This baby toy from Vulli would be a great gift for that green rug rat in your life, especially if they are teething. Sophie the Giraffe, as she has been known since 1961, is produced manually in France with 100% natural rubber derived from the hevea tree. Our 10-month-old girl definitely found it soothing, and was excited when it would squeak from time to time. You can definitely tell the rubber is natural, as it has a soft, almost moist feel to it. As an added bonus, it came in sustainable packaging. Green-wise, the only problem I see here is that it is imported all the way from France.

If you’re interested, head over to DwellSmart (map) or purchase online.

Note: For the next couple weeks, we will be reviewing products that would make good gifts for the greenie in your life. Our friend Mary Gatch, owner of DwellSmart and local green goddess, provided this product free of charge to our family for review on this website.

Why 350? Scientists say that 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity – we are currently at 387. The intent is to use community photos collected from around the world to advocate for a reduction in CO2 emissions.

Jennifer Mathis, the founder of The Little Green Bag Project, is has created Lowcountry 350 – an opportunity for all of us to participate in this global event. On Saturday, October 24, head down to the Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park via alternative travel (walk, run, bike, skate, swim, row – just don’t drive!) for the Lowcountry 350 Climate Action Day Photo <- RSVP on the Facebook page. The event starts at 3 p.m., and the photo will be taken at 3:50 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Jacki Baer is the founder – I wouldn’t guess her age, but I would guess she has the energy of a woman in her thirties. Jacki is passionate and meticulous. Zoe and I loved getting to know her and her organization. To witness her informing inquiring patrons that Fields for Families delivered over 80,000 pounds of fresh produce to the needy was truly inspiring.

There are many volunteer opportunities available, from gleaning the fields with your kids, to chatting about their cause with friends. This Tuesday, June 30, Whole Foods is donating 5% of their total sales for that day to Fields to Families. Stop by the booths at local farmer’s markets too, check their blog often, and take notice of this non-profit, I hope it grows (I couldn’t resist.)

Hope to see you in the fields!

Here’s a shot where it looks like someone had some semi-useful items (wood scraps and a used window?), so they left them for “someone else to pick-up.” I bet they got their wish. I like how the glass window is blocking the public bike path – surprise!

Every time I go to my local recycling drop site in Mount Pleasant, I’m reminded why I started this Recycling Fail column. Too often, people are leaving far more than just recycling: trash, pumpkins, leaves, carpets, giant boxes, furniture – it’s a problem. And while it’s fun to see the photos (check out our growing Flickr set), we’ve got to take care of these drop sites so that our community and Charleston County can continue to recycle successfully.

If you want to support The Sustainability Instititute, be sure to stop by the Mount Pleasant Whole Foods on March 31st. Whether you’re buying lunch, or food for the week, 5% of your purchase will help fund The Sustainability Institute and and all their amazing programs.

The site is located inside the Public Services Maintenance Facility at 1155 Six Mile Road in Mount Pleasant, and is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Check the Town of Mount Pleasant website for more information.

The site accepts up to five gallons of motor oil per visit for recycling. The oil is collected by Santee Cooper, and used as a fuel source at their power generating facility. That’s double cool!

The Mount Pleasant facility also has an area to drop off used oyster shells for reuse. The shells can be used to restore natural oyster beds, and can also be used for industrial purposes.

We have lived in our neighborhood for 8 years, and I have never heard of any sort of accident with the school bus. Bus #206 picks up the children from this neighborhood only. It stops at the end of our street, every morning and afternoon, right on time.

Belle Hall is a mere 2.5 miles from my garage. I can’t bike myself (six months pregnant), a five year-old, and a two year-old along Long Point Road at 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. I do not want to drive to that school 4 times day. 50 miles a week— back and forth — idling with all my neighbors is totally unacceptable. I don’t want to be wasting fuel unnecessarily and releasing more toxins into our atmosphere.

However, he is also only five, it’s a long day away from home, and he has only visited his new school three times. The thought of him becoming lost around those pods is worrisome. Wait a second, he is five! He knows his address and phone number. He knows where the bus stop is. He knows how to line up in a line and follow. He knows his bus number is #206.

Chad will take him the first few days, maybe weeks, on his way to work. Eventually we will wait for the bus in the morning too. After his first day of school, he will line up and ride his bus home. I will be waiting with proud tears. I hope to be able to tell my girlfriends that he loves his bus rides, maybe influence a few to give it a try.

We’ve been waving and watching that bus for five years now – he’s ready to climb up those steps!

I hope to learn about more products manufactured with environmental awareness. I know I will discover more items that create less waste, and look forward to meeting other environmentally conscientious mommies and daddies. The meeting will take place at 10 a.m., and my little GDiaper wearer and I will be there – hope to see you!

Graham and I sat on the bench and caught the CARTA bus at 9 a.m. The bus was on time, so our wait was minimal. We boarded, paid $1.25, and rode route 40 downtown. Graham was comfortable and quiet on my lap, until we drove over the Ravenel. Then for the first time, I had fun with my little guy pointing and observing all the action in our beautiful harbor.

Graham and I got off the bus at Meeting and Mary Streets. We visited the Children’s Museum, had a snack, and waited for the bus home. It was on time again.

The Good News: I created less carbon emissions that day. I did not have to park my car or pay for parking. The bus driver was friendly and capable, and she performed some amazing maneuvers. Even Graham was impressed. We sat back and enjoyed the ride, and will do this again.

The Bad News: There are many problems that could keep future passengers away. There is only one CARTA bus route in Mt. Pleasant, so fitting the times into busy schedules can be tricky. The lack of signs and benches is disgraceful. I certainly do not want to stand with my children by the side of Hwy 17 waiting for the bus. Also, there is no drop-off by the library, which is a key public resource for both the young and old.

Perhaps the best way to fix the lack of accessibility is to continue raising awareness, which is a major goal of Go Green. We will continue to ride and spread the word. I wonder what the mommies will think of this one? I wonder which will ride with us first?

I consulted the website for CARTA, and was dismayed by the lack of working information concerning bus stops. I studied the map, then departed on Saturday morning to find the bus stop at Towne Centre. I missed the bus, but I saw it pass the stop: An unmarked bench baking in the sun by Hungryneck Boulevard. Good thing I had book, sunscreen, and tunes.

I boarded the next bus, paid $1.25, and rode the bus to Meeting and Mary Streets, near The Charleston Visitor Center. There were many stops along the way, even in front of Whole Foods. Some stops were clearly marked with the green CARTA sign, while some had benches and a litter bin. Other stops had little indication, like the one by the Goodwill on Highway 17 where there was just a man standing there signaling bus.

The bus itself was clean. The temperature was pleasant, the seats were comfortable, and the company was quiet. It was nice to sit back and watch the scenery. It had been too long since I had ridden a bus.

My son Graham loves to venture downtown. There are so many wonderful places for a child, and adult, to explore. Round trip mileage cut would be 12 miles. We generally drive downtown twice a week. Mass transit is an answer to lessening my impact. I’ll let you know how my littlest guy likes his first bus ride downtown.