Mom Goes Green

First, it is World Environment Day.  I had never heard of it either, but it actually commemorates the day the United Nations General Assembly established its first global effort aimed at protecting the environment in 1972.  It is meant to bring worldwide awareness to the environment, enhance political attention and bring action for future generations.

Sounds pretty intense to me.  But while part of the event is to show an urgency for nations to agree on a crucial climate deal at the Copenhagen Convention later this year, it is also simply another opportunity to “do something”.  Afterall, this year’s theme is “Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate Change.”

I sometimes get intimidated by these huge scale projects, but I guess it all really boils down to the fact that “it really does take everyone” – from individuals, to local and national governments, to entire nations.  That’s really how it gets done.

If you want to commemorate the day, consider:

• Tweet for Trees – follow the Twitter page by June 5 and UNEP will plant a tree for each follower in their Billion Tree Campaign
• Choose a new habit – there is a great list of ideas provided by WED.  Add something to your daily life today
• Consider an ever grander scale commitment – WED has a list from A-Z

The important thing to remember is that you make a difference and every effort is worth the effort.

My other celebration today is my stepdad, Ted.  It’s his 62nd birthday and, while he is still in critical condition, he is still here with us and he is still fighting.  Now more than ever, I realize how fragile life can be.  Whether it’s the gift of life or the beauty of the extraordinary world we live in, give thanks.  Do your part to protect and care for everything and everyone that makes it worth living.  Isn’t that what it’s really about?

Happy Birthday, Dad… from all of us, with all our love.

Through all of the chaos of our current family health crisis, I’ve really been pretty lousy at planning meals, so I’ve had to be fairly creative at times… “family cannot live on a quick-pot-of-pasta alone”.

Fortunately, our kids have always loved eggs since the day they were old enough to eat them.  Our son, especially, can down three scrambled eggs without taking a breath, so we’ve now adopted what we deem a “breakfast dinner”.

Of course, they must be organic eggs.  I’ve been buying Horizon organic eggs (more recognizable for organic milk, yogurts, cheese, etc.) because I know it’s a reliable brand, just like the milk I buy.  In fact, Horizon was the first nationally distributed organic dairy brand and helped pioneer the organic movement in 1992.

We all know eggs are such an amazing source of protein and vitamin D, but when they’re organic you know that they are produced without antibiotics and growth hormones.  Plus, the hens are cage-free and fed a 100% organic, vegetarian and pesticide-free diet so you know this means a better product for your family to consume too.  None of the nasty things will be neatly packed inside your eggs with all of the nutrition (which, by the way, happens to include three times more omega-3 fatty acids, twice as much vitamin E and 40% more vitamin A than non-organic).  Suddenly I don’t feel so bad about all the eggs I’ve been serving up!

I’ve gotten pretty good at making those “breakfast dinners” of traditional scrambled eggs (spruced up a bit) or a nice quiche (that I use to mask all kinds of healthy veggies) but admittedly, I need some new recipe ideas.  If you care to share one, please do… my family will probably thank you.

But just remember to keep your eggs organic to maintain the goodness inside, keep the badness out and you might just get a chuckle imagining all those happy, little hens prancing around the barnyard.

I’ve always been a huge advocate of recycling.  It’s one of those practices that I honestly find inexcusable when most communities make it fairly simple to participate at home… not all, but most.

It’s not always as easy when we’re away from home but, 100% of the time, if a recycling option isn’t made available to me, my recycling comes home with me (as proven by last year’s vacation to Myrtle Beach!).  I feel even more committed (and sure that I made the right decision) after I see images like these to put it all into perspective.

If it doesn’t feel like a critical issue, just consider the numbers:

• TWO MILLION – the number of plastic beverage bottles used in the US every 5 minutes.
• 1.14 MILLION – the number of brown paper supermarket bags used in the US every hour.
• 15 MILLION – the number of sheets of office paper used in the US every 5 minutes.
• 106,000 – the number of aluminum cans used in the US every 30 seconds.

It’s shocking to think that, if we DON’T recycle, they all become landfill. What a waste… literally.

Sometimes it’s good to get back to the fundamentals… recycling is certainly fundamental when it comes to “being green”, but its importance is immense.  This month consider helping a non-recycler “get started on the road to recycle-ville” or get a recycling program set-up at work. Every little bit makes a difference.

Take a look.  It’s simple math… the numbers sure add up!