Officials at the St. Louis Zoo are preparing for their holiday Wild Lights exhibit by installing electronic polar bear proxies in place of the deceased polar bears who died in their captivity. The gesture is rife with social commentary, given the fact that polar bears have become the iconic images of climate change, and our generation could witness their extinction. Could artificial animal zoo exhibits be the reality of the near future? See what PETA proposes and learn more about this new breed of bear at Inhabitots.

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Post tags: electronic polar bears, polar bear exhibit at st. louis zoo, polar bears, polar bears and global warming, st. louis zoo, st. louis zoo polar bears

With flu season upon us, parents can use all the help they can get when it comes to keeping their kid’s hands clean and germ free. The bright and cherry ‘Mons Lavabo,’ a short-listed entry in Designboom’s Green Life contest, is the wash basin equivalent of a superhero whose powers are promoting good hygiene and saving water. Designed by Teng Chuan Tey and Romualdo Faura Bernabe from Spain, Mons Lavabo is a kid-sized sink that caters to the hand washing habits of children. Made from Duralmond (biodegradable and recyclable crushed almond husks), the enclosed form of Mons Lavabo helps reduce splashes, a motion sensor turns water on and off to prevent waste, and Mons’ sole ‘tooth’ acts as a soap dispenser to remind kids to lather up.

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Post tags: designboom, Duralmond, eco kids, eco-friendly sink, eco-friendly wash basin, green kids, Mons Lavabo, Romualdo Faura Bernabe, Teng Chuan Tey

In a tragic turn of events, the supercool House of LEGOs constructed for the James May BBC television challenge was torn, hammered and shattered into nothing more than a pile of 3.3 million LEGO bricks, along with the dreams of many a young (and old) LEGO lover. This sad news was more than disheartening, especially considering how much effort and energy it took to build a giant house out of the colorful building blocks in the first place. Luckily, the final outcome did have a silver lining. Follow the link below to see what it was!

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Post tags: bbc, house of legos, james may, lego home

There’s no better way to get kids interested in something than to incorporate it into their play! If you’re modern design fanatics like we are, may we recommend this gorgeous 1:16 scale dollhouse reproduction of designer Arne Jacobsen’s 1928 villa in Charlottenlund, Denmark as the perfect way to introduce beautiful, minimalistic design to your little ones? Designed by Linda Stenberg and Claus Hojer Hansen of miniature toy company Minimii, the dollhouse even features tiny designer furniture (Egg and Swan chairs courtesy of Fritz Hansen) and lilliputian modern art pieces!

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Post tags: arne jacobsen, arne jacobsen dollhouse, eco kids, green kids, maileg dolls, minimii, modern dollhouse

When it comes to teaching kids to conserve energy, positive reinforcement is the name of the game. Combine that with a cute and fun toy, and you really can’t go wrong. Case in point: Tio, an educational ghost pal and light-switch system for your tot that teaches them how cool turning off lights when we don’t need them can be. When lights are left on for only a short time, Tio smiles and is green. The longer kids leave the lights on, the madder Tio gets! Did we mention that you can use all the money you save on the electricity bill towards your little conservationist’s college education?

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Post tags: eco toy, energy ghost, energy saving toy, green educational gift, green toy, tim holley, tio

The Great Green Playdate for a Cause is eco-play company Unplugged on a Rug’s traveling playdate that caters to families with young children from 0-5 years. Inhabitots editors Jill Fehrenbacher and Abigail Doan will be on the scene with their own tots so join us for some green play and musical surprises! All proceeds from this playdate will go to The Max Cure Foundation.

Hope to see you there!

Kidville’s Upper East Side location at 163 E. 84th St. in New York City

About Unplugged on a Rug and the Great Green Playdate:

“We tour the best stuff from our play rooms from community to community. We share our ideas to reuse, reduce and recycle to simplify the environment for more complex play. We are proud to introduce bObles as our favorite toys and many of our most magical playmates to join our cause to raise $10,000 this year to support charities for mothers and children.”

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Post tags: great green playdate, green play, kidville, unplugged on a rug

We first reported on the conceptual design of the Bel-Air living air filter back in 2007, and now everyone may breathe a little easier because it came to fruition as the ANDREA Air Filter and went on the market this week! The stylish air purifier, invented by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur with Harvard professor David Edward elevates common houseplants to heroic status as they eliminate noxious chemicals that pollute indoor air. Visit Inhabitots to see precisely how the ANDREA Air Filter works!

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Post tags: andrea air filter, david edward, eco baby, green baby, HEPA Filter, indoor air filter, Mathieu Lehanneur, plant air filters, plants as air filters, plants clean indoor air

For little ones, no other night of the year can quite match the fun and energy that comes with Halloween! And if you’re interested in teaching your tots to grow up greener, this magical holiday is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate to them that you can have a jaw-droppingly cool costume while still respecting the Earth and keeping waste to a minimum. From homemade cow outfits to eco-friendly baby monkeysuits, here are our favorite picks for great, green Halloween costumes for kids!

