I found the article very informative.  It  gives reviews of several types of cloth diapers.  There are all kinds of things considered in the the reviews from price to ease of use.  There are 11 different types of diapers that were looked at and reviewed.

Have fun checking out all the different ways to diaper your infant.  Maybe you’ll even decide to use one of them.

It’s titled, “10 ways to get kids environmentally involved.” It’s an excerpt from Parenting.com. You’ll find it a great read with some wonderful ideas on how to get your kids excited about our responsibility to take care of our surroundings. You’ll find a link there as well to get your child enrolled in their “Go Green” contest. Enjoy the read and have fun getting the kids to go green!

1. Be artful. Stock your child’s coloring table with used printer paper and empty cereal boxes. He can draw on the unprinted sides of the paper, and the insides of cereal boxes are great for finger painting. Bonus points for turning his artwork into wrapping paper.

 

Seeing where the food comes from helps kids grasp why it’s important to care for the earth.

2. Collect runoff. Have your preschooler place watering cans or buckets under the downspouts of your house. After a storm, she’ll be thrilled to see that her cans are full, and she can use the rainwater to give house plants a drink.

3. Jump on it. “I lay milk jugs, aluminum cans, and boxes on the floor and let my son stomp on them to make them flat for recycling,” says Dalia Stein of Columbus, Ohio. “He fulfills his little-boy need to destroy things while doing something nice for the environment.”

Check out the rest of the article here at CNN.com

Dividtheride offers one more eco solution when it comes to kids and driving.

via Eco Child’s Play

According to Worldwatch Institute, factories around the world manufactured 4 to 5 trillion plastic bags per year. Although many of these bags are recyclable, each year Americans return only 0.6 percent of the 100 billion plastic bags they use and toss the rest.

Many plastic bags are littered or fly away, where they clog up sewers and waterways, become entangled in vegetation and fences, and get caught in the throats of animals. Plastic bags are found in the stomachs of sea turtles and on the shores of remote islands. Once plastic bags are in the environment – whether in a landfill or polluting a lake – it can take hundreds of years for them to decompose, and they contribute toxins to the soil and water as they do. charityguide.org

At the grocery store where we shop, a canvas bag costs $1. That’s not much when you think of how much your helping. And they fit 2-3 times more than a plastic bag. They’re also much more durable so you don’t have to use “double” bags or worry about the handles breaking. But wait, there’s an added bonus. Every time you use the bag you receive a five cent discount. So after using it 20 times it’s paid for. For those of you who may forget your bags the key here is finding a place to keep them that works for you. I place my bags under the drivers seat in my car. That way when I open the door to get my little ones out of their car seats, the bags are right there where I can see them. It may take a little while to get into the habit, but it will be worth it.

As more and more people are becoming concerned about our environment, lots of us are switching to alternatives to disposable diapers. Here’s my experience with using cloth diapers.

If you like the idea of an eco-friendly diaper, but aren’t up for everything involved with totally switching to cloth, you may want to look into gDiapers.

gDiapers consist of a washable, cotton outer pant and a plastic free flushable refill. They are made of breathable material just like sports clothing. So, babies stay dry and happy and are far less likely to get diaper rash.

Can’t flush? It’s ok to toss flushable refills because they’re plastic-free. Or garden compost the wet ones. They’ll break down in 50-150 days.

Little g pants (cotton outer pant) come in all kinds of fun colors and run about $17 a piece. Since they are just a cover you don’t need to change them every time. It’s recommended to have a supply of about 4-6. A package of inner liners costs about $15 diapers and contains anywhere from 32-40 diapers depending on size. You also pay less by buying a bigger package of liners.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out their site . It’s full of lots of helpful information.

Most of us can’t afford to go out and change our homes and lifestyles drastically, but we can make a resolution to live more simple lives. When I refer to the word simple I don’t mean easier, rather living in a way that leaves less of a footprint on our earth. We live in a world where convenience is becoming a way of life. Unless we change that way of living we won’t be able to see improvements. Here are just a few ways we can learn to live more simple lives. Ways we can make changes in the way we run the household. They do take a little more effort but in my opinion it’s worth it.

