ImpostorMom

Today is Blog Action Day and we have all been tasked to blog about going green today. Being green isn’t as difficult as it sounds these days. If we can all commit to make a few small changes then we can make a big, big difference.

This is especially important as parents because I think all parents want their children to grow up in a world where they can run and play outside without the fear of toxic air and water. I know I want my son to be able to experience nature one day with his own children so I would like to my small part to keep this planet healthy for him.

I found a great resource to help my family start making some small changes. It’s called The Green Book and I first heard about it from Cool Mom Picks. The Green Book is organized so that it offers small pieces of advice on how you can do some of the little things and make big differences for our environment. As I was reading through it I added some things to our routines but I was also happy to see that their were many things that I was already doing.

I am not the crunchiest of granola moms but I at least try and offset some of my carbon footprint and reduce my family’s waste. These are the things we do:

1. We use cloth diapers and wipes on Boogie. I got tons of flack for this while I was pregnant. We had planned to use a diaper service and I don’t know how many people told us that wouldn’t last. They were actually right, the service didn’t turn out to be very economical and the diapers didn’t seem to contain most of those lovely breastfed poos.

   However, we found that bumGenius one-size pocket diapers are wonderful. They fit like a disposable and will last us from newborn to potty training because they have an adjustable rise and insert. The inside is made of suedecloth that wicks moisture away and the insert is a super absorbent microfiber. We spent about $550 on everything we needed to get started and that is the end of our diaper expenses. We end having to wash about twice a week and when I say “we” I really do mean we because my husband does help. They are even daycare friendly. Yes the poo does go in the toilet before the diaper goes in the pail but really that is just once a day so it isn’t that big a deal. I really can’t rave enough about these diapers.

2. I make the majority of my son’s baby food myself from locally grown, organic produce. Buying locally and making food myself reduces transportation emissions and packaging materials. Again this is not that big a deal, I make big batches and then freeze them in ice cube trays. When the food is frozen I pop out the cubes and put them in labeled freezer bags. I keep some commercial food on hand for when I need something fast but I try to make it Earth’s Best or some other organic brand in glass jars. The glass jars are recyclable and that removes the poisonous plastic concern, at least from his food.
3. I take reusable grocery bags with me when I go shopping. My particular bags are from Earth Fare and they were $1.99 each. I have four or five of them and they hold a ton so that is usually all I need. In addition to not loading up on plastic bags while checking out, I don’t put any of my produce in the plastic bags they offer in the produce section.
4. We recycle. I list this here as something we do even though I feel like it should be a given. Everyone should be doing this at the bare minimum. We also have been systematically been replacing the light bulbs with those compact fluorescent ones as the old ones burn out.

These are the small things that my family does to try and help our environment. We are by no means perfect. I still drive an SUV and my husband drives a man truck. I do keep my home cool in the summer but I’d like to think that I offset that by keeping it pretty cool in the winter too. Hopefully one day we can replace our cars with hybrids but I do still like having an SUV. The point is that you have to strike a balance and leading a green life doesn’t mean you have to give up everything your love and go off the grid. We can all be a little more green just by starting with the small stuff.

If you want to start making small changes, join BlogHers ACT Canada in their 12 months of eco-challenges. Each month they are challenging people to make one change to better the environment. It’s never too late to start.