This Independence Day, in spite of the fact that I teach American History, I’m looking forward rather than back.  Maybe it’s motherhood, or rising gas prices, or melting glaciers, but it seems as though boundless independence might not be working for our country at this point.

We’re free to use as much fuel, energy, food, and water as we’d like.  We’re free to toss recyclables into the trash and drive Hummer limousines. The pursuit of happiness has pushed us into a level of consumerism that would have baffled our nation’s founders.  (I can’t help but mention here that they were imperfect as well—some of them using slavery to support their own luxurious lifestyles.)

Meanwhile, our unsustainable lifestyle is having a daily impact on the planet.  You have to check out this website, Breathing Earth, to see just how much more carbon we’re emitting than the rest of the world.  It’s humbling and a bit shocking.

So what do we do now? If you’re reading this website, there’s a good chance that you’re making eco-conscious choices instead of shrugging your shoulders in apathetic dismay.  The next biggest change we can make is to share our down-to-earth ideas with our local communities.  People are very threatened by the idea of composting, or using cloth diapers, or planting their own garden until they know someone who has done it themselves.  Share your cloth diaper experiences with other moms, start a green group in your area, and include your family in your eco-victories, even if they don’t share your enthusiasm. 

Grassroots movements have changed the world countless times.  On this Fourth of July, it’s good to remember that a small group of dedicated people started a nation based on freedom. Looking forward, we can help one another take small steps toward sustainability to make our shared future just a bit brighter.    

On our recent article “Cloth Diaper Recommendations for a Complete Novice,” one of our readers asked if it would be worth investing in cloth diapers if she lived in an apartment with coin-operated laundry.  In my opinion, based on number-crunching rather than personal experience, it would be worth a try.  Even if you have to pay to run the washer and dryer, you will save money using cloth diapers.  As long as your washer and dryer work reasonably well and you don’t have to keep feeding it quarters to make them properly wash and dry your diapers, it should be a better choice for the environment, too.

Our reader pays $1 to run the washer and another $1 to run the dryer.  Obviously she could save money and carbon emissions by hanging diapers to dry, but that not may be practical in her apartment or climate.  I wash diapers every four days, or ninety times a year.  If she can get away with running just one cycle per load (i.e., she does not use extra rinses or run the washer twice to get the diapers clean), she’ll pay $90 a year to wash the diapers.  I know some apartment dryers barely work, but let’s assume that $1 will adequately dry her diapers, so she’ll pay $90 for drying, too.  If she uses Biokleen Laundry detergent (see our posts on eco-friendly detergents here and here), she’ll spend $.139/load, or $12.51/year on detergent for her diaper loads.  Total washing and drying costs (for one year): $192.51.

I spent just $129.50 on one year of diaper supplies, which is on the cheap side.  I estimated in my Cloth vs. Disposable Cost Comparison post that, depending on the diaper system, you could spend anywhere from $120 to about $600 on start-up costs.  Total start-up costs: $120-$600.

Keep in mind that even if you do start cloth diapering and give up, you can usually sell back your diapers and get as much as half your money back.  Consumer Reports estimates that disposable diapers will cost $600-$800 a year-and obviously there is no resale value on a used disposable diaper!  With these factors  in mind, I’d say it’s definitely worth giving cloth diapering a try.  Even in the first year, you could spend about half the cost of disposables.

Now for the practical side of washing cloth diapers in an apartment.  Will you want to lug a stinky diaper pail down to the public laundry facilities?  Will your fellow apartment-dwellers be grossed out by diapers swishing in their laundry machines?  These are factors to consider, too.  Perhaps some of our readers can weigh in with personal experience.  Has anyone tried using cloth diapers with public washing machines?  How did it go?  Please help our pregnant reader solve her diapering dilemma!

The sun’s out, your baby’s teething and it’s time for a soothing summer treat.  So, how exactly do you concoct the perfect popsicle?

Popsicle molds:  There are several plastic molds on the market (I have to confess that I own a set), but there are other options available around your home.  You can make mini-pops with icicle trays or individual used yogurt cups. Crate and Barrel made BPA-free popsicle molds earlier this year but they appear to have been discontinued. I’ve written to our friends at The Soft Landing about their safest choice for popsicle molds and will keep you posted on their response.  If you prefer to avoid plastic altogether, you can use paper cups, carefully washing them out and reusing them each time.  You can also try small juice glasses, ensuring that you gradually cool the glass so that it doesn’t crack with extreme temperature change. 

