When we started brainstorming ideas for the Handmade Kids Series, there were two ideas that came through loud and clear: eco-friendly items and finds for little boys. There is so much cute stuff for girls, so we decided to share the love! cloud9designstudio, an Etsy seller with an eco-mission and a lil’ boy of her own, stepped up to the plate.
The eco-movement, with regards to clothing, is a conscious effort to shift the public’s thought process from buying at mainstream big box stores toward buying local, organic and earth friendly items. This effort to save our planet is important because it helps reduce our carbon footprint, brings awareness to global warming and helps us tread a little lighter on this earth. The future is in our hands. What will the world be like for our children if we don’t start making greener choices?
From Organic Consumers:
"Just 2.4% of the world’s arable land is planted with cotton, yet it accounts for 24% of the world’s insecticide market and 11% of sale of global pesticides, making it the most pesticide-intensive crop grown on the planet. $2.6 Billion worth of pesticides are used on cotton worldwide each year."
The health of our planet has also been adversely affected by pesticides. The pesticides and synthetic fertilizers used on cotton routinely contaminate groundwater, surface water and pollute the water we drink. Fish, birds and other wildlife are also affected by the movement of these chemicals through the ecosystem. Many of these problems have been documented by the Pesticide Action Network North America.
[Cotton ball photographed by that owl]
Here’s how you can get involved in the eco movement: You can support local farmers and workers and cut down on pollution caused by shipping, support fair wage labor practices (fair trade), and buy recycled or upcycled items.
Here’s what to look for:
1) Organic or fair trade clothing
2) USA made, local or sweatshop free clothing
3) Recycled, upcycled, thrifted or reused clothing
As a mom to a 2 and a 1/2 year old toddler boy, I know how hard it is to find cute clothes for little boys, much less eco-friendly clothes. So I scoured Etsy to bring you the very best eco-gear for boys. I found some cool handmade items sure to look hip on your eco-tot while he’s out there huggin’ trees!
This tie from redpajamas is adorable.
Like this hand dyed block printed and appliquéd Owl long sleeve shirt from 1girl1boy.
Or these darling upcycled wide leg pants from earthbabyee that are made from a man’s dress shirt.
How cute is this lightening bolt appliqued shirt from trustysidekick.
And MaryZoom has a cute art smock made from a repurposed 100% cotton shirt.
This upcycled shirt from SarahBird is so colorful.
This organic hoodie by SweetMemoriesQuilts is too sweet.
Here’s a bright blue organic dragonfly shirt from inkyspider.
An organic “strong” tee from littlegorganics.
Sandcookies has this precious set.
And this “I’m like totally organic” tee from ninaandtom says it all.
For More Info on Being an Eco-Friendly Parent…
Healthy Child
Simple Steps
Green Mom Finds
Organic Consumers
Sustainable Cotton
Environmental Working Group’s Advice for Parents
Treehugger
Green Living Online
Green Mom
Green Hour
Organic Cotton Association
Friends of the Earth
Climate Crisis
Stop Global Warming
Team EcoEtsy
Team EtsyKids
Team EtsyMoms
Trailer for Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth
For more information on being a friend of the environment, check out the Storque’s Earth Tones series. For more child related content, continue reading the Handmade Kids series!
Handmade Kids Series | Special Kids Showcase | Baby Gift Guide | Children Gift Guide
36 comments
Sign in to add your owncassiemarie says:
Wonderful article!! Great featured clothing! --Cassie
3 years ago
sandcookies says:
Really great article - I had never seen the ratio of arable land: pesticide use! I love those angel wing shirts:)!
3 years ago
lovenatalie says:
I get the same comments that there is not enough cute boy stuff out there. Thanks for sharing your finds. I have an adorable set of onesies for little boys on my etsy site. They are appliqued out of recycled flannel shirts!
3 years ago
kunklebaby says:
Great article & items!
