What I've Lost & Gained Trying to be an Eco Mama

Having a child changes everything, this I was told before Juliette's arrival September 1, 2009. Boy is it true. 10 pm seems like a perfectly amazing time to lay my head on the pillow whereas 10 was a time I'd be applying mascara to pop out for the night only a few years ago. I've learned to eat with 1 hand only, quickly might I add so I can make sure Juliette is fed and not flinging bowls and plates across the room. Yes everything changes. I've tried to incorporate my eco habits into every aspect of parenting but as anyone with kids knows (or no kids actually) it is hard sometimes. REALLY hard sometimes. Especially when your baby girl is covered in sticky blueberry jam and all you can reach is a few paper towels not the reusable napkins a few rooms away.

When Juliette was born we decided for for financial reasons do use disposable diapers. I would have loved to have use a diaper service and all reusable-cloth diapers. But when we figured out the financials we realized we could not afford to live in Brooklyn, raise a baby, eat and have cloth diapers. Oh ya and we have no washer dryer in our apartment (or building for that matter). So right off the bat we were conceeding our beliefs and it was tough to swallow. I balanced out the diaper decision by buying Seventh Generation wipes in bulk (and have used them ever since), lots (and LOTS) of organic cotton onsies (that I stored for future use too instead of chucking when done).  But I still feel guilty about a choice at least once a day. Here are some things I do and don't do. What do you try and do? How do you make it work and make it eco?

Eco Mama Choices:
*Seventh Generation Baby Wipes
*Many eco brand choices for baby shampoo, lotion, diaper cream, sunscreen etc.
*Lots of mini tupperwares and to go snack containers (instead of baggies)
(I breastfed for 22 months (never buying formula, no container waste etc.) *this was a choice not made for eco reasons, but the eco benefits are always welcome)
*Organic stain remover (use a LOT)
*Natural home cleaners (counter spray, floor cleaner, dish soap etc.)
*Juliette wears hand me downs and we hand down many items to friends (NO clothes have EVER been thrown away, they are saved, sold, given away or donated)
*Mostly organic produce
*I made Juliette's baby food for months and months when she first started solids
*We are a big leftover family, Juliette loves them!
*Try to buy in bulk to cut down on packaging
*Still toting reusable bags with me for errands, a few tucked into my diaper bag even.

My Not so Eco Choices
*Often picking up smoothies in disposable cups/straws instead of remembering to bring my cup
*Sometimes getting a small cup/straw from coffee shops to entice Juliette to drink milk (whatever works!)
*Recently switched to cheaper wipes for quick on the go clean ups (I can't seem to find the eco brands in my local drug stores in the small size)
*We have a bunch of plastic toys, we also have lots of wooden, hand knit and small batch produced toys too, but it's a mixed bag.
*Juliette recently started loving the pouch baby food packets, not eco friendly. Organic ingredients yes, but disposable packaging. Hmmm what to do about this one? I am happy she's eating something on the go but how do I go about recreating these containers myself?
*I don't always find the organic produce I am looking for for Juliette so I sometimes give in and get what is available. This one I know I need to try to stop. For the planet but mainly for Juliette.

It is important that I am aware of these things and that I am trying to make an effort to change them. I want Juliette to grow up learning to recycle, remake and enjoy keeping our planet beautiful. Sometimes parenting is overwhelming and if a plastic cup from the cafe down the street perks Juliette up and convinces her to drink some milk so be it. But I'll make sure I recycle the cup of course.

Smiling Planet's Happy Plates + Bowls

Smiling Planet founder Olivia Haviland, who comes from a 150 year heritage of porcelain making creates whimsical, planet friendly, people loving plates + bowls for your little ones. The darling artwork on each plate and bowl are the creation of her husband (so sweet a husband + wife team!). All products are manufactured in the good old United States with safe, sustainable and recycled and/or organic materials. Their plates and bowls are made from sturdy #5 recycled plastic and are bpa free.

My favorite part of their line is the message of their products, which is peace, diversity + respect for the environment. They work with Healthy Child Healthy World to inspire parents to choose chemical free products for their children.

