I love a funky, unique, and greener business concept so when I was introduced to the Ecocessories jewelry line and the designer Jessica – I couldn’t wait to write about this awesome company that recycles jewelry. And with Valentines Day on the near horizon and everyone wanting to show their love and devotion with a more eco-friendly message this year, the timing is perfect.

An amazing aspect that owner Jessica has included in her business model is recycling jewelry and then passing savings onto her customers. Who doesn’t have some mis-matched single earrings, broken necklaces, or dated costume jewelry cluttering up their jewelry box? You mail it to Jessica and will receive 15% off a future order. And when you take a peek at her one-of-a-kind creations, you’ll be loving the savings and feeling great that 100% of your old jewelry’s components will be recycled into a new design.  Take a peek at these Valentine pieces any only one word comes to mind… “Swoon”!

I asked Jessica why so many moms, brides, and everyday women would want to purchase jewelry directly from a designer. I loved her answer and wanted to share. “A designer has paid the highest attention to detail in your jewelry design. A designer goes to great lengths to provide a high quality item, and will often stand behind that craftsmanship such as with Ecocessories lifetime guarantee. A designer has a low environmental impact and the products are created in favourable and fair working conditions. Designers are transparent about the creation of their items and the story behind a piece is part of its charm! We also deliver superior customer service with customization services available and adjustments to existing pieces if need be. Most of all, we care – about our products, our processes, and our customers!”

Jessica’s designs are made from sterling silver that is free from harmful metals and of the highest quality. Chemical-free alternatives in her silversmithing processes keep her designs not only lovely, but environmentally safe both in production and design. Working with a designer is the best-case scenario for those that love unique and one-of-a-kind pieces.  Jessica loves asymmetrical design and calls on her collection of recycled beads to assist in her inspiration, along with seasons and what is inspiring with fashion.

I personally am drawn to jewelry that represents interests or a story in people’s lives. What a magical concept to wear a piece of jewelry that not only tells a great story but also includes an earthy element. The Ecocessories online store and the ocean and Cypress jewelry collections really had me at first glance.  In my opinion, Jessica’s real specialty is her nature inspired designs that are artistically interpreted long before she starts to hand-forge shapes, signature clasps, and silver.

The above pieces are currently available on her site and are one-of-a-kind. They are named Antique Ocean Oval Pendant, Antique Ocean Circle Earrings, and Cypress Street Organic Bracelet. With names like that I wanted to hear the story behind the Cypress line. With many of you knowing that my beautiful Province of BC is hosting the Winter Olympics next month I thought the inspiration behind the Cypress piece would be fun to share explained by Jessica.”This line was inspired by many afternoons carving down the slopes of Mount Cypress in West Vancouver. I remember the first time driving up there, the road was lined with such vivid blues and greens. Then when we were almost at the peak, everything turned white as soon as we turned a corner. It was the most awe-inspiring moment, almost like the trees had been sprayed with whipped cream. I’ll never get over the amount of life and colour the forest and the mountains contain here in BC and often like to reflect that in my designs.

Have you already fallen in love with a piece and are nervous about the cost?  Go to the Ecocessories site and fall in love because they are affordable and offer a rich history with a wonderful eco-story standing behind each piece. Jessica is also offering Mommy Footprint readers a 10% discount on any Ecocessories order. Simply type MommyFootprint during step 2 of the online shopping cart after entering your address. Or just be direct and let’s call it ‘helpful’ and forward the Ecocessories link to you partner and make his Valentines shopping easy this year.

I’ve learned a lot from the Z Recommends watchdog group (a concerned mom and dad) that started the website Zrecs a few years ago.  As far back as September 2008, they were reporting about sores on the back’s of children that resembled minor chemical burns. What were these sores being caused by?  Tagless labels in infant clothing seemed to be the culprit and the companies receiving internet buzz for having this problem included Carters, Circo and Gerber. What ink is making these tagless labels? Plastisol type and solventborne polyurethane. One contains PVC and phthalates, the other contains small levels of formaldehyde in the urethane. Okay – now fast forward to Nov 28th 2009.. . Zrecs and the Center for Environmental Health search nation wide for onesies sold at Target stores (brand name Circo) to be tested because a onesie (picture here) tested three times the legal limit for lead content.  Was it only this one isolated onesie – no!  Zrecs asked it’s thousands of readers to send in any of the Circo ‘green baby’ onesies and all 30+ tested the same ~ having over 1,000 ppm lead content.

Some of you might think this is mass hysteria, but people, chemical burn-type rashes from a tagless label printed with chemical ink on baby clothes. A store like Target that sells millions of products and this was a Target-branded onesie.  To me, it just reconfirms so many things. The big names do not have a trusted track-record with our children.  Advocacy groups, blogs, and websites had to be created to bring awareness to the fact so many household items are dangerous to children. If you want more information on the onesie sold at Target, read the full article on the Zrecs site. They have a picture of the garment and at this time, it’s the only Target item to be concerned with.  But when the opportunity presents itself to purchase more trustworthy and sustainable products – remember this article. I cannot believe the measures parents need to arm themselves with before purchasing clothes, toys, household items for their family! It’s why with the huge sales happening around American Thanksgiving and post-Christmas – I truly worry that stores are dumping toxic product at reduced rates because they are so cheap to begin with or a potential recall is about to happen.

