Mom Goes Green

Until a few years ago, the term “carbon footprint” was absolutely foreign to me.  In all honesty, I had no real sense of what it meant… just a very vague understanding that it had something to do with global warming and climate change.

If you still don’t have a true sense of what it means, here’s a quick and simple definition:

Carbon Footprint – the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by your daily activities and use of material goods.  Used to determine your personal participation in global warming.

Eww.  That makes it sound so villainous!… my “participation in global warming”…

So, have you ever wondered about your footprint?  I’ve ALWAYS wondered.  The Global Footprint Network has a fun little calculator (if discovering how horribly we’re impacting our planet can actually be fun!) and it probably told me more than I wanted to know.  Answering some basic questions about my daily lifestyle alerted me to the fact that if everyone lived like me, it would take 3.5 planets to provide enough resources to support us. Ouch.  Although it doesn’t tell you how you rank, I’m sure I’m below average, but still… ouch!

There is also a great calculator for kids at Zero Footprint.  My kids scored fantastic, and far below average, so at least I’m doing something right!

Well, come’on!  How did you fare?… Baby footprint?  Gargantuan footprint?  Take the quiz, and fess-up… if you dare…

Welcome 2010!

A New Year, and a new beginning.  A chance to make a difference that matters!

If you’ve been “putting off your greening”, I’m going to give you the A to Z list to get the ball rolling.

Hold onto your party hats, and let’s go!…

A – Appliances, Animals – Buy energy efficient appliances when you need to make a replacement.  If you’re looking for a ‘cause’ that needs your assistance, donate to help save an endangered species.
B – Bamboo, Biodegradable – Buy sustainable bamboo products (everything from towels to furniture).  Think biodegradable for all product choices (detergents, bath products, cleaners, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.).
C – CFLs, Cleaners, Compost – Replace your lights with compact fluorescents.  Skip the chemicals in traditional, commercial cleaners and opt for eco-friendly choices. Start composing food scraps and other biodegradable materials.
D – Donate, Disposable – Donate your usable but no longer needed clothing, books, toys, household items and furniture to organizations that support the less fortunate, so they can be reused.  Eliminate anything intentionally disposable from your purchases.
E – Energy, Environment – Turn off electronics, computers, lights and all household appliances that aren’t in use.  Consider the effect on the environment in everything you do.
F – Food – Make healthy choices of organic and natural foods instead of those filled with preservatives, artificial ingredients and chemicals.
G – Global warming, Glass – Accept that global warming is real and we’re the only creatures on the planet that can do something about it. Recycle all glass (it can be recycled indefinitely!).
H – Heating, Home – Turn down the thermostat.  Excess energy equals an excess of pollution. Make your home safe and clean, and simultaneously non-toxic, by cutting out all chemicals.
I – Ideas – Share what you know and learn with others.  It can have a fabulous snowball effect!
J – Journey – Give yourself credit for the things you are doing and accept that going green is truly a journey!
K – Kids – Get your kids involved.  When they learn to respect the environment early in life, that lesson will stay with them forever.
L – Landfills – Remember that everything you toss in the trash winds up in a landfill, polluting the soil and water.
M – Mattresses, Meat, Milk – When you replace a mattress, consider organic.  Traditional mattresses are filled with harsh and harmful chemicals.  Choose organic meat and milk to avoid antibiotics, steroids and growth hormones.
N – Newspapers – When you need to keeps something hot or cold in transport, newspaper is an amazing insulator.  When you’re done, recycle them, always!
O – Organics, Outdoors, Oceans – Buy as many organics as you can… simple as that.  Getting outdoors will remind you of this beautiful world we are trying to preserve, and even if you can’t see an ocean from where you live, never forget how crucial they are, and remember that allowing them to be polluted (the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) must be prevented.
P – Plastic, Paper – Avoid the excessive use of plastics or at least make sure the plastics are truly recyclable.  Same goes for paper.  Be conscious not to be wasteful and recycle every unneeded piece of paper that comes your way.
Q – Quit procrastinating and take the next step!
R – Recycle, Reusable Bags – NOT recycling is inexcusable.  Recyclables should never be thrown in the trash.  Invest in reusable shopping bags and stop contributing to the ‘one trillion plastic bags used annually, worldwide’ statistic.
S – Schools, Shopping – Get involved at your children’s schools and put together programs to help them embrace recycling and the environment. Realize that every purchase you make has a greener option… it’s up to you to know the difference and choose wisely.
T – Trash, Trees – Make a conscious effort to reduce your weekly trash by not buying over-packaged products or buy only products in recyclable packaging.  Don’t cut down healthy trees… they are more valuable than just their visual beauty (think air quality, soil preservation, wildlife habitat… the list goes on and on).
U – Un-green – When you see a “wrong”, you can make it “right”.  Speak up, help others and make a change that can make a difference.
V – Vinegar, Volunteer – The uses for distilled white vinegar are endless.  Buy some for cleaning, cosmetic uses, deodorizing, and pest and weed control.  Volunteer your time for an environmental cause.
W – Water, Water Bottles, Wildlife – Conserve water… contrary to belief, the supply is not endless.  Buy a stainless steel, reusable water bottle to avoid BPA and stop contributing plastic bottles to landfills. Contribute to causes that protect the habitats of wildlife and consider what you are doing to their “home” in your every action.
X – Xenagogue – The definition of this word is “guide”, so simply guide others and become a steward of both your home and the earth, and make informed choices.  If you want my “fun” answer (you know you were waiting for the X!) then learn how to play a xylophone!… just be sure it’s made of bamboo!
Y – You – (YOU knew that one was coming too, right?) but sincerely, the changes you make in your daily life are all up to you.  Take what you know and put it to good use.
Z – Zoos, Zero-Waste – Support zoos that dedicate themselves to conservation and education.  Buy kits and containers that can be reused for lunchtime (or anytime) so that you don’t contribute to the approximate ‘67 pounds of annual trash created by a child’s lunch’.

