It’s no secret that purchasing reusable containers will help reduce the amount thrown into a landfill.  Whether you’re the one who’s going back to school or the one packing the lunches (or both) with a few cool tools, you can save time and money.    

To-Go Ware Stainless Steel Food Carrier

Great for hot or cold foods, this comes with a removable plate and 2-tiers so you can separate foods.  Stainless steel is highly durable, won’t leach toxins like plastics can and is very easy to clean. 

Plastic Bag Dryer

I never knew these existed until very recently.  Way back in Elementary school I had a friend who would save all her Ziplocs she used for snacks & lunch in a day and bring them home with her after school and gave them to her mother who would wash, dry and reuse them as many times as she could.  Back then I  thought it very strange (because no one else I knew was doing it).  Little did I know back then that it would be considered “eco-friendly” today. 

SIGG Water Bottle

According to Fast Company, Americans use 50 billion water bottles each year.  Most are not recycled.  Find a reusable water bottle that looks good (so you’ll be more inclined to use it) and help keep your share of water bottle waste out of the trash.  They come in an assortment of colors and sizes for kids and adults alike. 

Moms are busy and while wanting to keep their family safe and healthy, they might not always have the time to investigate each and every product.  And it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what should be focused on since there are so many opinions about what is safe & important for you to focus on as a mother.  The bottom line is, you want the absolute best for your family.  Keep in mind that any steps in the right direction is a good thing and try not to get too overwhelmed about what you’re not doing or what you could do better.  If you have just one minute to spare (maybe while the kids are napping), watch one Mom who found some great “green” finds for her little ones and I’ll show you where to find them below! 

1). Bath Ball Faucet Filter: Hang this from your faucet at bathtime, to reduce chlorine in your water by 95%.     

2). Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild Liquid Soap: Dr. Bronner’s has been creating totally safe & completely pure soaps for the past 60 years.  They are both USDA certified and Fair Trade certified.  Their liquid soaps are very concentrated, so they’ll last you a long time.  

 3). Under The Nile Organic Cotton Hooded Towel and Frog Washcloth puppet: One of the great organic cotton baby lines, they are Demeter certified (one of the highest level of biodynamic certifications; a step above organic) and USDA Certified Organic.  And the dyes they use are also certified organic.  Be assured this company has your baby’s safety and comfort in mind.

4). Under The Nile Fitted Crib Sheet: Rest easy knowing your baby is sleeping on totally pure bedding. 

 5). thinkbaby Bottles: According to Toxic Nation, BPA (Bisphenol A) is a hormone disruptor. Studies have linked low-dose BPA exposure with such effects as: permanent changes to genital tract; increase prostate weight; decline in testosterone; breast cells predisposed to cancer; prostate cells more sensitive to hormones and cancer; and hyperactivity.   Canada became the first country to officially ban the chemical from baby bottles.   California recently passed a bill to ban the substance (click here for more info).  Big companies like Nalgene, Wal-Mart, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Playtex have said they will no longer make or sell BPA-containing products. 

Most gardens need more water than is provided through normal rainfall. Usually we must turn on an outside faucet and hook up the hose to provide our array of plants with the water they need. Rather than run up your water bill and draw from your community water supplies—often exhausted over dry spring and summer months—why not recycle?

Recycling water sounds strange, but it actually makes sense. Consider all the rainwater that runs off your roof and straight into the gutter. Collect this water instead in a large barrel and then use it to water the plants.

A barrel like the one from Green and More is ideal for the average home. It holds 60 gallons and comes with an overflow fitting, drain plug, screw on cover, and threaded spigot. Available in a variety of colors, these barrels are especially great because they’re repurposed. Originally used to import olives from Spain, Green and More barrels gain new life by becoming rain barrels.

Watering lawns accounts for an incredible 40 to 60 percent of residential water consumption during the summer months, making lawn maintenance not only a chore but also a drain on the pocketbook and water supply.

The addition of patios, decks, or flower beds also serve to diminish water use by replacing thirsty lawn that needs watering. Or don’t even have a lawn . . . according to Gardeners magazine, trees and shrubs grow better when the soil over their roots is covered with a mulch or ground cover rather than grass. Manicured grass competes for nutrients and water, and passing lawn mowers can injure stems and trunks.

Of all the wood flooring choices available, bamboo is considered the most environmentally friendly. Bamboo is not only highly sustainable—a renewable resource that grows with little water—but also using bamboo avoids using the world’s already dwindling timber resources.

Bamboo is not a tree. In fact, it is a giant grass. And just like the grass on a lawn, when bamboo is cut it’s root system is unharmed, healthy and regenerative. Best of all, bamboo has the ability to grow to maturity in 4-6 years while hardwoods take decades to achieve maturity. Once cut, most hardwoods are left lifeless. Whereas after bamboo is cut, it is able to grow again and again.

An image of carbonized bamboo flooring.

As the world’s population and economy continue to swell, excessive water consumption is causing some major environmental problems including the degradation of rivers, wetlands, and bays. No need to give up your showers. Just save water with an inexpensive Low-Flow Shower head and faucet aerator. They’re easy to install and are reported to reduce water flow by up to 44% without reducing your water pressure.

In case you don’t know, low flow shower heads and aerators are ordinary shower heads that let water flow at a rate of 2 gallons per minute (gpm) . . . or even less. Ordinary shower heads, however, use 3-4 gpm. Simply installing high-efficiency shower heads and faucet aerators will therefore save about 12 gallons per shower and a predicted 7,800 gallons of water per year. All in all, a savings of 44% over non-conserving shower heads and a great way to cut down on water and energy.

As we all know, chocolate is absurdly delicious. Rich, creamy and “choc” full of antioxidants—it’s no wonder the ancient Mayan civilization referred to it as the, “food of the Gods.”

But self-indulgence comes with a hefty price tag—chocolate is truly bitter sweet. According to Treehugger.com “most chocolate sold in the U.S. comes from cocoa farms where farmers work in unsafe conditions, receive below poverty wages, many of them children under 14 years old who are forced to work and denied education.”

In addition to labor and humanitarian injustices, cocoa bean production is responsible for several environmental problems. The majority of the world’s cocoa farmers use large amounts of pesticides to ensure a better yield. These pesticides can cause great environmental damage from soil erosion to local ground water contamination.

To avoid guilt associated chocolate cravings (well, you’ll still get them) consider organic and fair trade chocolate. More on specific brands next post.

First things first. You can’t Thanksgiving without a turkey . . . unless you’re vegetarian in which case you’ll want to serve a tofurkey.

As a side note, going vegetarian is always something to consider if you want to save the planet. There are many reasons environmentalists argue for vegetarianism and against meat production. Commonly cited concerns include groundwater contamination from improperly disposed sewage, pollution from meat processing plants, clear cutting to make room for grazing, the production of grains for feed, methane, I could go on and on. All facts considered, a vegetarian meal will make your Thanksgiving the greenest.

If you can’t bare the thought of soybean turkey substitute then definitely consider an organic, biodynamic, or heritage turkey. By buying one of these options you’ll ensure that your turkey wasn’t raised on a pesticide rich diet. No fillers or antibiotics either. A certified turkey will ensure your meat was raised by farmers who care about the environment and are willing to spend the time and money on environmental best practices. Now that’s some food for thought!

76. Switch to low-wattage or compact fluorescent light bulbs. They last 10 times longer and use only one-fourth of the energy compared to incandescent light bulbs.

77. Eat vegetarian foods as much as possible. Meat makes less efficient use of land, soil, water, and energy - and cows emit/flattulate 300 liters of methane per day.
78. Dry clothes and linens on a clothesline rather than in the dryer. If you have to use a dryer, use an energy star one and clean the lint screen before use.

79. When running your tap to wash dishes, use cold water instead of hot. You’ll save a lot of energy.
80. Run energy efficient dishwashers only when full.
81. Take quick showers instead of baths.
82. Compost kitchen and garden waste, or give it to a friend who can.
83. If your lazy, don’t like to iron, or an environmentalist you can always hang your clothes in the bathroom while showering. They’ll be wrinkle free in 5 minutes of steam.
84. Install low flow showerheads and sink-faucet aerators. Low-flow showerheads can reduce the water flow up to 50 percent.
85. Collect rainwater and gray water for gardening use.
86. Start a garden; plant a garden instead of a lawn. Lawns use a huge amount of water.
87. Use natural fiber clothing, bedding and towels.

