Image via Flickr user heraldpost under a Creative Commons license

When people ask me how to teach kids about being “green,” it always takes me aback a little. Our mission at KIWI is to introduce families to a healthier way of life and we’ve included children in that mix. But it’s still a daunting task to speak to children about the future of the planet, pesticides in our food supply, GMOs, artificial ingredients, and more. What can they possibly understand? How can children “get it” if so many adults (including our own lawmakers) don’t?

This is my best advice to you, to the parents who care about the kind of adults your children will become: LIVE IT!

Quite simply, if you live it, they will too. One of the greatest joys of parenting is to watch your children pick up what they see you do—not just what you tell them to do. As your kids become older and begin making their own decisions, it’s gratifying to watch them emulate you, and incorporate your choices into their own.

My daughter just turned 13 and I’m seeing first hand that “living it” pays off. For example, she recently went to a friend’s house and was offered an unfamiliar brand of a beverage, so she texted me, “Can I drink this?” It was a bottled iced tea with artificial sweeteners. I texted back, “No…there’s caffeine in this and artificial sweeteners.”  She wrote back, “I thought so and it’s also not organic. Thanks.”   Chalk one up for me (smile).

No matter what age your children are, it’s never too late to start leading by example. And don’t feel like you have to do everything. At KIWI, we believe that whatever you do to create a healthier family is good; one small step is a perfect way to begin. I suggest starting with what you and your kids are exposed to the most on a daily basis:

• Put “organic” in the refrigerator every day:  organic milk, organic juice, organic butter, and organic peanut butter.
• Switch your dish detergent to a natural brand, as it sits in your kitchen and is used daily.
• Make sure to use natural hand soaps and shampoos, as they are also used daily.
• Replace your paper towels with those made from 100% recycled paper
• Cut down or eliminate paper cups and plates.
• Give your kids a chore: put them in charge of placing recyclables in the recycle bin daily so they get used to the process

I’d love to hear how your family is  ‘‘living it” including your hits and misses. Wishing you a Happy Earth Day today and every day!

-Maxine Wolf, CEO & Publisher

Whether you are a parent, teacher, school staff member, student, or community volunteer, you want your school to provide a healthy, welcoming place to learn. Green schools aren’t just important on Earth Day, so the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council came up with 11 simple ways you can help make your school greener year-round!

1. Ready, set – wait, where do we start?

It’s hard to know what to fix if you don’t know where you stand. If you want to kick off a recycling or composting program at your school, it’s helpful to know how much of each kind of waste your school produces so you target the right items. If you want to help your school save energy, you need to know how much energy it uses today and where the biggest energy inefficiencies are. There are a lot of reasons to find out where your starting point is—the celebration of your school’s success will be so much sweeter if you can measure how far you’ve come. And showing measurable success is the best way to get others on board to help out.

2. Go behind the scenes

Speaking of figuring out where your school stands—why not ask the real experts? When is the last time you talked to your school’s custodians? The men and women who take care of school buildings are the best source for knowledge about how to make schools more efficient, healthier, and more environmentally responsible. They have often been trained on green cleaning methods or energy efficiency initiatives. Where can the lights be turned off more often? Why is there a strange smell in that corner room? They know their buildings inside and out, and asking them for ideas is a great way to appreciate their work and bring them onto the team.

3. Put the kids in charge

If you are a parent or you work with kids, you know that no group is better able or more willing to speak up about why being smart about the environment is important than kids–they get it! Students across the country are starting green clubs in their schools, with the help and support of teachers and parents. These students plant gardens on school property, calculate carbon footprints, advocate for environmentally preferable purchasing, assess school energy use, enforce the school’s recycling program with their peers, encourage teachers to bring sustainability curriculum into the classroom, and much more. Help start a club at your school, and let the kids run with it!

4. “Hey, what’s this thing do?”

