Mother's going GREEN Day 83 - Green Printing 101

Green printing...it seems so simple but on the weekend when my husband wanted to print something (17 pages long) I gave him a quick course on printing green which I have decided to share.

-- First off - do not print everything save the website or document as you favourite and refer to it (my husband loved to do this so I hid a paper on him - which prompted our lesson)

-- If possible use recycled paper

-- Select to print in "draft mode" this will use less ink. To do this for most printers go to print settings and select draft. Using less ink will save you money make the 'plastic' cartridges last longer so you do not need to discard of them. When they are empty look at using the ink you can refill these with ( I tried it once and was not really happy with my results) otherwise take it back to the store were you purchase your ink from and they will recycle.

-- Print on both sides of the paper. With some printers this is an easy option. You can select it on the printer settings (most offices are equipped with this sort of printer.) Our home printer does not have this option so I find out how many pages I will be printing. In my husbands case as mentioned above 17 pages so then I only insert 1/2 the amount of pages in the printer 9 pages for this example and then print. The computer/printer will alert you that you are then out of paper. I take the paper and turn it around and run it through the printer so that it prints on the other side. Okay, so your page order is a little out of the ordinary but does that really matter in the "green" scheme of things?? Some people may disapprove of running printed paper back through the printer as it supposedly is not good for the printer. I have been doing this for sometime now and see no negative effects on my printer.

-- Also, reuse paper that has been printed o one side only.

That concludes our green printing lesson...quite a simple change to implement.

Mother's going GREEN Day 83 - Greening my Baby Food

You would think by now I would be a pro at this - now starting my 3rd child on solids... well I think we are getting close to perfecting it.

I remember with my son (our first) - my husband and I would spend one day a month making his food from scratch and then freezing it (in plastic containers and non organic food). We thought he was lucky and getting the best food ever. Our second unfortunately ate everything from a jar (well she hardly ate - did not like much of anything and still doesn't - I am constantly amazed that she survives on what little she does eat - but that is whole other subject). Now our third... they say practise make perfect.

First off we have not purchased any of those fun little plastic dishes to serve their first meals in. One with lids, multiple colours and all those fancy plastic spoons that change colour when the food is too hot. We are using stainless steel teaspoons and little glass containers.

Secondly we are not spending hours preparing her food from scratch and then freezing it. She is basically eating what we eat. If we have carrots - I cook some extra well done - puree it and then serve. Same with peas, potatoes, beets, etc. Fruit like bananas are again pureed and then served. All my kids love apple sauce and we purchase a large container of organic apple sauce and I serve that to her. No need to stock up on those tiny little jars of food (which are not necessarily all recycled by many families out there). I will admit that I do purchase the organic baby cereals - as I do not think I have the time to make those from scratch or even know how - so if you do - please share your thoughts on this.

I am finding my new way of preparing food for my little one to be very simple, easy, fresh organic and 'green' - and she seems to be loving it. Perhaps too because it is my third child I am not being overly concerned about he possibility of allergies and am serving her something different each day (they say you should serve the same food several times to rule out any allergies - since none of my other children have allergies - perhaps I am hoping for the best).

The World Health Organization also suggest that you breastfeed exclusively for 6 months before introducing solids - again as with my first I am not sticking to this. She seems interested and has her first tooth at 4 and half months and is enjoying the food - so I feed her. My philosophy is - if you have teeth you can start on solids - but this is a personal choice.

In closing I would like to say that feeding your baby 'green' is quite simple - I wish I had done so with my other children. But live and learn.

Mother's going GREEN Day 82 - Wildflowers and Bees

Most of us have heard about the decrease in bees over the last few years. A decrease of approximately 30% as noted by the US Agriculture Department's Agricultural Research Service and in 2006, beekeepers began reporting losing 30 percent to 90 percent of their hives.

The decrease in the bee population has become known as Colony Collapse Disorder. The cause of this disorder is still unknown. Possible explanations include pesticides; a new parasite or pathogen; or are under stress which makes them more vulnerable to pests and disease and perhaps limited or contaminated water supplies.

