Oranges Goes Green

Ten Fingers 4 Paws was created by a Mom who wanted to provide families with a one-stop online shop to buy unique Eco-friendly, organic and sustainable products for both children and furry family members.

Offering a wide variety of items you might need for your children, your pets, for yourself, Ten.4 brings you the best, Mom researched companies her family, and circle of product reviewers, has personally tested and given the Ten.4 coveted stamp of approval.

The company is generously offering Tiny Oranges readers a special coupon code of “TINYORANGES” good for 20% off your entire order through August 31st, 2012, so shop and save this summer on these fun Eco-friendly finds! AND, they are giving away a super cute personalized Eco-friendly surfboard growth chart, make sure to enter below!

Looking for a natural, cozy bed for your furry friends?

Pet parents will love the West Paw Design Organic Bumper Bed. It’s all the rage amongst dog owners who want the most comfy and Ec0-conscious sleeping choice for their beloved pets.

The Organic Bumper Bed is made with a removable organic cotton cover and many color choice combos for the inside center pillow. The filling is made with Eco-fibers that are produced from recycled plastic bottles. These beds are environmentally-friendly, certified safe, and stylishly comfortable. The bed comes in five different sizes from Extra Small to Extra Large.

And speaking of cozy sleeping conditions, these Apple Park Organic Bamboo Pajamas will keep your kids soft and snuggly through every season. Apple Park sleepwear is handmade with love & 100% Eco-friendly materials.  And as a bonus, because of the unique bamboo material, the jammies get softer and softer and softer with each wash. Choose Lamby, Ducky, Bunny or Monkey prints, or one of each!

Do they make adult sized ones? I want a pair!

Hopefully by now, many of us are opting to use reusable shopping bags on our outings, as that is one of the easiest changes you can make to live a little greener.

Ten.4 carries one of my favorites, the Love Stash It Bag, a lightweight, fashionable shopping bag that can hold up to 35 lbs.

It comes with its own attached stretchy pouch so you can easily fold it up and stash it in your purse so you never forget your shopping bag when out and about.

And this might be my absolute FAVORITE Ten.4 find – the vintage surfboard growth chart.

Mark your child’s growth in hang-ten style with this one-of-a-kind chart and spare your door frame!

These surfboard growth charges are made by hand in the USA and are made of sustainably harvested solid birch, printed Eco-friendly soy ink and finished with a whey based coating.

What a darling baby or birthday gift this would make!

They can also be personalized for only an additional $10.00.

Hooray! It’s a Tiny Giveaway!  

One lucky winner will win a free personalized Vintage Surfboard Growth Chart!  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 [Disclosure: Ten Fingers 4 Paws is a Tiny Oranges Sponsor]

Welcome to my fourth post in the SCOTT Naturals™  series celebrating Earth Month and the little changes all of us can make to live a little more green. Today’s post is on how to throw an eco-friendly party for your little one!

Have you ever thought about how much trash and waste goes into a birthday party? Why not give your next party an “Every Day is Earth Day” theme? This green theme is a ton of fun and there are so many ideas you can play off of. Here are a few to get you started…

Invitations:

Of course the most eco-friendly invitation is one that is paperless.

Create an emailed invitation for your eco-chic party on a site like Paperless Post or Echoage.

Brainstorm on invitation wording like a party that will be “Out of this World.” Or “Reuse, Recycle, Rejoice. Join us for an Earth Day Birthday Party for…”  Or, “The Best Friends are Sustainable Ones. Celebrate with us at an Earth Day theme party for…”

If you want to take the idea further and reduce the waste associated with gift wrapping, Echoage allows you to pick a favorite charity (you can opt for one focused on environmental projects) and guests can make a donation in lieu of gifts. This is the greenest giving of all! 

Decor / Supplies:

Playing on the Earth Theme, pick a color palate of browns, white, green and blue for a global-flare.

Use cloth tablecloths and SCOTT Naturals™  hybrid napkins and paper towels.

Opt for reusable plates and silverware versus paper.

If that isn’t practical, consider purchasing party supplies from Susty Party, an eco-friendly party supply company that sells items that are compostable and biodegradable.

Food / Drinks:

When going eco-friendly, think local when it comes to your food. Shop your favorite farmers’ market for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Make your own mini organic pizza crusts, and let kids top theirs with a choice of toppings (including local organic veggies and cheese.)

Serve homemade lemonade with fresh lemon slices in reusable cups.

Activities:

* Have kids first make their own pizzas so those are ready to pop in the oven when the time comes.

* Planting Station: Buy mini terracotta pots and paint them with chalkboard paint ahead of time.

