Filed under: Diesel, Manufacturing/Plants, Ford

Ford’s Dagenham England engine plant is their global source for diesel engines and they’ve just launched a new engine line to build 1.4L and 1.6L Duratorq TDCi turbo diesel engines. The two new engines are designed to have particularly low carbon dioxide emissions and associated fuel consumption. The 1.6L is already being built and the 1.4L gets added next month. The new engines will be powering the Fiesta, Fusion Focus and C-Max. But American drivers shouldn’t get to excited yet about the Fusion. In Europe the Fusion brand adorns a small CUV based on the Fiesta.

The 1.6L in the Fiesta is rated at 116 g/km for CO2 emissions putting it well under the proposed new EU carbon limits. The Dagenham plant builds a variety of other diesels for use in most of the Ford brands along with a 2.7L V-6 that is shared with Peugeot. The biggest engine they build is a 3.6L V-8 used in Land Rovers and this engine is expected to be the basis of the new 4.4L that’s coming in the next Ford F-150 in 2009. Now they just need to get some of the four cylinders into our Fusion and Focus.

[Source: Ford]
NEW LOW CARBON DIESEL ENGINES FROM FORD DAGENHAM

DAGENHAM, Essex, 16 May, 2007 – Ford’s Dagenham facility is on target for an annual output of 1,000,000 engines thanks to two production landmarks this year.

The wind-powered Dagenham Diesel Centre (DDC) is celebrating the successful launch of a new line to produce low-carbon 1.4 and 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi turbo diesel engines – the result of a £130 million investment programme.

Production of the larger engine is now underway, with the 1.4-litre unit to be added in June. These high technology diesel engines power the most fuel efficient versions of the Ford Fiesta, the Ford Fusion, the Ford Focus and the Ford C-MAX. Within the wider Ford family, these engines are also used in Volvo and Mazda models.

This additional production capacity at Dagenham is needed to satisfy rising demand for the high technology diesel engines that are part of the ongoing cooperative agreement between Ford Motor Company and PSA Peugeot Citroën. Around 250 extra assembly operators to date have been employed at the DDC in readiness for the start of production.

Total engine production output on the Ford Dagenham estate will rise to 1,000,000 units a year by 2009 with the addition of these engines. By then 1.4 and 1.6-litre production capacity will be 575,000. The balance will be accounted for by the estate’s existing 1.8, 2.0, 2.2 and 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine ranges, plus the 2.7-litre V6 diesel engine for Jaguar, Land Rover and PSA Peugeot Citroën and the 3.6-litre V8 diesel engine produced for Land Rover.

The 1.4 and 1.6-litre units will be built in the DDC’s Clean Room Assembly Hall, which boasts the sterile conditions required to produce today’s high-tech diesel engines. Air supply to the Clean Room Assembly Hall is filtered and controlled to minimize airborne dust particles that could interfere with engine assembly.

Dave Parker, plant manager, said: “This new engine output for Ford Dagenham reinforces that Britain is a good place to do manufacturing business. Key to this success story has been the teamwork which secured this multi-million pound investment and then got production started in record time.”

In a Ford Fiesta, Dagenham’s new 1.6-litre engine produces only 116 grammes of CO2 per kilometre. Drivers’ shift to diesel cars led to a 24 per cent rise last year in engine assembly at Dagenham – Ford’s global centre for diesel engineering and manufacture.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Hydrogen

About a month ago, the Purdue Energy Center held a symposium on the challenges and technologies of the hydrogen economy. One of the presenters was Jerry Woodall, and his research continues to be mentioned this month because of the process he has developed that makes hydrogen “by adding water to an alloy of the metals aluminum and gallium,” Purdue says. There is already a startup company (with the monstrosity of a name AlGalCo Inc.) operating at the Purdue Research Park to make generators that use Woodall’s technology and it’s possible that this technology could one day replace gasoline in vehicles.

There is a 26-minute online presentation of the gallium-aluminum technology available here. Woodall says that the reaction of aluminum with water has the same energy content per unit weight of oil, about 20,000 BTUs or about 6 kWh per pound. And, since aluminum is safe and plentiful, it has high potential to create “aluminum enabling hydrogen economy” (click forward to slide 10 of 20 for Woodall’s explanations about using gallium to disrupt the passivating oxide process).

