Personal Project: The Poop on Cloth Diapering

My friend Michelle Gilbert was instrumental in helping me compile this blog.  She has been cloth diapering for years and has shared her entire experience with me.  I also finished reading the book, “Changing Diapers- the hip mom’s guide to modern cloth diapering” by Kelly Wels.  It was an excellent resource as well.

In my prior post I mentioned all the reasons why I plan to use cloth diapers.  For this post I will stick to the details.  All the information is a bit overwhelming, but definitely doable!  I was happy to find out that there is also a cloth-diapering store in Bloomington called the Green Nursery.  I am going to set up a gift registry there so that the products can be purchased locally. 

The book, as well as Michelle, continuously repeated what I am now calling my top 3 tips.

1.     Use disposables for the first few weeks. While newborns are super tiny, it's really hard to get a good enough fit with cloth that is going to contain all the newborn poo.  The baby’s first bowel movements consist of meconium, a sticky green-black substance present in the intestine before birth.  This can stain and even ruin cloth diapers.

2.     Sample 3 – 4 different brands and styles of diaper before making a large purchase.  Every diaper fits every baby differently, and you don’t want to get stuck with one brand when your baby does better with another.  There are trial packs you can use and return for nearly a full refund to determine what works best. 

3.     Start out with all-in-ones (AIOs) or pocket-style diapers.  They are the easiest to use and are most like disposables.  As you get more comfortable with the process, you can begin using prefolds and covers.

If you are like me and you read tip #3, you probably thought, what in the world is she talking about?  So, now begins the brief explanation of the various types of cloth diapers.  I am going to completely omit the discussion on the “old school” flat cloth diapers.  They are probably the most economical way to cloth diaper; but it’s not for us.  My husband would loose his mind. 

• All-in-ones (AIOs): these are the closest diapers to a disposable because they fit the baby like a disposable. The absorbency layer is sewn into the diaper, which can make it more convenient but they also take longer to dry after washing.

• Pocket diapers (pockets):  these have 3 layers; an outer waterproof shell, an attached inner liner (typically fleece), and a pocket layer where you stuff it with absorbent inserts.  The inserts are removed during washing, which allows you to wash and dry the diaper more efficiently.  These come in regular-sized or one-sized diapers.  One-sized diapers can be used longer and sized accordingly with snaps or adjustable elastic.

• All-in-two (AI2s)/Hybrids: these diapers are where the cloth and disposable diapers meet.  There is a cloth outer shell that is washable and reusable, but the inside is usually flushable or disposable.  They are typically the priciest option but are very convenient when cloth isn’t practical.  Many hybrid systems accommodate both disposable and reusable lines.

•  Prefolds/Fitted and covers:  Prefolds are flat sheets of fabric that have thicker layers of fabric sewn into the middle where the baby requires the most absorbency.  They are folded and fastened with a pen or simply stuffed inside a diaper cover.  Fitted diapers provide a contoured fit because they have elasticized legs and waste and have either Velcro or snap closures.  Both of these fit inside a diaper cover, which are used as the outer waterproof layer. Diaper covers come in a variety of fabric options and can fasten with snaps or Velcro.

Per suggestion number 2 on the “top 3 tips,” I plan to initially order the sampler pack to determine which diaper option is best for us.  There are also some required accessories that go along with cloth diapering.

• Liners - After they start having solids or are formula fed, the poo needs to be flushed down the toilet. Michelle suggested that I buy a yard of fleece from the local fabric store and cut it into approx 4"x10" strips. Then, place it on top of the prefold or diaper (right next to the baby’s bottom). If baby poos, it makes it much easier to just plop it in the toilet versus scraping it off the diaper itself.
• Wipes – It was recommended that we use cloth wipes instead of disposable (at least at home) because then you don't need a separate place to throw the wipes away. There are several places you can purchase the wipes, but I think I am just going to sew some myself using the same type of fabric as Quilter’s Nappies uses. http://hyenacart.com/QuiltersNappies/index.php?c=31&p=74035 Michelle suggested that I have a squirt bottle next to the wipes filled with water and a little baby soap to squirt it on the wipe and then clean the baby up.
• Wet bags/Pail liners – The book and Michelle both recommended purchasing 2 wet bags for when you're out and about.  They should have zippers to keep all the stink and wetness inside.  We should also purchase an 11-gallon trash can with a lid that can be lined with washable pail lines. They can be tossed into the washer with the wipes and diapers every 2-3 days.
• Diaper sprayer- it was suggested that the diaper sprayer is one of the best investments a cloth diapering mama can purchase.  The sprayer easily attaches to your toilet to enable you to rinse off ultra-poopy diapers over your toilet, not in your washing machine. Michelle also gave me a website with instructions of how to make a sprayer yourself!

