Why focus on mostly free Mother’s Day gifts?

For starters, none of us needs more stuff, no one needs to spend more money, and goodness knows, the planet doesn’t need more trash (which is what wrapping paper and a lot of trinkets turn into after the holiday is over).

Don’t Miss: Mother’s Day: Shopping Spree or Shopping Shift? 

That said, as a mom, I just love receiving something that’s meaningful, personal, and shows me both THAT my kids care, and WHY.

That’s why I’ve pulled together this list of the 13 Mostly Free Mother’s Day Gifts I’ve received over the years that I’ve particularly loved. Most of them are not only free to give, but free of a trashy environmental impact, too.

13 Mostly Free Mother’s Day Gifts
(that Mom Will Love – and Mother Earth, too!)

1. Your Time – Does your mom love flowers but hate to garden? Spend two hours in the yard with her pulling weeds or sowing seeds. Is there a particular household chore she hates? Do it for her while she eats her breakfast in bed (see #2) or luxuriously reads the Sunday paper. What else can you do to free up time your mother can spend just on her?

2.  A Delicious Meal – This is always a winner. Serve breakfast in bed. Pack a picnic and head out to the park. Arrange for dinner that everyone pitches in to cook (and don’t forget to do the dishes afterwards). Need recipes? Here’s my zucchini frittata for breakfast or brunch, and my favorite kale cranberry salad for lunch or dinner.

3.  Exercise – Join your mom on a walk or a bike ride. If she loves to play tennis, can you either play with her or line up a match for her with a friend? Is there a hike she’s wanted to do but could never find the time for? Maybe she plays pickle ball. Whatever it is, help her do it.

4.  A DIY Massage  – I used to do this for my mother no matter what day it was. I’d just gently take her hand, rub a little lotion on it, and gently massage the fingers, palm and wrist, usually while we were sitting around talking. Convincing her to let me massage her feet was a little more challenging, but I usually won out. Here’s an introduction to gentle massage techniques if you need it.

5.  Family Stories – I’ve never met a mother who doesn’t love to relive her kids’ exploits (good and bad). While you’re at it, share a story or two about a time she did something particularly extraordinary or helpful or kind for you. And if she wants to pull out the family albums for the millionth time, don’t roll your eyes!

6.  A Special Drink – Brew up your mom’s favorite tea, make homemade lemonade or iced tea, blend together a yummy smoothie or shake, or pour her a glass of organic red or white wine.

7.  E-Mail InBox Clean-up – I’m talking about emptying the inbox and getting rid of thousands of old and unnecessary emails. Would someone please do this for me? Helloooo? Hellooooo???

8.  Online Photo Filing – Oh, no, forget my emails. Please do THIS for me and my thousands of photos that are randomly stored somewhere on Google! I already love you to the moon and back, but do this, and I’ll love you to the sun and back.

9.  Car Detailing – Give her car the works inside and out: clean the dashboard, vacuum the seat cushions, wipe off the grimy indoor windows and door handles, and drive through a car wash. May as well gas up the car while you’re at it. By the way, remember to use the same green cleansers on the inside of the car that you use inside your home. Here are some helpful recipes. 

10. Bicycle Servicing – Get her bike ready for the summer. Adjust the gears, clean off the frame, oil the chain. Track down maps to some local bike trails she might not know about, too.

11.  Garden Tool Cleaning and Sharpening – If your mom is like me, she’s usually too tired or too busy to clean her spades and shovels, let alone get them sharpened. You can take them to your local hardware store for sharpening and cleaning, or do it yourself.

11. A Special Photo – I can never have enough photos of me with my children. I love the ones that show me with them when they were babies, next to another photo of me with them as their now-adult selves. Almost any photo works – funny, poignant, surprising. Print out a photo on your computer or at a place like CVS, then hit the local vintage store for the perfect frame. That’s a winner – guaranteed!

12. Books From a Little Free Library – Many neighborhoods, including mine, have sprouted “Little Free Libraries.” They’re weatherproof, enclosed cases where people leave books so others can take them and read them at no cost. They’ve become a smart way to recycle books you no longer need to keep around – and an equally smart way to find gifts for people without needing to lay out any cash.

