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It is easy to believe in a cause. Signing a petition or sending in a small donation always helps. But living up to the cause is the hard part especially when it requires effort, sacrifice or change. The environment is something everyone should make a part of their lives. Here is a look at ways to create an all around green lunch box and the benefit it will have on our planet and your family’s health.
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Earth Day marks the one time each year when attention focuses on the home that we all share and we take some time to reflect on the manner in which we have kept house. We also take note of what we’re doing wrong and how we can do it better. It is also a great day for families to consider the responsibilities they are willing to take on to improve the environment and prove just how eco-friendly they can be.
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Ms. Frizzle’s students are putting on a play about global warming, and they need some cold, hard facts. The Friz knows just where to find them! A hop on the Magic School Bus takes the kids on a whirlwind tour. From the Arctic to the equator, they see telltale signs of climate change. But to get the really big picture, the class has to get really small – so they can see exactly what is in the air and why it is making the world warmer. What they find gives them a real cause for concern.
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I stared at the registry in vain. Seriously? The only items left were a 96 count diaper pack and a waterproof crib pad – two very uninspired choices for a close friend of 21 years. I decided to go off-registry. Always a risky venture, but I’m glad I did it. I wanted something practical and useful but also fun and unique. A friend of mine had unrolled a beautiful baby-mat in one of our classes. It looked softer and more padded than the traditional baby mats I’d seen and it had lovely fabric with a stunning pattern. I inquired about her mat and it led me to Meg Elliot at Buppity Baby.
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Halloween has truly evolved from what I knew as a kid: Kleenex ghosts hung with thread in the window, a few hand-carved pumpkins on the porch, a pillowcase to carry the loot and a ghost costume made from a sheet over my head. (A sheet with the over-the-head part colored yellow made me an fried egg one year. The visual still makes me cringe.) Today I get guilt from my kids every time we exit or enter the house. Why don’t we have cobwebs. Why can’t we get a tombstone. Why nothing screams or sighs when you pass through our front door.
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Now that the weather is warm, it?s time to fire up the grill!? Backyard barbeques offer a great way to get outdoors and relax with friends and family. ?Like any of life?s activities, some choices are greener than others.? But don?t fret.? Instead of agonizing over every barbequing decision, consider integrating a few eco-friendly changes in your repertoire this summer.? Or, throw one big Green BBQ Party, challenging yourself and guests to go green with a bang.
“Didn’t you hear?!?! If you leave a plastic water bottle in a hot car, it leaches poisonous chemicals in to the water and makes it toxic to drink!” I was amazed by my brother’s innocence. He rolled his eyes. “You are so paranoid.” Well maybe I am. But I always feel—better safe than sorry.
My father, another paranoid sort, had convinced me it was a better idea to fill my own ceramic bottles with water and bring them with me in the car than it was to buy the pre-filled plastic kind. Ceramic chips and cracks, so as you can imagine, this was a major pain. Which is why when SIGG bottles came to my attention, I jumped at them.
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If you are waiting for just the perfect opportunity for your family to begin going green, Earth Day is a great time to start. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970 and organized by Senator Gaylord Nelson. Senator Nelson was dismayed that the deteriorating state of the environment was not even an issue in government. He helped coordinate a large grassroots movement to give people a better forum to express and act upon their concerns over the environment and Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22nd ever since. While Earth Day is a good launching point for environmental awareness, being more green should be a year round practice.
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It’s hard not to be inspired to eat healthier when we see Michelle Obama digging up a patch on the South Lawn of the White House for the purpose of planting an organic vegetable garden. After all, if the First Lady can start her own organic garden (with perhaps the help of a few dozen school kids and a team of professional White House gardeners), shouldn’t the rest of us try to at least cut out fries or something?
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Did you say “Bath time?” How about “Time to do the laundry?” What you should be saying is “Horror Time.” I mean really. What mother (or any living person, for that matter) looks forward to these activities? Now you have to take into account that I have three children under the age of three and you will truly appreciate just how much I despise the never ending piles of laundry that occupy my home and the dreaded nightly ritual that involves pleading with a two-year-old to stand up please so I can just wash your tushie!
