Charlotte Hudson
When I found out that I was pregnant, I knew that I was going to have to make a large investment in all the gear you need for bringing a small bundle home from the hospital. What I didn't expect, however, was how much of it was made of plastic.

I don't have anything against plastic, but the sheer volume of it was overwhelming -- from the pack n' play to the stroller, from the high chair to the baby plates and spoons... not to mention the toys. While I didn't find alternatives for some of the bigger items, I did try to change some small things. (And if any of you out there found other alternatives, I would love to hear about them!)

At least until my son is old enough to start feeding himself, I have avoided using plastic bowls and plates to warm his food and starting using glass instead. Especially if you are using the microwave (yes, I admit it!), I found great little glass dishes with lids at Kmart. Although there is still some debate about what concentrations of chemicals leach into food from plastics at high temperatures, for me, it was worth $20 in glass bowls to not have to think about it.

The other small change has been introducing toys that aren't plastic. There is something about the old wooden toys that I used to play with that I miss. My son loves the remote control and our cell phones, so yes, he does have his share of shiny plastic with songs and lights, but I recently found a good source of wooden toys at FatBrainToys.com. They carry brands like Melissa & Doug and Haba that are all wood.

I don't think plastic toys are unsafe or that there is really anything wrong with them, but I chalk up this need for more natural toys as a way to introduce my son to different textures and let his brain do a little more creative thinking.

Although, plastic or not, I do admit that the best toy out there is an empty water bottle filled with some dried beans or rice -- and, at least the beans are natural!

Wendy Gordon, General Manager, National Geographic's TheGreenGuide.com

There's no place I'd rather be in July than our garden.

I feel pretty lucky to have this garden, all 40 x 30 square feet of it, which is just a couple dozen yards from a 100+ year-old farmhouse we have in the western Catskills. It produces an abundance of vegetables from early June through late September. There's no evidence proving that locally grown is better for you, or "more nutritionally complete," but no group of scientists are needed to inform me that my fresh-from-the-garden vegetables taste a whole lot better than those that have shipped thousands of miles from farm to fork.

I also like that I haul my dinner greens to the kitchen myself -- no car, not even a bag. According to Joan Gussow, Columbia University nutritionist, shipping a strawberry from California to New York requires 435 calories of fossil fuel but provides the eater with only 5 calories of nutrition.

Gardening is something my husband and I enjoy. The kids seem to always disappear when it's time to plant, mulch, or weed. But they are always at the ready when harvest time comes around, which starts early in our garden --when perennials, including rhubarb and asparagus, come bursting through the cool soil at the same time we're planting the first early season peas, beans and lettuce seeds -- and runs pretty much straight through October.

Our approach to gardening is a bit haphazard, but we have gotten better at picking seeds that are right for our region. Most catalogs offer a zone chart and other keys; Seeds of Change has the best charts among the catalogs we get, showing how much sun and water certain plants need and in which zone they are best suited.

Then there is the matter of which seeds to choose. We're not purists about it, but we do try to buy organic seeds whenever there is an option. Conventional seeds might have been harvested from chemically grown plants, and they also may have been treated with insecticides or fungicides prior to sale. We also try heirloom varieties that are from our region whenever we come across them. Even the major seed catalogs, such as Burbee, offer a number of organic and heirloom varieties.

You don't need a big yard or even a yard to plant a garden. A small potted garden on a terrace or sunny apartment window sill can provide a year round bounty. As part of my work on The Green Guide, we've come up with lots of tips on starting a vegetable garden, including a list of companies offering organic and heirloom seeds.

Tiffany Washko, NatureMoms.com
For many green moms and dads the decision about how to diaper their baby does not come so easy. We all know disposable diapers are bad with a capital "B," but the other options just seem so archaic and inconvenient.

But it's not as bad as you may think. There are some pretty appealing diapering alternatives nowadays. If you want to lighten your environmental footprint by avoiding those landfill-filling, disposable diapers, then two options you might consider are cloth diapers or gDiapers.

