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Wee Generation Project Grows as Rickshaw Bagworks Joins to Design, Manufacture Eco-Chic Baby Bag

Wee Generation Project Grows as Rickshaw Bagworks Joins to Design, Manufacture Eco-Chic Baby Bag

Published 11-12-07

Submitted by Seventh Generation

BURLINGTON, VT - November 12, 2007 - The all-star green team of "Wee Generation," founded by Seventh Generation, Healthy Child Healthy World and babystyle(R), announced today that Rickshaw Bagworks will be the designer and manufacturer of the world’s first Cradle To Cradle baby bag, a central project of the collaborative. Specializing in stylish, functional bags that stand up to the active lifestyles of bicyclists and urban commuters, the San Francisco-based company is the ideal bag maker for the most on-the-go people on earth - parents.

Rickshaw Bagworks is a new company founded by industry veterans Mark Dwight and Rob Honeycutt. The company is developing the eco-baby bag in collaboration with world-renowned green designer William McDonough and IDEO, one of the world's most innovative product design firms. The certified Cradle To Cradle bag will feature environmentally safe materials and production processes, socially responsible manufacturing practices and special consideration for end-of-life recycling. The Cradle To Cradle design philosophy - the subject of a book of the same name co-authored by McDonough and Michael Braungart - has become a modern day manifesto for eco-friendly product design and the basis for a certification process for sustainable products and manufacturing processes.

"We're delighted to join the Wee Generation team in their effort to promote healthy lifestyles for parents and their newborns and embrace the Cradle To Cradle design philosophy," said Mark Dwight, CEO of Rickshaw Bagworks. "Designing bags for new parents presents an interesting combination of functional and aesthetic design challenges, along with sourcing durable, eco-friendly materials that withstand the rigors of everyday use."

The new bag will be available through www.weegeneration.com and www.babystyle.com in March 2008. All profits from the bags will benefit Healthy Child Healthy World, the nation's leading childrens' environmental health and eco-advocacy nonprofit.

At the www.weegeneration.com site visitors can register to win limited-edition versions of the bag, organic baby t-shirts, and a Grand Prize Green Nursery Makeover, along with the chance to "pay it forward" by donating a second nursery makeover to a favorite local children's organization. Visitors can also learn the importance of eco-friendly products to a family's health and follow the development of the bag as it evolves from concept to retail product.

About Wee Generation

Leading the partnership with Healthy Child Healthy World is Seventh Generation, the nation's premiere provider of non-toxic, environmentally safe household products. Also collaborating are babystyle(R), the premiere maternity and baby boutique that addresses the needs of today's new and expectant families, world-renowned green designer William McDonough, IDEO, one of the world's most innovative design firms, and now Rickshaw Bagworks. The collaborative's overarching goal is to advocate for a healthier environment for children by focusing on the "living home" and a transformation of ecosystem-impacting consumer products.

About Rickshaw Bagworks

Rickshaw Bagworks, Inc. is a new San Francisco-based company specializing in the design and manufacturing of messenger bags, computer carrying cases, bicycle packs, and a variety of everyday bags and accessories designed for commuting and urban living. The word "rickshaw" comes from the Japanese characters "jin-riki-sha", meaning "human-powered-vehicle", and refers to the hand-drawn and pedal-powered vehicles used throughout Asia. Rickshaw products will be available at select bicycle, outdoor, personal technology and lifestyle specialty retailers in 2008. For more information about Rickshaw Bagworks, visit www.rickshawbags.com.

About Seventh Generation

Seventh Generation is committed to being the most trusted brand of household and personal-care products for your living home. Our products are healthy and safe for the air, the surfaces, the fabrics, the pets, and the people within your home-and for the community and environment outside of it. Seventh Generation also offers products for baby that are safe for your children and the planet. From chlorine free diapers and wipes to specially formulated Baby Laundry Detergent, Seventh Generation provides you with baby products you can trust. For information on Seventh Generation cleaning, paper, baby and feminine personal care products and to find store locations, visit www.seventhgeneration.com.

About Healthy Child Healthy World

Healthy Child Healthy World (formerly Children's Health Environmental Coalition) has been the national leader in safeguarding the health of children and protecting them from harmful environmental exposures for over sixteen years. By educating parents and engaging communities, we encourage everyone to make simple, smart choices that allow our children and families to flourish. To learn more about our work visit www.healthychild.org.

About babystyle(R)

Babystyle is the premier maternity and baby boutique, offering a smart, stylish selection of maternity, baby and kids apparel, top-rated gear, unique toys and charming gifts, as well as an easy-to-use baby registry. Shop them online at www.babystyle.com or visit their growing family of stores, where expert maternity consultants help moms-to-be with questions about fit and fashion. While you're at it, be sure to check out their online Green Shop for eco-cute clothes, toys, gifts and more.

About William McDonough

William McDonough is a world-renowned architect and designer and winner of three U.S. presidential awards for environmental design. Time magazine recognized him as a "Hero for the Planet" in 1999, stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that-in demonstrable and practical ways-is changing the design of the world." For more on Mr. McDonough, please visit www.mcdonough.com.

About IDEO

IDEO is an innovation and design firm that has been independently ranked as one of the most innovative companies in the world. Known for the design of Apple's first mouse and the first laptop computer, IDEO more recently created the Palm V handheld computer, the Mayo Clinic's SPARC innovation center, Bank of America's Keep the Change banking service, and the new Shimano Coasting bike strategy and experience. Today, IDEO is applying its human-centered approach to sustainable design projects in the areas of clean energy, health, and consumer experiences. Find out more about IDEO by visiting www.ideo.com.

Seventh Generation logo

Seventh Generation

Seventh Generation

Seventh Generation is committed to becoming the world's most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home. For 20 years, the Burlington, Vermont-based company has been at the forefront of a cultural change in consumer behavior and business ethics.

The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, keeping toxic chemicals out of the environment and making the world a safer place for this and the next seven generations.

Seventh Generation products can be found by visiting: www.seventhgeneration.com.

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