The kids and I made this video over the last few days. It was easy putting together photos of garbage we've taken over the last year or two. At the time I took the photos, I didn't know if they would ever be used for anything. I was so happy to put them to use with my children telling the story. I hope you enjoy!
About Me
- World Surf Mama
- Growing up in Oregon, I constantly heard wise words from my mother like "lets recycle that," "you can walk," "don't use too much water," "whole wheat is better than white," "no dessert if you don't eat your vegetables," "dark lettuce is better for you than light," "paper over plastic," "don't leave anything behind" and so much more. Her healthy ways got me into many sports and helped turn me into a record-setting track athlete. In 2006, my mother lost a 3 year battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease; something nobody would have ever expected. That was right around the time I joined the Surfrider Foundation in San Diego and had my first child, whom she never met. Now 10 years have passed since losing my mother, yet volunteering for the Surfrider Foundation, and becoming a mother, I've noticed her words have come through clearer than ever. In addition to personal training and triathlon coaching, I have done some blogging to help our planet, and improve lives. I hope you enjoy my content, and join me in my journey for a cleaner planet and promoting happier, healthier lives!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Friday, June 27, 2014
Goodbye Plastic Bags!
Last night my kids and I handed out hundreds of free reusable bags (with other volunteers), compliments of the City of San Diego, and the Surfrider Foundation. Yep, we LOVE to volunteer for Surfrider, as their efforts always benefit the environment, particularly the world's oceans, waves, and beaches. We witness visible changes first-hand.
Can you imagine our excitement this night, watching hundreds of people walk out of the store using our cloth bags instead of plastic? A BIG thanks to VONS for supporting our efforts, for their employees' positive energy, their baggers politely assisting customers with the bags, and them happily taking bags for their own use. Yes, there were still plenty of excuses like "I don't need them," but the fact remains, plastic bags will soon be gone at check-out counters.
For those one or two out there that "don't believe in reusable bags," the fact is that before a city bans a bag, they do a detailed cost and environmental analysis. When cloth bags are re-used, they consistently come out ahead for cost and eco-friendliness. A big THANK YOU to anyone who is using reusables over plastics already. Here is more information on where bans have already taken place, and what to do if you'd like your city to join in!
For those one or two out there that "don't believe in reusable bags," the fact is that before a city bans a bag, they do a detailed cost and environmental analysis. When cloth bags are re-used, they consistently come out ahead for cost and eco-friendliness. A big THANK YOU to anyone who is using reusables over plastics already. Here is more information on where bans have already taken place, and what to do if you'd like your city to join in!
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Easy, Healthy Summer Yum!
Whole Fruit Popsicles!
Yes, these popsicles are 100% fruit, no added sugar, colors, water, or anything! What a great way to use up fruit or juice before it goes bad! If you're a fan of juicing, don't waste it, put it in some reusable popsicle trays and have it later. As for these multi-color popsicles, they are simply a layer of pureed strawberries, cantelope, kiwi, and blueberries. (I would have used mango instead of cantelope, but it wasn't ripe quite yet.)
Here's how I did it... Using a food processor or blender, puree about 1/2 cup of the fruit you want on the bottom (mine, strawberries.) Leave it a bit chunky so the top layers don't mix as easily. I used a food processor for easier cleaning.
Use a spatula to wipe the food off the sides and into the popsicle trays. If there's extra fruit, put it in a cup to make a smoothie later.
Puree the next fruit, and carefully pour over the bottom layer. Continue until you have all the layers you want.
Freeze overnight (or a few hours if during the day), and whalaahh!
Use a little warm water to soak the outsides of the trays to loosen the popsicles. Twisting also helps get them out.
I hope you enjoy! Have a wonderful summer!
Yes, these popsicles are 100% fruit, no added sugar, colors, water, or anything! What a great way to use up fruit or juice before it goes bad! If you're a fan of juicing, don't waste it, put it in some reusable popsicle trays and have it later. As for these multi-color popsicles, they are simply a layer of pureed strawberries, cantelope, kiwi, and blueberries. (I would have used mango instead of cantelope, but it wasn't ripe quite yet.)Here's how I did it... Using a food processor or blender, puree about 1/2 cup of the fruit you want on the bottom (mine, strawberries.) Leave it a bit chunky so the top layers don't mix as easily. I used a food processor for easier cleaning.
Use a spatula to wipe the food off the sides and into the popsicle trays. If there's extra fruit, put it in a cup to make a smoothie later.
Puree the next fruit, and carefully pour over the bottom layer. Continue until you have all the layers you want.I hope you enjoy! Have a wonderful summer!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Happy BABY, Happy Earth
I'm going to admit a horrible source of waste that I didn't stop until baby #2... DISPOSABLE DIAPERS! It is estimated that 1,375 Million diapers are used EVERY day, GROSS! With baby #2, I turned to Fuzzibunz cloth diapers. WHY not earlier? I'm still kicking myself, and it's one reason I'm trying so hard to be environmentally conscious now. I'll be honest, when I thought of cloth diapers, I thought of the old fashioned kind my mother used with fold-up cloth and pins. I didn't want to think about washing a mess in that? What changed my mind, (besides the disgusting thought of ALL those disposables going in our garbage bin) was the cost of disposables, and the sight of Fuzzibunz! I noticed that they were machine washable, they didn't have pins or any folding to do, and they were actually CUTE for babies to wear without having to cover! They're like the reusable swim diapers that I used with my son, but more absorbant! AND, my baby
LOVED them! They're softer than disposables! And of course, we saved hundreds of dollars plus kept thousands of diapers from ending up in landfills.
Now, I don't want anyone to read this and rule out all the other types of reusable diapers. There's hundreds of brands now and so many styles. There's so many reviews out on the "best" brands, but honestly, there's no best brand for every baby. Moms know that babies aren't all shaped with the same proportions, they don't all "go" the same quantity every time, and some messes are just so much messier than others. So, before I chose Fuzzibunz, I actually tried Thursties and a few other brands as well. I picked what worked best for my child and what was most tolerable for me. Had I tried on a different child, I may have chosen something completely different. Here are some other benefits of using cloth diapers:
-Less toxins against babies' skin
-May reduce diaper rashes
-Faster potty-training for some kids as they tend to feel wet easier and want dry
-Cloth feel makes easier transition to underwear
The most important thing to keep in mind, what we choose to diaper our baby with DOES have an environmental impact. Lets remind others of the economical savings and benefits for our children in addition to the environmental impact to help reduce waste on this planet.
 |
| Target Swim Diapers |
Now, I don't want anyone to read this and rule out all the other types of reusable diapers. There's hundreds of brands now and so many styles. There's so many reviews out on the "best" brands, but honestly, there's no best brand for every baby. Moms know that babies aren't all shaped with the same proportions, they don't all "go" the same quantity every time, and some messes are just so much messier than others. So, before I chose Fuzzibunz, I actually tried Thursties and a few other brands as well. I picked what worked best for my child and what was most tolerable for me. Had I tried on a different child, I may have chosen something completely different. Here are some other benefits of using cloth diapers:
-Less toxins against babies' skin
-May reduce diaper rashes
-Faster potty-training for some kids as they tend to feel wet easier and want dry-Cloth feel makes easier transition to underwear
The most important thing to keep in mind, what we choose to diaper our baby with DOES have an environmental impact. Lets remind others of the economical savings and benefits for our children in addition to the environmental impact to help reduce waste on this planet.
 |
| Fuzzibunz Saving Our Planet! |
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