7gen Bloc

I'm always amazed at what parents don't know. I meet far too many good, smart, well-intentioned people who have yet to hear that their cleaners might be making their kids sick.

Here’s yet another one of those stories I wish we’d stop hearing: tests on vinyl baby bags by an Oakland, California environmental group have found excessive lead levels in certain brands. The Center for Environmental Health bought 60 diaper bags from leading retailers, tested their vinyl changing pads for lead, and found that six of the products exceeded the federal safety standard of 600 parts per million.

Everybody wants a rooftop solar system. But nobody wants to pay for one. What would you do if you didn’t have to? That’s the idea behind a new strategy being put to the test by the solar power industry, and it could be the breakthrough we’ve all been waiting for.

Recently I asked Reed Doyle if he would be interested in a trip to the Chittenden Solid Waste District recycling center on Avenue C in Williston, Vermont. Of course he said "Sure. I love that stuff." We both realized that recycling is always an important subject at Seventh Generation and this would be a legit reason for getting out of the office for a couple of hours.

These days, you don't have to look too hard to see an American economy that is in trouble. From TV talking heads debating whether or not the recession has arrived to “For Sale” signs sprouting like spring grass, it's clear things are sputtering. Recently, there have been concerns that the slowdown could combine with Wall Street's credit crunch to make it difficult for green technology companies to raise money.

Nobody likes bills, but we've all got to pay 'em. For most of us that means a check, an envelope, a stamp, and a trip to mailbox. No big deal – or is it? A new study finds that switching to online payments and account statements offers significant environmental paybacks.

Given all the attention the environment is getting these days, it’s no surprise to see the trend filtering down to parenting books. Our only question is what took everybody so long? Here’s a run down our favorite new titles and some older entries in the category that deserve a mention, too:

We’ve been talking about and supporting local food for years here at Seventh Generation. The general assumption has always been that the closer to home our food is produced, the better it is for the atmosphere largely because it’s traveled a whole lot less to get to our plates and so has a much smaller carbon footprint. But lately this idea has been challenged, and perhaps rightfully so.