Recycle This!

Recycling is a great idea, but when you’re pressed for time, it may seem just so much easier to toss things in the trash. Let’s face it, when you’re trying to clean up the dinner dishes, help your kids with their homework, and put up a load of laundry, it can be a real drag to rinse out that empty jar of spaghetti sauce or can of soup. But keep this in mind…the more stuff you recycle, the fewer trips you will have to make to the dumpster. Take a minute now to rinse a jar and you'll save time and energy later schlepping garbage. As a bonus, recycling creates jobs, saves energy, preserves natural resources, reduces greenhouse-gas emissions, and keeps toxins from leaking out of landfills.

Buy The Book!

Get all of your green parenting questions answered in one easy-to-read, easy-to-use book! The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Earth-Friendly Living, gives parents all the info they need to go green while raising kids...from diapers to school fundraisers to green gift ideas, The Green Parent is an incredible source for any parent (or teacher, or grandparent, or caregiver) who wants to raise eco-savvy kids and protect the planet for today and tomorrow!

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Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Books A Million


Here's what the country's leading environmentalists had to say about The Green Parent:

“"As thoughtful stewards of the little people we care for and of the planet we inhabit, we want to tread lightly. In The Green Parent, author Jenn Savedge guides us through how to live “green” and pass that love and respect for the earth on to our children—whether it’s working with our kids’ school to ensure anti-idling, planning an eco-family vacation or finding an earth-friendly (and scalp-friendly!) way of dealing with head lice. Savedge writes with an infectious optimism that motivates us to change our ways…and change the world in the process.”"
–Leslie Garrett, journalist and author of The Virtuous Consumer, mother of three
“

"The Green Parent is an excellent guide for parents! Savedge provides an encyclopedic approach to a range of issues from energy efficiency to saving money. For people who don’t have time to research environmental issues, this book boils them down to their key components, then offers easy solutions that any parent can manage. The simple format and step-by-step suggestions make this a nifty resource to read cover-to-cover, and then use as a reference guide whenever you need just the right answer. Savedge includes fun ideas like a “Light Patrol” badge to get kids involved in saving energy, as well as ideas for throwing a “green” party. She covers very practical ideas too, like how to get rid of head lice in an environmentally friendly way. I’'ve dog-eared many pages in this book and always keep it close at hand.”"
–Kathleen Ridihalgh, www.greatgreentips.net, mother of one


Click here to read more praise for The Green Parent
Click here to read an excerpt

Packing Peanuts

Call the Plastic Loosefill Council at 1-800-828-2214 for a list of locations where you can drop off those plastic peanuts that you get in shipments. Most UPS Store locations accept foam packaging peanuts for reuse. Check out www.theupsstore.com for a location near you.

Grasscycling

Bagging up leaves and other yard trimmings not only wastes your time and energy, it also puts a tremendous strain on the environment. Instead, try grasscycling. After you mow, leave the grass clippings on the lawn. They will naturally decompose into the soil, helping to hold in soil moisture, prevent freezing, and return nutrients to the soil.

A Bright Idea

Lighting adds up to 15 percent of the total energy use in the average American home. So don’t overlook the obvious: turn off lights when you leave a room. Also, try using a lower wattage bulb or swapping out regular light bulbs for energy-saving, long-lasting compact fluorescents that can save energy and cash.

See Double

Whether you’re at home or at work, get in the habit of using both sides of a piece of paper. Kids’ art projects, grocery lists, and messages can give paper a second life. Check with your kids’ school to see if any of your waste (such as jars, magazines, paper towel rolls, newspapers, or plastic bottles) could be used for art projects. At the store, bring along your own shopping bags; either the plastic bags from your last trip, or better yet, a reusable tote bag.

Turn Trash Into Cash

If it’s worth something, you can make a tidy profit by selling toys, clothes, and books at a yard sale, consignment shop or on sites like Ebay or Craigslist. If that doesn’t work, donate it to your local thrift store or use Freecyle or Recycler’s Exchange to find someone in your area who might need it. One person’s junk is another’s treasure.