When it comes to diaper options, I do have to admit that I was a reluctant adopter of the more eco-friendly and budget friendly cloth diapers. In fact, I didn’t use it for my firstborn, relying quite heavily on disposable diapers when I had him 6 years ago. Today, with an almost 1-year old boy following me around all day, I’m really glad that I finally did try cloth diapers.

So what are the perks of choosing cloth diapers over disposable?

• Waste reduction – Obviously, one of the main draws of using cloth diapers is the amount of waste you avoid piling on mother Earth. Looking back at how much disposable diapers I went through with my firstborn makes me cringe.
• Savings – The first time you go out to buy your stock of cloth diapers will probably make it seem more expensive than using disposable diapers. However, depending on the brand of cloth diapers you use (and there are plenty of brands out there!) and the number of diapers and inserts you buy, you’ll be reaping the financial reward in saving within a few months. And since a lot of cloth diapers are adjustable and will last for more than a year, just imagine how much money you’ll save!
• Fashion – Disposable diapers may have cute little drawings on them, but if you want a fashionable looking diaper, then it’s cloth diapers you should use. I admit to feeling like buying more cloth diapers than needed whenever I see a new design come out.
• Performance – The main reason why I was so slow to adopt cloth diapers was that I had misgivings about how well they work. I just didn’t believe that my baby’s little but would stay dry with it. Well it does. And if you use 2 to 3 inserts instead of just one like I do, you can even go all night without changing your baby’s cloth diaper.
• Organic Choices – You will also find many organic baby cloth diapers. Even if you do not use cloth diapers made from organic material, you only need take a look at the materials used for disposable diapers and feel happy and proud for reducing the amount of toxins that touch your baby’s skin each time you use cloth diapers instead.

Photo via Caleb’s Closet Eco Store Facebook Page

The night after her baby brother’s birthday party, my 6-year-old daughter came into our bedroom at around midnight saying “Mom I feel si….” and promptly projectile vomited in the middle of our doorway. The next 24 hours were awful, she couldn’t hold anything down, had a fever, and felt absolutely terrible. Classic symptoms of gastroenteritis. And what I find most annoying is that earlier in the week I had received a letter from her school saying that there were multiple cases of gastro going around the school, and it gave necessary measures on how to avoid it – washing hands, keeping clean, etc. Obviously not easy to do for 6-year-olds in the playground or school canteen.

So now that she had indeed caught the bug, the only thing I could do was to protect the rest of the family, especially her two little brothers. Aside from issuing a strict handwashing policy at home, I took on the task of disinfecting crucial areas like the kitchen, toilets and places my daughter used. I resisted the urge to buy the heavy-duty Lysol, and instead found a website which had some great information on how to make your own less-toxic disinfectants – so you save money, save the earth, keep healthier and hopefully kill a few germs while you’re at it.

Home-made Alternatives

Disinfecting/Deodorizing Cleaner
Add 1/2 cup of borax to 4 litres of warm water.

One hospital used this formulation for cleaning for a year. The monitoring bacteriologist reported that the solution satisfied the hospital’s germicidal requirements. (Dadd)

Disinfectant
Mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 cups hot water. For stronger cleaning power add 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap. Wipe on with dampened cloth or use non-aerosol spray bottle.

Tea Tree Disinfectant
20 drops tea tree oil (approx. 1/5 tsp. or 1 ml)
20 drops emulsifier
1 cup water or vinegar
Put emulsifier in container. Add oil and blend. Add 1cup water or vinegar.

Cinnamon Disinfectant
12 drops cinnamon oil (approx. 1/8 tsp. or 0.6 ml)
12 drops emulsifier
1 cup water or vinegar
Put emulsifier in container. Add oil and blend. Add 1cup water or vinegar. Shake before using.

On thing I know is that kids love flashlights, or torches, as they say in England. They like to play with them, especially under the sheets, in the dark. The regular flashlights we’ve had throughout the years have been victims of my kids abuse, because when one of my kids get their hands on them, they either get misplaced or left turned on. Not good for when there’s a sudden power outage or when the plumber needs to look under the sink. Nor is it good for the environment when you think of how many used batteries there are that go in landfills and are not disposed of properly.

