I’ve worn Patagonia clothing for as long as I can remember. It was my childhood uniform. If I wasn’t splashing about in a Patagonia patterned bathing suits, I was sporting a Patagonia signature fleece over a cozy pair of capilene long johns.

When I turned nine, my mother gave me a pink reversible jacket— microdenier fleece on one side and a wind- and rain-resistant shell on the other. I was smitten, feeling like the coolest kid on the block. Once a rebellious teenager, I went for the edgier blue Patagonia Synchilla zip-up. Synchilla—may I remind you—is a synthetic furry material made from recycled plastic bottle caps. I must have looked like Elmo!

These days, I’m getting excited for Patagonia’s new line of spring dresses. Stylish, form fitting and flattering, these dresses are available a wide range of colors and styles. The best part of Patagonia’s spring dresses is that most are made from eco-materials like organic cotton and hemp. Check out the full selection here.

 Patagonia’s Kombu Dress is made from organic cotton. 

Most gardens need more water than is provided through normal rainfall. Usually we must turn on an outside faucet and hook up the hose to provide our array of plants with the water they need. Rather than run up your water bill and draw from your community water supplies—often exhausted over dry spring and summer months—why not recycle?

Recycling water sounds strange, but it actually makes sense. Consider all the rainwater that runs off your roof and straight into the gutter. Collect this water instead in a large barrel and then use it to water the plants.

A barrel like the one from Green and More is ideal for the average home. It holds 60 gallons and comes with an overflow fitting, drain plug, screw on cover, and threaded spigot. Available in a variety of colors, these barrels are especially great because they’re repurposed. Originally used to import olives from Spain, Green and More barrels gain new life by becoming rain barrels.

Watering lawns accounts for an incredible 40 to 60 percent of residential water consumption during the summer months, making lawn maintenance not only a chore but also a drain on the pocketbook and water supply.

The addition of patios, decks, or flower beds also serve to diminish water use by replacing thirsty lawn that needs watering. Or don’t even have a lawn . . . according to Gardeners magazine, trees and shrubs grow better when the soil over their roots is covered with a mulch or ground cover rather than grass. Manicured grass competes for nutrients and water, and passing lawn mowers can injure stems and trunks.

 A Dual-Trel Composter.

Any beautiful garden starts with lush, moist soil. Contrary to common conviction, however, fertility doesn’t come in a 30 pound bag from your local Wal-Mart.

With the help of a little compost, rich soil can come straight from the your backyard. Roughly one third of all waste dumped in landfills across the United States consists of garden clippings and kitchen waste. This “waste” is loaded with good nutrients—good nutrients that could enrich your soil while dramatically reducing your landfill load.

The concept is simple. In basic terms, compost is essentially result of the natural process of hundreds of different organisms (including bacteria, fungi, worms, and insects) breaking organic material down to smaller organic material. It’s decomposition at it’s finest.

To compost, just collect your food and yard scraps in a compost bin. Turn, water occasionally and let sit until it naturally decomposes into . . . tada—compost a rich, earthy substance to mix with your soil.

If you’re not ready to take on your own compost, consider finding your area’s local compost drop off spot. Many towns and cities across the US are offering programs to take yard clipping “donations” for municipal compost piles. These communal piles then that provide soil for local parks. Look up your region’s parks department for more details.

Today, March 20th, marks the spring equinox or the very first day of spring. For many gardeners, however, it seems that spring has already sprung. Warmer temperatures, longer days and the occasional sighting of a beautiful butterfly say the growing season is upon us.

Birds, butterflies and sweet spring things—ahh all sounds wonderful, right? Well, maybe not? Scientists are concerned this year’s early signs of spring are more than just a pretty coincidence. According to the National Gardening Association, scientists working in a joint study from sites across Europe and North America have spent the last 50 years tracking the leafing and blooming timelines of native plant life. Their findings, dating back to 1955, prove that many plants are flowering days if not weeks earlier than they did 50 years ago.

It’s no surprise that many animals are responding to the phenomenon. Just a few slight adjustments in an eco-system can lead to an overwhelming snowball of changes. In this case, early budding changes the animal activities—foraging, waking from hibernation, preparation for mating—associated with the arrival of spring.

Given the concrete evidence of higher temperatures and the effects it has on growing periods and ecosystems in general, gardeners are gaining an even stronger concern for the changes in climate patterns. Now, more than ever, gardeners are realizing the importance of keeping the environment in mind. Consider joining their efforts to garden responsibly as you purchase environmentally responsible products for your garden this spring.

A duck swimming through an algal bloom. Photo courtesy of waterencyclopedia.com.

Conventional pesticides and strong fertilizers can lead to a plethora of problems in your plot.

Conventional fertilizer is made mainly from phosphorus, a natural element already found in most soils. Though phosphorous is natural and already in soil, adding additional phosphorus to soil is usually unnecessary and sometimes even harmful to the environment. In many cases, people put far too much fertilizer on their lawns. The excess phosphorous the disrupts their garden’s natural ecosystem balance. Causing certain plants to swell and dominate unnaturally—think plants on steroids.

Phosphate buildup can cause quite a nuisance in local water systems. Surplus phosphorous from conventional fertilizer can enter your garden’s groundwater stream, flowing through to local water bodies such as ponds, lagoons and lakes. Once saturated with displaced nutrients, these water pools can develop algal blooms–an explosive overgrowth of algae. In lakes, for example, one pound of extra phosphorus can create 300-700 pounds of nuisance algae. These algae blooms are not only unsightly, but worse, they’re often hazardous to the health of native fish and birds. They block sunlight from entering the water, thus preventing indigenous water plants from growing.

