Ms. Frizzle’s students are putting on a play about global warming, and they need some cold, hard facts. The Friz knows just where to find them! A hop on the Magic School Bus takes the kids on a whirlwind tour. From the Arctic to the equator, they see telltale signs of climate change. But to get the really big picture, the class has to get really small – so they can see exactly what is in the air and why it is making the world warmer. What they find gives them a real cause for concern!

This is the premise behind,, the latest book in the Magic School Bus series.  Now, there are two things you need to know before you read this review:

1. I LOVE Magic School Bus books. And so do my kids.  I swear I have learned more about butterflies, germs, evaporation, and dinosaurs from the Magic School Bus series than I ever learned in elementary school.
2. I received my review copy of the Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge for free.  (With my aforementioned love of the book series, and obvious interest in the climate challenge topic, is it any wonder that I jumped at the chance to review this particular book?)

With all that said, I just gotta tell you that I HIGHLY recommend The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge

.  As I’ve come to expect from Magic School Bus books, it gives some solid background in a quirky format on what might otherwise be considered a “too-complicated-for-kids” subject matter.

I have to admit, I was a little concerned that the book was going straight over my daughters’ (ages 4 and 7) heads.  Ms. Friz started talking about carbon molecules and greenhouse gases and I thought for sure I had lost them.

But when we finished reading, I asked my girls what they thought.  Here’s how it went:

7-year-old: I LOVED IT!!

4-year-old: ME TOO!! ME TOO!!

Me: What did you love about it?

7 and 4 year olds talking over each other: Arnold is so funny!  That Ms Frizzle is crazy!  I wish we had a Magic School Bus at my school!

Me

: So, what was this book about?

7-year-old: The Earth is getting hotter because of the things people are doing.

Me: That’s right!  So what can we do about it?

7-year-old: Recycle, don’t drive our cars so much, turn off lights

4-year-old

: We need to keep the frigerator closed so we can save our planet.

Me

: Wow.

Check out the book, and If you’re trying to teach your kids about going green, you’ll definitely want to add this book to your collection.  Oh, and don’t miss the on April 20th (actually the webinar will be hosted by Joanna Coleand Bruce Degan, the author and illustrator of the book.)

Want to win of The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge?  Check it out:

1 Grand Prize winner will receive:

• Kids Organic “Go Green” Scholastic T-shirt
• Copy of The Magic School Bus and The Climate Challenge

AND 2 additional winners will receive a copy of the book!

How do you win?  You can either blog, tweet, facebook, or digg this contest (don’t forget to include a link back here) and leave me a comment below to let me know.  You can also here, join , or follow me on .  Again, leave a comment to let me know what you did.  Leave a separate comment each time for more entries!

Contest starts today and ends Friday, April 16th and 5pm EST.

“I need help with all of this green stuff.  Give me a list of ways to go green and the products I need to do it.”

or something along those lines.  My usual response to these types of comments is to offer ideas for saving energy and water and reducing waste around the home, along with a mishmash of product suggestions that might be able to help.  But I’m happy to report that from now on, my reply to these comments will be a bit more streamlined:  Jump Start To Green.

I know a lot of companies are coming out with green “kits” right now to help you go green.  And a lot of them are great.  But I can honestly say that the Jump Start to Green Kit is the very best one that I have seen to help folks go from zero to green fast! And the thing I like about it the most is that absolutely every single item in the kit is usable, practical, and meaningful in terms of helping you go green.  Even if you don’t need the kit, you should definitely check out their site (http://www.jumpstarttogreen.com) for handy-dandy facts like these:

• Installing CFLs can save you up to $12 per year in electricity costs per bulb
• Installing a toilet tank bank can save you up to $29 per year on your water bill
• Cutting showers from 8 minutes to 5 minutes, can save you up to $65 per year on your water bill and $236 per year on your electricity bill.

And guess what?  I get to help one of my readers get a jump start of their very own.  I’m giving away Jump Start to Green’s Essential Kit, which includes 10 eco-awesome items and is valued at $59.