So when I found the Powerplus Penguin, I was thrilled to bits, and so were my kids. Firstly, its not always that you find an eco-friendly toy that REALLY appeals to older kids, second, this was very good value (most eco-toys are NOT cheap), and third, it also has a great practical function and won’t just sit there in the playroom after they’ve played with it a few times.

This cute little penguin has no need, I repeat, no need for batteries. It’s a clever invention from the U.K., which is charged by simply pumping the wings (a light squeeze from your child). When charged, the ultra bright LED has a lighting distance of twenty meters which is just right for kids purposes.

Although I bought it for my 7-year-old girl (the packaging said it was recommended for kids 6 and above), my 4-year-old eyed it enviously (he said it was Pablo from the Backyardigans, his favorite, which meant it was for HIM) and definitely wouldn’t have much trouble using it too. Oh, and the packaging was fantastic too – made from attractive recycled materials, it was really simple and easy to open, without all that extra awful plastic, sharp bits and twisty metal things you find with most toys.

You can purchase the penguin at Nigel’s Eco Store for £5.99, but you can find it a little cheaper at other shops if you search.

In the news again were some chilling findings that a slew of everyday bath products made for kids had dangerous levels of carcinogens. Like any Mother, my reaction is deep resentment and anger for these big companies that let things like this happen for years, and how lethal ingredients like formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane is found in every day items we put on our bodies. Both substances are known to cause cancer, so when you think about it, it somewhat explains why so many people in the world today have the terrible disease.

What I find especially disturbing is that in the list are brands that most families like mine have trusted for years, believing they were safe for our children. Products like Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, which my husband still loves! The group who uncovered the dirty facts were non-profit Campaign For Safe Cosmetics, and here’s some of what they said:

” Despite marketing claims like “gentle” and “pure,” dozens of top-selling children’s bath products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, according to the March 2009 Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report, “No More Toxic Tub.”

This study is the first to document the widespread presence of both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in bath products for children, including baby shampoos, bubble baths and baby lotions. Many products tested contained both chemicals.
The chemicals were not disclosed on product labels because they’re contaminants, not ingredients, and therefore are exempt from labeling laws.

Formaldehyde contaminates personal care products when common preservatives release formaldehyde over time in the container. Common ingredients likely to contaminate products with formaldehyde include quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.

1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of a chemical processing technique called ethoxylation, in which cosmetic ingredients are processed with ethylene oxide. Manufacturers can easily remove the toxic byproduct, but are not required by law to do so. Common ingredients likely to be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane include PEG-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20.

The key bit there I think is: “Manufacturers can easily remove the toxic byproduct, but are not required by law to do so.” So when the group conducted the study, they found that there were still large amounts of the toxins which meant that the companies didn’t bother to remove the poisonous byproducts. WHY?

Around the world, several countries have already taken measures to ensure that their baby products are safe, like in China, where they are being removed from supermarket shelves and undergoing more testing. Japan and Sweden have already banned formaldehyde from personal care products.

Aside from 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, watch out for these baddies too:

peg-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20, quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea and sodium hydroxymethoylglycinate.

For the full list of tested products as well as more information, check out the article here.

Go as a skunk! What is better than going around on Halloween dressed as something that repulses everyone? You can be a skunk without having to buy a costume. Just go find a black turtleneck and black pants or tights. You can then create the white stripe using a piece of cloth or even tissue paper.

How about a spider? Here is another creature that creeps out a lot of people. You can also use black clothing – tight articles are the best. For the legs, you can use black stockings that are stuffed to the max.

The same article suggests going as a rag doll or a jack in the box – you will not need much to come up with these costumes, both in terms of money and other resources. The bottom line is letting your creativity flow and use materials that will not add to the strain that the earth is already experiencing.

A few more tips – when your kids go around trick or treating, make sure you bring an extra bag with you, for the trash. This way, you will not be guilty of leaving around trash. Also, instead of using plastic bags, why not use recycle bags? This will also help impart the value of recycling to the kids. For more tips, visit the whole article.

