What is it? Certainly not growing your children under a cabbage at the bottom of the garden or living in a hole in the hillside with no electric or running water (I do admit this may be attractive to some, although I personally prefer a fully insulated house with four walls whether that be wood, straw or brick). Neither is it depriving your children of every modern convenience and reverting to the lifestyle of 200 yrs past. There were reasons for modern advances, they improved our health, education, our standards of living improved but has it gone too far? Yes. Many of us currently live un-sustainably, wasting energy, water, creating mass amounts of non recyclable waste which ends up in landfill, polluting the earth that should provide with all we need, filling our food full of chemicals, that will undoubtedly do us and especially our children detrimental harm, the list is endless.

Now I don't like the term "Green Parenting" or even "Earth Mother", "Eco-parent" or any of those terms because really all they do is make it sound as if we are part of a special club that needs special qualifications, oftentimes putting the suburban mother off the idea of trying to become more sustainable because they think its only attainable for a few. Green parenting is nothing more than healthy parenting, trying to raise your children well, ensuring they have a healthy environment and that it stays safe for their future and their children's future.

Do you believe that your family can become "greener", is it achievable or is it just too hard in the fast paced world that you live in today?

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