Your school might already be a green school. Heck, your school might be the greenest school in the world. But how would you know? There is a simple way to find out (and share) this information: SIGNS! We’ve seen some fantastic examples of schools that use signs to help tell their buildings’ stories. Take a look at this video about Manassas Park Elementary in Virginia, where you can see all of the various ways the school tells its occupants what’s going on around them. The more you find out about your school and how it works, the more you will gain to share with all of the students, faculty and staff in the building. If you want to green your school, everyone needs to feel like they’re part of the team—and people don’t get behind something they don’t understand.

5. You are what you eat…and recycle, throw away and compost…

The attention that school lunch food has been getting lately—through programs like Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard and Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution—is beginning to change the way Americans look at the food we give our kids. You can get the movement started at your school in a number of ways. You can plant a school vegetable garden to help students understand where food comes from. You can work with kids to prepare fresh meals or snacks that they can enjoy on the spot. And don’t forget about the opposite end of the lunch period—what about hosting a waste-free lunch day?

6. Let the Sun Shine In

If you’ve ever had to spend a few hours in a windowless office or conference room, no one needs to tell you much about the relationship between daylight and productivity (and happiness!). But in case there is any doubt, several studies have connected the two in adults as well as children. So open the blinds! Take that student artwork off the windows and hang it somewhere else. No windows or small windows in your kids’ classroom? Move class outdoors every once in a while or to a room with more access to the sunshine.

7. You know it’s dust, but what IS it?

We don’t always think about it, but dust is not just magically-appearing gray clouds. It comes from our clothes, our skin, and various other items we use during the day. It also, importantly, contains dust mites and cockroach dander (yes, it’s true!) that can be very harmful to breathe, especially to kids with asthma or other respiratory problems. The EPA’s Tools for Schools Indoor Air Quality program gives tips for keeping a healthy classroom—one of the simplest and most crucial is to clean out the clutter. Those corner piles of paper and decorations and science experiments serve as great collection areas for dust—not to mention their tendency to block daylight from windows and get in the way of air conditioning and heating vents. Clean them out and your classroom will be automatically easier to keep clean and healthy.

8. No really, what is that smell?

We know schools can really smell—whether it’s someone’s day-old snack, the students’ recess sweat, or the closet full of who-knows-what. The temptation is to mask all those smells with plug-in or spray air fresheners, but please don’t! The problem is that those smells could also be coming from mildew under the sink, cleaners or sealants used by the custodian, mold above the ceiling tiles, or any number of other sources. If you mask the smell with something additional (like the air freshener), you’re not only NOT getting rid of the problem, you’re also ADDING to the asthma triggers within the classroom. Air fresheners and bleach-based cleaners do not make air better for students and teachers; they only add other smells on top of an already bad situation. Learn more about air quality in classrooms by exploring the Green Cleaning and Indoor Air Quality resources from the Healthy Schools Campaign and by taking a virtual walkthrough developed by Greenguard.

9. Lights out!

Did you know that lighting typically uses over 25% of the energy used in a school? A school-wide lighting retrofit is an easy way to save on electricity bills—the payback time from the decrease in energy costs is typically less than two years. But if a retrofit isn’t in the cards for your school, a good old-fashioned “Turn Out the Lights” campaign can go a long way. Your student green team (see #3) and your excellent signage (see #4) will forge the way, and a chat with your custodian (see #2) will ensure you’re hitting all of the bases. If you’re looking for more ways to save energy at school, you can find great tips from Alliance to Save Energy, SchoolDude, and EPA’s EnergyStar program.

10. Carpooling – jump in, the water’s fine!

You can start small, but a school carpooling program can have a big effect. The more kids or teachers in a car on the way to school, the less fossil fuel used per person and the less pollution emitted per person. Start in one or two classes to see if parents seem interested in reducing the number of times they need to drive back and forth from school. There are several ways to scale it up from there—from a simple bulletin board by the office to a paid service for online carpool coordination. You could also start a campaign to get kids and families walking or biking to school (as a group), and see who will stick with it for the year.

