Who is Eco/Enviro Girl? I am a Mother, a Freelance Writer & Child Health Advocate. I am passionate about our Environment, Future, Health & Well being! I constantly Research, Discover, Share, Educate/Inform, Learn and spread the word about interesting topics relating to Health, Wellness, Eco/Environment, Organic Lifestyle/Living, Natural Medicine, etc. Hope you enjoy my Blog!
Children have a wonderful sense of awe and excitement when it comes to nature. Whether they see an insect, animal, or flower they see the beauty and wonder in it all. At this age it is so simple to feed their imagination and lead them towards a path of environmental awareness and understanding. Teaching our children to respect themselves and other living things is a much needed and fundamental part of our declining world today.
There are plenty of opportunities to to teach our little ones. Whether it's a sunny afternoon filled with gardening in the backyard or a day of discovery at a local park. You can find creatures of all shapes and sizes, all you have to do is take a look. I find that by talking to children about the different animals, insects, plants, we see gives them a sense of appreciation as well as build their sense of empathy and sympathy for other living things.
Here are some simple ideas you can do with your kids to get them involved and get the dialogue going about some green issues.
Go feed the Ducks/Geese at a nearby park or lake - Children love to interact with wildlife. It helps build their self confidence and esteem knowing that they too can make a difference! They can feed an animal and see it up close, children will have a chance to understand that the animals also have personalities, feelings, needs, and that they are our friends. Friends we can help protect and take care of by doing the right things. We can talk to our children about why it's important to keep our waters clean and our garbage in the appropriate places. We can also get them involved by asking questions like what they think we can do to keep our feathered friends stay happy and healthy. You can talk to them about where ducks live, where they come from, the different types of ducks around the world and native to your particular area. Take a look at "All about Ducks for Kids" here http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Farm/ducks.html or here at "Animal Corner" http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/farm/ducks/duck_about.html have fun educating your little one about the animals outside and how they rely on us just as much as we rely on them to keep our nature in harmony and balance!
Take a look under some rocks and see what wonders lurk in places that are often hidden - There are bound to be questions about what they see. Why are bugs important anyway? Perhaps you can explain the circle of life. How every insect, animal and plant serves a purpose in one way or another. That some of the smaller insects are food for bigger insects, birds, frogs etc. You can take this opportunity to talk about worms and how they help the earth, how they help us with composting! Ask them what their favorite insect is and why. Get them involved with questions and lead the way to understanding and respect for all creatures despite their size or appearance. Make learning fun and an adventure that they will happily remember. There is a wonderful online page called "Insect ID" from the department of Entomology from the University of Wisconsin Madison that will help you identify and talk about what some of the insects are called. Some further information about the insect can be found under the "extension bulletin" once you have clicked on the insects picture. http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/insectid/
Go to the Zoo and discover animals from different places -This is a wonderful opportunity to see animals that live in different habitats and climates. You can open up great conversations about what it means to be extinct you can show them pictures of animals that have become extinct and perhaps see live ones on the verge of extinction. This is the perfect time to talk to your children about what we as a society have done to endanger animals and ourselves and what we are now doing to change the future for the better! Perhaps take a look at the World Wildlife Fund's website and get some information and look at some animals in danger of extinction. Maybe as a Christmas gift you and your child could pick an animal to "adopt" and support through the site. http://www.worldwildlife.org/home.html
Plant a Butterfly garden - Did you know that there are some flowers that attract Butterflies. Take a look here for which kinds of flowers will attract certain types of Butterflies/Caterpillars http://butterflywebsite.com/butterflygardening.cfm You can talk about the Butterflies life cycle and share pictures with your little one. Take a look at this site for some fascinating information and pictures http://www.thebutterflysite.com/life-cycle.shtml It is a great way to connect with nature all without leaving your own backyard! You could discuss pollination and why it is important not only to flowers but to all living things. You could ask questions like what other insects help with pollination? Can you name a pollinating insect that provides us with something sweet to eat? Perhaps afterwards you can draw pictures and talk about your adventure together! Putting the drawing somewhere like the fridge or in a frame will bring back special memories of your time outdoors!
