Some Environmentally Friendly Ideas for Your Favorite ‘Earth Mother’
These days, more moms are
environmentally aware, and since it comes so soon after Earth Day,
Mother’s Day is an excellent opportunity to keep the green spirit
alive. Here are some eco-friendly alternatives to typical Mother’s
Day traditions:
BREAKFAST IN BED: We always
started Mother’s Day off right with breakfast in bed for Mom. This
year, make it an environmentally friendly and socially responsible
meal with fair-trade coffee or tea, vegetarian bacon or sausage (meat
production uses far more of our precious natural resources than
vegetable production), organic orange juice and fruit, and eggs from
a local farmer’s market (if they are raised locally, no fuel has to
be used to truck them long distances, and they are less likely to be
from ‘factory farms’). Mom will be touched by your thoughtfulness
and impressed with your responsibility.
THE CARD: Everybody knows Mom
appreciates a card from her family and will especially treasure a
homemade card. So, why not be green about it and make a card out of
recycled materials? The back panel of a cereal box makes a nice,
sturdy support that can be covered with all sorts of neat stuff, from
pretty pictures cut from magazines to interesting little origami
shapes folded from receipts, catalog pages, and even colorful junk
mail. Use your imagination and give Mom a surprise and a laugh while
saving all of that stuff from going into the landfill!
FLOWERS: Moms like flowers, but
the traditional bouquet of cut blooms can pose significant
environmental problems: exotic blossoms may be grown out of season in
energy-sucking hothouses, or inorganic fertilizers and pesticides may
be used. They are usually transported long distances, burning much
fuel just to get them to your neighborhood florist. If you want to
present Mom with a bouquet, try to get local, organically grown
flowers. Better yet, why kill flowers when you can present Mom with a
healthy, living plant that she can enjoy for years to come? If you
have a backyard, choose a nice shrub to plant that is suited to your
local climate. You can even make your backyard more nature-friendly
by choosing a plant that will provide shelter or food for wild
critters. My top recommendation for this purpose would be the
buddleia, known as ‘butterfly bush’. It grows about 5-6
feet tall, blooms profusely and offers shelter to plenty of little
birdies and beasties. And as you might guess from the name,
butterflies go crazy for it. Mom will be reminded of
your thoughtfulness year after year as she watches the butterflies
dance around these gorgeous shrubs.
GIFTS: There are all kinds of
gifts to please a green mom’s heart, from the large (Energy-saving
appliances! New low-e windows! A hybrid car!) to the medium-sized
(Solar-powered outdoor lighting! Thermal window blinds!) to the small
(Recycled paper stationery! Organic cookies and treats!). Here’s an
idea: Get Mom a pretty canvas tote bag filled with organic and
cruelty-free (no animal testing) bath and beauty products. When the
products are gone, Mom can take the tote bag to do her grocery
shopping instead of having to use paper or plastic bags!
ACTIVITIES: A nice
stroll-and-picnic in the park sounds more green and serene than a
gas-burning drive to a crowded restaurant for brunch, doesn’t it?
Mom gets to relax and take in some fresh air with the family, nobody
has to stress out about table manners, and everyone gets to
appreciate nature and get some exercise, to boot. If Mom is more of
an activist type, you might plan something like an afternoon of
planting trees or cleaning up a streamside or park. These activities
are more about spending time together than spending money. After all,
those are the memories you’ll really appreciate, and it’s nice to
know that going green doesn’t require spending much ‘green’.
Now that you’ve read these
suggestions, I hope you’ll be inspired to have a wonderfully green
Mother’s Day, because there’s another special mom you should
always keep in your heart—Mother Nature!
Image from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/en/nature-park-mother-girl-mama-3089907/
