And other exciting developments...

You know life is exciting when you are jazzed up about a mop. Sad, but true...

I am not one of those people who really enjoys cleaning. I think I've said this before, possibly using the exact same words... Despite the fact that I can easily find 30 things I'd rather do before breaking out the vacuum, I find I'm cleaning much more often now that we have a baby. Guess it's just one of those things you do, along with talking in the third person, discussing baby poop and perfecting quacking sounds for Old MacDonald while walking down the street.

Now that Cole is crawling, I've become concerned about how we clean the floors... I know, I know - exciting stuff. We use environmentally-friendly dish and laundry soaps, cleansers and whatnot, but I could still be caught Swiffering the floors until recently. Our whole place, with the exception of the bedrooms, has lovely dark wood floors, and it seems like there are constantly new little dust dunes forming around the base of the furniture. Dust and random assortments of my hair, since Cole gets about a handful of it a day, fresh off the scalp. Everything I'd read online said that using the wet Swiffer cloths didn't pose a risk to babies crawling on the floors after they dry, but that's from the same industry that said DDT was delicious, right?

Guilty feelings be gone; I just bought an oMop from Method. The wood floor care kit ($40) comes with the mop, a few biodegradable corn sweeping clothes, a washable microfibre pad and this cool non-toxic cleaning solution that you squirt directly on the floor. I like squirting things right onto the floor, I've realized... And the cleaning solution smells like almonds. oMop is safe for people and the environment, so a thumbs up all around.

It was really easy to use. Perhaps the novelty will wear off (I'm almost sure of that!) but it was disturbingly kind of fun to clean the floor for the first time ever... I was even motivated enough to clean the shadowy, dusty underworld beneath the sofa. I noticed it was really gross under there when I lost a bead and we both had to crawl around looking for it, lest it become a choking hazard for Mr. Curious.

So now I can quit worrying that the Swiffer will give Cole a tail or something, and get on with my day. No more stories about mopping anytime soon, if I can I help it.

Love the environment - no granola even required!

From one of my fave sites, Treehugger, comes a terrific series of reference articles on how to green everything in your life.

Everyone might enjoy the sections on everything from greening your coffee & tea to your wardrobe to your recycling and much more. While not every tip is 100% practical for every person, there is a ton of great info that can help us all to make smart choices. And really, being well-informed is the best place to start.

All you mama's-to-be out there might enjoy the section on how to green your baby, including an intelligent discussion on diaper choice, baby food and much more... Here's some good starter info on the subject of diapers:

Studies are divided on the subject of environmental impact of disposables vs. cloth. But knowing that your baby will use approx 6,000 diapers before toilet training, and that disposable diapers take 200-500 years to decompose, this is certainly a key issue to ponder. Washing cloth diapers takes water, energy, and chemicals (not to mention time), but you might want to consider the benefits of a laundering service. One study has found that home-washing cloth diapers has only 53% of the ecological footprint of disposables, and if you use a diaper laundering service that impact is halved again. [more]

I have been thinking of the diapers issue for ages and I'd like still like to use cloth for day and gDiapers for night/traveling... I'd personally rather eat a disposable diaper before I put one on PJs! Does anyone know of a good diaper laundering service in Vancouver? I don't want to buy a bunch of expensive cloth diapers if the service will provide them... But if I can't find a service, I'd rather wash than not. Can anyone recommend a good cloth diaper brand? Hip Baby in Kits has some, but I'm curious to know what has worked for others...

Paper, glorious paper!

I love paper. Fancy paper, journals, art paper, cards... I was looking for part of a gift recently for someone who I don't think reads this blog (although their Mom might- shhh!!) and I needed a cool sketchbook that agrees with my personal stance on the environment. It's so hard to turn down all my favourite Japanese sketchbooks and cool journals and letterpress cards because they're not environmentally sound...

Then we found the Mirage Ecojot series!!! Lovers of art and the environment rejoice! It's not lame looking (unfortunately, still a problem - hello, designers love paper!) and it's perfectly ethical. The pads are made in Canada from 100% recycled post-consumer waste (no new trees!) and certified by the FSC. They're made at a mill that uses alternative power and the inks are veggie-based. And the paper is acid-free, so your lovely musings will be safe from the ravages of time! Oh, and a portion of the price goes to environmental causes.

Locally, they're available at Opus (probably lots of other places too). A great stocking stuffer (Dear Santa...)! :-)

PS, the one shown is not the one I'm giving, but isn't it adorable??

Gee Whiz...

50 million disposable diapers enter the landfill every day. The average baby goes through 5,000 diapers before being potty-trained. It takes up to 500 years for a disposable diaper to biodegrade in a landfill. Just in time for your great, great, great, great, grandchild's birth.

Sick. So, obviously, I've been thinking a lot about diapers lately (whoo - exciting, eh?!) and wondering how I could get around the whole smelly pail of diapers/messing up the place thing with cloth but absolutely avoid the vile plastic disposable route. It's not like PJs can roam in the nude! I recently learned about gDiapers (shown above) and need to find out some more first, but they sound like an interesting option.

gDiapers consist of a washable, cotton outer pant and a plastic-free flushable refill. Flushable refills contain tree farmed fluff pulp and Super absorber SAP. The outer material of the flushable is all natural fibre and is 100% compostable.

They've received a great review from the non-profit environmental action group, Natural Resources Defense Council:

This month's edition of the NRDC's This Green Life revisits the environmental diaper debate. The article states: "gDiapers seem to have the environmental edge over more conventional choices because they send no material to the landfill, use no elemental chlorine or plastics, and require much less washing (therefore, less water and energy usage) than regular cloth diapers."

I am not sure about the SAP absorbent stuff, and they're made in China so honestly I'm concerned about the impact of the shipping distance. I will probably go with cloth in the end, but I like the idea of using these outer pants things on top and having a few of their inserts for travels and nighttimes - at least until I get a better idea of the whole diapers-in-action thing! Any Mom's in Vancouver know of a good cloth service?