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Post tags: eco costume, eco-friendly costume, great_green_halloween_kids_costumes, green halloween, green halloween costume, sustainable costume

Halloween is almost here, and if you’re a little spooked about going green with your little one this All Hallow’s Eve, we want to show you that there is nothing to be frightened of! From green kids crafts to healthy treats that your tot will love, here’s our comprehensive, one-stop guide of all the best tips and tricks for a green Halloween to remember.

Read the rest of Top 5 Green Halloween Treats and Tips

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Post tags: cassette take skulls, eco halloween, green halloween, halloween treats, healthy treats, Inhabitots, sustainable halloween

The eco chic Eames Modern Rocker is the quintessential rocking chair for green, design-savvy parents — and when we came across Inhabit’s Modern Chair collection of pillows and wall art featuring vibrant silhouettes of Eames icons including the plastic RAR Rocker, we knew baby’s nursery decor scheme just came full circle. Inhabit’s feather and down cushions, fabric wall hangings and stretched canvas art  are handmade in the USA from 100% recycled polyester and printed with no waste, eco-friendly inks. And with a name like Inhabit, we know to expect inspired, green design.

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Post tags: "mid-century modern", Eames Molded Plastic Rocker, Eames Rocker, eco friendly decor, eco-friendly cushions, recycled polyester

We’ve been in love with eco kids outfitter Oeuf for many years now, and they’ve just unveiled their cutest morsel yet: an adorable collection of baby animal hats and booties that let your tot discover his inner ‘Wild Thing‘. Available in green dino-style, cuddly white bear, and grey wolf style, these toasty 100% Alpaca wool hat-and-boot outfits make perfect green Halloween costumes, but are also great for just playing make-believe around the house. In a bout of impeccable timing, Oeuf just released this new product right before the release of the ‘Where the Wild Things Are‘ movie this week, and we couldn’t be more excited to get into the spirit of this cherished children’s book and dress our little Inhabitots up as Wild Things. Go Oeuf!

+ OEUF ANIMAL HATS & BOOTIES

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Post tags: eco baby, eco kids, green baby, green halloween, green kids, oeuf animal hats and booties, where the wild things are costume, where the wild things are outfit

KOZ Architects’ Sports & Leisure Center is a rainbow colored wonderland for kids in Saint-Cloud, France. Designed for festive celebrations and entertainment and featuring the ‘coolest’ indoor climbing wall in France, the vibrant hues from the outside of the building correlate via color coding to the interior areas — enabling spatial orientation for young children. Environmentally aware KOZ architects made ‘green’ the standout color in their project by implementing eco-aspects into their design. The openings in the roofs and the glass facades allow for maximum natural lighting and limit electrical consumption, and they used prefab concrete slabs to reduce waste, pigment infused concrete to reduce paint use, and installed a solar heated hot water system.

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Post tags: Christophe Ouhayoun, green architecture, Green Building, green recreation center, green recreational center, green space, koz, koz architects, Nicolas Ziesel, saint-cloud youth center, sport and leisure center by koz architects

Fans of prefab design can now pass their affinity on to their children via Modern Cabana’s newest addition to their collection of modern living spaces — the KIDDO Cabana. Dubbed the “ultimate choose-your-own-adventure” dwelling space, kids will adore turning the blank canvas of the KIDDO into their own unique playhouse. KIDDO is made in San Francisco with FSC-certified wood harvested from sustainably managed forests in the United States, no-VOC paints and glues, and natural tree oil stains. The interior boasts an array of kid enticing features you have to see! Visit Inhabitots to peek inside.

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Post tags: contemporary playhouse, eco-friendly playhouse, FSC certfied playhouse, KIDDO cabana, modern cabana, modern playhouse, non-toxic playhouse, prefab playhouse, prefabricated playhouse, sustainably made playhouse

Designed to cast a sweet glow and add a touch of outdoor ambience, we think Inke Heiland’s Birdhouse Lamp is a joyful embellishment that would add natural flair to any room of the house. Handmade from 100% salvaged French Oak, the Birdhouse Lamp comes with an energy saving CFL light bulb and a pair of Heiland’s vintage handcut wallpaper bird silhouettes.

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Post tags: birdhouse lamp, birdhouse made from salvaged wood, birdhouse nursery decor, handmade birdhouse, INKE, inke birdhouse lamp, Inke Heiland

Since cloning your pet goes against Mother Nature, do the next best thing and have artist Amelia Santiago create a three-dimensional ‘Pet Portrait’ sculpture as an homage to your best furry friend. Santiago will handcraft a sculpture of your dog, cat, bunny or horse out of 100% wool felt, implementing every physical detail of the animal’s coat and appearance. Her replicas bear an uncanny resemblance to their real-life models. In most cases, you’d be hard pressed to tell the two apart.

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Post tags: amelia santiago, bunny portrait, cat portrait, dog sculpture, felt bunny, felt cat, felt dog, felt horse, pet portrait