...give green a chance!

Tonight I had the joy & privilege of speaking about "being green." I am involved in an awesome Mom's group at my church (Moms & More) and was thrilled to speak before a bunch of ladies and hopefully inspire them to change at least one thing about the way they live. Here are a bunch of my notes. I have tried to make them link directly to the websites mentioned. Please let me know if you have any questions...(email: panfilio@mac.com or everydayvalentine@mac.com)...and thanks!

As I said several times tonight "please give green a chance."

GO GREEN…Moms & More Snippet

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” Genesis 1:1

online stores I like:

natural mother shop (http://www.thenaturalmotheringshop.com)

http://www.charliesoap.com

http://www.germfreesolutions.com

http://www.newbornfree.com

http://www.ecobaby.com/

www.wrap-n-mat.com

http://www.seventhgeneration.com/

http://www.methodhome.com/

Other info:

http://www.earthcareonline.org

http://www.gorgeouslygreen.com/

www.thedailygreen.com

http://www.1000friendsoffresno.org/recycling.html

Fresno County Recycling: http://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departmentpage.aspx?ID=5858

Fresno City Recycling: www.fresno.gov (type in recycle- in search box)

Or go to: http://www.fresno.gov/Government/DepartmentDirectory/PublicUtilities/SolidWaste/ResidentialServices/Blue.htm

The Well’s Thrift Store (Neighborhood Thrift): http://www.everyneighborhood.org/Thrift.html

Donate your unwanted eye wear: http://www.givethegiftofsight.org/

Reuse-A-Shoe program: http://www.nikebiz.com/responsibility/community_programs/reuse_a_shoe.html

Salvation Army: www.salvationarmy.org

Local Organic Farm (CSA): http://www.tdwilleyfarms.com/

30 ways to save money by going green (http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/save-money-megaflip)

Local Consignment (gently used maternity & children’s store): http://www.momnme.net/

Cosmetics- Skin deep: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php

Pesticides in Produce: www.foodnews.org (learn about the dirty dozen- best produce to buy organically because of their traces of pesticides)

Air Quality: www.airnow.gov

Compost guide: http://www.compostguide.com/

The story of stuff: http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Vampire Energy: http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/transparency/008/trans008vampireenergy.html

Recycling rechargeable batteries: http://www.rbrc.org/

Bisphenol A Free Portal: http://www.bisphenolafree.org/

Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (Chemical Profile: Bisphenol-A (BPA): http://www.checnet.org

The Problem With Plastic, The chemical BPA is especially bad for babies
By Deborah Kotz Posted September 22, 2007 . (http://health.usnews.com)

Cell phones: As of July 2006, it is no longer legal to place any cell phone into a landfill (or your trash) in California. With a few exceptions, this law requires stores that sell or repair cell phones to accept old or broken phones for recycling at no charge. In addition, you may donate your unwanted/obsolete phone to one of the many organizations that collect, refurbish and distribute discarded cell phones to disadvantaged people in need of access to emergency services. Check with your favorite charity.

Cloth Diapers: It 's estimated that 10,000 tons of disposable diapers are tossed into landfills each day. Two things that should bother you about this is that number one they can take up to 500 years to decompose and number two, there is growing concern about the human waste contaminating our natural resources.
Manufacturing of disposables diapers uses over 1 million metric tons of wood pulp and 75,000 metric tons of plastic each year. Although a small amount of energy and water is required for washing cloth diapers, thousands of gallons of water is used in making the wood pulp used for disposables. But when you compare water usage in laundering cloth diapers, it is comparable to the same amount of water a potty-trained child or an adult would use each day.

http://www.diaperdiggs.com/whyusecloth.html & http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

Cloth Diapers 101
Check out this website for a ton of information & answers to all of your questions: www.wildflowerdiapers.com

CLOTH VS. DISPOSABLE DIAPERS article

(One excerpt from above article: About 5 million tons of untreated body excrement, which may carry over 100 intestinal viruses, is brought to landfills via disposables. This may contribute to groundwater contamination and attract insects that carry and transmit diseases. In 1990, 18 billion disposables were thrown into United States landfills. Is it wise to use 3.4 billion gallons of oil and over 250,000 trees a year to manufacture disposables that end up in our already overburdened landfills? These disposables are not readily biodegradable. The paper must be exposed to air and sun to decompose. Thirty percent of a disposable diaper is plastic and is not compostable. Even if the rest of the diaper could be composted, these plants could only handle 400 of the 10,000 tons of diapers tossed in landfills EACH DAY, assuming they didn't have to process any other compostable garbage. Biodegradable diapers have cornstarch added to the plastic to break it into tiny pieces. The pieces still end up in landfills. Written by: Ginny Caldwell, Ecobaby)


The below Q & A is taken from Wild Flower Diapers website:


Q: Is cloth diapering really better for the environment?
A: Absolutely, yes. The persistence on the Internet of old data and studies funded by disposable diaper companies leads many, many people to think otherwise. But independent crunching of the same data comes up with a very different story. Many people worry about the water use. The manufacturing of disposable diapers uses far more water than you will ever use washing your diapers. And in addition to the water required to create a disposable diaper, there is also wood pulp, chlorine, and petroleum feedstocks. Your household water use will increase slightly when you begin washing diapers- our bill went up about $2.00 a month- but who knows if that is due to just having a new baby that is being washed and cleaned and lots of baby clothes laundered? In cloth diapers, you will launder fewer outfits per day because you won't have those newborn poop blowouts that disposable diapers are known for! Think of it this way- you are bringing a little person into your home. If the little person you were bringing into your home happened to be potty trained, he or she would be flushing the potty several times a day. In laundering cloth diapers, you will add 3 loads of laundry per week, which approximates the water usage of a potty-trained toddler. The biggest environmental problem with disposable products is our shrinking landfill space and the huge cost to taxpayers of disposable and throw-away items. More than 25 billion disposable diapers are thrown away each year in the United States!

