Make this Year a Green One: Tips

So the holidays are over and life is starting to get back to normal. It's the beginning of a new year so why not start it right? You are obviously reading my blog because you want to educate yourself on how you can live a greener lifestyle. So I'm going to give you a few tips as to how you can so this. Just choose the tips you really think you can do - even if it's one. One may not seem like much but if you stick to it throughout 2009 the difference you will make overall will be huge.

• Cards: How many cards do you think you & your family get each year? With birthdays, Valentine's Day and especially the holidays you are wasting a lot of paper (not to mention precious trees). So why not reuse them..? Your Christmas cards can be trimmed and used for next years gift tags. You can use these cut outs for scrapbooking or crafts. Be creative!
• Packaging: Buy products that contain less packaging material. When shopping for your kids, opt for toys that don't contain a lot of plastic. Most often this plastic is not recyclable and it just ends up clogging up our landfills. Many companies are jumping on the bandwagon to offer products with less waste. Buy from these companies whenever you can. Also try buying products that are refillable. For example, spend a bit more on a nice soap pump for your bathroom/kitchen and refill it with the large containers of liquid soap. It wastes less plastic and you'll also save money!
• Recycled Goods: When you go to the grocery you'll now see more products that are created with biodegradable, sustainable and/or recycled elements. Make a resolution to switch at least one of your every day products to something more eco-friendly. Buy your kids a reusable lunch pail with a stainless steel bottle that can be filled with juice or water. You can buy anything from toilet paper made with recycled fibers to clothing produced from sustainable sources like bamboo (and it's safer for you & your family to wear organic clothing like bamboo as it's not sprayed with harmful chemicals).
• Shop Local: Look for locally manufactured products. Produce is an easy thing to shop for locally when it's the right time of the year. Local is beneficial in many ways:

~ Puts money back into our ecomony
~ Less transportation is used - hence less emissions being released into the air we breathe - making it easier on our environment
~ Fresher is better. Did you know that more and more nutrients are lost in produce the longer it sits? So strawberries imported from Costa Rica will contain less valuable vitamins than a fruit stand selling strawberries from their fields on the side of a road
~ We can trust the source. Some people will buy organic because it's called organic. However, the regulations in Mexico are much different than our regulations. So an 'organic' tomato from Mexico may be less healthy for you than an apple purchased at a local apple orchard.

Please note: When trying to decide on which local produce market to buy from, don't be afraid to ask them how they grow their produce. They may spray only in the flowering stages or may spray the actual fruit/vegetable. Obviously the less pesticides, the better!

There are many more products you can buy that are created locally. Simply do an online search for what you are looking for before heading out the door - you might be surprised what is available in your region of the world. Also try to shop at local retailers. Chances are these stores will carry as many domestic products as they can.
--

For my new year's resolution for my blog, I vow to publish at least 1 post a week. If you have any suggestions as to what you would like to hear about, please let me know. Happy New Year!

Shop safely this holiday season

I was watching some of my favourite shows tonight and couldn't help but notice that Halloween is barely over with and the holiday season is already getting started. I can't remember seeing two Christmas commercials in a row this early in the year - & I'm certainly not complaining! I absolutely love the holiday season. My daughter & I have already watched a handful of Christmas movies. But getting into this mode also makes me think about how tough it's going to be to shop for her and the other little ones in my life. With all the recalls that have been issued over the past year or so I'm always thinking in the back of my mind, "Is this really safe?".

So, I decided to do some research on what gifts are safe. I live in a community where organic & chemical-free products are not widely available so it makes it a little tougher to be able to find what I'm looking for. I'm not saying they are not available - they are just a little tougher to find in my neighbourhood, especially if you're not sure what you're looking for. So I started looking online for toys and clothing that are more eco-friendly and I realized a few things that I want to share with you, my fellow parents. They include:

~ Shop Local!: Now I understand it isn't always easy to ensure that each gift you buy is 'Made in Canada' however with all the recalls in China (that are still continuing to occur) I recommend steering clear of China-made products whenever possible. Keep in mind that many of the huge companies still produce their toys in China. So this year try to find locally made gifts this year - they will likely be safer (and much more unique!)

~ Buy from Local Independent Retailers: they are much more likely to carry safe products. They are often passionate about what they offer and can be a wealth of knowledge. Many offer organic and/or PVC and phthalate free items and purchase their stock from local sources.

~ Research (& do some shopping) Online: The web offers parents a wealth of information at their fingertips. Do your research (if you're reading this, chances are you already are!) & know what you're looking for.

~ Be prepared to spend a bit more: There's a reason that mass produced products are so cheap. They are often produced under unfair conditions & the quality of material used to create each one are compromised (ie lead based paint is cheaper). So instead of buying a pile of plastic toys that will fill our landfills and potentially disturb our clean air, go with the same budget & buy little less but feel good about what you are giving.
--

I will write more detailed entries about safe shopping this holiday season but I wanted to give you a few easy ways you can make a difference in the lives of the little ones you care about, simply by changing the way you think through educating yourself.