Search Results for: blog green parenting tips

The Green Restaurant Association

When you go out to dine, do you ever wonder how green the restaurant is? Do you wonder what type of cleaners they use or if they have Styrofoam carryout boxes? Wouldn’t it be great if restaurants knew more about going green? Wouldn’t it be great if customers could easily find and support green restaurants? Why would restaurants be hesitant to go green? Well, for the same reason many of us do. They may find it time consuming and expensive. But, the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) makes it easier. The GRA was formed in 1990. The organization’s goal was to … Continue reading →

Halloween: Orange, Black and Green

The problem with buying reduced priced Halloween candy so early in October (you know, so you can cross it off your to-do list) is that you end up eating chocolate bars for breakfast. So much for being healthy… or green. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), my sugar-coated purchase is not doing a thing to help the planet… or my waistline. This year the EWG is encouraging parents across the nation to add some green to the black and orange Halloween mix by following some simple tips, including: Make Your Own Costume: The EWG discourages purchasing new Halloween getups … Continue reading →

Green Parenting Tips

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Being green starts at home and if you are like many of us, you have children. But, you can adopt green parenting strategies that can help the environment. Here are a few green parenting tips: Swap Kid’s Clothes Most kids outgrow clothes before they can stain them or tear them up, so swapping your child’s clothes with family and friends is a great recycling idea. Unfortunately for me, most of my son’s friends are girls, but there are a few younger boys he knows that we give good condition hand-me-downs to. Another great recycling idea is, as your child ages … Continue reading →

Green Celebrities: Ed Begley Jr.

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You may remember actor Ed Begley Jr. best for his role on “St. Elsewhere” but Ed is now living a truly green life. Ed is one of the celebrities that not only talks the green talk, he walks it. Ed owns an electric Toyota Rav4 and a hybrid Prius. He is not above taking public transportation and has even been known to bike up to a Hollywood event. You don’t see that happen too often today. Ed’s environmentalism goes all the way back to the early ‘70s. The first electric vehicle was a Taylor-Dunn golf cart. To go along with … Continue reading →

Frugal Tips for Surviving Snowstorms

Fortunately (or unfortunately)for me, I no longer live in blizzard central where I grew up and spent the first decade of my adult life. Still, the news of blizzards in the northeast has me feeling a bit nostalgic. It also has me thinking of all of the frugal things that my parents did during snow storms and blizzards to keep us kids warm, happy, and fed. Hang blankets for extra warmth: Growing up, our homes were fueled with oil. During snowstorms, the temperatures would drop causing us to run out of oil quicker. To slow down the consumption of heating … Continue reading →

The Green Cars of the Stars

Yesterday, I blogged about Daryl Hannah and how she was one of the first celebrities to have her car converted to run on biodiesel. But, she is not the only celebrity that drives green. I think the first green car I remember hearing that a celebrity was driving was the Toyota Prius. In fact, when we lived in San Diego almost ten years ago, we visited the Getty Center and they had hookups for electric cars such as the Prius. The Prius has plenty of fans now days, but some of the more famous are Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts, America … Continue reading →

Green Back to School

The mad rush for back to school usually involves buying a lot of supplies. All of these things can add up and one day wind up in a landfill. And just imagine all of that paper that is generated by your school. Here are some ideas on how to make back to school time a back to green time. Check to see if your school is signed up with a program that pays for recycling. Ours is, and there is a big bin outside to collect paper. The school earns money for every pound of paper that is recycled. If … Continue reading →

April’s Cooking Tips

Quite awhile ago now, I said that I would offer monthly cooking tips. A reader recently pointed out that I’m several months behind! I certainly won’t catch up but I figure there’s no time like the present to start. Here is a collection of cooking tips based on questions readers send me (and a few questions that some of my friends ask me), for your beginning-of-spring cooking. What does it mean when a recipe calls for a hulled strawberry? Hulling a strawberry means taking the little green stems off. You can actually buy a strawberry huller, but I just use … Continue reading →

The Pregnancy Blog Week in Review for Jan 27 – Feb 2

Time flies when you are pregnant. With the pressures of work, other children and family responsibilities, it’s easy to get busy and miss some of the articles posted in the Pregnancy Blog. This weekly review is an easy and fast way to get caught up on your reading. Saturday, January 27 Let’s Talk About Water Birth: Fluid Pain Relief Sara Denomme talks about the magical experience of her daughter’s home water birth. Sunday, January 28 If you are planning to breastfeed your new baby, you will need a good book as a resource. Check out Great Breastfeeding Books for some … Continue reading →

Great Tips for Promoting Reading

Many children are simply not interested in reading only because they do not know how to let the mind get involved with the story. Although kids are interested in reading, some just find it hard. Today, a number of DVDs, videos, and movies have been made that actually encourage and promote reading. For starters, you can visit your local library where you will discover not only books but also a number of videos and DVDs that are the electronic representation of some of your child’s favorite books. That way, instead of reading words, the child can enjoy the same story … Continue reading →