Gay Browne, founder of Greenopia

Like everyone these days, my life is filled with too many ways to get information. Cell phone, email, television… just to name a few! So many! But these things become necessary in this era of a fast-paced, technologically driven society, especially if you are trying to make a living and raise three children. With this constant influx of information, it often becomes overwhelming to add the incessant media surrounding global warming on top of that.

Being a green mom means that you learn to manage the flow of information. Prioritize what’s important and let go of that which isn’t. It’s important to set an example for your children to teach them to censor through the media hype they are exposed to and drill down to what the important message is for them.

Sure every now and then, I feel the urge to ditch everything and go live in the woods, but in reality, we can’t just stop everything to radically change our lifestyles and reduce our carbon footprint to nothing. That would be ideal, but it’s just not realistic. However, what is realistic is the myriad of opportunities that we all have in our daily lives to make small decisions everyday that will ultimately effect a much greater change.

It’s important to not let the constant influx of information from all angles overwhelm us. Instead, pick something in your daily routines that will reduce your personal impact on the environment -- and make it happen for that day. Eventually you will realize how easy these small changes are and how accessible they can be even in our crazy lives.

There are many great websites and books for you to use as reference tools in your path to being a green mom. One of my favorites is GreenGuide.com. It is filled with great practical education and information that will help you on your path to greening your family. Also, I love subscribing to IdealBite.com. They have a lot of daily inspirational tips that are fun to follow.

So, the net of all of this is that essential to the fight against global warming is looking at our own everyday lives for ways to reduce our personal energy use. This is one facet that often gets overlooked -- our own, personal energy. Being a green mom means not only conserving the energy of the world, but also conserving your own personal energy so that you can set an example for your children of how to live a green lifestyle. I try to set boundaries in my daily life so I can focus on my children and teach them things -- one of which is how to be sustainable.

I take simple steps in my life to ensure that my energy goes towards teaching my kids. One central way I do this is by setting boundaries with all the information that flows into my life: I try not to answer emails on the weekends, I try to never take business calls after 6 PM. I don’t answer my phone when I’m in the car with my kids. It’s so easy to get caught up in the rush of life, that we forget to remember to conserve our own energy. Being a Green Mom starts with making sure a good amount of your energy is conserved for your children; it’s about slowing down and enjoying nature. One of the best things I can do as a mother is teach my kids about sustainability and helping the earth. Our kids are the first generation that will grow up with this inundation of information about the environment and they are also the leaders that will take enormous strides to see that our planet is healthy for years to come.

How do you make sure that you save your energy for your children, so that you are able to raise your kids with an environmental awareness? I’d love to hear your success stories or your complaints about how hard it is to keep these healthy boundaries.