Binkies and Briefcases

This is my final guest post. We are officially moved in with the in-laws and have been dealing with some serious outside drama concerning my son’s school situation. I will be back soon. In the mean time, I’m excited to introduce you to a fabulous local business owner, Abbie Beall from Cloth Bottom Baby. I asked Abbie to share some tips for easy ways moms can go green in the new year. (Full disclosure, although I tried, I failed miserably at cloth diapering, I only lasted 2 days, but if Abbie’s service had been around a few years ago maybe I would have stuck with it.)

Hi, my name is Abbie. I’m a mom, a wife, a cloth diaper addict, and I’m making my best attempt to live as “green” of a lifestyle as possible. Before becoming a mom I thought recycling was making an awesome effort toward being environmentally conscious and considerate. Geesh was I naive! Oh the things you learn and think about when you are concerned with the environment your baby will be subjected to, the longevity of natural resources and ultimately our planet, and what kind of footprint you’re leaving that will affect him or her.

Sometimes the realization of my impact on our earth and what that eventually means for my daughter’s future can be really overwhelming. So much so that at times I would love to go to the extreme and live in a remote location in house built with recycled materials, living simply, living off the land… ok and then I snap back to reality and remember just how much I love my amenities and modern conveniences that I just can’t do without! And then I just make my best effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

So from me to you, here a 5 simple steps for the modern day mom to preserve our Earth for our children and for future generations!

#1. Cloth Diaper

In my introduction I described myself as a cloth diaper addict and as owner of Cloth Bottom Baby Diaper Service, it seems only fitting to make my number one step cloth diapering. It really is a simple step and isn’t as scary as it sounds and the benefits are far greater than any extra effort that it might require. There are two options for cloth diapering. Diaper service, or home laundering. Diaper service makes cloth diapering no more inconvenient than disposables. And although home laundering is a bit laborious, the benefits are tremendous. I’ll let the facts speak for themselves:

• No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone
• Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste
• Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp
• The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth
• Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR

For more awesomely wonderful facts about diapers please visit the Real Diaper Association website http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

#2 Switch cleaners and laundry detergents

Instead of using chemically overloaded cleaners, opt for cleaners that are non-polluting, biodegradable, non-toxic and made with natural ingredients. Biodegradable and non-toxic cleaners and detergents are easy to come by and unlike their chemical-laden counterparts, they do not contain chemical optical brighteners, fragrances, dyes or carcinogens that release toxins into the environment. I really, really love Charlie’s Soap laundry powder. I think it cleans better than my old detergent and it makes me feel good to know that I’m not leaching toxins into the environment each time I run my washer!

http://charliesoap.com/laundry_powder.html

Seventh Generation is another brand that we use frequently. Their products are great, and the company is awesome. Their mission is to inspire a revolution that nurtures the heath of the next seven generations.

#3 Ditch The Water Bottle … the single-use one any way

Instead of buying costly bottled water, opt for a reusable water container. I love Nalgene bottles and stainless steel bottles are a great choice too. Every night before bed, fill your reusable bottle, put it in the fridge, and the next day you’re ready to go with ice cold water! Single use bottles require energy to produce, store, and transport, and barely 20% of them end up being recycled. And most are made out of petroleum. Quick, easy, and safe fix … fill your own time and time again.

#4 Shop a Local Farmer

This is easier to do in spring and summer months for us Pennsylvanians and anyone else experiencing winter’s wrath. But whenever possible buy fruits, vegetables, and even meat from a local farmer. This will help support farmers in your area, so they won’t be forced to sell off their land for development, and it will decrease your food miles, meaning less fuel will be used to provide your daily meals. Your food will be delicious and better for you.

#5 Reusable Grocery Bags

This might be the simplest step of them all! Ditch the plastic and paper! Even if you recycle them, the resources used for their creation (and resources expended to recycle them) can be eliminated if you use reusable bags. Oh and a big bonus to this… those bags hold so much more, which means less bags= less trips to the car to carry the groceries in= more time. What mama can’t use more TIME?!

Happy reducing, reusing, and recycling! And a big thanks to Stephanie for letting me share on her space!