In June, my co-blogger and partner in crime, Courtney Tenz posted a few words about Solio chargers. Looks like these little devices are getting pretty popular. CNBC’s Power Lunch featured the item as the, “latest must-have innovation.”

Check it out on YouTube.

Sound quality is terrible, but the clip gives you an idea of how the Solio works—storing power from the sun (or socket) and freeing you to recharge your mobile phone, iPod, blackberry anywhere and anytime. Curious to learn more (I’d like to purchase one for my dad), I chatted with a real Solio owner, eco-gadgets expert, and great outdoorsman, Steve Smith.

Steve uses the Solio when he can’t get to a socket . . . long train rides, a day in the park, trekking in Peru. “I give it two thumbs up because it’s simple, easy to use, and really does fully charge my ipod. No gimmicks.” Steve’s only complaint: the Solio doesn’t fit all mobile phones. But don’t fret. Solio’s website provides a complete list of those compatible mobile devices. Might be a good idea to check if your phone is attuned before making the investment.

The skin is the body’s largest organ. Babies and children’s skin is especially sensitive. In fact, a baby’s skin is said to be ten times thinner than an adults and therefore more readily absorbs external chemicals. Too many children suffer from eczema and skin problems often exacerbated if not caused by conventional care products. Most contain chemicals, synthetic additives, irritants and parabens, which dry our children’s skin and are absorbed into their bodies. No one knows for certain what the long term effects of using these products are, but why risk putting your baby in danger. Instead, consider these options to keep him/her soft and smiling.

From the plethora of available organic products, I especially like those made just for babies. I recommend Little Twig, a company specializing in organic baby care products.

A favorite among greenie parents is the Little Twig Organic Unscented Baby Powder. Little Twig’s popular powder keeps little bums fresh and dry with a gentle, all-natural, talc-free formula. Rather than harsh chemical agents, this powder is composed of organic cornstarch and green clay to gently absorb moisture, while a soft blend of lavender, chamomile and tea tree oil gently calm the skin.

Another favorite from Little Twig is the Organic Lavender Body Wash. Lavender is best known for its natural healing and soothing properties. Ancient cultures have long used Lavender to pacify the skin, treat burns, and induce sleep. Bathe babies in Little Twigs Organic Lavender Body wash and they’ll be trouble free . . . not all night, but at least until they get hungry at 4 in the morning.

If tracking down a check-list of baby care products sounds like a headache then consider a-one-stop-shop with Little Twig’s convenient baby travel bag. The carrier includes sample sizes of four baby care essentials (soothing diaper cream, baby powder, the most gentle soap, and pure moisturizer). The reusable pouch also includes an adorable Lady Bug bath mitt. This is a great gift for new parents or parents on the go.

At the infant stage of life, “play time” is better known as, “let-me-lie-here-like-a-log-while-you-entertain-me-time.” Infants don’t do much but sleep, eat, and . . . well . . . you know. The small amount of time they are conscious enough to play should be filled with only the best in engaging, yet natural, toys.

As I’m sure you’re well aware, just about every toy and other appealing object somehow ends up in a baby’s mouth. Little teethers love to gnaw. Soft plastic and vinyl toys are a delicious treat for any tyke–especially when smothered in harmful toxins like phthalates and PVC. Persistent toy chewing and gnawing can cause the toxins to end up in your little one’s blood stream and eventually their liver, kidneys, lungs and budding reproductive system.

Keep baby healthy and entertained with these toxin-free eco-entertainment tools:
This mischievous cat looks like he just pulled a shenanigan on some unsuspecting Dodo. Made with 100% cotton and filled with pure wool this little mischief-maker comes from Lana Organic. Lana Organic controls the process from the cotton fields to the home workers who sew these adorable creatures, so that you can have confidence in the quality and the earth-friendly organic certification of these products.

Get them loving organic from the beginning . . . no it’s not brainwashing. This cuter-than-cute veggie crate includes an anthropomorphic carrot, mushroom, green bean and tomato. Made by Under the Nile, an organic baby clothes, diaper, bedding, and toy Co., these veggies are guaranteed safe, pesticide-free, and colorful from low-impact dyes. All Under the Nile products are produced on a farmers’ cooperative in Egypt therefore supporting organic farming and fair trade.

Just because it’s organic doesn’t mean it can’t be plush. Check out Miyim’s collection of plush organic toys. My favorite is this floppy little bunny rabbit. Miyim believes in keeping cotton in its natural form—untreated, unbleached, and unprocessed. It is then dyed using minerals and plant extracts.

Take a good look around your office, the beach, the supermarket . . . what do you notice? EVERYONE is pregnant! Well maybe not “everyone,” but it sure seems like it. My cousin, my friend Katrina, my best friend’s boss, and even my hairdresser is expecting—and you know what that means . . . yes you guessed it, “tis the season” for baby showers!

