Trouble on green carpet! Of course, just shortly after how I bragged about my diaper choice, how my baby hasn't seen any of the "regular" chemical, bleached etc diapers, we ran out of our Moltex ones. And guess what- in our nearby little town you can't get any eco-friendly ones. Neither in next city.
So I had to go for regular brand, I took Huggie's that claimed to have organic cotton in it. Well, it looked very bleached anyway, but at least something. Not sure whether I can believe the claim though. I just hope I can.
When this pack was coming to an end, I asked my husband to get some eco-friendly from the capital, where he was that day. Since he had something to do in central and he was coming by train, I suggested couple of big stores near the station or drug stores. My surprise was huge, when he called in slight despair that there are none of the nappy brands we used. Actually- no eco friendly nappies at all. I was shocked.. So how can one live a greener life till that little bum grows a little till cloth nappies fit if you actually do not have any better choice?
Good news- Wednesday we're going to see doctors and I will have time to go our city apartment where we already have 3 huge packs of Moltex, and I will also have time to visit a specific store which I know has Moltex just to buy some more in advance... Till then I had another option- buy regular diapers in our small town store by piece, so I bought just few to get through these days. They are terrible and it hurts in my heart to put them on my little one, so I try to have more "bum loves air" time in between.
I know that with a lot of green things you have to plan ahead- buy in advance many things which are not widely available. But I just could not imagine that the eco-friendly diapers will be so rare!
pirmdiena, 2011. gada 3. oktobris
Moving Planet Latvia- Uzlādē pasauli!
Last Saturday Moving Planet shaked the whole Planet and it was also here on green carpet. We visited the action organized by Homo Ecos: "Uzlādē pasauli" at Kalnciema kvartāls. °
There were information desks about renewable energy, posters about how to reduce our impact on Planet and climate and other topics, there was also Eco Catering cafe offering very tasty creme brulees and other yummies, animation workshops for children, poster workshops for adults. If you came earlier you could have listened the lectures on how to take care of your bicycle, but we missed it. Indoors you could watch some videos on environment and climate with a nice cup of herbal tea in your hands.
Few other very entertaining things were testing hydrogen car, "cycling music" and "cycling milkshakes", where you could either listen to the music or make your own milkshake by powering everything by cycling! These two were most popular in the event.
The big finali was the "wedding" of those who ride bicycles and those who drive cars with the promise of eternal friendship and respect to each other on the road. I must say, that is still a big issue here in Latvia and I am happy that quite many people attended this event. Even though, we can always wish for more, right? Well, at least I went home with the white ribbon attached to our car!
Someone in the public on the event said something like "green movement in Latvia is doomed".. I do not agree. It's just very new and our society is learning about green stuff quite slowly.. But we do need those baby steps! And such events are tiny little steps which will bring the society closer not only to "I'm green in my own way at home" but also to public actions, involvement, saying it out loud. Here in Latvia people tend to keep their good practices to themselves, they do not go around telling others- I switch the lights off, I cycle, I recycle, I eat local, I have solar panel etc. They are shy in a way. I believe the problem is the society at the moment- all about money, consumerism, "easy" lifestyle that uses whatever they have available not thinking about the impact on the planet. That is the reason "green people" do not tell. Because their parents, friends, colleagues are all sucked in this consumerism lifestyle that says "I do it because I can. I use every resource just because I can. I buy whatever I want (not need!) because I can. I drive 2min to the shop because I can. etc". So we are kind of scared of what people will say or think of us. But that is the main problem of green movement in Latvia. And maybe in more places in the world than we think.. To change the mindset of the world we have to share these practices, our habits, ideas and suggestions. We have to meet in such events and discuss it, see other people doing the same thing. Only then we can really Move the Planet! So good luck to organizations creating space for such events! And to all of us- sharing our ideas not only with like minded people, but also with those who do not agree and those who do not care!
