Top 25 Eco-Friendly Moms 5 of 9

What inspired you to start blogging?

At the Holistic Moms Network, our mission is to support parents who are interested in holistic health and green living and to help raise awareness for more natural and sustainable options. We were inspired to start blogging as another way to reach moms and to offer them support, whether a local HMN Chapter existed in their area or not. As holistic living embraces so many choices and paths, our blog helps us look at different aspects of natural living and parenthood and the challenges in moving toward a natural living model.

What are 3 things you can teach other moms to make their lives more eco-friendly?

1. That going green can be done in simple, practical steps by making one change at a time.
2. That finding the support of other moms who are on a path to a greener and healthier lifestyle is so important to your commitment, success, and inspiration!
3. That living your passion and your values will empower your children to live healthier and greener.

What are your three favorite posts?

1. Losing Yourself, Finding You
   
2. Holistic Does Not Mean Perfect
3. Mother Maddness

What inspired you to start blogging?

Having our first son really accelerated our journey toward more natural living. But we quickly realized having so much stuff for the baby didn’t make us very “green.”

By the time we hit the kids’ birthday party circuit – and saw how much waste (wrapping paper, batteries, and an endless stream of plastic toys) came along with it – I knew it was time to make some changes.

Through Green Gifts Guide, I have the privilege of reaching out to other moms and helping them find simple options that don’t take a lot of time or money for Eco-friendly gift giving.

What are 3 things you can teach other moms to make their lives more eco-friendly?

1. Cut back on the amount of ‘stuff’ you buy for your kids. Some of our
   best memories are from EXPERIENCES, not things.
2. Try a No-Battery birthday or holiday.
3. Free yourself from wasting money on wrapping paper and paper gift bags.
   Get creative and use what you already have to wrap gifts… a beach bucket,
   a bandana or scarf, newspaper, packing paper, or kids’ artwork.

What are your three favorite posts?

1. Green Gift Giving with Kids
   
2. Say Goodbye to Green Guilt
3. The Best Gift for Your Baby – Learn to Trust Your Instincts

What inspired you to start blogging?

My friend Tywonna had been saying for a long time that I should start a blog because I always had great tips and information about different things. After I joined Facebook, I started posting a lot of cool links and several other people chimed in also saying I should blog. I put it off and put it off, thinking that I'd rather just write a book with my ideas, but I never seemed to have the time. Finally, I decided to start blogging as a way to at least start getting the ideas I had for a book in print of some sort, and now I have ideas for several books, but ,for now, I actually prefer blogging!

What are 3 things you can teach other moms to make their lives more eco-friendly?

1. Stop buying so much stuff. That stuff, whatever it is, takes resources to make, transport, and package. By getting things secondhand or growing/making your own stuff, you're eliminating the need for a lot of those resources.
2. Someone else can use your stuff. If you don't need or want something anymore, even if it is damaged or broken, someone else might want it for something, maybe something completely different than its original purpose. So before recycling or throwing anything out, try to offer it to other people through Freecycle, Craigslist, or even in a free box on the side of the road. You might be surprised what others can use!
3. Growing your own food can be done just about anywhere to some extent. It helps the environment, it saves you money, and it is empowering. When you control the food, it is a lot harder for others to control you!

What are your three favorite posts?

1. The Amazing Power of Baking Soda
   
2. "I Can't Afford to Eat Healthy"
3. Natural Mosquito Spray