Best eco-friendly cardboard playhouses for Chicago kids (Examiner.com)
Many decorate-them-yourself large cardboard playhouses are available for kids who would like an eco-friendly, recyclable play space. Here are some of the best!

New crop of Earth Day books inspire, empower kids (Reflector.com)
With save-the-planet buzz filling up their worlds, kids have a fresh crop of books that break down eco-issues into bite-size vocabulary lessons, simple reuse and recycle projects and easy ways to get inspired.

Non-Toxic Crayon Stones for Your Little Artist (Inhabitots.com)
If your Easter festivities left you with visions of jelly beans dancing in your head, you can carry on the celebration with these candy lookalike and colorful kid-friendly crayon stones.

Roundup: Wood Walkers (ohdeedoh.com)
We’ve saved you some research and legwork if your child is also having dreams of walking with this roundup of ten wood walkers.

Kellie Martin (Hallmark’s Mystery Woman) and daughter Maggie prepare to get their hands dirty at a tree planting sponsored by L.A.-based TreePeople in Coldwater Canyon Park. The event was the fulfillment of a promise made by Lezza Gibbons to offset the carbon footprint of guests at her annual Oscar dinner and viewing party “A Night to Make a Difference.” More pics available over on Ecorazzi!

Soleil Moon Frye — aka, the former Punky Brewster — has taken her “The Little Seed” eco-friendly shop and hooked up with giant Amazon.com! This will surely expose her range of eco-friendly baby products to an even larger audience and we’re psyched to see it happen. Here’s a bit of how the venture for The Little Seed came to be. From the website,

“After spending months on the web researching and buying non-toxic and organic products that wouldn’t irritate our babies’ skin, we realized that the search to find these items was shockingly difficult” says Paige Goldberg Tolmach, who also co-founded Swoon Candles. Adds Soleil Moon Frye, actor/writer/director: “ We wanted to create a physical space – and an accompanying website – where parents had the option to purchase stylish organic and eco products exclusively.”

Want to check out The Little Seed On Amazon.com? Jump here to review the full collection.

Flush with new seed funding, the popular Babylife brand has also undergone a name change to Lifefactory (which is a bit too industrial for us, but c’est la vie.). Alarm:Clock broke the news that the company raised $750K in additional funding — something that in this economy means good news for the green baby industry. Apparently, the company plans to diversify their current lineup beyond their bottle offerings — with an eye on products that are “are based on organic materials.”

I have one of Lifefactory’s “silicon sleeve” bottles at home and absolutely love it. It’s easy to grip, contains no toxins, and is less likely to shatter when dropped. In fact, the one time I did lose it (at 3:30AM, no less), it just bounced around the floor. So, it’s great to see that the company is surviving the tough times — and forging ahead with some potential new products. Maybe too they’ll drop the price of their $18 9oz bottles?

Check out the official site here.

At a red carpet event on Saturday in NYC, Ana Ortiz — who play’s the title character’s sister on the show — dished that she’s expecting soon and getting the nursery ready. “I just met with the decorator today. I didn’t want it too frilly frou-frou, too canopy princess-y. So we’re doing a sort of eco-friendly, beautiful room. I’m not sure of the colour palette yet, but it’s going to be gorgeous,” she told People magazine.

I think this show may truly have one of the more eco-friendly casts around. Congrats to Ana!

If you’re in the market for some beautiful, quality-made, 100% organic nursery crib sets, blankets, floor pillows, or wallart — then Fawn And Forest has got you covered with their 20% off sale on Amenity products.

There are some beautiful collections here — with all featuring some type of artwork inspired by nature. The pillows are all printed on using non-toxic, water-based, eco-friendly dyes on 300 thread count, certified organic cotton percale. For fill, you have the choice of either spun, recycled plastic bottles encased in organic cotton or our natural insert filled with 100% duck down and encased in cotton processed only with water. Prices range from $20 for a small wall print to $268 for an entire crib set. Wonderful value  — and a nice, colorful addition to any naturally-themed nursery.

Jump here to visit Fawn and Forest.

Groove here to visit the official Amenity website.

ABC’s hit show Ugly Betty has been buzzing with green baby tips and news, thanks to actress Vanessa Williams. The 45-year-old has kids of many ages and has been a kind of den mother to a cast with a few new parents in the fold. The wife of actor Eric Mabius, interior designer Ivy Sherman, says Williams always “wants to talk babies. She has great advice about being organic,” adds Sherman. “She has friends with different cool baby-related companies, one an organic baby [products] company called Green Baby.”

There are lots of sites out there with the name “green baby” — but could Williams be specifically talking about the online shop Green Baby NYC?

Either way, it’s great to hear Williams espousing the green baby lifestyle to others. To read more, visit PEOPLE.

Slate has a great article up examining “green” birth control — and the various ways we might go about enjoying the pleasures of safe sex without wondering if we’re harming the earth at the same time. (I realize that’s probably the last thing on peoples’ minds — but hey, it’s an interesting thought!) Here’s a brief bit from the article on condoms,

What about condoms, the baby-prevention method favored by 18 percent of American women? Most condoms sold in the United States are made of biodegradable latex. However, they also contain preservatives and hardening agents to make sure the rubber can withstand a fair amount of friction. Those additives also make it harder for the condoms to break down in the landfill. Lambskin condoms are biodegradable, but chemical additives may inhibit the process. Naturalamb, the only widely available animal-based brand in the United States, does lubricate the lamb intestines they import from New Zealand, so it’s unclear just how easily its product breaks down. Natural condoms, however, are still likely to be a greener choice than latex condoms, and are equally as effective at preventing pregnancy. (Polyurethane condoms, which make up about 3 percent to 4 percent of U.S. sales, won’t break down at all.)

To weigh the rest of the choices, check out article here.

It’s great to see so many baby clothes coming out with green messages — and the new 100% organic cotton offerings from OBLI Organics are a perfect example. Now your baby can proudly proclaim themselves to be an “Eco Princess” or a guitar hero with a groove for shouting “Green rocks!”. For those little ones that are already concerned about the wheels they’re showing off, be sure to wrap them in an “I only ride hybird” stroller tee.

The company, started by sisters Michelle Young and Melissa Blanco, has quickly grown in sales and is now available in 45 stores around the nation — and one even in Honduras. “The ‘I only ride hybrid’ line is one of the most popular,” said Jean Taylor, owner of Grasshopper 510, a Chicago-based retailer that carries OBLI Organics. “Their clothes are popular. They have lots of really cute graphics. The onsies are a bit more popular for new baby gifts.”

OBLI (acronymn for On Borrowed Land, Inc.) will be taking their new Spring/Summer 2009 collection to New York City in March for an exclusive tradeshow. New product eco-messages include: Green to the bone, Green rocks and On Borrowed Land.

The company also has a great celebrity following. According to the article, Sheryl Crow, Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck, and Alison Sweeney have all been spotted with kids wearing the line. Want your own “I only ride hybrid” tee or onesie? Hit their official website here!