Mom Goes Green

It’s New Year’s Eve!  A brand new year to bring brand new things, but the holiday has likely overwhelmed us and we’re left with some guilt in the wake of it all…

And now I’m sitting here thinking New Year’s Resolutions.  Sure I’m feeling guilty for over-consuming at all of those holiday gatherings… and, selfishly, not for any “green” reasons… but because my pants are tight and I need to make more frequent trips to the gym!  I’m also telling myself that I need to relax more, worry less and “not sweat the small stuff”.  Of course, I want to find ways to be a better mom and wife… and organize those things that have been neglected by over-committing myself.  (And did I mention those pants?!?… augh!)

But one other less selfish thing comes to mind… volunteering.  I want to do more.  And, instead of just talking about going out and making a difference, I want to stand up and really do it!

I recently discovered Together Green, an organization that will help connect you with all sorts of conservation projects around the country.  They have a calendar of events, volunteer days and links to other volunteer sites. Plus, their Be Green Action Center will give you the most amazing ways to go green in your daily life — at home, work, and travel, and in your community.  Choose what you want to do, and they’ll give you ideas of actions to take.  A great, great resource!

I’ve also discovered great opportunities through:

• The Nature Conservancy
• The Sierra Club
• National Wildlife Federation
• Defenders of Wildlife

So many ways to get involved, so many opportunities, so much “difference” to be made!

SO, for my New Year’s Resolution, I vow to get out and “do”.  I know it will mean that I’ve taken the next step.  And it’s another great way to get my kids involved too… that lesson will last them a lifetime.  Would you consider joining me in this resolution?

(Perhaps it will even help me with that “pants” issue!)

This year, as Recycling & Environmental Programs Chairman at our daughter’s school, I helped the kids put together two of the most beautiful Christmas trees I think I have ever seen…

They AREN’T filled with tinsel, or a thousand lights, or shimmering bulbs or expensive decorations.  In fact, not a single thing cost a single penny.  It was decorated entirely with recycled ornaments and decorations made by the students.  And what a splendor it is!!!

These kids are amazing… for their creativity and the way they hold their heads so high at the display of their ornament, made with love… and with love for planet earth too!

There were gingerbread men made from sandpaper and scrap materials, reindeer made from burned-out light bulbs, candy canes made from plastic bottle caps and snowmen made from Styrofoam packing materials.  Handsoap containers, applesauce cups and toilet paper rolls were given new life!  And the top of the trees were adorned with a green star with a sparkling “recycle” symbol glittering in the middle!

One of my favorites was from a family that assembled an amazing garland made from accordion-folded Christmas circulars, aluminum foil beads and used straws.  Imagine the love that went into making that… and the amazing “family time” they all got to share too.

A Christmas Tree really becomes a Christmas Tree NOT when it’s decorated like a department store window display – it becomes a true Christmas tree when the spirit of “giving” turns into the spirit of “not taking” more and more from new resources – when they are decorated with the love of what a tree really represents…

Yes, ‘tis the season and the clock is tick, tick, ticking away (a week and counting…. eek!).

I recently wrote about some of my favorite ways to give, with some tangible and intangible ideas for giving the gift of green and/or helping the environment and some of its inhabitants.  Well, as I realize ideas I didn’t give or discover more great options, I can’t help but want to continue to share… especially because of that damn “ticking clock” and the stress of it all.

So, I know a lot of us would prefer to give “something”, but if you give something, there are a lot of great ways to give a gift that doesn’t impact the planet like traditional giving… so, give these some thought:

• Give a live plant.  Who doesn’t love a beautiful plant to liven & brighten their home while consuming some CO2 and giving some oxygen!
• Give an organic fruit basket. (Be sure to refer to my do and do not buy organics list!)
• Give a framed work of art… not from a famous artist… one created by your kids… or YOU, for that matter.  It would mean more than a Picasso to most recipients!
• Give your best homemade “goodie” and share the recipe! Or simply share the recipes of some of your favorite dishes.
• Give a “helping” certificate. Whether it’s for running errands, babysitting, cooking a dinner on request or even setting-up a “non-recycler” with all of the tools to start recycling, it will be appreciated!
• Give CFLs or recycled batteries & a charger. They’re energy saving and keep nasty trash from landfills.  Plus, it’s like handing over $$ because they will save, save, save!
• Give a handmade gift… like a candleholder made from a glass jar or a pen holder from a can.    Get creative, use recycled materials and remnants… you’re creative, so CREATE!
• Give something that can be used. If the recipient won’t use it, it’s waste.  Sounds harsh, but    it’s true.

