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Trees and the Environment {With Infographic}

February 11, 2017 by Emilee Evans

Did you know that one tree keeps a family of four alive for one year? Many of us do appreciate trees, but sometimes we can forget just how important they are in our lives. 20 million new trees would provide us with 260 million tons of oxygen and remove 10 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. When we cut down our trees, we are removing the air we breathe.
Not only do trees help us breathe but they also help us to relax, lower our heart rates, and reduce stress. Interestingly, hospital patients with a view of trees from their hospital beds, spend 8% fewer days in hospital.
In urban areas, people are particularly vulnerable to a poor quality of air because of the lack of trees, and this can have an extremely detrimental effect on our health. Moreover, cities by their nature are noisy and trees can block urban noise almost as effectively as stone walls and provide cooling and shading on hot days. Trees can even absorb pollutants and turn them into less harmful forms.
Many important products come from trees including vitamins, toothpaste, and certain medicines but it’s important to ensure that trees are not cut down without careful consideration. Trees live for a long time and the oldest tree in the world is in Sweden and is 9,558 years. The tallest tree in the world stands at a magnificent 397.7 ft. while the smallest tree is only between 1-6 cm in height but, of course, still produces plenty of oxygen for us. Neat, right? It’s important to remember just how unique and powerful every tree we cut down is.

Benefits of Trees

Check out this infographic from Capital Garden Services for more information on the importance of trees in the environment. I hope you find it as interesting as I do. It’s also a great infographic to share with your kids for an impromtu science lesson or just for an educational discussion!
Benefits of Trees - Trees and the Environment
 

That "Crunchy Lady"

November 2, 2013 by Emilee Evans

Isn’t it amazing how much we grow and change through the years – and how situations cause us to look at a new perspective, which initiates changes as it is in my case. If you would have told me 7 years ago that I would be shopping for natural and organic products and scrutinizing ingredients so closely, and that I would go from parenting a child that was formula fed (though I did attempt to breastfeed), disposable diapers (the “non eco-friendly” kind), hardly any wearing time (if at all), fully vaccinated, to our last child being breastfed up until he was 2 1/2, cloth diapered until 2 1/2 (then switched to eco-friendly disposable diapers), worn until he was over age 2 as well, and no longer vaccinated (any of our children) I probably would have laughed.
Baby Wearing
It’s not that I was against those things from the beginning. In fact, I’m still very much a supporter of doing what is best for your family. I don’t think anyone is a “bad parent” because they choose differently. Of course, my husband having cancer twice and our children being diagnosed with special needs as well as my medical issues caused me to look at everything with a new perspective.
Attachment parenting came before his diagnosis out of our last two children’s needs to have that constant contact. It’s what they needed, and my instincts kicked in to parent them the way they needed. Cloth diapers just came because they were more affordable, and I could make my own! I honestly didn’t even think of the environmental impact at first. The “eco-friendly” turning point came when my husband got cancer. He was 25 and healthy. He didn’t have any specific risk factor like a family history.
That is actually why I started Pea of Sweetness – to not only share the products I make (yes, it was originally *just* a shop!), but to share everything I had been learning about products – both good and bad. (I share all that information in our About Us if you haven’t had a chance to read our story!) I continue to learn more and more, and it is my passion to continue to share it. It’s a journey, and I’m not even “there” yet.
Yet I never pictured myself to be where I am! As I was shopping at Kroger the other day I am carefully reading ingredients. The kids were out of vitamins, and their selection was slim. Most of them were the kind that are full of food dyes and other questionable ingredients. So I’m reading bottles and putting them right back on the shelf. Soon my older two kids start joining my thoughts saying “Oh, that one probably has food dyes.” LOL We eventually found one that was OK, but I can’t help but think of the people walking by with a raised eyebrow as the kids and I are talking about food dyes. They are 7 and 5!
We moved on to the body care aisle because I needed shampoo. I knew I probably wouldn’t find exactly what I was looking for, but I was hoping to find something that was at least free of ingredients on my “ban list.” Once again, I was reading all the ingredients and putting bottles right back on the shelf. My husband picked one up and said “This one says Organix.”
“Yeah, I looked at that, but it has a Formaldehyde releasing agent.”
“What? It says ‘Organix!;”
“Clever marketing, huh?”
More funny looks. Then I thought about it – am I that “Crunchy Lady?” You know, the way I thought about people before I “got it.” I didn’t think of it as a positive word like I do now – it’s actually why I’ve avoided the word. I feel like I’m so new on the eco-friendly journey still, but why not? I’m happy to be the “Crunchy Lady!”
Sometimes I feel I need to explain WHY I am so particular about ingredients, but why should I? If somebody overhears me and actually gets over their initial thoughts, they might actually start to think about what they’re using, and isn’t that what I want? I want people to not HAVE to go through what our family went through. 90% of cancer has environmental causes. That means what I’m saying and living is important! REALLY important! I don’t want another family to feel the pain we felt, and if I walk through a store and get funny looks but one person actually thinks about what I said – it’s worth it. It matters.
Crunchy
It’s why I share on here, too. Because it matters. So the next time I go to the store and get funny looks when I’m talking about ingredients I’ll smile knowing I’m that “Crunchy Lady.”
 
