Momathon Blog

Go Green: Cool Urban Bike Gear

It's almost the weekend. I'm thinking today is a perfect time to hop on my bike for a ride and maybe even a picnic. Here are a few of my favorite bikes and accessories for making that happen.

BIKES

Cashmere bike: Divine Bikes by New Amsterdam Bicycle Company

Love this ultra-modern upgrade with all the best features: three gears, roller brakes, key lock, bicycle pump, back carrier with bungee, and auto-activating lights for safe city riding.

Green bike: Dutchi 3 City Bike by Linus Bikes

A classic Dutch bike, with a sweeping curved frame. Features a refined upright posture to make it the elegant choice for trips to the market or just riding down the boulevard.

A few other great bikes to consider: 

• PUBLIC C7 Polka Dot
• Dutch bikes by Republic Bikes
• Sonnet Bliss by Pashley Cycles

ACCESSORIES

Orange Fremonster flap pannier

This versatile bag can be carried on your shoulder or you can use the simple clips to attach it to your bike rack. The front pocket is perfect for a U-lock, and the zippered flap design plus water-repellant fabrics provide an extra bit of resistance to the elements.

Headlamp

Ultra bright. With its vintage tear drop shape, this headlamp is the perfect compliment to any bike. 

Canvas market bag

Rugged waxed canvas with oil skin leather and solid brass hardware. This bag is tough, but with looks to match. Perfect for the market or a sleep over. Carry it in with a shoulder strap or roll up the sides when not in use. D-ring's add the option of locking bag to rack. 

Asungtaba basket

When you buy a product from House of Talents you are helping crafters in developing countries. Created by talented artisans, the Asungtaba bicycle basket is woven from veta vera grass in the Northern region of Ghana. 

Nantucket oval basket

This is a solid Rattan basket with leather straps, medium sized and good for items like a hand bag or sweater. 

 

Green design: The LowLine Project aims to build an underground park in NYC

 
Imagine skylights that could allow plants and even an entire park to grow underground. In a crowded city like NYC, an urban underground park more than a dream thanks to the technology developed by architect Dan Barasch and his partner James Ramsey. Their Delancey Underground Project aims to convert an unused trolley terminal that extends for about three blocks right below Delancey Street (between Essex Street and the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge) and turn this cavernous space into an extraordinary subterranean public park– nicknamed the “LowLine” after the successful elevated "High Line" park on the West Side of Manhattan.

James Ramsey and Dan Barasch

The Low Line might be the next urban frontier according to Salon.com: 

Dan Barasch and his partner James Ramsey are the co-designers of a wild new public-park concept cast in the mold of the city’s acclaimed High Line — except that instead of hoisting their park into the sky, they want to sink it into the mud. Envisioning a verdant cave filled with grass and trees.

Bararsch and Ramsey are seeking financing through "a combination of donations, grant money, public money and revenue from a limited number of shops inside the space could cover construction and maintenance" according to NYTimes.com. This ambitious project will only be funded if at least $100,000 is pledged by Friday, April 6th. You can make a pledge at Kickstarter here and watch their video below. 

Important links:

• If you are interested in funding this green initiative, go to LowLine: An Underground Park on NYC's Lower East Side by Dan Barasch on Kickstarter.
• Follow the LowLine on Twitter
• Like the LowLine project on Facebook: Delancey Underground
• Of course, more details about this project on their website, Delancey underground - The Project (delanceyunderground.org)

 

Photos via LowLine on Kickstarter.

Yippee! This blog post was selected to be featured on BlogHer.com to promote green design on March 9th. 

 

 

It's so Etsy: Down2Earth handmade jewelry

   

I have two relatives with birthdays coming up and I'm thinking of buying them each a piece of hand-hammered and hand-stamped jewelry created by Michell Mathis, an Etsy artist and mother of two. The handmade jewelry is available at down2earthjewelry at Etsy. All jewelry is made of natural and vintage materials and gift packaged in an earthy brown box made of 100% recycled materials.

For more beautiful handmade items at Etsy, check out Momathon's Etsy faves.