13. Tickets to An Event or Certificates to Redeem – If you are going to spend some money, buy tickets to an event or performance of some sort. Baseball games, the movies, a concert, a theater performance, choose whatever you think your mom would most enjoy. Ideally, get tickets to something the two of you (or you and your siblings or extended family) can enjoy together. Alternatively, give her a gift certificate for a mani/pedi, facial, or another service designed to pamper her!

By the way, don’t miss our other Mother’s Day posts!

Want to Give Mom Flowers? Choose These.

If You Get Flowers for Mother’s Day, Here’s How to Make Them Last

A Mother’s Day Question: What Do You Have in Common With Your Daughter…and Your Own Mother?

The post 13 Mostly Free Mother’s Day Gifts Mom – And Mother Earth – Will Love! appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Every year around Mother’s Day, my son and daughter (pictured with me, above) want to know what they can get me. I’m not big on buying a lot of presents, especially given how much stuff I already have. But I always make a point of telling them to skip anything having to do with cosmetics, fragrances, and other “fancy” personal care products. Why? Because I have no idea what they’re made of. That’s especially true after having watched The Human Experiment, a new documentary produced and narrated by Academy Award-winner Sean Penn.

Most chemicals circulating in our environment today have NOT been tested for their long-term impacts on human health. The Human Experiment film shines a very needed spotlight on the devastating impact untested chemicals can have on our health.

I was invited to attend the film’s premiere in Beverly Hills, thanks to Rachel Sarnoff of MommyGreenest.com and a long-time advocate of non-toxic living. Sean Penn introduced the film by noting how important it is for consumers to understand the health threats we face from living day-to-day with the more than 80,000 chemicals that circulate around us.

The documentary explains in heartbreaking detail how vulnerable we all are to toxic chemicals that companies are allowed to use until they’re proven dangerous. It tells the stories of three women whose lives have been turned upside down by what they believe are toxic chemical exposures. One young, fit and seemingly healthy woman can’t get pregnant. Finally, after fertility treatments, she conceives twins, but one of the babies is born so weak he cannot survive. Another women talks about the ways she thinks chemical exposures might have contributed to her brother’s autism. Another 30-something woman gets breast cancer – even though she takes good care of herself, eats right, is not overweight, and doesn’t smoke.

A study by the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) shows that American women put, on average, 168 different chemicals on their bodies each day, and many of those chemicals are dangerous.

According to EWG’s study, those chemicals are delivered via the soap, shampoo, body lotion, make-up, deodorant and even toothpaste we use. Most of us don’t give our personal hygiene regimens much thought. We do what we’ve always done: lather, rinse, repeat. And because we can buy the products we use online or at the store, we generally assume that they’re safe to use.

Unfortunately, that burden of proof usually falls on consumers. Most of us can’t afford to pay for the extensive testing required to prove whether the products we buy, and the chemicals in them, are safe.

That’s why two U.S. Senators, calling for toxic chemical reform, are pushing passage of the Personal Care Products Safety Act.

That’s also why BigGreenPurse.com encourages shoppers to shift their spending to the healthiest, safest products available. If you visit TheHumanExperimentmovie.com, make sure you click on Switch to Safer to see the safer products the film’s producers recommend. It will make a difference, not just to you, but to the manufacturers who need to change their ingredients lists. Rachel Sarnoff of MommyGreenest.com, agrees. “In America, consumers seem to be the only group forcing manufacturers to change. It’s only when shoppers demand cleaner alternatives that companies develop non-toxic formulations. And it’s working: The green chemistry market, which was assessed at $800 million in 2011, is projected to reach $2.7 billion this year.”

Yes, it’s ridiculous that you can’t really think about buying your mother (or spouse, or partner, or yourself) a bottle of perfume or some fancy make-up or even an afternoon at the spa without worrying that the chemicals in these “gifts” could make her sick. But right now, if you’re planning to shop for Mother’s Day, you’re probably better off choosing something other than personal care products.

No matter when you shop, shift your spending to products that do not contain some of the worst chemical offenders:

* phthalates

* diazolidinyl urea

* lead acetate

* methylene glycol/formaldehyde

* propyl paraben

* quarternium-15

And make sure you don’t miss The Human Experiment. You can download it on Vimeo here, or look for it at your local movie theater.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Non-Toxic Personal Care

How to Avoid Toxic Chemicals in Make-up When Pregnant

Is There Mercury in Your Mascara? Probably.

