Watching Mandy (my wife, pictured here with our son Hucky) take on motherhood over the past 5 years has been a site. She is a force. Researching, reading, engaging and playing.
It came naturally to her, but maintaining the balance between who she is as a person and who she is as a mother is not easy. Especially in this era of expectation. Mom's are often expected to be everything to their kids, while also holding down a job, exercising their bodies and souls, supporting partners and still having time for friends and hobbies.
It's a lot, and for our family, the great pause has given me an opportunity to appreciate how much my wife has done for our little guys (aged 3 & 5) to ensure they grow into caring and courageous boys and men.
A big part of this has been environmental stewardship. Mandy has found courses (if you're in Toronto, check out the Pine Project, it's amazing) and books, games and lessons to guide them on a path of understanding, connection and appreciation of the natural world. And I love her for it.
Tell us how your Mom has helped guide you (directly or indirectly) to become more sustainable and connected to the natural world. We'll choose five answers and send your Mom an etee hit kit!
Put your answers in the comments below!
Congratulations to the commenters below, we'll be contacting you shortly about your etee hit kit !
Sarah Gregory
“My mom has always been a champion of the environment. Made sure I always knew the difference in what could and could not be recycled, she used to embarrass me at picnics and other events but fishing out the plastic from the garbage, and would told me she didn’t care what people thought of her, she was doing what was right for the environment. Every year at Christmas she picks a new product (for many years it was 7th generation toilet paper) that is responsibly sourced, uses recycled resources, and most of all less or no plastic and gives that to everyone, it has been bamboo straws, and re-usable grocery bags, and toilet paper. Every year we go to a family camp of about 250 people and she used her own money to buy everyone re-usable water bottles to reduce the number of single use water bottles. She is always looking for ways to be the most Eco-conscious and conservative she can be. After I got over the childhood embarrassment I now admire and appreciate all that she taught me, and how she continues to be a champion no matter what.”
Cynthia Fogliatti
My mother had a tremendous effect upon me growing up and, although she has passed, still influences me to this day. She lived frugally, according to her Scottish/English heritage, with the mantra “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!” She was wonderfully inventive in fashioning “fixes” for various problems and I look at everything—especially now with the Coronavirus crisis keeping everyone sheltered in—with the question of how I might reuse it, repurpose it, or at least recycle all or parts of it. This has saved our family a lot of money getting another use out of something and NOT buying items we don’t really need. There’s also a bonus factor: it’s fun to put your mind to work inventing creative solutions!
Susan Young
My mother, Anne Cochran, raised us in the 60’s and 70’s and was an EarthMother before her time! She always had little nature/ science projects going. We made terrariums, and sprouted seeds, and raised tadpoles,(of course releasing them when they became frogs!) . We got up at night to watch meteor showers, and we rose before dawn to see a bunch of migrating monarch butterflies clutched together on a tree on someone’s farm. We took lots and lots if hikes through state and national parks. Through all of this, she shared her deep love of nature! She also educated us about recycling! Even back in the the 70’s , she recognized the evils of plastic, and taught us how and why we should avoid it!
Thank you ,Mother for teaching us to respect our Mother Earth!!!
Your love has been passed down to your kids and grandkids! All 3 generations use Etee products!!❤️🌎 Happy Mother’s Day!
Comments
My mother died when I was young, but my mother-in-law has worked hard to fill in the gaps. She has taught me how to be frugal, yet generous. I have cut up old clothes to make homemade washable Kleenex, and haven’t bought conventional Kleenex for a few years. She has taught me how to shop second hand rather than new if possible. Each year I try to make a few changes to our household to become more sustainable. She is always very interested in what I am doing and the changes that I am making as she tries to make better choices too. She has loved me as her own and winning this would surely bless her.
my mother came here alone from Belarus, not knowing the language and was a boarder in someones house. she supported herself by working in the garment industry. so she raised a left handed yiddish speaking daughter.
My mom has always taught us to reuse items, from reusing teabags to washing out ziplock bags. From her I have learned to be thoughtful and sustainable in my eco footprint. I bought the beeswax sheets and now she’s in love with them!
My mother had a tremendous effect upon me growing up and, although she has passed, still influences me to this day. She lived frugally, according to her Scottish/English heritage, with the mantra “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!” She was wonderfully inventive in fashioning “fixes” for various problems and I look at everything—especially now with the Coronavirus crisis keeping everyone sheltered in—with the question of how I might reuse it, repurpose it, or at least recycle all or parts of it. This has saved our family a lot of money getting another use out of something and NOT buying items we don’t really need. There’s also a bonus factor: it’s fun to put your mind to work inventing creative solutions!
My mum taught me to be frugal. We reuse clothing and other materials where possible. Shop at second hand shops for clothing, kitchen stuff and furniture. We made many of my clothes from scraps as a kid. Now we grow some of the food we eat in veggie gardens. Been doing this for years, not just because of the pandemic this year. No food scraps go to waste either. Any food scraps that can’t be eaten go into the compost.
My Mom taught me to garden at a young age. It was important to have a vegetable garden every summer and I do the same today. Once I grew a beet the size of me! I was 5 years old, it even got into the newspaper thanks to my Mom. The taste of home grown tomatoes always brings me back to my childhood.
My mom is sadly no longer with us but she was instrumental in framing the way her children see the world ecologically. From breastfeeding in a time when bottle feeding was the predominant culture, to composting long before it was cool (yes, we were the weird kids), she and my father, and their post WWII mentality meant we definitely wasted not and wanted not. I appreciate having grown up with a backyard garden and having learnt how to create sustainable food sources. Later we were able to install a greenhouse and things really took off. My mom always said she felt closer to God in the garden and now that’s where I feel closer to her.
Growing up we laughed at mom for being a “tree hugger” and getting newsletters from the SEIRA club. But she was relentless, knowing some day, we, and more of society, would come around. She ignored the complaints from city neighbours in the early 2000s about her compost pile. She didn’t care when we came home and told her about the snacks other kids had at school. She told us to look at the plastic. And I do. How my mom shopped and shops really effects my own purchasing. She hasn’t owned a dryer in years, and this year she was ecstatic to get solar power so she can be basically off the grid. My momma loves the planet and has taught me to do the same!
My mom is the most generous, strong, intelligent, and healthy person I know. She has taught me everything I know to lead an active, healthy, clean and sustainable lifestyle. I am a healthcare worker currently working on the frontlines in NYC. My mom has given me the support I need to get up everyday and go to work. Whether it is a positive message or a cute gift, she knows how to put a smile on my face in these darker times. She helps me be strong and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without her. She always gives me the best tips to keep myself healthy which is so important right now. I love her so much and I wouldn’t be who I am today with her.
My mother was an early adopter of plastic-free and environmentally-friendly living over 30 years ago, when a multiple chemical sensitivities diagnosis upended her life. I learned so much from her about reducing chemical use and exposures, clean eating, organic and whole foods, and developing a new respect for nature by not using pesticides and herbicides in the garden. Today I incorporate all of these practices, and many more like them, in my daily life.