AS A FINANCIAL COACH, I’VE HAD THE PLEASURE of working with many families over the years to help them spend less money. One of the most amazing things I’ve witnessed is how families grow closer as a result of changing their consumption.
One of the gifts of going green is that it can actually change the way we interact with our families. Try this: For the next family birthday, don’t just buy more stuff. Instead, spend the day together. Take a trip to a museum or nature preserve. Go for a long bike ride. Cook a meal together. Visit a local farm.
Create traditions together. Maybe every fall you pick apples; every Sunday night you take a long walk; every spring you take a bike trip.
Our choices about how to raise our children have a ripple effect, because they shape the decisions they will make when they grow up and have families.
Today, decide to make green a family value. Read on to learn how.
Green Your Baby
THE BIGGEST—AND STICKIEST—ISSUE WITH RAISING a green baby is what to do about diapers—disposable or cloth?
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
If you choose disposable diapers, be sure to buy the greenest ones available, such as Nature Boy & Girl, which are made with cornstarch instead of plastic (www.natureboyandgirl.net). Or try Seventh Generation’s, which are made without chlorine (www.seventhgeneration.com).
To locate a cloth diaper service in your area, visit www.diapernet.org/locate.htm.
Another cloth diaper option is the new gDiapers. They’re made of cloth but use flushable, biodegradable inserts. Costs are comparable to those of disposable diapers, but these diapers are better for the environment. Visit www.gDiapers.com.
Make your own baby food. Find recipes for easy, all-natural baby food at www.wholesomebabyfood.com.
The National Association of Diaper Services reports that 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown in landfills each year—making up about 2 percent of the garbage in landfills and taking hundreds of years or more to decompose. What’s more, disposables cost parents $2,400 during the baby’s first two and a half years.
SAVE
$40 a week by nursing.
SAVE
the glass in 600 jars by pureeing your own baby food.
Cloth diapers cost less—especially if you launder them yourself—but in terms of “impact” they’re not necessarily better on the environment, thanks to the water and detergent used to clean them. It turns out that diapers are a matter of personal choice. If you do opt for cloth, be sure to use biodegradable, phosphate-free detergent.
Here are some cost-saving baby ideas that are also green:
• Scout out gently used baby clothes at garage sales and consignment shops, and on Craigslist, eBay, and Freecycle.
• Make your own food instead of buying all those little glass jars. Pureeing vegetables is quick, simple, healthy, and more cost-effective.
• Nurse your baby instead of feeding formula. You’ll save about $40 a week, it’s healthier, and there’s no manufacturing, packaging, or shipping involved.
Another important green baby issue has to do with the furniture in your nursery. Some scientists believe that crib death may actually be caused by flame-retardant chemicals—called PBDEs—in beds and mattresses, which become poisonous when they interact with common household fungi. Keep your baby safe by choosing organic, chemical-free mattresses and bedding. For all-natural crib mattresses, visit the web site of manufacturer Hastens at www.hastens.com.
Green Your Pet
MOST OF US FEEL OUR PETS ARE PART OF THE FAMILY. The greenest choice you can make when it comes to your pet is to “rescue” one from your local shelter, where it might otherwise become one of the 3 to 4 million homeless dogs and cats euthanized every year. Adoption fees are usually around $50 (often a tax-deductible donation), compared to the hundreds of dollars you’d pay a breeder or pet shop.
SAVE
$650 by adopting a pet.
RESCUE
one of 3 to 4 million hopeful dogs or cats.
A big part of going green with our pets involves the food choices we make for them. Many common pet food brands are made with the lowest-quality ingredients, often made overseas with little oversight. This means poor nutrition for your pet, or worse, serious health problems—even death.
Look to save money in other ways in order to save up for better-quality food. In 2006, we spent $38.4 billion on our pets, and there are lower-cost, greener solutions for much of what we buy. Like kids’ toys, many pet toys are mass-produced using potentially harmful materials. And chances are you’ve already got great pet toys at home—like Fido’s all-time favorite, the tennis ball.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
Adopt a pet. The web site at www.petfinder.com lists animals for adoption at shelters around the country. Or visit www.hsus.org/pets or www.aspca.org or your local animal shelter.