Still not finding something that feels like “the one”?  Well, there are still lots more ways to “give back” and give the gift of green.  Please consider:

• Change the Present – you can contribute and honor someone by helping to restore a fragile ecosystem in Kenya, purchase carbon offsets, plant trees, preserve wildlands, adopt wildlife or any one of about 1600 causes of your choice!

And if you feel you need to give a more traditional gift, at least check out:

• Treehugger Holiday Gift Guide - for over 100 green gift ideas, from gadgets to fashions to toys
• MSN Green – everything under the sun, including a terrific list of 25 great green gifts under $25

Is your head spinning?  Well, just grab that “to do” gift list and look no further for answers… I hope I’ve given you everything you need to cross off the entire list.

(frame image from:  www.kidsartframes.com )

My least favorite part of the holidays has to be the stress over what to “give”.  I am hard pressed to know anyone who really NEEDS anything.  We’re all pretty fortunate and for that, I am definitely not complaining.

Are you having gift-giving dilemmas too?  (I think the sound of a huge “yes” was probably deafening!) Well, here are a few miscellaneous items that I have given kudos recently, including:

• The “Starter Kit for Change” – packed full of great green goodies for yourself, the earth-lover in your life or to help a newbie get started (and they’re havin’ a holiday sale!)
• Cynergreen Bottles – fab, affordable bottles to keep the BPA away from loved ones
• Movies:  Wall-e (for kids), An Inconvenient Truth (for adults) and Planet Earth (for the whole family)
• Memberships – to environmental organizations, zoos, botanical gardens, etc…
• Any kind of reusable bag

But I also firmly believe that the recipients of gifts don’t always need a tangible gift.  I would much rather know that my gift was a gift of “doing good” for the earth and environment.  Do you know someone like this?  If so, this list may be for you, for them, for our planet!

Also consider THESE amazing gifts:

• Adopt an Acre of Rainforest and other of earth’s wonders – for preservation and restoration of some of the world’s most amazing places
• Adopt an Endangered Species – to protect endangered animals and their habitats
• Rescue the Reef – for preserving an undeniably crucial part of our world’s oceans
• Plant a Billion Trees Campaign – for protecting and preserving Earth’s largest and most endangered tropical forests in Brazil
• Give-a-Tree – plants a tree in one of America’s National Forests in honor of a recipient

(If you have a similar cause that is near and dear to your heart, let me know… I’ll add it to the list.)

So this year, consider forgoing that purchase of a socket set (he has six already) or that body & bath set (she has six already) or that sausage sampler basket (the whole family hates sausage).  Instead, give the gift of “green”, “environment”, “eco-“, “earth”, “nature”… call it what you will… just consider it…

Our planet needs gifts more than we do.

I love holiday parties. Okay, I love parties for any occasion, but ’tis the season for holiday parties, so we’ll stick with that as my excuse for loving parties.

The unfortunate part is that parties are often an occasion for over-abundance and waste.  (Also an occasion for over-indulgence, but that’s another topic completely!)  But it shouldn’t be an occasion that makes you feel guilty or stressed out for fear that a great celebration has to be completely eco-unfriendly.

There ARE some simple ways to “green” your holiday party:

• Try evites or create your own electronic invitations instead of mailing the paper store-bought version.  Sure, you might have a few guests who aren’t email users, but where you can minimize… minimize!  For guests, requiring mailed invitations consider using last year’s holiday cards and turn the front of the card into a postcard.  Too cute!
• Decorate using live plants and maybe even give them to guests at the end of the night.  Toss pine cones or evergreen clippings from your yard (or your neighbors!) into a bunch of beautiful bowls or vases you already own.
• Turn off an excess of lights.  Blaze up the soy candles. It creates great ambiance.
• Turn down the thermostat. Bodies = heat!
• Consider buying biodegradable and/or compostable tableware.  Eco Products offers a variety of tableware made from corn, sugarcane and paper.  Or check out Verterra for tableware with some real character – made of leaves!  (Crazy, huh?… but very beautiful!) If you’re a Captain Moneybags, rent real tableware and utensils… not in my budget, but maybe someday!
• Hit a dollar store for linens.  I bought four cloth napkins for a buck!  Skip the poinsettia print.  Pick flat colors so they can be used for many other occasions.
• Set up a receptacle for recycling. Clearly mark it and ask everyone to jump on board.
• Set up a numbering system where only “every fourth guest” who uses the bathroom flushes.  Haahaa!  Obviously, this one is just a joke!  I’m not that crazy!

