Book Discussion: National Geographic Green Guide Families

Silicon Valley Moms Blog April 2010 Book Club Discussion: 

GREEN GUIDE FAMILIES: The Complete Reference for Eco-friendly Parents

I go through phases where I try to be especially eco-conscious.  A few months ago I found an article listing how much you saved each month by unplugging certain appliances when not using them and turning off lights and I clipped it onto the refrigerator and for a few weeks I'd chase Marc around saying things like If you unplug your phone charger when you aren't using it we can save FOUR DOLLARS and Put on a sweatshirt because if I keep the house one degree cooler we will save thirty seven cents today!  Some of it was useful, some it was a little to hard to put into action.

It totally figures that I would watch Food, Inc and read this book all in the same weekend.  Excuse me, I need to go bury my head and my children's heads in a deep hole of sand because the world is totally contaminated and dirty and we are all going to die from over-sized-genetically-modified-often-food-borne-polybrominated-diphenyl-ethers-infecting-our-drinking-water-and-causing-asthma, also probably running up our electric bills.  And, oh, yeah, my baby wipes are totally blowing my carbon footprint to all hell.  I'm kidding!  Not really, well, a little ... but the good news is, there are things I can do to change what my family eats and how we live.  We can be healthier and leave our planet and our backyard healthier too.

I get an itch every Spring to go ultra healthy, eat local in-season foods, buy local grass-fed and free range beef and chicken and I'm planning to do that starting NOW. We already joined a CSA and I'm thrilled to the moon.  But, what about inside my house?    I'm torn on cleaning issues because I like bleach and things that claim to disinfect and kill germs.  But I recognize that these harsh products are bad for me and my kids to breath and bad for the environment.  Does baking soda and vinegar really do just as well?  And, how do I mix it?

We already recycle and use compact fluorescent light bulbs.  I don't change my sheets weekly, or well sometimes even monthly (ew, gross!) and we hang our towels to dry and get reused for about a week.  So, I'm saving several resources there.  But now I'm motivated to do more! 

The GREEN GUIDE FAMILIES book is my perfect go-to reference now for all these issues.  So many of my questions were answered just thumbing through the book. I love the tips and notes about how much you can save and what all those buzz words mean.  Just today, Marc was asking me what reverse osmosis is exactly.  He saw it on the Dasani water bottle.  It is a means of water purification but in fact, it wastes a lot of water, at least according to this book. I just learned that and explained it to Marc.  He wasn't terrible impressed either. I call marketing ploy!

There is so much information in this book, I can't even figure out which was more helpful and informative.  I just love easy reference books and short little snippets to read in the thirty seconds I have at night before my eye lids slam shut or in the bathroom when I'm hiding from the children. What!

If you need reliable information about anything home related, vaccines and vitamins, food safety, seafood safety, bath products and school supplies, this is a great reference.  It makes a wonderful gift too! 

Sometimes I even hide in the bathroom to write.  Really.

Comments

[Air Max]

Thanks for your good posts to us,and hope to be better then,and good luck!I will follow your new posts,and so pleasure to make you as my good friend!

[Cheap Jordans]

If I were a boy again, I would demand of myself more courtesy towards my companions and friends, and indeed towards strangers as well.

[coach purses]

Believe in the goodness of others and remember that anger and depression can be countered by love and hope.