Photo above is a screenshot of the Mathis online Etsy store, down2earthjewelry. Sending a special shout out to my best bud and a craft guru, Kathy, who introduced me to this jewelry. 

Plants + Friends = Community Gardens

Today is earth day. Seasoned gardeners and newbies across the U.S. are starting community gardens with the help of American Community Gardening Association. If you are interested in how to set up a community garden this association has plenty of tips. On the website you can download PDF files on organizing a garden committee, how to choose a site, preparing a site, insurance, and managing the garden.

 

 

Kids naturally like to dig in the dirt. And they like creepy crawly things like the garden slugs in the photo above. Gardening is a great family activity. Give a kid some ownership of the project and you will be amazed at how much kids love to plant, water, and even weed their own garden. The Community Gardening Assoc. offers great ideas in Ten tips for gardening with kids.

(Photos: Monica R: Boy with garden hose; D Sharon Pruitt, Child With Handful of Garden Slugs)

It's so Etsy: Plant a wildflower garden

 

 

In honor of earth week...

Spring is here. Something about digging in the dirt makes me smile. Gardening mixes therapy with sunshine! So grab some seeds and a shovel. 

One of the best parts of gardening is the fact you don't need a lot of space. A corner garden with some sunshine works. Or plant seeds in a container garden on your patio or deck.  Planting seeds is a fun activity for the whole family. My kids love to design their own gardens. Keeping the plants happy with regular watering teaches responsibility too.

The Thebearfootshaman shop on Etsy offers a beautiful Wildflower Garden Seed Mix to Attract Birds. The mix contains:

Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan, Bachelor Buttons, Purple Prairie Clover, Mexican Hat, Rocky Mountain Beeplant, Sulphur Flower, Butterfly Plant, Indian Blanket, Goldenrod, Penstemon, Aster, Liatris, Cosmos, Daisy, Bee Balm, Blue Flax, Larkspur, Lupine, Sunflower, and Coreopsis. 

Go to this link to check out the Wildflower Garden Seed Mix. $3.29.

(Photo of wildflowers from the Etsy page of Thebearfootshaman)

Eco Chic: LIV GRN

 

Blogger and fashion stylist Kami Gray loves her livgrn T-shirt:

"Not only does the LIV GRN logo broadcast a very important message, 10% of all sales go to Global Green. This organization’s mission is to, 'foster a global value shift toward a secure and sustainable future.' Click here to learn more about Global Green."

LIV GRN pale pink tee:

Liv Grn - Crop Pink Zebra Tee, $45

(Logo above: livgrn. Kami's quote and t-shirt photo via blog.kamigray.com)

iPhone app takes on global warming skeptics

I love The Skeptical Science iPhone app. And believe me, I will have plenty of opportunities to use it in my little town. Sure it won't help me win every argument with global warming skeptics. But I'll keep using this app and supporting mother earth because as my daughter tells me: We love polar bears, penguins, lady bugs, blue sky, and the fish in the sea. 

According to a report by Leo Hickman in the www.guardian.co.uk:

"I'm not sure this is going to quell the climate wars raging at present, but it's an interesting development nonetheless. An Australian solar physicist called John Cook, who runs the popular Skeptical Science website, has developed an app which "lets you use an iPhone or iPod to view the entire list of skeptic arguments as well as (more importantly) what the science says on each argument". So the next time you're caught at the fag end of a wedding reception in an interminable one-way conversation with a reactionary uncle who's boring on about how "the climate's always changed", just switch on this app, hand them your iPhone, and proceed to the bar."

So far the app has 90 rebuttals to global warming skeptic arguments.

Thanks to this clever app developed by solar physicist John Cook, I'll know exactly what to say the next time someone tells me to stop worrying about polar bears starving to death on melting ice. 

How Safe Is Your Metal Water Bottle?

Reusable water bottles are a green option. You probably feel good about using them. However, all plastic bottles are not equal. Some plastics contain BPA (bisphenol-A) and could pose a health risk. Thanks to consumers who demanded healthier baby bottles and water bottles, many plastic bottles are now BPA free.

You might think metal water bottles would be a good option. But before you shop, do your homework first. Did you know some metal water bottles have a plastic liner with BPA?

