An Earth Minute.
Did you observe Earth Hour? Or were your plans derailed, like mine were, by the reality of your life?
I had the best of intentions, I really did. At 7:50 p.m. Saturday evening I ran around the house, turning off lights and prepping. Then I remembered that DH was out picking up our kindergartner from his best buddy’s house. If I turned out the front light, they might slip and fall in the dark, I worried. So I left it on. (“At least it’s a compact fluorescent,” I thought).
I grabbed Baby Boo, ready to carry him upstairs to bed, when I realized that it was awfully treacherous going up those dark stairs with a 30 pound writhing bundle of joy. I considered candles but quickly rejected that option as too dangerous with a toddler in the house. Never mind that for thousands of years toddlers survived in dwellings lit solely by candlelight. I turned on the hall light – just so we could make it upstairs safely.
A few minutes later, our 5-year-old came running upstairs, excitedly telling me about his latest adventures. He flipped on the light in the darkened room. Before I could admonish him, “Turn it off! It’s Earth Hour!,” his little brother was jumping all over him. They looked like two little puppy dogs at play. I gazed at them adoringly, happy to have light to see them (and to make sure Baby Boo didn’t roll off the couch!).
I started to feel irritated that things weren’t going according to plan. At that point, I reminded myself of the advice a life coach had shared with my Mother’s Group: If you have kids under age 5, be kind to yourself and lower your expectations!
Finally, well after 8 p.m., I left Baby Boo’s room and made my way up to Big Boy’s room to say good night. All the upstairs lights were blazing. “It’s Earth Hour!” I hissed.
“But you promised me my allowance and a game of Rat-a-Tat-Cat,” he protested. I had promised, so I relented. Plus, I never can resist a good game of Rat-a-Tat-Cat, and it’s hard to play when the Boo Bear is awake because he toddles through all the cards.
DH turned off all the lights, save the light in Big Boy’s room. We played, we laughed, we joked.
Night night.
“See, all the lights are out now, Cutie Pie,” said DH.
It was 8:59 p.m. The last minute of Earth Hour.
We observed Earth Minute.
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Did you observe Earth Hour (or Earth Minute) ? What was it like for you? Please leave a comment and share!
Updated (5/17/08) Check out this piece in the Washington Post about Earth Hour’s real impact - or lack thereof.
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Filed under Baby, Easy Green Weekend Projects, Holidays, Parenting | Wordpress Comments (4) |Greenwashing Earth Day! Oh, No! Say It Ain’t So!
Say it ain’t so. If environmentalism were religion, this marketing campaign from my beloved Barnes & Noble would be a blasphemy. Take a look at this pic:
Yes, you saw it correctly the first time. Did shock and disbelief make you look again? That’s what happened to me when I saw the sign “Celebrate Earth Day…All Products Made from Eco-Friendly Materials” perched above a table of plastic shrink-wrapped notebooks made of recycled paper.
Really? Since when did plastic shrink-wrapped books become eco-friendly? We should all be looking for ways to reduce our consumption of plastic, especially on Earth Day!
Twenty lashes with a wet noodle. This one goes down as one of the worst examples of corporate greenwashing I’ve seen. Sorry to single you out, Barnes & Noble, but please, drop this campaign!
Here’s a free green marketing tip, B&N. Ditch these signs (please recycle them!). How about some free author readings of the “green books” you had on display next to your plastic shrink-wrapped notebooks? Share some ideas from great green authors about how to go green. Now that would be a terrific way for B&N to celebrate Earth Day! Don’t like that idea? How about doing a better job of promoting your used books on Barnes & Noble.com? You know, reduce, re-use, recycle…
Have you seen other pathetic corporate attempts to celebrate Earth Day? Leave a comment and share!
– Lynn
Copyright 2008 OrganicMania
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Filed under Greenwashing, Holidays, Marketing | Wordpress Comments (4) |5 Ways to Go Retro For an Eco-Friendly “Green” Easter
Perhaps the easiest way to think about how to “go green” for Easter is to think back on how you celebrated as a child. Did you have zillions of plastic eggs and small trinkets made of Cheap Plastic Crap stuffed in your basket? It’s doubtful. Easter used to be a simple affair. A basket full of jelly beans and chocolate, and some colored (real) eggs was all it took to send a child into spasms of joy at the Easter Bunny’s bounty.
So why do we think kids have changed? Simply because the retailers now encourage us to buy Cheap Plastic Crap trinkets and plastic eggs for Easter? Think again. Try to remember how you celebrated as a child and what made you especially happy. Why not take your cues from that experience to continue your family traditions?
