Zur deutschen Version hier entlang!
We had a chance to test it for ourselves – the Greenroom Upp Classic. The first stroller produced 100% ‘green’. 95 % made of recycled plastic. Wow! This was the reason why we came across the Greentom in the first place, a stroller that is not only light, flexible and simple, but that is also produced from recycled material. It’s not that the Greenroom looks anything like it … it certainly doesn’t resemble an eco-stroller! Thanks to its variety of colours (the frame comes in black, grey and white, the fabric in orange, blue, teal, sand, olive,…) it’s not easy to decide on a design to begin with.
We take the grey/black option. Fancy!
Here’s what the manufacturer promises:
“Greentom Upp is made of high quality, recycled plastic. The frame is made of polypropene and the seat is made of PET-bottles (soft drink bottles). Greentom Upp is not only particularly sustainable, but also light and highly durable. The components can be reused or recycled again to create new products.”
Less is more:
“There is no cross bar between the rear wheels, so you won’t bump into it on your stroll. The result is a simple stroller with all necessities and no superfluous frills. This gives the stroller its sturdy and sporty appearance. Thanks to the slightly bigger rear wheels and the smaller swivelling front wheels, you’ll manoeuvre your way through crowded streets or the supermarket with the greatest of ease.”
Facts & details (click and read):
Alright then. To test how suitable for city life the Greentom really is, we take a day off and go on a tour across Berlin. To shops offering just as “greenly” produced products for children. The weather plays into our cards, we start in Kreuzberg – canopy: check. First wee flaw we discover in the Greentom Upp Classic: Its hood is not as nicely adjustable as for example the one of the Cybex. If you really wanted to protect your child from the sun, you needed something extra. Given that after a long winter we’re still all deprived of vitamin D, the first rays of spring sun won’t bother us this time.
Mommy’s giant bag also fits in, the stroller remains upright and doesn’t fall over, unlike what we experienced so often in the past.
Then we take the cobble stoned way through Gleisdreieckpark to the underground stop at Yorckstraße. The stroller is definitely up to the task and doesn’t mind the stones. This is fun! The wee man has already fallen asleep. To make things even more comfortable for him, I put the stroller to its sleeping position. This works similarly to the Mountainbuggy, with a tab at the back of the stroller the seat is moved to the sleeping position. Little flaw here: the seat does not go down all the way. For our two-year-old however, this is no longer relevant …
At the underground stop we experience the first real difficulty: As it happens so often at Berlin stations, there’s no elevator. This means hefting. Between the two of us its not a problem, but if I’d been just by myself it would still have worked thanks to the sturdy frame across the carrycot. Though I have no clue wether it can be “safely” used for carrying. I am one of those moms who use the escalator with a stroller even though its forbidden anyway …
On the underground it becomes once more transparent how manoeuvrable the Greentom really is: turning on the point, avoiding other passengers, going fast, no problem.
Then we reach our first destination: Monkind at Grunewaldstraße 71a, Schöneberg.
A small, lovely shop with a window dearly illustrated by Gretas Schwester.
Inside, Valeria is already expecting us, her husband Stewart is carrying wood outside to build a bench for sunny days. I am reminded of why I liked the two of them the moment we first met.
The fashion designer and her husband founded Monkind in September 2014, since then the shop and the online shop exist. It all began – obviously – after the birth of their first child four years ago. Valeria started sewing more and more for her child – until they all agreed to do things “properly”. And they are a perfect team. She designs, sews and silk screens the fabric, whilst he is behind the counter as well as behind the desk, taking care of the paper work, the online shop and the self-built interior. Dream team!
The harmony between Valeria and Stewart is reflected inside the shop: bright, friendly, small self made details, flowers & plants, a small kid’s corner … it makes you feel welcome and invites you to hang out on one of those easy chairs, to take a bath in the atmosphere of this peaceful oasis.
Valeria shows me her favourite piece from her new collection, the organic short jeans dungarees, a pretty cool short trousered overall made from denim-like cotton.
We need a birthday outfit suitable for the ever-changing April weather though, so we need some long trousers. Obviously, Valeria has something quite amazing to offer:
The “Bio Jeans Harem Pants” – fine denim knickers with a striped growing-with-the-kid-bottom cuffs und deep pockets … yeah, that’s it!
We have another look around – and everywhere we see these amazing illustrations on posters, post cards and stuffed animals.
“We work a lot with local artists like Gretas Schwester, who lives around the corner from here. We used digital print for the illustrations on the fabric that I use for sewing.“
I also find this a nice casual outfit: the “Space Fox T-Shirt” combined with the “Grid Pants”.
„The silk screen colours used for our prints are all on water based and our fabrics are 98 % organic.”
We like to hear that. And the outfit is added to our wish list!
You will find more nice things at Monkind, or just follow Monkind on facebook or instagram.
We take a short break at Frau Bäckerin in Eisenacher Straße around the corner. They have a lot of toys for kids outside and the big ones can relax in the sun. And that veggie lasagne!
