Greening The Magazines

Before children, I used to love to curl up with a couple of favorite magazines and a Coke and laze away an afternoon. Important part of that sentence – “before children.” Now, mmm, I don’t have the time. Yeah, right, I would get an opportunity to “laze away an afternoon.” That would be nice. Now, I’m lucky if I can get through 3 pages of advertisements, let alone any substance, before some small body hurls itself at me, demanding attention, and ripping any wayward page that just happens to get in the way. Or dripping Otter Pop stickiness all over the only page I wanted to read. Not to mention the dirty laundry that calls me or a number of other chores needing to be done.

As a result of being overwhelmed by motherhood, I’ve cut down on my magazine reading, and, hence my magazine subscriptions. The magazines were piling up around the house, mocking me and demanding attention. And I really don’t need anything else to clamor for my attention, unless it is some helpful soul trying to find out what I want for dinner, and how I like my towels folded. In any event, a husband, 2 children, a snooty cat and a guinea pig are enough for this mama, thank you very much. Those magazine piles just made me feel guilty about all the wasted paper and energy – so I couldn’t recycle them without reading them. So, they just sat and mocked me – and I was completely unable to banish them. I never had time to read them – and every month more piled up. Plus, they provided a haven for silverfish, my dreaded enemy (although I’ve found my eco-friendly, non toxic solution – small fabric pieces impregnated with eucalyptus lemon essential oil).

So, as magazine subscriptions have come up for renewal, I’ve switched them over to Zinio, an online magazine reader service. Which is great. I’m saving resources and energy used to produce and transport the magazines I used to get by mail – although, of course, my computer uses energy. But, overall, I’m going green with my magazines. All sorts of green. But not the kind that makes the world go round – you do have to pay for your magazine subscriptions. However, Zinio does offer a free trial, so I urge you to check it out or any other on line magazine reader in lieu of your print magazines. It isn’t quite the same, but it is a solution.

An original 5 Minutes for Going Green post. You can read simple steps for non toxic & green homes, babies and kids from Jennifer at her blog TheSmartMama since Smart Mamas Do It All Naturally.