I am over-the-top excited to announce that this month Bella Luna Toys was awarded the
The seal is presented to businesses that go beyond product and service quality to set the highest standards in environmental sustainability and social justice, and work to solve, rather than create, environmental and social problems.
In order to be considered, I was required to fill out an extensive questionnaire documenting Bella Luna Toys’ eco-friendly practices and listing the countries of origin and fair trade and/or fair labor practices of all the toy companies whose products we carry.
Once this application was reviewed by Green America, I was sent a list of further questions and requests for documentation and certifications for our Fair Trade toys and documentation of sustainable forestry for our wooden toys.
After a months-long process, I was delighted to finally receive the news that Bella Luna Toys had been granted the prestigious Seal of Approval and permission to display Green America’s logo on our website!
Reader’s Digest Names Bella Luna Toys “Best Website for Fair Trade Toys”
And if that wasn’t enough good news for one month, last week Reader’s Digest named Bella Luna Toys as one of the “Best Websites for Fair Trade Toys.”
The article was posted in February on the magazine’s website. The editors wrote: “Fair Trade is a social movement trying to reduce poverty in developing countries by encouraging fair global trade practices and ensuring an equal and fair partnership between marketers and producers.”
What This Means For You
- It means that when you shop for Waldorf toys at Bella Luna Toys, you are assured that all the toys we carry are made in the USA, Europe and Canada, or are Fair Trade made in other parts of the world using Fair Labor practices.
- All of our wooden toys are made from certified sustainable forests, or from salvaged and recycled wood.
- That in mindfulness of the earth’s limited resources, we use recycled gift wrapping paper, eco-friendly ribbon, and reuse boxes and packing materials, and recycle our own paper waste. In addition, Bella Luna Toys purchases credits to heat our office and warehouse space with renewable energy.
Hope you’ll join me and the thousands of individual members of Green America by choosing to shop with businesses who are committed to supporting the environment and social justice.
Are there any new green, eco-friendly or fair trade toys that you think should be offered at Bella Luna Toys? Leave your suggestions here.
One commenter will be chosen at random to win a FREE set of Eco-Eggs natural egg dyeing kit from Eco-Kids! (Winner will be chosen Friday, March 4 at 9:00 a.m.)
Congratulations to Krista H., winner of a free set of Eco-Eggs natural egg dyeing kit from Eco-Kids!
And many thanks to all of you who left your comments and great suggestions. Many of your ideas were already on the list of new products to add this year, and others gave me some terrific new ideas.
Keep your eyes peeled for many new Waldorf toys, all natural toys, and wooden toys to be added in the coming weeks and months at Bella Luna Toys.
28 Comments
I’d love to see you carry Tegu magnetic blocks. I plan to buy some for my son’s birthday this year.
Great suggestion, Catherine! Just discovered these at Toy Fair. Loved them!
I really love all of the things you offer. I don’t think you need to add anything! You have a great mix of things. The whole idea of Waldorf is less is more and quality over quantity! I think you have the necessary things to make for a happy childhood! I just wish I had the money to buy it all!!
Keep up the good work! 🙂
I would love to see culturally influenced toys, inspired by classic toys from other countries. I’m always on the lookout for toys to help create a healthy sense of curiosity about the world around us, not just the world in our backyards.
musical instruments, of all sorts. I feel like many shops only offer a limited selection of types. My little one loves to jam out on every sort of thing!
Oh keep your eyes peeled, Krista! I have so many musical instruments coming soon, including some very cool Fair Trade made instruments from other cultures.
I’ll put another vote in for musical instruments, especially one from a variety of world cultures. My son LOVES to “make some big music,” as he calls it!
See above comment, Crystal. I come from a family of music makers, so I feel like one can never have enough instruments around.
well, this suggestion isn’t for a toy ~ yours are wonderful!
but what about children’s ties, neckties?