There it is: A to Z (and I feel like I only scratched the surface!) But the main mission is to simply get started.  Don’t wait for tomorrow, and don’t expect you have to do it all at once, but do admit that we can all make little changes that amount to one enormous difference!

HaPPy NeW YeaR and cheers to making it (and keeping it) green!

So, have you heard?  It’s flu season!!! Yea, I know. If you haven’t, you’ve been inhabiting another planet!  This year it’s especially “shoved in our faces” and it’s starting to make me a little crazy.

There’s no better preventative measure than washing your hands.  Soap and water, and plenty of it.  I used to hassle our kids about making sure they used the warmest water they could stand but, in reality, hot or warm water doesn’t cleanse a pair of hands any better than cold water… “it’s all about the friction, baby!”  So (when you have access) soap and a good scrubbing at any temperature does wonders.

I’ve also armed myself with some of Surya Brasil’s new Organic Hand Sanitizer while away from home.  It’s made of moisturizing botanicals, proteins and minerals instead of harsh chemicals and synthetic ingredients.  This happens to be one of the few, true organic hand sanitizers… not “greenwashed” like far too many others.

But, if all else fails and you do need to find a remedy for what ails you, I found a great post from Simple Mom.  Here is just a snippet of some great natural home remedies:

• Ginger – for congestion, throat irritation and nausea
• Garlic – for antibiotic and antioxidant properties, and cholesterol control
• Honey – for an energizing immunity boost, coughs and colds
• Turmeric – for antibiotic and antiseptic uses
• Pepper – for improved digestion
• Cloves – for antimicrobial, antifungal, antiseptic, antiviral and aphrodisiac properties (woohoo!)

(For more details, check out her original post.)

If you’re like me, you have a very empty medicine cabinet.  I don’t like to take antibiotics, medicines or any prescriptions… for anything… ever.   I’m the crazy woman that rejected any painkillers less than 24 hours after my c-sections… both times. (You should have seen the nurses’ faces… their mouths dropped open and they all said “honey, are you suuuure?!?” Yes, I was sure!)

So, if the “bug of the season” gets your down, or you want to do a little preventative maintenance, STOP before you grab your car keys… and turn to your cupboards before your local pharmacy.

This past weekend I actually recognized how far I’ve come in my pursuit of greening my daily life.  Without even realizing it, I made decisions that I recognized have become automatic rather than a conscious decision.  I’m not sure what made me take special notice of how far I’ve come in the past few years, but I realized “you’ve come a long way, baby!”…

