am i the only "green" and organic parent out there??

I can't relate much because I'm just easing into it myself. My s/o doesn't see the point so it's been slow going. I'm nursing the baby and making his solids. I couldn't grow the vegetables myself because it's still too early and I didn't get to have a garden last year (again blame s/o) but at least I'm not buying all those little plastic and glass containers or filling him up with preservatives and sugars. I have cloth diapers that I have every intention of using as soon as my s/o starts listening to me and quits buying the disposables. I make wiser choices when grocery shopping and try to be mindful of water and energy usage. Ideally I'll get to about where you are with these things but there will always be things I'll have to make huge compromises on because my s/o doesn't think any of this is important. We get into heated debates over which is more important, the potential crude oil supply in Alaska or the nature that would be destroyed to get to it. If we can disagree so strongly about that you can imagine how difficult it is to get our own household wishes on the same page.

I am all for your plan,it is always good when someone does some good for a change,but I do not know the brand,Seventh generation diapers,but they sound to me like they are still disposibles. I reward mom's that use only cloth diapers with a discount on locksmith work or a free key cut. no matter how disposibles are made,they still contain chemicals and many do not ever reach the garbage. thank you for your discussion. Blessed be

You're not the only one, mama4kids. Organic products tend to be quite costly here in my country but I will still buy some from time to time. I am all too aware of the chemicals and pesticides added to the regular and cheaper products. I always buy organic eggs which is more delicious than the regular one. Vegetables and even the beauty products should be organic too. I was born with a lot of allergies and I must say, I'm grateful to discover all this organic thingy. Just shrug off whatever people are saying about you. You were on the right track. :)

I'm not 100% green but getting there slowly but surely lol. We use cloth diapers and wipes (I plan on using them on future children too), homemade cleaners, wash with castille soap or use natural shampoos/conditioners. I don't use all organic, I can't find everything organic where I live but if it's available I buy that first before the other stuff. I'm kind of used to being teased, I was a vegeterian as a teenager and until recently. My husband is actually jumping on the bandwagon, he bought some energy efficient bulbs after I mentioned them and is kind of excited about it.

You are not so alone, I cant say that I take it quite that far although I probably should. As far as why alot more people don't do that I think that for some people it is just a little cost prohibitive.

I understand. I don't do quite as well as you do at this it sounds but I do try and get funny looks and comments. I do not buy meat because it is SO expensive to buy the hormone/chemical free and I don't think it is necessary anyhow. I make soy milk for my children (I don't like it). I grow most of our fruits and vegetables in order to get the most nutritous (sp?) and chemical free. I admire your purchasing all chemical free soaps and such...I am easing into it. You should be proud of yourself.:)

I too am green, the diapers I do not do but I have all non chemical cleaning supplies and shampoos, toothpaste and the like....I refuse to use chemicals because they are so harsh. I also buy organic as much as I can, it just gets a bit on the expensive side but I do try to stay as organic as possible. Good job to you and know that You are making a difference. I also work with a company that sells only organic products.

im alittle like you myself you are not alone on this i think its all good what you do.

We have been green all my life. We raise our own veggies and fruits. We have our own compost pile to make our own soil to raise our food in. We catch rain water to water the garden with. We used old tires cut down and then rivited together to make raised beds for our rhubarb. We used cloth diapers on both our kids. Only used disposable when we were going to be traveling for hours. We recycle our aluminum and use our newspaper as the lower layer under our mulch. We make most but not all of our own cleaning supplies and we raise rabbits to use the poop for natural fertilize for the garden. We also make all our mixes instead of purchasing the commercial for several reasons. One being commercial mixes have additives and MSG in them. Two being they use too much packaging.

You are not alone... I am the same, we eat almost entirely organic, use cloth diapers, all-natural biodegradable laundry and kitchen soap, natural cleaning products, natural toothpaste and floss... hell, my toothbrush is even made from recycled plastic! We feed our dogs preservative free food and I intend on making my own organic baby food. We're vegetarian so the meat thing isn't even an issue, but we do buy hormone free organic milk and cheese. I'm very conservative with energy as well, because as you said, we all need to do our part in little ways. I want you to check out a discussion of mine... it's from a few weeks ago and it's about gdiapers. Please read about it and let me know what you think! I'll be checking in with you, because I'm diaper obsessed and I want to know if other earthy mamas would use these....

i use cloth diapers....they don't take any extra work or time...that my friend is a myth!!! i use natural cleaners, such as vinegar and baking soda, why even bother going in the cleaners aisle??? i'm learning to make my own soaps and lotions. we don't use paper products except toilet paper which i just can't bring myself to switch that to cloth. tho i don't buy organic, i'm under the impression that it's more expensive and i have a veryvery tight budget. i try to buy healthy but i know there are better ways to go. i think if we combined my household practices and your cooking practices we would be the most organic person out there. actually i talk to alot of natural living individuals, you aren't alone out there. i do suggest u give the cloth diapers a try tho, that really would add to your healthy lifestyle and not to your work load as you think.

nope. you are not the only one... :) there are lots who does this kind of natural living as well. im practicing it... and so are other people i know. its actually a great way... if one wants to live longer... :)

mama4kids, There are a LOT of people out there doing what you are. I don't think you have come across the right websites. I only recycle and use chemical free detergents and cleaners. I actually liked the products so much, I decided to market them. So I started looking for "green" sites. Do a search for organic, green and green living forums. I've also seen a few mom's groups. I listed a few below for you. You shouldn't care about teasing. What in the world can they tease you about - because you care enough to take the time and effort to keep your family safer and healthier? Because you care about the earth? Next time they tease you, you can call them on it. Ask them what they are doing to help the environment. When's the last time they read a food label that they could pronouce all the ingredients listed? It may be ok for them to feed that to their family, but it's not ok for you. Be proud of what you're doing. It's "out of the ordinary" because most people are too lazy to do what you do. You're awesome and keep it up! www.naturemoms.com www.momsgoingorganic.com greenliving.suite101.com I am curious where you buy all your things. How many different places do you have to shop.