Build a Bird Feeder together and get a bird bath - Bird feeders are a great way to have a closer look at some birds you might not otherwise see. There are special feeds for various birds and you can even get a hummingbird feeder and watch one of these amazing little birds in action. Why not hang a bird feeder outside your child's window so they can watch the birds anytime they like up close and personal without disturbing them. You can make bird feeders from Milk Cartons http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/bird-feeder.shtml or you can watch this video and learn to make one from a pine cone and some lard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzZCKlUwYuU This is also a great opportunity to talk about recycling materials and things we find in nature - you can use your imagination and reuse items for something useful! Kids love crafts and this one is sure to please your little guy/girl!
Plant a Tree - I love this idea because it combines a lot of elements and opens up a vast array of opportunities for discussion! Not only can you talk about why trees are important and the deforestation problems we are all facing but you can talk about the animals and birds that you are creating a possible home for. You can talk about the various types of trees, perhaps plant an apple or cherry tree and explore the growth of organic fruits! You can get creative and get a Christmas/Yule/Holiday "Potted" tree decorate it in Winter and then in Spring you can take it outside and plant it together as a family! This experience opens up awareness about our environment and the responsibilities and impact we can all have on our planet! Take a look at the Arbor Day Foundation for some interesting information on Trees http://www.arborday.org/trees/index.cfm You can also talk about why the trees get cut down, what trees are used for and the importance of using renewable and sustainable resources such as bamboo! Ask your child what they think we can do to avoid cutting down more trees - you can suggest things like using both sides of the paper, buying recycled toilet paper and paper towels. Perhaps you could buy recycled paper this year for his/her school supplies. The possibilities are endless all you need is a little imagination!
Take a look at some online Eco/Earth Friendly sites for kids - they're sure to love them! Learning and protecting our earth can be fun AND educational!
We as parents want to do everything we can to help protect our kids. We all want them to be happy, healthy, independent, and successful people as they eventually head into adulthood. We worry about Toxic Products, Lead Contaminated Toys, Pesticide Laden Foods, GMO's, the Chlorinated, Chemically Treated & Fluoridated Water we drink and bathe in, the Chemical Fumes & Pollution in our Ground, Water, and Air we breathe. We worry about all the environmental changes and wonder what kind of future if any this planet holds for us all. People who are informed and aware watch the News, read articles, and research to find out what we can do to prevent our children's body burdens from sky rocketing into illnesses that can potentially end their lives and what we can do to help ensure that they do indeed have a future filled with promise and hope!
With all of these concerns what is a parent to do? I hear parents saying "Everything has chemicals in it", "We can't change everything", "If it's not one thing it's another". These kinds of statements are not only a dead end street in terms of progress and change but they lead one to believe that nothing can be done to make changes to ensure a safer and healthier future! That is simply NOT the case! It is far too easy for people to turn a blinds eye and to deny what is happening rather than taking a good hard look at the FACTS and making some serious changes in their lives. It is easier to sit, vegetate, deny, do nothing and say that "it's not really happening". To say that the Green Movement is a fad or lead by a bunch of Environmentalist yahoos. Other than time and simple changes what are these kinds of people going to lose if they do make changes? What if the Green Movement IS RIGHT? What then? Would you rather sacrifice your health, the health of your children, and their future for a lack of understanding and effort? What price is one willing to pay? There are so many amazing resources out there for Environmental & Toxic Education & Awareness that it's really not that hard to become informed and knowledgeable about what's going on in the world around us!
There is no denying that the amount of work which lays ahead for Parents and society as a whole is huge. We have gotten ourselves and this planet into a massive mess by our own lack of awareness, our denial, silence and our lackadaisical attitude about the ONLY planet we can call home. It is not only the planet that is in peril it is our own health - the health of our children as well as future generations to come! With the Chemical & Technological revolution came many consequences - we now find ourselves amidst a generation with increasingly horrifying numbers of illnesses than ever before.
We have allowed Toxic Foods, Products, Chemicals etc to become such an integral part of our daily lives all in the name of consumerism that we forgot to look at the consequences of these actions. We as trusting consumers have relied on the very same companies that make these products to keep us safe. We have relied on the Government to create rules, laws, regulations to prevent any such health & environmental problems from ever reaching the public. Yet, there are very few rules, laws or even regulations governing most of the chemicals and pollutants we seem to be able to find everywhere these days. As we all know everything comes with a price - what price have we and future generations paid thus far, how many more will pay the price for our actions and lack thereof!
While the truth of the matter may be hard to swallow for some there ARE steps we can all take to reverse as much of the damage as possible, but it will take a conscious effort and awareness by all parties. This means that you and I and the rest of the general public have to stand up and make our voices heard by various Companies/Corporations, The Government, The Scientists, Farmers, all who will listen so we CAN make a change for the better!
