KIWI’s Dr. Rosen on day-to-day courage:

When my daughter was only three or four years old, she was obsessed with the “Wizard of Oz” movie. We must have watched parts of it daily for the better part of a year. I know this is not unusual based on the numbers of preschoolers I see in my office wearing ruby red slippers. While I am not a big fan of TV for kids, the fun we had watching clips here and there only served to stimulate her incredible imaginary play the other waking hours of our days.

One of my favorite parts is the following interchange:

Cowardly Lion: …What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! …What have they got that I ain’t got?

Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman: Courage!

Cowardly Lion: You can say that again!

Courage, of course, comes in many sizes. Big and small. What I’m writing about here is the day-to-day courage to stand up for your way of life no matter how much others in your life and community may disagree with you.

A recurring theme has developed lately in my conversations with families in my practice. Even though “green” is everywhere, there are still many challenges families face when they adopt a more natural lifestyle. As I noted last month, there are many baby steps to going green that make it easier to move in that direction. Sometimes cost and access can be significant barriers. But the biggest challenge may be trying to convince others in our communities that what we’re doing for our own kids is what’s best for them. One mom told me a story about how, when she politely declined a junk food snack for her toddler in a playgroup, she was not-so-politely requested to find a new playgroup. Mind you, she wasn’t trying to convert anyone to her way of life, just stating a preference for her child. Another parent has been working for years to introduce healthier hand sanitizer options in her local elementary school. Her main challenge? Not convincing the school administration to look at other options – they’re on board. It’s other parents who remain convinced that commercial alcohol- and chemical-based products are the only effective solution, regardless of safety concerns. A family considering non-pesticide lawn care was ambushed one weekend by neighbors, calling them “bad citizens” for possibly exposing their yards to weeds. Weeds?!? What about the exposure of the children and their pets to the toxic pesticides drifting and running into the family’s yard? Sometimes these battles take place within families. In one home, a mom is constantly fighting her own mother, forever scouring the medicine cabinets and tossing out the artificially-dyed and sweetened cold medicines that the grandmother insists her 8-month old grandson needs for his teething-related mild stuffy nose.

These are just a few of the daily examples of those I think of as “parent warriors,” fighting for what they believe in. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for what you think will best serve your child – for what you know intuitively is right – when it seems that the world is against you. I still maintain the best path to enlightenment is through education – of other families and of children. I have witnessed several instances of children encouraging other children to recycle or reduce waste or eat organic food. It’s a marvelous transformation to behold. Fortunately, these acts of childhood courage are often met with more openness and less resistance than their grown-up counterparts. Maybe we should all pay more attention to our kids.

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”- inspirational author, Mary Anne Radmacher

—KIWI columnist Dr. Lawrence Rosen

My job includes frequent traveling to different green festivals across the country. On a recent visit to New York, I had the pleasure of meeting Brian Yanish, the creator of Scrap Kins, an eco-creativity program for kids based on the adventures of a group of monsters living in a recycle center (creative, isn’t it?).  Itcher, Digger, Chomper, Stacker, Swooper, and Wrecks come straight from Yanish’s imaginative childhood drawings, and their cozy recycle center is built with materials humans throw away everyday. The Scrap Kins’ mission: to promote eco-awareness and encourage kids to create stories, recycled art, and even re-purpose fashion using old-fashioned imagination.

In addition to helping kids get their creative juices flowing, the Scrap Kins are hard at work spreading their green message all across the country. In 2009, they developed a line of paper portfolios and theme books for RiteAid and Albertsons stores featuring art project ideas and eco tips. This year saw the launch of a sticker activity calendar (printed on 90% recycled material, no less), boasting  12 months of eco-creative activities, crafts, and games just for kids.

Want to learn more? Check out scrapkins.com for news, upcoming events, plus free recyclable art projects for children of all ages; or become a fan on Facebook or follower on Twitter. And be sure to check back next week when we give away 5 Scrap Kins calendars!

-Brittany, KIWI staffer

Whether from gifts you ordered online or ones sent from friends or family far away, I’m willing to bet you’ve got at least one box full of styrofoam peanuts or bubble wrap heading for the garbage bin. But wait! There are planet-friendly alternatives to dealing with post-holiday trash.

