Green Parent Chicago

EarthTalk: What is Environmental Justice?

Dear EarthTalk: What is meant by “environmental justice” and how is it under assault in the new Trump administration? -- Mike Garner, New Orleans, LA

Environmental justice is defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” In layperson’s terms, it means making sure specific groups of people don’t bear a disproportionate burden from potential and existing environmental threats.

Traditionally, we think of situations like the siting and construction of a pollution-spewing factory in or near a low-income minority community as an example of an environmental injustice. Some recent examples ripped from the headlines include the lead contamination of the water supply of predominantly African-American Flint, Michigan, and the siting of the potentially hazardous Dakota Access Pipeline adjacent to sacred and ecologically sensitive Standing Rock Sioux tribal land.

“The federal government has recognized for decades that air and water quality are especially poor in low-income areas and communities of color, and some of that imbalance stems directly from government permitting decisions, such as where to allow the dumping of toxic materials,” reports the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a leading environmental advocacy non-profit.

Environmental justice has been a hot topic lately as it relates to who bears the brunt of climate change impacts. According to EPA research, city dwellers and the poor are among the Americans most likely to suffer from climate change. NRDC points out that 24 to 27 percent of urban African-Americans, Latinos and indigenous people in the U.S. are now living below the poverty line, compared with only 13 percent of urban whites—meaning that minority groups are at the greatest risk from the heat waves, bad air, stronger storms and other negative consequences of a warming climate.

The federal government has been working on environmental justice issues since at least 1992 when then-President George H.W. Bush created a White House office dedicated to “environmental equity.” Bill Clinton took up the mantle when he assumed the presidency in 1994 and issued Executive Order #12898 calling for the federal government to identify and address “disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies and activities on minority populations and low-income populations.” Clinton’s order created the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice to coordinate and oversee implementation of the rule across different federal agencies, and spawned the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, which has awarded upwards of $24 million since then in funding to more than 1,400 community-based and tribal organizations working in communities facing environmental justice problems.

But that all is likely to change now that Donald Trump has proposed slashing the EPA’s overall budget by $2 billion and cutting funding for environmental justice programs specifically by 78 percent, from $6.7 million to just $1.5 million. “These cuts are a direct attack on low-income communities and communities of color everywhere who are on the front lines of toxic pollution,” says NRDC’s environmental justice head Al Huang.

CONTACTS: EPA Environmental Justice, www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice; NRDC, www.nrdc.org.

EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of the nonprofit Earth Action Network. To donate, visit www.earthtalk.org. Send questions to: question@earthtalk.org.

Disaffected Voters: It's Your Actions, Not Your Feelings

I appreciate the anger over this year’s presidential election. I’m just as despondent that Trump will be our next president. But to those whose protests blew up my Twitter feed: I have to ask the question: Where were you when the Democrats nominated the wrong candidate this past July? Where were you when the AP called the primary in June before California had even voted? Where were you when your fellow Americans were getting abused and shot to death on Facebook live? Where was your anger when your fellow Americans were getting sprayed with rubber bullets and tear gassed to protect our water?

I am happy that you are taking action in the streets over an issue, but doesn’t it seem a little too late? To get the candidate you want elected it takes legwork, educating fellow voters, phone-banking, donations and much, much more. Did you do any of these for Hillary Clinton? I think it’s looking pretty obvious that it wasn’t enough to simply announce #ImWithHer and mark your ballot on election day.

The race to the presidency started back in 2015, when did you get involved? I’m seeing a lot of self-examination, lots of Democratic voters in shock and saying they didn’t do enough to help her win. After all of the polls and warnings, the consistently pathetic turnout at Clinton events, the extremely close primary with Bernie Sanders, the coverage of the Wikileaks revelations, did you really think she would win this thing as a shoe-in? Forget what the mainstream media kept yapping about, it's clear now that there was much collusion and coordination between Clinton’s campaign and major news outlets in her favor.

Let’s look at the facts: the American people, as Bernie Sanders once again just reiterated, were more concerned about the issues of wages, jobs, and the economy. This was frankly more important to them than getting the first woman president elected. You may not agree with how many Trump supporters are channeling their anger inappropriately by targeting other races and other cultures, but you cannot deny that their anger and frustration has legitimate causes. It is extremely misguided, yes, but the root causes still need to be addressed.

