Green Family Values
Growing Green Kids
The consumer marketplace is filled with products and services that make day to day life convenient for busy parents. Disposable plates and cups make is easy to clean up after a meal and garbage pick-up makes it easy to throw something away and never think about it again. If we stop to think about our impact on the earth we know that we can't think this way, and we want our kids to be mindful of their impact on our planet as well. While the deck may appear to be stacked against us, it is possible to raise green kids in this consumer wonderland and it all starts with decisions we make in the home.
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Mom Go Green
One of the best ways to teach your kids about green family values is to set the example with your own words and deeds. You have already taught them about the 3Rs.reduce, reuse, and recycle. You may have taught them about turning lights off lights and conserving energy. Every little step helps. But what can moms do personally to help minimize their own ecological? It just so happens that moms especially have opportunities to reduce their impact on the planet and make it a better place for generations to come. Here are some ideas:
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Choosing Simplicity Instead Of Consumerism
Recent studies show that at least 10% of the U.S. adult population or 20 million people are consciously exploring various types of simple living or "voluntary simplicity."
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Dad Go Green
Men usually love cool gadgets and tools. It seems that they trade in their love of toys as small boys and just move to more grown-up and high tech versions. Luckily the consumer market is a playground for them with all the cool gadgets and toys they could ever ask for. Where once they may have used Lincoln Logs or Legos to build the castle of their dreams they can now use modern technology to build their home castle now with all the creature comforts they want. Green dads have lot of options too. There are numerous green gadgets and toys out there for dads to "play" with.
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Earth Day And Community Awareness
With the approaching celebration of Earth Day on April 22 you will want to start thinking of ways you can take an active part. What are some things you can do to contribute to environmental awareness with family members and in the community?
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Earth Day Ideas For Family
Kids love being a part of efforts that they know will help to protect the earth. Not only do they like knowing that they have a respected role to play but they like the fact that their parents and other adults acknowledge their abilities and maturity enough to discuss important issues with them like the environment.
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Earth Day Resolutions
April 22 is the annual Earth Day celebration. Global communities will do their part promoting public awareness on environmental issues. Earth Day Fairs will be held in many cities which will include activities such as park cleanups, tree planting, educational videos, and local environmental demonstrations to name a few. For the entire day the public is focused on thinking 'green' and what actions will serve to protect our planet. It is a national holiday of sorts for those who care deeply about environmental issues and an opportune time for those that want to learn more.
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Entertaining Kids Without Electronics
It has taken some time, but finally there is widespread awareness that electronic games are contributing to the poor health of our kids. Studies are showing that kids in general are spending approximately 5 hours a day in front of the TV and/or game video screen. Sure some of these games can be entertaining or even stimulating to a point, but 5 hours of electronic entertainment is way too much time for growing kids to spend in one stationary position.
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Green Camping
There's a special kind of excitement about packing up to go camping. No television, no telephone ringing.just the sound of birds in the morning and the clean smell of the woods. That feeling can come to a screeching halt if when you arrive at your site you see remnants of the last city dweller who ventured out to the wild. Dirty cups, refuse, and other garbage can really put a damper on your camping vacation. Worse yet, the impact of this attitude can be deadly to animals and flora around you.
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Green Cleaning
There are several reasons why one might want to use more natural and green cleaners to tidy up their home. Conventional cleaners might be effective in cutting through dirt and grime but they do so at the expense of our health and the environment. Many people use cleaning products with very little prior thought or concern. The widespread availability and use of conventional products indicates to them that they must be relatively safe for use. But these cleaners contain many chemicals that can be toxic, reactive, corrosive, or flammable. There is also the potential that they can cause serious health issues and environmental damage. Just ask yourself if you really need to clean your home with ingredients like these:
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Green Family Meals
Family meals are usually one of the most enjoyable times of the day. It provides an opportunity for families to slow the pace down, eat some delicious food, and talk to each other. For green families it also provides an opportunity for them to further their dedication to the environment by choosing foods that compliment their goals and ideals. This might seem rather simplistic but many green families believe that what you choose to eat is essentially a vote for the type of world you want. There are various ways that families might choose to "green" their meals.
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Green Family Travel
One of the most common bits of green advice you hear is that it is better for the planet if you walk, ride a bike, take mass transit, or carpool wherever you need to go. For those seeking to explore beyond their own community or state this advice can be a bit irrelevant. In addition, it is hard to ignore the widespread criticism of environmentalists and green celebrities that do a bit of jet setting. Does this mean you need to forgo any travel plans that you may have? Absolutely not!
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Green Money Matters
An average family concern for most is that of finances. When people think about budgeting and money matters they visualize check books, account statements, tax records, stacks of receipts, a calculator, and the like. The visual usually involves a lot of clutter and chaos and perhaps a stressed man or woman poring over their financials.
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Green Weddings
Many eco-conscious brides and grooms are not only making statements about their love to family and community but are making statements about their passion for protecting the environment through the ways in which they celebrate their weddings.