According to Lori Bongiorno's blog featured on Yahoo! Green:

"However, all metal bottles are not created equally. Aluminum bottles typically have epoxy liners, which may contain BPA and other unwanted chemicals. In the past, Sigg would not reveal the ingredients in its liners, claiming that it was "proprietary."

Now, the company admits that the epoxy liners in its bottles used to contain trace amounts of BPA. Sigg says it switched to a new "EcoCare" liner in August 2008"

Many aluminum bottles have epoxy linings, but some companies sell stainless steel water bottles that do not have liners and they are BPA free:

• Kleen Kanteen
• ThinkSport
• Nalgene

The FDA has not banned BPA. However, citizens can take matters in their own hands in an effort to ban BPA. According to Sarah Newman at HuffingtonPost:

"The Chicago city-council earlier this year outsmarted the FDA, which continues to argue that BPA is safe, by voting to ban it. There is now pending legislation in California to do the same statewide."

BPA is currently banned in Canada, Minnesota, Conneticut and under scrutiny in several European nations. Why should you be concerned about BPA? When exposed to heat or wear and tear, the BPA in plastic can leach into foods and liquids. BPA is a synthetic estrogen found in some types of plastic and can create havoc in the human body's own hormones. 

 

A Hardy & Fragrant Groundcover

I live in a high desert region. Last year I decided to go green and add groundcover plants that do not need to be watered as often. Thyme plants thrive in sunny locations. I love the fact they rarely need water or fertilizing. They aren't picky about soil either--dry, gritty soil is fine. Thyme is hardy and some varieties can tolerate the snow and freezing temps we have in Colorado. The thyme plants vary in height. The one pictured here only grows to approximately 3-5 inches high and slowly spreads to 24 inches. This is the perfect height because I can walk through the garden without accidentally stepping near a rattlesnake or two! Best of all, the fragrant green carpet smells wonderful.

 

Fresh Strawberries

I can already taste the juicy red berries from this plant even though technically they haven't ripened yet. 

It's hard to be patient in the garden.

Go Green: Grow a Sweet Plant

This herb smells like a peppermint patty. My sweet Chocolate Mint plant flavors teas, adds a unique chocolate flavor to desserts or sweet breads, or makes a yummy potpourri.

An easy-to-grow plant, it grows well in an area with morning sun and shade after 2 p.m.  

Why Buy Local?

The buy local movement is gaining popularity with moms across the country. Why is buying local important? Buying local usually means you are getting fresher food with higher nutrient levels. Plus, if you go to a farmer's market you meet the local growers in your area and they can introduce you to yummy new veggies and fruits that you might not have tried otherwise. Buying local means buying green too. When food or other products do not have to be shipped long distances, fewer barrels of oil are consumed in shipping. Using less oil helps the environment.

If you are interested in learning more about buying local, here are just a few online resources:

• The buy local terminology can be confusing. What is the difference between buying local and buying sustainable? Get the scoop on Sustainable Table.
• BuyLocal.net will help you find local organizations and support local businesses. 
• Looking for farmer's markets and family farms in your area? Check out this link Local Harvest. You can also follow Local Harvest on Twitter.
• Interested in finding food that is sustainably produced in North America? Check out Food Alliance.

Go Green: Eco-Friendly Pots for New Plants

Whenever I transplant new plants in my garden, I end up with a pile of discarded plastic pots the plants are sold in. Some of the temporary pots are recyclable, but many are not. 

This year I discovered  eco-friendly peat pots. Love them. Easy to plant. Better for your plants. My new herbs for the garden came in biodegradable Bonnie Peat Pots. The green peat pots make it super simple to garden with kids. Here's how: 

• remove the narrow band of  shrink wrap with planting instructions around the top edge of the pot
• tear away the top of the peat pot so that the rim is not exposed after planting
• remove the bottom half of the pot before planting to help roots
• compost any pieces of peat pot or turn them into the ground
• make a hole in the ground the size of the peat pot and place the plant in the hole
• the peat pot keeps the plant intact and makes the planting process great for kids

Six Easy Steps to Save 60 Gallons of Water a Day

It has been raining like crazy all month here and it's all too easy to forget about the fact we still need to conserve water.

