Greenwasher

Before I was a blogger, I was a stay-at-home-mom with a couple of kids. (But, before that I was a publishing professional. Not that I feel the need to qualify my SAHM status…Okay I guess I do.)

As I started to become more aware of the type of shit that contaminates our world, I started making changes to my life and household. For instance, I like a clean toilet. I have a very sensitive sniffer and it doesn’t require a large volume of poorly aimed pee drops around the toilet before the bathroom smells like urine to me. 

Back in the old days, I loved the way Mr. Bubbles foamed when you sprayed it on the seat and I loved the lemony fresh scent. When I wiped away the foam, my toilet felt clean to me…almost instantly.

But when I realized my son would come into the bathroom after Mr. Bubbles and start coughing, I started doing some research on the internet and realized these cleaning products were contributing to his asthma.

That’s how the greening of my home started. Not because of an innate love of our planet. Not because of a life-long commitment to plants, animals, and all things the Lord hath created. Not out of a fear of global warming.

Plain and simple. Switching from toxic cleansers to non-toxic cleansers made my life easier. It meant less coughing and less asthma which meant less nebulizer which meant less steroids which meant lower costs AND less jumping on the couch and less time outs.

People naturally assume that because I care about my health, that I’m “green.” And in some ways they are right. The way I choose to feed myself and my family; the way I choose which products I will buy for my home; or the way I treat my yard…all these choices (which I make out of a commitment to wellness for my family) also benefit the Earth.

But there are things that I do that are so eco-unfriendly, you might stop liking me if you knew. So I will only tell you one — I love paper towels. And I use them in abundance. Particularly to clean snot and food off my kids’ faces.

I make a commitment to you that when all of my children pass the age of five, I will no longer buy paper towels. But from now until then…I guess I’m just a phony. Or at least a work in progress. Just like you.

Start small. You never know what might happen to you along the way.