There is a lot of talk these days about living green, but does anyone really live that way? In this non-fiction book, What's It Like,Living Green? Kids Teaching Kids, by the Way They Live, (by Jill Vanderwood) your kids will learn how other kids live green and find tips as simple as ...<< MORE >>

Source: Associated Press via The Huffington Post

Cap-and-trade? Offsets? Pollution credits? The climate bill passed Friday by the House tackles global warming with new limits
on pollution and a market-based approach to encourage more
environmentally friendly business practices. But what exactly do the proposed rules mean, and how would
they work? Some questions and answers about the bill

Q: What's the purpose of this legislation?

A:
To reduce the gases linked to global warming and to ...<< MORE >>

These tips from the National Wildlife Federation's Be Out There campaign will help families get a daily dose of nature—to improve children's physical, mental and emotional well being. Tip #1: Host a Backyard Campout The outdoor vacationis making a comeback! A report from the Sporting Goods ManufacturersAssociation says that overnight backpacking went up 18.5% between 2007 and 2008. And, in April, REI’s tent sales were up 14% over the same period last year. << MORE >>

Your help is still needed as this important bill moves to the Senate! Find out how ...<< MORE >>

We have been drinking our water, untreated-straight-from-the-tap for almost a month now, with the water softener on bypass, and have lived to tell about it. For those concerned with their water quality, investing in a filtration system can be a very cost effective, environmentally-friendly option. But first, you need to test your water to determine what filtration system is best for you—or whether you even need one! And the good news: it’s possible to treat almost any water problem with proper treatment equipment—even funny tasting or smelly water!<< MORE >>

Last summer, Alix Gnoske contributed a story regarding High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and its lurking presence in many foods, including "healthy" ones like whole grain breads. Alix suggested a link between obesity—with it's baggage of health and emotional
problems—and HFCS. She talked with a fitness expert from Europe who strongly
suggested the reason for the obesity epidemic is HFCS, saying Europeans do
not eat less than Americans, they just don’t have HFCS in all their
foods. When Europeans move to the States they end up having weight
issues, too.

A March article in the New York ...<< MORE >>

Now for something a little more... serious. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) released the most comprehensive, authoritative report on Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States on Tuesday June 16th, 2009. This report presents, in plain language, the science and impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. It focuses on climate change impacts on U.S. regions and various aspects of society and the economy such as energy, water, agriculture, and health. Here is a summary of the key findings: 1. Global warming is unequivocal and primarily human-induced. Global temperature has increased over the past 50 years. This observed increase is due primarily to human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases. 2. Climate changes are underway in the United States and are projected to grow. Climate-related changes are already observed in the United States and its coastal waters<< MORE >>

*25% or more of bottled water is really just tap water in a bottle—sometimes further treated, sometimes not (according to the Natural Resources Defense Council). I've seen some data suggesting as much as 40% of bottled water is tap water! * Bottled water gets tested for contaminants only once a week. Tap water is tested for contaminants hundreds of times a month. * Twenty percent of all bottled water has more chlorine than California's state regulations will allow in tap water. Chlorine, also known as trihalomethanes, has been linked to cancer.<< MORE >>

Did  you know June was proclaimed Great Outdoors Month by President Obama and 25 states?

My 2nd grader will be home from school soon. It’s a beautiful day and I am anticipating my daily challenge of getting him outdoors. Up until the last year and a half, he was perfectly content to play outside. Even by himself (he's our only child). With certain friends, imagination led them to dig, play with trucks, dig some more, play hide and seek or tag. As they've gotten older, they've gotten bored faster out there, climbing the occasional tree before badgering me every 15 minutes with, “Have we been out here long enough yet?” The good news is they’re not begging to watch TV or play video games. They just want to play in the sea of Legos that is Ethan’s room.

Hold on. The bus just dropped Ethan off. I will try to catch him on video for his reaction to playing outside today…

Is it me, or did it seem like I was trying to capture a comment from a corrupt politician?

When I was Ethan's age, we were carefree and just played outside. Even in the winter when it was 20 below we stayed out until our fingers and toes were numb. It was the thing to do. And we had fun, darn it! Granted, I wasn’t an only child, but I wasn’t always playing with my brothers, either. I could play outside with my Barbies or pretend I was Agent 99 from Get Smart. My parents would have to call to us in more than once—finally resorting to yelling—before we'd go inside.

Today's children are the first generation ever to grow up isolated from nature—outdoor time for kids has decreased by more than 50%; and, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, kids spend, on average, more than six hours per day with electronic media. This trend has galvanized groups like the No Child Left Inside Coalition (NCLI) and American Recreation Coalition. The National Wlidlife Foundation's  Green Hour Campaign gives parents and caregivers the information, tools, and inspiration to get their kids — and themselves — outside.

On Earth Day 2009, historic legislation was introduced to the Senate: No Child Left Inside Act. If passed, this act will mark the first environmental education legislation to pass Congress in more than 25 years.

The bill authorizes new funding for states to provide high-quality, environmental instruction. Funds would support outdoor learning activities both at school and in non-formal environmental education centers, teacher professional development, and the creation of state environmental literacy plans.
 
“Environmental education must be a part of the formal pre-K-12 education system if we are to fully prepare students to become lifelong stewards of our ncompete in a green economy,” Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD) said. 

Click here to write a letter, urging your member of Congress to co-sponsor this important legislation. 

I decided I needed to get to the bottom of why playing outside had become more of a chore for Ethan. It took a few dollars, but he finally agreed to a formal interview. Here it is, starting with the question of why, now that he's "older", he seems to get bored outside at a much faster rate.

Many children are involved with sports, which certainly helps get the kids outside. But sports are not Ethan's thing. He likes to say, "I was born to play Legos and cook." Ethan did recently show an interest in basketball, so we bought him a basketball hoop. Every day for the first week all he wanted to do was play hoops. By himself, with others, it didn't matter. But the novelty has worn off.

I think my challenge is a bit trickier because I have an only child. I'm not going to let that be my excuse. I, together with my husband, have to put forth a little extra effort and, well, use our imagination. Not only because I'm an eco.mom, but because outdoor play offers many benefits:

• Daily unstructured free play improves children’s physical and mental health
• Children who play outside are more physically active, more creative, less aggressive and show better concentration
• Outdoor experiences and education enhances children’s ability to learn and retain knowledge
• Outdoor experiences build a conservation ethic and concern for the natural world.

I will be providing more resources in upcoming blogs to help other parents inspire outdoor activity.

        

Karen, a good friend and nearby neighbor, never recycled a day in her 39-year life. She has 3 sons: 3-year old twins and a 7-year old who has been friends with my 8-year old son since toddler-hood.

Recycling was a subject I’d broached with her on more than one occasion, but I had never directly asked her why she didn’t recycle. I would simply tell her she really should. Any time I visited her, I would hijack recyclable items from her home to mine, where they would land safely in my recycle bin.

She’s Catholic, so I thought the motivation-by-guilt ...<< MORE >>