Category Archives: Conservation

One Less

You can gradually reduce the carbon footprint of your baby with Baby Pottying or Elimination Communication. (Did you see the word “gradually” in that sentence?)

Gradually is there because you can ease into EC slowly, taking baby steps to gain your confidence and discover some EC tools with your baby to reduce your use of diapers in time.

Imagine if every baby wore just one less diaper each day because Mom and Dad are dabbling in baby pottying? That means millions less disposable diapers will be tossed in the bin.

EC, or Elimination Communication, is an ancient approach to baby hygiene that involves getting to know your baby’s patterns and rhythms of elimination so that, together as a cooperative team, you can “catch” some of their business in a potty, potty bowl or other suitable place.

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May Is EcoDriving Month

May is EcoDriving Month!

It’s a great time to learn to change your driving habits. Just small changes in how you drive can help you get better gas mileage. Not all of us can run out and by an electric car or a hybrid, so learning to drive better can make a real difference.

Here are some basic tips that can help increase your gas mileage-
1. Check your tire pressure. Properly inflated tires can increase fuel efficiency by around 3-10 percent.
2. Have a lighter foot. Slowly accelerate and decelerate.
3. Clean out your car. Extra weight will lower your mpg.

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Green Birth

As a birth and postpartum doula, and a natural parenting company owner who is expecting a baby in the next few weeks, I can’t help but write a post that mentions the “greenness” of homebirth.

I think that most of the time we focus on a lot of the other possible advantages to homebirth (such as lack of unnecessary interventions, comfortable atmosphere for the mother, and even affordability), but rarely mention how having a birth at home can also be a green choice for your family. So, I thought I would put together a few little green things to consider (which obviously should not be your soul reasons for choosing a homebirth, but they can’t hurt either):

Less waste!

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Bringing It Home: Swami Baby Giveaway

A giveaway courtesy of Swami Baby is a great way to end our week-long giveaway carnival, if you will, in celebration of Earth Day.

What exactly is Swami Baby?

Katie Holley, the founder and owner of this creative kiddo-centric business, is probably the best person to answer that question.

In her own words:

Swami Baby is a clothing line for infants and toddlers designed to give voice to our wise little ones.

As a yoga teacher and mother of three, I began to see that kids already possess much of what we as adults are striving to achieve; they have the innate ability to live in the present, to take time to enjoy life, to be aware of their surroundings, and to be direct.

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Clean Green: Seventh Generation Giveaway

Now that Earth Day and the spring season have officially arrived, many Americans are in their eco-conscious cleaning modes, and while spring cleaning is necessary if not a little exciting (downsizing! de-cluttering! finding everything you once thought was lost forever!), the very products used to clean and protect your living space from germs could be harmful to both your family and the environment.

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, more than 50% of human poison exposure victims are children younger than six-years-old, and with sixty-three hazardous chemical products in the average American household-according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission-it’s no wonder so many kids are coming into contact with harmful chemicals on a daily basis at home.

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Minimizing Your Plastic Footprint: Glass Dharma Giveaway

Keeping the Earth Week fun moving right along, today as promised we have more great green products for you to win, more Earth Day tips, and bonus links to keep you clicking green all week long.

David Leonhardt, a glassblower and the founder of Glass Dharma, the original hand-made glass drinking straw, created his own line of drinking straws to “contribute one solution to the misuse of plastics in our society.”

By now I think most of us understand the over-use of the very non eco-friendly plastic material is a huge environmental problem, one with no clear solution in sight.

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Let’s Get It Started In Here: The Naked Binder Giveaway

History of Earth Day

Most of you have probably heard by now that Earth Day is just around the proverbial corner, slated for this upcoming Wednesday, April 22nd.

I’m sure you’ve seen television spots, heard radio announcements, and read other green sites preparing to embrace the day, and the entire week, with wide open hearts and minds, in the hopes that together we can make a difference for our one and only planet.

Here at 5MinutesForGoingGreen we’re preparing for our own Earth Day shindig of sorts, gearing up to offer a slew of green products for you to read about and win ALL WEEK LONG, in addition to links galore, and helpful tips for how you can maximize your contribution to making our planet a greener place to be, five minutes at a time.

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Throw Open the Windows!

With spring finally in full force in most areas around the country, many people are tackling, or finishing up, their deep cleaning to welcome summer.

Something you may not have considered cleaning, however, is the air in your home. Did you know that most homes have much higher percentages of air pollution than anything you would find outdoors? Scary, but true!

So, what can you do to help clear the air? Well, there are a few simple steps you can take to help your family breathe easier.

-Open the windows and let the fresh air in!
In our efforts to seal every nook and cranny in the summer and winter months so as to not let in (or out) any hot air, making our homes more efficient, we often don’t consider that we are trapping in the pollutants along with the temperature.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent!

In my opinion, the word “reinvent” should absolutely be added to the “R’s” of recycling- as in Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent!

Okay, I know, it is similar to reuse, but really, when I think of the word “reuse” it just implies to me that I should use the same thing repeatedly-such as cloth grocery bags. Recycle is also a similar term, but it always conjures images in my head of blue curb-side bins and pop cans. Reinvent, on the other hand, involves giving new spunk and life to an old, or apparently unusable, item to make it useful once more!

Recently I have come across some fun ideas that will hopefully inspire you to look for ways to reinvent items in your own home.

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Cloth for Mama-Are You Crazy?

Yes, you heard me, in addition to the last few weeks talking about using cloth for your kiddos, now I want to talk about cloth for you!

Alright, before you freak out and think, “Now this woman has totally lost it!” Hear me out!

Shouldn’t the same reasons we use for cloth diapering our little ones (reducing trash, avoiding toxins, saving money, pure comfort) be the reasons we consider using cloth for ourselves during that certain time of month?

Once again, I understand the aversion and used to have the same one! I used to think, “Wow, that is just way overboard and definitely only for hard-core hippie women.” Then I had my son and ended up using disposable pads for eight straight weeks after his birth.

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