baby, because the ingredients are so luxurious … but some of the items here are really necessary! All the products in this fabulous six-piece gift set are responsibly handcrafted in small batches in the USA, using only the best organic ingredients. There are no skin-irritating fragrances, parabens, mineral oils or dyes; rather, this lush and sustainable gift set looks and smells clean and natural. The set comes with Moisture Milk lotion, Healing Baby Powder, moisturizing Baby Balm Stick, soothing and protecting Diaper Balm and relaxing/hydrating Baby Oil. It’s all wrapped up in an organic-cotton “Butt Rug” that can be used as a diaper, burp cloth or changing pad. These trustworthy products are among the finest we’ve found for baby.

DreamSacks_Blanket_XaDowny-Soft Bamboo Baby Blankets by Dreamsacks — Once you feel these buttery-soft blankets and learn about their fabulous qualities, you won’t want to swaddle baby in anything else. These lovely loom-woven blankets are naturally antibacterial, hypoallergenic, breathable and moisture-wicking. Luxuriously soft, light, warm and comfortable, Bamboo Baby Blankets are loom-woven from 100 percent pesticide-free bamboo — harvested responsibly from renewable forests and crafted under fair-trade conditions. Choose from several colors.

Dimples_OrganicSet_X-01Organic Cotton Baby Ensemble by Dimples — We just love this gorgeous 3-piece newborn set made from 100 percent organic cotton. And it’s not just us — Babble.com calls it “absolutely beautiful — so soft and snuggly … exactly how I want to bring [new baby] home.” Ecofabulous.com agrees: “Magnificent newborn gift.” The all-natural ensemble has a swaddling blanket, a playsack with drawstring tie, and a cap with flaps for those sweet little ears. The soft cotton contains no pesticides or chemical treatments whatsoever: gentle, handcrafted and using only non-toxic dyes, it’s nothing but softness against baby’s sensitive skin. Choose from the gorgeous hand-embroidered striped “Bee” or “Rose” designs in size 0-3 months.

BabyShokay385x260Fair-Trade Luxury Baby Hoodie/ Booties by Shokay — These beautiful, soft-as-cashmere hoodie, booties and rattle set is woven from the sustainable “new luxury fiber” — yak down! Tibetan yak herders have been humanely harvesting the rugged animals’ luxurious, downy undercoat for generations, but only recently has this sumptuous fabric been available in the Western market. This set is gorgeous, handcrafted and will be the softest, warmest items in baby’s layette; they’re hand-washable and feel like cashmere. Treated only with nontoxic, low-impact dyes, this heirloom-quality baby set contains a sweet hoodie with an “eternity knot” clasp, snuggly booties with plush pom-poms, and a soft rattle in “Bee” or “Bug” design. This is not only a gorgeous and memorable gift, but it supports Tibetan herders and weavers in fair-labor conditions.

EnGry_PoliceCars_XEnGry_PrincessHorse_XFair-Trade Wool Car Set or Plush Pony by En Gry and Sif— We just love En Gry and Sif, a business started by two wonderful Danish sisters whose charming baby-and-kid products employ excellent design, strict eco-friendly standards and top-notch craftsmanship by women artisans in Nepal. Non-toxic toys are a wonderful gift, and En Gry and Sif’s fun Wool Car Set and Plush Pony toys are soft, safe, easy to grasp, cute and colorful enough to delight both babies and toddlers. They’re made with 100 percent wool-felt and colored with gentle low-impact dyes. The two-piece car set comes with a Police Car and Ambulance; the Plush Pony is tan with pink spots and a yarn mane.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Gentle Baby & Child | 14 Comments »

Can’t Eco and Socially Just Gifts Cost Less?

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

On September 27, Sami Grover wrote about Elegant Roots on Treehugger.com. Sami’s headline is “Elegant Roots: Green Doesn’t (Always) Come Cheap”.

Apparently, having been burned repeatedly by criticism of the “pricey-ness” of some green products, Sami felt compelled to an anticipatory rant in response using, as her subject, our $69 handmade, organic stuffed Penguin. Penguin by Dwelling.penguin_a_72-4x5

Sami concludes: “It seems to me that if someone is going to spend $60 on toys, then buying one or two well-made, safe and sustainable items beats filling up the toy chest with lead paint and plastic crap. (Not to mention there are plenty of ‘luxury’ toys out there that don’t carry such green credentials…)”

We, at ElegantRoots.com, agree wholeheartedly and appreciate greatly Sami’s endorsement. And we agree emphatically that people should Buy Less But Buy Better. As she suggests, there may be some “green” alternatives in a lower price range. But there are other issues at play here.

Social Justice and soulfulness. We offer things that are handmade — touched by the hand and spirit of the artisan. No machine-turned-out toy can match the feel. And, unlike the Wal-Mart ilk, ElegantRoots.com does not squeeze price concessions from the artisans. A fair price for a handmade item is what we’re all about. If a handmade, organic stuffed animal were to sell for half the price, who would bite it on that transaction? The artisan.

