Part of a series featuring green moms, the new Chief Eco Officers.

Jennifer Lance is lead writer for Eco Child’s Play, a blog about creating an organic, fun and chemical-free life for your kids. Although she and her family have lived off the grid for 15 years in Northern California’s Trinity County in a home built by themselves and friends, daily life is still packed–with teaching preschool, working towards a Master’s Degree, blogging, gardening, hiking, yoga, and raising her children and four akitas.

How do you eco?

We live off-the-grid making our own power from a micro hydro turbine in our creek. We built our own home from salvage timber, and we grow a lot of our own food. We only buy eco-friendly toys and organic food, and we have educated our families to do the same for our children. Blogging about raising a green family is my way of helping other parents learn how they can go green. We try to live simply, sustainably, and self-sufficiently.

Why did you go eco?

Early experiences in nature made me sensitive to our environment. As a teenager, I wanted to be a Rainbow Warrior. Education helped me learn more about humanity’s impact on the climate and environment, so I consciously chose to live as eco-friendly as possible as an adult. I made career choices, home choices, and family choices based upon my concerns that humans do not have dominion over the earth to do what they want without considering the impact on other humans, plants, animals, etc.

What’s your favorite eco tip?

Recycle! Once you change your whole perception of what garbage is, you have made a huge difference. My children do not view recycling as garbage but as recycling. I feel confident that they will never consciously place anything recyclable in the trash can.

EcoLinks

• Eco Child’s Play
• The Green Guide
• Environmental Working Group
• Really Natural
• Grist
• Red, Green and Blue
• Chief Eco Officers
• Home Eco
• Play Eco

Part of a series featuring green moms, the new Chief Eco Officers.

Jessica Monte writes the Green Mamma blog. As a parent, lifelong artist and freelance writer her focus is rooted in desire to protect and preserve the planet’s environment for her children and future generations.

How do you eco?

Our family is making a good effort so far. We use CFLS instead of incandescent bulbs; replace heating and ac filters; choose energy efficient appliances; turn off and unplug electronic devices; run full dishwasher loads; recycle; use recycled products, buy locally grown and organic fresh foods when possible, eating vegetarian (100% for me and 75% for my husband and daughter); my husband tries to bike to work 3 times a week and I bike to local children’s events; maintain our cars and keep our tires inflated.

Why did you go eco?

My interest in eco-friendly living became a passion when my daughter Annabelle, now 19 months, entered our life and my instinct to protect my child became a need to protect and care for our planet. I believe our individual health and wellness (and our children’s) is connected to and interdependent upon the health of all else: the physical, mental, and spiritual health of families; the water supply, air, and soil; the collective health of the people in our community, the nation and larger world.

Small as we may perceive ourselves to be, our choices can truly make a difference in the grand scheme of things. What I have learned is that the best way we, as individuals, can exercise our power to protect and preserve our personal health, our families’ health, worldwide health, and the health of Mother Earth, is to reduce carbon emissions and slow down global warming.

What’s your favorite eco tip?

Keep green living simple. Buy not. Reduce, re-use, repurpose, upcycle, and recycle. It’s that easy.

EcoLinks

• Green Mamma
• Chief Eco Officers
• Home Eco
• Play Eco

Erin Ely runs Ely Organics which sells certified organic personal care products. She lets us know about insisting on products with ingredients good enough to eat, buying your food locally and why “body burden” wears us all down.

How do you eco?

I’m passionate about everything organic. I started as an online business selling Miessence Certified Organic products. I became interested in these products as I was learning about chemicals in personal care products. Miessence products have third party organic certification (USDA & ACO) which verifies the products organic claim. This is the highest level of organic product verification. I run my business from home. I purchase carbon off-sets through Native Energy for all my operations, in addition to the everyday things like recycling, using recycled paper, low energy light bulbs, and using green cleaning products.

Why did you go eco?

