She’s THAT Mom: The Enviro-Mom

She’s THAT Mom is a blog series that will highlight one mother who embraces an alternative parenting philosophy, in hopes that we as mothers can learn from and grow with each other.  New moms will be featured monthly. 

Leave a comment discussing your ideals, thoughts, questions, or concerns, and what you agree and disagree with.  Looking forward to learning with you!

Meet Kristy- our Enviro- Mom.  Kristy is a stay-at-home mom, with a background in Environmental Sustainability.  Her goal as an “Enviro-mom” is to raise her family in a sustainable, organic manner, creating a connection to nature and a desire to conserve and reduce consumption.

1) Describe your
philosophy on child raising:

I fully embrace the Waldorf
philosophy. I strive to foster independence while being nurturing at the same
time. We want our son to have a meaningful connection with nature and grow up
learning to live sustainably and since children learn through modeling we try
our best to make sustainable choices in our everyday lives so that he may see
them in practice.

2) How did you develop this
philosophy?

Much of it stems from my
education in Environmental Sustainability and courses in Child
Development. Also, countless hours were spent discussing with my
hubby the values we want to instill in our children and how we would like
to raise them. My husband grew up with much exposure to nature living in
Muskoka, Ontario and would love nothing more than to have the same for our son.

3) What specific things do you do (as
a mother or as a family) to raise your family in an enviro-friendly manner?

– I breast-fed for the first
8 months and pumped for when I had to be out of the home.  We switched to organic formula when the
little man was 8 months old. 
 

– We reuse and repurpose as
many things as we can and donate items we no longer need or use.

– Consciously try to
conserve and reduce in four areas – waste, water, energy and transportation.

– As a mother, I use
Lunapads – reusable menstrual pads (this is really not as bad as it sounds)

– We support small family
farms through the purchase of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) food
share. Last summer we got a 1/2 fruit and vegetable share and an egg share from
a local farm. The farm makes a commitment to working toward being organic. They
use minimal pesticides and herbicides on their produce and practice natural
pest management to the best of their ability. The cost was roughly $18 per week
and it was delivered to our door each Wednesday. We had more than enough food
and often shared with family and friends. We also had a small amount of veggies
come from our own garden which we plan on having more of this summer.

– We limit our meat
consumption to 3 meals/week.

– Buy second-hand. We go
thrifting as much as we can when we need new clothing and have had some
amazing finds at children’s consignment stores or Value Village.  

– Get outside -be it hiking,
walking, rollerblading etc. so that our son grows up having a connection to
nature

– Use natural cleaning
products – a biggie! Baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and borax are
staples in this household. This is also much cheaper than buying chemical
cleaners.

4) What obstacles have you faced in
your efforts to be an enviro-friendly mother?

– Money is a huge barrier
since we are a single income family. Organic foods and formula are
expensive and selection is very limited in big box stores still for these
types of products. 

– I have found that the area
in which we live is largely geared toward over- consumption. There are too many
WalMarts and not enough small businesses.

  
5) How has your parenting style been
received by others?

The need for organic food
for our child was not taken well by family and friends who often questioned us.
They offered many criticisms and concern over whether or not it was healthy to
limit meat intake. Many family members still show a lack of respect
for my wishes to not feed my son fast-food and offer it to him anyway.
Surprisingly, very few people have commended us for our parenting choices. I
have found the best support has not been my family and friends but has been
though the blogging community. Through this network I was able to connect with
many like-minded supportive women.

6) What advice would you give to
other mothers who are interested in raising their families in an
enviro-friendly manner?

Just do it! Surround
yourself by like-minded mothers/people. Do research in your community on local
businesses/organizations/support groups available to you. Join online forums or
explore the blogging world. In short, seek out the resources available in your
area.