According to Planet Green here are 6 easy things you can do to save big:

Take a 5-minute shower instead of a 10-minute shower (Savings: 12.5 gallons)

Put a bottle filled with gravel in your toilet tank (Savings: 7.5 gallons)

Turn off the water while brushing teeth and sharing (Savings: 8 gallons)

Filling your dishwasher to max capacity (Savings: 2 gallons)

Mulching your garden (Savings: 25 gallons)

Fix that leaky faucet (Savings: 5 gallons)

TOTAL Water Savings: 60 gallons

Don't forget to talk to your kids about the water saving tips. If you do, your family could save more than 60 gallons today. You can follow PlanetGreen.com on Twitter  

(Thanks for the tips Planet Green.)

Why Should We Love Our Bees?

If you like flowers and fruit and veggies, then you need to thank our busy bees for all the hard work they do. A third of the food we eat depends on bees for pollination, but the honeybees are disappearing fast. Why are they disappearing? The cause is still unknown, but scientists call this environmental issue Colony Collapse Disorder (CDC). Without the honeybees for pollination, the fruits, vegetables and flowers will disappear too. 

Burt's Bees recently made it a priority to educate the public about CCD. According to Burt's Bees:  "CCD is a mysterious disorder causing the disappearance of millions of honeybees that if left unsolved, could affect the availability of the food we eat." Häagen-Dazs - Help the Honey Bees also wants to "keep these little heroes buzzing" and get the word out.

The good news is you and your kids can work together to help save the bees too:

• Support your local organic farmer.
• Plant a seed a create a bee-friendly garden in your backyard, deck, or a neighborhood park.
• Make a donation to programs that support research into CCD. Pennsylvania State University and University of California at Davis have two of the world´s leading honey bee research facilities.  

Donate to the Penn State Entomology - AG Science Haagen Dazs Honey Bee Project

Donate to the UC Davis Honeybee Research Fund

You Can't Overestimate the Power of Giving

Blake Mykoskie calls himself the Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes. For every pair of canvas shoes his company sells, they give a pair away to a child in need.

This year the company's goal is to give away over 300,000 pairs of shoes.

Since the company's beginning in 2006, TOMS Shoes has given over 140,000 pairs of shoes to children in Argentina, Ethiopia, and South Africa. 

Women understand the lure a great pair of shoes, but in places like Ethiopia, even the most basic shoe is priceless. Having a pair of shoes means living a healthier life. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mykoskie also hopes donating shoes will help eradicate podoconiosis in Ethiopia, "a form of elephantiasis believed to be caused by walking barefoot in silica-rich soil."

Shopping for shoes never sounded so great. TOMS Shoes start at $44 for men, women, and children. They also feature some styles made with recycled materials. You can buy them at Nordstrom, Whole Foods and over 500 more stores nationwide and internationally. 

Way to go Mykoskie. TOMS Shoes is a Momathon Fave!

Go Green: Recycling for Dummies (Like Me)

Did you know that every day the average American produces four and half pounds of trash--75 percent which is  recyclable?

Recently the curbside recycling service at my house started providing single stream recycling, which allows customers to mix recyclable paper, plastic and glass in one bin. Sounds easy, but figuring out exactly what your recycling center will accept can be confusing.

Green your routine.

The recycling guidelines vary from city to city. In the past few years the rules have grown more universal. Check with your recycling center for specific guidelines and check out the tips at the end of this post.

The green folks at Good Housekeeping and The TODAY Show teamed up to offer some helpful ideas to make recycling simpler.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Recycling tips:

Plastic

There are 5 types of plastic for recycling. Plastic products with numbers 1-2 are universally recyclable. The caps on the plastic bottles may be number 5, so you should check to see if it is accepted by your curbside program. Many recycling centers have added plastics 3-5 on their list.

Plastic bottle tops

Eco chic places like AVEDA accepts thredded lids and recycles them. You can find out more about their program at recycle caps with Aveda. 