I’ve been eating organic and local food for over 15 years. Having children really pushed me even farther into the eco world. I have a big concern about chemicals in the environment and the effects of cumulative exposure to chemicals, something known as “Body Burden”. This made me more aware of not only what we eat but also what we put on our skin every day and then wash down the drain. I believe chemical pollution is one of the major threats to healthy living today.

What’s your favorite eco tip?

Buy local food. Source your food locally as much as possible. Minimize buying packaged and prepared foods. Even if the food is not organic it is better to support your local farming economy. Buying local food and supporting small farmers is critical to maintaining a safe and reliable food system.

EcoLinks

• Ely Organics

Part of a series featuring green moms, the new Chief Eco Officers.

Jennifer Taggart writes TheSmartMama blog, which focuses on “simple steps for non-toxic babies.” A practicing environmental law attorney and eco-consultant, she’s also author of the forthcoming, “The Smart Mama’s Green Guide: Simple Steps to Non-Toxic Babies.”

How do you eco?

Being green isn’t about buying green, it is about living green. But practically. With a princess-loving daughter and Star Wars-loving son, our eco-lifestyle is not going to be as complete as Ed Begley’s. We incorporate sustainable principles without spending money or being uncomfortable. We use re-usable bags and stainless steel for water instead of plastic; make our own seltzer; and buy our princess dresses at Goodwill. We forgo plastic take out cutlery and bring our own (I keep some in the car). We get creative: Easter egg dye with beet juice and strained cherries; homemade bubble solution. I’ve tried, with some quite spectacular failures, to make my own automatic dishwashing detergent. My son gets a kick out of these “science projects.”

Why did you go eco?

As a teenager, I read Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. It had a profound impact on me. From then on, I supported green causes, recycled and protested fur. But it wasn’t that personal for me. It was more about saving the polar bears or the gorillas. I didn’t consider the impact of the beauty products I used or the clothes I bought. When my husband and I decided to get pregnant, that changed a bit. I eliminated mercury-contaminated fish and avoided benzene fumes from pumping gas. Two miscarriages made me more committed to reducing toxic chemicals. But even then, it was more fear and selfishness. I wasn’t truly resolved to living a sustainable lifestyle. Finally, as I was driving home from the hospital with my first newborn, it hit me that every choice I made would impact his life and the world he would live in. So, my children have really been the inspiration to reduce toxic chemicals and go green.

What’s your favorite eco tip?

Consume less. It really is that simple. We don’t really need 20 different cleaners to clean our homes. Our grandmothers certainly didn’t. With castile soap, baking soda, vinegar, water, salt, and lemon you can clean almost any surface. At a tenth of the price and with significantly less plastic since you can re-use the bottles. Same with beauty products. You don’t really need 5 different moisturizers. Or 6 different scrubs. And many of the products you can make at home - easily.

EcoLinks

• TheSmartMama
• The Healthy Child
• Chief Eco Officers

Part of a series featuring green moms, the new Chief Eco Officers.

Cameron Mora, mother of four, writes the GreenGoody blog. She teaches her children the importance of their impact on this planet. Cameron has a soft spot for great design, pretty things, good photography, and anything eco-friendly.

How do you eco?

I am not an extremist, I simply try to do at least one simple thing a day. I want to instill in my children a respect for our environment-that we’re not radical; just responsible. We recycle, eat organic, use cloth napkins, unplug our appliances. Sometimes the environmental movement can make people feel guilty that they are not doing enough. I say that doing one thing is a start, doing two is even better.

Why did you go eco?

It started with food. When I was ten years old, my father got a book called Fit For Life. I read it and have never looked at food the same way again. That book sparked my desire to dig deeper and learn more. By middle school I was a member of PETA and Greenpeace. It’s a natural progression for me. I hope to instill the same passion in my children.

What’s your favorite eco tip?

Know your beauty products! I’m passionate about the cosmetic industry and the dangerous chemicals and toxins that women are slathering on their faces and bodies. According to the EWG’s Cosmetic Safety Database, only 11% of 10,500 ingredients in beauty products have been tested for safety.

EcoLinks

• GreenGoody
• EWG Cosmetic Safety Database
• Chief Eco Officers