Tinker Bell was joined by voice cast Mae Whitman (Tinker Bell), Raven Symone (Iridessa), Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure director Klay Hall,  producer Sean Lurie and UN delegates as they celebrated the world premiere of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, which arrived on DVD & Blu-ray this week.

It's the power of Disney helping inspire children and their parents to protect the environment and live more green. Not sure if that fairy dust that Tink threw was recyclable or not though. Hmmmm…

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Disclosure: all Amazon.com links are affiliate links

From cleaning products to children’s toys, it would seem the whole world is going green. Whether or not this new attitude is just a passing fad or here to stay, very few people can point out the negative in working to keep the planet healthy. It proves possible to go green in many unexpected ways, even with buying clothes. The following advice shows you how to green-ify your wardrobe with advice from a card-carrying member of the Green Party:

Start with three simple words: reduce, reuse, recycle. I’m sure that many of you already know you can recycle plastics, glass, cars, and even computer parts, but recycling can also be done with clothes. Not to mention that there is no better way to get authentic vintage (which, by the way, is very ‘in’ this season) than by digging through the thrift stores. These can be small local shops, or large nationwide organizations such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army, but they all do the same thing: they keep our landfills just a little bit smaller by using Green ideals (even before it was cool).

If, however, you find that you are not the scavenger-hunt sort of person, there exist many alternatives, like actual clothing stores that will sift through all of the barrels of recycled textiles so you don’t have to do it yourself. They are called recycled clothing stores, and a couple of examples of these include Plato’s Closet and Ragstock, though the latter might seem a bit eccentric for some people. However, the concept of recycled clothing has become more and more popular, and many independent boutiques have taken to selling and redesigning recycled clothing. Plato’s Closet and Ragstock, however, are national chains with stores all over the country, so these two might be the easiest places to start in your quest for becoming Fashion Green.

And as an added bonus, the way Plato’s Closet functions is by buying used, yet fashionable clothing from people bringing in their old wardrobes and paying them cash on the spot. And in this recession,  very few people would say no to that!

Keep in mind, though, that recycling clothing is a two-way street. If you have clothing you don’t want anymore, even if it’s stained or has holes in it, it is much better to donate it than to just throw it in the trash bin. Let’s take a look at the policies of Goodwill for example. What you might not know is that Goodwill never throws away any donations they receive. What doesn’t get sold at the store where the clothing was donated gets sent to their outlet stores, and what doesn’t get sold there is put to other uses, such as being shredded to make stuffing for cars.

Goodwill definitely gets a gold star for doing their part to save the planet!

When it comes to saving the environment, as with any movement or organization, a little work done by a lot of people can go a surprisingly long way. Hopefully these tips will help you do your part!

Zenil Nasser writes for www.briefcases.com, a website that offers luxury briefcases direct from the manufacturer.  Zenil lives in San Francisco with her partner Jerry and their twin boys.

To celebrate, Earthbound Farm just launched a new contest seeking quotes from children for the inside of their recently redesigned clamshell salad labels. Kids will be encouraged to submit quotes thanking those who purchase organic for helping protect the future.

For each child’s quote that is chosen, they have the opportunity to win:

1. A $500 US Savings Bond for their future education
2. A $500 donation in your child’s name to their choice of one of these dedicated nonprofit environmental organizations:

• American Forests
• Beyond Pesticides
• Environmental Working Group
• Healthy Child Healthy World
• Natural Resources Defense Council
• Organic Farming Research Foundation
• Pesticide Action Network North America
• Union of Concerned Scientists

3. Winning quotes will appear on the back of our new salad labels and on the Earthbound Farm website

Enter the contest here.*

Earthbound Farm will select four winners in July and then add a new winner every month through the end of 2009.

*This contest is open to legal US residents who submit their entry with the permission of their parent or guardian, and who are 17 years of age or under at that time. Winning quotes will be identified by first name, age, and city/state on the Earthbound Farm website and on package labels. Parents or guardians must provide their name, email address and daytime phone number in case their child’s entry is a winner. Either adult or child must provide their Social Security Number to receive their prize and register their bond. Earthbound Farm respects your privacy; we won’t share your personal information with anyone else.

Tastes great

I tried the Pre-Brush Whitening Rinse and the Healthy Teeth & Gums Whitening Plus Toothpaste. My children tried the Healthy Teeth Sparkly Berry Blast for Kids.

