The Liberal Hippy, Sustainable Living and Toys
I am trying to simplify by buying less stuff but attempting to ensure that the stuff I do get is sustainably produced by people paid a living wage. This is harder than you’d think, expensive and I fail at it about 98% of the time. But I’m trying. For example, I try to buy organic cottons for the babies because more than 10% of the world’s pesticides and nearly 25% of the world’s insecticides are used in cotton production. These harm agricultural workers and contaminate our soil and water. Fortunately, organic cotton products are easy to find for babies; even Pottery Barn Kids has an organic line now. However, what about stuff for me? The selection of organic cotton clothes for adult women is slim and generally totally devoid of fashion. So, I wear non-organic jeans.
Children’s toys have a wide selection of hippy friendly options. When I shop for toys I can actually try to put my money where my values are. In fact, there are so many options I have the luxury of deciding which progressive values matter most to me. Waldorf dolls with no faces that encourage creative play? Nice, but not my favorite things. Playsilks? Cool indeed, but still too old for the babes. What, I’ve asked myself, do I really care about. If I define it to myself ahead of time I am less likely to be seduced by the shiny happy toy stores.
I do like educational toys, but what I mean by that is toys that stimulate the mind and require creativity, not Baby Einstein electronics. Simple, open-ended toys such as blocks, puppets and art supplies force the child to supply the imagination and energy and build an imaginative world.
I do not like plastic toys. Aside from the toxic by-products of plastic production, by-products which include dioxin, the phthalates in plastic can seep out into the environment, including the mouth of a chewing toddler. Phthalates act as hormone disruptors upsetting the estrogen balance in the body. Some cancers grow faster in the presence of estrogens, and increased estrogen levels have been linked to low sperm counts. Animal studies suggest that exposure to phthalates can cause behavioral and learning changes and something tells me the exposed rats didn’t suddenly become whizzes at running those mazes, if you get my drift. (Mom’s Tinfoil Hat has two interesting articles on phthalates with links to studies if you are interested in more information.)
I will not have toys that are built using child labor. In Thailand in 1993 child laborers died in a fire while stuffing Cabbage Patch dolls for Hasbro. Barbie’s clothes are stitched by girls as young as 13. (references) I’d much rather pay more money for toys made by unionized, adult workers or craftspeople than know my children’s toy chests are bursting with materials built on the misery of other children. This pretty much eliminates everything sold in major toy store chains, Wal-Mart and Target.
The basic questions I ask myself are:
1. Is this toy made of a natural material that will eventually turn into dirt?
2. Was this toy manufactured in a sustainable way?
3. Do I know who made this toy? Were they paid a living wage?
4. Will this toy capture their imaginations?
Of course, none of this matters because, in the end, all they really want is the bag.
Stumble it!
and the 529 college savings accounts get a kickback.
April 12th, 2007 07:53
Good for you for having goals and being honest about how difficult it is. I was thinking of starting a similar series at my blog. Sustainable goals and how I am trying (and failing) at them.
April 12th, 2007 10:37
I’m always so horrified to see the play rooms of my nieces and nephew. Full of so much crap, most of which they don’t even touch, and which allows for little imagination and creativity. I think I’m the only person who buys them books and art supplies as presents. But, I agree with you on the bag thing. I remember one of the happiest weeks of my childhood being the summer we bought a new refrigerator and I got the box to play in and a pack of new crayons.
I swear, we were separated at birth. Points 1, 2, and 4 are the questions I ask myself about most things before we buy them. I’ll be adding 3 to the list as well. I’m somewhat embarassed that it wasn’t already there, but sometimes I am a bear of very little brain.
April 12th, 2007 11:01
wow- these are inspiring questions. i would like to be a more ethical consumer and i appreciate you sharing this. my girls have waldorf-ish dolls they just love which came from pottery barn kids. i find the ones with plastic heads a little creepy, although we have some of them too. and play silks make great fun with singing and peekaboo for little ones. i bet yours might enjoy that. we use our silks for tons of things- from streamers as we dance to play slings to dress-up capes. they are a staple toy in our house.