Set up a table with colored chalk so kids can decorate their own pot to take home. In center of table set up soil and seeds, and help kids scoop their own soil into their pot and then plant their flower seeds of choice. Send their decorated pot home as their party favor.

* Make your own binoculars.  Let kiddos make and decorate their own set of binoculars out of SCOTT Naturals™  hybrid bath tissue rolls to take on their nature scavenger hunt.

* Nature Scavenger Hunt: Let kids explore around the backyard or take a walk around the block as they search for various items found in nature.

* Go Green Story Time: Read a favorite eco-friendly children’s book.

Dessert:

Playing off the nature theme, have the kids make their own earthy “mudpies” using homemade organic chocolate pudding and toppings with such as whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, pretzels, gummy worms, smashed up organic chocolate cookies, etc.

Thank You’s:

Take a picture of your child with each guest and send them a sweet emailed thank you with a sentiment like “Thank you for being a sustainable friend.“

As you can see, you can have a ton of fun with this green theme. And events like this can spark many teachable moments about the Earth and our care of it.

And while we are thinking green, SCOTT Naturals™ invites you to take the 4 Week Test Drive during the month of April.

Simply go to scottbrand.com and pledge to switch to SCOTT Naturals™ for four weeks and try their selection of hybrid products.

When you make the pledge, you will enter in your zip code, and the state with the most pledges can win $50,000 towards local forest and land conservation efforts to preserve America’s great outdoors. Click HERE and take the pledge!

[Disclosure: SCOTT Naturals™ is compensating me for my time and participation in this campaign. All of the above are my honest opinions, as always. I have made the switch to SCOTT Naturals™ and have taken the 4 Week Test Drive pledge! I hope you will too!]

Resources: Paperless Post, Echoage, Susty Party, Homemade Pizza Recipe, Homemade Lemonade Recipe, Fruit Cake Recipe on Family Fun, How to Make Paper Tube Binoculars, How to Make Terracotta Pots with Chalkboard Paint, Eco-friendly Children’s Books, Organic Chocolate Pudding Recipe,  Worms in the Mudpie Recipe

Photo credits: Forks from Susty Party, Fruit Cake from Family Fun, Terracotta Pot from Scissors and Spatulas, Worms in the Mudpie from Raspberri Cupcakes.

This is my third post in my series of four in honor of Earth Month sponsored by SCOTT Naturals™ on different ways we can take small steps to be more green. Today’s post is on How to Green Your Child’s Lunch.

The good news is that packing an eco-friendly green lunch is not only easy, but also FUN! Here are four ways you can make your child’s lunch WASTE-FREE! If you have any other suggestions, please comment below!

Your lunchbox system, consisting of a reusable lunchbox and reusable containers is the most important component part of an eco-friendly lunch.

Now days there are lots of great products out there to make packing a green lunch inspiring.  Here are a couple of companies I recently found:

Laptop Lunches came recommended by a Tiny Oranges reader and I was sent one of their cool bento kits for review.

I love this outer carry case. The design includes a removable shoulder strap, which means it can be carried over the shoulder, messenger bag style, or you can remove the strap and carry it like a traditional lunchbox. It is even thin enough to put it in your child’s backpack.

The innovative system inside is made up of 4 different sized bento-style boxes, including a miniature bento with lid for dipping type ingredients like a salad dressing or hummus.

Based off of the ChooseMyPlate.gov guidelines for balanced eating, these containers are a great reminder of not only the portion size, but also the variety of healthy foods we should be packing for our kids.

And may I note, these are not just for KIDS! These would make the perfect lunchbox for an adult to take to work.

Laptop Lunches are made in the U.S.A with NO phthalates, BPA, lead or PVC. They are also top shelf dishwasher  safe.

Laptop Lunches also have 365 days of lunch menu ideas on their website. Amazing resource when you are tired of making the same ‘ole, same ‘ole!

Another great option are the complete lunchbox kits from Green To Go Lunchware.

These sets come with an insulated lunch bag, a five compartment leak-proof food container and an 8-oz stainless bottle.

The bag also has an erasable white board for fun notes or reminders and a mesh velcro pouch to store utensils and napkin.

The lunchbox sets are BPA free, PVC-free and lead-free.

If you are looking for something smaller, with less compartments, their small lunchbox kit has three containers in one to keep small lunches from spilling.

 
It also comes with 100+ awesome dishwasher-safe stickers so your child can have fun personalizing (photo right). My daughter loved this!

They are made in the USA, top dishwasher safe, and free of BPA and phthalates.

