As a parent, you know that one of the greatest tools we have to cherish all of life’s sweet memories is the camera. Digital cameras are even better. They’re a great way to preserve those moments we never want to forget, and they’re eco-friendly, too —no paper goes to waste because you only print out the photos you want.

If you’ve thought about buying digital, but were just not quite sure what to look for, don’t worry! We’ve boiled it all down for you, and soon, you’ll be on your way to capturing all of your family’s special moments.

The first rule in camera buying is to throw out all the rules–about megapixels, screen size, battery life, etc. Instead, first decide how big of a camera you are willing to carry. If your fine camera is sitting at home in its lovely shoulder bag when Janie takes her first steps at the park, all those megapixels won’t count for much! Go to a camera store and try putting various models into your current means of carrying: purse, laptop bag or jacket pocket. Now that you know what your size limit is, let’s turn the camera-buying world on its head by explaining why fewer pixels are better.

Early digital cameras had very low resolution, so the prints were not nearly as crisp as film prints. As technology advanced and pixel count increased, digital prints got sharper. Unfortunately, we now have too much of a good thing. Tiny camera sensors can’t gather much light, just as small eye pupils can’t. Take that sensor and divide it up into 12 million dots and the results are grain and digital noise at dusk or indoor settings. Built-in flashes can help, but only with subjects that are close, and even then the light they put out is unnatural and harsh. The good news is that ultra-high resolution is completely unnecessary. For prints up to 8×10, you’ll never see anything above 7 megapixels. For most users, 7 to 10 megapixels is just right.

How Many Megapixels Do you Really Need?

4×6 print = 2 megapixels

5×7 print= 4 megapixels

8×10 print= 7 megapixels

HDTV (1080p)= 2 megapixels

high-end computer monitor= 4 megapixels

Other features to look for are image stabilization (helpful in dim light), a wide-angle lens (for group shots & travel), video recording (because most times, you won’t be carrying the camcorder) and optical zoom (digital zoom degrades quality). If you want good shots of the kids’ soccer matches, you’ll need the fast shutter release and long telephoto range found in a “superzoom” or SLR (single lens reflex) camera.

For specific recommendations, the Canon SD line has consistently great pocket-sized models, while Casio and Sony also make appealing units. Slightly larger are the compacts, such as the Canon A series, an excellent value. In the superzoom category, Panasonic, Nikon and Canon are good choices. For the more advanced “prosumer” SLRs and fixed-lens cameras, Nikon and Canon are top options.

Next time I’ll talk about the best ways to view those amazing pictures.

–“Tech Dad” John Svoboda is a consumer electronics enthusiast, manager and business owner since the time of the 8-track, and holds a Master of Science degree in Telecommunications

green school /grEn skül / n. a school building or facility that creates a healthy environment that is conducive to learning while saving energy, resources and money.

I personally love growing trend of green schools. I wish they were this environmentally friendly when I was in school! Public and private schools are finding that going green isn’t just great for the children and the environment, it’s great for their budgets. On average, green schools save $100,000 per year – enough to hire two new teachers, buy 500 new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks (!!!).

How do I know this? Thanks to this great new site from the US Green Building Council, Green Schools, the information on why and how to build a green schools is only a click away. Their vision is to have all green schools within a generation (yay!).

We are cheering super, super loud over here at KIWI. We love that there is a movement for schools to go green. We are even doing our own part with the KIWI Crusaders Award (you can still apply until December 31st!). The Green Schools site even has a “Take Action” part of their site, where you can join your local green school campaign, learn how communities are taking action, and connect with other green school supporters.

So, click on over and start joining, learning and connecting with green schools!

Looking for ways to save money? Buying organic and natural can get a little pricey, especially if you are just making the switch. That’s why we offer our KiwiCuts to all of our readers and online friends. For our exclusive discounts, just click on over to KiwiCuts Online.

If you’re looking for discounts on grocery products, I just discovered Health E-Savers. Health E-savers is a website that “provides valuable printable coupons from all natural brands for food, groceries, natural remedies, natural beauty, nutritional supplements and pets.” The best part? They email the coupons right to your inbox. Lovely! (Perfect for us glued to our computers and our email.) No more clipping coupons, it’s printing coupons now. All you have to do is specify what categories and brands you prefer and your email address—it’s that simple. So, head on over and start saving.

Need an excellent school pack for your son/daughter? Loved our eco supply and eco school fashion article in the Sept/October issue? Well, you now have the chance to bid on great supplies left over from our shoots! And the best part? The auction is part of Christie Brinkley’s “Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools, Healthy Environment” and benefits New York Coalition for Healthy School Food and Wellness in the Schools. KIWI’s editorial director, Sara Gragnolati, put together two school packs (boy and girl version) for Charitybuzz, an auction site whose motto is “do good– live well.” The bidding ends on September 27th, so start waving your numbered paddle!