Little steps CAN make a huge difference! It may seem overwhelming at first when you take a step back and look at the grand picture of what the 21st century has become. Where does one start? I would have to say that "Attitude" and "Open mindedness" is the best place to take your first steps! We need to take a deep breath and take a good hard look at the world around us with our blinders off.
Where does one start this journey when there are so many changes that need to be made?
Turn off your TV & Computer and take a nice slow walk around your home. *Did you know that the air pollution inside your home can be 10+ times more polluted than outside?
Now you may be thinking to yourself that there is no way your home will affect the planet as a whole - but that's where you're wrong. Your home IS connected to many environmental & health issues - here are just a handful of examples to get you started.
CHEMICAL CLEANERS - Toxic to you and the environment! They come with a vast array of warning labels and chemical ingredients that are harmful to you, your air quality, AND our planet. We flush the chemicals down our toilets, showers, sinks, even outdoors when we wash the car! All of these chemicals end up in our water, land, air, and ultimately our bodies and those of our children and pets. We are not only inhaling chemical cleaners (things we inhale get into our lungs and bloodstream) but they are absorbed through our bodies larges organ - our skin! With chemical cleaners we need to put them up and out of the way with fears of our young children finding them and accidentally ingesting their poisonous and deadly ingredients. (There are a lot of other things to consider about chemical cleaners if you want to dive deeper into an environmental standpoint such as the container, where it was made and how far it has travelled to get to your home - was it made in another country? But we will leave these deeper insights for another blog because at this point we are simply looking at the basic steps for Greening your Life & Home!)
There ARE safer alternatives to using Chemical Cleaners and you probably already have them in your home!What are they? Vinegar, Baking Soda, Salt, and Lemon/Lime Juice. These are all things that we can feel good about using and I find they work just as well if not better than any chemical cleaners I've ever seen. There are a lot of websites with great information about which items to use for certain things. Here are a few to get you started:
* How to make your home smell fresh without chemical sprays? Here's my two cents: All you need is a spray bottle, a Lemon, Lime, some Lavender and Vinegar! Depending on the size of your spray bottle fill it half full with warm filtered water. Squeeze Half a Lemon & Lime into a cup then add 1/4 cup Vinegar, and two tablespoon fulls of Organic Lavender (or put a few drops of PURE Organic Lavender Oil drops - never synthetic) and transfer the cup contents into your spray bottle. Tighten the lid & shake - That's it! Use it in every room, in running shoes, spritz above bedding, etc for a fresh smell! It's really good for getting odors out!
WATER & ELECTRICITY - This one is also a huge environmental impact coming from our homes! Not only are we paying a lot of money to have these services we are also wasting a lot of water & electricity where we really don't need to! What can we do? We need both of these things to live our daily lives right? Right! BUT we don't need as much as we use and that is the key to not only saving our resources but the money in our pockets as well. Where do we start? Take a look at the links below and get a better understanding of what's going on in your house.
*Did you know that if things are left plugged in - even if the item is not turned on it still wastes electricity? Why not start there - it's a quick and easy way to see results on your next electricity bill and the environment will thank you for it!! What about getting a Rain Barrel for the backyard & using the water to water your plants. You would be surprised how much water you save by taking quick showers instead of a bath! All the little things add up!
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT - What are you and your family eating for dinner tonight? Are you cooking from scratch or is it something packaged and premade? Where did it come from - was it grown here or shipped from abroad? What's really on/in your food? These are some interesting questions you should pose yourself the next time you take a trip to your local grocery store.
Unfortunately food isn't what it used to be and the "ingredients" list isn't the whole truth! Take for example a conventional container of apple juice - the ingredients will say Water, and Concentrated Apple Juice, and you're thinking perfect no additives! Right? Take one step back - think one step before the ingredients list and think about where that apple came from, The FACT that it came from a conventional farm where various pesticides were sprayed on all the fruits and vegetables (look at this link for an example of the apple spray schedules of some farms http://www.virtualorchard.net/rce/97tfrecs/97pomefruitspray.pdf ) Your apple in the ingredients list may also very well be a GMO Apple - GMO's are not labled as such (No laws exists that say GMO's have to be listed anywhere on any products sent to market for human consumption) and are not part of the ingredients list. What about the water that went into making most of your Delicious fruit drink. Where is the water from and what was it treated with before it became part of your drink? What chemicals are in the water Fluoride, Chlorine, etc. Now take another look at that same bottle of juice - doesn't quite look the same now does it. Ingredients lists are only good to a certain point - the rest depends on your own personal knowledge!
