switch to soy candles

This holiday season light soy candles for a greener home!

You’ve made a delicious dinner; set a gorgeous table that includes a candlelit glow and, cough, cough… you don’t realize that you are inhaling the equivalent of secondhand smoke with your petroleum-based candles.  Keep your family safe & still enjoy candles by switching to soy.

Soy is a healthy alternative to petroleum-based candles.  Petroleum-based paraffin candles contain possible carcinogens or toxic chemicals like benzene, toluene, ethyl ketone, naphthalene and possibly lead in the wick.  Soy is easier to clean up and burns cleaner.  It is usually more expensive but burns a lot longer (sometimes twice as long as paraffin candles, which offset the higher cost)! 

Image courtesy of Coco & Bubbles

Shop here for their soy candles!

packing lunch… the green way!

It is estimated that each American child produces 67 pounds of lunch packaging waste each school year! That’s a big ‘F’ in our report card! This year when school starts, make sure that your kids are lunch box smart!

There is no longer a need for plastic sandwich bags, paper bags and juice boxes.  There are tons of green lunchbox options out there and a lot of them are super cute too!  Here’s our eco lunchbox lowdown:


 1. Forgo the brown paper bag and invest in a durable lunch box or bento-style lunch container.

2. Go reuseable! Reusable sandwich bags and containers are super sturdy and easy to use, clean & store. If you have to pack a plastic bag, try to reuse it or recycle it!

3. Store beverages in stainless steel water bottles! Have your kids sip out of a reusable bottle rather than a juice box or plastic water bottle.

4. If your child needs cutlery or a napkin, pack the real thing. Encourage your child to bring home all leftovers to prevent accidentally disposing of the napkin and utensils (they may even be able to compost any leftovers).

5. If possible, steer clear of purchasing prepackaged foods for your child’s lunch. They are typically wrapped in excessive packaging and are more expensive than buying in bulk.

We’ve got an entire selection of GREEN LUNCHBOXES & accessories on our eco ike eco boutique!  Check out our entire selection here!

teach kids to conserve water the fun way!

We all know that water is a limited resource and we need to do our part to preserve it, but it’s not always easy for kids to grasp the importance of water conservation. The best way to encourage kids to conserve is by explaining the significance of their efforts, modeling good water conservation at home and making the experience positive & exciting.

Help your little Jack & Jill’s save a pail of water with these 5 fun & easy steps:

1. Place a timer in the bathroom! Bathrooms revolve around water, so it’s a great room to work on conservation. Encourage kids to brush their teeth for two minutes, but while the water is off. Start the timer and encourage a 5-minute-or-less shower.

2. Use muscles, rather than water pressure, for cleaning. Turn music on and have your little helpers use a broom instead of a watering hose to clean off sidewalks, driveways & decks. Dispose of tissues, insects and other waste in the trash (or compost bin if applicable). Only run the dishwasher & washing machine when you have full loads.

3. Let them play detective. Tell your kids to regularly check all faucets and tell someone if they ever see a leak, or if an offender didn’t thoroughly turn off a faucet. Reward their policing skills with their favorite movie, dinner or board game choice!

4. Purchase a rain barrel to collect rainwater. Kids will love watering plants with water that they collected. Allow them to paint the water barrel with flowers, birds and bug designs.

5. Make a game with the water bill. As a family, sit down and talk about a goal for your water consumption. Each month highlight the water use on the bill and put it on the fridge. Kids can see a tangible number and will be mindful of working toward the objective. Keep positive, and remind them of ways to reduce water. Be sure to celebrate when you hit the target number and encourage the conservation year-round.

Be sure to praise your young water stewards and to let them know that they are making a positive impact on the environment and that every little effort can have a big impact!

Follow eco ike on twitter & facebook for more family-friendly green tips!