ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

It seems that there are moms out there that are consumed with being green and feel tremendous guilt at splurging or wasting resources.  

Women are gathering for eco-mom parties where they discuss the "to do" list, things such as preparing waste free school lunches, lobbying for green building codes, obtaining only locally grown foods and ensuring that their cars do not idle when picking up the kids from school (that is if they have to drive).

Eco-moms, who try to practice environmental protection in their daily lives at home, are now forming a new social culture, at the initiative of women’s organizations. In a recent issue, the New York Times reported that “green moms” have been establishing themselves as a new culture in U.S. society and “eco-moms,” seeking intrinsic values of nature at home, are now growing as a subculture.  (Via NYTimes)

The eco-mom movement is not a grandiose or complicated campaign. Eco-moms simply practice “small things” in their daily lives. And that’s why it is so meaningful. They try to make it a rule to prepare waste-free school lunches, using only cold water and biodegradable detergent for laundry during non-prime-time energy hours, eating locally grown food, unpluggling appliances when not in use, using energy-saving devices, sharing used toys and clothes, using non-toxic products for cleaning, bathing and make-up, cutting down garbage, etc. They actively participate in on-line campaigns emphasizing an eco-friendly lifestyle. It is not impossible or very difficult, just a little inconvenient at times.

The concept of “Eco-Mom” is a combination of “eco” meaning ecological system or environment and “mom”. Eco-moms refer to the women who practice environmental protection in their daily lives and child-caring. They have attracted attention from around the world since the above New York Times report, highlighted the subculture. According to the NYT, approximately 9,000 eco-moms are involved in the environmental campaign across the United States.

An Eco mom is in despair from the start - From the time we start preparing a room for a new baby, we are making choices about the child's environment. Many people get ready for a new child by painting, papering, and carpeting a baby's room with conventional products. They don’t realize that by doing so they may be creating an environment high in toxic chemicals. Most of us take it for granted that babies should be soothed with petroleum jelly and mineral oil, washed and shampooed with chemical-based cleansers, fed from plastic bottles, swaddled in disposable diapers, surrounded by scented products and put to sleep in pajamas treated with fire-retardant chemicals. But although parents act out of love, they are often unaware that the choices they make may be harmful to their child. There are baby care products by the hundred. How can a parent identify healthy alternatives?

It is very important to try to limit a baby's exposure to harmful chemicals. Children are more vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals than adults. Their immune systems and central nervous system are immature and still developing, which means their bodies are generally less capable of eliminating toxins. As well, children have roughly double the skin surface of adults per unit of body weight, so a child can absorb proportionally more chemicals. Babies and children breathe more air per body weight than adults do, which increases their exposure by inhalation. Decreasing a child's exposure to chemicals from day one, and even in the womb, could mean a lower risk of allergies and chemical sensitivities, and lower risk of cancers and other illnesses.

Eco-mom in despair - We get rid of all the plastic toys from the playroom, only for them to return in a few days. Loving friends and relatives always arriving with little pressies that when unwrapped turn out to be more dreaded plastic, made in China crap!!! (See ecobites link)

Birthday party invites must be one of the biggest causes of  eco-parent despair - those super-duper birthday cakes covered in blue, red and hotpink icing etc. (See ecobites link)

There are some side-effects, too. According to a foreign news service, some eco-moms feel anxiety as a result of the lifestyle they lead. They can get stressed out by what they call “extravagance.” Where there is eco-anxiety, of course, there are eco-therapists. The appearance of eco-anxiety, eco-therapy and eco-therapists indicates life is not so eco-friendly or nature-friendly today. Living the other extreme is also a problem. It is not desirable to try to change all at once.One bite at a time! Any one can be an eco-mom, seeking small changes in daily life. There’s room for eco-Daddies, too!

Don't despair, though. To wallow in the feeling with fellow guilt-ridden parents (See Link)

To help get over the guilt Linda Buzzell's Eco Therapy News (See Link) 

Yoga for the eco stressed mom - Life is peaceful one moment and then with little warning the harmony is broken into one million little pieces. You go from being in the zone, I’m such a clever got it all together eco- mom into having a frantic mind and stressed body. (See Link)

The best antidote to eco-guilt, is, of course, taking action. And while eco-moms have heretofore been mostly concerned with finding the best green choices. The "mom demographic" may become more politically active in future in response to lackluster government action. Eco-anxiety replaces dishpan hands for 'green moms'. (See Link)

Eco-moms, don't despair, just hang in there, tread lightly and continue to work to your goals. Keep striving and pat yourself on the back for each achievement. The key is to continue achieving. It also makes the process so much more enjoyable and richer.

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."
 Mahatama Gandhi