These days with this Chemical, Technological GMO revolution we have bigger tomatoes that look perfect and red, they have a gene that repels bugs and withstands weed killer. Chemical pesticides are sprayed in bio hazard suits and from airplanes. Somehow people are STILL under the impression that chemicals can be "washed off" under the sink faucet! Let's think about my last statement here - how can it be washed off? It gets sprayed when it's a flowering bud to when it's ready for picking. What are fruits and vegetables mainly made of? Water - just like our skin fruits and vegetables absorb the things it comes into contact with. Pesticides can't be washed off and as for the Genetically Modified Organisms well those are something that are permanent as well! GMO's have not been sufficiently tested to be deemed safe! In fact most Industrialized European Countries have banned GMO's! Yet Canada and the US still continually allow it in our food and without labels for consumer awareness! Again the Government doesn't have a whole lot of rules and regulations regarding the chemicals, additives artificial colors, flavors and GMO's in our food. There are plenty of scientists however that have performed tests to show that most if not all of these "extra" additions to our daily diet are in fact harmful to our health and wellbeing!
The only kinds of food that have to meet a set or rules/regulation/standards & subjected to regular testing are the "Organic" foods which are becoming increasingly popular as the public awareness about chemicals in our foods grow. They are third party certified and a healthier choice and alternative! People often complain about the higher prices - but I myself find that a lot of the prices are the same and sometimes I even find "Organic" foods cheaper than their conventional counterparts.
You would be amazed at what you can find when you dig online - I have come across coupons on my favorite organic companies web pages. Green shows are also great not only are you getting educated but they also give out coupons and free samples for products & food! You can always get together with a friend and buy larger quantities of meat/produce at organic farms and split the price. Organic Local farms are wonderful - the prices are great and you are minimizing your carbon footprint by not having things shipped from other countries and various locations! You are also ensuring that your fruits are "Fresh" they are not picked green, driven thousands of miles or worse flown from overseas/other countries and ripened with chemicals/gases. (Yet these are how they are shipped and arrive at your local grocery store boasting a big sign with the label "Fresh" clearly printed to catch your eye) You are also ensuring that your food is not injected with food coloring to look brighter and bolder in color or genetically concocted in a lab to be twice the size nature intended them to be!
You will not only be avoiding Pesticides, Chemicals, and GMO's in your diet but you will also be helping local farmers, protecting the earths soil, water, air and in the end you will be helping all living things as well as ensuring a safer and healthier future for you and your family!
*I Suggest you take a look at this book which, I take everywhere with me "A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives" ISBN-10: 1400052327 or ISBN-13: 978-1400052325 and take a look at the following links for some valuable information!Take a sneak peak at the book here (it's a limited view but has a lot of information and will give you an idea about the book) http://books.google.com/books?id=U0349-vMOewC&pg=PP4&dq=A+Consumer%27s+Dictionary+of+Cosmetic+Ingredients
CLOTHING/FURNITURE/HOME ACCESSORIES - This is a huge topic and spreads itself in many directions! It's not an obvious cause for concern but it can have some dangerous repercussions for people as well as the environment! Things such as Formaldehyde, Fire/Flame Retardant/PCB's, Phthalates, various off-gassing chemicals and finishes. The list is long but worth looking into! Toxic chemicals can be avoided/minimized with a little bit of know-how and knowledge. Digging and researching online for information can turn up an abundant amount of news articles/studies/alternative options for everyday items. I of course will be giving you a couple of links to get you started but thought I'd mention a couple of things you can and should be aware of around your home.
Unless you are sleeping on an organic mattress it will most likely off-gas chemicals be it PCB's/Flame retardants, Formaldehyde or other toxic components - it may very well be lingering under every breath you and your child take when you sleep. Sadly some children's mattresses are even covered in PVC plastic coatings to avoid stains. These plastics off-gas "Phthalates" not to mention most kids beds are made from Polyurethane Foam which is made from "Petroleum"! A lot of these chemicals are found in staggering amounts in children's blood and urine and are so easily avoidable IF only people were aware of where these chemicals come from in our home!