Plastic bags

Plastic bags are often number 4s  and your recycling center may or may not accept them. However you can take to the bags to participating grocery stores or other big box stores that recycle the bags

Plastic milk jugs

Many recycling centers ask you to remove the plastic lid

Boxes

If you flatten the box they are easier to add to your recycling. Also, don't recycle boxes that are heavily stained with grease or other food products. This contaminates the recycling process

Other paper products

Recycle your catalogs and newspapers. Don't recycle heavily ink saturated papers like neon colored post-it notes.

Glass

Glass bottles are recyclable. Don't recycle glass treated with glue or lightbulbs. You can recycle light bulbs at stores such as Home Depot and Ikea.

Cans and other metal

Recycle your cans of soup, soda, etc. You can recycle aerosal cans at some centers. Check with your recycler. Aerosal cans must be empty.

Batteries

Do not recycle batteries or electronics with cans. Many cities offer recycling centers just for batteries.

More information. Check out how to green your routine every day at Earth911.com.

Go Green: Join the Carbon Dieters and Ride Your Bike

It's Earth Day today. My son and his friends decided to ride their bikes to school and stopped off at a local McDonald's on the way. Unfortunately, this fast food giant is not thinking green and refused to take their orders when they "drove" up on their mountain bikes in the drive through lane.

Maybe it's a safety thing, but I am sure this mega company that figured out how to grill up some of the best burgers around (as well as yummy salads) can also cook up a simple way to allow bicyclists to safely use the drive through lane at the local McDonald's. Or at the very leas, allow bikes to drive through on Earth Day. 

If more of us would do our best to walk or ride bikes instead of driving, we would reduce the our carbon footprint and we would all be healthier--even our planet.

Go Green and Try the Carbon Diet

Wondering how your daily activities influence the environment? Check out The Carbon Diet's online calculator. It measures your carbon footprint--the greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by your actions. The choices you make in products used in your home, your travel, the type of food you eat, and what you buy and throw away all determine your carbon footprint.

To start using the calculator just input your usage of electricity, natural gas and fuel. The calculator figures out your impact on the environment by displaying graphs and charts to give you a picture of what you're doing to the planet. Best of all, the "analysis" feature looks at your activities and gives you tips on how to lighten your carbon footprint and take better care of the earth.

Check it out here.

Go Green: Recycle Your Used Books, CDs, and DVDs

If your house is anything like mine, then you have dozens of used books, CDs, and DVDs that are waiting to find new homes. My kids have bookshelves filled with books they have "outgrown." Of course I know I can't ask them to part with their favorite books, but I am sure we can fill a box with books they are ready to share with someone.

What should I do with all the books, CDs, DVDs? Garage sales are fun, but I know I won't get a sale organized for ages. Instead I'm thinking of donating most of them to local thrift stores and my library. Recently I discovered some book, CD and DVD exchange ideas that sound tempting too. 

PaperBack Swap is a free online book club to exchange books--mail in a book, get a book. 

SwapaCD.com Swap CDs with other club members and get the music mailed directly to you.

SwapaDVD.com Swap a DVD with other club members and get movies mailed directly to you.

 

Go Green with Ecofont

Events this week celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd. All week Momathon Blog will be focusing on simple ways you can celebrate Earth Day every day.

Go green with a new Swiss-cheese design font.

Use the environmentally friendly Ecofont and you will minimize ink and carbon use. The Dutch company SPRANGQ developed this green font with tiny circular holes in the letters. When you use this font you won't see the holes unless the font is too large. The font is readable because the micro holes are not visible in a smaller size (16pt or smaller). The design of this typeface cuts ink usage by 20%.

It's free. Download Ecofont here.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day and Go Green

 

With all the green mania today, why not join the sassier shade of green folks at Ideal Bite and get their eco-living tips for "light green" consumers, delivered daily via email, Twitter. and Facebook. Tip archive available on their blog. As their name implies, Ideal Bite offers bite-sized ideas for light green living. Tips cover everything from biodynamic wine to organic cosmetics, to seasonal recipes from local chefs.