The perfect recipe:  Growing up, my mom made homemade popsicles out of fruit juice, but they were always extremely dense.  We longed for those soft store-bought brands that seemed to melt in your mouth.  If you’d like to get that texture at home, try blending in whole fruit or yogurt.  The thicker mix will also make it easier for your popsicle sticks to stand up if you’re using ice cube trays or cups.  If you’re up for using gelatin, (which vegetarians might not be) it will create a softer popsicle that doesn’t melt quite as quickly.

Natural Dripless Popsicles:  These are a great way to recycle half eaten fruits and get healthy food into your child. Pictured is the momentous day that that I served Roscoe his first dripless popsicles.  He ate four in a row in one sitting. When I asked him what he would dream about right before bedtime he said “sicles.”  Luckily there was no reason to feel bad about his popsicle obsession since I used organic plums, my son’s half eaten bananas(tossed into the freezer over the last few weeks) and a bag of organic frozen blueberries.  He loved them even though he’s usually picky about eating any of these fruits by themselves.

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup water
• ¼  cup sugar (or other natural sweetner)
• Three cups of fruit

Heat water, gelatin and sugar in saucepan over low heat until gelatin dissolves, for about 5 minutes.  Then toss gelatin mixture in the blender with fruit and puree.  Pour the mixture into cups and wait until frozen.  Enjoy!

A chocolate dream:  I found a recipe for Berry Fudgy-cicles on vegan-food.net. and modified it just a bit. Honestly, these are completely amazing and taste way better than anything this healthy should.  The secret ingredient for these homemade fudgesicles is silken tofu which provides them with plenty of nutritional prestige.  I’m not sure if this treat will be more exciting for my son or for me!

Toss the following ingredients in a blender, puree, pour into molds, and freeze. 

• 12 ounces of firm silken tofu (make sure it’s silken tofu made especially for desserts)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup rice milk, coconut milk, or cows milk
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch sea salt
• 4 strawberries, washed, stemmed, dried and sliced into quarters (put these in molds and pour chocolate mix to surround berries before freezing)

Baby-sized options:  If baby is too little to handle her own popsicle stick, consider using one of the products that use a tiny mesh bag. You can put frozen fruit chunks or ice in the mesh and then let her gnaw away to her heart’s content. This link shows Muchkin’s Fresh Food Feeder (which is BPA-Free according to their website), but you can usually find one of these in a local store if it’s easier than ordering online.

What are your ideas for summer treats?  Please add your exotic recipes to our post!

Here’s a green idea that works for me: I buy all of my child’s clothes at secondhand stores.  It seems like lately I keep hearing about expensive organic cotton onesies and bamboo socks.  While it’s great to support companies who use sustainable products, why not just buy clothes at a consignment shop?  I’ve found so many cute things—many of them from mainstream manufacturers like Old Navy, the Gap, and Gymboree–for much less than retail.  In fact, I have never paid more than eight dollars for an item of clothing.  (My limit used to be six dollars, but then I splurged on an adorable eight-dollar bunny sweater!)

Are you worried that pesticides and chemicals from non-organic clothing will irritate baby’s skin?  I have to say that I’m not, but another bonus of used clothing is that once it’s been washed several times, less pesticide and chemical residue remains on the fabric.

The Children’s Exchange in Portland, Oregon

I usually go to consignment shops for my baby clothing, as I appreciate the selection.  However, it’s much less expensive to buy kids’ clothes at thrift stores.  Garage sales supposedly boast even cheaper wares (I am not a garage saler myself!).  I’ve also heard of people scoring huge lots of clothes from eBay or Craigslist.  Lastly, don’t forget the best way to acquire used clothing: hand-me-downs!  Audrey is fortunate to have older cousins who pass on their outgrown garments.

I’d venture to say that acquiring secondhand clothes is better for the environment than buying new organic duds.  Whenever Audrey needs a wardrobe update, we walk on over to Portland’s The Children’s Exchange (pictured) and pick out whatever she needs.  I get to support a local company and dress my daughter in deceptively eco-friendly fashions.

Fill us in on your used clothing adventures or brag about a great deal by posting a comment!  And for more Works for Me Wednesday tips, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer. 

Our house is perched on a giant anthill.  I have no scientific proof of this except for the constant stream of tiny black specks that march around like they own the place. These little sugar ants are happier than ever since Roscoe has joined our family.  Now they can load up with the remnants of my son’s cracker snacks, spaghetti dinners, and cookie treats to their collective heart’s content.

