Real Mama BlogGreening Families’ Routines in 2009: Whole Foods & Real Mama Team Up
GREENING FAMILIES’ ROUTINES IN 2009
Real Mama and Whole Foods Event Helps Set Green Goals for Families & Caregivers
Middletown, NJ – On Thursday, January 22, Real Mama, Inc., a Middletown-based environmental and kids health nonprofit organization, provided a new presentation with Whole Foods Market of Middletown. Real Mama presented five green family goals and tips for achieving them during the free, in-store presentation, entitled “Living Greener in the New Year.” Mothers and fathers with and without their children, as well as grandmothers and grandfathers attended the presentation.
The presentation was given by Kirstin McPolin of Middletown Township, NJ, an environmental attorney and mother, Kari Martin of Middletown Township, NJ, an environmental advocate, and Cornelia Mazzan of Fair Haven, NJ, a holistic health advocate and mother.
“It can be easy to be green, and learning five things that families can do to help the environment and improve our health is a good start in this new year,” said Kirstin McPolin, President of Real Mama, Inc. “We thank Whole Foods for being leaders in helping families achieve greener lifestyles and providing the space, organic snacks, and opportunity to Real Mama to reach area families.”
The five goals that Real Mama presented include choosing not to drink bottled water, simple steps to take to save energy and money at home, choosing and eating organic foods, knowing what to recycle, and spending time outdoors, especially at local places to foster a sense of environmental stewardship. These goals were chosen because the actions would greatly improve the environment and the goals are achievable despite the busy lives of families.
For each goal, Real Mama recommended tips for successfully reaching the goals. For example:
• No bottled water: purchase a reusable water bottle for each member of the family and refill with tap water
• Energy conservation: install a programmable thermostat to save energy and money on heating & cooling
• Organic foods: Buy organic for foods your family eats most
• Recycle: Know what is recycled in your community; plastic items (marked #1 & 2 in recycling symbol), aluminum cans, glass bottles, newspapers, magazines, and office paper/envelopes can be recycled
• Go Outdoors: Pick a local park or natural area to spend time outdoors; Monmouth County Parks System has a wide variety of local areas for families to enjoy and children to learn
Recognizing that families and caregivers are short on time and that environmental issues and actions can be complex, Real Mama researches and reviews some of the latest environmental topics and concerns for today’s busy families. Articles in Real Mama’s quarterly online newsletter are categorized into topics related to earth, water, air, minds, and bodies. The e-newsletters are quick resources for activities, books, movies, and websites that encourage environmental stewardship in children and parents. The e-newsletters also include updates on pending or recently passed legislation and regulatory actions.
For more information about Real Mama, e-newsletters, links, and scheduled presentations to the public, as well as to sign-up to receive notice of the free quarterly e-newsletter, visit www.realmama.org.
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Real Mama, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to inform and educate mothers and families and to increase awareness and conservation of the natural environment through the most important resource – children.