Earth Day Reverie
For a green blogger, what one chooses to post on Earth Day carries quite some significance.
I debated.
I thought about adding my voice to those expressing disgust at the commercialization of Earth Day. But I tried that two years ago.
And this year?
The same company that I took to task on Earth Day 2008 had their PR firm approach me about publicizing their tactless displays…
I thought about writing an update about “A Travesty on Earth Day.” It was two years ago Earth Day when a Bethesda developer chose to chop down eight beautiful, healthy, four-story high, towering trees in the heart of downtown to make way for a condo building….
Two years later…and those trees are gone forever, with no luxury building in sight.
I thought about writing an update post on the launch of my client, Green My Parents.
But heck, I spent the better part of the day tweeting about Green My Parents anyway!
Instead, I decided the best thing I could do for Earth Day was to get outside.
Watched as my eldest boy admired a tree branch.
Let my younger son think that leaves were a type of “toy” from the Earth.
And me? There’s nothing like lying in the soft, sunlit grass – enjoying Mother Earth. (Even when reminders of the constant pull of our commercial culture are literally right at hand).
And your Earth Day?
— Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
A First Look at What the New Safe Chemicals Act May Mean for Parents: It Won’t Be an Immediate Panacea
This morning, the Safe Chemicals Act, long awaited legislation to reform the nation’s outdated chemicals law, The Toxic Substances Control Act, was introduced in Congress. This came in response to years of lobbying by environmental health watchdogs like the Safer Chemicals Healthy Families Coalition; Healthy Child, Healthy World , The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and The Environmental Working Group; physicians like Dr. Alan Greene; authors like Stacy Malkin of “Not Just a Pretty Face,” Diane MacEachern of Big Green Purse, Jennifer Taggert of The Smart Mama’s Green Guide, and Nena Baker of “The Body Toxic,” and yes, activists like Moms Rising and bloggers like my Green Moms Carnival friends.
It was just a year ago this month that the Green Moms Carnival bloggers were taken to task by the chemical lobby and others for our “hysterical” reaction to finding out that our favorite baby bath products contained probable human carcinogens. Some of us, like Sommer of Green and Clean Mom, who hosted the Toxic Tub Carnival, were even attacked by other Mom bloggers for being so rude as to question those companies that market baby products with 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde.
But in the end, all of our probing, phone calling, and blogging contributed to the consumer outrage that led retailers to pull BPA-tainted products and state legislators to restrict the use of harmful chemicals in common everyday items. Now, with today’s introduction of the Safe Chemicals Act, we are a huge step closer to an even safer marketplace.
But don’t celebrate just yet – this bill’s not a panacea. I still foresee the most diligent among us dutifully consulting databases to figure out which products are safe to buy. Incredible, isn’t it? That’s because the bill regulates the EPA, not the FDA – which regulates 1,4 dioxane, as J&J explains on their website. And because the bill doesn’t mandate that the EPA look at multiple exposures, as the esteemed National Academy of Sciences has recommended. It just “allows” it to do so.
But for those of us who are still waiting for our simple questions about chemical reform to be answered? Well, today we got some answers. Here’s what I asked and here is the response from Dr. Alan Greene, M.D., Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, author, Raising Baby Green (and every green Mom’s favorite twitter buddy):
OrganicMania: “My readers are particularly interested in probable carcinogenic compounds like 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde which are commonly used in infant and childrens baths. Given that there are 80,000 chemicals in the market today – and some of them – like asbestos – are very directly linked to deaths, how likely do you think it is that specific action will be taken against the use of 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde in terms of being classified as most dangerous?”
Dr. Greene “1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde would meet a a number of the criteria for prioritization. A safety determination will be made early in the process relative to 1,4 dioxane. Formaldehyde might also get expedited action.”
At that point, Dr. Richard Denison, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund, noted that the FDA has jurisdication over formaldehyde, not the EPA. (But I knew this, thanks to The Smart Mama.) As Dr. Denison put it, “EPA must have authority and the mandate to look at all uses of chemicals under another agency’s jurisdiction.”
I then went on to ask about multiple, cumulative exposures. Because how are those little babies being exposed to neurotoxins? Its likely through the chemical-laden creams, lotions and potions that the average American woman slathers over her body every day. And as The Smart Mama has blogged, the industry would like us to believe that “just a little bit of carcinogen is okay.”