Sincerely, just do the best you can.  It’s a time to celebrate being with the people you care about and if you’re doing the best you can do, you’re doing great!  Every little thing matters.

And really… stop considering that numbering system… it was a joke… a JOKE!

Hey, where’s your mind?  You know I’m talking about Christmas trees, right?  Of course you did!… sheesh.

But the debate over real Christmas trees vs. the artificial option has been raging for some time.  Both sides give a pretty good argument but for as long as I can remember, my mom and now my own family have gone the route of artificial trees.

Aside from the fact that you can now buy them with the lights already attached (for the “no-cursing-over-the-tangled-light-strings”-factor!) they are easy to assemble so you can get to the fun part of decorating!  And my eco-friendly favorite factor… they get used year, after year, after year…

My husband would probably tell you a different story and that is the fact that I have compassion for literally everything(!) and would never dream of killing a tree!  He has been known to yell “OUCH!” when I bite into a piece of broccoli (to which I scream back “STOP IT!”) because then I feel bad for the broccoli! (Now you think I’ve gone mad, don’t you!)  Don’t laugh.  A friend of mine won’t put anything in the dishwasher by itself because she thinks it will be lonely.  (See, we’re all nuts!)

But seriously, the environmental side of using live trees is the fact that they require herbicides and pesticides for about 8-12 years before they’re a “sellable” size.  Add to that the carbon footprint of getting them to a selling site, unless you live near a tree farm or cut your own.  At the end of the season, they end up in the trash, unless you seek out a source for recycling them for mulch or compost.

On the opposite side, artificial trees are often manufactured in China (with PVC and, some say, lead) and you have to consider the “cost” of getting them to your local retailer, but they do get used again and again.  And often, they get donated to another family or organization before they eventually meet a landfill once they are tattered, old and no longer loved.   Unfortunately, I haven’t heard of a biodegradable artificial tree just yet.

So what is the answer to the debate?  Simply… I don’t know for sure.

Actually, the most environmental choice would be to buy a live, uncut tree with the root ball still intact and then plant it right after the holidays.  One consideration though (especially in cold climates) is digging a hole in the frozen ground.  For this, I recommend digging the hole ASAP and then you can just plant it as soon as the holidays are over. ( I also recommend talking to a professional about how to move them outdoors and properly plant them, to increase the chance of survival.)

But whatever you choose for your family, do the responsible thing and see that your real tree gets composed or mulched or use your artificial tree for years and years to come.

Now, I have to get back to steaming some broccoli…awww.  Poor broccoli.

Given the word association test, “green” no longer prompts a response of, say… “orange”.  It’s more likely to prompt words like “recycling”.

I’d say it’s a great sign of our current environmental awareness, but what aggravates me is that more and more naysayers want you to say that the “green movement” and recycling is simply a waste of time.

For me, that’s unthinkable and I could never subscribe to this small-minded belief.  I have a hard time understanding how there can be a negative side to reusing, reducing and recycling.  Is it selfishness?  Is it laziness?  Is it the unwillingness to take any responsibility?  (The guy at Blockbuster once tried to convince me that the importance and value of recycling is actually “made up!”  Don’t ask me how this conversation got started, but I nearly passed out… “made up?… really?)

But recycling is being challenged and those naysayers want you to believe that it’s all a selfish act of capitalism. Some even suggest burning is a better option. (oh yea.  Burning.  THAT’S going to help.)

Well, I’m a naysayer of the naysayers.  Here are a few facts to keep out of your recycling bin.

Fact: Our “trash”, including scrap paper, metal and plastics, is one of the US’s largest current exports to China.  They purchase our recyclable trash because they don’t have enough raw materials to meet their demand.  In 2002, the US exported $1.2 billion worth of recyclables.  In 2006, the export grew to $6.1 billion. (Excellent!)

Fact: Recycling requires 90% less energy than making aluminum cans from ore or plastics from oil, plus it creates less waste and pollution.  (Argue with THAT Blockbuster guy!)

So who is capitalizing on this system?  I’d say we are.  I’d say our environment is capitalizing.  I’d say our long-term existence is depending on it.  Do you agree?

If we keep pumping our earth and environment with toxic trash, harmful gasses and chemical pollutants, without regard to future generations, how do we expect that there WON’T be negative effects.  I have kids and I refuse to let them bear the burden of my selfishness and laziness.  Sorry if that upsets anyone, but for most of us, recycling is very doable.