There were information desks about renewable energy, posters about how to reduce our impact on Planet and climate and other topics, there was also Eco Catering cafe offering very tasty creme brulees and other yummies, animation workshops for children, poster workshops for adults. If you came earlier you could have listened the lectures on how to take care of your bicycle, but we missed it. Indoors you could watch some videos on environment and climate with a nice cup of herbal tea in your hands.
Few other very entertaining things were testing hydrogen car, "cycling music" and "cycling milkshakes", where you could either listen to the music or make your own milkshake by powering everything by cycling! These two were most popular in the event.
The big finali was the "wedding" of those who ride bicycles and those who drive cars with the promise of eternal friendship and respect to each other on the road. I must say, that is still a big issue here in Latvia and I am happy that quite many people attended this event. Even though, we can always wish for more, right? Well, at least I went home with the white ribbon attached to our car!
Someone in the public on the event said something like "green movement in Latvia is doomed".. I do not agree. It's just very new and our society is learning about green stuff quite slowly.. But we do need those baby steps! And such events are tiny little steps which will bring the society closer not only to "I'm green in my own way at home" but also to public actions, involvement, saying it out loud. Here in Latvia people tend to keep their good practices to themselves, they do not go around telling others- I switch the lights off, I cycle, I recycle, I eat local, I have solar panel etc. They are shy in a way. I believe the problem is the society at the moment- all about money, consumerism, "easy" lifestyle that uses whatever they have available not thinking about the impact on the planet. That is the reason "green people" do not tell. Because their parents, friends, colleagues are all sucked in this consumerism lifestyle that says "I do it because I can. I use every resource just because I can. I buy whatever I want (not need!) because I can. I drive 2min to the shop because I can. etc". So we are kind of scared of what people will say or think of us. But that is the main problem of green movement in Latvia. And maybe in more places in the world than we think.. To change the mindset of the world we have to share these practices, our habits, ideas and suggestions. We have to meet in such events and discuss it, see other people doing the same thing. Only then we can really Move the Planet! So good luck to organizations creating space for such events! And to all of us- sharing our ideas not only with like minded people, but also with those who do not agree and those who do not care!
trešdiena, 2011. gada 28. septembris
Another Welcome On Green Carpet!
A while ago, on sunny and hot Tuesday, 23 August, we welcomed Emily (real name in Latvian- Emīlija) in the world and also on green carpet. This tiny, little person is now the most important part of my day and night, and I have set the task for myself to take care of her in as green way as possible..
It started with my "as green as possible pregnancy" - eating well, going outside, yoga.. I must say I bought just few pregnancy clothes, most of which are in use now for breastfeeding to make them longer lasting, and few of them- organic cotton. Other pregnancy clothes I had handed down from a friend and my mom (a dress she wore expecting my brother 22 years ago, that's a real eco-vintage!!!). Some more I bought were just regular dresses (maxi dresses for example) and tops that I could fit my bump in, but all of those are going to fit me next summer as well. So that's about my green "pregnancy -> after pregnancy" wardrobe.
I also prepared my body and mind (and my husband) for natural birth. Our choice was a birth centre that reminded just a regular house to have feeling of being at home, and we already arranged the midwife for waterbirth there. Unfortunately a week before Emily arrived my doctor sent me to cardiologist and even though I had no heart problems since the surgery when I was 2year-old, and I was in perfect shape, she put the note in our papers that we must have hospital birth. Crying my eyes out we saw the hospital and accepted the fact. Well, our little one surprised us and soon after that we had to go to hospital.
I must say- no matter what they say, the hospitals are still not very friendly to families who have their own wishes on how the birth should go on. They actually do not promote natural birth, they promote birth that is easier for doctors- using medical interventions, drugs, injections and birthing positions that are easier for doctors. So we had to fight in the hospital. Not gonna go in too much detail here and I just want to focus on positive. Even though taking 1,5 hour shower is not very green in terms of water usage, it's much greener and at least natural to my body and my baby than having an injection to reduce spasms. Breathing and exercising also has only positive effects on me and are clean in nature. So we took the showers, exercised, relaxed with massages, music, burned aroma candles (all natural origins), and drank handpicked camomile tea from our garden. With much love our baby finally arrived!
