The Softest Eco-friendly Blanket Week #2- speesees organic cotton

The next blanket Ella got to try was a organic cotton plush blanket from speesees. I know you've heard me rave about speesees a lot lately and there is a reason why... I love the way their fabrics feel!!  They are a thick soft organic cotton that will last longer than a season, at totally affordable prices. speesees makes sure that all of their organic cotton is made with low impact/ herbal dyes, no formaldehyde, no dioxins and no pesticides or insecticides are used during their growth. 

The speesees mission is to be fun, fair + organic in the products they make, the way they conduct business + the baby steps they take towards creating a more sustainable future for the animal, plant + human speesees on our children's planet.

I want to explain organic cotton production and manufacturing to all of those who don't know before I get into my review...

Organic cotton growing is much more complex, not to mention more costly, than regular cotton growing. As I've said before, 11% of the world's pesticides and 25% of the world's insecticides are used to control pests in regular cotton growing. There are over 20,000 deaths every year from pesticide poisoning and majority of these deaths are cotton farmers.  That's why it's even more important to buy organic fabrics!! When organic cotton is grown, the farmer must make sure the soil fertility practices meet organic certification; the weed management is accomplished through cultivation, flame weeding or other cultural practices; and insects are controlled only through the organic certified methods. 

Pests are a huge problem in cotton growth, which is the reason why so many insecticides and pesticides are used. Organic farmers have to check their crops weekly to make sure there are no infestations. If there is a pest problem, the farmers use biological pesticides- derived of natural materials from animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. There are also insecticidal soaps, which are used directly on the crop to kill soft bodied insects. There are several other practices used for individual pests. But all of these methods are non-toxic, biodegradable and certified organic. 

After the organic cotton has been harvested, the cotton has to go through a certified organic manufacturing process. The manufacturers cannot use chlorine bleach, formaldehyde, halogens, azo-dyestuffs, plus the machines have to meet ISO standards. I wasn't able to find lots of info on the manufacturing process... I'll keep looking and post at a later date if I find anything new. 

OK, back to speesees... After getting their blanket in the mail I had to try more. So we ended up buying quite a few outfits and I'm more than impressed. You can check out Ella's new speesees clothes by clicking here. We also won a speesees towel from Mommy PR! This has to be my favorite towel Ella's ever owned. It is 100% interlock cotton with a terry backside. The towel absorbs water really well and is the perfect length for toddlers. 

When Ella first saw her tomato + cocoa plush blanket she told me to go put it in the dryer! She didn't even feel the blanket, but was angry it wasn't pink. I'm guessing she thought the dryer would make it pink??? I told you the process of giving up her flunky hasn't been easy. But, I used my mom thinking cap and told her it matched her mushrooms on her wall. (She's big on matching lately) So she took the blanket to the mushroom and matched it, then slept with it that night. 

I personally love the blanket. I like the thickness of the cotton and how the plush is super cuddly. It is a great size- (42"X42") for toddlers or even swaddling a infant. The plush also makes an awesome backdrop for pictures!

The Giveaway: 1 lucky winner will receive a speesees plush organic blanket!

Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST September 17, 2009 to enter. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced after they respond to the winning email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email, or a new winner will be chosen. You must leave your email address! This contest is open to the US.   

How to Enter:  Go to speesees and tell me something else you'd like to have. Click on "Comments" to leave your post. Make sure to leave your email address!! I cannot contact the winner without it!  

EXTRA entries: You must complete the "How To Enter" before making any extra entries. Make sure you leave a comment for each extra entry and tell me which one. 

2. Become a fan of Mkokopelli on FB, Mkokopelli on Twitter or Follow my blog
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (on the right sidebar) 

4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (3 extra entries)
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post
6. Sign up for the speesees newsletter
7. Go to speesees and tell me your favorite picture of their trip to India to visit their cotton farmers
8. Grab Mkokopelli's The Softest Eco-friendly Blanket Week button and post on your blog or FB page