With all this information I created my cloth diapering wish list.  Though there will definitely be a large initial investment, I will not have to purchase boxes and boxes of disposable diapers that will be around for my baby’s children to worry about!

1. 2 week supply of newborn baby diapers
2. Cloth diaper trial set
3. Cloth diapers (18-24) & diaper covers (6)
4. 36 Cloth wipes
5. Squirt bottle
6. Flushable Liners
7. 2 pail liners
8. 11 gallon trash can
9. 3 wet bags
10. Diaper sprayer
11. Cloth diaper detergent
12. 6 fleece liners
13. 6 natural fiber doublers for the nighttime
14. Cloth changing pad
15. Cloth diaper safe cream

My last favorite tip is related to stains on cloth diapers.  After washing the diaper you can lay them out in the sun to dry.  The sun actually bleaches out all the stains and leaves the diapers looking as good as new!  Oh, the magic of Mother Nature!

Personal Project - Baby Overload

Green baby research 101 is a bit overwhelming to say the least.  Often, I find myself sitting and thinking, what have I gotten myself into?  You live your life a certain way knowing certain choices you make in your life aren’t going to truly impact anyone but you.  For example, I may decide I’m just not in the mood to exercise or that there is nothing I would rather eat than a candy bar at that very second.  I go ahead and give into my desires, as we all do, knowing the personal consequences.  Well, this baby thing- it’s a different story.  Nearly everything I do right now is impacting another life.  I jokingly laugh and say, “I’m just a vessel.” But, it’s true and it carries with it a stress and worry like I have never experienced before.  Welcome to motherhood!

To put the anxiety I am experiencing to a good use, I began researching ratings and friends advice on some key books that will help guide my research.  And, I obtained some fabulous books!  Currently, I am half way through “Changing Diapers- the hip mom’s guide to modern cloth diapering” by Kelly Wels.  This book is the perfect size and seems to simplify all the complexities associated with cloth diapering.  I have also emailed some friends that use cloth diapers to solicit their advice for a new mom.  I intend to devote and entire blog to my research in this area once I complete the book.  After reading the first half of the book, I have no doubt that I will be using cloth diapers.  How could I use disposable after learning facts such as these?

•  A disposable diaper contains dioxin, sodium polyacrylate, dyes, fragrances, plastics, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, and dipentene.  The EPA considers dioxin to be a cancer-causing agent that can increase the risk of cancer even at low levels.  Sodium polyacrylate, which is the absorbent found in diapers that turns into a gel when wet, was removed from tampons in 1985 because of the chemical’s link to toxic shock syndrome (TSS).  Many of the other products found in diapers have been linked to allergies, irritation, diaper rash, and asthma.
• Time magazine reported that 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used each year in the US alone, and according to EPA estimates that translates into nearly 4 million tons of waste.  Disposable diapers can last up to 500 years in the common landfill.
• Every stage in manufacturing disposable diapers requires energy and produces waste.  It takes the energy found in a cup of oil to manufacture one disposable diaper.

I also purchased the book “The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet” by Karin Knight and Tina Ruggiero.  Flipping through the pages of this book made me really hungry.  I cannot wait to make many of the fabulous recipes.  I may bring baby food samples to class one day.  The third book I purchased is called, “The Eco-nomical Baby Guide” by Joy Hatch and Rebecca Kelley.  I can’t wait to read these.

In addition to my book purchasing hiatus, I have also had some wonderful eco-nomical breakthroughs. 

•  I put a call out to friends and family for used maternity cloths and baby items.  I have acquired 2 bags of maternity clothing, 1 bag of baby cloths, 1 bag of cloth liner inserts and an entire bedroom set (there is even a crib and changing table).  The best part is that I got it all for free!  Reuse at its finest!
• We have been installing a new dock at our house for the past month and after seeing the pile of scrap trex material we have left over, my husband decided we would make our baby’s first block set.  Once the dock is complete, the cutting will begin.
• Most exciting of all, my first “green” shower is planned for January.  Some friends of my mom wanted to host a shower for me.  I’m not being sarcastic when I say they are the type of people that are as far from “green” as it gets.  They drive fancy cars, live in fancy homes, and live that fancy lifestyle.  But, they are wonderful people.  They asked if I had a desired theme and I mentioned my goals for the baby.  Surprisingly, they were extremely excited about the “green” shower idea.  We are going to focus on reused, local, sustainable, organic, and ethically produced items!  They are even going to make recycled paper invitations and not use disposable plates and napkins.