Then we’re back on the underground. We go to Platz der Luftbrücke, at Kaiserkorso 1 we find “petit cochon” – where we meet Selina, one of its two owners. With her is her youngest of three children, they observe the development of the basement:
“We urgently need storage space. We receive so many orders at the moment, and the shop is getting too small.”
Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Selina and Friederike both have three kids, they meet at the nursery.
“At first we longed for children’s clothing both nice looking AND practical, without frills or prints of TV characters.”
As newcomers to the trade, both started designing patterns and sewing:
“Sustainability is a very important factor that we take into consideration at ‘petit cochon’ by creating clothes that grow with their owner. Our “Growing Line” can be worn by children for up to three years. With the help of pulled up cuffs and clever patterns, which always stay comfortable, dresses become jumpers and long trousers turn into knickerbockers.”
The clothes are produced by design students or seamstresses in Berlin.
“Mass production, work conditions based on exploiting people and environmentally unfriendly ways of transportation are no option for us.”
At ’petit cochon’, they exclusively use natural materials like wool, cotton, viscose and linen. The fabrics are bought predominantly in Germany, where they fulfil the “Ökotex” standard.
“Of course the finished clothes are not treated chemically, as it would be customary for big fashion chains.”
I have another look around, while the little one plays contently in the kid’s corner with old classics.
Especially the corduroy and denim trousers sewn from old trousers collected by Selina and Friederike – donations or from the storage of the City Mission – catch my eye. The curry-coloured fluffy reversible hat will be worn by our Greentom tester this spring!
A visit is worth your while, both online as to the shop. To avoid unnecessary return shippings, ‘petit cochon’ are always happy to answer all size-related questions. And they write: “Your items are being sewn for you at the moment,” to raise awareness for a considerate way of dealing with your order, so that nothing will be shipped unnecessarily for the benefit of our environment. We like that a lot!
Next station our journey: Prenzlauer Berg, the lovely shop of Noé & Zoë at Rykestr. 7.
It’s colourful here and the little one is getting a little excited – no problem, there’s enough space, so out of the stroller and a balloon in his hand going to discover the lovely decorated shop.
For example an amazing birthday crown (saving me the work of 16?! years to come) …
… and a super cool bag, which fits perfect to the Greentom. Now there is endless storage space! Yeah!
„A huge part of our current collection has already been made of organic cotton.
We always ensured that the colors that are used are tested and apply to the Öko-Tex standards, but since recently we have our whole collection produced in Portugal we aim to use exclusively organic cotton for the coming seasons. Although the costs are a little higher we notice that a lot of parents are changing their views and are most ready to pay little extra for their childs welfare.“
We find even more nice things, especially accessories like hats, hairbands, scarves … so many cute stuff!
All Noé&Zoë products are lovingly proudced in Portugal, to measure up the high quality, fair work conditions and employee’s wages.
Have a look yourself at noe-zoe.com or follow Noé & Zoë on Instagram!
Out of the colour explosion back onto the street. Thank God the sun is shining today, otherwise the world would look to sad without all theses lovely colours.
Let’s go to Neukölln. At Hermannplatz we descend, push our way through the crowds to Weserstraße, and turn left into Nansenstraße. Number 2. Welcome at Kurz und Klein!
It’s getting cozy in here … rather on the spur of a moment than announced, we enter the shop. And it is well-frequented! There’s a baby sling counselling for a client, the open play café and on top to that further people are emerging from the parent-kid-class “Experience Music”. Wow, let’s try and find our way around for the beginning.
Standing around somehow feels stupid, so carrying is the best option for the moment.Together, we have a look at the small “Nanchen”
“Kurz und Klein” is a popular place for all new parents of Reuterkiez:
“Parents and children will find everything necessary for a healthy, secure, inspiring start into life: Professional courses, a lot of opportunities for meeting, exchanging and playing, yummy cakes, essentials for wee and big ones, creative child care and individual (midwife-)councelling.“
„At Kurz & Klein LADEN you’ll find organic and fair trade baby clothes. Starting from the first outfit up to size 134, we offer sustainable, colourful, fun clothes and great shoes. You will also find wooden toys and all kinds of gifts.”
So it’s the perfect starting point for parents in need of counselling for a baby carrier or any other sort of information. Or just to buy organic, fair trade clothes and toys!
We are done for today. And as “Kurz und Klein” offers such a good background, we fold up the Greentom here. You turn a button on one side, on the other side you press a button, and with a little bit of strain the Greentom folds up. Et voilà! And our conclusion?
And the result of our Greenroom GREENtour?
„Light and manoeuvrable – simple and unpretentious. Perfect for the city! The Greentom Upp is close to being the “perfect” stroller. The only flaws: a slightly too small shopping basket, and a mildly too inflexible canopy. Aside that it’s tiptop, and given its sustainable production, we give it full points anyway! Thanks!“
Click here for the website and the online shop of Greentom – enjoy!
Babyccino Berlin 
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