Tuesday 12 April 2016

Why Go Green? Oz Baby Trends ~ Green Guest Blog


Q1: Tell us a little about your business.

At Oz Baby Trends, we work with dedicated retailers, helping them bring sustainable parenting products to families across Australia so that those families can enjoy a simple, natural parenting journey. We are wholesale distributors for a beautiful range of cloth nappies and baby carriers.

Over in my other business – Eva Van Strijp – I help mothers thrive by teaching strategies that they can implement to create change that really lasts.

Q2: When did you decide you wanted to go green?

My decision to “go green” probably began way back in primary school when I started collecting items for recycling. Back then, we didn’t have a fortnightly curb side pick-up for recycling so we had to do it the old-fashioned way. Each week, we took our buckets of recycling and deposited it at the nearest recycling depot. Our family needed to reduce the amount of garbage that was going out each week, and to be honest, rather than being about “being green”, I think it just had more to do with the practicality of it. It just made sense to recycle whatever we possibly could. It seemed a shameful waste to throw away something that could be reused.

Q3: What prompted you to make the move to go green?

When I started my own family, I knew I wanted to use cloth nappies. I was called a hippy and a greenie but while the eco factor was a great bonus, again, my reasoning was practical. I wanted to be more self-sufficient and using cloth nappies meant I wouldn’t need to rely on the supermarket for a staple baby item. I also just had a gut feeling that they would be better for my baby’s skin.

Got a new baby on the way? Eva has a free mini eCourse to help you choose, use and love cloth nappies from the very start.

Q4: What difficulties have you found with going green?

I honestly don’t find it to be difficult. Because being green ties in with lots of our other life decisions, it doesn’t feel like a big drama or some extra stress on our lives.

For example, many decisions that we’ve made for our family budget have also been, by default, the “green” choice. All of the decisions we’ve made in terms of self-sufficiency have also been “green”. Everything we do to live more simply is, naturally, “green”. It just goes hand-in-hand with our lifestyle and I love that.

Q5: Is there one area you’re still yet to go green?

I still have lots of little food fails. While we do really strive to be self-sufficient, I also know that life with a big family is hectic sometimes, and heavily-packaged frozen food gets a look-in during those times!

Q6: Can you list some of the benefits / positive effects going green has had on your life?

I love that for our family being green also means being more self-sufficient. Whether it’s simply growing lettuce in a pot on the verandah or avoiding excess packaging by curbing the purchase of consumer goods that we just don’t need, it’s highly empowering to be able to make choices that have a healthy impact on our family and on the environment.

Q7: What suggestions would you make to those wanting to go green but not knowing where to start?

Start at home. There are numerous small steps we can take around the home to “green up” our lives. Just start by making the switch on one thing (serviettes for reusable napkins, tissues for hankies, paper towel for old towels, baking paper for butter wraps… the kitchen is a GREAT place to start!). You’ll find that within a few days you’ll have hardly noticed the change and will feel motivated to continue.

Q8: Any other advice / comments regarding going green you’d like to share?

Start small. It’s better to begin with baby steps and actually have them stick than to bite off more than you can chew and find yourself falling promptly back into old habits. Begin with one small, simple transition. Do it till it’s second nature, then take on another one. It’s all about changing our habits through changing our mindset – and mindset changes can take time.

But keep at it - it’s worth it!

Author BIO

Eva Van Strijp is a mother of five, business owner and creator of SimplicityKickstart – a free 14 day guide to conquering the chaos.

When Eva isn’t hanging out with her family or running a business, she’s eating chocolate, listening to podcasts or tending her veggie patch.
Eva Van Strijp


  

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