• Change out the light bulbs. Changing your light bulbs is simple to do and will make a big difference. They aren’t always as bright as incandescent bulbs, and they do cost more to purchase but you will save in the long run and you’ll be preserving our precious natural resources.

If every American home replaced their 5 most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR, we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs, and together we would prevent the greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars. (energystar.gov)

• Save water. There are so many ways to save water in the household. You can start by switching your shower head to a low flow one. This will save gallons of water every time you shower. You might also consider wearing your clothes more than once before washing. In most cases clothing, especially pajamas, can be worn more than once without getting dirty. If it bothers you as an adult to try this, let your kids do it. I’m sure they won’t mind. We have also installed rain barrels to collect runoff from the downspouts. This gives us plenty of water to use in the garden.

• Grow a garden. It’s very rewarding to eat food that has been homegrown. Not only is it helping the environment, but it builds family relationships too. You can even take this one step further and preserve the food you grow. There’s nothing better than a jar of home canned fruit or jam. Here’s an article about our home gardening experience.

• Recycle. Since we live in the Seattle area, recycling is pretty much a way of life. We have a can for recycling right next to the garbage can and even our toddler knows where things go. But if it doesn’t come natural to you, get another can and stick it right next to the garbage can. Check with your garbage company to find out how the recycling programs work in your area, and make a goal to start now. You’ll keep lots of unnecessary waste out of the landfills and save on your garbage bill too.

• Be conscious about using fuel. We as Americans spend way too much money on fuel. For most of us it seems like there is no way to get around the huge cost of it. There are lots of ways we can cut back, even if it’s just a little. If everyone does just a little it will make a big difference.

If you live a short distance from work or school try walking or biking. Make a list of things you need when shopping. This helps avoid unnecessary trips to the store. Carpool whenever possible. Save fuel by staying home. Make a point to stay home for a movie every once and a while. Watching a movie at home is a lot cheaper than paying for theater tickets too.

• Conserve wasted energy. In most cases even though things in our house are turned off they are still using energy. This is pretty much wasted energy. Did you know that even though your nice plasma TV is turned off it still requires energy? Energy is being consumed so that it will turn on immediately if you push the power button. If you kept that one item unplugged while not in use you could save 1452.4 kilowatt hours per year or $159.76. What if everyone who owned a plasma TV did that? The savings could be huge. Here are some other examples of common household electronics and their energy consumption while not in use.

Little by little we can make a difference. Make a resolution to help reduce the footprint we’re leaving by living a more simple life. Take some time today to sit down and write out 5 ways you can conserve this year.

Here are some other articles we’ve written on Green Living.

• Gift Bags: Although gift bags eventually have to be thrown away they can be used over and over again if kept in good condition. You can also make your own gift bags using some rubber stamps and a recyclable paper bag.
• Use the department store boxes: Most department stores offer boxes with a purchase. They are usually very good quality and can be recycled after they are used. With a little tape and a piece of ribbon they’re good to go.
• Reusable Gift Boxes: Several years ago my mother in law bought a set of reusable gift boxes at Costco. They are great. They can be used after the holidays for storage or for gift giving the following year. It’s kind of an unwritten family rule that if you open a gift at Grandma’s that was put in one of her boxes, the box stays at her house for next year.
• Pillow Cases: A pillow case is a great resource for wrapping and has an alternate use too.
• Fabric: Anyone who sews will appreciate their gift being wrapped in a nice piece of fabric. Hey, you may even get lucky and get a gift made from that same fabric in the future.
• Baby Blankets: Wrap a baby gift in a small blanket and you’re giving two gifts in one.
• Stockings: If you have a small enough gift stick it in a stocking that can be reused.
• The Newspaper Comics: This “old school” style of wrapping is always a hit.

It might be fun to see who can bring the most creatively wrapped gift to your next family function!