The Green Parent

This week for Waste-Free Wednesday, I’m going “paper-free.”  Since most of my business is online, it’s pretty easy for me to avoid using paper at work.  In fact, my printer is used so infrequently that it has had the “low-ink” light on for three years and it’s still going strong! But I have found that [...]

Currently, about 25% of the garbage in the U.S. is recycled, but experts estimate that 65% of our garbage could be recycled. Recycling options vary by city or county, but most areas collect office paper, cardboard, magazines, newspaper, aluminum, plastics, glass (colored or clear), steel, yard trimmings, tires, batteries, and building materials. Use this chart [...]

Show your love for your beau and the planet this Valentine’s Day with these gifts that are big on romance and gentle on the planet: Cards: Around the world, approximately one billion Valentine cards are sent out each year. Save a tree and reduce waste by sending your Valentine a mushy e-card or online slide [...]

In just a few short weeks, The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Earth-Friendly Living (Kedzie Press, 2008) will finally be released and available for sale at local and online booksellers nationwide. As part of the celebration, author Jenn Savedge (that’s me!) will be touring the country, asking questions, sharing ideas, gathering tips, and handing [...]

Oddly enough, one of the most common green parenting questions that I am asked is centered on those pesky toilet paper and paper towel tubes that accumulate so quickly in the family recycle bin. Sure, you could do a craft with them (there are several craft ideas list below) but that idea may lose its [...]

We are not even halfway through the school year and already I have been inundated with forms and catalogs from my daughter’s school for fundraisers that almost always include low-quality foods, junk, or paper products that I neither need nor want. Stuff that is designed to clog up my closets while depleting resources and inevitably [...]

It’s just about time to say good-bye to 2007 and ring in 2008. Get your new year off on the right foot with these eco-friendly tips to green your New Year’s Eve celebration. Send Evites: lost robin hood downloads Paper invitations are so 2007. Send email invitations, or evites, for your New Year’s Eve celebration. [...]

Members of a family get used to sharing. Older kids share toys and clothes with their younger siblings, parents share snacks, drinks, and occasionally the clothes from their own backs with their children, and even the family dog might be required to share a place on his cozy bed from time to time. And when [...]

Looking for holiday decorations that are safe for your kids and the environment? Follow these tips to deck the halls with eco-friendly style: 1. Go Lead-Free: Watch out for ornaments and holiday decorations that are coated in lead-based paint. Instead, look for decorations that bear the 100% lead-free label. 2. Go -Au Naturale: Look to [...]

Green thinking is everywhere these days, in your appliances, in your favorite movies, in your kid’s school, and yes, now in your menorah. There is a movement underway, launched by the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) called Let There Be (Renewable) Light: A New Look At Hanukkah that offers eco-savvy tips to [...]

Materials 8 Toilet Paper Roll Tubes 1 Paper Towel Roll Tube 1 long board or box Recycled Aluminum Foil Recycled Paper (I used scrap pieces of red, orange, and yellow recycled construction paper) Non Toxic Paints (I used blue and white) Non-Toxic Glue This craft is eco-friendly because it recycles items that you probably already [...]

What’s your Trash Can I.Q? Do you know how long it takes each of these items to break down in the waste stream? Take this quiz to test your knowledge and find out why recycling is so important! Test Your Trash Can I.Q. Paper 2 to 5 months 1 to 2 years 5 to 10 [...]

Ready to scare up some Halloween fun this weekend? Decorate in black and orange for your next Halloween party but keep it green with these easy tips. And be sure to have a great, green time! Invites Poo Poo Paper: Skip the usual paper invites that cost a fortune to mail and take forever to [...]

New parents are inundated with new decisions, often on topics that have never before crossed their minds; bottle or breast? paci or thumb? co-sleep or crib? Of these decisions, none is more vexing than diapers. It would seem from the great diaper debate that there is simply no eco-friendly way to diaper a child. Sure, [...]

I know as well as any other parent that paper towels and other disposable cleaning wipes are darned handy when it comes to cleaning up fast. But it’s actually just as fast to reach for a reusable cloth to do the job. Target has a great line of organic cotton cloths and towels as do [...]