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Mornings in my house revolve around a frenzy of food. Between preparing breakfast for my girls (they are on a cinnamon toast kick) to packing their lunches (PB&J, carrots, and applesauce), and taking a stab at defrosting what we will have for dinner, it seems almost surreal to me that outside my home, throughout my town, my country, and certainly throughout the world, there are mothers who will not be able to feed their children today.
It is heartbreaking and it is humbling.
Lest you think that hunger is a social issue and not an environmental issue, remember, many environmental problems such as air pollution, water pollution, and genetically engineering livestock and crops are the direct result of our desire to feed people in need.
And it’s pointless to beg people to recycle or install a CFL lightbulb when their only thoughts are on feeding their children.
So parent to parent…let’s go green this year by making sure that other parents have the food they need for themselves and their children. Here’s how:
- Go Local: Contact your local food bank, soup kitchen, or church to find out what you can do to help. Donate non-perishable items, distribute flyers, organize pantry shelves, or volunteer to serve.
- Get Clicking: It’s easy to become jaded and think that the money you donate will simply get lost in an administrative slush pile. But there are charities out there that are really making a difference by getting food and funds into the hands of the people who need them. Here are a few worth checking out:
Meals on Wheels: Meals on Wheels organizations provide hot meals (either at local community centers or by delivery) to elderly, homebound, and disabled folks in need throughout the country. Check out their website to donate or find a program near you. Target Hunger: Target Hunger aims to alleviate hunger in inner-city neighborhoods. They distribute about 3 million pounds of food each month to families in need in addition to offering courses in nutrition, self-esteem, English-As-A-Second Language, adult literacy, math and job search workshops.  Heifer International: Give a man a fish and he’ll have food for today. Teach him to fish and he’ll have food for life. That’s the idea behind the programs at Heifer, International. This organization provides farm animals to the world’s hungry so that they can have something to eat today, as well as hope for the future. Heifer’s recipients also become future donors, as they pledge to donate their animal’s offspring to another family in need.
- Get Your Kids Involved: After all, we teach our children from an early age that it’s important to share. What better way to walk the walk than to show them how sharing benefits kids in their community and in their world.
Photo of child eating corn courtesy of Radharadhya dPhoto of child and goat courtesy of Heifer International
Kids and dry cleaning? You’re joking, right? These two go together like oil and water (literally). But for those of you who are adventurous enough to mix kids and dry cleaning, here's what you need to know about the toxic chemicals used at traditional dry cleaners and how to find a greener alternative.
Why Go Green?
The standard solvent used in 85% of the dry cleaners in the U.S. is is perchloroethylene (or Perc), a central nervous system depressant known to cause headaches, nausea, and dizziness. It has been linked to reproductive problems, including miscarriage and male infertility and it hasbeen listed as a hazardous air pollutant and a probable human carcinogen under the federal standards. Perc is also rough on the planet, contributing to both air and water pollution.
How To Green Your Dry Cleaning
1. Skip It: It goes without saying (but I’m going to say it anyhow), the most eco-friendly thing you can do is to avoid clothes that require dry cleaning.
2. Get Wet: If you do have clothes that need to be dry cleaned, look for a “wet cleaner” that uses computer-controlled washers and dryers in combination with water and non-toxic, biodegradable detergents to clean delicate fabrics such as wool, silk, linen or rayon. Wet cleaning does not contribute to air or water pollution and it's safe for the people cleaning your clothes. (Here's a directory of wet cleaners.)
3. Give It Some Gas: Dry cleaning that uses liquid carbon dioxide is another green alternative. This technology uses CO2 that is captured from existing industrial and agricultural emissions (so it doesn’t contribute to global warming) . Several years ago, Consumer Reports compared eco-friendly dry cleaning methods and gave the edge to liquid CO2 for producing the best results in tests for shrinkage, discoloration, and preservation of texture. However, this method is "less green" than wet-cleaning as it does use detergents that contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
4. Green Earth: GreenEarth dry cleaning utilizes a silicone-based solvent, siloxane, to clean clothes in a process similar to traditional cleaning. It is often billed as “green” because the chemicals it uses are less toxic than Perc. However, there is still concern about the safety of siloxane for both human and environmental health. Siloxane is highly flammable, it is manufactured using chlorine, and its use may release dioxin emissions. And the verdict is still out on whether or not siloxane is a carcinogen.
