Being concerned about the environment has usually had an air of mommy in it. “Oh, we need to save the water for our children’s children!” So I’m asking some of my favorite moms whether or not you really think we, as moms, are capable of being more green.
My husband & I finally took our daughter to see Wall-E over the weekend. It was cute, sad, and oh so full of cheap plastic guilt! With the rise of mommy bloggers came a rise in products being shilled to us. Some are good, some are not, but marketers are coming at us because us moms do shop for ourselves and the family. It makes total sense.
But can we, queens of single serving pudding and plastic baggies for everything, really change our habits in time to reverse the growing threat that global warming has on our planet?
Former Veep & Noble Prize winner, Al Gore put a huge challenge on the table a few days ago for the leaders of the USA:
…to wean the nation from its entire electricity grid to carbon-free energy within 10 years…
Huh? Can we really do that? I just finally got my husband & myself in the habit of taking reusable bags to the grocery store and Gore wants the country to get off coal in 10 years? Of course, I know we should, but can we?
In the last month I’ve reviewed two vastly different products. One was a one-time use cleaning product and the other was a recycled personal product that can still be recycled one more time. Both came to me from marketers who want a piece of the mommy blogger wallet. Yes, sometimes we need that toss-n-go product and other times, not so much.
Time is always the greatest demand for us…For many of us rush home from work or an activity to throw together a half-way decent/nutritious dinner, then spend quality time with the kids, and maybe some quality time with our partner. That salad in a bag saves my sanity at least three times a month. But why can’t I just take the time to stock up on greens, dried cranberries (in the cupboard!), blue cheese, and walnuts and make the darn thing myself?
I’m sure the same reason why some of us love our one-time-use toilet bowl cleaners and single-serve juice boxes. They are freaking easy and save us a lot of head ache! I’ve had a lot of people tell me that it’s just as quick to make my own salad…Hmph! With my fave salad in a bag, it’s on the table in 10 minutes or less. No cutting, no dicing, no wondering “where did the cranberries go?” or “is this dressing still good?” Time is not a luxury I have, but I can purchase it at the store.
Then again, I do have a commuter mug for my coffee or chai latte. I also have a reusable cup for my iced drinks WITH a reusable straw! Hot diggity! I’m also trying hard not to buy anything to drink from a coffee shop if I don’t have my own mug/cup with me. Oh, it’s hard! I’m also trying to carry my own utensils with me so I don’t have to use a plastic fork wrapped in plastic…that one’s a very hard one!
But with any habit, it takes time. Alas as with my life, the earth just doesn’t have the luxury of time.
Thanks to CK for the post idea!
If at first the idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it. ~ Einstein
Great post, Veronica. It will get us all thinking about our priorities and the solutions we have to offer.
Cynthia K | July 21st, 2008 at 7:49 am
It sounds radical, but I do believe it is not “impossible” to make a huge dent in pollution (maybe not wipe it all out in my lifetime, but make it small enough to be irrelevant). Highly improbable? Yeah. Why? Because everyone is pointing the finger at everyone else instead of doing what they can in their own home / car / office. Everyone seems to believe that THEIR need to waste is more urgent than everyone else’s.
SKL | July 21st, 2008 at 1:22 pm
the only way to solve global warming is to go vegan http://www.goveg.com/order.asp
meat production is the leading cause of the use of fossils fuels and contamination of the planet
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
queerunity | July 22nd, 2008 at 7:28 am
I believe we can all make changes in our lives for the environment. I work from home for a company that is a totally green company, from the products to the containers, and they are all products we use everyday. If you want to learn more about how we can convert our homes check out my website http://www.mommiesgoigngreen.com.
Ashley | July 22nd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Great post. I don’t know if we can do this in 10 year, because it has taken us a long time to get here. The thing is that we all need to do extra in working toward a cleaner, healthier planet. I try to look for products which use less packaging and carry my own cloth shopping bags. I feel every little bit adds up. I do feel that women can make a difference. After all, we are the one who makes the majority of purchasing decision in our homes. I have a book on my to read list titled “Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World”.
I think that this may be a good week to start it.
Lynn | July 23rd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Since global warming doesn’t really exist, trying to stop it is just silly.
Do I think we have a duty to take care of the planet we live on and produce less waste? ABSOLUTELY.
LadyA. | July 23rd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
While I do not believe we will be able to solve global warming entirely, we can do something to help. I live in Maui, Hawaii it is known as the Valley Isle, well, recently a company with the help of the local government and other private entities, windmills were placed on one of our mountainsides, it is hideous, as a local resident, I was not happy at all as it just spoils the beauty of our island, but, we need alternative energy, therefore, I have to believe while it does not look great, it is an alternative resource, nothing burning in the air to pollute the island (just ugly/unsightly gargantuan eyesore), but, it still does what we need to get cleaner energy for our island. An earlier comment indicate “vegan” while not everyone wants to go vegan, those who can, should, that is another way of helping, whatever way we can help to save our planet, we should find it. Aloha, from Ekela, Maui, Hawaii.
Ekela | July 24th, 2008 at 12:18 pm