Finding the right baby gift can be tricky, especially if the expecting parents are going the green-baby route. But don’t start to cry just yet. I’m here to give you pointers and coach you through with a, “green guide to baby gifts.” Ok, I’ll admit I’ve never had a baby and I don’t plan to have one just yet, but I am buying a lot of baby gifts these days and I do know a thing or two about organic cotton, natural care products and nappies . . . yes, I’ve changed a few. Over the next few days I will cover the options available in natural toys, swaddling blankets, clothing, skincare, and anything else an eco-conscious newborn might need.

For those of you not buying for an e-conscious couple, it is still a good idea to give a “green” baby gift. Not only is organic better for the environment, but it’s also better for any baby. Toxins that have a mild effect on most adults can have a far stronger impact on infants and children. The smaller bodies and innocent immune systems of young humans are simply not as ready, willing, and able to cope. Therefore organic choices are better choices for any little one.

Stay tuned for Thursday when I’ll outline the different organic toys any baby (green, pink, yellow, magenta . . . whatever) will love.

Excuse me for not spreading the good news sooner, but I just now stumbled upon this eco-tidbit. Did you know that it is now illegal to purchase non-Energy-Star-certified office equipment in Europe?

A little over two weeks ago, The European Union’s Parliament voted, “all public-sector purchasers of office equipment in Europe are in future obliged to buy brands that carry the Energy Star logo.” Yay (insert explosion of applause from European environmentalists here) hoorah! What this fantastic decree is really saying is quite simple . . . from now on all offices, organizations, schools, hospitals, museums etc. receiving public funding from the European Union are banned from squandering on energy-embezzling electronic equipment. Instead, municipal entities are required to support the progressive energy industry and only purchase energy-preserving equipment.

Such a law will have E.U. institutions doing their back to school shopping with our favorite source for energy efficiency: ENERGY STAR. To refresh your memory, ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Department of Energy. The program identifies and promotes energy efficient products through the use of the ENERGY STAR certification—confirmed by the familiar blue ENERGY STAR label (see below). If a product is deemed by the above organizations as “efficient” while maintaining or improving performance compared to its competitors, it is awarded the blue ENERGY STAR logo and listed on the ENERGY STAR list of energy-conserving products.

The Energy Star program is designed to make the public aware of how much energy is consumed by everyday household and office products. The program aims to educate the public on how they can save money and help the environment simply by choosing one appliance over another. Energy Star products may cost the same as or slightly more than those that don’t qualify for the label–but they cost less to use. Efficient products can reduce energy use by 30 to 50 percent.

The European Union’s new policy is part of their ambitious energy strategy established this January. The plan requires all EU member states to reduce CO2 emissions 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. Yes, an ambitious goal, but with laws like this one they are on their way.

This morning, puffy-eyed and groggy, I opened the New York Times to the following headline, “IF you are reading this anytime after dawn on Wednesday, you are probably too late to make a fashion statement and simultaneously keep the world safe from plastic bags.”

“SHOOT!” I said aloud and now wide awake. I had missed it . . .

At 8 this morning, 15 New York City Whole Foods stores opened their doors to a stampede of anxious fashionistas, environmentalists, and environmentalistas (my made up word for the environmentally conscious yet admirably chic; I aspire to be one). The mob had been waiting for hours to get their hands on . . . a canvas bag? Of course, the natural food distributor was selling the uber-trendy and much coveted $15 cotton bags by Anya Hindmarch that read, “I’m not a plastic bag.”

Avoiding the use of plastic bags even in the name of frivolous fashion is a great idea. According to the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research and advocacy group in Washington DC, Americans throw away 100 billion plastic bags a year, recycling less than 1 percent of them. Made from polyethylene, a depleting petroleum resource, the bags can take anywhere from 500-1000 years to disintegrate. While waiting around to biodegrade, the bags cause all sorts of problems from overcrowding landfill to entangling phone lines to snaring and suffocating animals.

For those of us that missed out on one of Anya’s coveted bags this morning, there are still plenty of great eco-totes to choose from. Check out the new Tripple Five Soul Recycled Shopper Bag . . . it’s pretty cute with a camo-pattern and comfortable straps.

Wine Tasting and friends in Santorini. Photo courtesy of Anne Volk.

Over a candlelit dinner at New York’s finest five-star, I had the good fortune of ordering a rare Barolo from the highly regarded 2001 vintage . . . just kidding! I’m no wine connoisseur ordering fancy bottles, but I do love myself a good glass of organic wine.