I guarantee a “similar” toy can be made in a sweatshop factory in China for a lower price. And who bites it on that transaction. The sweatshop indentured servant.

ElegantRoots.com exists to help create and sustain a market for artisan products that use traditional skills to create marketable designs (Penguins are not a traditional subject in Kenya). If there is no market for these products, traditional skills become economically nonviable. Traditional lifestyles are lost as people are forced to overcrowded cities to join the ranks of the displaced, dependent on sweatshops.

So, when people complain about the prices, what do they really want? Do they want social enterprises like ElegantRoots.com not to exist? Do they want the artisans in developing economies to get squeezed to the bone on prices in order to try to compete with sweatshops? Do they want only “cheap” plastic stuff that winds up in the dump?

kk-knitters-045-72-5x5 Bottom line, you get what you pay for. If you want a product created by hand by some one person with pride and care, working in a joyful community of women receiving fair trade prices, a Penguin from the Critter Knitters of rural Kenya is the perfect choice. Penguin from Critter Knitters

kimochidoll_a_72-4x5 The same applies within the borders of the US. If you want a limited edition Kimochi “emotions” doll made by hand in the US by a noted doll artist, Cody Thompson, shop at ElegantRoots.com.

You’ll be glad you did. So will the artisan somewhere (and we tell you where) who, because a market exists, can pursue his/her art and be independent.

And it all comes wrapped in our nonpareil, signature, and COMPLIMENTARY, eco-conscious gift wrap.

Later.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Elegant Roots in the Media, Fair Trade/ Social Justice, Gentle Baby & Child, Sustainable Lifestyle | No Comments »

Ecological Intelligence, Part 2

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

I find myself wanting to quibble with Goleman. Maybe it’s because I’ve cast myself as a “book reviewer” and I’m under some obligatory contentiousness. Or maybe I’m just argumentative by nature — but when Goleman introduces the subject of Life Cycle Assessment (more on LCA later) by the ancient chariot story and concludes that the chariot is merely an illusion, I’m in full quibble mode.

The Visudhimagga, a 5th century Indian text, we are told, poses a riddle: “precisely where is what we call a ‘chariot’ located? Is it in the axles, wheels, the frame?” The answer is “nowhere” since what we mean by “chariot” is a mere temporary arrangement of its components: “It’s an illusion.” Until it runs over you; then your pain says “that was no illusion.”

I prefer the representation of synergy presented by George Leonard in Mastery. Leonard uses the example of the radio, another amalgam of parts, to suggest that the schematics of the radio are every bit are “real” as the functioning radio (and better in the sense that schematics are easier to modify and more effective at transmitting the details of the notion). And, if the schematics are as real as the radio, then the idea of the radio is also as real.  For LCA, there is power in Leonard’s presentation.

Every product we purchase is comprised of many components, each with its own set of industrial processes for extraction, synthesis, packaging, shipping, combining, and disposal. Each process for each component has a measurable environmental impact.  For the glass jar for pasta sauce, for example, there are 1,959 distinct component processes. For the Zulu baskets offered by Elegant Roots, for example, there are far fewer; there is the native grasses harvested by hand, the ilala palm leaves harvested by hand, the fruit and vegetable dyes harvested locally, yes, by hand, and there is the hand weaving — all accomplished in the weaver’s locale. Of course, the one-of-a-kind museum quality basket by Laurentia Dlamini exists in another category from mass produced glass pasta sauce jars. The same is true for the hand-brushed yak down, hand-knitted into a soothingly soft, undyed baby hoodie by Shokay.

For industrial products, though, the LCA can show us the true effects of what we buy and use. Even recycling warrants scrutiny, simply so we see the effects of how we’re doing things. If LCA information were available to all of us, we’d see that “green” and “eco-friendly” are charged terms. “Greenwashing” is the labeling a product “green” by focusing on only a single, or very few, of the hundreds or thousands of a product’s component processes.

The danger of Greenwashing, Goleman suggests, is that we are lulled into thinking we’ve done all we need to do if we buy an organic cotton t-shirt. That’s paternalistic. And it makes the good the enemy of the perfect. Just give us the information, we can deal with it.   This fear is, “don’t feel good about what you’re doing because it can never be enough.”  But every little thing we do when multiplied by a billion makes a difference. And feeling good about doing one thing, under the principles of positive reinforcement, should encourage us to do more good things — feeling good is a strong positive reinforcer, so we will repeat the behavior. So, hey, feel good all the time.

Want to feel even better, buy organic cotton shirts for baby that are not bleached or dyed. EvokeBaby’s Grow with Me Set

Buy Less But Buy Better. That’s the motto at ElegRoo.

I’m finished quibbling with Goleman. Let’s end on a note of complete agreement: “Green” is best used as a verb. “Green is a process not a status.” We’ve got to be thinking about “greening” every step in a product’s value chain.