Smiling Planet makes happy bowls and plates, and are a true breath of fresh air!

They sent us the Circle of Life plate which has the sweetest artwork, I want an entire set for the whole family! They are perfect for toting to a picnic too. I also love the sweet heart bowl. So darling. Products are durable, made with love and are totally affordable. Once Darling Clementine is open you can bet I'll be stocking their entire collection! Stay Tuned!

50 Tons of Plastic!

Preserve's #5 collection project has reached an amazing goal, 50 tons (that's a whopping 100,000 pounds)! That's a whole lotta plastic containers that would have otherwise been doomed to the landfill. I am happy to have contributed over the past few years with all of our #5's. We drop them off every few months at Whole Foods. It's as simple as that.

Click here for more information and some amazing offers from Preserve's partners, lovely.

(Image: Preserve newsletter)

Green Woes

Uggggg, being the go to eco-gal is sometimes hard, I have spent my whole life caring about the planet (I remember going to my first Earth Day Festival with my best friend around age 8) and I still do but sometimes it's hard and I find myself faltering from my own standards.

There are certain things I do daily that are a given, like trying to always avoid plastic grocery bags and using our reusable cloth napkins, but sometimes I find myself lamenting at how long going the eco way will take, and then the guilt sets in and then I feel horrible. Take our #5 recyclables for example, we separate them from our other recyclable plastics because NYC does not accept them (and contrary to popular belief, if you hide them in with the other bottles and jugs, they will be thrown into landfills!) and tote them to our local Whole Foods for proper recycling. Lately I haven't had the energy to wash them out and store them, and while it's been tempting to simply toss I haven't (I am redeemed!). I usually leave them for when my husband is doing the dishes, shhhhh!

My husband and I do admittingly go through our fair share of plastic iced coffee cups/straws but we do recycle them at least (most of the time). It is shocking though when you see a few weeks worth stacked in our recycle bin. Not good. I must change this!

The list goes on...

We recently had a clogged drain, I had bought an eco brand of drain cleaner and felt proud to be using something natural, well....it didn't work. Day after day I followed the instructions and got no results, in fact it seemed to be getting worse! My husband cleared the drain out as best as he could (aka my hair) and still nothing, we eventually purchasing a chemical drain cleaner and poof, problem solved. I felt guilty yes, but I loved that first shower where the water went down as it should! Guilty. guilty. shame. shame. Next time we have a problem, I'll try a different brand, is that a compromise?

Also, LED light bulbs, we've always had an issue using these, we seem to pick the wrong ones over and over, and we did it again, we swung by the hardware store and picked up a few to try, we hated them all, they all produced a hospital like glow, eeeek! I need some eco-fairy to come down and help me with lightening. We are going to return the bulbs to the hardware store and seek some help in choosing the next set.

Being an earth lovin' gal is sometimes very time consuming, and you've got to be willing to put in the extra time or else it's easy to let protecting the environment fall down on your list of priorities. I won't let that happen, no matter what!

So, I've got a renewed sense of saving the planet heroism! I vow to reduce the plastic cups I use, making it a point to bring my own cups as much as I can remember! Baby steps back folks.

I recently read this article and realized it's time to step it up!

Just Picked Up: Eco-Tools Pouf

I'm starting a new posting theme called "Just Picked Up" where I let you all know my latest eco-purchase. I'll give a mini review too! Obviously being eco-friendly is consuming less, blah blah blah. Sorry, while I totally believe in that concept, I do know that my husband, my daughter and I need things, lots of things! In our house we've really scaled back our purchases and done a great job of ridding ourselves of most of the excess (donating, selling and giving away), but we still have shopping lists and grocery lists and want lists. So yes, stay away from the mega buying desires to lead an eco-friendly life, but enjoy your purchase power. You have the power to really show the world what you want and how you want to spend your money. I love showing a store's buyer with my purchase that I want organic, natural, local and recyclable items! Makes me feel empowered.