11. Stand up on your (fragrance-free) soap box!

The more excited you get about greening your school, the more comfortable you’ll be talking about it with others. Present what you’ve discovered to your school or school district leadership. They’ll likely be impressed by your service to your school, and your voice can add to the encouragement they are getting from their peers and leaders. Encourage them to join the Coalition for Green Schools—a group that includes the National School Boards Association, National PTA, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, American Association of School Administrators, Association of School Business Officials, Council of Educational Facility Planners and other leading education and school building organizations. Use examples from the PBS Special Growing Greener Schools, from actions of state legislators around the country, and from inspiring schools such as Environmental Charter High School in LA and the School District of Philadelphia.

If you need more inspiration to keep going, check back with us often—when we set the mission to achieve green schools for everyone within this generation, we meant it!

-Anisa Baldwin Metzger, Center for Green Schools Fellows Manager

As a New Yorker, I take great pride in how green I live. I rarely drive, so I take public transportation, walk, and ride my bike instead. So eco, I should pat myself on the back!

Okay, but the truth is, this is green living at its very easiest. Having a car here is a pain, not to mention expensive. And relying on public transportation isn’t something I can tell everyone else to do. My friends in suburban areas would be stuck at home, their kids play date-less, without wheels. I’m not about to suggest that my own mom, who lives in the country, walk four miles to town and then lug back milk and dog food. And horse feed.

So, here are a few green transportation tips that you’ve probably heard before—and KIWI’s more realistic, everyday solutions:

Ideal: Take public transportation.

Real: Carpool—but think beyond the trip to school. Can you hitch a ride to the grocery store or church? Or, don’t leave home at all: Can you trade off quick trips to the store with a neighbor?

Ideal: Buy an electric car.

Real: Keep your car in good shape. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all run out and buy a new car? But that’s just not practical (besides, how green is it, really, to junk the new-ish car you’ve already got?). Until you’re ready for a hybrid or electric car, make sure the one you have gets its oil changed regularly, has the right amount of air in the tires, and you’re not driving with extra bags or a roof rack you don’t need every time. That’s not only more fuel efficient, but how you make the most of what you’ve got.

Ideal: Bike or walk everywhere.

Real: Bike or walk somewhere. And don’t just think of the bike as an alternative to the car—it’s also an alternative to watching TV, playing video games, or just sitting around with the AC and lights on. Turn off, unplug, and walk around the block. Every little bit counts.

—Sarah, editorial director

Flickr image under a Creative Commons license via chefranden

I started down the path of planet-friendly eating accidentally. Back in 2004, words like “sustainable,” “organic,” and “carbon footprint” were still foreign to most of us—myself included. At 17 years old, I was way more concerned with finding ways to extend my curfew than finding ways to help the environment. What’s more, you couldn’t pay me to eat a fruit or vegetable; my list of favorite foods went something like this: chicken fingers, grilled cheese, pizza, ice cream.

But by the beginning of my senior year in high school, I felt lousy. A routine blood test indicated my cholesterol was sky high, and my clothes were starting to get tight (no doubt the result of way too many late nights spent chowing down at the local diner). Online, I read something about a vegan diet being one girl’s way of rebelling against societal norms—sticking it to the man, if you will. To my teenage self, the idea was wholeheartedly appealing, and, I thought, the perfect way to lose weight and get healthy. So the next morning, I adopted a completely plant-based diet. I told my family, boyfriend, and friends that I was giving veganism a ten-day trial, but I’d really already made up my mind. From then on, I would be vegan.

Sticking to my new diet was surprisingly easy, save for one memorable trip to the mall food court with a friend (she enjoyed an ice cream cone while I nibbled on the dry Wasa crackers I’d stashed in my bag—it wasn’t fun). But other than that, things were great! I began trying—and loving—vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, and tofu. Looking back, some of my notions on a healthy diet were a little misguided, like thinking a baked sweet potato and pineapple was a healthy breakfast because it was packed with fruit; or that a vegan pop tart was good for me just because it was free of animal products. But overall, I was making progress. It didn’t take long before I learned about the horrors of factory farming, and made the ethical connection to veganism, too.

