Mom Goes Green

Over the holidays, I probably saw at least - (at LEAST!) - 50 catalogs hit my mailbox… what a waste.  Sadly, I didn’t use one of them.

But the start of a new year certainly has me thinking about reducing the amount of junk that hits my mailbox.  I can think of, maybe, one catalog that I actually used in all of 2008, so let’s stop it now!

Did you know that the average adult receives 41 POUNDS of junk mail each year?!?  That’s a lot of wasted trees and natural resources, and 44% of it is said to wind up in landfills, unopened!  But 41pounds.org says they can change all that and block 80-95% of your unwanted mail.  Plus, a third of your fee goes to an environmental cause that you get to choose. The fee is said to cover the removal of these unwanted mailings for 5 years!… yea, that’s 205 pounds of mail we’re talking about!  Can you even imagine?

Catalog Choice is another service that allows you to say “no more” to unwanted catalogs!  This service is free and all you need to do is select the ones that you’d like (love!) to opt out of and they’ll tell the catalog companies “thanks, but no thanks” for you. That certainly sounds like something I’d like to give a try.

I also have a backlog of magazines that I never got to.  I’m sure they have information that I’d love to read, but will I really?  So maybe we should consider paperless magazines, sent directly to our inbox.  Zinio is a publishing company that offers digit versions of tons of magazines delivered electronically through email or to mobile devices.  Their list has over 200 titles and their Read Green Initiative is actually giving away free one-year subscriptions to some of the most popular mags too!

So, this year, spread some serious tree-love and say ‘no 41 pounds for me!’

Christmas is just about here!  The house is decorated, the tree is trimmed, the stockings are hung, and the presents are purchased… and then the final gift arrived via UPS.  Yippee!

Sounds like I should be relieved, so why am I sitting here in awe, slowly shaking my head and muttering “Where, oh where, has the common sense gone?”  I think it’s because, instead of me being the one who has gone mad, someone in the shipping department at Amazon has lost their marbles.

I was waiting on a little “Tinkerbell” paperback book for our daughter (a book that, mind you, had her burst into tears when we visited her school Book Fair {it was the only book she really wanted} and we discovered it was sold out!)  So, yes, the book was incredibly important but I was sickened with how it arrived.

This little book, costing all of $3.99, arrived in a box (including a bunch of air pillows!) that was so large it could have safely shipped at least 75 of them.  Overpackaging at its excessive worst!  WHAT was someone thinking?  I guess they weren’t… or they got confused… or they ran out of boxes and this was the only one left… (a size that could have fit a MacBook and packing materials, for pete’s sake!).

All this after our son’s book arrived the day before, BENT IN HALF, smashed next to a “Wall-e” DVD, in a box that barely FIT the DVD itself!  This does NOT make Mom Goes Green happy!  But how do we know this will happen and how do we stop it?  And how do we not feel guilty when a simple purchase breaks the fundamentals of our own “green rules”?

I don’t have a single answer for this.  It’s not easy complaining to Amazon… they make it really simple for them not to address your issues, beyond customer service.  If you know of a way to let them know, let ME know!  I just can’t imagine what guidelines they are following, but I personally think they stink… a big, fat, non-green stink!

… and I actually gave them kudos for their “Frustration Free Packaging”! Wake up, Amazon.  There is a LOT of work left to do!

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 )

Last month I posted about the nasty “dirty dozen” – the 12 produce items that are most likely to hang onto pesticides after harvest.  (yea. ewww… dirty produce with chemicals.)  Those are the ones you WANT to buy organic.

Well, I had some readers ask me about the other side of the story. Are there items that we DON’T need to buy organic?  Well, you bet there are!  For some produce there isn’t an advantage to using pesticides because the bugs and critters don’t like them or tough outer skins make them too much of a challenge.  Even when not organically grown, they consistently test negative for pesticides, year after year.

So, with the holidays around the corner, maybe you’ll be entertaining, taking a potluck dish somewhere or you’re just keeping an eye on your grocery store budget (aren’t we all!).  So let me not deprive you of some more great info and give you the low-down on the ones that To Buy or Not To Buy Organics dubs its “clean fifteen” (the “DON’T” bother buying these organics list):

-    Asparagus         -    Mango
-    Avocados          -    Onions
-    Bananas            -    Papaya
-    Blueberries         -    Pineapple
-    Broccoli             -    Shelling peas
-    Cabbage            -    Sweet corn
-    Garlic                -    Watermelon
-    Kiwi

Next time you’re at the grocery store (and many of us will be, since we don’t have access to locally grown produce this time of year!) put your cart in high gear and drive right out of the organics section for this produce…

And feel grateful for the “picky”, “lazy” bugs that just have no interest in bugging some of our favorite produce.

