Mommy Goes Green

Over the next three weekends in October, The Home Depot is hosting FREE Energy Saving workshops.  On Saturday, Oct 16, 23 and 30, the workshop will be held from 1-2 pm at your local store. 

Topics include:

• Identify several exclusive Eco Options and Energy Star rated products that can help you start saving on energy costs in the Fall

• Begin weatherizing your home with a range of low-cost sealants and insulation that make your home more comfortable and save you money

• Learn about other easy to install products that help you get the most electricity and water bills

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My beautiful baby girl,

I couldn’t be more proud of the curious, imaginative, funny and beautiful 4 year old you have become.  You light up every room you are in and are truly the sunshine in our lives. I look forward to each day of adventure and discovery with you.  You constantly challenge me mentally, physically and emotionally and I am a better person because of you. 

I love you to the moon and back,

Mama

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If you’re a green mama in Portland, here are some great events for you this fall:

The Eco-School Network is a group of parents in the Portland Metro area who are interested in bringing earth-conscious practices to a school’s operations and a child’s experience there. All members have taken the Agent of Change class, which offers important skills for creating change and a shared framework for consultation on projects within schools.  We will be offering a FREE school-focused class just for moms, from noon to 1:45pm on five Mondays: October 18, 25, November 1, 8 (break), December 6. 

The Green Sprouts Organic Baby and Family Festival is a fun, festive and educational one-day event for the whole family that celebrates and promotes the nurturing of life through nature. From pregnancy to childhood, parents can learn about and explore eco-friendly, community-involved, natural, and healthy options to raising their families.  Sunday, September 26th at Peninsula Park.

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Set your DVR for CNN on Tuesday and Wednesday night, June 2 and 3 at 8PM EST.  Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be exploring ‘Toxic America’ in a 2-part series. Tuesday night will investigate Mossville, a community in Louisiana, that is surrounded by 14 chemical plants that continually leak chemicals known to cause cancer.

For moms, part 2 in the series will be even more interesting. Toxic Childhood will look at the effect toxic chemicals have on children, unborn and born.  Did you know unborn babies have over 200 chemicals already in their bodies?   These chemicals include bisphenol-A ( found in plastics ), lead ( found in water, toys, paint ), flame retardants ( found in children’s pajamas, furniture ), and PFOA (found in Teflon coated pots and pans ).  

Don’t miss this informational documentary – and get your spouse and family to tune in.  It’s a great way to educate everyone in your children’s life.

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For the past several weeks, I’ve had many companies and PR agents ask if Mommy Goes Green was planning to do anything for Earth Day.  I’ve responded a few times that “every day is Earth Day around here” (with a smile).  Unfortunately, many people only recognize Earth Day once a year and that day is today - it’s the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

One of the best things about Earth Day is all of the freebies, discounts, coupons and sweepstakesthat encourage people to try new eco-friendly products or services – that hopefully will become their new favorite!  Last Sunday, I posted a bunch of Earth Day Freebies and on Tuesday, a list of home and garden deals.  I’ve taken advantage of them this week and purchased some new makeup, cleaning supplies, personal care products and lawn care products that we’ve been wanting to try – and tell you about.

Starting tomorrow, Coupon Craze will be posting over 100 offers planned to go live exclusively for Earth Day.  I’m not sure what to expect, but you know I’ll be heading over there tomorrow to see what’s on sale.  According to Coupon Craze, green retailers are still relatively new to the coupon industry so offers tend to have less fine print than coupons in other categories. For example, many of the coupons don’t have a minimum spending requirement, which means you’ll can save whether you spend $20 or $500.

WIN IT!

In the spirit of “Going Green for Free”, Coupon Craze is offering our readers some great prizes!

• 1 Grand prize winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to their choice of either Origins or Patagonia!

• 3 winners will get a $50 credit in their name to CarbonFund.org to help them offset their carbon footprint. You can use the credit to balance out the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions you cannot reduce. For example, $50 of CarbonFund.org credit is equivalent to 5 metric tons of CO2 or:

• More than 5 roundtrips from Los Angeles to New York
• Approximately the emissions an average American passenger vehicle emits in a year
• Over half the emissions from the average American home’s electricity use

You can enter in any of the following ways:

• Leave a comment telling us your money saving tips for being green mama! 
• Follow us on twitter @mommygoesgreen.
• Retweet this contest.
• Become a Facebook fan.
• Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link.

Leave your comment by Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Contest open to all U.S. and Canadian residents, ages 18+. We will choose 4 winners, at random, and notify them by email. Privacy Policy.

This post may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy.