Who doesn’t love Build-A-Bears? I know I do. (I have one and I’m 23! And look how cute that ghost is!). They are so cute and it’s wonderful that kids (and adults) can create their own stuffed animal friends– pick exactly which animal, what clothes it should wear, and even give it a name with a birth certificate.

KIWI loves companies like Build-A-Bear, ones that encourage a child’s imagination. We love it even more when they give back to the community and to the Earth– that’s why this fuzzy friend is our pick of the week, this week. In honor of Build-A-Bear’s 10th Birthday, aka their “Year of Friendship,” they planned an extensive party– full of giving back! Among their plans are their “Stuffed With Hugs” and “Huggable Heroes” programs. “Stuffed With Hugs” invites kids to make bears to donate to children’s organizations– for free! “Huggable Heroes” works to encourage children to give back to their communities.

Our favorite part is that this adorable company is going to plant more than 280,000 trees in celebration of their 10th birthday! The first 10,000 trees were planted in Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests in Arizona on October 16. These trees are a result of the “Friendship Forrest” campaign held in the workshops in the US, UK and Canada where guests were asked to donate a tree in honor of a friend or family member.

So thank you beary, beary much Build-A-Bear!

We love when the good is pointed out- that’s part of our job here at KIWI. With so much bad news from day to day, good news is sometimes hard to come by. That is why I choose Forbes.com’s Top 15 Green States for this week’s pick.

Using a scoring system of 50 based on carbon dioxide emissions per capita (or “carbon footprints”), strong policies to promote energy efficiency and high air quality and the amount of green buildings with the LEED certifications. There are some surprises on the list, like New Jersey, usually jokingly referred to as the “armpit of America.” (KIWI is based in NJ and NY, so we’re pretty thrilled! Both of our states made it into the top 10. :))

THE TOP 15 ARE:

1. Vermont
2. Oregon
3. Washington
4. Hawaii
5. Maryland
6. Connecticut
7. New Jersey
8. Rhode Island
9. New York
10. Arizona
11. Massachusetts
12. Idaho (pictured above)
13. Colorado
14. California
15. Minnesota

We would like to thank Forbes for such a great list! Also a huge congratulations to the states for their rankings and their efforts to save energy and the environment.

October is the beginning of fall and the time of ghouls, ghosts, and goblins. It is also “International I Walk to School Month.” In this month, 42 countries will participate in the month dedicated to walking to school– wow!

Why? The meaning of this month varies in each community. Some communities focus on the development of healthy habits, like the exercise walking to school allows. Other communities choose to focus on the environmental friendliness of walking to school.

Below is a list from www.iwalktoschool.org of activities to celebrate the wonderful act of walking to school.

Examples of Walk to School activities:

• Designate “Walking Wednesdays” to encourage walking one day a week and potentially extend the event to a month or a year-long activity
• Develop walking themes for each day of the week: bright, highly visible colors day, “walking hat” day, bring a healthy lunch day, etc.
• Set up a competition with awards for the classes with the most walkers
• Offer an option to students who ride the bus or carpool to walk once they arrive at school.
• Organize a walking school bus from nearby neighborhoods. For information on how, visit www.walkingschoolbus.org
• Plan a school-wide event to recognize the day such as a picnic, an assembly, an awards ceremony or a pizza party for the class with the most walkers
• Fill the month with activities throughout the day that pertain to staying physically fit, eating healthy and caring for the environment.

Check out their website for more information and how to get involved.

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.

I think it has been made abundantly clear that I love TV and movies. And I love it even more when TV (like NBC) and movies (like Evan Almighty) go green. But lately I have been viewing all the green hype with a little bit of skepticism. Sometimes I feel like the “green” label is slapped on and there is no real environmental effort behind it. For instance, what exactly made the Emmys green? Well, like any good blogger, I did my research. This year’s Emmys were chock full of recycled paper, hybrid cars and bio-diesel fuel. Yay!

My favorite efforts of the green Emmys can be seen here, in a FOX in-depth look into the eco-friendly Emmy Awards. It’s a short video, but very cool inside look into the eco backstage of the awards. A couple of things the small screen did to help reduce the footprint of the golden statues.

1. Solar panels were used to power the whole red carpet.
2. The red carpet will be recycled.
3. The stage’s blue rug was made from recycled plastic bottles.
4. The wood room where the stars went to relax (”the green room” haha) was made from old high school bleachers.
5. The coveted swag bags were made of canvas.

Of course, there were more green efforts, but these five are so cool. I love that the green room was made from high school bleachers. That is just too cool. And just because we all need a little more of The Office in our lives…

I really hope that environmentally friendly practices become a way of everyday life! Let’s keep it coming!

-Stacey

Everyone knows the three r’s of the green movement- reduce, reuse, recycle. One question that arises from this mantra is what can I actually recyle, reduce and reuse? Sure, we all know paper and glass, but what else? Thanks to Co-op America, we now know more! Co-op America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982 whose mission is to harness economic power to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

According to Co-op America, here is a list of of “21 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle” (or reuse!).

