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A GIFT TO MOTHER EARTH ON MOTHER’S DAY
Mother’s Day is around the corner. It’s time to buy the perfect
gift for mom. I can see the flower companies’ Mother’s Day
commercials now: A happy mother or grandmother opens a
bouquet of flowers surrounded by an adoring family. There are
a few tears and big smiles; love abounds. Touching? Well, maybe,
maybe not. But I certainly always fall into the trap. I need to buy something for Mom, right?
Anna Jarvis, credited with establishing a national celebration around Mother’s Day back in 1908, was arrested during a Mother’s Day celebration when she tried to stop people from selling flowers. She said, “I wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not profit.” Clearly, Miss Jarvis would not be a big supporter of our present consumer frenzy over holidays like Mother’s Day.
Well, I see no reason to ban the flower and card stores. But before you run to buy those flowers, that candy or the card, think Mother Earth. Think green. Part of the process of “going green” is retraining how you plan your purchases. Ask yourself some simple questions like:
| “Do I really need to buy that?” | |
| “Is there an eco-friendly version of this item?” | |
| “Is there something I could do instead that would have less of an impact on the environment?” |
Then check out the Story of Stuff video. It is eye-opening to learn the role we play in the consumption machine. And even more alarming to me is the way the things we do buy are designed not to last—requiring us to buy again and again.
But hey, we are talking about your mom here. So if you are going to give her something, here are a few eco-friendly ideas:
| The gift of time. I am giving my clutter-challenged mom some hours of my time by helping organize her office and filing her papers. But there are tons of things that moms might like some help with—like getting started on that daunting photo album, cleaning out a closet or completing paperwork. | |
| Exercise. Get mom a couple of yoga classes or a training session at a local gym. | |
| Entertainment. A voucher for lunch or dinner at a local restaurant or tickets to a play make for a memorable and meaningful gift. | |
| A homemade gift. Maybe you do reach a point where you are too old to draw your mom a picture. But what mom wouldn’t appreciate a knitted scarf or a poem or just a sentimental mushy note? |
And in case my three children are reading this, I will make their job very easy. What I want requires no trip to the store. I want the handmade card or drawing or poem or hug. And then I want a day off to wake up when I want, read the paper, go for a run or to yoga class, see a movie and be bored by myself. I want to miss my kids. And then for the next 364 days of the year when I am with them, I appreciate them even more than I already do.
In 2006, Francesca Olivieri co-founded the company sage baby, an online eco-friendly baby store offering everything from organic clothes and skincare to furniture. She also writes a monthly blog for Scenic Hudson as well as contributes articles to Daily Candy Kids, CitiScoop and NRDC’s Simple Steps. She continues to watch her green business grow while seeking to apply her values to her own home and family. Francesca lives in New York City with her husband and three kids, 8, 6 and 3.
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