The easiest way? Save used packing material for the next time you need to ship an item. It’ll save you money at the post office, and keep waste out of the landfill. Don’t have the space to hold onto the extra junk? Try recycling it! While packing peanuts might not be accepted in your municipality-issued recycle bin, that doesn’t mean you can’t give them a second life. Visit loosefillpackaging.com to find a drop-off center near you that’ll take your packing material off your hands–while keeping the planet cleaner.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

In case you haven’t noticed, recycling is on the rise. In fact, the last twenty years have seen recycling programs spike in numbers from 1,000 to 10,000 in the United States alone! While we should pat ourselves on the backs for striving to keep more plastic, glass, paper, and aluminum out of landfills, we should also recognize that there’s more work to be done.

Enter America Recycles Day, an event seeking to spread awareness about why the eco-friendly practice is important—and how everyone can pitch in to do their part. Want to participate? Great! There’s plenty of ways to show your support, like attending a local America Recycles Day event, filling out a recycling pledge form, or simply letting others in your community know how they can recycle.

To learn more, check out americarecyclesday.org.

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

Recycling may not be super exciting, but it is super important. Getting your little ones enthusiastic about recycling their bottles, cans, and paper goods will not only reduce your family’s landfill load–it will also help them build good eco-conscious habits for life. Encourage the practice by keeping it easy and fun with some of these ideas:

• Make recycling rules clear. Keep a list of what is and isn’t recyclable in a prominent spot, such as the refrigerator or a bulletin board. You can also use different colored bins for different items, like blue for paper items and yellow for glass, to help little ones remember what goes where.
• Try some friendly competition. Encourage each family member to see how many items he or she can recycle in a week, or how few items end up in the trash. Take it a step further by creating a neighborhood recycling competition!
• Do some research. As a family, learn about the new things that are made out of recycled material, and try to identify them on your daily outings. For instance, you can point out a playground made of plastic lumber that may have come from old water bottles.
• Find incentives. Find out if RecycleBank or another similar program that rewards recyclers exists in your area. Coupons for free ice cream just from sorting your trash? Sounds like fun!
• Be a good role model. OK, it won’t make recycling more fun, but make sure to practice what you preach!

-Marygrace, KIWI Staffer

Recently, there’s been a lot of buzz regarding San Francisco’s pending recycling legislation, which would make the practice (as well as composting) mandatory in the progressive California city. Today, SF mayor Gavin Newsom announced that he will be signing the bill into law, making it the first of its kind that will require residents to recycle, plus businesses to compost their food scraps. The new law is part of San Francisco’s larger goal to achieve zero-waste status by 2020.

The fine for not recycling? Up to $1,000.

While most people see recycling and composting as a good thing, some are uncomfortable with such a  law, fearing that legislation like this will only snowball. Will people start being fined if they don’t feed their children organic food, for instance? If they drive their car instead of walking, bicycling, or using public transportation? [Read more →]

While you might not be able to control every snack your little ones eat, you can control the snack’s environmental impact, thanks to TerraCycle.  The company  keeps non-recyclable packaging like cookie wrappers and drink pouches out of landfills by turning them into cool, re-purposed items like kites or backpacks, and has recently partnered with snack giants Frito-Lay and Mars.

The program works when consumers form Chip Bag Brigades to collect used chip bags. They hope to keep more than 5 million bags out of landfills, and what’s more, for each one TerraCycle receives, Frito-Lay will donate two cents to charity. There are currently 1,000 chip bag collection sites, with more in the works.  To learn more about the program, as well as how to start your own Chip Bag Brigade, click here!

-Marygrace, KIWI Staff Writer and recycling enthusiast

EACH CAMP INCLUDES: Professional cooking instruction of hands-on kid-friendly recipes in a focused, fun and safe environment. Trained culinary teachers from Whole Foods Market Bowery Culinary Center and KIWI Magazine. A limit of 12 participants, ensuring a low child-to-instructor ratio. Cooking projects, games, craft activities and creative excursions. Lunch or snack and beverages (special diets can be accommodated). Lessons on sustainability, composting, gardening, recycling and other eco-friendly ways of life. Apron, chef’s hat and a graduation goodie bag packed with cool stuff!

SESSION I:
Half-Pint Voyager: 2 ½ to 4 years
11am – 12pm
July 14TH to 16TH
Jr. Jetsetters: 5 to 7 years
2pm – 3:30pm
July 13TH to 17TH
World Explorers: 8 to 10 years
11am – 2pm
July 20TH to 24TH
Globe Trekkers: 11 to 14 years
11am – 2:30pm
July 27TH to 31ST

SESSION II:
Half-Pint Voyager: 2 ½ to 4 years
11am – 12pm
August 11TH to 13TH
Jr. Jetsetters: 5 to 7 years
2pm – 3:30pm
August 10TH to 14TH
World Explorers: 8 to 10 years
11am – 2pm
August 17TH to 21ST

To enroll in KIWI Kids’ Camp, please register online. For general questions about the camp or to register over the phone, please contact Alison Martin at the Whole Foods Market at 408-257-7000 x325.

Whole Foods Market, Stevens Creek Culinary Center
20955 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014

EACH CAMP INCLUDES: Professional cooking instruction of hands-on kid-friendly recipes in a focused, fun and safe environment. Trained culinary teachers from Whole Foods Market Bowery Culinary Center and KIWI Magazine. A limit of 12 participants, ensuring a low child-to-instructor ratio. Cooking projects, games, craft activities and creative excursions. Lunch or snack and beverages (special diets can be accommodated). Lessons on sustainability, composting, gardening, recycling and other eco-friendly ways of life. Apron, chef’s hat and a graduation goodie bag packed with cool stuff!

AUGUST DATES: TBD. CHECK BACK FOR SCHEDULE UPDATES

OR CALL THE CULINARY CENTER AT 916-488-2800

To enroll in KIWI Kids’ Camp, please register online. For general questions about the camp or to register over the phone, please contact Customer Service at Whole Foods Market Sacramento (916) 488-2800.

Join chefs from KIWI® Magazine and Whole Foods Market® in exploring culinary regions of the world through food and festivity. Each camp incorporates exciting global foods and facts. We’ll crank up the heat and get hands-on as we make international dishes from places such as Mexico, Morocco, China, Italy and Japan. Explore continents and countries one plate at a time!

EACH CAMP INCLUDES: Professional cooking instruction of hands-on kid-friendly recipes in a focused, fun and safe environment. Trained culinary teachers from Whole Foods Market Bowery Culinary Center and KIWI Magazine. A limit of 12 participants, ensuring a low child-to-instructor ratio. Cooking projects, games, craft activities and creative excursions. Lunch or snack and beverages (special diets can be accommodated). Lessons on sustainability, composting, gardening, recycling and other eco-friendly ways of life. Apron, chef’s hat and a graduation goodie bag packed with cool stuff!

SESSION I:
Half-Pint Voyager: 2 ½ to 4 years
11am – 12pm
June 23RD, 24TH and 25TH
Jr. Jetsetters: 5 to 7 years
11am – 12:30pm
July 13TH to 17TH
World Explorers: 8 to 10 years
11am – 2pm
July 20TH to 24TH
Globe Trekkers: 11 to 14 years
11am – 2:30pm
July 27TH to 31ST

SESSION II:
Teen Bootcamp
11am – 3pm
August 5TH to 7TH
Jr. Jetsetters: 5 to 7 years
11am – 12:30pm
August 10TH to 14TH
World Explorers: 8 to 10 years
11am – 2pm
August 17TH to 21ST
Globe Trekkers: 11 to 14 years
11am – 2:30pm
August 24TH to 28TH

To enroll in KIWI Kids’ Camp, please register online. For general questions about the camp or to register over the phone, please contact Christine Carroll, The Culinary Center Director at the Whole Foods Market Bowery at 212-420-1320 x245.

If you still have that Zach Morris-style cell phone hanging around, (or any useless chargers, PDAs, or earpieces,) now is the time to get rid of them.  Between April 6-12, many major phone companies  are encouraging everyone to recycle their old phones and phone accessories as part of their “Recycle Your Cell Phone.  It’s An Easy Call.” campaign.

There are about a million reasons to recycle as much as possible, but if you’re looking for specifics, note that electronic devices like cell phones are made from metals, copper, and plastics, all of which require energy to extract from the planet or manufacture.  By recycling these materials instead of using new ones every time a phone is made, we can save resouraces and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Get a head start on Earth Day by rounding up your no-longer-used goods and bringing them to your local AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon Wireless dealer, or general electronics store like Best Buy, Office Depot, or Staples.

Marygrace, KIWI intern and avid recycler