I must admit, I felt like a wet blanket writing my article on Black Friday talking about being aware of discounted items and asking if we really need massive amounts of ’stuff’.  It would have been so much more fun to talk about the great sales that were happening here, there, and everywhere! I swear by my theory that before a major recall happens from a company, you’ll find the product or brand discounted for months at stores that are known for amazing prices (Winners, etc.).  Shopping for children’s products in this fashion is just not any good for their health.  Many of you know I’ve been battling this Christmas with things to buy my children. Going shopping and buying lots of ’stuff’ is fun, but I’m staying as true as I can to the course of sourcing toys from sustainable stores, handmade items from local artisans, and it just feels better. I can’t wait to share some of my great finds…but for now I just want to thank sites like Zrecs for helping me sleep a little easier at night because I haven’t yet got my degree as an environmental engineer (which btw – seems to be a qualification these days to being a parent).   =)

Related articles:

Polyester PJs and Flame Retardants

PVC & Christmas Toys

Little Inkers – Growing PVC & Phthalate Free Kids

A debate that has bothered me for years is about to come to an end with this article. I’ve always been turned off by polyester PJs for my kids. It’s something my mom always re-enforced with using cotton at bedtime, but it’s always bothered me and now I know why. It’s not the fact that polyester PJs don’t breath well or provide the same level of softness that cotton or bamboo material does. It’s the fact that polyester sleepwear is infused with ‘natural’ flame retardants – bonded right into the fabric. So a company can state that their sleepwear doesn’t contain flame retardants (they have been banned since the late 70’s because they were found to be so carcinogenic) but since polyester is ‘naturally’ fire resistant, this labeling doesn’t need to be added to the tag.

Confused?  Don’t know anything about flame retardants?  They aren’t something we are not familiar with as parents today, because the year I was born (1973) the US Department of Commerce declared mandatory fire-resistance standards for kid’s sleepwear.  So flame retardants were brushed onto children’s PJs, chemically treating them (without any testing) and were later found to be a mutagen and a carcinogen. How potent was this ‘coating’ of flame retardants?  The National Cancer Institute testing Tris-BP showed that it was one hundred times more powerful than the carcinogens in cigarette smoke. (!!)  Four years later this chemical was banned from children’s products which is pretty quick turn-around time for a ban proving just how dangerous Tris-PB (type of flame retardant) was.  

So after absorbing all this information from the chapter in Slow Death By Rubber Duck I felt quite safe that the problem of the government sticking flame retardants in children’s sleepwear is an issue I don’t have to concern myself with.  Only something Rick mentioned in the chapter has been bugging me for months since I read it ~ the fact that polyester has naturally ‘built in’ flame retardants and because of this is a popular fabric choice for large manufacturers of sleepwear.  I’m in no way suggesting that the flame retardants that are found ‘naturally’ in polyester are as dangerous as the ones that were banned in the 70’s, but the author of Slow Death By Rubber Duck tried to get answers from one of the largest kid’s sleepwear retailers (Carters) asking what type of flame retardants are mixed into the polyester they use and couldn’t get his question answered.  If one of the leading Environmentalists in Canada couldn’t get answers – I won’t even attempt. And rather than frustrate myself with trying to investigate further, I’m opting to remove any sleepwear from my kids PJ drawer that are made from polyester. And this isn’t a slag on Carters – every big name that produces sleepwear for children uses either polyester or cotton.

Your children spend close to 10-12 hours a night sleeping in their PJs – that is the longest stretch of time they spend in clothing throughout the day. I went through my boy’s PJs drawer this weekend and couldn’t believe how many PJs were 100% polyester.  Before you think this doesn’t apply to you…go check. You’ll be surprised at how many soft fabrics are actually polyester – not cotton. I’ve removed the polyester PJs from my sons’ PJ drawer and with Christmas on the near horizon – a new item on everyone’s Santa list will be either 100% cotton or bamboo PJs.  And while we are talking about it – watch for decals, plastic, sparkles, etc. that are decorating your child’s sleepwear….these appliques are made from PVC. This is the ‘poison plastic’ that has no business being near your child while they are sleeping.  I know the Superman and Disney Cars decals are fun on PJs but really, night-time sleepwear is the perfect place to reduce toxic materials.  The sand man is easily impressed and children don’t have any pressure to wear commercialism laced products to bed.

Related Articles:

Little Inkers – Growing PVC & Phthalate Free Kids

Toxic Experiment With Everyday Products ~ Slow Death By Rubber Duck

PVC Items In Your Every-Day Life

PVC Plastic ~ The Poison Plastic In Your Home

I’ve recently discovered a company that seemed to connect lots of little dots similar to my own journey of trying to reduce the amount of PVC and Phthalates that surround my family.  That unique company is called Little Inkers Alternative Naturals and they are so much more than a company that makes t-shirts ~ although they have managed to produce some of the most adorable t-shirts ever (!).  Little Inkers concept is so much deeper and the founder Airiane has shared similar light bulb moments that have launched her to produce amazing and sustainable clothing.