Out for a walk with Juliette in the already 95+ degree heat (global warming anyone?!) this morning had us ducking into shop after shop to soak up the free air conditioner. I did pick up a new shower sponge from EcoTools who make great eco-friendly beauty products such as makeup brushes (I've got 2 myself and love them). What makes this bath sponge earth friendly? They are made with 100% recycled plastic, love this! Less than $2 bucks I couldn't be happier! Pick up one for yourself at your local drug store.

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Eco-Reminder: Gimme 5

I totally understand how life can get full and busy and recycling sometimes takes a backseat. I've been a victim of this myself, but it's time to get back on that wagon and kick it up a notch!

That means checking to see if your city accepts #5 recyclables, mine doesn't so they simply land in landfills, ew. A few years back Kevin and I took a huge load to the Park Slope Coop one weekend and while that was great, it was a bit hard to get to on the right day. Whole Foods & Preserve then announced that they would start accepting #5's and I breathed a big sign of relief. Since then I've been toting my yogurt cups, sour cream containers and now my diaper genie refills to Whole Foods any time I am in that area. I admit, sometimes every now and then I don't check for the #5 label on the bottom and I just toss it in with my other plastic recycling, not good. So I've vowed to step it up and make sure that all of my #5's make it to whole foods for proper recycling!

Click here to read about the Whole Foods initiative, and click here to find out if your local Whole Foods is taking part.

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The Bees Knees

Finally got those toes buffed and painted? Time to show them off, and what better way to do so than with eco friendly sandals. These puppies from Green Bees are made from discarded tires (the soles). Pretty neat.

Check out their site for more info and more shoes!

Shift Your Habit

I was sent this great book, Shift Your Habit by Elizabeth Rogers to review. At first I thought, oh here's yet another book on going green with all the typical suggestions. But once I opened it I realized how much information was packed into this book and how worth a read it really was.

Instead of just telling you what the change, this book offers real data, real statistics on why the change matters. Not only do you find out how shifting your habits changes things for the planet you also find out how these changes help you financially. Which at this time in our lives couldn't be more relevant.

Here are some of my favorite ways to shift my habits from the book:

Make you own baby food
Save up to $1,500 per year. Juliette has only been eating solid food for about a week, and we've been making all of her food. I've already noticed how much less pricey it is for me to make it. We bought a huge bag of organic sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's for under $4.00 and she's had at least 5 meals already with it and I cooked up the rest and have frozen about 7 portions for later use. Whereas 1 jar of Earth's Best Baby Food is $1.20 at my local store.

Buy a laptop instead of a desktop computer
Save up to $45 in your electricity bill each year, and conserve roughly 450 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Buy a multivitamin instead of individuals
Save up to $350 per year plus you conserve the production energy used to generate additional supplements and containers

This book just came out yesterday, so don't hesitate to snag a copy for yourself at you local bookstore! I'll be sure to post tons tips from the book too.

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Eco-Lust Worthy

There's a voice in the back of my mind that reminds me that supporting the leather industry is just as bad as supporting the factory farming industry. Do I know where my leather shoes, belts, wallets and handbags source their leather? no. I hope over time animal sources will become as important to material goods as they are becoming to the food industry. For the time being, I will seek out alternative choices and hope things start to change.

But, I still like me a leather bag. Problem, yes. Answer, yes! Recycled leather. I've seen a few designers use recycled leather in the past few years and I couldn't be happier to find yet another!

Ora is Randi's project, and fashion is her passion. She loves how each piece carries the stories of their previous owners through the details and character of the leather

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Donate: Cell Phone

Many of you may have a new cell phone on your holiday gift list this year right? Well why not donate your old mobile phone to a good cause. Check out these great ways to donate.

(Content from Planet Green)

1. Help Soldiers Call Home
Cell Phones for Soldiers provides talk time to overseas troops so they can call home. The organization collects old phones, which they send to ReCellular so the used phones can be sold or recycled. Each phone donated buys one hour of talk time for soldiers.

2. Help Victims of Domestic Violence
Two organizations -- the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Shelter Alliance -- collect cell phones to help fund their programs. NCADC works with ReCellular, while Shelter Alliance is a program run by Florida-based GRC Wireless Recycling. You can mail your phone, but check with your local women's shelter to see if you can drop off your cell there.