At first I was a bit hesitant since I had heard that other brands of natural toothpaste were nasty. Not to fear with the Natural Dentists products – they tasted great. The kids liked their toothpaste too – both the taste and the sparkles. I found their products to be more “gritty” than regular toothpastes and mouth rinses, but it wasn’t unpleasant and the kids didn’t mind.

In fact (and this sounds so incredibly dorky) I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed using mouth rinse and tooth paste so much. Both products left my mouth tasting and feeling great – and my teeth felt clean for hours afterwards, even after eating. It was so pleasant, that using their products were easy to add to my grooming routine in the morning and evening.

Works well

Did the products whiten my teeth? Well, my teeth are pretty white already, so it was hard to notice a big difference. Still I think they did whiten up a bit. However, using their toothpaste and rinse was much more pleasant than using whitening strips, which are kind of icky and leave a peroxide taste in your mouth. (I’ve also found that whitening strips make my teeth more sensitive, so I don’t like to use them too regularly.)

My only complaint with the Healthy Teeth & Gums Whitening Plus Toothpaste was that you need twice as much of it than you do regular toothpaste, since it doesn’t foam up as well. That’s probably because their toothpastes don’t contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) which is a foaming detergent. According to The Natural Dentist website, “SLS can irritate your mouth and has been linked to canker sores.”

As far as cavity fighting goes, the Natural Dentist toothpastes contain as much fluoride as my regular brand. They claim that the peppermint and sage oils help prevent gingivitis and reduce and help prevent plaque, too. See their FAQs page for more information.

New, low prices

The Natural Dentist recently announced a drop in retail prices (up to 30%) for all mouth rinses to make natural oral care more accessible. The prices have gone from $9.99 to a suggested retail price of $6.99 for a 16-ounce bottle.

For a limited time only, The Natural Dentist is also offering a coupon for $1.50 off any product from The Natural Dentist line of toothpastes or mouth rinses. This coupon can be found at www.thenaturaldentist.com/pricecut.

This is a great time to give natural oral care a try. Check out The Natural Dentist and see their products are right for you and your family.

Luckily, there’s a chic, practical and affordable solution - Waste-Less Bags. (See below for a discount code.)

The company sent me a sample of their product, The Essential Line, which consists of three bags that come in a small pouch. The pouch is about as big as a makeup bag – perfect to keep in my purse at all times. The bags truly do roll up in a small enough bundle to fit into your hand and can easily fit into a jacket or pant pocket.

However, I was skeptical that one bag could hold as much as the picture on their website. You know what? It does. I took my Waste-Less Bags to Target and bought 11 items – underwear, a Groovy Girls stuffed horse, four pre-made pie crusts, two packages of sausages, buns, spices, and a bottle of lime juice. No problem to fit that all in ONE bag (each is designed to hold 25 pounds). Plus, it was comfortable to carry all that on my shoulder, too.

Other uses for Waste-Less Bags

I’m very impressed with these little bags and think they’re a great gift for the eco-friendly people in your life – think stocking stuffers, teacher’s gifts, etc. They’re especially perfect for those those wanna be green dads. After all, most men don’t want to be seen carrying a bunch of canvas bags around –  too much like carrying a purse. (I’m being sarcastic, can you tell?) But if a man can place a few Waste-Less Bags in their pockets, briefcase or backpack, he may actually use them.

You can also bring them along camping, to the beach, thrift store shopping, or even to the library. They’re also great to bring while traveling to shop with, or to hold all your gear when you head down to the pool. Heck, they’re great laundry bags, too. For the kids, these are great to take to school to hold class projects. Or to a friend’s house for an overnight stay since they’ll hold lots of stuffed animals, their favorite blanket, and possibly their pillow, too.

The Essential Line sells for $9.99 for one pouch and three bags. The Fanciful Line sells for $19.99 for one pouch and four bags. Shipping is by UPS Ground. You can order online at the Waste-Less Bags website or buy them locally.

For Mom Central Goes Green readers, enter the code:13674 to get $1 OFF when you purchase an Essential Line pouch of 3 or a Fanciful Line Pouch of 4.

Tropicana's initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint include developing a comprehensive resource conservation program for all their plants in North America; buying and using greenhouse gas-neutral energy sources where available; and training suppliers to join in emissions-reducing initiatives.

This PepsiCo press release gives all the details. (PepsiCo is the parent company of Tropicana.)

Consumer Queen visits Tropicana

This video starring mom blogger, Melissa Garcia from Consumer Queen, shows why Tropicana sought carbon certification, and what the company is doing to reduce its environmental impact.

