Nature Rocks Truly Rocks

Unbelievably, we’ve hit the halfway point for my kids’ summer vacation. In the fall, our youngest moves to the “big kids’ school” so this summer feels extra precious. We are trying to use this time well but I often have a hard time taking care of the busy-ness of everyday life and work while also being creative about family activities. (For those of you who have figured out how to make that shift successfully, please feel free to share your tips. I’ll be most grateful!) We went into this summer wanting to do more outside but the soaring temperatures have soured our plans for hikes and days at the park.

Then I found exactly what I needed to make sure we have lots of nature-related fun this summer on Nature Rocks.

As they share on their website:

Nature Rocks is a national program to inspire and empower families to play and explore in nature. Our mission is to make it easy for you to have fun in nature, and connect with others to do the same. We want all families in every city in America to see for themselves how much Nature Rocks. Your kids will be happier, healthier and smarter, and besides, it is generally free and a rockin’ way to create and share fun quality family time. Read more

Family Friday: Creating Compost

Setting up a compost area is one of our goals for this year so we were delighted to read this month’s article from Lucas Miller on composting. The tips we shared in Five Easy Steps to Reduce Food Waste (Without Going Insane) have significantly reduced the amount of food we throw away but we still toss the occasional moldy item in the trash. (I swear the back of our refrigerator is connected to a black hole.) We’ve now decided where to place our compost area; I hope this article spurs you on as well.

So you’re recycling your bottles, cans, and paper, right? I think that’s a given for our faithful readers. Hopefully, you’re not even taking the plastic bags in the first place but, if you are, you can recycle those, too.

How about composting? My wife and I have been composting off-and-on for over a decade now so I thought I’d provide some thoughts on our experiences. I’m no expert, though, so by all means feel free to contribute your own comments and tips! Read more

Save Money, and the Earth, with Homemade Cleaners

Last week we discussed how toxic many household products are (so toxic that they are routinely referred to as hazardous household waste) and how to safely remove them from your home. This week we want to share some inexpensive and simple recipes so you can make earth-friendly replacements for those items.

We’ll start with cleaning supplies.

Conventional cleaning supplies: Homemade cleaning products can get your home just as clean as conventional products for far less money and with far less toxic exposure. They also smell better! Here are recipes for a few multi-tasking items. Read more

Make Your Summer Easier and Cheaper with Rechargeable Batteries

With the official start of the summer just past, many are looking to simplify their lives and their spending. One easy way to do both is to buy rechargeable batteries.

Vacations and warmer weather can increase the amount of time various battery operated devices, such as video games, cameras, and electric shavers, are used. Rather than blowing through batteries, which are expensive and can leak their toxic contents (including lead, cadmium, and acid) if not disposed properly, check out rechargeable batteries. Since experts report that 180,000 tons – more than 15 billion batteries – are discarded in American annually, this small change can make a big difference. Read more

Check Out the Austin EcoNetwork!

The Austin EcoNetwork has officially launched its new website and Greening Families is proud to be one of the featured bloggers!

The Austin EcoNetwork or AEN is “a network of people interested in information, events, and resources related to Austin and the environment.” For those of you in the Austin area, AEN has a great calendar that lists local happenings as well as updates on news affecting the Austin area. For those who live in other parts of the world, Austin has a vibrant eco-community so it can be heartening to read about all the people who are thinking and acting to protect the environment. (We live outside of Austin so I browse it myself when feeling blue about going green.)

Please come visit to check out Greening Families’ weekly posts and to see all the other great offerings!

Family Friday: How to Strengthen Your Family’s Immune Systems

All the media coverage of swine flu, or influenza A H1N1, is causing some people to panic. As I listened to the news on my way home from dropping my youngest at preschool, I could feel my own worries growing. So I started thinking about what action I could take. Action is a great antidote to panic!

Once I took a deep breath (OK, a couple of deep breaths), I realized one of the best things would be to make sure my kids, Rich, and I have strong immune systems. Our time at preschool, elementary school, and work gives us exposure to plenty of local germs. I wanted to make sure all our defenses were in tip-top fighting shape for whatever we encountered.

Here are some of the best ways to bolster immune systems. As I wrote this, I was struck by how many of these items have multiple benefits. If we did these things all the time, my family would be leaner, happier, and healthier. Read more

A Day to Remember the Earth

This is my entry to the Affluent Persons Living Sustainably or APLS Carnival. April’s topic is whether Earth Day is still relevant. The selected entries will be hosted by Ruchi at Arduous Blog on April 22 so be sure to take a break from your Earth Day activities to read what everyone has to say. You can learn more about this and future carnivals at APLS.

I believe that while the significance of Earth Day has changed since its founding, there is still a need to designate a day to celebrate and honor the earth and to educate ourselves for the best ways to do so.

In my view, the current version of Earth Day is a cross between an anniversary and the keynote speech at a multi-day conference. I love my husband every day but our anniversary provides us a special opportunity to review our relationship, be proud of the accomplishments we have made, and re-dedicate ourselves to our future. Among the crush of everyday life, we need a reminder to think about how we care for the earth. Read more

Organic, Fair Trade Clothing that is – Inexpensive?

Fair Indigo, a company I mentioned once before, is having a big sale. If you are looking for inexpensive clothing options that don’t compromise your ideals, I suggest taking a look.

Fair Indigo has clothes for children, men, and women as well as gift and personal care items. All their products are fair trade and a growing number of the clothing items use organic cotton or bamboo fibers. They utilize third party audits of the wages and working conditions of their suppliers, so you don’t have to take their word for it on the fair trade front.

I have a pair of their jeans, some tshirts, and a couple of more dressy shirts. I consistently get complements when wearing their clothing, especially this shirt so it is cute as well!

Check them out online or, if you are in Madison, at their store in the Hilldale Mall.

Family Friday: Book Review for ‘Sharing Nature with Children’

“Only by sharing our deeper thoughts and feelings do we communicate to, and inspire in others, a love and respect for the earth. When we share our own ideas and feelings, it encourages a child to explore, respectfully, his own feelings and perceptions.”
- Joseph Cornell, Sharing Nature with Children

Whether your family resides in a large city, is making a home in the suburbs, or lives in the country, Sharing Nature With Children by Joseph Cornell is full of activities to develop and foster a love of nature in your child. And yourself. Read more

Free Financial Book Offer

Financial resolutions are being made in many households this year – I know they are in ours. We’ve been working on putting our house in order, financially and otherwise, so we can help save the planet. If part of your plan to green your family includes increasing the green in your wallet, this news is for you! Read more

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