3. Help Kids Go to Camp
NASCAR's Recycle for Victory cell phone fund benefits the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a NASCAR-themed sleep-away camp for kids with chronic medical conditions or serious illness. Just mail your phone to Recycle for Victory with this pre-paid shipping label.

4. Donate to Your Favorite Charity (Or Plant a Tree)
Flipswap refurbishes and recycles cell phones—and pays you for it or donates the value to your favorite charity. The company also has another program called inStore, which gives credits to people if they trade in their phone when they purchase a new one. And for each phone collected through the inStore service, Flipswap plants a tree.

5. Help A Local Organization
American Cell Phone Drive helps you find local organizations that either refurbish or recycle cell phones to raise funds. Just head to AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org, type in your zip code, and you'll get a list of organizations and drop-off locations. And if there isn't a collection site in your area, you can print off a shipping label to send three or more phones directly to their headquarters.

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Ideas to Reduce Your Trash

I'm always looking for ways to reduce my trash volume, and now with a baby I am produce a whole lot more! Here are some of the ways I try to cut down:

*Use rechargeable batteries
*Reuse my hot coffee holders
*Recycle as much as possible, including taking #5's to my local Whole Foods to be recycled properly
*Saving old jars for candle holders, storage, wine glasses and future baby food containers
*Almost never accept a bag at any store, always bring my own reusable bag
*Bring home trash to recycle instead of tossing (paper receipts, to go containers etc.)
*Never wrap veggies in the bags at the grocery store
*Use cloth napkins and kitchen towels to avoid tossing paper towels & napkins
*Buy in bulk when possible
*Having my junk mail reduced (Check out Precycle)
*Have a leftover night to reduce food waste
*Accept & give baby clothes hand-me-downs
*Trade/Sell or donate

Those are just a few of the ways I make my trash a little smaller in volume...

How do you reduce your trash?

Summer Project

I've had an idea for a while, and someday I might get it together to make it happen....maybe you can attack this project quicker than me!

A group Yard/Stoop/Garage Sale! Often we think we don't have enough to make it worth while, but pool your stuff together and boom, huge sale! Have someone bake some organic brownies or cookies to sell, whip up a few batches of fresh squeezed lemonade and you've got yourself a great weekend!

Here's how I would go about it.

1. Send out an email to a group of friends (who can continue by inviting their pals too), try to decide who's got the best digs to set up shop, aka the best lawn, stoop or most foot traffic.

2. Start cleaning out your home!

3. Pick up price tags and a package of sharpies/markers in as many shades as those selling, each person/couple/household gets a color. That way at the end of the day you can divide the cash to the appropriate recipient.

4. Designate jobs, someone to be in charge of the cash, set up, food sales etc.

5. Organize displays, who's got folding chairs, easy to transport tables etc.

6. Advertise, on craigslist, on facebook, mass emails and lots and lots of posters!

HAVE FUN and make some cash!!! Resell and reuse, make that your motto! Clean house and feel good about it. And whatever you don't sell, donate to charity!

Go forth! Sell!

(Image:www3.allaroundphilly.com)

Does Recycling Really Make A Difference?

So, we've all wondered if recycling really does make a big impact...

My answer before even investigating is OF COURSE. Not only are you taking responsibility for your trash and taking a stand, proclaiming that you do in fact care, but you are turning trash into something new and usable again!

Here are some stats to help you see the light too...

(info below from Planet Green)

*20 recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce just one single can using virgin materials.

*Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours or run your television for three hours.

*Tossing a single aluminum can in the garbage wastes as much energy as pouring out half of that can’s volume of gasoline. (whoa!)

*Glass can be recycled over and over again without compromising its quality

*Every 20 glass bottles you recycle will save two pounds of carbon emissions

*Each pound of mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) that you recycle is not only a pound saved from many years in a landfill, but saves 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.

Voila!