Cloth Diapers
When many parents think of cloth diapers they still think of those thick, towel like diapers (the ones we now use as burp rags), diaper pins, and the plastic vinyl pants that go on top. Well, the cloth diapers you find today are far cry from that these days.

Bum Genius cloth diapers by Cotton Babies are designed to make cloth diapering easy for every-day people -- like your babysitter, grandparents and even dad. Using a BumGenius cloth diaper is just like using a disposable, but you don’t throw it away! Just wash it and they’re ready to go again. They come in a variety of beautiful colors like Blossom Pink and Grasshopper Green.

They are pocket diapers, which allows you to use the type of insert that meets your absorbency needs (although the included microfiber insert should be sufficient). Bum Genius also offers an all-in-one diaper, which is a one-piece diaper that most closely resembles a disposable. Plus, Bum Genius diapers have neat stretchy tabs that make diapering even the most wiggly babies a breeze.

The best thing about these diapers by far is that they are one-size-fits-most. They will fit babies between 6 and 35 pounds, so there's no need to buy a bunch of diapers in different sizes. Ingenious!

If you want to go a step further you can try a cloth diaper made from sustainable materials, such as organic cotton or even bamboo...

Michelle Bexelius, co-founder of GreenThisLife.com
Having a baby can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. There is so much to learn about bringing a newborn into the world, not to mention such questions as what crib to buy, what mattress, what bottles, clothes, toys, etc. We all want to make their environment safe, welcoming and healthy.

Today I went to a home where a woman was preparing for her son’s arrival and had some questions about setting up his nursery. She had lots of questions and was concerned with creating a healthy yet stylish environment for her little guy. Babies spend 60% of their lives sleeping their first year, so it’s important to make sure their space is set up so they have a chance to grow up without toxins. Here are a few practical yet important things I told her about that can ensure the safety of baby’s space. It’s a place to start.

• To start, there are several mattresses on the market that are non-toxic, don’t contain harmful fire retardants, are breathable, and resist dust mites, mold and mildew, so her baby can have a truly healthy night’s rest.
• Once you have the right mattress, you need a crib that is made from solid wood with a non-toxic finish. Furniture finishes are often laden with toxic glues and stains, not to mention lead in some of the older models. Babies often teeth on the railings of the cribs when they are older, and the glues off-gas while they are sleeping.
• The next important thing: Make sure that almost everything that touches his skin is free from dyes and chemicals. This includes sleepwear and clothing, sheets and blankets. There are many types of sleepwear that contain fire retardants. Fire retardants are known carcinogens that are harmful to your baby’s health.
• To truly make your baby’s space as healthy as it can be, I suggest getting an air filter. Believe it or not, the air we breathe in our homes is often far more polluted than it is outside in a congested city. Bacteria, mold, dust mites and pollen are prevalent in most homes and a good quality air filter can remove them, so your immune system can function properly.

Looking to set up an environmentally healthy nursery. Whether you choose dark green or light green, you can protect the environment and your baby’s health with practical solutions that accommodate your needs and your style. To find out more about eco-nurseries go to www.greenthislife.com or email us at info@greenthislife.com.

Mary Isakson
A garden is one of life’s dirty miracles. I have fond memories of my father’s small-scale composting of coffee grounds and vegetable peelings in our back yard. I picture the climbing green bean vines, and recall with fondness the tiny carrots I grew in my own small plot. I pulled them up early and was disappointed with the scrawny little orange carrots covered with hair-like roots; carrots that would scrape down to the size of splinters when cleaned. But I wonder: Would I ever have recalled full-grown carrots so clearly or so fondly? The enthusiasm that led me to yank them up early infuses my memory of those tiny carrots with warmth that no full-grown vegetables have ever invoked in me.

It was with hope of giving my urban daughters a taste of that enthusiasm, a tangible connection to the earth, that I joined a community garden. To be honest, their level of participation in gardening has been less than I expected when I joined. But in the end, it has been a great experience for them and for me. They have picked cherries, strawberries, peaches, and currants that grow in the garden and are lucky enough to take for granted this access to truly fresh fruit. They have spent many summer evenings at the garden, sometimes offering help in my plot, more often mucking about with friends in the dirt, chopping compost, catching fireflies, and hiding mysterious objects in my plot.