The other not so obvious problem in many homes is the Particleboard/Pressed Wood/Plywood they contain Formaldehyde and will off-gas slowly for years! Choose solid unstained SUSTAINABLE wood whenever possible and opt for natural oils as finishes. Especially in kids rooms! The Rain forest is being cut down at alarming rates - While demand for wood and wood products grow the trees are being cut down but are not being replaced. This should cause concern in everyone! Why you may ask? Because we need air to survive and trees are the biggest source of natural air/pollution filtering we have! Without trees - we will not have enough clean air to survive nor will the animals/insects we depend on!
Carpeting is a bad source of chemical exposure! Not only does it off-gas nasty chemicals such as petroleum byproducts & synthetics but it is also smothered in Fire Retardants/Flame Resistant Chemicals, Anti-Static Sprays and Artificial Dyes just to name a few. It created indoor air pollution & dust! Opt for sustainable wood/bamboo flooring throughout especially if you have babies/young children who will be spend a lot of time on or close to the ground!
Clothing can also be a disaster - formaldehyde in clothing has recently made headlines regarding children's clothing! But formaldehyde is everywhere from stain resistant clothes, to corduroys, to anti-wrinkle fabrics and materials. China has been in the news for it's lack of regulations regarding toxins in clothing and has come under fire for many of it's practices in the last few yers for everything from Lead in Toys to Formeldahyde in kids clothes! My suggestion is to buy clothing made in countries that have a higher standard of business practices and rules and regulations governing their manufacturing most European countries would fall under this category!
BATH/BEAUTY/BODY PRODUCTS - Consumerism is the monster that Marketing and Advertising has so tactfully created and that we have allowed! We live in a society that I am sad to say seems to be driven by Aesthetics & Assets! Who has what, and who looks the best while shopping for it all! All you have to do is turn on your radio or television set, open a magazine or just look through a newspaper and there it is! beautiful people smiling having fun. The latest scent, the best bug repellant, gentle baby products that promise to be "tender" and "gentle" to your newborns sensitive skin. What they aren't telling you is that some of those "ingredients" in the lists on the bottles - you know the ones, the ones no body can read let alone pronounce. What do they really mean? What are those words anyway? They must be safe right? I mean afterall they are sporting lables like "Green", "Natural", "Non-Toxic" and "Gentle". With every great idea there are going to be Companies jumping on the tail coats of legitimate businesses and doing what they can to blend in. "Greenwashing" not far off from something that sounds awfully similar "Brainwashing"
Greenwashing isn't breaking any laws - why not? Because there are no laws TO break, no laws have been built or put in place to protect the public from the claims that companies so non chalantly make! No, really, The lables I mentioned before "Green, Natural, Non-Toxic, Gentle" etc they can be put on anything from chemical cleaners to food to bath and beauty products! This is where Greenwashing is confusing the general public - who do we trust? Well, it seems that since there are no regulations or laws binding any company to their statements we can't very well trust what they advertise now can we? Well what about the ingredients, they're all listed on their products right? Not all ingredients have to be listed and some ingredients can be listed under different names to avoid "looking bad" but isn't that exactly how it looks once you find out the true meaning of an ingredient? What ingredients are we talking about? Parabens, SLS, Dioxin, Formeldehyde (when was the last time you saw this listed anywere?) and the list goes on and on! So how do we protect ourselves and our family? Our kids are the most at risk their developing bodies and smaller frames make the toxic ratio something to be seriously disturbed by! What can we do? I suggest the following links and a wonderful book which I have with me when I buy any bath or Beauty products it's called: A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients ISBN-10: 0609803670 or ISBN-13: 978-0609803677
An AMAZING and invaluable resource is the SkinDeep Cosmetic Database! You can research Products by type, brand name, etc. I Love this site and recommend it to everyone I know! Here you will find reports and toxicity ratings for everything from bug repellant to sunscreen to shampoo and deoderants.
I Have merely touched the tip of the iceberg with this blog but I hope I have steered some of you in the right direction and have opened your eyes to some of the things that we as a society and as parents are facing today. Though Toxic Living & Environmental issues are topics that have many branches the information is out there and I as a concerned Parent and individual will try my best to post and unveil as many of these issues as I can in my upcoming blogs.
Children have a wonderful sense of awe and excitement when it comes to nature. Whether they see an insect, animal, or flower they see the beauty and wonder in it all. At this age it is so simple to feed their imagination and lead them towards a path of environmental awareness and understanding. Teaching our children to respect themselves and other living things is a much needed and fundamental part of our declining world today.