Here’s what works for me.
Say Yes To:
1. Real eggs. Who needs plastic? Dye some eggs and scatter them around the yard for an old fashioned Easter Egg hunt. Granted, you may not want to eat those eggs that have been sitting out in the yard, but just keep some dyed Easter Eggs in reserve in the fridge to enjoy later.
2. Paper or straw baskets. Remember basket weaving? Who needs to buy plastic baskets? You can either re-purpose some straw baskets you probably have lying around the house already or pick some up at a thrift shop. Or simply make your own baskets. Here are some instructions on how to do this.
3. Thrift shop favors. Dying to dress up your house more? Looking for some crazy decorations? Check out your local thrift shops or even antique shops. Odds are you’ll find beautiful old Easter decorations at a fraction of the price of new favors.
4. Organic, fair trade or “natural” chocolates. Okay, this one may not be so retro. We all inhaled hydrogenated oils back in the day. But now there are other, healthier options. If you can’t find or afford fair trade or organic chocolates, look carefully at the labels. I blogged here about a nice little “Made in Vermont” bunny that has all natural ingredients.
5. “Paper” grass. Try shredding some construction paper, gift paper or even comics to make the grass instead of buying plastic grass. (And if you already have the fake plastic grass, just save it and re-use for future Easters!)
Happy Easter!
Do you have any other tips? Leave a comment and share!
– Lynn
Copyright 2008 OrganicMania
Popularity: 34% [?]
Filed under Cheap Plastic Crap, Green Ideas & Stuff, Holidays, Parenting | Wordpress Comments (11) |“It’s Not Organic, But It’s Made in Vermont”
“What does that mean?” I asked DH who returned from a jaunt to Whole Foods where he was tasked with picking up some organic, fair trade chocolates.
“I don’t know! I’m in OrganicManiac Hell!,” he sighed in exasperation. “Doesn’t ‘Made in Vermont’ mean its good”?
What a brand image for the state! Kind of like “Paris fashion,” perhaps?
So I checked out the label on the Lake Champlain bunny he brought home. He’s right – it’s not organic, but there are no hydrogenated oils or corn syrup, and no preservatives.
Maybe it’s true – if it’s made in Vermont, it has to be good!
– Lynn
Copyright 2008 OrganicMania
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Filed under Food, Holidays, Organic Product Needs, Parenting, Tips | Wordpress Comments (2) |10 Tips for Greening an Eco-Friendly St. Patrick’s Day
The “green” holiday is becoming anything but green. Back in the “olden days” when I was a kid, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day was simple. You put on some green clothing, perhaps a “Kiss Me I’m Irish” button, and made sure to down some beer that night. If you truly had the Luck of the Irish, you got to watch or march in a fabulous St. Patrick’s Day parade, like the one in New York City where I marched for years.
But like everything else in our consumerist society, we’re being prompted to buy more “stuff” to celebrate properly. I’ve admitted to loving the tacky, tacky side of Christmas, replete with blow-up inflatables and lighting, but decorating for the holidays is a longstanding tradition. Do we really need more inflatables barely three months later? This year, St. Patrick’s Day inflatables have popped up on suburban lawns, biding their time till they end up in our landfills. (Check it out here). And more and more, the retailers are offering special Cheap Plastic Crap for St. Patrick’s Day. Cheap Plastic Crap is bad enough in kid’s goody bags. Do we really want to encourage it on St. Patrick’s Day too?
Here are 10 tips for celebrating a truly green, eco-friendly St. Patrick’s Day. Have fun! Luck o’ the Irish to you!
1. Wear Green
2. March or Watch a St. Patrick’s Day Parade
3. Enjoy Some Irish Spirits
4. Sing Irish Songs
5. Visit an Irish Pub or Restaurant
6. Bake and Decorate Some Green Cookies or Cupcakes
7. Try Some Corned Beef and Cabbage
8. Say No to Cheap Plastic Crap for St. Patty’s Day
9. Say No to St. Patty’s Lawn Decorations
10. Smile and Say Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Have fun!
– Lynn
Copyright 2008 OrganicMania
Popularity: 34% [?]
Filed under Cheap Plastic Crap, Green Ideas & Stuff, Holidays, Tips | Wordpress Comments (3) |Green Ladies: Send this to your Valentine (Hint, Hint)
If you’re lucky enough to have a Valentine who may be hunting for a special something for you, you just may want to send this post along as a hint.