As many have been pointing out over the past several months and once again this week: the Democratic Party must suffer the blame for their part in the failure to elect a strong challenger to Donald Trump.

And today I am hearing lots of folks talking about remaking the Democratic Party and frankly, I’m not in that camp, unless it includes the ideals of the progressive Green Party platform and the Democratic Socialists of America. Both groups who continue to be the “party of the people”.

As it stands right now, the Democratic Party has rubber stamped neoliberalism, corporate welfare and incremental progress on clean energy and climate justice when bold action is required. They continue to lead us into conflict in the Middle East and turn a blind eye to drone strikes on innocent civilians in foreign countries, a blind eye to police brutality and racial justice, a blind eye to the escalation at the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, and a blind eye to standing up against trade deals like the TPP that will continue to gut our economy.

The Democratic Party showed their cards when they nominated Hillary Clinton: a candidate who did the absolute bare minimum to address the needs of the working class and the hurting country, a candidate so completely entrenched in service to her corporate donors and political insiders that even as the story broke about the misdeeds of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, she invited Wasserman Schultz back into her campaign circle as a slap in the face to the millions of voters who chose Clinton’s primary challenger. The arrogance of this action alone should speak volumes about the “hard work” that was done by Clinton to campaign for the vote of the American people.

When Bernie Sanders was talking about the issues that affect the poor, the working class, healthcare, college, climate change, racial and social justice issues, his ideas were marked as “pie in the sky”, unrealistic, and a fairytale. Supporters of these issues and of the candidate himself were labeled as ridiculous whiners who did not really understand the way politics works in this country. They were seen as unrealistic and expecting something that would never come to pass.

What of the tens of thousands of voters who showed up to support these same ideas and this platform in consistently red states like Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming, and other parts of the West? (Not to mention the tens of thousands who showed up at other rallies for Sanders all over the nation.) Any wonder how they voted on election day?

Let’s not chalk it up to sexism. Let’s not cheapen the reality like this. Yes sexism is real and a major problem in the United States to this day. These voters were not voting for the male challenger simply because they did not want a woman president. Did some voters not trust a female president to do the job? I think so. But can the 13 million votes that Bernie Sanders won in the primary be attributed to sexism? Can the numbers and the data that back up the failing economic prospects of millions of Americans who voted for Donald Trump be attributed to sexism? Of course not. If you believe this, well therein lies the fairytale.

So now that you are charged up and ready to fight, now that you’ve been awakened, stay consistent. Channel your anger, your energy into showing up for the small fights, the boring stuff, learn as much as you can about the political process and who does what and who doesn’t do what. Don’t listen to the media. Use your own judgment.

There isn’t a guru or an expert who can tell you how to proceed. Don’t make a big show of it on social media, just do it. Call attention to it, but take your personal story out of it unless it’s remarkable. Follow the numbers, the data, and the facts (not Nate Silver). Do your own research. Do your homework. Find independent sources, not tied to corporate media conglomerates. Stand up for your neighbor even if you don’t know them personally, even if you think it won’t impact you. Stand up just because. Get to work. This affects you, but it’s not all about you. It’s about your actions, not your feelings.

Bernie Sanders for President

Aled Lewis (aledlewis)

 

Hillary Clinton is banking on the hope that you are stupid. Bernie Sanders knows you aren’t. So ask yourself:

Who would speak for you?

Have you ever had to juggle expenses to pay down your medical bills? Did you have to walk away from your family home during the foreclosure crisis? Do you have enough money saved up to pay for your child’s college tuition? Are you still repaying student loans while trying to save for retirement, but getting nowhere?

Who would speak for you?

Do you wonder if you’ll have enough money for groceries until the next payday, even though you work full time? Do you worry that your teenage son or daughter will be a victim of police brutality or racial profiling? Are you a long time environmental activist hoping to see your country finally make a major investment in clean energy and break from outdated technologies that destroy our waterways and mountaintops?

Who would speak for you?

Are you chronically ill or self-employed and unable to manage the cost of healthcare premiums, prescription drugs, co-pays and annual deductibles that increasingly eat away at your income? Has the cost of healthcare ever kept you from seeing a doctor or specialist? Mandatory health insurance coverage is not the same as equal healthcare benefits for all.

Who would speak for you?

