Written on
July 23, 2010 by
DianaP
In less than two weeks more than one-thousand bloggers of all ages, races and yes, sexes will descend on New York City. Ushered in on a cloud of anticipation, excitement and social media they will spend two days learning, connecting and yes, partying.
This year, as in years past, BlogHer is working to implement important green initiatives conference wide — an exciting development in and of itself — and paired with the cooperation of individual attendees and the coordinated efforts of every blogger who travels to the conference we can have an even greater impact on the environment for the better!
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Written on
July 12, 2010 by
Amber
As you no doubt know, unless you have been living under a rock for the past several months, an oil rig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20. The explosion destroyed the rig, causing oil to spill from the wellhead into the Gulf. At this point oil has been spilling out for more than 2 months, defying all efforts at containment. The current plan is to drill two relief wells and then permanently close the existing well. The relief wells are expected to be completed in August.
Meanwhile, the largest offshore oil spill in US history continues.
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Can I just say that I think it is both harder and easier to be green in the summer?!
I can hang my clothes outside on the line to dry, but I am taking more showers due to being outside and sticky/dirty. Also? My hair is not nearly as fabulous post-baby and needs more washes. Boo.
I can keep more lights off inside since the sun shines brighter for longer, but I have all the fans going to try to circulate as much cool air as possible.
I can keep the doors and windows closed on the hottest days to keep the hot out and the cool in, but I’ll be darned if I’m turning off the AC!
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You know how the easiest way to stick to a diet is to not bring ‘problem’ foods into the house in the first place? Well, I’ve found I do the same thing with keeping to a ‘green’ diet. There are certain (decidedly un-environmental) conveniences I simply can’t resist if they’re easily accessable, so instead I don’t purchase them at all.
Maybe I have the will power of a knat, but I find this works for me. Out of sight, out of mind! The following are non-green items I try to avoid like the plague (because if they’re in my house, I’ll gladly use them!):
Paper towels and napkins.
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Written on
March 1, 2010 by
DianaP
A couple weeks ago we invited another couple over for dinner and games. I’ve been friends with the wife for sometime but we hadn’t yet gotten together as couples more than a few times — her husband didn’t know me as well as she did and had no idea what it is that I do for a living. In our neck of the woods freelance writers aren’t exactly plentiful so I’m accustomed to reactions of bewilderment when my livelihood comes up for discussion. What I’m not accustomed to is people questioning, even if in a friendly and truly curious manner, why I am fit to do what I do.
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Let’s see. I have been going green now for about two years. Since that time, I have gone from being really rigid in everything I do to the point where my house started looking like a garbage dump – minus the rotting food – because I was saving everything (ex: cereal boxes, bottle tops, popsicle sticks, etc.) believing each item had a second or third life in it before meeting its maker in the trash. On the flip side, I recently declared my latest compost bin a wash after it became infested with worms, other than red wigglers, and have been unashamedly tossing kitchen remnants into the trash and becoming an apathetic contributor to our local landfill.
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As much as I love summer, it definitely has its drawbacks, mostly in the form of humidity, weeds, and mosquitoes.
There’s nothing I can do about the humidity, but I’d really really like to get rid of the other two. With a dog running around, I’m even more reluctant to turn to chemicals than I was before, but I’ve got to do something.
I’m always on the lookout for green pest control tips that work, but so far, I’ve come up a bit short. So I thought I’d turn to the 5m4gg readers, and see what you have tried and tested.
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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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Written on
May 18, 2009 by
SusanC
Every day we are faced with many types of pollutants. It can come from buses, autos, smoking, factories, detergents, pesticides and more.
Although it seems as though the safest place to be at times is your home, you may not be entirely right. Many indoor pollutants can trigger a LOT of different health issues. Asthma, allergies and carbon monoxide are just a few of the issues your home many have.
Luckily there are a few things you can do to make sure the IAQ (indoor air quality) in your house is up to par.
In the Bedroom:
- Washing bed linens in warm water weekly and keeping a low humidity (30-50%) will keep dust mite levels low
- Dust mites also hide out in other places so wash stuffed toys, dust often, and vacuum regularly
In the Bathroom:
- Mold is the allergen here and can easily be remidied by proper ventilation.
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Written on
May 5, 2009 by
SusanC
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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