Shades of GREEN

Scroll down to read feedback from this blog and email me to join in the debate!

Where is all this stuff coming from?!

I have been behind in my house chores and I'm having an insanely impossibly time getting ahead because of TOO MUCH STUFF! Where does it come from? It hides and lurks in closets, drawers and the garage. Boxes of clothes, art supplies, toys and just about anything else you can think of. Souviners from hobbies-past and a long lost youthful size 2. Birthday and Christmas gifts intended to delight, instead finding shelter after several weeks interest. Sigh, how did we get here? More importantly, where do we go from here?

As we are society of consumerism and retail therapy (I'm SO guilty!) we buy to fill a need and I'm not talking a practical one. We love to give and get and find steals and deals for things we don't need now, or may never use. Children have more toys than they know how to play with and, sadly, seem less and less excited to receive something new. There's more than one thing wrong here.

As the holidays and children's birthday's are approaching, I'm interested shifting my focus of thought over item. Quality over quantity. Something handmade, and given with care. Passes to a Children's or Art Museum allow year-round entertainment. Pre-made, frozen dinners is an amazing gift of time. A great book or new pajamas can go further than the newest doll or toy car. Gift cards are incredibly thoughtful in allowing purchases needing to be saved for. Here are some of my favorite ideas:

  • Passes to Museums, Parks, Zoos and Aquariums
  • Passes for Kindermusik, Swim Lessons or Little Gym.
  • BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS!
  • Frozen, prepared meals (or Dinners Done Right)
  • Dinners out (with babysitting!)
  • Movie passes (again, with babysitting!)
  • Theater tickets (you guessed it...)
  • Help with grocery costs
  • Unisex, quality toys that grow for different ages
  • Combined efforts for a special larger item
  • Magazine Subscriptions
  • Gift certificates to frequented locations (Um, Starbucks, Home Depot, Best Buy anyone?)

Not only are these items helpful and thoughtful, but we are reducing waste and excess costs in small ways. Reduce packaging, reduce waste, reduce auto emissions and more importantly, reduce the idea that "he who has the most toys, wins."

All you parents out there know the feelings of dread with the opening of each new children's toy and all their accompanying packaging parts, twist-ties, cardboard spacers, strings, tape and plastic (all of which can hardly be recycled or repurposed). It takes longer to open than to shop and wrap. All while your little one eagerly looks on in anticipation. And another groan for the items that need to be assembled...

Shades of Green

Welcome to my discussion post. Some feedback regarding smidgegreener:

"Sure, everyone has a carbon footprint, some larger than others, and if everyone cut back a little we could make a difference. BUT the huge violators are commercial businesses. For example, I think it’s hilarious that people suggest we stop using disposable diapers and switch to something eco-friendly, yet Huggies and Pampers aren’t faulted for making these environment polluting merchandise. I think the government should be going after distributors of diapers, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, etc. and make THEM comply with environment standards. They are the big wigs who could afford to make a change, yet it’s the consumer who is placed the responsibility of “cleaning up the environment”. And since the producers will then try and pass the cost of becoming green on to the consumer, the government should place a cap on inflation of these products so that the consumer doesn’t have to absorb the entire cost. Let’s take a little out of their enormous profit they are making."

"And what’s even more hypocritical is the businessmen who own and run these conglomerates. Their carbon footprint is ENORMOUS. So next we should go after the wealthy like them and basically all of Hollywood in general (who insist on taking private jets to and from location 3 times a week, driving 100k+ vehicles and lighting a 10,000 s.f. home). It sickens me. They expect us peons to come out of pocket even more (in addition to skyrocketing gas and grocery prices) to protect the environment. I say no way! I can’t afford to, with either time or money."

"It’s election year…get ready for some changes!"

"One thing I also think though is that as consumers, the middle-class probably has the largest "voice" in consumerism. That being said, we can make a pretty big impact by choosing what we want to buy and eventually the companies would have to listen. I don't know if you noticed but even Clorox is making green cleaning products, and that has to be a result of following the trend and trying to pursuade buyers to pick them."

"You bring up some great points and yes, I think we are impacting our environment with the pollution which we have been advancing dramatically to clean up and with great success, but China, India, etc. are not nearly as ecologically minded as we are and their pollution impacts us. But global warming is a natural phenomenon and the concept is great for businesses creating new products and services. As you mention, the bottom line is how much will it cost us and are we willing to bear the brunt of that cost and to what degree..."

"I love the recipes for household cleaners..."

Join the debate and send me your feedback! fromONEmom@gmail.com