Are you a young college grad unable to find a decent paying job that values your education and intelligence? Are you struggling to pay down your massive student debt balance? Are you a two income family working harder and longer only to realize less and less financial stability as each year passes? Do you wonder how you will ever be able to afford to send your children to college?

Who would speak for you?

You’ve heard the claim that Clinton is a champion of women and all Americans. But how could her fighting spirit not push for a $15 minimum wage for all American workers, including the millions of hardworking American women, many of whom are not being paid what men in the same positions doing the same jobs are? As Julie Kashen, senior policy advisor of the Make it Work campaign fighting for working women's rights, recently wrote:

“...since two-thirds of the people who would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage are women, higher minimum wages would help close the gender gap in pay.”

Who would speak for you?

The cold hard reality is nowhere more plain to see than in the numbers: Sanders has a personal net worth of $330,506. Clinton’s is ‍‍‍$21.5 million. To take a page from Bill Clinton, that looks like good old “arithmetic” to me. Clinton is the candidate of the privileged class and a type of feminism that isn’t concerned with poor women.

Who would speak for you?

Clinton’s message has reinvented itself time and again to fit the seemingly most advantageous political path. Sanders has been saying the same goddamn thing for the past 30 plus years and has the voting record and career campaign finance record to prove it. With the sales and royalties of her multiple published books alone, Clinton could still currently earn a handsome salary. Instead, she chose to accept enormous sums of money from the very corporations she claims she will rail against if elected. Clinton Foundation donors include those who have specifically benefited from offshore tax havens. It takes a special kind of delusion to turn a blind eye to this duality.

What’s wrong with being rich, some ask? Everything, if it keeps you from understanding the anger of the very people whose lives are being destroyed by the greed of a few. The top richest possess a gilded future and the laws and rules of taxation governing this future look extremely different those than those that apply to the ordinary American, whose wealth lies not in trusts and shadow companies and capital gains or offshore, but instead in ordinary checking and savings accounts.

Lobbyists who have pushed for the Keystone Pipeline, and accepted money from Lehman Brothers, are, as you read this, currently heading Clinton’s 2016 campaign. Her top campaign finance bundlers have worked for the fossil fuel industry. By saying she is going after the same lobbyists who run her campaign, the moneyed elite that donate to both her campaign and her family’s Clinton Foundation, it's clear Clinton’s recent adoption of populist language on the eve of the Iowa caucuses amounts to nothing more than posturing for votes.

Last week as voters in Iowa listened to Sanders explain his proposals, Clinton was scheduled to fly to the East Coast to attend a finance industry fundraiser for her campaign. It has now been postponed until mid February. But for the few privileged enough to drop anywhere from $2,700 individually or raise $27,000 for the one dinner, my guess is that the subject matter of these two events will be drastically different. She is banking on this, and hoping you won’t notice at all.

Who would speak for you?

Pundits wonder why Clinton’s brand of politics is no longer resonating with younger voters? Here's my guess: They’re hungry for more and will no longer be satisfied with mere crumbs tossed their way. As Gen X parents screwed by the system installed in large part by Clinton’s husband now raise their own children and young adults, they have instilled much of their anti-establishment skepticism upon them.

Not content to be merely placated by brand loyalty and reality television, a massive number of younger voters are looking for the alternative to a status quo that has left them and their parents future out to dry.

It’s time to end legalized tax evasion in America. If hoarding extreme wealth could be defined as a mental disorder, isn’t it time that we wrest control of this country from the grip of the unhinged 1 percent?

In early 1972, a book called “A Populist Manifesto” The Making of A New Majority was published. Authored by Jack Newfield and Jeff Greenfield, this book outlined a progressive populist “political alignment” among the many political interests of the day (civil rights, the ecology movement, women’s rights, low and moderate income citizens being short-changed by the mutating liberal agenda of the day moving away from the social democrat ideals of Roosevelt and Johnson). The book’s preface begins with 3 facts, the first of which states:

“Wealth and power are unequally and unfairly distributed in America today.”

That was 44 years ago. Enough is enough. Our time is now. Our candidate is Bernie Sanders. Intersectionality is at the heart of the Sanders campaign and the reason his campaign messages resonate with such a wide cross section of Americans. We see through Clinton, the candidate who fiercely opposed gay marriage, supported the Iraq War, called the TPP the “gold standard”, received funds from the private prison industry, opposes the Glass-Steagall act, advocated for fracking, and profited from promoting the Keystone Pipeline.