Q: Cloth diapers seem expensive! Will I save money?
A: Yes! The average family spends about $1000 each year on disposable diapers and wipes. Most babies in disposable diapers aren't potty training until age 3 or even beyond- that's $3000! No matter how fancy you get with the cloth, you will not spend that much. And at the end of it all, you can re-sell or re-use your diapers. You can spend as little as $300 for the entire time your baby is in diapers.

Q. We know cloth will save us money in the long run, but we are on a very tight budget.. How will I come up with the initial investment?
A. If you are pregnant, plan for your cloth diapering needs just as you would plan for any other major baby expense such as car seat, stroller, changing table, dresser, etc. Some people start saving a little bit at a time over their entire pregnancies. Be sure to tell all or your family and friends that you will not be using disposable diapers, or you will end up with lots of paper diaper gifts! Create a gift registry and let everyone know that this is an important issue for you, and to please shop your registry. We also offer a layaway plan. You put down 35%, and we will set all of your items aside for you. You get 3 months to pay off your layaway in full, and then we send you your diapers. If you are converting to cloth with an older baby, start with just a few diapers. A dozen prefolds and 2 covers for an older baby will run about $55, or if you are planning to use AIOs or pocket diapers, you can get 3 for about $55. Each week, pick up another new diaper and phase out your disposable diapers. Also let your family and friends know what you are doing! They might want to help you make the switch! The layaway plan also works well- try a few diapers and decide what you like the best, and then put on layaway enough diapers for your older baby- 24 is usually a good number for babies 4-5 months and older. One of my favorite stories is from a mom who was very motivated to get her toddler into cloth. She spent a week gutting her kids' rooms, their garage, and their basement of hundreds of old toys, clothes, books, housewares...and held a yard sale! Not only did she feel great to get her home rid of lots of clutter, forgotten toys, and outgrown clothes, she raised enough money to outfit her baby in 24 All-In-One Cloth Diapers. We should also note that there is a wonderful organization that helps low income families get started with cloth diapers. Miracle Diapers has helped get more than 700 babies in cloth diapers over the last 3 years with donations from individuals and businesses (like Wildflower Diapers) who donate products for distribution to those in need. For more information, to apply for aid, or to donate, please visit www.miraclediapers.org.

Q. How many different systems are there?
A. Actually, we try and simplify that a bit for you and break your choices down into 3 basic systems:

* System One- Cloth Diaper + Cover
* System Two- Pocket Diaper + Insert
* System Three- All-In-One Cloth Diaper

System One- Cloth diaper + Cover: You can use either prefold, flat, or fitted diapers- this is the soft absorbent part that you put on first. Then you add a separate waterproof cover.
* Highlights: You can re-use the covers, rotating their use within one day. So you might have 36 diapers, and just need 6-8 covers. Another advantage would be that you have two lines of defense against leaks- your diaper will usually contain everything, but if by chance it doesn't, the cover will catch it! Great for newborns with skinny little legs who might not fill up the leg holes in an AIO diaper.
* Things to consider: It is a two-step system, so first you put on the diaper, and then the cover. It is still easy, but some people prefer a one-piece system.

System Two- Pocket Diaper + Insert: A pocket diaper has a waterproof outer covering, sewn to an inner layer of material that lays against baby's skin. The absorbency is provided by an insert that slides between the two layers.
* Highlights: Once the insert is stuffed into the pocket, it functions as a one-piece system. You can very easily stuff these and stack them up on your changing table, and any caregiver will be able to use them just like a disposable diaper (especially the velcro-closing pockets!). The two pieces separate easily so they wash up well and dry quickly.
* Things to consider: You do have to stuff the insert in the pocket. If you have 36 diapers, this task takes a little time. Many people just stuff as they go, adding the insert when get to the changing table. You also need to change the entire diaper every time- you can not re-use the pocket and just change the insert.

System Three- All-In-One Cloth Diaper: An All-In-One is truly a one-piece diaper. No covers, no inserts, nothing to add. You put it on and take it off just as you would a throw-away diaper.
* Highlights: Definitely the most user-friendly and easiest to use of all the cloth diapering systems. It's nice to have a couple of these on hand for babysitters. (though pre-stuffed pocket diapers accomplish the same thing for caregivers)
* Things to consider: All of the absorbency is sewn in AIO diapers. Unless it is sewn in a quick-dry fashion, AIOs typically take longer to dry in the dryer. You are also limited to the amount of absorbency sewn into the diaper, unless there is a place to add a doubler.

Cloth diaper calculator: http://www.diaperpin.com/calculator/calculator.asp

One example of a price comparison: http://www.verybaby.com/ccp0-display/dollars.html

Another example of a price comparison: http://www.diaperpin.com/clothdiapers/article_diaperdrama.asp

Online Stores:

http://www.greendiaperstore.com/index.php

http://www.angelbunz.com

http://www.gogreenbabyshop.com/

http://puddlesplace.com/

http://www.happytushies.com

http://www.diaperswappers.com/

http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp

http://www.gdiapers.com/

www.miraclediapers.org

www.wildflowerdiapers.com

http://www.mommymattersonline.com/