As part of this project, I am also working to green my baby while it is in the womb.  The majority of the food I have been eating has been local and organic.  I no longer wear fancy deodorant and am sticking to Tom’s mercury free (I’m not going to lie, I think I smell like a hippy all the time!).  I’m trying to get regular exercise.  But, the part I’m failing at the most is regulating my stress load.  Working a nearly full time job and attending graduate school full time is wearing me out.  But, luckily I have the most amazing husband to help me out and keep me from going haywire!

And…so the project continues!

Creating a Bikeable Community

Transportation planning is one of my true passions, and it is what I have been working tirelessly on in Columbus for the past 7 years. This YouTube video portrays exactly why! Just as Pucher et al. (136) writes related to creating a boom in bicycling in America, “…the likely scenario is slow, painstaking progress…” Increasing alternative transportation is extremely difficult, but rewarding at the very same time.  In light of our readings this week (Transportation Planning and Traffic Management (Roseland) and Bicycling Renaissance in North America? (Pucher et al.)), I felt it would be useful to highlight the many things we are doing in Columbus in an effort to increase alternative modes of transportation.  Admittedly, we have not produced a “bicycling boom.”  However, we have experienced a noticeable growth in bicycle-use throughout the city.

Current Bicycle Use:  According to the 2000, U.S. Census, there is a total of 18,671 workers over the age of 16 in Columbus.  Of those workers, 300 (1.6%) walked and 238 (1.3%) used other means, including bicycling, to travel to and from their places of employment. This is in line with the national average of only about 1% (Pucher et al. 131).  Hopefully, the 2010 U.S. Census statistics show an increase in this number.

Climate:  As Pucher et al. (133) states, climate impacts cycling levels.  However, I would argue this point.  Take a look at the map.  One of the best-known bicycling countries is the Netherlands, and their climate is worse than Indiana.  Therefore, I would argue that this should not be a factor in the discussion.  Also, Columbus is relatively flat.  Bicycling as a mode of transportation is extremely feasible.  So, what have we been doing to shift our culture towards bicycling as a viable mode of travel?

Make all roads bikeable:

Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan:  In 2010, the City of Columbus adopted a Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan.  This plan acts as the single most important milestone for increasing biking and walking in Columbus and brings forth the importance of bicycle and pedestrian issues in the City.  The goals of the plan are to:

• expand the transportation options available in the community,
• increase opportunities for bicyclists and pedestrians to safely and efficiently commute and recreate by connecting parks, schools, shopping areas, employment centers, and other key destinations,
• distinguish Columbus as an active community with high quality lifestyle accommodations attractive to new residents and businesses,
• improve the community’s health and wellness,
• provide opportunities for tourism,
• establish regional bicycle connections, and
• provide environmentally‐friendly, sustainable transportation options that can improve the natural environment and serve to preserve natural areas 

Thoroughfare Plan:  In 2010, the City of Columbus also adopted a new Thoroughfare Plan.  The plan has been identified as one of the four local Complete Streets policies in Indiana.  The Thoroughfare Plan ensures the streets are designed and operated to ensure safe access for all users (bicyclists, pedestrians, motorists, transit users, and users of all ages and abilities). 

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Comprehensive Plan: In 2011 the City of Columbus began work on a SRTS planning project involving 9 area elementary and middle schools.  The effort is ongoing and is being led by the community’s SRTS committee - a partnership of local government, the local school corporation and the Healthy Communities Initiative.  This planning project focuses on the improvement of the 5 Es- evaluation, engineering, education, encouragement and enforcement in an effort to increase the number of children walking and biking to school. The SRTS Comprehensive Plan will be completed before the end of 2011.

Columbus Vision 2020:  Adopted in 2009, Vision 2020 is a strategic development plan for development in downtown Columbus.  The plan focuses on amateur sports and recreation, learning and culture, dining and entertainment, living, and shopping in an effort to reinvigorate the downtown and improve the quality of life for residents of Columbus.  Creating a dense area in the heart of Columbus provides a destination within a short bike ride of many of the local residents.

