We’ve had some interesting weather here in Stockholm this week. We woke up on Wednesday to a snow storm. In the middle of October. I don’t think any of us here in the office were ready for that. Luckily, the snow didn’t stick around long and by Wednesday afternoon it was bright and sunny again. Today we have rain.

All this crazy autumn weather got us thinking though, as much as we’d like for the summer sun to stay around, winter is just around the corner.

Even though the calendar says it is only October, Mother Nature doesn’t seem to care, and we have had some cold temperatures. When it gets cold outside, it’s incredibly important to keep your child warm. Here in Sweden it is often said that there is no such thing as poor weather, only poor clothing. There is something to be said for that. We know; we’re just a few hours away from the Arctic Circle.

Keeping your child warm starts, very simply, with dressing them properly. Dress your child in multiple, thin layers. This can start with a layer of long underwear under a shirt, add a sweater and finally a coat and your child will have a good layered approach to braving the elements. By layering you will be able to watch your child’s temperature so that they don’t get too cold. Or too hot for that matter.

Remember, your child just won’t be able to handle the cold as well as your average adult, so a good rule to live by is to add one extra layer of clothing than you would wear yourself. You’ll always be able to take that layer off if need be.

Enjoy the waning days of autumn and be sure to stay warm!

Allow us to gloat for just a second, because Nature Babycare was just awarded EcoBabyWorld’s Green Award for Outstanding Product 2009 for our Pull on Pants! We can’t tell you how proud we are.

EcoBabyWorld does not allow submissions for this award, but instead goes out and chooses the products from companies which they deem to be “creating safe and eco-friendly baby products.” The people behind EcoBabyWorld then test the products to determine which are eligible to be considered an Outstanding Product.

It’s not every day that a small entrepreneurial ecological baby company in Sweden beats out the big guys like Pampers and Huggies. But, come to think of it, while it may not be everyday, those days are coming more and more frequently as of late. And we have only you to thank.

So thank you. Thank you for continuing to support what we do. Thank you for thinking about, and taking care of, the environment. And of course, thank you for putting the health, well being, and future of your baby, first.

Nature Babycare is now on both Facebook and Twitter. We’ve been updating a few times a week now.

On the Nature Babycare Facebook Fan Page and the Nature Babycare Twitter feed you’ll find all kinds of exciting news like:

• A Twitter post about Nature Babycare being awarded the Good Environmental Choice certificate by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation for our ECO Shampoo, Wash, and Bath.
• Environmental tips on ways to green up your bathroom in a sustainable way.
• Childcare news on living a healthy lifestyle.
• Going green when buying a pet.
• Links to green shops where you can buy Nature Babycare products as well as other environmentally friendly stores.

We know that you are informed consumers. Engaged consumers. That’s why we want to make sure that you all know what is going on with Nature Babycare. Especially because rather than spending millions on marketing campaigns like some of the multinationals, we focus on constantly improving our product.

If you’re interested in helping out there are a few easy things you can do:

• Blog about us 
• Follow us on Twitter 
• Become a fan on Facebook 
• Link to us from you website
• Tell your friends and family

And of course, feel free to comment. We read every comment and love hearing from you all!

We know that there has been some confusion about composting Nature Babycare nappies. Hopefully, our post earlier this month, “How to Dispose of Nature Babycare Nappies” cleared up some of those questions. We still suggest that you place the nappies in our Nature Babycare Disposal Bags and dispose of them in the trash bin.

That being said, we recognize the importance of ecologically friendly composting. So, for those of you who have the space in your garden, we’d like to explain how to get started with your very own compost pile. It’s the perfect step for anyone interested in environmentally friendly organic gardening.

First, you need to make some room. The size of your compost pile is up to you, but you usually want to set aside a one meter by one meter area.

To ensure that you get a good pile of compost started, some wire fencing around your composting area is a good idea.

Once you have the area set aside, you’ll need something to compost. There are two different forms of composting material, usually referred to as green material and brown material.

• Green material is just what it sounds like, green material. Things like old fruits and vegetables and even grass after having mowed your lawn. Green material acts as a nitrogen source for your compost pile.

• Brown material is your carbon source. This includes things like dead leaves and even un-dyed cardboards.

Make sure that you have a good mixture of the two different materials. It is important to the decomposition process and a good balance will allow for a better compost pile.

How you mix your compost is up to you. Some people suggest you layer your brown and green materials in the beginning, others suggest you mix them all up from the start. I prefer to mix them from the start.

