Ecological Responsibility and Love of Nature
Families strive to reduce their ecological footprint by living consciously and making Earth-friendly choices, such as by choosing organic when possible, using cloth diapers or practicing elimination communication, supporting local economies, and so forth. Parents may choose to find toys and clothing made of natural fibers and materials. Families spend quality time outside enjoying the natural world.
To learn more about ecological responsibility and love of nature, take a look at the resources below. If you have specific questions about this category or know of additional resources that should be on our list, please contact us.
Ecological Responsibility Resources Topic List
Choosing Organic and/or Local Products
Cloth Diapering
Elimination Communication and Natural Infant Hygiene
Enjoying Nature
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Learning About Ecological Responsibility
Choosing Organic and/or Local Products
- Why Buy Organic?: A short video on why buying organic food is more desirable.
- Top 10 Reasons to Buy Organic and Sustainably-Produced Products: Georgia Organics offers 10 logical reasons to buy organic.
- Top 10 Reasons to Buy from Local Sustainable Farms: Georgia Organics gives us 10 reasons to buy from local farmers.
- Happy Hippie Eco-Friendly Retail Directory: A great site to check out if you’re looking for places to shop for cloth diapers, organic clothing, bedding, bath products, and eco-friendly toys.
- Sustainable Table: This site gives many great reasons for buying local food as well as some tips for how to go about doing so.
- How to Buy Local, by FoodRoutes: This site offers a few different links that can help you figure out how to buy local in your area!
- GreenEdge Kids Organic Children’s Clothes: A great resource for shopping for designer organic clothing for children. This site includes links for many different brands.
- Organic Kids Clothing: Another resource for your organic shopping needs. This site has many cute organic clothing options for babies and children.
- Local Harvest: Want to buy local and organic, but aren’t sure where to start? This website offers a resource where you can search for exactly what you need and where you’d like to find it! A great website for those who have recently moved or have decided to start shopping differently.
Cloth Diapering
- The Diaper Jungle: The amount of cloth diaper info is amazing. This site contains articles that explain EVERYTHING from cloth diaper terminology to how to store and wash cloth diapers, including a really good list of which soaps are best for cloth diapers. Also included in this fabulous site are a multitude of articles ranging from cloth diaper reviews to diaper sewing information and how to make money as a work at home mom. This is a good place to go once a person decides they want to use cloth diapers.
- The Diaper Pin: This page provides a good list of what you need to get started with cloth diapering as well as some good washing and care tips. They also have a link on the left side of the page that allows you to compare the cost of cloth to the cost of disposable diapers. There are also a large list of articles that help support the choice to cloth diaper, such as “The Top Ten Reasons to Cloth Diaper” and “The Ten Myths of Cloth Diapers.”
- The Health Wyze Report: This article is for those parents looking for health reasons to cloth diaper. They explain how the dioxins and other chemicals used in disposable diapers adversely affect babies. It is a real eye opener.
- I Heart Fluff: This site offers a great deal of information including Cloth Diapering 101, Resources, and where to buy cloth diapers. The Cloth Diapering 101 contains links to pages that explain the different types of cloth, how to wash, how to get started, and good tips on how to use cloth on a budget. This is a great site to start at when looking into using cloth diapers.
- The New Parents Guide: This page gives an unbiased look at the debate between cloth and disposable diapers. It includes some really good statistics about the waste created by disposable diapers. It covers skin and health care concerns, cost, environmental impact and convenience.
- Real Diaper Industry: This site provides excellent washing instructions for all types of cloth diapers. They also provides the “Detergent Determinator” which tells you which soaps are good or bad for cloth diapers and why. Good lists for diaper services and cloth friendly day-cares are also provided as links on the home page.
- Real Diaper Association: This organization provides support and education to parents all across North America for the use of simple, reusable cloth diapers.
- Detergent Choices: A breakdown of the pros and cons of most name-brand detergents and how they affect cloth diapers, from Pinstripes and Polka Dots.
- Folding a Prefold: There is more than one way to fold your prefold, get instructions on the “newspaper fold,” the “jellyroll,” the “angel wing fold,” and the “bikini twist” at Karen’s Cloth Diapering Site.
- Choosing and Using a Diaper Rash Cream: which creams are the best for cloth? Read about some of the choices at Pinstripes and Polka Dots.
Elimination Communication (EC) or Natural Infant Hygiene
- Diaper Free Baby: A non-profit organization founded by Melinda Rothstein and Rachel Milgroom that “provides additional practical information as well as links to other resources, including resources for families in countries other than the U.S. “Their international network includes “local groups and mentors in over 35 states and 11 countries. Any interested parent or caregiver is welcome to attend [their] free support meetings.” Becoming a member gives you access to their quarterly online newsletter and a 10% discount on most items in the DiaperFreeBaby Shop.
- Infant Potty Training: Goes beyond the basics of EC and explores the benefits of this method as well as examining how the medical establishment views EC. This site also includes a web ring to additional sites and a member message board.
- Infant Potty Training and Attachment Parenting by Laurie Bouke: This article at KellyMom.com links elimination communication to the sixth “B” of Attachment Parenting– Bladder/Bowel communication and learning, and gives a brief overview of elimination communication.
- Late Starters: Starting with Babies 6 Months or Older, Laurie Boucke: Tips and tricks for how to do elimination communication for older babies and toddlers.
- The Potty Whisperer: This is a great how-to guide for elimination communication including how to get started, resource links for additional info and supplies, and starting EC past infancy.
Enjoying Nature
- Nature for Kids: A website featuring ideas and tips on enjoying the outdoors with your children.
- Pathways to Nature for Kids: Features activities, places to go, birds of the month, and other links to information about enjoying nature with kids.
- Going Wild: How to Enjoy Nature With Your Kids – Wherever You Live, by EcoHearth: Nine ideas for strengthening family bonds by exploring nature together.
- 7 Ways to Enjoy Nature With Your Kids, by Frogs Are Green: Seven great ideas for places to take your kids on a nature exploration adventure!
- Babies Know: A Little Dirt Is Good for You, at the New York Times: “Ask mothers why babies are constantly picking things up from the floor or ground and putting them in their mouths, and chances are they’ll say that it’s instinctive — that that’s how babies explore the world. . . . [A]ccumulating evidence strongly suggests that eating dirt is good for you.”
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Global Stewards: This site provides tips for sustainable living through reducing, reusing, recycling, and more.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (Kids’ Page): Ideas from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences on how your family can implement the three R’s.
- Teaching Your Kids About Recycling: Recycling Projects for Kids: Offers several easy recycling activities for children.
Learning About Ecological Responsibility
- Environmental Links for Kids: The National Resource Defense Council has compiled a list of organizations and programs for kids to learn about the environment, animals, plants, and more.
- Kids Online Resources: A large number of links to sites and activities that promote learning about ecology and other sciences.
- Resources for Environmentally Conscious Kids: A collection of links tailored for kids, to keep them aware of the environment and active with recycling and conservation activities.