We the people of the United States of America deserve more and we are not stupid.

Who would speak for you?

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EarthTalk: What can I do to boost fuel efficiency and help my car run better on my upcoming summer road trip?

Dear EarthTalk: Summer is near and I am planning a big road trip. Do you have any tips for boosting my car’s fuel efficiency on long, hot drives? -- Esther McCoy, Burlington, VT

Ah, the summer road trip, that classic American experience. But long drives through steamy weather can burn through a lot of gas and cause untold wear and tear on your car’s engine and systems while putting you at risk for overheating. Doubling down on tactics to help your car run better will not only improve fuel efficiency, but could also help you avoid spending a large chunk of your vacation time in the breakdown lane waiting for a tow.

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), there are lots of ways to conserve fuel on hot weather road trips that also will help prolong the life of your car. “In summer, drive during cooler parts of the day,” reports the group. “Cooler, denser air can boost power and mileage.”

While it may seem counter intuitive, using your car’s air conditioning is actually a smart idea in hot weather. “Today’s air conditioners create less drag on the engine than driving with the windows open,” says AAA. Meanwhile, if you have a hybrid, pre-cool it before you get in so it can devote more electricity to driving when you are out on the road. But don’t warm-up (or pre-cool) a conventional car, as the extra idling doesn’t do the car any good and just wastes fuel and creates extra heat. Another key tip for hot weather driving is to park in the shade when you can.

The Green Car Reports website suggests utilizing cruise control and overdrive features on cars that offer them on long summer roads trips; these features help normalize the energy demands of the engine which in turn helps conserve fuel.

According to AA1car.com, a leading online information resource on auto repair and maintenance, placing a sunshade under the windshield and cracking the windows when parked can help keep the interior cool between drives. This can also “lighten the cooling load on the air conditioner when the vehicle is first started.” The website also reports that changing old dirty motor oil with a fresh higher viscosity one will help keep your car’s engine lubricated and running smoothly on those summer road trips.

“For example, you might want to change from 5W-30 to 10W-30, 10W-40 or 20W-30 for hot weather driving,” reports AA1car.com. “Synthetic motor oils are even better for high temperature protection.”

Of course, some fuel saving tips apply any time of year. For instance, jackrabbit starts are a big no-no; drivers should always try to accelerate gradually. Taking your foot off the gas as early as possible when approaching a red light is another way to save gas. Keeping filters clean, maintaining recommended tire pressure and driving at the speed limit are additional ways to conserve fuel, reduce emissions and treat your ride nicely.

Summertime road trips can also be hard on drivers and passengers, so pack plenty of sunscreen — especially if you plan to have the windows open (or top down)—and bring along a cooler with healthy drinks so everyone can stay hydrated.

CONTACTS: AAA, www.aaa.com; Green Car Reports, www.greencarreports.com;AA1car.com, www.aa1car.com.

EarthTalk® is produced by Doug Moss & Roddy Scheer and is a registered trademark of Earth Action Network Inc. View past columns at: www.earthtalk.org. Or e-mail us your question: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

Selfie Boom: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Competing with our children’s digital world can be a challenge, especially when you would like them to experience the environment and the many ways they can sustain it. It’s hard enough to get them to look up from their device but when they are taking selfies, this might be the right time to capture their attention. With the ‘selfie boom’ in full swing (the word was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2013), what more reason to entice your child to take as many as possible while camping, recycling, hiking, composting, fishing and basically enjoying all nature has to offer.

An Opportunity

It’s easy to shun the onslaught of technology that seems to have turned our society into the ‘heads down tribe.’ Gone are the days when children would hop on their bikes early Saturday morning and not be seen until lunch and then again at dinner. Now it’s all about expensive digital devices to entertain, communicate and solve everyday challenges.

However, when you step back from such electronic confusion there may very well be rare opportunities to be had. Embracing technology rather than pushing it away could allow you to show your child how our environment is faring through it all. Using a wide variety of available tools, online and off, you may be able to incorporate tips and advice to teach your kid how important environmentalism really is.

The Selfie and You

Believe it or not selfies have been around for a long time. The first one was taken in 1839 by an amateur chemist and photographer named Robert Cornelius. Then, about 166 years later, MySpace became the first platform popularly used for displaying selfies. Finally, in 2010 Apple rolled out the iPhone 4 with a front facing camera and people have been mugging into the lens ever since.