Being green is not an issue of “Saving the Earth”.  No matter what kind of havoc we thrust upon our environment, the earth WILL survive, but will we?  We’re moving toward kicking ourselves out of the only home we have and I’m not about to sit around, irresponsibly, and debate that answer to that question.

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.“   — Native American Proverb

(An edited version of this post was published on BlogHer)

Actually… HaPPy THaNKSGiViNG everyone!

But, today I do ask all of us to remember to give thanks for this amazing planet we live on too.

As we indulge, on an over-indulgent holiday, let’s remember to keep reusing, reducing and recycling a part of our day as well.  As noted by Treehugger, the average American output of trash increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.  Sheesh.

Hopefully, lots of what we will consume comes from the earth, so give thanks.

And also, just as important, give thanks for everyone around you.  I hope you feel blessed… I sure do.

xoxo, MomGoesGreen

Saturday is “America Recycles Day”… a day that ‘encourages more people to join the movement toward creating a better natural environment by recycling and buying recycled products’ and ‘promotes the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling.’

A very worthwhile cause, I’d say!

As the Recycling/Environmental Programs Chair at our daughter’s school I’m promoting this great day by encouraging the kids to submit their best recycling tips and the favorite ways their families recycle.   I’m going to compile all of their great ideas and turn it into a recycling newsletter that will be sent home to each family.  Some will even win cool prizes, like a recycled pencil bag from Terracycle! The response has been overwhelming!  It’s so exciting to see their enthusiasm.  Kids rule!

So, to get back to the basics of this day… let’s remember WHY we recycle:

• to reduce pollution
• to save energy
• to help the environment
• to save natural resources
• to keep trash out of landfills

And here are some things to think about …

1. PLASTIC– it can take 20 years for a plastic bag to biodegrade and 250 years for a plastic cup!  And if every American household recycled just one of every 10 plastic bottles, it would keep 200 million pounds of plastic out of landfills each year!
2. PAPER – it accounts for HALF of what is sent to landfills… and it’s recyclable! Plus, recycling one ton of paper would save enough energy to power an average American home for five months!
3. ALUMINUM – recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a computer for 3 hours.  Last year cans that were NOT recycled and went to landfills were valued at $600 million! (let me go get my shovel and start digging!)
4. GLASS – a bottle in a landfill would take more than 4000 years to decompose, but glass never “wears out” and can be recycled forever!

Sadly, 75% of “trash” is recyclable, but only 25% actually gets recycled.

So get recycling, increase your recycling, start someone you know recycling… just get to it!… because “America Recycles” and that’s a club all of us should want to belong to!

Ooooo… Starbucks.  Shame on you.  You’re busted.

I just read on Environmental Leader (as reported by BusinessGreen) that Starbucks has a standard practice of continually running a water tap, non-stop, in ALL of their stores. Really?  And I constantly yell at my husband and kids to turn off the water!

They claim the dipper well for utensils requires a constant stream of running water because it “keeps the utensils clean, prevents bacterial growth and stops allergen cross-contamination”.  Again, oh please.  It’s wasteful and shameful.  Get a dishwasher! Maybe they don’t think it’s important that this practice wastes 23.4 MILLION liters of water each day!

We may not have the power to conserve like they do, but here are some simple things we CAN do, in our homes, to conserve water in our daily lives:

- run only full loads of laundry or dishes
- turn off the water when you brush your teeth or shave
- take showers, not baths - turn on music and limit yourself to two songs
- fill and tightly secure two plastic bottles with sand or pebbles and submerge them in your toilet tank
- don’t defrost food with running water
- capture water while you wait for the temperature you need and use it to water plants
- replace your shower head with a low-flow version
- keep a cold water container in your fridge instead of running your faucet until it gets “cold enough”
- check for leaks in your plumbing and toilets
- if you hand-wash dishes, use your double basin – wash, transfer to a rack on the other side and then rinse everything in a second phase

This list could go on and on, and it doesn’t even consider conservation for outdoors (watering lawns and gardens, washing the car, etc.). I just want us to consider the fact that just because the water runs every time we turn on the faucet doesn’t mean we should let it! One day, maybe that won’t be the case.

Save water.  Don’t be a Starbucks.

(And by the way, after extensive testing, Environmental Working Group just reported that bottled water is no better for us than tap water.  All 10 major brands tested contained chemical contaminates – and let’s not forget that wonderful BPA!  Read it here.)