Green is Universal: Simple Green Things Parents Can Do

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Simple Green Things Parents Can Do

Posted at 11:06 AM on December 10, 2007 comments (2)

By Lynda Baquero, WNBC

As a mother of two young children, I know firsthand how many snack bags and juice boxes and paper towels and sheets of construction paper toddlers can go through in just a single day. A LOT. That's why I was curious about meeting Alix Clyburn, another mother of two, who writes a blog called "Alix In Wonderland" for "The Green Guide". I thought her advice on Going Green would involve a lot of preparation and planning (i.e. time). It was a relief to hear about simple things parents can do to minimize waste and help the environment.

For example, most of us think that paying our bills electronically is more convenient in many ways... but it's also friendlier to the environment-- not so many trucks and airplanes utilizing fuel to get those checks from our homes, to their destinations. Along the same vein, Wendy Gordon, the Managing Editor of the Green Guide suggested subscribing to magazines and newspapers on-line, rather than receiving a print copy at home.

While my report on Moms Going Green contains several useful tips for parents who want to go green, I heard about many others that I couldn't fit in, simply because of time limits. But luckily, there are no time limits on the web. So here are some additional pieces of advice on Going Green from Alix, Wendy, and Samantha Delman-Caserta of 3r Living in Brooklyn, as well as the authors of "The Complete Organic Pregnancy"-- Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu.

- Buy foods at local farmers markets -- to cut down on packaging and transportation fuel use
- Buy large containers of juice, and pour servings into reusable cups or mugs -- to cut down on packaging from juice boxes which are thrown away after each use
- Reuse plastic containers from take-out meals, for example, and use them to hold glue, glitter and other materials for children's art projects
- Use both sides of paper when children draw
- Use cold water, rather than hot water, when doing laundry
- Use hand-me-down clothes and toys
- Refill plastic water bottles with tap water -- to cut down on plastic bottles

Lynda Baquero
WNBC News Anchor
http://wnbc.com/goinggreen/

comments

Posted by: Melissa Baldwin on December 13, 2007 06:04 PM

Great comments although I do think it's important to steer people away from re-using plastic water bottles due to the exposure to Bisphenol-A. When running hot water over them to clean the bottles a toxin is released from the plastic. This toxin mimics an influx of hormones into the body which is dangerous, particularly for children.

Re-using plastic containers in the name of the environment is great, but it's dangerous for our personal health. Let's steer people away from Tupperware, used water bottles, and other plastics that need to be heated to be cleaned. Moving towards glass containers or SIGG water bottles is best for the environment and for our health.