by Jessica Ackerman

Parents want the very best for their new baby and one way to get started is with an eco-friendly nursery. Incorporating products that are good for baby and good for the environment in the same room ensure a safe and healthy environment. Use the eco-friendly ideas below to guide you when designing and decorating your child's nursery.

Before moving in furniture or hanging baby theme curtains, you will need to decide how the nursery walls will be decorated. There are special, low-odor paints that are gaining in popularity if painting the walls is what you decide to do. Choose environmentally friendly paints to help eliminate allergic reactions and the mother-to-be's exposure to harmful chemical odors. Another option for eco-friendly wall coverings is wallpaper made from linens and natural grasses. These serve not only as wall coverings, but as wall art as well, due to their natural texture and designs. Although you may find it difficult to locate a childish wallpaper design in these materials, a simple solid color will work just as well in the nursery.

Organic is the way to go when designing an eco-friendly nursery. Everything from dust ruffles to crib sheets to crib bumpers can be found made from organic cottons. These natural materials are soft on baby's skin while being good for the environment. Organic cottons are also good if there is a family history of allergies or skin sensitivities, as the material is known to have a low-irritation rate. This natural material also breathes better than other cottons and is usually free of dye or dyed with vegetable based colorants. Organic cotton is a great way to protect your baby's sensitive skin while eliminating the need for synthetic dyes and pesticides.

Parents have a lot of choices when it comes to nursery accessories and furniture. Now, more than ever, there are products for everything a child could possibly want or need to do in a nursery. The most important thing to remember is that less is more. Less energy consumption can begin with an energy-efficient bulb in a nightstand lamp and insulated curtains on the windows. Natural fibers, fabrics and ingredients should be used as much as possible. Choose a wooden crib that can convert to a larger bed as the child grows to cut down on waste. A changing table that doubles as a dresser is also a more eco-friendly choice than two separate pieces of furniture. When thinking about accessories, choose those that are made of natural materials, such as, wood. If plastic is the only option, be sure that it does not contain harmful chemicals, especially if it may wind up in baby's mouth. Although there are many options for accessories and furniture, the selection of items that are truly eco-friendly is limited. Select items that go with the room's decor, but that also are beneficial for baby.

Designing an eco-friendly nursery is good for baby and the environment. Make smart choices that reflect your desire to preserve the earth's natural resources and create a sustainable environment for generations to come. The merits of green living can be taught through example at even the earliest of ages.

Jessica Ackerman writes for WallDecorandHomeAccents.com where she provides detailed instructions for decorating with outdoor garden wall clocks and tree of life metal wall art.

On September 10, 2010, Parta Dialogue, the company that produces Alternative Channel, is launching their highly anticipated energy themed social media portal—Energy2point0.com.

Energy 2.0 will become the principle social media hub for exchange among energy sector leaders and stakeholders. It will serve as a launching pad for informed debate both on the platform and wherever the discussion will be re-broadcast on the social web.

To join and contribute to the portal, contact Parta Dialogue’s North American Director, Tom Liacas. Tom.Liacas@partadialogue.com

by Aki Pagratis

Vogue Italia’s new stirring 24-page spread titled, "Water & Oil," has caused quite a fuss in recent days. As you can see from the pictures attached to this article, famed fashion photographer, Steven Meisel, managed to create an powerful artistic message that shines a new light on the gulf oil disaster. The session was shot in Los Angeles and depicts model Kristen McMenamy dressed in a tar drenched black dress, sprawled over a rocky shore like a dying crow. But many readers are now wondering, is this valid expression by artistic genius, or a shallow publicity stunt by elite fashionistas?

"The message is to be careful about nature," Vogue Italia’s Editor-in-Chief, Franca Sozzani, told the Associated Press. "Just to take care more about nature. ... I understand that it could be shocking to see and to look in this way these images."

Was that the intended message? Many critics are skeptical.

“I see nothing at all ironic about highlighting the destruction of working-class people’s livelihoods with obscenely expensive clothes designed primarily to enhance the status of elite fashion designers and the rich people who can wear them,” notes Sociological Images blogger Lisa Wade. She argues that although the BP well may have ceased leaking oil into the Gulf, pain is still being felt by those in the area who have lost their jobs, uprooted their families, and witnessed the destruction of marine wildlife.

Taylor Combs agrees. “Creating beauty and glamour out of tragedy seems quite fucked up to us, not to mention wasteful and hypocritical, seeing as thousands of dollars of luxury clothing was flown in, and then subsequently ruined for the shoot,” he writes in an article published in refinery29.com. “Glamorizing this recent ecological and social disaster for the sake of ‘fashion’ reduces the tragic event to nothing more than attention-grabbing newsstand fodder.”

Kathleen Nowak Tucci, the eco-designer who made the seaweed-style necklace worn by McMenamy on the cover (and several other shots) told New York Magazine she did not find the spread offensive. "I thought it was disturbing and thought-provoking and utterly fascinating in its interpretation of the struggle for survival," she said via email. "It is controversial and interpretative, which is indicative of great artistic expression."

Sozzani said the shoot reflects the magazine's effort to "find an idea that comes from real life.There is nothing political. There is nothing social. It's only visually. We gave a message but in a visual way."

What do you think? Was this spread needlessly and selfishly highlighting the destruction of working-class people’s livelihoods? Was it wasteful and hypocritical? Or, was it, as Tucci says, fascinating in its interpretation of the struggle for survival?

See the whole spread here : http://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/cover-story/2010/08/water--oil