The post Mother’s Day Highlights Need for Toxic Chemical Reform appeared first on Big Green Purse.

As a mom myself, I love the attention I get on Mother’s Day. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by family, showered with love, and coddled with breakfast in bed, a luxurious morning just reading the paper, and no rushing around to do chores?

But as the founder of Big Green Purse, where I advocate using consumer clout to change the world, I consider Mother’s Day a tremendous opportunity – not to buy a lot of stuff, but to take a stand against excessive consumerism and in favor of the products and services that offer the greatest environmental benefit.

DOES YOUR MOM REALLY NEED MORE STUFF?

One of the most powerful and eco ways to use your money is to keep it in your purse or pocket! Most people have enough “stuff” – in fact, many of us are so overwhelmed by clutter that it adds to the stress of managing our households when we get more things we have to find a place for.

Years ago, when our two children were still toddlers, we established a “no gifts on Mother’s Day” rule (we do the same thing on Father’s Day). I truly appreciate my kids’ desire to treat me special on Mother’s Day, but for me that means that we have brunch or dinner together, maybe go for a hike or have some other family outing, and tell funny stories about my most memorable/ridiculous “mom moments.” When my son and daughter were in elementary and middle school, Mother’s Day was also a “no bickering” day. There was no better gift than the 24 conflict-free hours they gave me that one day of the year!

Now that my “kids” are young adults (seen above, with me in the middle in case you can’t tell who the 20 somethings are!), we continue to enjoy this same tradition (well, minus the “no bickering” rule, since they don’t bicker much any more). We will have a relaxing day, enjoy dinner together, and tell “mom  stories.” Simple, sweet, and definitely not stressful. I can’t imagine anything better.

IF YOU WANT TO GIVE A GIFT, CHOOSE THE GREENEST OPTION

Still, there are millions of people who can’t NOT give a gift on Mother’s Day. And there are plenty of moms who want to receive an actual present. According to the same National Retail Federation survey, two of the most common gifts given this Sunday will be electronics, and flowers.

ELECTRONICS

If you’re giving electronics, check this valuable Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics before you buy. The Guide evaluates leading consumer electronics companies based on their commitment and progress in three environmental areas: Energy and Climate, Greener Products, and Sustainable Operations. The Guide scores companies on overall policies and practices – not on specific products – to provide consumers with a snapshot of the sustainability of the largest electronics companies, looking at the way companies use (or phase out) toxic chemicals, save energy, promote recycling, and help reduce climate change.The Guide does not endorse one company over another.

The most recent Guide was published in November 2012. The Indian company Wipro ranks highest in all categories; the way this business operates provides a useful point of comparison to the other companies Greenpeace evaluated. Wipro may not be easily available at Best Buy or other stores where you shop – but HP, the next highest ranking manufacturer, is.

Of course, you don’t necessarily have to buy new. “The most sustainable devices are the ones you don’t actually buy,” notes Greenpeace. “Work to extend the life of your existing electronic gadgets, buy used products, and purchase what you truly need.”

Recycle as part of your present to Mom

Whether you buy new or used, recycle Mom’s old equipment as part of your present to her. Discarded electronics are the fastest growing segment of the waste stream, but they add more than metal trash to the garbage. Most electronics contain circuits made from heavy metals that can contaminate the groundwater and soil. You can recycle pretty much any phone, tablet, monitor, hard drive, laptop, and fax machine at Best Buy, Staples, and Office Depot.

For other convenient recycling options, this list will make it easy for you.

FLOWERS

I’m a sucker for beautiful bouquets of cut flowers. But I’ve learned to value flowers that are locally grown and seasonal over blooms that have been imported from abroad. Why?

Seventy percent of U.S. flowers are imported from Latin America, where growers in Columbia, Ecuador and other countries use pesticides that have long been banned in the U.S. A 2002 survey of 8,000 Colombian flower workers revealed exposure to 25 carcinogenic or highly toxic pesticides that are not used in the United States.