Maybe you have no interest in photographing yourself, or tried stepping into the selfie craze with little excitement--or maybe you do it all the time--but the cold hard fact is that selfies are here to stay and today’s kids are at the top of the selfie food chain. Therefore, it may be time to explore selfies as a way to connect or reconnect with your digitally savvy child.

An Environmental Connection

If you watch the news you will most likely be bombarded with a slew of negative, depressing stories involving almost everything including the environment. Yet, some things are improving throughout our planet. The ozone layer has a better outlook; electric carmaker Tesla has announced a new factory in Nevada offering jobs and a future of clean energy infrastructure change; and more corporations are bringing green choices to demanding consumers.

So by using your available digital tools to embrace this positive change it can be an excellent way to bring your child on board. Facebook (48% of selfies are reported to be shared here), Twitter, Instagram and a laundry list of other social media and/or photo sharing and storing sites offer a variety of ways to lure your child into your love for the environment.

Tune In and Turn On

If you aren’t on any social media (or the like) platforms chances are you are continually spiraling further away from an extremely important part of your child’s world. Whether they are plugged in to the gills, roll on one device or do not have any home digital connection whatsoever it is nearly impossible for them to ignore what’s out there.

Practically every aspect of electronic communication will inevitably demand their attention, either in the home or outside the home such as school, friends, gaming, extracurricular activities, commerce and eventually their career. By joining social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and getting their permission to friend, follow or be followed by them has the potential for a whole new relationship to emerge. Add in the sharing of selfies and the environment and it could be a real win-win.

Post the Most

Once you get yourself plugged in alongside your kid then the real fun will begin. Rather than hear them grumble that you want to go on another hike or volunteer for a highway cleanup, present it as a selfie opportunity and encourage them to bring their device.

Take a bunch of selfies alone and especially with them for posting. You can navigate how selfies become a major part of your environmental passion which will hopefully spark a similar love in your child.

Get clever and find ways to share selfies with each other and the world, if you’re so inclined. Take NASA for instance: back in April of 2014 the space organization celebrated Earth Day with a ‘Global Selfie Event’. Check out your favorite environmentalist organizations and see if they too accept selfie posts. Before long your kid will hopefully look forward to your excursions as well as all to be seen and commented on afterward.

As long as your child is safe, selfies can be a positive bonding experience. Making the selfie a positive thing will show your child that you are not only with the times but interested in something that makes them happy.

-Amy Williams is a freelance writer and mother of two in Southern California. She hopes to use her experience as a mother to help other parents understand their teens.

Nature as Nurturing: An Educator’s Narrative to Motivate Nature Play

A soft breeze graces against our skin, birds chirp happily in the tree tops and the sweet smell of a magnolia tree perfumes the air around us. Many of us recall distinctive sensory memories from our time outdoors and nature poses a feast for the senses. Visual stimuli abound: greenery of all shapes and sizes, leaves garnished with edges from smooth to jagged, and an array of characters from pale brown squirrels to vermillion insects. Nature invigorates and nurtures all of our senses: visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory.

Nature offers a lot more to us than just sensory memories, however. Children around us often serve as a reminder of how enticing nature can be. Many teachers and parents can speak to how many times “Can we go outside?” has punctuated a topic at hand.

This is for good reason: nature offers a learning environment that is engaging while remaining calming and restorative. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have conducted several studies that indicate time spent outdoors can have a positive effect on reducing the symptoms of ADHD in students ages 5 to 18 across gender and socioeconomic statuses. This evidence was also observed in both a nationwide study and a preliminary study whereby students were monitored for cognitive challenges before and after a walk.

It seems that nature offers something analogous to a holistic reset button, an effortless way to experience calm and effective attention restoration. These therapeutic effects within nature may even have beneficial effects yet to be explored, including components such as reduced levels of domestic violence within the home and positive uplift for cancer patients. Many would argue that these therapeutics effects are important to note in an increasingly stress-inducing, medicating world.

“Well, what about in winter?” The results are even more striking. The therapeutic effects of nature can be at work literally through a window view. Besides gardening, hiking, and walking outdoors, we can still receive nature’s perks by simply looking outside to a natural view. Many natural changes are impressive and breathtaking to witness, and as an added bonus, these benefits are cost-effective and increase support and appreciation for the environment.