Related:

• Purdue working on ‘carbon-free’ production method for liquid fuels, but it requires hydrogen
• Biofuel Web site launched by Purdue University

[Source: Purdue University, topic submitted by Michael]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Mosquito biting human, by Matti Parkkonen : (Wikimedia Commons)Editor's note: This week, Lighter Footstep editor Chris Baskind shares some ways to keep the mosquitoes at bay this summer. This post was originally published on May 10, 2007.

With an unusually mild winter and record high spring temperatures across North America and Europe, 2007 is shaping up as a boom time for mosquitoes.

Don't even bother with bug zappers and clouds of insecticides: not only are they ineffective, they do more damage than good. The neighborhood mosquito fogging carried out by some municipalities is a 24-hour solution at best, and large-scale spraying kills bees and other beneficial insects. Insecticides aren't good for animals or humans, either.

Fortunately, a little planning can make your outdoor activities a lot more bearable during the summer months. Ready to swat your mosquito problem the healthy, natural way? Here are some pointers.

Go on patrol

Mosquitos don't range very far. That's good news: if you can reduce their habitat and breeding grounds, you'll do a lot less slapping.

At least once a week during the warmer months, organize a mosquito posse. It's easier with more than one person. Start close to wherever you live and work outward. Be sure to give nearby abandoned and neglected property the once-over, as well.

You're looking for sources of standing or stagnant water. That's easier said than done, because mosquito larvae can make do with a few ounces of water in the bottom of an old soda can or beneath a leaky water faucet.

Old tires, uncovered boats, abandoned cars, puddles, and empty flower pots are likely candidates. Remove and properly dispose of rubbish in which water might pool. Call your local government's code enforcement office and have them deal with neighborhood eyesores.

Pay particular attention to clogged rain gutters. You should clear these a few times a season. Drain, remove, and invert — these are the best tactics for stopping mosquitos before they become hungry adults.

 

Be unattractive (to mosquitoes)

Mosquitoes are remarkably well-equipped to track you down. Don't do them any favors by enhancing the chemical cues which lead them to you.

Fruit and floral-scented smells are a mosquito come-on. Unfortunately, both are pretty common in sunscreens. Look for an unscented formula, such as Aubrey Organics' Natural Sun series or Avalon Organics Baby Mineral Sunscreen. You can buy them online or at your local heath store.

Insects don't have great vision, but they are closely attuned to contrasts. Avoid dark clothing and you'll be less of a sitting duck.

There are two other powerful chemical signals that alert mosquitoes you're ripe for biting: carbon dioxide and lactic acid. While you can't hold your breath, it's easy to avoid CO2-producing campfires and open flames. You produce tons of lactic acid when you're exercising, so consider moving strenuous activities out of the late afternoon hours when mosquitoes are most active. It also helps to limit salty foods and those rich in potassium.

 

Investigate natural insect repellants

DEET is certainly good at discouraging biting insects. But it's nasty stuff, and some people don't tolerate it well.

Citronella, castor, peppermint, lemongrass, and clove oil are among the natural alternatives you can try to keep mosquitos at bay. Combinations of these oils are available in convenient sprays — check your local whole foods or health outlet.

Two things to keep in mind with natural repellents: you'll need to reapply every two hours or so (or after swimming); and some people are sensitive to essential oils. Try a bit before you leave home to make sure the product you've chosen won't cause you problems.

It's not necessary to apply insect repellents directly to the skin. They work by masking your natural scent and will function just as well on your clothes. This will also minimize sweat-off and the likelihood of a skin reaction.

And good luck!

Clean up, cover up, and be smart about the times you're outdoors. Don't take any mozzie guff — and have a great summer!

Copyright © 2007 Chris Baskind

You don't have to start a blog to let your voice be heard! Use an existing form of media, like your local newspaper or favorite magazine and write a letter to the editor! Respond to an article that was recently written, or comment on something going on locally.

The most important thing is to let your voice be heard. You can start a conversation within your community by giving your opinion in a popular piece of media. People will naturally show their opinions. Who knows, you might even create new talk around the water cooler that day!