3 years ago
ReFabulous says:
Thanks for the great article. You found some really neat boys' items, AND they're eco-friendly to boot. Fantastic!
3 years ago
anda says:
http://greenwaybabywear.etsy.com is one of my favorite shops for eco-friendly baby stuff. All their items would be great for little boys or girls. Check them out!
3 years ago
chakrapennywhistle says:
Thank you so much for this article and including my tee in your finds:) I appreciate all the great eco info. Your shop is fabulous and so are you!! Thanks again, Rikkianne
3 years ago
RaeGun says:
that koi print is so cute
3 years ago
GoldtoneDesigns says:
So cute!
3 years ago
crustychristy says:
So true that little boys have slimmer pickings for the cute handmade stuff. I've got two boys myself, I know. I've got some eco-friendly boy items too. Thanks for the article and all the good finds! I love that owl shirt.
3 years ago
SalmonStreetStudio says:
trustysidekick's stuff rocks *and* she is nice too!
3 years ago
karinapotestio says:
Love the lightening bolt by Trustysidekick!!!!!!
3 years ago
babyjeanorganics says:
Gotta love organics! I am seeing a real change in people, and I can really see consumers making better choices. Thanks for promoting organics!
3 years ago
theAnecdotes says:
great choices! i totally love the dragonfly tee.
3 years ago
BlackStarBeads says:
Great article Cloud9! I'm sure that I'm not the only one that looks at these clothes and wishes they were in my size.
3 years ago
meeabee says:
How cute are all those t shirts! I make a lot of things for boys. I'm off to see what eco-friendly improvements I can make to my store!
3 years ago
rachelzwirlein says:
Great article! I work for a fair trade clothing company called Fair Indigo. We are based out of Middleton Wisconsin. We have infant clothing for boys and girls that is not only organic but also fair trade. You can check out our lines at www.fairindigo.com. Let me know if you have any questions about our mission or our products.
3 years ago
LandRDesigns says:
yeah! something for little boys finally. I get constantly frustrated looking for stuff for my son. I'm working on being eco-friendlier! Most of my stuff is being used up before buying more - I love hand-me-downs! I also upcycle clothing when I can.
3 years ago
retrorugrats says:
It is so refreshing to see great stuff for boys. Love the upcycled shirt and organic t's from ninaandtom.
3 years ago
SkyBox says:
Another example of why I love this site so much. I've been contemplating switching to all organic cotton yarn for my cotton goods but wasn't sure where to start looking for it and you've just made it very easy for me. Thank you, Etsy!
3 years ago
GracefulBabies says:
very cool article! Ever since the birth of my son I have been totally into creating things for boys....highlight organics for boys is a plus!! Great job!
3 years ago
kootsac says:
Fantastic article Cloudy! Great to have the stats on pesticide use on cotton. I love the tie, really cute. Thanks for including my tshirt.
3 years ago
SeaFindDesigns says:
soooo cute!! I love inkyspiders line!!
3 years ago
inkyspider says:
Thanks very much Cloudy. This is a great article - nicely done ( I commented earlier not realizing that I was in my Kootsac shop).
3 years ago
tworighthands says:
Love the green tie!
3 years ago
curlymonkey says:
Great article Amber! Eco-friendly is the way, no doubt! Great selection of items too!
3 years ago
pogoshop says:
This title got my attention! It's great to see some of the neat things etsians have for little boys. And of course, the focus on eco-friendly makes it even better. Love it!
3 years ago
ShastaEsScents says:
I love your items! great article!
3 years ago
autumnsarrival says:
Very, very cute! Nice to see some great things for boys! We seem to get a little carried away with the girl's items!!
3 years ago
jodieflowers says:
My boy is 3 and we love buying and selling stuff for boys here on Etsy. What a great article! Way to go everyone!
3 years ago
DoSiDough says:
Very awesome!
3 years ago
clubviv says:
pretty cool~
3 years ago
zunebest says:
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3 years ago