Expand bicycle facilities:

Bicycle Infrastructure: Spurred by the adoption of the various policies in Columbus, within the past 3 years there has been a spike in bicycle Infrastructure projects around the City.  Some of the projects include the installation of the City’s first bike lanes, the completion of the 2.2-mile Owen’s Bend Trail, the painting of bike lanes on excessively wide streets, the addition of new sidepaths to form important connections throughout the City, the creation of safe crossings and intersections, as well as others.  Improvement of the transportation infrastructure to include bicycle and pedestrian accommodations is critical to increasing the number of bicyclists and pedestrians in the community.

Bicycle Parking: In 2009, we began installing custom “C” bike racks as way to increase bike parking throughout the City.  To date we have installed nearly 200 “C” bike racks as well as many other standard bike racks throughout Bartholomew County.  Bike parking spaces are now required with new or renovated development as part of zoning ordinance for the City.  For 2-bike parking units are required for 26-250 vehicle parking spaces required and 4-bike parking spaces are required for vehicle parking spaces over 250.

Link cycling to wellness:

Obesity Prevention:  My grant funded position as the Community Initiatives Lead for Reach Healthy Communities is directly related to the concept of linking cycling to wellness.  Reach is a two-year obesity prevention initiative in Bartholomew County funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant. Increasing active transportation in the county is one way we hope to reduce the obesity epidemic.  Focusing on bicycling as an alternative mode of transportation allows us to integrate routine physical activity into people’s travel to work and to school as well as routine errands around the community.

Hold special promotions:

Columbus by Bike Map:  Historically, Columbus has focused on the People Trail systems as the main transportation network related to walking and biking. This is not adequate when trying to increase alternative modes of travel.  It is important to recognize that each street is a system of inter-related components serving a wide variety of users.  In order to get from one place to another, residents need to understand how to get around and what routes are most ideal for bicycle use.  Therefore, we are developing a “Columbus by Bike” Map highlighting the existing bicycle infrastructure as well as streets to use and streets to avoid when commuting around the city.  The map will be completed in 2011.

Columbus Bike Co-op:  Founded in 2008, the Bike Co-op exists to provide a space for community members to learn about and maintain their bicycles.  Classes, tools, parts, bikes, and workspaces are available for free or a very low cost.  Bike aficionados with knowledge of bike mechanics, safety, skills and routes are there to help during open hours.  The Earn-a-Bike program sponsored by the Co-op is a work-trade program from anyone in the community who wants to bike on their own.  Participants pick out a bike, learn how to refurbish, repair, maintain and customize it to make it their own.  After completing a set amount of volunteer hours, the participant received the bike for free!

Commit to Commute Program: Participants set their own goal for how many miles they thought they would ride between May 1 and October 31 and then logged their miles at Green Light Ride. We provided monthly drawings for prizes to anyone that logged their miles that month, and final prizes will be awarded for most miles and most trips. So far, 65 participants have logged approximately 14,000 miles.  This is extremely impressive when you think Roseland (120) boasted that, “Thurston County, Washington State Bicycle Commuter Contest, in 1999 had 574 participants ride a total of nearly 15,000 miles.”  We blew them out of the water!  The data from the challenge will be used to help with our advocacy.  A Winter Challenge is beginning on November 1 and running until the end of March.

Bike-In Movie:  Partnering with our local movie theater, YES Cinema, we will be hosting our first bike-in movie on November 5^th.  Anyone that bikes to the event and has their helmet with them can attend the showing of “Breaking Away” for free!

Bike to Work Week: As an element of Bike to Work Week, for the past 6 years Columbus residents have been riding to work with the Mayor.  Often, all it takes is one time to discover the ease and enjoyment related to riding your bike to work or school.  This event encourages people to experience the morning commute through new eyes!

Architecture Tour by Bike:  We are partnering with our local Visitors Center and bicycle shops to develop an architecture tour by bike.  The route will target local residents and visitors that would like to experience the architecture in Columbus by bicycle rather than tour bus.  We will be piloting our first tour this spring.

Bike Share Program at IUPUC: A meeting is schedule for next week to begin exploring the options for a bike share program at our local university, IUPUC (Indiana University-Purdue University-Columbus).  The bike share program will provide free or affordable access to bicycles for students to allow for an alternative mode of travel and exercise, which will increase the health of the student population as well as reduce traffic congestion, noise, and air pollution.