So how do we mercilessly rid them of their newfound territory without endangering our son or the planet?   We don’t want to use any pesticides in our home, not just because our son likes to put almost everything in his mouth, but also because it isn’t safe for the environment. 

So far our weapon of choice has been Borax.  The Boric Acid it contains has natural ant-repelling properties and isn’t quite as scary as some other products.  It does need to be kept away from children so you have to be careful.

After looking at online resources such as greenpaige.com and barebones gardening, I have some new tricks to try on our little friends. 

Barriers:   Sprinkle or spray these in ant walkways or areas where they enter your home.   Their odors disrupt the scent trails ants create for each other. 

• White or yellow chalk (ants will not cross a chalk line)
• Cucumber peelings
• Red chili or dry mustard mixed with a bit of water
• Lemon juice
• White vinegar or half strength cider vinegar
• Orange based environmental cleaning products
• Cloves
• Coffee grounds
• Cinnamon
• Baking Soda
• Baby powder
• Black pepper
• Mint Leaves
• Mint tea bags

Ant traps: You’ll need..

• Borax
• Sugar
• A sticky substance such as mint jelly or peanut butter

Mix the substances together thoroughly.  Spread the mixture on a cracker and place out of the way of children in a cupboard or on a countertop.  When the ants get the food, they’ll also get the poison. 

Dealing with Ant Hills:  The most merciless way is to pour boiling water or hot vinegar directly into the anthill.  This site recommended putting dry grits outside the hole.  Apparently the ants try to eat them and then explode.  That sounds a bit less humane but it’s your call. 

What are your natural pest control tips?  How do you keep baby safe without ending up with ants in the sugar?  

Joy extolled the virtues of Eugene, Oregon, in her “Living in America’s Greenest City” post.  One of our readers, Amy, commented that it’s hard to strive for greenness when your city doesn’t have a recycling program or other eco-friendly amenities.  I can relate!  I currently reside in ultra-green Portland, Oregon, but I haven’t always lived in such progressive places.  So what’s it like being a lone tree-hugger in the non-green parts of the United States?

When I first moved to Portland years ago, one thing I loved was how accessible everything was.  I worked in a retail shop two blocks from my apartment. The library, post office, grocery store, coffee shops, and anywhere else I wanted to go were just steps away. Where I grew up, everything was so spread out that driving was a necessity-and a way of life.  So for me, the worst thing about living in a non-green city is the dependence on cars.

Recycling was also difficult in where I grew up.  Yes, it existed, but at the time we didn’t have curbside recycling, so it wasn’t easy to do, especially if you were a teenager without a driver’s license.  On the plus side, though, we got more creative about reusing items.  A high school friend and I won a prize in our school’s science fair by designing a Glockenspiel out of old glass bottles, and we saved newspapers to burn in our fireplace (not really green, I know).  I remember collecting toilet paper and paper towel tubes to donate to elementary schools for craft projects.

If you live in a non-green town, people may not look kindly upon your “wild & organic” yard as they would in Portland.  Where I grew up, in the high mountain desert, many people maintained vibrantly green, weed-free lawns. They may have looked nice like the one in the photo, but I’ll bet behind most flawless yards are bottles of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.  I’m happy to report that my hometown has taken a few steps towards eco-friendly landscaping.  Over the years it’s become more popular to keep the native climate in mind while designing outdoor spaces, saving precious water.   

Of course the biggest downfall of living in a non-green place is the lack of access to like-minded tree huggers.  When I was pregnant, I wasn’t afraid to breastfeed, use cloth diapers, or make my own homemade baby food (from my homegrown organic produce!) because those things were seen as normal.  It’s certainly more difficult to jump into an eco-conscious lifestyle if it feels like you’re the only one who’s ever heard of global warming. 

Now we want to hear from everyone else!  How do you make your place of residence greener-or how do you stay green despite the obstacles? 

Since fuel expenses, high food prices, and child-rearing costs are eating into our thrifty budgets, here are some simple, eco-friendly tips that can save some money. They all come directly from stopglobalwarming.org, which has another five money saving tips available for your perusal.  While you’re there, use their handy-dandy online calculator to estimate your carbon and cost savings.

Run your dishwasher only when it’s loaded to full capacity.  It’ll save you $40 per year and reduce your carbon emissions by a whopping 200 pounds.

Move your thermostat down two degrees when it’s cold and up two degrees when it’s hot.  This minor switch will save your family $98 annually and bring your carbon emissions down by two thousand pounds!