Oddly enough, one of the most common green parenting questions that I am asked is centered on those pesky toilet paper and paper towel tubes that accumulate so quickly in the family recycle bin. Sure, you could do a craft with them (there are several craft ideas list below) but that idea may lose its luster after you've made your 18th eyeglass case or pencil holder. So here are some great green parenting tips for reducing, reusing, and recycling your old toilet paper and paper towel tubes.
Reduce
Want A Deeper Shade of Green? If you want to be really hardcore, you can reduce your family’s overall use of toilet paper tubes by eliminating the roll altogether. Enter, the family cloth. If you’re not familiar with this concept, here’s a quick primer. You take a couple of clean old rags (old t-shirts and towels are popular choices), cut them into “wipe” size pieces and place them in a basket next to the toilet. On the other side of the toilet, place a clean bucket to hold the used cloths until you are ready to toss them in the wash. It may sound a bit extreme, but it is similar in concept to cloth diapers. And in addition to being very green for the planet, it will save you some green on paper products each month.
Reuse Give your toilet paper and paper towel tubes a second life by reusing them before or instead of recycling them. Here's how:
- Donate old toilet paper or paper towel tubes to your local school or library to use as craft projects.
- Use toilet paper tubes as packing material.
- Give them to your pet hamster or bird (or to a friend that has one) to play with.
- Store holiday lights by rolling them around paper towel tubes to prevent tangling.
- Attach 2 or 3 toilet paper and/or paper towel tubes together to make an art organizer that holds pens, paint brushes, markers, etc.
- Do a Craft: Here are some great craft ideas for reusing toilet paper and paper towel tubes:
Toilet Paper Tube Crafts Gift Box
Puppets
Vase
Napkin Rings
Glasses Case Menorah/Kinara/Advent Wreath
Recycle
Recycle toilet paper and paper towel tubes with your cardboard or paper products. Also, consider buying toilet tissue and paper towels made from recycled paper as these products are most likely to also contain tubes made from recycled paper. For example, Green Forest paper towel and bathroom tissue tubes are 100% recycled, with a 75% post-consumer recycled content.
We are not even halfway through the school year and already I have been inundated with forms and catalogs from my daughter’s school for fundraisers that almost always include low-quality foods, junk, or paper products that I neither need nor want. Stuff that is designed to clog up my closets while depleting resources and inevitably filling up landfills. Isn’t there are greener way for kids to help raise money for their school without trashing the planet? Here are some great ideas for greening your child’s next school fundraiser:
Sell Green Stuff: A number of upcoming organizations, such as Greenraising (www.greenraising.com) and Lets Go Green (www.letsgogreen.biz) now offer eco-friendly fundraising opportunities. Both offer a range of products to choose from such as SIGG water bottles, eco-friendly cleaning products, and recycled office supplies that can support and protect the eco-friendly cause while also raising some much needed green for your child’s school. Another great green option is to sell reusable grocery bags through companies such as Chico Bag (www.chicobag.com) or ReuseThisBag.com (www.reusethisbag.com). Imprint your school or club’s logo on these eco-friendly bags to show-off your school spirit.
Host A Green Event: You can raise a pot of cash for your school with a green, waste-free event such as a spaghetti dinner or pancake breakfast. Hold the event in your school’s cafeteria or your local fire hall and hit up local businesses to donate food, reusable napkins, and compostable dishes.
Pledge To Be Green: Kids can raise money and get a little exercise with a green fundraiser such as a walk-a-thon or obstacle course. Pledgers can donate cash for every lap walked or obstacle achieved. The only resource your kids will use is their own boundless energy!
Photo credit: André Menegatti
 Cleaning house? Consider donating things you no longer want or need to someone who does. Donating old stuff is not only great for folks in need, it is also great for the environment, as it reduces waste and the consumption of new resources. Get your kids involved by filling them in on where the old items are going and how they will help. Here's where you and your kids can donate anything from appliances to eyeglasses.
Appliances: Most thrift stores, including Goodwill and the Salvation Army accept small appliances for donation. Contact them first if you have something large to drop off or consider listing the item on Freecycle to see if someone in your local area might be interested. Also check with your local women’s shelter or group home.
Books: Contact your local library to find out their policy on donations. Most will accept virtually any book or magazine (within reason, of course.) Other options include children’s museums, women’s shelters, hospitals, or your local thrift store.
