Mom Goes Green

We’re getting ready to head off to another kid birthday party… I imagine you can already feel me shuttering through the monitor with thoughts of the waste I’m about to encounter!

The birthday boy is in our daughter’s class, but I can’t say that I really know him and I had no idea what to buy… so we landed at Toys R Us, and the search began.

But while we were there, I made a great discovery. “Geoffrey” has taken a nice “giraffe” step in the right direction. There, in the front of the store, were the most adorable reusable bags. They were not shamelessly emblazoned with the Toys R Us logo. They were simply decorated with polka dots, stripes, flowers, solid colors, animal prints… plenty of cute, colorful patterns for any kid, of any age…even adults!

Best of all, they were only $1.49! I know I have said that gift bags are the best option, over wrapping paper, but I’m really rethinking that. I think about larger gifts and having spent $4.99 to buy one big enough for the gift and now, I can spend $1.49 and give the kid a bag that they can use to lug books from the library, tote toys to grandma’s, cart towels and snacks to the pool, haul overnight gear to a sleepover… very cool! And truly, they’re nice enough to use for anyone’s gift, not just kids. I really think I’m going to make a trip back there and pick up a bunch for all of my gift-giving.

Plus, I have a second discovery to share. A great line of fabric gift bags from Lagniappe Gift Wrap. They’re made by a fellow mom, they come in all kinds of themes and sizes, are made from natural fibers and tie at the top. They could be used for just about anything, but I think they give a beautiful, upscale feel to the gift, when a reusable bag just won’t do — and then they can be put to other uses afterward or simply passed on!  I even hear they’re going to start making treat bags soon… BONUS!  I don’t think I can stand buying another plastic treat bag.

(So, honey, when you buy me that beautiful new diamond for being such an awesome wife you can put it in a nice little jewel bag!…. hmm, was that too obvious? ) 

I just can’t take any more gift waste — so, whatever you do… bag it, tag it, tie it, give it… but just don’t “trash” it!

At the end of a “crazy, busy kid” weekend, we all settled in for some mindless TV viewing before bedtime.  America’s Funniest Videos was on (yes, we all love it… especially when people fall down… how mean of us!) so I paused it and we went to take baths and get jammies on.  Needless to say, when we returned, I accidentally hit the wrong button, changed the channel and POOF!  AFV was gone…

My kids were not amused.  So I searched around for another option and found the “Planet Earth” series re-running on The Discovery Channel.  I was suddenly happy I made that button mistake.

The kid’s were immediately ‘into it’, because we had seen parts of the series when they originally broadcast.  We were watching the one about the oceans and then it switched to caves, but our kids were silent and never protested even a second.  They sat wide-eyed and watched, in amazement, all the breathtaking views of this incredible world we live in.

If you haven’t heard about it, the series was five years in the making (talk about dedication!).  For the first time, we get to take a look at all of the things you can’t see outside of your door and travel won’t even allow a glimpse of.  You can venture deep to the ocean floor, through underground rivers and the darkest caves and explore untamed jungles and forests.  You truly won’t believe what you’ll see.

It gave me a reminder of why we’re doing what we’re doing.  Why we are working so hard to preserve this AMAZING planet we live on.  Why we’re not the only “thing” to consider.  It really rejuvenated me to work harder and continue my journey to do all I can do to see that we aren’t part of the destruction of the planet, by giving us views of the beauty of it all.

If you haven’t seen it, please do.  I’m sure it will have the same effect on you and your family.  Read about the series at The Discovery Channel or buy your own copy, so you can be reminded again and again.

As I was tucking our daughter into bed she said “Mommy, it’s okay that you changed the channel.  I know it was an accident, but really… Planet Earth was way better anyhow.”  (* insert huge, proud smile here! *)

So, who hasn’t heard the green mantra:  “Reuse, Reduce, Recycle”.  Presumably, if you’re here, you know it by heart but, despite being first in line, the “reuse” often gets forgotten.

It’s no less important, but I think we all start thinking green when it comes to new products, new purchases and new actions, so that’s where we all need to be reminded about reusing what we already have and putting it to good use.

A reader recently commented about my “a-ha moment” when I replaced a few sets of blinds with new ones.  I nearly threw them in the trash before I realized… hello!  They’re aluminum… recycle them.  She reminded me that they could have been donated, but truth be told, they were broken (they couldn’t be opened and closed).  No one wants a set of broken blinds because, it goes without saying, permanently opened blinds in the bedroom and bathroom are not such a good idea, unless you enjoy visits from the local authorities.

