Have you ever wondered what to do with all of the clothes, toys, books, puzzles and just general kid gear that accumulates around the average home? A group of women in Pittsburgh, PA took on the challenge of finding something useful to do with these items and had a ton of fun in the process.

The Recycle Circle is a group of moms and tots getting together for a morning of instituting the three R’s, all under the guise of playing, relaxing, and having fun. The goal is to Reduce Reuse Recycle—that is, reduce the amount of unwanted misfit toys that get thrown away and end up in landfills by trading/sharing with another family who will reuse, recycle, and give them a new home. Likewise, the hope is to reduce the amount of money spent on mountains of toys and, instead, provide these items for other families with young children—especially those who may not otherwise have the resources.

For this first event, I partnered with Mary Beth Yount, the director of the Brookline Kids Preschool, a free preschool program at Brookline Boulevard U.P. Church. Mary Beth graciously offered one of her preschool classrooms for us to use. The location was great because the children had a great time playing in the kid-friendly space, and it easily accommodated this initial gathering of 30 people. With everyone bringing a light-lunch-type dish to share, we had more than enough food for all the guests, and the preschool had tables and chairs for the kids to sit and eat. As for the donations, each mom brought bags full of toys/books/clothes/like items that were in good condition and suitable for sharing. Truthfully, the amount of gear brought was well beyond what was expected! We had a blast browsing the goods and selecting items to take home. The browsing and sharing was a great ice-breaker for those guests who had just met. It was good to see everyone getting into the spirit of things, and at one point I wondered aloud, “why is it that our friends toys are usually more fun than our own?” The kids enthusiastically agreed.

The mountains of great items remaining were donated to two locations where families will be able to take items free of charge. The first receiving charity is our local Angel’s Place house where assistance is given to young mothers who are in need of support and resources. The second location is a new Family Resource Room at Brookline Boulevard U.P. Church. Inspired by the Recycle Circle concept, Rev. Marsha Sebastian ,the pastor at the church, has donated an entire room for items to be available to anyone in the community. In less than a week, director Mary Beth has already gotten the room organized and ready to welcome guests. The room will provide clothes for both kids and moms as well as toys, books, puzzles, and even bigger items such as baby baths and bouncy chairs. In addition, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will provide jars of natural baby food; making the Family Resource Room an extension of the already existing on-site Food Pantry. With the well-equipped free preschool program, the Family Resource Room and the Food Bank, the church is truly a unique community center for families in the Brookline area in the city of Pittsburgh. I tip my hat to these remarkable programs and the passionate way in which these ladies serve their community!

Do you want to start a Recycle Circle in your community?? We encourage families to create a group among their friends and families to keep the circle spinning. If you would like more information on how to start a Recycle Circle, check back to earth mother next Wednesday, August 15 when we’ll share some tips and guidelines that helped make this first event so successful. We can’t wait for the next Circle!

If you have a family-serving charity in the Pittsburgh area that could benefit from our next Recycle Circle, please contact our admin e-mail: admin@earthmother.org

The planning phase for our first Recycle Circle is well underway. A circle of moms and their tots will get together for a morning of instituting the three R’s, all under the guise of playing, relaxing, and just plain summertime fun. The goal is to Reduce Reuse Recycle—that is, reduce the amount of unwanted misfit toys that get thrown away and end up in landfills by trading/sharing with another family who will reuse, recycle, and give them a new home. Likewise, we hope to reduce the amount of money spent on mountains of toys and, instead, provide clothes and toys for families with young children—especially those who may not otherwise have the resources. To the event, each mom will bring a bag full of toys/books/clothes that are in good condition and suitable for donation. Parents are encouraged to discuss the event with the kids (as age appropriate) so that they know what to expect. The little ones will arrive knowing that they’d be able to swap a few of their items for a “new” one thereby communicating the value of sharing in the process. The remaining items will be collected and donated to a charity in which families with children will directly benefit from the items free of charge.

For this first upcoming event, we will be donating to the Angel’s Place, a support center for young, single mothers who have little or no support. The invaluable work the staff does with the families who benefit is truly compassionate. Women are provided with academic services and career counseling, child care, parental support and health counseling as well as practical items i.e.: clothes, toys, and such. For more information, check out Angel’s Place online.

After writing the post on celebrating the first day of spring, I got to thinking about what I might do to make the day special for my tots. My pre-school-aged son loves to plant seeds, bulbs, flowers — generally anything that is growing or will grow. I’ve made it a point to foster this love since he was wee by laying him on a blanket in the grass next to me while I tend to my gardening. He has his own mini-flowering can, hand-shovel and hand-raking-claw, but mostly he just uses his hands to dig and play. We were all getting pumped for spring because even in the modest flower garden I do have, this time of year means planting the pretty colors of the rainbow in our front yard while getting dirty and wet in the process.