How do we cultivate a system for beating the winter blues, homework blues, or “need a moment” blues? Pursuing a course of nature perks can be simple, elegant and personalized in a way meaningful to an adult, family or child. Here are some suggestions:

Begin a nature journal: Use it to press leaves or wildflowers, describe nature observations and practice nature poetry.

Dabble into the world of field guides: birds, trees, wildflowers, edible plants, medicinal plants… name it and there is a field guide that educates on the topic. These are simple, inexpensive and easily available online or in a local bookstore.

Go on a nature walk: Make family time in nature. Have kids collect artifacts from their walk (leaves, pinecones, flowers, etc.) and help them to identify what they found. For kinesthetic learners , have them act out a skit of their favorite nature walk moment.

Create a monthly nature goal: Consider a nature-inspired family trip, new walk route, nature photography collage or intention to make homework breaks “outdoor” breaks. This is a great way to capitalize on diverse family interests and talents.

Cultivating time to look, react to and document what is happening in the natural world is an important role to be reinforced. Without being aware of the subtle peace and beauty within our natural landscape, much understanding of where our food comes from or what is so precious about our natural landscape will be lost to generations raised indoors.

From solar panels to beautiful gardens and biodiesel, people need to pay attention to their natural surroundings in order to fully appreciate all the complexity our environmental world can and should offer. Look to the kids asking to go outside or romping in a nearby park and remember that nature is the best teacher.

-Julie Ann Howlett is an Illinois-based educator and nature enthusiast offering educational services that promote environmental respect, holistic understandings, and compassion for your educational journey. Sign up for her e-newsletter with JAHLearning@gmail.com or visit JulieAnnHowlettConsulting.com.

This article appears in the August 2014 issue of Natural Awakenings Chicago

KidSnips: The Fun, Family Salon

Editor's note: This is a featured sponsored post. However all opinions are the author's own.

Leave it to moms to create an easy, effective method of getting an uncooperative child to do something necessary. A child's first haircut ranks pretty high up on the list of parenting milestones. Whether your baby was born with a full head of hair (like mine or bald and beautiful, at some point, they will need a haircut. What's worse to babies and toddlers than a stranger wielding a strange object near them? Not much else.

Enter KidSnips: one of the pioneering kid friendly salons in the Chicagoland area with 9 locations in the city and suburbs. KidSnips, the creation of two local moms, debuted in 1997. Their stylist make haircuts for kids painless and actually quite fun. For the little ones they have car and train-shaped stylist chairs to sit in and children get to pick a video game or a DVD to watch while getting their snips. The pièce de résistance is getting to pick out a little toy treat from the treasure box at the end.

My first experience with KidSnips was 13 years ago with my eldest. Having a full head of thick hair as a one year old was cute on him until it started growing to adult proportions. I had tried a couple of times to cut it myself with him watching one of his favorite shows and plying him with strategically offered "M&M's" timed at intervals. It was all very scientific, ....and it took forever.

Our visit to KidSnips made this experience so much quicker and easier. My son still complained but it was over in a jiffy and he was back to his handsome self and not a little shaggy pup anymore.

The stylists at KidSnips are trained to cut the latest styles. Most importantly, they know how to work with cautious children. During my recent visit with my daughter, a toddler boy was, shall we say, not excited to be getting his haircut. The stylists let him sit in his mom's lap, spoke to him soothingly and another stylist who was without a client for the moment, came over to help blow bubbles in the air to distract him. All this while getting the job done really quickly!

In addition to kids cuts and styles, KidSnips also offers services for teens and adults. Their selection of hair accessories and hair grooming products is quite vast and they are also a toy store featuring unique and creative toys, games, puzzles and gifts.

During our latest visit to KidSnips, I brought my girl in for a trim, she's 8. Although, she's worn mostly long hair with bangs since she was a toddler, now that she's getting to be a more style-conscious big girl, she's been asking for a short, pixie haircut. I think she's tiring of winter static and brushing daily, too.

Our KidSnips stylist was very knowledgeable and friendly to my girl, who happily opted to watch "The Lady and The Tramp" from the salon's large DVD collection while getting her haircut. As you can see, my girl and I were very pleased with the cute and carefree result. 