Boy Pack includes:

Patagonia backpack
Patagonia synchilla marsupial
Mimi Sardine lunch tote
SIGG bottle
Wrap-n-Mat
Stockmar beeswax crayons
Smencils eco pencils
Subscription to Kiwi Magazine for you and five friends

Girl Pack includes:

Patagonia backpack
Patagonia retro vest
Circle of Friends shampoo pack
Mimi Sardine lunch tote
SIGG bottle
Wrap-n-Mat
Smencils eco pencils
Subscription to Kiwi Magazine for you and five friends

I think anyone can agree that these packs are perfect back-to-school accessories. Precisely why we made this worthy cause our pick this week, so hurry up and start bidding! Click here to learn more about the auction and all the great items up for bid.

We all wish we could be a super hero from time to time. (Captain Planet anyone?) That’s what makes this video from Sienna Miller and Global Cool extra funny.

Just a little laughter to end our summer holidays and start Autumn off right! Not only is it funny, it’s environmentally friendly. We should all try and be environmental super heroes, but we’ll keep our underwear on the inside, thanks!

Welcome back to work and school!

…to the Mommy in front!

What do moms do with all the things like cribs, play pens, books, dolls and all that old baby clothing? Reuse and recycle them in a fun way!

Mommy Auctions offers an alternative to the big, unfriendly eBay. This site is more like a community for mothers to share thoughts on products and buy and sell things they need for their little ones. Mommy Auctions creates a place that moms can reuse and recycle products they or their children have outgrown. What makes it even better is that thrifty moms can get deals, with piece of mind that the doll, dvd, cd or changing table they are getting is already “mommy approved.”

Samantha Stack, founder of Mommy Auctions, says, “I thought it would be great to have an online auction community where moms alone are the demographic and we could all share product reviews, mommy advice, sell the products that we no longer needed, or buy products both new and used.”

So, now you know what to do with all that old baby stuff you have in storage! Auction it off!

Radio, in fact, is doing the opposite of dying. It’s thriving! This media has a new home– the internet. The internet radio craze has even struck home here at KIWI’s headquarters. Our own Maxine Wolf, CEO and Publisher of KIWI Magazine, was interviewed by Holistic Moms Talk Radio.

During her interview, Maxine discussed almost everything about our lovely publication. She covered topics from why we choose the name KIWI to our KIWI Crusaders Award (see Blog). Holistic Moms and Maxine even talked about Maxine’s daughter Maylee– the star of KIWI’s Maylee’s Moment.

Maxine said, “As I went through my experiences as a new parent, I realized there really wasn’t any place to get good information about parenting our way… and I formed KIWI.”

All in all, the interview turned out to be a great discussion on living naturally and organically. To listen to the interview, visit Holistic Moms Talk Radio. Congrats Maxine!

Tired of hearing about Britney Spears in rehab and how Lindsay Lohan should be? Me too! This is why I love this week’s pick, the blog Ecorazzi.

Ecorazzi is the latest in green gossip or what they call “celebrities caught green-handed.” We love it here at KIWI. Instead of the everyday, terrible celebrity gossip, the Ecorazzi team is doing something different. They profile celebrities who make a difference, who are vegans/vegetarians, and the eco-friendly things the celebrities do.

Ecorazzi says, “In the spirit of fair play, we’re quick to point how who’s slacking and who’s deserving of recognition.” For instance, the homepage features everyone from Donald Trump, Jessica Biel and Prince William to Prince Harry. Donald Trump is going green in his next project, Jessica Biel carries around an “I’m not a Plastic Bag” bag, and the Princes’ Concert for Diana (see below).

Finally, a celebrity gossip blog I can get behind!

After pretty much every question posed (Why is the sky blue? What is Will Ferrell’s full name? What are the greenest cities?), someone responds with “I’ll google it.” Who hasn’t google themselves? Google has become our go-to for information. The search engine is used so much that it has become a verb!

So, besides being the most used search engine, Google is now hopping on the eco bandwagon. They plan to be carbon neutral by the year’s end. How do they plan on reaching this fabulous goal?

Google has devised a three step program for themselves:
1. Increasing the energy efficiency of their operations.
2. Aggressively pursuing clean and renewable sources of energy.
3. Purchasing carbon offsets for the emissions they can’t reduce directly.

Over on the eco side of the fence, we couldn’t be more happy to have them. With Google maps, email, images, video and standard search, it is great that they are going carbon neutral. For more information on Google’s goals, click here.
Now we can google all we want and with a free conscience.

It seems like everyone has a Myspace– from bands to writes to everyday people. Now the earth has one. Huh? Well earth awareness now has its own page. OurPlanet is the site that allows everyone on Myspace to express their hopes, ideas and goals about the environment. The site includes forums with topics that allow everyday Myspacers the ability to discuss growing problems.

It also features other profiles with different environmentally friendly non-profits and causes– right now it is the MUSE campaign and TreePeople. There is also an incredible widget with “Go Zero Tips.” This features different ways to cut back on your energy uses. Bonus, it can be added to anyone’s Myspace profile.

What I really think is great about OurPlanet is its location. Myspace is visited by so many young people everyday, not to mention the over 100 million registered profiles. This website could be the beginning of awareness for the “techno-tots” and well, pretty much everyone else. Because, who doesn’t have a myspace?

Let’s hope OurPlanet is just the beginning of this “eco techno” revolution.