Green Moms Carnival is Up: Green Moms Spill Their Eco-Secrets
Head on over to visit Jenn Savedge’s site, The Green Parent, where you can read all about the “Eco-Secrets” of the Green Moms of the Green Moms Carnival.
While I don’t normally laugh at behavior that’s not mindful of the environment, I know these women – and I know that they live their lives with tremendous concern for the environment. Still, none of us are perfect. (Although I do think Beth of Fake Plastic Fish and Diane of Big Green Purse come awfully close to perfection). Let’s face it, it’s human nature to want to know the “real scoop” and what goes on behind closed doors (or on vacation, in my case!)
As I read these posts, my initial reaction was to howl with laughter and self-recognition. But then these profound words from this OrganicMania interview with Seth Goldman, Tea-EO of Honest Tea, came back to me:
“Still, it’s a challenge. We live in a consumer society. The definition of a consumer is to destroy, and the definition of sustainability is the exact opposite. How do you live a sustainable life in a consumer society? You’re setting yourself up for a contradiction.”
He’s so right, isn’t he?
What do you think? Please leave a comment and share!
— Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2009
Photo Credit: XKCD, reprinted under CCL.
Filed under Green moms, Green Moms Carnival Home Page & Calendar | Wordpress Comment (1) |Leaving Green Behind (For My Kids)
The week between the end of the school year and the start of summer camp is a rough time. Many families are left scrambling for child care or trying to arrange play dates to keep the kids entertained. This year, we wised up and headed out of town for a mini-vacation.
Since I’ve blogged about avoiding car use for the sake of the climate change fight, you might be thinking that we hopped into our hybrid for an eco-tour.
But since the theme of this month’s Green Moms Carnival is EcoConfessions, I have to confess that we don’t even own a hybrid.
Last week, we loaded up our station wagon to join the throngs of tots journeying to see Thomas the Tank Engine and to explore Dutch Wonderland, a kid-focused amusement park I remembered fondly from my 4th birthday.
The irony of this “Green Mom” traveling 400 miles round trip to see the Crown Prince of “Kid Marketing” – a coal-powered train no less – was not lost on me. Sure, we squealed with delight when Thomas steamed into the station, but we also coughed and complained when we breathed in the foul coal smoke from Thomas’ boiler.
That’s when I snapped this picture of the pile of coal used to power Thomas, and tried to shake off a feeling of hypocrisy. Memories of many bloggy conversations with LaMarguerite about coal and global warming and thoughts of Retro Housewife’s upcoming Green Moms Carnival on coal clouded my mind. I sighed and sent a quick tweet about how the trip was great fodder for this month’s EcoConfession carnival!
And it’s not just the travel – it’s the food and the souvenirs to boot. Yes, that’s a piece of Cheap Plastic Crap (also known as a miniature plastic train) that my 2 ½ year old is grasping ever so tightly in that photo. Yes, I’m the one who blogged about “Just Say No to Cheap Plastic Crap.” But when it’s the only thing a darling boy asks for in the souvenir shop, it’s hard to resist. I pushed thoughts of my plastic-free friend Beth from Fake Plastic Fish out of my head. And the Star Wars figurine in his other hand? Sigh. Caught again. I’ve clearly bought plastic toys more than once. (Beth, will you still be my friend?)
Heading over to Dutch Wonderland the next morning, we were greeted by this sign: No Food Allowed.
We stayed in the car a few minutes extra to fill up on fresh hardboiled CSA eggs , organic cheese and whole wheat bread. As we entered the park, I managed a sarcastic aside to the guard, saying “Oh, since we can’t bring in our own food, I suppose there’s plenty of boiled eggs, fresh organic apples and raw veggies for sale in the park?” He referred me to the kosher mart as the best bet for “health food.”
Since the healthy kosher mart was closed, we ended up with this for lunch.
But I suppose it’s okay, because the souvenir shop’s organic t-shirts proclaimed, “Dutch Wonderland: We’re Going Green!”
And the most shocking part of my Eco Confession? We had such a great time that we hope to make this decidedly “un-green” vacation an annual event!
What’s your Eco-Confession? Leave a comment and share! And head on over to The Green Parent on Wednesday, June 24th to read more EcoConfessions from the wonderful women of The Green Moms Carnival.
Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Green moms, Parenting | Wordpress Comments (20) |Another Green Moms Carnival Is Up: World Environment Day and World Oceans Day
Head on over to The Smart Mama to see a small but mighty round up of posts on World Environment Day and World Oceans Day.
Interested in what we’re doing next? Check out the calendar, complete with submission instructions, right here. Hope you’ll join us again on June 24th for Eco-Confessions with The Green Parent.
— Lynn
Filed under global warming, Green Charities, Green Moms Carnival Home Page & Calendar | Wordpress Comment (0) |SeeJaneDo? Hear Lynn ( OrganicMania), Jennifer ( The Smart Mama), and Lisa (@enviroblog) Talk!
I’m the worst when it comes to posting press interviews. One would think I would have this down by now since it’s part of what I do for a living, but I always wind up feeling awkward about doing so (only when it comes to me, of course, not my clients!)