It could probably go without saying that I lost weight, and my cholesterol dropped to a very respectable 150. I also took a part-time job as a cashier at Whole Foods Market, where I was first introduced to the concept of organics.

Fast-forward to college: Like many people, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan really turned my world upside down. The books made me realize that a healthy diet was, inherently, a sustainable one: Homemade foods were more nutritious and less wasteful than pre-packaged (even if the box says organic!); local, in-season produce more nutritious and less energy-intensive than imports flown in from halfway around the world; animal products maybe okay to eat when produced responsibly. I started eating local, organic eggs and dairy, exploring the farmers markets, and avoiding packaged foods as much as possible.

Of course, there were plenty of limitations that came with living in a college dorm—so when I finally struck out on my own, I went all-out. I made my own nut milks, made my own breads, tortillas, salsas, and even ice creams. I only ate produce from my organic CSA box, which I bicycled halfway across town in the 100-degree Texas weather to pick up. After a while, the whole thing got tiring. Even as a person who worked from home and didn’t have kids, there just wasn’t time to make everything from scratch. And, voracious veggie eaters though we are, my husband and I simply couldn’t finish all of the produce in our weekly CSA boxes. Worse, sometimes we didn’t even like all of the produce.

In my heart, I believed that this was the responsible way to eat, and I felt like taking any steps back towards making my own life easier would be ignoring the “truth” about food. But I didn’t feel like spending every single weekend baking bread, or forcing myself to eat three bunches of in-season cilantro when cilantro is the food I hate more than any other. So I made some changes: I started buying more items instead of making them myself, like milk or bread. When our CSA subscription ended, I didn’t bother renewing it—instead I shopped at the weekly farmers market for the produce that I actually wanted to eat, and rounded out my list at the grocery store. It took some time to overcome the guilt of not eating as green as humanly possible, but I knew that most of the choices I was making—not eating meat, choosing local and/or organic whenever possible, (mostly) avoiding convenience foods, and buying from the bulk section to avoid excess packaging—still added up to a measurable difference.

Why the long, long story? To tell you that making the switch to a sustainable diet that your family can live with probably won’t happen overnight. There’s a whole lot of advice out there about how to eat greener and healthier, but no one wants to be told how or what to eat because food is a personal thing. Discovering what works for your family—whether it’s homemade hummus on homemade wheat bread or natural chicken fingers from the freezer section—is a process that can take months (or in my case, years!) of trial and error until you strike that balance between your green ideal and what’s actually manageable in real life.

So instead of treating Earth Day like the green equivalent of New Year’s, ditch the long list of resolutions and opt to start with one small change, like only eating meat every other day or using only local ingredients for one meal a week. Our new e-newsletter, KIWI Cooks, can help you get started: Whether you want to incorporate more seasonal veggies into your family’s diet, seek advice on navigating vague food labels, or are just looking for some healthy after school snack ideas, you’ll find plenty of recipes and ideas for cooking and eating more sustainably.

I’d love to hear about the things your family does to eat greener, as well as the changes you plan to make in the months and years to come. Just please don’t swap your ice cream for Wasa crackers.

-Marygrace, staff writer

Here at KIWI, we know you’re doing your part all year long to make a positive impact on the planet, but we thought we’d celebrate Earth Day by providing eco-friendly suggestions you can use everyday to live your life greener. Today, some simple tips on cutting back on waste.

Judge a product by its cover When shopping for anything, whether it’s food, home items, or beauty supplies, seek out products that are packaged with minimal plastic or cardboard, or with recycled materials. For instance, diluting a concentrated version of your favorite dish soap will not only make it last longer, the smaller container most likely requires fewer packaging materials. Also keep an eye out for products with a post-consumer recycled seal, which indicate the packaging has been made with 100 percent post-consumer materials.

Super-size it Get the most bang for your buck with the least amount of packaging by buying the largest-sized containers available for products like laundry detergent, shampoo, and pet food. Just beware of individually wrapped items that are packaged twice to be sold as bulk, like two shrink-wrapped boxes of toothpaste tubes; you’ll wind up with more packaging than you were counting on. And when possible, take advantage of products that can serve multiple purposes: Tea tree oil is great for moisturizing hair and skin, and can also be used as a disinfectant around the house. And a few drops from a large bottle of castile soap can be used for anything from hand-washing to general household cleaning.