April 12th, 2007 16:39
You know I’ve been having this discussion with Jim quite a bit recently. Excluding our exersaucer (which, I admit, there is no way I could live without) most of the toys that I have been giving to MJ are hand made by either my grandmother (dolls, stuffed animals, blankets, etc) or my father who has decided that his wood working hobby should benefit his granddaughter. Good luck to you in your search. Any suggestions for places (online preferably since I don’t live in CT) where one can find some of these eco/human friendly toys?
April 12th, 2007 16:55
http://www.rosiehippo.com/
April 12th, 2007 17:38
In my house the big toy problem is the huge influx of items I would never buy but my children receive from others. Stuff like Barbie dolls, which my girls seem to have loved from the moment they opened the box from grandaddy….
Do you have a way of politely managing gifts from other people? What do you do with stuff you’re not thrilled about but have received as a gift?
April 12th, 2007 17:44
No, but I’m eagerly open to suggestions.
April 13th, 2007 11:28
Actually, I can help with that one, since we’ve run into it with gifts people have given my stepson. If he receives the toy in an isolated setting, that is, it’s the only gift, rather than at a birthday party or holiday, he gets to play with it, if he wants. (If it’s in a multi-present setting, he’s so overwhelmed, he rarely remembers what’s there.) Then, the toy gets carefully repackaged, stored on the top shelf of his closet. If he goes six months without asking to play with it, it gets donated to either the women and children’s shelter or the children’s hospital. We also take special care to give rather detailed suggestion lists to grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. about what sorts of things he would like. This method has served us quite well from the age of 4 until the age of 13 so far. It doesn’t completely prevent the actual purchase of things that aren’t environmentally or socially friendly, but over the years, we’ve done a good job of gently educating all of K’s gift givers without being preachy so that now when I want to make a donation to the hospital or shelter, I buy something I approve of, rather than raiding the top shelf of the closet. And, while the bright, undegradable plastic toys leave a lot to be desired, the shelters and the hospitals need to be able to clean them easily…which they couldn’t do with wood or cloth.
April 13th, 2007 15:48
Thanks Allison! We were seperated at birth. It might be fun to try and track down if we are actually related via our NC connections. It would tickle me to no end to discover that you are my fourth cousin.
Lest I sound too…ideal…in my toy consumption I’m going to reiterate that I FAIL at this much much more often than I succeed.
April 14th, 2007 23:11
Oh yeah, and I want to add that I am no saint in my purchase of toys either. I am such a pushover when it comes to my daughters whom I adore beyond telling. They are soooo good to me that it’s hard to resist stuff from the dollar store, when I know it will bring them great joy and all I have is a dollar or two to spare for new things for them. It’s awful, though, to think that the reason that toy is available to me within my meager budget is because someone else was exploited in order to produce it.
Does anyone know of a way to find out whether a particular product, line of products, etc., come from child labor (or other horrible circumstances?) Is there a website that tracks this? Does one just assume that EVERY manufactured plastic toy from China was produced by exploited workers in an environmentally egregious manner, for example?
April 22nd, 2007 11:27
[...] I talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk all the time. I was inspired by Stacie’s post about sustainable toys. Actually, I was reminded that being an liberal hippy environmentalist involved more than bitchin. [...]
May 7th, 2007 04:44
[...] Great Outdoor Ideas I give Stacie credit for atempting to promote a more environementally correct lifestyle for her family. Stop by The Twinkies and read about it in The Liberal Hippy, Sustainable Living and Toys. [...]
May 7th, 2007 07:00
Our family loves imagination toys, esp. the crayons and bags. There is so much you can do with this stuff, why spend your money on stuff that they will never use once the novelty wears off, and that can potentially be harmful in the long run to so many. I agree with you.
Im here from an Island Life. I enjoy reading your blog.
May 7th, 2007 10:39
I’m going to add Nova Natural to the list of places to get sustainably produced toys. (Note, I don’t get a kick back from them, though if they offer I’m so open to it.)
May 7th, 2007 17:44
[...] Carnival of Family Life is up on Island Life. My earlier post on sustainable toys is included as are many other lovely [...]
May 8th, 2007 16:54
[...] new blog I stumbled upon yesterday was The Twinkies. An interesting perspective on toys and values. The Liberal Hippy, Sustainable living and toys. If [...]