Do Dads Get a Bum Deal on Father’s Day?
“Just look at this!” DH exclaimed, gazing at the selection of grilling guides artfully arranged in the bookstore in anticipation of Father’s Day .
“You Moms get spa outings and retreats on Mother’s Day! Us Dads? We’re expected to fire up the grill. And now, we can’t even do that right! You Green Moms are telling us we have to learn how to grill green!”
I laughed, but then I reconsidered. Gee, I realized, school’s even out for Father’s Day. No artfully decorated gifts from the kiddos, carefully project-managed by the kids’ teachers. No, it’s all up to the kiddos and/or Mom to figure out how to commemorate Father’s Day.
What do you think? Do we need to reinvent how we celebrate Father’s Day? What are your traditions?
— Lynn
Copyright 2008 OrganicMania
Filed under Green Ideas & Stuff, Holidays | Wordpress Comments (3) |Green Spider Webs: Cleaning Fun for Kids
Like many Moms, I’ve been trying to get my son to take on more household chores. When we first made the transition to non-toxic, “green” household cleaners, it was a revelation. Finally, he could fully participate without any worries about exposure to household toxins. He loved spraying the cleaning fluid all around — which turns out to be the Real Reason to use green eco-friendly cleaners!
How quickly things change! Just a few months later, this newly minted kindergarten graduate thought himself too cool to help clean the downstairs bathroom. By the way, that’s the bathroom that’s every Mom’s worst nightmare: the gross downstairs little boy bathroom.
So I gave him another chore, whipped out the GreenWorks toilet bowl cleaner, and went to work on my own.
When he came by to check out the scene, he was furious.
“You didn’t tell me!”
“What are you talking about? I asked you if you wanted to help spray the new green toilet bowl cleaner.”
“NO! You didn’t tell me you had GREEN SPIDER WEBS!!!”
“You mean this?,” I asked, pointing at the dripping mess over the toilet.
“Yes, those are green spider webs!”
“Ok, well, when someone invites you to do something new, you should never say no before checking it out,” I admonished him. “You might be missing something cool. Remember that.”
And in the future, Moms, remember that the way to get your little boys to help with the toilet bowl cleaning is to say, “Hey, come help spray green spider webs down here!”
And don’t try this with your typical toxic toilet bowl cleaners, which can harm you and your little darlings. Stick to eco-friendly products like GreenWorks or this “Earth Stone” my bloggy green friend Anna reviewed here, or the Shaklee stuff my bloggy friend Mother Earth sells here. What green cleaning products do you use? What works for you? Leave a comment and share!
— Lynn
Copyright 2008 OrganicMania
Filed under Green Cleaning Products, Green Ideas & Stuff | Wordpress Comments (5) |Suffering in the Heat Wave? An Energy Saving Tip
Blogging is pretty hard tonight with the temperature soaring to 87 degrees – indoors! Seems our trusty air conditioner is not so trusty anymore.
When the friendly a/c repairman came by, we were in for a big shock. If you’re prone to allergies, you may have purchased the newly popular “filtrettes” that offer “microparticle reduction.” Slightly thicker than regular air conditioner filters, they claim to remove indoor allergens.
Well, Mr. Repairman informed us that these thick filters just put a strain on a/c units, particularly in hot weather. They reduce your air conditioner’s energy efficiency.
“Pollen shouldn’t get inside anyway,” Mr. Fix-It pointed out. “I think it’s just marketing.”
So stay cool, save money, and reduce your carbon load – buy regular filters and change them every 30 days!
Stay cool, friends!
Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2008
Filed under Green Ideas & Stuff | Wordpress Comments (3) |“Greener than Thou”
Most of us know to keep our distance from people with “holier than thou” attitudes. But how do you respond to those who profess to be “greener than thou?”
If you’re not fully public with your green views, you may not have run into the “greener than thou” phenomenon yet – but trust me, you will.
Last summer, it caught me off guard when a friend asked, “How many trees did you kill?” as he watched me grab a bunch of paper towels to wipe up yet another baby spill. For a few moments I had no idea what on earth he was talking about. I had never considered my good ole’ Bounty “Quicker Picker Uppers” to be dead trees! When I realized he was chastising me for an eco-mistake, I felt embarassed and awkward.
Last week, Green Mommy blogger Sommer of Green and Clean Mom confessed on her blog that she drove an SUV and was tired of apologizing for it. Backlash? Well, she lost subscribers as a result of her post, and as you can imagine, parts of the green blogosphere were abuzz about this. Max Gladwell weighed in with some supportive tweets on her side, and Green Daily covering the controversy with the question, “Can you call yourself green and drive an SUV?”
