Parenting

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Three easy, big-impact tips to live a little more lightly on the planet

Sometimes it seems that just so very much rides on what we do as parents.

It's all so big -- raising these darlings from lumps through even just the fine kindergarteners they will someday be. (Not to mention the independent, thriving, balanced, kind grown-ups they'd better someday be!)

But other times, it is all so tiny. Preschoolers are working at hard at holding a crayon and eating soup without most ending up on their laps and hopping on one foot and taking turns on a slide.

And oh, while we're managing all of that big/little tension, our world is literally falling apart around us. The real world, not the one we construct each morning. Earth. Our gorgeous blue dot of a planet.

And there's a big/little thing there too. Your little choices (paper or plastic) have a big effect. But so do your baby steps toward change. Luckily, we have 3 Green Moms to help us get started on the path:

Inaugurate 3 green resolutions in the new year.... Keep it Fresh, Hip and Simple!

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bag-thumb-250x167

FRESH - Here's a fresh idea....reduce your use. Did you know 20 million plastic baggies are thrown out everyday in school lunches across America? Instead of using disposable plastic baggies, buy a pair of Lunch Skins. These reusable, colorful cloth pouches are made from a high quality, moisture-proof German fabric used worldwide in the food industry. They are both food safe and dishwasher friendly.

HIP - Be a trend-setter with fantastic corn plastic. Pass on plastic this year and use Pop!cornware instead of disposable spoons and forks in your child's lunch or snack bag. Like the name suggests, they are made from corn. That means no petroleum going into them when they're made and no harmful toxins released when they're thrown out. They are 100% biodegradable (but also reusable), so throw them in your compost heap or trash them, guilt-free.

SIMPLE - Think reusable. A reusable stainless water bottle is a healthy PBA-free choice and can be reï¬lled hundreds of times and save you money. Not to mention replacing the millions of plastic water bottles headed to the local landï¬ll. Did you know we use about 70 million water bottles a day in the US? Here's another reusable idea....we all know the merits of the reusable tote. So bag the plastic at the grocery store and grab a tote. And not just any tote, but one made from recycled feed bags rescued from the landï¬ll.

3greenmoms is dedicated to turning green education into action by offering easy solutions for families and schools to be greener and save money. Growing greener can be as easy as minimizing wasteful habits and using better products.


More from The Savvy Source:

• From the Savvy bookshelves: A few of our favorite parenting books.

• Celebrating a hero, teaching your child about Dr. King.

• Find great activities in your town every day with Being Savvy Local.

• For our children, every day is a learning day.  Find and collect even more great ideas at http://www.savvysource.com/.

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Comments 1 of 1
  • D's Avatar
    Posted by D 17 hours ago

    You need to check out http://www.bagtodiffer.com. Great prices on eco-friendly reusable shopping totes and bags, drinking bottles, seatbelt Maggie Bags, produce bags, fabric gift wraps. Brands like Maggie Bags, Klean Kanteen, EarthLust, Bag the Habit, flip & tumble, b.happybags, Envirosaxs and more. Check out http://www.bagtodiffer.com! You'll be glad you did!

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