• I shopped organic, big time.  I avoided high fructose corn syrup, excess sugar and hydrogenated oils, and skipped the frozen food aisle entirely.  I used reusable shopping bags and reusable mesh produce bags too!
• I had to buy cups for an event at our daughter’s school.  I bought paper cups.  I would have preferred something reusable, but I needed about 75 and couldn’t round up that much… but plastic or styrofoam were never a consideration!
• I bought a new shower gel, skipped the regular soap aisle and went straight for organics.  Ended up with “Yes To Carrots”… good stuff!
• After my husband accidentally sent a big bowl of uncooked (organic!) scrambled eggs plummeting into the cabinets and floor, I did a clean-up with a dishtowel and Skoy cloths.  I made everything sparkly clean with a spray of vinegar and water… not one paper towel used!
• I did a leaf clean-up – no leaf-blower, no lawn mower… just a rake, a tarp (to drag the leaves down the ravine instead of bagging), ME and some great exercise… and the kids playing for hours outdoors!
• I prepared a meal that included an organic roast, organic carrots (it was a carrot-kind-of-weekend, apparently!) and organic potatoes.  No steroids, hormones or pesticides for us!
• I did some laundry with all of my beloved, eco-friendly Method products.
• I had to grin… my son actually noticed that my husband left the light on in the shower and reminded him “don’t forget to turn off the lights, Dad!” (The “green” apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!)

I realize that I am truly practicing what I preach and it wasn’t because I knew I should; it was because that’s what I “do”.  It’s what I know, and I can “live” with that!

To me, Thanksgiving has always felt like the holiday with the greatest “green potential”.  There are no gifts, costumes, candy or extra, elaborate frills.  It’s simply about family gatherings, feasting on the bounty of the season and giving thanks for everything we have.  (Now didn’t that sounds like a Hallmark card!!!)

In all seriousness, everything from the decorations, to the food, to the clean-up can be exceptionally green.

Here are the things to keep in mind:

1. Invitations – forgo the paper invitations and send Evites instead.  If you need to mail invitations, look for those made of recycled paper.
2. Decorations – in many cases, you need only walk into your own backyard: leaves, acorns and twigs can be turned into amazing arrangements. Combine them with colorful gourds, indian corn, squash and apples and you’ve just captured the season!  Afterward, compost or add them back to nature.
3. Food – visit your local farmer’s market for all of the most amazing produce.  Go organic.  Think acorn squash, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, apple and pumpkin (pie!). And seek out an organic, hormone-free, steroid-free turkey (if it will be a part of your feast).  Start now… call around… see who has what you need, reserve it and buy it.
4. Drinks – serve organic wine or consider a local brew… or, if you’re lucky (like me!) and surrounded by local wineries, a local wine!
5. Tableware and serveware – stop saving “the good dishes” and silverware!  Use them!  Glasses, cups and stemware?  Get them out! Forget the disposable “anything”.  You can even score inexpensive cloth napkins at any dollar store.
6. Consider the temperature – ovens heat a house fairly quickly… and so do lots of people… so turn down the thermostat or, in warmer climates, keep ceiling fans circulating or windows open to keep the indoors comfortable.
7. Recycle – that should go without saying, but just remember to make it happen.  Cans, jars, containers, bottles, anything and everything possible.
8. Don’t waste leftovers – keep only what you know your family will eat.  Send the rest home with your guests.  Start thinking about containers now (no styrofoam plates or plastic-wrap, please!).  You can even ask guests to bring their own glass or ceramic dishware… why not?! And if you compost, toss in those food scraps.
9. Clean-up – use your dishwasher, but make sure you fill it first.  For the big jobs, you’ll need to use some elbow-grease, but be sure not to leave the tap running endlessly.  And get out your green cleaners.  You can get back to “shiny & clean” without harsh chemicals.
10. Although it has nothing to do with being green… give thanks. Ask everyone at your table to share a thought. It will certainly put happiness in the air, and that is absolutely free!

Now, if you need some of those ‘leaf, acorn and twig’ decorations I mentioned, email me… and then back up a truck… I have enough in my own backyard to supply your whole neighborhood!

Having been extremely exhausted, overwhelmed, overcommitted (and at times, stressed out!) I felt like I should simply start the week with some inspiration… maybe even more for myself than anyone else.

Life, in general, can be overwhelming without “adding to our already overloaded plates”,  but we all sometimes need reminders about the importance of decisions we make and the difference we can make, even if we sometimes feel like an “army of one”.

I have felt this way lately for so many reasons.  Sure, there is strength in numbers but there is also strength in one committed effort that creates a trickledown effect that can sometimes, unknowingly, make an even bigger difference… even if we don’t often see the result.

I ran across two quotes this weekend that really spoke to me and I wanted to share…

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Anthropologist Margaret Mead

“How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

These quotes speak volumes… and I, myself, think I needed to be reminded.  When I have questioned continuing this blog (and readers have been so kind as to say “No! You have to keep writing!”) or when my efforts with my one, little, individual family seem a bit in vain, I need to look back at this post… and remind myself:  Yes.  There IS strength in numbers but every huge success begins with only one.

