Eco savvy parenting is the new BLACK

The Basics of Green Parenting

If you travel in environmental circles you are likely to have heard that having children is considered a form of environmental ‘terrorism’. More mouths to feed, more bodies to house, clothe and transport creates increased pressure on our limited resources. It is interesting then, that for many individuals, the impetus for reducing individual and collective impact on the planet, is a positive result on a pregnancy test. Previously unconcerned, fuel guzzling, plastic bag touted individuals realise that their flesh and blood will not only inherit the earth, they will likely inherit our individual and collective chemical and environmental burden. What follows is usually a conversion to organic food, natural personal care products and with some luck energy efficient homes and water saving devices. When it is time for the baby to arrive the nursery is filled with organic baby clothes and second hand furniture. So it seems that in fact, the very act of creating children, which is adding to our overpopulated earth, may in some ways, provide for our salvation.

It would be unrealistic and unfair to expect all children to be the next David Suzuki, Tim Flannery or Al Gore. The way we choose to raise our children does however have both an immediate effect on the planet in terms of their individual ecological footprints and a long term effect in regard to how the next generation will live and consume as adults. Being a parent has for a long time been said to be the most difficult yet most important job one can undertake. In addition to the long list of roles a parent must fulfill, our environmental situation now demands that all parents now also take on the responsibility of eco-educator. The good news is, being an eco-savvy parent really isn’t any more difficult than being an eco-sloppy one.


There are many positive steps parents can take that will nurture rather than degrade the earth both now and into the future. As an additional benefit many of these practices will also protect the long term health of their children.

Simple steps to green parenting………
• Breast food is the greenest food
The health benefits of long term breast feeding are now well established. Fortunately breast feeding is also the most environmentally positive manner in which to feed your child, requiring no packaging, no transportation costs and no additional waste disposal services!

• Organic food, for better taste, better health and a better world
Once solid food is introduced organic produce is the best option for the earth and the individual. Generally higher in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, organic food also tastes fantastic and for children this is half the battle. Reports from mothers world wide have been that children are more likely to accept fresh organic produce than the conventional variety.

• Green bottoms
Nappies are a major source of landfill, in her book Greeniology, Tanya Ha notes that the average baby uses between 6000 to 8000 nappies before being fully toilet trained and that Australians are estimated to use around 800 million disposable nappies a year. Cloth nappies also have an environmental impact, both in production and in water and electricity usage. If you choose cloth opt for nappies made from environmentally sustainable fabrics such as hemp, organic cotton or bamboo and choose to wash them with cold water and non-toxic laundry products. If you choose to use disposable nappies, consider eco-disposable options. The lowest impact option of all is ‘Elimination Communication’ , a form of nurturing in which the parent uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to help the infant address his or her elimination needs and thereby reducing or removing the use of nappies. For more on elimination communication see the article by Suzy Barry on page………..


• Squeaky clean but not so green
In the quest to have squeaky clean, sweet smelling babies we may be unintentionally lathering our children with a cocktail of unnecessary and potentially dangerous chemicals. With a higher skin surface area to body weight ratio, increased skin permeability, and higher respiratory rates, our babies may absorb higher levels of environmental pollutants than the average adult. Additionally an underdeveloped blood brain barrier, lower levels of serum albumin (a protein in the blood which may prevent chemicals from targeting specific organ sites) and an immature liver and kidneys, make newborns a highly susceptible group. The lowest impact and safest option is for bathing you baby is using nothing but water for as long as you can. When you do need something a little extra opting for natural, non-toxic baby soap and using it sparingly is the best option. If you do need a little extra moisture, use pure oil such as certified organic olive oil.


• Green Cleaning
In the desire to protect our child many of us opt for strong chemicals to ‘kill the germs’ when we have children around. Unfortunately the most likely consequence of our cleaning obsession is a child with allergies as a result of chronic low level exposure to indoor air pollution. These chemicals also end up in our waterways, polluting them and in the case of overuse of phosphates create the dangerous blue-green algal bloom. Many natural non-toxic alternatives are now available and often you need little more than bicarb soda and a microfibre cloth.



• Sustainable style for kids
Keeping your children in the most ‘fashionable’ clothing can be an expensive and environmentally devastating exercise. Every item of clothing has an environmental cost. This includes the water, pesticides and energy used to grow the crop, the synthetic chemicals used to colour and treat the garment, the fuel used in transportation, the packaging and finally the plastic bag we may decide to put it in. Fortunately there are a host of green options for every budget when it comes to clothing your baby and child. Second or third hand clothing is a great option and can be obtained from friends and family or your local second hand shop. When purchasing new clothes, choosing organic cotton or sustainable fibres such as hemp and bamboo is the eco option.


• Green with toy envy?
Keeping up with the Jones’s is not only bad for the mind it can be devastating for our world. Spoil your children with unique toys that connect them to the earth and our dependence on it. A great family toy or pet is a worm farm! Kids love to get their hands in a watch the worms eating the food scraps. The positive impact of children then being involved in using the worm castings to fertilize and nurture their organic vegetable patch can not be underestimated. Another great option is spending time making recycled paper with your children; this can be then used to make unique gift cards for friends and family.

• A greener school
Many schools are now taking up the green challenge by installing organic vegetable gardens, solar power and converting to natural cleaning methods. If your school is yet to take this action, be the proactive parent and help to get things rolling. Teachers are an incredibly valuable resource when it comes to educating our future eco-warriors, so providing them with the support they need to implement environmentally positive initiatives is every eco-conscious parents duty.

If we can’t hand our world over to the next generation a little better than we found it, the next best thing, is surely to provide them with the knowledge, the skills and the confidence to create a world better than we could ever have imagined.

Signing off, a less than perfect but ever optimistic green parent

Gina x