Clarify cyclists’ rights:

Safety Programs:  The Reach Healthy Communities grant has allowed us to offer free helmets and bike lights to many residents of the community.  We have also partnered with the local safe routes to schools committee and Boy Scout troops to host multiple bike rodeos and the local bike co-op to host educational classes that range from bike repairs to tips for winter bicycling.

Bike Lane Educational Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfPUj3ExpiA In 2011, Columbus striped the first bike lanes on 17^th Street.  As an effort to educate bicyclists and motorists about the bike lanes, we produced a video.  This video has been distributed to various locations around the community such as the schools, driver’s education centers, bus stations, and bike co-op.  It has also been posted on the webpage of the City of Columbus, Reach Healthy Communities, the Republic (our local newspaper), the Visitors Center, and YouTube.

Broaden and intensify political action:

Bicycle Friendly Community Application:  Columbus is working on an application to become a Bicycle Friendly Community.  The League of American Bicyclists created the Bicycle Friendly Community (http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/communities/) designations as a way to inspire communities to improve conditions and opportunities for bicycling by providing well-engineered bicycle facilities, creating new places to ride, educating motorists and cyclists on the rules of the road, and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation. The program focuses on 5 E’s: engineering, education, enforcement, and evaluation and planning.  Currently, only 5 cities in Indiana have received this designation:  Bloomington (silver) and Carmel, Indianapolis, South Bend (bronze) and Goshen (bronze).  Our hope is the prospect of becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community will broaden and intensify political action.

In Conclusion:

We have come a long way the last few years!  But, there are still some distinct areas where we need improvement such as incentivizing bicycle commuting and increasing the cost of automobile use and parking, bicyclist and motorist educational programs, linking the bus transportation system with bicycle and pedestrian commuter routes, as well as others.  And, so the “slow, painstaking progress” will continue.  Truth be told, I love the progress and have the best job in the world!!!

Solar Panel Woes

Roseland overviews many projects and initiatives throughout his book, which definitely help to demonstrate the various sustainability tools and initiatives that have been implemented throughout the world.  However, I often wonder if the various programs still exist and/or met the goals they were aspiring to meet.  In the chapter on energy efficiency and renewables, Roseland (97) highlights the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technology Program (SETP) program, the Million Solar Roofs Initiative (MSRI).  

Sadly, the goal of installing 1,000,000 new solar energy systems in the United States by 2010 was never achieved.  The program concluded in 2006.  MSRI included 971 partners nationwide that constitute advocates who are schooled in the technologies and knowledgeable about their local and regional markets. However, the program did boast the following successes:

• 94 coalitions across the country signed on with the DOE as official MSR partners. These partnerships comprised 971 private sector firms, electric utilities, builder-developers, nonprofit organizations, and governmental entities.
• The installation of the equivalent of more than 377,000 solar water heating, photovoltaics (PV), and solar pool heating systems (approximately 47,000/year).  This is a little of 1/3^rd of their initial goal, however the program was ended 4 years early.
• The installation of 200 megawatts (MW) of grid-connected photovoltaic capacity and 200 MWth of solar water heating capacity.
• A dramatic growth in PV technology acceptance, from 8% of solar installations in 1997 to 41% in 2005.
• The calculation of the economic and environmental benefits that resulted from grid-connected PV installed between 1997 and 2005, which included:
• A health benefit savings of $90 million
• Decreased CO2 emissions of 3.3 million tons
• Cumulative GNP increase of $1.6−$2.6 billion (depending on installed cost, which ranged from $8–$10/Watt)
• MSR conducted more than 26 peer exchange workshops, attended by more than 650 people.  More than 79% of MSR’s partners attended at least one workshop. Between 2003 and 2005, some 910 people participated in 10 interactive telephone seminars.

Though the goal was not reached, the program did seem to have a positive impact.  However, I felt the last bullet related to the number of people impacted was extremely weak.  When you break the number down to a yearly value considering the program was in existence for 8 years, only 195 people were impacted by the workshops.  Maybe the program could have used a bit of the social marketing advice we have been learning about.  If those techniques were used the program may have come closer to meeting its goal.