Lighten up on the wrapping. Individually wrapped candy can create so much waste, even if you don’t immediately realize it. This Halloween, why not try to lessen this waste? Instead of giving individually wrapped candy, buy candy in bulk. Not only will that help you save on the waste but you’ll probably get discounts too. Another option is to find treats that are wrapped in biodegradable material, or not wrapped at all. Fruits are a good idea.

Make your own costumes. I know it is so much easier to go to the store and buy ready made costumes, but more often than not, these costumes are made of non-biodegradable material OR the process by which they are made is not good for the environment. A good alternative would be to get creative and make your own costumes! Of course, it goes without saying that you have to choose earth-friendly materials as much as you can.

Swap costumes. If you are not so good with crafts, another way you can have a green Halloween is to re-use costumes. Naturally, kids would not want to wear what they wore last year, so what you can do is get together some friends and see what you all have. You can then swap so that the kids can have something “new” to wear this year without having to buy a new set.

Halloween is around the corner! Have you taken steps to make sure that this holiday is an eco-friendly one? If you didn’t know this already, fun holidays like Halloween are some of the most wasteful times of the year – think of the amount of new costumes, decorations, candy, and pumpkins consumed…..then the waste that comes afterwards? Fear not, your family can still have a terrific Halloween while still caring for Mother Earth. Plus, you can save money too. That’s another great reason to go green- it’s definitely good for the budget!

Read on for my very easy, tried-and-tested tips:

1. Decorations
First off, the most obvious and easiest thing you can do is RECYCLE!! Your old decorations, I mean (this goes for costumes too, but more on that below). Last year, I had this in mind, so I made that extra effort to carefully store all my decorations to minimize breakages and maximize use for years to come in spite of 3 children under 9 and their rowdy Halloween parties. I purchased a few of those large plastic, airtight boxes, which may not seem so green an idea at first, but when you think of the durability and protection against the elements, it made sense. In the past I used old cartons, and lost a lot of things because of bugs, damp and rain.

If you need new decorations, do make them yourself, and this doubles up as a great weekend, playgroup or after-school activity you can do with the kids. Use items like old cereal boxes, milk jugs and so on. Look in thrift shops for extra supplies. There are loads of things at home that we no longer need and can use. Kids love it when one thing transforms into another- especially when they do it themselves!

2. Costumes
Apparently, every year, millions of Americans, young and old, spend a whopping $5.77 BILLION on new costumes which will rarely get used again. Great for the retailers, not so great for the environment. This year, do your bit by NOT buying.

This is easy for parents with same-gender kids like me. For instance, my younger son now has all his older brother’s costumes to use (long may this last). My daughter, on the other hand does not have any hand-me-downs so we’ve been looking for some DIY ideas form stuff we already have at home. Good for your kids imagination, creativity, and for the environment! Homemade costumes are more interesting anyway, and it enriches the experience for both parent and child. If you aren’t a parent, don’t let it stop you from getting creative too. Non crafty nor good with your hands? Enlist help from a friend who is!

3. Trick or Treating and Parties
Before heading out to the warehouse shopping club and stocking up on huge bags of candy, think about greener alternatives for the trick-or-treaters. Like healthy snacks or fruit? Last year, one house in our neighborhood doled out small cups of juice instead of candy, while another gave out biscuits- a welcome respite for tired trick-or-treaters!

If you’re planning a Halloween party, the aptly named Green Halloween has some terrific tips on how easy it is to be eco-friendly and still have all the fun. I do wonder though how organic tea and agave sticks will go down with my kids……

For more inspiration and instructions, the Internet is brimming with great ideas on how to make this year an eco-friendly Halloween.

Here are some of my favourites, worth checking out:

Eco Friendly Crafts from Kiwi Magazine- The Kiwis show you a great way to spend an afternoon with the kids, using things from the rubbish bin at home. Easy and with good photos.

4 East Tips From Planet Green – Simple things we can all remember and do to make it this Green Halloween.

365 Green Halloween – The folks who enjoy Halloween all year round also have some cool ideas on how to go green this 31st. Ideas for treat bags, costumes and more abound.

4 Ways To A Green Halloween Costume- The most fun thing about Halloween has got to be the costumes, right? This article has 4 of the best ideas I’ve seen around. Sure to inspire, and will definitely get your kids to stop whining about buying that pricey costume from the web.