Completely green, organic, and with proceeds benefiting the wonderful green charity The Nature Conservancy, these organic flowers, e-cards, and gift memberships are the perfect gift for a green woman.
Be sure to click on this link for details on how to order and to benefit the Nature Conservancy!
– Lynn
Popularity: 48% [?]
Filed under Eco-friendly gifts, Green Charities, Holidays, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day | Wordpress Comment (0) |Simple “Green Valentines” for Your Little Kids
It’s hard to believe Valentines Day is next week. Soon it will be time to run out and buy those cutesy Valentine cards so popular with the preschool set. Wait a minute - they’re packaged in boxes shrink wrapped in environmentally unfriendly plastic. Plus, who ever remembers to buy them until your little darling reminds you the day before Valentine’s Day? By then the odds are good that you’ll need to make an extra trip to the store just to pick up the cards – wasting gas.
This Valentine’s Day, get ahead of the curve with an approach that’s cute, eco-friendly, inexpensive, and fun. Go retro and make your own Valentine’s cards!
You can get fancy if you want, but I’ve gotten rave reviews from the preschool teachers with just the simplest of Valentines. Before my son could even cut out a heart shaped valentine, he cut circles, squares, oblong odd shapes – whatever he could muster – from red construction paper. Then I either wrote his name on each one or he stuck a sticker with his name on each Valentine.
The teachers and kids loved the home made Valentines. I loved doing a simple, easy craft with my child from materials that we already had at home. What’s more, I didn’t waste gas, consume unnecessary plastic, or have to spend bucks on silly Valentine’s cards.
C’mon…join me and make your own Valentines. It’s just one simple way to show love to Mother Earth this Valentine’s Day!
– Lynn
Copyright 2008 Organicmania
Popularity: 19% [?]
Filed under Green Ideas & Stuff, Holidays, Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (4) |Happy New Year!
Turning the page on a new year, especially one that starts off with beautiful weather like today’s, can be a hopeful exercise. All around us are signs of a better tomorrow, especially for those of us with concerns about making our environment a healthier place.
In 2008, Organicmania looks forward to helping you make informed decisions about when it makes sense to go organic, and to sharing more simple steps to make the environment healthier for us all.
Happy New Year, Everyone!
– Lynn
Popularity: 9% [?]
Filed under Holidays | Wordpress Comment (0) |The Last Word on Green Tacky, Tacky
It’s been two weeks since I wrote about Green Tacky, Tacky and asked my dear readers for tips on where to find tacky “green” LED lights like choo choo trains, reindeer, Santa and the like. Guess what? No luck. Not a tip. Nada. Zilch. I even called upon my dear friend Karen, who works as an “elf” at her family’s business, Santa’s World, one of America’s largest importers of Christmas decorations. Not even she had heard of tacky green outdoor decorations.
What’s more, our one remaining tacky item, the 8 foot tall towering Santa, died – or deflated or something. What a sad sight. The neighborhood kids are beside themselves.
So now in a single season, our house has gone from being the talk of the neighborhood to simply another boring tastefully decorated house with LED lights.
To make matters worse, some of my friends in the “real world” have suggested that tacky and green don’t go together. Are you either green and tasteful, or non-environmentally friendly and tacky?
And if I don’t find tacky green outdoor decorations? What will I say to the neighborhood kids, as they gaze at the deflated Santa on my lawn? Will I commit an eco-sin and buy the non-environmentally friendly outside decorations? Well, I don’t confess sins but every Mother in America knows what I’ll do next.
– Lynn
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Filed under Green Ideas & Stuff, Holidays | Wordpress Comment (0) |An LED Rant, Warning and Recommendation
Here at the Green Tacky, Tacky home front, we were quite content with our new environmentally friendly LED lights procured from Target Friday evening. However, upon trying to install them this weekend, we realized that the lights were designed for built-in obsolescence. If one light blows, there’s no way to remove it to replace the bulb. Riddle me this: why are products only half-way green? You see it all the time: organic food served on Styrofoam plates or plastic cards in a food co-op. It just is crazy.
So off we set to our neighborhood hardware store, Strosniders, where they tend to carry the very finest of everything. (They also happen to be 100% wind-powered, isn’t that cool?) For about $3 more a box than the cheap environmentally unfriendly LEDs we bought at Target, we purchased replacement LEDs that came complete with two spare bulbs in the packaging. Check out Good Tidings brand Ultimate Indoor / Outdoor LED lights.
– Lynn
Popularity: 15% [?]
Filed under Green Ideas & Stuff, Holidays, Product Recommendations | Wordpress Comments (2) |
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