When I was on the North Shore last winter I met Surf Dog. While my little girl was still just a bun in the oven, I learned how important it is to encourage reading in children, even infants. Surf Dog travels around his home Island of Oahu or has off-island excursions. He meets new people, learns new things about our world and writes about them on his blog. You can't beat exciting new experiences as the ultimate encouragement to read.Check out Surf Dog. He's in San Francisco now. And whe... Read Full Story

Don't miss the Oceanside Craft Mafia's CraftTopia this Saturday, May 16th from 3-7 pm. It is a great way to support handmade and your local economy. Shop for yourself or pick up some gifts for those birthdays that just keep coming! Either way, you'll walk away with one-of-a-kind doo-dads you won't find anywhere else. See you at Jitter's on Saturday! 510 North Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054 Read Full Story

How frustrating the constant and never ending search for green merchandise in our local stores. Many shops are carrying at least a couple eco-friendly products, but who has time to strip search the product labels of every item we pick up? As much as I love supporting my local economy, I find myself shopping online for most of my eco-conscious gifts and needs. It is much easier to find what I need with the help of those online directories.So when I heard a shop dedicated to supporting loca... Read Full Story

You may already be planning to hit up Oceanside's fifth annual street fair in celebration of Dia de los Muertos. While you are down there, take some shelter from the sun and head down Artist's Alley, between Pierview and Mission Ave, where the Oceanside Craft Mafia will be hosting it's first annual craft fair and trunk show in conjunction with the holiday. Plan on being wow'd by members' handmade products. Find original items including jewelry, pottery, hand made cards... Read Full Story

Manhattan Beach City Council proved they were up for the eco-challenge when on July 15th they unanimously adopted an ordinance banning plastic bags! Manhattan Beach is the second city in the Nation to adopt the plastic bag which begins in February 2009. Plastic bags are often carried by the wind into storm drains and into the ocean where fish and birds mistakenly eat the bags thinking it is food and end up dying. Also, plastic bags end up in the trash where they take a very long time to b... Read Full Story

A friend recently sent me a link to a very interesting blog. It is the story of a raft named Junk, and made of just that, junk! Made from 15,000 plastic bottles, Junk, as I type this, sails from California to Hawaii with a strong message aboard: Recycle! There is more trash and plastic in the North Pacific Ocean now than ever. It never completely breaks down and pollutes the ocean and it's inhabitants with various chemicals. The 2 man crew of Junk recently reach the halfway point of t... Read Full Story

I am very enamored with the new breed of eco-crafter. So much fabulous junk exists in this world and it is just begging to be re-fashioned. Alicia and Brad of Hi Octane Jewelry are no exception to this excellence in recycled craft.The hot rod inspired jewelry Alicia and Brad create begins from drawings which they then make into molds. The final sterling silver products are divine! But from my view, that of the obsessive recycler, their best jewelry is made from old car parts. Using embl... Read Full Story

Looking back, the yellow school bus provided pages and pages of childhood memories. I remember waiting in the freezing cold Colorado mornings for the bus to turn the corner so I could board and get the feeling back in my toes. I remember the windows that never quite went up or down all the way. And of course, the smell. Why is it that school buses always had that distinct smell!?!The smell buses are better know for now are their emissions! But the EPA hopes to scrub the air clean of that... Read Full Story

I always love when a great new green idea finds me and I don't have to go searching for it. Well, this was exactly the case when in my inbox I had a message about Boho magazine. I have gained a whole new respect for high fashion with this magazine that not only spotlights eco-designers, but prints its entire magazine on recycled paper with soy inks. Yes, yes. I think I'm in love. And, as you may have guessed, it takes more than outward appearances to impress me. That being said,... Read Full Story

No news is good news, or at least the story goes. I did however recently discover Grist; a news blog focusing on environmental news and seasoned with a sense of humor. That in itself is good news!Grist covers all the same categories as your daily paper or online news source. There are discussions and articles on politics, lifestyle, energy, parenting, and even celebrities. I even found myself shamelessly reading an article entitled, "The Hot Rancher Speaks." And yes, he was hot... Read Full Story