Enter Green to Go Lunchware coupon promo code ORANGES15 to get 15% off your order now through 06/30/12. Yay!

The second most important aspect of an eco-friendly lunch is a reusable drink bottle.

Just think how much waste it would save if every mom reading this switched from juice boxes or bottled water to a reusable drink container.

There are a gazillion of these on the market. Personally, we have used the Thermos Foogo Straw Bottle for years.

If your child’s lunch is one that requires a fork or spoon, or both, it is much more eco-friendly to pack your own reusable flatware instead of plasticware.

Laptop Lunches sells this flatware set so you can use the same utensils day after day and keep the plastic out of the trash.

Did you know that SCOTT Naturals™ napkins are made with 80% recycled paper??

That is pretty a-mazing!

What does that mean exactly?  It means that by choosing to use a SCOTT Naturals™ napkin vs. a non-recycled napkin you will be saving trees.

That alone is probably one of the easiest things any of us can do to help green our child’s lunch!

Speaking of saving trees, SCOTT Naturals™ invites you to take the 4 Week Test Drive during the month of April.

Simply go to scottbrand.com and pledge to switch to SCOTT Naturals™ for four weeks and try their selection of hybrid products.

When you make the pledge, you will enter in your zip code, and the state with the most pledges can win $50,000 towards local forest and land conservation efforts to preserve America’s great outdoors. Click HERE and take the pledge!

Product Guide:

Click here to shop Laptop Lunches * Click here to shop Green To Go
Click here to shop Foogo products from Thermos

[Disclosure: SCOTT Naturals™ is compensating me for my time and participation in this campaign. All of the above are my honest opinions, as always. I have made the switch to SCOTT Naturals™ and have taken the 4 Week Test Drive pledge! I hope you will too! I also received a free bento kit from Laptop Lunches and small lunchbox kit from Green to Go to help facilitate this review. As a result I also signed up to be a part of the Laptop Lunches affiliate program as I love their products. And there, my friends, is everything you need to know!]

Good morning mamas! This is my second post in my weekly series this month sponsored by SCOTT Naturals™ celebrating Earth Month and the ways we can all take small steps to better care for our Earth.

Last week was all about five little changes my family has made to be more green.

This week I wanted to share information on the new products offered by SCOTT Naturals™ – the world’s first hybrid line of paper products.

In an ideal world my family would use cloth napkins and towels and wash them conscientiously, but in reality, paper towels and napkins are two products I use every day.

So how do we know if a certain paper product is better for the environment and what exactly does hybrid mean? I am glad you asked because I had the same questions too!

First a little paper 101. It’s pretty interesting and something I am sure many of us [me included] haven’t put a whole lot of thought into.

Virgin fiber is material that comes straight from a tree.

A hybrid paper product is one that is comprised of a combination of virgin fiber and recycled fiber. Therefore, when you use a product with recycled fiber it reduces virgin fiber demand and reducing virgin fiber demand saves trees.

All of the SCOTT Naturals™ products use a combination of recycled materials. Here is the information on the four hybrid paper products offered now in this line:

Bath Tissue

Two-ply and made with 40% recycled fiber combining softness with the green benefits of recycled fiber. Outer packaging is made from 100% recycled fiber.

Paper Towels

Made with 60% recycled fiber featuring fast-absorbing ridges that soak up spills.

The towels offer Choose-A-Size™ sheets that help eliminate waste by allowing moms to get the right amount for the job.

Outer packaging is made from 20% post-consumer recycled plastic and cardboard cores are made from 100% recycled fiber.

Napkins

Made with 80% recycled fiber. Awesome!

Flushable Moist Wipes

Made with 100% virgin fibers derived from sustainable resources.

These are available in one-by-one dispensing tubs with refill pouches.

My two-year-old is recently potty trained and these have been extremely helpful to use with her.

I find that one flushable wipe tends to do the job of several rounds of TP. That alone is saving trees!

Green feels good! 

SCOTT sent me all of the above products to review and instead of going into the details about thickness or softness, what mattered the most to me was how I felt using them.

Knowing that they are all a combination of recycled materials made me feel good knowing they are a better choice for the environment.

There is a difference in the feel of the products. For example, the paper towels are not thick or fluffy, they are more coarse, but they do the job of cleaning up spilled milk which is all that matters to me!  The one thing that is NOT coarse is the bath tissue.  It is soft, but thinner than traditional rolls. However, just feeling this difference reminds me that they are using less virgin fiber and less trees.

In fact, if everyone tried SCOTT Naturals™ for four weeks, together we would save over 2 million trees.

Are you ready to give them a try?