Anyway, after a month’s delay and with great apologies to Elisa Parker, producer and host of See Jane Do, here is a link to the interview posted about the online green activism practiced by the women at the Green Moms Carnival. Joining me in the interview is Green Moms Carnival Founding Member, author, environmental expert, and XRF-gun wielding lead-toy-tester Jennifer Taggert – also known as The Smart Mama – and Lisa Frack, online parent organizer at The Environmental Working Group. You can click here for a podcast of the interview which was broadcast on community radio station KVMR.
See Jane Do is the newest program program launched by nationally acclaimed community radio station KVMR, which documentary filmmaker Michael Moore calls “the best public radio station in America.” Thanks to a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, See Jane Do is being distributed to a national audience. Their focus is on ”capturing the stories of everyday women doing extraordinary things for the planet.” The producers have already gotten some fabulous interviews archived on line with fellow Green Moms Carnival Founding Member Diane MacEachern, author of The Big Green Purse; Chef Ann (transformed school lunches with Alice Waters), Joan Blades of MomsRising.org and MoveOn.org, Elisa Camahort Page of BlogHer and Anya Fernald, director of Slow Food Nation.
Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2009
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comment (0) |Gardening with the Green Moms: Talk About Stress Relief!
Did this photo make you smile? Admittedly, I’m biased since that’s my “Baby Boo,” but how could it not make you smile?
That’s one of the greatest things about gardening (and children). They bring us so many smiles. And when our lives are full of the hectic everyday busyness that is modern life, plus the unexpected curve balls that life lobs at you every now and then, well, who couldn’t use some stress relief?
Want to know how to get started with your spring garden? Check out a round-up of great gardening posts from the Green Moms Carnival over at Green and Clean Mom. My own post about recycled seed starter pots was belatedly added to the carnival after its launch, because I was …well…stressed out dealing with child advocacy and green advocacy issues; an elderly, sick mother; stitches for Baby Boo; and the everyday craziness that all of us face as parents.
Have you started a garden yet? It’s not too late! Leave a comment and share!
And if you just can’t get around to it this year, take a walk and go enjoy someone else’s garden!
— Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2009 .
Filed under Easy Green Weekend Projects, Green Ideas & Stuff, Green moms, Green Moms Carnival Home Page & Calendar, Savings Tips, Uncategorized | Wordpress Comment (1) |The Toxic Tub Report: An Update
In case you missed the news over the Memorial Day weekend, take a look at this excellent reporting from the Associated Press on the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics continued efforts to get 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde out of baby products. Late last week the Campaign delivered a letter to Johnson & Johnson’s CEO asking that J&J reformulate its personal care products to ensure they are free of 1,4-dioxane, phase out phthalates from its products, reformulate its products to avoid the use of Quaternium-15 and other formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, and to switch to safer preservatives. (The last one shouldn’t be too hard since J&J is already selling formaldehyde-free versions of its products in Japan, where formaldehyde is banned in personal care products).
Click here to view the letter.
Back in April, the Green Moms Carnival blogged about this very issue – probable human carcinogens in children’s products. After that carnival, the industry spokespeople who somehow couldn’t find the time to directly answer our questions – even when we called and emailed – found the time to leave snarky comments on our blogs. You can read all about this here and here.
What’s happened since then?
– In late April, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Safe Baby Products Act, which directs the FDA to investigate and regulate hazardous contaminants in personal care products marketed to or used by children.
– A National Cancer Institute study reinforcing the link between cancer and formaldehyde was published in late May. Read more here.
No sooner was I done reading the great press coverage than I received an email from the Campaign, which reads in part:
“Normally a letter like this wouldn’t raise much interest, but clearly people are outraged that such a trusted product as Johnson’s Baby Shampoo could contain carcinogens. I think the Green Moms Carnival was really helpful in tipping parents off to this problem when we released the “Toxic Tub” report in March – thank you. We’re hopeful that the company will reconsider its position that “a little bit” of a carcinogen is nothing to worry about.
Thanks for your good work.”
Marisa Walker
Communications manager
Breast Cancer Fund
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
I was so thrilled to receive this note that I called Marisa to speak to her about the Campaign, and to thank her for taking the time to send this note to us. I’m very proud of the great work done by my friends at The Green Moms Carnival. Thanks again to all of you who participated in the Toxic Tub Carnival, which was hosted by Sommer at Green and Clean Mom. Thanks to: Jennifer our Smart Mama, Beth of Fake Plastic Fish, Jess from The Green Phone Booth, MaryAnne Conlin (aka @mcmilker) from EcoChild’s Play, Jennifer of The Green Parent, Katherine from the Safe Mama, Anna from Green Talk, Alicia from The Soft Landing, Karen from Best of Mother Earth, Micaela from Mindful Momma, Katy from Non-Toxic Kids, Diane from Big Green Purse, Alline of Passion for Green Business, Christine Gardner of moregreenmoms, Tiffany of Nature Moms, and of course, Sommer of Green and Clean Mom.
We’re not there yet, but what progress!
