It’s no secret that being green can take some extra time and effort—and can often be more expensive. Which is why families looking to be healthier and to live more sustainable lifestyles found the first-ever Green Festival in NYC to be a two-day blessing last weekend.
The event brought all sorts of green products under one convenient roof in the JavitzCenter, showcasing everything from snacks to household cleaners to clothing. In addition to discounted rates for most products, the weekend also hosted presentations for new green businesses and practical workshops addressing topics like reducing energy bills and finding a green job. Though I didn’t participate in the many upcycling crafts projects in the hopping Kids Zone (where little ones appeared to be having a good, green blast), I did scour the floors for clever solutions to everyday issues. Here is just a sampling of cool ideas that stood out.
EZ WyP Wet Wipes
One of the most brilliant products at the event had to be EZ WyP’s biodegradable and chemical-free tablets. They address the universal truth that there’s nothing worse than opening a pack of dried-up, uselss wipes after a messy spill. Originally dry and compact, the tablets are made from towels that unroll when they’re soaked. A pack of 50 tablets comes with a small purse-friendly dispenser that houses a separate compartment for water, and, because each wipe starts out dry, you’ll never have to worry about when you got them. Bonus: they’re incredibly soft.
Mamma Chia Organic Juice
Food and drinks were aplenty at the Green Festival, but I found sipping Mamma Chia to be a truly delightful experience. This all-organic fruit juice has a fun, almost chewy bite to it thanks to its chia seeds, a staple grain in Mayan and Aztec diets. The drink is supposed to be a hit with the kids, and the jelly-like texture makes it easy to see why; its seeds boast a whopping 2,500mg of Omega-3 but are probably more palatable to little taste buds than salmon. Slightly sweetened with less than a tablespoon per bottle, the drink is also packed with protein, iron and a number of healthy minerals.
Vaska Detergent & Fabric Softener
I’ll be honest: when it comes to cleaning products, I’m often skeptical about effectiveness if I hear the word “natural.” Especially when there’s a video of a company’s CEO drinking the product to prove how gentle it is. But if Vaska makes a laundry detergent good enough for the San Francisco Giants, it should be good enough for the typical family, right? However dirty those shirts come out after soccer practice or art class, it can’t be worse than the red clay of the baseball stadium…or the stink of the athletes after a day on the field. The detergent comes in unscented and lavender varieties as well as fabric softener and oxygen brightener blends.
Hawaiian Moon Aloe Vera Hand Cream
Aloe is a gift from nature that we all know and love. Now, Hawaiian Moon has transformed this go-to ingredient for sunburns and irritations into a potent cream with a rich, gel-like texture. Of the hundreds of species of aloe plant, the company uses the most highly graded Barbadenzis Miller variety. I was even more impressed, however, by the most comprehensive ingredients list on the nothing-to-hide website, which names every individual amino acid inside each jar. And though it’s advertised as a hand cream, the product is gentle enough for babies, too.
Dolphin Organics Sunscreen & Skincare
Now that it’s almost summer, a good sunscreen is more important than ever. While the Green Festival boasted many natural skincare products, Dolphin Organics’ cheerful bottles of hypoallergenic mineral sunscreens caught my eye. At a time when marketing buzzwords make labels confusing to decipher, I appreciate that each bottle lists all of the product’s ingredients, differentiating between which are natural and which are organic. The company also makes 100% organic and vegan shampoo, bubble bath, lotion and other tear-free bath products.
