Earth Day 2009

Tiny tots may not fully understand Earth Day, but it's never too early to start reading them stories about the environment and the future it faces. Al Gore's PowerPoint presentation may be a little too heavy for their wee brains, but Goodbye Earth, Hello Moon ($13) offers a great starting point for youngsters. A witty and informative read on the current state of our planet, the book provides teaching opportunities as well as beautiful artwork that both mommy and babe can appreciate.

A fledgling tome from Emily Rylander and Gabriel Meil, the two authors prove to be hooked on classics while providing a hip twist to a very important tale. A group of always popular penguins decides to rally the zoological life for a move to the moon after too many afternoons suited for frozen drinks. Swinging monkeys exclaim, "See you later, dear Equator!" while a pack of turtles pull their roll-along suitcases down the beach sadly saying, "Au revoir, Zanzibar." A clever narrative to boot, let's hope these two don't stop at the moon.

Generally speaking, bigger families consume more than smaller ones: food, cars, and houses grow to accommodate more members. In an effort to lessen the carbon footprint imposed by the human race, Jonathon Porritt, the chair of Britain's Sustainable Development Commission said:

I am unapologetic about asking people to connect up their own responsibility for their total environmental footprint and how they decide to procreate and how many children they think are appropriate...I think we will work our way towards a position that says that having more than two children is irresponsible. It is the ghost at the table. We have all these big issues that everybody is looking at and then you don’t really hear anyone say the “p” word.

Perhaps the rest of the world will implement China's One Child Law and keep Mother Earth healthy. Tell mommy, this Earth Day, will you recycle bottles, flush the toilet less and use birth control to lessen your impact?
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We've taught our lil ones to separate the recycling from the trash and why we shop at the natural foods market rather than the chain grocery store. Now it's time to expand their horizons to see just what an impact their actions have on the earth as a whole. Sammy & Sue Go Green Too ($14) is the first in a new series of books based on a mother/daughter team out to educate their neighbors about the importance of leading an Eco-friendly life. Through their journey, they learn firsthand about organic farming, hybrid cars, earth-friendly cleaning products and all natural ice cream and share their discoveries in a way that even the youngest tots in your household will understand.

Along with their new book, Sammy & Sue are introducing an Online Virtual World for Kids. The site is divided into several "villages" each representing different environments in which kids can play a variety of games to learn how the areas are affected by environmental toxins and what they can do to save them. Among the Eco-environments visited are the seashore, the forest, a desert and an urban/suburban area.

Earth Day may be a few weeks away, but it is never too early to start planning your lil one's attire for the celebration. Cafe Press, who we have come to love for their inexpensive, adorable designs, has entered the green clothing fold with their new line of 100% organic ultra-fine ring-spun cotton. The company is printing their earth-friendly messages on kids' t-shirts and baby onesies from American Apparel and eco-conscious, companies known for their sustainable organizations and fair trade practices.