By Jannine Barron
Are you shopping for natural baby skincare? Are you researching the benefits of cloth nappies vs. disposables? Do you avoid plastic? Have told your family that you don’t want plastic and prefer organic gifts for your children? If you answer yes to these questions, then you are part of a growing movement of new mums and new dads that are changing the world, one purchase at a time. You are an Eco-Parent.
Eco Parents know that changing an aspect of life by just one degree will impact our environment. One degree sounds like very small change but consider an airline pilot. For every single degree they fly off course, they could miss their landing spot by 28 metres for every kilometer flown. So yeah, one degree seriously matters.
Your choices about raising your family and where you shop are that one degree. You can make a huge difference.
Billions of parents, all over the world, every day, are choosing where to buy food, how to drive, cycle or walk somewhere, what nappies to use, where to shop, whether to have a garden, whether to go to the park or watch TV. Billions of small ideas and small every day choices, that are all happening every day, in every moment. Yep, even right now.
Welcome to a new era. You are now one of these people. So the only question is, will you be an eco parent?
Having a baby is one of the biggest changes you will ever experience in your life. It sets you on a path of new choices about where to live, how to live, when to work, what childcare you need, is the car good enough and will I go out tonight or stay home. These are often ideas you have never actually put a lot of thought into before but its time. This is also your chance to think about your shopping choices. After all, you could be up for thousands of dollars of “stuff” that you never end up using that everyone says you need.
My own experience with change and eco shopping is that it is a slow process of change when you have a family. We love change but we don’t always like fast change, especially if it means that our favourite foods and cravings and tastes are going to drop off the shopping list! Companies will change their behaviour if we vote with our wallets. The short term deprivation is worth it for the change you can make in the wider world. Companies will listen if we stop buying their goods and services.
Being an eco parent is not about being perfect. It’s about aiming for perfection and being really proud of the changes you do make. We all want happy healthy kids but sometimes that is not what we get, do we give up on them? No, we fight for them, find doctors and healers that can help us and we grow strong and wise from the experience. Approach eco shopping for your family in the same way. Make mistakes, fall down, succeed, fail and try again, just like anything else. It is worth it after all, for the survival of our planet and the future or our kids.
Nature’s Child was Australia’s First Organic Baby Store established in July 2000 in Byron Bay, Australia. First an iconic retail store, Nature’s Child is best known for their organic baby products available across the globe in your local health food or baby store. Their philosophy is based on simple necessities and regeneration of our earth. “Just the products that we NEED every day in the purest organic form.” Zero waste and zero harm underlies their philosophy and as a result, they have a range of baby essentials including ACO certified organic skincare, baby wipes, breast pads and nappies from certified organic cotton.
