It may be winter, and it may be cold, but don’t let that stop you from getting out of the house!  I found Evan, 10 months, enjoying some book time in his Endangered Species Monarch Butterfly stroller at our local library. 

Evan’s Mom Beth said she loves the stroller because it’s spacious and sturdy, yet still lightweight enough for getting around easily.  And when winter gets dreary, the bright colors are a welcome sight in the snowy landscape.

Along with the Monarch Butterfly, we will have the Lemur Leaf Frog and our new Giant Panda strollers available in February.  Ask your favorite retailer if they will be carrying the Baby Planet Endangered Species line!

Organic Produce in an Organic Nutshell
The main differences between conventionally grown produce and organically grown produce are the ways in which they are grown and processed.  Organic produce is grown by farmers who work with the earth, cultivating healthy soil and therefore growing healthy offerings.

Conventional growers depend on a quicker turn around and higher yield by using chemical fertilizers and pesticides that ultimately strip the soil of it’s nutrients and render it useless.  This is one of the reasons organics cost more.  They are not chemically enhanced to make more.  With organics, the farmers let nature determine the yield.  Sometimes, it is a smaller yield, and prices go up.

Still hesitating because of the price tag?  Consider a trade-off:  Below is a list of the most highly contaminated produce, ranked by the Environmental Working Group.  If you don’t switch completely to organic, consider making the move on just these items:

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Grapes (Imported)
10. Spinach
11. Lettuce
12. Potatoes
13. Carrots
14. Green Beans
15. Hot Peppers
16. Cucumbers
17. Raspberries
18. Plums
19. Grapes (Domestic)
20. Oranges

Conversely, these are the produce items with the least amount of contamination.

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn (Frozen)
4. Pineapples
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas (Frozen)
8. Kiwi
9. Bananas
10. Cabbage
11. Broccoli
12. Papaya
13. Blueberries
14. Cauliflower
15. Winter Squash
16. Watermelon
17. Sweet potatoes
18. Tomatoes
19. Honeydew melon
20. Cantaloupe

Keep these lists handy on your fridge.  If anything, they can serve as a reminder that you have the power to make positive change, at least for you and your family.

I don’t know about you, but I love deals.  I especially love it when they pop up unexpectedly, and I know, know that because of my mad shopping skills no one else will ever get a deal as amazing as I just did.

If you like to be surprised, are up for a challenge and want a fun and easy way to support the planet, then read on, because the green art of resale shopping is about to rock your world.

Now, I know that a lot of people are leery about shopping for pre-owned treasure.  Their reasons usually range from the “gross” factor (someone else’s body touched this!), to the convenience factor (there is not enough time in my day to sort through rack upon rack of stuff that someone else’s body touched!) to pride (we are not so poor that we have to stoop to this level).

All interesting arguments; however, at the end of the day, shopping resale is a great way to embrace a less wasteful way of living, and get some phenomenal clothes for your baby or children at a tiny fraction of the price you would pay at retail.   And P.S.? You can find plenty of great maternity and fashionable clothing for yourself, as well.

Many specialty resale shops carry only name-brand clothing

Cleanliness? That’s what washing machines are for
I would say from my experience that 95% of resale clothing is in clean, wearable condition.  The shops do screen for junk so you don’t have to (although they’re only human and occasionally miss a spot or tear).   You wash it all when you get home anyway, so it’s like it was always yours. (As a side note, please don’t send your unwearable discards to the donations centers just because you don’t want to throw it away yourself. If you hate throwing anything away, try doing some of these activities with your used clothing.)

Time Consuming?  More like a mini vacation for my mind
I find the sifting and sorting and thumbing through the racks very meditative.  I am concentrating so deeply on my task that my head hamsters stop their wheel-running and I get some well needed mental rest.  Yes, sometimes it takes awhile before I stumble upon that practically new Eileen Fisher sweater for $5.50, or the adorable Oilily romper for $3.25.  But when I do, the fog clears and it’s high fives and champagne fountains for everyone.

Too Proud?  You can never be too proud to help the earth and her people
Here is where you have to take a step back and understand that many, many people shop resale because it reduces the waste of new purchases and keeps usable garments out of landfills.  Also, proceeds from many organizations go towards charities that support a variety of causes.  And of course, a seasoned thrift-store diva loves the satisfaction of spending her money wisely, especially on garments for babies and children that will be quickly outgrown.

So if you’ve never tried it, at least go down to one of your local resale stores (although I find best things at the more out-of-the-way places*) and just look.  After all, how can you experience the joy of the impossible find if you can’t bring yourself to at least cross the threshold?

Oh, and don’t forget your reusable bags.

Share with us:  What is your favorite resale shop?  Be sure to include your geographic region.

How can you resist the cuteness factor?

 I’m here to tell you that it is NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK, that I know you can do it, and that, in 40 years when your grand-kids are still playing in parks and forest preserves, you will know that you stepped up and made a choice that made a difference.

Here are some great references to get you started:

1. Karen’s Cloth Diapering Site
2. Cloth Diapers 101
3. The Eco Friendly Family/Cloth Diapering a Newborn
4. Cloth Diapering 101
5. Cloth Diaper Blog

As the years went buy I grew more and more conflicted.  Just because I grew up in eco-conscious California didn’t necessarily mean that I was eco-conscious by default. I talked a good talk, but when it came down to it I was not walking the walk.  Part of me felt intimidated.  To be as eco-savvy as the true environmentalists seemed to mean I would have to give up luxuries and conveniences I wasn’t yet willing to part with.