My tiny carrots were disappointing; at the time it felt as if my experiment with gardening was a failure. With their memory, though, has grown recognition of a connection forged. This connection informed my decision to garden as an adult, and to share the joy of a garden with my daughters. If nothing else, I believe that this will foster their understanding that in fact the earth came first, and is underneath (and the foundation of) those concrete sidewalks they tread every day.

Laurie Benenson
I've slowly come to the realization that I've accumulated enough old cables, wires, plugs, and various digital gadgets to start a Radio Shack.

The only problem is, they're all obsolete. Take this charger, for example -- from a two-generations-ago cell phone. And what about this dear old Palm Pilot? We sure had some good times together. But now it's time to throw you away, old pal. You've been usurped by my Blackberry. Which will no doubt go on to be replaced by whatever is the next big thing in all-things-to-all-people technology. So the question is: how do I get rid of all this stuff?

Ideally, there should be a special trash container dedicated to recycling electronic waste, which would be emptied along with the other three categories of cans that we have: "regular" garbage, organic waste like grass and leaves, and recyclables like paper, plastic, glass and tin. Those three categories were devised long before the incredible glut of electronic gadgetry that we now have to contend with. So what about adding a fourth category?

It's time to recognize the realities: electronic disposal is a regular part of daily life. Until our municipalities get around to offering a house-to-house service, though, there is an excellent website you can consult to find out the nearest e-waste recycling center...

Kimberly Danek Pinkson, Founder of the EcoMom Alliance

The very first thing I ever bought my son was a cradle. I was rather superstitious and not planning to baby shop until I was at least six months pregnant, but as I left Whole Foods and drove by a second hand store with baby furniture in the window, I found myself pulling over and going in. I think it was the hormones driving because before that moment, I had never shopped in a thrift store, unless you count some of L.A.’s vintage boutiques as "thrift stores," but that’s a whole other snobby, semantic story.

Anyway, the first thing I saw was this cradle. Still in its box. Never opened. FSC certified, all natural wood. I felt a little guilty about the impulse buy, but it came home with me. And fittingly, thus began my shopping adventures as a green mom.

Turns out I had nothing to feel guilty about because six years later, I still have that cradle and just thinking about it makes me feel happy again. Plus, two of my nephews, as well as the babies of three dear friends, have all come to use it. With every “recycle” I put on new bedding and tie on new ribbons. It feels good to pass on the memories of my newborn son swaddled within, and it feels good to know that my purchase is being reused over and over. My point here is that going green is easier than you may think -- and in fact, you may already be making some green choices...

Janet Freisen Rienstra

As a busy and active mom, it is very important for me to make sure that my family and I live a healthy and well balanced life, not only for us but also for the environment. Around my house, we try to stick to a few simple guidelines that not only help save the environment, but energy and money too.

First and foremost, my son and I are vegans. We do not consume any animal products, and we eat foods that are as low as possible on the food chain. We don’t eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products -- rather, we eat soy cheese, soy yogurt, vegan burgers, etc. Many people have asked me why I chose to become a vegan, and the three main reasons are: to prevent animal cruelty, to sustain the environment, and to protect my personal health.

My family and I also recycle. In my house, it can be difficult at times trying to get everyone to do this... But to help, I placed recycling bins in various locations (not just the kitchen), which makes it easy and convenient for anyone to throw away things like plastic, glass bottles, metal, and paper and cardboard. I even posted signs on the recycle bins to show what is recyclable and what isn’t. This has really helped my family and me, and by simply recycling, we can save a lot!

Another way I conserve energy is by driving economical and affordable cars. Nowadays, we see people driving vehicles that are gas guzzlers and are extremely wasteful. By simply switching to an economical and affordable hybrid, we can save on gas money and help the environment. Personally, I have a two year-old and two dogs, and I drive a Ford Focus Hybrid.

Another simple way we conserve is by using ultra-violet light bulbs, which saves a lot of energy and money. We place these light bulbs in rooms such as the storage room and our workroom, which is often used for cleaning, ironing, and other projects. It isn’t the best lighting, but using these light bulbs means we are saving in areas that use a lot of energy but which people, like our guests or friends, normally don’t even see.

