Update: Giveaway: The Little Seed Launch Party Goody Bag
Update: The winners, and what they do at home to be more eco-friendly, are:
- Jeanette from Hempstead, NY, who cloth-diapers.
- Nicole from Poway, CA, who said, "We’ve switched to as many organic products aspossible, we recycle, and we have switched to energy efficient lightbulbs and oven. But, the most eco-friendly thing we have done issimply become conscious about how much energy we are using up — we makesure unnecessary lights are turned off or items are unplugged when notin use."
- Jennifer from Hillard, OH, who said, "We try and recycle/reuse as much as possible andreally pay attention to packaging (e.g. if there is excessivepackaging, we try not to purchase item or buy it used elsewhere). Tothe end, that we typically have less than a full bag of garbage thatgets picked up by garbage company – even at the holidays, we had lessthan 1/2 a bag of present stuff that wasn’t recyclable. We like toperuse Craig’s List and Freecycle.org if we are looking for something. You’d be amazed at what you can find gently used!"
Our readers do lots of things to leave a smaller footprint on the earth, and many of them are really easy. How many of them do you do? How many do you think you can start doing?
- eat less or no red meat
- breastfeeding
- making own baby food
- composting
- turning off lights when they leave the room and unplugging things that aren’t being used (because they still use electricity)
- cloth diapering their babies or using hybrid diapers like gDiapers
- bring their own bags to the grocery store (or reuse old ones)
- recycling as much as possible
- don’t buy bottled water
- using non-toxic cleaning supplies like vinegar, lemon and baking soda
- having a vegetable garden
- bathing the kids every other day (instead of every day)
- not running the water when brushing teeth
- buying organic food when possible
- using hand me down clothes and toys
- getting things they need via Freecycle.org and Craigslist.com (and getting rid of things they don’t need that way too)
- shopping at consignment and thrift stores
- carpooling or taking public transportation to work
- riding bicycles
- using fluorescent light bulbs
- using cloth rags instead of paper towels
- using rechargeable batteries
- driving a hybrid car
- buying products with minimal packaging
- consolidating car trips to save gas
- walking whenever possible
- watching less TV
- using cloth napkins
- buying locally grown food
- cutting down usage of petroleum-based beauty products
Do you have a simple eco-friendly tip that isn’t listed here? Post it in the comments!
We spoke to Soleil Moon Frye about her venture into retail with the recent opening of her organic baby shop, The Little Seed, her favorite eco-friendly products, and insight into her second pregnancy.
Enter to win one of three goody bags from The Little Seed launch party. The bags include some or all of the following items:
Organic Baby by Kimberly Rider, published by Chronicle Books
Dwellbaby bib and burp set
Seventh Generation chlorine-free diaper wipes
Lavender garden in a bag
Pinxav rash ointment
Elsie’s organic baby wipes
The Little Seed organic onesie
Green to Grow bottle
Kate Quinn Organics onesie
Weleda calendula cream
The Little Seed reusable bag
- Posted on Jan 4, 08 at 4:45PM
- Permalink
- 6 Comments
January 4th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Paint the nursery in low VOC paint!!
January 4th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Use the Diva cup and/or cloth pads. I used to think it seemed gross, but I’m hooked. Almost as hooked as I am to cloth diapers!
We do all of the above except drive a hybrid car (yet). We’re waiting until we NEED a new car. I think sometimes people concentrate so hard on going green that they create more waste by going out and buying new “green” items when they still have perfectly good items going to waste at home.
January 4th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I second the notion of reusable feminie products. The Diva cup is safe, convenient and cuts down on waste.
January 4th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Paint the nursery (and every other room) with NO VOC paint. I had to paint my kitchen and bathroom over the summer and I thought low VOC paint was a good idea. But if you are at all sensitive to those toxic chemicals (or have children) I realized that low VOC is just that; the chemicals are still in it. I still got headaches for the first couple of months. It is more expensive and it does take longer to dry, but it is getting easier to find. So I say for the sake of your child’s lungs and brain, splurge on the no VOC paint.
January 5th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Thanks for the tip about the Low vs. NO VOC paint. I will look for the No version, since I have asthma and my daughter has allergies.
We do 18 of the on items your list, yippee!! Something I do when shopping is check to see if food items are packaged in recyclable packaging. When possible I chose the one that is packaged in #1 or #2 plastic, or glass (our community only recycles #1 and #2). I also try not to buy too many foods packaged in those obnoxiously big, non-recyclable plastic fortresses. I miss the “old days” when cakes, pies, and other foods were boxed in cardboard or wrapped in paper. We lived without so much plastic very nicely.
I usually chose baby food fruit packaged in glass instead of (#5) plastic. If I do buy the small plastic packages of pureed fruit for the sake of variety or convenience, I wash out the containers and try to find creative uses for them. So far we have used them to store buttons, a rock collection, Barbie shoes, Littlest Pet Shop accessories, and other very small things that I would otherwise step on!
One more thing: If I buy a cup of coffee when I’m out and about, I choose stores that use paper cups instead of styrofoam ones. Or, even better, I take my own travel mug. They will gladly fill it up for you, and some chains even offer a small discount if you bring your own mug. I avoid styrofoam like the plague – it is very difficult to find a place to recycle it.
January 5th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I don’t buy any wrapping products. I re-use gift bags given to me or wrap gifts in newspapers or craft papers my kid decorates.
Actually, we don’t give gifts usually and avoid consumerism. We donate to a friend’s favorite charity in lieu of gifts.
I re-use envelopes that come in the mail or use junk mail papers for scrap gift wrapping or scrap paper for grocery store lists.
I take my own tupperware to restaurants when I know I am going to have leftovers.