We had our Weleda Baby Calendula soap already packed in our hospital bag for washing our little one. Well, we had to ask twice for hospital staff to use it! I find it ridiculous that they would try to refuse and use their own (I'm afraid toxic) baby washing liquid. Yeak. At least I know that my child has never seen those chemicals. Also now we bathe her only in pure water with some chamomile tea added, and after bath- warming massage with Weleda Baby Calendula oil.
With baby there is usually another huge issue- diapers. We have bought Disana cloth nappy system, but our little one is so tiny that the nappies make her bum too packed, so we have left it for using a little later. So for now all her diapers have been only either Nature Baby or Moltex that are little more friendly to our planet than the regular big brands. We also do not use any baby wipes at home, best for her little bum- tap water, where she's washed at every nappy change. If we have to change on the go, we have NatraCare organic cotton wipes with organic apricot oil.
One may think that baby doesn't need much clothes.. well, with all the "skipped the diaper" accidents and million burps- she does! Part of her clothes I have bought organic cotton, most from Frugi.. Oh, I really do love Frugi! The quality is fantastic! Unfortunately the price is not always what we can put up with, so part of her wardrobe is from "regular" shops. However, I noticed, that now H&M and other lower price shops are having organic material baby clothing that makes me really happy! That means that organic clothing is more available to wider public and that middle class brands are making a change in this superconsumerism world! Another positive note- I have bought also some second hand, and we have quite few handed down clothes. Some are from myself (!!!), some from my kid brother, some from my friends baby. So we are giving them second or even third lifetime :) And my plan- either to give all of them away to another child or to save it for later - Emily might have a baby brother or sister in a while! I just wish that organic clothing would be a little more happy-priced.
Nothing too much to talk about the babyfood yet since she's living on breastmilk at the moment. But I am also preparing "milk bank" on green carpet, so when we want to go to theater or somewhere, grannies can feed our little one with my defrost breastmilk. Now I just have to continue eating well, local and seasonal myself. And it is so super-easy at the moment, when we're harvesting everything from the garden! Mmmm.. delicious goods. For extra vitamin boost I have my fresh juices- carrots, beetroots, nettles, spinach, apples, pumpkins etc. Wonderful season!
Even though she doesn't really play with toys yet, we already have quite many of them. I our tradition, everyone seeing the baby for the first time, comes with a gift.. I love some of them so much- hand crocheted dolls, wooden toys.. but then- we have received also quite a lot of colourful plastic stuff already.. Well, not really a lot, but still- I just don't like plastic toys for my little one... It just feels, smells and I bet tastes as well so plastic.. unnatural... yeak.. I just don't know how to figure out how to let others know that we are trying to not have these kind of toxic toys for our baby. Many of them know already, so we have those nice handmade toys. I hope we will have more of those.. and if there's anything plastic, let it be at least really good for developing her skills!
One of the best features of living at my parents in countryside- fresh air. Little one loves to sleep outside, tucked in wollen blanket in the pram. And the windows are still open even during the night. Love the countryside! And with the pram it's so easy- we go to garden to harvest the carrots or apples, to forest walks to pick mushrooms, cranberries and cowberries. Sometimes we also return with basket full of.. plastic bottles, cigarette packs, plastic bags, broken toys etc.. everything you can pick up in the woods... I just can't leave it there for staying forever.. It's horrible. So we make an effort and make it cleaner and greener everytime we go by!
So that's our life so far, living in as natural environment as possible right here on green carpet in the countryside. Welcoming our little one in the greenest available life to us now!
