It’s been a whole lot of fun comparing notes on our iddy biddy green steps together—from what we drive to what we eat to how our kids tend to be the “Green Police,” we’re all trying to be the best stewards of our earth and our families that we can be.

Part of what we’re realizing, ’round here, is that sometimes you have to try harder, and sometimes you just have to… stop trying so hard! And right now it’s summer; it’s time to hang out with our families, have fun, and enjoy all the season has to offer.

To that end, we’re going to take a little blog break while we go work in our gardens, camp with our kids, and enjoy the simplest pleasures in life. We think that Lola, Scout and Waverly would approve, actually. (We promise to keep up our iddy biddy green steps while we do it; pinky swear.)

We’ll be back after some vacation time, and we can’t wait to talk again, then. In the meantime, have a fabulous summer, and keep making those iddy biddy steps that add up to a biggie big difference!

I came across this story on CNN this morning and just had to share it; what a testament to the powerfulness of going green!

From the story:

[A] program in Washington state helps military veterans learn marketable job skills and make sense of their experiences in combat. Program managers say the Veterans Conservation Corps initiative helps hundreds of vets study and train to enter the growing “green” jobs field.

In return, the veterans work on projects that help restore the environment in state parks.

The VCC, though, is much more than job training for Grisham and many of the other vets. It’s a form of therapy.

“Sometimes it feels really good. When we take invasive weeds off a tree that’s being suffocated and we free something. I feel a bit lighter inside,” Grisham says.

I just absolutely love this. What a wonderful way to help those who have served our country, and a great way to maintain some of our precious natural lands. I’ve always suspected that gardening (on a much smaller scale, of course) is therapeutic for me… it just brings a smile to my face to know that getting back to nature is being used as a tool in this way.

We don’t like to brag, you know. But when other folks notice us, well, you’ll excuse us if we indulge in a moment of gleeful, “They like us! They really, really like us!”

And so it is with the 2009 MAX Awards. In which the Idbids Starter Kit is the Grand Winner. We’re flattered, and delighted, and maybe even a bit giddy.

About the MAX Awards:

Each year, the Georgia State University Robinson College of Business Department of Marketing and Atlanta Business Chronicle recognize outstanding marketing innovations introduced in Georgia in the previous year with the Marketing Award for Excellence–the MAX Awards. Entries are judged by members of the Georgia State University Marketing RoundTable in terms of the degree of innovation, great marketing and success.

And from the judge’s comments:

Idbids demonstrates how a very small company can create a whole new category and compete with industry giants through innovation. The eco-friendly toys the company developed were created to foster a love for the environment and to help kids understand the steps they can take to protect the environment and make a difference. They did this without sacrificing fun. Unlike some “green marketers,” the company used environmentally friendly and organic materials and recycled or recyclable packaging.

(They like us! They really, really like us!)

I came across something really neat yesterday that I wanted to share with you. I am all about the ways ordinary people can get inspired to go greener in small but meaningful ways, and it turns out that Greg Horn of Just Do One is the same way. Check this out:

This sort of “what can I do?” philosophy is inspiring in and of itself, I think, but now you might win $5,000 for sharing your idea. I love this contest; what a great challenge for your kids or for your family altogether, to find a great idea and make a quick movie about it.

You can submit as many as you like, and have until April 1st, so get thinking, greening and filming!

A few weeks ago I let you know that Idbids founders Sarah Alvarez and Debbie Smith were finalists for the 2009 Wonder Women in Toys awards, and I’m so excited to be able to report that they won for the Green category!

Of course, we already knew they were wonder women, but it sure is nice to have it recognized by others.

In honor of this auspicious occasion, I have a few suggestions for our wonder women:

1) Wear a tiara as part of your everyday apparel. Make it an iddy biddy step by fashioning it out of items you find in your recycling bin, of course.

2) Order new business cards, listing your title as “Green Goddess.” You know you want to.

3) Have Scout, Lola and Waverly refer to themselves as your Small-But-Mighty Superhero Sidekicks.

4) Everywhere you go, be sure to ask if they have valet parking for your invisible jet. If they say no, tell them that’s fine, you’ll just park on the roof.

Congratulations, ladies! You are the rockingest wonder women I know!

I’ve just been bursting to tell you about this one, for a while now, and finally got the go-ahead to blab.

Idbids has teamed up with The Nature Conservancy to make your iddy biddy steps make an even bigger biggie big difference. Don’t know about TNC? Check it out:

The Nature Conservancy was founded a long time ago – in 1951! They’ve worked really hard over those years to protect our friends’ habitats all over the world. The work they’ve done has protected more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide. And they also operate more than 100 marine conservation projects globally. In the air, on the land and in the sea – just like the Idbids – The Nature Conservancy is working to make our world a better place. And now, you are too!

Purchase any Idbid, and now you can redeem a secret code online (doesn’t that sound awesome and mysterious?) and select how you’d like to help the Idbids’ friends.

Scout would like you to join TNC’s “Plant a Billion Trees” campaign; Lola wants you to “Adopt an Acre” with TNC; and, of course, Waverly hopes you’ll opt to join the effort to “Rescue the Reef.”

Whichever program you choose, you’ll be helping replenish our world, and making a seriously “biggie big” difference along with Idbids and The Nature Conservancy.

Now that is a perfect match!

When Idbids founders Sarah Alvarez and Debbie Smith set out to create a children’s toy that would help get kids excited about taking good care of our planet, they weren’t doing it for the accolades. They were doing it because it matters to them. (And also because they’re awesome.) (I’m not paid to say that; I just totally want to be them when I grow up.)

But, hey, if a bit of praise happens to come along… well, that’s quite alright, too.

Playthings has announced the 2009 Wonder Women in Toys Awards finalists, and wouldn’t you know it—Sarah and Debbie are finalists in the Green category. Congratulations, ladies!

About the awards:

The awards, presented in partnership with Playthings magazine since 2005, honor women of notable achievement or growing influence in fields directly associated with children’s toys and entertainment.

Winners will be revealed at their big gala in a couple of weeks. I’m not sure I can take the suspense!

Oh, and Sarah, Debbie? It’s probably too much to expect an invisible jet, I guess (there are a lot of categories they have to award, after all), but I’d definitely hold out for the magic lasso. Seriously. You deserve it.

Here in the United States, tomorrow is our designated day to be thankful. (The irony of one of the most well-off countries in the world having a single day each year to stop and appreciate what we have is not lost on me.) Nevertheless, Thanksgiving does tend to cause some reflection for most, I think.

I happen to believe in charity; it doesn’t particularly matter how or where you do it (though here’s some great Thanksgiving suggestions), but I think it’s important to do it. It’s good karma. It’s a way to remember to be thankful. It’s a way to give back. It’s a way to engage more fully as a member of the human race, really.

I also think it’s important to get kids involved, as early as possible. A child raised in the ways of giving back develops empathy, raised awareness of the realities of our world, and compassion. Start small. Take an iddy biddy step, this Thanksgiving—go shopping together for canned goods to take to your local food pantry, maybe. Bake an extra pie and take it down to your local police or fire station on Thanksgiving, to say thanks to the fine folks working on a holiday to keep the rest of us safe.

Is being involved in a charitable activity such as helping out at a soup kitchen “green?” I would argue that it is, as taking care of other people on our planet is part and parcel of caring for the planet as a whole.

So this year, don’t just have a wonderful Thanksgiving… think about how you can also make it a wonderful Thanksgiving for someone else, even in some small way.