Eco-friendly Fun

Kids love toys–there's no doubt about it. And adults do too, of course. But did you know that you can make environmentally-conscious toy decisions too? The Nürnberg Toy Fair has just wrapped up here in Germany, and one of the show's biggest hits was the 'green toys' section.  The toys aren't just fun, they make kids aware of energy and where it comes from–and how much of it they use, too. There was everything from a solar-panel fitted space station to hydro-electric powered toy cars and doll houses with wind turbines.

One of the finalists for the top green toys was something called Innovative Eco-Power, made by a French company. It's a model car that has 2 aluminum-lined tanks connected to an electrical circuit. When you put salt water in the tanks, the circuit is completed and the car has power. It's a neat way to show children how one form or renewable energy works.
You can check out all the green toy finalists here.

Right now green toys don't play a big role in the international toy market, but experts that could change in the future. In fact, one research firm thinks green toys could account for 5% of toy sales in the U.S. alone in 5 years. So play nice–and play green!