Before my son was born, I imagined that my child would have only a few toys (kids always seem to prefer playing with cardboard boxes and sand anyway, right? and who wants a spoiled child?) and most would be natural products i.e. wood and organic cotton, and FEW would be plastic. R-i--i-i-gggght. That was before I discovered how much everyone wants to spoil my child. And now I understand it. But, I still freak out at the number of toys the kid has and he's not even two yet. I'm also amazed at how much plastic has arrived at our home. There are some great alternatives out there though. My friend Christa reminded me of a great site called Real Goods that sells a number of sustainably-themed kids toys, as well as solar powered products, composters, organic and recycled household items. They have some wicked looking solar powered race cars, as well as these recycled construction vehicles.

These rough and tumble recycled toy trucks are made from a child-safe recycled plastic and reclaimed sawdust composite material. Flip-open cabs, easy-grab handles, and functional moving parts make them loads of fun for little hands.

At only $12 on sale ($15 reg) each, they're a great purchase. Many local stores also carry toys that are wooden, non-toxic, recycled and/or organic, so eco-toys are a much easier option, even if you don't like shopping online.

Speaking of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), they have developed a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides, recognizing that people can't afford to buy everything at a premium or that they might not be able to find an organic option in some cases. Some foods are worse than others when it comes to pesticide use. This Dirty Dozen list gives you the top 12 foods that are the most toxic, as well as the Clean 15 - the top fifteen foods to buy even if they aren't organic.

This is an excerpt on the EWG website about pesticides:

As acknowledged by the U.S. and international government agencies, different pesticides have been linked with a variety of toxic effects, including:

Given the rate of cancer in our region, I can't help but want to do everything I can to lower my family's risk. This seems like a reasonable approach. Do I always buy organic? No, of course not. Do I consume some of the Dirty Dozen in my home or at others'? Absolutely, but much less so now that I'm aware of this list.

Unfortunately, the Dirty Dozen includes apples, grapes, bell peppers and peaches - the most popular produce in our house. The origin of the food does make a difference, so buying produce from Canada and the US is a good idea if you have a choice. Also, the less the food has travelled, the less fuel it takes to transport it, generally-speaking, and the lower amount of chemicals needed to keep it fresh.

Here's the Dirty Dozen at a glance in case you don't have time to download the wallet guide:

I recognize that the EWG is a more-than-passionate US lobby group that is incredibly biased about sustainability issues, but they provide really helpful resources to those of us who are trying to live in the mainstream with some moderation.

Every few months I seem to hear a new research report about personal care products like sunscreens, shampoo and soap that frighten me. For years, I used whatever shampoo smelled the nicest and lathered on any suncreen that said "spf 30" or higher to protect my glowing white skin. Now, I eye labels with deep skepticism and frustration. Years of scrubbing your scalp with a toxic shampoo means that your skin is absorbing a lot of it into your body over time. Many chemicals are known hormone disrupters or proven carcinogens. Now that I have a child, it means a lot to me to avoid using these products in our house wherever possible.

Lately, I've been most excited about Badger products. Badger's 30 spf sunscreen was rated at the top in the Environmental Working Groups study of nearly 1,500 sunscreens for the lowest toxicity and highest effectiveness. Their study revealed that many of the top brands were not actually effective and many contained some incredibly nasty chemicals. Badger is difficult to find in many regions, so the EWG also has a quick guide to the sunscreens that are easiest to find on the market. I used to purchase Badger products including their bug balm (repellent), healing balm and lip balm locally, but it's no longer available, so I will do my shopping in future on their website. They seem to be among the most baby friendly on the market as well.

For a greenie wannabe, it's ironic that I find it quite satisfying to mow the lawn. It's the visual completion that gives me that feeling and I enjoy the exercise I get. At the same time, I'm frustrated with society's general obsession with big, golf course-like lawns, so I've worked toward a happy medium.  Today, I'm more satisfied than normal. I've just mowed my eco-grass for the first time with a battery-powered lawn mower.

New grass

Our friend Phil is a landscaper and soon-to-be certified master gardener and he introduced us to this grass from the Wildflower Farm in Ontario. It's a blend of fine native fescues from Canadian forests that together produce a beautiful, deep green, drought tolerant, slow growing (read: little to no mowing) ground cover that can thrive in shade, full-sun or part-sun with no fertilizer. What a concept!

No gas

So now we have a great area for our son to play in that doesn't require a lot of maintenance. We do, however, live in the country. That means that other grasses, wildflowers and some nasty weeds seed themselves into the lawn. That's why we have to mow the lawn. We weed out the nasties (thistles and such not that are hard on the feet) and mow the rest. Despite what people may think, the battery-powered lawn mower keeps its charge for our whole lawn. Bonus: I don't pollute the air directly or use gas (or spill it on myself) and it's quieter than most gas mowers. I also don't have to exhaust myself ripping on the pull cord - it's a simple safety bar switch on the handle. We've purchased an Earthwise 20" and it runs for up to 60 mins and has a 2 year warranty. It required no tools to assemble it. I'm delighted.

Country living often equates to green living. Growing your own food, composting, reusing, making everything you can, doing everything yourself and, in general, living simply. That's the lifestyle I was raised in. Natural living is somewhat ingrained in me, though it wasn't preached to me, nor were we particularly strict about it. Today, I try to live naturally and make good, natural choices for the health and wellness of my own family. I began writing online with a blog about straw bale building a few years back, but now that my house is complete, I want to continue blogging about other natural living topics. This blog is a place to share what I've learned and learn from others.