An estimated 80 percent of all flowering plants depend on a living creature, mainly bees, for pollination and seed production. The remainder of the pollinators are other insects including butterflies. “Bees are responsible for one in three bites of food you eat,”says Tuell, who studies bees as a post-doctoral researcher at Michigan State University. In the past few years, honeybees have started to disappear, a puzzle known as Colony Collapse Disorder. While the cause is unknown, some scientists believe honeybees are under stress that makes them more vulnerable to pests and disease.

Bees are responsible for pollinating the food we eat and the farmers need the bees to grow more food for us to eat. No bees equals no or very little and expensive food.

Hear in our home we are trying to create a safe little haven for the bees and have planted wild flowers almost everywhere. They are pesticide free which is what these little guys need and did you know that a bees favourite flower colours are blue, purple, yellow and white. Butterflies like red. (see picture of our flowers to the right)

In this small way we are helping the bees. We have seen a lot bees in our garden (and butterflies too) and no we are not afraid of getting stung and my husband to is slowly overcoming his fear. Like I always tell him when he tries to swat them away: "If you do not bother them, they will not bother you."

Help the bees, the environment and the future of our food and plant a garden for the bees.

Mother's going GREEN Day 82 - Children's Eco-Craft

Today's craft is rather simple. It will make a Simple Statement. A Green Ribbon, show the world that you support a Green lifestyle. It is so simple that you can make a whole bunch of them and give them to your friends.

The Green Ribbon.

You will need:

-- Green Ribbon

-- A Safety Pin

-- Needle and Thread (Ideally the same colour thread as the ribbon - but just use whatever colour thread you have on hand - no point going to buy a matching thread. The only green thread I had was a dark green colour.)

Instructions (with an adults help if required):

-- Cut a length of your green ribbon (mine is approximately 8 inches long)

-- Approximately a third from the bottom sew on your safety pin (see pictures to right)

-- The fold the ribbon to create a loop (ensure the cross over piece of ribbon covers your stitches of sewing the pin on)

-- Stitch the cross over piece of ribbon in place.

You're done. Wear your ribbon with 'Green' pride - make a few more and share....

Mother's going GREEN Day 78 to 81 - Back on the GREEN Schedule

Day 78, Day 79 miss a few Day 81. Having the husband at home for a few days after our vacation puts my schedule out of whack. As I explained to him I run a tight ship around here and he just gets me out of my routine. Makes my life much busier as I now need to tend to his needs too... All the wives out there - I am sure you can relate!!! But he is back at work today and life returns to normal. Please do not get me wrong - I enjoy having my husband around and miss him now that he is back at work but now I have time to get back to blogging...

On the subject of my dear darling husband - he seems to have taken some several steps back on the green scale since we returned from home..... that darn darling husband (DDH). I asked him to go to the store to pick up some organic baby rice cereal - (started solids for our little one - but more on that on a another posting).

The DDH returns after several hours with plastic bags of stuff....His excuse for the plastic: "Well I did not think to take the canvas bags as I was just getting cereal". Then why did you not just get the cereal.....

Then there was the new coffee maker - Here is a snippet of the conversation:

"Jen the old one is terrible does not keep the coffee warm after a couple hours and it spills the coffee when you try and pour it - and besides this one does not have a pot so no spills and you can get a cup of coffee with one hand - look the picture on the box. The mother is holding her child while she gets a cup of coffee - I just had to get it."

With a stunned expression I respond: "Did you forget that we only buy stuff we really and truly need - not just want and besides I never had a problem pouring a cup of coffee with one hand using the old coffee pot. And you should be drinking the coffee after it is made and not leaving it turned on all morning hoping it will stay warm when you want it."

Still hoping to get himself out of his ungreenness he states: " Well if I use this coffee maker, I can make coffee to take to work in a reusable cup rather than buy some on the way to work; idling the car while I wait to go through the drive-through and then land up throwing away the cup - now that is a good thing you can post in your blog."

"Sure, and you could not do all that with the old coffee pot?" I ask still a little stunned by this new object that has intruded into my green world.

If you are wondering where I am going with this - Well it is quite simple - Do not buy stuff you do not need. Do not fall for the marketing on the packaging and do not buy things on a whim!!! Think GREEN!!!