Often, women flower growers suffer impaired vision, asthma, and miscarriage or give birth to babies marked by lower birth weights and higher blood pressure. Thirty-five out of 72 Ecuadoran children tested by the Harvard School of Public Health experienced organophosphate pesticides in the womb while their mothers grew flowers. These children later suffered both higher blood pressure and poorer spatial ability than kids who escaped prenatal exposures. Overall, according to a study by the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF), two-thirds of Colombian and Ecuadorian flower workers suffer work-related health problems ranging from impaired vision and neurological problems Some women give birth to stillborn infants, or see their children die within a month after birth.

Meanwhile, the International Labor Organization estimates that 20 percent of flower workers in Ecuador are children, who are more vulnerable to chemical hazards than adults because their immune systems and vital organs are still immature. According to Environmental News Network, imported roses can contain as much as 50 times the amount of pesticides that are legally allowed on the food we eat. The U.S. requires imported flowers to be bug-free, but unlike edible fruits and vegetables they are not tested for chemical residues. So even if you’re not growing these flowers yourselves, you may still be bringing the chemicals used on them into your home.

If you have the option, buy flowers that are locally grown by American farmers who must obey U.S. regulations about pesticide use and application.

If you prefer to order flowers online, shop at Organic Bouquet, whose EcoBloom Certified roses will also be delivered with free bars of Endangered Species chocolate.

California Organic Flowers offers another online option. Stores like Whole Foods, food coops, natural food stores, and conventional grocery stores that have made a commitment to going green may also carry organically grown buds. If you don’t see them, ask for them.

DIY

You can also make a beautiful bouquet to give to Mom yourself. Even if the flowers haven’t started blooming in your part of the country yet, take a pair of clippers out to the yard and snip off a variety of different kinds of leaves. Mix light and dark greens, oval leaves with those that are spiky, long fronds with shorter sprouts. Place them in a tall vase, if you have it, or wrap a juice bottle with a decorative towel and ribbon to make a festive container.

THREE LITTLE WORDS

Regardless of what you give, tell your Mom you love her. All else pales compared to the gift of telling Mom exactly what she wants to hear!

Happy Mother’s Day.

Related articles

Still Shopping for Mother’s Day? Stop.

If you get flowers for Mother’s Day, here’s how to make them last.

The post Mother’s Day: Shopping Spree or Shopping Shift? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Are you getting or giving flowers for Mother’s Day? Whether you buy them from your local florist, have them delivered, or arrange flowers you’ve cut in your own garden, these recommendations, provided courtesy of Organic Bouquet, will help you keep them happy in their vase for as long as possible.

When the flowers arrive (or when you’re arranging them for your mom)…

· Prepare a solution of warm water and a flower food packet, or mix 2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice and 1 tbsp sugar per quart of water.

· Fill a vase with the solution to within 1-2 inches of the rim.

· Remove any leaves and foliage that would fall under the water line.  With roses, I use garden shears to remove excess foliage so I don’t cut myself on the thorny stems. I can use regular kitchen shears on flowers like tulips, lillies, and mums.

· Cut each stem at about ½ inch from the bottom, at a 45 degree angle, with a sharp single blade knife or floral clippers.

· Place the flowers into the vase one at a time so you can make a beautiful display. Never just take flowers out of their wrapping and plop them into the vase – you want the flowers to have enough room for buds to open and the blooms to breathe a little.

– Display the arrangement in a cool location between 65-72 degrees and away from direct sunlight and heat or dehumidifying sources. Definitely put them someplace where you can easily see and smell them!

 Once your flowers are arranged…

· Top off the water level daily

· Clean the vase, change the flower food solution and re-cut the stems every two days (well, I do it every three days).

Remember…

· Roses have an outer layer called “guard petals” that keep the bloom tight and protect the flower during shipping. They may appear discolored or bruised – simply remove these petals and the rose will blossom over the next few days.

· Lilies will bloom over the course of several days. Remove the pollen to avoid staining. Pollen dust can be removed from the flower petals by lightly brushing with a pipe cleaner. Cut off expired lily blooms as blooms closer to the tip continue to open.

 Related Posts

Send organic flowers for special holidays

The post If you get flowers for Mother’s Day, here’s how to make them last. appeared first on Big Green Purse.

