Kimberly Danek Pinkson, Founder of the EcoMom Alliance

Sustainable: That which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

I came to the world of sustainability through my father, who worked with indigenous shamans the world over, and my Hungarian-born mother, who introduced my sister and I to global awareness. I always joke that when other kids were eating Twinkies and going to summer camps, we were eating organic papaya out of ceramic dishes, and going to Native American Sweat Lodge ceremonies.

I was always trying to save the rainforests, save the whales, save something. But this is not to say that I didn’t enjoy a day of shopping with my mom and going to brunch at Neiman Marcus. I just always wondered why the two worlds had to be disparate. So, quite naturally I became a bridge builder, looking for ways to bring ideas and people together in ways that would not happen otherwise.

It took becoming a mom though, for me to realize that I had to start taking more steps for a sustainable future. First it was just buying organic food. Then came the organic shampoos, conditioners and toothpastes. Eventually, it was organic cotton clothes and bed linens. And now, I’m the Founder and President of the EcoMom Alliance, an organization committed to inspiring and empowering moms to take "First Steps for A Sustainable Future." Funny how life happens isn’t it?

But what does sustainable mean and why is it important?

It means you matter. For thousands of years, indigenous people have known what contemporary science has now “proven.” We are all connected and what we drop into one “corner” of the ocean, impacts all of the other “corners” too...

Kimberly Danek Pinkson, Founder of the EcoMom Alliance

Yesterday my son came home from his first fishing trip with, yes, you guessed it, a fish. I was very excited and proud of him until I realized that I would have to help him clean it.

Native Americans talk about the web of life. How everything on this precious planet of ours is woven together just so. How it falls apart when we don’t walk in balance. I don’t eat meat very often, I am not a vegetarian anymore – gave it up during my pregnancy when my body seemed to scream out, "beef, beef, I want beef" – and I always talk about how important it is that kids grow up knowing where their food is coming from, but cutting off the fish’s head and cleaning out the guts? Ugghh, the things we go through in the name of raising children and walking our talk.

But I bucked up, asked Corbin to say a little prayer for the spirit of the fish that gave its life to him and then, we did the deed. And Corbin had him for dinner with garlic and lemon.

Thinking about this web of life is critical to shifting toward a greener lifestyle. As is realizing that this whole thing about trying to stop global warming, while noble and real, is not just about the planet. It is about you. Because sustaining your self, sustaining your home and sustaining your planet, it’s all connected. When push comes to shove, and the organic almonds at Trader Joes have gone up to $6.99 and the conventional almonds are only $3.99, what are you going to do? How much does climate change really mean then? How about your health?

Kimberly Danek Pinkson, Founder of the EcoMom Alliance

So here I am, out in the world talking about going green, but there’s my son, completely, irrevocably and 100% prime time in love with his sippy cup. His plastic sippy cup. The one that satisfies his midnight soymilk addiction.

As all moms know, plastics are unbreakable, lightweight, generally inexpensive and very convenient. And let’s face it, after the very first time you took your first baby out to run errands, convenience became a driving factor in many a decision (i.e. the midnight sippy cup).

However, the long-term price of convenience, when it means risking your child’s health, or his chance to swim in a clean lake, is not worth it. Plastics are extremely toxic for both your planet and your health. They are made from petroleum, a non-renewable, and mostly imported, resource. And all that great packaging? Imagine it in your local landfill.

The use of plastics in food storage and cooking has been linked to cancers, birth defects, poor brain/nervous system development and endocrine disruption, which, among other things, causes premature onset of secondary sex characteristics (early puberty). As if all that weren’t enough, plastic manufacturing and incineration creates air and water pollution that sends those chemicals right back into our rivers, soil, food chain, and then into your body. Not a pretty picture.

So what to do? Thanks to some forward thinking engineers, entrepreneurial moms and a few good old-fashioned options, there are alternatives to plastic that are both convenient and healthy...