Submitting your comments is now easier than ever – and paper-free. Once you have figured out which publication you would like to write to, search on their website for "letters to the editor" or the Opinion section.

They will most likely impose rules for your piece. The NY Times limits letters to 150 words that are in reference to an article written within the last week, and the letter must be sent only to the Times, and no other publication. Open letters are not permitted. They must also include your mailing address and phone number. Oh, and they might edit it as they choose. A lot of rules, yes, but a great forum nonetheless.

Save Our Environment Action Center agrees – they encourage people to write letters to the editor because politicians often monitor these letters as if they represent the voice of the people. They've even set up an interesting format: you pick your topic and zip code, and they will provide you a template from which you can write your letter. Check it out.

This Tip o' the Day was recommended to me by my rockin' peer here at Green Options, Megan Prusynski.

Editor's note: For more details on writing a good letter to the editor, check out this previous post, too… 

Filed under: MPG, PSA

PSA’s two car brands – Peugeot and Citroën – have achieved a fleet average of 140 g/km of carbon dioxide emissions based on all the cars they sold in France in 2006. That puts PSA at the top of the heap among all the companies that sell cars in France. PSA sold over 450,000 cars that got less than 120 g/km of CO2 emitted and they are actively working to reduce CO2 output further. They’ve added a start/stop system to the Citroen C2 and C3 and they are developing a diesel hybrid setup that should appear in the new Peugeot 308 which should bring emissions down to 90 g/km.

If PSA is able to achieve these kinds of numbers in Europe, someone should be able to do it in the US market. The 308 is comparable in size to a Focus or the new Saturn Astra. If GM were to add the mild hybrid system to one of the diesel engines available in the Euro market Astra they could probably get a long way toward these numbers. Unfortunately that probably won’t happen until Astra production moves stateside with the next generation because the current exchange rates would probably make the diesel prohibitively expensive when it’s coming from Europe.

[Source: PSA]
05/15/2007

PSA Peugeot Citroën again ranked French market leader in CO2 emissions performance with corporate average CO2 emissions of 140 g/km in 2006
For the second year in a row, PSA Peugeot Citroën has led the French market in corporate average CO2 emissions, with an average of 140 g/km weighted by new vehicle sales in France in 2006. The ranking was prepared by France’s Agency for the Environment and Energy Management (ADEME).
During the year, the Group sold nearly one million vehicles in Europe with emissions of less than 140 g CO2/km (i.e. consuming less than 5.3 liters of fuel/100 km for diesel-powered models and less than 6 liters/100 km for gasoline models). Of these, more than 450,000 units emit less than 120 g CO2/km, for a 38% share of the segment in Europe, and 200,000 emit less than 110 g CO2/km.

This performance reflects an assertive commitment that has long led the Group to focus its research and development on lowering CO2 emissions.

One of the determining factors in meeting this goal has been the comprehensive revitalization of the engine lineup. The broad deployment of modern HDi common-rail technologies across the Peugeot and Citroën model ranges has driven a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions compared with the previous generation of engines. More than nine million vehicles equipped with HDi common-rail engines have been sold to date.

In gasoline engines, the joint development with BMW Group of the recently introduced family of small, advanced technology 1.6-liter engines with variable valve control or turbo direct injection has led to a further 10% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the engines they replace. These engines are already being offered on the Peugeot 207.

Other technologies, such as the Stop & Start system introduced on the Citroën C2 and C3, can cut CO2 emissions by 8 to 15% in city driving.

PSA Peugeot Citroën is pursuing other research projects to reduce CO2 emissions, especially through the Hybrid HDi program. The Peugeot 307 and Citroën C4 Hybrid HDi demonstrators have set radical new performance standards with fuel consumption of 3.4 liters/100 km and CO2 emissions of 90 g/km.