I don’t remember how much milk we’d all drunk before the mistake was discovered. I do remember watching the television news reports of the incident. Over 500 contaminated Michigan farms were quarantined. Approximately 30,000 cattle, 4,500 swine, 1,500 sheep, and 1.5 million chickens were destroyed, along with over 800 tons of animal feed, 18,000 pounds of cheese, 2,500 pounds of butter, 5 million eggs, and 34,000 pounds of dried milk products.

I’ll never forget the feeling I had watching millions of gallons of milk being destroyed. But what I also came to realize was that it was far easier to get rid of that tainted milk than it was to eliminate the fire retardants that had accumulated in my body as a result of drinking it. Fire retardants – also known as PBBs – cause cancer in lab animals and are thought to be endocrine disruptors – chemicals that interfere with hormones.

How many of you are mothers? How many people have or had a mother? That’s where so many environmental concerns begin, don’t they? After all, a mother’s body is the first environment any of us experience. I remember thinking back in 1974, even though I wouldn’t have children for another 14 years, that perhaps my ability to have healthy babies had been compromised by drinking the most harmless thing in the world, a glass of milk.

Between then and now, I’ve had two children. I never had my breast milk tested for fire retardants. I never subjected my hair to analysis for heavy metals. I have not had my blood and urine examined to determine how many unnatural chemicals they contain.

But if I did, in all likelihood I’d discover a toxic soup of contaminants that I’ve been unwillingly exposed to and that now wait to surface in some kind of disease or cancer. Even worse, I would probably also discover a whole host of toxins – my personal “body burden” – that I have unwittingly passed on to my kids.

I started Big Green Purse as a way to protect ourselves from exposure to the toxins that cause our kids harm.  Given the enormity of the challenges facing government, it may be years or decades before we significantly reign in the pollution that makes us sick. We must continue to press for stronger environmental health and safety laws and regulations. But let us not forget: The way we spend our money is our first line of defense. 

As we observe this Mother’s Day, let’s renew our commitment to shifting our spending to products and services that offer the greatest health and safety benefits, not just for the planet, but for us and our children as well.

The post What’s in YOUR body, Mom? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Chances are great that our daughters will pass on to our grandchildren some of the same chemical molecules they inherited from us. The estimated age by which a daughter will purge 99 percent of the inherited chemical varies depending on the chemical. It will take a day to excrete the phthalate plasticizers that soften up cosmetics, paint and plastics, but a year to dump mercury. Our daughters will be at least teenagers but perhaps senior citizens before they’re rid of the common flame retardants and stain-proofing chemicals we pass along. They would be 166 years old before they’re free of their inherited lead.

Meanwhile, their own body burden continues to increase. According to EWG’s test results, chemicals that persist in the body were found at higher levels in mothers than daughters, showing how chemicals can build up in the body over a lifetime. Mothers had an average of 1.5 to 5.2 times more pollution than their daughters for lead, methyl mercury, brominated flame retardants, and the Teflon- and Scotchgard-related perfluorochemicals PFOA and PFOS.

The EWG study, which was done on four mothers and their daughters, found that each of the eight women’s blood or urine was contaminated with an average of 35 consumer product ingredients, including flame retardants, plasticizers, and stain-proof coatings. These mixtures of compounds found in furniture, cosmetics, fabrics, and other consumer goods, have never been tested for safety. The mothers and daughters in this study join 64 other people tested in six EWG biomonitoring programs conducted between 2000 and 2006. In total, EWG biomonitoring has found 455 different pollutants, pesticides, and industrial chemicals in the bodies or cord blood of 72 different people — including 10 newborn babies with an average of 200 chemicals in each child.

“EPA studies show that children from birth to age two are 10 times more sensitive to cancer-causing chemicals than adults,” said Jane Houlihan, EWG’s vice president for research. “Scientists have found that chemicals’ toxic effects can be passed down for four generations, by causing permanent genetic changes that can be inherited. A stew of toxic chemicals is not the legacy mothers want to hand down to their children.”

We monitor the pollution in our air, our water, and even our fish. Isn’t it time we started paying attention to the pollution in our bodies?

Related Post: What’s in YOUR body, Mom?

The post A Mother’s Day Question: What Do You Have in Common with Your Daughter…or Your Own Mother? appeared first on Big Green Purse.