I am a breastfeeding, organic babyfood making, babywearing, consignment shopping mom.

Next week will be 15 months that I have been breastfeeding B. I remember when my goal was making it 6 months...seems like such a long time ago. Not sure how long we will continue so for now we just take it day by day. Breastfeeding is very environmentally friendly (and hello cheap) so I am glad that I have been lucky enough to be able to do it this long. What isn't environmentally friendly about it....breastmilk storage bags. A necessary evil for a working mom I guess. They just seem like such a waste. I wish they were at least recyclable.

We decided to make our own baby food right from the start. We buy as much organic product and meat as possible although sometimes if didn't make sense (seriously who pays $4.99 for celery). It wasn't even a problem when we drove to Florida when B was 6 months old (yah we are crazy). Some produce B won't touch if it isn't organic....like avocados....what a smart little boy.

Both Joey and I have worn B. Joey loved it and come on what is cuter than a father wearing his baby?  I just got an Baby Hawk Oh Snap so I can still wear B as he grows. He loves being worn on the back so he can look out and watch where we are going. Okay so this isn't really a 'green' thing but it goes hand in hand with a lot of other crunchy things green parents do.

I rarely buy new clothes for B. Most items I have gotten as hand me downs or purchased from a consignment shop. I can't stomach paying $20 for little jeans when I can get them used and in perfect condition for $5. I like that we aren't using additional resources for his clothing and that we are giving used clothing a second life.

Day to day I look for opportunities to reduce our families impact on the environment. Sometimes it isn't easy. Sometimes it is frustrating and sometimes it is awesome being able to do something that will make this world a better place for B.

What are a few things that you do that makes you a Green Mom?

I have tried a few detergents and have not really liked them at all. I always feel like they aren't getting things really clean. I had heard good things about Ecos and decided to try it out. It is a keeper. I find it gets stains out and overall does a fantastic job at cleaning our laundry without having a negative impact on the environment. In fact it is 100% biodegradable and made from plant based surfactants.

What do I not like? The huge cap. I am on the 2nd bottle and it is only now that I have realized that I was putting way too much into each load. Seriously the lid would be enough for like 20 loads. Why can't they make it smaller?

Where do I find it? Canadian Tire (surprise surprise). The big jug I got cost 10.99 and does 210 loads.

*** I have not been paid to review this product nor was I given any of this product to review. I bought the product myself and am reviewing it on my own.



Our green bin arrived on Saturday! So excited about this. Inside it was a small bin for our kitchen, small and large paper bags to line both bins (not required) and information on what can be composted. It is amazing...basically everything but plastic. We plan on still using our backyard composter but will use the city's system for the things we can not compost at home (pet waste, meat etc etc).

A friend flipped this to me (thanks SM!). A brothel in Berlin is offering a discount to their patrons who arrive on their bike or public transit. 

I uh....ummm....well it looks like a lot of businesses are looking for ways to market green options.....so...2 thumbs way up??

A few weeks ago I engaged in a discussion on Twitter with @goodhuman about if there were companies that you could never work for regardless of the pay. I explained how I used to work in the chemical industry and how I felt I had a positive impact while I was there. I do not feel like I sold my soul to the devil. I have been thinking more and more about this conversation and trying to figure out what my "line" is. I know I have one...I know I would not work for certain companies. But who are they? The one's that quickly come to mind are Monsanto, Walmart and Nestle. There are also some industries that I could never work in because I would feel like I was selling my soul.

But what about working for a company that does business with these companies? Do I draw the line there? How do I even find out this information before beginning work somewhere? Will there be any companies left after doing this exercise?

Do you have a line? Does it extend to your career? Do you have a price? Meaning is there a dollar amount that would make you step over that line?

As you know I have been experimenting with Sun Chips bags in our garden and composter. Well I am sad to announce that the compostable Sun Chip bag is no more. That's right.....noise wins out over the environment. The bags are loud but not like a jet engine like the article suggests. I can still  hear the TV over it, I can carry on a conversation over it. And really....how much are you playing with the bag anyways? Do people just sit there with one hand in their chip bag or something? Have people never heard of putting chips in a magical invention called a "bowl"?

Well I hope that they will come up with a bag that will meet their customers needs. And hopefully fairly quickly.

If you know me you probably think I am talking about poop or farts after reading the title. Well unfortunately I am not. I was kicking back watching some TV on the weekend and for some reason it was on the Winnipeg news (hello time shifting - not that I was watching the Winnipeg news...I was watching something before that and was too lazy to change the channel). ANYWAYS...a scientist in Winnipeg has been experimenting with breaking down coffee cups to make fuel. Apparently Tim Hortons cups break down faster and better than Starbucks. Obviously because they are Canadian eh?

Think about the implications of this if it does work. I mean it is Doc Brown Flex Capacitor that runs off of pop (soda for my American followers) and banana peels kind of good. I am positive Big Oil won't like it though.