Recently they added an Ideal Bite for Mamas to:

"Give you the scoop on everything from junk in the trunk (we're talkin' chems in disposable diapers that aren't great for babies, baby daddies, or Mama Earth), to safe alternatives to conventional plastic toys. Ideal Bite delivers easy eco-mommy tips via a short, sassy email each weekday."

Here's a recent tip from Mama at Ideal Bite:

"St. Pat's Day have you coveting green-colored foods?

The Bite

Eat your heart out, just make sure you use organic and plant-based food coloring in your holiday recipes. You'll keep artificial ingredients off your kid's plate without begrudging them a clover-hued cookie." 

(Images from Ideal Bite)

Go Green: Is Your House an Energy Hog?

My windows leak. My door has a draft. And many more energy saps are just waiting to be discovered. I know I am due for an "energy audit." I've heard that most homes have the equivalent of a large open window 24/7. That's energy literally going out the window.

Energy auditors can detect where houses are losing energy. These guys come armed with high-tech tools such as a thermographic camera that detects heat loss. The camera can detect if heat is going through your insulation because the insulation is not adequate.

Some leaks we might not feel are easy to find with the naked eye. Did you know spiders are your friends? Spiders like to build webs where there is a draft. Just look for the spider webs and you will find the leaks in your house.

Energy efficiency probably wasn't a major concern when most houses are built. Even newer houses have leaks. Air sealing is a great investment in keeping your house warm. 

For more information on how to improve your home's energy efficiency, check out this NYT video link featuring Tom Zeller Jr., the editor of the Green Inc. blog. In this video Zeller hires specialists from Green Treen Energy to track cown the spots in his house where energy is lost.

Go Green: Free Stylish Online Invites @ pingg

Martha Stewart recently joined pingg, the free online invite service. And why not? She fits in perfectly with the stylish and functional online invitation and event company. 

pingg (the company likes the lowercase p) also launched a new content section that features party-planning tips and entertaining ideas from Martha.

pingg is perfect for birthdays, showers, backyard bbqs and more. Very eco-chic.

Recycle Your Jeans and Help Homeless Teens

One in three homeless people in America are under the age of eighteen. Now you can donate your jeans for charities that help homeless teens. Just clean out your closet and recycle your jeans.

DoSomething.org and Aeropostale team up in the national campaign Teens For Jeans so you can donate your jeans and help homeless teens. Last year teens helped them collect over 125,000 pairs.

It's simple to help out. Just drop off any pair of your teen's gently worn jeans to any Aeropostale store between January 26th and February 22nd and Aeropostale will donate the jeans to a local homeless shelter or charity.

To say thanks for your donation, Aeropostale will give you an additional 25% off your next pair of jeans.

Find out how you and your kids can get involved, just check out the Aeropostale Teens For Jeans Take Action Guide.

Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford wants you to clean out your closet and do something to help homeless teens.

Make A Difference: Non-Toxic Art Supplies for Kids

If your kids like art chances are you have a drawer or box full of art supplies. Did you know some of the common art supplies contain ammonia, formaldehyde, or turpentine that emit asthma-inducing chems? According to the go green nonprofit IdealBite.com, "Up to 36 billion pounds of toxic acrylic polymer solvents, found in many traditional art supplies, are produced each year." (If you are looking for more green living tips, Ideal Bite offers easy to do eco-living tips for busy moms and kids).

How safe are your art supplies? To help you decipher the confusing list of ingredients, check out Children's Health Environmental Coalition.

The good news is you can buy non-toxic art supplies for you and your kids. Here is a list of product suggestions I found a IdealBite.com and a few of my faves including art supply recipes from NatureMoms.com.

• Nunu finger paint: These non-toxic crayons and paints are food grade. ($25 for four big finger paint containers including red, blue, yellow, green)
• Stockmar Modeling Beeswax Clay: Non-toxic alternative to polymer clay which contains PVC ($15, 6 colors)
• Prang Soybean Crayons Tuck Box: Non-toxic crayons made from environmentally friendly soybean oil instead of petroleum. (Less than a dollar for a 4-color box)
• EcoArt Works art supplies: Eco-friendly art supplies for kids and adults. 
• Stubby Pencil Studio: Eco products for creative kids.
• NatureMoms.com: Easy recipes for natural play dough, silly putty, and finger paints. 

