So after a game of Wet, Dry, Give It A Try (a practicing
your letters game that they are doing in Corbin’s kindergarten class - they’re on B), and
trying to tell a bedtime story filled with words that start with B, I finally got the little bugger to bed
and am now writing to you. Did I mention he also came out, “one last time” to
tell me a few more examples of B words he remembered? Anything for another
excuse to stay awake, right!
Speaking of B words, I am so excited because I was fortunate
to have John Shurtz, of Green Builders of Marin as my venerated guide
at last weekend’s West Coast Green event, one of the largest residential
green building conferences ever (in case your mom brain is working better than
mine the segue there is builders as a B word). It was so amazing to see how
many more vendors, professionals, and homeowners were a part of this year’s
event and to learn about even more great products that can help us moms go
green.
And let me tell you, the women were rockin’ it! From Sarah Susanka,
celebrated author of The Not So Big House to architect Michelle Kaufman, the XX’s were shining lights of eco-chic design. Michelle’s mkLotus
model house welcomed visitors on the grass in front of City Hall with a
walk through taste of what sustainable materials really look like: flyash
concrete, FSC-certified wood, no-VOC paint and EcoResin to the green
roof, LED lighting system, Energy Star appliances, photovoltaic
energy system, and rainwater/greywater catchment, the house is as green as it
gets, actually producing so much energy from the solar panels on the roof that
you can charge your electric vehicle with a plug in the side of the house.
in my little home with Corbin and doing my best to green it along the way. On
that note, and because try as I might, my laundry load is still more than I’d
like - and I’d venture yours is too - check out the Garden Angel, by
Australia’s Perpetual Water company. A compact, low cost system that conditions gray water from your washing machine for use in garden
irrigation. A household processing about four loads of laundry per week can
save up to 264 gallons – and you can grow your garden without feeling guilty
about using too much water. Finally, if eco-chic is more your style than green built, check out Appel and Frank’s green shopping extravaganza on Thursday, September 27th. Purchase your tickets online using the code "ecomom" and you’ll save $3. You can also join us at their Babes and Babies event on October 7th for more fun. They’ll be donating a percentage of the door to the EcoMom Alliance.
And just to keep it really real, and because it will likely bring a knowing smile to your day, despite my best efforts at ecomomness, today it took us three drives down the hill to get to school. First we discovered halfway down the hill that Corbin did not have shoes on. Then, once we made it to school, we realized he left his lunch bag upstairs with Grandma and Grandpa. Third try, we made it all the way to school. So much for driving less. I hope you’re doing better than me!!!
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5 Comments
I’m so excited to have discovered your amazing organization and blog! You are an insiration and I am excited to find out more about your organization!
I’m definately going to look into that system that converts your laundry water into water for the garden!
Thank you! Cece
i absolutely love what you are doing and i especially appreciate your philosphy of not approaching the topic of climate change with a gloom & doom attitude. people have the power to change a lot as we can see from history. it seems to me that we have a clear choice… i’ve recently hung a clothes line in my yard and am making a true effort to give up disposables. from plastic bottles to platic bags. i’d read that there was more plastic in the ocean that sea kelp…who knows if that is true but regardless a new bag every time i buy something is a convenience that i really don’t need. why on earth would i chose to litter the world every time i make a purchase? i don’t know. becasue someone put it in my hand? and i’ve been doing it for years. and you know, when I finally made it a personal priority to bring reusable bags i began a new habit that i can actually feel good about. i’m sure you want to keep things simple and approachable but i think REDUCE on the list 10 could be more specific. a lot of us don’t know what reduce means. like buying bulk & bringing resuable bags… all in all thanks for the inspiration!!!
Hi Azjah,
Thank you so much for getting in touch and for your thoughtful reflections and sharing. You are so right on with being more specific about reducing! We are working on updating our website right now but do go into more depth at EcoMom Parties. Keep up your great work!
Kimberly
Contact info for the Garden Angel: Ralph Petroff
256.990.0224
ralph.petroff@perpetualwater.com
Yeeha! Thanks for the product links. My hubby and I are in the middle or renovating as I write and I’m trying my best to prioritize our green list of to dos.