Mom Goes Green

Oh, plastic bags, plastics bags.  Will they ever go away?  It seems to be a slow movement, but there is more good news to report.

IKEA has stepped up to the plate and eliminated all plastic and paper bags in their US retail stores.  No more enormous, crinkling bags to lug home the loot we buy.  Bring your own bag or buy one of theirs, or your only other option will be to grow more arms!  This move eliminates 70 MILLION bags per year.

Target also started a great program that will hopefully encourage everyone who has counted on those bull’s eye bags to consider an alternative too.  I learned about this in People magazine because you turn the inside cover into a mailing envelope.  Put five Target plastic bags inside, mail it and they’ll send you a certificate for a reusable bag made from the plastic you just mailed in.  And you don’t need the magazine cover to participate… just click here to find out how.

It’s funny how I feel an instant kinship with other shoppers who are armed with their own reusable bags.  We often compliment each other and share a proud, little smile at being environmentally conscious together…

… Come’on!  Join our “click”!

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!

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!)

So, who hasn’t heard about BPA in plastic bottles?  I think everyone has because it’s mentioned in the news constantly… and rightfully (frightfully) so.

It’s no surprise that my family drinks a lot of water (because I mention that constantly too) and the more that comes to light about BPA the more bothersome that becomes.

In a nutshell, BPA is Bisphenol A - an industrial chemical used in bottle manufacturing. It mimics the female hormone estrogen (all guys are scared now) and causes all sorts of health problems.  As much as I hate animal testing (they previously only tested on mice) they are now being tested on monkeys (since they are physiologically so close to humans) and some nasty stuff is being discovered (including behavioral problems, brain development issues, cancers and a whole slew of other debated conditions).

Does this scare anyone else?  Sure scares me.

Now the National Toxicology Program (the NTP - a division of the National Institutes of Health) issued an alarm giving it a designation of “some concern” (equivalent to ‘3’ on a scale of ‘5’).  As if I wasn’t alarmed enough.  I could give you a whole list of scary, ugly stuff about BPA, but let me just say it’s bad, bad, bad.

Last Mother’s Day my favorite gift (besides crazy amounts of hugs, kisses and love) was a Sigg bottle.  It’s a shocking thing when your water actually TASTES like water, instead of plastic.  But Siggs are expensive and unaffordable for some.

I’ve discovered an alternative bottle that is just as good, but affordable.  They’re from CynerGreen.  They’re BPA free, eco-friendly and the kid’s version already comes with the drink spout you need.  They even have a sippy cup.  Right up a green mom’s alley! And they start at just $7 a bottle. We have one and we love it!

I’m just so frustrated that the FDA doesn’t regulate this chemical, even though the CDC estimates that 92.6% of Americans, age 6 and above, have measurable BPA in their bodies.  The bottom line is there is just too much third party research that tells us all this stuff is bad news.

So I’m not waiting to find out… gather your plastic bottles, chuck them in the recycling bin, buy a few stainless steel or aluminum bottles and don’t look back…

Well… it’s back-to-school time. Wait. (blink, blink.) I thought it was still June.

Unfortunately…no. I’ve been desperately working on getting in the school mode, but I’m just in such denial that my sweet “baby” girl is going to be gone, all day, five days a week!

We’ve had major discussions about lunchtime and what she would like me to pack. Our school is so-so on nutritious meals, but our daughter has chosen to be a “brown bagger.” However, that’s in name only because we’ve taken lots of steps to insure that she won’t be creating too much waste at lunchtime. In fact, an interesting little stat I found on Greenopia:  “An average kid using disposable lunch wrappers generates 67 pounds of waste per school year.”… YIKES!

So, to our “low-/no-waste” lunch plan.

Buy a lunchbox. There are so many cool ones to choose from, kids can certainly find one to love. Buy a reusable bottle and/or thermo. No matter what beverage you choose, it will accommodate…and there won’t be any disposable bottles/boxes to throw away later. No paper napkins. A quick stop at the dollar store and we have cloth napkins to last her a week. Buy a cheap set of silverware. No need to toss plastic in the trash daily. Or, if you use plastic, wash & reuse. NO Ziplocs or plastic baggies. Like I mentioned before, I bought a bunch of small containers for the kids’ foods and snacks, so these will accompany her to school each day!

I was concerned that within the course of weeks the containers, thermoses, etc. would get left behind at school and never find their way back to us, but I discovered a great product from Stuck On You. They are vinyl name labels that can be placed on all of these items and they are waterproof, microwave- and dishwasher-safe (so you won’t be replacing name labels with every washing!). Our daughter’s are pink with flowers and she LOVES them. They have tons of other great products too (labels, tags, and a great starter pack) if you want to check them out.

So, as I venture into a teary-eyed send-off to our daughter, I at least know that when the year ends, there won’t be 67 lbs. of trash in a local landfill with her name on it.

Everyone loves a party, for whatever occasion. But those gift-giving occasions… yeah, not so earth-friendly (for so many reasons!).

I recently attended a kid’s birthday party with our daughter. Parties themselves create so, so much waste, but here is what I saw that left me dumbfounded…

* Kid unwraps present – Mom throws wrapping paper in trash bag!
* Kid opens card – Mom throws envelope in trash bag!!
* Kid pulls present from gift bag – Mom throws GIFT BAG in TRASH BAG!!!

I nearly choked. And I’m sure other moms noticed me standing there, wide-eyed and bewildered, staring at the trash bag. But I know the trash bag wasn’t collecting recycling because it was collecting “trash-trash” too.

I’ve made a new pact with myself not to use wrapping paper if there is any way to avoid it. I use gift bags. And I REUSE gift bags. I don’t care if they look a little used. Who cares, really. Two friends of mine have been passing the same bag back and forth for years! It started as a joke, but in reality, it’s pretty practical.

Most non-metallic wrapping paper can be recycled, but gift bags are great because they can be used again and again, until they get tattered, and THEN recycle them.

Say “goodbye, wrapping paper”…say “hello, gift bag!” Could Mother Earth talk, I’m sure she’d love a celebration, but celebrate Mother Earth by not turning it into an Un-Happy Trash Day.

My kids are the epitome of snackers. We can’t leave the house…EVER… without something to drink and snack on. Fifteen minute cruise to the corner store? Doesn’t matter. Two minutes in, I’ll hear “so what did’ja bring, Mommy?”

I got in the horrible habit of buying snack packs of every freakin’ snack in the universe… pretzels, snack crackers, graham crackers, rice cakes, nuts. Or I would use sandwich bags or little ziplocs and fill them with whatever snack they wanted to bring… (including all of the above and even fruits and veggies!) But each and every time we arrived home, lo and behold, I had a huge handful of trash… all destined for the trash can. No recycling in sight.

So… I did what I knew I should do. I bought some small reusable containers and started buying larger bags or boxes of the same, exact snacks. Instead of finding myself overwhelmed with individual bags and wrappers every single time I give my kids a snack, I take a few extra seconds to fill the containers with the snack-of-choice to-go… and when we arrive home, the containers get washed… instead of trashed.

It’s such a very small issue, but all of our small issues grow – exponentially – into big problems. I’m no longer part of that problem.