Mommy Goes Green

Hey Readers, Mommy Goes Green is a finalist in The Bump Mommy Blog Awards and we’d love to win with YOUR help!  It’s really easy, just go HERE and choose Mommy Goes Green!  Thank you for your support!

It’s the start of a long rainy season in Oregon and while native Oregonians don’t carry umbrellas ( I’m not even sure I own one! ) , I know the rest of the world isn’t quite as strange as us.   If I were to buy an umbrella, it would be one of these beauties, produced in an environmentally friendly manner.

The multi-floral above is the Coby Eco Umbrella found at Crate and Barrel.  It’s automatic, water-proofed and crafted of recycled and sustainable materials, from the 100% recycled cover to the bamboo handle and hemp strap. $19.95

Radley, a London based retailer, has a line of eco umbrellas with tons of style.  They are made with recycled polyester and a rubber handle.  In the U.S., the line is available at Lord & Taylor and Radley’s U.S. Store located in Garden City, New York.  $50

Black may be a little boring but it’s a classic.  Each part of this umbrella from Green Home is made from recycled materials! The fabric, which is composed of recycled plastic, is produced by crushing and heating the plastic to make the fabric fibers. Using recycled plastic not only decreases air pollution, but creates a safer, non-poisonous, high quality product.  The eco-friendly handle is composed of 65% shredded wood. In addition to decomposing within 2-3 weeks after placing it into soil, using shredded wood decrease the use of petroleum in the production process.  $38

How fun is this?  Eco Baby Buys is a website that lists one deal a day at 9am EST and only until they sell out of them.  Their deals are a MINIMUM of 40% off retail and they only sell products meeting this criteria:

• the use of non-toxic materials and dyes
• the use of organic and/or recycled textiles and materials
• the use of eco-friendly packaging
• commitment and adherence to the standards of fair-trade

You can sign up for a daily email blast listing their deal of the day to make sure you don’t miss any of their great deals!

If you’ve been stalling on buying my FAVORITE reusable bags, Envirosax, now is the time.  They are having a great 2-for-1 deal right now.

For 2 days only – Friday 14th of August and Saturday 15th of August, buy any bag or pouch from the ranges listed below and receive the same item absolutely free!

Candy, Botanica, Retro Graphic, Flora, Monochromatic, Oxford, Kid’s Series, Greengrocers, Organic Series

Quote code: MAD98 when ordering to receive your additional bags. Valid for online orders only at www.envirosax.com.

When ordering, you must order two of the same item and apply the coupon to get 50% off both items. If you order only one, the free product will not be automatically included.

FlatRate Moving, a green moving company, has some great tips for eco-friendly moving. Before packing for a move, you too can be a part of the green movement by incorporating the following eco-friendly tips that will not only do wonders for the earth, but put more green in your own wallet.

1. Make sure the moving company uses eco-friendly trucks in order to cut down on pollution-forming emissions.

2. When packing, be resourceful and use cotton t-shirts and other clothes for wrapping valuables.

3. Biodegradable peanuts are available at most office supply stores, offering another eco-friendly way to ensure your precious breakables arrive in one piece.

4. Use ecological cleaning supplies that are not only environmentally friendly but will leave your new home gleaming and reduce fumes and residue that can harm the earth – and your family’s health.

5. Use lightly used recycled boxes that can be obtained free at your local grocer or FlatRate Moving.  Not only does going the recycled route leave less waste in landfills, but it saves you a considerable amount of money in the process.

6. It’s important to remember to recycle all moving materials after unpacking and settling into your new abode.

7. Ask whether or not the moving company will donate gently used clothing to a charity so you don’t have to make the extra trip.

I’m a magazine junkie ( probably not the greenest habit ) and mostly pick up decorating, parenting and green mags.  A few green mama magazines that might be your next favorite, too:

Kiwi - Growing families the natural and organic way.  Kiwi stocks their pages with articles focusing on healthy families such as ‘Go Green on a Budget’ and ‘Green Genius Gear’.  They also have family friendly recipes, crafts, coupons and contests.