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.

(Scenario:  Christmas morning. Family gathered. Piles of presents. Happy faces.)

*  Obnoxious amount of gifts from “Santa”:  $812
*  Pristinely decorated artificial Christmas tree:  $349
*  Evergreen-scented soy candle:  $22
*  Not swearing profusely while you try to extract your kid’s gift from the package:  PRICELESS!

Who hasn’t found themselves in this scenario… it sometimes feels like you need a screwdriver, wire cutters, pliers and a blowtorch to get the toy out of the box, thanks to those tightly wound plastic-coated wires, screws and extra cardboard strategically folded and molded to hold the contents in place!  And not only is it annoying, it’s definitely environmentally-unfriendly!

There is such a trend of overpackaging (especially for toys!) and it’s so aggravating knowing that while the cardboard can be recycled, there’s still a ton of waste when the toy is finally liberated!

But I’m happy to let you know that Amazon just launched its “Frustration-Free Packaging” initiative that includes Fisher-Price and Mattel toys.  The products are exactly the same, but the packaging has been streamlined to use less materials.

This program will be growing and expanding over years to come, and you can see examples of the products that are included at Amazon.  But one example of what this really means is the Fisher-Price Imaginext Adventures Pirate Ship.  It will now be delivered in an easy-to-open, recyclable cardboard box. This eliminates:

• 36 inches of plastic-coated wire ties
• 1,576.5 square inches of printed corrugated package inserts
• 36.1 square inches of printed folding carton materials
• 175.25 square inches of PVC blister packaging
• 3.5 square inches of ABS molded styrene and two molded plastic fasteners

Want to know what this also eliminates?  Swearing, headaches and major environmental guilt!

One of my greatest memories as a kid was summers spent gardening and growing at our school farm.

A local farm, outside of the city, rented a portion of their land to the school district and students could then rent a plot for a whopping $5!  They gave you the seeds, the tools, the water… you provided the work.  I just remember it being so, so rewarding (and let me tell you, I cultivated one serious vegetable garden!).  My mom and I often had what we called “Garden Dinners” that were strictly the veggies I had grown and I had so much excess we gave away a ton of produce too… I was very popular with the neighborhood parents!  And let me also tell you, since they were fresh and pesticide- and herbicide-free, they were AMAZING!

Even if you’re a city dweller or suburbanite, have no room for a garden, no time for a garden, no desire to garden, you can still reap the benefits of wonderful fresh produce through your local CSA.

CSAs are “community supported agriculture”.  In a nutshell, it’s a partnership between a farm operation and community individuals who support the growing/production of food.  Members “purchase” a share of the harvest and are usually on a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of fruits and vegetables (and sometimes, dairy and meat).

If this type of commitment isn’t for you, you can also consider local farmer’s markets.  By supporting local farms, you will not only be offered the freshest, organic harvests but you will be one step further in your pursuit of being eco, because your organics won’t have the carbon footprint of shipping and transportation from some foreign grown produce.

Considering the time of year it may feel strange to be thinking about next summer’s harvest (especially if you live in a northern climate, like me! –  it’s SNOWING… a lot!… unseasonably early!) but believe me, many CSAs are filling up now for 2009, so don’t wait if you want to give it a try.

To find a CSA in your area, you can check Local Harvest or Biodynamics.

If you want to locate a local farmer’s market, you can also check another area of Local Harvest or the Farmer’s Market site.

And if you have a lot of extra produce, feel free to invite me over for a “Garden Dinner!”

Back at the beginning of MomGoesGreen, I talked about where to start with organic foods and even ways to get your grubby produce cleaner. And as family budgets get tighter, we all find ourselves looking for places to make cutbacks.

If you find yourself in this predicament, you’re not alone.  Sales of organic foods have been dropping for this exact reason, as reported by Environmental Leader.  Sales were up 20% at this time last year… it’s now only about 4%.  Go figure!

My husband bought me a book called To Buy or Not To Buy Organics.  It’s all about organic food, the “what’s” and the “why’s”, and almost more than I needed to know.  But let me boil it down for ya!

Not all organic produce is necessary, so you can choose only the necessary column if that’s what fits your budget.  This is the “dirty dozen” (because they are more likely to hang onto pesticides after harvest… ooh, tasty!).  DO buy these organically grown:

-    Strawberries          -    Celery
-    Peppers                -    Apples
-    Spinach                -    Pears
-    Cherries                -    Grapes
-    Peaches                -    Raspberries
-    Nectarines             -    Potatoes

So there you have it!  Those are the nasty ones to avoid.

Memorize, shop, eat and be merry… and pesticide-free!

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”!

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…