Beware special offers and discounts It’s easy to get lured into buying things you don’t need with two-for-one deals and other specials, but avoiding these sales is one of the easiest ways to reduce waste (unless, of course, your family really is able to eat 10 pounds’ worth of apples before they go bad!). On-sale items may seem like a great bargain, but before tossing that 3-in-1 chopper/dicing/slicing thingamajig  in your cart, ask yourself if you really need it, or if you’re only buying it because it’s 20% off.

Make a list—and stick to it To help curb impulse buys, make a list! Having one not only saves you from making multiple trips because you forgot this or that (read: less gas!), it can also make you think twice about tossing those items in your cart that you could really do without. Take inventory of what you need before you head to the store, making sure your list takes into account what you already have in your medicine cabinet or pantry.

Turn your trash into treasure Before tossing them into the recycling bin or trash can, see if you can find a way to give the used goods a new life. Use old baby food jars to hold homemade candles , or have your child make greeting cards out of old grocery bags—involving him in eco-crafting is a great way to get him into the habit of reducing, reusing and recycling at a young age. For more ideas on how to get creative with your recycling, head over to KIWI’s eco-craft page. (www.kiwimagonline.com/ecocrafts)

Try a waste-reduction challenge How many trash bags does your family usually fill each week? Challenge everyone to work to cut that amount in half by throwing fewer items in the trash. Or, challenge your child to find three toys she no longer plays with that can be donated to kids in need. Remind her that her donation not only benefits others, but that it’s environmentally-friendly too.

What about you—what are some ways your family works to make the planet a little cleaner, on Earth Day and all year around?

-Dana, KIWI Intern

Just a few years ago, I’m willing to bet Earth Day passed almost unnoticed on many of our busy calendars. Now, though, more and more Americans (and people all over the world!) are stopping to pay attention—and are making changes to improve the health of people and the planet. Of course, the KIWI team is no exception! Here, how some of us have gone greener since joining the magazine:

Maxine Wolf, CEO and Publisher
One of the many green changes I’ve made since founding KIWI has been to make my daughter’s lunchbox as waste-free as possible by replacing plastic sandwich and snack bags with reusable fabric ones. We are so fortunate at KIWI to learn about so many of the exciting, new green products that make it easy to live eco-friendly. Plum Creek Mercantile sent us several of their fabric sandwich bags to review a few years ago and I’ve been using them ever since!

Sarah Smith, Editorial Director
My cat eats fancy cat food. I used think, “I love her, but come on, she’s a cat.” But I realize that there are bigger implications to choosing things that are made responsibly (in this case, without any gross animal by-products). She may be a cat, but I’m the one with the wallet. Also, she’s nuts for the stuff.

Rosemary O’Connell, Creative Director
Easy! I’m getting produce from my local farm. It’s better for the planet and it tastes great, too.

Brittany Golde, Marketing Manager
Working at KIWI has motivated me to start recycling and to choose more organic products when I can. And when I attend green festivals and expos on behalf of the magazine, I always do a go-around to check out the products and services to find greener alternatives for the things I use most.

Nicole McGovern, Editorial Intern
I pay a lot more attention to the energy waste in my house. I run around shutting off lights, unplugging unused appliances (my parents leave the coffee maker plugged in 24/7…then complain about the bill!) Also, I spend a little more time looking at the ingredients in the foods I eat.

Marygrace Taylor, Staff Writer (that’s me!)
Before moving to Texas, I was fortunate to live super close to KIWI’s New Jersey office—so close that I was able to bike commute to work every day! It felt great knowing the only source of energy being used to power me to the office each morning was my own body! Now in Austin, I work from home and no longer commute at all, but continue to drive as little as possible, instead opting to walk or bike.

What green changes have you made over the years? Let us know in the comments!