 

DIY isn't Always "Natural"

April 27, 2013 by Emilee Evans

When Earth Day comes it seems a slew of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects come with it. The common misconception that DIY projects are natural and eco-friendly comes along with it, too. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE DIY projects! I think they’re awesome! They most definitely save money! But are they better for you, your family, or the environment? They surely can be! The problem is, although we are raising more eco-awareness this time of year not everybody catches on immediately. We all know “going green” is a journey! So I wanted to share this common misconception and how to make sure your DIY projects ARE eco-friendly (and better for your family)!
DIY isn't Natural
The common misconception is this: if I make it at home it is eco-friendly, free of chemicals, good for my family, etc. Again this CAN be true, but I see many that are NOT! I cringe when I see “I feel good about making it at home because I know exactly what is in it and know it’s free of nasty chemicals.” Yet one (or more) of the INGREDIENTS they use to make it contain, you guessed it, synthetic ingredients and/or nasty chemicals!
So, the ultimate question is: Do you REALLY know what’s in it? You can say it contains x, y, and z, but can you tell me what’s IN x, y, and z? This is where the problem lies. People don’t know what’s in their ingredients! Many don’t even question it because they feel “safe” seeing the recipes for it everywhere and assume it must be “good.” I encourage you to ALWAYS CHECK EVERY INGREDIENT.
I want to share 2 common DIY projects that I’ve seen COULD be eco-friendly and good for your family that “go bad” because synthetic ingredients are used instead of natural ingredients.
Homemade laundry detergent
This is, by far, the most common one I see. Making your own laundry detergent is awesome! It saves money and can potentially be better for the environment and your family if you carefully consider the ingredients. The most common recipe I see floating around online and on Pinterest uses Fels Naptha. Even being ingredient conscious myself I still picked some up without reading the label.
Well, I got quite the shock to read the label and not only see it has synthetic ingredients (artificial colors and fragrance), but it also carries a warning as a skin irritant! Some of the other ingredients are also rated as a “moderate hazard” by the Environmental Working Group. Would you still feel “good” about using it on your clothes? I surely didn’t!
It was also recently discovered that Borax isn’t healthy, either! This was a big shock to me because up until now I thought it was considered a “safe, eco-friendly” ingredient. It now gets an “F” by EWG! I found an article written on Mother Earth News with more details. I was still using Borax until I read this a couple of days ago but had already counted Fels Naptha out.
My recipe was: 2 cups of Borax, 2 cups of Wash Soda, and a finely grated natural bar of soap. I use Dr. Bronner’s, but you can use any natural soap. Now I will be trying the same recipe minus the Borax – so just the Wash Soda and Dr. Bronner’s soap. I can’t attest to how it works yet, but I will share when I’ve used it!
*Update 9/10/2013: I have been using the recipe of just the Wash Soda and Dr. Bronner’s Soap, and that has been working well for us!*
Homemade bath and body products
Again, this is something that has the potential to be amazing, but again you MUST KNOW YOUR INGREDIENTS. I purchased a lovely sugar scrub at a flea market after verifying it was natural. She assured me it was, and I was SO impressed at the scent that I spent a lot of time pondering how she got the right mix of essential oils to make a “popular” scent. Then it dawned on me – it was probably made with “fragrance oils,” NOT essential oils. So, I verified my suspicion and was disappointed to find out I was right.
Fragrance oils are synthetic. They’re so commonly confused with being “natural” because they’re an oil. They’re NOT natural. Any time you see the word “fragrance” you should exercise caution. If you want to be very cautious you should just avoid “fragrance.” Not only are fragrance oils synthetic many times multiple chemicals can be packed into the word “fragrance” as it doesn’t require full disclosure what makes up the “fragrance” here in the US. So, if you’re making bath and body products at home be sure to avoid fragrance oils and use essential oils instead – which also have other added benefits!
To Sum it Up
DIY projects can be absolutely amazing and save you money. They can also be good for the environment as well as your family – if you’re careful what you are using. When you see a DIY recipe you want to try CHECK THE INGREDIENTS FIRST! If after research you find there is an ingredient that isn’t eco-friendly or natural do some MORE research for a suitable, eco-friendly alternative!
As you may know, my husband had cancer twice, I have medical issues, and all three of our kids have special needs. That is what started our eco-friendly journey, and there has been A LOT to learn along the way! I’m still learning every day (hence I need a new laundry detergent recipe!), but there ARE eco-friendly options out there, and it’s worth it to protect the health of your family (and the environment)! So, I encourage you to question DIY recipes that may be mistaken for being eco-friendly or good for your family and make sure you know all ingredients. Then you can say “I know exactly what’s going into it” with confidence!
 