(Image: www.cambridgema.gov)

Movin' on Up

My husband and I are moving next week and have been collecting used cardboard boxes from his work for weeks now, we're lucky, there's always an abundance of shapes and sizes. But if you're moving and can't seem to find boxes near you, please please don't go buy them! There are so many options for finding reusable boxes.

* Talk to your local grocer about picking up their used boxes, ask for egg boxes too as they are extra thick and great for heavy things!

* Find out what night your local community puts their cardboard trash out, for example in my hood one night a week the streets are covered in boxes!

* Check out the website BoxCycle to purchase reused boxes at a much cheaper rate, plus you're helping extend their life before being recycled.

As for packing papers, use old newspapers & magazines. So what if your hands get black, you're making use of trash, that's worth it!

(Image:www.thebudgetfashionista.com)

Daily Eco: Mail Greener

When you mail packages make sure you always use recycled materials! Pack fragile items in old newspapers, magazines and office paper balled up. Pick up recycled content packing supplies (boxes, mailers etc) at Staples. Click below for links to their products available.

Padded Mailers

Bubble Mailers

Shipping Boxes

As for what to mail, well that's up to you!

(Image:images-cdn01.associatedcontent.com)

Kiehl's Loves You & Recycling!

I have a list of Kiehl's products I love, from their body scrub to hair care I just adore them. They are no stranger to good deeds, they have created lines to benefit everything from AIDS to Environmental Awareness. I just got word that they have a new recycling project. Get this, if you bring in your empties you get products for free in return! What could be better. Here's the empty to product breakdown

3 empties = 1 lip balm
5 empties = 1 travel size product
10 empties = 1 full size product ($25 value)

So start stocking up, ask you friends to hand over their empties to you and get to the store! Only available at Kiehl's locations, not at the department stores.

(Image:www.blog.makeupmoxie.com)

Go Green in 7 Days

Take a few moments to clean out your old makeup cases, drawer and any old place you stash your goodies. While it's great to start fresh with natural and organic cosmetics, it's also important to remember to recycle your old properly. This weekend you can take your makeup to Origins shops (and select department store locations) and they'll do the dirty work for you! They'll take any brand, so don't stress. Click here for more details and to check out their line, cause hey, it's time to start anew!

(Image:aura0.gaia.com)

#5 Recycling Breakthrough: Rejoice!

I've blogged here before about #5 recycling and what a chore it is to stash our #5's up for months until we have a free Saturday morning to take the sac over to The Park Slope Coop. They only do it on select Saturdays and we always seem to miss the day. The piles keep stacking (we go through a lot of Trader Joe's salsa, sour cream & yogurt). Well the waiting is over! I just finished reading an article regarding Whole Foods relationship with Preserve products. Preserve makes deliciously colorful kitchen, dining & bathroom products including colanders, toothbrushes & cutting boards. They make these products out of #5 recyclables that would otherwise head to the landfill because most cities don't accept them in their recycling programs.

So, what does this mean? You can drop off your #5's at Whole Foods when you do your shopping! While it was great visiting the Park Slope Coop, it is even better than I can bring my plastic more often to a more convenient location. Not to mention the rest of you who may have never found a place to drop your # 5's! Rejoice!

Here's a helpful list of #5's to get you going (but of course you can always look at the bottom for the number)

* Cottage cheese
* Yogurt
* Cream cheese
* Ricotta cheese
* Margarine
* Hummus
* Medicine bottles
* Some plastic ice cream containers
* Food storage and take-out containers

Go Preserve! Go WholeFoods!

Oh, and don't forget to check out the line of Preserve products at whole foods, and on their website.

(Image: rachelraymag.com)

Eco-Mama: Renew The Soul

Hello and Happy New Year!
I am very excited for this new year for many reasons. My daughter will be turning one this year! First of all she is just about to crawl, that's a first, and will only happen in 2009...along with her two bottom front teeth that just came in. Secondly, we will be finnnnnaaaaaallllllyyy changing Presidents. Much needed, highly anticipated...many hoorays! So as I start off the new year vigorously editing my belongings...I am also comparing notes to myself on where I was last year at this time, and what I didn't get to that I want to this year.

