Do you really want to green your home? You can’t do it alone. Here’s how to get the sort of family buy-in you need to make it work.

You have lots of free time, right? Of course not. Life is busy and getting busier all the time. And let’s face it: when it comes to squeezing in grocery shopping, getting the laundry done, and dreaming up ideas to green the planet, we all know which to-do item is going to get pushed to the bottom of your list.

Which is why if you feel like the Green Lone Ranger, you may be going about things the wrong way. Going green as a family — especially if you have kids — should be a group activity. One way to get the ball rolling is by forming a family green committee.

So grab a big bowl of organic popcorn; a couple of post-consumer, recycled notepads; and call the gang together. Let’s turn your family into a self-starting green machine.

Buy-in equals progress

Just as democratic government is derived from the consent of the people, real green change requires buy-in from everyone — even if we’re talking about a single household. You’ll never get the kids to turn off unused lights if they don’t think it’s important. And if they’re not minding the power bill, forget about getting everyone to separate their trash for recycling.

In our article How to Green Your 21st Century Business we discussed the importance of multi-departmental green committees in the workplace. These same principles apply at home. If you can get everyone contributing to the idea of a more efficient, less resource-hungry home, you’ll not only improve participation — you’re likely to discover solutions which might evade one person’s own observation.

Make a plan

You can conduct you family meeting just as you would at work. Start by prioritizing some broad areas of discussion. Ten possibilities:

• Energy use
• Laundry
• The kitchen
• A “greener” yard
• Recycling
• Safer household cleaners
• Using less gasoline
• Heating and cooling
• Water conservation
• Family meals

Jot your favorites on a set of index cards. Agree on some fixed period of time — ten minutes per topic, maybe — and start brainstorming.

Everyone is an “idea man”

Using a whiteboard or a sheet of paper for each topic, write down every suggestion. Adopt a “no bad idea” policy: everything goes to paper at this stage without discussion. Try not to let people filter each other’s contributions. Once the ideas slow down, move to the next card and a clean whiteboard.

This phase shouldn’t last more than 20 or 30 minutes. When you get to that point, stop. Now comes the business part. Bring out your whiteboards, one by one, and try to arrive at a single action item from each. Combine similar suggestions, talk things out, and move the most practical, highest-yield ideas to the top of the page. Then take a vote.

Write down your goals

As you come up with your winning ideas, assign family members to each task. This is a family, not a boardroom, so the object is to create a sense of ownership, rather than a system of accountability. Discuss how your action items will get done. As you build these mini-plans, transfer them to a master sheet. This will get posted in one or more locations around the home.

Commit to the next step

The final thing you should do is schedule the next family meeting. It could be a week or a month, depending on how much you’ve decided to start doing and your family’s enthusiasm. At your next meeting, review progress on your first batch of items and brainstorm a few more.

Never toss your whiteboards: they’re a great place to start the next time the topics are addressed. It also reinforces the idea that everyone’s opinions matter. This is team building, even if the youngest members don’t have all their permanent teeth yet. Have fun.

Do you have a tip for greening the family? Has something worked well for you? Please share in our Comments section!

It’s tough to teach kids an appreciation of nature when they’re hunched over a video game or computer screen. The National Wildlife Federation has a good idea: the Green Hour. The concept is simple — an hour of daily, unstructured playtime outdoors. Studies show kids who play outdoors are healthier, have lower stress levels, and better respect for themselves and the environment. Want to get started? Visit the Green Hour website for ideas and inspiration.

Motrin has angered parent groups with an allegedly insensitive commercial about baby wearing. The controversy won’t cool the revival of this ancient practice.

In searching for ways to green and simplify my family’s life, I often look to indigenous people’s practices. One such practice is baby wearing, in which parents can avoid the plastic strollers that fill our landfills and create a happy, bonded baby in the process. In fact, the Sacagawea dollar features this famous native woman carrying her child on her back. Many products are available for baby wearing, including some that are 100% organic.

