As the end of the year draws near, we all get inundated with the ”Best of 2008″ programs, lists and commentaries. Well, as I am a junkie for montages that reflect on what happened over the past year, and how it impacted one’s daily life, I thought I would share my own! The Best Eco Friendly Changes I Made…
Category Archives: Green Parenting
Don’t Let Handmade Toys Become Extinct
There has been buzz all around the handmade corners of the internet about the recently approved Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), passed in August of this year in large part because the United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from…
The Green-Eyed Monster
No one ever said that attempting to live an eco friendly lifestyle makes you a better person. It doesn’t give you super powers. (Too bad; I’d love to be able to freeze time!) And it doesn’t make you rich (at least for most of us). So why do people treat you differently when they find…
What You Can Do to Get Rid of Hormone Disrupting Phthalates in Your Household
If you have been paying attention to the news reports on buying safe toys this holiday season, you’ve probably heard about phthalates. Pronounced tha-lates (or sometimes thay-lates), this group of chemicals has been shown to disrupt hormones in laboratory animals. Fetal exposure to phthalates has also been linked to reproductive diseases later in life in baby girls….
Cold Weather Roadblocks to our Green Schedule
I feel like we got into a green groove this spring. The weather got warmer and we started walking everywhere. By summer the car was getting dusty in the garage and we covered miles and miles on foot every day. Add the fresh fruit from the local market and the long lingering days at the beach…
Green Resolutions Anyone?
It dawned on me today that since summer ended time seems to be moving in fast forward and the new year is fast approaching. What better time for me to meditate on my New Year’s Resolution! As cliché as it sounds, the Type A side of me loves to make goals and see them come to fruition. Let’s…
Avoiding Flame Retardants In Cozy Children’s Pajamas
With the turn of the seasons and the cold weather, you might be looking to buy your children new pajamas. Or, if you are like me, new pajamas are given the night we decorate the tree. But if you are concerned about being green and your child’s exposure to toxic chemicals, you might be wondering…
Voluntary Simplicity in a Bad Economy
One of the biggest misconceptions that people have about living simple or living in a frugal manner is that it means great personal sacrifice. Yet the idea behind simple living, or voluntary simplicity as it is also called, is not to live as cheaply as possible, but instead to see just how well you can live…
Green Gratitude
Autumn brings not only a rash of holiday events, but birthday parties for my two sons. So when I started thinking about presents, favors and hostess gifts, I tried to put on my thinking cap (Sister Carolyn would be proud!) and get creative. Halloween was a breeze. Despite my husband’s protests, we gave out locally…
The Undertow of Materialism
Trust me, I know how it is. You feel like you can just dip your toe into that ocean of consumerism this holiday season and walk away unscathed. Keeping it simple this year, you say? Not that many gifts or toys or decorations, you promise? And then one turns to two which turns to ten and whoosh! You…