Check out the links – there are some interesting arguments on both sides.
I hate SUVs for many reasons – I’m more in the Prius camp myself. But I do think you need to give people the benefit of the doubt and avoid being “greener than thou.” You don’t know what unique trade-offs each person makes when buying a car, and unless you’re personally measuring someone’s carbon footprint and recycling matter, you really don’t know who is “greener” than whom.
What do you think? Leave a comment and share!
— Lynn
Copyright 2008 OrganicMania
Filed under Green Ideas & Stuff | Wordpress Comments (11) |10 Tips to Green Your Memorial Day Picnic: Green and Organic Savings Friday
Memorial Day Weekend is the time for traditional picnics and barbeques. This year, go green! There’s never been a better time to do it – prices on biodegradable and corn-based disposable cutlery, plates and cups are down, and organic strawberries are in season. Here’s a look at what you can expect at the stores this week-end as you stock up, along with 10 tips for greening your Memorial Day holiday.
1. Need to mow the lawn to make your yard look beautiful? Forget about conventional gas and electric mowers. Go retro with a good old fashioned push mower. Not only will you help to save the planet, you’ll get real exercise too! If you must use gas or electric, how about sharing a mower with your neighbors?
2. Running out to pick up a grill? Diane MacEachern has some great tips on solar-powered and other “green grills”at her blog here.
3. The Big Green Purse author also suggests using lump charcoal instead of briquettes, which may contain coal dust and other additives. Diane says to look for hardwood briquettes from forests certified by the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program, or lumps made from coconut husks. Cow boy Charcoal, sold at Lowe’s, Trader Joe’s and under the Whole Foods 365 brand, makes chunk charcoal out of wood leftover from furniture making and construction.
4. Cleaning off the dirty lawn chairs? Remember to use green cleaners. There’s no excuse now, with prices down to $2.98 on Green Works cleaners at WalMart.
5. Planning the menu? Re-think the beef. Beef is a key contributor to global warming. Can you go veggie? There are great veggie alternatives available like delicious veggie burgers, soy-based corn dogs, and of course the old staples of potato and pasta salad.
6.My Organic Market has a great in-store display up of everything you could possibly need for a green and organic Memorial Day picnic. From Drew’s Organic and All Natural Dressing and Marinade to Walnut Acres Organic Baked Beans, Rudy’s Organic Wheat Burger Buns for $3.29 per package, Rudy’s Organic Hot Dog Buns for $2.59 per package, Tree Free Plates for $7.99 a package, Biodegradable Forks, Knives and Spoons for $2.99 per package, and Tree-Free bowls for $4.69 per package. There’s a huge selection of organic beer and wine, and for the kids, Honest Kids Juice Quenchers are on sale for $3.99 for a box of 8 pouches. They even have gourmet lump charcoal – 100% all natural hardwood. (May be a contradiction in terms if you’re buying tree-free bowls, but we’ll leave that alone!)
7. What’s for dessert? It’s strawberry season! Finally, organic strawberries have fallen in price to the $4.99 a level (seen at MOM’s). You can even make a red/white/blue dessert with organic strawberries and blueberries and vanilla ice cream. Try Julie’s Organic Ice Cream. Its to die for!
8. Time to clean up? Whip out the biodegradable plastic trash bags, now just $4.95 per package here.
9. When dusk comes, and you head inside, open the windows instead of turning on the air conditioner. You’ll save money and the environment!
10. If you’re heading back home to the big city after enjoying time at the beach, you may want to check out the local farmers markets or grocers. We pick up organic fruits when we are in smaller towns that enjoy a lower cost of living than our big city home town.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone!
Copyright 2008 OrganicMania
Filed under Easy Green Weekend Projects, Food, Green Cleaning Products, Green Ideas & Stuff, Holidays, Organic Prices, Product Recommendations, Savings Tips, Where to Buy Organics | Wordpress Comments (3) |Gifts They Can’t Buy You for Mother’s Day: Ask Without Guilt
Ah, Mother’s Day, that one day each year when it’s supposed to be all about us. As kids, we feted Mom with a fancy brunch, a gift, and some flowers.
So it came as a shock to me when I became a Mom and realized that I really didn’t want any of that stuff. The fact is, I just wanted some time to myself…and I felt so GUILTY about it. Then I thought about it some more, and realized that there was something else I really, really wanted – a clean car.
Wasn’t I supposed to be looking forward to Sunday brunch?