I also use newspaper bags to throw away my son's diapers. Instead of purchasing wasteful plastic bags, I simply reuse the bag that comes with our daily paper. Doing little simple things around the house can benefit everyone in the long run, and it is important to keep in mind that there are alternatives that can help save you money and make your home much more energy efficient.

Elizabeth Rogers, co-writer of The Green Book, The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet, One Simple Step at a Time

One of the biggest challenges I face as a mother comes in a strange shape and size. It is something that often keeps me up at night, and I have on many occasions tortured my seven-year-old son for not following my very specific directions about how to handle it. It is the dreaded PLASTIC BAGGIE.

Baggies in my house are a red flagged item. As a mother who is concerned about the environment, getting a shade greener every day (and raising a son who is obsessed with the environment), baggies take up a lot of airtime in our house. Why? Why do Baggies get this much attention? Well, it's simple.

I have almost perfected packing him a waste-free lunch. Every morning we wake up and pack a healthy organic lunch in his reusable, insulated lunch bag made from recycled plastic soda bottles, with the green frog print on it (now that is a product all moms must have). But every so often, my perfectly balanced (well, not really -- what mom has anything perfectly balanced?) waste-free lunch goes awry... when my son cries out for chips in his lunch.

If he wants chips, what do I put them in? I have everything else down to a science, and in my calculations I have figured out that in a year's time the average school lunch creates as much weight in waste as a nine-year-old child! So with this in mind, when the call for chips comes, I cringe, grab a baggie, and recite the following rules to my seven year old...

Tiffany Washko, NatureMoms.com
So what is “green” cleaning exactly? Green cleaning means using cleaning products that don’t endanger you, children, or the environment.

Many people use cleaning products throughout their homes without a thought or concern. They figure that if the product is widely available that it must be relatively safe for use. But these products contain all kinds of chemicals that can potentially be toxic, corrosive, flammable, or reactive. They can also cause serious health issues and environmental damage. Here are some examples of common chemicals found in conventional cleaning supplies:

• Formaldehyde
• Sodium Hypochlorite
• Hydrochloric Acid
• Petroleum Solvents
• Sodium Acid Sulfate

Some of the problems associated with these chemicals are skin irritations, nausea, headaches, nose bleeds, shortness of breath, burns, vomiting, kidney and liver damage, and exposure to carcinogens. Do you want to clean your home with chemicals that have the potential for that kind of damage? Certainly not...don’t take that chance.

These same chemicals also have the potential to harm the planet as well. When chemical cleaners go down the drain, most ingredients break down into harmless substances during treatment or soon afterward. Others, however, do not, and they threaten water quality or fish and other wildlife. Purchasing these mainstream cleaners can end up costing us quite a bit in the long run.

The best option for the health and safety of your family and the health of our planet is to use green cleaning items such as:

• Baking Soda
• White Vinegar
• Pure Castile Soap
• Lemons
• Vegetable Oil
• Essential Oils

Using the above ingredients you can make your own cleaners...

Michelle Bexelius, co-founder of GreenThisLife.com
Most older homes that are remodeled still have old, faulty wiring and need a professional electrician to re-wire them. Often times when we think of faulty wiring, we think the real danger is fires, but that's not so in every case.

I spoke to a mom at my son’s preschool and she told me this story:

In 1995 my son, Tyler, had an outlet next to his bed that had a power reading of 10.0. 'Normal,' or safe, readings should be 0.1-0.3. My husband and I did not even know what electrical magnetics were.

The same year our five year-old son became very ill. Doctors did not know what it was. Later, through many medical tests, it was discovered he had a tumor behind his neck, which was making him paralyzed from the neck down. Tyler also had a high temperature which would not go away (105 degrees). He was hospitalized for two weeks and he almost died. He was sick at home for three months with a visiting nurse giving him antibiotics through a catheter in his chest. Finally he pulled through and was well.