SCOTT Naturals™ invites you to take the 4 Week Test Drive this month.Simply go to scottbrand.com and pledge to switch to SCOTT Naturals™ for four weeks and try their selection of hybrid products.

When you make the pledge, you will enter in your zip code, and the state with the most pledges can win $50,000 towards local forest and land conservation efforts to preserve America’s great outdoors. Click HERE and take the pledge!

[Disclosure: SCOTT Naturals™ is compensating me for my time and participation in this campaign. All of the above are my honest opinions, as always. I will be making the switch to SCOTT Naturals™ now that I know the difference they can make in the environment and have taken the 4 Week Test Drive pledge! I hope you will too!]

When I became a mom, the way I looked at the Earth changed. All of a sudden, I was looking at the future of our Earth through the eyes of my kids, and my kid’s kids.

I have felt a responsibility for our future generations’ sake to take small steps over the past few years to be more green.

The changes my family has made have not been drastic. These are all easy changes any family can make. But if all of us did them together, collectively these small steps could mean big change.

Because I am passionate about this topic, during the month of April in honor of Earth Month, I am participating in a program with SCOTT Naturals™  to bring awareness on the ways we can better care for our Earth.

SCOTT Naturals™ is the world’s first line of hybrid paper products including bath tissue, paper towels, flushable wipes and napkins.

This series will consist of a weekly post on ways we can be more mindful of the environment. This first post is all about 5 steps my family has taken to be more green. Would love to hear yours – comment below!

Over the past 3 years, I am happy to say that my family made the switch to reusable bottles and completely stopped buying bottled water.

I am in love with this Filtrete Water Station, which allows me to filter and store four reusable bottles in my fridge.

Anywhere I go, my Filtrete water bottle goes with me. It is even sitting next to me as I type this post!

This year I went cold turkey and completely stopped buying juice for my kids. I wanted water to be their number one source of hydration, so we stopped the juice outright.

I made this decision when I came to the realization that my children would not drink water because they were accustomed to juice. I also looked at the big plastic bottles of juice we had been buying and knew there was a better way for the Earth, their bodies and teeth!

Not gonna lie, this was not an easy transition. The girls COMPLAINED big time. But the beauty of it was that after about 3 days of no juice (I just told them we were out), they got used to drinking iced water and started to ask for it. I made it fun by putting it in colored cups with bendable straws. Now they ask for water and I LOVE IT!

We typically went through one big plastic 2 liter bottle of apple juice every week. That’s 52 bottles a year we are not consuming anymore.

Of course when they go to the grandparents or to a play date or party, they can have  juice. Just now it is a special treat.

My family has also made the switch to using ENERGY STAR lightbulbs in about 70% of our home.These special lightbulbs use 75% less energy than a traditional bulb and last 6 times longer.

Not to mention the fact that each bulb can save more than $40 over its lifetime. The average household has 30 light fixtures. You do the math – that is a HUGE savings each year. You can click HERE and actually calculate your savings for your household.

They do take some getting used to and it is not altogether an easy transition. They are not as bright and do not get bright fast, but when I look at the money saved and how we are protecting the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is WORTH IT!

Ever kept your cell phone charger in the wall even when you weren’t charging your phone? Guilty as charged.

Did you know that electronics and appliances can draw power even when they are switched off? This energy, known by terms like phantom-load, idle current, vampire power and wall wart means that you can be using electricity without even USING it!

I have now made a conscious effort to unplug various items when not in use. There are several products out there available to make it easier like these smart power strips.

I have my husband to thank for this one. He is BIG on making sure any light not in use is turned off when he leaves the room and early on he started teaching our girls to do the same.

It is now drilled into their sweet little heads enough that when we were leaving to go to the store the other day, my five-year-old caught a light on in the guest room and yelled “Wait! Gotta turn off the light!”

SCOTT Naturals™ invites you to take the 4 Week Test Drive this month.

Simply go to scottbrand.com and pledge to switch to SCOTT Naturals™ for four weeks and try their selection of hybrid products.

When you make the pledge, you will enter in your zip code, and the state with the most pledges can win $50,000 towards local forest and land conservation efforts to preserve America’s great outdoors. Click HERE and take the pledge!

If everyone tried SCOTT Naturals™ for four weeks, together we would save over 2 million trees.

Talk about small steps BIG CHANGE!

[Disclosure: SCOTT Naturals™ is compensating me for my time and participation in this campaign. All of the above are my honest opinions, as always. I will be making the switch to SCOTT Naturals™ now that I know the difference they can make in the environment and have taken the 4 Week Test Drive pledge! I hope you will too!]