Guest Post 1: Green and Clean Mom

When Lena asked me to guest post I immediately said yes and I’m very honored. Being a guest at anyone’s home or blog is an honor. I say this because my blog is an extension of me and giving someone space to write his or her thoughts in my personal space is something I consider very special and so Lena – thank you.

Who is Green and Clean Mom
I was asked to write about how I started on this green journey and give some helpful tips for any parent who has already set sail, whose thinking of doing more or scared. It sometimes can seem scary and overwhelming. I’ve told my story many times I wonder if I bore people. I hope this doesn’t bore you because I’m pretty much like most moms, just doing their best. I was cleaning with what my mom cleaned with and grandma cleaned with. I recycled half-heartedly, left my car running too often, used unsafe plastic and probably left the lights on when I shouldn’t. I wasn’t lazy I was just careless and not as respectful of the environment as I should have been. I knew there were dangerous chemicals but if products were on the shelf I considered them safe for consumers and my family. I was using glass bottles for my daughter because I was vaguely aware of the BPA issue and I thought it was odd how I got a headache every time I cleaned what else was I supposed to use for dusting and scrubbing the bathroom?

The Birth of Green and Clean Mom
I make myself sound stupid but almost three years ago I didn’t know any better and the “green” safe choices, the blogs and the education about non-toxic products were just coming to the surface. I watched the Earth Day special on Oprah and that was my moment of truth. I literally got rid of all my hazardous products to the point I had nothing in our home to wash the counters with or our bodies. I did too much too soon driving everyone a little batty! I threw myself into research, reading books and talking to friends. It took a few months before I started Green and Clean Mom (April 2007 to September 2007) and I started the blog to find other moms like myself. I didn’t have a lot of support and when I attended a playgroup and mentioned BPA, chemicals or anything that was making a mother feel like she was doing something bad (which was not my intention) I looked like I had a third eye. My local health food store was very “crunchy” and I just wasn’t comfortable there at the time. It just seemed to me that there was no happy medium and thus Green and Clean Mom was started. A place that is intended to be supportive, motivational, encouraging and chalked full of my experiences, research, opinions, ideas and tips.

Earth Friendly Green Eco Tips

1. Start somewhere. Don’t go overboard like I did and drive everyone up a wall and scare yourself silly. Do some research and read a few good books and then decide what you and your family want to accomplish for the week, month or year. It could be carpooling or buying organic milk. Just do something.


2. Involve the family. Whatever you decide to do make it a family decision and effort. Turning off the lights, recycling and saving water is something my family all does together. We remind each other and help one another accomplish these tasks so we are all succeeding together. Sometimes we even challenge one another to do more!


3. Help someone else. If you’ve read a good book or magazine article on going green, tried a new product, found a coupon for organic milk or you are done with the glass bottles – pass the information and stuff onto someone else. You don’t have to preach or judge just share what you know. Others are so much more willing now that “green” is this buzzword and I wish I had that when I first started learning more. Now I try a product and I tell the world but also my loved ones and friends and I share the wealth and let them read the book or try the products.

Sommer Poquette
Founder of Green & Clean Mom, LLC Early Childhood Advocate for Great Start because every kid in Michigan should enter Kindergarten prepared.
231.838.6236
sommer@greenandcleanmom.org
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Thank you to Sommer for that wonderfully inspirational guest post!
Sommer was the first Green Blogger that I “met” and Green and Clean Mom was the first green blog that I ever read. (How that blog has changed my life.) After reading her blog I joined the Green and Clean Mom forum. This forum has provided me with a platform for meeting other green blogging mommies and for learning about green products and companies. It also inspired me to get involved. I now write a weekly post on the forum and participate in her blog tours. She truly has inspired me! Thank you again Sommer!