Despite the fact that the only bike I ever owned was stolen 2 days (1 blissful ride) after I bought it, I still hold out hope that one day I’ll ride again. Meanwhile, this Sunday (June 8), those with wheels can join the Bikes Not Bombs Bike-A-Thon (registration required) and/or enjoy the post-ride Green Roots Festival from 12 – 5:30pm. Enjoy live music, food, speakers, environmental workshops and information, and kid's activities. The event is free and open to the public and will take place in front of the Stony Brook T station in Jamaica Plain.

In my opinion, every day is Earth Day, and if you love naturalistic homages to animals as much as I do, check out the amazing Salvor Fauna collection at the chic New York based boutique Estella. These ultra cool animal graphics are hand silk screened with water based ink on organic cotton tees, onesies, and pillows. And the onesies are particularly delicious: luxuriously weighty, soft, and ready to withstand plenty of play. These onesies also go an extra style mile via cute kimono fashioning and clever snaps to keep the wrap front in place.

Want to win a Salvor Fauna onesie from Estella*? Here’s how:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Katie M.!
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Visit Estella’s Salvor Fauna collection, then email contests@bostonmamas.com (with ‘Estella’ in the subject), and name your favorite Salvor Fauna design.

One entry permitted per person; US entrants only.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Thursday, June 5, 2008.

*The winner will receive a Salvor Fauna onesie from Estella, subject to availability.

For those who wish to roll into Sunday with yours truly, tune in to WERS 88.9 FM’s You Are Here program on June 1 at 7am. You Are Here is a weekly, hour-long program that covers local and global issues by “combining stories, interviews, and sound from newsmakers.” I was interviewed this week about ways that moms can go green, and discussed everything from household recycling, to mama-to-mama recycling, to green cleaners, to the state of cloth diapering, to the impact moms can make by purchasing responsibly made products. If you can’t tune into the broadcast, you can download the show’s podcast.

UPDATE 6/3/08: Apologies, folks. I just heard from WERS and the programming got shuffled. My interview will air on June 8th.

We talk a lot about tea sets and tea parties in our house (what with all the repeated reads of A Bargain for Frances), and reader Cathleen recently wrote in about a chic eco-friendly toy line that includes a tea set that I plan on getting for Laurel. Cathleen writes: “I recently saw Green Toys products in a store in New Hampshire…They are made from recycled milk jugs, made in the USA, have no Bisphenol-A, and are SO cute to boot!” In addition to the tea set, Green Toys offers cookware and dining, indoor gardening, and sand play sets.

My sister-in-law Estelle, an avid recycler who has played a large part in keeping Laurel dressed via hand-me-downs, passed on word about an amazing consignment event in Albany, NY. Yes, this stretches our loose definition of “local,” but readers in Western MA, NY, and even bordering VT and CT could make the trek easily.

Pass It On is a twice-yearly consignment event where you can sell your children's outgrown items and shop for new and gently worn items at bargain prices. The March consignment period has passed, but the event - with over 400 consignors - is open to the public tomorrow through Saturday. And keep you eye on future dates; consignors, volunteers, and first time parents get special shopping windows. Estelle also said that the organizer is thinking about hosting a similarly organized sale in Boston. Keep your eco fingers crossed!

Pass It On Sale at The Albany Academy, 135 Academy Road, Albany, NY

The seasons are, blissfully, officially about to change, and no doubt your child’s wardrobe is due for some spring cleaning. It’s the perfect time to check out the fresh designs of Little Lark.

Based out of Portland, Oregon, Little Lark’s collection includes a variety of designs, most of which show clear inspiration from nature. Designs are letterpressed onto note cards, or are hand silk-screened onto snuggly soft, sweatshop free, 100% cotton shirts, onesies, pants, and hats (for babies and toddlers; big kid and adult sizes are forthcoming). Onesies and shirts also come with a gift-ready, reusable muslin bag that adds to the rich, organic feel.

With plenty of snow and ice still on the ground, the spring promise of the Geese Tee (shown, $24-$26) is especially welcome.

Here’s a great tip from my fellow eco-mama Kate. For elegant, earth-friendly bags and reusable bottles, check out ReusableBags.com. Among their lunch bag collection is Kate’s eco chic Mimi the Sardine bag (shown, Modern Berries; $19.95). This machine washable cloth bag is 100% lead-free, made of eco-friendly, safety tested acrylic coated fabrics, and is insulated.

One challenge of passing the initial solid food dabbling phase (where its more about exposure than quantitative intake) is how to provide a variety of nutrients to accommodate tapering off of breast milk or formula, while dealing with your baby’s limited interest windows and tummy size.

Plum Organics offers an excellent solution for busy parents. In addition to their Real Smooth starter fruit and veggie purees (for babies 6 months and up), their More Texture collection (for babies 9 months and up) includes all-in-one meals well balanced to cover the basic food groups. Thoughtfully composed options such as the Chicken Whole Grain Pasta (organic chicken, carrots, peas, and whole grain pasta) and Red Lentil Veggie (organic potatoes, carrots, corn, and red lentils) pack a nutritional punch; sweet finishes include the Banana Peach Rice Pudding and Pears & Apples. Available in the freezer section of local retailers nationwide; from $2.89 to $3.49.

The parenting journey thus far has made it clear that little people have passions. Laurel and her friends have long shown fierce devotion to certain areas of play and expression, whether it is art or song or books or trains.

Now you can express your child’s passion via YoonKids, a collection of hip, customized wall art suitable for babies to tweens. YoonKids allow for the ultimate expression of kids’ passions and diversity; choose a themed kid (e.g., girl drummer), background color, hair and skin color (hooray!), and canvas size. YoonKids currently are available in girl designs; the boy line is forthcoming. Other collections include the Yoonies, an endearing series of chubby, wobbly critters (pick a character, background color, and size), and the Silhouettes line, which features classic imagery - such as the gorgeous, vibrant Bird Tree (shown) - styled with modern graphics in cool color palettes.
Each piece is custom made through a giclée printing process; water-resistant canvas is stretched over sturdy frames and finished with an ecologically friendly coating that protects against sun and water damage. Two sizes are available (9"x12" for $85, 18"x18" for $150), and you can add a name and birth date to your artwork for an additional $10 each.