1. Borrow maternity clothing, or buy used. We wear maternity clothes for such a short amount of time that it almost seems silly to buy brand new. Plus it will save you money!
2. Eat organic. The foods that you eat during pregnancy are also sustaining your growing baby. Seek out lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. If you haven’t chosen organic foods yet for yourself, start now for your baby. You will greatly reduce the amount of harmful chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, and growth hormones all of which have been shown to cross the placenta) and increase the nutritive value and health of the foods you eat by choosing organic.
3. Green your clean. There are companies that make more eco-friendly cleaning products that actually do work! I like Biokleen and Seventh Generation. You can also try homemade cleaners with baking soda and vinegar as the base ingredients. No toxic chemicals!
4. Use safer personal care products. Start reading labels on your cleansers, lotions, shampoos, and deodorants. Harmful ingredients are as important for you as for baby, especially since the harmful chemicals and fragrances can and do penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream. I love Earth Mama Angel Baby and many of their products can be used for other things. The Angel Baby Shampoo & Baby Wash makes a great facial cleanser!
5. Start drinking filtered tap water. Pregnant women need lots of water, but skip the bottles! Buy a stainless steel water bottle for on the go and fill up the glasses while at home. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
6. Use your library. If you are a research and book lover like me, you want to check out the numerous baby books out there, from baby names to childbirth to how to make baby food, the library has it all! Skip the “What To Expect..” books and scope out some that will help support your green lifestyle.
7. Walk more, drive less. Not only is driving less good for the planet, but it’s wonderful for you and your baby’s health too. Getting or staying fit during pregnancy can make for shorter and easier labors, plus makes it that much easier to shed the baby weight later.
8. Start choosing reusable whenever possible. This is great on your wallet once you’ve made the initial investment. Cleaning cloths instead of paper towels, cloth napkins instead of paper, and reusable water bottles and coffee mugs instead of plastic and paper is a great start!
9. Change the shower curtain. Many shower curtains are made with PVC, which contain hormone disrupting chemicals. Choose a natural fiber or EVA shower curtain for a safer option.
10. Choose safe decorating and remodeling options. If you are getting the nursery ready or feel the need to change the whole house, there are many eco-friendly options that will greatly benefit you and your baby’s health. Make sure you are aware if there is any lead paint or asbestos you need to worry about before starting in on any projects! Choose no-voc paint, eco-friendly flooring, and organic fabrics whenever possible.

“I cant believe the news today
Oh, I cant close my eyes and make it go away
How long…
How long must we sing this song?
How long? how long…

cause tonight…we can be as one
Tonight…”

-U2

What is it about Sundays? There are many days called, “Bloody Sunday,” although the most well-known was in Ireland. And Tiananmen Square, another well-known incident, was also on a Sunday. I suppose I might say that there are so many violent acts in the world’s history that many would occur on a Sunday, but if you google “violent incidents on Sunday” you will get 2,200,000 hits. Monday also has an equal amount, but every other day is less, some far less. Interesting…

This past June 4 marked the twentieth anniversary of the student protests at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China that ended in violence. Check out these amazing photos collected by boston.com’s The Big Picture – events leading up to the June 4, in the midst of the violence, and some photos from the present day.

A young girl grabs the candle from her father to join the crowd at Victoria Park, Hong Kong on June 4th, 2009. The next generation remembering it even after 20 years. (© Y. C. William Wang)

What does this have to do with parenting, the environment, living green?

Nothing and everything.

Parenting: This is the world we are giving to our children. Do we want them growing up in a violent world? I can say with perfect conviction that no sane person does. What can we do? We have a responsibility to raise our kids with compassion for others. Children have an innate capacity for compassion, we just have to help it develop.

The Environment & Living Green: Violence is often brought on by a lack of resources, natural and human. As we continue to consume more and more of these resources without paying attention to developing alternatives, we will continue to see violence. We need to make choices that lessen our impact on the natural world while teaching our children the same.

As the oft quoted Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

What change would you like to see? What are you going to do about it?