Here is what’s in the kit:

• 4 CFL lightbulbs
• 1 insulated grocery tote
• 1 Kleen Kanteen water bottle
• 1 toilet bank water saver
• 1 shower timer
• 3 eco-sponges
• 1 junk mail reducer set (the forms and stamped envelopes you can submit to get your names off mailing lists.
• Eco-savvy info and guides (including a car sticker, green tracker, green guide,  and around the house reminders)

Wanna win?  Just leave a comment below.  Contest ends Sun, Oct 5th.

And the winner is:

Here are your random numbers:

27

Timestamp: 2008-10-08 17:21:03 UTC

Congratulations Brianna!!

Give Baby A Green and Clean Bath

We’ve heard some pretty disturbing news over the last few months about the chemicals (like phthalates and parabens) that most companies throw in personal care products.  These toxins wreak havoc on the planet and on your immune system…especially the fragile systems of growing babies.  And don’t be mislead into thinking this stuff washes away with the bathwater.  Your baby’s skin is her largest organ, and the warm wet conditions of the bathtub only increase absorbency.

So it just makes sense to bathe your baby in eco-goodness….plain water goes a long way towards cleaning delicate skin.  When you do need something with a bit more bubble, make sure the product your choose is natural and eco-friendly with ingredients that you wouldn’t be afraid eat (not that you’d really want to serve it up for dinner!)

Green Baby Bath

Wanna win some green and clean baby products of your own?  Today I’m giving away certified organic Miessence baby wash and baby lotion from Ely Organics.  Miessence baby bath care products are as pure as they come…each one contains only certified organic herbs and no phthalates, no petroleum by-products, no parabens, no artificial preservatives, no fragrance or dyes, and no synthetic surfactants.  And they are never, EVER tested on animals.  Now that’s baby bath you can feel good about!

To enter, just leave a comment below.

For more info on eco-friendly bathing, check out:
I Hate Phthalates! How to Avoid Bathing Your Baby in Chemicals
5 Steps to Green, Clean, and Beautiful

And the winner is:

Here are your random numbers:

12

Timestamp: 2008-09-21 13:16:22 UTC

Congrats Aaren!!

Eco-Baby Goodies

I just love the smell of a new baby’s skin.  It’s so sweet, and soft, and well, new.  It’s also extremely delicate…just like your baby herself.  So it’s really important to be finicky about the stuff you use to clean, freshen and protect your baby’s skin.

If you’ve got a new baby or a little one on the way, you are going to LOVE today’s giveaway…a trio of of uber-pure vedaBaby baby care products from (my new one-stop shop for natural, organic maternity and baby goodies.)  VedaBaby concoctions contain nothing but straight-from-nature goodness like almonds, apricots, chamomile, and green tea….and they’re all free of chemicals, parabens, sulfates, artificial fragrances and dyes. So you’ll feel good about using them on all of your baby’s pieces and parts.

One lucky winner will take home these 3 goodies:

vedaBaby Butt ~ a zinc-free diaper balm to prevent and heal diaper rash. Ideally suited for babies with cloth diapers, but effective with regular or compostable diapers, too. Retail value: $40

vedaBABY Fresh

~ a body wash and baby shampoo with all-natural, safe ingredients. Formulated for gentle, comforting use on even the most irritated, sensitive skin. Retail value: $40 v

vedaBABY Splash ~ a therapeutic bath powder that soothes and encourages healing for diaper rash, eczema and other types of inflamed baby skin. Retail value: $30.

There’s 3 ways to enter:

1. Subscribe to The Green Parent via or . If you’re already a subscriber, just leave me a comment below and say so!

2. Join The Forum (already a member? leave a comment below!)

3. Spread the word about this contest via , , , , , etc.

Leave a comment below each time you do one of these things...each comment equals one entry. The winning comment will be chosen by Random.org. Contest ends Sunday!

And the winner is…

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2008-09-15 22:25:53 UTC

Congrats Sandi!!

Preserve is a forward-thinking company that specializes in making stuff (like toothbrushes, razors, colanders, cutting boards, etc.) out of recycled #5 plastic.  I love buying their products for myself and as gifts and knowing that I’m supporting the whole recycling loop.

