ADVENTURES IN ECO-PARENTING

LEAH KLEIN MAKES GOING GREEN CHILD’S PLAY

TURNING OVER, MASHING UP, STRETCHING OUT AND UP-CYCLING A NEW LEAF

Here we are again. One year behind us and a brand-new
12 months ahead of us. It is January and it is time to start
fresh. You have a blank slate. You’re turning over a new leaf,
cracking open your diary to its first page—of recycled paper, of
course—in an effort to green up your 2010.

Not sure where to start? Take it back to the three R’s, as in: reduce—start the year off by shedding some pounds…of paper that comes into your mailbox; reuse—tap into your crafty side by using old newspapers and magazines for art projects; recycle—expand your mind by brushing up on town cycling rules.

It’s all easier—and more fun!—than you think. Here’s how.

Reduce
If you plan things right, you won’t have to open your mailbox to a pile of bills. No, it doesn’t mean you’ve given up the plastic (BPAs are okay in your wallet, if used with caution). You’re still using your credit card, but your bills come to your inbox, not your mailbox. If you use e-mail on a regular basis, there is no reason to get a paper credit card bill. Sign up for the paperless billing system and you’ll save trees and sometimes money, too. You can even set up regular payments so you don’t forget to pay the bill.

The next step is to reduce the amount of junk mail you get. To cut down on the catalogs, head over to Catalog Choice to opt out of the catalogs you no longer use. They also have a section for iCatalogs, if you want to browse your favorites online. In an ideal world, we’d all get more first-class mail, little notes from our friends and family, but with Facebook updates, friendly tweets and a quick e-mail, those are few and far between. On the other hand, bulk mail, coupon packs, credit offers and sweepstakes might be weighing you down. To lighten up your recycle bin, head over to Obviously.com for tips on how to cut down on unwanted mail.

Reuse
Whether you’re sending a note to school with your son, collecting coupons or saving receipts, there’s always a time when you’re searching for a blank envelope. When you recycle the bills that you get by mail but pay online or you don’t feel like you can afford to send another donation this month to the same organization you donated to last month, don’t forget to keep the envelopes. Find a drawer or spot on your desk to collect the envelopes, and when you go through your mail, just set the envelopes aside for future use.

Got leftover holiday address labels or unwanted ones from an organization that sent them to you unsolicited? Give them to your kids for at-home art projects. Peeling and placing stickers can occupy a toddler for a good solid uninterrupted half an hour.

Now, on to newspapers and magazines: Comic pages make great wrapping paper for birthday gifts. Keep the newspaper to cover your table for arts and crafts and see if your child’s school or day care would like the rest of them for their art tables. Children’s magazines are often welcomed at schools and hospitals for both art projects and recreational reading, as long as they’re in good shape. If you’re really crafty, then try your hand at paper beads. If you have younger kids and an old blender (check out www.freecycle.org if you don’t have an old blender in the house), you can use your old newspapers and magazines to make new paper.

Recycle
In Cambridge, Mass., the mantra is “If it rips, recycle it.” Take a minute to google your town’s recycling rules. You might find some surprising facts about what can be recycled and how simple it really is.

Leah Klein is the Boston Food Mom at Examiner.com. She loves to keep the house nice and cool and wear cozy sweaters in the winter. No matter how much her parents nag, she insists on walking around barefoot four seasons a year. Baking bread and cookies are a favorite snowy-day activity, and hot chocolate cures all cold noses in her household.