What can we do about Bisphenol-A? First and foremost we have to be smart enough to not fall for the scare tactics and guilt trips the canned food industry are intent on unleashing on us.

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
— Mother Teresa

In this case I think our anonymous leak of the industry minutes cast the stone and mamas are making the ripples! Since the first story ran, so many bloggers are voicing their opinions and taking their stands. Bloggers that are often called “mommy bloggers” have power beyond compare all united by a fierce love for the children and the need to protect them. For myself, I know that I would walk to the ends of the earth and back for my children. I am sure that every last one of the mamas blogging to expose the truth about the harm BPA has, is, and will continue to do to our little ones if nothing is done will tell you the same thing.

So what can we do?

Continue to make ripples! Let’s spread this message far and wide. I spoke with several friends about this today, hoping that they can start looking at their everyday choices and look and see where they can start to avoid BPA, hoping that they will talk to their friends and family about doing the very same thing, and hoping that we can start sending the message to the industry that we will not be silenced by scare tactics, we will not be swayed by an industry spokesperson no matter how cute and pregnant she may be, and we will not sit idly by while the FDA continues to try to convince us that BPA is safe using faulty studies. We can make a difference, now we need to stand up and fight. Who is ready to take this on?

Use your spending power! This is huge and speaks loud and clear what we are willing to pull out our wallets for and what needs to be pulled from the shelves. We did it with baby bottles, now let’s continue on…

10 Ways to Avoid BPA:

1. Buy fresh, frozen, dried, or glass jarred foods and beverages. (No cans and no polycarbonate or #7 plastic)
2. Use glass bottles, dishes, and food storage containers for you and baby.
3. Avoid PVC in plastic, look for the #3 symbol in the recycling triangle.
   
4. Check your infant formula, most metal cans are lined with BPA.
5. Choose your toys carefully, look for wooden or organic fabrics.
6. Do not microwave any plastic food containers or dishes you might have.
7. Minimize leaching from old, plastic dishes, bottles, or containers by discarding scratched items and handwashing as the harsh detergents of the dishwasher can cause more chemicals to leach into your food.
8. Start drinking filtered tap water, instead of bottled (it’s ofetn tap water anyway!) Stainless steel water bottles are great for on the go.
   
9. Check with your dentist to make sure any fillings are BPA-free.
10. Avoid using plastic wrap for food storage and make sure to never put it in the microwave.
    

Now, although there may not be a way to completely avoid BPA, there are ways to minimize our exposure. The most precautions shuld be especially taken with the most vulnerable of us all, children and pregnant women.

There is some good news that has come out of this already. The California State Senate passed the Toxics-Free Babies and Toddlers Act on June 2, which will ban BPA from food and drink containers for children under three. Also the House Committee of Energy and Commerce has been investigting BPA’s safety and has asked the FDA to do the same. The Committee is also putting some pressure on the Chairman of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, Inc. (NAMPA). One can only hope something significant will come from this.

If you live in California, consider contacting your state senators and speak to them about how important the Toxics-Free Babies and Toddlers Act is to you.

If your representative is on the Committee of Energy Commerce, consider contacting them with your support in their efforts to investigate the safety of Bisphenol-A and continue to keep the issue in the forefront.

Above all else, write letters/e-mails, make phone calls, talk in person to friends, family, legislators, and industry to show just how many ripples we can make.

A man’s work is from sun to sun, but a mother’s work is never done.  ~Author Unknown

Recently a group of manufacturers and industry groups held a meeting to discuss their concerns about Bisphenol-A. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Washington Post obtained the internal notes from this private meeting. The now infamous meeting minutes have been widely circulating on blogs, on twitter, not because there was action taken to reduce the use of Bisphenol-A in products such as soda cans, canned food, and other metal cans and lids, but due to the outrage over the manufacturers ideas on how to use scare tactics and encourage MORE consumption of BPA by those most vulnerable to it’s adverse health effects.

Seriously.