 

Ecoditty Giveaway (ends 10/3)

September 20, 2012 by Emilee Evans

Welcome to the Ecoditty Giveaway!

I love reusable products because they save us in both waste and money! Ecoditty has some really cute bags! This is a great giveaway!

Review by Giveaway Host Mommy Lesson Plans

As a parent, I am always thinking about how I would change things if I could. For example, I would install a stop sign at that one corner that scares the death about of me. Or, I would monitor the playground during recess. Whatever it takes to keep my children safe. Well, the creator of the Ecoditty is a mom like me. She discovered that her child as allergic to PVC plastic, making it hard to send lunch to school in baggies so she made baggies that were made out of fabric.

The company sent me a snackditty, which measures 6 x 4 inches and had a velcro closure. It is made of 100% Organic Cotton fabrics and is printed with low-impact inks and dyes. I like this because it is Eco-friendly, as well as safer for the body. When you close the bag, it is deigned so that a little of it folds and keeps the little snacks in the bag. My snackditty is a little too girlie for me to use in my sons’ lunch. So, I decided that it was perfect for me to carry snacks in the diaper bag. Snack-ditty™ was awarded the iParenting Media Award – 2010 Best Products

This event would not become possible without the participation of these amazing co-hosts: Giveaway Gatorfollow , Couponing with Integrity, and Pea of Sweetness
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to entrant 18 years of age or older, except where prohibited by law. US residents only. No purchase is necessary to enter. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received. To qualify to win, you must complete, at minimum, one entry on the Rafflecopter form. The winner will be randomly chosen by Rafflecopter. Winners will be notified by email from Mommy Lesson Plans. Winners will have 72 hours to respond or risk forfeiting their prize. Prize may re-awarded solely by the Sponsor’s discretion. Prize fulfillment is the sole responsibility of the sponsor. Pea of Sweetness may not be held liable for Sponsors who do not fulfill prize shipments. Mommy Lesson Plans was not compensated for this post. I reserve the right to publicly publish winners’ names. By entering this giveaway, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.

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