Body & Soul - Balanced living in a busy world. Body & Soul is a Martha Stewart Living publication and while it may focus on similar topics as many women’s magazines such as fitness and beauty, everything has a twist of whole health and includes green living topics, self help and healthy eating recipes ( is there any Martha Stewart publication that doesn’t contain recipes? ). 

Mothering - Inspiring natural families. I don’t pick up every issue of Mothering but of those I have read, they seem to commonly contain a highly debated topic such as breastfeeding vs. formula, vaccines, kids and toy guns, or co-sleeping. They also focus on pregnancy & birth, parenting, education and green living.  Mothering has an active online community of moms discussing natural family living topics.

If you haven’t already, make sure to enter our Seventh Generation Under the Sink Makeover - entries accepted through Tuesday July 28!

I apologize that I’ve been MIA the past couple days but my husband whisked me out of town for an extended weekend to celebrate our anniversary.  He also surprised me with a new watch that I love!  It’s not only gorgeous but it’s eco-friendly!

The Citizen Eco Drive watches are powered only by light – no more replacing batteries.  It has a solar conversion panel that collects light from any source and stores it in an energy cell to generate power.  Even if you put the watch in a dark place, it will still run for 45 days to 5 years, depending on the model.  An added benefit is that the energy cell doesn’t contain any of the chemicals in normal watch batteries and lasts 40 years.  Frankly, I’ve had watches sit in my bathroom for years once the battery ran out so I expect this one to be on my wrist for a long time!

Thank you babe!

June’s Green Mom’s Carnival topic is on Eco Confessions and I do have a few to add to the fun! 

• Paper towels – I have to admit that I love and use paper towels (often, daily, okay hourly ).  I have great intentions to reduce our consumption of paper towels but alas, have not committed to that endeavor.  Someday.
• Coke – I LOVE Coke. I have to drink one 12 oz. can EVERY DAY.  I have an internal clock that goes off at 11am telling me “it’s Coke time”.  Even my co-workers know that 11am is my Coke time.  I know there is BPA in soda cans but it’s the only addiction I have and I don’t like the taste of Coke in plastic bottles.  My first choice is Coke from the fountain ( particularly McDonald’s fountain but that’s another conession ) but it’s more expensive so ….
• Not so eco-friendly packaging – Somewhere on my to do list is to find and purchase more eco-friendly packaging for all of the giveaway products I send out.  Currently I use the easiest to find envelopes and if the product needs it, the envelope will have bubble wrap on the inside.
• MickeyD’s french fries – I gave up their cheeseburgers long ago but I can’t give up their french fries.  I tried to do it but then our local shop started a campaign “Smaller batches, more often” and all of a sudden, the french fries were ALWAYS hot and salty.  Who can resist that???? I’m weak, what can I say.
• SUV – We’re purchasing an SUV after having a station wagon for 5 years.  After many trips with stuff hanging out of the car and the addition of a child in the fall, we decided to bite the bullet and buy a bigger car.  Because my husband works from home and I only work part-time, we only put about 15,000 miles on our cars in total. The average family drives about 24,000 miles/year ( 2 cars ) – that’s my defense

 For more confessions from green moms, check out The Green Parent tomorrow!

Any confessions YOU want to share??

Josh Dorfman, a.k.a. The Lazy Environmentalist, now has a T.V. show on the Sundance Channel, premiering Tuesday, June 16 at 9PM. Follow him on his quest to save the planet – one wasteful couch potato at a time! 

In each episode of this new, original series, host Josh Dorfman seeks out environmental skeptics who are experts in fields as diverse as fashion, food, architecture, business and design in order to persuade them that a green lifestyle can easily meet the demands of their professional and private lives.

Operating on the theory that consumers should not settle for an expensive product or innovation of inferior design simply because it is environmentally-friendly, it is Josh’s mission to bring these experts ecologically-sound options that stand up to their very high standards and show them that living a green lifestyle can not only be done with little sacrifice, it can make their lives easier.

Thank you to Healthy Moms for featuring Mommy Goes Green on their site – you can read the interview here!