88. Insulate your water heater. Turn it down to 121°F.
89. Turn off all lights that don’t need to be on.
90. Try to be a localvore. Locally produced foods are better for the environment because they do not need to be trucked in from great distances.
91. Buy in bulk. Buy products with less packaging or buy in bulk.
92. Explore getting a solar water heater for your home.
93. Urge your local officials to start a convenient and even lucrative curbside recyclables pickup program.
94. Remove unnecessary stuff from your car. Each 100 lbs. of weight decreases fuel efficiency by 1%.
95. Use recycled products, especially paper.
96. Invest your money in environmentally and socially conscious businesses.
97. Bring your own canvas bags to the grocery store.
98. Limit your energy star air conditioner use.
99. Encourage your local auto centers to install CFC recycling equipment for auto air conditioners. Freon is released during servicing to become both a greenhouse gas and an ozone layer destroyer.
100. If you have to use fertilizer use an organic one. Home gardeners use up to 10 times more toxic chemicals per acre than farmers because home gardeners over use chemical fertilizers.
101. Spread the word.

Good luck and Godspeed.

What can I do? What can one person do? I often get this question.

The answer: a lot.

To start, here’s a list of 101 options. I’ll kick off with just a few today, but will add to the list over the next six days. If we can do just one thing . . . even the easiest one, that’s great.

The idea of a list like this is not to make us feel guilty for all the things we aren’t doing, but inform us of tiny changes in our lives that collectively can make significant energy and pollution reductions.

This list of 101 suggestions doesn’t begin to exhaust the possibilities. Figure out what works well for you and then keep going in that direction. Good luck!

1. Send memos over e-mail to save paper.

2. Turn your thermostat down three degrees in the winter.
You can prevent the emission of nearly 1100 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

3. Switch to solar energy.
In one day, the sun provides more energy than our population could use in 27 years. Make the switch to sunlight–it doesn’t pollute and it’s free.

4. Avoid styrofoam.
It never biodegrades.

5. Use tap water instead of loading up on bottled water.
If you’re picky about your water install a water filter on your home faucet. That $5 filter will give you 40,000 8-ounce glasses of purified tap water.

6. If you have to print, use recycled paper and make double-sided copies.

7. Use a low-flow toilet.
A low-flush toilet uses half the water but still does the job.

8. Walk, bike or skateboard.
Twenty-five percent of all car trips are less than a mile long. So get on a bike or that bamboo skateboard and get some pollution-free exercise.

9. Support local farmers. On average, your food has traveled 1200 miles just to get to your plate. Shopping at farmers’ markets, co-ops and CSAs allows you to buy directly from the people who grow the food.

10. Unplug appliances.
Unplugging is the only way to make sure your appliances aren’t using energy.

A lot of people ask me about organic cotton: “why is it better than conventional cotton? What’s the big deal? Isn’t cotton a natural plant . . . how can it be harmful? Are organic cotton products better for my baby?”

Organic cotton is superior to conventional cotton on all levels; it is better for your baby, it is better for you, and it is better for the earth.

Working with, not against,” nature is the principle behind organic farming. Organic cotton is harvested free of environmentally harmful pesticides and insecticides. Conventional Cotton, on the other hand, uses approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides, making it the second most pesticide-laden crop in the world after coffee. (source: Allen Woodburn Associates Ltd./Managing Resources Ltd., “Cotton: The Crop and its Agrochemicals Market,” 1995.) After conventional cotton is harvested with pesticides, it is often pretreated with peroxide so to make the dyeing process easier. Once dyed, garments are often washed in formaldehyde. The chemical wash gives garments a softer hand feel.

Bleaches, dyes, washes, pesticides and insecticides can wreak havoc on ecosystems. Polluted soil can become dry and erode. If chemical washes and dyes are not properly disposed of, they leak into nearby rivers and streams, severely disrupting local ecosystems. Biologists estimate millions of birds die from the effects of agricultural chemicals used in conventional cotton production and garment manufacturing.

From a humanitarian perspective, there are several reasons one should avoid purchasing conventional cotton. To start, cotton is a water-thirsty crop. It also tends to grow in third world countries where labor and human rights are often overlooked for the bottom line. Many third world countries don’t even have enough water for their citizens. When cotton-growing retailers usurp vital water supplies, water becomes an influential political tool.

As seen in this video, White Gold, from the Environmental Justice Foundation, cotton workers can be treated like slaves, many mothers with babies on their backs, or young children.

In addition to unjust labor conditions, cotton workers are exposed to a plethora of harsh chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on conventional cotton as “possible,” “probable,” or “known,” human carcinogens. . (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, “List of Chemicals Evaluated for Carcinogenic Potential,” 2001.) Daily exposure to such carcinogens is highly dangerous to cotton workers’ health. Organic cotton does not contain any such carcinogens. I think that’s enough bad news for today. I’ll check in tomorrow with information on how you can help support the organic cotton industry, a vast humanitarian and environmental improvement over the conventional cotton industry.