Melissa also gives you a few simple tips to reduce your carbon footprint at home.

Learn more about PepsiCo’s environmental sustainability programs.

Also, visit the Tropicana website to learn more about their products health benefits, their Rescue the Rainforest initiative with Cool Earth, and about carton recycling.

The hands on experience gained during messy play helps your children experience a variety of textures and tastes, if they so desire. During messy play, they are developing eye hand coordination and fine motor skills. What looks like a mess on their clothing and their bodies is truly a learning experience for your child.

As parents, we should make sure the things covering their face, hands and any other exposed skin is safe. Many paints contain toxic materials like toluene which can produce adverse effects in the kidneys and reproductive as well as ethylene glycol which can be associated with developmental toxicity.

Do you really want these chemicals covering your child’s face and/or in their mouth?

How about making your own finger paints? There are many recipes out there, though I find this one to be the most versatile for colors.

Homemade Finger Paints

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 packets of powdered drink mix (like Kool-aid)
• 1/2 cup of salt
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 3 cups of boiling water

Directions:

1. Mix together you dry ingredients in a bowl (drink mix, flour and salt).
2. Stir in the oil.
3. Slowly mix in the boiling water and allow the mixture to cool.

You can store these in old baby food jars and in the fridge and reuse them over and over, even making and mixing new colors for endless hours of fun.

They helped cleaned the Senior Center’s bus, planted flowers at the rec center, put together bags of personal care items for Our Center, and spent time with the seniors and had lunch with them. The kids had a great time and the seniors were thrilled with all the nice things that were done for them.

With everyone forgoing vacations, why not do a green community service staycation with a little help from Audubon’s TogetherGreen Community Passport? The Community passport encourages people to volunteer in their community and helps them find volunteer activities they’d like to participate in.

How does Community Passport work?

Visit TogetherGreen Community Passport and read “How It Works.” Then download your Community Passport, which will allow you to get involved in as many different unpaid conservation volunteer activities as possible from April 22, 2009 - July 22, 2009.

(Participants need to be over the age of 18 and log participation in a variety of conservation categories, called Pursuits.)

Community Passport contest

As a reward for your hard work during the Community Passport Program, you will have the chance to win special prizes, online recognition and downloadable Passport certificates. The most committed volunteer will win a grand prize of two LL Bean bicycles for emission-free traveling fun. Other environmentally friendly prizes include a Sierra Designs Tent, an REI Trail Pack and water bottles, and TogetherGreen t-shirts.

The Community Passport contest is part of the five-year TogetherGreen alliance between Audubon and Toyota, created to help individuals act now to cause a positive impact in their homes, their communities, and the world. True to the goals of TogetherGreen program, the Passport emphasizes what individual actions can accomplish for the environment—and how much they can add up.

No volunteer needs in your area?

When I checked TogetherGreen Community Passport there weren’t any volunteer opportunities in my area. If you have the same problem, contact local green and environmental groups in your area or look in your local paper for volunteer opportunities.

Here are some tips on green volunteering from DisneyFamily.com and GreenWorks: Go Green! Get Involved and Volunteer and 21 Places to Look for Green Volunteering Opportunities from Carolyn Mansfield at GreenBiz.com.

After reading about Eco-mompreneurs in the April 2009 issue of Working Mother, I was curious why she started her green company, so I asked her to do a guest post about it.

I hope it will inspire you to turn your passion for green living into something more.

Jeanne Reslan of EcoLabel Fundraising

I try to share my story with all schools and non-profits we work with across the country.  I think it is important for them to understand where my passion from helping them was born.

There are many fundraising companies out there seeking to make a “quick buck” off the children in our schools. Our mission is much different.  We are seeking to better their lives by giving back 95% of the profits we help generate. The other five percent is put back into our program to grow it so that we may extend our reach to as many schools around the nation as possible. We price our products at fair-market value which is a refreshing change for parents. Making our program ethical in every way is our focus and has become a big part of our company culture.

Becoming a mom

In 2007, I gave birth to my first child. Her arrival made me look at the world in an entirely different way, as it does for most people. After much internal turmoil, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't waking up anymore with a good feeling about how I was contributing to the world which I would leave behind for my children.