Mother's going GREEN Day 77 - Light Shade of Green Vacation

Well our family is back safe and sound from our vacation. Very tiring but very enjoyable at the same time. A nice break.

Attempted as much as possible to stay on my green track but I will admit being on a vacation away from home does present many challenges. I am sad to admit that I did succumb to many of the not so green activities.....

I did pick up a plastic bag or 2 - those Disney bags - I felt I needed one as a souvenir - why I am not sure.

Although we took our Klean Kanteen water bottles with us we still used some plastic bottles - boy is it ever hot in California, and we needed lots of cool drinking water. We purchased some cold bottles of water the first day but did reuse them (not recommended because of the plastic) but it was only for a few days... I came up with a great way to keep the refilled bottles cooled - I packed them into a soft sided cooler - filled it with ice and kept it in the bottom of the stroller - we had cold water all day. The melted ice (water) I then sprinkled in one of the many flower beds thus reusing the water.

Food was another source of a challenge of staying green. We did pack several organic snacks from home which we ate as snacks and for breakfast had cereal which we purchased there but for lunch and dinner we had fast food or either ate at restaurants. But I can say at least we put in the effort.

Staying in the hotel room was the easiest - I managed to do everything I set out to do in an earlier blog - so that's one good green thing.

Souvenirs - now that was a real challenge especially for the kids - so many toys and paraphernalia with lots of packaging but we did let them get a couple of things. For myself I managed to pick up a 100% cotton dress and a beautiful paper sun hat. It says it is paper but it looks like a straw hat. Both natural and zero packaging. The biggest souvenir will be all the pictures we took and ticket stubs, maps etc. I will be making each of my kids a "memory" book of their vacation.

Lessons learned: It is tough to maintain your green status on a holiday, especially when you are fairly new to the green thing. But we learn from experience and next time I know I will be better prepared especially when it comes to the food - I would say that was our biggest downfall.

Mother's going GREEN - Day 65 to Day 76 - On Vacation

VACATION To all my blog readers - I am now on vacation. Started a little earlier than expected as there was a very large "rock slide" blocking our quick way out to the airport. We now have to take a 10 hour detour to get to the city and our trip. With 3 kids we will probably need to make several stops on the way so we will be leaving a day earlier to compensate for this. An unexpected road trip (not great for the environment and not at all good for my one tank of gas a month challenge - to my friends at Our Green Year - does this constitute as an emergency?)

The rockslide has closed the road for approximately 5 days they (the news) is saying. It is believed that no one has been injured or killed - thank goodness. It did happen late at night.

I will blog as soon as I return (Sunday August 10, 2008) with some more tips on green travelling and to report on how we 'greened' our vacation.....

Mother's going GREEN Day 64 - Cloth Diapers and Vacation

As those of you already know from reading my blog on a regular basis, I use cloth diapers on my baby and love them. Deciding to go on vacation brought on a challenge of keeping the cloth diapers clean. Although I probably could find a laundromat near the hotel I am staying in - did I really want to spend every second evening washing diapers after a fun filled day which would probably leave me exhausted? What about the film of 'bad' detergent left behind in those washers and driers? And I do not think I could trust the hotel laundry service to use a natural detergent. You see one of the things with cloth diapers is you do need to wash them with care and with a natural detergent in order for them to retain their absorbency...

Hence, for our vacation I opted to go with a disposable diaper. Now not any disposable diaper would do. My babies bum has been chemical free for sometime now and I hated the thought of placing a 'disposable diaper' on her bottom. My search began for a 'natural disposable' diaper. I did find a few out there Seventh Generation and Nature Babycare to name a couple. I choose to go with Nature Babycare. The packaging is 100% biodegradable. The diaper is too. Now I know that is not 100% accurate of anything as it still finds its way into a landfill where the conditions are not quite right for it to degrade as it should, but at least it is a possibility and made from all natural ingredients and is cholrine free.

To read more on this diaper and the company behind it, visit: http://www.naty.com/.

Okay, so I am cheating on my cloth diapers but only for a few days..... I will be back to them as soon as I get home.

