Water | Resources
Bamboo Leaf Tea
Tea “made from 100% bamboo leaves grown and processed by hand in sunny Florida without the use of any chemicals. We grow our plants with the utmost care and attention to nutritional value and sustainable agriculture.” Bamboo leaf tea has a wonderful sweet, green flavor and is rich in antioxidants, soluble fiber, and silica.
Abigail’s Studio
Abigail makes candles out of beeswax—“A renewable resource,” she says, “As long as there are bees around us.” And so her mission is to save the bees. “How does burning beeswax candles have anything do with restoring bee populations all over the world? Well, if all the people who love burning candles switched to burning beeswax candles the demand for beeswax would dramatically increase. Wax would not be just a byproduct of honey production, but a major source of income for bee keepers. This economic benefit would stimulate the need for bees, which are the only natural source of wax. Beeswax candles are made from a natural renewable and sustainable resource that supports the cultivation of the honey bee.” Makes sense to me.
Bannor Toys
Charming wooden toys, with no toxic anything, handcrafted completely in the USA. “Our wood is natural, we do not stain it. We use Maple, Cherry, and Walnut woods and their natural colors. Our finish is an organic beeswax and flaxseed oil mixture that is all natural and nontoxic so it is the perfect finish for baby’s mouth. The oil brings out the color and the beeswax provides durability. Our glue and paint are organic as well made from a company in the United States. They are 100% safe, lead free, no VOC’s, and non-toxic. Our teethers are left “naked”, there is no finish on them.”
Fisher Blacksmithing
Hand forged garden tools, handcrafted in Montana. “Each tool is built using traditional blacksmithing tools and techniques and the result is an heirloom-quality garden tool that you won’t want to take your hands off of!” They are beautiful too.
Willful
Extraordinary wooden bowls, plates, cutting boards, utensils and more, with unique, colorful, stylish design details. “All of our wood comes from the USA and is either FSC certified or salvaged locally from naturally felled trees.” They also use a food-safe synthetic silicone rubber.
Flannel and Floral
Amazing wooden spoons and kitchen ware with designs like I’ve never seen before. Unusual woods sealed with food-safe tung oil and beeswax.
New Directions Aromatics
The leading international wholesale supplier of natural and organic raw materials and essential oils for making bodycare products. They have every ingredient you could possibly want. But they are oriented to manufacturers, so what you get here is materials, not bottles and recipes and other things you find on consumer-oriented sites. You can order from them with $100 minimum order. And there are minimum amounts as well.
Playmat for kids – toxic?
Question from Martina
Hi Debra,
Thanks for your work – I’ve been reading your newsletter/website for a long time and appreciate the research you do.
I have a young child at home and am trying to find a non-toxic play mat for him where he can play and learn to crawl (so I’d prefer a mat that isn’t slippery). After spending a lot of time researching this, I’ve run across this mat:
Dwinguler My Town Large Kid’s Playmat.
In reading the comments, it seems like the mat is 45% PVC and 55% plasticizer. What are your thoughts on this? Is it safe for a young child to spend a lot of time on?
Debra’s Answer
NO NO NO NO NO. It’s NOT safe.
I was just researching this yesterday.
What “45% PVC and 55% plasticizer” means is it’s 45% vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) which causes cancer, and 55% phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors.
Do not use this mat.
I recommend instead SoftTiles, which I looked into thoroughly and even ordered samples. They are made from EVA, which is much less toxic, and were tested to be free of formaldehyde, BPA, and phthalates.
And here are many EVA floor tiles and play mats online.
SOL Organics
Affordable luxury bed sheets and pillow cases made from GOTS certified organic cotton. “Beautifully ultra soft organic cotton made with fine long staple yarns in a luxurious and comforting sateen weave…Uncompromising luxury is about quality, comfort, honesty, transparency & affordability, clean & safe work conditions, fair trade wages & a fair price for you, are part of the Sol Equation.” Pure white, ivory and blue.
Boll & Branch
GOTS certified luxury organic cotton sheet sets “made with love, care and total transparency.” Also pillowcases, duvet covers, and shams, with decorative touches including simple trim, hand embroidery, and bands. Available colors are white, beige and light and dark grey, and light and dark blue. Also nath towels, throws, crib sheets and blankets.