It started with my "as green as possible pregnancy" - eating well, going outside, yoga.. I must say I bought just few pregnancy clothes, most of which are in use now for breastfeeding to make them longer lasting, and few of them- organic cotton. Other pregnancy clothes I had handed down from a friend and my mom (a dress she wore expecting my brother 22 years ago, that's a real eco-vintage!!!). Some more I bought were just regular dresses (maxi dresses for example) and tops that I could fit my bump in, but all of those are going to fit me next summer as well. So that's about my green "pregnancy -> after pregnancy" wardrobe.
I also prepared my body and mind (and my husband) for natural birth. Our choice was a birth centre that reminded just a regular house to have feeling of being at home, and we already arranged the midwife for waterbirth there. Unfortunately a week before Emily arrived my doctor sent me to cardiologist and even though I had no heart problems since the surgery when I was 2year-old, and I was in perfect shape, she put the note in our papers that we must have hospital birth. Crying my eyes out we saw the hospital and accepted the fact. Well, our little one surprised us and soon after that we had to go to hospital.
I must say- no matter what they say, the hospitals are still not very friendly to families who have their own wishes on how the birth should go on. They actually do not promote natural birth, they promote birth that is easier for doctors- using medical interventions, drugs, injections and birthing positions that are easier for doctors. So we had to fight in the hospital. Not gonna go in too much detail here and I just want to focus on positive. Even though taking 1,5 hour shower is not very green in terms of water usage, it's much greener and at least natural to my body and my baby than having an injection to reduce spasms. Breathing and exercising also has only positive effects on me and are clean in nature. So we took the showers, exercised, relaxed with massages, music, burned aroma candles (all natural origins), and drank handpicked camomile tea from our garden. With much love our baby finally arrived!
We had our Weleda Baby Calendula soap already packed in our hospital bag for washing our little one. Well, we had to ask twice for hospital staff to use it! I find it ridiculous that they would try to refuse and use their own (I'm afraid toxic) baby washing liquid. Yeak. At least I know that my child has never seen those chemicals. Also now we bathe her only in pure water with some chamomile tea added, and after bath- warming massage with Weleda Baby Calendula oil.
With baby there is usually another huge issue- diapers. We have bought Disana cloth nappy system, but our little one is so tiny that the nappies make her bum too packed, so we have left it for using a little later. So for now all her diapers have been only either Nature Baby or Moltex that are little more friendly to our planet than the regular big brands. We also do not use any baby wipes at home, best for her little bum- tap water, where she's washed at every nappy change. If we have to change on the go, we have NatraCare organic cotton wipes with organic apricot oil.
One may think that baby doesn't need much clothes.. well, with all the "skipped the diaper" accidents and million burps- she does! Part of her clothes I have bought organic cotton, most from Frugi.. Oh, I really do love Frugi! The quality is fantastic! Unfortunately the price is not always what we can put up with, so part of her wardrobe is from "regular" shops. However, I noticed, that now H&M and other lower price shops are having organic material baby clothing that makes me really happy! That means that organic clothing is more available to wider public and that middle class brands are making a change in this superconsumerism world! Another positive note- I have bought also some second hand, and we have quite few handed down clothes. Some are from myself (!!!), some from my kid brother, some from my friends baby. So we are giving them second or even third lifetime :) And my plan- either to give all of them away to another child or to save it for later - Emily might have a baby brother or sister in a while! I just wish that organic clothing would be a little more happy-priced.
Nothing too much to talk about the babyfood yet since she's living on breastmilk at the moment. But I am also preparing "milk bank" on green carpet, so when we want to go to theater or somewhere, grannies can feed our little one with my defrost breastmilk. Now I just have to continue eating well, local and seasonal myself. And it is so super-easy at the moment, when we're harvesting everything from the garden! Mmmm.. delicious goods. For extra vitamin boost I have my fresh juices- carrots, beetroots, nettles, spinach, apples, pumpkins etc. Wonderful season!