When I asked my other girlfriends, I found that many felt the same way. But few dared to ask their husbands for time alone and a “honey do.” Instead, they put on a smile and tried to enjoy another restaurant meal out – always a challenge for those of us with little ones.
But the statistics bear out what I observed in my own inner circle. Check out this survey of Moms and Free Time by Kiwi Magazine and you’ll learn that 79% of Moms say they don’t get enough personal time. In that first, intense year of Motherhood, you really crave it, and unfortunately that’s when most Moms feel most guilty about asking for it.
Fortunately, in my case, my church intervened, scheduling a “Mother’s Retreat” on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. This retreat is so cool that one of my Jewish friends is coming to take notes in order to convince her temple to offer a similar program!
With a simple meal, an interesting speaker, a meaningful service in the Chapel just for the Moms, and scheduled “me time” when you can take advantage of yoga, massage, or simply close your eyes on a sofa or go outside for a walk, the event is immensely popular.
And as for the requisite Mother’s Day gift? My DH asked me at least ten times if I was SURE that all I wanted for Mother’s Day was a clean station wagon. He really didn’t believe me at first.
While I was at the Saturday Mother’s Retreat with the six-month-old, DH and Big Boy emptied the car of assorted petrified Cheerios (okay, Toasted Organic Oatio-Os to be precise), bottle caps, torn papers, lost toys, ancient newspapers and magazines, worn out pacifiers, and about 984 other interesting items. Then they washed and vacuumed.
I was so excited, I was beside myself when I got into my clean looking and clean smelling Mom Mobile.
My DH was a little annoyed by the huge amount of rubble in the car. He made me promise that I would not let it get into such a state again. Did you see the photo up top? That was taken TODAY. Yes, the car is once again in pretty bad shape!
Anyway, I’m still angling for a clean car this year for Mother’s Day. It makes me feel good, saves me time, costs no money, is a great project for the kids, and is “green.”
What do you want for Mother’s Day? Leave a comment and share! OrganicMania will publicize what Moms really want so maybe all our dreams will come true!
And another good “green” option is a donation to a children’s charity…check out these amazing programs at J&J’s BabyCause site. The Parent Blogger’s Network is publicizing this charity, and I thought I’d give them a mention.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Copyright 2008 OrganicMania
Filed under Baby, Easy Green Weekend Projects, Eco-friendly gifts, Green Charities, Green Ideas & Stuff, Holidays, Parenting | Wordpress Comments (10) |More on Clorox: Take Back the Filter!
As a relative newcomer to the world of online green organizing, I’m a bit atypical. After having spent 20 years in corporate marketing for high tech firms, I understand Big Business, and no, I don’t think all corporations are evil as some environmentalists believe. In fact, there’s not much I see in stark black versus white contrast – I see the shades of gray.
So when I hear about “campaigns” against various companies, I tend to cringe. I know that these “grassroots campaigns” are often well coordinated PR campaigns led by sophisticated organizations (sometimes competitors) with very definite agendas.
But the campaign to convince Clorox to recycle Brita water filters in North America is different. It’s led by a reasonable woman, someone who is a true activist and yet has a regular job with a real company — Beth Terry of the blog Fake Plastic Fish.
The first thing I asked myself when I heard about the campaign was, “Well, has she asked Clorox about their position?”
And of course she had. In fact, Beth had sent Clorox letters prior to starting the campaign, and she later posted the response letters from Clorox on her campaign website here. And since then, Beth has talked with Clorox representatives about their position that the refill cartridges are not recyclable – despite the fact that Brita filters are recycled in Europe!
Clorox is spending a lot of money going after green consumers through its acquisition of Burt’s Bees, its launch of Green Works cleaners, and its campaign to reduce plastic water bottle usage in favor of using Brita filtered water. As the saying goes, if you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. If Clorox truly is “going green,” it needs to re-examine its current business practices.
From the campaign website:
In August of 2007, Clorox and Nalgene teamed up for their FilterForGood campaign, encouraging people to buy a reusable Nalgene bottle and fill it with Brita filtered water in order to reduce plastic bottle waste. According to Clorox’s letter, “One pour-through filter can effectively replace 300 standard bottles of water (16.9oz)” and “…in 2006 Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles.”
So, if all 50 billion water bottles were replaced by Brita filter systems, that would mean 167 million plastic filter cartridges sent to the landfill! We’re all for giving up bottled water. But we think there’s a better way than substituting one kind of plastic waste for another.