Mother's going GREEN Day 63 - Green your Hotel Stay

As with your air travel when going on vacation you can look for hotels you are doing something for the environment and state as much in their policy. For us though we chose a hotel that would offer us a good rate - since my husband is in the industry we got a really good rate. However, although they have an environmental policy on their corporate web page - in my opinion it does not add up to much.

Having said that there are ways you can still "green" your stay at the hotel and it is similar to what you are already doing at home. (just thought of something funny....call ahead and ask what type of light bulbs are in the rooms - if it is not the environmentally friendly kind - perhaps we can pack a few and replace what is in our room anyway - an environmental token) Anyway back to how you can green your stay....

-- On entering your room unplug some of the many lamps (there always seem to be so many lamps in hotel rooms) as we already know that even if it is plugged in it still uses energy. Turn the air conditioning down or off or heating down.

-- Conserve water as you would at home (not running the tap while you clean your teeth; maintaining your 3 to 5 minute shower)

-- Ensure that you turn off all lights when leaving the room - if you get a turn down service ask that they do not turn on any lights or radio. (My pre-mother life was also in the hotel industry and I remember that when our VIP hotel guests would check in we would have the room set in a 'welcoming atmosphere': some gentle lighting (light turned on) their favourite music playing on the radio (radio turned on) etc. Looking back I can see how wasteful this is as guests never show up when expected and that energy just wasted perhaps for hours).

-- Reuse your towels for at least a week. That is what we do at home - so why should it change when on vacation. Most hotels offer you the choice - that if you hang your towel up - you do not require new ones. Although this is not always followed by the housekeeping staff I found a cool little sign from Go Green Travel which is what I will be using to ensure we reuse our towels and elimanate the energy used to wash them after we have only used it once.

-- Don't use the little packages of soap, shampoo and body wash. It is probably full of chemicals. Instead bring and use your own tried and trusted products which are environmentally friendly and you will not waste all the 'small' packages.

-- Use the little recycle bin that most hotels offer in the room and recycle all that you possibly can.

Enjoy your stay and make it GREEN.

Mother's going GREEN Day 62 - Air Travel

Well it is almost time for our family vacation. This is not an annual activity for us - the last time we travelled as a family was 2 years ago and was to visit family out east.

On Saturday August 2, 2008 we head off to Disneyland.... The kids are so excited...so am I (neither my husband nor myself have ever been).

A family vacation comes with many green challenges and the first one is: How to get there? I took this one quite seriously... I did the research on a train but when I learned it would take us 35 hours to get to where we wanted to go - there was no way. It came down to the environment or my sanity. Call me selfish but I chose my sanity. For those who would choose the environment - well I doubt you have ever traveled with 3 children under 5 and a husband.

The research then began on airlines. Some airlines like Air Canada have environmental policies and as stated in their policy they have ongoing commitment to finding and implementing innovative solutions for protecting the environment ......And are well on their way towards their ambitious goal of improving fuel efficiency by an additional 25% between 2006 and 2020. Needless to say we booked with Air Canada. So check out the airlines environmental policy before you fly.

If flying still makes you feel guilty you can purchase "carbon offsets" by buying carbon offsets lets you negate CO2 emissions that you would use in flying or just about any CO2 producing activity. Air Canada has also partnered with Zerofootprint and allows you to calculate your CO2 emissions and then purchase the required amount of offsets. So for a mere $25.00 I have offset our families air travel CO2 emissions.

While flying you can do other simple things: reuse those earphones from your previous flight and then just keep on using them; bring your own healthy snack in a food safe container to avoid the fast food and packaging that comes with it. Chose direct flights - it is the landing and taking off that produces the most CO2 emissions. Pack light - the less baggage you have the lighter the plane, the less energy required to fly.

Green your air travel provides the following air travel statistic: Flying to Europe and back from the US contributes 3 to 4 tons of CO2 per person. That’s more than what 20 people in Bangladesh produce per year and roughly half the CO2 produced by the average American annually via all other sources (home heating, lighting, driving a car, etc.).

Mother's going GREEN Day 61 - Signs of Change?