Cars: Got an old jalopy clogging up your driveway? Contact area high-schools, colleges, or vo-tech programs to find out if they could use your old car. Advertise the heap in Freecycle to see if anyone in your local area is interested in it for parts. Or look into donating it to a charity programs such as The National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Cars or Habitat for Humanity’s Cars for Homes.
Cell Phones: Donate old cell phones directly to your local women’s shelter, or check out The Wireless Foundation’s Call to Protect Campaign or Verizon Wireless’s HopeLine, where money raised through phone sales are donated to domestic-violence shelters.
Clothes: Click here for a recent post on donating (and fixing, selling, or swapping) old clothes.
Computers: Check with your local schools, libraries, or charity organizations to see if they could use your old computer. If not, contact The National Cristina Foundation, Computer Recycling Center, or The World Computer Exchange to make sure your computer gets in the hands of someone who can use it.
Eyeglasses: Don’t toss your old frames, donate them instead. Check out The Lions Club’s eyeglass recycling program or New Eyes For The Needy, an organization that distributes glasses, sunglasses, and hearing to those who need them.
Furniture: Freecycle your old furniture or contact your local thrift store to see if they will accept it and/or pick it up.
Toys: Clean out those overflowing toy bins and pass along those old toys to your local thrift store, hospital, children’s museum, women’s shelter, or library.
Check out the calendar to see when The Green Parent Awards are coming to a town near you. This calendar is updated frequently, so if your town isn't on here yet, but you think it should be, drop me a line. And be sure to register now for a chance to win some great green gear!
The 2008 Green Parent Awards
April 12-13 Seattle, WA Seattle Green Festival
Green Parenting Presentation: Sat. April 12th, 11:00am, Room 4
April 21 Charlottesville, VA Whole Foods Market
Green Parenting Presentation and Eco-Craft For Kids: 4pm
April 26 Washington D.C Whole Foods Market
Georgetown Store: Green Parenting Presentation and Eco-Craft: 9-11am
P-Street Store: Green Parenting Presentation and EcoCraft: 12pm-2pm
May 10 Luray, VA Festival of Spring
May 17-18 Chicago, IL Chicago Green Festival
May 30-Jun 1 Ithaca, NY Ithaca College Alumni Weekend
Green Parenting Presentation: Sat, May 31st, 10:30am School of Business
Eco-Crafts For Kids, Sat May 31st, 11:00-2:00pm, Picnic on the Quad
Nov 8-9 Washington, D.C. D.C. Green Festival
Nov 14-16 San Francisco, CA SF Green Festival
 If you're like me, the new year has you itching to clean house and get rid of some post-holiday clutter. Time to go through those closets and set aside the clothes that have seen better days. Just don't even think about tossing them. There's plenty of ways to get a second (or third or fourth) life out of your old duds. Here's are some green parenting ideas for dealing with your old clothes:
Fix: If you’re handy with a needle in thread, go ahead and fix that torn hem in your skirt or patch up the hole in your son's favorite flannel shirt. Need a guide? Check out these handy sites for some quick and easy clothing repairs…
Thrifty Fun
Easy Clothing Repairs
Heloise’s Quick Clothing Repair Hints
Swap: You know what they say…one green parent’s junk is another green parent’s treasure. If you have a bag full of clothes that you no longer want, consider swapping them for a bag full of clothes that are gently used, yet new-to-you. Organize a swap with friends to exchange kids’ clothes or clothes for your own closet. Or check out these sites to trade with green parents from around the world…
Swap-O-Rama-Rama Swapstyle Swapthing
Clothing Swap
Sell: If you have some clothing items that are worth a pretty penny, consider selling them at your local consignment shop or online to earn some New Year $$$. Check out www.consignmentshops.com for a list of clothing consignment stores near you. Online auction/listing sites include:
Ebay Craigslist
Donate: Another great option is to donate your old duds to a worthwhile charity. You can even deduct your donation as long as you keep an itemized list of what you gave and get a receipt from the donation site. (To get a general idea of the fair market value for your clothes, check out www.goodwillpromo.org or www.salvationarmyusa.org.) Check out the following sites for info on donating your old clothes.
Goodwill The Salvation Army
AmVets
Dress for Success
The Glass Slipper Project
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