Little Inkers founder Airiane was a mom doing everything right; proud supporter of breast feeding, making organic baby food, avoiding painted toys because of lead, plastics, so when her son was born with vanishing testicle syndrome she began to research what could have caused this.  After watching the CBC documentary The Disappearing Male, she was dismayed to think his exposure to PVC and Phthalates could have attributed to this syndrome. What could have caused her son to have exposure to these chemicals/types of plastic that is known to cause testicular problems?  Inks.  Airiane’s partner had been working in production print shops using a type of ink called Plastisol ink for years.  After watching The Disappearing Male and spending countless hours researching male genital birth defects, the founder of Little Inkers was led to believe there’s a link between her partner printing with the Plastisol inks containing PVC/Phthalates and her son’s birth defects.  Read more of Airiane’s story via her blog.

Have you ever thought about PVC and Phthalates existing in our clothing?  In your children’s clothing?  I certainly hadn’t so I find the Little Inkers concept, mission, and final product very inspiring. They make their garments from sustainable fibers (bamboo, organic cotton, and soon to arrive ~ hemp) and each piece is hand printed using inks free from PVC and Phthalates.  This conception and story of this company is inspiring – but the  finished product can only be described as cool!  Check out a few of my favorite designs. The tree lungs print is awesome and a cool way to make a statement for kids of any age – adults included!

Little Inkers has recently moved to manufacturing their own garments in Canada and hand prints them in their own custom screen-printing company called Greenprint Studio.  Their Greenprint company only prints with inks that are free from PVC and Phthalates as well as soy and orange oil processing products.  The evolution of the children’s line Little Inkers Alternative Naturals fills a niche in the infant and children’s market by offering natural clothing printed with cute slogans promoting breastfeeding, attachment parenting, homeschooling, gay parenting, and political awareness. 

I really appreciate the time Airiane spent with back and forth emails sharing how you can find out if the clothes your purchase for your children contain PVC or phthalates.  First you can ask questions and although it’s a very frustrating undertaking to ask the clerk at Zellers, Walmart, GAP, Old Navy, etc. if their clothing (or any merchandise) is free of PVC and phthalates ~ it is important.  From my experience of never having a clerk able to answer my questions about stainless steel quality with water bottles in these stores ~ I can tell you that employees are simply not given this level of information. I’m sure the president of these stores cannot answer these questions! So what are some other clues to look for?  Price is a big one because safer dyes and inks cost more for printing and we know that bamboo and organic textiles are more expensive. Plastic patches or appliques, sparkle decals, and team numbers, etc. can often contain PVC and phthalates.  Where is the clothing made?  If it’s produced in Europe their laws about PVC and phthalates are much more strict than other countries so this is a good sign. I know I’ve given more than one employee a very large headache when leaving their store, but the more customers asking these questions, more will filter to store managers and owners.  If the public starts demanding safer products for our children that is PVC and Phthalate free, supply and demand will increase, inevitably driving every-one’s cost down.

I am very excited to have found Little Inkers and am inspired by their personal journey that has evolved into this special company. Finding their store has given me more knowledge and forced me to think (again!) about things that are touching my children. Since first looking at their site a few months ago, I’ve stopped dressing my kids in clothes and shoes that have plastic appliques, thinking about what is on their clothes and touching their skin.  I will start asking more questions and demanding more from the stores I frequent. I will also continue to feel good about my choices to not buy cheaply made clothing and think more about how and where it’s being manufactured and produced. Purchasing special items that have been so thoroughly researched and created deserves my business and I appreciate the research and emotion behind the Little Inkers brand. If you are interested in purchasing a onsie in the Little Inkers designs you can visit Grass Roots online or for t-shirts, yoga pant inquires of any size or design, simply contact the Little Inkers site and find out how to order.

Related Articles: Phthalates & BPA Chemicals ~ The Disappearing Male Documentary

Part II ~ The Disappearing Male Documentary

I’m writing this post June 1st and with the sunburn on my back (more on that in next post) I’m welcoming the beautiful sunny weather on the West Coast.  To celebrate our jump into summer, I can’t think of anything cuter in Eco apparel than a vintage and truly unique Baby Bean dress.  Picture courtesy of Baby Bean Vintage Daywear site:

Baby Bean Vintage Daywear was created by Christine Visneau and is based out of Texas (cool – made in the USA!), sewn with a team of local stay home moms. Each piece is unique, crafted with vintage fabrics, making this clothing line truly one-of-a-kind and classic! My favorite style is the Beverly Bib Halter Dress, made with organic blue cotton, vintage fabric in the bib, with drawstring around the neck.  She has truly created the perfect summer sundress for little girls ages 6 months to 6 years old.

This picture is worth a thousand words and just leaves me wondering “what time is the beach party?”