How to tackle that issue? It’s far trickier. As Maureen Swanson of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, said, “We would like to see strengthened language that would direct the EPA to go by the National Academy of Science’s recommendation on looking more closely at cumulative exposures. It is mentioned in the bill, but they are not directed to adopt those recommendations. How do we enact real reform to make a real difference in our products and in our health risks?..I totally agree..there are a lot of different chemicals which can interfere with the thyroid, and the thyroid gland impacts brain development. It is essential to work on the science, to get stronger language directing EPA to use those recommendations, and to make clear that both versions of the bill define the safety standard and to require they at least take into account aggregate and cumulative exposures. “
Dr. Greene then jumped in to explain, “It’s left to the EPA to flesh out, and there’s no immediate change on that because there’s not science to deal with it {multiple cumulative exposures}. But by requiring the EPA to take those factors into account, we have a structure that moves us forward far beyond where we are now.”
So what can you do?
First, support this bill. It’s the best we’ve got, and it’s the best we’ll get. Pay attention to the debate raging in the mainstream media and at action sites like Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, the Environmental Working Group’s Kid-Safe Blog, and Healthy Child, Healthy World.
And remember, as you start talking up the Safe Chemicals Act, don’t let anyone accuse you of being a hysterical mom. Or you’ll have to answer to:
Tiffany of Nature Moms , Jennifer of The Green Parent, Beth of Fake Plastic Fish Katy from Non-Toxic Kids, Micaela from Mindfull Momma, Alicia from The Soft Landing, Anna from Green Talk , Christine Gardner of moregreenmoms, Alline of Passion for Green Business , Diane from Big Green Purse and one of Glamour Magazine’s 70 Eco Heros, Jess from The Green Phone Booth, MaryAnne at EcoChild’s Play and Not Quite Crunchy Parent, Karen from Best of Mother Earth, Katherine from the Safe Mama, Sommer of Green and Clean Mom, Jennifer aka The Smart Mama, and of course, me, Lynn from OrganicMania.
Oh, J&J? No need to answer those questions now. I got my answers today.
— Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
Another Green Moms Carnival is Up: Spring is for Gardening!
Head on over to GreenTalk today to check out the wonderful compilation of gardening posts that the lovely Anna has put up on her blog. I lost count, but depending on how you count ’em, looks like there are 15 to 20 great posts about gardening!
So sit back, relax and prepare to be inspired!
Thanks, Anna, for hosting!
Our next carnival is May 3rd, hosted by Diane of Big Green Purse. The topic? Transportation!
— Lynn
Organic and Green Savings: Gardening Edition!
The next Green Moms’ Carnival, to be hosted on Monday, by the lovely Anna of Green-Talk, is all about gardening. Last spring, inspired by Anna and her great gardening posts I decided to try raising plants from seed for the first time. It was fun in the beginning.
But unfortunately the plants never took.
Fact is, I’m not much for gardening. I can’t even keep an “indestructible” bamboo plant alive on my desk.
The only plants that survive in my garden are the really natural ones – you know, the ones that come up no matter what you do. (And the ones that our house’s former owner, a Master Gardener, planted and left for us!)
So my bad luck with gardening presented a dilemma for this carnival. What to write? What could I possibly contribute?
For the past few years, I’ve blogged on a semi-regular basis about organic and green savings. Most of the time I’ve focused on food. Never on gardening. So here you go – if I can’t pass along sage gardening advice, at least I can pass along a few tips on good gardening values.
Organic Gardening Soil & Other Organic Accoutrements
In the past few years, the organic gardening trend has really taken off. And frankly, it’s puzzled me a bit. For unless you live on soil that was previously treated with chemicals, herbicides and pesticides, odds are your soil is already organic! There’s no need for fancy “organic” soils and supplies. Save your money for more important organic supplies…plants and seeds.
Which Organic Seeds? Which Organic Plants?
It’s pretty cool to find all of the grocery stores stocking seed these days – even organic seed. But there’s a price differential – as with most things organic. At the local Giant and Safeway grocery stores in Bethesda, Maryland, you’ll pay .90 cents more per packet for organic seed versus conventional. Funny how it seems like a lot of money at the time – until you think of how much produce those seeds should yield!