Scare Tactics

The group came up with campaigns for young parents like, “Do you want to have access to baby food anymore?” Because we so obviously need BPA to feed our babies. Inciting fear is one method that is often used when there is no science, no fact, behind the claims being made. I loved this quote pulled from the meeting minutes:

“The committee doubts obtaining a scientific spokesperson is attainable”

Now, I wonder why that would be true… because the science is clear. The latest research links the chemical to breast cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes, hyperactivity, heart disease, low sperm count, miscarriage and other reproductive problems. It is an endocrine disruptor. It is not good for anyone, but especially pregnant women and babies! The two studies cited by the FDA when attempting to assure the public that BPA is safe were performed by the chemical industry trade group.

The group also wants to highlight the added cost of going BPA-free. While this may be true in a lot of circumstances, would you really jeopardize your baby’s health (and your own) over a few dollars? And really, it is often just a few dollars if that. There is also often a very good reason to spend more money on fewer products (fair trade, no pesticides, locally-made, no toxic chemicals). And in some cases, you will actually be saving money (e.g. making your own baby food, instead of buying jarred). The industry has also refused to look at the alternatives being developed, instead wasting their money on this campaign.

When Fear Doesn’t Work, Find Your “Holy Grail” Spokesperson

The other big idea the group came up with: find a young, pregnant woman to travel the country consuming a chemical with known adverse health effects, particularly to her unborn baby, and speaking about the benefits of BPA. One huge problem I have with this, is that they will be purposefully harming a helpless infant that has absolutely no say in the matter. It is true that there might not be any birth defects apparent at birth, it is later down the road that the effects will be made clear.

Seriously. It makes me sad.

So how do we avoid BPA? The sad truth is that the vast majority of us (93%) already have BPA in us. Now we just need to try to minimize our exposure and that of our children.

If you have a tip for avoiding BPA please leave it in the comments. We’ll discuss more ideas tomorrow and how to effect change…

In the meantime, check out what these fellow mamas have to say:

Sommer @ Green & Clean Mom

Jenn Savedge @ MNN- Mother Nature Network

Alicia @ The Soft Landing Blog

Jennifer @ The Smart Mama

SafeMama

Katy @ Non-Toxic Kids

Not a mama, but excellent article:

Fast Company

This is a conversation my five year old and I had last night at the dinner table…

Son: Do apples last forever?

Me: No, nothing lasts forever.

Son: No, that’s not true. There are two things that last forever: love… and plastic.

While it does my heart good that he is aware of the power of love and the insidiousness of plastic, I am overwhelmed with sadness that my children are going to have to worry about the long-term effects of the plastic we are continuously making, consuming, and throwing away.

Have you heard of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is growing bigger every day. It is currently estimated to be twice the size of Texas and contains 3.5 million tons of plastic trash. Photo credit: BuffaloReadings.com

Plastic accounts for 90% of all trash in our oceans and every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic. Photo credit: cesarharada.com via Flickr

This albatross had more than its fair share of plastic garbage. Photo credit: Algalita.org

***************************************

This conversation came at an interesting time since I have become even more inspired by Beth from Fake Plastic Fish. I have read her blog and follow her on twitter, but her recent impassioned plea to Oprah has moved me to make even more changes in my life.

There are several big problems with plastic. For one, it is made from petroleum. Oil. According to the agribusiness Archer Daniels Midland, about 10% of all U.S. consumption of oil is used to make plastics. Aren’t we all trying to reduce our oil consumption? There are reasons for that.

For another, plastic recycling is misleading. The plastic that actually is recycled is not made into new plastic containers. Usually it is made into a secondary product that then is not recyclable, partially because plastic degrades as it is recycled and partially because it is cheaper to just manufacture virgin plastic.

And to put the icing on the cake, Bisphenol-A, which is found in polycarbonate plastics (#7), is a hormone disruptor that can cause a whole host of health problems.

 ***************************************

So, how do we begin to reduce our plastic consumption?

