Yucky, earth-unfriendly foods to avoid

I am so taken with this list of the "10 Most Dangerous Foods" on Sprig.com, because when I clicked on the title I was expecting to something like the EWG's "dirty dozen," which, while a useful list, has been written/referenced/blogged about everywhere (by me too, more than once) for ages. But this feature actually takes a stand on some stuff in a way that "green lite" websites and magazines rarely seem to, and offers some new-to-me info too. For instance, growers of conventional strawberries are rumored to spray their crops with Nutrasweet-laced water to increase the fruit's sweetness. That is just gnarly with a capital G! I nearly always buy organic strawberries as it is, but now I will be even more vigilant with my berry picking.

Eco fantasy furniture

I can't really afford it, don't truly need it and know that the most eco thing is to buy vintage, but just found myself waiting time browsing the Cisco Brothers site. How gorgeous is this sofa? And how much fun would your kids have rolling around on these pouf ottomans? And all of Cisco's things are made with FSC-certified wood (or reclaimed hardwoods) and water-based glues in (local to me) south Los Angeles. If I ever get to do some sort of extravagant fantasy redecorating I can't imagine why I'd need to shop anyplace else (except maybe Q Collection). Of course, after two weeks in my house right now those ottomans would be covered in art supply stains and juice spills. And the sofa isn't the type of thing you slipcover. So I guess it's fine that for now it's just a fantasy.

Recycled glassware in West Elm

I just noticed some pretty nice looking, affordable recycled glass dishes, glasses and carafes in the West Elm catalog (note to self to ask via Catalog Choice to unsubscribe). They look vaguely like these Fire and Light recycled glass salad plates that I own, though those are really pricey so I only own four. Maybe I'll try to round out the set with some of the West Elm ones since they're both a greenish hue. Of course, these are made in Spain and the Fire and Ice ones are made in NorCal, so there's that.

New organic textiles at Rubie Green and Plover

I just noticed (though am no doubt late to learn) that there are new-for-fall fabrics and bed, table, etc. linen at Rubie Green and Plover Organics, respectively. I'm not really in the market for any gorgeous new textiles at the moment, but maybe you are? Yes, your kids will probably stain them, but you can't put your life entirely on hold until your kids have grown out of the aggressive staining phase, right? I really like the Rubie Green Habibi, and the Jackie leopard print, even though I am generally not into leopard print, this one is very sort of streamlined and spare and sweet and doesn't remind me of dead animals in the slightest.

Organic cotton tea towels, and other treats

I just discovered this newish line of treats called Hammocks and High Tea. It's been covered by Daily Candy and Lucky mag, so I'm not sure why I didn't learn about it sooner. It has gorgeous looking organic cotton tea towels and recycled paper notecards, among other fun stuff. The notecards are a little pricey, but I ordered some of the tea towels and will report back on whether they live up to expectation once they arrive. I am rather obsessed with tea towels for some reason, and Hammocks and High Tea makes them in lots of cool prints like a Suzani-inspired one and an ikat and a paisley and a chevron . . and organic too, so what could be better?

Green Purelle alternative

My husband and I often bicker about Purelle ("bicker" is a word I'd hoped I'd never use about my marriage but, alas, something about having two kids under three turns you into your parents). I say that the chemicals in it have got to be bad for our beebs, he says that a few chemicals are better than viruses and bacteria. Lately I've been surrendering and using the stuff more, because I'm so weary of having sick kids, and am willing to sacrifice principle and maybe even safety to try to fend off the viruses. But I've discovered this new stuff that will hopefully put an end to the discussion: Clean Well, an all-natural, alcohol-free blend of plant oils "proven to kill 99.9% of germs." Costs $5, comes in a purse-friendly little bottle. We'll see! The founders have a blog, too.

Sustainable/ethical/stylish textiles

I've admired Les Indiennes fabric in magazines but for some reason only just realized that it's organic cotton, with nontoxic dyes, and made fair trade-style in India. In addition to textiles they do tabletop, bedding, throw pillows and lovely little accessories, and you can buy it all online. Not cheap, but so beautiful. I'm adding the napkins to my mental wish list.

Mango wood lamp love

I sort of lust after this lamp from WS home, even though it's way out of my budget and I am not really even in need of a lamp. I've seen similar ones in decor magazines over the past few years (did Palecek make one?), and maybe the look of a big chunk of wood carved into a classical silhouette is trickling down. And mango wood is very sustainable, or so I've read, so if one were to splurge on this lamp you could at least feel good about that part.

Chic eco dollhouse

In an uncharacteristically organized move I just ordered my daughter her Christmas gift (she's not yet three, so Santa can still get away with getting her just one big-ish one, and leave the relatives to round that out), the mod dollhouse by Plan Toys from Oompa (free shipping too--sort of love the weak economy!). Love that it is solid wood and finished in non-toxic paint. And while she would probably prefer the bigger, less green option from PB kids, I am appreciating the fact that she's still not old enough to really understand retail and will hopefully just be thrilled with my doll house of choice. My friend with older kids tell me I've got about six more months until that all falls apart though!

Feeling very right now . .

Maque choux with the last of the season's locally grown corn

Ticking stripes. . . ideally in organic cotton

Waldorf-y treehouse dollhouses