What are you really buying? For the home gardener, the most important thing about organic seed is that it guarantees that the plants you are growing will not be from genetically modified stock. So which plants are most likely to be genetically modified? In the US, the vast majority of corn, soy, and tomato crops are genetically modified. Concerns have been raised about what the ramifications may be of ingesting GMOs – a practice that has been banned in Japan and the EU. There may be some genetic modification of other crops, but it’s not as common as with corn, soy and tomato – so those are the plants and seedlings you should definitely buy organic. By all means, buy everything organic if you can – just to be on the safe side. But if not, spring for the big 3: tomatoes, corn and soy.
Gardening is Not Necessarily Green
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned on this blogging journey is this: organic does not necessarily mean green. Green does not necessarily mean organic. Organic doesn’t mean fair trade. And the list goes on…..
Same with gardening. If you’re trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle, does buying plants in plastic containers make sense?
Not only is plastic made from petrochemicals (increasing our carbon footprints and contributing to global warming), but it doesn’t degrade in a landfill or compost heap. The manufacturing process is also highly toxic, often causing health problems for the people unfortunate enough to live nearby the manufacturing facilities. (For more on this, watch Tapped, The Movie).
Sometimes, the choice is easy, like it was at this Giant store. A wooden basket or plastic? For the same price? What an easy choice.
Other times, you may think you have no choice – just row after row of plastic seedling containers.
But there’s always a better way. Cardboard, egg crate, and other paper-based materials can all be re-used (and later composted) to make seedling pots.
Talk to your store’s manager. Ask if they can talk to their suppliers about more sustainable packaging. Even if they can’t change the packaging, surely they can start a take-back program for the little plastic pots. Write a letter. Ask your friends to do the same. You’d be amazed at what a little bit of consumer input can do!
Garden. Do it Organically or Not. But be Green. Don’t contribute more to the plastic waste stream in your quest to “be green” by planting a bit of garden space in your backyard.
For more tips on gardening, head on over to Green-Talk to hear what the rest of the Green Moms Carnival members have to say about gardening. And for more tips on living life with less plastic, check out Fake Plastic Fish.
— Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
Happy Easter, Chocolate Face!
I had to share this pic of Boo, because it just encapsulates the joy of a little one, doesn’t it?
Of course, as per usual, I had great plans to write well researched posts about the dearth of fair trade chocolate, easy tips for an eco-friendly Easter, and more.
But at the end of the day, as we all know, you can’t do it all. Face in front of the computer, or face in front of your loved ones?
I opted for love.
Hope you did too. Enjoy the day!
(Now my DH’s cheese souffle beckons…)
— Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
Think Raising Green Kids is Tough? Try Greening Your Parents! (And Vote Today at Pepsi Refresh!)
Maybe I’ve had it wrong all along. I’ve been blogging about helping parents to raise green kids, when maybe it’s the kids who need to green their parents!
That’s the premise behind Green My Parents, a green youth movement launching Earth Day to help young people teach their peers and parents how to work together to go green through simple, everyday actions that not only help Mother Earth, they save money! Starting with a small group of “Green My Parents Champions,” these kids are committed to recruiting 100 kids to help save their parents $100 at home through simple, energy savings steps. The movement will grow as those 100 kids recruit another 100 kids and so on until they reach their goal of saving $100 million for American families – and greening the planet at the same time.
I’m blown away by the kids behind this movement. Check out:
- Adora Svitak, a 12-year-old who is a published author and was the youngest speaker at the TED 2010 conference. She says, “ As one of the champions for GreenMyParents, I feel strongly that we can inspire our families, our communities and our country to successfully face and overcome the most important challenge of our time.”
- Jordan Howard, 17, a senior at Environmental Charter High in LA, Green Ambassador Youth leader, and prolific speaker and blogger who inspires at her blog jordaninspires.com;
- Alec Loorz, a 14-year-old who founded Kids Against Global Warming as a 12-year-old. He gave over 30 global warming presentations before being invited by Al Gore to be formally trained with the Climate Project in October of 2008. He is now the youngest trained presenter with The Climate Project.
- Ally Maize, who three years ago, as a 15-year-old started the Green Youth Movement, whose goal is to “educate kids all over the world on living green, and to one day establish this very important information as part of the curriculum in our elementary schools.” and
- Erin Schrode, a freshman at Columbia University and founder of Teens Turning Green who wrote a great blog post about just what Green My Parents means to her. Erin just returned from a trip to Haiti that was sponsored by Green My Parents. As Erin put it, “Every penny I raise for Haiti will go DIRECTLY to development efforts on the ground and the creation of a sustainable healthy peaceful nation for the future.”