1. Applicances
2. Batteries
3. Cardboard boxes
4. Cds/DVDs/Game disks
5. Clothes
6. Compact fluorescent bulbs
7. Compostable bio-plastics
8. Computers and electronics
9. Exercise videos
10. Eyeglasses
11. Foam packings
12. Ink/toner cartridges
13. Miscellaneous
14. Oil
15. Phones
16. Sports equipment
17. “Technotrash”
18. Tennis shoes
19. Toothbrushes and razors
20. Tyvek envelopes
21. Stuff you just can’t recycle– Co-op America recommends that when practical, send such items back to the manufacturer and tell them they need to manufacture products that close the waste loop responsibly.

For complete instructions on how to recycle and reuse these 21 items, go to Co-op America’s site right here.

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!

This week’s pick is the ever animal friendly ASPCA, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

This weekend I visited a local art show in Philadelphia during First Friday in the Old City section. During my walk around the open art galleries, I went into the F.U.E.L. gallery (the old Real Worl: Philadelphia house) where they were exhibiting an unsettling art show about puppy mills.

The art show was a little disturbing, but I left thinking about the ASPCA and the work they do. Puppy mills are tragic and harmful, and I applaud anyone doing their part to rid the world of inhumane practices towards animals. More importantly the ASPCA outlines 10 simple ways to help fight puppy mills. To see their 10 ways, click here.

Trying to rid the US of puppy mills is actually only a small part of the crusade of the ASPCA. They have just launched their Mission: Orange, “… a focused effort to create a country of humane communities, one community at a time, where animals receive the compassion and respect they deserve—a nation where there is no more unnecessary euthanasia of adoptable animals simply because of a lack of resources and awareness.” So, in honor of the animals we love, KIWI is cheering loudly for the ASPCA.

Bonus: They also have an adorable kids page, AnimaLand.

Courtesy of the ASPCA®. Copyright 2007 ASPCA®. All rights reserved

Everyone remembers where they were when Princess Diana died. 10 years ago, in a tragic car accident, Princess Diana was taken away from the world. Before her death, she was considered “The People’s Princess.” She was a classically beautiful women with a heart of gold– she dedicated much of her time to charity work.

Keeping her spirit alive are her two sons, Princes William and Harry. Today, the date of what would have benn her 46th birthday, in London they are having a memorial concert to celebrate the life of Diana– the women she was and the causes she supported.

The proceeds from the concert will benefit three charities, The Princess Diana’s Patron and Memorial Fund, Prince William’s Centrepoint, and Prince Harry’s Sentebale, among others.

With every type of performer from Duran Duran to Fergie to English National Ballet, it surely will be a concert that no one should miss. Also, most importantly, a concert that Diana herself would have wanted to be at.

For more information on the concert, visit the official Concert for Diana website. The site will also tell you what television stations you can watch the concert on.

The Concert for Diana will definitely be a memorial concert to remember or quite possibly, the best birthday party ever.

Everyone who thinks giving blood is scary, say I. I! Or at least, I used to think so.

This week, for the first time, I gave blood. I was surprised to find out that it is actually relatively painless and quite quick. My friends and I donated through a local radio station’s blood drive and even though the wait was long, it was worth it. I found out that one pint of your blood can save up to 3 lives.

Think about that- giving up about one hour of your time can save 3 people’s entire existence! Also, 60% of Americans are eligible to donate, but on average only 5% of Americans actually give blood. We should change this statistic!

There are four steps to giving blood:

1. Registration
2. Health History & Mini Physical
3. Actual Donation
4. Refreshment- free cookies and juice!

Visit www.redcross.org or www.givelife.org for more information on how and where to give blood.

Fun Fact: The Red Cross calls your bandage “a badge of honor.” Donate and wear it proudly!

Here is my badge, along with my friends!

-Stacey

So this weekend I did something crazy. I cut off all of my hair!

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Stacey and I am a new team member here at Kiwi Magazine. Well, I did cut my hair off- 10 inches to be exact. Why you may ask? For Locks of Love.

Locks of Love is a non-profit dedicated to making wigs for children who no longer have hair due to alopecia or cancer. Each donation must be 10 inches in from the longest tip to top of the pony tail/braid. It was really hard to let go of my hair, but it makes me feel better knowing that I helped someone who really needed it.

Here are the guidelines for acceptable hair donations:

• Hair that is colored or permed is acceptable.
• Hair cut years ago is usable if it has been stored in a ponytail or braid.
• Hair that has been bleached (usually this refers to highlighted hair) is not usable. If unsure, ask your stylist.
• Hair that is swept off of the floor is not usable.
• Hair that is shaved off and not in a ponytail or braid is not usable.
• Layered hair is acceptable if the longest layer is 10 inches.
• Layered hair may be divided into multiple ponytails.
• Curly hair may be pulled straight to measure the minimum 10 inches.
• 10 inches measured tip to tip is the minimum length needed for a hairpiece.

Start growing your hair today! For more information go to the Locks of Love website.