To make matters worse, consider how stinky algae can get. And your poor pond will look like it got slimed at Nickelodeon Studios. In sum, it all would make for a rather unpleasant swimming experience.

Given the above, responsible use of lawn and gardening products is important. Make sure you know what you’re doing. If you need to use fertilizer make sure it’s just the right amount and go for the organic alternatives.

Organic lawn care compared to contemporary intensive lawn care is much healthier for the yard the environment and in many cases your family. There are plenty of organic fertilizer options to choose from including a variety of organic foliar and soil fertilizers such as those made from fish, seaweed, or, quite simply, certifiably organic manure. In addition to organic fertilizers, natural soil supplements are also growing in popularity. Plant-Tone 5-3-3 is ideal for outdoor soil (it provides a light dose of enrichment that won’t disturb a garden’s natural balance), while container plants, window boxes will do better with something made specifically for the great indoors. Scotts Organic Choice Potting Soil is a popular choice.

As stronger environmental consciousness grows amongst gardeners so too do great natural products. Now, more than ever, the gardening market is offering natural alternatives to conventional and often harmful backyard beautifiers.

Take pest control, for example. It’s tough to have a beautiful garden if pesky pests are chewing up your plants. Many a frustrated gardener of late has turned to the toxic repellent, aerosol or snare. Yet, greener sentiments have urged us to deal in a humane manner. Green-thumbed gardeners are now showing greater compassion when it comes to critters. Rather than exterminating and annihilating species with toxic bug sprays and insect repellents, many gardeners are choosing to keep pests at bay with natural animal repellents.

Squirrel Scoot, for example, is a non-toxic spray that uses light natural ingredients to deter rather than damage (or worse, kill) pestering squirrels. Liquid Fence will dissuade, but won’t hurt nibbling dears. While, Bonide Snake Stopper discourages disgusting reptiles.  For a complete list of repellants that will allow you to coexist rather than obliterate click here.

For many, if not most gardeners, concern for the environment comes naturally. Traditional garden supplies (harsh pesticides, chemical weed whackers and splattering sprinkler systems) however, can be harmful to the environment. In many cases they can even be harmful to gardens, gardeners and family members—especially small children and four-legged ones.

As awareness of the environmental harm of conventional agro chemicals grows, however, so too does the assortment of natural garden tools and products. Many mainstream gardening companies (Mantis, Scotts, P3 International) now offer natural and environmentally responsible alternatives to the traditional gardening staples.

Over the next week, I’ll be running a full report on the recent trend and the latest and greatest in environmentally responsible garden products. Check in for tips and great products sure to make your garden is green.

Rather than giving your baby a big clunky stuffed animal, give him or her something small and manageable. This little Carrot Teether from Under the Nile is just too funny. Perfectly festive for Easter, it’s also great if your baby’s pesky first teeth are coming in.

Not all teething toys, however, are safe for little mouths. Soft plastic and vinyl baby toys can contain harmful toxins and chemical compounds, such as PVC and phthalates esters. Persistent toy chewing and gnawing can cause the toxins to end up in an infant’s blood stream and eventually their liver, kidneys, lungs and budding reproductive system.

Considering babies love to teethe—everything from toys to toes end up in a baby’s mouth—why not give them something safe to gnaw on? Best of all, your baby will feel part of the festivities with this little carrot in it’s mouth.

Following yesterday’s post, here are some fantastic Easter basket stuffers. Whether you pick out a big furry bunny or a brightly colored chick, your child will absolutely love one of these stuffed animals.

No more counting sheep at night. The Little Baby Lamb in Organic Cotton By Kathe Kruse will help any child sleep like a lamb.

Don’t give a real bunny this Easter. Under the Nile’s stuffed bunny is a much better choice.

The Grabbing Duck Toy By Kathe Kruse is too cute for words.
Organic Cotton stuffed animals make especially great Easter basket stuffers because they take up a good chunk of basket space, therefore displacing a mound of teeth-rotting confections. Unlike chocolate, peeps, lollipops, pecan nougat, jellybeans, and Smucker’s Puckers, the stuffed animal does not cause cavities.

Best of all, a furry stuffed animal won’t support the mainstream conventional candy industry, which has been proven to be supportive of environmental destruction and inhumane child labor.

Need to make an Easter basket for your kids? Of course that’s the Easter Bunny’s job, but you can always lend him a hand. If you’re pitching in this year, remember that an adorable organic cotton stuffed animal will take up a good chunk of space, leaving less room for those teeth-rotting Easter confections.

In addition to being terrible for your children’s teeth, conventional sweets can be harmful to the environment. Worse, candy production is often harmful to other small children.

Take chocolate for example. As I’ve said before, chocolate like coffee, comes from the cocoa bean, a crop harvested in some of the most economically disadvantaged regions of the world. Many of these regions lack sound environmental policy and proper industry laws that protect against child labor. According to New York Times reporter Sharon LaFreniere that the majority of the world’s chocolate supply is produced on Africa’s Ivory Coast, where it is largely harvested by child slaves, some even as young as six.

This Easter, of course shower your children some sweeties (fair trade and organic of course), but fill some room in the Easter basket with an organic cotton stuffed animal instead. There are plenty to choose from. More to come on the different ones next post.

This little Bunny Rabbit from Kathe Kruse makes the perfect basket stuffer.