1. Seek out alternative containers when shopping and for food storage: glass, paper, cardboard.
2. Bring your own reusable bags anytime you shop. You can even use small reusable bags for bulk items and produce.
3. Bring your own travel mug anytime you get coffee or other drinks.
4. Stop buying bottled water. There some great stainless steel water bottles out there now.
5. Use reusable utensils at home and bring along a travel set when going on a picnic or to a restaurant that only has plastic.
6. Stop buying plastic toys. With the incredible breadth of eco-friendly toys available, there is little reason to purchase new plastic toys.
7. Reuse containers when possible.

Now watch this incredible video and if you are so moved, join in and get the message to Oprah:

Check out the following links (and the links sprinkled throughout the post) if you want more in depth information about what was discussed. Please add any other relevant sites in your comments.Great Pacific Garbage Patch

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/algalita-junk.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/pacific-trash-vortex-signifies-future-of-oceans.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/first-great-pacific-garbage-patch-clean-up-effor-to-begin-next-month.php
http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm

The Problems With Plastic

http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=18
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2007/09/22/the-problem-with-plastic-bpa.html
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/05/plastic-fantastic

Happy Earth Day!!

Wow, what a great time we had at The Mom Shop on Saturday! Thanks to all of those who came out. We got to meet a lot of fantastic people and saw the cutest kids in the fashion show that you have ever seen!

We had great weather all weekend here in Portland. It is so lovely to see the sun shining again. My family I spent most of Sunday outside. We planted our small vegetable garden, made pine cone bird feeders with the boys, and watched a pair of birds building a nest in our apple tree. The baby got to crawl all around trying to eat the grass. Playing outside was everyone’s favorite part of the day. We even ate our meals outside!

Did you get your green hour in?

This week we will celebrate two events: Earth Day on April 22 and TV Turnoff Week April 20-26.

There is some controversy about Earth Day this year. Yes we should be living green all year long, but I have come to love the big symbolic gestures. Earth Day is less about being green for a day and much more about bringing awareness to those that may not realize all of the great ways to save money and save the planet all at the same time! Plus it is a great excuse to do something out of the ordinary with your children: go on a mid-week nature hike, do an Earth Day craft, take part in a special Earth Day event near you, learn something new about recycling or a new way to reuse your old cloth diapers.

TV Turnoff Week is near and dear to my heart, much to my oldest boy’s chagrin (he had a hard time with this last year, and he doesn’t even watch that much tv!). I think that so many American kids spend way too much time in front of the television each day and far too little time exploring their natural world. I am excited that this week looks like it will be great for my kids to spend more time outside. But even inside, there is a lot to do besides watching a show or playing a video game.

Do you have any special Earth Day plans? Any fun activities for TV Turnoff week?

Well Easter is one holiday that is really not very eco-friendly. There’s the cheap plastic eggs, the plastic grass, the brightly colored candy full of artificiality. But, for those that celebrate there are plenty of ways to make choices that are friendlier to the planet and your wallet.

Baskets: An essential for that egg hunt!

1. If you already have a basket, reuse it! Reusing is the first rule of green. Unless your basket contains toxic materials, like PVC, keep on using it.
2. You can make your own from paper, wool, or traditional basket-making materials depending on how crafty you are.
3. Buy a fair trade basket. Locally made or even just American made from companies that pay a fair wage are other good options.

Grass: Get rid of the fake grass! Not only is it a pain to deal with, but it is definitely not green. There are several more natural options if you need a cushier look for your basket.

1. Shred paper in the recycling bin or old magazines. Once the holiday is over you can either compost or use for shipping packages.
2. Buy a natural and/or recyclable filler like raffia or Kraft shred.
3. Grow real grass right inside your basket! Line your basket with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Fill with soil. Sprinkle a handful of wheatberries (takes a week or so to sprout) or rye grass (takes 2-3 weeks to sprout). Keep warm and moist and once it begins to sprout put it in the sunlight.