Feed your pet well. Look for brands containing all-natural, whole foods and ingredients—not meat “by-products” and “fillers” made from corn. Avoid foods made with meat “meals,” which are leftover animal parts, boiled and processed. Other ingredients in pet food are grown using toxic pesticides or contain potentially hazardous synthetic preservatives, or are made from foods declared unsafe for human consumption. There are dozens of great natural brands to choose from, including Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, California Natural, and Pinnacle. Visit www.naturapet.com or www.onlynaturalpet.com to learn more about your pet’s nutritional needs.
Buy fewer, healthier toys. Look for those made from pesticide-free cotton or recycled materials like fleece and rubber. Get the lowdown on many planet-friendly pet products at www.greatgreenpet.com.
Earth Dog (www.earthdog.com) makes pet products that are good for your best friend and for the planet. All products, including collars, beds, and toys, are made in the United States out of sustainably grown hemp.
Get Outdoors
WHILE IT SOMETIMES SEEMS AS THOUGH WE’VE paved over most of the world, in fact nearly a third of the land in the United States—almost 700 million acres—is owned by the public and managed by various agencies in part for outdoor recreation. We’ve got urban parks, dense forests, alpine meadows, desert canyons, and remote wilderness.
Let’s not only save the earth. Let’s get out there and enjoy it.
SAVE
$600 on a gym membership a year.
SUPPORT
the 700 million acres of public lands instead.
Hiking, running, brisk walking, swimming, and bike riding are all activities that require a minimal investment in gear, keep you fit, and get you outside appreciating and reconnecting with nature. Doing these things from your front door saves fuel and greenhouse gas emissions.
Another plus: With the average cost of a gym membership running about $50 a month, moving your workout outdoors can save about $600 a year.
Take the whole family. Childhood expert Richard Louv wrote a thoughtful book called Last Child in the Woods (2006), in which he laments that today’s kids are “alienated” from nature. He thinks depression, anxiety, and obesity can all be lessened by reacquainting our kids with the grand outdoors.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
Take advantage of nearby parks and nature trails. To find a trail close to you, use GORP’s Trail Finder at www.gorp.away.com/gorp/trailfinder. At www.publiclands.org, learn about public lands near you and around the country.
Consider participating in a group hike or backpacking trip. Your local chapter of the Sierra Club is a good place to look for group activities. Go to www.sierraclub.com and select your state under “My Backyard” at the top of the page. Retail stores that sell outdoor gear, such as REI, may also offer group activities or have community bulletin boards.
Join a running club in your area at www.running.timeoutdoors.com or www.runningnetwork.com.
Find federally managed public lands near you. Visit these sites:
Bureau of Land Management (www.blm.gov)
USDA Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us)
National Park Service (www.nps.gov)
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (lakes and reservoirs) (www.usbr.gov)
Find a state park by searching on Google for “state parks” and the name of your state.
Once you’ve gotten into the outdoors habit, quit the gym.
Green Your Holidays
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AMERICANS SPEND $2.7 BILLION every year on gift wrap. It’s insane! That’s more than the entire gross domestic product (GDP) of many countries in Africa and Asia. One easy way to green your holidays is to stop buying nonrecyclable wrapping paper printed with petroleum-based inks and dyes.
We’d ALL SAVE $2.6 billion by getting creative with wrapping each year.
We’d ALL SAVE 300,000 trees by buying recycled cards, too.
Use gift wrap made out of recycled paper—or better yet, use materials around your home to dress up your packages. When I was a kid, my creative mom used the Sunday comics. It looked cool and didn’t cost a dime.
Next, green your greetings. Nearly 300,000 trees are harvested each year to produce all the holiday cards sold in the United States—enough to fill a football field 10 stories high! Save money, time, and trees by sending free e-cards instead of traditional cards. Or opt to order from Cards for Causes (www.cardsforcauses.com) or Good Cause Greetings (www.goodcausegreetings.com), where not only are the cards made of recycled paper, but 10 or 20 percent of the purchase price goes to the charity of your choice.
And finally, give eco-friendly gifts. Give a gift you can’t wrap, like a charity donation in someone’s name.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
Shop for recyclable gift wrap at sites like: www.papermojo.com.
Send a free e-card. Visit: www.hallmark.com.
Give green gifts. For dozens of ideas—from a National Parks Pass to a donation to the Fresh Air Fund in someone’s name—check out the NRDC’s Great Green Gift-Giving Guide. Go to www.nrdc.org and click on “Green Living.” You’ll find the “Giving Green Gifts” link in the “Green Living Toolkit.”
