Cheap Plastic Toys Don't Inspire Ocean Conservation

Dear Monterey Bay Aquarium Manager of Merchandising,

We love the Monterey Bay Aquarium! Although the membership cost was a little steep for our family, my husband and I agreed that in addition to wanting our family to visit regularly, we also felt great about our money supporting the Aquarium's awesome mission: to inspire conservation of the oceans.

Through our regular visits, my husband and children and I are all learning a ton about ocean life, and most certainly developing a deeper appreciation of the ocean: its beauty, its enormity, its mystery, its diversity, its fragility. After visiting the Aquarium, our next trip to the library often results in us leaving with a tall stack of books about aquatic critters.

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What Do You Do When Something Breaks?

In our disposable society, the ability to repair items seems to have fallen by the wayside. But it used to be a regular part of life, back when products were higher quality, more durable, and more expensive. If you couldn't fix it yourself, you took it to someone who could. Instead of tossing a pair of shoes when there was a hole in the sole, you took it to have the sole replaced at the local shoe repair place. I remember when I was a teenager, a favorite pair of black flats got a hole in the bottom. I knew I'd never find a pair of black flats that were as comfortable as my simple worn pair. So my mom took me to the shoe repair place about a mile away from our house to get a new sole. It was the only pair of shoes I ever had repaired.

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The Virtues of Trees

Trees are on the decline in American cities. Large American cities are losing trees four times as fast as they can be replanted. In some cities only one tree is being planted for every eight trees that are being lost. Most of these trees exist on private property. We should all be concerned about the health of our cities' forests because trees are important assets that provide all kinds of invaluable services.

Trees Are Amazing!

Trees Combat the Greenhouse Effect. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the amount of carbon dioxide produced when you drive your car 26,000 miles. A typical healthy tree can remove up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air every year.

Continue reading at the Green Phone Booth

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Don't Throw Out the Baby OR the Bathwater

About a month ago, my husband brought the bathtub outside on a hot day to help the sweaty baby cool off. We don't have a wading pool. Since she hadn't been bathed in a while (frequent occurrence), he decided he might as well suds her up while she was enjoying cooling off and splashing around. When the baby was ready to get out, the 3yo (who often resists baths) decided she wanted in on the action as well, and so she also got a very much needed bath that afternoon. What a success! We have since given all baths outside.

Here is why outside baths are such a brilliant idea:

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Save Water

It's the last day of our month about Water over at The Green Phone Booth. Click over to my post to learn an easy and economical way to conserve water.

Photo credit: joshme17

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10 Ways to Conserve Water

In recognition of World Water Day, here are some ideas for saving water:

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