Now that you’ve got your compost pile started, make sure that you the pile stays damp. Not wet, but damp enough that decomposition can occur. To ensure that decomposition is occurring, turn your compost pile once or twice a month. Once every two weeks usually works well.

Over the course of a few months, you’ll notice that your compost pile is shrinking. This is a good thing. That means it is working. You’ll start to notice a dark rich soil appear which is perfect for your vegetable garden, flowers, or anywhere else around the house.

Because you are most likely adding material to your compost pile, be sure to sift through the soil so that you don’t have any material that has yet to fully decompose.

With that, you’ve created a compost pile which will put you on your way to an organic and environmentally friendly garden.

Good luck and happy green gardening!
 

One of the questions frequently asked to our Customer Service is how the nappy should be put to waste after it has been used. We would like to take the opportunity to give some advice about this and give some information about the materials in our nappies.

About a month ago, we were invited to a seminar held by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, known here in Sweden as Svenska Naturskyddsföreningen.

The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation is celebrating 100 years of environmental advocacy this year. It is incredible timing considering the UN Climate Summit will be held just next door in Copenhagen, Denmark in December of 2009.

In conjunction with the upcoming climate meeting in Copenhagen, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation is holding a series of seminars titled “Key issues for climate change and Copenhagen 2009.”

Each seminar challenges politicians, scientists, and the average citizen to focus on the environmental issues that are becoming more and more important. The seminars are meant to generate support, ideas, and even passion for these key issues.

The seminar on Monday, May 25th, was titled “Winners and losers: How to maximize opportunities and minimize risks.”

The seminar focused on the differences between what was described as “north” and “south” and the history of international cooperation. Both successes and failures. Speakers from organizations such as SIDA, SNF, and the IBON Foundation spoke of the challenges facing the world today as cooperation becomes more and more necessary to overcome climate change.

Much of the seminar focused on the upcoming UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen and the importance of the summit. The seminar ended with a call to action. A call to all citizens to make demands of their governments, and of the UN, to work together in the quest for a greener climate.

Being a Swedish-based company and being active in Denmark, we at Naty look forward to seeing the decisions made at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen.

Nearly 15 years ago, Marlene Sandberg found herself thinking about nappies, and doing so on a regular basis. She was the mother of two boys, a corporate lawyer, and had a burgeoning sense of environmental awareness. As all new parents eventually realize, nappies became an everyday occurrence. 

It was during this period that Marlene came across a newspaper article reporting on the damaging effect that disposable nappies had on the Swedish environment. On average, every Swedish baby was responsible for a half ton of dirty nappies every year. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, it can take hundreds of years for an ordinary disposable nappy to decompose. So the nappies kept piling up, due in part to the material in traditional disposable nappies being predominately oil-derived plastic. While the nappies were out of sight, for Marlene, they were never truly out of mind.

Marlene Sandberg, who nearly 15 years ago started working on the idea that would become Naty and the Nature Babycare brand, was awarded the 2009 Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award in Stockholm, Sweden on Tuesday, May 12th 2009.

The Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award was founded 37 years ago and recognizes business women who exhibit qualities of entrepreneurship, determination, and creativity.

The 2009 Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award focused on those same qualities, but also looked at social responsibility, such as environmental activism. And that’s where Marlene and Nature Babycare come into the picture.

Marlene was recognized for, “with passion and commitment, having founded and built an expanding company with extensive exports throughout the world. In a competitive market, she has developed ecological and environmentally friendly products designed for children, and thus, like all true entrepreneur, challenged the industry giants. She is recognized for her entrepreneurship and achievement in breaking in as a supplier to major retailers throughout the world.”

In the end though, we can’t take all of the credit. In fact, it is people like you who deserve the credit. So thank you. Thank you for continuing to support what we do. Thank you for thinking about, and taking care of, the environment. And of course, thank you for putting the health, well-being, and future of your baby, first.

Welcome to our brand new homepage and the Nature Babycare Blog!

Here at Naty our intentions are simple, to create products that are gentle on you, your baby, and of course, the environment. Our intentions for our new blog might be even simpler. We want to start a conversation with you. A conversation about you, your baby, and the environment. And what we can all do to make sure that all three are in harmony.

There’s so much to think about. Raising a child has never been easy, but raising a child today means so many things to think about. Everything from education to the environment. We know. We’re parents too.

We hope you’ll check back often. We hope that you’ll leave your questions and comments and add to this conversation. But most of all, we hope that you’ll join us as we strive to create something that makes the world just a little bit better of a place to live.