Later, through a friend, we found out about electrical magnetics in old wiring in homes and what it can do to the nervous system, especially in children. We had our house tested. Our outlets all measured very high. We had the whole house re-wired and now the house is safe. We talked to many doctors and came to the conclusion that too much electrical magnetics had gotten into our son’s body, which was the cause of his illness. Thanks, Patti.

Not only can electromagnetic fields be a health hazard, but eliminating them can help your home be more energy efficient. For more information such as how to test for EMFs (electro-magnetic fields), visit www.greenthislife.com.

Mary Isakson
I love the pithy eloquence of Farmer Hoggett’s famous line from the 1995 movie, Babe. It's an amusing theme that runs in the back of my mind, reminding me of the importance of avoiding wastefulness.

Every day while cooking, eating, shopping, commuting, and even relaxing, moms make hundreds of choices that involve balancing our families’ resources with consideration of our environment. It would be paralyzing to spend hours consciously deliberating each decision, of course -- so it makes sense to pick out key issues and train yourself to focus on them.

Non-biodegradable plastic bags are an easy and obvious target. Their use has proliferated wildly over the past twenty years. See, for example, this September 2, 2003 National Geographic News article regarding their impact on the environment, and efforts to promote reusable bags in their stead. A more current piece in the Christian Science Monitor also addresses efforts to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags. Even though I reuse my bags as garbage can liners, my family, left unchecked, can accumulate a phenomenal number of bags. I have lately been training myself to reduce the number of bags I bring home.

Certain retailers are helpful in this effort, most notably vendors in the farmers’ market who routinely ask, "Do you want a bag?" rather than automatically providing one. "No, Thanks," is my default answer. I try to only accept a bag when I truly need it, pressing my purse, a tote, or even my gym bag into service instead.

I have carried this lesson over to other stores, where retailers otherwise automatically bag every little item. "I don’t need a bag, thanks." I blurt out while paying, trying to say it quickly, before the clerk has grabbed a fresh bag from the rack.

A word of caution: Unload all totes promptly, lest you forget an item. I can tell you from experience that it is unpleasant to discover a banana in one’s jacket pocket a few days after a shopping trip. Never mind the time the juice container fermented.

Free access to non-biodegradable bags has helped to make them ubiquitous, promoting mindless consumption. It is easy to envision retail shopping without them; many of us can still remember the days before their use was common. Reusable alternatives are readily available. Developing the habit of carrying a tote is not a major inconvenience. It is an easy thing to say, with regard to the overuse of plastic shopping bags, "That’ll do."

Laurie Benenson
By now everyone has heard about the fabulous new compact fluorescent lightbulbs, which last about 10,000 hours, ten times longer than an ordinary incandescent lightbulb. We first discovered them at a hotel in New York a few years ago, and thought they gave off a hideous light, and had no desire to use them in our house. But that was then, and this is now.

I tried one in a lamp recently, and I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking -- the light is perfectly fine. Especially if you have a nice lampshade to soften the glow. Besides, the idea of saving $30 or more over the life of the bulb, per bulb, is a beautiful thing.

It's products like these new bulbs that give me hope that we may be able to reverse the tide in greenhouse gas emissions, which, of course, are responsible for global warming. It's the kind of modest change that everyone can afford to make -- in fact, you're wasting a lot of money if you don't make this change.

And there are other individual changes which, if made on a mass scale, could have a huge impact. If you can't drive a hybrid or biodiesel vehicle at this time, at least make sure your tires are properly inflated. You can improve fuel efficiency by 3.3% merely by checking to see that your tires are properly inflated! (Not to mention the fact that your vehicle will be a whole lot safer).

Another modest but highly impactful change that I've made is to reduce the ridiculous amount of energy used by appliances WHILE THE PRODUCTS ARE TURNED OFF! According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is used while the products are in "sleep mode" -- you know, when the little green light is on. You can stop this vampire-like theft of electricity either by unplugging the appliance, or using a power strip, and using the switch on the strip to cut all power to the appliance. And for heaven's sake, unplug your battery chargers when they're not being used.

Like I said, little things. The key is for everyone to enact small changes in their lives -- that's the way to make a difference.