Later.ecointelcover3

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Book Reviews, Gentle Baby & Child | No Comments »

Babble Droolicious and Gerber Babies

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

ElegRoo extends its thanks to Babble.com Droolicious and the blog 2Gerberbabies.com for great coverage.

Babble’s Droolicious loved ElegRoo’s Exclusive Obama Inauguration jigsaw puzzles using photos by White House photographer Paul Morse and design by the incomparable Wentworth Wooden Puzzle company. “The Obama Inauguration Jigsaw makes a summertime activity that’s worthy of the presidential seal.”  bit.ly/5BGRc

Our Obama puzzles are of the highest quality, a product of CAD and laser cutting on Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood. Check them out — we’re really proud of them. bit.ly/kJYF3

The Gerber Babies Blog recommended our Dimples Ensemble (organic cotton baby set), Wool-Felt Police Car Toy Bin by En Gry & Sif,  the “S” olivewood bowl from Dwelling, the Wool-Felt Computer Bag by etcetera media, Kakadoo embroidered jewelry by Dori Csengeri, the baby alpaca throw from Marcel Miller, and our eco-conscious, complimentary gift packaging. Here’s a sample from Gerber Babies Blog:

“Save yourself some time and check out Elegant Roots the next time you need that perfect gift! Not only do they have the greatest selection of products for just about anyone on your list, they offer meaningful gifts created by true Artisans. The products are eco-friendly and socially responsible! We received the most adorable newborn set from the Dimples Collection. The Dimples Ensemble is made from pure organic cotton. This set is very soft and a pleasure to touch. The fine details ensure that this set will be treasured long after it is outgrown! The set includes a delightful baby gown (playsack) featuring an embroidered rose or bee. It is available in chocolate, sage, and pink! A matching cap and wrap are included! Don’t look elsewhere, Elegant Roots is the first to offer this set in the USA!”  bit.ly/P2X3b

The Gerber Babies Blog also liked our ElegRoo blog about Parents Behind the Curve  bit.ly/nalpj

To Babble and Gerber Babies — thanks for the support!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Elegant Roots in the Media, Gentle Baby & Child | No Comments »

Parents – You’re Behind the Curve

Friday, June 19th, 2009

An oft-stated pablum is that all children need to rebel. It’s how they establish their independence. Certainly children need to find their independence — but seriously, the pablum about rebelling is actually a rationalization arising from a long term power struggle and absence of communication.

Every child is born as a complete dependent — unable to manage anything alone — except crying and a couple of bodily functions. This is the child the parent first “meets”, bonds with and commits to carrying for.

Child development is a continuum — from complete dependence to effective independence. Along this continuum, the child develops in myriad, amazing ways — some obvious, some not, some outright invisible. Development brings with it gains in independence — slow at first — but gains nonetheless in competence to begin managing parts of the environment.

Here’s where the problem can arise. Given that developmental changes come intermittently, slowly, sometimes invisibly, parents should expect that they will always be behind the curve — in other words, the child’s gains in independence-competency will nearly always be happening before the parent realizes it. Problem #1: parents don’t often enough recognize this fact.

When the child gains a bit of competency and the parent doesn’t recognize it and allow the child to exercise it, conflict begins.

To compound matters, parents often have a bias against allowing an increase in independent action — whether it’s allowing a babe to explore the pots and pans or a teen to learn to drive. The parent’s bias comes from years of an uncompromising commitment to protect (which can easily err on the side of stopping new independence), or it arises from the need to control. Either way, it should be resisted.

For the children’s part, when they gain a bit of competence to tackle some new bit of independence, they may instantly forget they didn’t always have that new competence and begin feeling and acting with impatience, as though its exercise has been thwarted forever. That’s problem #2. Parents seen as inhibitors. Add to that children’s common exaggeration of the extent of their new competence and perhaps a reckless disregard for some of the risks.

The answer: for parents, recognize and remind yourselves of your tendencies to be behind the curve, and any tendencies to overprotect or need to maintain control.

Begin discussing these concepts when they are young — as soon as your child begins to be able to understand his/her own tendencies to exaggerate new competencies and how long they’ve had them, and can understand the parents’ tendencies to be behind the curve.

When an understanding is created, it can be pointed out in times of conflict — parents can say, “hey, I just realized my reaction was because of that ‘behind the curve’ thing — and your reaction was that exaggeration thing.” You’ll no doubt find better language — but remember, communication requires that you also point out when your tendency has reared its resistant head — not only when the child’s has.

This solution means sometimes you’ll have to loosen the reins more than your initial reaction — it doesn’t mean that you throw caution to the wind. You manage the child’s new competence by managing your own tendencies to be behind the curve and then you manage the environment in which they can stretch their new found competencies.

Will this eliminate all conflict? You’re kidding, right? Of course not. But it helps you safely raise competent and independent children.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Gentle Baby & Child | No Comments »