All of these initiatives attest to the Group’s ongoing commitment to significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Lotus, Tesla Motors, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

Here at AutoblogGreen, we like to give certain companies the benefit of the doubt; companies who aspire to go green in the automotive sector. This is a big reason why we love Tesla Motors and what they are attempting. They are taking on the establishment, and doing so with a beautiful roadster at that. Who wouldn’t love to see them succeed? But, let’s not overlook the monumental task that we are considering. Start-up companies have tried many times to break into the automotive sector; do I really need to name names? All right… De Lorean and Tucker come right to mind. John DeLorean was already a member of the established industry when he failed. Preston Tucker had lots of great ideas when he failed. Good ideas and good connections do not guarantee success, obviously. Now… don’t worry, I’m not gonna go all TTAC on you or anything. The following views presented are not necessarily my or AutoblogGreen’s opinions. We are just going to consider a few points that could make or break Tesla Motors. We will continue on with other companies with similar aspirations in due time. Here we go!

Here are the points that I will be touching on in this article: Batteries, Lotus and business models.

Read on, green car lovers, green car haters and green car conspiracy theorists, after the break.

1. Batteries. Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat: Tesla is using laptop batteries. Lithium ion laptop batteries. Is this a bad thing? Let’s consider it… Do you own a laptop? I do… three of them in fact (I’m an IT guy in another life). I’ve noticed something about the batteries in all of my laptops: They wear out. Worse: They are expensive to replace. Let’s continue… I’ve never gotten one to explode, but they sure do get hot. Are they really what I want in my car to get me from here to there? Nope. At least not the ones in my own laptops – I don’t trust them. Now, granted, Tesla has gone to great lengths to cool their batteries and provide them with sophisticated battery management controls and electronics. Doesn’t that comfort you? No? My Toshiba laptop has Microsoft and Toshiba software on it that is supposed to extend the life of the battery too, and it also has internal circuitry to make sure that it is being treated right. But, Tesla has put their batteries through all sorts of tests to be sure that they work properly, and they have gone through life cycles over and over. Didn’t my laptop maker do the same? Yes, they did, and so did Sony before they released and recalled their exploding batteries into, and subsequently from, the market. Tests are not the real life, and nobody has any good real-life experience with making laptop batteries work in a car. Does that mean they won’t work? Of course not. Is it a real cause for concern? You betcha. They have already had to adjust their initial figures once, will they again, and will they be safe?

2. Lotus. Hey, I love Lotus. Their cars are awesome, I would love an Elise of my very own. But, is Lotus the best company in the world to be closely reliant upon? Perhaps not. Lotus has survived all these years despite numerous different owners. Sometimes they do very well, sometimes not so much. They certainly can engineer great things, and that is why many companies turn to them for help. How many companies can they support? Will they always be there to supply engineering assistance and very large assemblies to Tesla? I hope so, but I also believe that relying on them might prove to be a shaky prospect.

3. Business models. Do I have internal access to the Tesla board room? Not even close! But, very large sums of money have already been invested in Tesla Motors. How much more is there? How much more will be necessary before they turn a profit? Will they go public? If they do, how long of a leash will be available to them before investors want to see some return on their investments? These types of things have come back to haunt start-up companies many times in the past. Is an automotive company any different? I guess we’ll see, right? While we are on the subject of money, do you recall the Ford rollover cases? How about the exploding gas tanks of the ’70s and ’80s? How about the numerous recalls from Toyota over the last few years? What am I getting at? Tesla has yet to put a product into a consumers hands, but when they do, they will be liable for them. Liability has brought down its fair share of companies in the past. So has some bad press. All it might take is one scandal to bring them down.

We have already discussed the fact that it takes a lot of money to start an automaker. Tesla has ambitious plans; after their Roadster, they plan on an upscale electric sedan, codenamed “Whitestar” which should sell for well less than their Roadster. After that, they plan on an even cheaper model. Where will the money come from? Roadster sales? Their possible IPO? Would that be good or bad for them?

Alright, put a fork in this post, it’s done. Did you notice that I asked alot of questions? There is a reason for that. There are alot of question that need to be answered. I don’t have the answers, both because I am not an expert on much that I have written about here and the fact that I have never started a company at all, let alone one that plans to market an automobile – and not just any automobile, one that is completely different than all the others on the road. None of what was written in this post means that Tesla will fail in their quest for automotive sales. Are you worried? Should you be?