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

April 22nd is Earth Day. I believe (and I’m sure you’ll agree!) that every day is a good day to teach children to be kind to our planet. I’ve been asked a number of times what I do to communicate this on an ongoing basis to my four-year-old son. I’d like to share an acronym that I use to help teach Ethan about the EARTH:

-E is for Experience. Since Ethan was a baby, I have tried to expose him to nature in a way that resonates with him because for kids, it’s all about experience! From taking him outside when he was a week old to feel the rain, to crawling on the grass for the first time, to hiking in the woods when he was 2 and feeling the bark on the trees and the moss on the ground and listening for birds we can identify—the exposure to colors, textures, sights, and sounds and the opportunity to experience beautiful things about the Earth is important for building an appreciation of them.

-A is for Appreciate. With every experience, I would talk to Ethan about how important it was to appreciate the things around us. I’d tell him it’s important to be kind to the creatures on the Earth and to our natural resources in order to build an appreciation for clean water, clean air, plants, and animals.

-R is for Reuse, Recycle, Reduce. Ethan and I talk a lot about R,R,R. Always carry out what you bring in when hiking. Recycle whenever possible. Use both sides of the paper to draw. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. Turn off the lights to save energy. By incorporating these messages into our days, they become “just the way we do things” and are part of our lives and who we are.

-T is for Teach. My feeling is that every day and so many moments are teaching opportunities…and I remind myself that the most powerful teaching is by example. And there are many beautiful books and stories that help to illustrate how we all can make a difference. Stories like The Lorax really resonate with children (this is one of Ethan’s favorites!).

-H is for Help make a difference. I point out to Ethan how he can help make a difference as a young child. He picks out clothes to donate to the Red Cross, toys to donate to a local thrift shop that supports the community health services, and coats to send to keep children warm. We are also building a well as part of the Born in September program of Charity Water (as Ethan was born in September). He watched the benefit for Haiti with me and is collecting change to send to Haiti.

-Kim Bloom is the founder of RosieHippo.com, an online store that sells wooden and other all-natural, eco-friendly toys.

Southern California readers, take note! The Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo is happening next Saturday at the Highland Hall Waldorf School in Northridge, CA. The natural parenting event seeks to educate families and the community about sustainable living practices, holistic medicine, non-toxic products, organic foods, better nutrition, and enrichment learning programs. (Plus, they’ll be giving away samples of KIWI Magazine!) Sounds like the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day!  Find more information at wcwpexpo.com.

-Brittany, KIWI staffer

Earth Day is right around the corner! To celebrate, we’re highlighting out favorite eco-conscious posts in the mom blogosphere. Interested in having your blog featured? Let us know in the comments!

• How much water does your family consume? Green and Clean Mom finds an online calculator to help you figure it out.
• Green SAHM knows are more than just pretty to look at. When planted strategically, they’ll provide shade to keep your home cooler in the summer.
• Yoga mat on it’s last legs? Don’t throw it out—recycle it!, says Green Baby Guide.
• Ms. Frizzle is back to save the planet! The Green Parent reviews The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge.
• We’re not the only ones who love eco-crafts: Make and Takes shares crafts your kids can make with stuff you’d otherwise throw out.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

In celebration of Earth Day, we have a special contest running on our bookworms section. Enter to win either From BBC Video comes Planet Earth – The Complete Series (DVD) or Planet Earth DVD Game. All you have to do is go to our bookworms section and add a comment telling us the one change you are making to help the earth this year. Enter no later than May 10th. Click this link to get started. 

Earth Day gives us a moment of reflection on ourselves and the environment. This year, make a green resolution. Here’s mine: I want to cook at home with lots of veggies at least 5x per week (if not more). We are joining a CSA so hopefully this will be easy (fingers crossed).

Do you have a green resolution? We want to hear so post it in a comment below. And so do our friends at Whole Foods Market. Post a comment on their blog to win a $25 gift card and a FEED 100 bag.

– Stephanie, KIWI staff and celebrating Earth Day every day