-Alba Botanica: I was sent their Hawaiian Aloe & Green Tea Oil-Free Moisturizer to sample. This oil-free daily moisturizer was nice and light to the touch. All skin types could use this. On the “green” side, I like that 100% of the ingredients are vegetarian and that alba didn’t use animals for testing purposes. Overall, the company has a strong commitment to the environment. You can visit their environmental commitment page to see exactly what they’re doing.
*-Botanical PaperWorks: I like that these modern design birth announcements, favors and thank you cards are made with plantable paper embedded with North American wildflower seeds. When you plant the paper in a pot of soil, the seeds grow into colorful wildflowers (i.e. Bird’s Eye, Clarkia, Poppy and Snap Dragon). What’s also great is that most of the products are made with 100 percent post-consumer waste. I must add that one person mentioned that her cards didn’t sprout. I’m not sure if she did something wrong/received part of a defective batch because the majority of customers have said that their cards sprouted. One Mom in the City reader can test for herself, because she will receive two plantable paper cards ($4.95 each /$9.90 total).
-Cleanup Soap: I’m a softy when it comes to a good cause. That’s why I’m including this all natural soap that began as a student project at Parsons The New School for Design which has been developed into a company. Cleanup is a bar soap that is shaped like a landmine and sold (for $8) to raise money to support landmine removal, survivor assistance and The Cambodia Landmine Museum. Like I mentioned, the soap is formulated with only natural ingredients and is available in Coconut and Rosemary Mint varieties.
*-Lamas Beauty: This organic hair care and skin care company has received some great press. On the “green” side, I like that all of their products are vegan and free of parabens and other questionable chemicals. I also appreciate that they neither use animal-derived ingredients nor test their products on animals. I was sent the “Peter Lamas Peter Lamas Avocado and Olive Ultra Smoothing Shampoo” to test. However, since my hair isn’t “frizzy, unruly & coarse” (at the moment anyway – I’ll see what it looks like at the end of the summer!), I’ll be giving it away to one of you. ($18). Not saying that describes your hair…
*-My First Organics: These new seed starting kits are a great eco-friendly activity for the whole family. Each kit is made up of a reusable or recyclable mini-greenhouse that comes with organic seeds, soil and biodegradable pots that can be placed directly into the soil. Each kit also comes with an easy to follow guide and illustrations. One Mom in the City reader will win one of the seed starting kits. ($14.99)
- Purely Products: This is a green products company that focuses on healthy lifestyle products. I was sent their Pocket Purifier. Honestly, I was going to give this item to one of you, but with this whole swine flu outbreak in NYC at the moment, I’m keeping it! It’s a handheld light that sterilizes objects exposed to its UV-C light. In 15 -20 seconds, the ultraviolet light attacks the germs and bacteria which kills their DNA and prevents them from reproducing and growing. (The same UV technology is used in hospitals to sterilize surgical equipment.) You can get your own purifier for $29.95 at purelyproducts.com or amazon.com.
-Tappening: This is a campaign/movement as well as a product. The project part encourages people to make tap their water of choice whenever possible. It tries to educate the public about the wastefulness, excessive cost, and pollution of the Earth caused by the bottled water industry. The products, BPA-free reusable water bottles, were introduced to self-finance the campaign. The Green bottle says “Think Global, Drink Local”; the Blue bottle says “What’s Tappening?” and are available for purchase on www.tappening.com.
*-TerraCycle: This company makes affordable, eco-friendly products for the home. They’re primarily known for making products from garbage (?!) You can see their clip below:
For moms, the two product lines that fit best are their eco-friendly cleaners and pet products. I don’t have pets, but I tried their bathroom cleaner. It worked really well. I must say that I’m constantly impressed when more natural cleaners (i.e. method, seventh generation and now TerraCycle) work just as well as the cleaners with chemicals. TerraCycle also sent me one of their adorable Capri Sun Backpacks from their “Drink Pouch” line for preschoolers. After seeing and touching it, I still can’t believe that it’s made from 100% used drink pouches. One Mom in the City reader will get this eco-friendly backpack ($17.99) for their little one.
-ZeroWater: There’s so much to love about the new ZeroWater pitcher. I was sent one to review and it has taken the place of our family’s old water filter pitcher. In fact, Sean (my 2 year old son) will only drink pitcher water from it. In general, I like that water filters save you money. (I’ve never been one to buy bottled water much.) What makes ZeroWater unique though is that it is the first and only water filter that makes tap water meet the FDA definition for purified bottled water. To do that, it uses the 5-stages found in high-end filtration systems to remove 100% of detectable dissolved solids in tap water. (To prove it, ZeroWater comes with a digital meter to measure the difference.) On the socially conscious side, I like that ZeroWater runs on a recyclable water filter. (Since we’ve had this water filter system, I’m excited to report that my husband has finally stopped taking bottled water to work!)
One lucky Mom in the City reader will win the four starred items. To enter this giveaway, please tell me your favorite “green” product in the “Comments” section below by May 31st.
