The Green Parent

What is patriotic? Fighting for one’s country is patriotic, flag-waving is patriotic, singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” is patriotic. Now, let’s think outside the bin (sorry, recycling humor) to something you do everyday. That’s right. Every time you reduce, reuse and recycle you’re celebrating your love for your country. During World War II citizens were urged [...]

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

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 [...]

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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 [...]

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 [...]

I hate to throw things away.  I try to minimize the stuff that’s sent to the can by not buying new stuff and by reusing what we have as often as possible.  My girls use cleaned out ice cream cartons to hold their toys, paper towel tubes to make puppets, and egg cartons to hold [...]

Remember yesterday’s post about Green Parent Kristy Glass, the NYC mom of two who is “gradually going green? Here, in her own words, is Kristy’s approach to recycling… I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. I remember when the town I lived in instituted Recycling. My parents begrudgingly bought the required green bin that [...]

Need a new addition to accommodate your family’s new addition? Or maybe you’re just looking to update the look of your kitchen or bathroom. Thinking green while remodeling or adding on to your home can improve the air quality, energy efficiency, and comfort of your home while saving you a fortune on future energy, water, [...]

It’s official! The Home Depot is now offering free CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb) recycling at all of its 1,973 locations nationwide. Just bring your unbroken bulbs to the returns desk and they’ll make sure the bulb is disposed of properly. No Home Depot in your area? Check out Earth 911 to see if there [...]

As a parent with young children, I have found that it is almost as hard to keep up with technology as it is to keep up with a two year old. Old model computers, televisions, and cell phones are replaced faster than you can say VCR. But where do all those gadgets go when they [...]

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 [...]

Cleaning house? Consider donating things you no longer want or need to someone who does. Donating old stuff is not only great for folks in need, it is also great for the environment, as it reduces waste and the consumption of new resources. Get your kids involved by filling them in on where the old [...]