Buy Green This Halloween - If you must shop this Halloween, then forgo the cheap plastic stuff and buy something made from sustainable material, of good quality and made through Fair Trade. Not only are they good on party tips, but the non-profit Green Halloween also rounds up some great things like that, like this very cool Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit and adorable Alpaca Animal Mask and Tail Sets.

So which schools are the coolest? (Drum roll, please!)

1. University of Colorado at Boulder (Boulder, Colorado)
2. University of Washington at Seattle (Seattle, Washington)
3. Middlebury College (Middlebury, Vermont)
4. University of Vermont (Burlington, Vermont)
5. College of the Atlantic (Bal Harbor, Maine)
6. Evergreen State College (Olympia, Washington)
7. University of California at Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, California)
8. University of California at Berkeley (Berkeley, California)
9. University of California at Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)
10. Oberlin College (Oberlin, Ohio)
11. Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
12. University of New Hampshire (Durham, New Hampshire)
13. Arizona State University at Tempe (Tempe, Arizona)
14. Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut)
15. University of Florida at Gainesville (Gainesville, Florida)
16. Bates College (Lewiston, Maine)
17. Willamette University (Salem, Oregon)
18. Warren Wilson College (Asheville, North Carolina)
19. Dickinson College (Carlisle, Pennsylvania)
20. New York University (New York, New York)

If your school is in that list, good for you! If not, you may want to start an initiative that will get your school to do its part in the fight for conserving and preserving the only home that we all have.

Earth Day is a wonderful opportunity to help kids understand and get involved with saving the earth. Making Earth Day a fun event to look forward too, with projects that they see through the year, will hopefully instill values of being environmentally caring – something they can bring into adulthood.

Here are some places you can start:

1. i Go Green at Every Age – The folks here at iVillage have great tips on how you can get kids to go green. For example, preschool kids can wash their hands using a thin “pencil” stream of water, while a grade schooler can unplug the tv or computer at night or using reusable containers for school packed lunches.

2. Make Some Crafts - Kids love crafts, so getting creative is a great way of teaching them about Earth Day while having fun. Kaboose has some super craft ideas which uses recycled products to make useful things like a pet food scoop made out of an old laundry detergent bottle or herb planters from empty cans.

3. Do Activities Online – For kids who enjoy learning online, there are many kid- friendly websites you can visit with them. A good one is Roofus’ Home, which shows how a golden retriever’s home can be energy efficient.

4. Host an Earthday Party! – Why not get your kids together with some friends for an Earth Day party? Its a fun way to learn about Earth Day by playing games, eating sustainable foods, and doing a project like recycling or planting a tree. You can can then revisit what you’ve done at next year’s Earth Day and the children will be thrilled to see the results.

Yes, that romantic and (sometimes dreaded) holiday is upon us again, when restaurants, candy and flower shops get ready for a very profitable day! Not that there’s anything wrong with that, who wouldn’t want to dress up and go to a fancy restaurant for dinner rather than slave away at home? Who wouldn’t like to receive a big bouquet of fresh flowers or a box of sweets? Well, for the romantic-at-heart, you don’t have to give up your traditional Valentines treats to keep green.

Simply follow some of these tips below:

The Card
Instead of buying a store-bought Valentines card, the most obvious choice is an E-card, which is free (or very cheap), immediate and doesn’t use any paper or delivery energy. If you must go for the paper variety, opt for one that uses recycled paper. Tiny Prints has some adorable ones, which are easily ordered online. So while I’m sending my husband an e-card this year, I’ll get the kids to use some of our leftover computer paper, draw, paint and embellish, and voila!, Dad and Grandma have lovely keepsake cards.

The Flowers
Not that I’ll be sending flowers to anyone (this is actually a hint to my husband), but nowadays one can get green flowers. Florists who specialize in this will have their products come with special certified stamps, like Sierra Eco, which lets you give twice through fair trade or Veriflora. If you don’t have a green florist in your area, here are some key questions to ask your florist or vendor:

Where do these flowers come from?
Were pesticides used?
Do you know who were the workers involved? Were there child labourers involved?

Next: The Romantic Dinner and Sweets for your Sweet