Rata & Ruby Organic Children's tees

.... at last organic children's wear inspired by aotearoa and contemporary maori design.

Rata & Ruby's organic cotton tees are designed in Raglan, NZ, then made with care by a hand selected manufacturer in India, they come back to NZ to be screen printed and add final touches before being sent out to stockists.

Check out Rata & Ruby online.

organic veges knitting pattern

so plastic fruit is a no go. Neither's the wooden stuff (made in china) variety... what's a girl to do?

Start Knitting!
Check out these free knitting patterns - Jimmy Bean's Wool and Knitting Pattern Central.

I'll show you my finished results soon ....????

Green Options.com

Dangerous toy recalls have dominated the news lately.

This article on (GreenOptions.com) talks about all the current recalls, why you shoud avoid toys made in China, and safe alternatives.

Thanks for this well researched article, it certainly should prompt us all to do an audit and clear out of our children's toys!

Here, at Organic Baby, the information in the media has prompted us to go through the Wooden Toy options in our directory and note (where known) more information including type of timber, whether organic oils and finishes used and country of origin.

Also on GreenOptions.com, there are a wide variety of other useful articles to read, also check out Ask the Eco Geek (for questions about solar power, compact fluorescent light bulbs, "green" computers, or other eco-friendly technologies).

New article - Greener Motoring

Check out our new article on Greener Motoring - hybrids vs conventional petrol-driven options.

picture with permisssion - http://www.littlegreenstar.com/

Monsters in Mittens

The Monsters in Mittens Collection are hand-knitted, vintage-inspired pieces, made with pure Organic New Zealand Merino wool.

I love it! So vintage, so lacy and soooo organic!

M.I.M have used practical and stylish designs from the 50's, 60’s and 70’s as inspiration, hand-crafted in pure NZ Organic Merino.
M.I.M. range that keeps baby deliciously cosy in winter, cool in the summer and breathes with the skin. Pure Organic Merino absorbs excess moisture and keeps our babies’ skin dry and rash free.

The Organic Grocer

New to Wellington is The Organic Grocer, located on the lower slopes of Ngaio Gorge Road (with free parking outside!).

The shop's interior is sleek, modern and uncluttered.... it's first class! and finally an organic cafe near central Wellington :)

Whether you're popping in for a coffee with friends or you're filling up your trolley with your weekly shop, The Organic Grocer provides you with the best quality natural and organic products plus the rewards of healthier and happier living. The Organic Grocer - 100% good for you.

Aroha Organic Goat Cheese

Located in Te Aroha New Zealand, Aroha Organic Goat Cheese is a
BIO GRO certified Goat's Cheese.

Don't these pictures of their baby goats (kids!) just make your heart melt!


Aroha Organic Goat Cheese is a speciality product with each cheese handcrafted using only methods that are one with nature. It is a round (wheel shaped) firm cheese a bit similar to the famous Dutch Gouda cheese but then made from organic goat milk.

Aroha only make cheeses from their own organic goat`s milk so between May and July their girls are on maternity leave and having a rest to prepare themselves for kidding in July.

Beware of Cheap Firewood!

Beware of neighbours offering you free firewood or traders selling building offcuts on Trade Me.
Building offcuts are always treated timber which is illegal to burn (for good reason).

"A Government-funded study released recently by the Ministry for the Environment confirms that air pollution from home heating, transport and industry causes almost 1,000 premature deaths in New Zealand each year and costs around $1.1 billion a year."
http://www.gw.govt.nz/story23209.cfm

I have mentioned this practice to TM and hopefully this will be brought to a halt.

If you notice anyone burning treated timber, you can report them to your local Regional Council (they will have a Freephone number) . Link to Regional Councils.

Latest in a series of "Made in China" product recalls

Fisher Price Character toys - see Consumer 3rd August
Toothpaste - see Consumer 15 June
Thomas The Tank Engine - see Consumer 14 June

So how does the average parent know that wooden toys which are labelled "non-toxic", have been subjected to regular testing by the importer and are really non-toxic (and lead free?)

You don't according to Green Party spokeswoman, Sue Kedgely:
"Our consumer protection scheme is reactive, seemingly only responding when a scandal breaks overseas. It appears to be based on the notion all consumer products sold in New Zealand are safe and true to label – obviously naive, in the wake of recent controversy." (Stuff.co.nz)

What are the alternatives?
The only safe option seems to be to stick to:
- toys made in NZ
- wooden toys with eco-friendly non-toxic finishes

Alternatively, you can buy lead paint testing kits from paint stores ... but that seems a bit extreme.

Read about how high lead levels can affect young children.

Postscript: Some toys in NZ carry the CE mark. The CE mark is a declaration on manufactured products sold in the European Union (EU) that the item meets all the requirements of relevant EU directives. (http://www.marketnewzealand.com/MNZ/Services/14424.aspx)