Take shorter showers.  Check out Crunchy Domestic Goddess’s post  on this.  She recently challenged her readers to time their showers and try to keep them to just five minutes per shower.  This really isn’t that challenging!  By reducing your showering time you could save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide and $99 per year. 


Switch just three standard light bulbs in a highly used area of your home with compact fluorescent bulbs.  You’ll save $60 per year (and remember that they last for many, many years) and 300 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

If you have a car, make sure the tires are properly inflated by checking them regularly.  You’ll save a shocking $840 and 250 pounds of carbon dioxide. 

Why not give a few of these tips a whirl?  It’s like getting paid to save the planet!  We’d love to hear some of your budget friendly, earth friendly tips too. 

I will risk my green cred by admitting that I never got the hang of riding the bus with my daughter.  Before I had a baby of my own, I’d see parents wearing their babies in slings or pouches, hopping on and off the bus with ease.  During the ride, the babies would sleep or calmly stare out at the view.  Maybe it wasn’t as easy for these parents as it looked–I know it wasn’t that easy for me!  I tend to choose walking over bus-riding most days, so I hardly qualify as a baby-bus-riding expert, but here are some pros and cons involved in the different ways of traveling with your tot.

Wearing Your Baby.  The most common baby-toting method for bus-riding in my town is a sling or baby carrier.

• Pros: You can get on and off the bus with ease and have your hands free for taking out money, tickets, and transfers. Joy swears by the sling that she used for Roscoe during his first six months and found that when she wore it he would quickly slip into a temporary coma. Very convenient for public transport!
• Cons: Some babies (like mine) do not cooperate with slings. My daughter would cry and squirm until I took her out. Then I’d have no place to put her if I needed to get my money out. Also, if I was wearing my baby, I couldn’t carry much else, like groceries or library books. This was a problem if I was taking the bus to run errands.

Taking the Stroller.  In Portland, we have to fold up strollers before getting on buses, but we can wheel strollers directly on trains or streetcars.  If you are planning on buying a stroller to use on public transportation, figure out how it works in your city.  If you have to fold the stroller up and carry it on, you’ll want something that folds compactly.  Look for a model that’s light-weight and has a carrying strap.  I chose the Maclaren Triumph because it weighs just eleven pounds–about the lightest I could find at the time.

• Pros: Strollers are nice if you plan to walk long distances to or from your bus stop. My baby preferred sitting in a stroller to being worn for long walks.
• Cons: It can be unwieldy to take your baby out of the stroller, fold the stroller up with the baby tucked under your arm, then get everything and everyone onto the bus.

Using the Stroller + Sling Combo.  I’ve tried wearing my baby in the sling and taking the stroller along as a backup.

• Pros: It’s easier to deal with folding up the stroller and getting it on the bus if the baby is secure in a sling or pouch.
• Cons: You’re still dealing with the unwieldiness of the stroller. If your baby doesn’t feel like riding in the stroller that day, you’ve brought it along for nothing!

Simply Carrying the Baby.  Last term I needed to take my toddler to work with me on Fridays.  This involved two one-hour bus trips, complete with stints of walking and transferring lines.  Because she was old enough to set down every once in a while, I decided to just carry her to the bus stop (or let her walk alongside me in her nonlinear fashion).

• Pros: No dealing with slings or strollers!
• Cons: It gets hard on the arms and back after awhile. If your child isn’t old enough to set down, you’ll have a hard time getting out your money and tickets.

Walking everywhere with my baby or taking her on public transportation works for me.  For more helpful Works for Me Wednesday links, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer.  How are you managing taking your little ones on public transportation?  Please leave a comment with your traveling tales, stroller or sling recommendations, or questions for other bus-riding parents.

Don’t get me wrong. I cringe every time we fill up and I know that the extra expenses brought on by high fuel prices are uncomfortable and even crippling for some tight budgets. 

So is there an upside?  Actually I think there are several. 

We are being forced to consider fuel efficient vehicles:  I like making the choice to drive less and walk more, but now I’m finding all sorts of creative ways to get even more out of our gas dollars.  Many families are taking on slightly higher car payments as they dump their SUV’s for more fuel efficient vehicles, knowing the gas savings will make a huge difference in the long run.  We finally sold the SUV we were using and I feel that a huge (carbon) weight has been lifted off our shoulders!

We are being forced to move more: More than sixty percent of American adults and over thirty percent of American children are obese.  The last decade of office inactivity and video games have contributed to the rapid spike in our weight issues as a nation. Now people have extra motivation to ride bikes to work or walk to the bus stop. Every extra step we take helps us with global warming and our American obesity epidemic.