Sometime ago I watched the movie "An Inconvenient
Truth" with Al Gore, I did enjoy it but both my husband and I preferred the one called "The 11th Hour". narratted by Leonardo DiCaprio. One scene in the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" stands out for me and in my daily life I often recall it. It is at the end of the movie and Al Gore is walking through an airport terminal and the voice over is of him speaking: "I keep looking for signs of change..."

I too keep looking for signs of environmental change.... I live in a small community and as I go about my daily life I feel good about the choices I am making and can visualize the impact - but then I go into the larger city and I see sooo many people and I watch them with all their plastic shopping bags and I wonder.... is change happening.... it seems difficult to see amongst those plastic shopping bags - the too much plastic packaged merchandise - the rows and rows of toxic products in the big box stores - the many many cars on the road - and how people toss out their garbage without a care in the world.

I have - when I go out and need to grab a quick something to eat - bring my garbage home with me as I feel there are not enough option for me to properly dispose of my garbage. Sure there is a box for glass bottles and perhaps cans next to the garbage bin - but what about the plastics and the paper. Today I brought home the banana peel from my banana (food for my worms) The empty juice bottle and a paper napkin - just so I could dispose of it properly.

Then I return home to my smaller community, were life seems simpler and I feel I can make a difference. Do I see the signs in my own community - to be honest very little - but it is a smaller scale and I at least feel more hopeful....

Mother's going GREEN Day 60 - Children's Eco-Craft

Today's craft will add some sparkle to our summer nights on the deck.

Tin Decorative Candle Holders

You will need:

-- Tin Cans

-- Hammer

-- Nail

-- Tea Light Candle

-- Safety Glasses

Instructions (with an adults help if required):

-- It is best that you fill the cans with water and then freeze them - it just makes it easier.

-- Draw a design on the cans (after the water has frozen)

-- With a hammer and a nail punch out the design (this is when you may need the safety glasses)

-- Allow ice to melt. (I stuck mine in the garden where the sun melted the ice quickly and the water then went into the garden - rather than wasting it)

-- Insert the tea light candle

-- You may need to flatten out the bottom of the can especially if it pop out with the ice being in it.

And there you have it - A nice decorative candle holder.

Mother's going GREEN Day 59 - My Pet Peeve

It seems most green bloggers have a pet peeve. So I thought I would share mine. People who do not follow the water restrictions placed on their community.

A few weeks ago; I read in our local paper of what they are calling Phase 3 Water Conservation. It says that we need to conserve water by only watering our lawn twice a week. 1/2 an inch each time. Odd houses can water on Thursday and Sunday from 4:00pm to 9:00pm and even numbered houses can water on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 4:00pm to 9:00pm. Very simple straight forward instructions. For those who may not have picked up the paper or did not read it or can not read; it is announced on the local radio station.

WHY THEN ARE PEOPLE STILL WATERING THEIR LAWN on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and in the heat of the day????? It drives me crazy to see this.

If you are reading this and are one of the people who blatantly ignore your communities water restrictions - PLEASE ADHERE TO THEM NOW!!! - Thank you.

Mother's going GREEN Day 58 - Some Updates

I thought I would let you know what has been happening with our changes that we have made so far.

Our garbage is now a bag a week. Not a big bag, but 20" by 21" bag - so in a month we fill one garbage can for pick up. Which is great. I made the challenge of 1 can a month.

Our worms are eating a lot of our produce waste and already we are seeing the compost develop. They are so low maintenance it is unbelievable. No smell and very few fruit flies which is great.

Also, since our dryer broke awhile back we have been hanging our clothes out to dry. The drier has been fixed, hopefully it is working as I have not yet used it again. It still amazes me how the stains come out of the cloth diapers. I get all excited now when I have a badly stained diaper as I want to see if this stain is too tough for the sun. Haven't had one yet.

I am also very happy with our switch in body wash. With the old stuff (the chemical stuff) I would always break out in little blisters on my arms after being in the sun. This would happen every summer when I ventured out into the sun. Initially the doctor said it was an allergic reaction and to change soaps. I did but the same old thing. Then she said just wear sunscreen and you will be fine. Whatever.... that was about 3 years ago. Now having switched to the natural chemical free body wash - I have no side affects from the sun. Coincidence, I think not.