Another gift idea: Many conservation groups have sponsorship programs, where you can “adopt” a particular species—polar bears, sea turtles, penguins—to help protect it. Visit the “Wildlife Adoption Center” at www.worldwildlife.org.
Don’t forget to “tree-cycle” after the holidays. Go to www.earth911.org to learn how.
Have a Green Christmas with a real tree. The National Christmas Tree Association reports that most artificial trees are made of PVC—a potential source of hazardous lead. (That’s why they come with a warning label!) But real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. The best choice is one that’s sustainably grown and pesticide-free.
Take a Volunteer Vacation
IMAGINE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, OFF ON A SCIENTIFIC expedition, like studying whales in British Columbia or helping manage a rain forest in Puerto Rico.
VACATION
for as little as $20 plus travel expenses.
The memories: PRICELESS.
Next year, instead of going to a seaside resort or to an amusement park, plan to take your family on a volunteer vacation. You’ll save money, have a terrific adventure, and provide valuable manpower on projects that are helping the planet and all its inhabitants.
Many volunteer vacations are a subset of a booming trend known as “ecotourism.” That means environmentally conscious travel to places where nature is the main attraction. Many of the places where nature is at its most dramatic are in less developed countries, so ecotourism also aims to benefit the people who live there—by using local services (for example, hiring guides or eating in restaurants) and by helping protect the place you’re visiting. While there are an increasing number of high-end eco-resorts, there are also many inexpensive opportunities to stay in comfort surrounded by spectacular scenery—especially if you’re willing to volunteer your time.
In addition to the specific project you’re working on, there’s usually a lot more to enjoy: the company and camaraderie of fellow volunteers; the travel to spectacular locales; meeting, working, and living with local folks; and spending your time off exploring the area.
The Sierra Club offers an amazing selection of “service trips” in the United States, Canada, and overseas. Trips range in price from $395 to $5,000. In most instances, food and lodging are included—as are some transportation costs. Care to enjoy spring in the Sierras while working to refurbish and rebuild campground picnic tables in Yosemite National Park? Or is whale watching in Maui more your style? Visit www.sierraclub.org and search on “volunteer vacations.”
A truly inexpensive option can be found through World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), an international network of more than 600 host farms in the United States—including Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each farm welcomes travelers in exchange for volunteer time working on the farm. Your only expenses are a registration fee of $20 and travel costs to and from the farm. Pick grapes in California’s beautiful wine country or learn about organic gardening in the splendor of the Southern Colorado Rockies. Visit www.wwoofusa.org for more details.
GO GREEN ACTION STEPS
Research the various volunteer vacation options. In addition to Sierra Club and WWOOF, try these:
Habitat for Humanity, at www.habitat.org, runs domestic and international trips to help build affordable housing.
Earthwatch Institute, at www.earthwatch.org, offers opportunities for families to help out on scientific expeditions, like studying whales in British Columbia or helping manage a rain forest in Puerto Rico.
Global Volunteers, at www.globalvolunteers.org, offers programs around the world, from helping provide health care in Ghana to teaching English in Poland.
Travelocity, at www.travelocity.com/travelforgood, has created a whole mini-site to help plan volunteer vacations.
Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, find out exactly what kind of project you’ll be working on, what’s provided and what you must bring, and what particular skills or qualifications you need. Whenever possible, get references from previous volunteers.
For ecotourism without volunteer requirements, try these resources:
The International Ecotourism Society unites communities, conservation, and sustainable travel. Visit www.ecotourism.org.
The Worldwide Fund for Nature has eco-travel tips at www.panda.org. Click on “Travel Smart.” WWF also offers eco-trips throughout North America, Asia, Africa, the South Pacific, and even Antarctica. Research trips or download the travel guide at www.worldwildlife.org/travel.
The Rainforest Alliance explains the principles and importance of ecotourism, offers tips for travelers, and offers listings of sustainable hotels, tour operators, and other tourism businesses through its Eco-Index for Latin America and the Caribbean. Visit the web site at www.rainforest-alliance.org, then click on “Tourism.” The Eco-Index is at www.eco-indextourism.org/en/home.
Conservation International’s (CI’s) ecotourism site has a list of places to stay that were developed with help from CI—like an eco-lodge in a Bolivian national park. Visit www.ecotour.org and click on “Destinations.”