What can you do? Join us in asking Clorox to develop a recycling program for Brita filters in the US and Canada. Check out Take Back the Filter to learn more about how you can help by signing the online petition, writing a letter to Clorox, sending in your used Brita filters, blogging about the issue, or donating to offset campaign expenses. And here’s some more ideas for how you can help spread the word.
More info available here at the campaign Facebook page too.
A Travesty on Earth Day
It happened on Earth Day, in Bethesda, Maryland. In a city which has an innovative program underway to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. In a county that on that very day passed a green building law as well as laws requiring Montgomery County workers to use biofuels and to justify the use of SUVs. In a country whose President posed for a photo opp planting trees to commemorate Earth Day.
Eight healthy, beautiful, four story tall trees adjacent to a city sidewalk felled to make way for yet another condominium building. This happened on Earth Day. Really.
–Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2008
Filed under Green Ideas & Stuff | Wordpress Comments (5) |Serendipity: Earth Day During TV Turn-off Week
No doubt the blogosphere will be abuzz today with recommendations about how to spend your Earth Day. Clearly, if you can pick up some litter or skip a car trip, you can make a difference. But what else? How can you celebrate a meaningful Earth Day with a child?
Maybe it’s not just serendipity that causes Earth Day to fall during TV Turn-off Week. Maybe it’s Divine Inspiration.
As Treehugger pointed out, “The sad truth is that the average American kindergartener can identify several hundred logos and only a few leaves from plants and trees.”
Why not use this week, when the TV is off, to teach your kid how to recognize different trees? It’s okay if you don’t know yourself…just grab a book or an Internet print-out like this one.
The best way to develop an appreciation for the Earth and its fragile bounty is to spend time with her most magnificent creation, Nature. If a child learns to love plants, trees, and animals, he’ll naturally want to learn how to take steps to protect Nature.
So this Earth Day – TV-Turn-Off Week, get outside and appreciate what we’ve been given. Then think about what you can do to help preserve it for future generations.
Help a child learn to recognize a Maple leaf as quickly as he may recognize a McDonalds logo.
Happy Earth Day.
— Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2008
Filed under Easy Green Weekend Projects, Green Ideas & Stuff, Holidays, Parenting | Wordpress Comments (2) |Ten Tips for Throwing a Green Party
Hope you all had a great Earth Day weekend. I found myself at a book party for Big Green Purse author Diane MacEachern, whom I interviewed here.
Talk about pressure to be green! But it turns out I wasn’t the only one wondering how to dress. That question actually came up at the party. And according to Diane, recycled fibers are best, followed by hand-me-down or “vintage” clothing, and then organic fibers like hemp or cotton. Cotton actually takes a lot of water to grow, organic or not!
Many of the women in attendance had on very chic recycled jewelry made of buttons strung through string and other natural fibers. Apparently a lot of eco-boutiques are carrying these necklaces or – you guessed it – it’s pretty easy to make yourself.
One thing really struck me about the party. Despite the savvy of this crowd of Prius-drivers, even they complained that it’s still hard to find “green” party supplies. People were trading tips about where to find corn-based disposable, biodegradable plates and cutlery.
Here are a few tips I picked up from the Master Green Party Givers, mixed in with a couple of my own suggestions:
1. Skip the paper invitations and use an email invitation program like evite.
2. Decorate with natural materials like plants.
3. Finger food means finger food. Why use forks at all? You can serve foods like asparagus, stuffed mushrooms, cut vegetables, baked brie, cheese, mini-sandwiches, and small pastries or cookies.
4. Go organic! Of course! This includes the alcohol. You can find great organic beers on sale like this one and of course even better is biodynamic wine.
5. Re-usable cups are important. No one likes plastic (least of all your green friends). But even the biodegradable ones are still kind of plastic-y, so why not use real glass or durable re-usable plastic (if you already have them at home)?
6. Cloth napkins are always elegant, but they take on new meaning at a green party. They don’t need to be fancy. You can even use handkerchiefs or odds and ends from a variety of sets.
7. Biodegradable plates are good for the environment, and they feel sturdy, too. They’re actually much nicer to hold than regular paper plates.
8. If you must use cutlery, opt for your everyday stainless. You can wash it. It’s better than plastic that gets thrown away.
9. There’s no need for party favors. People don’t need more stuff, least of all the greenies. If you do want to give something away, a nice reusable bag is always appreciated.
10. And as Diane pointed out, you can compost the left-over party food!
–Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2008
Filed under Biodynamic food, Easy Green Weekend Projects, Food, Green Ideas & Stuff, Holidays, Organic Clothing, Tips | Wordpress Comments (11) |
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