There are several organic wines worth celebrating. Lately I have enjoyed Frey’s Organic Cabernet Sauvignon: a 2005 aged on French Oak (whatever that means, but it sounds nice), with black cherry notes, and the slightest suggestion of mint. Lacking tannins (what true wine drinkers call the sharp bite that hits you in the back of your jaw), Frey’s Cabernet is so “approachable and easy,” that it recently won a bronze metal at the International Eastern Wine Competition.

Best of all, Frey’s Organic Cabernet is a sulfite-free blend of Cabernet grapes from Redwood Valley and Ukiah, California. In other words, the wine is local and as we all know local and organic are a match made in eco-heaven.

Pair Frey’s Cabernet with organic cheese for an experience in green decadence.

My beautiful friend Anne and her boyfriend Andrew. Andrew is a respected food critic and wine connoisseur.
Photo courtesy of Anne Volk.

As if I wasn’t spoiling Bugsley enough . . . but I simply can’t resist these adorable Bark Bars. What an ingenious business proposal: natural gourmet candy bars for your treehugging pooch. Brilliant! Problem is they make me think of my favorite treats . . . mmmmmm Crunch bars . . . chocolate . . .

Bark Bars are the creation of celebrated chef and top graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Mitch Ross. While attending CIA, Mitch majored in nutrition and went on to start a catering business in Pompano Beach, Florida. Working with only the best in natural ingredients, Mitch quickly realized that his dog, Noodles, deserved pure food too. Thus was born Bark Bars.

Soon, all of Noodles’ friends were begging for Noodle’s newest natural treat. The Bark Bars were so popular, Mitch had little choice but to launch American Health Kennels Inc. and make the Bark Bars available to a larger four-legged audience. Today, the company is a leader in the rapidly growing natural pet-food niche.

Though treats come in tangy flavors ranging from Beef Burger Deluxe to Honey and Oats, American Health Kennels Inc. does not use any animal by-products, artificial flavoring, added salt, food colors or chemical preservatives. In fact, American Health Kennels Inc. is so obsessed with being chemical-free, that Mitch insists all ingredients come exclusively from trust-worthy sources in the USA, making Bark Bars “local,” and scoring big-green points in my book!

This past March, a record number of dogs and cats died of intoxication. No . . . house pets weren’t lapping up leftovers from St. Patrick’s Day and Mardis Gras. Rather, Buddy and Mittens were the innocent victims of toxic pet food that caused seizures, kidney failure, and eventually death. At the end of March, The FDA confirmed 76 American dogs and cats had died due to contaminated pet food containing traces of Cyanuric Acid and Melamine—a harsh chemical found in plastics and pesticides.

With dogs and cats dropping like flies, many concerned pet owners are making the effort to feed Spot and Whiskers only the best in organic kibble. Now the organic pet food industry is booming! According to MSNBC’s recent investigation into this latest chow trend, the organic pet market is exploding–growing three times faster than the conventional (ahem . . . lethal) pet food industry.

As mentioned in my recent organic cotton post, organic products are better for the environment because their agricultural and manufacturing processes avoid toxic chemicals and synthetic pesticides. These unnecessary additives can pollute and disrupt ecosystems, while also affecting your health and even Fido’s.

The popularity of natural pet food is therefore great news for humans, animals, organic farmers, suppliers, and the planet . . . YAY! My little friend Bugsley (pictured above) is benefiting big time. According to organic food expert Laura Lynn Klein, Bugsley will profit from better digestion, a stronger immune system, and a healthier weight (Bugsley has been getting a little portly). Most of all, I am confident that the food she’s getting is safe—not poisonous. Phewwww now I can relax and know she’s just playing dead . . . not . . . well forget it . . . very bad joke.

Almost all electrical appliances use some electrical power even when the appliance is not in use. The United States Department of Energy estimates that 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the devices are turned off. Seventy-five percent! Yikes . . . that’s a huge percent we can easily prevent! Such a useless use of energy is a hit and run on the planet, but assault and battery on your wallet.

For good reason number three on the Live Earth pledge is:

1. Change four light bulbs to compact fluorescents (CFLs).
2. Shop for the most energy efficient electronics and appliances possible.
3. Shut off energy and lights when not using them.
4. Ride public transit or carpool one of more times per week.

It’s easy to shut off your lights when you leave the room, but unplugging and replugging all ___(insert large number here) of your electronic devices is a nuisance. If you want to get your exercise shuffling around unplugging every alarm clock, charger, TV, VCR, and cable box then be my guest. But I make it easier on myself by plugging neighboring electronics into a surge protector.

A surge protector/power strip with an on/off mechanism makes turning off my electronics just as easy as turning off my lights. When I leave for the day I just give the on/off switch a tap with my foot and it’s all good.