The Green Parent

OK, I’m over halfway through the month and if there’s one thing I’ve learned so far about plastics it is that they are really hard to avoid.  It’s not impossible by any means, by it does take quite a bit more work to find things that are plastic free.  Even things that I never would [...]

I’m continuing my search this week for plastic-free alternatives for all of the things my family needs, and seeking out the advice of experts who can help me along the way.  Today, I’d like to share this guest post from Tracy Lydiatt (aka The Green Families Guru and author of Your Green Family Blueprint) on [...]

In the past few years, the world has taken notice of the Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean, a gyre of trash estimated to be at a minimum the size of the state of Texas and possibly as large at the United States. 90% of this trash patch is comprised of plastic. And there are similar [...]

full hd MNN’s Keri Greenwald shares her tips on teaching kids to recycle and actually getting them excited about it too! the fighter 1080

by Charndra Josling You can gradually reduce the carbon footprint of your baby with Baby Pottying or Elimination Communication. (Did you see the word “gradually” in that sentence?)   Gradually is there because you can ease into EC slowly, taking baby steps to gain your confidence and discover some EC tools with your baby to [...]

Oddly enough, did you know that this week is actually National Egg Salad week?  And it’s no wonder.  Now that Easter and Passover are behind us, most of us are looking in the fridge to find an overabundance of hard-boiled eggs.  Should you eat them or toss them?   movie burlesque on dvd According to [...]

Welcome to another edition of  Waste-Free Wednesday!  Last week, I wrote a post on recycling electronics and for today’s waste-free Wednesday I’d like to take a look at the recycling of one e-gadget in particular…the cell phone.   Apparently, it’s National Cell Phone Recycling Week (who knew?) which is a program sponsored by the Environmental Protection [...]

by Jennifer L. DeLeo, PCMag.com Consumer electronics—including TVs, computers, peripherals, audio equipment, and phones—make up almost 2 percent of the municipal solid waste stream, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This percentage may seem small and inconsequential, but the quantity of electronic waste is steadily rising. In fact, the EPA estimates that the number of obsolete [...]

It’s Waste-Free Wednesday again, and this week’s edition is For Ladies Only as we look at ways to green that oh so lovely time of the month that for various reasons we all either love or hate (or sometimes both!) We’ve all seen the warnings on tampon boxes about toxic shock syndrome (TSS). It’s occurrence [...]

For this week’s edition of Waste-Free Wednesday, I’m tackling my daughters’ art box.  No sooner could my girls put pen to paper then my walls suddenly were papered in their sketches, drawings, painting, and doodles.  Once I ran out of wallspace, I needed to figure out a way to get the most mileage from their [...]

For this week’s edition of Waste-Free Wednesday,  I’m getting wiggly…as in wiggly worm composting.  Don’t be afraid!  Worm composting is an excellent way to reduce your food waste, create your own all natural fertilizer, and get your kids interested in gardening. Worm composting, or vermicomposting for you gardening geeks, helps kids learn about ecology while [...]

It’s Waste-Free Wednesday again…and today I’m issuing a crafter’s challenge. To be honest, I’m not really very talented when it comes to crafts. But my kids are, so I make sure to keep them stocked with craft supplies that come directly from our recycling bin. Every so often, I set out a few recyclables, like [...]

Morning all, and welcome to Waste-Free Wednesdays…the toilet seat edition.  I’ll explain.  Last week, the toilet seat in the bathroom broke.  Not the toilet (whew!)…just the seat.  Actually, it was the plastic bracket between the seat and the lid that broke, making them both useless.  So I replaced the seat/lid combo, and now have two [...]

According to the U.S. EPA, each American generates about 4½ pounds of garbage each day.  So, in my family of four, we are tossing away over 17 pounds of milk cartons, coloring books, juice boxes, broken dolls, toy packaging, torn-up clothes, Ziploc bags, and leftover sandwiches on a daily basis.  Now that’s rubbish! All this [...]

Teach your kids (or let them teach you) about the importance of trees and recycling paper by making your own paper. It’s creative, it’s hands-on, and it’s messy…so it’s sure to be a hit with kids of all ages. Here’s how it’s done: Materials: Scrap paper: Think junk mail, used construction paper, or newspaper…but stay [...]