I just read an article about my cousin’s shop in Brooklyn, where she sells handmade skirts and dresses, kids stuff including a line of ties, home decor, bags and guy stuff, too, much of it her own design using fabrics from Maine and Japan.
http://southbrooklynpost.com/shopping-services/ruby-moriarty/
hooray!!!!! love it!
I love the store. I’m looking forward to your addition of musical instruments, my little one loves to make some beautiful noise!
my son loves painting wooden things but I’d be concerned about having him paint something that was really pricey – I know I shouldn’t care because its his toy and I should let him do what he wants but… we got a bunch of peg people at a local hobby shop but it would be nice to know what kind of wood it is, how it was produced, etc. so…I’d rather find a place that had those things listed for wood I buy (I got him a little boat and helicopter too and and has played with them non-stop)
I have thought and looked to see what you could possibly add…and I have come up with nothing! Everything I think of you already have on here. That’s pretty impressive!! Keep up the great work.
Congratulations! I’m going to be in the market soon for a simple wooden doll house and some people to live there. Don’t know that we’d want a treehouse and I didn’t see any people on your site. Thanks.
what about little eco friendly,handmade bracelets and stuff?thanks for the giveaway
This means a lot to me. I do not have to fact check my kids’ toys when I buy them from Bella Luna. I know that they are safe and by buying from them I am being a responsible steward since I now know that if the products are not made in the US, Canada, or Europe, then they are fair trade. It puts my heart and mind at ease! Thank you!
This is an easy one and maybe you already sell it and I just can’t find it, but what about good old wool felt, not roving but the sheets. Thanks!
I love all your toys, and can’t think of something else that I wished you carried. Thanks for doing what you do!
I would love to buy a figure eight marble track, at least that’s what I’m calling it! My son has one in his Waldorf Grade 1 classroom and I can’t find one anywhere on line.
Congratulations!
I love your store, and I think the toy selection is amazing as it is. Congratulations on your achievement that is such a big deal! I like knowing that when I shop at Bella Luna I know what I am getting and that it is safe for my family.
I am also thrilled to see you carrying the eco brand! We bought the play dough for our youngest son this Chanukah and just love it. I would like to see some eco friendly dishes for older children in the Lunchtime section. We have an eight year old and would love to buy some for him. I second the doll house request as well. A lovely gender neutral dolls house would make the four year old SO happy 🙂
i struggled to find a toy that was missing from your shop and couldn’t find anything that wasn’t already suggested 🙂 if i had to find something, i might say waldorf cookbooks/recipe books. thanks for the chance to win!
Many congrats! I second a previous poster about fair trade wooden figures for kids to paint. I don’t see my sons’ dinosaur obsessions fading anytime soon and would love to have craft time with plain wooden figures.
Would love to see more older age groups, say 7-10 yrs. old, in toy selection, expecially building/creative sets. Keep up the good work!
Funny question, but i will ask it. What are those little colorful symbols at the beginning of everyone’s comments, and why do so many of them resemble swastikas(3/3 6:51,3/3 12:57 pm as examples) ? Are they random computer generated images? Thanks,
Yes, Janet. They are computer generated by WordPress next to comments for which there is no uploaded photo or avatar. I think they’re supposed to look like little quilt squares. Each one is unique to each commenter.
Love your store! I’m always looking for cute doll clothes and accessories- I’d love to see more of that! And more play kitchen stuff, too!
More of all of those to come soon, Emily. Keep your eyes peeled!
Wow. I must admit, you really got some nice toys on your site. Your blog is also a good read. If you are interested, take a quick look at our blog http://www.fafutoys.com/blog/ or visit our homepage at http://www.fafutoys.com/
FAFu-toys is a small Icelandic toy company. In our toy design, we have chosen to go back to the basics and use shapes, colours, and textures instead of predecided concepts. This way, we hope to challenge children to seek knowledge and new experiences in their everyday environment.
We use natural and eco-friendly materials in fusion with ethical or fair trade labelled resources and production methods, without compromising on the quality of our products.