Our walking everyday is great I have lost about 5 pounds of my post pregnancy weight in the last week and probably saved that in gas too.

Our vegetable garden is great - we are already eating lettuce and Swiss chard from it. I can hardly wait for the tomatoes to come. It looks like we will also have an amazingly large pumpkin for our jack-o-lantern come Halloween. The strawberries and blueberries get eaten by the children as soon as they are ripe. So nice for them to pick a fresh snack in the garden while they play.

Going green is not difficult - in fact rather simple - you should try it too

Mother's going GREEN Day 57 - Stair Climbing

Today's post is something simple. Something we can all start to do NOW. Climbing Stairs!

Whenever the opportunity presents itself, you can take the stairs. It will not kill you - only make you fitter, healthier and stronger.

I personally opt to take the stairs. My kids love to push all the buttons in the elevator or fight about who will get to push the button - so to avoid this we take the stairs. Okay if we have to go up 30 flights I would probably take the elevator - or if I have a stroller.

If you work/live on a high floor perhaps you could start by taking the stairs on the way down and maybe once a week take them up and work your way to taking the stairs 80% of the time. You could then cancel your gym membership. Saving you money.

Using an elevator requires energy (electricity). But then you say - It is using the energy whether I am on it or not. But if you are the only one on it - then the energy is just for you. And if you take the stairs it may inspire others to do the same.

Mother's going GREEN Day 56 - Deodorant

This topic is one I have personally been trying to avoid. Deodorant... But my chemical laden, aluminum one has all been used up. As I am going 'green' I have to now face the 'green' facts and switch my deodorant.

It took me forever to find the "poison" one that I just used. It worked well for me, but as it turns out not for the environment and I guess not for my health either. But masking the body odour and perspiration it was great.

I guess now a new search begins: The search for the right "Green" deodorant for me. Since everybody's body chemistry is different we all react differently to deodorants. I might have to try a few before I find one that works for me. When I asked my husband on Saturday to pick up some deodorant for me I said: "Please get me a 'green' deodorant and my regular one, in case the 'green' one just does not work." He in all his 'greenness' responded: "I am not buying 2 - you're going green so the 'green' one it will have to be." So I have it and am trying it. Hopefully it will work.

I have tried the crystal rock kind and it never worked for me - If anyone has any suggestions I will be quite open to hearing them. The one I am to start trying is: "Tom's of Maine" - It says: Naturally, it works" - well we will wait and see.

I have read too that if you need a quick refresh all you need do is wipe your underarms with rubbing alcohol and then reapply. I will try this trick too if need be. All I can say is thank goodness I am married already - as I am not sure I would be trying this if I was still single.

Mother's going GREEN Day 55 - Breastfeeding

Today's post will be rather brief. Our family has had a rather busy 'family' day with a picnic at a local natural lake with a barbecue and swimming. I was glad to see many families and families with infants and their mothers breastfeeding. We all have our own style some cover up discreetly, some find a very private and secluded spot and some (like me) well whatever.... My motto is: anywhere, anytime. And as I recently found out as a Canadian it is my right and is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights.

Breastfeeding is the way to go both the health benefits for the child and mother, plus all the positives for the environment. No energy consumed (warming bottles, producing bottles and formula.) No water used in the preparation of formula. It is all ready and set to go.

Now I understand the personal choice here. But I am also certain that one should take into account all the benefits when making that choice and they far out way the benefits of bottle feeding. Some mothers cannot breastfeed. My first child was a natural and I breastfed for 22 months. My second child was a little more difficult. It was very challenging at first just to get started any much of my support suggested just switching to formula. That was not an option for me so we continued and struggled and persevered until she was about 41/2 months and then I started to supplement with formula. The thing is I never gave up and even with supplementing I continued to breastfeed her until she was 18 months old. My newest arrival has taken to feeding quite well and I look forward to another 22 months of breastfeeding her.

The point is breastfeeding is the "green" way to go. It is good for mother earth. The mother and the child.

