GREEN YOUR PREGNANCY
THE EARTHSMART CONSUMER KIM CARLSON GIVES YOU TIPS ON
HOW TO BECOME
A GREEN BABY-MAKING MACHINE FOR THE NEXT 10 MONTHS
Going green is all the rage lately, and a pregnancy
is an ideal time to join the trend. The reason is that
pregnant women and infants are more susceptible
to any kind of environmental toxin or chemical. So,
starting to green up your act and your home before
the baby comes will help to ensure that your entire
nest is human-healthy and planet-friendly.
Eat Local and Organic Foods
Being conscious about what you put in your body is one of the best things that you can do for your baby. Choosing organic foods reduces the possibility of ingesting pesticides. You can further boost your green food behavior by buying locally grown. Becoming a locavore means you’re buying products in which less energy was expended to get the food to you. The food also likely contains more critical nutrients because of the shorter time between harvest and your table.
Read Labels on Personal Care Products
Pregnancy is also a time to be careful about what you put on your body. Avoid personal care products like lotions, shampoo and bath soaps that contain phthalates (sometimes labeled as “fragrance”) and parabens. Both have been linked to disrupting the endocrine system, causing reproduction and fertility birth or developmental effects.
Buy Nontoxic Paint for the Nursery
Don’t forget that there is more to your decision about paint these days than just pink or blue. Most paint companies sell a nontoxic line of paint that contains few or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are what you smell when you open a can of latex paint, and they can cause headaches and other health problems that neither expecting moms nor infants should have to encounter. No- and low-VOC paint is widely available, but you often have to ask for it.
Have an Eco-Themed Baby Shower
Extend the green theme with your friends and relatives by asking for an earth-friendly and all-natural baby shower. Register for gifts at an earth-friendly neighborhood or online baby gear store. If the mom-to-be already has everything she needs, skip the gifts entirely and go straight for the celebration of the baby’s impending arrival. Be sure to serve organic and local foods and drinks.
Buy or Borrow Secondhand Baby Clothes and Furniture
Baby gear is outgrown so quickly, so why buy new? It is far more resource and environmentally responsible to borrow, pass on or buy previously used baby clothes than it is to get outfitted with new. It may feel like you are taking a bullet for the environment, but passing on a set of cloth diapers can give you a twofer for the environment: the diapers are reused and hundreds of disposables stay out of the landfill.
Check for Hidden Home Hazards
Many homeowners and apartment dwellers don’t think about home hazards until after the baby comes. You will sleep better if you can rule out or fix potential dangers before the baby arrives. Have your home checked for mold and radon. Both are invisible and exposure could put your infant at risk. If you live in an older home, have the paint checked for lead. At the very least, make sure that there are no peeling or cracked painted surfaces in your home. Any certified home inspector can test for these contaminants.
Often credited for tirelessly working to preserve our planet long before global warming hit the mainstream radar, Kim Carlson is an eco-savvy entrepreneur, green business author and eco-chic lifestyle expert. She is the founder of five successful companies that use earth-friendliness as their driving force. Carlson’s book Green Your Work: Boost Your Bottom Line While Reducing Your Eco-Footprint,
about the many advantages of being an environmentally responsible business, was recently released. Her latest venture is the development of the EarthSmart Product Standard, a retail product certification program devised in collaboration with the country’s leading scientists, academics and environmentalists that will prove to be the most innovative environmental screening process to date.
For more from Kim, go to www.earthsmartconsumer.com.
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