With Earth Day and Earth Hour approaching soon, my mind has turned to protecting the environment. Not that I need much reminding. Ever since I read my daughter Dr. Seuss's environmental fable The Lorax, she's been telling me to turn off the water and not waste paper. I'm proud that she got the message of responsibility to our world but I'll tell you, sometimes it can be inconvenient!
Generally, I find that I can be environmentally friendly when I've got lots of time, but when I'm busy it can be hard to think globally. That's why I'm loving the wealth of new resources to help parents make green choices without spending ages researching a new product or initiative. There are many wonderful sites out there, but a few that caught my eye include:
- GoodGuide, whose scientists collect and analyze information from multiple databases to rate a variety of products according to the impact on health, the environment and society. This month, nearly 90,000 products will be rated on the site, which will be accessible through a free iPhone application. While shopping, you'll be able to check the karma of an item you're considering buying.
- Earth Hour, which is this Saturday, March 28, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. All participants will turn off their lights for a full hour as a call for world governments to act against global warming. The initiative aims to reach 1 billion people, up from 50 million who participated last year and 2.2 million in 2007.
- Treehugger.com, a compendium of all things green, from fashion to business. I particularly like the series of user-friendly articles on greening different parts of your daily life. (Including your sex life!)
Earth Day is April 22. How will you be spending the day? How will you involve your children?
For more on green parenting, visit the All About Parenting Blog Carnival for April, hosted by Heather Corley, the About.com Guide to baby products.
Photo credit: Pete Starman/Getty Images