Every day, we need to, AND CAN, continue to improve and change the world.  If you haven’t already started, make today the day!

We all have our standards for grocery shopping… that list of do’s and don’ts for what we choose.   Maybe it’s a choice of organic produce and/or ingredients.  Maybe it’s a matter of avoiding certain contents, like artificial ingredients.  Maybe it’s just looking for the overall healthiest choices.

But above and beyond the food we select, there are many ways we can make our grocery store trip “greener”.  Consider these 10 simple ways:

1. Buy the most minimal packaging. Consider things like fresh breads.  They often come in paper bags that can be recycled – a far better choice than plastic wrappers (sometimes double-wrappers!) of mass-produced bread.  This holds true for many products.  Select those with minimal or the most recyclable packaging.
2. Buy a chunk or a brick of sliced cheese over the individually-wrapped version.  A package of 24-slices will include 24 sheets of plastic otherwise.
3. Buy the big can instead of multiple smaller cans – less packaging and less to recycle.  If it’s more than you need, put a reusable container to work and store it in your freezer until you do need it!
4. Buy local, every time you can!  Did you know that produce in the US travels between 1,500 to 2,500 miles before it even reaches your grocery store? … lots of emissions are created to make that happen!
5. Choose fresh over frozen or canned.  They use a lot less energy… from the energy used to process and manufacture them, to the energy needed for storage… choose fresh!
6. Choose sustainable wild fish over farm-raised – they actually contain less metals and create less contaminates since the concentration of farm-raised fish creates high levels of contaminating waste that will eventually reach our water sources.
7. Buy a gallon of milk or juices versus multiple 2-quarts, and buy in boxes versus individual packages.  This often means one recyclable container versus two non-recyclable cartons, and one recyclable box over a dozen plastic wrappers.  It’s obvious and fairly easy to break down single-servings into reusable containers.
8. Embrace the soybean! They’re a fabulous source of protein and cost a lot less than cattle farming!  If you replaced one beef meal per month with a soybean product, it would save TWENTY THOUSAND GALLONS of water per year!
9. Shop the counter.  Buy meats at a counter where you can select the exact amount you need.  Prepackaging ends up in excessive waste and often the needless disposal of foods when you “have too much”.
10. No paper, no plastic, no arguments!  Reusable bags are the only option.

It’s Friday.  Now get to shopping… but just remember to think “green-ER” before you buy!

This IS the most fundamental of questions.  We each have our own idea of what “going green” means, and perhaps, a variety of reasons for doing so.  But it’s a question worth answering.

If you ever asked yourself this question, or if someone ever asks you “why”, think about the big picture and the reasons we “do what we do”.  I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a cause worth fighting for.

1. In a nutshell, I believe the “go green” movement is all about the concerns for the depletion and contamination of the earth’s greatest, and most important, natural resources… think about clean water, clean air, clean soil… (not to mention a clean and healthy body).  They are directly linked to our well-being and they are in jeopardy.
2. When we choose not to recycle, our trash (that reaches landfills) contains harmful chemicals and ingredients that affect the soil, leach into the ground and surface water, and contaminate everything… from the soil that grows our food to the water we drink.  This contamination also creates harmful conditions for wildlife and eco-systems.
3. When we DO recycle, we save the resources needed to create new products and the energy needed for their production, which prevents excessive CO2 emissions caused by the production process.
4. Reducing energy consumption reduces your demand on polluting power plants that create excessive emissions and seriously contribute to global warming.
5. Water is essential to our survival and it is NOT renewable.  Being conscious of our use (and preventing overuse) of water and seeing that we do all we can to prevent contamination of our fresh water supply simply protects this invaluable resource.
6. Buying organic locally-grown foods means avoiding harsh chemicals, supporting agriculture that does not contaminate the soil and food (with pesticides/herbicides and harmful chemicals), and avoiding the emissions created by shipping produce from somewhere across the country or (potentially) another hemisphere entirely.  This, in turn, slows deforestation by reducing the demand for producing news crops… therefore saving delicate eco-systems, valuable trees (that hold CO2) and precious wildlife.
7. Choosing products that are biodegradable and contain natural ingredients prevents absorption of chemicals into our own bodies and the contamination of resources when they reach landfills and water sources. This includes everything from body products and cosmetics to household cleaners and lawn care chemicals.
8. Choosing products made from recycled or sustainable resources does everything from protecting resources, habitats and forests, to preventing more landfill waste, to the reduction of production energy.
9. When we choose NOT to use resources, it SAVES resources. Is there really any reason NOT to want to do that?
10. People, plants, animals and the environment/eco-systems are all interconnected. We cannot change one without affecting the other and, the way I see it, we are the only “element” in that equation that has the true ability to make a positive change.

