Ecoscene Blog

How many educational toys do kids actually enjoy? We recently tested ImagiPlay puzzles, which promise eco-friendly, educational, and truly fun toys. Read our results here >>

Hey, parents! Do your kids favor any toys with educational value?

For better or for worse, multi-tasking is a part of our daily routines. But sometimes, saving time can waste resources. If you floss, clean, or select your outfit while waiting for your shower water to heat up, the folks at Evolve have just the solution for you – The Lady Bug. 

Is this bug a pest? Read our review here >>

Do you have any favorite products that help you save time and resources?  Tell us about them.

Hey, vegetarian readers! If you missed out on Grandma's famous gravy on Thanksgiving, I've tried a great alternative to help you out. Simply Organic, a USDA organic certified company that offers all sorts of delicious spice packets and sauce mixes, has a vegetarian gravy that is a very decent substitute, and simple to make as well! Their Italian salad dressing also makes for a perfect accompaniment to any salad passed around the dinner table. And it's all USDA certified organic!

You can find a healthy selection of Simply Organic products at most major grocery stores, but they also offer all of their products to purchase online. To sweeten the pot even more, Simply Organics gives 1% of their sales to environmental projects such as organic agriculture and the restoration of natural habitats. What are you waiting for, veg-heads? Get your gravy on the right way!

Read our review of Simply Organic here >>

Instead of hitting the mall sales today, I popped into the Greenheart Shop, Chicago’s eco-fair trade non-profit shop, carrying both fair trade and eco-friendly products. This store has great gift ideas for everyone in my family – from handmade jewelry and handbags to pottery and chocolate.  

Not in Chicago? You can still shop for its fair trade, eco-friendly items here >>

Today, the Greenheart Shop held a “Green Friday,” an alternative post-Thanksgiving’s “Black Friday,” by helping shoppers make gifts instead of buying them. Their workshops covered making candles, truffles, and jewelry, as well as turning old sweaters into mittens, and more.  

This Tuesday, The Greenheart Shop will host a Chocolate, Wine, and Holiday Benefit Party for Chicago Fair Trade from 5-8 pm. 20% of proceeds from the evening will be donated to Chicago Fair Trade.

Read more here >>

Thank you to EVERYONE who entered our blog comment contest! You guys left some great substantive comments. We hope you will all stick around Ecoscene and continue the conversation.

The following folks won an Ecoscene t-shirt: Megan McKeon, Shayne, A Siegel, Hans and Carrie!

The big winner of an iPod is: Carrie! (See, making lots of comments pays off!)

And our honorable mention winner of a Very Special Gift is: Marie!

To claim your prize, send an email to Molly@ecosceneinc.com

We recently savored a pre-Thanksgiving feast seasoned with freshly ground pepper, sage, and poultry seasoning from Simply Organic, which provides a comprehensive line of organic spices, sauces, and more.

Read our review here >>

What are your secrets for a savory Thanksgiving?

Happened to notice tonight that the peacock on NBC is all green - a quick trip to Uncle Google told me that NBC has dubbed this "Green Week" and has put up a fairly robust site in its honor. Am looking forward to all the green programming, which thus far seems limited to "the more you know" commercial inserts.

Have you gotten any good green tips from NBC/MSNBC this week? Tell us here.

Stop by and see us - we'll be in booth 418. For more details about the expo, see our previous blog entry here. Can't wait to meet you!

In addition to meeting great people and finding green products, we also discovered some fabulous green websites during Green Fest last weekend. Here are the Top 5 sites we took home:

funinthemaking.net – dedicated to green crafts and sustainable living
gengreenlife.com – a directory of green products
thewhofarm.org – urging for an organic garden at The White House
ecogeekliving.com – a good resource for purchasing green products
greenbodyandhome.com – a gorgeous collection of eco-friendly products that donates 5% of all sales to charity 

Fellow Green Festers, what fab sites did you discover at Green Fest? (Besides Ecoscene, of course!)