Top 25 Eco-Friendly Moms 8 of 9

What inspired you to start blogging?

For me, the blogging spark was ignited after I became a mama to my now five-and-a-half year-old. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, there were decisions to be made. As a new mother, I felt completely swamped and stressed with all of the decisions I had to make to keep my baby safe, happy and healthy. There were all of these new questions in my mind about diapering, allergies, baby clothes and toys. How would I know what was right?

Becoming a mother heightened my sense of awareness in regard to all of the stuff that we were bringing into our home and putting in and on our bodies. Once I cracked open that Pandora’s Box of “toxic-awareness”, there was simply no turning back. I had to share what I was learning and figure out a way to shine the light on better choices. Blogging has been such an incredible way to create a community and connect with other women around the world who are asking themselves the same questions and finding their own answers.

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

1. Trust your intuition - This is the best way to hone your voice and make the right choices for your family. Instead of listening to commercial advertising and other people who tell you what is right for you and your family, trust what you know is right for you. It won’t always be easy, but it’s well worth the effort.
2. Go back to the basics and keep it simple - One of the best things we can do as moms is to take a step back and find a way to find the simple joys of playing with our children.
3. Educate yourself - With all of the incredible resources available today it’s easier than ever to find healthy non-toxic alternatives to the conventional products we use in our homes.

What are your three favorite posts?

1. My Own Personal Matrix
   
2. Twelve Of The Most Toxic Ingredients In Skincare
3. Anatomy Of The Dreaded Label

What inspired you to start blogging?

I was inspired to start my blog after our son was diagnosed with severe food allergies and food intolerances that resulted in awful eczema. There seemed to be conflicting answers from everyone we sought help from and no medication that could help. That’s when we began our journey as a green family, dramatically altering what products and practices we used in our home. Once we began living a more “non-toxic” and health conscious life. I was so inspired to share our journey and all that we had learned to help other families and encourage them to be “as green as they too could be.” The difference that many small changes have made in our life have made a tremendous and over-whelming difference and it excites me to share how rewarding and fulfilling it is! I have learned too that it can be done with ease and affordability, and it’s my mission to share my passion and help my readers take steps toward living a greener, healthier and more natural life.

1. Always read labels! Involve your kids in food choices while teaching them about ingredients!
2. Choose organic whenever possible.We can’t always afford to go 100% organic, but by choosing foods that are lowest in pesticide residue and making organic a priority on those foods with the highest amounts of residue, we are dramatically reducing the amount that we ingest.
3. We can live greener and healthier lives without spending much (if any) money at all with easy to do changes.

(Question four, make sure this is a paragraph)What are your three favorite posts?

1. Welcome Ultimate Blog Partygoers
   
2. Make your own recycled chunky crayons
3. 8 Ways to Green Your Spring

What inspired you to start blogging?

The Practically Green blog grew out of our Founder/CEO's blog when she was working at the Boston Globe. Due to her son's allergies, Susan Hunt Stevens embarked on a whole-life makeover regarding every aspect of healthy and green living. When she realized how confusing and time-consuming the journey can be - and how scary - Susan started blogging about it. Eventually she decided to leave her big job. She conceived of a fun and easy way to make smart changes: Practically Green. We launched last year on Mother's Day. We're having so much fun (and we're working hard) to help inspire and motivate people to take eco-friendly steps for their families, and to create action plans to keep their goals organized and accomplished.

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

1. Read labels. On everything: food, personal-care products, mattress stuffing, attic insulation: you name it. Avoid anything that you can't pronounce.
2. Check the dirty dozen list and learn which fruits and vegetables you really should buy organic or not at all.
3. Be super aware of plastic: what happens when you heat it in the microwave? What happens if you chuck it into the trash instead of recycling it properly? How is it manufactured?

What are your three favorite posts?

1. Surprise! There are parabens (and other additives) in my children's medications!
   
2. Number 10 Top Action on Practically Green: Plant a Vegetable Garden.
3. Take off your Shoes When You Come Indoors!

What inspired you to start blogging?

My three children are the ones who made see that mainstream living was rather toxic and that our choices can be damaging to them and to our planet. They were the catalyst that sent me on a long journey to discover a whole new lifestyle.

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

1. Reduce is the first of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle). That has to be the first step... consume way less.
2. Go back to the old standards that we now call vintage. Modern inventions are convenient but often at the expense of human and planetary health.
3. Buy used. There is no good reason to buy new when we can reduce landfill loads by buying used.

What are your three favorite posts?

1. Vita-Mis 5200 BPA Free Blender
   
2. Eco-Friendly Board Games
3. Eco-Friendly Birthday Party

What inspired you to start blogging?

Personally, I have always been a motivator, and although not an intellectual, I have always prided myself on my common sense, I have always been someone who could and wanted to affect change, but, known for my integrity in my relentless pursuit of results.

I became a mother. Life became so much larger than ME. I truly believe that every mother wants the BEST for their children and we all go about it in our own ways. Although I breastfed, made my own organic babyfood and bought the BEST (so I thought), I kept having these “WHAT?!?!” moments. How could I not have known about the phthalates in toys, why didn’t I connect the stink with the fact that they shouldn’t be manufactured, let alone in my home? What about the flame retardants and toxic chems on mattresses and strollers and highchairs? Triclosan? It was overwhelming. I don’t do overwhelming. So I broke it down to figure out how to do better. Then I broke down myself. Then I vowed to do better, care more, be more active in making change that mattered to the bottom line – of our health, safety and our world. My second child was again a catalyst for more change. She had/has allergies, includes skin issues.

I don’t know that I’ve arrived anywhere, but I do know that I like where I’m going. I don’t stress about what I can’t personally do, but I do all that I personally can manage. In work AND in life. And, I feel more connected than ever and love it…so I keep trying to inspire!

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

1. Believe that you can make a difference, in fact, you do with every single choice you make.
2. Use your common sense – you really are your own best expert. We control the way we shop, and what we shop for. . .using our common sense will save us time, save us money, save our health, and positively impact our shared world!
3. Refuse and reduce. Refuse single use and disposable products, reduce consumption all around. Consider this: When you throw something away, where do you think “away” really is? (exactly, there is no such place as “away”)

What are your three favorite posts?

1. I'm Not the One Living in a Bubble
   
2. Shopping Smart at the Farmers Market
3. It Sucks to be Single