Talk about positive role models for youth! (I don’t even want to imagine the college application essays these kids have put together!)
There’s a lot already going on – you can follow GreenMyParents on Facebook and Twitter and keep up with the movement on our website. But the official launch is on Earth Day, when the Green My Parents book (and more) comes out. So stay tuned for more deets! And please, join in! God knows, we need to green those parents!
Some of the other organizations behind Green My Parents are: National Wildlife Federation publisher of Ranger Rick Magazine, Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR Program, Carbonfund.org, Environmental Media Association, Earth Echo, Alliance for Climate Education (ACE,) Kiva.Org, DonorsChoose.org, Kids vs. Global Warming, Green Youth Movement (GYM), Teens Turning Green, SlowFoodUSA, ProjectSprout, Rise Above Plastics, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Green Charter Schools Network, Environmental Charter High School, Green Ambassadors, and many others who are joining us every day. Care to join in as a sponsor or a member? Just leave a comment here, @ us on Twitter, leave a message on our Facebook page, or whatever is easiest. We’ve got a lot of work to do!
Note: GreenMyParents is a new client of my consulting firm, 4GreenPs. I’m thrilled to be working with them to help this movement take off!
— Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
Kids and Earth Hour: Finally, We’ve Got It Down!
Ever since Earth Hour debuted in 2008, I’ve struggled with how to incorporate the late evening holiday into my childrens’ bedtime routines. The first year, we celebrated what I called an “Earth Minute.”
Last year, I had it all figured out: I shared all the details on Five Tips for Observing Earth Hour with Kids:
1. Stick to Your Routines
2. Pick a Substitute Time that Works for You
3. Use this as a Teachable Moment
4. Give Yourself a Break
5. Celebrate with Your Significant Other
But this year? Well, Big Boy’s in second grade now. So when they celebrated Earth Hour at school, he actually understood the concept.
I spent the day today at a Green Jobs Internship Fair, talking to scores of amazing young people bent on using their talents to help save the Earth. Exhausted, I returned home. Earth Hour? They celebrated at school this year. My son understood. He was falling asleep as the last flickers of light left the sky.
— Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
My Take on Expo West
So you might be wondering what happened….. I posted about how I would be blogging from Expo West…and then…nothing. (Well, except for all those tweets!)
Well, today my post about ExpoWest went up on the Seventh Generation community blog. You can read it here.
It was a great experience, and despite my good natured complaining about Food Porn and Organic Kid Marketing, I hope to make it back to the show again next year!
— Lynn
10 Tips for a Really Green Saint Patrick’s Day
Note: This is a lightly updated post I run every year at this time. I guess every year I hope the Giants and Safeways and other grocery stores and mass merchandisers will stop hawking so much crap on Saint Patrick’s Day. But as this picture I snapped yesterday attests, they’re still at it….
Flowers are great….green plastic hats and plastic wrapped flowers – not so much!
The “green” holiday is becoming anything but green. Back 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 St. Patrick’s Day parade.
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 in or Watch a St. Patrick’s Day Parade
3. Enjoy Some Irish Spirits (and if it’s beer you’re drinking, opt for organic!)
4. Sing Irish Songs
5. Visit an Irish Pub or Restaurant (Walk or take public transit if you can!)
6. Bake and Decorate Some Green Cookies or Cupcakes
7. Skip the Corned Beef, Go for the Cabbage (Why? Cattle farming is a contributor to global warming).
8. Say No to Cheap Plastic Crap for St. Patty’s Day
9. Say No to St. Patty’s Lawn Decorations and Inflatables
10. Smile and Say Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Have fun!
– Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
Blogging and Tweeting at ExpoWest, Courtesy of Seventh Generation
For years, I’ve wanted to attend the Expo West trade show, held every spring in Anaheim, California. It’s the largest show for natural and organic product makers. Expo West is THE place to find out about new trends, and to meet the people behind the brands. It is there that retail outlets like Whole Foods discover new items to stock, and it is there that manufacturers unveil their new products.