It was sort of a “don’t ask don’t tell” philosophy, where I didn’t try to really embrace in eco-conservation because I might not like the things that I would feel pressured into doing in an effort to be authentic.

I was holding myself back in several areas, and it was exhausting. I wanted to write, but I was scared of rejection.  I wanted to take a firmer stand for the earth but I was intimidated at not being able to do enough of the right things. In the end I did nothing.  I retreated into my daily life, raising my kids, working, and never really feeling satisfied that I was living the life I felt in my own mind was meant for me.

When I was offered the opportunity to write for Baby Planet, I realized that I was being presented the chance to step up.  Not only would I be forced out of my shell in terms of writing, but I would finally have the kick in the pants I needed to try and live my life like the person I wanted to be. Now I could take the time to try out the path of eco-responsibility, all while writing for a company that believes in bringing more to the table than just another product. 

Baby Planet is a company that wants to prove that they are focused on more than the bottom line, and that’s why I will enjoy being their voice.   The Baby Planet Blog is about doing what we can, taking risks and breaking out of our comfort zone in an effort to do something that benefits the greater good.  Our passion, both Baby Planet’s and mine together, to create to a safer, cleaner world for all our babies is what pushes us everyday to see what we can do better.

I know it sounds cliché, but our most important resource for ensuring the future health of our planet really is our children. Raising them to be mindful of the world around them teaches them lessons that go way beyond resource conservation.  Learning how to preserve our earth will help our children:

•  Feel empowered to be part of a plan that is bigger than just them and their family/friend oriented world
• Gain self esteem by learning that their actions and their decisions can make the world a better place
• Find a new appreciation for the world outside, and what it has to offer for fun beyond ball fields and playgrounds.  Hiking, biking, and our new favorite, snow scootering, all get kids outside and having fun in nature. 

Getting and keeping kids interested is as simple as involving them in your day to day activities.  I engage my kids by asking questions like, “Is this garbage, or can it be recycled?”  Sometimes I ask them, “Who invented liquid soap, and why?” but that just seems to irritate them.

Take your children outside and show them the stars.  Or the grass.  Or the snow.  Or this.  You don’t have to force feed them rhetoric about saving the earth; they will learn to love it if they see you get excited about it.

 Quick and easy kid-engagement ideas:

• Challenge them to find and turn off all lights in the house that are not being used (accompany them if they are not old enough to handle lamps or reach light switches or understand that lava lamps are not made with drinkable Play-Doh)
• Get kids their own stainless steel water bottle and encourage their sense of pride for keeping plastic bottles out of the system.
• Let your kids pick out a reusable shopping bag that they like.  At the store, put them in charge of filling and carrying that bag.  Let them own part of the experience.

 Let your kids rise to the occasion and they will surprise you with their enthusiasm.

Confused about that ubiquitous eco-buzzword?  Here’s what I think.

Being green is about being aware.  Understanding that there may be other ways of doing things is the first step in building an eco-consciousness.  When you understand that you have options (such as using dishtowels instead of paper towels), you have taken the first step towards a greener mindset – even if you don’t immediately change your behavior.

Being green is about being conscious.  With three kids and a full-time job, I know about living on autopilot.  For instance, even after I set out my new basket of dishtowels (see previous post…) right in front of the paper towel roll, I still find myself reaching right over the basket and grabbing a paper towel.  It’s a special kind of crazy.

Don’t live your life unconsciously.  Pay attention to what you are doing.  Even if you just laugh at yourself for forgetting something again, the more you acknowledge it, the more you are retraining yourself to be more present the next time.

Being green is about attitude.  Yes, sometimes you will have to make the uncomfortable choice to do something that may take slightly more time or effort than you are used you.  But the attitude adjustment comes in knowing that the little bit of pain will yield a lot of gain: Setting a better example for your kids, living your life more consciously and feeling like you are a part of something good.   I’m talking unicorns and rainbows good.  Seriously.

Being green is about teaching kids to care. Teaching kids that there is more to life than their egocentric Pokémon/Barbie/Tech Deck world is one of the toughest messages to get across.

Seeing you take actions to care for something that can benefit all people and even the whole world will resonate deeply with them.

Each baby step for the planet matters, and, at the end of the day, will result not necessarily in you saving the world singlehandedly, but in the development of a new, more conscious, more caring state of mind. 

What’s important is that we celebrate the victories, even the small ones, and give ourselves a break when we fall short. 

 Also, I am not obsessed with paper towels.

This small step has already reduced my paper towel trash by 80%!

 The second step is attitude.  Yes, if I use less paper towels, I will have to wash more kitchen towels, thus using more water and more time, blah blah blah.  But if I’m already doing a load of laundry, throwing in a few extra towels is not going to deplete the local water supply.

 There are also some great unbleached products out there on the market that are made from recycled fibers, and now that I am aware of them, I will see them not as enablers, but as compromises for those times when I must, MUST enjoy the absorbent goodness of a paper towel.  

 Farewell, paper rolls of joy; I bid you adieu.