The company gets the majority of their recycled plastic directly from StonyField Farms (another forward-thinking company that makes among other things, organic dairy products like milk and yes, yogurt)  But now, with Gimme 5, Preserve will also take clean, used #5′s directly from consumers.  Check out their website to learn if this program will work for you.

To celebrate this cool new program, I’m giving away 5 Preserve Family Fun packs (each one includes 4 toothbrushes and 2 razors, all made from 100% recycled plastic) to members of my cool new program, the Green Parents Forum.  Become a member today to enter the contest and to share ideas, offer advice, ask questions, or just rant and rave to like-minded green parents.  Five Green Parents members will be chosen at random on Sept 18th.  Join today to win!

Eco-Organize Your Home

by Perri Kersh

As an organizer, a common question I hear is “have you always been organized?” For me, that answer is “yes” (trust me, naming my business “Neat Freak” was no accident!). But as an eco-friendly organizer, when asked if I’ve always been green, I’m not able to answer “yes” with quite as much confidence. I think I’ve always been aware of trying to live with less, but I’ve certainly left my own giant footprint on the earth. Now that I’m a mom, I’m trying to heal the damage left by that footprint and un-do some of my less-than-earth-friendly ways. What I can say with great certainty is that living a greener life can lead to a more organized life (or perhaps it’s the other way around?). Here are a few of my favorite ways:

Go on a junk mail diet!

More than 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail, while creating and shipping junk mail produces more carbon emissions than 2.8 million cars. Add to that the billions of gallons of water used to produce and recycle junk mail each year AND the precious time you spend dealing with it and you’ve got one pesky problem. I don’t know about you, but I’m not too pleased that marketers are coming, uninvited, into my mailbox, wasting natural resources AND my time.

Reduce your junk mail clutter and regain up to 70 hours a year (no joke…that’s a lot of time!) by going on a junk mail diet. Check out CatalogChoice a free service that allows you to opt in or opt out of pretty much any catalog you can imagine.  Another great service is 41pounds.org a company that promises to reduce the 41 pounds of junk mail that you receive each year by 85-90%, including catalogs and credit card offers. Five years of service costs only $41.  Wanna try it out?  The Green Parent is giving away 2 gift certificates today…each redeemable for FIVE years of junk mail reduction services from 41pounds.org.  Enter below!

This is one diet that won’t leave you hungry for more. Just think of all the fun you can have with the time freed up from junk mail!

Think Before You Buy

Another way to live a more earth-friendly life and improve your organizational skills is to get in the habit of ALWAYS thinking before you buy. I spend most of my days as a professional organizer helping my clients figure out what to do with their “stuff”-the stuff that makes them feel like they’re suffocating, keeps them from enjoying their home, stuff that reminds them of a past they don’t want to revisit, or stuff that they feel they should keep “just in case.” Ask yourself these questions whenever you get that urge to purchase:

1. Do I really need this?
2. Where was it made and how did it get here?
3. Can I recycle the box or the packaging materials?
4. Would I buy this if it were not on sale?
5. Do I look fantastic in it?
6. Where am I going to put it? And if it goes there, what will I need to get rid of to make room for it?

I don’t want to take the joy out of every trip to the mall, but by simply asking these questions, you may find you come home with less, which allows you to live a simpler, more meaningful, less “stuff-filled” life.

Give Your Stuff New Life

Finally, get resourceful when it comes to purging. I’m a big fan of getting rid of the things you don’t need, use or love. But you can’t just throw it all in the trash. Here are some common items my clients want to rid their spaces of that can find new life elsewhere:

• Molded Styrofoam: You know, the stuff that your flat screen TV comes packaged in-you can take it to your local UPS or FedEx shipping location and they’ll recycle it or use it for packing material right in their store. Shipping peanuts can be returned there, too.

• Old Linens: Obviously, if linens are in good shape, you could donate them to a local charitable organization or even sell them on Craig’s List. But if they’ve seen better days, don’t just trash them. Contact your local animal shelter and donate old towels, sheets, curtains and pillows to be used in animal cages. Our local shelter is always more than happy to have them. In fact, they said they’d stop needing them when puppies stop chewing (in other words, NEVER!).