Even though she doesn't really play with toys yet, we already have quite many of them. I our tradition, everyone seeing the baby for the first time, comes with a gift.. I love some of them so much- hand crocheted dolls, wooden toys.. but then- we have received also quite a lot of colourful plastic stuff already.. Well, not really a lot, but still- I just don't like plastic toys for my little one... It just feels, smells and I bet tastes as well so plastic.. unnatural... yeak.. I just don't know how to figure out how to let others know that we are trying to not have these kind of toxic toys for our baby. Many of them know already, so we have those nice handmade toys. I hope we will have more of those.. and if there's anything plastic, let it be at least really good for developing her skills!
One of the best features of living at my parents in countryside- fresh air. Little one loves to sleep outside, tucked in wollen blanket in the pram. And the windows are still open even during the night. Love the countryside! And with the pram it's so easy- we go to garden to harvest the carrots or apples, to forest walks to pick mushrooms, cranberries and cowberries. Sometimes we also return with basket full of.. plastic bottles, cigarette packs, plastic bags, broken toys etc.. everything you can pick up in the woods... I just can't leave it there for staying forever.. It's horrible. So we make an effort and make it cleaner and greener everytime we go by!
piektdiena, 2011. gada 23. septembris
Film "One Beach" and REDUCE thoughts..
Even though the plan was to watch the film "One Beach" on the opening day (20thSeptember), it was shown only today on green carpet. http://www.facebook.com/barefootwine?sk=app_204155856287971
It's powerful, it's sad and funny at the same time.. and I believe it makes people think..
One of the things in my mind was the part about throwing things away.. There is no such magical place as "away"! Everything you throw "away" is still here, it still ends up in your garbage, in your courtyard, in your local area for landfill, blown up in your trees in your forests, taken into your rivers, seas and oceans.. there is no such place as "away"..
People tend to close their eyes on it.. they unconsciously think- I throw it away and I don't see it anymore so it does not exist anymore.. But it does!
It is nice to work on the awareness of people through such art as in the film.. But first rule of "3R" is REDUCE.. We must reduce what we buy and reduce what we throw "away" by reusing and recycling (and in these two Rs we can do all kinds of redesigning, readjusting, giving to someone else things we don't need or want, resizing, redecorating and whole bunch of other "re-..."). But first we must reduce everything.. And if we need to buy, think of possibilities to reuse/recycle it afterwards.. and how it's created, maybe it's organic grown instead of full spectrum chemical use? Or maybe it's from recycled material instead of raw?
Yesterday I saw very nice umbrella, which I wanted to buy. And I reduced the stuff I buy- I didn't buy it. I have two umbrellas in my two homes, I have enough. I'm not buying anotherone just because I like it. Let's reduce!
pirmdiena, 2011. gada 19. septembris
"Uzlādē pasauli" or Moving Planet Latvia :)
This post on green carpet today is dedicated for my dear organisation Homo Ecos and Latvian action for Moving Planet! We can do it!
otrdiena, 2011. gada 13. septembris
Videos
Just few videos that touched me.. Although I cannot participate really actively at the moment, I just want to say that I share these ideas, I do care.
What will you do?
I do not want my daughter to ask me later on- why didn't you do anything..
I do not want my daughter to ask me later on- why didn't you do anything..
European Youth Meeting 2011 for Sustainable development - follow up document
It's been quite a while after European Youth Meeting for Sustainable development, however, today I am writing a report of the event for Homo Ecos and wanted to share long ago promissed document we created in Tallinn.
So here it is: EYM2011 Declaration to the UN Rio+20 Conference . To remind- the part worked on green carpet was Urban Development (see previous posts).
I also wanted to share some fun part of our activities- movie about Klipučevo, green (to-be) city and its mayor, and share some good ideas and funny interpretations :) Enjoy watching!
So here it is: EYM2011 Declaration to the UN Rio+20 Conference . To remind- the part worked on green carpet was Urban Development (see previous posts).
I also wanted to share some fun part of our activities- movie about Klipučevo, green (to-be) city and its mayor, and share some good ideas and funny interpretations :) Enjoy watching!
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