So, I decided to ask my little guy what he’d like to give his friends as a gift to celebrate spring. Without hesitation he said, “maybe we could give them orange flower seeds, Mommy.” Spoken like a kid with a truly green thumb. Of course, the potential flowers from the seeds would have to be orange, his favorite color. We bought a packet of orange cosmos seeds for each of his friends at school, and he and I made little “Happy First Day of Spring ” labels for each. We had fun the next morning placing a packet in each of his classmates’ bins before any of the others arrived. It was a secret mission to spread the joy of the sunshine, blue skies and new life that’s ushered in when winter fades out.

Naturally, I bought a packet of cosmos for my son and 18 month old daughter as well. We welcomed the new season by digging in the dirt, sowing the seeds and testing out that watering can. It was a fun way to encourage a love of all things living and to embrace our roles in taking care of the earth… while getting dirty and wet in the process.

This coming Tuesday, March 20, 2007, is the first day of spring or the vernal equinox. It’s the 24 hour period during which the day and night will exist in equal parts all over the world. So, no matter where you live on this planet, your day and night will be equally as long in duration; a day in which all living creatures will have the opportunity to have equal play for equal rest. So, what’s the deal with it being the “real ” earth day? If you take a look at your (American) 2007 calendar, you’ll see that April 22 is marked as the observance of Earth Day. Around the world, different countries celebrate our beautiful planet on different days of the year. However, it was a man named John McConnell who in 1969 approached the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to proclaim the vernal equinox the perfect day to celebrate the earth. They agreed, and three years later the United Nations followed suit and deemed March 20th an international day of observation. And, the rest is history. Earth Day has now grown into an international movement.

OK. Here’s the quick list of things you can do to celebrate Earth Day and take action as the executive of your household (we all know that it’s the moms who run the show.)
These are simple ways in which you can cut costs while saving energy—and the planet.

• Adjust your water heater to no hotter than 120 degrees
• Toss 2 or 3 of the incandescent bulbs you use most, and replace them with compact florescent. Trust us, you’ll save money.
• Find the temperature at which you’re mostly likely to set your thermostat, and set it 1 or 2 degrees cooler in the winter or warmer in the summer.
• Walk . Or, use Mass Transit as much as possible. This one is a toughy for moms carting little ones around. But, you know, walking is such great exercise for us and the tikes. Plus, if you can use it as a reason to support you local merchants by strolling to your next errand, Do It. All the better. When you can’t walk, make an errand into a special trip by taking that bus, subway, cable car or trolley. Kids love to ride in big vehicles, don’t they? If your kids are old enough, encourage family biking trips.
• Car pool not just to work, but whenever possible. How much is a gallon of gas these days?!?
• Wash laundry with cold water. Use biodegradable soap. Hang dry as much as you can.
• Unplug appliances when not in use: coffee pot, blender, toaster, food processor, mixer, toaster oven, microwave. Better yet, store these in a cabinet when not in use and enjoy a clutter-free counter space. Don’t forget to turn off the stereo, lights and TV, too.
• Take shorter showers. If you’re like most moms on the planet, you’ve probably either whittled this luxury down to a quick soap-up/rinse-down OR had to skip a few showers altogether considering the little darlings probably don’t give you five minutes peace, anyway. ☺
• All of your printouts with typos that you’d normally toss-out, give ‘em to your tot with a pile of crayons. She will make good use of the blank side and, in turn, present you with a work of art.

• Eat less meat and more produce. Produce crops need MUCH less energy to grow than animal farming. Better yet, become a vegetarian.
• Support local farmers and reduce the need for shipping… as well as pesticides or preservatives. (Ever wonder why organics ripen/rot faster?)
• Plant your own vegetable/fruit/bean garden. Use bio-friendly fertilizers and pesticides.
• Plant a tree or give a seedling as a gift. They soak up our carbon dioxide.
• Plant shrubs, flowers, greenery. They will beautify your home and put a smile in your heart.

There are so many more things you can do to save energy, reduce pollution and generally be good to the earth. Check out earth 911 for more ideas and info. Note: they have a section just for kids with activities and such.
Also, check back for the up-coming article on earthmother.org’s Recycle Circle. What’s better than a growing group of earthmother moms gathering our resources and putting the three R’s into action. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, that is.

Happy Spring, Earthmothers!

Some call them the dirty dozen. We’re referring, of course, to the 12 produce items with the highest level of detectable pesticides. Because the effects of over-exposure is still unknown, it is suggested to buy the organic variety of these fruits and vegetables whenever possible— especially when pregnant, nursing or feeding to children.

In alphabetical order, they are:

apples
bell peppers
celery
cherries
grapes (imported)
nectarines
peaches
pears
potatoes
red raspberries
spinach
strawberries

Likewise, below is a list of the 12 most popular produce items with consistently the lowest levels of detectable pesticides:

asparagus
avocados
bananas
broccoli
cauliflower
corn
kiwi
mangos
onion
papaya
pineapple
peas

For a thorough resource of information regarding pesticide use on produce, please check out Stonyfield Farm’s coverage of a Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. (Be sure to click on their nifty link to download the pdf of the full version which will provide you with a handy cut-out wallet guide to take along with you to the market.)

Also, check out their About Organic link that is an in-depth look at the history of organics accompanied by a list of related links. Thanks Stonyfield Farm for the useful info (and the tasty products,too!)