by Lynn (with help from Z and F)

When our new granddaughter made her debut in September, I was delighted to discover how many adorable organic cotton outfits are now available for infants, babies and toddlers.

But as kids hit school age, there are fewer choices. And what I’ve seen would make a green grandma think that little girls love nothing better than to dress in t-shirts 27/7. While that may be true of some girls, it’s not of ours. When given the opportunity, they’ll choose a dress, the fancier the better!

That’s why I was delighted when Shamini Dhana of Dhana, “eco-apparal for eco-conscious kids,” offered to send a couple of dresses for my older granddaughters to try.

Couldn’t hit the reply button fast enough!

It so happens that the girls are spending four days with us at the moment. The day they arrived, I told them I had a surprise.

When I slid out the two dresses, one pale green and the other pale pink, you would have thought I had pulled out a pony. Seriously, they fell in love at first sight.

“Oooh, I love the color of mine,” said the older.

“Me too.” echoed the younger.

Next came the raves over the feel of the fabric.

“Soooo soft,” they crooned in unison.

Then the big moment, trying the dresses on.

Here in Seattle, sun dresses can be worn for a pitifully short time period. But add a shirt or sweater and you extend the number of days they work (all winter, if these girls have anything to say about it!).

It was amazing how well the dresses fit. I also checked the seams and they are well-sewn. No extra threads to snip.

I used the opportunity of this gift to the girls to explain to them that sometimes people who make our clothing are not treated fairly, that often chemicals that are not good for them, are sprayed on cotton crops and that the dyes used for clothing are not always healthy either. But the dresses they were wearing were made using 100% certified organic cotton and eco-friendly dyes.

These girls were raised eating only the healthiest diet and they are well aware of environmental concerns. In fact, as I talked about the dresses, the older one looked me in the eye and said with a smile, “I already know that!”

What they didn’t know was that the flower design on their dresses was created by eco-artist, Elaine Murphy who lives in Cork Ireland, which led to our examining a map of the world to find her home.

And that fits right in with one of the goals of Dhana—to help children become globally aware and celebrate the human spirit, in all of its rich cultural diversity.

Since clothing is an expression of who we are, I’m excited to see companies like Dhana producing clothes that children love, made with care for those who produce them as well as the planet and with a message children can relate to.

And in which they look darn cute too!

Almost forgot—also appreciate that Dhana gives back to communities through 1% for the Planet and Kiddo!

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Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of  Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.