Go Green: Recycle Old Sneakers at Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe

We all know some weeks are better than others. This just happens to be a crazy week at my house. My son is recovering from an illness at the hospital, so I haven't been blogging lately. Instead I will recycle a previous post on a topic that is near and dear to my heart.

Recycle Old Sneakers at Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe

Recently my Momathon Blog post was all about the relationship between buying three or more sneakers a year and leadership potential. If you and your kids buy lots of new sneakers each year, then why not turn your old shoes into new places to play. Kudos to Nike for creating a great green solution that recycles old shoes to make new sport surfaces. The Reuse-A-Shoe program is part of the Nike Let Me Play campaign--one of Nike’s longest-running environmental and community programs. In this eco-friendly program, worn-out athletic shoes of any brand are collected, processed and recycled into material used in sports surfaces like basketball courts, tennis courts, athletic fields, running tracks and playgrounds for young people around the world. According to Nike; “Since the birth of Reuse-A-Shoe, we’ve recycled more than 20 million pairs of athletic shoes and created more than 250 sport surfaces; giving thousands of young people access to new playgrounds and athletic facilities around the world.” To find out how to recycle your shoes, click on this link: Reuse-A-Shoe: How It Works

Go Green: Self-Watering Systems for Houseplants

Plants make wonderful indoor companions. Of course they are pretty to look at, but they also offer health benefits by adding oxygen into the air. Remember how proud you were of your bean plant in a paper cup (or mini milk carton) that you grew from a seed way back in kindergarten? Houseplants can help kids learn about how to grow and care for living things. One of my favorite houseplant benefits is the fact you can grow herbs indoors too. How great is it to add some fresh spices from your very own garden to your salad or pasta dinner.

A variety of self-watering systems make caring for indoor plants stress-free. And these simple gadgets help make sure you don't over water the plant. Here are some of my self-watering faves:

(Photo: Drip-It Frog)

Drip-It Frog

The green frog (red squirrels also available) water your plants for up to 2 weeks. $10. 

www.drip-it-systems.com

Aqua Globes

Multi-colored handblown glass globes supply water to plants for up to 2 weeks. $15 each

www.buyaquaglobes.com

Watering Globes

Clear or colored glass globes water plants for about a week. $15

www.orchidlight.com

Go Green: Baby2Baby and BabyBuggy.org Will Recycle Your Baby Gear

I really love those cute baby clothes, and the cuddly blankies, and all the baby gear; but storing it in the attic or in the basement is probably not the best idea. Instead, why not put together a donation box of gently used items for a couple of great organizations that help needy families.

Here are two organizations that are dedicated to helping babies and young children:

Baby2Baby
Baby2Baby is a nonprofit organization in L.A. that was started by three moms who wanted to help needy babies and children up to 4 years old. The charity provides babies and young children across L.A. with new and gently used gear and clothing. If you live in the area and want to organize a pick up, check out their website's donation page.

BabyBuggy.org
Founded in 2001 by Jessica Seinfeld, this nonprofit is dedicated to providing New York City’s families in need with essential equipment, clothing, and products for their infants and young children. According to their website "Today, over 700,000 children live in poverty in NYC. Baby Buggy´s goal is to help them access the essentials they need to ensure their safety and well-being." BabyBuggy.org has provided over 2,500,000 essential items to thousands of families through their network of over 50 qualified social service partners. If you live in the area and want to organize a pick up, check out their website's donation page.

Become a program sponsor
If you do not live near these organizations, you can always send in a monetary donation to help their programs.

8 Ways to Love Mother Earth

April 22nd is earth day. Time to go green and give back to the earth. I love the phrase reduce, reuse and recycle. You can also go green at home in some surprising ways. Here are eight things you and your kids can do to make a difference all year long.