Buying local is becoming cheaper: As fuel costs go up, so does the price of mangos grown in Central America or kiwifruit from New Zealand.  Since the local food movement has been rapidly expanding over the last few years, high fuel prices may just boost it to a whole new level. 

It’s changing the way we think: In Europe, where fuel prices have always been high, people have been willing to invest in public transport and focus on urban density.  Since we haven’t had the price pressure in America, we haven’t been forced to be as proactive.  Now building eco-friendly communities, buying local, and limiting our fuel consumption becomes more appealing to consumers wanting to conserve their budgets as well as the environment. 

What are your thoughts on this recent surge in gas prices?  How is it affecting your family and how are you managing to deal with higher prices?  Do you see any upsides (or downsides) that we haven’t mentioned yet?  Thanks for enriching this post with your input. 

Like many tightwads and environmentalists, I am full of contradictions.  Joy confessed to loving take-out, and I’ve got to admit we’re guilty, too.  Obviously both eating at restaurants and ordering food to go costs much more than making homemade meals from fresh ingredients.  Going to restaurants might not be that bad for the environment, but takeout involves paper or plastic bags, napkins, and containers.

I blame our takeout habit on the baby.  While we used to eat out even more than we do now, these days we have to stay home in the evening hours so our daughter can sleep.  What I want to avoid is what I will call “unmindful takeout.”  Sometimes we don’t even want it, but we end up getting it because we failed to plan ahead.  So how can parents who want to save money and keep several takeout containers from the landfill deal with hectic nights when no one wants to cook?

Ways to Avoid Takeout (Or, advice I should take myself)

1. Prepare meals in advance and freeze them for future use. My husband kicked his cafeteria habit once we started making burritos and freezing them. (Read about that in my cooking black beans post.) I have also made big batches of scones and frozen them for breakfasts. Some people get really into cooking huge quantities and freezing them for dinners, but I just don’t like the idea of eating frozen food for dinner. Hence my restaurant problem.

2. Buy more convenience foods. I used to avoid almost all convenience foods until I realized that being such a whole foods purist is what was sending me out to dine. Buying a few convenience items keeps me out of the restaurants and saves me money. On the down side, buying more pre-packaged foods is not any eco-friendlier than getting takeout in disposable containers.

3. Do more food prep during the day or on the weekends. As an adjunct instructor, I am often home during the day. Dinnertime goes much more smoothly if I manage to do some prep work in the hours before dinner. If both parents work outside the home all day, it might be worth it to spend an hour or two on the weekends to doing a bit of food prepping. Joy makes her own mixes ahead of time so she can whip up pancakes or cornbread.

4. Plan meals in advance. I know some people have great success with meal planning. A housekeeping book from the ‘80s I read as a teenager suggested making Monday taco night, Tuesday spaghetti night, and so on, for ever and ever. I tried instituting a Friday night pizza night, but it lasted just a few weeks before I forgot about it or gave up. I do find we avoid going out if I plan ahead, so I should really work on this tip.

5. Make a list of fast homemade meals. Sometimes lack of imagination sends us to the neighborhood Thai joint. It’s easy to think “there’s nothing in the house,” when really there are always a few standbys we could make without too much effort. Paninis, baked potatoes, or macaroni and cheese from a box don’t require much cooking skill or clean-up. I figured out that spaghetti with jarred sauce costs just .$50 a serving. With the exception of potatoes, all of the items on my “easy dinners” list involve convenience foods encased in that pesky packaging, but at least I can recycle most of it.

When we do get takeout, there are a few things we can do to make it eco-friendlier.  Joy has found some places in her town that use recyclable containers.  While plastic clamshells and plastic tubs with lids (#5 and #6 plastic) are technically recyclable, most towns in the U.S. don’t recycle them.  Portland has one of the best recycling programs in the country but doesn’t pick these up curbside.  Those waxy white boxes have to be thrown in the trash.  Styrofoam containers are probably the worst of all, so I’m glad they’re illegal here, sparing me the guilt of tossing them.  Pizza is a good takeout option because it comes in a cardboard box, and the non-greasy parts can be recycled.  I’m going to make more of an effort to patronize the restaurants that carry biodegradable takeout containers.  Also, you can always ask places to forgo extra condiments and napkins.

If you have any great ideas for avoiding takeout, please let me know.  I’m all ears!