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Tag Archive: parenting

Eco-friendly Strollers

Written on July 29, 2011 by Guest Contributor

As new age parents learn about supporting the environment when purchasing household items, it has sparked the trend of Eco friendly strollers.

There’s not as vast of a selection as there should be, but a few companies are emerging as leaders in producing non-toxic strollers for babies and toddlers. These two companies are recognizable for their quality product as well as their initiative in providing a toxic free environment for your baby.

Strollers are going green

Maclaren Strollers
This international company is dedicated to their corporate social policy (CSR), as one of their major concerns is responsible manufacturing. They use recyclable materials as much as possible as well as restricting chemical compounds that harm the environment such as phthalates, lead, PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), which have been eliminated from all their products.

in Baby, For The Kids, Green Parenting

- 3 Comments

Eco-Friendly Easter Gifts for Busy Moms

Written on March 30, 2010 by DianaP

5 Comments

It’s the week of Easter and I have to assume I am not the only procrastinator — er, busy mom — who does not yet have her kids’ Easter Baskets filled with goodies and awaiting the big morning. And you know, as much as I love all the online guides I find for eco-friendly Easter basket stuffers it seems every year I still find myself in the same position. Life takes precedence and for me that often means my kids’ baskets aren’t filled with organic cotton plush animals ordered in from an internet source, but rather with regular everyday commodities I’m able to find at stores locally as I run my usual errands.

in For The Home, For The Kids, Green Gardens, Green Holidays, Green Parenting, The Green Consumer

- 5 Comments

After-School Snacks that Tread Lightly on the Planet (and your Grocery Budget)

Written on February 11, 2010 by Amy Whitley

6 Comments

If you’ve been following my posts here at 5 Minutes for Going Green, you know I’m all about taking baby steps toward eco-living. In other words, I tend to take two steps forward, followed by at least one squarely on my cushy bottom.

One step forward I’ve taken recently is to bake and cook healthy, whole-food after-school snacks for my kids. I’m tired of buying over-processed, heavily-packaged snack foods that destroyed my grocery budget.

Three winning recipes my (picky) kids happily eat:

Egg and cheese sandwiches:

2 packages English muffins (I buy wheat)

2 dozen eggs (I go with free range)

24 slices cheese (cheddar for our family)

Optional: ham slices or the veggie equivalent (we like Yves brand)

Fry the eggs individually (we cracked them right into circular cookie cutters on the griddle to keep their shape).

in Blog, Eat to Live, For The Home, For The Kids, Frugal Living, Green Parenting, The Green Consumer

- 6 Comments

Around The Greenosphere: Weekly Link Roundup

Written on August 30, 2008 by Guest Contributor

0 Comments

Happy Labor Day weekend to you all from the green team here at 5 Minutes for Going Green! Here are some interesting reads for your long weekend:

-Geek Dad creates an incredible Styrobot, all from styrofoam he collected over the past several years. Check out the awesomeness.

-Last week, our own Crunchy Chicken had some exciting updates on the distribution of pads for her very important and very successful Goods 4 Girls organization. Go read about what happened in Sudan, Kenya, and Uganda.

-Another one of our rock stars, Mama Bird, pointed out the lack of environmental awareness among the American Dental Association.

in Around the Greenosphere, Beauty and Body, Green Gardens, Green Thoughts, Reduce Reuse Recycle

- 0 Comments

Greensleeves: How To Green Your Wardrobe

Written on August 27, 2008 by SusanC

8 Comments

Did you know that 1/4 of all of the pesticides used throughout the entire world are used in the production of cotton? Not soybeans. Not rice. Not any of the major food crops. Cotton. We can’t eat it and we can’t feed hungry people with it, yet we’re dousing our planet in chemicals to feed our bottomless addiction to clothing. Add to that the fact that most conventionally produced clothing is made using dyes and finishes that are loaded with chemicals. And to keep clothes cheap, many items are produced using child labor forces in deplorable sweatshop conditions. Whew! That means that the clothes on our backs that many of us (myself included!)

in Frugal Living, Green Parenting, Reduce Reuse Recycle

- 8 Comments

Great Green Toys

Written on August 27, 2008 by Guest Contributor

4 Comments

One of the best things about the movement toward natural and green living is the abundance of wonderful natural/green toys available nowadays. Most of the toys you see when you shop at big box stores will be plastic and while I believe plastic does have a place in our lives I am sure I am not the only parent to see the problem they present. Plastic toys are usually low quality, they break easy, and they can’t be recycled usually. Kids get bored playing with then because they really aren’t that stimulating and they capitalize on the latest hot trend or “character” that will be soon be forgotten or replaced.

in Green Parenting

- 4 Comments

Living Your Green Dream

Written on August 26, 2008 by Guest Contributor

9 Comments

Believe in yourself and there will come a day when others will have no choice but to believe with you. -Cynthia Kersey

Do you remember as a child when there was no such thing as obstacles? I remember always asking my parents “why not?”. It was inconceivable to imagine that I could not Do or Be anything I wanted. Do you remember that feeling as a child? The sense you had that all things were possible? Take five minutes and have some fun with me because today we are going to do some dreaming!

In the last couple of years I have really come to appreciate the dreaming side of myself.

in For The Home, Green Thoughts

- 9 Comments

Light Green Thumbs

Written on August 21, 2008 by Guest Contributor

2 Comments

One of the nicest things about the wide green Earth we live on is the plant life that kindly mops up carbon dioxide while it creates energy. If you haven’t got a green thumb, but have a love of leafy decor like I do, you can still get the leafy living greens into your home. Why do that? Well, I’m not kidding about plants improving indoor air quality. And what else are you going to do with the backwash from all your sippy cups?

Green planting 101: use organic potting soil and compost (leaf mold or compost tea) to enrich it.

in For The Home, Green Gardens, Green Parenting

- 2 Comments

No Idling!

Written on August 20, 2008 by SusanC

6 Comments

How to ban school bus idling

I can vividly recall riding the school bus when I was a kid. I remember the ride as being very long, very boring, and very stinky. And while I was probably exaggerating the long and boring parts (my ride lasted about 15 minutes) I now know that I wasn’t imagining the stink…

A recent Yale University study found that children who ride a school bus are exposed to up to 15 times more particulate pollution than average. Researchers estimate that this increased exposure is due to the idling and queuing of school buses. In other words, as school buses line up and wait in front of the school, they fill up with harmful (and stinky) particulate pollution that will stay with the kids throughout their ride.

in Activism, Clean Air, Green Parenting

- 6 Comments

Slowing Down Is Good For The Soul-And The Earth

Written on August 19, 2008 by Guest Contributor

8 Comments

I’ve found there are several aspects of my journey towards going green that require me to slow down my usual crazy, hectic pace, and, I admit, this isn’t always easy. When you decide to do things like prepare your meals from scratch, grow a garden, make your own yogurt or dry your clothes outside on a clothesline, you have to A) plan ahead and B) allow yourself the time to accomplish these things. This doesn’t always make for an easy transition in a world where time is money and we often over-schedule our lives.

When I first started drying our laundry (everything from cloth napkins to clothes, linens to cloth diapers) on a clothesline this summer, I was frustrated with how much time it took, specifically to hang everything up.

in For The Home, Frugal Living, Got Energy?

- 8 Comments