At the time, I was selling petroleum-based chemicals and oil. I made a very healthy living surging to the top sales position in the company. I worked with mostly men over the age of 55 in a very big, good 'ol boys network. I could keep up with them without a problem, since I was raised in rural Iowa. My understanding this sort of environment made me a fast success in that industry. So, for me, it was fast-paced, fun and came naturally.  The problem was that I was raised in middle America, which also gave me a sense of “doing the right thing” at all times that I may not have otherwise had.

I was paid six figures for being on maternity leave, since they wanted to make coming back to my job very attractive to me. They were very good to me, but my maternal pull was stronger than anything. Shortly after returning to work, my husband and I made the decision that I would leave. 

Pursuing a passion

I left it all to pursue a “bigger purpose.” I knew I was good at raising money, since I had raised millions for the non-profits and schools I had worked for in my 20s. The fundraising experience working for those organizations is what led me into sales to begin with. I figured, why not turn my skill set into a passion of mine? 

I did understand that others did not have the diverse sales, marketing and fundraising skills that I was lucky enough to acquire over the years, so I figured I would share it with as many non-profits and schools as I could across the nation. Really, I suppose some of it was intrinsic talent I was born with, but mostly I believe it was good people that shared with me what they had learned over the years.  So, I needed to do the same.

In early 2008, I officially founded EcoLabel Fundraising with the intention of making a major change in my personal life, as well as, my career. I made a firm decision from the very beginning that if I was going to put my energy into this passion, then I was going to do it right.  EcoLabel Fundraising sells only Fair-Trade, Eco-Friendly or Organic Products.  When creating the vision for the programs we administer, I really tried to think about what I would want to see come into my home as a parent. What lessons could we teach children about leaving a good impact on our Earth and help raise funds at the same time? 

Making a difference

Today, I wake up knowing that every time a child takes one of EcoLabel Fundraising's catalogs home to their parents, one more conversation about the environment is likely to transpire in their household.  Just maybe, a teacher will have one more conversation with his/her students about the environment when talking about EcoLabel Fundraising's program. The best part about it all is that we have been able to help so many schools raise much needed funds in a very tough economy. Children remember those conversations and they make a lasting impact in their minds well into adulthood. Children also remember all the programs they were able to enjoy since their school was able to raise the funds to provide extra programs.

More about EcoLabel Fundraising

The response to our programs and passion has been overwhelming. We are so thrilled to be helping so many in a really healthy way. In helping schools raise funds, we offer three types of programs including our Traditional Paper Catalog and Web-Catalog program, Seed and Bulb Fundraising Program, and Customized,Reusable Water Bottle Program. Sign-up and support for our programs are 100% free. 

It is happy work, so I'm really glad to have made the change.

Help EcoLabel Fundraising spread the word about their good works by becoming their fan on Facebook, follow them on Twitter @EcolabelFund, or visit www.ecolabelfundraising.com to order a free catalog.

I inquired about green carpeting and he showed us one brand – attractive and reasonably priced – that was made from recycled carpet. Basically they melt down old nylon carpet and make it into new carpet. Pretty neat, but I didn’t care for the carpet colors.

Then Nate told us that the carpet we were admiring, Alexander Smith by Mohawk, was considered eco-friendly since it’s a SmartStrand™ carpet made with DuPont Sorona®. Sorona contains 37% renewably resourced materials by weight meaning it’s made from agricultural feed stocks, basically corn sugar.

Most carpeting is nylon, which is made from petrochemicals, so using renewably sourced products reduces our dependency on oil. Other ways SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona benefits the environment:

• The production of Sorona® polymer requires 30 percent less energy than the production of an equal amount of nylon.
• Greenhouse gas emissions from the production of Sorona® are 63 percent lower than nylon manufacturing.
• Every seven yards of SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona saves enough energy and resources to equal one gallon of gasoline — that’s 10 million gallons of gasoline a year

SmartStrand™ with DuPont™ Sorona® also offers a combination of permanent built-in stain protection, superior durability and amazing comfort. Nate said that he prefers SmartStrand because it feels softer than nylon carpeting. We liked it because it’s gorgeous. Now if I can only figure out what color I want. Picnic Basket or Gold Rush?

More green goodness from Mohawk Flooring

• Learn more about Mohawk’s SmartStrand carpet 
• 10 Tips to Green Your Home from Top to Bottom from Mohawk
• Learn about Mohawk’s everSTRAND™ carpet fiber that contains 100% post-consumer recycled content
• Learn about Mohawk GreenWorks™ Laminate flooring and their Mohawk GreenWorks™ Hardwood flooring