I began by sorting all my magazines. I love to collect things that interest me, and sometimes those things go unused for a year or two...when I was pregnant I read alot, I mean, ALOT! I came home every evening for almost 9 months and just read and listened to calm music. I feel wasteful for the fact that at the record high I had subscriptions to 6 magazines. But I found it all to be very useful for my knowledge and comfort in the darkest moments of the winter. I have everything very well organized so it never looked bad, it just got to the point of taking over a whole bookshelf. Well, mixed in with all my books, Siena's large book collection (already! for a 9 month old!) and all my camera cases and binders of negatives...but I felt it was time to say goodbye. I rip and file all the pages I mark, in categories of: icons, iconic people, artists, art, photography, food and of course home design/decoration...those pages go into binders per category.

I was tying the magazines into piles with bailing twine, and decided to flip thru a few quickly to see if I edited correctly...and of course there was a Green Issue of Elle (May 2008) that I wasn't so sure of throwing out. I mean, it has Madonna on the cover...and I know this green thing will be a "thing"of the past at some point, (as in, we will all be so natural at being no-waste-makers). I can point out to Siena when she's a green conscious teenager, "look, Siena, this is the big issue from the year you were born!" she'll roll her eyes and walk away, of course! she's my daughter, I can only expect a retort of something like: "mom, I've been doing that since I was born"
Well, to point out my main issue here, my new goals for 2009 and beyond. To make a larger impact in my life by practicing a less wasteful existence.

I want to share a passage from the Elle article: "Elle's 2008 Green Awards: They make the truths convenient, the planes fly on coconut oil, the rock 'n' roll lifestyle tread lightly. Introducing this year's eco-illuminators-the people, products and concepts that put energy and our planet in the right place.-By Katie Arnold." (I am sharing this from 2008 in hopes that we can compare notes at this time in 2009 and say we came alot further!)
#4: Urban Outfitters, Colin Beavan and Michelle Conlin.
"...we salute them for proving that they could forgo electricity, create no trash and boycott all modes of carbon-fueled transportation for one year, while living in a Manhattan high rise with a kid.
The point? To become experts in low-impact living. They learned to buy in bulk, stashing everything from flour to almonds in their cloth bags, and to convert their bikes into elaborate grocery carrying rickshaws. (hey, its not that hard, the Dutch do it as a standard, I loved living their and grocery shopping by bike!)
"The whole project had an element of spirituality to it," says Beaven, who offers do's and don'ts for living consciously at Noimpactman.com. "Once we got away from stuff and moved toward people, we began making real connections. In a lot of ways, our quality of life actually improved." And, they got a book and movie deal out of it."

PS- the no impact man blog is great.

PPS- I was raised far better than I am acting, so I am going to stop acting like I shouldn't be...and get cracking on my deepest apologies to the planet.
Now..let's hope that these stacks of magazines I've put out make it to the right recycling facility.

As always, keep in touch and do one green conscious act per day.
next article: an eco-mama solar vacation, and the 100% biodegradable bag
~your Brooklyn Eco Mama Mariah

*all photos taken by eco mama or the self timer on eco mama's camera

Save Some Green: 5 More Ways

Hey, here are 5 more ways to save some green in this insane economic time!

1. Sell your unwanted items (clothing, bags, housewares etc) on ebay for a profit. Ebay is super easy to use and all you need is a few minutes to list! I've sold a ton of things I no longer wanted on Ebay and can' t speak more highly of how easy it is! By doing this you're giving something you were going to toss new life and making some cash! Yes donating is always the better choice, but this way you're helping yourself financially too!

2. Exchange your old bottles for change, look up a place to do this in your neighborhood, some grocery stores have those machines. This is a great project for kids too, let them keep the coins and they'll learn multiple lessons about waste, recycling and earning money.

3. Got a gift to give? Bake instead!

4. Have cocktail night at your place instead of going out, make organic vodka cosmos for your friends and enjoy the drinks barefoot!

5. Buy your books from used bookstores, and donate back to them! Books are one of those easy to justify costs I think, but if you can reduce the cost of books, read used copies, you're saving green and paper!