1)One day a week try eating a meatless meal. Did you know a meat-based diet requires seven times more land than a plant-based diet?
2)Use good old soap and water to clean up if you can. Anti-bacterial hand soaps are so strong they kill beneficial bacteria as well as the bad stuff. Avoid avoid anti-bacterial hand soaps and hand sanitizers that contain the chemical triethanolamine because it can damage your liver and kidneys. I like the instant sanitizer CleanWell made with essential plant oils and available at Whole Foods.
3)Buy locally grown seasonal fruit when possible to lower the effects of transporting the produce. When you are finished eating, parts of the fruit can be added to your compost.
4)Cut back on water use by teaching your kids to run the faucet at a pencil-thin stream. If you want to cut back even more, try briefly turning off the shower while you add shampoo or conditioner.
5)Only use microwave-safe containers--never Styrofoam--in a microwave due to risks of toxic exposure.
6)Save electricity by unplugging your cell phone, MP3 and gadget chargers when not in use.
7)Don’t skip car tune-ups because they can reduce fuel consumption by as much as 20%. Don’t leave your car idling for more than 30 seconds to reduce CO2 emissions and gas consumption.
8)When possible, wash clothes with cold water because a majority of the energy consumed is used to heat the water. If you skip the dryer too, then you make even a bigger difference.

If you are looking for green tips all year long, check out the daily
Ideal Bite--Bite-sized ideas for light green living.

Go Green: Recycle Your Old Eyeglasses

Is it time to get some new specs? Why not recycle your old eyeglasses and help
someone in need. According to CharityGuide.org, “With the price of glasses exceeding three months’ average salary in some African countries, donated eyeglasses are the only feasible way to bring sight to many visually impaired. These recycled glasses can be the difference between a blacksmith continuing his work or closing up shop, or the factor that enables a woman to support herself by doing embroidery rather than becoming destitute.”

The options for donation/recycling eye glasses is growing making it easier than ever to donate. For example, the Lions Club teams up with LensCrafters to recycle glasses. Donation drop off boxes are located in the LensCrafter stores. According to the Lions Clubs, “Since 1992, groups of LensCrafters optometrists and opticians have provided free eye exams and recycled eyeglasses to the poor in 20 developing countries including Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Panama and the Philippines.”

Here are just a few eyeglass recycling options:
• Donate Eyeglasses--Lions Recycle for Sight (Drop off used eyewear at any LensCrafters location
• Unite For Sight, Inc. - Donate Eyeglasses & Sunglasses
• Donate Now--Give the Gift of Sight - A Luxottica Group Foundation(Drop off your used eyewear at any LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical or Sunglass Hut location)
• New Eyes for the Needy: Impact: How You Can Help

It’s So Etsy: Go Green With Repurposed T-Shirt Totes

Did you know it takes as much petroleum to make 14 plastic bags as it does to drive a car one mile? That’s why Etsy.com crafter zJayne makes recycled and repurposed T-shirt bags that are great for shopping, lunch bags, and the uses are endless. Recycled T-shirt bags feature reinforced bottom corners, one cross stitch tucked at each handle, raw edges that do not fray, great earthy/urban look, and bags look and roll up so easy. Prices vary. Check her zJayne shop at Etsy.com for styles and pricing. You can reserve a “Six Pack” similar to the bags in the photo, just go to her zJayne shop at Etsy.com.

Go Green: Recycle Old Sneakers at Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe Program

Yesterday my Momathon Blog post was all about the relationship between buying three or more sneakers a year and leadership potential. If you and your kids buy lots of new sneakers each year, then why not turn your old shoes into new places to play. Kudos to the Nike mission to create a go green program that recycles old shoes to make new sport surfaces. The Reuse-A-Shoe program is part of the Nike Let Me Play campaign--one of Nike’s longest-running environmental and community programs. In this eco-friendly program, worn-out athletic shoes of any brand are collected, processed and recycled into material used in sports surfaces like basketball courts, tennis courts, athletic fields, running tracks and playgrounds for young people around the world. According to Nike; “Since the birth of Reuse-A-Shoe, we’ve recycled more than 20 million pairs of athletic shoes and created more than 250 sport surfaces; giving thousands of young people access to new playgrounds and athletic facilities around the world.” To find out how to recycle your shoes, click on this link: Reuse-A-Shoe: How It Works