We have been really conscious about reusing.  We have donated clothing, household appliances and goods, books, toys, furniture, everything imaginable.  About a year and a half ago, we decided to replace our family room furniture.  It was getting a little worn and we’re lucky enough we could afford to replace it.  I won’t pretend it was easy to find an organization to come and pick it up (it spent two months in our garage while my husband’s car sat outside in the dead of winter) but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Aside from the need to see that it gets reused, it’s also important to remember that it’s the spirit of giving that also matters.  There is always someone less fortunate than we are and, my heart would have broken if it landed in a trash dump… I snuggled my babies on those couches!

I just want us all to remember that this is a part of being green.  If you have something you don’t want, don’t let it find its way to the curb.  Find it a home.  Every community has organizations that want these items – national and local non-profit organizations, shelters, community service groups – so many.  They will either get the items to those in need or sometimes sell the items cheap, so the giving is doubled – someone who needs them (cheaply) gets them and the organization makes money for their cause.

There is a reason that we’ve all heard the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  And this planet just doesn’t need any more “fill” in the landfills!

If you don’t already know of an organization in your area that needs your help a quick search is likely to turn up plenty, or here is a list of national organizations that want your help:

* Goodwill
* The Salvation Army
* Vietnam Veterans of American
* Purple Heart
* Easter Seals
* (30 Charity Ideas for your furniture) — FYI: Special Olympics picked up ours!

(If you have a charity for donated goods that is near and dear to your heart and you would like me to add a link, please let me know…I’d be happy to!)

Just like so many parents, I have kids that are constantly growing out of their clothes.  Our daughter was complaining that a few pairs of her “jammies” were getting too “squeezy”, so I went shopping for a few new sets.

At The Children’s Place I found an adorable set that I knew she would love because they’re loud and bright (just like her!) and pink!  At TCP, a lot of their sets come folded in a plastic bag-style package that hangs on a rack, but I read that they were pre-washed, pre-shrunk (all of that good stuff) so I bought them.

All was well until I opened them.  I was immediately hit with the most powerful plastic smell I had ever experienced opening one of those packages.  I didn’t know if it was the fabric dye (they said it was pre-washed, so it shouldn’t be, right?) and I started wondering if it wasn’t just the chemicals in the plastic.

I remembered how my dear friend, Kevin, told me about how he and his partner got a brand new Memory Foam mattress and, immediately after starting to sleep on it, he got sick. He said it was an all-over “un-well” feeling that gave him stomach discomfort and even hallucinations!  Believe it or not, they tossed the mattress, bought a new one and he never had the symptoms again!

Naturally, with this experience (as odd experiences often do) it got me to thinking.  What about the vapors that come from plastics and fabricated materials… is there a danger?  There are plenty of things we aren’t supposed to breath in and could this be a growing concern? It’s something I, admittedly, know nothing about.  And I couldn’t find much information about it either, aside from Kev’s experience.

So this time, I have nothing to offer, but I’m asking for your help… What do you know?  Have you had an experience?  ARE there dangers?  Do we have another concern with how seemingly safe products come packaged?… Please…share!

I washed her jammies (don’t you love that word… it just implies “relaxing” and I love that!) and the smell went away, but I can’t help but believe there was something really strange going on there…

Undoubtedly, my readers have heard me talk about my beloved husband, Jim.  Mostly with stories about violating my “green laws”, his inability to remember that PAPER is actually recyclable, continuously running water or his dislike that some of our green products don’t smell clean… however, today I want to say “thank you”…

He just returned from an out-of-town business trip.  The kids always get little gifts (because hey, if Daddy’s away, Daddy must “pay”, in their minds!)  But this time, I got a great, little, unexpected gift too.

He handed me a copy of a USA Today and said “I brought this for you.”  Oh honey, you shouldn’t have!  But it was actually quite a gift.  He said that the guy sitting next to him on the plane must have thought he was crazy, because a conversation with the flight attendant went something like this:

Flight attendant: “Sir, can I take that newspaper for you?”
Husband:  “Are you going to recycle it?”
Flight attendant:  “No sir, I’m sorry.  We don’t do that.”
Husband:  “Well then I’ll keep it.”

YAAA!  I love, love, love that he thought of that.  He brought it home and it’s now in our recycling can.  They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but I say:  “A husband that understands me is MY best friend!”

Thank you, honey!  I loved the newspaper.