To find a Kidsnips in your area, view this map. 

-Christine 

 

 

 

Creative Eco Gift Ideas for Everyone On Your List

Still have a few specials things to buy on your holiday gift list? Concerned about making your purchases count toward helping the planet? Not looking to spend on something unnecessary or impractical? Here are my favorite picks to help you check off those last few "to do's" on your list, while being a more mindful consumer.

My favorite cleaning and disinfecting products are those that are safe for children and the environment. Cleanwell products are made from natural ingredients for those times when you really want to do away with the nasties in a non-nasty way. How about a green cleaning basket full? With 30% off it's a great time to try CleanWell cleaning products!  

For the green bookworm, one of my favorite independent publishers is Chelsea Green Publishing - the leading publisher of sustainable living books since 1985. For sustainable living, eco advocacy, environmental politics, homesteading, urban homesteading, gardening and simple living, look no further. For 35% off their entire selection, simply use the code CGS13 at checkout from now until the end of the year.

Chronicle Books is an independent publisher specializing in lifestyle, children's, art, pop culture, and food books. Their selection is so playful, with great titles highlighting the newest trends and showcasing amazing artwork. Whether you're shopping for yourself or others, these books inspire creativity and are just simply fun. These are definitely not just coffee table books! (I especially love their collection of journals for different tastes and interests, like "My Museum" a journal for sketching and collecting your experiences at your favorite museums.) 30% off + FREE shipping at ChronicleBooks.com! Use promo code GETBOOKS

Prefer a one-stop shop for natural and organic products for you and the family? At Abe’s Market, you'll find yummy treats, natural beauty products, gifts for children, gifts for pets, home wares, and fashion. They have a great selection of natural and organic items continually curated by their discerning staff, so you are sure to find something special you might not find anywhere else. Free Shipping on All Purchases over $49 at Abe's Market!

Art supplies you can eat? Yes. Wee Can Too Art Supply makes art products so natural, they're actually edible. What a great idea especially for toddlers! They make paints, crayons, sidewalk chalk, veggie egg paint and more. How cool is that?

How about a little something for yourself or a mama friend? You know being creative is a great way to relieve stress and renew your sense of accomplishment coming into the new year. Craftsy is like a crafty mom's dream: you select a class (cake decorating, knitting, crochet, quilting, digital photography skills, etc.) and you can watch the class whenever you please (hint: when the littles are asleep or occupied) and ask questions of the instructors whenever you need. It truly takes the fear out of beginning new projects and skills.  To get you started with supplies for your next project, check out the Craftsy 80% Off Yarn Flash Sale through 12/16 or the Craftsy 65% Off Fabric Flash Sale through 12/16

Green Kid Crafts makes eco art projects and science discovery projects for kids a breeze with award-winning activity boxes you select for monthly delivery, short term delivery or to purchase individually. Each Discovery Box contains 3 to 4 Creativity Kits, fun extras, extension activities and a 20 plus page themed Green Kid Activity Guide. Shipping is free!

Magic Cabin toys foster imagination and play through drama, art, crafts, outdoor activity and nature. I've been very pleased with the toys we've purchased through them. I have a little nature lover at home, and they have such a great assortment of nature themed items that promote open-ended play. In addition, they have a huge variety of exclusive items for non-plugged in, back to basics, good old-fashioned play. Holiday Savings! $4.99 Shipping on Orders $49+ Use Code: LSMC499

After all the gift giving and receiving is done, let's not forget thank you cards. If you're like me, you sometimes don't manage to send out Christmas or holiday cards on time. But wouldn't it be nice to send an updated photo of the family or kids to say hello and Thank you or Happy New Year to family and friends? I think so.

I've really enjoyed using Simply To Impress for our personalized holiday cards. They offer excellent customer service and their designs are super affordable. So, why not flip through those great candid shots you took this year of the kids and select a few choice ones to show off.  Buy Holiday Cards and Holiday Photo Cards- Save 20% From SimplyToImpress.com!

-Christine

 -This post contains affiliate links for companies that I have partnered with who offer great products that are both useful and ethical. All opinions are my own and I only offer an opinion on products I believe are good for our planet and for people. If you purchase through these links, I receive a small percentage of the sale and this helps me get compensated for my work to bring you Green Parent Chicago on a regular basis. Thank you.

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