Toys and Children's Books

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Honeysuckle Dreams offers a nursing mommy doll that carries her baby in a sling, as well as stuffed animals and quilts made from organic cotton and colored with dyes made from flowers, leaves and nuts ($48; www.honeysuckledreams.com, 301-217-0546).

Choose cuddly stuffed animals made by an artists' collective out of recycled sweaters. Each is unique and may be made from acrylic, wool or a combination (filled with polyfill, $26; www.uncommongoods.com, 888-365-0056).

Help your child learn about the energy-making capacity of wind, water and solar power with Lego's eLAB Renewable Energy Set II ($174; www.legoeducation.com, 800-362-4308).

A new arrival in the family? Choose My First Rattle made from a single block of non-finished walnut, cherry or maple wood from a pesticide-free tree—ideal for teething ($21.95). Children ages 2 to 4 will enjoy lacing colorful wooden shapes painted in a least-toxic finish (www.holgatetoy.com, 800-499-1929).

Elves and Angels offers kid-sized play kitchens from high-quality northern white pine harvested from well-managed forests. Handcrafted in northern Maine, these quality kitchens can be passed down to future generations. Varnished with least-toxic linseed oil (from $194; www.elvesandangels.com, 866-749-8918).

Resources
See "Non-Toxic Toys" (GG #105) and the Toys Product Report.

Books
Books can use intriguing storylines and imagery to open a child's mind to concepts of sustainability, environmental stewardship and greener living. Unfortunately, the majority of books, especially glossy picture books, are printed on non-recycled paper. Of all the junk mail and newsprint you recycle each week, "what is not processed to make recycled paper goes to the landfill," says Erin Johnson, program manager for the Green Press Initiative, an organization that encourages publishers to adopt practices that will protect endangered forests and encourage better management practices. "Using recycled reduces pressure on forests," says Johnson. They are making headway. Publishing giant Random House announced in May 2006 plans to print at least 30 percent of their non-coated paper books for the U.S. market on recycled paper by 2010.

Several smaller publishers are making similar commitments (see www.greenpressinitiative.org/participatingcos.htm) and the online bookseller, Powells.com, features books that meet the Green Press Initiative's standards at www.powells.com/psection/GreenPressInitiative.html.