Though we officially celebrate Earth Day on April 22, every day is an opportunity to do something to benefit our beautiful planet. Small things do make a difference, and even just teaching our children eco-friendly habits is an important step towards a more sustainable future.

At Magic Beans, we’ve always done our part, recycling literally tons of cardboard waste from all of our stores and our warehouse each year. For 2008, we’re stepping things up. Look for our new, special edition reusable bags coming this summer, and an expanded selection of Earth-friendly, organic, natural and sustainable toys.

One of the most challenging eco-debates for parents is the question of reusable diapers. There’s no question, diapers generate incredible amounts of waste. And the very things that make diapers so effective and reliable also make them resistant to biodegrading. American parents go through 18 billion diapers each year. It takes 82,000 tons of plastic and 250,000 trees to support this annual production.

On the other side of the coin, reusable diapering has seen vast improvements from the days of folded gauzy cloth, safety pins and a prayer or two. Today, reusable diapers are absorbent and secure. But they can still be intimidating and inconvenient, especially when you’re out and about. Plus, with all that extra water and energy going into your laundry machine, how much trouble are you really saving the planet?

Kate Pevzner, our Director of Customer Activities in Hingham, has used cloth diapers with both of her children, and she maintains that with practice, it becomes second nature. “And,” she confides, “there’s no reason why you can’t use a disposable diaper every now and then, for day trips and other special situations.”

If you’re ecologically conscious, but you just can’t see giving up your Pampers, here’s an interesting solution. A UK company called Carbon Clear offers two carbon offset packages for parents who want to help offset the greenhouse gases generated by the manufacture, delivery and disposal of both reusable and disposable diapers during the first 2 ½ years of a child’s life.

We love paper mache for Earth Day because it’s a great way to recycle old newspaper into something beautiful. You can easily adapt this project for kids of different ages by varying the complexity and detail of the painting.

What you’ll need:
A splat mat or large garbage bag split at the seam to protect your floor
A smock or an apron for everyone involved
A balloon (under-inflate it to get a shape that is more circular than oval)
Newspaper
1 cup Glue
½ cup Water
(You can also create paper mache paste by mixing together one part flour with 2 parts water. Adding a few tablespoons of salt will keep your project from getting moldy.)

Tear or cut the newspaper into strips of varying lengths and widths.

Stir together the glue and water in a bowl or a shallow pan until well combined.

Dip the paper into the glue mixture and apply it one piece at a time to the balloon until the balloon has been completely covered with at least 2-3 layers of paper in all areas. Set the balloon aside to dry overnight.

Once it dries, the paper mache will be nice and stiff and ready to paint. All you need are some green and blue poster paints. For older kids, go online to download and print some maps, and try to sketch the continents with a pencil, then paint those green and make the oceans blue. For younger kids, just create a beautiful swirl of blue and green. Let the paint dry and you’re all done.

If you shop in our stores, you’ve probably noticed that our plastic bags are thicker and more durable than most others. We did this to encourage our customers to reuse them, knowing that a good plastic bag will always come in handy, especially in a household with kids.

We love seeing the creative ways in which our customers reuse our bags. Send us your favorite idea for how you get extra mileage out of our bags. Pictures are especially welcome. The best submission will win a $25 gift card to Magic Beans and be printed in the next edition of BeansTALK. Submit your ideas here.

Crocs are back! If your kids loved these shoes last summer, now’s the perfect time to stop by and get fitted for a new pair. But what about the old ones? Kudos to Crocs for starting Soles United. You can now recycle your old Crocs, and they will be made into new shoes and donated to approved non-profit organizations around the world. Visit the website for instructions on where to send them, or, starting May 1, you can drop them off at any Magic Beans location. To date, Crocs has donated over 1 million pairs of shoes.  So wear a pair and then share a pair.

We’re so excited about our calendar of fun and FREE in-store events for parents and kids. For a complete listing, visit mbeans.com/cal.html. Here are some highlights.

April 22nd – Earth Day – celebrations in all three stores, sponsored by Plan Toys.

April 23rd - Stop by the Brookline store from 2-6pm to meet Brooke Noble from Mama Mio, an all-natural line of skincare products for pregnant women. Brooke will be giving complementary hand and arm massages and offering a free gift with any Mama Mio purchase during the event.

May 4th – Fairy Tea Party in Wellesley at 1pm. Bring your own wings. RSVP to lorrie@mbeans.com.

May 14th – Stroller Speed Dating returns to Brookline. RSVP to elissa@mbeans.com.

May 17th – Brain Quest Challenge in Hingham for kids ages 6-12. Prizes, snacks and more! Limited to 15 kids, so RSVP to kate@mbeans.com.