A common complaint of new parents is that they can’t get anything done. Baby wearing is the solution! Newborns are used to being inside their mother’s body and feeling the rhythms of the mother’s heart, breathing, walking, etc. Baby wearing allows the infant to still feel these rhythms by firmly holding the baby against the mother’s/father’s body. By wearing my babies, I have been able to cook dinner, do the dishes, teach preschool and art, rototill, hike, grocery shop, etc.

What’s out there

My favorite baby-wearing device for both of my children is the Baby Björn Baby Carrier. There are many other cheaper made versions of this front style carrier; however, the imitations do not hold up to the comfort of the Baby Björn. Using the Baby Björn Baby Carrier, newborns are snuggled close facing their mother’s chest. As the baby gets older, they can be placed facing outward in the Baby Björn. The straps on the Baby Björn are adjustable to fit the growing baby and the various caregivers that will use it. In fact, after carrying two infants in our Baby Björn, I have grown quite attached to it and have saved it for my sister. I could not have survived my children’s infancy without the Baby Björn!

Once my babies outgrew the Baby Björn, I switched to the backpack by Kelty. These backpacks are expensive (thank goodness for grandparents), but essential if you plan to hike with your child. Of course, I used mine for more than hiking but taught preschool and art, mowed the lawn, shopped, etc. while keeping my growing child happy. The backpack also comes with a shade, which is great for keeping the sun off your child. With the shade on, it looks like your baby is in its own little tent.

Beyond slings

I have tried several slings for baby wearing, including the 100% organic one by New Native Baby, which perhaps is the most green option in baby wearing. I have never been comfortable with slings, as I do not feel like the sling securely holds my baby. However, I was given the Maya Wrap for my second child, and it felt more secure with the adjusting rings. Maya Wraps are made of the most beautiful fabrics and are adjustable. They also work well to support your baby on your hip, once he/she has the ability to sit up. A good friend of mine uses her Maya Wrap constantly, including getting her son to sleep for his nap.

The Ergo Carrier is another great baby wearing product that a friend of mine recommended when I started having back trouble. This carrier adjusts from a front pack to a backpack as the child grows, so it lasts longer than the Baby Bjorn and may be the only baby wearing device you will need. I don’t have personal experience with this product, as I couldn’t justify the expense for my second child when I already had other baby wearing products; however, it has received rave review!  There is a 100% organic version available too!

Find what works for you

Each person is different in what they feel comfortable with for their baby and their body, and some women with large chests may have trouble with front carriers. Unfortunately, many of these products are expensive, so it is hard to try them out. If you can borrow one from a friend and wear it for an hour, you will know if it is the right product for you. Many of these products are available in resale shops, as they are durable and sustainable; however, it is important to check for recalls before purchasing. Of course, it is essential that whatever baby carrier you decide upon, it must be easily washed!

More Reading:

Mothering Magazine
Dr. Sears
Eco Child’s Play

Another term for ? Bad news for Zimbabwe. Currently, Zimbabwe is the worst place in the world to live and grow up if you are a child. One in eight will die before the age of five (). Healthcare costs are so high that its a wonder they even have a healthcare system. The economic policy of Mugabe has crippled the country — yet he will likely get another term. He’s been in office now as an elected dictator, after fighting for Rhodesia’s freedom in the 70s/80s, since 1987. And although he was instrumental in securing freedom for Zimbabwe — he is equally instrumental in its total collapse.

I hope they elect someone else…

FACT: One-third of Nestle’s chocolate is from West Africa, where over 286,000 children are working in slave-like conditions on cocoa (chocolate) farms.

FACT: Dole is the largest distributor of cut-flowers in the world, the majority of which are imported from Columbia and Ecuador, where farmers and flower workers (often adolescent girls) are exposed to 127 different chemicals, including neurotoxins and carcinogens.

FACT: The three private owners of M&M/Mars Inc. are each “worth” $10.4 billion, while the West African farmers growing the cocoa for M&Ms chocolate are paid an average of $108 annually.

FACT: Despite record profits in 2006, Hershey’s has been accused of buying from contractors who utilize child labor and child slavery on cocoa farms on the Ivory Coast.

TAKE ACTION: Send a message to the chocolate and flower giants to stop child labor, illegal toxic chemical use, union busting, and to pay their farmers a living wage.