Aya's Baby Shower Insert

I want to share this "green" baby shower guide that Angela and I put together for Aya's shower. If you can use it to make your life easier please do! We included this on one side and the info from healthychild.org on the opposite. The insert was then quartered and sent in these beautiful shower invitations that were hand made by our very talented friend and co-conspirator Karen LePage. In Health - Gregg

Angela & Gregg’s Guide to a
Local, Humane, Healthy and Sustainable Baby Shower

Thank you so much for assisting us as we prepare for Aya's birth. As you all know we have dedicated our lives and work towards social and environmental justice and strive to share this with others through example and education. We are blessed by the opportunity to raise Aya in a healthy, humane and sustainable lifestyle though we admit to its challenges. With this in mind, we’ve put this guide together.

To be as sustainable as possible we’ve elected not to purchase items until we identify a need and explore any alternatives. To this end, gift cards and monetary support are appreciated and will assist us to purchase items as necessary in the months ahead.

We are registered under Angela Kasmala or Gregg Newsom at Target, in-store and at http://target.com, and http://myregistry.com. Our registry lists specific staple items that will be greatly appreciated. Of course, we welcome other more personal gifts, but ask that you be mindful of the information below.

Toys and Books: We request no plastic toys, rather positive and educational toys made from natural materials. Please read the included guide to healthy toys.

Clothing: Conventional cotton crops alone account for $2.6 billion in pesticides used each year. Even though cotton only uses 2.4% of all cultivated land, 25% of the world’s pesticides and 10% of the world’s insecticides are used on it yearly. The problems with clothing production do not stop in the field. During the conversion of conventional cotton into clothing, numerous toxic chemicals are added at each stage – such as harsh petroleum scours, softeners, brighteners, heavy metals, flame and soil retardants, ammonia and formaldehyde. With this in mind please consider items made of organic cotton, hemp, wool (second-hand), or bamboo. We would appreciate gently used clothing as well. We are asking for clothing size 0-12 months.

Baby Personal Care Products: Recent studies have shown that traditional baby personal care products include unhealthy ingredients such as parabens and pthalates. We have included products we trust on our registry. A good rule of thumb is to stick with products made with only natural, organic ingredients.

Gift Wrapping: To reduce paper waste please consider wrapping gifts in recyclable or reusable materials like baby blankets, reusable bags or storage containers.

We also encourage your support of local businesses rather than large corporate chains. Here are a few close by:

Ladel's Children's Bookstore
1413 Brooklyn Street
Detroit, MI 48278

Little Seedling
3555 S. Zeeb Road, Suite C
Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Sweet Peas and Little Sprouts
580 Forest Ave.
Plymouth, MI 48170

Once Upon a Child
21323 Telegraph Road in Southfield
6029 Rochester Rd. in Troy

We thank you for the extra time and effort that these considerations require. We’ve found the benefits of this path worth the extra effort and we appreciate your care, support and love as we welcome Aya and move into this new illuminating phase of our life together.

Much Love,
Angela & Gregg