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

I was clicking around the U.S. federal government’s fuel economy website yesterday, trying to see how the government rates vehicles that run on pure electricity. Even though there are many new EVs you can buy today (see this list), the most recent vehicle on the Fueleconomy.gov site is the 2003 Toyota RAV4 EV. Other vehicles included are the Ford Explorer USPS Electric, the Nissan Hyper-Mini, the Ford Th!nk and the Nissan Altra EV, all of which were available between 2000 and 2002. Vehicles like the Tesla Roadster and Phoenix SUT will be added to the list sometime this year, I’m guessing, but for now, it’s a bit of a ghost town over there.

[Source: Fueleconomy.gov]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Get Naked! This is the first in a series of posts that will explore the stated principles of Fair Trade and the requirements for certification.

The first of the major components of fair trade we will look at is transparency. In order to obtain Fair Trade certification, the producer must, among other requirements, be “organized into cooperatives or associations that are transparent, accountable and democratic.” IFAT defines transparency and accountability as “transparent management and commercial relations to deal fairly and respectfully with trading partners.” Transparency appeals to me as a consumer. If you need to cover your operations you have something to hide, right?

Wired magazine agrees that transparency has high potential commercial value. Wired used a very literal take on transparency in the March 2007 issue with their lead article “Get Naked and Rule the World” featuring a transparent cover that pulls away to reveal a naked Jenna Fisher from The Office… along with a strategically placed sign. While it is the image that garnered a lot of attention, it is the article that is truly controversial. It features a series of stories about "radical transparency, our notion that the next model of business success is laying your company bare to the world—sharing secrets with your rivals, blogging about ideas as you have them, and copping to fumbles and foibles as you make them.”

Sharing secrets (gasp), owning up to mistakes (no!), utter madness! What could possibly come from such openness? Perhaps consumer trust? Maybe innovation and advancement? Perhaps even ethical business?

The requirement that producer cooperatives be transparent and accountable has proven to benefit the Fair Trade movement greatly by establishing trust amongst members of the cooperatives and providing a means to account for the spending of Fair Trade social premiums, which are to be used only for community development purposes. One of Fair Trade's major shortcomings is that this requirement is not extended to the purveyors of the products in Western markets. Many Fair Trade retailers and wholesalers have chosen to emulate the transparent cooperative model (perhaps the best example is coffee roaster Equal Exchange), and all retailers and wholesalers who are members of the Fair Trade Federation are commited to transparency. However, since transparency is not strictly required, large retailers that offer Fair Trade certified goods are not living up to the same standard required of the producers of those goods. JustThings.info has a good example of this failing:

While 100% fair-trade roasters like Just Coffee are proud to post their producer contracts on their website and share solidarity stories of the relationships they’ve developed with communities from Chiapas to Ethiopia over the years, this is not the case for a player like Starbucks. Instead, one hears tales of price gouging, corruption, insider trading, racketeering, ghost buyers – all the worst hallmarks of corporate capitalism.

All of this is to say that despite the many successes of the Fair Trade movement, until it requires the same standard of transparency and accountability from retailers that is required of producers, the burden of holding all companies accountable still rests squarely on the shoulders of the consumer. There are plenty of retailers and wholesalers from which to choose that do meet this standard. As Fair Trade has moved into the mainstream, popping up everywhere from McDonalds to Wal-Mart, there is great oportunity for such companies to take advantage of the marketing edge available through the Fair Trade label without committing to the true purposes of the movement. Should these companies be forbidden from selling fair trade? Perhaps not, as we can seize this opportunity to get a foot in the door and demand that these companies commit 100% to the ideals and criteria of fair trade, transparency included. I want to see every business standing naked and proud before the world, their fair and just business practices stripped bare for the entire world to see and respect.

Jumpcut , an internet video platform, asked their users "If you had just two minutes to show someone what to see, feel and imagine about the future of our world and its resources, what would you do? " The contest is closed and the winner of the $1,000 Grand Prize is … oops!

 

 

“Oops!,” directed by Travis Darcy, is the Grand Prize winner and winner of the Audience Vote of the SFIFF50 GreenWorld Contest. Oops-there goes the world. Besides being a filmmaker, I am also a mom and a teacher. I wanted to make this crucial topic accessible to all ages. Humor is a great teaching tool.

Also worth watching are these:

Link: Green World Video Contest

Random Good Stuff

Many families make the choice to live a greener life when their first child is born. The addition of this pure being into the world causes parents to reevaluate their lifestyle choices, in terms of the impact it will have on the new child and the world in which the child will inhabit. Instincts to protect their offspring motivate parents to move towards organic foods and natural beauty products.