And that picture of J&J Baby Shampoo? How ironic that as I pulled up a stool at a neighbor’s home this afternoon, my view was of …well, what’s in that stuff anyway?
— Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (8) |GreenHour Moms
Have you heard of GreenHour? It’s a program by the National Wildlife Federation designed to encourage parents to give their kids some outside time each day. They’ve got a cool website with all kinds of resources for parents, where they’ve been featuring a bunch of Green Moms on their site. Last week was Mary Quattlebaum, one of my favorite children’s book authors; the week prior featured an interview with fellow Green Moms Carnival members Renee Limon and Heather Hawkins of Enviromom, and this week is yours truly!
Check it out and get outside today! (Yes, even with the rain…just pretend you’re in London!)
Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (2) |Nielsen’s Power Mom 50 & Me
Twitter was buzzing on Friday about a new BrandWeek article on the power of “Digital Moms.” Another Nielsen Online study was out, and I was thinking that I really needed to read it for the benefit of my clients… Imagine my surprise when just a few hours later I received an email from my green mom friend @mcmilker with subject line: You Power Mom – You!!
I laughed.
Of course, I was thrilled too, to be named to this list of influential bloggers. What a great Mother’s Day gift!
But Power and Moms? Those two words are rarely used together. The Moms I know all feel just the opposite – powerless. Powerless over the craziness that comes with raising kids. The unpredictability of a good night’s sleep, the near-certainty that if you purchase non-refundable tickets to anything, your child will fall ill…the sudden realization that once you have kids, you really can’t control anything anymore.
But the fact is, Corporate America knows the power of moms’ collective purchasing power. Nearly $2 trillion a year is spent by Moms, who control 85% of household spending, according to the Marketing to Moms Coalition.
And where did I fit into all this? If anything, I’ve slowed my spending since leaving corporate America behind to start my consulting practice. But I spend a lot of time – on Twitter, through the Green Moms Carnival, during interviews, and here on OrganicMania and other blogs- advising women on which green and organic products are worth purchasing.
OrganicMania was included in Nielsen Online’s Power Mom 50 “mamaste” category of “mom bloggers who stretch beyond their spheres to explore going green, travel and spirituality,” along with fellow Green Mom carnival member Sommer Poquette of Green and Clean Mom and several other bloggers I’ll have to get to know: Traveling Mamas, Mormon Mommy Wars, Travel Savvy Mom, More than Words, Mom of Faith, and Happy, Healthy Hip.
I’m thrilled to be a “Power Mom.” Thanks to all who have supported me on this blogging journey, especially my sisters-in-arms at The Green Moms Carnival and @GreenMoms. Check out Nielsen’s Power Mom 50 report here.
Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!
Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Blog, Consulting Business, Green moms, Parenting | Wordpress Comments (7) |Earth Day 2009: Let’s Make a Difference!
The Green Moms of the Green Moms Carnival are focusing on celebrating the true spirit of Earth Day.
As Alline Anderson of Passion for Green Business says, “Ah, Earth Day. Created in the 70’s to raise awareness, it has morphed into another demon shopping holiday – or has it? As the host of the Green Mom’s Carnival for this Earth Day, I am delighted to share the insights of some very talented, thoughtful women. Always impressive, they continue to astonish me with the ways they look at the world, and how hard they are working to make it a better, and greener, place.”
Come check out today’s Earth Day edition of the Green Moms Carnival at Alline’s blog, Passion for Green Business.
— Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
Filed under Green Ideas & Stuff, Green moms, Holidays | Wordpress Comment (0) |Earth Day & Graham Crackers
“Mama, can you fix my graham cracker?”
It was a plaintive question from a small voice in the back of the car. As parents, our instinct is to help our kids whenever we can. But sadly, I had to explain that some things — like broken graham crackers — can’t be fixed.
No sooner had I responded than it hit me. With Earth Day reminders all around us, I couldn’t help but take that question and apply it to the environment. How much of the environmental degradation will we be able to fix? What is reversible, and what is not ?
The answers are not simple.
And as Earth Day continues its metamorphosis into a Buy Green Holiday, it’s important to recognize that we can’t buy our way out of this mess. Sure, investments in certain areas can help, as can replacing toxic products with eco-friendly substitutes.
But what would happen if we all took a close look at our local environmental issues and tried to figure out what we could do to fix things? Here are a few things you do:
– Clean up the litter in a local park or along a river, as these people do in DC’s Rock Creek;
– Plant a tree or take inspiration from this 21-year-old and support a reforestation program;
– Support one of the many fine environmental organizations trying to make a difference in this tough economic environment. Some of my faves: The Nature Conservancy; Environmental Working Group; and Healthy Child, Healthy World. Others? The local groups working hard to make a difference in your own backyard. Here in the DC area that means groups like Friends of Rock Creek, The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and Bethesda Green.
What have you fixed recently? Leave a comment and share. Really, I want to hear what you’ve been up to! Haven’t done anything lately? Hmm…quit surfing the ‘Net and get moving!
— Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2009
Filed under Green Charities, Green moms, Holidays | Wordpress Comments (10) |
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