Eggs:

1. Buy local and/or buy organic.
2. Make your own dyes with 1/2 cup water, 1 tbsp vinegar, and a few drops of food coloring until you get the desired shade. It will take just a few minutes for the eggs to turn a nice color with this method.
3. Want to make even more natural dyes? Not quite as kid-friendly as the best way is to boil color with eggs, but it might be fun for the little ones to gather up the supplies around the kitchen and see how they create the colors on the eggs. Click here for detailed instructions.

Treats:

1. For those that simply must have candy. Try fair trade chocolate, organic lollipops, or organic fruit snacks. Natural Candy Store even has vegan, kosher, and allergen-free among their selections.
2. Cute Duck and Frog washcloths are fun for the little ones.
3. Books: Counting In The Garden, Guess How Much I Love You, Little Quack Music: Animal Playground -are all great choices for kids.
4. Cute little Spring shoes and outfits for baby!
5. Wooden play food is a fun choice for kids over 3. Apples, carrots, pears.
6. A pocket magnifying glass for examining bugs or leaves for your little explorer.
7. Fat Rabbit with Snuggle Blanket is a sweet gift for babies.
8. Under The Nile’s plush organic fruit and veggies are perfect for little Easter baskets.

Try one way to make your holiday a little greener or try them all, but in any way have a hoppy Easter!

Photo by Ann via Flickr’s Creative Commons

I actually forgot today was St. Patrick’s Day, I am sure to the dismay of my husband’s Irish relatives, and my kids if they realized it! Nobody is wearing green. We don’t do corned beef and cabbage. Probably won’t be drinking any Guinness either, at least not me!

I do think this afternoon we will try to go search for four leaf clovers out in the yard. That way we can get our green hour in and have a fun St. Patrick’s Day activity to do too!

More St. Patrick’s Day activities from around the web:

• Using recycled materials and easy to find supplies, preschoolers and toddlers can make cute and simple crafts to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

• Eco-Friendly St. Patrick’s Day Crafts

• Magic Treasure Box (I may have to try this one next year!)

• To Catch A Leprechaun (This one sounds pretty fun too)

Just remember that there is really no need for cheap plastic St. Patrick’s Day junk. Kids have more fun upcycling, recycling, and reusing things found around the house for the fun crafts listed above, or to come up with their own! Plus for the greenest of holidays, finding green in the great outdoors is a piece of cake!

Does your family have any fun St. Patrick’s Day traditions? Please share, I need some good ideas for next year!

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
~Irish Blessing

Photo via Flickr

March 16-20, 2009 is National Wildlife Week. Founded in 1938 by the National Wildlife Federation, the week-long event was created to bring a greater awareness of wildlife conservation.

There are so many activities for kids on NWF’s website, but isn’t the best way to bring about awareness of conservation getting outside? Of course! So here are their seven suggestions for engaging kids in the backyard or community and getting their Green Hour in:

1) Skipping Stones 

2) Make a Milk Jug Bird Feeder

3) Take a Wild Alphabet Hike

4) Make a Bug Vacuum

5) Make a Water Scope

6) Frog Fun!

7) Take Nature Photos like a Pro

Here in Oregon, the forecast calls for rain, rain, and more rain this week. (Still hoping we’ll see a little bit of sun later on!) I know this makes me less inclined to take the kids outside, but reading that a Kaiser Family Foundation study found that the average American child spends 44 hours per week (more than 6 hours a day!) staring at some kind of electronic screen fuels my desire to make sure that my kids are more connected with nature, less likely to become obese, and lovers of the outdoors and wildlife.

NW Mom Finds has a great list of PVC-raincoats. Put one of these on your little one and head out your front door. Stomp in the puddles. Look at the worms. Collect wet leaves. Discover what you can see and hear in the rain that is different than when the sun is shining.

Eventually the sun will shine again. This is the best opportunity to check out a local wilderness park. Tryon Creek State Park in the Portland area is a great one to explore. So is Forest Park.

Just simply being outside is in itself a great gift to our children. So how are you going to celebrate National Wildlife Week?

photo via Flickr