For a newborn, breastfed baby, some of the first toxins that enter his or her body with will notPhoto by David Hofmann be from the food he or she eats, but from the products applied to his or her skin. The skin is considered the "largest organ in the body", and infants under six months old skin is very sensitive. The natural baby beauty product market has grown and expanded recently, along with the organic baby food industry. The following our five natural beauty products for babies based on my family and friend's experiences raising our babes. These products are recommended based on value and quality, as all of the items are cruelty-free.

1. Weleda Calendula Diaper Care Cream: If your child gets a bad diaper rash, this is the natural product you want to use. It relieves and heals the rash fast! Some of the ingredients are zinc oxide, beeswax, biodynamic calendula flower extract, organic chamomile flower extract, lanolin, sweet almond oil, sesame seed oil, and water. A 2.8 ounce tube costs $10.00. Weleda's motto is "In harmony with nature and the human being.

2. Country Comfort Baby Cream: This salve is great for mild diaper rash and soothing chafed skin. If your child is prone to diaper rash, it can be applied at every changing as a barrier cream. Country Comfort Baby Cream is made of pure oils of safflower & hazelnut/pecan, beeswax, lanolin, avocado & apricot oils, chamomile, chickweed, comfrey, calendula, golden seal, St. John's Wort, myrrh gum, aloe vera, vitamin E. The only drawback to this salve is that some individuals may have reactions to the nut oils. A two ounce jar costs about $5.89.

3. Nature's Gate Kids Spf-30 Sunblock Lotion: With a gigglberry scent, a drawback for some, this sunscreen is water resistant and highly protective. Made with many natural ingredients such as certified organic lavender, echinacea, coffee, horsetail, St. John's Wort, rosemary, etc;, this product does contain ingredients that are difficult to pronounce. There are better sunscreen products for children available, but they usually cost twice as much and can be hard to find. Four ounces of Nature's Gate Kids Spf-30 sunscreen retails for $9.00. For 27 years, Nature's Gate has been developing personal care products based upon botanical remedies. It is recommended that children under six months old should not use sunscreen because of the possible risk of the absorption, metabolism and excretion of the ingredients. The American Academy of Pediatrics states, "in situations where the infant's skin is not protected adequately by clothing, it may be reasonable to apply sunscreen to small areas, such as the face and the back of the hands." It is best if prolonged sun exposure can be avoided for children under six months.

4. Tushies Wipes Unscented: The greenest solution to diaper changes is to use wash cloths and water to clean your child's bottom. This may be difficult away from home when diaper wipes are convenient. Many children have adverse reactions to diaper wipes that contain chemicals and citric acid. Tushies Wipes are gentle and alcohol free. The contain water, aloe vera, vegetable derived glycerin, allantoin, panthenol, vitamin E, tartaric acid, and potassium sorbate. A package of 80 wipes costs about $4.30. Tushies were created for sensitive skin babies and parents concerned about their babies; skin.

California Baby5. California Baby Calming Botanical Shampoo and Body Wash: This product does not contains sodium laureth sulfate (SLES). SLES is derived from coconuts and can be an skin irritant. SLES is the subject of an urban legend about shampoos causing cancer. Many natural companies, like Tom's of Maine, support their use of SLES, where as others, like Aubrey Organics, debates its safety. California Baby Calming Botanical Shampoo and Body Wash is available in a bulk size of 17.5 ounces (larger sizes are available) for $17.50. This product has even been reported to heal eczema and cradle crap! California Baby was created when the founder Jessica Iclisoy "went into full protective mom mode. Like all new moms, she wanted her baby to live in the safest environment possible, so when she discovered some of the questionable ingredients in many mainstream baby toiletry products, she sought healthy alternatives."

There are many great natural beauty companies not represented in his list, and there are probably better products out there. The discussion about diapers has been omitted here, but you can read about the benefits of cloth diapers on GNM Parents. Many of these product selections were based on local availablity, but as the market expands, so will accessibility to natural baby beauty products. Hopefully Green Options readers will leave comments about their favorite natural beauty products for children.