Why go green?  For me, it’s to do my part in preserving this planet and its resources through each and every choice I make.  And to see that I make the healthiest choices possible.  I have young children… they’re counting on me.

Why do YOU go green?

Laundry… oh, laundry.  Just the thought makes me sigh.  It is probably one of my least favorite of all the home “duties”, but it’s also unavoidable.  Unless I want to send my husband and kids (and myself!) off with stinky, wrinkled clothes, it’s gotta happen!

There are plenty of habits that can make laundry time very eco-UNfriendly, so here are 10 simple ways to make laundry day a little greener:

1. Make sure the laundry actually NEEDS to be done.  Stop the habit of putting on something for a few hours and then tossing it in the laundry basket.  If it can be reworn before a washing, hang it up or put it away immediately… and teach everyone else in the house the same good habit. (By the way, a great “wrinkle remover” is a simple spray bottle of water.  Mist the wrinkles, smooth by hand and hang to dry… it works!)
2. Load to capacity.  Forget those mini-loads… wash only when you can fill the machine to capacity.  Also be sure to dry similar fabrics together so they dry in similar amounts of time.  (Towels and tees don’t dry at the same rate, so this will needlessly run the dryer extra long!)
3. Choose eco-friendly detergents.  Skip the harsh ingredients in the most popular brands of detergents and, instead, choose those with biodegradable content made of plant or vegetable based ingredients (I’m a Method girl, by the way!).
4. Wash on warm/cold cycles.  Forget that the hot setting even exists (since 90% of the washer’s energy consumption comes from heating the water!).  In fact, if all U.S. households switched from hot/hot cycles to warm/cold, we could save energy comparable to 100,000 barrels of oil a day!
5. Choose appropriate settings.  No need to put every load on an extended, hour-long wash.  If what’s inside isn’t heavily soiled, choose a shorter wash cycle.
6. Skip the dryer sheets or use only those with natural ingredients and biodegradable fibers.  Better yet, use dryer balls… I recommend Wool Dryer Balls, to soften the fabric and speed the drying time.  Even white vinegar added during the washer’s rinse cycle can soften fabric.
7. Use your auto-dry button! If your dryer has this setting, use it!  It will shut off when the contents are dry and you won’t continue to tumble already dry clothes for an extra 15 minutes!
8. When weather or circumstance permits, consider hanging your laundry to dry.  It may sound very 1950s, but it’s actually very environment to skip all of that energy usage.  But when you are using the dryer, make sure the lint traps and vents are clean so the air properly circulates and you are drying most efficiently.
9. When it comes time to replace a washer, choose a front-loading version.  They use 50-60% less water, 50% less energy to heat the water and have a greater capacity than top-loading versions.  Plus, because they spin faster, they extract more water from the laundry and this, in turn, reduces your dryer time.
10. Batch your laundry.  Take advantage of the heat that’s already been generated and do a couple loads in a row.

You may or may not dread laundry as much as I do, but if you follow these simple tips, it’s will not only keep your laundry green and clean, it will keep your conscious free and clear!

Imagine life with no electricity, no cars or public transportation, no “new” products, no plastic, no computer, no elevators, no TV, no cosmetics, no take-out or processed foods, no coffee (what?!?!)  Think about taking those things away for just one day… now imagine you’ve just given them up for an ENTIRE YEAR!!! (I think I just stopped breathing!)

Well, that is exactly the experiment that was undertaken by the Beavan family in New York City… for one… whole… year! And this wild, yet amazingly environmental, journey was all documented in the film “No Impact Man”.

The dad was actually the initiator of this “whacko” idea, as his wife calls it.  He dragged them, nearly kicking and screaming, to join him in his quest. His wife was admittedly a “TV addicted, high fructose corn syrup & caffeine lover” and had her fair share of concerns (wouldn’t we all!?).

I really don’t think there is a possibility that my family and I could even begin to scratch the surface of what they were able to accomplish, but I am so excited to see the movie because I know it will give me amazing ideas of how to give up some things I had never considered before.  Colin Beaven even gives his top 10 eco-lifestyle changes on his blog… smart stuff!

If you’re in NYC or LA, the movie premieres today, with other openings soon to follow. But if you prefer to read about their experience, there is also a book, No Impact Man.

While they discovered that this project was undoubtedly environmental, they also rediscovered “life”… and each other.  Isn’t that an experiment we could all benefit from?!