Natural Family News

What: Organicfest 2005 ~ celebrating everything organic!

When: Saturday, September 10 from 10:00 am ~ 6:00 pm

Where: Pack Square, Asheville NC

Producers: Pure Food Partners and co-sponsored by Asheville Parks & Recreation, local and national businesses & organizations (see list)

Why: Organicfest 2005 is a celebration of everything organic! A FUNtastic day of live music, dancing, drawings for baskets of fabulous organic goodies and gift certificates, free organic samples and giveaways, an Organicfest Market on the Square featuring the finest organic: food and refreshments, clothing, herbs, flowers and natural arts and crafts. Environmental organizations will share informative conversation and help with organic living, organic gardening, farming and other earthcare matters. Fun activities for kids including the Organicfest Garden Parade at 1pm. Join the celebration on Saturday, September 10th from 10am to 6pm in Pack Square, downtown Asheville!

Special Note: The Organicfest is presented in September to celebrate natitional organic month. The organic industry is one of the fastest growing, consumer driven industries in the United States. This special event, (co-sponsored by Asheville Parks & Recreation and other local businesses and organizations) is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate, highlight and promotethe pure, organic food and products available in our community, create a connection to the people who grow and supply organic, and find out why organic is good for people and the planet

For more information, including entertainment schedules, visit www.organicfest.org.

For the first time, personal care products will carry the “official” organic green seal. Manufacturers, such as Dr. Bronner’s soaps, have been given permission to use the seal if they meet the guidelines. In the past, the seal was only used for foods. You can read more here.

So, far this lecture tour is not coming anywhere near me, but I so wish that it was. What a great idea! Leave it to Whole Foods and Mothering to start promoting the organic lifestyle to Moms before they give birth. I would have loved a Whole Baby kit, instead of the formula-endorsed bags we were given at the hospital. The lecture tour will educate mothers about nutrition, including information on how to make your own baby food. You can read more about the Whole Baby program here.

Ethicbaby.com Launches Natural Baby Store Online for Concerned Parents

Victoria, British Columbia – July 22, 2005. Finding healthy, environmentally-friendly baby products can be a difficult task for concerned parents. “Your everyday baby stores only seem to carry a few brand names, but how do you know the products are safe for your baby?” says Sheri Murray, a loyal Ethicbaby customer. Ethicbaby.com is a new, online store meeting the growing demand for healthy, natural baby products.

“We just followed our hearts – we wanted to offer parents and grandparents a healthy alternative and complete peace of mind when purchasing baby products”, say expectant parents and store owners, Kate and Jeff Dorion.

Ethicbaby.com offers a fairly-traded product line from around the world including, certified organic cotton clothing and bedding (India), stuffed toys (Egypt), wooden toys made with non-toxic paints (Germany), natural baby skin care (Australia), parenting books (Canada), baby gifts and engaging music for both parents and babies (US).

The vision behind ethicbaby.com stemmed from a desire to provide retail support to parents choosing a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. Trained as a pediatric occupational therapist, Kate’s mission is to educate parents about both baby development and sustainability issues. “Having a baby is a major trigger toward healthy living, and a great opportunity to educate parents”, says the co-founder. The online baby store features an education series and a section of natural parenting books.

The couple began re-evaluating how and what they purchased for themselves, and like most expectant parents, thoughts turned to product choices for their child. “We need to care where purchases come from,” says Jeff, “it is imperative that we sell products that promote fair-trade labour and green business practices.”

A member of Coop America and The Values-based Business Network (VBN) in Victoria, Ethic Retail’s merchandise selection criteria ensures products only come from socially responsible suppliers, thus supporting solid business practices.

Ethicbaby’s natural baby goods can be purchased at http://www.ethicbaby.com. For more information about the parent company, Ethic Retail, call (800) 706-ETHC or visit http://www.ethic.ca.

Dozens of new products to be added to www.greenforgood.com on ongoing basis
through site that also donates portion of profits to community-based
organizations

AUGUST 2, 2005 – EDMONDS, WA – Addressing the growing popularity of
ecologically friendly products in the marketplace, Green for Good, LLC today
launched its website, www.greenforgood.com. The site features everything a
consumer needs to live a “green” lifestyle on a daily basis, including
organic food, clothing, cosmetics and beauty products as well as organic
cotton beds, pet products, house wares and more.

According to the consumer research firm Mintel, consumers in 2005 are
spending twice as much on organic food as they did in the 1990s and 44
percent of all organic foods now are being purchased at mainstream retail
outlets. ACNielsen, a leading global provider of consumer and marketplace
information recently announced that the overall organic product sector has
sustained strong product growth – up 14.4% in 2005 from the same period a
year ago.

“There is no doubt that a green wave is rolling across the consumer
marketplace,” said David R. Kaufer, President and CEO of Green for Good.
“Whether it’s the skyrocketing sales of the Toyota Prius, national shortage
of organic milk in grocery stores or increasing number organic menu options
in restaurants, consumers are demonstrating an increasing commitment to a
green lifestyle. Green for Good is addressing this demand by providing an
incredibly broad range of green, organic and eco-friendly products online
that promises to grow substantially on an ongoing basis. ”

Green for Good plans to offer the broadest range of green, organic and
eco-friendly products available online and will add dozens of new products
and categories monthly. In addition, Green for Good is committed to being an
active supporter of groups and organizations who focus on preserving and
improving the environment, individual health and local communities, by
donating a minimum of ten percent of its profits to these organizations.

Greenforgood.com features a wide variety of organic and eco-friendly
products, including baby gifts, clothing, yard and garden products, pet
products and even organic wine. “This is an ideal site for people to
purchase practical items and do a lot of green window shopping and see
unique products,” Kaufer said. “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed selecting these
products because it helped us realize how diverse the marketplace has become
and how many choices customers now have.” The site currently offers nearly
1400 products within 201 categories and displays products that are “most
popular,” “newest,” “highest rated” (based on customer votes) and “random”
(a range of products customers might not realize can be or are organic and
eco-friendly).

By offering these products through an online storefront, Green for Good
allows customers to shop for their favorite eco-friendly products in a
“green” manner. Natural resources are kept to a minimum, with no land
required for a physical retail location and gas consumption kept to a
minimum.

About Green for Good
Green for Good is a West Coast company with offices in Edmonds, Washington
and Pleasanton, California. It was started with the vision of building a
successful business that sells great products and services that support
health and well-being and contribute to a healthy lifestyle and
environment – while “doing good” with the profits. That’s why the company is
dedicated to donating at least ten percent of after tax profits to
community-based non-profit organizations that are dedicated to improving the
environment and the world we live in.

Green for Good is an official member of Co-op America, the leading business
network for green businesses and the Organic Trade Association. Businesses
displaying the Co-op America Business Seal have passed Co-op America’s
screening process for socially and environmentally responsible – or green -
businesses and have been admitted to membership in Co-op America’s Business
Network. The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based
business association for the organic industry in North America. OTA’s
mission is to encourage global sustainability through promoting and
protecting the growth of diverse organic trade.

Do you live far from the nearest Whole Foods? Is getting to the health food store a major pain? Take heart! There is a new online business that can help you out. WellnessGrocer.com offers gluten free, natural, and organic products. The prices are comparable to the prices at my local grocery store, but there is more variety than I can find there. You might want to take a look and try them out.

Choice Tea was recently awarded an award for waste prevention and recycling. This is a company I already buy from, but I’m happy to see that they’re doing all they can to be environmentally-conscious, as well. They make good tea, too.

(read the article here)