Mother's going GREEN Day 54 - Green Ribbon Pledge and Shopping

Some days when it comes to writing my blog, I have so much to write on it can be tough to decide.. My husband suggested I write about the wonderful organic and local meal he prepared for dinner, I was going to write on deodorant; but after I read one of my fellow green bloggers post - I got side tracked into shopping (not for deodorant but for cool cool green stuff.)

Jollygoodandgreen wrote of the Green Ribbon Pledge - I decided to check it out and have joined her in her pledge. This is my pledge: Over the course of a year, the energy saved as part of your green ribbon pledge is 6810 kWh/year and 200 gallons of gasoline.

But while taking the Green Ribbon Pledge I clicked on to the store: The Rain Forest Site and here you can buy gifts for anyone and everyone and the great thing is you give back to the people who created your item, you give back to the environment. For the most part their products are organic, recycled, fairly traded and ethnic. You can purchase gifts to help others or animals. I purchased a pair of school shoes for a girl in Africa. South Africa is where I was born and raised it is my home so I chose to help those less fortunate on the continent Africa.

I could spend hours perusing the site. Great selection and always an opportunity to help the environment with every purchase.

Guys and Gals - GO SHOPPING!!!!!!! (guilt free - yes there is such a thing).

Mother's going GREEN Day 53 - Children's Eco-Craft

When Fridays come along, I usually head to the recycling can and try figure out what we can create this week because we have an abundance of milk jugs I decided to put them to use. We also needed some sort of plant markers for our rooftop vegetable garden which is growing so well - so the idea of Vegetable Plant Markers came to mind.

Vegetable Plant Markers

You will need:

-- Empty Plastic Milk Jugs

-- Pictures of Vegetables

-- Glue Stick

Instruction (with adults help if required):

-- Cut long 'rain drop' shape from recycled milk jug (2 per marker)

-- Glue picture on the top of 'rain drop' shape cut out (I used printed pictures on the back side of an already used paper, but you can either draw your own or cut some from a magazine)

-- Glue on second 'rain drop' shape to cover picture - this will provide some waterproofing so our pictures do not get damaged.

-- Place markers in garden to identify your vegetable plants.

Mother's going GREEN Day 52 - The Car Wash

My car is probably one of the not so clean cars on the road. I honestly do not have time to wash it and quite honestly have better things to do. But when it gets really dirty and dusty - when it is tempting to write on it with your finger "please wash me" then I head of to the drive through car wash. (okay - so not as dirty as in this picture)

Today, was the day I headed for the car wash and as we were going through it the thought occurred to me that this might not be the best environmentally friendly way to wash my car. As soon as I had a spare moment I was going to investigate this and here is what I found:

What is the most environmentally friendly way I can wash my car: doing it myself or going to the local car wash?

I figured washing the car by hand would be the most environmentally friendly way to go - since most of the time to be 'green' one needs to go 'old school' but as it turns out that washing our cars in our driveways is one of the most environmentally un-friendly chores we can do around the house. Unlike household waste water that enters sewers or septic systems and undergoes treatment before it is discharged into the environment. Which means that the water from washing your car in the driveway goes right into storm drains -- and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands where it poisons aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc.

The water from out washed car includes the following harmful ingredients: gasoline, oil and residues from exhaust fumes; not to mention the detergents used in wasting the car, unless of course you are using an environmentally friendly detergent but even so it has the other chemicals I have just listed.

However federal laws in both the U.S. and Canada require commercial carwash facilities to drain their wastewater into sewer systems, so it gets treated before it is discharged back into the great outdoors. And commercial car washes use computer controlled systems and high-pressure nozzles and pumps that minimize water usage. Many also recycle and re-use the rinse water.

The International Carwash Association, goes on to say that automatic car washes use less than half the water of even the most careful home car washer. According to one report, washing a car at home typically uses between 80 and 140 gallons of water, while a commercial car wash averages less than 45 gallons per car.

For more info on this topic you can visit the following sites: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/car-wash.html

http://www.imagesautospa.com/Environmental.html

Needless to say I was thrilled about my findings - taking my car to the commercial car wash was in deed the green thing to do.