Grab your EcoMetro coupons and head over to Five Little Monkeys, Grove Street Kids, O! Babybaby, Ruby’s Garden, the Tulip Grove, or Crackerjacks to find eco toys and kid’s clothing.

My Dad Recycles More Than Your Dad T-Shirt ($24)
Printed on organic cotton with water based inks, Little Green Stars clothes are sweet and sassy. Our favorites are the "My Dad Recycles More than Your Dad" t-shirt and "My Other Ride is a Hybrid" onesie with a stroller image. Available online.




Eco House ($150)
Play house with solar panels, rain barrels and recycling bins. Zoom around the kitchen table on a scooter and admire the view of the wind turbine from afar. This play set is made of rubberwood and recycled wood, but is not recommended for children under 3. Available online. More...

The non-profit organization Trillium Artisans has long been a favorite of EcoMetro Portland. Members must use a minimum of 50% recycled materials in their gifts and wares. The flower represents the three principles of people, planet and profit that guide this group in creating business opportunities for low-income artists. Group members are coached in small business counseling and gain access to credit card processing and other benefits that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive. Applicants must be below the median income in Portland ($33,950 for a house of four, $27,150 for two and $23,750 for one). This week we'll take a look at some of our favorite picks from the online shop. Artists interested in forming a similar group in your area can contact Trillium via their site for more information. More...

Let’s talk about sex…”green” sex. More specifically, let’s talk about the birds of an artificial feather and the bees with a battery-operated buzz. That’s right – sex toys, lubes, goos and whatever else we use to enhance our adventures in the bedroom, with or without a playmate. These toys, however, don’t come with the warning labels and regulations that children’s toys normally come with. So, unless you’ve done you research, we don’t really know what we’re putting in our…well, you know.

In uncovering what’s used to make those toys made for playing with under the covers, we find the usual suspects – PVC, phthalates, and parabens – giving “getting dirty” a new meaning. Not surprisingly and rather unfortunately, the cheapest and most ubiquitous toys and products are the most harmful. The squishy, jelly-like (and frankly frighteningly life-like) kinds, i.e. jelly rubbers and “cyberskin” toys, are made with PVC and phthalates. Aside from the toxins they put into the waste stream, they leach toxins into your blood stream, which scientists suspect are a cause of cancer and reproductive system damage (I smell irony). Additionally, many lubricants contain petroleum derivatives (read: flammable fossil fuel) and parabens – those hormone-mimicking chemicals that have been found in breast cancer tumors and may be a contributor thereof. There’s nothing like a global warming-inducing or carcinogenic sex toy to kill the mood. More...