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Questioning Conventional Parenting Wisdom
A fundamental part of being a natural lifestyle in an unnatural world is to question conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom isn't necessarily wrong. We just need to shed the attitude that so many people can't be wrong. The truth is that a lot of conventional wisdom isn't so much believed by the masses as it is propagandized by people who stand to gain from it. The mainstream media is a huge propaganda tool of conventional wisdom, which is why questioning it becomes instantly easier once you give up watching television.
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So You Want To Raise A Natural Child?
So you want to raise a natural child. Let's say you are in the preconception or early pregnancy stage of parenting. What are some of the best ways to get started on the natural path from the beginning?
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Creating A Children’s Garden
Childhood is a time of wonder and joy. Our children appreciate the new ideas we share with them through books and conversation and the mysteries of life that we attempt to teach them in our home and natural environments. A garden is one of those mysteries of life that can be a great joy to children and parents alike.
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Natural Pet Care
How much do you love your pets? They are important members of the family right? That is very normal today, pets have become a great center of attention for so many people because they loving and make wonderful and loyal companions. For some it is the closest thing to having children and they become your babies.
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Does Your Child Have Nature Deficit Disorder?
Is your child suffering from not spending enough time in nature? Richard Louv, author of Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, asserts that many modern children do. In fact, other medical and mental health experts and a growing body of researchers are also concerned about how little time our children are spending in the great outdoors. Why should parents be aware of this? What are some of the problems that result from nature deficit and what can we do to prevent it in our children?
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Practice The 3 Rs As A Family
The three R's of environmentalism are reduce, reuse, and recycle. They are important for green families to know and consider in daily life as they often serve as the foundation for green goals and family ideals. All three of them should be considered whenever we take out the trash or buy new products for the home.
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Ideas For Preventing Nature Deficit Disorder?
If your child gives you a glazed look when you suggest taking a walk in the yard or to the park to enjoy the outdoors he may have "nature deficit disorder." Author Richard Louv coined this phrase in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods. What Louv was referring to was the reality that kids today have a declining interest in things that our natural. That's pretty frightening when you think about it, especially when well meaning parents may be the cause.
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Why Recycle?
In simple terms recycling is the act of processing used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products. Why is this important and how does it serve to benefit the planet?
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Why Going Green Can Save You Some Green
Perhaps many people don't initially make the switch to greener living because they are concerned about the environment. It may be that many are actually seeking to live a more simplistic and frugal life because they have limited resources and a limited budget. Or perhaps they always knew that going green and living frugal were practically synonymous. Either way going green can really save you some green in the long run. Being kinder to the planet can also mean being kinder to your wallet and who wouldn't want that?!
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Two Steps Too A More Natural Family Life
We live in a rather unnatural world, and every day we are exposed to persistent marketing that tries to convince us of more artificial items we've think we can't live without. And yet we know natural is better, and wanting the best for our children, we want to raise them as naturally as possible.
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The Environmental And Health Benefits Of Eating Local Food
Most of us realize that the way we eat affects our health. If we eat badly then we can expect that we may have poor health too. By the same token, the way that we eat has a tremendous impact on the health of the planet.
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Teens Go Green
One of the foremost reasons that many parents seek to live a green lifestyle is because they are mindful of the fact that the earth is an inheritance left to the children. Teens are closer to that inheritance than anyone so it is important that they too show a concern for the environment and step up to protect it as their parents have. This might be not be an easy task in today's fast paced world where teens are wired up, plugged in, and in sync with all the latest and greatest that the marketplace has to offer. The values of mainstream society around them might conflict with the green values you hope to cultivate in their minds and hearts. Since teens are more worldly and savvy than ever, it follows that they are primed to make a real difference and as parents, we can help them.
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Teaching Kids To Respect The Environment
One of the best ways to get your kids to respect the environment is to show them the impact of their actions on the world around them. Our children have key role to play in protecting the future of our planet. As we teach our children about the world we need to teach them about their role as stewards of the earth. Kids appreciate that kind of information especially when they feature prominently in the information being presented.
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Natural Lawn Care
If you want a nice luscious green yard, there are a lot of things you can do without introducing chemicals. You see, even though there are yards with lots of different chemicals and they look really great, the chemicals are not good for the environment and not good for the health of our family. Do we want our children playing on a lawn treated heavily with chemicals? No.
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10 Ideas For A Low Impact Birthday Party
Birthday parties nowadays are often lavish and extravagant, even when they are for children. The birthday boy or girl might end up with many toys that perhaps they don’t need. The guests leave with party favors and goodie bags that will be forgotten when the party fun is over. The waste volume generated might be staggering with disposable plates, cups, napkins, and utensils as well as party streamer, deflated balloons, excessive toy packaging, wrapping paper. Add to that the stress of an all day sugar high and the inevitable sugar blues that come later and it is no wonder that many parents are making the switch to greener birthday parties.
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