First my former client, Heather Stouffer of Mom Made Foods, tried to convince me to go. Then Seth Goldman of Honest Tea offered me a free pass. But it was just too much – Boo was too young, my business too young, and the timing just wasn’t right.
This year, I’m pleased to say that I’m traveling as one of four bloggers invited by Seventh Generation, to “experience our world,” as their Storyteller put it.
I’ll be joined by Diane MacEachern and Jennifer Taggert, whom I know well as Founding Members of The Green Moms Carnival. (And both women are talented authors in addition to bloggers. Their books, Big Green Purse and Smart Mama’s Green Guide are two must-read books for any Green Mom!) Our quartet will be completed by @rockinmama, whom I’m looking forward to meeting.
ExpoWest will be one of those places where I straddle the worlds of Marketer (4GreenPs) and “Green Mom” blogger (OrganicMania).
But that’s what we women do all the time, right? Mother, daughter, working woman, wife, volunteer, neighbor, friend, activist…if there’s one thing women are adept at doing, it’s juggling.
But here’s the deal. It’s required by law that bloggers disclose their business relationships. (In fact, I just talked about this issue at this webinar over at Sustainable Brands Forum Bootcamp!)
So here are the terms of my relationship with Seventh Generation.
First, Seventh Generation is a client of my consulting practice, 4GreenPs. However, my work for Seventh Generation is not connected to this trip to ExpoWest, nor to these blog posts.
Seventh Generation is paying for my trip in return for:
A post about my experience at the show on the Seventh Generation blog; and my attendance at these eight events:
- Seventh Generation Broker Reception;
- Drinks and appetizers with Seventh Generation founder Geoffrey Hollander and their still relatively “new” CEO, Chuck Maniscalco (I’m REALLY looking forward to this, especially since Geoffrey Hollander is a widely revered pioneer in the green business world and Chuck Maniscalco has a very traditional “Corporate America” business background like mine.)
- A book signing and seminar on Geoffrey Hollander’s new book, “The Responsibility Revolution: Winning in the Next Generation of Business.” (This is another event I’m really excited about!)
- Future of Wellness Seminar with Dr. Alan Greene. I was fortunate to meet my “twitter pal” Dr. Green at GreenFest (see our pic below). But I’m embarrassed to admit that in all the excitement, I forgot to buy his book and have him sign it! So I’ll look forward to chatting with him again, learning from his amazing insights into childhood development and nutrition, and finally leaving with a signed copy of his new book!
- Dinner with Seventh Generation’s SVP of Marketing and Sr. Marketing Director. I’ve only spoken briefly by phone with Kristen Deshaies, the Marketing Director widely credited with Seventh Generation’s popular first television ad. I’m eager to talk with both her and Dave Kimbell about media strategy at Seventh Gen. I’m particularly interested in what they are doing to support traditional media – the cornerstone of our democracy. Bloggers are ok, but buy more print ads! Save the newspapers!
- Honestly, the only thing I’m NOT looking forward to is this 8 a.m. Saturday session on “Seventh Generation GIVE (Generation Inspiration via Education). I’m sure it will be interesting, but I am NOT a morning person.
- Another event I’m really looking forward to is a B Corporation reception. B Corporations are all the rage with sustainable brands, and I am VERY interested in learning more about the B Corp set-up. (My own firm is an LLC).
- Dinner with Jennifer Cinadr, director of GIVE program. This will probably be where I ask Jennifer to repeat all those factoids I couldn’t quite take in at 8 a.m.! (Just kidding).
All of my posts from the show will be marked with this disclosure icon provided by Seventh Generation. The company specified that my tweets and blog posts do not have to reference Seventh Generation, although it’s very likely that many will, simply because….well, look at how I’ll be spending my time! It’s a packed agenda.
I expect to be tweeting from both of my accounts: @OrganicMania as well as @4GreenPs with the hashtag #ExpoWest
Please let me know if there’s anything you think I should be sure to check out at the show. I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of people whom I’ve gotten to know through the whole bloggy/tweety world, to learning more about the world of natural products marketing, and to meeting the team from Seventh Generation.
And I’m curious to know…for those of you bloggers and PR people who have been involved in other sponsored trips – a la Walmart 11, #SocialMediaMoms, Lego Atlantis, etc, how does this agenda and the expectations compare?
What do you think of sponsored trips for bloggers?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
— Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
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