• Art supplies, wine corks, wall paper samples, OH MY!: Even the most “curious” items could be someone else’s treasure. Check your local phone book or simply Google “materials exchange” to see if your area has a place to donate these items. Or, check your local school district to see if a creative art teacher is interested in creating some “found art.”

• Cell phones and personal data assistants (PDAs): You’re probably aware that you can donate these to a local domestic violence organization to be re-used by women in need (as long as phones are working order-just be sure to remove any personal information before donating). You can also send your phone in for credit with Terrapass (www.terrapass.com), a carbon offset organization that allows you to offset your carbon usage for car travel, plane travel, events and more.

My goal with each of my clients is to help them live their most organized life, surrounded by the things they truly use, need and love. If, along the way, I also help them to become more aware of their environmental impact and make even one decision that reduces that impact, then that benefits everyone.

Organizing expert Perri Kersh began her career as a professional organizer and time management consultant in 1992. But, truth be told, she’s been organizing most of her life. Through various careers in counseling, marketing and consulting, she finally settled in to her passion and started Neat Freak in 2005. As an organizing consultant, Perri works with families, individuals, small business owners and students to help them declutter their space and their lives so they can function at their very best.  Learn more about Neat Freak Professional Organizing at www.neat-freak.com and visit Perri’s blog at http://neatfreak.wordpress.com.  When she’s not busy organizing for others, she frequently shovels up after her husband and two young children.

TODAY’S CONTEST

Win FIVE years of junk mail reduction from 41pounds.org.  Here’s how to enter:

1. Subscribe to The Green Parent via RSS or Email.  If you’re already a subscriber, just leave me a comment below and say so!

2. Join The Green Parents Forum (already a member? leave a comment below!)

3. Spread the word about this contest via Twitter, Stumble, Digg, Facebook, MySpace, etc.

Leave a comment below each time you do one of these things...each comment equals one entry.  The winning comment will be chosen by Random.org.  Contest ends Sept 12th.

Thanks all for entering! Here are the winners…
Here are your random numbers:

2
9

Timestamp: 2008-09-13 14:08:14 UTC

Congratulations Karissa and Danielle!!!

Universal Family Music Collection

Music lovers listen up!  The Universal Music Family collection hit the stores this summer and has become an instant favorite for music lovers of all ages.

From Stevie Wonder to Smash Mouth, Ella Fitzgerald to the Jackson 5, the Universal Music Family collection has something for everyone.  Here’s a peek at the 6 CDS in the collection:

Miss Ella’s Playhouse
Jazz Lullaby
Future Idols
Motown For Kids

Songs For The Car
Totally 80s For Kids

What makes them green? Universal Music Family CDs come in special EcoPaks^TM – “Kid, Parent & Earth Friendly” packaging that is 100% recyclable.  So now you can enjoy music with the whole family while helping the environment, too!

Want to hear the best part?  I am giving away 5 (yes, that’s right FIVE) Universal Family Music Collection sets today.  Each set contains all 6 CDs as well as a kid’s t-shirt. Here’s how to enter:

• Subscribe to The Green Parent via or .
• Blog about this giveaway
• Use the ShareThis Button below to spread the word about The Green Parent
• about today’s contest!
• Join the Forum to share ideas with other parents trying to go green
• Become a or join The Green Parent Blog on Facebook.
• Subscribe to on YouTube
• Tell a friend (or two or three) about this contest. Make sure they let me know in the comment box that you sent them. If their number is chosen, you’ll both win the prize

After you’ve done one of these things, leave me a comment

below telling me what you’ve done. That’s it, you’re entered. Do as many of the things above as you’d like and leave a new comment for each one. The more you do, the more times you’ll be entered. Need more info? Check out the official rules here.  Good luck!  This contest will end at midnight (PST) on Sept 5th!

New winners will be drawn for Sept 4th and Sept. 5th so keep entering!

The winning comment for Sept 3rd (chosen by Random.org) is:

Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2008-09-04 13:25:31 UTC

Congrats Green Dads!