In the ongoing debate between cloth diapers vs. disposable diapers, I wonder where the gDiapers fit in? The diapers are comprised of an outer cotton “little g” pant and a flushable, plastic-free refill that snaps into place. Or if your toilet can’t accommodate the liner, you can compost the pee soaked liners in the garden. Sounds too good to be true. So I watched the video how-to presentation on how to discard the dirty diaper and wasn’t impressed.

Here’s where idealism and reality often collide for me. I have good intentions, I really do. But I’m tired and busy and this looks like more work than cloth diapers. All the fussing with the snaps, the pulling the liners apart and the worst thing - the swish stick! I handle enough poop as it is, do I really want to swish it around and chop it up with a stick too? And what is my crazed toddler supposed to be doing while I am standing over an open toilet fiddling with his dirty diaper? Heaven forbid he ever get his hands on that swish stick, which will be his sole obsession once he sees me using it.

I’d love to hear any feedback from those of you who have actually used these diapers. Yay or nay?

Like many of you good citizens with good intentions, I’ve tried to kick that high-pollutin’ plastic bag habit during my weekly grocery trips. But I’ll confess, it’s simply not that convenient to use those cloth, reusable tote bags. There, I’ve said it.

The back of my SUV is already crammed to full capacity with two strollers, a diaper bag, karate gear, bottled water and sand toys. I simply don’t have room for a dozen, canvas totes I have to remember to bring every time I go to the store. Recognizing these inherent limitations to the average reusable bag, Baggu has built a better shopping bag for the eco-barelyconscious set.

These brightly colored totes are made from durable rip-stop nylon and come in nine different colors, as well as stripes. But best of all, they fold into flat 5 x 5 inch pouches, small enough to slip into the back pocket of your hipslung jeans. Yet they still hold more than your average reusable (a half-dozen bags are estimated to handle the contents of your entire shopping cart. So that means less back and forth trips to your car and kitchen when it’s time to unload.

One bag and pouch is $8, but if you buy in packs you get a discount. A pack of three is $22 while a pack of six is $38.

Here’s the sobering statistics: Each family bring home over 1,000 plastic bags a year and collectively, that adds up to 100 billion plastic bags a year which end up in landfills. Since plastic doesn’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade instead, which means tiny pieces end up in our soil and water and contaminate our natural resources.

I plan on buying some of these bags and keeping one in my purse so that when I’m running my errands to the drugstore, Target, bookstore and mall, I can save a bag from the landfill.

LINK: Baggu.com

*For you Angelenos reading this, you can purchase these bags at Fred Segal at 420 and 500 Broadway in Santa Monica.

Green Toys, Inc., turns those plastic milk jugs in your recycling bin into classic toys for children. The impact of those milk jugs really add up. According to their website, every pound of milk jugs recycled means an energy savings equivalent to 3,000 AAA batteries, three weeks worth of the electricity needed to power a TV or enough to run your laptop for the entire month ahead. Currently, there’s a tea set, cookware, a beach bucket, and even a gardening kit for kids.

But all classic toys, not only ones specifically made from recycled materials, are a greener way to play. And toys that don’t rely on ridiculous amounts of batteries to power annoying lights, noises and music encourage interactive imaginative play in children instead of doing “too much” for them.

Battery-terrorist toys also challenge an already frazzled parent’s sanity with the constant repetition of noises and seizure-inducing flashing lights. So I’m thrilled that I can feel somewhat sanctimonious about banning battery-powered toys from my house. You’re saving money on batteries, saving the environment and your precarious grip on sanity all in one fell swoop. It’s the Toy Trifecta!

PointsandPrizes.com Keyword: CLASSIC worth 50 points good through 03/02/08.
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