Along the lines of solar panels, I also wanted touch on the City of Boulder’s Solar Access Ordinance (Roseland 91).  When I read that this ordinance guarantees access to sunlight for homeowners and renters in the city by setting limits on the amount of permitted shading by new construction.  I immediately thought about how trees are impacted by solar panels.  Check this out to see about the benefits of different tree plantings around your home.  For example, shade trees planted on the east and west side of your home can reduce your cooling costs by 15-35%.  So, you gain the benefits of the solar power on your home but in turn you loose the benefits of your nearby trees.  

In 2008, the first court case related to this exact issue came about in Sunnyvale, CA.  A man filed charges against his neighbors because their towering redwoods blocked sunlight to his backyard solar panels.  The neighbor was forced to cut down their redwoods because of an obscure state law that protects a homeowner’s right to sunlight.  When did it become a crime to grow a shade tree?  Personally, I always thought of it as a huge benefit that we needed to see planted more often.  

Oh the woes of sustainability!

Personal Project - Shifting from Chickens to Babies

Last night, I finally came to a conclusion about something that I have been pondering for weeks- I need to change my personal project.  Seriously, deep inside this breaks my heart because I have done quite a bit of research and was really excited about the idea of pursuing backyard chickens.  However, I'm finally beginning to grasp the reality that my life is about to change..and change in a huge way.  

My husband and I are expecting a baby in mid March!  Until last night it hadn't really hit me, but the greatest way I can have a positive impact on our planet at this time in my life is to figure out how to green this baby.  I told my husband, Clint, about this idea and he said, “oh no, does this mean we are going to have to eat lots of green food coloring resulting in a green baby that looks like an umpa lumpa?” Seriously though, umpa lumpas are kind of creepy!

So, what caused the shift?

1.  My Focus.

                  I’ve been researching and reading about backyard chickens truthfully for over a year now.  I love the idea and plan to acquire chickens in the future.  One thing I have discovered is Fall is not the time to begin raising chickens, that should happen in the Spring.  After finding out the wonderful news, I’ve lost my chicken focus!  Now, while I’m reading anything I’m thinking about how I wish I could spend that time educating myself about this wild, unknown, and exciting life ahead.  So, instead of chickens, we will be welcoming a new baby into this world. It is up to us, as responsible parents to figure out how to raise this baby to become the best it can be.  We have a huge opportunity to impact the future in a positive way.   Most importantly, we don’t want the birth of our baby to have a negative impact on his/her life, health, and future, which leads to my next points.

2. Waste

                  Babies link directly with this weeks reading on waste. When I think of baby waste, I immediately think of diapers!  Did you know that 80% of the diaperings in the US are done with disposables accounting for 18,000,000,000 diapers a year?  This adds up to 82,000 tons of plastic and 1,300,000 tons of wood pulp (250,000 trees). There are also environmental impacts associated with cloth diapers.  And, diapers are just the tip of the waste pyramid associated with babies.  My goal of the semester will be to understand this waste pyramid and do everything possible to ensure our baby doesn’t have much of a waste pyramid at all!

3.  Our Consumerist Kids

                  Last night we attended our cousin, Luke’s 4^th birthday party.  The first thing Luke said when he saw us was, “did you bring me a present?”  In my head I thought, nope we didn’t bring you a present because in reality you will play with that new plastic toy for approximately 30 minutes and then set it aside to probably never playing with it again.  And, the realistic thought is that the toy will probably break within the first 30 minutes and end up in the local landfill.  The best scenario for the fun new toy is that it may end up re-gifted, sold in a garage sale, or donated to Good Will.  We can’t blame Luke for his response, he is an American child and many American children were raised this way.  But, this is not how we want to raise our child. 

                  This idea of the consumerist child begins at the very beginning- with the baby shower. We fill a baby’s nursery with cloths, toys, gadgets, and a whole lot of stuff before the baby even arrives.  Does a newborn really need 50 stuffed animals to decorate his/her room?  Probably not.  But, what is it that a newborn really does need?  Of the stuff the baby needs, what are the best options?  And, what type of sustainability footprint does the “best” carry? 

4. Life with a baby

                  We have a lot to learn over the next 5 months!  Each day it seems like my list grows and grows.  As of today, some of the topics I know for sure I want to dive into this semester are below and I’m sure this list change and grow.

• Greening our baby showers
• Cloth diapers
• Breast feeding
• Baby food cook book
• Toy substitutes

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and contacts are all greatly appreciated!!!